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US 11,109,527 B2Granted
Flow control for agricultural implement pneumatic system
AssigneeCNH Industrial Canada, Ltd.
InventorsStewart J. Millie, Andrew J. Williams
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An agricultural air seeder planting unit incorporates control valves that split air flow and change air direction from an air supply to air distribution hoses. The air flow of the control valves is automatically adjusted pneumatically by movement of a piston in response to a total pressure for a uniform velocity air flow from each of the control valves.
Claims5
A pneumatic flow system for an agricultural implement, the pneumatic flow system comprising:
- a pressurized air source;
- a system of hoses connected to the pressurized air source for distributing air to a plurality of delivery outlets, the system of hoses having at least one junction for splitting and forming a directional change of air flow into at least a pair of air flow paths to the plurality of delivery outlets;
- a control valve at the at least one junction fluidly connected to the system of hoses and displaceable to vary an air flow to the at least a pair of air flow paths to the plurality of delivery outlets, wherein the control valve comprises a housing having an inlet thereto and a valve element displaceable within the housing, the valve element positioned toward the inlet to vary the air flow from a minimum level when the valve element is fully inserted into the inlet, the valve element displaceable away from the inlet to increase the air flow, wherein the control valve housing defines an annular passage at the inlet thereof and the valve element includes an annular cross-section projecting into the annular passage, wherein the valve element has a generally conical cross-section with a tip of the valve element positioned upstream of the control valve;
- a sensor for detecting an air pressure in the system of hoses upstream of the control valve and generating a signal, wherein the sensor is positioned at least at the tip of the valve element;
- and,
- a device receiving the signal from the sensor for displacing the valve element to provide a preselected air flow.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.