Method And Apparatus For Sectional Control Of Air Seeder Distribution System For A Farm Implement

• US 20120174843A1
• Filed: 01/06/2011
• Published: 07/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CNH Industrial Canada, Ltd (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: CNH Industrial Canada, Ltd (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Friggstad, Terrance A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,635,963 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 111/174
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 49/06 for sowing or fertilising
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/06 Seeders combined with fertilising apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/084 Pneumatic distribution heads for seeders
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/088 Sectional seeding
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/20 Parts of seeders for conducting and depositing seed
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/00 Technologies relating to agriculture, livestock or agroalimentary industries

Abstract

A method and system enables sectional control for an air seeding system of a farm implement by exposing a main header, or selected ports of the main header, to a purging air flow when product flow through the selected ports is stopped. A plenum of air is fluidly coupled to the main header and provides a purging air flow to any exit port of the main header that has been shut off from product flow. Valves are used to selectively flow couple the exit ports of the main header to the product flow and to the purging air flow.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a product distribution system of a farm implement, comprising:

a header having an inlet and a plurality of outlets, the inlet configured to receive product entrained in an air flow and the plurality of outlets configured to pass respective portions of the product; and

a plenum having a volume of air and selectively in fluid communication with the plurality of outlets of the header, wherein the plenum is configured to provide a purging air flow to one or more of the plurality of outlets when in fluid communication with the one or more of the plurality of outlets.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a set of valves operatively associated with the plurality of outlets, each valve movable between a first position in which its respective outlet is open to pass product entrained in the air flow and a second position in which its respective outlet is closed to prevent the passage of product entrained in the air flow, and wherein the valve allows air from the plenum to pass through its outlet when the valve is in the second position.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the plenum is fed the volume of air by a blower, wherein the blower is either a first blower that provides the air flow that passes the product from a product source to the header or a second blower that only provides an air flow to the plenum.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein each valve only exposes its respective outlet to the volume of air from the plenum when in its second position.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the header contains more than two outlets.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the plenum is mounted beneath the header.

7. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the set of valves are configured to provide independent control of product flow through the plurality of outlets.

8. A product distribution system for a farm implement, comprising:

a distribution manifold having a fluid inlet and a plurality of outlets;

an entrained fluid flow containing particulate matter entrained in air; and

a purging fluid flow free of the particulate matter to which at least one of the plurality of outlets is automatically exposed to when the at least one of the plurality of outlets is fluidly isolated from the entrained fluid flow.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

a hopper for holding particulate matter;

a blower operative to entrain particulate matter in the air flow and pass the entrained particulate matter to the inlet of the distribution manifold; and

a set of valves, each configured to selectively expose a respective outlet to either the entrained air flow or the purging air flow.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the manifold has more than two outlets.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the manifold includes a manifold body supported by an upright stack, wherein the upright stack has a hollow portion that is fluidly interconnected to the manifold body and the entrained fluid flow.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein the blower provides the purging fluid flow.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising a plenum having a fluid inlet flow coupled to the blower and a fluid outlet flow coupled to the plurality of outlets.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein each valve has a movable member movable between a first position in which the movable member blocks the purging fluid flow to a respective outlet and a second position in which the movable member opens the respective outlet to the purging fluid flow.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the movable member exposes the respective outlet to the entrained fluid flow when in the first position and closes the respective outlet to the entrained fluid flow when in the second position.

16. A method for use with a product distribution system of an agricultural implement with the product distribution system having a source of product entrained in an air flow that is fed to a manifold for distribution to a plurality of secondary headers that are in fluid communication with a plurality of product placement devices, the method comprising:

passing entrained product through the manifold for subsequent distribution to the plurality of secondary headers for application of the entrained product onto a farm field;

selectively preventing air flow entrained with product to one of the secondary headers; and

exposing the one secondary header to an air flow absent of entrained product to substantially purge the product placement devices connected to the one secondary header of product.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the air flow absent of entrained product is provided by a first air source and wherein the air flow for passing product is either provided by the first air source or a second air source.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the product distribution system further includes a hopper containing product and a product metering device located in the hopper and configured to feed the product to the air flow for passing product, and further comprising decreasing output volume of the product metering device when exposing the one secondary header to an air flow absent of entrained product.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising slowing rotation of the product metering device in proportion to number of secondary headers that have been fluidly isolated from the air flow entrained with product.