Dynamic Baffle For Air Flow Balancing Between Adjacent Product Lines

• US 20190021214A1
• Filed: 07/18/2017
• Published: 01/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CNH Industrial Canada, Ltd (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: CNH Industrial Canada, Ltd (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Roberge, Martin J., Denis, Joel, Ruppert, Rex L.
• Granted Patent: US 10,537,054 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 15/04 using blowers
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/082 Ducts, distribution pipes or details thereof for pneumatic seeders
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/084 Pneumatic distribution heads for seeders
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 13/005 mounted on vehicles or designed to apply a liquid on a very large surface, e.g. on the road, on the surface of large containers
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 7/1477 means for supplying to several spray apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 7/1486 for spraying particulate material in dry state

Abstract

The present invention is directed to an applicator having an agricultural product pneumatic conveying system which meters particulate material from one or more source containers at the application equipment and transports the particulate material to evenly distribute the particulate material from the applicator. The pneumatic conveying system employs supply lines connected between the metering devices at the source containers and delivery nozzles. The conveying system also includes a dynamic baffle system that directs the air flow towards a supply line detected as having increased resistance to the air flow in order to equalize the air flow into each of the supply lines. The baffle system accomplishes this by obstructing a portion of the air flow towards a supply line having less resistance to the air flow and concurrently re-directing the obstructed portion of the air flow into the supply line with higher air flow resistance.

Claims

1. An agricultural product delivery system, comprising:

at least one particulate material supply compartment;

a number of delivery units for applying particulate material from the supply compartment; and

a pneumatic conveying system providing a mixed flow of particulate material from the at least one particulate material supply compartment to the particle delivery units, the conveying system comprising;

an airflow source;

a number of supply lines each operably connected to the airflow source at one end, to the at least one particulate material supply compartment and to at least one of the particle delivery units at the opposite end; and

a dynamic baffle system disposed between air flow source and the number of supply lines.

2. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 1 wherein the dynamic baffle system comprises:

a plenum interconnected between the air flow source and the number of supply lines; and

at least one baffle rotatably mounted within an interior of the plenum.

3. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 2 wherein the at least one baffle comprises:

a central shaft rotatably mounted to the interior of the plenum;

a forward vane extending outwardly from the shaft; and

a pair of rearward vanes extending outwardly from the shaft generally opposite the forward vane.

4. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 3 wherein the pair of rearward vanes are spaced from one another.

5. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 3 further comprising a separator plate disposed within the interior of the plenum and spaced from the at least one baffle.

6. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 2 wherein the at least one baffle is disposed adjacent an inlet end of the plenum.

7. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 2 comprising:

a first baffle rotatably mounted within an interior of the plenum; and

a second baffle rotatably mounted within an interior of the plenum and spaced from the first baffle.

8. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 7 wherein the first baffle and the second baffle are disposed adjacent an outlet end for the plenum.

9. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 2 further comprising a dampening mechanism operably connected to the at least one baffle.

10. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 9 wherein the dampening mechanism comprises:

a biasing member having a first end engaged with the at least one baffle and a second end extending outwardly from the first end; and

a stop spaced from the at least one baffle and engaged with the second end of the biasing member.

11. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 10 wherein the biasing member is a torsion spring.

12. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 2, wherein the pneumatic conveying system comprises:

a first airflow source connected to a first portion of the supply lines;

a first dynamic baffle system interconnected between the first air flow source and the first portion of the supply lines;

a second airflow source connected to a second portion of the supply lines and

a second dynamic baffle system interconnected between the second air flow source and the second portion of the supply lines.

13. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 12 wherein the number of supply lines forming the first portion of the supply lines and the second portion of the supply lines are not equal.

17. A method of delivering a number of agricultural products from a number of compartments containing the number of products to a number of particle delivering units applying the particles in a field, comprising:

supplying the number of agricultural products from the number of compartments to the pneumatic conveying system of claim 1;

adjusting the air flow equally through the number of supply lines using the at least one dynamic baffle system;

mixing the agricultural product in the pneumatic conveying system to form a mixed product;

conveying the mixed product to the particle delivering units; and

applying the mixed product in an agricultural field.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the at least one dynamic baffle system includes a plenum interconnected between the air flow source and the number of supply lines and at least one baffle rotatably mounted within an interior of the plenum, and wherein the step of adjusting the air flow through the number of supply lines using the at least one dynamic baffle system comprises rotating the at least one baffle to direct the air flow equally into the number of supply lines.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one baffle includes a dampening mechanism and wherein step of rotating the at least one baffle to direct the air flow equally into the number of supply lines comprises overcoming the bias of the dampening mechanism.

14. A dynamic baffle system for a pneumatic agricultural product delivery system including an air flow source and a number of supply lines, the dynamic baffle system comprising:

a plenum interconnected between the air flow source and the number of supply lines; and

at least one baffle rotatably mounted within an interior of the plenum.

15. The dynamic baffle system of claim 14 wherein the at least one baffle comprises:

a central shaft rotatably mounted to the interior of the plenum;

a forward vane extending outwardly from the shaft; and

a pair of rearward vanes extending outwardly from the shaft generally opposite the forward vane.

16. The dynamic baffle system of claim 14 further comprising a dampening system operably connected to the at least one baffle.