Device and method for coating seed

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11071244-B2
Application number	US-201615562780-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 1, 2016
Priority date	Apr 9, 2015
Publication date	Jul 27, 2021
Grant date	Jul 27, 2021

Abstract

A device for coating seeds with a liquid dressing solution, including a housing delimiting a chamber for accommodating the seeds, a rotating system for mixing the seeds and the dressing solution, an air duct for feeding hot air into the chamber and a separating unit which is permeable to the hot air and separates the air duct from the chamber. According to this invention, the separating unit includes at least one perforated metal sheet that has an inner face facing towards the chamber, an outer face facing towards the air duct and a plurality of projections, wherein a projection rises obliquely in the direction of the outer face and forms an opening inlet, which is inclined to the metal sheet plane, on the outer face. This invention further relates to a method in which the device is used.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for coating seeds with a liquid dressing solution, comprising:
a housing ( 10 ) delimiting a chamber ( 11 ) having a vertical axis ( 1 ) extending in the direction of gravity and configured to accommodate the seeds;
a rotating system for mixing the seeds and the dressing solution;
an air duct ( 17 ) configured to feed heated air into the chamber ( 11 ); and
a separating unit which is permeable to the heated air and separates the air duct ( 17 ) from the chamber ( 11 ), the separating unit comprising at least one perforated metal sheet ( 18 ) having an inner face ( 31 ) facing towards the chamber ( 11 ), an outer face ( 30 ) facing towards the air duct ( 17 ) and a plurality of projections ( 28 ), wherein each of the projections ( 28 ) is inclined on the outer face ( 30 ) and rises obliquely in a direction of the outer face ( 30 ), and each of the projections ( 28 ) includes an opening inlet ( 34 ) disposed toward the air duct ( 17 ) to receive the heated air and an opening outlet ( 35 ) disposed toward the chamber ( 11 );
wherein the housing ( 10 ) comprises a substantially cylindrical housing part ( 15 ) partially enclosing the chamber ( 11 ), with the perforated metal sheet ( 18 ) being inserted into a jacket surface of the cylindrical housing part ( 15 ), wherein each of the cylindrical housing part ( 15 ) and the perforated metal sheet ( 18 ) is disposed about the vertical axis ( 1 ) and is a stationary housing part that does not move about the vertical axis ( 1 ) during operation of the device, and wherein the housing ( 10 ) comprises a rotatable housing part ( 12 ) partially enclosing the chamber ( 11 ) and disposed about the vertical axis below the stationary cylindrical housing part ( 15 ), the rotatable housing part ( 12 ) configured to rotate about the vertical axis ( 1 ) during the operation of the device to mix the seeds and the liquid dressing solution and introduce seeds upwards into the stationary substantially cylindrical housing part ( 15 ) and into the heated air directed in a circumferential direction ( 32 ).

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the rotatable housing part ( 12 ) substantially has a shape of a truncated cone oriented in a downward direction.

3. A method for coating seeds using a device according to claim 1 , wherein the rotating system for mixing seeds and dressing solution are set in rotation, wherein the seeds are moved along the inner face ( 31 ) of the perforated metal sheet ( 18 ) by the rotating system, and wherein the obliquely rising projections ( 28 ) substantially oppose a main direction of movement ( 32 ) of the seeds, so that it is prevented that the seeds hit sharp edges while moving along the inner face ( 31 ) of the metal sheet ( 18 ).

4. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a main axis ( 38 ) of the projection ( 28 ) substantially extends in a circumferential direction of the jacket surface of the cylindrical housing part ( 15 ) and the opening inlet ( 34 ) of the inlet is disposed toward and facing a direction of flow ( 33 ) of the hot air.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the cross section of the opening inlet ( 34 ) of the projection ( 28 ) is substantially triangular or semi-elliptical.

6. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the projection ( 28 ) is substantially triangular or semi-elliptical in a top view.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the air duct ( 17 ) is configured as an annular duct extending in the circumferential direction around the jacket surface of the cylindrical housing part ( 15 ).

8. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the perforated metal sheet ( 18 ) is a ring segment.

9. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the housing ( 10 ) comprises a lid ( 16 ) disposed at an upper rim of the cylindrical housing part ( 15 ).

10. The device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one guide vane is provided for the seeds located in the chamber ( 11 ).

11. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a rotating disc atomizer ( 20 ) is provided for atomizing the liquid dressing solution.

12. The device according to claim 1 , wherein an air treatment system ( 40 ) is provided that has an inlet ( 41 ) for discharged air ( 42 ) from the chamber ( 11 ) and an outlet ( 49 ) connected to the air duct ( 17 ).

13. A method for coating seeds using a device according to claim 1 , wherein the rotating system for mixing seeds and dressing solution are set in rotation, wherein the seeds are moved along the inner face ( 31 ) of the perforated metal sheet ( 18 ) by the rotating system, and wherein the obliquely rising projections ( 28 ) substantially oppose a main direction of movement ( 32 ) of the seeds, so that it is prevented that the seeds hit sharp edges while moving along the inner face ( 31 ) of the metal sheet ( 18 ).

14. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the cylindrical housing part ( 15 ) comprises more than one air duct inlet ( 26 ) of the air duct ( 17 ).

15. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the substantially cylindrical housing part ( 15 ) includes a lid ( 16 ) at a first end and is open toward the rotatable housing part ( 12 ) at a second end opposite the first end.

16. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the rotatable housing part ( 12 ) comprises a truncated cone including an upper rim adjacent the second end of the substantially cylindrical housing part ( 15 ), and a cone envelope surface extending downward from the upper rim and inward toward the vertical axis.

17. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a main axis ( 38 ) of each of the plurality of projections ( 28 ) substantially extends in a circumferential direction of the substantially cylindrical housing part ( 15 ) at a non-parallel angle to the vertical axis.

18. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a cross section of the opening inlet ( 34 ) each of the plurality of projections ( 28 ) is substantially triangular or semi-elliptical.

19. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the air duct ( 17 ) is configured as an annular duct extending in a circumferential direction about the substantially cylindrical housing part ( 15 ) and the vertical axis.

20. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the perforated sheet ( 18 ) is a ring segment partially extending about the vertical axis.

21. The device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one guide vane is provided for the seeds and located in the chamber ( 11 ).

22. The device according to claim 21 , wherein an inner space of the guide vane forms a part of the air duct and that the perforated sheet ( 18 ) is inserted into an outer wall of the guide vane.

23. The device according to claim 1 , wherein a rotating disc atomizer ( 20 ) is disposed within the chamber ( 11 ) and configured to atomize the liquid dressing solution.

24. The device according to claim 1 , further comprising an air treatment system ( 40 ) including an inlet ( 41 ) configured to receive discharged air ( 42 ) from the chamber ( 11 ) and an outlet ( 49 ) connected to the air duct ( 17 ).

25. The device according to claim 1 , wherein upon contact with the heated air in the stationary substantially cylindrical housing part ( 15 ) the seeds slide or rub along the at least one perforated sheet ( 18 ) in the circumferential direction and fall back into the rotating housing part ( 12 ).

Assignees

• Bayer Cropscience Ag

Inventors

• Wenig Guido
• Schnier Heinz-Friedrich
• Kempkes Hartwig
• Ehrig Anja
• Mandt Hans-Jürgen

Classifications

• A01C1/08 Primary

  Immunising seed · CPC title

• A01C1/06 Primary

  Coating or dressing seed · CPC title

• B05C3/08

  the work and the liquid or other fluent material being agitated together in a container, e.g. tumbled (B05C3/05 takes precedence) · CPC title