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WO2016185324A1 - Dispositif de dosage amélioré pour matériau particulaire - Google Patents

Dispositif de dosage amélioré pour matériau particulaire Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2016185324A1
WO2016185324A1 PCT/IB2016/052710 IB2016052710W WO2016185324A1 WO 2016185324 A1 WO2016185324 A1 WO 2016185324A1 IB 2016052710 W IB2016052710 W IB 2016052710W WO 2016185324 A1 WO2016185324 A1 WO 2016185324A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
roller
metering device
rollers
depressions
particulate material
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Ceased
Application number
PCT/IB2016/052710
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Brian Stewart Taege
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
TOMORROW'S INNOVATIONS Ltd
Original Assignee
TOMORROW'S INNOVATIONS Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by TOMORROW'S INNOVATIONS Ltd filed Critical TOMORROW'S INNOVATIONS Ltd
Publication of WO2016185324A1 publication Critical patent/WO2016185324A1/fr
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Ceased legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01C—PLANTING; SOWING; FERTILISING
    • A01C7/00—Sowing
    • A01C7/08—Broadcast seeders; Seeders depositing seeds in rows
    • A01C7/12—Seeders with feeding wheels
    • A01C7/127—Cell rollers, wheels, discs or belts
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01F—MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
    • G01F11/00—Apparatus requiring external operation adapted at each repeated and identical operation to measure and separate a predetermined volume of fluid or fluent solid material from a supply or container, without regard to weight, and to deliver it
    • G01F11/10—Apparatus requiring external operation adapted at each repeated and identical operation to measure and separate a predetermined volume of fluid or fluent solid material from a supply or container, without regard to weight, and to deliver it with measuring chambers moved during operation
    • G01F11/12—Apparatus requiring external operation adapted at each repeated and identical operation to measure and separate a predetermined volume of fluid or fluent solid material from a supply or container, without regard to weight, and to deliver it with measuring chambers moved during operation of the valve type, i.e. the separating being effected by fluid-tight or powder-tight movements
    • G01F11/20—Apparatus requiring external operation adapted at each repeated and identical operation to measure and separate a predetermined volume of fluid or fluent solid material from a supply or container, without regard to weight, and to deliver it with measuring chambers moved during operation of the valve type, i.e. the separating being effected by fluid-tight or powder-tight movements wherein the measuring chamber rotates or oscillates
    • G01F11/24—Apparatus requiring external operation adapted at each repeated and identical operation to measure and separate a predetermined volume of fluid or fluent solid material from a supply or container, without regard to weight, and to deliver it with measuring chambers moved during operation of the valve type, i.e. the separating being effected by fluid-tight or powder-tight movements wherein the measuring chamber rotates or oscillates for fluent solid material

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a metering device for particulate material and to apparatus incorporating said metering device.
  • a metering device for particulate material should be capable of accurate dispensing, be able to handle particulate material of a wide range of sizes, regular and irregular (including fragile material), be easy to adjust to vary the dispensing rate and be easy to clean out and to maintain.
  • Metering devices for particulate material are used in applications as varied as cosmetics and foodstuffs preparation, chemicals processing, preparation of agricultural chemicals such as fertilizer mixes, and mixing sized crushed rocks for applications such as roading.
  • a seed drill In addition to the requirements set out above, a seed drill must be mobile and capable of continued long-term use under sometimes rugged conditions.
  • NZ 333057 summarises types of metering devices used with seed drills, and the advantages and disadvantages thereof.
  • the apparatus of NZ 333057 improved upon the prior art discussed in that document by providing an apparatus that handled a wider range of seed sizes and shapes more easily.
  • the first embodiment of the apparatus in NZ 333057 provides two counter-rotating sponges, and the rotation of the rollers towards each other draws seeds downwards through the rollers.
  • the flow-through rate of the apparatus is limited.
  • NZ 333057 An additional limitation of the first embodiment described in NZ 333057 is the open- celled surface of foam rollers results in a number of seeds making a "full circuit" of the roller, i.e. the seed passes between the rollers, sticks to the surface of a roller, and completes a full circuit back into the store of seed. This affects the accuracy of the metering device, and although the difficulty was overcome in NZ 333057 by locating scrapers adjacent the underside of the sponges, this increases wear on the foam due to the friction between the foam and the hard surface of the scrapers.
  • a second embodiment of a metering device in NZ 333057 describes a similar setup to the aforementioned metering system, but includes one resilient roller and one hard roller, the latter incorporating one or more cavities in its surface.
  • the hard roller rotates so that a cavity moves downwards towards the adjacent resilient roller.
  • the soft roller and hard roller rotate in the same direction (i.e. not counter-rotary); this causes the soft roller to "brush" excess seed upward and out of the hard roller's cavity as the cavity in the hard roller moves downward; if more than the desired amount of seed is in the cavity, the extra seeds are gently pushed away by the soft roller.
  • the hard roller reaches the bottom of its rotation, the seed is free to drop from the cavity into the cavity leading to the drill tines.
  • the soft roller moderates the flow of seed through the metering device, its rotation away from the hard roller acting to reduce the amount of seed in the cavity. While providing a more accurate metering device to those previously known, this action limits the throughput of the metering device.
  • the device of the present invention has been designed for a seed drill and will therefore be described with reference to that application. However, it will be appreciated that the device of the present invention may also be used to dispense a wide range of particulate materials, either as a mobile dispenser or as a stationary dispenser. Disclosure of Invention
  • the present invention provides a metering device for particulate material, the metering device including:
  • first shaft having at least one first roller mounted thereon and a second shaft having at least one second roller mounted thereon, the or each said first and second rollers being aligned opposite each other on their respective shafts and arranged such that the curved surface of the or each first roller is in surface contact with the curved surface of the or each corresponding second roller;
  • said first shaft being rotatable so as to rotate the or each first roller in a first direction;
  • said second shaft being rotatable so as to rotate the or each second roller in the opposite direction to the or each first roller;
  • first and second shafts being rotatable such that the or each first and second rollers rotate towards each other when moving downwards;
  • each first roller being a soft resilient roller
  • each second roller incorporating one or more depressions on its surface.
  • the second roller is constructed from a hard material; more preferably that material is hard plastic.
  • the first roller also incorporates depressions on its surface.
  • the first roller depressions are grooves along the length of the first roller, said grooves being parallel to each other.
  • the surface of the first roller has a membrane of resilient material.
  • the resilient material is a polymeric material such as rubber (either natural or synthetic). More preferably, where the second roller is also a soft resilient roller, the surface of the second roller has a membrane of resilient material.
  • the, or each, depression on the second roller extends the length of the roller. More preferably, the depressions are flutes that curve helically around the axis of the second roller. Alternatively the depressions are flutes that are parallel with the axis of the second roller.
  • the depressions on the surface of the second roller do not extend for the full length of the roller.
  • the present invention further provides the combination of a hopper adapted to contain a bulk supply of particulate material to be metered and the metering device, wherein the housing containing the first and second rollers is releasably attached below the hopper.
  • the present invention further provides apparatus for dispensing particulate material, said apparatus incorporating the above described metering device.
  • said apparatus is a seed drill.
  • the apparatus includes a hopper adapted to contain a bulk supply of particulate material to be metered, the metering device located below said hopper, and means for driving the first shaft as to rotate the first roller in a first direction, and means for driving the second shaft as to rotate the second roller in the opposite direction to the first roller.
  • Figure 1 shows a cross-section view through an apparatus incorporating a hopper and the metering device
  • Figure 2 shows an end view of the rollers of the metering device of Figure 1 ;
  • Figure 3a shows a side view of an embodiment of the second roller;
  • Figure 3b shows an end view of the second roller shown in Figure 3a
  • Figure 3c shows a side view of a second embodiment of the second roller
  • Figure 3d shows a side view of a third embodiment of the second roller
  • Figure 4 shows a close-up, side view of a preferred embodiment of the second roller of Figure 3a;
  • Figure 5 shows end views of the metering device of Figure 1 in use, with particulate matter passing through the metering device;
  • Figures 6 shows an end view of the rollers of a second embodiment of the metering device.
  • the present invention relates to a metering device for for particulate material, and apparatus incorporating the metering device.
  • Figure 1 shows a cross-section view of the metering device (10), in combination with a hopper (1 1 ).
  • the metering device (10) and hopper (1 1 ) may be incorporated in any apparatus that requires a device for metering particulate and/or granular material, but will be described with particular reference to the purpose for which it was invented: a seed drill.
  • the hopper (1 1 ) is configured to hold a quantity of particulate material (50); where the metering device (10) is to be used with a seed drill, the particulate material (50) is seed.
  • the bottom (12) of the hopper (1 1 ) is funnelled toward an outlet (13).
  • the metering device (10) is located below the outlet (13), as can be seen in Figure 1 , and the particulate material (50) will tend to fall through the outlet (13) into the top of the metering device (10) due to gravity.
  • the metering device (10) includes a housing (20) with a housing inlet (21 ) on the upper surface of the metering device (10).
  • the housing inlet (21 ) may be contiguous with the outlet (13) of the hopper (1 1 ).
  • Within the housing (20) are a first roller (22) and a second roller (23) secured around a first shaft (24) and a second shaft (25) respectively.
  • the shafts are mounted within the housing such that they are parallel to each other and their axes of rotation are horizontal, as can be seen in Figure 1 .
  • the rollers (22, 23) are immediately adjacent to each other, and arranged so that their curved surfaces contact each other, as shown in Figure 2.
  • the rollers (22,23) are positioned across the housing inlet (21 ) as shown in Figure 1 , such that any particulate material (50) entering the housing inlet (21 ) falls onto the upper surfaces of the rollers (22, 23).
  • the metering device (10) feeds at least one housing outlet (26), and the, or each, housing outlet (26) is in use connected by a chute to a drill tine or other seed-sowing apparatus, (not shown), in known manner.
  • the first roller (22) consists of a sleeve of resilient material rigidly secured (e.g. by gluing or molding) onto a metal sleeve, which is sized to be a sliding fit over the first shaft (24); this is best seen in Figure 2.
  • the resilient sleeve forms a major part of the diameter of the first roller (22).
  • the resilient material could be any of a wide range of non-toxic materials not chemically reactive with seeds or seed coatings.
  • Medium density open cell foam plastics materials have been found to be suitable.
  • the foam material is a "no memory" foam, i.e. a foam which, after having been depressed, returns to its original shape rapidly, and tends not to become permanently deformed under pressure.
  • Some polyurethane foams have been found suitable in this respect.
  • the resilient material of the first roller (22) is a foam, as previously described, and the surface of the resilient material has a resilient coating (130).
  • this resilient coating is a polymeric material such as rubber (either natural or synthetic).
  • the resilient coating is spray-on latex.
  • the second roller (23) consists of a sleeve of rigid material, preferably rubber, which is sized to be a sliding fit over a second shaft (25), as seen in Figure 2.
  • the rigid sleeve forms a major part of the diameter of the second roller (23).
  • the surface of the second roller (23) includes at least one depression (27) in its surface.
  • the surface of the second roller (23) is fluted, the flutes (27) extending from the first end to the second end of the roller.
  • the fluting is helical about the axis of the roller, and the distance between the adjacent flutes is substantially identical, although this is not essential.
  • Figures 3b and 3c show other, non-limiting embodiments of the second roller (23).
  • the flutes (227) are straight and parallel to the axis of the second roller.
  • the depressions are cavities (327) that do not extend the full length of the roller (23).
  • each flute (27) or groove can be blocked in any known manner.
  • the preferred method of doing so is to include an end plate (32) as shown in Figure 4.
  • the end plate (32) has the same diameter as the widest diameter of the second roller (23), and prevents seeds from leaking from the edges of the flutes (27).
  • the shafts (24, 25) are rotated by driving a corresponding socket (not shown). This may be done by any suitable means e.g., drive sprockets secured to the ends of the shafts (24, 25) and connected to a drive band.
  • each of the first and second rollers could in fact be a series of pairs of first and second rollers mounted end to end on the respective shafts.
  • the above-described device is now described with particular reference to Figures 1 and 5, and is used as follows:- the hopper (1 1 ) and metering device (10) are mounted on a seed drill (not shown) and the, or each, housing outlet (26) is connected to drill tines, in known manner.
  • Seed (50) to be drilled is placed in the hopper (1 1 ).
  • the shafts (24, 25) are rotated by any suitable means to rotate the rollers (22, 23) attached to those shafts, in the directions of arrows A and B.
  • Seed (50) from the hopper (1 1 ) falls under gravity onto the top of the housing (20) and through the housing inlet (21 ) to contact the upper parts of the rollers (22, 23).
  • the seed settles in a depression (27) in the second roller (23), and the rotation of the second roller draws the seed downward (arrow D in Figure 5).
  • the first roller (23) being a soft, resilient roller, aids in the movement of the seeds (50) downwards through the rollers to fall into the housing outlet (26), the soft surface allowing the seed to be drawn through the rollers (22, 23) with little pressure, thus reducing the risk of crushing of the seeds (50).
  • the resilience in the first roller (22) means that roller will retain its original shape once the seed has passed through the rollers (22, 23).
  • the rate of metering can be controlled by varying the rate of rotation of the rollers (22, 23), simply by adjusting the speed at which the shafts (24, 25) are driven.
  • the size of the depressions in the second roller can also be varied depending on the seed size and the metering rate required.
  • the metering rates of the device are set in known manner i.e. by rotating the drive with the device stationary, measuring how much seed is dispersed per shaft rotation and adjusting the drive as necessary to obtain the required rate.
  • the first roller (122) and the second roller (123) are both made from resilient material, and the surfaces of both rollers (122, 123) include a series of grooves (127).
  • the two rollers (122, 123) are preferably foam covered in a resilient coating (130); preferably the resilient coating (130) is a polymeric material such as rubber (either natural or synthetic), but most preferably is spray-on latex.
  • the grooves in the two rollers aid in increasing the through-put of the metering device over the prior art by allowing seed to settle within the grooves before rotating toward each other.
  • the grooves (127) also increase the "grab" on the seed over smooth, soft rollers, and thus encourage the seed to move downward between the rollers (122, 123).
  • the inventor has found that the rubberized coating (130) on the foam rollers prevents seed from making a "full circuit" of the roller, i.e. the coating minimizes the occurrences where seed passes between the rollers, sticks to the surface of a roller, and completes a full circuit back into the store of seed. Reducing the number of times this occurs increases the accuracy of the metering device.
  • the present invention provides a benefit over the apparatus described in NZ 333057, as it increases the throughput of the metering device.
  • the soft roller of the present invention works with the hard roller, supporting the particulate material, but not actively restricting the flow. This is in contrast to the soft roller of the second embodiment described in NZ 333057, which works against a hard roller.
  • the use of at least one roller incorporating flutes (or other types of depressions in the roller surface) that rotates towards the other roller greatly increases the throughput of the metering device over the prior art.
  • the use of at least one soft resilient roller greatly aids in the reduction of crushed seeds, and where the, or each, soft resilient roller has a rubberised surface, the reduction of seeds completing "full circles" of the soft rollers decreases over "open cell” foam rollers.

Landscapes

  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Soil Sciences (AREA)
  • Environmental Sciences (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Sowing (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un dispositif de dosage pour un matériau particulaire, ledit dispositif de dosage comprenant : • un boîtier qui supporte une paire de premier et second arbres rotatifs parallèles et sensiblement horizontaux ; au moins un rouleau étant monté sur chaque arbre, les rouleaux étant alignés en face l'un de l'autre et agencés de telle sorte que la surface incurvée du premier rouleau soit en contact de surface avec la surface incurvée du second rouleau correspondant ; • au moins une partie des surfaces supérieures des premier et second rouleaux étant disposée de telle sorte que, lors de l'utilisation, un matériau particulaire destiné à être distribué puisse tomber sur ladite partie des surfaces supérieures desdits premier et second rouleaux ; • les premier et second arbres étant rotatifs dans des directions opposées et de telle sorte que les premier et second rouleaux tournent l'un vers l'autre lors du déplacement vers le bas ; • le premier rouleau est un rouleau résilient souple ; et • la surface du second rouleau incorpore un ou plusieurs creux.
PCT/IB2016/052710 2015-05-15 2016-05-12 Dispositif de dosage amélioré pour matériau particulaire Ceased WO2016185324A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
NZ708168 2015-05-15
NZ70816815 2015-05-15

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2016185324A1 true WO2016185324A1 (fr) 2016-11-24

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PCT/IB2016/052710 Ceased WO2016185324A1 (fr) 2015-05-15 2016-05-12 Dispositif de dosage amélioré pour matériau particulaire

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Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN108718635A (zh) * 2018-06-15 2018-11-02 董玉凤 一种用于葡萄园的施肥装置
DE202021105287U1 (de) 2021-09-30 2023-01-10 Robert Schmidt Dosiervorrichtung für Saatgut
EP4509803A1 (fr) * 2023-08-18 2025-02-19 K-TRON Technologies, Inc. Dispositif de dosage et installation de traitement d'un produit en vrac

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1185042A (en) * 1966-04-16 1970-03-18 Sisis Equipment Macclesfield Improvements in or relating to Distributors
US4307822A (en) * 1979-06-28 1981-12-29 Robert Hardesty Metered dispenser
WO2000032024A1 (fr) * 1998-11-27 2000-06-08 Taege Technology Limited Appareil de mesurage d'une matiere particulaire

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1185042A (en) * 1966-04-16 1970-03-18 Sisis Equipment Macclesfield Improvements in or relating to Distributors
US4307822A (en) * 1979-06-28 1981-12-29 Robert Hardesty Metered dispenser
WO2000032024A1 (fr) * 1998-11-27 2000-06-08 Taege Technology Limited Appareil de mesurage d'une matiere particulaire

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN108718635A (zh) * 2018-06-15 2018-11-02 董玉凤 一种用于葡萄园的施肥装置
DE202021105287U1 (de) 2021-09-30 2023-01-10 Robert Schmidt Dosiervorrichtung für Saatgut
EP4165965A1 (fr) * 2021-09-30 2023-04-19 Robert Schmidt Dispositif de dosage de semences
EP4509803A1 (fr) * 2023-08-18 2025-02-19 K-TRON Technologies, Inc. Dispositif de dosage et installation de traitement d'un produit en vrac
WO2025041010A1 (fr) * 2023-08-18 2025-02-27 K-Tron Technologies, Inc. Dispositif de dosage et système de traitement de produits en vrac

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