GB2144013A

GB2144013A - A distributing machine

Info

Publication number: GB2144013A
Application number: GB08415694A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Bernhard Steenken; Bernd Gattermann
Original assignee: Amazonen Werke H Dreyer SE and Co KG
Current assignee: Amazonen Werke H Dreyer SE and Co KG
Priority date: 1983-06-21
Filing date: 1984-06-20
Publication date: 1985-02-27
Also published as: GB8415694D0; DE3322200C1; DK301884D0; FR2548860B1; ATA199584A; FR2548860A1; GB2144013B; DK301884A; AT391786B

Abstract

A distributing machine for discharging pulverulent and granular material, more especially a sowing machine, includes at least one metering shaft driven by means of a base wheel through the intermediary of a regulating gear in the form of a free-running or free- wheel gear. In order to utilise the full operating range of the free- wheel gear for small and minute discharge quantities per unit area, a reduction gear (30) is disposed between the free-wheel gear (6) and the metering shaft (3). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A distributing machine The invention relates to a distributing machine for discharging pulverulent and/or granular or other material, such as a sowing machine or seed drill.

A distributing machine is disclosed in German Gebrauchsmuster (Utility Model) No. 78 03 419 wherein it is possible to regulate the speed/rpm of a metering shaft from "zero" up to a maximum speed continuously through the intermediary of a free-wheel gear. Because of the different speeds, varying quantities of material can be discharged per unit area.

There has been the misconception hitherto that minute quantities of material per unit area can be discharged by means of a freerunning gear by regulating the free-wheel gear down to its zero position. Theoretically, it is indeed possible to regulate-down the starting speed of the gear, or of the metering shaft, respectively, in a stepless manner by means of a free-wheel or free-running gear until the output shaft or the metering shaft, respectively, becomes stationary.

In practice, however, this is not possible because, in particular, it is also necessary for the set discharge quantity per unit area to be kept constant. The reason for this is that the ratio between the "roll-up angle" and the transport angle is displaced. What is understood by the term "roll-up angle" is the region in which the clamping members of the free-wheel gear devices align themselves and in which there is a certain amount of resilient deformation of the inner ring, the outer ring and the clamping members owing to the engagement of the clamping members. The output shaft of the ger is not yet conveyed further in this region. The resilient deformation of the inner ring, outer ring and clamping members is dependent upon torque and occurs without the inner ring being conveyed in the direction of rotation. This can already affect the degree of filling of the seed box.If the shaft is then rotated further over a large area, i.e. when the transport angle is correspondingly large, these deflections in the resilient region-which are dependent upon torque, inter alia-are not important. If, however, the transport angle is very small, with extremely small discharge quantities, this region of this resilient deformation, and the dependence upon torque associated therewith, are of considerable importance for the quantity discharged per unit area.

For this reason, it is very difficult to set extremely small discharge quantities per unit area by means of a free-wheel gear. In addition, the oil temperature of the oil present in the gear may also affect the first region of the roll-up angle while the clamping members are aligning themselves.

Moreover, the brochure entitled "Stegsted SLA SLG" also discloses a distributing machine having a mechanical stepped gear with sixty-four different gear steps. A reduction means is connected downstream of this stepped gear in order to improve the steppingdown graduation of this gear.

The invention seeks to utilise the full operating range of the free-wheel gear even for small and minute discharge quantities per unit area.

According to the present invention there is provided a distributing machine for discharging pulverulent and granular material or other material including at least one metering shaft driven by means of a base wheel through the intermediary of a regulating gear in the form of a free-wheel gear, characterised in that a reduction gear is disposed between the freewheel gear and the metering shaft.

By reducing the speed behind the outlet of the free-wheel gear, this measure permits a more advantageous ratio to be achieved between the roll-up angle and transport angle when small and minute discharge quantities are being discharged per unit area.

In one preferred embodiment, provision is made for two transmission gears to be disposed one behind the other in the reduction gear. If the two transmission gears remain with the same transmission ratio, it is possible for the effect of the reduction gear to be cancelled. This is necessary, in particular, when large discharge quantities per unit area need to be obtained.

In a drill, wherein the regulating gear is disposed on the outer surface of the distributing machine, and wherein the output shaft of the regulating gear is in alignment with the metering shaft, the invention provides that, on both sides of the housing of the regulating gear, the output shaft of the free-wheel gear protrudes from the housing beyond the bearing or bearing surfaces for the output shaft; a toothed wheel is non-rotatably disposed on the side of the output shaft remote from the metering shaft: the transmission shaft extends parallel to the output shaft; a toothed wheel is non-rotatably disposed on the transmission shaft and meshes with the toothed wheel disposed on the output shaft; an additional toothed wheel is non-rotatably disposed on the other end of the transmission shaft; this toothed wheel is in driving connection with a toothed wheel mounted on the output shaft of the free-wheel gear; this toothed wheel, which is rotatably mounted on the output shaft, includes a coupling member; and the metering shaft is connectable to a toothed wheel through the intermediary of this coupling member. This permits a very simple construction to be achieved, and the concept of the original free-wheel gear can be utilised.

The invention also provides that the intermeshing toothed wheels are disposed on their shafts in a detachable and interchangeable manner. The operating range of the regulating gear can thus be very easily changed. So that the toothed wheels are protected from dirt and other undesirable influences, the toothed wheels are disposed in an interchangeable cassette or module.

The invention should also include within its scope the possible feature that the reduction gear is in the form of either a change gear with detachable changeable wheels or a change-over gear.

The invention wiil be described further, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a distributing machine according to the invention; and Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the free-running gear taken along the line ll-ll of Fig. 1.

A material distributing machine includes a storage container 1 having a plurality of discharge apertures disposed transversely to the direction of travel indicated by the arrow 2. A known metering device (which is therefore not shown more fully) is provided externally of the storage container 1, and a metering wheel is disposed in front of each discharge aperture.

These metering wheels are non-rotatably disposed on a metering shaft 3, which is rotatably mounted on the storage container 1, the metering wheels being partially surrounded by the metering housings. The metering shaft 3, and hence the metering wheels, are driven by the base or ground running wheel 4 of the distributing machine through the intermediary of a chain drive 5 and by a regulating gear 6-the base wheel being in the form of running wheel 4, and the regulating gear 6 being in the form of a free-wheel gear.

An eccentric machanism 7 is disposed inside the regulating gear 6-in the form of a free-wheel gear and includes the three identical double eccentrics 9 which are disposed behind one another on the input shaft 8 and are secured on the input shaft 8, each eccentric being offset from one another by an angle of 60 . Three free-running or free-wheel gear devices 11 are disposed in line, one behind one another as viewed in Fig. 2, on the output shaft 10, and a lever arm 1 2 is disposed on each free-running device 11, said lever arm 1 2 being resiliently urgeable into contact with a respective double eccentric 9 by means of a spring.A self-locking, pivotally mounted eccentric 1 3 is also provided above the free-wheel gear devices 11 as an attachment means for the lever arms 1 2 and extends over all three lever arms 1 2. This eccentric 1 3 is provided with a setting or adjusting lever 1 4 which extends to a graduated scale 1 5. A stop 1 6 is disposed on the graduated scale 1 5 so as to be steplessly adjustable and lockable by means of the tommy or thumb screw 1 7. In the position illustrated, the adjusting lever 14 is in its zero position.In such a case, the region of the bearing surfaces of the eccentrics 1 3 at the locations where the lever arms 1 2 abut against the periphery of the eccentric, are at the furthest distance from the pivot point of the eccentrics 1 3. The portions of the lever arms 1 2 which are engageable with the double eccentrics 9 are thus raised to such an extent that they no longer come into contact with the double eccentrics 9, and the output shaft 10 of the regulating gear 6, and hence the metering wheels, remain stationary even when the running wheel 4 rotates.If the eccentric 1 3 is adjusted by pivoting it about its pivot by lever 14 to cause it to be raised, the point of abutment of lever 1 2 moves towards the pivot axis of the eccentrics to adjust the throw and operate gear 6.

The regulating gear 6 is in the form of a free-wheel gear and is disposed on the outside of the distributing machine by means of the holders 1 8. The output shaft 10 of the regulating gear 6 is in alignment with the metering shaft 3; said shaft 10 extends on both sides of the housing 1 9 of the regulating gear 6 and protrudes from housing 1 9 beyond the bearing surfaces 20 for the output shaft 1 0. A toothed wheel 21 is non-rotatably disposed on the side of the output shaft 10 remote from the metering shaft 3. The transmission shaft 22 extends in the housing 1 9 parallel to the output shaft 10 and is mounted on the tube 23 by means of bearing surfaces 24, said tube 23 being securely welded to the housing 19.The transmission shaft 22 also protrudes at both ends beyond its bearing surfaces. A toothed wheel 25 is non-rotatably disposed on the transmission shaft 22 and meshes with the toothed wheel 21 disposed on the output shaft 10. An additional toothed wheel 26 is non-rotatably disposed on the other end of the transmission shaft 22. This toothed wheel 26 is in driving connection with a toothed wheel 28 mounted on the output shaft of the regulating gear 6 by means of bearing 27. This toothed wheel 28 is freely rotatably mounted on the output shaft 10 and includes a coupling member 29. The metering shaft 3 is non-rotatably connected to the toothed wheel 28 through the intermediary of this coupling member 29. The metering shaft 3 is driven, therefore, by the output shaft 10 of the regulating gear 6 through the intermediary of the reduction gear 30 which comprises the toothed wheels 21, 25, 26 and 28 and the tranmission shaft 22.

The intermeshing toothed wheels 21 and 25 are detachably mounted on the shafts 10 and 22 by means of the pins 31. The shafts 10 and 22 have identical diameters, so that the toothed wheels 21 and 25 are disposed on the shafts and can be exchanged one for the other. Moreover, the transmission ratio between both the toothed wheels 21 and 25 and the toothed wheels 26 and 28 is identical; i.e. the toothed wheels 21 and 26, as well as 25 and 28, each have the same number of teeth. The toothed wheels 21 and 26 have a smaller number of teeth than the toothed wheels 25 and 28. The toothed wheels 21 and 25 may be disposed in an interchangeable cassette or module 32 indicated by dash-dot lines.

Fig. 2 illustrates the case where the reduction gear 30 reduces the speed of the output shaft 10 of the regulating gear 6 to "low"; i.e. the relatively high speed of the output shaft 10 is reduced by an amount corresponding to the transmission ratio, so that a lower speed results for the metering shaft 3. This permits substantially the true range of the regulating gear 6 n the form of a freerunning gear-to be utilised for small and minute discharge quantities.

If, however, large qualities are to be discharged by means of the distributing machine, the toothed wheels 21 and 25 need to be interchanged or exchanged. For this purpose, the toothed wheels 21 and 25 are removed from their shafts. The toothed wheel 21 is then disposed on the transmission shaft 22, and the toothed wheel 25 is then disposed on the output shaft 10. This then causes the effect of the reduction gear 30 to be cancelled, and the metering shaft 3 is driven at the same speed as the output shaft 10.

Claims

1. A distributing machine for discharging pulverulent and granular material or other material including at least one metering shaft (3) driven by means of a base wheel (4) through the intermediary of a regulating gear in the form of a free-wheel gear (6), characterised in that a reduction gear (30) is disposed between the free-wheel gear (6) and the metering shaft (3).

2. A distributing machine as claimed in claim 1, in which the reduction gear (30) includes at least one transmission gear (21, 25, 26, 28).

3. A distributing machine as claimed in claim 1 or 2, in which two transmission gears (21, 25, 26, 28) are disposed one behind the other in the reduction gear (30).

4. A distributing machine as claimed in claim 3, in which the two transmission gears (21, 25, 26, 28), which are disposed one behind the other, exhibit at least approximately the same transmission ratio.

5. A distributing machine as claimed in claim 3, in which the two transmission gears, which are disposed one behind the other, exhibit different transmission ratios.

6. A distributing machine as claimed in claim 1, in which the regulating gear (6) is disposed on the outer surface of the distributing machine, and wherein the output shaft (10) of the regulating gear (6) is in alignment with the metering shaft (3), characterised in that the output shaft (10) of the free-wheel gear (6) extends on both sides of the housing (19) of the regulating gear (6) and protrudes from the housing (19) beyond the bearing surfaces (20) for the output shaft (10); a toothed wheel (21) is non-rotatably disposed on the side of the output shaft (10) remote from the metering shaft (3); the transmission shaft (22) extends parallel to the output shaft (10); a toothed wheel (25) is non-rotatably disposed on the transmission shaft (22) and meshes with the toothed wheel (21) disposed on the output shaft (10); an additional toothed wheel (26) is non-rotatably disposed on the other end of the transmission shaft (22) and this toothed wheel (26) is in driving connection with a toothed wheel (28) mounted on the output shaft (10) of the freewheel gear (6); the toothed wheel (28), which is rotatably mounted on the output shaft (10), includes a coupling member (29); and the metering shaft (3) is connectable to the toothed wheel (28) through the intermediary of this coupling member (29).

7. A distributing machine as claimed in claim 1, in which a toothed wheel (21) is disposed on the output shaft shaft (10) of the free-wheel gear (6); this toothed wheel (21) is in driving connection with a toothed wheel disposed on the metering shaft (3); and these two toothed wheels have a different number of teeth.

8. A distributing machine as claimed in claim 6 or 7, in which the intermeshing toothed wheels (21, 25) are disposed on their shafts (10, 22) in a detachable and interchangeable manner.

9. A distributing machine as claimed in claim 8, in which these toothed wheels (21, 25) are disposed in an interchangeable cassette (32).

10. A distributing machine as claimed in claim 1, in which the reduction gear (30) is in the form of a changeable wheel gear with detachable changeable wheels (21, 25).

11. A distributing machine as claimed in claim 1, in which the reduction gear is in the form of a change-over gear.

12. A distributing machine substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.