Seed coulter assembly for a sowing machine

Abstract

The invention relates to a seed coulter assembly (1) for a sowing machine, comprising a rocker (2) equipped with a coulter disc (4), which rotates about a rotational axis (3), for producing a sowing groove, a seed boot (9), which is arranged adjacently to the coulter disc (4), for spreading seeds and / or fertilizer into the sowing groove, and a depth guide roller (5), which is arranged parallel to the coulter disc (4) and is rotatably mounted on an eccentric lever (27) which can be pivoted about the rotational axis (3), wherein the height of the depth guide roller (5) can be adjusted relative to the coulter disc (4) by means of an adjustment device (11), and the adjustment device (11) comprises a lever arm (12), one end (13) of which engages on a shaft (28) that is coaxial to the rotational axis (3) in a rotatably fixed manner and the other end (14) of which can be brought into engagement with one of a plurality of recesses (15) arranged on the rocker (2). The lever arm (12) has a first lever arm section (16), one end of which engages on the shaft (28) in a rotationally fixed manner and the free end of which has a pivot axis (17) which is oriented transversely to the rotational axis (3) and about which a second lever arm section (18) of the lever arm (12) can be pivoted for locking and unlocking purposes.

Description

[0001] Coulter arrangement for a seed drill

[0002] The present invention relates to a seed drill assembly for a seed drill according to the preamble of claim 1. Furthermore, a seed drill according to claim 14 and a method for adjusting the depth of the seed drill assembly according to claim 15 are the subject of the present invention.

[0003] A coulter assembly for a seed drill of the type mentioned above is known from US 2014 / 0109809 A1. The coulter assembly described therein comprises a rocker arm on which a coulter disc rotating about a rotational axis to create a seed furrow, a seed shoe arranged adjacent to the coulter disc for distributing seed and / or fertilizer into the seed furrow, and a depth control roller mounted parallel to the coulter disc on the rotational axis are arranged. The depth control roller is height-adjustable relative to the coulter disc by an adjustment device. For this purpose, the adjustment device comprises a lever arm, one end of which engages the rotational axis in a rotationally fixed manner and the other end of which can be brought into engagement with notches arranged on the rocker arm.To adjust the height, the lever arm is pivoted about a pivot axis located at the level of the pivot axis to release the positive engagement of the lever arm in one of the notches. The lever arm is then pivoted about the pivot axis while maintaining this pivoted-out position. To reliably hold the lever arm in its locked position, in which the lever arm engages one of the notches, a spring element is arranged on the pivot axis, which applies a preload force to the lever arm perpendicular to the pivot axis.

[0004] The coulter arrangement known from US 2014 / 0109809 A1 allows one-handed operation for depth adjustment, but has the disadvantage of a user-unfriendly overlap of the pivot axis and the rotation axis. The rotation axis, which is subjected to the maximum torque applied when adjusting the depth control roller, is further weakened by the position of the pivot axis in its connection to the lever arm.

[0005] Based on the above-mentioned prior art, the invention is based on the object of developing a sowing coulter arrangement of the type mentioned at the outset, which is characterized by a technically more advantageous design of an ergonomically optimized one-handed depth adjustment.

[0006] This object is achieved by a seed coulter arrangement having the features of independent patent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments can be found in the dependent claims.

[0007] According to claim 1, a coulter arrangement for a seed drill is proposed, wherein the coulter arrangement comprises a rocker arm on which a coulter disc rotating about a rotation axis for creating a sowing furrow, a sowing shoe arranged adjacent to the coulter disc for distributing seed and / or fertilizer into the sowing furrow, and a depth control roller arranged parallel to the coulter disc and rotatably mounted on an eccentric lever which is pivotable about the rotation axis, are arranged, wherein the depth control roller is height-adjustable relative to the coulter disc by an adjusting device, wherein the adjusting device comprises a lever arm which engages with one end in a rotationally fixed manner on a shaft coaxial with the rotation axis and can be brought into engagement with one of several recesses arranged on the rocker arm.According to the invention, the lever arm has a first lever arm section which engages the shaft in a rotationally fixed manner with one end and has a pivot axis oriented transversely to the axis of rotation at its free end, about which a second lever arm section of the lever arm can be pivoted for locking and unlocking.

[0008] The effect achieved by avoiding the unfavorable overlap of the rotation axis and the pivot axis is that a secure single-lever adjustment is achieved, which can be operated without excessive force even in difficult spatial accessibility. The rotational unlocking by actuating the second lever arm section prevents the overlap of the unlocking force and the adjustment force, as occurs in the prior art. A concentration of torsional, bending, and restoring forces in the adjustment device and in the pivot point on the shaft is avoided. This allows the pivot point of the lever arm on the shaft to be smaller. In particular, the lever arm can be operated with one hand.The effort required by an operator to adjust the depth of the coulter arrangement is significantly reduced, as the effort required to unlock while maintaining the unlocked position of the lever arm for the duration of the adjustment process is reduced compared to the state of the art.

[0009] Preferably, the second lever arm section can have at least one engagement element on its side facing the coulter disc that can be brought into substantially positive engagement with one of the recesses. In this case, the at least one engagement element, preferably designed as a nose-shaped projection, pin, or bolt, can engage substantially positively in one of the recesses in the locked position.

[0010] In particular, the second lever arm section can be preloaded by a spring element to hold the second lever arm section in the locked position. In particular, the spring element exerts its preload force on the rear side of the second lever arm section facing away from the recesses.

[0011] For this purpose, the spring element can be designed as a leg spring. The leg spring can be arranged on the pivot axis and supported on the second lever arm section.

[0012] In particular, the pivot axis arranged at the end of the first lever arm section can have a radial distance from the axis of rotation that essentially corresponds to the outer diameter of the coulter disc or is essentially at the level of the recesses. The tangential pivot point position of the pivot axis on a radius essentially at the level of the coulter disc or, more preferably, the recesses, achieves load-optimized and ergonomic one-handed operability of the lever arm. In particular, the selected position of the pivot axis essentially at the level of the recesses and the resulting length of the first lever arm section between the axis of rotation and the pivot axis significantly reduces the radial force related to the axis of rotation that the pivot axis must transmit, which has a positive effect on dimensioning and operational reliability.

[0013] According to a preferred development, the first lever arm section and the second lever arm section can be connected to each other in a hinge-like manner. This provides a structurally simple and mechanically resilient connection. Preferably, the pivot axis can be pivotally mounted in at least one receptacle arranged on the first lever arm section. The at least one receptacle can be designed as a hinge part that accommodates the pivot axis. For example, the at least one receptacle can be integrally connected to the first lever arm section.

[0014] The first lever arm section and the at least one receptacle can be designed as a single piece. Preferably, the first lever arm section, which is designed as a single piece and has at least one receptacle arranged thereon, can be a component manufactured by casting.

[0015] Furthermore, at least one stop can be arranged on the at least one receptacle, which limits a pivoting movement of the second lever arm section about the pivot axis. This allows the operator to hold the second lever arm section after unlocking without additional effort for the duration of the depth adjustment by pivoting the lever arm about the rotation axis.

[0016] Preferably, the recesses can be arranged on the outer circumference of an adjusting element in the shape of a circular ring segment, which is arranged on the rocker arm. In particular, the adjusting element can be detachably arranged on the rocker arm. Preferably, the adjusting element can be fastened to the rocker arm by means of a screw connection. The recesses can be designed as external teeth on the outer circumference of the adjusting element. In particular, two or more different sections with recesses designed as external teeth can be provided, which differ from one another by different distances between the individual recesses. This makes it possible to achieve a gradation in the depth adjustment, the step size of which varies with the distances between the recesses of the respective section.

[0017] More preferably, the adjusting element can have at least one elongated hole through which the adjusting element can be attached to the rocker so as to be displaceable, at least in sections, in the circumferential direction. This makes it possible to compensate for tolerances. For example, an arcuate elongated hole can be provided in which two pins, bolts, or screws are guided. In particular, at least two elongated holes are provided, which are arranged at a distance from one another in the adjusting element. The object according to the invention is further achieved by a seed drill with at least one coulter arrangement, wherein the at least one coulter arrangement is designed according to one of claims 1 to 13. Reference may be made to the advantages of the coulter arrangement according to the invention.

[0018] Furthermore, the object stated at the outset is achieved by a method for adjusting the depth of a sowing coulter arrangement having the features of claim 15.

[0019] According to claim 15, a method for adjusting the depth of a coulter arrangement is proposed, wherein the coulter arrangement comprises a rocker arm on which a coulter disc rotating about a rotation axis for creating a sowing furrow, a sowing shoe arranged adjacent to the coulter disc for distributing seed and / or fertilizer into the sowing furrow and a depth control roller arranged parallel to the coulter disc and rotatably mounted on an eccentric lever which is pivotable about the rotation axis, are arranged, wherein the depth control roller is adjusted in height relative to the coulter disc by an adjusting device, wherein the adjusting device comprises a lever arm which engages with one end in a rotationally fixed manner on a shaft coaxial with the rotation axis and is engaged at its other end with one of several recesses arranged on the rocker arm for locking.It is proposed that the lever arm has a first lever arm section which engages with one end in a rotationally fixed manner on the shaft and has at its free end a pivot axis oriented transversely to the axis of rotation, about which a second lever arm section of the lever arm is pivoted for locking and unlocking, wherein for depth adjustment the second lever arm section is first pivoted into an unlocked position in which the second lever arm section is inclined outwards at an angle to the rocker, in order to then transmit a rotational movement by means of the second lever arm section to the first lever arm section in order to pivot the lever arm section by section about the axis of rotation.

[0020] To adjust the depth, the second lever arm section is first unlocked by a rotational movement by pivoting it around the pivot axis at an angle to the rocker arm. The pivoting movement is preferably limited by at least one stop, so that the applied unlocking force is supported by the at least one stop during the subsequent adjustment process for depth adjustment by rotating the lever arm around the rotation axis. The depth adjustment method requires a low restoring force thanks to a spring element and simultaneously enables a functionally reliable, horizontal locking of the lever arm to maintain the set depth of the depth guide roller.

[0021] In particular, the tangential pivot position of the pivot axis on a radius, essentially at the height of the recesses, enables load-optimized and ergonomic operation of the coulter assembly for depth adjustment. The tangential pivot position of the pivot axis can also be aligned with the radius of the coulter disc.

[0022] The present invention is explained in more detail below with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings.

[0023] They show:

[0024] Fig. 1 shows schematically and by way of example a side view of a sowing coulter arrangement;

[0025] Fig. 2 perspective view of the sowing coulter arrangement 1 according to Fig. 1;

[0026] Fig. 3 shows a schematic and exemplary view of the coulter arrangement from the rear;

[0027] Fig. 4 shows schematically and exemplarily a side view of the coulter arrangement according to Fig. 1 rotated by 180°; and

[0028] Fig. 5 shows schematically and exemplarily a side view according to Fig. 4 with a changed depth setting of the sowing coulter arrangement.

[0029] Fig. 1 shows a schematic and exemplary side view of a coulter assembly 1 of a seed drill. The coulter assembly 1 comprises a rocker arm 2 on which a coulter disc 4 is arranged, rotating about a rotation axis 3 to create a sowing furrow in the soil 6. The coulter disc 4 is connected to a depth control roller 5, which rolls laterally over the soil 6 next to the sowing furrow to scan the soil contour. The depth control roller 5 is arranged parallel to the coulter disc 4, so that it is largely concealed by the coulter disc 4 in the side view shown. The depth control roller 5 is rotatably mounted on the free end of an eccentric lever 27, which is connected in a rotationally fixed manner to a shaft 28 coaxial with the rotation axis 3. Furthermore, a pressure roller 7 and a covering roller 8 are arranged on the rocker arm 2 and are arranged downstream of the coulter disc 4 as seen in the direction of travel FR.A seeding shoe 9, arranged adjacent to the coulter disc 4, serves to distribute seed and / or fertilizer into the seed furrow created by the coulter disc 4. The seeding shoe 9 is connected by a connecting line 10 to a storage container (not shown), which holds the seed and / or fertilizer.

[0030] The depth control roller 5 is height-adjustable relative to the coulter disc 4 by an adjustment device 11. The adjustment device 11 comprises a lever arm 12, which engages the shaft 28 in a rotationally fixed manner with one end 13 and can be brought into engagement with one of several recesses 15 arranged on the rocker arm 2 at its free end 14.

[0031] The lever arm 12 has a first lever arm section 16, which engages the shaft 28 with its end 13 in a rotationally fixed manner. The first lever arm section 16 has a pivot axis 17 oriented transversely to the rotation axis 3 at its free end. A second lever arm section 18 of the lever arm 12 is pivotable about the pivot axis 17 for locking and unlocking the adjustment device 11.

[0032] The pivot axis 17 arranged at the end of the first lever arm section 16 has a radial distance 26 from the rotation axis 3, which can essentially correspond to the outer diameter of the coulter disc 4 or is essentially at the level of the recesses 15. The tangential pivot point position of the pivot axis 17 on a radius at the level of the coulter disc 4 or, more preferably, at the level of the recesses 15, achieves load-optimized and ergonomic one-handed operability of the lever arm 12. The selected position of the pivot axis 17 essentially at the level of the recesses 15 and the resulting length of the first lever arm section 16 between the rotation axis 3 and the pivot axis 17 significantly reduces the radial force related to the rotation axis 3, which the pivot axis 17 must transmit, which has a positive effect on dimensioning and operational reliability.

[0033] Fig. 2 shows a schematic and exemplary perspective view of the coulter assembly 1 according to Fig. 1. The second lever arm section 18 is shown in a position pivoted outward relative to the coulter disc 4. This unlocks the adjusting device 11.

[0034] The first lever arm section 16 and the second lever arm section 18 are hinged to one another. For this purpose, the pivot axis 17 is pivotally mounted in at least one receptacle 19 arranged on the first lever arm section 16. The first lever arm section 16 and the at least one receptacle 20 can preferably be designed as a single piece, for example as a cast part. At least one stop 20 can preferably be arranged on the at least one receptacle 19 for the pivot axis 17, which limit a pivoting movement (arrow 29 in Fig. 3) of the second lever arm section 18 about the pivot axis 17.

[0035] The second lever arm section 18 has, on its side facing the coulter disc 4, an engagement element 21 that can be brought into essentially positive engagement with one of the recesses 15. The engagement element 21 is here and preferably designed as a bolt or pin. A design of the engagement element 21 as a nose-shaped projection is also conceivable. The recesses 15 are arranged on the outer circumference of an adjusting element 22 that is designed in the shape of a circular ring segment and is detachably fastened to the rocker arm 2. A screw connection is provided for detachably fastening the adjusting element 22. The adjusting element 22 can have at least one elongated hole 23, here and preferably two elongated holes 23, through which the adjusting element 22 can be displaced at least partially in the circumferential direction relative to the rocker arm 2.

[0036] Fig. 3 shows a schematic and exemplary view of the sowing coulter assembly 1 from the rear. To hold the second lever arm section 18 in its locked position, in which the engagement element 21 engages with one of the recesses 15, the second lever arm section 18 is preloaded by a spring element 24. The spring element 24 is designed here as a leg spring 25. Alternative configurations of the spring element 24 are conceivable.

[0037] Fig. 4 shows a schematic and exemplary side view of the sowing coulter arrangement 1 according to Fig. 1, rotated by 180°. The illustration in Fig. 5 shows a schematic and exemplary side view according to Fig. 4 with a changed depth setting of the sowing coulter arrangement 1.

[0038] Fig. 4 shows, by way of example, a first extreme position of the lever arm 12, in which the depth control roller 5 has the greatest possible distance from the lower edge of the coulter disc 4. The depth control roller 5 is rotatably mounted on the free end of an eccentric lever 27. The eccentric lever 27 is arranged on the shaft 28 in a rotationally fixed manner. The eccentric lever 27 and, with it, the depth control roller 5 arranged thereon can be pivoted about the rotation axis 3 by actuating the unlocked lever arm 12 in order to set different distances of the depth control roller 5 from the ground 6.

[0039] Fig. 5 shows a second extreme position of the lever arm 12, in which the depth control roller 5 has a minimal distance from the lower edge of the coulter disc 4. The recesses 15 on the outer circumference of the circular ring-segment-shaped adjustment element 22 are preferably designed as external teeth on the outer circumference of the adjustment element 22. In particular, two or more different sections of the external teeth can be provided, which differ from one another by different distances between the individual recesses 15. This makes it possible to achieve gradation in the depth adjustment, the step size of which varies with the distances between the recesses 15 of the respective section. Within a section, the recesses 15 can be arranged equidistant from one another. This is evident from Fig.2 shows by way of example that the recesses 15 designed as external teeth are divided into three sections, wherein a first section has a smaller distance between the recesses 15 than a second section and third section viewed in the circumferential direction of the adjusting element 22.

[0040] List of reference symbols

[0041] 1 coulter arrangement

[0042] 2 swingarm

[0043] 3 axis of rotation

[0044] 4 coulter discs

[0045] 5 Depth control roller

[0046] 6 Floor

[0047] 7 Pressure roller

[0048] 8 Cover roller

[0049] 9 Seed shoe

[0050] 10 connecting cable

[0051] 11 Adjustment device

[0052] 12 lever arm

[0053] 13 End of 12

[0054] 14 End of 12

[0055] 15 Recess

[0056] 16 First lever arm section

[0057] 17 Swivel axis

[0058] 18 Second lever arm section

[0059] 19 recording

[0060] 20 stops

[0061] 21 engagement element

[0062] 22 Adjustment element

[0063] 23 slot

[0064] 24 spring element

[0065] 25 torsion spring

[0066] 26 distance

[0067] 27 Eccentric lever

[0068] 28 Wave

[0069] 29 Arrow

[0070] FR direction of travel

Claims

Patent claims 1. Seed coulter arrangement (1) for a seed drill, comprising a rocker arm (2) on which a coulter disc (4) rotating about a rotational axis (3) for creating a seed furrow, a seed shoe (9) arranged adjacent to the coulter disc (4) for distributing seed and / or fertilizer into the seed furrow, and a depth control roller (5) arranged parallel to the coulter disc (4) and rotatably mounted on an eccentric lever (27) pivotable about the rotational axis (3) are arranged, wherein the depth control roller (5) is height-adjustable relative to the coulter disc (4) by an adjusting device (11), wherein the adjusting device (11) comprises a lever arm (12) which engages with one end (13) in a rotationally fixed manner on a shaft (28) coaxial with the rotational axis (3) and at its other end (14) engages with one of several recesses (15) arranged on the rocker arm (2). characterized in that the lever arm (12) has a first lever arm section (16),which engages with one end in a rotationally fixed manner on the shaft (28) and has at its free end a pivot axis (17) oriented transversely to the axis of rotation (3), about which a second lever arm section (18) of the lever arm (12) can be pivoted for locking and unlocking.

2. Sowing coulter arrangement (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the lever arm (12) can be operated with one hand.

3. Seed coulter arrangement (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the second lever arm section (18) has, on its side facing the coulter disc (4), an engagement element (21) which can be brought into engagement with one of the recesses (15) in a substantially form-fitting manner.

4. Seed coulter arrangement (1) according to claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the second lever arm section (18) is prestressed by a spring element (24) in order to hold the second lever arm section (18) in a locked position.

5. Sowing coulter arrangement (1) according to claim 4, characterized in that the spring element (24) is designed as a leg spring (25).

6. Seed coulter arrangement (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the pivot axis (17) arranged at the end of the first lever arm section (16) has a radial distance (26) from the axis of rotation (3) which substantially corresponds to the outer diameter of the coulter disc (4) or substantially lies at the level of the recesses (15).

7. Sowing coulter arrangement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first lever arm section (16) and the second lever arm section (18) are connected to one another in a hinge-like manner.

8. Sowing coulter arrangement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pivot axis (17) is pivotally mounted in at least one receptacle (15) arranged on the first lever arm section (16).

9. Sowing coulter arrangement (1) according to claim 8, characterized in that the first lever arm section (16) and the at least one receptacle (15) are designed in one piece.

10. Seed coulter arrangement (1) according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that at least one stop (20) is arranged on the at least one receptacle (15), which stop limits a pivoting movement (29) of the second lever arm section (18) about the pivot axis (17).

11. Sowing coulter arrangement (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the recesses (15) are arranged on the outer circumference of an adjusting element (22) in the shape of a circular ring segment, which is arranged on the rocker (2).

12. Sowing coulter arrangement (1) according to claim 11, characterized in that the adjusting element (22) is detachably arranged on the rocker (2).

13. Seed coulter arrangement (1) according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the adjusting element (22) has at least one elongated hole (23) through which the adjusting element (22) is displaceable relative to the rocker (2) at least in sections in the circumferential direction.

14. Seed drill with at least one sowing coulter arrangement (1), characterized in that the at least one sowing coulter arrangement (1) is designed according to one of claims 1 to 13 is.

15. Method for adjusting the depth of a sowing coulter arrangement (1) which comprises a rocker arm (2) on which a coulter disc (4) rotating about a rotational axis (3) for creating a sowing furrow and a sowing shoe (9) arranged adjacent to the coulter disc (4) for distributing seed and / or fertilizer into the sowing furrow, as well as a depth control roller (5) arranged parallel to the coulter disc (4) and rotatably mounted on an eccentric lever (27) which is pivotable about the rotational axis (3), are arranged, wherein the depth control roller (5) is adjusted in height relative to the coulter disc (4) by an adjusting device (11), wherein the adjusting device (11) comprises a lever arm (12) which engages with one end (13) in a rotationally fixed manner on a shaft (28) coaxial with the rotational axis (3) and at its other end (14) is connected to one of several recesses arranged on the rocker arm (2). (15) is brought into engagement for locking, characterized in thatthat the lever arm (12) has a first lever arm section (16) which engages with its end in a rotationally fixed manner on the shaft (28) and has at its free end a pivot axis (17) oriented transversely to the axis of rotation (3), about which a second lever arm section (18) of the lever arm (12) is pivoted for locking and unlocking, wherein for depth adjustment the second lever arm section (18) is first pivoted into an unlocked position in which the second lever arm section (18) is inclined outwards at an angle to the rocker (2) in order to then transmit a rotational movement by means of the second lever arm section (18) to the first lever arm section (16) in order to pivot the lever arm (12) section by section about the axis of rotation (3).

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