Bulk fill delivery venturi system

• US 6,668,738 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2002
• Issued: 12/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Blue Leaf IP Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.), CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Case, LLC (Chenega Corporation)
• Inventors: Ozers, Guntis, Lee, Laurence K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Novosad, Christopher J.
• Application Number:
  US10/101,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20030177967A1
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 111/175, 111/174, 111/170, 111/176, 221/211
• US Class Current: 111/175
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/042 using pneumatic means
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/081 Seeders depositing seeds in rows using pneumatic means

Abstract

A particulate distribution system for transporting seed or other particulate from a source into a plurality of metering bins, the system including a forced air source, a converter for splitting air form the source into separate flows in converter outlet lines, venturis for receiving the air flows and entraining particulate from a main hopper therein and a manifold delivery system that directs the entrained particulates to mini-hoppers and that opens at an outlet end back into the main hopper.

Claims

1. An apparatus for pneumatically transporting particulate material from a main hopper to at least a first mini-hopper sub-set, the apparatus comprising:

a forced air source having a fan outlet;

a venturi mounted generally below the main hopper, the venturi forming a venturi passageway between an air inlet and a venturi outlet, the passageway including a restricted section between the inlet and the venturi outlet such that, when air is forced there through, the restricted section causes a vacuum at a vacuum point downstream of the restricted section, the venturi also forming a particulate inlet proximate the vacuum point, wherein the particulate inlet opens into the passageway from below and is linked to the hopper for receiving particulate there from, and wherein the air inlet is linked to the air source; and

at least one manifold assembly that links the venturi outlet to the first mini-hopper sub-set.

2. An apparatus for pneumatically transporting particulate material from a main hopper to at least a first mini-hopper sub-set and to N−

1 additional mini-hopper sub-sets, the apparatus comprising;

a forced air source having a fan outlet;

a venturi mounted generally below the main hopper, the venturi forming a venturi passageway between an air inlet and a venturi outlet, the passageway including a restricted section between the inlet and the venturi outlet such that, when air is forced there through, the restricted section causes a vacuum at a vacuum point downstream of the restricted section, the venturi also forming a particulate inlet proximate the vacuum point, the particulate inlet linked to the hopper for receiving particulate there from and the air inlet linked to the air source;

at least one manifold assembly that links the venturi outlet to the first mini-hopper sub-set; and

at least N−

1 additional venturis and N−

1 additional manifold assemblies, the N−

1 venturis mounted generally below the main hopper and having a design similar to that of the first venturi, the N−

1 venturi air inlets linked to the air source and the N−

1 venturi particulate inlets linked to the hopper for receiving particulate there from, each of the N−

1 manifold assemblies linking a separate one of the N−

1 venturi outlets to a separate one of the N−

1 mini-hopper sub-set.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 further including a converter linked to the air source via a single air duct and including N separate converter outlet ducts, each outlet duct linked to a separate one of the N venturis, the converter dividing the air flow received form the air source approximately evenly among the N outlet ducts.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the mini-hoppers include X mini-hoppers and each sub-set includes X/N mini-hoppers.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein X is 32 and N is 8.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the particulate inlets open into the passageways from above.

7. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the particulate inlets open into the passageways from below.

8. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the particulate inlets open into lateral sides of the passageways.

9. An apparatus for pneumatically transporting particulate material from a main hopper to at least a first mini-hopper sub-set, the apparatus comprising:

a forced air source having a fan outlet;

a venturi mounted generally below the main hopper, the venturi forming a venturi passageway between an air inlet and a venturi outlet, the passageway including a restricted section between the inlet and the venturi outlet such that, when air is forced there through, the restricted section causes a vacuum at a vacuum point downstream of the restricted section, the venturi also forming a particulate inlet proximate the vacuum point, the particulate inlet linked to the hopper for receiving particulate there from and the air inlet linked to the air source; and

at least one manifold assembly that links the venturi outlet to the first mini-hopper sub-set, the manifold assembly forming a manifold passageway linked at an inlet end to the venturi outlet and having openings along its length that open into the mini-hoppers in the sub-set, wherein the sub-set includes Y series linked mini-hoppers and the manifold includes diverter structures for each of the first Y−

1 mini-hoppers in the sub-set and a plurality of manifold ducts including a supply duct and intermediate ducts, each diverter structure having an inlet and first and second outlets, the supply duct linking the venturi outlet to the inlet of a first diverter structure, a separate intermediate duct linking the outlet of a preceding diverter structure to the inlet of a following diverter structure for the second through (Y−

1)st diverter structures, an intermediate duct linking the outlet of the (Y−

1)st diverter structure to the Yth mini-hopper and the second outlets of each of the diverter structures opening into separate ones of the mini-hoppers.

10. An apparatus for pneumatically transporting particulate material from a main hopper to at least a first mini-hopper sub-set, the apparatus comprising:

a forced air source having a fan outlet;

a venturi mounted generally below the main hopper, the venturi forming a venturi passageway between an air inlet and a venturi outlet, the passageway including a restricted section between the inlet and the venturi outlet such that, when air is forced there through, the restricted section causes a vacuum at a vacuum point downstream of the restricted section, the venturi also forming a particulate inlet proximate the vacuum point, the particulate inlet linked to the hopper for receiving particulate there from and the air inlet linked to the air source; and

at least one manifold assembly that links the venturi outlet to the first mini-hopper sub-set, the manifold assembly forming a manifold passageway linked at an inlet end to the venturi outlet and having openings along its length that open into the mini-hoppers in the sub-set, wherein the end of the manifold passageway opens into the main hopper.

11. An apparatus for pneumatically transporting particulate material from a main hopper to at least N mini-hopper sub-sets, the apparatus comprising:

a forced air source having a fan outlet;

a converter operably linked to the air source to receive forced air there from and to split the received air flow into N separate air flows through N separate converter outlet lines;

N venturis mounted generally below the main hopper, each venturi forming a venturi passageway between an air inlet and a venturi outlet, each passageway including a restricted section between the inlet and the venturi outlet such that, when air is forced there through, the restricted section causes a vacuum at a vacuum point downstream of the restricted section, each venturi also forming a particulate inlet proximate the vacuum point, the particulate inlets linked to the hopper for receiving particulate there from and each air inlet linked to a separate one of the converter outlets; and

N manifold assemblies, each manifold assembly linking a separate one of the venturi outlets to a separate one of the N mini-hopper sub-sets.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the particulate inlets open into the passageways from above.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the particulate inlets open into the passageways from below.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the particulate inlets open into lateral sides of the passageways.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the mini-hoppers include X mini-hoppers and each sub-set includes X/N mini-hoppers.

16. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein each manifold assembly forms a manifold passageway linked at an inlet end to a corresponding venturi outlet and having openings along its length that open into the mini-hoppers in a corresponding sub-set and, wherein, the ends of the manifold passageways open into the main hopper.