Soil disinfecting device

• US 6,655,082 B1
• Filed: 09/14/2000
• Issued: 12/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: C.K.M. Advanced Agriculture, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: C.K.M. Advanced Agriculture, Ltd.
• Inventors: Ellert, Avi, Paltin, Eli
• Primary Examiner(s): Jordan, Charles T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gellner, Jeffrey L.
• Application Number:
  US09/646,203
• Time in Patent Office: 1,174 Days
• Field of Search: 47/14.2, 47/14.4, 431/24, 431/44
• US Class Current: 47/1.42
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 33/16 with special additional arrangements A01B49/00 takes precedence; for sowing or fertilising A01B49/06
• CPC Class Codes: A01B 79/00 Methods for working soil
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 17/00 Apparatus for the destruction of vermin in soil or in foodstuffs injecting fertilisers into the roots of trees A01G29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 21/04 Apparatus for destruction by steam, chemicals, burning, or electricity apparatus for burning A01M15/00

Abstract

A mobile soil-disinfecting device (10) comprising a cultivating unit (20), a soil treating chamber (23), a bellows (28), a heat exchanger (56), and a heat-generating unit (26). The cultivating unit (20) comprises one or more cultivating members adapted for breaking the soil and throwing it upwardly into the soil treating chamber (23), and the heat exchanger (56) being in thermal communication with the heat generating unit (26), the bellows (28) adapted for drawing ambient air, passing the air through the heat exchanger (56) and throwing hot air into the soil treating chamber (23).

Claims

1. A mobile soil-disinfecting device (10) comprising a cultivating unit (20), a soil treating chamber (23), a bellows (28), a heat exchanger (56), and a heat-generating unit (50),

said cultivating unit (20) comprises one or more cultivating members (22) adapted for breaking and upwardly throwing the soil into said soil treating chamber (23),

said heat exchanger (56) being in thermal communication with said heat generating unit (50),

said bellows (28) adapted for drawing ambient air, passing the air through said heat exchanger (56) and blowing the heated air into said soil treating chamber (23),

wherein a separation (61) within said heat exchanger (56) precludes intercommunication of combustion gases in said heat exchanger (56) with said air blown by said bellows (28).

2. A mobile soil-disinfecting device according to claim 1, wherein said cultivating members (22) are rotatable at a speed permitting them to throw a portion of soil into the soil-treating chamber (23) more than once.

3. A mobile soil-disinfecting device according to claim 2, wherein said cultivating members (22) are rotatable at about 60 to 120 rpm.

4. A mobile soil-disinfecting device according to claim 1 that is capable of cultivating soil at any depth from about 5 cm to about 75 cm.

5. A mobile soil-disinfecting device according to claim 4, wherein said cultivating members (22) are about 30 to 90 cm long.

6. A mobile soil-disinfecting device according to claim 1, wherein said cultivating unit (20) comprises between 1 and 48 cultivating members (22).

7. A mobile soil-disinfecting device according to claim 6, wherein the cultivating depth is adjustable by adjusting the vertical location of an axis (38) supporting the cultivating members (22).

8. A mobile soil-disinfecting device according to claim 7, in which the cultivating unit (20) may be vertically adjusted by displacement of arms (14) connecting the device (10) to a towing agricultural machine (12).

9. A mobile soil-disinfecting device according to claim 1, further comprising a surface engaging arrangement (42) for retaining the cultivating unit (20) at a fixed level above the ground surface.

10. A mobile soil-disinfecting device according to claim 9, wherein the surface engaging arrangement (42) is in the form of sliding/gliding members.

11. A mobile soil-disinfecting device according to claim 1, wherein the air in the soil-treating chamber (23) is at a temperature in the range of between about 200°

C. and about 700°

C.

12. A mobile soil-disinfecting device according to claim 1, wherein the heat generating unit (50) comprises a burner, which is operated by fuel or gas.

13. A mobile soil-disinfecting device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature inside the heat generating unit is around 1300°

C.

14. A mobile soil-disinfecting device according to claim 1, wherein the heat-generating unit produces 100K to 250K calories.

15. A mobile soil-disinfecting device according to claim 1, wherein the heat generating device comprises two or more burners (74:

75) and the heat exchanger comprises at least two stages, a first stage receiving ambient air allowing it to be heated by the first burner (75) and a second stage, receiving heat from said first stage and allowing it to be heated by the second burner (74) and to flow further into the soil treating chamber.

16. A mobile soil-disinfecting device according to claim 1, wherein burnt gases generated within the heat-generating unit do not interfere with the treated soil.

17. A mobile soil-disinfecting device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the soil within the soil-treating chamber does not exceed about 15°

C. from its initial soil temperature.

18. A mobile soil-disinfecting device in accordance with claim 1, wherein said one or more cultivating members (22) is structured and arranged for breaking the soil and throwing it upwardly into said soil treating member (23), and

said bellows (28) is structured and arranged for drawing the ambient air, passing the air through said heat exchanger (56) and throwing hot air into said soil treating chamber (23).

19. A mobile soil-disinfecting device according to claim 18, wherein said cultivating unit (20), soil treating chamber (23), bellows (28), heat exchanger (56) and heat-generating unit (50) are structured and arranged to break up the soil into fine particles which are thrown upwardly into the soil treating chamber (23), thermally treat the soil within the soil treating chamber (23) by introducing hot, uncontaminated air therein and then allow the thus-treated soil to drop back downwardly onto the ground from the soil treating chamber (23) at an approximate location from where the soil was collected.

20. A mobile soil-disinfecting device according to claim 18, wherein said bellows (28), heat exchanger (56) and heat-generating unit (50) are structured and arranged to direct the air through the heat exchanger (56) without exposure to burned gas or fuel.

21. A mobile soil-disinfecting device (10) comprising a cultivating unit (20), a soil treating chamber (23), a bellows (28), a heat exchanger (56), and a heat-generating unit (50),

said cultivating unit (20) comprises one or more cultivating members (22) adapted for breaking the soil and throwing it upwardly into said soil treating chamber (23),

said heat exchanger (56) being in thermal communication with said heat generating unit (50),

said bellows (28) adapted for drawing ambient air, passing the air through said heat exchanger (56) and throwing hot air into said soil treating chamber (23),

wherein the heat-generating unit (70) comprises exhaust piping (76), serving also to pre-heat ambient air before it enters the heat-exchange unit.

22. A mobile soil-disinfecting device according to claim 21, wherein said exhaust is designed as pipes (76) that extend along an opening (86) at the outer wall (84) of the burner chamber (74:

75).

23. A mobile soil-disinfecting device according to claim 22, wherein said exhaust pipes (76) are positioned between the bellows (88) and the heat exchanger.

24. A mobile soil-disinfecting device (10) comprising a cultivating unit (20), a soil treating chamber (23), a bellows (28), a heat exchanger (56), and a heat-generating unit (50),

said cultivating unit (20) comprises one or more cultivating members (22) adapted for breaking the soil and throwing it upwardly into said soil treating chamber (23),

said heat exchanger (56) being in thermal communication with said heat generating unit (50),

said bellows (28) adapted for drawing ambient air, passing the air through said heat exchanger (56) and throwing hot air into said soil treating chamber (23),

wherein walls (106) of the heat exchanger (100) are formed with a plurality of lateral projecting elements (108) for increasing the contact surface area with the treated air and for turbulating the air.

25. A mobile soil-disinfecting device (10) comprising a cultivating unit (20), a soil treating chamber (23), a bellows (28), a heat exchanger (56), and a heat-generating unit (50),

said cultivating unit (20) comprises one or more cultivating members (22) adapted for breaking the soil and throwing it upwardly into said soil treating chamber (23),

said heat exchanger (56) being in thermal communication with said heat generating unit (50),

said bellows (28) adapted for drawing ambient air, passing the air through said heat exchanger (56) and throwing hot air into said soil treating chamber (23),

wherein the heat generating device comprises two or more burners (74;

75) and the heat exchanger comprises at least two stages, a first stage receiving ambient air allowing it to be heated by the first burner (75) and a second stage, receiving heat from said first stage and allowing it to be heated by the second burner (74) and to flow further into the soil treating chamber, and

the air provided into the first stage is preheated at a preheating unit (76).

26. (Previously amended) A mobile soil-disinfecting device (10) comprising a cultivating unit (20), a soil treating chamber (23), a bellows (28), a heat exchanger (56), and a heat-generating unit (50),

said cultivating unit (20) comprises one or more cultivating members (22) adapted for breaking the soil and throwing it upwardly into said soil treating chamber (23),

said heat exchanger (56) being in thermal communication with said heat generating unit (50),

said bellows (28) adapted for drawing ambient air, passing the air through said heat exchanger (56) and throwing hot air into said soil treating chamber (23),

wherein said one or more cultivating members (22) is structured and arranged for breaking the soil and throwing it upwardly into said soil treating chamber (23),

said bellows (28) is structured and arranged for drawing the ambient air, passing the air through said heat exchanger (56) and throwing hot air into said soil treating chamber (23),

said cultivating unit (20) is situated immediately above ground and comprises a plurality of cultivating arms (36) fixed to a common axle (38) and being rotatable,

said soil-treating chamber (23) being situated immediately above said cultivating unit (20) and comprising an upper opening (46) therefrom,

said heat exchanger (56) being situated above-said cultivating unit (20) and soil treating chamber (23) and comprising a bottom opening (58) communicating with the upper opening (46) of the cultivating unit (20) and soil treating chamber (23), and

said bellows (28) being mounted above said heat exchanger (56).

27. A mobile soil-disinfecting device (10) comprising a cultivating unit (20), a soil treating chamber (23), a bellows (28), a heat exchanger (56), and a heat-generating unit (50),

said cultivating unit (20) comprises one or more cultivating members (22) adapted for breaking the soil and throwing it upwardly into said soil treating chamber (23),

said heat exchanger (56) being in thermal communication with said heat generating unit (50),

said bellows (28) adapted for drawing ambient air, passing the air through said heat exchanger (56) and throwing hot air into said soil treating chamber (23),

wherein said heat exchanger (56), bellows (28) and heat generating unit (50) form a heating generator assembly (26), with a path (64) for air from said bellows (28) through said heat exchanger (56) and to said soil treating chamber (23) being sealed off from and only in thermal contact with a path for gas or fuel burned within said heat generating unit (50), directed through said heat exchanger (56) and outwardly from said heat generator assembly unit (26) through a separate chimney (62).