U.S. patent application number 15/480652 was filed with the patent office on 2017-09-28 for broadcast spreader with swath manipulation.
The applicant listed for this patent is Highway Equipment Company. Invention is credited to Benjamin D BOELTER, Michael J PODOLL, Don S SAMUELSON.
Application Number | 20170274397 15/480652 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 58671302 |
Filed Date | 2017-09-28 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170274397 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
PODOLL; Michael J ; et
al. |
September 28, 2017 |
BROADCAST SPREADER WITH SWATH MANIPULATION
Abstract
A spreader with a material divider that is adjustable from side
to side so as to change a percentage of a stream of material which
flows through portions of the material divider and also supports
and moves laterally with a spinner while the spinner is adjustable
longitudinally. The geometry of spread patterns can be adjusted by
laterally manipulating the location of the material divider.
Inventors: |
PODOLL; Michael J; (Marion,
IA) ; SAMUELSON; Don S; (Laurent, IA) ;
BOELTER; Benjamin D; (Cedar Rapids, IA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Highway Equipment Company |
Cedar Rapids |
IA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
58671302 |
Appl. No.: |
15/480652 |
Filed: |
April 6, 2017 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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13569861 |
Aug 8, 2012 |
9649646 |
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15480652 |
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61548050 |
Oct 17, 2011 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B05B 7/0815 20130101;
A01C 15/122 20130101; E01C 19/203 20130101; A01C 15/00 20130101;
A01C 15/006 20130101; A01C 17/008 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B05B 7/08 20060101
B05B007/08 |
Claims
1. A method of distributing matter comprising the steps of:
providing a vehicle, having a longitudinal axis substantially in
line with a non-turning direction of travel; providing a source of
matter to be distributed; providing an adjustable material divider
which is configured to be moved laterally with respect to said
longitudinal axis; providing a plurality of spinners configured to
rotate; and receiving a stream of matter which is to be broadcast
and adjustably dividing variable amounts of the stream to be
incident upon each of said plurality of spinners as to provide a
variable broadcast swath shape characteristic.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: adjusting
fore and aft a drop point of matter upon said plurality of
spinners.
3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: providing
said material divider so that said stream of matter is diverted and
moved laterally by an adjustable amount as to provide a variable
broadcast swath shape characteristic.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: causing
the vehicle to move in a substantially straight line and adjusting
a location of the adjustable material divider as the vehicle moves
so as to create a broadcast pattern with a variable shape.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the variable shape is asymmetric
with regard to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.
6. The method of claim 4 further comprising the steps of: adjusting
the drop point of matter on said plurality of spinners by moving
the plurality of spinners fore and aft while the vehicle is in
motion.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein said step of adjusting a location
of the adjustable material divider and adjusting the drop point of
matter is done in response to a determination of a then current
location of the vehicle using global positioning system (GPS)
receivers.
8. The method of claim 6 wherein said step of adjusting a location
of the adjustable material divider and adjusting the drop point of
matter is done in response to one of vehicle positioning, vehicle
speed, application rate, material attributes, and swath shape
requirements.
9. The method of claim 7 further comprising the steps of: adjusting
a flow rate of said stream of matter to be broadcast.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein said step of adjusting a flow
rate comprises automatically adjusting a conveyor flow rate to
maintain rate coverage.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of adjustably dividing
variable amounts of the stream to be incident upon each spinner is
adjustable between 0% to 100% of the stream of material.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of providing a source
of matter to be distributed originates from a plurality of
sources.
13. A method of distributing matter comprising the steps of:
providing a vehicle, having a longitudinal axis substantially in
line with a non-turning direction of travel; providing, on said
vehicle, a source of matter to be distributed; providing, on said
vehicle, an adjustable material divider which is configured to be
moved laterally with respect to said longitudinal axis, so that
said matter is diverted and moved laterally by an adjustable
amount; providing, on said vehicle, a plurality of spinners
configured to rotate; and providing, on said vehicle, a stream of
matter, with an adjustable flow rate, which is to be broadcast and
adjustably dividing variable amounts of the stream to be incident
upon each of said plurality of spinners as to provide a variable
broadcast swath shape characteristic.
14. The method of claim 13 where said step of providing, on said
vehicle, a stream of matter comprises the steps of: adjusting a
conveyor flow rate for enabling variations in rate coverage.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein said step of adjusting a
conveyor flow rate comprising the steps of: automatically adjusting
said conveyor flow rate to maintain a prescribed coverage
characteristic.
16. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:
adjusting fore and aft a drop point of matter upon said plurality
of spinners.
17. The method of claim 16 further comprising the step of:
adjusting the drop point of matter on said plurality of spinners by
moving the plurality of spinners fore and aft while the vehicle is
in motion.
18. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:
adjusting a flow rate of said stream of matter to be broadcast.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of the filing date of
the non-provisional patent application with the same title and
filed by the same inventors on Aug. 8, 2012, and having Ser. No.
13/569,861 and the filing date of the provisional patent
application with the same title and filed by the same inventors on
Oct. 10, 2011, and having Ser. No. 61/548,050, which applications
are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0002] Spinner spreaders for granular, i.e. flowable material are
well known in the art, for agricultural application, lawn care and
road maintenance application. Typically, such spreaders are mounted
onto a truck body, truck chassis, trailer, or slid into a truck's
dump body. The spreader includes a material storage bin(s), a
conveyor system(s), metering method, and rotating spinners. The
conveyor systems transfer material from the storage bin(s) to the
spinners. The spinners broadcast the material across the field,
lawn, or road. Usually a single spinner or a pair of laterally
spaced spinners are provided with a material divider plate
positioned above the spinners to direct the material from the
discharge end of the conveying means onto the spinners.
[0003] Many factors influence the spreading of granular materials
and uniform distribution of the particles. They include the size,
shape, hardness, density, and volumetric flow rate of the material
particles. The diameter of the spinner disk or fan, the speed of
the spinner disk, the radial angle of the fins, the loft angle,
friction factors also among others that influence the spreading of
material. As taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,281 to Rissi, many of
these factors can be accounted for by adjusting the drop point of
material onto the spinning disks. This patent is hereby
incorporated herein in its entirety by this reference.
[0004] Spreader manufacturers are constantly trying to improve the
value of their spreaders by increasing the amount of acres spread
per hour. The vehicles carrying or towing the spreader are
operating at a higher speed to cover more acres per day. More
importantly, the manufacturers are developing spreaders capable of
uniform symmetrical distribution over a wider swath width. Wider
patterns result in less use of expensive fuel, less soil
compaction, and less time spent spreading each acre. The result is
a significantly higher return on investment for those using this
equipment. These types of spreaders are typically broadcast
spreaders with two spinner disks.
[0005] Global positioning systems (GPS) and automatic steering
systems are able to guide the vehicles accurately through field and
help maintain uniform coverage of materials. However, in order to
cover the field area completely, the wider spread patterns of a
broadcast spreader make it difficult to avoid overlapping areas or
spreading into areas that should be avoided. Likewise, spreading on
irregular shaped fields may result in inadequate coverage when the
spreading vehicle is approaching areas at an angle that is not
perpendicular to areas already covered. The difference in an
overlapping area to an area without coverage will show
significantly as plants are growing. In most cases, the applicator
makes sure that all areas are covered rather than skipping small
areas that are inefficient to cover. This results in using more
fertilizer and higher costs.
[0006] To some extent, the width of a symmetrical pattern with
regard to the center line of the carrying or towing vehicle can be
reduced by simply decreasing the amount of metered material
conveyed to the spinner in proportion to the reduced width in
combination with reducing the spinner rpm to throw the particles
less distance. High throughput spreaders producing wide flat top
patterns produce results with some compromise to a uniform spread
distribution unless the drop point of material onto the spinner
disks can be adjusted as taught in the '281 Rissi patent. European
spreaders typically producing a pyramid spread pattern can likewise
reduce the material flow and the spinner speed to result in a
lesser width.
[0007] Spreaders producing wide flat top patterns have the most
abrupt decline of the spread pattern at the outside edges of the
distribution. Because of this abrupt fall off of the pattern, flat
top patterns require the least amount of edge overlap to produce a
uniform distribution. At the same time, too much overlap of these
spreaders quickly produce areas that can double the intended rate
per area. Spreaders producing pyramid patterns have a generally
declining distribution from the centerline to the outside edges and
require an overlap equal to half of the total width. Pyramid
pattern spreader overlap errors have a more gradual effect.
[0008] When spreading the outside perimeter of a field, flat top
patterns also have a distinct advantage over the pyramid pattern
because of the more abrupt cutoff. To aid spreading around the
perimeter of the field, pyramid pattern spreaders usually use a
combination of mechanical deflectors, reduced spinner speed, and
reduced flow to produce an acceptable reduced width boundary
condition at one side of the centerline of the carrying or towing
vehicle.
[0009] Many of the pyramid pattern spreaders utilizing two spinner
disks are gravity fed. These spreaders rely on accurate placement
of fertilizer on to the spinner disk through an orifice directly
above each spinner. The throughput of these spreaders are limited
by how fast the material can gravity flow from a funnel shaped bin
through the restrictive orifice and on to the spinner. While they
can produce a wide pyramid pattern and the flow can be adjusted
easily, the orifice limits the speed of the carrying or towing
vehicle and overall throughput.
[0010] Many of the flat top pattern spinner spreaders rely on
accurate placement of fertilizer across a larger radial portion of
the fins on the spinner disk. As in the '281 patent, this accurate
placement is accomplished by positioning the spinners under a fixed
drop edge. Material conveyed from a bin can fall onto the guiding
drop edge without being restricted by a gravity fed orifice at the
bottom of a bin. These spreaders can produce a wide flat top
pattern with the conveying system capable of high flow rates and
high overall throughput.
[0011] The twin spinner gravity fed spreaders have an advantage of
varying the flow rate to each spinner by adjusting individual
orifices. If an asymmetrical pattern is desired for a field
boundary condition, an angled headland, an irregular field profile,
or a narrowed swath, the orifice is reduced and the spinner speed
is lowered to maintain the distribution rate for the narrower side
of the spread pattern. To accomplish the same in a twin spinner
conveyor fed spreader, some manufacturers have tried to position a
split gate upstream from the conveyor end. Another way of reducing
the flow to one spinner is to provide twin conveyors capable of
varying the amount of flow to each spinner. Doing so requires
independent control of each conveyor.
[0012] It is common for present day spinner spreaders to have
multiple product bins with conveying or metering systems for each
bin. This allows the user to spread multiple fertilizer or seeding
products in one pass down the field while constantly varying the
outputs to match the needs or capabilities of the soil, thus
producing the highest yield for the least amount of input costs and
gives the farmer a higher return on investment.
[0013] As taught in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,817,551 to Williams et al,
having the conveyors of each bin meter directly into a common
material gravity flow column allows multiple products to be mixed
without any other delay in transport. For common thinking,
combining multiple bins of a conveyor fed twin spinner spreader
with the need to meter the product independently to each spinner
would require a split conveyor for each bin. While electronics and
software can easily control doubling the number of conveyor
systems, the doubling of hydraulic motors, hydraulic valves,
sensors, conveyors, bearings, drive shafts, etc. are expensive, add
weight to the spreader, add volume to the drive components and take
away usable volume for the spreader bins, hurt hydraulic
efficiencies, etc. The increase in mechanical and hydraulic parts
increase repair items and the dense packaging of those components
would make access to the repair items more difficult.
[0014] Another way of solving the problem is to have independent
upstream orifice control, commonly accomplished and referred to as
a feed gate, which could meter material independently from each bin
unto conveyors feeding each spinner. This also creates a doubling
of mechanisms and requires movement of the gate to meter the
correct amount of product. Having the orifice upstream creates the
need to "look ahead" for the controls to anticipate changes in the
swath width and there is the need to determine master and slave
relationships between the conveyors and gates as metering is
accomplished by both speed and opening.
[0015] The increased swath widths and the limitations of
conventional dual spinner prior art create the need for a simple
method of metering product flow from each spinner spreader conveyor
bin to produce asymmetrical flow to each spinner to match
asymmetrical spreading conditions required for various field
boundary conditions.
[0016] Furthermore, there is also a need to create a simple method
to place product onto the spinner disk in a manner to permit
spreading to one side of the spreading vehicle allowing the product
to be spread into a field from a road, tramline, or as the spreader
is approaching a headland at a non-perpendicular angle.
[0017] The need for a simple method to do the above also needs to
be accomplished with minimum compromise to the spread pattern
coefficient of variation or restriction to the material flow.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0018] Accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention is
an improved particulate material spreader with a provision that
achieves proper placement of product onto a field, lawn or other
area in both symmetrical and asymmetrical patterns with
relationship to the line of travel.
[0019] Another objective of the present invention is to divide the
flow of product being delivered to twin spinners from a shared
conveyor in the same ratio as the asymmetry of the required spread
pattern.
[0020] Another objective of the present invention is to divide the
flow of product being delivered to twin spinners from shared
conveyors of multiple bin spreaders in the same ratio as the
asymmetry of the required spread pattern.
[0021] Another objective of the present invention is to divide the
flow of product being delivered to twin spinners by moving a
divider, fixed in location with respect to the spinner disks,
transversely beneath the flow of material leaving a conveyor
system.
[0022] Another objective of the present invention is to divide the
flow of product being delivered to twin spinners by moving a
divider, fixed in location with respect to the spinner disks,
transversely beneath the flow of material leaving a conveyor system
whereas the product flow is placed on the spinner disk at a point
that aids proper placement onto the field, lawn, or other area.
[0023] Another objective of the present invention is to combine the
benefits of dividing the flow into necessary ratios via the
transverse divider movement with independent fore and aft movement
of the spinner under the same divider to achieve proper placement
of material onto a field, lawn, or other area.
[0024] Another objective of the present invention is to is to
divide the flow of product being delivered to twin spinners by
moving a divider, fixed in location with respect to the spinner
disks, transversely beneath the flow of material leaving a conveyor
system whereas the product flow is placed on the spinner disk at a
point that aids proper placement onto the field while spreading
field boundaries.
[0025] The adjustable spinner of the present invention is adapted
for use with a spreader for broadcasting particulate material onto
a field, lawn, or other area. The spinner includes a frame which is
adapted to be adjustably mounted transversely beneath a conveyor
discharge. Fixed to the transversely adjustable frame is a material
divider above a pair of rotating spinner disks whereas the
transverse adjustment of the frame moves both the divider and disks
causing a split of material flow in any number of variable ratios
to each spinner disk in a ratio necessary to facilitate variable
asymmetric spread patterns. The position of the divider and
spinners relative to the conveyor discharge can be controlled,
either manually or automatically, with or without automatic
position feedback, by any number of means such as mechanical,
electrical, pneumatic, or hydraulic so as to adjust the ratio and
placement of material onto the spinners to accomplish any number of
symmetrical or asymmetrical patterns. The position of the divider
and spinners can be further aided by varied spinner rotational
speeds, independent of each other, to further aid definition of
spread pattern shape and position.
[0026] The present invention comprises:
[0027] A container containing flowable matter;
[0028] A carriage, which is movably coupled to the container;
[0029] A material divider which is movable with the carriage;
[0030] A spinner disk coupled to the carriage;
[0031] Means for simultaneously moving the carriage, in a first
direction, which is at an angle with respect to flowable matter
falling onto the material divider.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0032] FIG. 1 is an overview of truck mounted spreader with
material storage box, conveyor, divider, and spinner spreader, of
the prior art.
[0033] FIG. 2 is an overview of truck mounted spreader with
multi-compartment storage box, a plurality of conveying means,
divider, and spinner spreader, of the prior art.
[0034] FIG. 3 is an overview of angled headland showing variable
spread widths and a spreader.
[0035] FIG. 4 is a simplified top view of spinner, divider,
conveyor discharge for symmetrical spreading, of the present
invention.
[0036] FIG. 5 is a spread pattern symmetry associated with the
division of material in FIG. 4.
[0037] FIG. 6 is a simplified top view of spinner, divider, and
conveyor discharge for a spinner offset to divide the material flow
in a ratio of 2 to 1.
[0038] FIG. 7 is a spread pattern symmetry associated with the
division of material in FIG. 6.
[0039] FIG. 8 is a simplified top view of spinner, divider, and
conveyor discharge for a spinner offset to place all material onto
one spinner disk.
[0040] FIG. 9 is a spread pattern symmetry associated with the
division of material in FIG. 8.
[0041] FIG. 10 is a simplified top view of spinner, divider, and
conveyor discharge for a spinner offset to place all material onto
one spinner disk with divider placed to drop material later in the
rotation of the disk than FIG. 8.
[0042] FIG. 11 is a spread pattern symmetry associated with the
division of material in FIG. 10.
[0043] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of underside of present
invention noting basic frame structures.
[0044] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of present invention.
[0045] FIG. 14 is a longitudinal vertical cross section of the
present invention with details of supporting and actuating
means.
[0046] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of present invention.
[0047] FIG. 16 is a perspective view of underside of present
invention noting details of longitudinal movable frame.
[0048] FIG. 17 is a simplified top view of spinner with details of
divider, conveyor and spinner disk relationships.
[0049] FIG. 18 is a simplified top view of spinner with details of
divider, conveyor and spinner disk with spinner shifted.
[0050] FIG. 19 is a top view of spinner with details of vertical
dividers.
[0051] FIG. 20 is a diagrammatic overview of a control system for
the present invention.
[0052] FIG. 21 is a sectioned view of FIG. 2 showing detail of
conveyors, metering cylinders, and adjustable openings.
[0053] FIG. 22 is a depiction of a system of the present invention
in its intended environment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0054] Now referring to the drawings, wherein like numerals refer
to like matter throughout and more particularly referring now to
FIG. 1, which is a perspective view of a typical prior art truck
mounted spreader 10 comprising a single v-body hopper 11, an
endless conveyor 12 capable of transporting particulate material
from the hopper 11 through an adjustable opening or feed gate 13 to
the conveyor discharge end 14. Note: while an endless conveyor belt
is shown, slat conveyors, chain conveyors, augers or any suitable
means of conveying the flowable matter could be used. Mounted under
the conveyor discharge end 14 is a spinner spreader generally
designated 20. The spinner spreader 20 comprises two rotatable
spinner disks 21 with blades 22 that can accept metered material
flowing from the conveyor discharge end 14 and distribute the
particulate material onto a field, lawn, or road. Any number of
spinner disks more than one, could be used in the present
invention, two is merely an exemplary embodiment. (For example,
more could be used if subflow dividers were used for the main flow
and spinners were deployed at multiple levels). Between the spinner
spreader 20 and conveyor discharge end 14 is a material divider 25
that separates the material being discharged into columns of equal
measure for placement onto the spinner disks 21. Note: the material
divider 25 can have an open end or can have a rear panel limiting
the size of the flow. This material divider 25 may be adjustable
fore and aft to direct placement onto the spinner disks 21 in a
manner that affects when the particulate material leaves the disk
blades 22 and therefore, the placement of the particulate material
on the area being covered. As taught in Rissi patent '281, the
material divider 25 may also be fixed and the spinner spreader 20,
itself moveable fore and aft, to further affect the precise
placement of material on the area being covered.
[0055] Now referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 21, there is shown another
perspective view of a typical prior art truck mounted
multi-compartment spreader 30 comprising multiple material hoppers
32, 33, 39, and 40 with independent conveying means capable of
transporting particulate material from each hopper to a discharge
end. In the example shown, hoppers 32 and hopper 33 utilize endless
conveyors 34 and 36 and adjustable openings 37 and 38 similar to
the example in FIG. 1 to transport and meter material to the
conveyor discharge end 14. Hoppers 39 and 40 are mounted above, and
gravity feed particulate material to, metering cylinders 41 and 42.
These metering cylinders 41 and 42 and conveyor discharge ends 14
of the endless conveyors 34 and 36 all discharge material into the
same vertical space where the materials fall nearly unrestricted by
gravity on to a spinner spreader 20 as described earlier for the
single hopper spreader 10. Therefore, any change in the endless
conveyors 34 and 36 or meter cylinders 41 and 42 revolutions per
time will immediately and independently affect the volume of
material discharging from each hopper. Between the spinner spreader
20 and the conveyor discharge ends 14 and metering cylinders 41 and
42 is a material divider 25 that separates the material being
discharged into columns of equal measure as described earlier for
the single hopper spreader 10. Likewise, this divider 25 is
typically either adjustable fore and aft or fixed as described for
the single hopper spreader 10.
[0056] For simplicity, the remainder of the detailed description
will use references for a typical truck mounted spreader 10
comprising a single v-body hopper 11. It shall remain understood
that the present invention can be employed by spreaders with any
number of material hoppers.
[0057] Now referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a somewhat
diagrammatic bird's eye view of a condition encountered by
spreaders in an agricultural setting where the field is in an
irregular shape. The angled headland 45 is being approached by a
truck mounted spreader 44, running parallel to the previous swath
46 that was spread. As the truck mounted spreader 44 enters the
acute angle formed by the headland 45 and parallel swath 46, the
need is to reduce the left hand spreading distance 47 from 100% to
0% from the centerline of travel 49 of the truck mounted spreader
44. Also, as the truck mounted spreader 44 enters the headland area
45, the right hand spread width 48 remains at 100% but with the
desired material being spread further and further from the
centerline of travel 49. The condition described and shown is also
encountered as spreaders traverse through grassy waterways or
spread around potholes and similar objects creating irregular
boundaries.
[0058] One should note that as the desired total width of the swath
formed by the right hand spreading distance 48 plus the left hand
spreading distance 47 is decreased, there is a corresponding need
to decrease the speed of the conveyor 12 or flow through a metering
device such as the adjustable opening 13 to maintain the desired
rate per acre.
[0059] Now referring to FIG. 4, there is shown a simplified bird's
eye view of the spinner spreader 20 with material divider 25,
rotatable disks 21, and conveyor discharge end 14 in position for
symmetrical spreading that is of similar geometry to that of the
prior art. In this case, the conveyor discharge end 14 is directly
placed over a referenced centerline 50, typically that of the
spreader vehicle centerline of travel 49. The material divider 25
is also centered to the referenced centerline 50 and therefore will
divide material coming from the conveyor discharge end 14 of one or
more conveyors into equal amounts onto each spinner disk 21. With
volume and placement of the particulate material is divided equally
and for each spinner disk 21 turning at the same revolutions per
minute, the resulting distribution onto the field, lawn, or roadway
will be symmetrical from the referenced centerline 50.
[0060] Now referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a simplified
representation of the resulting spread pattern of a spinner
apparatus with the relationship between conveyor discharge end 14,
divider 25, and spinner disks 21 as shown in FIG. 4 if tested to a
known standard such as ASABE S341.4.
[0061] Now referring to FIG. 6, there is shown a simplified bird's
eye view of the present invention including a spinner spreader 20
with material divider 25, rotatable disks 21, and conveyor
discharge end 14 in position for asymmetrical spreading. In this
case, the conveyor discharge end 14 is directly placed over a
referenced centerline 50, typically that of the spreader vehicle
centerline of travel 49. The spinner spreader centerline 51 with
material divider 25, and spinner disks 21, is offset from the
referenced centerline 50 to divide the material flow to 2/3 to the
right hand material divider opening 55 and 1/3 to the left hand
material divider opening 56 and spread 75% of the original total
width or 100% of the original right hand width 48 and 50% of the
original left hand width 47. Note: the offset of the material
divider 25 is accomplished by a mechanism (not shown) which can
move it from side to side. With a corresponding change to 75% of
the original conveyor revolutions per minute, the volume of divided
material passing through the right hand material divider opening 55
and onto the spinner remains equal to that of the symmetrical
pattern described and shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. Likewise, the
volume of divided material falling to the left hand material
divider opening 56 is reduced to 50% (33% of width multiplied by
75% of the conveyor discharge rate) of the original volume to
correspond to the desired reduced left hand width 47.
[0062] Now referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a simplified
representation of the resulting spread pattern of a truck mounted
spreader 440, of the present invention, with a spinner apparatus
with the relationship between conveyor discharge end 14, divider
25, and spinner disks 21 as shown in FIG. 6, if tested to a known
standard such as ASABE S341.4.
[0063] FIG. 8 is a simplified view of a portion of truck mounted
spreader 440 with spinner 20, divider 25, side deflector 26, and
conveyor discharge end 14 for asymmetrical spreading. In this case,
the conveyor discharge end 14 is directly placed over a referenced
centerline 50, typically that of the spreader vehicle centerline of
travel 49. The material divider 25, along with the spinner disks
21, is offset to divide the material flow 100% to the right hand
material divider opening 55 and 0% to the left hand material
divider opening 56 and spread 50% of the original total width or
100% of the original right hand width 48 and 0% of the original
left hand width 47. With a corresponding change to 50% of the
original conveyor revolutions per minute, the volume of material
passing through the right hand material divider opening 55 and onto
the spinner remains equal to that of the symmetrical pattern
described and shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. Likewise, the volume of
material falling to the left hand material divider opening 56 is
reduced to 0% of the original volume to correspond to the desired
left hand width 47.
[0064] FIG. 9 is a simplified representation of the resulting
spread pattern of truck mounted spreader 440 with a spinner
apparatus with the relationship between conveyor discharge end 14,
divider 25, and spinner disks 21 as shown in FIG. 8, if tested to a
known standard such as ASABE S341.4.
[0065] Now referring to FIG. 10, when the truck mounted spreader
440 with a material divider center of symmetry 51 which is offset
from the conveyor centerline 50 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, a simple
deflector 26 is used to keep material funneled into the material
divider 25. Because the material divider opening 55 is offset from
the original column of material coming from the conveyor discharge
end 14, this also creates a heavier flow near the right hand edge
57 of the right hand material divider opening 55 as shown in FIGS.
6 and 8. This material is placed closer to the inside of the
corresponding disk 21 rotating in the direction shown, requires
more rotation before it leaves the disk 21, and is therefore thrown
further away from the referenced centerline 50 at a distance
defined by material shape, size, density, and by the rotational
speed of the spinner disk itself.
[0066] Likewise, the hinged deflector 26 hangs vertically and keeps
the reduced column to the left hand material divider opening 56
concentrated to the right hand edge of the left hand material
divider opening 56. The natural effect of shifting the material
divider 25 therefore places most of the material to the outside of
the left hand spinner disk 21 where it interacts with the blades 22
on the disk 21 rotating in the direction shown and is distributed
after a small amount of disk rotation. The landing point of this
particulate material is therefore directly behind the spreader
without large dependence on material shape, size, density, or by
the rotational speed of the spinner disk itself.
[0067] By utilizing a fixed divider 25 and longitudinally movable
spinner frame as described in the Rissi '281 patent, the shape and
distribution of the particulate material can be further influenced
to meet the needs of various asymmetrical conditions. In FIG. 10,
the divider 25 and spinner disks 21 are shifted completely to one
side and the longitudinally movable spinner frame is moved further
under the conveyor discharge end 14 which places material on the
spinner disk 21 and blades 22 later in rotation. The resulting
simplified representation of the spread pattern in FIG. 11 shows
that the spread pattern onto the field can be shifted completely to
the side of the centerline of travel 49 with correct fore and aft
and side to side positioning of the spinner disks 21.
[0068] In the preferred embodiment of the invention a spinner
spreader generally designated 20 is mounted below a conveyor
discharge end 14 of one or more conveying and metering means. As
noted earlier and for the simplicity of describing the present
invention, the remainder of the detailed description will use
references, unless otherwise noted, for a typical truck mounted
spreader 10 comprising a single v-body hopper 11. It shall remain
understood that the present invention can be employed by spreaders
with any number of material hoppers.
[0069] Typically the material transported by the endless conveyor
12 passes through an adjustable opening 13. The conveyor(s), and
metering cylinders of a multi-compartment spreader, are fixed
longitudinally and vertically centered with respect to each other
to discharge a stream of particulate material onto the spinner
disks 21 of the spinner spreader 20.
[0070] In FIG. 12, the spinner spreader 20 contains subcomponents
of the main spinner supporting frame generally denoted 60, a
transversely movable spinner frame generally denoted 70, a
longitudinally movable spinner frame generally denoted 80, a means
to move the transversely movable spinner frame 70 side to side and
a means to move the longitudinally movable spinner 80 frame fore
and aft.
[0071] Referring to FIGS. 13 thru 16, the main spinner supporting
frame 60 is attached fixedly to the spreader 10 and is stationary
with respect to the conveyor discharge end 14 or any plurality of
conveying or metering means. The main spinner supporting frame 60
has one or more guiding 61 and supporting means 62 for the
transversely movable spinner frame 70. Attached to the main spinner
supporting frame 60 are material deflectors 63 to keep particulate
material from being cast forward from rotating spinner disks 21
into the spreader supporting chassis.
[0072] The transversely movable spinner frame generally denoted 70
comprises a frame 71, one or more guiding 72, supporting 73, and
captivating means 74 that interact with the guiding 61 and
supporting means 62 of the main spinner frame 60 and a material
divider 25 that is fixed to the transversely movable spinner frame
70. The transversely movable spinner frame 70 in turn supports the
longitudinally movable spinner frame generally denoted 80 via one
or more guiding 81 and supporting means 82.
[0073] The longitudinally movable spinner frame generally denoted
80 comprises a frame 89 that is supported by the transversely
movable spinner frame 70, one or more guiding 81, supporting 82,
and captivating 83 means that interact with the guiding 72 and
supporting 73 means of the transversely movable spinner frame 70.
Mounted to each side of the longitudinally movable spinner frame
are spinner motors 84. The spinner motors 84 rotate the spinner
disks 21 and the attached spinner blades 22. Material falling from
conveyor discharge end 14 passes through the material divider 25,
onto the disks 21, and are broadcast from the blades 22. The
longitudinally movable spinner frame 80 also supports spinner disk
speed sensors 85 capable of monitoring the disk rotational
speed.
[0074] Mounted between the main frame 60 and transversely movable
frame 70 is a linear actuator 75 that is sufficient in size to
shift the transversely movable frame 70 from side to side along the
guiding means 72 and supporting means 73 so as to divide the
material flow from the conveyor discharge end 14 into infinitely
variable ratios between 0:100 and 100:0 whereas the position for a
symmetrical spread pattern, generally seen in FIG. 4, divides the
material to a 50:50 ratio. In the preferred embodiment, the linear
actuator 75 is a hydraulic cylinder with an internal
magnetoresistive sensor 76 capable of providing position feedback
to a control system generally shown in FIG. 20. Whereas anyone
skilled in the art of actuators will also understand that the
hydraulic cylinder linear actuator 75 and sensor 76 could be
replaced with any number of actuating devices and sensors that take
a like form, such as an electric actuator or pneumatic cylinder
with a potentiometer or LVT sensor.
[0075] Mounted between the transversely movable frame 70 and the
longitudinally movable frame 80 is a linear actuator 86 that is
sufficient in size to shift the longitudinally movable frame 80
fore and aft along the guiding 81 and supporting 82 means so as to
place the material flow from the conveyor discharge end 14 and
passing through the material divider 25 onto the spinner disk 21 as
described in the Rissi '281 patent. In the preferred embodiment,
the linear actuator 86 is a hydraulic cylinder with an internal
magnetoresistive sensor 87 capable of providing position feedback
to a control system generally shown in FIG. 20. Whereas anyone
skilled in the art of actuators will also understand that the
hydraulic cylinder linear actuator 86 and sensor 87 could be
replaced with any number of actuating devices and sensors that take
a like form, such as an electric actuator or pneumatic cylinder
with a potentiometer or LVT sensor.
[0076] FIGS. 17-19 are overhead views of spinner 20, of the present
invention with details of other features related to aiding position
and directing the flow of material falling from the conveyor
discharge end. One should note that the material divider 25 forms
two symmetrical openings, the right hand material divider opening
55 and left hand material divider opening 56, that funnel material
to the spinner disks 21 below. Each divider opening is defined by
three walls. The first wall 90 is a forward sloped surface that
funnels material and defines the leading drop edge 91. The second
wall 92 is an inside sloped surface that rises to meet the inside
surface of the adjacent divider opening and defines both the
dividing edge 93 of the material stream and the outer drop edge 94
with respect to the spinner disk 21. The third wall 95 is the
outside surface that extends upward and away from the spinner
centerline 51. This outside surface 95 extends well beyond the
outer edges of the conveyor 14, and any metering cylinders of a
multi-compartment spreader, when the transversely movable frame 70
is centered with the conveyor 12.
[0077] As the transversely movable frame 70 is shifted to divide
all material to one of the openings designated 55 and 56, this
extended outside surface 95 interacts with the hinged deflector 26
to funnel the material through the opening and, to the most part,
towards the center of the spinner disk 21.
[0078] Also aiding positioning and directing the flow of material
falling from the conveyor discharge end 14 are one or more
generally vertical segmenting vanes 96 that keep the falling
material divided into channels during free fall from the conveyor
discharge end 14 to the material divider 25. To further aid
positioning and directing the flow of material falling from the
conveyor end 14 is a material divider backplate 97 that keeps the
column of falling material from deviating more than a set distance
from the leading drop edge 91 of the forward sloped surface 90.
This backplate 97 is removable to facilitate large flows exceeding
the opening areas defined by the three walls 90, 92, and 95 and
backplate 97.
[0079] Across the upper edge of the first wall that is the forward
sloped surface 90 is a pliable material that forms a seal 100
between the bottom of the discharge conveyor end 14 and the top of
the material divider 25 to further keep falling material within the
defined area of the three walls.
[0080] In this preferred embodiment, the drop edge 91 of the
forward sloped surface 90 is straight and perpendicular to the
conveyor centerline 50. It should also be understood that the shape
of this drop edge 91 and the angle to the conveyor centerline 50
can be modified to further shape the distribution and pattern of
the broadcast material. Likewise the distance between the spinner
disks 21 and the width of the inverted vee formed by the second
wall that is the inside sloped surface 92 of the material divider
25 can be modified to further shape the distribution and pattern of
the broadcast material.
[0081] U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,281 has enjoyed considerable success in
the industry. The systems and methods of that patent have been
manufactured and automated. The systems and methods of the present
invention can be readily automated with hardware similar to those
systems which currently automate the 281 patent. Of course it would
be necessary to include a transversely movable frame; an actuator;
a sensor or an actuator/sensor as well as software changes to
result in moving the transversely movable frame and longitudinally
movable frame to produce variations in spread patterns as discussed
above. It is believed that those skilled in the art of automating
the 281 patent could readily adapt such systems to carry out the
innovative aspects of the present invention. The following
discussion is provided as a summary of some of the control
requirements that may exist or components or features which could
be contemplated when automating the present invention.
[0082] Now referring to FIGS. 20 and 22, there are shown simplified
diagrammatic overviews of control system elements for the present
invention. The machine controller element generally designated 115
comprising electronics, software, and user interfaces. The machine
controller element 115 can take many different physical forms from
a single, stand alone box including all electronics, software and a
user interface, to a user interface 116 and a plurality of boxes
117 at different locations and with different functions. A machine
controller element 115 with a plurality of boxes 117 and a user
interface 116 are typically connected via ISO Bus or CAN Bus
networks. This machine controller element 115 processes information
and initiates machine actions based on external input elements
generally designated 110, empirically derived target elements
generally designated 120, and feedback from spreader device
elements generally designated 125.
[0083] The external input elements 110 comprises inputs that define
spreader position and speed through a Global Positioning System
(GPS) pictorially shown as a GPS satellite 112 and a GPS receiver
111. In combination with speed and position information, the
external input elements 110 also include variable symmetrical or
asymmetrical swath width definitions, variable rate nutrient
prescription files, nutrient material densities, and conveyor
metering volumetric constants inputs that are used by the machine
controller element 115 to meter the correct volume of material for
variable rates and swath widths. Material ID or named material
inputs are used for association with, and editing of, the
empirically derived target elements 120 as it is understood from
previous descriptions materials have unique size, shape, density,
and hardness that affect spread characteristics. These external
input elements 110 may be entered into the machine controller
element 115 via the user interface 116 or any number of devices,
wireless or wired to the controller element, such as laptop
computers, keyboards, phones, flash drives, memory cards, etc. that
are generally shown 113.
[0084] Empirically derived target elements 120 include information
needed to control symmetrical or asymmetrical variable swath widths
for named materials broadcast at variable rates. The type of
information contained in the empirically derived target elements
120 includes the spinner disk rpm for desired widths of a named
material as well as movable frame positions needed for desired
broadcast pattern symmetry. Empirically derived elements 120 are
determined by field tests common to prior art spreaders.
[0085] The spreader device elements 125 include drivers and
feedback for conveyor speed 126, independent spinner rpm 127,
transversely movable frame position 128, longitudinally moveable
frame position 129, and movable metering gate 130 per the needs of
the external driver elements 110 and empirically derived target
elements 120.
[0086] It is understood that all elements of FIG. 20 can be applied
to single or multi-compartment spreaders. Those skilled in the art
of designing automated broadcast spreader systems may create a
system which is different from those shown here however it is
believed that various modifications and changes to the systems
described could be made without deviating from the spirit and scope
of the present invention. The appended claims are intended to cover
such modifications and changes.
* * * * *