WO2018176136A1

WO2018176136A1 - Ground opener assembly with dual openers

Info

Publication number: WO2018176136A1
Application number: PCT/CA2018/050373
Authority: WO
Inventors: Patrick M. Beaujot; Barry K. Melanson
Original assignee: One Pass Implements Inc
Current assignee: One Pass Implements Inc
Priority date: 2017-03-27
Filing date: 2018-03-27
Publication date: 2018-10-04
Anticipated expiration: 2019-09-27

Abstract

A ground opener assembly adapted for attachment to a frame of a seeding implement is provided comprising a parallel linkage comprising a front link, a rear link, and upper and lower parallel arms substantially parallel to one another, each pivotably attached to the front link and the rear link, the front link being attached to the frame of the seeding implement; a first opener for forming a furrow and dispensing a first material therein, the first opener being attached to the lower parallel arm between the front link and the back link; a second opener for forming a second furrow and dispensing a second material therein, the second opener being attached to the rear link; and a ground compressing member pivotably attached to the rear link and adapted to be fixed at a desired depth to control the depth of both the first opener and the second opener.

Description

GROUND OPENER ASSEMBLY WITH DUAL OPENERS

The present invention relates to a ground opener assembly for a seeding or planting unit and more particularly to a ground opener assembly having a parallel link and a reduced overall length. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is desirable when placing two materials such as seed and fertilizer into the soil at different locations to use a ground opener assembly having two separate soil engaging openers, to ensure consistent separation of the seed and fertilizer. Knife openers are also desirable, especially for seed placement to ensure good soil to seed contact for good germination. Knife openers, however, often carry a buildup of crop residue in front of them, therefore, it is important to have adequate space between the fertilizer knife and the seed knife to allow for the residue to flow around the knives without getting trapped in between them.

These ground opener assemblies also have a packer gauge wheel behind the second knife (generally, the seed knife) to provide packing and to gauge the depth of the knives. It is also important to leave enough space between the packer wheel and the second knife to allow soil to flow back over the seed prior to being packed. It is also desirable to have accurate depth control with the packer gauge wheel

There exists a number of trailing arm ground opener assemblies that that attempt to control furrow depth. One such trailing arm ground opener assembly comprises a single long arm that is attached to the frame of the seeding or planting unit by a single pivot (see, for example, Canadian Patent No. 2,458,212 and U.S. Patent No. 5,396,851). Attached to the single long arm are two ground engaging openers, for example, a fertilizer knife and a seed knife, and the depths of both of the openers are controlled by a packer gauge wheel attached onto the end of the arm. Another ground opener assembly uses a parallel linkage to control furrow depth (see, for example, Canadian Patent No. 2,542,541 and U.S. Patent No. 5,161,472). In both prior art assemblies, however, to allow for enough vertical travel, they require a certain length from the frame to where the openers are attached. Thus, use of these elongated arms add to the cost and weight of the machine. Long trailing arms also require significant strength for turning and hitting obstacles such as rocks.

For these reasons it would be desirable to have a dual knife opener assembly that still has the required front to back spacing for the two knives and packer wheel and a parallel linkage to provide good seed depth control but has a reduced overall length compared to the prior art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a ground opener assembly having a first and second opener and a parallel linkage having an upper arm and a lower arm, whereby the first opener is mounted on the lower arm of the parallel linkage. In this way, the upper and lower arms of the parallel linkage can be long enough for adequate vertical travel to follow the terrain without lengthening the overall opener assembly. By shortening the overall length of the ground opener assembly, there may be a reduction in stress on the assembly and reduced weight and cost. There may be an additional advantage of having the first opener soil depth reduced as the opener reaches into a deep depression in the ground, thereby reducing stress on the opener when it is reaching and more vulnerable.

Thus, in a first aspect, a ground opener assembly adapted for attachment to a frame of a seeding implement is provided comprising:

• a parallel linkage comprising a front link, a rear link, and upper and lower parallel arms substantially parallel to one another, each pivotably attached to the front link and the rear link, the front link being attached to the frame of the seeding implement;

• a first opener for forming a furrow and dispensing a first material therein, the first opener being attached to the lower parallel arm between the front link and the back link;

• a second opener for forming a second furrow and dispensing a second material therein, the second opener being attached to the rear link; and

• a ground compressing member pivotably attached to the rear link and adapted to be fixed at a desired depth to control the depth of both the first opener and the second opener.

In one embodiment, the first opener comprises a first knife and the second opener comprises a second knife. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference numerals indicate similar parts throughout the several views, several aspects of the present invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in detail in the figures, wherein: Fig. 1 A is a schematic side view of one embodiment of a ground opener assembly of the present invention in operation on flat ground.

Fig. IB is an expansion of the depth controlling device of the ground opener assembly of Fig. 1A.

Fig. 1C is a perspective view of the ground opener assembly of Fig. 1 A. Fig. ID is a schematic view of a ground opener assembly showing its compact size.

Fig. 2A is a schematic side view of a ground opener assembly of the present invention operating on flat ground.

Fig. 2B is a schematic side view of a ground opener assembly of the present invention operating in a gully.

DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS EMBODIMENTS

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of various embodiments of the present invention and is not intended to represent the only embodiments contemplated by the inventor. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a comprehensive understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.

Fig. 1A is a schematic side view of an embodiment of a ground opener assembly 10 of the present invention. In this embodiment, the ground opener assembly 10 is a dual material dispensing ground opener assembly and is shown operating in flat field conditions with both ground openers positioned in the ground 2. It is understood that generally a plurality of ground opener assemblies are attached to a frame, which frame is hitched to a tractor and the assemblies are pulled by the tractor. Ground opener assemblies are attached to a common frame by frame bracket 4.

Ground opener assembly 10 comprises a first opener 12 having a first knife 16 for forming a first furrow in the ground and a first tube holder 18 for receiving a tube for dispensing a first material, for example, fertilizer, into the first furrow from a supply source. It is understood that fertilizer can be either in particulate, liquid and/or gaseous form. Ground opener assembly 10 further comprises a second opener 14 having a second knife 20 for forming a second furrow in the ground and a second tube holder 22 for receiving a tube for dispensing a second material (for example, seed) into the second furrow.

Ground opener assembly 10 further comprises a parallel linkage 24, which is comprised of a front link 30, a rear link 32, and two substantially parallel arms, an upper arm 26 and a lower arm 28. The upper arm 26 and lower arm 28 are pivotably attached to both the front link 30, by means of first front pivot 36 and second front pivot 38, respectively, and the rear link 32, by first rear pivot 40 and second rear pivot 42, respectively. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1A, each arm is curved in shape but it is understood that the arms can be straight as well. In one embodiment, shown in Fig. 1C, there are two upper arms, 26a, 26b, and two lower arms, 28a and 28b. In this embodiment, the first opener 12 is sandwiched in between the two lower arms 28a, 28b, and, thus, attached to both arms 28a, 28b.

Ground opener assembly 10 further comprises a ground compressing member 46, illustrated in Fig. 1A as comprising an elongated member 48 attached to rear link 32 at one end and packer wheel 50 attached to the opposite end. The depth of packer wheel 50 in ground 2 can be controlled by a slotted plate 52 having a plurality of differing positioned slots corresponding to differing depth settings so that the packer wheel 50 can be raised or lowered as needed. Fig. IB is an expansion of slotted plate 52. Once the depth setting is fixed, ground compressing member 46 controls the depths of first opener 12 and second opener 14. It will be appreciated, however, that a person skilled in the art would understand that alternative ground compressing members are also possible such as skids, pneumatic packers, semi-pneumatic packers, etc. In one embodiment, the ground compressing member is spaced from the second knife to allow soil to flow back over the seed.

First opener 12 is attached to lower arm 28 of parallel linkage 24 between the front link and the rear link 32. The first knife 16 of first opener 12 is of a length to ensure formation of a first furrow of a first depth. In one embodiment, first opener 12 is attached to lower arm 28 by means of pivot 54. Thus, in this embodiment, a biasing device 34 is further attached to first opener 12 to apply force to the first opener 12 when in operation. Chain 56 prevents first opener 12 from extending too far forward when pressure is being applied to it by the biasing device 34. In one embodiment, biasing device 34 is a double acting hydraulic cylinder such that when the double acting hydraulic cylinder compresses, the first opener 12 is lifted (pivots counter-clock-wise) thereby preventing first knife 16 from being damaged when it encounters an obstacle such as a rock. It is understood, however, that biasing device 34 can be a single acting hydraulic cylinder, a pneumatic cylinder, a biasing spring or other biasing devices known in the art. It is further understood that first opener 12 could be fixedly attached to lower arm 12.

In one embodiment, the first opener 12 is attached to lower parallel arm 28 at a position about 7/8 along the length of lower parallel arm 28 away from the front parallel link 30. In another embodiment, the first opener 12 is attached to lower parallel arm 28 at a position about 3/4 along the length of lower parallel arm 28 away from the front parallel link 30. In another embodiment, the first opener 12 is attached to lower parallel arm 28 at a position about 2/3 along the length of lower parallel arm 28 away from the front parallel link 30. In another embodiment, the first opener 12 is attached to lower parallel arm 28 at a position about ½ along the length of lower parallel arm 28 away from the front parallel link 30. Second opener 14, e.g., for dispensing a second material, such as seed, to a second depth, which depth is preferably different from the first depth of first opener 12, is rigidly mounted to the rear link 32 such that the two openers are properly spaced from one another to ensure that the fertilizer and seed are substantially consistently vertically and horizontally spaced from one another to avoid burning of the seed by the fertilizer and to provide enough space between both knives for residue to flow around the knives. Because the first opener 12 is positioned forward on the lower arm 28, the second opener 14 can then be positioned closer to the frame without compromising the necessary space between the two openers. Thus, the length of the overall ground opener assembly 10 is significantly less than conventional trailing arms or parallel links. This provides a reduction in stress on the assembly and reduced weight and cost of the ground opener assembly. Fig. ID shows the compact nature of the ground opening assembly of the present invent. In this embodiment, the overall length is 58.86 inches, which is approximately 14.9 inches shorter than prior art dual opener trailing arms, which are typically 73.75 inches in overall length.

Figs. 2A and 2B illustrate an additional advantage of having a shortened ground opener assembly. Fig. 2A shows an embodiment of a ground opener assembly 210 of the present invention when it is being pulled over flat ground. Ground opener assemblies are attached to a frame via frame brackets 204. The vertical distance between the seed and the fertilizer is ¾ of an inch. Fig. 2B shows the same ground opener assembly being pulled through a gully. Because of the shorter length of the ground opener assembly 210, i.e., because both the first opener 212/first knife 216 and second opener 214/second knife 220 are positioned closer to the frame, the first opener relative oil depth is reduced as the ground compressing member reaches the deep depression (gully) in the ground, thereby reducing stress on the first opener when it is reaching and more vulnerable.

The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to those embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular, such as by use of the article "a" or "an" is not intended to mean "one and only one" unless specifically so stated, but rather "one or more". All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various embodiments described throughout the disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are intended to be encompassed by the elements of the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims.

Claims

1. A ground opener assembly adapted for attachment to a frame of a seeding implement comprising: a parallel linkage comprising a front link, a rear link, and upper and lower parallel arms substantially parallel to one another, each arm pivotably attached to the front link and the rear link, the front link being attached to the frame of the seeding implement; a first opener for forming a furrow and dispensing a first material therein, the first opener being attached to the lower parallel arm between the front link and the back link; a second opener for forming a second furrow and dispensing a second material therein, the second opener being attached to the rear link; and a ground compressing member pivotably attached to the rear link and adapted to be fixed at a desired depth to control the depth of both the first opener and the second opener.

2. The ground opener assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the first opener and second opener comprises a knife for forming the furrow.

3. The ground opener assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ground compressing member is a packer wheel.

4. The ground opener assembly as claimed in claim 1, the first opener being attached to the lower parallel arm by means of a pivot, further comprising a biasing device attached to the first opener to apply a downward force to the first opener when the seeding implement is in operation.

5. The ground opener assembly as claimed in claim 4, wherein the biasing device is a double acting hydraulic cylinder.

6. The ground opener assembly as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first opener dispenses fertilizer and the second opener dispenses seed, the first opener being vertically and horizontally spaced from the second opener to avoid burning of the seed by the fertilizer and to provide enough space between both knives for residue to flow around the knives.

7. The ground opener assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first opener is attached to the lower parallel arm at a position about 7/8 along the length of the lower parallel arm away from the front link.

8. The ground opener assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first opener is attached to the lower parallel arm at a position about 3/4 along the length of the lower parallel arm away from the front link.

9. The ground opener assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first opener is attached to the lower parallel arm at a position about 2/3 along the length of the lower parallel arm away from the front link.

10. The ground opener assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first opener is attached to the lower parallel arm at a position about ½ along the length of the lower parallel arm away from the front link.