US 6,148,748 AGranted

In-line seed treating unit for air seeders

AssigneeFlexi-Coil Ltd.

InventorsDanick J. Bardi, Stephen M. Bardi, Jim P. Weibe, Calvin K. Greenstein, Ted M. Scriber

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Abstract

An in-line seed treating unit is provided for an air seeding implement to coat seeds carried by a flow of air through a product distribution line before being planted into the ground. The in-line seed treating unit includes a cylindrical housing having input and outlet ends located at opposing axial ends of the cylindrical housing to provide a generally linear overall flow path for the seed entrained air flow through the product distribution line. A baffle formed as a spiral flighting with an open center portion is disposed within the cylindrical housing to induce the air flow and entrained seeds in a spiral flow path along the housing axis and, thereby pushing the entrained seeds outwardly toward the inner wall of the housing. The seed treatment material is injected through an injection port located a distance less than one flighting pitch of the baffle from the beginning of the flighting so that the seed treatment material is dispersed within the air flow to coat the entrained seeds. Preferably, the in-line seed treating unit is formed as a modular component that can be inserted into any selected product distribution line on the air seeding implement.

Claims16

Dependent claims

In an air seeding implement for planting agricultural products into the ground, said air seeding implement having a wheeled frame, a storage tank supported on said frame to contain a supply of agricultural seeds to be planted into the ground;

a fan mounted on said frame and being operable to create a flow of air;
air flow tubes corresponding to said storage tank and being operably associated with said fan to receive said flow of air, said air flow tubes having a diameter;
a metering mechanism to distribute the agricultural seeds into said air flow tubes to be carried by the air flow therein for delivery to a remote location for insertion into the ground;
and a supply of seed treatment material, the improvement comprising:
a generally linear seed treating unit connected with at least one of said air flow tubes downstream from said metering mechanism and connected to said supply of seed treatment material to coat said agricultural seeds with said seed treatment material as said agricultural seeds are conveyed generally linearly within said air flow tubes, said seed treating unit including:
a generally cylindrical housing having a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of said air flow tubes and defining an in-line flow path along an axis of said housing, said at least one air flow tube being connected to opposing ends of said housing along said axis;
a baffle within said housing to direct said agricultural seeds within said air flow radially outwardly toward said housing in a spiral flow path along said axis;
and
an injection port on said housing connected radially relative to said axis to inject said supply of seed treatment material into said housing at an injection point for mixing within said air flow and coating said agricultural seeds.

6 more elements

An apparatus for treating seeds on a air seeding implement having a storage tank containing a supply of seeds to be planted into the ground;

a fan operable to create a flow of air;
an air flow tube operably associated with said fan to receive said flow of air;
a metering mechanism to distribute the seeds into said air flow tube to be carried by the air flow therein for delivery to a remote location for insertion into the ground;
and a supply of seed treatment material, comprising:
a generally cylindrical housing having an axis with an input end and an outlet end axially located on opposing ends of said housing, said input end being connected to said air flow tube downstream of said metering mechanism, said outlet end being connected to said air flow tube to continue conveying said seeds to said remote location;
a baffle formed as a spiral fighting defining a length of at least one-half of a revolution within said housing to direct said air flow in a spiral path along said axis within said housing;
and
an injection port connected with said supply of seed treatment material to introduce said seed treatment material into said housing to be mixed into said air flow for coating said seeds, said injection port being located at a distance less than one-half of the length of said spiral flighting from said input end.

5 more elements

An air seeding implement for planting agricultural products into the ground, comprising:

a wheeled frame;
a storage tank supported on said frame to contain a supply of agricultural seeds to be planted into the ground;
a fan mounted on said frame and being operable to create a flow of air;
an air flow tube corresponding to said storage tank and being operably associated with said fan to receive said flow of air;
a metering mechanism to distribute the agricultural seeds into said air flow tube to be carried by the air flow therein for delivery to a remote location for insertion into the ground;
a supply of seed treatment material supported on said frame;
and
an in-line seed treating unit connected to said air flow tube downstream of said metering mechanism and including:
a generally cylindrical housing having an axis with an input end and an outlet end axially located on opposing ends of said housing, said input end and said outlet end being connected to said air flow tube to provide a generally linear flow path for said air flow;
a baffle formed as a spiral flighting defining at least two revolutions within said housing to direct said air flow in a spiral path along said axis within said housing;
and
an injection port connected with said supply of seed treatment material to introduce said seed treatment material into said housing to be mixed into said air flow for coating said seeds, said injection port being located at least one pitch length of said baffle from said input end.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.