Agricultural singulation apparatus for singulating granular material

Abstract

The invention relates to an agricultural singulation apparatus (5) for singulating granular material, comprising a singulation element (7) which is accommodated in a housing, is mounted rotatably relative to said housing by means of a shaft, and has a plurality of passage openings extending axially through the singulation element. The singulation element defines first and second housing regions (B1, B2). The singulation apparatus further comprises a bell-type element (8), which is configured and arranged in such a way in the second housing region that it defines, together with the singulation element, a first spatial region (RB1) encompassing a first group of passage openings, while a second group of passage openings is formed in a second spatial region (RB2) outside the first spatial region. The second spatial region is connected by the second group of passage openings to communicate with the first housing region (B1), and a pressure difference can be generated, between the first spatial region (RB1) and the first housing region (B1), by means of a pressure reservoir couplable to the second spatial region (RB2).

Description

[0001] Agricultural singling device for singling granular material

[0002] The invention relates to an agricultural singling device for singling granular material according to the preamble of patent claim 1.

[0003] In order to optimize yield and costs on the farm, it is of great importance for a farmer to sow seeds on agricultural land with the greatest possible accuracy in terms of the amount sown and the spatial distribution of the sown seeds. A variety of agricultural devices are known for this purpose, for example as towed and / or mounted implements. Such implements include, among others, agricultural seed drills, which are used to distribute granular material, in particular seed and / or fertilizer, onto agricultural land. For this purpose, such seed drills comprise, in addition to at least one storage container suitable for holding the granular material, at least one, in particular pneumatic, conveying device for supplying the granular material to at least one singulating device arranged on the seed drill.In other embodiments, the granular material can alternatively or additionally be fed from the storage container to the singulating device by gravity. The singulating device is configured to at least partially singulate the supplied granular material and, depending on the type of granular material, in particular seed and / or fertilizer, to discharge it toward the agricultural land as needed.

[0004] Depending on the type or variety, the granular material must be distributed along the usable area at different seeding rates and spacings. To meet this need with generic singling devices, various solutions are known from the state of the art, such as conventional precision seed drills, which are described in each of the documents DE 102007 062 968 A1, EP 0 329 095 A1, EP 2 375 880 A1, and EP 3 735 814 A1.

[0005] In the known singling device, the interior of a housing is divided into two housing regions by a singling disc such that a pressure difference can be generated in the housing between a first housing region and a second housing region by means of a fan. The singling disc is rotatably mounted in the housing and transports grains of a seed that are fed to the singling disc along a rotation of the singling disc to a shot tube or drop tube, from which the grains are dispensed grain by grain and the grains fed to the shot tube are guided to a seed furrow. To transport the seed grains, the singling disc typically has suitable recesses for entraining individual grains of the granular seed at regular intervals along its circumferential direction and / or in its outer housing region near the circumferential line.

[0006] The recesses in the housing create spatial connections between the first and second housing sections, and the grains accumulate in these recesses due to a pressure difference created between the housing sections separated by the separating disc. Additionally, the separating device has a cover element at a suitable location. This cover element, by temporarily covering the recesses, prevents the pressure difference and thus a continuous accumulation of the transported grains in the recesses and releases the transported grains at the location of the shot tube, so that the released grains are fed into the shot tube.

[0007] In known singling devices, the seed kernels are fed to the singling disc in such a way that seed is filled into the housing from a seed reservoir, with a quantity of kernels typically accumulating at the bottom of the housing, from which individual kernels are individually transported away by the singling disc. Adhesion of an individual kernel to a recess in the singling disc can only occur if the adhesive force with which a kernel is pressed against a recess due to the pressure difference in the housing is sufficient to release the individual kernel from the mass of kernels in the bottom of the housing. For example, the frictional forces between the individual kernels are important here, and these must be overcome by the adhesive force.

[0008] To ensure a desired sowing rate, it is important that each individual recess also transports a single grain to the shot tube, so that depending on the rotation speed of the singling disc, a desired transport frequency of individual grains and thus a specific sowing rate is realized.

[0009] There is a continuing need to optimize the accuracy of seed and / or fertilizer application in seed drills without complex designs, with low wear, a long service life, and maintenance-free seed drills with a good cost-benefit ratio. A particular challenge here is to maintain a predetermined seeding rate with great precision and to minimize damage to the seeds being sown, especially to ensure trouble-free and precise seed singulation.

[0010] This object is achieved by an agricultural singling device for singling granular material according to various aspects of the invention and in particular according to claim 1. Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are defined in the various illustrative embodiments of the aspects of the invention and in particular in the dependent claims.

[0011] According to a first aspect of the invention, an agricultural singling device for singling granular material, in particular seed and / or fertilizer, is provided. According to illustrative embodiments, the singling device in this aspect comprises a housing with a shaft rotatably mounted in the interior of the housing, which shaft defines a rotation axis, a bell element, and a singling element received in the housing and coupled to the shaft in the interior, such that the singling element is rotatably mounted relative to the housing, and has a plurality of through-openings extending through the singling element. The singling element is arranged in the housing such that the interior of the housing is divided into a first housing region, which serves as an overpressure region during operation of the singling element, and a second housing region. The bell element is arranged in the second housing region.

[0012] Furthermore, the bell element is designed and arranged such that, together with the separating element, it defines a first spatial region in the second housing region, in which first spatial region a first group of through-openings from the plurality of through-openings is enclosed by the bell element in the first spatial region, while a second group of through-openings from the plurality of through-openings is formed in a second spatial region of the second housing region outside the first spatial region. The first spatial region functions as a negative pressure region during operation. The second spatial region is communicatively connected to the first housing region by the second group of through-openings, and a pressure difference can be generated in the interior between the first spatial region and the first housing region during operation of the separating element by means of a pressure reservoir that can be coupled to the second spatial region.In a second aspect of the invention, an agricultural singling device for singling granular material, in particular seed and / or fertilizer, is provided. According to illustrative embodiments, the singling device in this aspect comprises a housing comprising a housing assembly and a cover assembly detachably mounted on the housing assembly, for example with a housing cover or a flap attached to the cover assembly, wherein the housing assembly or the cover assembly comprises a rotatably mounted shaft that defines a rotation axis. Furthermore, the singling device comprises a singling element received in an interior space defined in the housing, which is coupled to the shaft such that the singling element is rotatably mounted relative to the housing, and has a plurality of through openings.In some illustrative examples in which the cover assembly includes a flap, the flap may be disposed in a housing wall of the cover assembly, for example, a housing wall pierced by the rotation axis or a housing wall not pierced by the rotation axis, or the flap may cover an opening formed by the cover assembly and housing assembly in the housing that allows external access to the interior of the housing.

[0013] In various illustrative embodiments of the first and / or second aspect of the invention, the separating element can be provided as a separating element that is at least partially drum-like or hollow-cylindrical or shell-like or disc-shaped, such as a separating drum or a separating shell or a separating disc.

[0014] In specific illustrative examples of the first and / or second aspect of the invention, the through-openings can, for example, extend substantially axially or radially through the singulating element without limitation. For example, the through-openings can be formed as through-holes extending through the singulating element substantially parallel or radially to the axis of rotation of the singulating element, such as in the case of a singulating disc or singulating tray. Alternatively, the through-openings can be provided as through-holes formed radially with respect to the axis of rotation if the singulating element is provided as a hollow cylindrical element, such as a singulating drum.

[0015] Furthermore, according to the second aspect of the invention, the separating element is arranged in the housing such that a first housing region is defined between the separating element and the housing assembly, and a second housing region is defined between the separating element and the cover assembly. In addition, the separating device comprises a bell element arranged between the separating element and the cover assembly. The bell element is designed and arranged such that, together with the separating element, it defines a first spatial region in the second housing region, in which a first group of through-openings from the plurality of through-openings is enclosed by the bell element in the spatial region, while a second group of through-openings from the plurality of through-openings is formed in a second spatial region of the second housing region outside the first spatial region.The second spatial area is communicatively connected to the first housing area through the second group of through-openings and a pressure difference can be generated in the interior space between the first spatial area and the first housing area by means of a pressure reservoir that can be coupled to the second spatial area.

[0016] In the embodiments according to the second aspect, the pressure difference is generated by applying a first pressure from a pressure reservoir through the second spatial region via the second group of through-openings to the first housing region in the housing on a first side of the separating element (a side of the separating element facing the first housing region), while applying a second pressure different from the first pressure through the first spatial region to a second side opposite the first side. This creates a pressure difference between the first side and the second side during operation.

[0017] According to the various aspects of the invention, by transmitting the first pressure through the second group of through-openings to the first housing region, it is achieved that by distributing the through-openings of the second group of through-openings along the singulating element, the first pressure can be applied to the first housing region in a correspondingly distributed manner along the singulating element.This makes it possible, on the one hand, to model a distributed application of the first pressure in the first housing region, and, on the other hand, if a first pressure which is higher than the second pressure is applied, a loosening of an accumulation of grains present in the first housing region in a housing region in which the grains are fed to the singling element can be achieved without the need for mechanical loosening of the grains in the first housing region, for example by means of a mechanical shaking movement or stirring elements which can lead to damage to grains, since the application of a pressure which is higher than the second pressure to the first housing region leads to a flow around grains and can thus simplify the release of individual grains in the first housing region.

[0018] In the various aspects of the invention, the bell element can be provided as a separate component from the housing and / or the singulating element. For example, the bell element can be a single component that can be detachably coupled to the housing or the singulating element. In alternative examples, the bell element can be provided as an integral part of the housing or the singulating element; for example, the bell element can be formed monolithically to an inner housing wall or monolithically to a surface of the singulating element. In an illustrative example herein, the bell element is formed, for example, as a wall with an optional sealing element or as part of a labyrinth seal structure between the housing and the singulating element formed in a surface of the housing or the singulating element.

[0019] In illustrative examples of the various aspects of the invention, the cover assembly can, for example, comprise a housing cover that defines the interior of the housing with the housing assembly. For example, the second housing region can be defined between the housing cover and the separating element, and the second spatial region can be defined between the bell element and the housing cover. Alternatively or additionally, a flap can be provided on the cover assembly and / or the housing assembly.

[0020] In the various aspects of the invention, a pressure difference can be generated in the interior of the housing between the first housing region and the first spatial region of the second housing region, as well as between the first spatial region and the second spatial region, by means of at least one pressure reservoir. For example, an overpressure reservoir can be coupled to the second spatial region and thereby to the first housing region. Additionally or alternatively, a negative pressure reservoir can be coupled to the first spatial region, wherein the negative pressure reservoir provides a lower pressure than in the first spatial region. In a specific example, the first spatial region can be connected to the ambient atmosphere or a suction side of a pump, and an overpressure can be applied to the second spatial region; for example, the second spatial region can be connected to a pressure side of a pump or the pump.

[0021] In some illustrative embodiments of the various aspects of the invention, the first group of through-openings can be formed as a first radial row with a first radius in the singulating element for entraining individual grains of the granular material, and the second group can be formed as a second radial row with a second radius in the singulating element, wherein the first radius is smaller than the second radius. A radial row refers to a row of through-openings with a constant radius to a center point of the singulating element, for example a point of penetration of the axis of rotation defined by the shaft through the singulating element. Additional radial rows with different radii and optionally different through-opening sizes and / or spacing can be provided.As a result, the singulating element can be used to spread a larger quantity of seed or seeds of different grain sizes. Pressure guidance to or pressure distribution in the first housing area can also be adjusted using the second radial row. In specific illustrative examples herein, different through-openings with different dimensions can be formed in a radial row, and, for example, a template provided on the singulating element can be used to adjust the selection of through-openings with a specific dimension, while other through-openings with different dimensions are covered by the template.The template can be a selection element that can be rotationally fixedly fastened to the singulating element and has at least one through-opening with a dimension that is greater than or equal to a dimension of the through-openings of the singulating element with the largest dimension. The at least one through-opening of the template can be fastened to the singulating element in an adjustable alignment with at least one desired or selected through-opening of the singulating element, such that unselected through-openings of the singulating element are covered by the template. In some illustrative examples herein, the first group and the second group can comprise the same or different number of through-openings.For example, for a specific variety of seed and / or fertilizer, a fixed hole ratio between the through-openings of the first and second group with regard to the number and / or dimension(s) of the through-openings can be realized on a singling element provided for this variety, and singling elements designed to be adapted accordingly for different varieties can be provided.

[0022] In some illustrative examples herein, a singulation device is described, wherein the first group of through-openings is divided into subgroups of through-openings, each with the same dimension, and the through-openings of different subgroups have different dimensions. Furthermore, the singulation device may further comprise a template that is rotationally fixedly mounted on the singulation element and is configured for the adjustable selection of through-openings with a specific dimension, such that other unselected through-openings are covered by the template on the singulation element with respect to the first spatial region.For example, the template can be formed by niche sections of the bell element in a configuration of the bell element with semi-cylindrical niche sections, wherein the niche sections are formed in the bell element in such a way that only one or more selected through-openings of the first group are enclosed in the first spatial region by the bell element (whereby, viewed from the first spatial region, the non-selected through-openings are covered by the bell element since they are not located in the first spatial region).

[0023] As an alternative to implementing the template using the bell element, as described above, the template can be provided as a separate component from the bell element and have at least one through-opening with a dimension that is greater than or equal to one of the largest through-openings of the separating element. This ensures that the template completely exposes each selected through-opening in the first spatial area. In this case, the template is mounted in the first housing area on the overpressure side of the separating element.

[0024] In further examples herein, the separating device may further comprise a plurality of locking elements, wherein the template and the separating element each have a set of interlocking locking elements from the plurality of locking elements, wherein a mechanical coupling between the template and the separating element is achieved by engaging locking elements from both sets in a selected orientation of the template relative to the separating element. This allows a desired orientation of the template to the separating element to be set.

[0025] In some illustrative examples herein, the template can be realized by the bell element, wherein the bell element is configured such that it only encloses a number of through-openings of the same dimension in the first spatial region. Covering the remaining through-openings by the bell element, which acts as a template, is not required, since these unselected through-openings are arranged in the second spatial region. In this case, covering the through-openings can be omitted, so that the unselected through-openings can be used as flow paths that connect the second spatial region to the first housing region.This has the advantage that one separating element can be used for different varieties, whereby the separating element can be adjusted for use with a specific variety by adjusting a specific orientation of the bell element relative to the separating element.

[0026] For example, the template, for example provided without limitation as a bell element or as a component separate from the bell element, and the separating element can each have a set of interlocking locking elements, wherein a mechanical coupling of template and separating element is achieved in that locking elements of both sets are brought into engagement with one another in a selected orientation of the template relative to the separating element.For example, one of the template and the separating element has a plurality of first locking elements, while the other of the template and the separating element has one or more second locking elements that can engage with the first locking elements, so that an engagement of a second locking element with an associated first locking element to an associated pair of locking elements for each second locking element sets a specific orientation from the bell element to the separating element.

[0027] In illustrative examples herein, locking elements may be formed, without limitation, as an intermeshing toothing or as a locking connection between a pin or hook or nose or pin or bolt (optionally threaded) as a first (or second) locking element with a hole or recess or opening as a second (or first) locking element.

[0028] In illustrative examples herein, the singulating element can have the through-openings of the second group of through-openings at regular intervals along its circumferential direction, i.e., in the azimuthal direction, in the singulating element and / or in its outer housing region near the circumferential line. The through-openings of the second group of through-openings provide spatial connections between the first housing region and the second spatial region. The through-openings of the first group of through-openings are provided for grain singulation and are correspondingly designed for the deposition of grains with specific geometric dimensions, such that grains deposit at the through-openings of the first group of through-openings during operation due to the pressure difference.

[0029] In some illustrative embodiments of the various aspects of the invention, the bell element can be mounted in a rotationally fixed manner on the housing, for example on the cover assembly, and the separating device can further comprise a labyrinth seal formed by a first sealing portion formed on a periphery of the separating element and a second sealing portion on the bell element such that the first sealing portion and the second sealing portion are interlocking structures without mechanical contact. The first sealing portion and the second sealing portion provide a non-contact seal between the separating element and the bell element, in which a sealing effect of the labyrinth seal on an extension of a flow path is achieved by means of the first and second sealing portions in a gap to be sealed between the separating element and the bell element.The first and second sealing sections, when combined in the assembled housing, provide a flow resistance that is significantly higher than that of a gap to be sealed. In other words, the first and second sealing sections in the assembled housing act together as a labyrinth seal such that an interlocking or intermeshing of the first and second sealing sections in the housing between the rotating separating element and the bell element that is stationary relative thereto achieves a sealing effect. For example, the interlocking of the first and second sealing sections can lead to turbulence in a labyrinth structure created by the interlocking sealing sections, so that the labyrinth seal alone achieves a sufficient sealing effect without the need for additional sealants and / or sliding seals. A friction-free and wear-free seal is provided in the separating device in a simple manner.In this case, the labyrinth seal can be formed by an interlocking of curved web structures, wherein the curved web structures in the first and second sealing sections are designed such that, despite the curvature, they are arranged in a contactless interlocking when the bell element and the separating element are mounted in the housing. In the case of curved webs, it can be advantageous if the curved webs are designed to be elastic, so that when the bell element is mounted, the first and second sealing sections can slide past one another despite mutual undercuts in order to reach the contactless, interlocking arrangement. In contrast, linearly designed webs, i.e. webs without a curvature, provide simplified assembly, since with linear webs there are no undercuts of webs in the various sealing sections.Thus, the labyrinth seal provides a seal in the housing of the separating device between the first spatial region and the second spatial region, which maintains a permanent seal without wear. In illustrative examples herein, the first and second sealing sections can be formed by a plurality of webs arranged in an interlocking engagement. For example, at least two webs can be formed in the first sealing section, while at least one web is formed in the second sealing section, wherein the webs in the first and second sealing sections can be in non-contact meshing engagement. Alternatively, at least one web can be formed in the first sealing section, while at least two webs are formed in the second sealing section, wherein the webs in the first and second sealing sections can be in non-contact meshing engagement.The lands can have the same or different lengths. For example, the lengths of the lands can decrease from the radially inner to the radially outer lands (monotonic or strictly monotonic). In some specific examples herein, a radially innermost land can have the greatest length and lands following outwards can have the same or different (e.g. decreasing) lengths. This can structurally improve the sealing effect of the labyrinth seal. Different land lengths can create different sealing areas radially surrounding the seal so that in areas with poor sealing and thus increased flow, any dust or contamination that may have accumulated in the labyrinth seal can be blown out.

[0030] In illustrative examples herein, the labyrinth seal between the bell element and the separating element can be configured as an annular labyrinth seal formed in the circumferential direction of the separating element. An annular labyrinth seal provides an advantageous sealing effect at the edge of the separating element.

[0031] In illustrative embodiments of the various aspects of the invention, the bell element can be integrated into the housing, for example into the cover assembly, in which the second sealing section is formed as a wall, for example as a cylindrical wall, in the housing coaxially or radially to the axis of rotation such that the wall delimits the first spatial region from the second spatial region. This provides a structurally simple and compact design of the housing, enabling direct access to the separating element without separate steps for removing additional separate components provided in the housing as a bell element. For example, direct access is possible after removing the cover assembly, and the separating element can thus be easily replaced in just a few steps.In some illustrative embodiments of the various aspects of the invention, the bell element can be mounted in a rotationally fixed manner to the housing, for example, on the cover assembly. The separating device can further comprise a sliding seal. The sliding seal can, for example, be formed by a first sliding seal section on the bell element and an optional second sliding seal section on a periphery of the separating element such that the first sliding seal section and the separating element (optionally by the second sliding seal section, if provided) are in direct mechanical contact with each other.The sliding seal may be provided as a renewable wear part, for example, at least one of the first sliding seal section and the optional second sliding seal section may be provided as renewable wear parts, so that after excessive wear of the sliding seal, for example of at least one of the sliding seal sections, the sliding seal, for example the worn sliding seal section(s), can be replaced by a functional sliding seal or sliding seal section, so that an advantageous and optionally renewable seal is sufficiently provided by the sliding seal in the housing.

[0032] In some illustrative embodiments of the various aspects of the invention, the singulating element in the housing can be inclined relative to a virtual plane oriented normal to the rotation axis. An inclination of the singulating element can provide an advantageous inclination at a grain collection area in the housing where grains are picked up by the singulating element, whereby an inclination achieves an advantageous accumulation of grains in the grain collection area. For example, the singulating element in the housing can be inclined relative to a vertical orientation (defined by a virtual plane perpendicular to the rotation axis).An inclination of the separating element can be in an angular range between 0 and 45°, for example between 0° and 30°, to a vertical direction (defined as lying in the virtual plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation) in the housing, wherein an inclined separating element provides improved adhesion of granular material in through-openings in the grain receiving area.

[0033] In some illustrative embodiments of the various aspects of the invention, the first group of through-openings and the second group of through-openings can be formed in a common radial row (in other words, the radial rows of the first and second groups of through-openings have the same radius) in the separating element. Furthermore, the bell element can be designed such that only the first group of through-openings is enclosed by at least one wall of the bell element in the first spatial region, while the second group of through-openings is recessed from the at least one wall in order to be exposed to the second spatial region in the housing. This allows a design of the housing in which the dimensions of the housing depend on the shape and dimension of the radial row, so that a compact housing can be provided while forming a compact separating element.In illustrative examples, the bell element may provide the function of a template in the case of a singulating element with through-openings of different dimensions for use with different varieties of seed and / or fertilizer, as described above and incorporated in its entirety by reference herein.

[0034] In some illustrative examples herein, the bell element may have a hollow cylindrical wall with a plurality of semi-cylindrical recess sections formed in the lateral surface of the bell element, each of which is assigned to the through-openings of the second group of through-openings. This allows the first spatial region to be easily separated from the second spatial region by the hollow cylindrical wall in the case of a single radial row formed by the first and second groups.

[0035] In some illustrative examples herein, the bell element can be designed to be rotationally fixed relative to the singling element. For example, the bell element can be designed as an integral part of the singling element, or the bell element can be detachably and rotationally fixedly mounted on the singling element. Furthermore, in some illustrative examples, the bell element can be rotatably coupled to the housing, for example the cover assembly, by means of a bearing. In the case of detachable mounting of the bell element on the singling element, the bell element and the singling element can be temporarily coupled to one another via locking elements, for example a toothing or a pin or the like (as described above), so that the singling element, which is rotatably driven during operation, entrains the bell element in the rotational movement during the temporary coupling.rotatably drives relative to the cover assembly, wherein a desired orientation of the bell element relative to the separating element can also be set by locking elements, as described above. Furthermore, locking elements can provide a secure and, in particular, orientation-maintaining coupling between the bell element and the separating element. Alternatively, instead of a mechanical coupling via locking elements, a mechanical coupling can be achieved via a sliding mechanical contact or a frictional contact between the bell element and the separating element, in that the bell element and the separating element are pressed against one another mechanically, for example by adjustable spring elements for setting a desired pressure from one of the bell element and the separating element to the other.

[0036] In some illustrative embodiments herein, the housing, for example, the cover assembly, may comprise a channel coaxial with the rotation axis, which communicatively connects the first spatial region to an ambient atmosphere of the separating device. This allows for a simple coupling of the first spatial region to the ambient atmosphere, so that the housing can be designed compactly.

[0037] In some illustrative embodiments herein, the separating device may further comprise an additional connection on the housing, for example, on the housing assembly, in connection with the first housing region, wherein the additional connection is configured for coupling to a pressure reservoir in order to apply a pressure provided by the pressure reservoir directly to the first housing region through the additional connection. This allows pressure fluctuations in the first housing region to be avoided and unwanted flows in the first housing region to be suppressed.

[0038] In some advantageous embodiments, the singling device can further comprise a cover element held by a holder, wherein the holder is mounted on the housing in a rotationally fixed manner and the cover element is designed to prevent the pressure difference at a suitable point when the singling element rotates. For example, the cover assembly can comprise the cover element held by the holder, wherein the cover element is mounted on the cover assembly in a rotationally fixed manner by the holder. The cover element is arranged in the housing relative to the singling element on a side opposite the seed side of the singling element (i.e. in the first spatial region) in order to also cover a through-opening of the singling element covered by a grain of seed on the seed side in the first housing region from the opposite side and thus to prevent the pressure difference from being present at the through-opening.This enables the granular material to be discharged at a precise time and location following a predetermined transport (path) through the separating element.

[0039] In some illustrative first embodiments, the cover assembly can further comprise a housing cover into which the bell element is inserted in a rotationally fixed manner or to which the bell element is rotatably coupled by a bearing. In this case, the first spatial region is defined by the bell element independently of the housing cover, while the second spatial region is defined by the bell element and the housing cover. Thus, a pressure difference in the second housing region between the first spatial region and the second spatial region can be realized. In the case of a bell element arranged in a rotationally fixed manner relative to the cover assembly, the bell element can be detachably mounted on the cover assembly by means of the holder of the cover element. This enables reliable installation of the bell element in the housing cover to be realized in a simple manner.For example, the cover element can be attached to a ring insert that can be detachably and non-rotatably mounted in a housing cover of the cover assembly. Mounting the ring insert can simultaneously mount the bell element on the housing cover in a rotationally fixed manner. The bell element can also be mounted in the housing cover in such a way that the bell element can be axially displaced in the cover assembly, so that manufacturing tolerances can be compensated for by axial displacement. For this purpose, the insertion or insertion depth of the bell element in the cover assembly (as a measure of the spacing between the bell element and the cover assembly) can be manually adjustable or self-adjusting due to the flow and pressure, in particular by means of a spring-loaded holder of the bell element in the cover assembly. For example, a spring-loaded holder for the bell element in the cover assembly can be provided between the bell element and the cover assembly and between the bell element and the cover element, e.g.Ring insert, a spring element is provided in each case, which allows an axial displacement of the bell element against a spring action of the spring element.

[0040] In a further advantageous refinement of the illustrative first embodiments as described above, the cover assembly can have a first flow channel or, with an additional component that can be attached to the cover assembly, form the first flow channel, which is designed to provide a pressure provided by a pressure reservoir, for example an overpressure, to the second spatial region in the housing between the separating element and the cover assembly outside the bell element in the housing. Furthermore, the cover assembly can have a second flow channel, which is designed to provide a fluid connection between an environment of the separating device and the first spatial region or to apply a negative pressure to the first spatial region in the housing.By providing these flow channels in the housing, interference between the first and second spatial regions can be avoided, as these are formed separately from the separating element in the housing. Furthermore, the first and second flow channels can be used to guide flows into the housing in a targeted manner, and thus to set a flow path in the housing. In specific examples, the cover assembly can form the first flow channel with the housing assembly in the housing, with a pressure reservoir being arranged in or on the housing assembly. This enables a compact design of the housing to be made possible, as the first flow channel is not formed solely by the cover assembly. In the pressure difference-based separation described herein, the separating element always divides the housing into a region of higher pressure and a region of lower pressure.In order for grains to adhere to the separating element, the granular material is located in the higher pressure zone. This zone is referred to as the overpressure zone, while the lower pressure zone is referred to as the underpressure zone. The pressure level in the overpressure zone can be higher than the pressure level of the ambient atmosphere. The pressure level in the underpressure zone can be lower than the pressure level of the ambient atmosphere or at ambient atmosphere. This is not a limitation, as the essential factor is that the pressure level in the overpressure zone is higher than the pressure level in the underpressure zone.

[0041] Further details of the invention can be found in the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments with reference to the drawings. The drawings show:

[0042] Fig. 1 shows a sowing unit of an agricultural sowing machine in a perspective exploded view according to some illustrative embodiments;

[0043] Fig. 2 shows a housing of an agricultural singling device in a schematic sectional view according to some illustrative embodiments;

[0044] Fig. 3 shows a separating element in a schematic front view according to some illustrative embodiments;

[0045] Fig. 4 shows a bell element for the separating element in Fig. 3 in a schematic front view according to some illustrative embodiments;

[0046] Fig. 5 shows a separating element in a schematic front view according to further illustrative embodiments;

[0047] Fig. 6 shows a bell element for the separating element in Fig. 5 in a schematic front view according to further illustrative embodiments;

[0048] Fig. 7 schematically shows a template function for the embodiments according to Figs. 5 and 6; Fig. 8 shows a housing of an agricultural singling device in a schematic sectional view according to further illustrative embodiments;

[0049] Fig. 9 shows a sowing unit of an agricultural sowing machine in a perspective exploded view according to alternative embodiments to Fig. 1;

[0050] Fig. 10 shows the agricultural singling device from Fig. 9 in a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of the singling device; and

[0051] Fig. 11 schematically shows a separating element according to further embodiments of the invention in a schematic view with bell element.

[0052] With reference to the figures, illustrative embodiments of the various aspects of the invention as described above are now described in greater detail below. The following detailed description of illustrative embodiments as shown in the figures is to be viewed as a supplement to the more general description of the first and second aspects of the invention with the illustrative embodiments and examples described above. In particular, the various aspects of the invention as described above, together with their illustrative embodiments and examples as described above, can be combined with the following embodiments and examples, even if a combination is not explicitly described, as long as a specific combination is not explicitly excluded.

[0053] With reference to Fig. 1, a sowing unit 2 of an agricultural seed drill (not shown) is shown in a perspective exploded view. The sowing unit 2 can be fastened by means of support elements 1 to a frame oriented transversely to the direction of travel F of the seed drill (not shown) (in Fig. 1, a frame element 1a of a frame oriented perpendicular to the direction of travel F, for example a telescopic frame, is shown, wherein the frame element 1a represents a telescopic frame element) of the agricultural seed drill (not shown). The sowing unit 2 can be fastened in the seed drill (not shown) as one of several sowing units (not shown) to the frame (not shown), so that by means of at least one further sowing unit (not shown) in addition to the sowing unit 2, one or more further seed furrows can be filled with seed and / or fertilizer can be applied along one or more furrows.The sowing unit 2 can be movable relative to the frame. As shown in Fig. 1, the sowing unit 2 has a storage container 3 for storing granular material to be spread, in particular seed and / or fertilizer. The lower housing area of ​​the storage container 3 is designed as an outlet area in which an outlet opening (not shown in Fig. 1, see reference numeral 4 in Fig. 2) is arranged. The granular material to be spread is fed via the outlet opening (not shown in Fig. 1, see reference numeral 4 in Fig. 2) to a singulating device 5, which is arranged below the storage container 3.

[0054] With further reference to Fig. 1, the singling device 5 will now be described in more detail. The singling device 5 comprises a housing formed from a housing assembly 6a and a cover assembly 6b detachably mounted on the housing assembly 6a. Arranged within the housing is a singling element 7 which can be driven rotationally in a direction of rotation R about a rotation axis D and is preferably at least partially rotationally symmetrical. As shown, the singling element 7 can be designed as a singling disk, although this does not represent a restriction and a singling drum or a singling tray can be provided instead of the singling disk, wherein additional partition wall sections can possibly be provided in the interior of the housing in order to achieve a demarcation of first and second housing regions, for example in the case of a singling drum.In any case, the singling element 7 is designed to at least partially singulate the granular material that can be provided in the housing by means of a feed from the storage container 3. The housing can have a shaft W that is rotatably mounted on the housing assembly 6a and by means of which the singling element 7 is rotatably driven during operation of the singling device 5. Although the singling element 7 is shown in the illustration in Fig. 1 as being oriented essentially vertically in the housing (i.e., in the case of a singling disk, the singling element 7 lies essentially in a virtual plane that is oriented perpendicular to the axis of rotation D, while in the case of a singling tray or singling drum, its axis of rotation is oriented essentially horizontally in the housing), an orientation of the singling element 7 in the housing can also deviate from a vertical direction in the housing without limiting the scope of the description in this regard.Reference is made here to the explanation of the inclined separating elements in the description, whereby the disclosure of the inclined separating element is incorporated in its entirety by reference at this point and can have an orientation inclined relative to the vertical orientation instead of a vertical orientation of the separating element in the housing. As shown in Fig. 1, the separating element 7 can be a separating disc designed at least partially as a circular disc or a bowl-shaped separating disc that is rotationally fixedly coupled to the shaft W, so that the shaft W sets a specific rotational movement of the separating element 7 at a predetermined rotational speed. As explained above, this does not represent a restriction, and instead of a separating disc or separating bowl, a separating drum (not shown) can also be provided.

[0055] The separating element 7 is arranged in the housing such that a first housing region B1 is defined between the separating element 7 and the housing assembly 6a, and a second housing region B2 is defined between the separating element 7 and the cover assembly 6b. A pressure difference can be generated in the interior of the housing between the first housing region B1 and the second housing region B2 by means of a pressure reservoir (not shown). The housing assembly 6a has an opening into which the separating element 7 is at least partially received, wherein the opening of the housing assembly 6a can be surrounded by an annular flange portion 6af.

[0056] As shown in Fig. 1, the cover assembly 6b can comprise a housing cover 6b1, which, together with the housing assembly 6a, defines the interior of the housing. The second housing region B2 is defined between the housing cover 6b1 and the separating element 7.

[0057] With further reference to Fig. 1, the separating element 7 has suitable through-openings 11 at regular intervals along its circumferential direction and / or in its outer housing region near the circumferential line. A subset of the through-openings 11 is provided for entraining individual grains of the granular material, as described in more detail below with reference to the other drawings. The through-openings 11 provide through-openings through the separating element 7, thereby creating a spatial connection between the first housing region B1 and the second housing region B2 of the housing. At least some of the through-openings 11 are dimensioned to accommodate grains that adhere to these through-openings 11 due to the pressure difference.Furthermore, the singling device 5 can further comprise a cover element 12 at a suitable location in the housing, which temporarily covers the through-openings 11 to prevent the pressure difference and thus a continuous accumulation of the transported grains. With reference to the illustration in Fig. 1, the through-openings 11 are arranged in the circumferential direction of the singling element 7 in at least one radial row along an associated diameter or a radius starting from the axis of rotation D in the housing area of ​​an outer disk circumference, wherein various illustrative embodiments are described in more detail below with reference to the further drawings. Alternatively, it is also conceivable that the through-openings 11 are arranged on the circumference of the singling element 7. Although Fig. 1 schematically shows only one radial row of through-openings 11 (ieWhile the through-openings 11 are formed merely in a ring arrangement with a substantially fixed radius in the separating element 7, this does not constitute a limitation, and instead of one radial row, two or more concentric radial rows of through-openings may be provided, as described below with respect to some illustrative embodiments. For example, the through-openings of the various radial rows may all have the same size, or each radial row may have through-openings with an associated fixed size, wherein the through-openings of at least two radial rows differ from one another.

[0058] In general, in the illustrated embodiments, the housing is divided into the first housing region B1 and the second housing region B2 by means of the separating element 7. This division of the housing by the separating element 7 is designed such that a pressure difference can be generated between at least the first housing region B1 and the second housing region B2.

[0059] As described above, the first housing region B1 and the second housing region B2 of the housing are spatially connected to one another via the through-openings 11, so that individual grains of the granular material can be carried between the two housing regions B1, B2 within the through-openings 11 due to the pressure difference, in particular a resulting suction effect. Individual grains are transported in the direction of rotation R to the cover element 12 on a first side of the separating element 7 facing the first housing region (generally the side facing the housing region with higher pressure). The cover element 12 is arranged on a side of the separating element 7 opposite the first side.The cover element 12 is further configured to temporarily prevent the pressure difference, particularly locally in the housing region of the cover element 12, by at least partially covering at least one through-opening 11. Due to the prevented pressure difference, the at least one grain entrained by the singling element 7 is released for detachment in the housing region of the cover element 12. Thus, a grain released by the cover element 12 is transferred to a seed placement device 130 at a defined position, as shown in Fig. 1. In illustrative examples, the cover element 12 is designed in the form of a roller that rolls along the disc due to friction while the singling element 7 rotates. According to the illustration in Fig. 1, the seed placement device 130 comprises furrow opening elements 14 designed as disc coulters, depth control elements 15, and devices 16 for closing a furrow.Additionally, the seed placement device 130 can comprise a deceleration device (not shown). The deceleration device reduces the movement speed of a grain. The deceleration device can comprise a catching element that fixes the grain to the bottom of a furrow. Alternatively or additionally, the deceleration device can comprise a braking element that changes the speed of the grain based on the advance speed of the sowing unit 2. The catching element can be designed, for example, to be rolling or grinding. The braking element can be designed, for example, as an air outlet or to be rotating.

[0060] With reference to Fig. 1, at least one ejection member 17, which can be driven by the separating element 7, is also arranged within the housing, for example in that the ejection member 17 is driven by the engagement of the teeth in through-openings. The ejection member 17 is arranged on the second side of the separating element 7 and behind the cover element 12 in the direction of rotation R. The ejection member 17 is designed to engage at least partially in the through-openings 11 and thus to clean the through-openings 11 of blockages and / or dirt. In this case, stuck dirt, grains or other deposits within the through-openings 11 are released by pressing out ejection elements which are formed on the ejection member 17 and are designed to engage in the through-openings 11.However, this does not constitute a limitation and instead no pressure interruption element and only the ejection organ may be provided.

[0061] With further reference to Fig. 1, a bell element 8 is inserted into the housing formed by the cover assembly 6b and the housing assembly 6a, which bell element 8, in some illustrative embodiments, as described below, can be provided in the housing so as to be non-rotatable relative to the housing, or in other illustrative embodiments, as described below, so as to be rotatable relative to the housing. The bell element 8 can be a half-shell element or a hollow cylindrical element which is completely open on a side facing the separating element, while on the opposite side (i.e. a side of the bell element 8 facing the cover assembly 6b) it only has an opening 13c, e.g. in the form of a central opening, wherein the opening 13c is only a partial opening formed in the bell element 8. By means of the central opening 13c, the bell element 8 can be mounted on a central cylindrical projection (in Fig.1 not visible), which protrudes from the inner surface of the lid assembly 6b facing the bell element 8, is attached to and / or supported on an inner surface of the lid assembly 6b that faces the bell element 8 coaxially to the axis of rotation. For example, by means of the cylindrical projection (not visible in Fig. 1), in some embodiments, as described in more detail below, a rotationally fixed and precisely fitting fixation of the bell element 8 in a predetermined position can take place without the risk of incorrectly adjusted assembly of the bell element 8 relative to the lid assembly 6b and / or the separating element 7. The central opening 13c of the bell element 8 and the projection (not visible in Fig. 1) of the lid assembly can further represent a connection between the second housing region B2 and an ambient atmosphere of the separating device 5, wherein in the illustration in Fig. 1 a connection connected to the projection (in Fig.1 not visible) can be partially covered by a cap with an opening on the underside (not visible in the illustration of Fig. 1) to prevent dirt and dust from entering the housing. This allows the second housing area B2 to be kept at ambient pressure, or alternatively, a vacuum can be applied to the side of the separating element 7 facing the bell element 8 via the openings in the cover assembly 6b and the opening 13c of the bell element 8 by coupling to a vacuum reservoir (not shown).

[0062] In some illustrative embodiments, which are described in more detail below, the bell element 8 can be mounted in the cover assembly 6b such that the bell element 8 is inserted into the housing so as to be axially displaceable relative to the cover assembly 6b and is mounted in the housing at a desired insertion or insertion depth relative to the cover assembly 6b. By mounting at the desired insertion and insertion depth in the housing, manufacturing tolerances between the bell element 8 and the separating element 7 can be compensated for by mounting with an adjusted axial displacement. For example, the insertion or insertion depth of the bell element 8 in the housing can be adjusted manually by inserting or screwing the bell element 8 onto the projection (not visible in Fig. 1) of the cover assembly 6b, wherein the projection (in Fig.1 not visible) an external thread with a predetermined thread pitch (not shown) or for displacing the bell element 8 in the axial direction along the projection (not visible in Fig. 1). In other illustrative examples, the insertion or insertion depth of the bell element 8 in the housing can also be adjusted due to flow and pressures in the housing acting on the bell element 8. In other illustrative examples, a resilient holder of the bell element 8 can also be provided in the housing, wherein the insertion or insertion depth of the bell element 8 in the housing is adjusted by spring elements (not shown). This resilient holder can be self-adjusting in that an axial displacement of the bell element 8 in the housing is adjusted due to flow and pressures in the housing acting on the bell element 8.

[0063] In some illustrative examples in which the bell element 8 is mounted in a rotationally fixed manner with respect to the housing, the bell element 8 can be fixed to the housing by the cover element 12 and / or the ejection member 17, which is mounted on the projection (not visible in Fig. 1) by means of a holder, for example, as shown in Fig. 1, by a ring element 12a. The cover element 12 and / or the ejection member 17 can be attached to the ring element 12a as shown in Fig. 1, and the holder in the form of the ring element 12a can be mounted in a rotationally fixed manner on the projection (not visible in Fig. 1) of the cover assembly 6b, so that the ring element 12a continues to prevent the bell element 8 from slipping off the projection (not shown in Fig. 1). For example, the ring element 12a can be detachably or permanently mounted on the projection 13d by means of screws or bolts.In some illustrative examples herein, a resilient element (not shown) may be provided between the bell element 8 and the cover assembly 6b and between the bell element 8 and the ring insert 12a, respectively, which allows an axial displacement of the bell element 6b2 against a spring action of the resilient element (not shown).

[0064] Although a holder in the form of the ring element 12a is shown in Fig. 1, this does not represent a limitation and instead of the ring element 12a, a partial ring element or a web element or a rod for holding the cover element 12 and / or ejection member 17 on the projection (not visible in Fig. 1) can be provided.

[0065] With reference to Fig. 2, some illustrative embodiments will now be described in which the bell element 8 is arranged so as to be rotatable relative to the cover assembly 6b. Fig. 2 shows a schematic sectional view of a housing G1 formed by the cover assembly 6b and the housing assembly 6a, which were described above with regard to Fig. 1. The representation in Fig. 2 is merely schematic and, in comparison to the representation in Fig. 1, elements and components are not shown which are not required for describing the illustrative embodiments of the housing G1. This means that elements and components which are described with regard to Fig. 1 but are not explicitly shown in the schematic representation of Fig. 2 can certainly be present in the embodiments described with reference to Fig. 2, so that omitting an element or component described in Fig. 1 in the representation of and description for Fig.2 that corresponding elements or components would not be present in connection with Fig. 2, unless it is explicitly pointed out in the following description of Fig. 2 that corresponding elements or components are not present in the embodiments described in connection with Fig. 2.

[0066] According to the illustration, the housing G1 is formed by the housing assembly 6a and the cover assembly 6b, which can be detachably mounted to one another. For example, the cover assembly 6b and the housing assembly 6a can be connected to one another by at least one screw connection (not shown) or bayonet connection (not shown), so that the cover assembly 6b can be removed in the event of access to the separating element.

[0067] 7 can be removed from the housing assembly 6a to allow access to the components and parts inside the housing G1, for example during maintenance, repair and / or adaptation work, in order to remove and / or replace individual components or parts inside the housing G1.

[0068] As shown in Fig. 2, the separating element 7 and the bell element 8 are accommodated in the interior of the housing G1, wherein the separating element 7 divides the housing G1 into the first housing region B1 and the second housing region B2, as also described above with regard to Fig. 1. The bell element 8 is further arranged in the second housing region B2 between the separating element 7 and the cover assembly 6b, wherein the bell element 8 is arranged rotatably relative to the cover assembly 6b. For example, the bell element 8 can be detachably engaged with the separating element 7, so that a rotational movement of the separating element 7 results in the bell element 8 being driven along in a synchronous rotational movement of the bell element 8. In the case of a detachable coupling, for example via one or more locking elements (not shown) or by friction coupling (cf.also disclosure of this above), between bell element 8 and separating element 7, the bell element can.

[0069] 8 can be replaced and serviced separately from the separating element 7, but this does not represent a limitation of the present description and the bell element 8 can also be permanently connected to the separating element 7 or fastened thereto and, in a specific example herein, be designed integrally with the separating element 7 as a one-piece component. According to illustrative embodiments and as shown schematically in Fig. 2, the bell element 8 can be rotatably mounted on the cover assembly 6b by means of a bearing 14. Here, the bearing 14 is provided on a projection 13d of the cover assembly 6b, wherein the projection 13d protrudes as a hollow cylindrical wall from an inner surface of the cover assembly 6b into the opening 13c of the bell element 8, as also described accordingly in connection with Fig. 1 above. On the projection 13d, as also in connection with Fig.1 described above, a holder 12a, for example corresponding to the ring element 12a from Fig. 1 or a rod or a web or a partial ring element, is attached, so that the cover element 12 is mounted in a fixed position in the housing relative to the separating element 7.

[0070] In illustrative examples, the bearing 14 may be a ball bearing, a rolling bearing, etc. However, this does not limit the present description, and instead of the bearing 14, a sliding seal or a labyrinth seal may be formed between the bell element 8 and the cover assembly 6b.

[0071] With further reference to Fig. 2, the bell element 8 delimits a first spatial region RB1 in the second housing region B2 from a second spatial region RB2, so that the second housing region B2 is divided into the two spatial regions RB1 and RB2 by the bell element 8. The first spatial region RB1 communicates with the opening 13c of the bell element, while the second spatial region RB2 does not communicate with the opening 13c of the bell element 8.

[0072] As shown, the second spatial region RB2 can be defined between the bell element 8 and a housing cover (cf. housing cover 6b1 in Fig. 1) of the cover assembly 6b. In the interior of the housing, a pressure difference can thus be generated between the first housing region B1 and the first spatial region RB1 of the second housing region B2, as well as between the first spatial region RB1 and the second spatial region RB2, during operation by means of at least one pressure reservoir (not shown).

[0073] According to illustrative and non-limiting embodiments, the illustrated singulation device 5 can furthermore, in the case of an embodiment as overpressure singulation, be directly subjected to a pressure in the first housing region B1 via a pressure reservoir (not shown) connectable to a pressure supply line 33, such as a blower (not shown), which is greater than a pressure in the second housing region B2 (Fig. 2 illustrates an additional flow path by arrow AT). Alternatively, a vacuum singulation or another type of singulation is also conceivable, for example in which the first housing region B1 is connected to the ambient atmosphere via the pressure supply line 33, while the second housing region B2 is connected via a suitable supply line (not shown) to a vacuum reservoir (not shown), e.g.a suction element (not shown), so that a pressure in the second housing region B2 is lower than a pressure in the first housing region B1. The pressure supply line 33, which is designed for the direct and immediate coupling of the first housing region B1 to a pressure reservoir (not shown), can be provided for the additional supply of compressed air to or application of pressure to the first housing region B1 in the housing assembly 6a, although the pressure supply line 33 is not intended for the exclusive coupling of the first housing region B1 to a pressure reservoir (not shown). In any case, the first housing region is coupled to a pressure reservoir (not shown) indirectly via a flow channel 31, which opens into the second housing region B2 and through which, for example, a flow, as illustrated by the arrow A1 in Fig. 2, is generated in the second housing region B2.

[0074] With further reference to Fig. 2, the flow illustrated by arrow A1 is distributed into the second spatial region RB2, as illustrated by arrows A2 and A3 in Fig. 2, without entering the first spatial region RB1. Specifically, the flow illustrated by arrow A1 in the spatial region RB2 is distributed around the spatial region RB1, so that the separating element 7 in the spatial region RB2 is flowed against outside the spatial region RB1 according to the flow illustrated by arrows A2 and A3.

[0075] The separating element 7 has through-openings 11, wherein the through-openings 11, which allow a connection between the housing regions B1 and B2, are divided into a first group of through-openings 11a and a second group of through-openings 11b. The first group of through-openings 11a represents through-openings as through-openings through the separating element 7, which allow a connection between the first spatial region RB1 and the first housing region B1, whereas the second group of through-openings 11b represents through-openings through the separating element 7, which allow a connection between the second spatial region RB2 and the first housing region B1.Possible exemplary embodiments of the separating element 7 and the bell element 8 in order to provide the function for selective communication of the first and second groups of through openings between the respective spatial regions RB1 and RB2 with the first housing region B1 are described in more detail below with reference to Figs. 3 to 6, so that the schematic representation in Fig. 2, which shows the first group 11a as being radially inward relative to the second group 11b with respect to the rotation axis D, is to be interpreted merely as illustrative and not as restrictive.

[0076] As further schematically shown in Fig. 2 and as can be seen from the above description, the second group 11b of through-openings allows a flow applied to the second spatial region RB2 to be transferred to the first housing region B1, as illustrated by arrows A2 and A3. Thus, a pressure applied to the second spatial region RB2 through the channel 31 (positive, as illustrated by the arrows) is applied to the first housing region B1. Furthermore, since the first spatial region RB1 is separated from the second spatial region RB2 by the bell element 8, a pressure applied through the opening 13c, which is opposite to the pressure applied to the second spatial region RB2 according to the orientation of arrows A6, A7 and A8, can be maintained at a pressure level different from the pressure level in the second spatial region.For example, a pressure of the ambient atmosphere can be applied to the first spatial region RB1 through the opening, or the first spatial region RB1 can be coupled to a pressure reservoir (not shown) to create a pressure difference between the first spatial region RB1 and the first housing region B1, wherein generally a pressure in the first housing region B1 is higher than a pressure in the first spatial region RB1. This results in the adhesion of seeds SG to the through-openings of the first group 11a of through-openings, as illustrated by the arrows A5 and A6.The grains adhering to the through-holes of the first group 11a are transported by the rotating separating element 7 to a position at which the cover element 12 covers a corresponding through-hole of the first group 11a on the side of the first space area RB1 and thus interrupts the pressure difference, so that the adhesion of the grain to the through-hole is interrupted and the grain is fed to a downpipe 18, as shown in Fig. 2.

[0077] With reference to Fig. 2, the flow, which is illustrated by the arrows A3 and A4, leads to a seed receiving area in the first housing area B1 in which the seed SG accumulates, this flow flowing through the seed SG in the seed receiving area and thus loosening it, without the need for a mechanical shaking movement at the seed receiving area, which can damage the grains of the seed SG.

[0078] With further reference to Fig. 2 and according to some specific illustrative examples herein, the through openings 11 from one of the first group 11a and the second group 11b can have a different number of through openings and / or dimensions. For example, the through openings 11 of the first group 11a can have different sizes. For example, the first group 11a can be divided into a plurality of subgroups in which the through openings in one subgroup have the same size or diameter, but through openings from different subgroups have different sizes or diameters. For example, a subgroup can be assigned to a specific variety of seed or fertilizer, so that the singulating element 7 can be used for different varieties.

[0079] In illustrative examples herein, an adjustable selection of through-openings of a specific subgroup from the first group 11a, i.e., through-openings with a specific dimension, can be achieved by means of a template (not shown) provided on the separating element 7. The template (not shown) is designed such that non-selected through-openings, i.e., through-openings from the other subgroups of the first group 11a and correspondingly with different dimensions, are covered by the template (not shown).The template can be a selection element (not shown) in the form of a disk or a ring that can be fastened to the singling element in a rotationally fixed manner and has at least one through-opening (not shown) with a dimension that is greater than or equal to a dimension of the through-openings of the singling element 7 with the largest dimension, wherein the at least one through-opening (not shown) of the template (not shown) can be fastened to the singling element 7 in an adjustable alignment to at least one desired or selected through-opening or selected subgroup of the first group 11a of the singling element 7, so that non-selected through-openings from the other subgroups of the first group 11a of the singling element 7 are covered by the template (not shown).For example, the template (not shown) can be arranged on an overpressure side of the separating element 7 and in particular in the first housing area B1 and attached to the separating element 7.

[0080] In further illustrative examples herein, the first group 11a and the second group 11b can comprise the same or different number of through-openings. For example, for a specific variety of seed and / or fertilizer, a fixed hole ratio between the through-openings of the first group 11a and the second group 11b can be realized with respect to the number and / or dimensions of the through-openings on the singling element 7 as a singling element provided for this variety, and singling elements designed accordingly can be provided for different varieties.For example, the template (not shown) and the separating element 7 can each have a set of interlocking locking elements (not shown), wherein a mechanical coupling of the template (not shown) and the separating element 7 is achieved in that locking elements (not shown) of both sets are brought into engagement with one another in a selected orientation of the template (not shown) relative to the separating element 7.For example, one of the template (not shown) and the separating element 7 has a plurality of first locking elements (not shown), while the other of the template (not shown) and the separating element 7 has one or more second locking elements (not shown) that can engage with the first locking elements (not shown), so that by engagement of a second locking element (not shown) with an associated first locking element (not shown) to an associated pair of locking elements (not shown), a specific orientation of the template (not shown) to the separating element 7 is set for each second locking element (not shown).Locking elements (not shown) can be designed, without limitation, as an intermeshing toothing (not shown) or as a locking connection between pin (not shown) or hook (not shown) or nose (not shown) or pin (not shown) or bolt (not shown) (optionally with thread) as a first (or second) locking element (not shown) with a hole (not shown) or recess (not shown) or opening (not shown) as a second (or first) locking element (not shown).

[0081] With reference to Figs. 3 and 4, some illustrative embodiments with regard to the separating element 7 and the bell element 8 in Fig. 2 will now be described.

[0082] Fig. 3 shows a schematic plan view of a singling element 7a according to some illustrative embodiments, wherein the singling element 7a can be used in a singling device (for example, the singling device 5, as described above with reference to Fig. 1) in accordance with the above-described singling element 7. The singling element 7a can be provided as a disc-shaped, bowl-shaped, cup-shaped, or drum-shaped singling element. According to the plan view in Fig. 3, two groups 11a and 11b of through-openings can be designed in the form of radial rows K1 and K2, corresponding to the above-described first group 11a and the above-described second group 11b.The first group 11a in the form of the radial row K1 is formed as a circular arrangement of through-openings with a pitch circle diameter TD1 in the separating element 7a, while the second group 11b in the form of the radial row K2 is formed as a circular arrangement of through-openings with a pitch circle diameter TD2 in the separating element 7a, where TD2 > TD1.

[0083] In illustrative embodiments herein, the through-openings of the first group 11a of through-openings are specifically designed, in particular dimensioned, such that a grain of a desired seed is received by a through-opening when a pressure difference exists between the first housing region B1 and the first spatial region, transported through the singulating element 7a, and, under the action of the cover element 12, the adhesion of the grain to the through-opening is prevented. A number of through-openings of the first group 11a of through-openings can be suitably selected to transport a specific quantity of grains from the seed receiving region to the downpipe, wherein, under certain circumstances, a specific minimum distance between adjacent through-openings in the radial row K1 can determine an upper limit for the number of through-openings in the radial row K1.

[0084] In illustrative embodiments herein, the through-openings of the second group 11b of through-openings may be dimensioned independently of the through-openings of the first group 11a, and a number of the through-openings of the second group 11b may be the same as or different from a number of through-openings of the first group 11a.

[0085] In exemplary embodiments, the through-openings of the second group 11b of through-openings can be arranged in the second radial row K2 such that, based on a radial projection of the radial row K2 onto the radial row K1 (or vice versa), each through-opening of the second group 11b is arranged between two through-openings of the first group 11a. This results in a loosening flow to the seed receiving area before a grain is received through a through-opening of the first group 11a. This does not represent a restriction, and, based on a radial projection of the radial row K2 onto the radial row K1 (or vice versa), each through-opening of the second group 11b can be arranged between more than two through-openings of the first group 11a. Alternatively, each through-opening of the first group 11a can be arranged between at least one through-opening of the second group 11b.As a result, a loosening swirl can occur several times before a grain is picked up through a through-opening of the first group 11a. With reference to Fig. 4, a front view of a bell element 8a is shown schematically, wherein the bell element 8a can be used corresponding to the bell element 8 described above in a singling device, for example the singling device 5 described with regard to Fig. 1. The bell element 8a can be designed as a hollow cylindrical or bowl-shaped or bell-shaped element, wherein a side facing the singling element 7a during operation (cf. Fig. 3) is completely open and an opposite side is partially open and has an opening 8z which can be formed centrally in this side and, during operation, coaxial with a rotational axis of the singling element 7a (cf. Fig. 3). The opening 8z can correspond to the opening 13c described above.

[0086] As shown in Fig. 4, the bell element 8a can have a pitch circle diameter TD3, wherein the pitch circle diameter TD3 corresponds at least to a diameter of the complete opening (not visible in Fig. 4) of the bell element 8 on the side opposite the opening 8z and thus corresponds to a diameter of a border line K3 of the complete opening (not visible in Fig. 4).

[0087] According to the illustrative embodiments herein, the pitch circle diameters of the separating element 7a and the bell element 8a are related to one another as follows: TD2 > TD3 > TD1 , wherein in particular the bell element 8a is matched to the separating element 7a such that no through opening in plan view of the bell element 8a and the separating element 7a intersects the border line K3 during operation, in particular the through openings of the first group 11a lie completely within the border line K3 and the through openings of the second group 11b lie completely outside the border line K3.

[0088] Although with reference to Fig. 3 only a single radial row K1 formed by the through-openings of the first group 11a and a single radial row K2 formed by the through-openings of the second group 11b are shown, this does not represent a limitation and at least one of the first and second groups 11a, 11 can be formed by two or more radial rows. In the case of an arrangement of the through-openings of the first group 11a in two or more radial rows, the pitch circle diameter TD1 corresponds to the pitch circle diameter of the outermost radial row or the largest diameter of the radial rows formed by through-openings of the first group 11a. In the additional or alternative case of an arrangement of the through-openings of the second group 11b in two or more radial rows, the pitch circle diameter TD2 corresponds to the pitch circle diameter of the innermost radial row orthe smallest diameter of the radial rows formed by through openings of the second group 11b. In each of these two cases, the bell element 8a from Fig. 4 is matched to the separating element 7a in such a way that no through opening in a plan view of the bell element 8a and the separating element 7a intersects the border line K3 during operation and, in particular, the through openings of the first group 11a lie completely within the border line K3 and the through openings of the second group 11b lie completely outside the border line K3.

[0089] With reference to Figs. 5 and 6, some further illustrative embodiments will now be described with regard to the separating element 7 and the bell element 8 in Fig. 2, which are to be regarded as alternatives to the separating element 7a and bell element 8a described with regard to Figs. 3 and 4.

[0090] Fig. 5 shows a schematic plan view of a separating element 7b according to some further illustrative embodiments, wherein the separating element 7b can be used in a separating device (for example, the separating device 5, as described above with reference to Fig. 1) in accordance with the separating element 7 described above. The separating element 7b can be provided as a disc-shaped, bowl-shaped, or cup-shaped separating element, wherein, according to the plan view in Fig. 5, two groups 11a and 11b of through-openings corresponding to the first group 11a described above and the second group 11b described above can be designed in the form of a single radial row K4.The first group 11a in the radial row K4 is formed as a circular arrangement of through-openings with a pitch circle diameter in the separating element 7a, which is substantially identical to a pitch circle diameter of a circular arrangement of through-openings of the second group 11b.

[0091] In illustrative embodiments herein, the through-openings of the first group 11a of through-openings are specifically designed, in particular dimensioned, such that a grain of a desired seed is received by a through-opening when a pressure difference exists between the first housing region B1 and the first spatial region, transported through the singulating element 7b, and, under the action of the cover element 12, the adhesion of the grain to the through-opening is prevented. A number of through-openings of the first group 11a of through-openings can be suitably selected to transport a specific quantity of grains from the seed receiving region to the downpipe, wherein, under certain circumstances, a specific minimum distance between adjacent through-openings in the radial row K1 can determine an upper limit for the number of through-openings in the radial row K1.

[0092] In illustrative embodiments herein, the through-openings of the second group 11b of through-openings may be dimensioned independently of the through-openings of the first group 11a, and a number of the through-openings of the second group 11b may be the same as or different from a number of through-openings of the first group 11a.

[0093] In exemplary embodiments, the through-openings of the second group 11 of through-openings can be arranged in the radial row K4 such that each through-opening of the second group 11b is arranged between two through-openings of the first group 11a. This results in a loosening flow to the seed receiving area before a grain is received through a through-opening of the first group 11a. This does not represent a restriction, and each through-opening of the second group 11b can be arranged between more than two through-openings of the first group 11a. As a result, loosening swirling can occur several times before a grain is received through a through-opening of the first group 11a. However, it is also conceivable for each through-opening of the first group 11a to be arranged between more than two through-openings of the second group 11b.More than two through-openings of the second group 11b can also be arranged between two through-openings of the first group 11a and / or vice versa.

[0094] With reference to Fig. 6, a schematic front view of a bell element 8b is shown, wherein the bell element 8b can be used in a separating device, for example the separating device 5 described with regard to Fig. 1, in a manner corresponding to the bell element 8 described above. The bell element 8b can be designed essentially as a hollow cylindrical or bowl-shaped or bell-shaped element, wherein a side facing the separating element 7b during operation (cf. Fig. 5) is completely open and an opposite side is partially open and has an opening 8z which can be formed centrally in this side and, during operation, coaxial with a rotational axis of the separating element 7b (cf. Fig. 5). The opening 8z can correspond to the opening 13c described above.

[0095] As shown in Fig. 6, the bell element 8b can have a casing circumference (shown by the circular line K5 in Fig. 6) which is sufficiently large that all of the through-openings of the first group 11a in the separating element 7b in Fig. 5 fall within the casing circumference K5. Furthermore, the bell element 8b has niche sections K6 in the casing circumference K5, so that the outer wall of the bell element 8b defining the casing circumference K5 has niche wall sections which are concave at the niche sections K6 or curved inwards into the bell element 8b (correspondingly into the first spatial region RB1 in Fig. 2), which, in alignment with the through-openings of the second group 11b of through-openings, expose all of them or do not enclose them in the bell element 8b. The niche sections K6 orNiche wall sections are sufficiently dimensioned so that, in alignment with the through-openings of the second group 11b, these through-openings are completely exposed by the niche sections and are thus located outside the bell element 8b or in the second spatial area RB2, whereas the through-openings of the first group 11a are located completely inside the bell element 8b or in the first spatial area RB1 or outside the niche sections K6.

[0096] Although only a single radial row K4 formed by the through-openings of the first group 11a and the second group 11b is shown with reference to Fig. 5, this does not represent a limitation, and at least one of the first and second groups 11a, 11b can be formed by one or more additional radial rows. In the case of an arrangement of the through-openings of the first group 11a in one or more additional radial rows, these additional radial row(s) all have smaller pitch circle diameters than the radial row K4, so that these additional radial row(s) are formed entirely within a surface section in the surface of the separating element 7b, which is defined by the through-openings of the radial row K4.In the additional or alternative case of an arrangement of the through openings of the second group 11b in two or more radial rows with one or more additional radial rows, this additional^) radial row(s) all has / have larger pitch circle diameters than the radial row K4, so that this additional radial row(s) is / are formed completely outside a surface section in the surface of the separating element 7b, which is defined by the through openings of the radial row K4.

[0097] With further reference to Figs. 5 and 6, the separating element 7b and the bell element 8b have a coupling mechanism for rotationally coupling the separating element 7b and the bell element 8b to each other in a specific orientation. For example, the separating element 7b can have a toothing or pin or journal 7p that can be mechanically engaged with a toothing or pin or journal 8p of the bell element to fix a predetermined orientation of the bell element 8b to the separating element 7b and vice versa. For example, the toothing or pin 7p can be formed at a specific location or area on the separating element 7b, or a toothing can be formed along the circumference of the separating element 7b, so that a mechanical engagement of the toothing or pin or journal 7p establishes a predetermined orientation of the bell element 8b relative to the separating element 7b.This can implement a mechanism that only allows operation when the bell element 8b is correctly aligned with the separating element 7b, since only then is mechanical intervention possible. Otherwise, mounting of the cover assembly 6b (see Fig. 2) on the housing assembly 6a (see Fig. 2) may not be permitted, thus ensuring correct alignment or making operation impossible without correct alignment.

[0098] With reference to Fig. 7, illustrative embodiments will now be described in which a template function is implemented as described above with respect to some illustrative embodiments of the first and second aspects and as described above with reference to Fig. 2.

[0099] Fig. 7 shows a modified embodiment of the singulating element 7b, wherein the through-openings of the above-described singulating element 7b are designed in different sizes. Accordingly, the through-openings of the singulating element 7b can be divided into subgroups with at least one through-opening of an assigned size, in particular diameter, wherein through-openings of different subgroups have different sizes, in particular different diameters. In Fig. 7, one representative of each of four different subgroups is shown by way of example, ie a through-opening with diameter d1, a through-opening with diameter d2, a through-opening with diameter d3 and a through-opening with diameter d4, where d1 d2 d3 d4 (e.g. without restriction in an ordered series as shown with d1 > d2 > d3 > d4, wherein any permutation of d1 to d4 in this size arrangement is conceivable).These through-openings with different diameters can be evenly distributed along the separating element 7b, as shown by dots in Fig. 7. In other words, between two adjacent representatives of through-openings with diameter d1 there is one through-opening with diameter d2, one through-opening with diameter d3, and one through-opening with diameter d4, and the same applies to the other representatives from other subgroups. According to the illustration in Fig. 7, a template function is realized by the bell element 8b in Fig. 6, wherein the bell element 8b is designed such that it only encloses a number of through-openings with the same dimension in the first spatial region RB1 (as shown in Fig.7, the through-opening with diameter d2 is enclosed in the spatial area RB1), whereby covering the remaining through-openings by the bell element 8b is not necessary, since these unselected through-openings with diameters d1, d3, and d4 are arranged in the second spatial area RB2. With regard to Figs. 6 and 7, this is achieved in that the niche sections K6 are dimensioned such that there are always three representatives from the subgroups in exactly one of the niche sections K6.

[0100] Thus, with the bell element 8b using the separating element 7b shown in Fig. 7, it is possible to dispense with a covering of through openings for realizing a template function and accordingly with a separate template element.

[0101] With further reference to Fig. 7, the unselected through-openings, i.e., the through-openings in the second spatial region RB2, can be used as flow paths connecting the second spatial region RB2 to the first housing region B1. This has the advantage that the separating element 7b can be used as a universal separating element for different varieties, wherein the separating element can be adjusted for use with a specific variety by adjusting a specific orientation of the bell element 8b relative to the separating element 7b.For this purpose, the bell element 8b and the separating element 7b can each have a set of interlocking locking elements 7p1, 7p2, 7p3, 7p4, and 8p, wherein a mechanical coupling of the bell element 8b and the separating element 7b is achieved by engaging the locking elements 7p1, 7p2, 7p3, 7p4, and 8p of both sets in a selected orientation of the bell element 8b relative to the separating element 7b. For example, the bell element 8b has the locking element 8p, and the separating element 7b has the plurality of locking elements 7p1, 7p2, 7p3, 7p4. This is not a limitation, and the bell element 8b can have a corresponding locking element 8p in a corresponding orientation in each subgroup.Furthermore, this can also be implemented the other way around, and at least one locking element can be provided for the separating element 7b and correspondingly a plurality for the bell element 8b. Here, the bell element 8b and the separating element 7b each have one or more locking elements, so that a locking element attached to the bell element 8b and a locking element attached to the separating element 7b engage in pairs, which defines or sets a specific orientation between the bell element 8b and the separating element 7b. The locking elements can be designed, without limitation, as an intermeshing toothing or as a locking connection between a pin or hook or nose or pin or bolt (optionally with a thread) as a first (or second) locking element with a hole or recess or opening as a second (or first) locking element.

[0102] With reference to Fig. 8, some illustrative embodiments will now be described in which a bell element 8' is arranged in a rotationally fixed manner relative to the cover assembly 6b. Fig. 2 shows a schematic sectional view of a housing G2 formed by the cover assembly 6b and the housing assembly 6a, which were described above with regard to Fig. 1. The representation in Fig. 8 is similar to the representation in Fig. 2 merely schematic and, in comparison to the representation in Fig. 1, elements and components are not shown in Fig. 8 which are not required for describing the illustrative embodiments of the housing G2. This means that elements and components which are described with regard to Fig. 1 but are not explicitly shown in the schematic representation of Fig. 8 can certainly be present in the embodiments described with reference to Fig. 8, so that a suppression of a function which is related to Fig.1 described element or component in the illustration of and the description of Fig. 8 does not imply that corresponding elements or components would not be present in connection with Fig. 8, unless it is explicitly pointed out in the following description of Fig. 8 that corresponding elements or components are not present in the embodiments described in connection with Fig. 8.

[0103] As shown, the housing G2 is formed by the housing assembly 6a and the cover assembly 6b, which can be detachably mounted to one another. For example, the cover assembly 6b and the housing assembly 6a can be connected to one another by at least one screw connection (not shown) or bayonet connection (not shown), so that the cover assembly 6b can be removed from the housing assembly 6a in the event of access to the separating element 7 in order to allow access to the components and parts inside the housing G2, for example during maintenance, repair, and / or adaptation work in order to remove and / or replace individual components or parts inside the housing G2.

[0104] As shown in Fig. 8, the separating element 7 and the bell element 8' are accommodated in the interior of the housing G2, wherein the separating element 7 divides the housing G2 into the first housing region B1 and the second housing region B2, as also described above with regard to Fig. 1. The bell element 8' is further arranged in the second housing region B2 between the separating element 7 and the cover assembly 6b, wherein the bell element 8' is arranged in a rotationally fixed manner with the cover assembly 6b. For example, the bell element 8' can be detachably installed with the cover assembly 6b, for example by a holder element corresponding to the holder 12, as described above with reference to Fig. 1. Alternatively, the bell element 8' can be formed monolithically with the cover assembly 6b.

[0105] According to illustrative embodiments and as schematically shown in Fig. 8, the bell element 8' can be mounted on the cover assembly 6b in a rotationally fixed manner on a projection 13d of the cover assembly 6b, wherein the projection 13d, as described above, protrudes as a hollow cylindrical wall from an inner surface of the cover assembly 6b into the opening 13c of the bell element 8', as also correspondingly described above in connection with Fig. 1. On the bell element 8' (as shown, or alternatively on the projection 13d, as not shown in Fig. 8), as also described above in connection with Fig. 1, a holder 12a, for example corresponding to the ring element 12a from Fig. 1 or a rod or a web or a partial ring element, can be attached, so that the cover element 12 is mounted stationary in the housing relative to the separating element 7.

[0106] With further reference to Fig. 8, the bell element 8', like the bell element 8 described above, delimits a first spatial region RB1 in the second housing region B2 from a second spatial region RB2, so that the second housing region B2 is divided by the bell element 8' into the two spatial regions RB1 and RB2. The first spatial region RB1 communicates with the opening 13c of the bell element, while the second spatial region RB2 does not communicate with the opening 13c of the bell element 8'.Sealing of the first spatial area RB1 with respect to the second spatial area RB2 in the second housing area B2 can be achieved on the one hand by the rotationally fixed mounting of the bell element 8' on the projection 13d, wherein additional sealing elements (not shown) can be provided between the projection 13d and the bell element 8' in order to achieve optimal sealing between the first spatial area RB1 and the second spatial area RB2 on the projection 13d.

[0107] With further reference to Fig. 8, the housing G2 further comprises a sealing section, for example, designed as a sliding seal 20, which is formed by a first sliding seal section 24 formed on the bell element 8' and a second sliding seal section 22 on a periphery of the separating element 7 such that the first sliding seal section 24 and the second seal section 22 are in direct mechanical contact with each other and form an annular sliding seal 20. The first and second sliding seal sections 24, 22 can be provided as replaceably mountable wear parts, so that after excessive wear of at least one of the sliding seal sections 22, 24, the worn sliding seal section(s) 22, 24 can be replaced by functional sliding seal sections, so that an advantageous seal is sufficiently provided by the sliding seal 20 in the housing G2.

[0108] According to illustrative and non-limiting embodiments, the illustrated singulation device 5 can furthermore, in the case of an embodiment as overpressure singulation, be directly subjected to a pressure in the first housing region B1 via a pressure reservoir (not shown) connectable to a pressure supply line 33, such as a blower (not shown), which is greater than a pressure in the second housing region B2 (Fig. 8 illustrates an additional flow path by arrow AT). Alternatively, a vacuum singulation or another type of singulation is also conceivable, for example in which the first housing region B1 is connected to the ambient atmosphere via the pressure supply line 33, while the second housing region B2 is connected via a suitable supply line (not shown) to a vacuum reservoir (not shown), e.g.a suction element (not shown), so that a pressure in the second housing region B2 is lower than a pressure in the first housing region B1. The pressure supply line 33, which is designed for the direct and immediate coupling of the first housing region B1 to a pressure reservoir (not shown), can be provided for the additional supply of compressed air to or application of pressure to the first housing region B1 in the housing assembly 6a, although the pressure supply line 33 is not intended for the exclusive coupling of the first housing region B1 to a pressure reservoir (not shown). In any case, the first housing region is coupled to a pressure reservoir (not shown) indirectly via a flow channel 31, which opens into the second housing region B2 and through which, for example, a flow is generated in the second housing region B2, as illustrated by the arrow A1 in Fig. 8, similar to the arrow A1 in Fig. 2.

[0109] With further reference to Fig. 8, the flow illustrated by arrow A1 is distributed into the second spatial region RB2, as illustrated by arrows A2 and A3 in Fig. 8, without entering the first spatial region RB1. Specifically, the flow illustrated by arrow A1 in the spatial region RB2 is distributed around the spatial region RB1, so that the separating element 7 in the spatial region RB2 outside the spatial region RB1 is subjected to the flow illustrated by arrows A2 and A3. The separating element 7 has through-openings 11, wherein the through-openings 11, which allow a connection between the housing regions B1 and B2, are divided into a first group of through-openings 11a and a second group of through-openings 11b.The first group of through-openings 11a represents through-openings as through-openings through the separating element 7, which allow a connection between the first spatial region RB1 and the first housing region B1, whereas the second group of through-openings 11b represents through-openings through the separating element 7, which allow a connection between the second spatial region RB2 and the first housing region B1. Possible exemplary embodiments of the separating element 7 and the bell element 8' for the function of selective communication of the first and second groups of through-openings between the spatial regions RB1 and RB2 with the first housing region B1 are described in more detail above with reference to Figs. 3 and 4, so that the embodiment shown in Figs.3 and 4 and described with reference to these figures, can be used as separating element 7 and bell element 8' in the embodiments according to the schematic representation of Fig. 8. The description of Figs. 3 and 4 applies accordingly to the description of Fig. 8 and is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

[0110] As further schematically shown in Fig. 8 and as can be seen from the above description, the second group 11b of through-openings allows a flow applied to the second spatial region RB2 to be transferred to the first housing region B1, as illustrated by arrows A2 and A3. Thus, a pressure applied to the second spatial region RB2 through the channel 31 (positive, as illustrated by the arrows) is applied to the first housing region B1. Furthermore, since the first spatial region RB1 is separated from the second spatial region RB2 by the bell element 8, a pressure applied through the opening 13c, which is opposite to the pressure applied to the second spatial region RB2 according to the orientation of arrows A6, A7 and A8, can be maintained at a pressure level different from the pressure level in the second spatial region.For example, a pressure of the ambient atmosphere can be applied to the first spatial region RB1 through the opening, or the first spatial region RB1 can be coupled to a pressure reservoir (not shown) to create a pressure difference between the first spatial region RB1 and the first housing region B1, wherein generally a pressure in the first housing region B1 is higher than a pressure in the first spatial region RB1. This results in the adhesion of seeds SG to the through-openings of the first group 11a of through-openings, as illustrated by the arrows A5 and A6.The grains adhering to the through-holes of the first group 11a are transported by the rotating singulating element to a position where the cover element 12 covers a corresponding through-hole of the first group 11a on the side of the first space region RB1 and thus interrupts the pressure difference, so that the adhesion of the grain to the through-hole is interrupted and the grain is fed to a downpipe 18, as shown in Fig. 8.

[0111] With reference to Fig. 8, the flow illustrated by the arrows A3 and A4 leads to a seed receiving area in the first housing area B1 in which the seed SG accumulates, this flow flowing through the seed SG in the seed receiving area and thus loosening it, without the need for a mechanical shaking movement at the seed receiving area which can damage the grains of the seed SG.

[0112] Although, with reference to Fig. 8 above, the sealing section between the separating element 7 and the bell element 8' is described as a sliding seal 20, this does not constitute a limitation, and a labyrinth seal can be provided instead of the sliding seal 20. The labyrinth seal can be formed by a first sealing section corresponding to the sealing section 22 on the periphery of the separating element 7 and a second sealing section corresponding to the sealing section 24 on the bell element 8' such that this first sealing section corresponding to the sealing section 22 and this second sealing section corresponding to the sealing section 24 are designed as interlocking structures without mechanical contact. For example, these first and second sealing sections can be formed by a plurality of webs arranged in an interlocking manner.The labyrinth seal is also advantageously formed between the bell element 8' and the separating element 7 as an annular labyrinth seal formed in the circumferential direction of the separating element 7.

[0113] With reference to Fig. 9 and 9, a sowing unit 2' of an agricultural seed drill (not shown) according to further alternative embodiments is shown in a perspective exploded view. The sowing unit 2' differs from the sowing unit 2 described above with reference to Fig. 1 by a singling device 5' which is provided instead of the singling device 5 in Fig. 1. Like reference numerals between Fig. 1 and 8 designate like elements which correspond to one another in Fig. 1 and 8, wherein the description of these like elements with regard to Fig. 1 above is referred to and is fully incorporated by reference in the description of Fig. 9 and 9. With further reference to Fig. 9 and 9, the sowing unit 2' can be mounted by means of support elements 1 on a frame (in Fig.9 shows a frame element 1a of a frame oriented perpendicular to the direction of travel F, for example a telescopic frame, wherein the frame element 1a represents a telescopic frame element) of the agricultural seed drill (not shown). The sowing unit 2' can be fastened to the frame (not shown) in the sowing machine (not shown) as one of several sowing units (not shown), so that by means of at least one further sowing unit (not shown) in addition to the sowing unit 2', one or more further seed furrows can be filled with seed and / or fertilizer can be applied along one or more furrows. In some illustrative examples, the sowing unit 2' can be movable relative to the frame to compensate for soil contours.For example, the at least one sowing unit 2' can be provided on a parallelogram linkage (not shown) or another linkage arrangement (not shown) in a height-variable and / or laterally displaceable manner on a sowing machine (not shown).

[0114] As shown in Fig. 9, the sowing unit 2' has a storage container 3 for storing granular material to be spread, in particular seed and / or fertilizer. The lower housing area of ​​the storage container 3 is designed as an outlet area in which an outlet opening (not shown in Fig. 1, see the corresponding description of reference numeral 4 in Fig. 2, which is included in full at this point) is arranged. Via the outlet opening (not shown in Fig. 1, see reference numeral 4 in Fig. 2), the granular material to be spread is fed to a singulating device 5', which is arranged below the storage container 3.

[0115] The agricultural singling device 5' is provided for singling granular material, in particular seed and / or fertilizer. In illustrative embodiments, as will now be described with reference to Figs. 9 and 9, the singling device 5' comprises a housing including a housing assembly 6a with a rotatably mounted shaft W, which defines a rotation axis D, and a cover assembly 6b' detachably mounted on the housing assembly 6a. Furthermore, the singling device 5' comprises a singling element 7, which is received in an interior space defined in the housing. The singling element 7 is coupled to the shaft W, such that the singling element 7 is rotatably mounted relative to the housing. The singling element 7 is arranged in the housing such that a first housing region BT (cf.corresponding description of reference symbol B1, which is included in full at this point) and a second housing region B2' (cf. corresponding description of reference symbol B2, which is included in full at this point) is defined between the separating element 7 and the cover assembly 6b', wherein a pressure difference can be generated between these regions for the accumulation of granular material on the separating element 7. The separating device 5" furthermore has a labyrinth seal 20', which is formed by a first sealing section 22 formed on a circumference of the separating element 7 and a second sealing section 24" on the cover assembly 6b" such that the first sealing section 22 and the second sealing section 24" are interlocking structures without mechanical contact.

[0116] According to the illustration in Fig. 9, the separating element 7 can be a separating disc formed at least partially as a circular disc or a bowl-shaped separating disc, which is rotationally fixedly coupled to the shaft W, so that the shaft W sets a specific rotational movement of the separating element 7 at a predetermined rotational speed. As explained above, this does not represent a limitation, and instead of a separating disc or separating bowl, a separating drum (not shown) can also be provided.

[0117] The housing assembly 6a has an opening into which the separating element 7 is at least partially received, wherein the opening of the housing assembly 6a can be surrounded by an annular flange portion 6af.

[0118] With further reference to Fig. 10, the cover assembly 6b has a housing cover 6b1' and a first flow channel 26", which is designed to provide an overpressure at the radial outer region 6ra" between the housing cover 6b1' and the separating element 7. With regard to the illustration in Fig. 10, the first flow channel 25" in the cover assembly 6b" provides the second spatial region RB2. The cover assembly 6b" further has a second flow channel 28", which is designed to provide a fluid connection between an environment of the separating device 5" and the second housing region B2' or to apply a negative pressure to the second housing region B2'. The flow channel 28" provides the first spatial region RB1 in the cover assembly 6b". For this purpose, for example, an opening 6bi is formed in the housing cover 6b1', through which a connection to the environment or a negative pressure reservoir can be established.The opening 6bi may, in some examples, be formed coaxially with the rotation axis D. The flow channel 28" may be formed corresponding to the flow channel 28, the description of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Similar to the separating device 5, the separating device 5" may comprise a cover element 12 and an element 17, which may also be provided correspondingly with respect to the separating device 5" in accordance with the above description of Fig. 1.

[0119] In the illustrative embodiments and as shown in Fig. 10, the labyrinth seal 20" provides a separation between a first spatial region RB1 and a second spatial region RB2 in the housing region B2', which is defined between the cover assembly 6b" and the separating element 7. With the spatial regions RB1 and RB2 identified above, the function of the bell element is thus implemented by the labyrinth seal 20', so that the labyrinth seal 20" in connection with the embodiments described with regard to Figs. 9 and 9 represents a bell element that is designed as an integral component of the cover assembly 6b", wherein the cover assembly 6b" comprises a housing cover 6b1', on the inner surface of which the labyrinth seal 20" is formed, so that the housing cover 6b1', integral with the bell element, realizes the function of the bell element integrated therein by means of the labyrinth seal 20".

[0120] In illustrative embodiments herein, the first flow channel 26" in the cover assembly 6b" may be further configured to apply an overpressure to a grain receiving area 30" of the singulating element 7 relative to the second housing area B2'. The grain receiving area 30" refers to a housing area of ​​the disc at which grains are received by the singulating element 7.

[0121] With reference to Fig. 10, the separating element 7 has two radial rows R1, R2 of through-openings, wherein a radial row R1 (a first row) of through-openings located radially inward with respect to the first sealing section 22 has openings facing the radial inner region 6ri" and through-openings correspond to the first group 11a of through-openings for entraining individual grains of the granular material as described above. A radial row R2 (a second row) of through-openings located radially outward with respect to the first sealing section has, when the housing is mounted, openings 11" which face the radial outer region 6ra" and are in fluid communication with the first flow channel 26" in the housing cover 6b1' and are identified as through-openings of the second group 11b as described above.The size and / or number of openings 11 and 11" may be the same or different, wherein a size and / or number of openings 11' of the 2nd row may be larger than a size and / or number of openings 11 of the first row. In some specific illustrative examples, the size of the openings 11 may be larger than the size of the openings 1T. For example, the size of the openings 11' of the second row may be + / - 50% of the size of the opening of the 1st row. Additionally or alternatively, the number of openings in each row may be different and / or the openings in at least one row may have different sizes, in particular different diameters.

[0122] With further reference to Fig. 10, and according to some specific illustrative examples herein, the openings of the first row may be divided into a plurality of subgroups, in which the through-openings in one subgroup have the same size or diameter, but through-openings from different subgroups have different sizes or diameters. For example, a subgroup may be assigned to a specific type of seed or fertilizer, so that the singulating element 7 can be used for different types.

[0123] In illustrative examples herein, an adjustable selection of openings of a specific subgroup from the row, ie, openings with a specific dimension, can be achieved by means of a template (not shown) provided on the separating element 7. The template (not shown) is designed such that non-selected openings, ie, openings from the other subgroups of the first row and correspondingly with different dimensions, are covered by the template (not shown).The template (not shown) can be a selection element (not shown) in the form of a disk or a ring that can be fastened to the singling element 7 in a rotationally fixed manner and has at least one through-opening (not shown) with a dimension that is greater than or equal to a dimension of the openings of the singling element 7 with the largest dimension in the first row, wherein the at least one through-opening (not shown) of the template (not shown) can be fastened to the singling element 7 in an adjustable alignment to at least one desired or selected opening or selected subgroup of the first row of the singling element 7, so that non-selected openings from the other subgroups of the first row of the singling element 7 are covered by the template (not shown).For example, the template (not shown) can be arranged on an overpressure side of the singulating element 7 and in particular in the first housing region B1 and attached to the singulating element 7. With regard to the illustration in Fig. 10, the template (not shown) can be inserted into the bowl-shaped singulating element 7. In further illustrative examples herein, the first row and the second row, as described above, can comprise an identical or different number of openings. For example, for a specific variety of seed and / or fertilizer, a fixed hole ratio between the openings of the first row and the second row can be realized with regard to the number and / or dimension(s) of the openings on the singulating element 7 as a singulating element provided for this variety, and singulating elements designed accordingly for different varieties can be provided.

[0124] For example, the template (not shown) and the separating element 7 can each have a set of interlocking locking elements (not shown), wherein a mechanical coupling of the template (not shown) and the separating element 7 is achieved in that locking elements (not shown) of both sets are brought into engagement with one another in a selected orientation of the template (not shown) relative to the separating element 7.For example, one of the template (not shown) and the separating element 7 has a plurality of first locking elements (not shown), while the other of the template (not shown) and the separating element 7 has one or more second locking elements (not shown) that can engage with the first locking elements (not shown), so that by engagement of a second locking element (not shown) with an associated first locking element (not shown) to an associated pair of locking elements (not shown), a specific orientation of the template (not shown) to the separating element 7 is set for each second locking element (not shown).Locking elements (not shown) can be designed, without limitation, as an intermeshing toothing (not shown) or as a locking connection between pin (not shown) or hook (not shown) or nose (not shown) or pin (not shown) or bolt (not shown) (optionally with thread) as a first (or second) locking element (not shown) with a hole (not shown) or recess (not shown) or opening (not shown) as a second (or first) locking element (not shown).

[0125] With further reference to Fig. 10, the labyrinth seal 20' is shown according to some illustrative embodiments. The first and second sealing sections 22, 24' can be formed, similar to the sealing sections 22, 24 described above with reference to the labyrinth seal in connection with Fig. 8, by a plurality of webs 22s and 24s' that are arranged in the housing in an interlocking manner. For example, the webs of the plurality of webs 22s, 24s' of the first and second sealing sections 22, 24' are in meshing, but non-contact, engagement with one another. For example, the first sealing section 22 can have one web that is in meshing engagement with two webs of the second sealing section 24', or vice versa. With respect to the labyrinth seal 20' shown in Fig. 10, the first sealing portion 22 may have two lands 22s and the second sealing portion 24' may have one land 24s'.The webs 22s and the web 24s' can mesh with each other without contact, as shown in Fig. 10. The webs of the first sealing section 22 can have the same or different lengths. As an alternative to the labyrinth seal 20' shown, the first sealing section 22 can have more than two webs 22s, and the second sealing section 24' can have more than one web 24s', with the webs of the first and second sealing sections 22, 24' meshing with each other without contact.

[0126] In some illustrative embodiments and with reference to Fig. 10, the singling element 7 can be inclined by an angle with respect to a vertical orientation in the housing, for example an angle between 0° and 45°, for example between 0° and 25°, preferably between 0° and 20°, more preferably between 0° and 15°. The inclination of the singling element 7 can be set such that an upper edge of the singling element 7 in the housing covers only a part of the singling element 7 in a vertical plan view of the singling element 7 in the housing. A singling element inclined in this way allows advantageous adhesion of grains in the through-openings 11 of the singling element 7, since the adhesion is supported by the weight of the grains in the grain receiving area 30.

[0127] In some illustrative embodiments, the labyrinth seal 20' between the cover assembly 6b' and the separating element 7 can be designed as an annular labyrinth seal 20' formed in the circumferential direction of the separating element 7.

[0128] In some illustrative embodiments and with further reference to Fig. 10, a pressure reservoir (not shown) may provide a pressure increased relative to a pressure in the second housing region B2', and the housing assembly 6a may have a supply line Z8' connected to the first housing region BT and the cover assembly 6b' to apply the increased pressure to the first housing region BT, respectively.

[0129] In some other illustrative embodiments and with further reference to Fig. 10, the pressure reservoir (not shown) can provide a reduced pressure compared to a pressure in the first housing region B1', and the cover assembly 6b' can have a supply line Z9' that is designed to apply a pressure that is increased compared to the reduced pressure to a radially outer side of the labyrinth seal 20'. The increased pressure can be higher than the pressure in the first housing region BT. In this case, the pressure reservoir (not shown) can be provided as an additional, separate pressure reservoir (not shown) to at least partially apply pressure to the labyrinth seal 20'.

[0130] In some other illustrative embodiments, as shown in Fig. 10, the supply line Z8' can be directly connected to the supply line Z9', so that a fluid flow supplied to the supply line Z8' is fed directly and completely into the supply line Z9', in particular without losses. In this case, the housing area B1' is not fed directly by the supply line Z8'; in particular, the housing area B1' is not directly supplied by the housing assembly 6a; however, the housing area B1' is indirectly fed by the supply lines Z8' and Z9', which supply a fluid flow to the labyrinth seal 20" via the flow channel 26". In this case, the flow channel 26" is in fluid communication with the housing area B1 via the openings 11" of the radial row R2. A radially outer side of the 20" labyrinth seal is subjected to the increased pressure in order to provide a sealing effect of the 20" labyrinth seal.

[0131] Although Fig. 10 shows that the supply line Z8' is only directly connected to the supply line Z9', this does not represent a limitation and instead the supply line Z8' in the housing assembly 6a can be designed to directly supply the housing area B1', wherein a branch (not shown) from the supply line Z8' in the housing assembly 6a is also connected to the supply line Z9' in the cover assembly 6b". In this case the radial row R2 with the openings 11" is not provided and the supply line Z9' is only connected to the flow channel 26" in order to direct a fluid flow that branches off from the supply line Z8' and is supplied to the flow channel 26" through the supply line Z9', only onto the labyrinth seal from the cover assembly 6b".

[0132] In some illustrative embodiments of the separating device 5, 5" described above, a supply of a fluid to a labyrinth seal can be provided from the side of the cover assembly 6b, 6b" in order to pressurize the labyrinth seal from the side of the cover assembly 6b, 6b". In this case, a specific gap size can be provided in the interlocking between the first and second sealing sections 22, 24, 24" (for example, by a suitable choice of geometric dimensions for the webs of the first and second sealing sections 22, 24, 24" and / or the positioning of the webs of the first and second sealing sections 22, 24, 24"), so that a specific leakage flow through the labyrinth seal into the first housing region B1, BT is tolerated.For this purpose, for example, a pressure that is higher than a pressure applied to the first housing region B1, BT can be applied to the labyrinth seal from the cover assembly 6b, 6b', for example via a suitable pressure source and / or a nozzle formed in the cover assembly 6b, 6b', in order to direct a specific flow onto the labyrinth seal. A leakage flow flowing from the cover assembly 6b, 6b' through the labyrinth seal into the first housing region B1, BT can, for example, loosen granular material in the grain receiving region 30, 30', so that frictional and adhesive forces between grains in the granular material in the grain receiving region 30, 30' are reduced.

[0133] Although embodiments with respect to a labyrinth seal are described with reference to Figs. 9 and 9, this does not constitute a limitation and instead of the labyrinth seal, a sliding seal corresponding to the sliding seal 20 described above with reference to Fig. 8 may be realized.

[0134] Although some illustrative embodiments describe a coupling of flow channels and / or supply lines in the cover assembly to a pressure reservoir that is provided for pressurizing the first housing region, this does not represent a limitation and instead an additional separate pressure reservoir, e.g. a blower, a pressurized gas in a container, etc., may be provided exclusively to support the application of pressure to the labyrinth seal from the cover assembly. The pressure for applying pressure to the labyrinth seal may be provided at least partially by the additional separate pressure reservoir. For example, in some specific and non-limiting embodiments herein, the additional separate pressure reservoir may be integrated into the cover assembly, can be integrated into it, or can be coupled thereto.

[0135] Although with reference to Figs. 1 to 10 above a housing formed from a housing assembly 6a and a cover assembly 6b is described, wherein the cover assembly 6b is arranged on the negative pressure side of the separating element 7, 7a, 7b, while the housing assembly 6a is arranged on the positive pressure side of the separating element 7, 7a, 7b, this does not represent a restriction and a housing can also be provided as an alternative thereto, so that the cover assembly is formed from two cover components, assembled with respect to the separating element and mounted on the housing assembly in such a way that an imaginary plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation, wherein the separating element according to Figs. 1 to 10 essentially lies in the imaginary plane as a separating disc or separating shell or is parallel thereto, is also oriented essentially perpendicular to wall sections of the cover components.In other words, the lid components are assembled along a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation.

[0136] Although a housing formed from a housing assembly 6a and a cover assembly 6b is described above with reference to Figs. 1 to 10, this does not represent a limitation of the present description and alternatively a housing which almost completely surrounds the separating element 7, 7a, 7b can be provided, which has an opening which is designed such that the separating element can be removed from the housing, wherein the opening can be covered by a flap or a cover element.

[0137] Although in the illustration of Figures 1 to 10 the separating elements are each shown as a separating disc and / or a separating tray, this does not represent a limitation of the present description of the figures and each of the embodiments described with regard to Figures 1 to 10 can instead also be realized with a separating drum as the separating element, as will now be described in more detail with reference to Figure 11.

[0138] Fig. 11 schematically shows a singulation element 7 designed as a singulation drum, wherein a plurality of through-openings 11 are formed, which extend radially through the shell surface of the singulation drum 7. The through-openings 11 provide a plurality of radial rows, which are formed by groups 11a and 11b of through-openings arranged azimuthally on the shell surface.

[0139] Although Fig. 11 shows only two radial rows, this is not a limitation and instead more than two radial rows may be formed.

[0140] With further reference to Fig. 11, a seal 20 is formed between the radial rows of groups 11a and 11b. This seal is designed as a seal that protrudes radially from the lateral surface and extends completely azimuthally around the lateral surface, for example in the form of a wall. The seal 20 can be designed as part of a labyrinth seal with a housing (not shown) in which the separating element 7 is rotatably received about a rotation axis D, or as a sliding seal in mechanical contact with inner walls (not shown) of the housing (not shown).In this case, an interior of the separating element 7 provides a first housing region B1 as an overpressure region during operation, and a space in the interior of the housing (not shown) between the separating element 7 and the inner wall (not shown) of the housing (not shown) provides a second housing region B2 corresponding to the second housing region B2 described above, so that the separating element 7 defines a subdivision of the interior (not shown) of the housing (not shown) into the first housing region B1 and the second housing region B2. The seal 20 further defines a subdivision of the second housing region B2 into a first spatial region RB1 and a second spatial region RB2 separated therefrom by the seal 20. In this case, the spatial regions RB1 and RB2 correspond to the spatial regions described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10.

[0141] An overpressure present in the second spatial region RB2 during operation is transferred to the first housing region B1 through the first group 11b of through-openings, while a lower pressure is present in the first spatial region RB1 relative to the second spatial region RB2. This can be achieved, for example, by applying an overpressure to the second spatial region RB2 (e.g., coupling the second spatial region RB2 to a pressure reservoir (not shown) with an overpressure) and / or applying a negative pressure to the first spatial region RB1 (e.g., coupling the first spatial region RB1 to a pressure reservoir (not shown) with a negative pressure). Here, for example, the pressure reservoir (not shown) can be a pump (not shown), wherein the pressure side is coupled to the second spatial region RB2 and / or the suction side is coupled to the first spatial region RB1, or several pumps (not shown) can be provided in coupling with at least one of the spatial regions RB1 and RB2.

[0142] With further reference to Fig. 11, the coupling to at least one pressure reservoir (not shown) during operation, as described above, causes flow with flow paths, as illustrated by arrows A2, A4, and A6 in Fig. 11. Due to the relative overpressure in the second spatial region RB2, the flow during operation enters the first housing region B1 along flow path A2 through the second group 11b. Furthermore, the flow during operation enters the first spatial region RB1 along flow paths A4 and A6 through the first group 11a.

[0143] During operation, seed (not shown) is now introduced into the first housing region B1 and pressed by the flow illustrated by arrow A4 against the through-openings of the first group 11a and held at the through-openings by the pressure difference between the first housing region B1 and the first spatial region RB1 until the pressure difference is interrupted in analogy to the description above with regard to Figures 1 to 10, so that seed is fed to a downpipe 18 as illustrated in Fig. 11. With further reference to Fig. 11, several radial rows of the first group 11a and several radial rows of the second group 11b can be formed along the singling element 7, or a plurality of radial rows of the first group 11a with only one radial row of the second group 11b (correspondingly only one seal 20) can be formed.For example, a radial row of the second group 11b can be formed at one end of the separating element 7, separated by a seal 20 from adjacent radial rows of the first group, or an alternating sequence of the spatial regions RB1 and RB2 can be provided, separated by seals 20. Furthermore, it is also conceivable that a radial row of the second group 11b can be formed at each end of the separating element 7, separated by a respective seal 20 from adjacent radial rows of the first group, or a plurality of radial rows of the first group 11a can be grouped together and formed next to or surrounded by a plurality of radial rows of the second group 11b (or vice versa).

[0144] Although embodiments are described with reference to Fig. 11 in which seed is fed to the singling element 7 inside the singling element 7, this does not represent a limitation and alternatively, seed can be fed to the singling element 7 from the outside onto the outer surface of the singling element 7. In this case, the singling element 7 is to be modified such that the seal 20 is formed inside the singling element 7 in order to delimit compartments assigned to the radial rows inside the singling element 7, for example by means of disc-shaped sealing elements (provided separately or integrally in the singling element 7), so that the interior is divided into mutually separated or separate spatial regions corresponding to the first and second spatial regions RB1 and RB2, in correspondence with the radial rows.By applying a pressure to the first and second spatial areas RB1 and RB2 such that a pressure in the first spatial area RB1 is lower than a pressure in the second spatial area RB2, seed that is fed to the singling element 7 from the outside is then singulated in a manner analogous to the singulation described above.

[0145] As will be apparent from a review of the present description, and particularly with regard to the description of Fig. 11 above, the seal 20 of Fig. 11 performs a function of a bell element, as described above with regard to the various aspects of the invention and with reference to Figs. 1 to 10 in various embodiments. Accordingly, the seal 20 is to be identified as a bell element in the description and illustration of Fig. 11. Whenever approximate language such as "about", "approximately", or "substantially" or the like is used in this description, this represents an approximation within a usual measurement or manufacturing tolerance, for example, without limitation, a deviation of at most + / - 20%, or at most + / - 15%, or at most + / - 10%, or at most + / - 5%.

[0146] It is understood that the features mentioned in the previously described embodiments are not limited to these specific combinations and are also possible in any other combinations. Furthermore, it is understood that the geometries shown in the figures are merely exemplary and are also possible in any other configurations.

Claims

Claims 1. Agricultural singling device (5, 5') for singling granular material, in particular seed and / or fertilizer, comprising: a housing (G1, G2) with a shaft (W) rotatably mounted in the interior of the housing (G1, G2), which defines a rotation axis (D), a singling element (7; 7a, 7b) which is accommodated in the housing (G1, G2) and coupled to the shaft (W) in the interior, so that the singling element (7; 7a, 7b) is rotatably mounted relative to the housing (G1, G2), and has a plurality of through-openings extending through the singling element (7; 7a, 7b), wherein the singling element (7; 7a, 7b) is arranged in the housing (G1, G2) in such a way that the interior of the housing (G1, G2) is divided into a first housing area (B1, B1') as an overpressure area during operation of the separating element and a second housing area (B2, B2'), and a bell element (8, 8';8a, 8b, 8c), which is arranged in the second housing region (B2, B2'), characterized in that the bell element (8, 8'; 8a, 8b, 8c) is designed and arranged such that, together with the separating element (7; 7a, 7b), it defines a first spatial region (RB1) in the second housing region (B2, B2') as a negative pressure region during operation of the separating element (7; 7a, 7b), in which a first group (11a) of through-openings from the plurality of through-openings is enclosed by the bell element (8, 8'; 8a, 8b, 8c) in the first spatial region (RB1), while a second group (11b) of through-openings from the plurality of through-openings is located in a second spatial region (RB2) of the second housing region (B2, B2') outside the first spatial region (RB1), wherein the second spatial region (RB2) is communicatively connected to the first housing region (B1, BT) through the second group (11b) of through-openings, and; wherein in the interior space between the first spatial area (RB1) and the first housing area (B1, BT) during operation of the separating element (7; 7a, 7b) a pressure difference can be generated by means of a pressure reservoir that can be coupled to the second spatial area (RB2) 2. Separating device (5, 5') according to claim 1, wherein the first group (11a) of through-openings is designed as a first radial row (K1) with a first radius in the separating element (7; 7a) for entraining individual grains of the granular material and the second group (11b) is designed as a second radial row (K2) with a second radius in the separating element (7; 7a), the first radius being smaller than the second radius.

3. Separating device (5, 5') according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bell element (8, 8'; 8a, 8c) is mounted on the housing (G2) in a rotationally fixed manner and the separating device (5, 5') further comprises a labyrinth seal (20, 20') which is formed by a first sealing section (22) formed on a circumference of the separating element (7; 7a) and a second sealing section (24, 24') on the bell element (8, 8'; 8a, 8c) such that the first sealing section (22) and the second sealing section (24, 24') are interlocking structures without mechanical contact.

4. Separating device (5, 5') according to claim 3, wherein the first and second sealing sections (22, 24, 24') are formed by a plurality of webs (22s, 24s') which are arranged in an interlocking manner.

5. Separating device (5, 5') according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the labyrinth seal (20, 20') between the bell element (8, 8'; 8a, 8c) and the separating element (7; 7a) is designed as an annular labyrinth seal (20, 20') formed in the circumferential direction of the separating element (7; 7a).

6. Separating device (5') according to one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the bell element (8c) is integrated into the housing in which the second sealing section (24') is formed as a cylindrical wall coaxial with the axis of rotation (D), which delimits the first spatial region (6ri') from the second spatial region (6ra').

7. Separating device (5) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bell element (8'; 8b) is mounted on the housing (G2) in a rotationally fixed manner and the separating device (5) further a sliding seal (20) which is formed on the bell element (8, 8') by at least a first sliding seal section (22) such that the first sliding seal section (22) and the separating element (7, 7a) are in direct mechanical contact with one another.

8. Separating device (5') according to one of claims 2 to 7, wherein the separating element (7) in the housing is inclined with respect to a virtual plane oriented normal to the axis of rotation (D).

9. Separating device (5) according to claim 1, wherein the first group (11a) of through-openings and the second group (11b) of through-openings are formed in a single radial row (K4) in the separating element (7b) and the bell element (8; 8b) is designed such that only the first group (11a) of through-openings is enclosed by at least one wall (K5, K6) of the bell element (8; 8b) in the first spatial region (RB1), while the second group (11b) of through-openings is recessed from the at least one wall (K5, K6) in order to be exposed to the second spatial region (RB2) in the housing (G1).

10. Separating device (5) according to claim 9, wherein the bell element (8; 8b) has a hollow cylindrical wall (K5) with a plurality of semi-cylindrical niche sections (K6) formed in the lateral surface of the bell element (8; 8b), which are each assigned to the through openings of the second group (11b) of through openings.

11. Separating device (5) according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the bell element (8; 8b) is designed to be rotationally fixed relative to the separating element (7; 7b).

12. Separating device (5) according to claim 11, wherein the bell element (8; 8b) is formed as an integral part of the separating element (7; 7b) or is mounted on the separating element (7; 7b) in a detachable and rotationally fixed manner.

13. Separating device (5) according to one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the bell element (8; 8a, 8b) is rotatably coupled to the housing (G1) by means of a bearing (14).

14. Separating device (5, 5') according to one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the housing comprises, on the side of the separating element (7) on which the bell element (8) is arranged, a channel (13c, 28') coaxial with the axis of rotation (D), which channel connects the first spatial region (RB1) in a communicating manner with an ambient atmosphere of the separating device (5, 5').

15. Separating device (5, 5') according to one of claims 1 to 14, further comprising an additional connection (33) on the housing (G1, G2) for coupling to a pressure reservoir in order to apply a pressure provided by the pressure reservoir directly to the first housing region (B1) through the additional connection (33).

16. Separating device (5, 5') according to one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the through openings of the first group (11a) and / or the second group (11b) are formed with different dimensions.

17. Separating device (5, 5') according to one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the first group (11a) of through-openings is divided into subgroups of through-openings each having the same dimension and the through-openings of different subgroups have different dimensions.

18. Separating device (5, 5') according to claim 17, further comprising a template which is mounted on the separating element (7, 7b) in a rotationally fixed manner and is designed for the adjustable selection of through openings with a specific dimension, so that other non-selected through openings are covered by the template on the separating element (7, 7b) with respect to the first spatial region (RB1).

19. Separating device (5, 5') according to claim 18 in conjunction with claim 10, wherein the template is formed by the niche sections (K6) of the bell element (8, 8b), wherein the niche sections (K6) are formed in the bell element (8, 8b) in such a way that only one or more selected through-openings of the first group (11a) are enclosed in the first spatial region (RB1) by the bell element (8, 8b).

20. Separating device (5, 5') according to claim 18, wherein the template has at least one through-opening with a dimension that is greater than or equal to a Dimension of the through openings of the separating element with the largest dimension.

21. Separating device (5, 5') according to one of claims 18 to 20, further comprising a plurality of locking elements (7p1, 7p2, 7p3, 7p4, 8p), wherein the template and the separating element (7, 7b) each have a set of interlocking locking elements from the plurality of locking elements (7p1, 7p2, 7p3, 7p4, 8p), wherein a mechanical coupling between template and separating element (7, 7b) is achieved in that locking elements from both sets are brought into engagement with one another in a selected orientation of the template relative to the separating element (7, 7b).

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