Mirrored inductor segment pairs of an inductor box of an agricultural implement

• US 9,439,344 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2013
• Issued: 09/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CNH Industrial Canada, Ltd (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: CNH Industrial Canada, Ltd (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Connors, Michael J., Flamme, David D., Johnson, Chad M., Long, Scott A., MacDonald, Grant T., Prickel, Marvin A., Roberge, Martin J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dillon, Jr., Jospeh
• Application Number:
  US13/737,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20140193211A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• Field of Search: 406/94, 406/95, 406/117, 406/118, 406/119, 406/120, 111/174, 111/175, 111/176, 56/133, 56/134
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/081 Seeders depositing seeds in rows using pneumatic means

Abstract

An agricultural product delivery system for an agricultural implement includes an inductor box with an agricultural product inlet configured to receive an agricultural product, an air inlet configured to receive an airflow, a plurality of mixing chambers, and a plurality of air bypass channels. Each mixing chamber is configured to mix the agricultural product and a respective first portion of the airflow. The plurality of air bypass channels is configured to guide a respective second portion of the airflow from the air inlet to a respective mixing chamber of the plurality of mixing chambers. The plurality of bypass channels includes inside air bypass channels that contact adjacent inside air bypass channels, and outside air bypass channels that are arranged adjacent to an exterior inductor box wall.

Claims

1. An agricultural product delivery system, comprising:

an inductor box comprising;

an agricultural product inlet configured to receive agricultural product;

an air inlet configured to receive an airflow;

an inductor body configured to guide the agricultural product to a bed of the inductor box and to guide first portions of the airflow through the bed;

a plurality of mixing chambers each configured to mix the agricultural product and a respective one of the first portions of the airflow; and

a plurality of air bypass channels each configured to guide a respective second portion of the airflow from the air inlet to a respective mixing chamber of the plurality of mixing chambers, wherein the plurality of air bypass channels comprises;

inside air bypass channels each in contact with an adjacent inside air bypass channel; and

outside air bypass channels each arranged adjacent to an exterior inductor box wall.

2. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 1, wherein the agricultural product inlet is configured to receive agricultural product in a first direction, each air bypass channel of the plurality of air bypass channels is configured to guide the respective second portion of the airflow in a second direction, and the first direction is substantially perpendicular to the second direction.

3. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 1, wherein each of the inside air bypass channels is a mirror image of the adjacent inside air bypass channel relative to an interface with the adjacent inside air bypass channel.

4. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 1, wherein the inductor box comprises a plurality of inductor segments, each inductor segment of the plurality of inductor segments comprises one of the plurality of mixing chambers and one of the plurality of air bypass channels, and the inductor body comprises a portion of each inductor segment of the plurality of inductor segments.

5. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 4, wherein each inductor segment is a mirror image of an adjacent inductor segment relative to an interface with the adjacent inductor segment.

6. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 1, wherein a geometry of each air bypass channel comprises a D-shape, a C-shape, a semicircular shape, or any combination thereof.

7. An agricultural product delivery system, comprising:

an inductor box comprising;

an agricultural product inlet configured to receive agricultural product;

an air inlet configured to receive an airflow;

an inductor body configured to guide the agricultural product to a bed of the inductor box and to guide first portions of the airflow through the bed;

a plurality of mixing chambers each configured to mix the agricultural product and a respective one of the first portions of the airflow; and

a plurality of air bypass channels each configured to guide a respective second portion of the airflow from the air inlet to a respective mixing chamber of the plurality of mixing chambers, wherein the plurality of air bypass channels comprises;

inside air bypass channels each in contact with an adjacent inside air bypass channel; and

outside air bypass channels each arranged adjacent to an exterior inductor box wall, wherein each outside air bypass channel comprises an outer wall configured to contact the exterior inductor box wall and an inner wall spaced a channel-width from the outer wall, each inside air bypass channel comprises a first wall and a second wall spaced the channel-width from the first wall, and the first wall is configured to contact the first wall of an adjacent air bypass channel.

8. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 7, wherein a width of a gap between adjacent second walls is approximately 2 to 5 times the channel-width.

9. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 7, wherein the agricultural product inlet is configured to receive agricultural product in a first direction, each air bypass channel of the plurality of air bypass channels is configured to guide the respective second portion of the airflow in a second direction, and the first direction is substantially perpendicular to the second direction.

10. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 7, wherein each of the inside air bypass channels is a mirror image of the adjacent inside air bypass channel relative to an interface with the adjacent inside air bypass channel.

11. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 7, comprising a plurality of inductor segments, and each inductor segment of the plurality of inductor segments comprises one of the plurality of mixing chambers and one of the plurality of air bypass channels.

12. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 11, wherein each inductor segment is a mirror image of an adjacent inductor segment relative to an interface with the adjacent inductor segment.

13. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 12, wherein each inductor segment of the plurality of inductor segments comprises a delivery port coupled to the mixing chamber, the delivery port is arranged along a delivery axis, and the air bypass channel is arranged along a bypass axis laterally offset from the delivery axis.

14. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 7, wherein a geometry of each air bypass channel comprises a D-shape, a C-shape, a semicircular shape, or any combination thereof.

15. An inductor box for an agricultural product delivery system, comprising:

an inductor box comprising;

an agricultural product inlet configured to receive agricultural product;

an air inlet configured to receive an airflow;

an inductor body configured to guide the agricultural product to a bed of the inductor box and to guide first portions of the airflow through the bed;

a plurality of mixing chambers each configured to mix the agricultural product and a respective one of the first portions of the airflow;

a plurality of air bypass channels each configured to guide a respective second portion of the airflow from the air inlet to a respective mixing chamber of the plurality of mixing chambers, wherein the plurality of air bypass channels comprises;

inside air bypass channels each in contact with an adjacent inside air bypass channel; and

outside air bypass channels each arranged adjacent to an exterior inductor box wall; and

a plurality of inductor segments, wherein each inductor segment of the plurality of inductor segments comprises one of the plurality of mixing chambers and one of the plurality of air bypass channels, each inductor segment is a mirror image of an adjacent inductor segment relative to an interface with the adjacent inductor segment, each inductor segment of the plurality of inductor segments comprises a delivery port coupled to the mixing chamber, the delivery port is arranged along a delivery axis, and the air bypass channel is arranged along a bypass axis laterally offset from the delivery axis.

16. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 15, wherein the agricultural product inlet is configured to receive agricultural product in a first direction, each air bypass channel of the plurality of air bypass channels is configured to guide the respective second portion of the airflow in a second direction, and the first direction is substantially perpendicular to the second direction.

17. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 15, wherein each of the inside air bypass channels is a mirror image of the adjacent inside air bypass channel relative to an interface with the adjacent inside air bypass channel.

18. The agricultural product delivery system of claim 15, wherein a geometry of each air bypass channel comprises a D-shape, a C-shape, a semicircular shape, or any combination thereof.