Agricultural Granular-Material Singulation With Adjustable Drive Recesses
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing singling devices for agricultural seed drills require complex adaptations and additional components for different types of granular material and seeding densities, limiting their flexibility and increasing manufacturing complexity and cost.
Innovation Solution
The singling device allows the ejection member to be driven by engagement in both grain receiving recesses and drive recesses, with adjustable spacing between these recesses to accommodate various granular materials and seeding densities, using ejection elements that can be flexible or elastic, and a design that minimizes manufacturing complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If ejection units with small dimensions are used to meet space constraints, then the device size is reduced, but the number of ejection elements increases and the pitch between them decreases, limiting adaptability to different granular materials and seeding densities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the spacing between grain receiving recesses adjustable rather than fixed. The singling element can be positioned at different locations along the conveying element, allowing dynamic adjustment of the pitch between recesses. This enables the same ejection unit to accommodate different granular materials and seeding densities without requiring multiple specialized components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent designs a universal ejection unit that can handle multiple types of granular materials through adjustable configuration. By making the singling element position variable and the spacing adjustable, a single ejection unit design can serve multiple functions for different seeding rates and material types, eliminating the need for multiple specialized ejection units.
2Reliability
If additional drive elements are added to drive the ejection element, then the ejection element can be driven independently, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the drive function with the existing conveying element. The conveying element serves dual purposes: it conveys granular material to the singling element and simultaneously drives the ejection element through the engagement of drive recesses with the singling element. This eliminates the need for separate drive mechanisms while maintaining reliable driving of the ejection element.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveying element automatically serves to drive the ejection element through its own rotational movement. The engagement between the singling element and ejection element creates a self-driving mechanism where the material conveyance process itself provides the driving force, eliminating the need for external or additional drive elements.
3Productivity
If singling elements with close spacing of grain receiving recesses are used, then high seeding rates can be achieved, but the device cannot accommodate low seeding density materials such as broken grain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements adjustable spacing between grain receiving recesses on the singling element. This allows the pitch to be dynamically changed based on the requirements of different granular materials. For high seeding rates, recesses are positioned closely; for low seeding density materials like broken grain, the spacing can be increased to accommodate larger intervals between seeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameter of recess spacing to adapt to different material types. By making the pitch between grain receiving recesses variable, the system can optimize the spacing parameter for each specific granular material being seeded, whether requiring high or low seeding density.
Data Source
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AI summary
Agricultural singulation device (5) for singulating granular material, comprising at least a housing (6) for providing the granular material (G), at least one singulation element (7) rotatably driven within the housing with several grain receiving recesses (11) arranged at regular intervals from one another and suitable for carrying at least one grain (G1) of the granular material, and at least one ejection element (17) arranged within the housing and driven by the at least one singulation element, with several ejection elements (170), in particular distributed around the circumference, which are suitable for cleaning clogged and/or dirty grain receiving recesses by engaging at least partially in the grain receiving recesses (11).In order to adapt the singulation device to the respective granular material simply and/or with reduced equipment effort, it is provided that, for at least partial drive of the at least one ejection element (17), at least one drive recess (110) which can be brought into engagement with the ejection elements (170) is formed on the singulation element between at least two spaced-apart grain receiving recesses (11).