Double Shoot Opener for Seed Fertilizer Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing openers for seeders or drills that simultaneously deliver seed and fertilizer often fail to maintain sufficient spacing between the two, leading to potential damage to the seed and inconsistency in seed placement, especially when using liquid or anhydrous ammonia fertilizers.
Innovation Solution
A double shoot opener design with separate seed and fertilizer delivery passages that extend through a common delivery chamber, featuring outlets positioned on opposite sides of the central body to ensure adequate separation, with a barrier preventing mixing and angled to facilitate lateral discharge, enhancing seed and fertilizer separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If separate openers are used to deliver seed and fertilizer, then sufficient spacing between seed and fertilizer is achieved, but the number of tillage operations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The single opener body is segmented into separate delivery passages for seed and fertilizer, with each passage having its own outlet positioned at a specific location. The outlets are arranged with the seed outlet on one side of the opener body and the fertilizer outlet on the other side, creating sufficient horizontal spacing between the deposited materials while maintaining a single integrated opener structure.
2Device complexity
If fertilizer outlet is positioned close to seed outlet, then device complexity is reduced, but harmful effects on seed from fertilizer increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of only varying the vertical distance between seed and fertilizer outlets, the invention utilizes horizontal spacing by positioning the outlets on opposite sides of the opener body. This dimensional approach creates sufficient separation distance in the lateral direction, ensuring that fertilizer does not come into harmful contact with seed while maintaining a simple single-opener structure.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If fertilizer is delivered below seed depth, then spacing between seed and fertilizer is improved, but seed bed disruption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention achieves seed-fertilizer separation primarily through horizontal spacing of outlets on opposite sides of the opener body, rather than vertical separation by delivering fertilizer below seed depth. This approach maintains both materials at approximately the same depth, avoiding disruption to the seed bed and ensuring consistent seed placement while still achieving adequate separation to prevent harmful interactions.
Data Source
AI summary
An opener for mounting on a shank of an agricultural implement features a central body to be mounted on the shank, furrowing portions carried on the central body to form a seed bed as the central body is pulled through ground on the shank in a forward working direction, a seed delivery passage operable to deliver seed onto the seed bed from a seed outlet on a first side of the central body, and a fertilizer delivery passage operable to deliver fertilizer onto the seed bed from a second side of the central body. In use, the opener delivers the seed and the fertilizer onto the same seed bed on opposite sides of the central body. A rubber cover seals closed an upper end of the central body to prevent moisture from anhydrous ammonia tubes from dripping into the body, and is adaptable to accommodate seed tubes of different diameters.