Agricultural dry chemical tube and delivery system

• US 9,936,632 B2
• Filed: 02/09/2015
• Issued: 04/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Bruns, Daniel P., Herrmann, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): TORRES, ALICIA M
• Application Number:
  US14/617,124
• Publication Number:
  US 20160066500A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,156 Days
• Field of Search: 111170
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 23/025 Continuous injection tools
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 5/064 with rotating tools
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 5/066 Devices for covering drills or furrows
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/06 Seeders combined with fertilising apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/20 Parts of seeders for conducting and depositing seed
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/206 Seed pipes

Abstract

A dry chemical delivery tube and its surrounding nutrient applicator system are located in a narrow space in a soil working implement in an agricultural setting. Between an inlet end and an outlet end, the chemical delivery tube transitions from a circular cross section to an oval cross section. In one embodiment, the soil working implement includes soil opening/closing disks and liquid or gaseous delivery tubes that closely surround the chemical delivery tube.

Claims

1. A chemical delivery system comprising:

a ground working implement frame coupled to an opener-closer system;

the opener-closer system having a cutting-edge that creates a furrow in a soil;

a tube mounted to the opener-closer system following the cutting-edge of the opener-closer system and arranged rearwardly and proximate a tail member of a boot or scraper;

the tube having an inlet with a circular cross section of a uniform radius;

the tube having an outlet with an oval cross section that is positioned behind a dispensing opening of a liquid chemical tube arranged forward of the tail member of the boot or scraper relative to a direction of travel;

between the inlet and the outlet, a cross section of the tube transitions from circular to oval, wherein a diameter of the cross section of the outlet is smaller in size than a rear edge width of the tail member; and

the tube positioned in the opener-closer system to dispense chemicals into the soil.

2. The chemical delivery system of claim 1, further comprising:

a hopper integrated with the ground-working implement frame, wherein the hopper stores dry chemicals;

a chamber below the hopper, wherein the dry chemicals and air combine;

a distribution conduit that receives the dry chemicals air-blown from the chamber;

the inlet coupled to the distribution conduit to receive the dry chemicals.

3. The chemical delivery system of claim 1, wherein the tube is positioned so that all sections of the tube are within a 45 degree angle from vertical.

4. The delivery system of claim 1, wherein dimensions of the tube include the circular cross section having an outer diameter of at least 30 mm, and the oval cross section having a major axis diameter of at least 35 mm and a minor axis diameter of at least 22 mm.

5. The chemical delivery system of claim 1, further comprising:

a hopper integrated with the ground-working implement frame, wherein the hopper stores dry chemicals; and

wherein the hopper rests on a platform supported by two round wheels.

6. A chemical delivery system comprising:

a ground working implement frame coupled to an opener-closer system;

the opener-closer system having a cutting-edge that forms part of a disk and creates a furrow in a soil;

a tube mounted to the opener-closer system following the cutting-edge of the opener-closer system and arranged rearwardly and proximate a tail member of a boot or scraper pressed against the disk;

the tube having an inlet with a circular cross section of a uniform radius;

the tube having an outlet with an oval cross section;

between the inlet and the outlet, a cross section of the tube transitions from circular to oval, wherein a diameter of the cross section of the outlet is smaller in size than a rear edge width of the tail member; and

the tube positioned in the opener-closer system to dispense chemicals into the soil.

7. The chemical delivery system of claim 6, further comprising:

a hopper integrated with the ground-working implement frame, wherein the hopper stores dry chemicals;

a chamber below the hopper, wherein the dry chemicals and air combine;

a distribution conduit that receives the dry chemicals air-blown from the chamber;

the inlet coupled to the distribution conduit to receive the dry chemicals.

8. The delivery system of claim 6, wherein dimensions of the tube include the circular cross section having an outer diameter of at least 30 mm, and the oval cross section having a major axis diameter of at least 35 mm and a minor axis diameter of at least 22 mm.

9. The chemical delivery system of claim 6, further comprising:

a hopper integrated with the ground-working implement frame, wherein the hopper stores dry chemicals; and

wherein the hopper rests on a platform supported by two round wheels.

10. A nutrient applicator comprising:

a soil opener tool;

a steel tube mounted following the soil opener tool on a side of an implement frame opposite that of an outer closing disk;

the steel tube having an inlet end with a circular cross section of a uniform radius and an upper portion arranged to extend beyond a peripheral edge of a hose clamp mounted to the implement frame;

the steel tube having an outlet end with an ellipse cross section that is positioned behind a dispensing opening of a liquid chemical tube arranged forward of a tail member of a boot or scraper relative to a direction of travel;

between the inlet and the outlet ends, a cross section of the steel tube transitions from circular to elliptical; and

the steel tube is positioned about 45 degrees from vertical to dispense dry chemicals into a soil.

11. The nutrient applicator of claim 10, wherein dimensions of the steel tube include the circular cross section having an outer diameter of over 30 mm, and the ellipse cross section having a major axis diameter of over 30 mm and a minor axis diameter of over 20 mm.

12. The nutrient applicator of claim 10, wherein an upper length of the steel tube is over 100 mm before the cross section of the tube swedges from circular to elliptical.

13. The nutrient applicator of claim 10, wherein a total straightened length of the tube is over 600 mm from end to end.

14. The nutrient applicator of claim 10, further comprising an implement frame towing multiple soil opener-closer systems and a hopper, wherein the hopper supplies chemicals to the multiple soil opener-closer systems by an air blowing mechanism;

and the soil opener tool is mounted in the multiple soil opener-closer systems.

15. A chemical delivery system comprising:

a tube arranged rearwardly and proximate a tail member of a boot or scraper;

the tube having an inlet with a circular cross section of a uniform radius;

the tube having an outlet with an ellipse cross section that is positioned behind a dispensing opening of a liquid chemical tube arranged forward of the tail member of the boot or scraper relative to a direction of travel, wherein a diameter of the ellipse cross section of the outlet is smaller in size than a rear edge width of the tail member;

between the inlet and the outlet, a cross section of the tube swedges or injection-molds from a circle to an ellipse; and

the tube being dimensioned to dispense dry chemicals from the outlet into a soil.

16. The chemical delivery system of claim 15, further comprising a soil opener-closer system wherein the tube is positioned to a rear of a soil cutting blade of the soil opener-closer system.

17. The chemical delivery system of claim 16, wherein the tube is positioned so that all sections of the tube are vertically steeper than a 45 degree angle away from a surface of the soil.

18. The chemical delivery system of claim 15, wherein the tube is attached to a rear frame member of a nutrient applicator or a soil tillage vehicle.

19. The chemical delivery system of claim 15, wherein dimensions of the tube include the circular cross section having an outer diameter of about 30-34 mm, and the ellipse cross section having a major axis diameter of about 35-38 mm and a minor axis diameter of about 22-25mm.

20. The chemical delivery system of claim 15, wherein an upper length of the tube is about 148-152 mm before the cross section of the tube swedges.

21. The chemical delivery system of claim 15, wherein a tip to tip length of the tube is about 559-563 mm.

22. The chemical delivery system of claim 15, wherein a composition of the tube includes steel.

23. A nutrient applicator comprising:

a soil opener tool;

a steel tube mounted following the soil opener tool on a side of an implement frame opposite that of an outer closing disk;

the soil opener tool having a cutting-edge that forms part of a disk that is pressed against a boot or scraper;

the steel tube having an inlet end with a circular cross section of a uniform radius and an upper portion arranged to extend beyond a peripheral edge of a hose clamp mounted to the implement frame;

the steel tube having an outlet end with an ellipse cross section;

between the inlet and the outlet ends, a cross section of the steel tube transitions from circular to elliptical; and

the steel tube is positioned about 45 degrees from vertical to dispense dry chemicals into a soil.

24. The nutrient applicator of claim 23, wherein dimensions of the steel tube include the circular cross section having an outer diameter of over 30 mm, and the ellipse cross section having a major axis diameter of over 30 mm and a minor axis diameter of over 20 mm.

25. The nutrient applicator of claim 23, wherein an upper length of the steel tube is over 100 mm before the cross section of the tube swedges from circular to elliptical.

26. The nutrient applicator of claim 23, wherein a total straightened length of the tube is over 600 mm from end to end.

27. The nutrient applicator of claim 23, further comprising an implement frame towing multiple soil opener-closer systems and a hopper, wherein the hopper supplies chemicals to the multiple soil opener-closer systems by an air blowing mechanism;

and the soil opener tool is mounted in the multiple soil opener-closer systems.

28. A chemical delivery system comprising:

a tube arranged rearwardly and proximate a tail member of a boot or scraper pressed against a disk that forms part of a cutting-edge of a soil cutting blade;

the tube having an inlet with a circular cross section of a uniform radius;

the tube having an outlet with an ellipse cross section, wherein a diameter of the ellipse cross section of the outlet is smaller in size than a rear edge width of the tail member;

between the inlet and the outlet, a cross section of the tube swedges or injection-molds from a circle to an ellipse; and

the tube being dimensioned to dispense dry chemicals from the outlet into a soil.

29. The chemical delivery system of claim 28, wherein the soil cutting blade is arranged in a soil opener-closer system, and wherein the tube is positioned to a rear of the soil cutting blade of the soil opener-closer system.

30. The chemical delivery system of claim 28, wherein the tube is attached to a rear frame member of a nutrient applicator or a soil tillage vehicle.

31. The chemical delivery system of claim 30, wherein the tube is positioned so that all sections of the tube are vertically steeper than a 45 degree angle away from a surface of the soil.

32. The chemical delivery system of claim 28, wherein dimensions of the tube include the circular cross section having an outer diameter of about 30-34 mm, and the ellipse cross section having a major axis diameter of about 35-38 mm and a minor axis diameter of about 22-25 mm.

33. The chemical delivery system of claim 28, wherein an upper length of the tube is about 148-152 mm before the cross section of the tube swedges.

34. The chemical delivery system of claim 28, wherein a tip to tip length of the tube is about 559-563 mm.

35. The chemical delivery system of claim 28, wherein a composition of the tube includes steel.