Exhaust webbing for an agricultural implement tank

• US 10,051,780 B2
• Filed: 11/16/2015
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Leaf IP Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Johnson, Chad M., Long, Scott A., Roszman, Joshua J., Prickel, Marvin A., MacDonald, Grant T., Connors, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Novosad, Christopher J.
• Application Number:
  US14/942,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20160066499A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 15/006 Hoppers
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/081 Seeders depositing seeds in rows using pneumatic means
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/084 Pneumatic distribution heads for seeders

Abstract

A seed tank assembly for an agricultural implement including an exhaust opening configured to exhaust seeds from the seed tank assembly, in which at least one webbing extends across the exhaust opening forming a plurality of apertures, the at least one webbing is integrally molded into the seed tank assembly, and the at least one webbing is configured to provide structural support to the seed tank assembly and to reduce seed head pressure into an inductor box positioned beneath the exhaust opening.

Claims

1. A method for forming an agricultural implement, comprising:

forming a seed tank housing configured to store seeds; and

forming an exhaust opening in the seed tank housing with one or more webbings that extend across the exhaust opening to form a plurality of apertures, wherein the exhaust opening is configured to facilitate exhaust of the seeds from the seed tank housing downwardly through the plurality of apertures via gravity, each of the one or more webbings is integrally molded into the seed tank housing, and each of the one or more webbings is configured to;

provide structural support to the seed tank housing;

reduce seed head pressure into an inductor box positioned beneath the exhaust opening; and

flex in response to pressurization of the seed tank housing to dislodge seeds on an upper surface of the one or more webbings.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the one or more webbings is configured to transition from a curved configuration to a flattened configuration in response to pressurization of the seed tank housing.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of apertures is substantially rectangular.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the exhaust opening is formed on a downward facing surface of a bottom portion of the seed tank housing.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising coupling the seed tank housing directly to the inductor box such that:

the exhaust opening is position directly above the inductor box; and

each of the one or more webbings is positioned directly above an air bypass channel of the inductor box, wherein the one or more webbings are configured to guide the seeds through openings between adjacent air bypass channels.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein forming an exhaust opening comprises trimming material from the seed tank housing to form the plurality of apertures leaving between 30 mm to 40 mm of material between each of the plurality apertures.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the seed tank housing comprises a rotational molding process.

8. A method for forming an agricultural implement, comprising:

forming a seed tank housing configured to store seeds, wherein the seed tank housing is coupled directly to and positioned directly above an inductor box;

forming a first aperture in a downward facing surface of a bottom portion of the seed tank housing, wherein the first aperture is configured to enable the seeds to exhaust from the seed tank housing downwardly through the first aperture via gravity; and

forming a second aperture in the downward facing surface of the bottom portion of the seed tank housing such that a first webbing is formed between the first aperture and the second aperture, wherein the second aperture is configured to enable the seeds to exhaust from the seed tank housing downwardly through the second aperture via gravity;

wherein the first webbing is configured to provide structural support to the seed tank housing, and to flex in response to pressurization of the seed tank housing to dislodge seeds on an upper surface of the first webbing.

9. The method of claim 8, comprising:

forming a third aperture in the downward facing surface of the bottom portion of the seed tank housing such that a second webbing is formed between the third aperture and the second aperture, wherein the third aperture is configured to enable the seeds to exhaust from the seed tank housing through the third aperture via gravity;

wherein the second webbing is configured to provide structural support to the seed tank housing, and to flex in response to pressurization of the seed tank housing to dislodge seeds on an upper surface of the second webbing.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first webbing is configured to transition from a curved configuration to a flattened configuration in response to pressurization of the seed tank housing.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein:

forming the first aperture comprises forming a first substantially rectangular opening in the seed tank housing; and

forming the second aperture comprises forming a second substantially rectangular opening in the seed tank housing.

12. The method of claim 8, comprising coupling the seed tank housing directly to the inductor box such that:

the first aperture and the second aperture are positioned directly above the inductor box; and

the first webbing is positioned directly above an air bypass channel of the inductor box.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein forming the first aperture and forming the second aperture comprises trimming material from the seed tank housing such that the first webbing is between 30 mm to 40 mm.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein forming the seed tank housing comprises a rotational molding process.