Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – Evacuation apparatus
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-21
2001-08-14
Douglas, Steven O. (Department: 3751)
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
Evacuation apparatus
C141S067000, C141S346000, C141S383000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273153
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention generally relates to a device and method for metering and dispensing precise amounts of particulate matter directly into bins. The invention is particularly applicable for dispensing dry agricultural chemicals, such as pesticides (e.g., herbicides), fertilizers and adjuvants, directly into applicator bins.
Many useful agricultural chemicals and other such products are distributed in dry bulk form, either as powders, granules or small pellets, to the farmers who ultimately use them. Prolonged exposure to high concentrations of many of these chemicals is not recommended, and direct contact should in many cases be avoided.
One useful device for metering and pneumatically transporting agricultural chemicals from a storage bin into applicator bins (e.g., bins on a planter or spreader) is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,673. This device meters precise quantities of particulate matter into a pneumatic air stream which transports the suspended matter through a flexible hose to a portable cyclone separator at which the matter is separated from the air stream and falls out of the bottom of the separator. The major portion of the air stream is recirculated from the separator to the storage bin through a return hose. By holding the separator over an applicator bin, the separated matter tends to fall into the applicator bin. In some instances, dry particulate matter falling from the bottom of the unsealed separator can create airborne dust that, depending on the toxicity of the material, the extent of exposure, and/or size of the dust particles, can create a health hazard.
Because of the potential health hazards associated with exposed chemicals in dry form, some planter manufacturers now provide their planter boxes with tops having self-sealing fill ports. American Cyanamid, for example, markets such a self-closing fill port. When a mating port coupler is attached, the port is opened for filling in such a way that the contents of the box are not exposed to the environment as the coupler is mated to the port. Some other planter boxes have tops with fill ports with simple, sealed covers which, when removed for filling, temporarily expose the box contents to the environment. During filling, air-borne chemical dust may be generated in the planter box by the flow and settling of the chemical, and this dust may vent to the environment before the sealed cover is replaced.
New devices and methods are sought for metering dry chemicals into agricultural applicator bins, such as planter boxes, in ways that avoid either direct contact with the chemicals or significant exposure to air-borne chemical dust. The entire contents of the above-referenced patent are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention features a system for filling applicator bins directly through a sealed coupling at the bin, by transporting metered dry chemical matter pneumatically in a procedure that substantially avoids operator exposure to the dry chemical matter.
By “particulate matter”, we mean to include powdered, granular and pelletized materials that are not suspended in a liquid medium.
According to one aspect of the invention, a device for metering and dispensing particulate matter from a storage bin directly into an applicator bin includes a storage bin for storing a quantity of particulate matter in bulk form; a meter connected to the storage bin for controllably releasing a desired amount of the particulate matter from the storage bin; a pneumatic transport conduit for suspending the released particulate matter in a flow of gas and transporting the suspended matter to an applicator bin; and a coupler disposed at a distal end of the conduit. The coupler is specifically adapted to provide a sealed connection between the conduit and the applicator bin as transported particulate matter is dispensed from the conduit into the applicator bin through the coupler.
In some instances, the pneumatic transport conduit includes a flexible duct extending from the meter to a particle separator (e.g., a cyclone-type flow-through separator) having the coupler disposed at its lower end. The separator is adapted to separate the suspended matter from the flow of gas such that the separated matter falls from the separator into the applicator bin through the coupler. In some cases the separator is configured to forward the flow of gas, having separated the suspended matter from the gas, through the filter. The flow of gas can then be returned from the filter to the meter, such that the flow of gas travels in a substantially closed loop through the system.
In some embodiments, the pneumatic transport conduit includes a flexible duct extending from the meter to the coupler, such that the flow of gas and suspended matter are ejected through the coupler directly into the applicator bin. A return duct returns the flow of gas from the applicator bin to the meter through the coupler.
In some configurations, the coupler has a coupler housing with an inner tube extending through it and forming a passage for transporting the flow of gas and suspended matter into the applicator bin. The housing and inner tube define between them an annular return passage for returning the flow of gas to the meter. The inner tube of the coupler housing may be arranged to extend a distance into the applicator bin with the coupler mounted to the applicator bin, for example.
One presently preferred coupler is a cam and groove type coupler.
For some applications, the coupler is adapted to mate with a self-closing agricultural planter box coupler.
The meter, in some presently preferred embodiments, has an airlock with a multi-vaned metering rotor; an airlock drive motor for rotatably driving the metering rotor; and a controller for controlling the rotation of the airlock drive motor to release a desired quantity of the particulate matter from the storage bin. The multi-vaned rotor may have multiple vanes defining discrete pockets of known volume between them, for instance. For enhanced metering resolution, it is recommended that the pockets each have a volume of less than about 30 cubic inches (500 cubic centimeters), preferably less than about 10 cubic inches (150 cubic centimeters). One present embodiment has a pocket volume of about 25 cubic inches (400 cubic centimeters).
The controller is preferably adapted to receive an operator input representing a desired weight of matter to be released and, based upon at least this input and a stored particulate matter density value, calculate a corresponding volume of matter to be released.
In some embodiments, the controller is adapted to automatically stop releasing the particulate matter when a preset amount of matter has been released, while air continues to flow along the conduit.
In some cases, the controller is adapted to alert an operator when the preset amount of particulate matter has been released.
To help ensure that substantially all of the dispensed matter has reached the applicator bin, for example, the controller may be advantageously adapted to maintain the flow of air along the conduit for a predetermined period of time after the preset amount of matter has been released.
Some embodiments constructed according to the invention have a flow sensor disposed, for example, upstream of the meter and responsive to air flow along the conduit, for enabling operation of the
The storage bin preferably includes a hopper with sides sloped at an angle of between about 45 and 60 degrees from horizontal, and may have an internal volume of between about 5 and 200 cubic feet (0.14 and 5.7 cubic meters), for example.
In some cases, a vibrator is structurally connected to the storage bin and adapted to vibrate the bin during operation to assist flow of the particulate matter into the meter.
Some constructions of the device include both a portable dispensing unit, containing the storage bin and metering device, and a portable power unit containing a blower. The power and dispensing units are connected with at least one flexible air line.
Acc
Douglas Steven O.
Fish & Richardson P.C.
Pathfinder Systems, Inc.
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