WO2025021289A1

WO2025021289A1 - Distribution device for sowing seeds in individual holes

Info

Publication number: WO2025021289A1
Application number: PCT/EP2023/070479
Authority: WO
Inventors: Nicolas Santi; Julio Rodríguez; Maximiliano Neri
Original assignee: Bioceres Group Plc
Priority date: 2023-07-24
Filing date: 2023-07-24
Publication date: 2025-01-30

Abstract

The invention relates to the area of agricultural seeders with the aim of reducing the power of the tractor driving the machine, soil compaction and better use of the land being worked. Possible embodiments are presented that allow generating a hole for a single seed to be deposited therein, either by using a hollow punch (4) or a hollow drill (5) and ensuring that the hole, through which the seed falls, is not plugged. In some cases, a cyclic and autonomous air arrangement is used and in others the synchronization of electric motors is used for selecting and ejecting a single seed. An optical sensor (20) is included acting on the speed of the motors to ensure that a seed is always deposited in all the holes drilled.

Description

“DISTRIBUTION DEVICE FOR SOWING SEEDS IN INDIVIDUAL HOLES”

SPECIFICATION

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention is included within the scope of agricultural implements, in particular the equipment used for sowing on large extensions of land, which are generally configured with a multiplicity of sowing units and which normally have a structure pulled by a tractor of sufficient power, or by an autonomous vehicle developed for agricultural use that can perform different types of tasks.

STATE OF THE ART AND PROBLEMS TO RESOLVE

From the beginning of mechanized agriculture, sowing systems for extensive crops such as cereals (wheat, com, barley, rye, etc.) and oilseeds (soybean, sunflower, rapeseed, safflower, etc.) have been based on pre-tilling the soil and placing the seeds with a predetermined spacing, in longitudinal furrows, with adequate space between them, depositing the seeds at a certain depth for each species and placing the seeds at a predetermined depth for each species and ensuring good contact with the soil, in order to leave it in good germinating conditions.

In these systems, the expected sowing density is obtained by combining the distance between seeds within each furrow, and the spacing between furrows. The latter is generally determined by the characteristics of the sowing unit and the tractor equipment used by the system. This restriction prevents the establishment of the ideal spacing between furrows.

Another restriction of this system, which we will call “conventional,” based on the idea of sowing in furrows, is the high power consumption in the preparation of the “seedbed”. Soil tillage with primary tillage implements (plows that invert the root ball) and secondary tillage (breaking up the soil into small pieces with disc systems, tines, etc.) involves high energy expenditure and causes soil erosion.

With the arrival of no-till farming, primary and secondary tillage was eliminated. It is planted without prior preparation of the seedbed, on the remainder of the previous crop, or on the natural field. No-till farming reduced power consumption per hectare planted and had a very favorable impact on the sustainability of agricultural systems. It substantially reduced the carbon footprint, both through fuel savings, and through the recovery of organic matter from soils, which implies CO2 capture from the air through plant photosynthesis.

However, no-till farming continued to use the traditional system of planting crops by opening furrows and placing the seed in them. In the absence of previous preparation of the seedbed, it was necessary to develop the art to open these furrows on uncultivated soil, while at the same time cutting and separating the stubble or pre-existing vegetation. Advances on the subject were consistent, allowing for rapid dissemination of the system.

However, this system also has a high power requirement, as it is necessary to cut the stubble and open the furrow on a field that has not been previously prepared. This led to the need to ballast the planters; otherwise, they would not have enough weight to cut through the plant residue and open the furrow. This power requirement necessitates the use of high-powered tractors, which in turn require wheels of sufficient width and equipped with “lugs” to improve traction and reduce skidding. In addition, as a result of this requirement, a restriction appears for the narrowing of the distance between furrows. Therefore, in order to achieve the desired sowing densities, the distance between plants within each furrow is reduced.

This hinders a uniform distribution of plants, which creates several agronomic disadvantages: for a desired density of 80,000 plants per hectare, when the furrows are spaced at 52 cm apart, the seeds must be placed 20 cm apart. This non-uniform distribution leads to competition between plants, weed growth in free spaces, less use of radiation and nutrients, water evaporation, etc. The advantages of uniform spacing are well known.

A solution to reduce tractor power and soil compaction is presented in Argentine patent application “AR20220102975”, whereby a multiplicity of motive means are used to cut the accumulated stubble from the last harvest and open the furrow for the deposit of seeds and/or fertilizers, and even the capping wheel and/or the leveling wheels act as traction wheels for the body, driving the whole unit forward. There are also other solutions in the current state of the art which not only enable the reduction of the necessary power of the vehicle or tractor that pulls the sower, but also ensure the depth at which the seeds are deposited and which affect the soil less, since instead of opening a furrow to deposit them, as the previous document does, they make a hole at an equidistant distance from each other in which they deposit a single seed. Obviously, the efficiency of the system depends on the mechanical system used to produce the hole in the ground. For example, the American publication “US2020128724A1” presents a sowing system that does not produce a continuous trench, but rather uses an actuator coupled to a shaft to generate a hole to place a seed, ensuring that the tip of the seed is downward, so that the seed sprouts upward, facilitating its growth. The placement of the seeds at the same depth is ensured by controlling the depth at which the shaft that generates the hole is inserted. US Patent “US8061282B2” presents an implement with a hollow tube through which seeds or fertilizer grains can be provided, whose tip ends at an angle and which acts as a tool to perforate the soil equidistantly and in the direction of advancement of the implement. The repetitive cyclical motion of the tool is driven by a cam that is rotatably mounted with respect to the machine frame. Another solution is proposed in patent application “US2022124966A1”, which has a shaft configured to create a hole in the ground for each of the seeds and a mechanism that prevents a new seed from entering until the shaft retracts after generating the hole.

There is therefore a need to introduce innovations to reduce the pulling power of the vehicle or tractor that pulls the seeder, to achieve more efficient sowing without affecting soil conditions as much as current sowing systems do, and to make better use of the land to be sown, either by reducing the distance between furrows by not using the usual leveling or capping wheels, or by creating new devices that create a hole in the ground.

It is therefore an aim of the invention to achieve the sowing of seeds in large plots without affecting the soil as much as the traditional sowing system does.

It is another object of the invention to reduce soil compaction by reducing the weight of the sowing equipment by avoiding ballasting the machine to ensure penetration of the sowing units and the use of lugs on the tires of the tractor pulling the seeder.

It is another aim of the invention to reduce power consumption by avoiding stubble cutting and furrow opening, thus being able to use tractors with lower power.

It is yet another aim of the invention to achieve uniformity in sowing depth in order to ensure a more even emergence, avoiding competition between dominant and dominated plants.

And it is yet another aim of the invention that it does not require having seed metering devices prior thereto.

And it is still another aim of the invention to be able to change the angle at which the hole in the ground is created. And it is still another aim of the invention to be able to use different tools for the creation of the hole.

And it is yet another aim of the invention to have an electronic controller that enables synchronization of the actuation of the different actuating motive means with the forward speed of the machine and the quantity of seeds to be sown to ensure an equidistant distance between the planted seeds.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This invention resolves the disadvantages currently present in conventional sowing systems, since it does not use the furrow opening system but a device - which can present different preferred forms of realization - that opens holes in the soil in which the seeds are placed individually, and at the same depth. In addition, nutrients, water, retention agents, growth promoters and soil conditioners can also be added at the point of sowing itself, making seed contact much more precise and avoiding nutrient loss by leaching (deep flushing by rainwater) in the early stages of cultivation. This happens because the roots develop from the seed, so it makes no sense to place fertilizers along a furrow at the time of seeding. Most of it will only be used when the root mass expands uniformly in the soil. At the same time, the power of the tractor pulling the machine is reduced because it is not necessary to cut the stubble, nor is it necessary to ballast the machine to ensure the opening of the sowing furrow, thus reducing soil compaction.

The object of the invention can be configured in various ways and can replace the classic system of discs and wheels for stubble cutting, leveling or furrow fillers that are used in conventional sowing systems. As a result of the removal of these elements, it is also possible to reduce the spacing between furrows, and therefore, a better use of the area to be planted and an increase in the productivity of the process.

A first preferred form of implementation consists of the use of a seed loading and firing module into which the seeds enter from a hopper using gravity, and which has in its interior a seed storage space, and through the action of an electric motor which rotates a perforated drum, this allows a single seed to enter a firing chamber and through an original cyclic and autonomous air compression system, generated by a second electric motor, this drives the seed to fall through a semi-rigid duct to a tool that generates a hole and which has a hole at its lower end, through which the seed exits and is deposited into the soil. Additionally, there is an optical sensor at the entrance of the firing chamber that ensures that a seed always falls into the open hole, and this differs from the systems belonging to the current state of the art, which only detect the failure to load a seed to be deposited in the hole, but do not have the capacity to resolve the problem.

The tool that produces the hole in the ground may be of two different types, as the characteristics of the soil may require. The first is a hollow punch through which the seed falls to the ground, and the second is a hollow drill bit which contains a hollow tube through which the seed falls, and which features an innovative mechanism to prevent plugging the seed exit hole.

The two tools mentioned are operated vertically by an electromagnetic actuator, also called a linear motor, mounted on a support linked to the tool bar and which enables the generation of the hole, since its function is to introduce the tool into the soil. In addition, there is an extendable arm, linked between the support and the tool itself, whose function is to change the angle of entry of the tool to the soil, which facilitates the exit of the seed from the lower end of the tool.

A second preferred form of implementation consists of using a seed loading and firing module that contains a single motor to generate the loading of seed into the firing chamber and for the generation of the pneumatic system for firing the seed into the tool that generates the hole. This second implementation may also be used with either of the two tools mentioned above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a view of the object of the invention with the two possible tools to be used.

Figures 2 and 3 are a view of the inside of the seed loading and firing module.

Figure 4 is a view of the object of the invention with the punch tool mounted and in the two possible operating positions.

Figure 5 is a view of the punch tool in the hole generation position, which allows for a more detailed view of the conduit inside the punch and the seed exit hole.

Figure 6 is a view of the object of the invention with the drill bit tool mounted and in the two possible operating positions.

Figure 7 is a view of the drill bit tool mounted on the support and in the hole generation position.

Figure 8 is a view of the drill bit tool mounted on the support, and at the hole exit position.

Figure 9 is a view of the drill bit in transparent mode showing how to avoid plugging the seed exit hole.

Figure 10 presents a second preferred form of implementation of the seed loading and firing module.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Figure 1 shows the object of the invention, which is composed of a seed loading and firing module (1), into which seeds enter using gravity from a hopper not shown in the figure through a hose or flexible tube (2), and which at its lower end is linked to a semi-rigid duct (3) which is hollow and through which a seed falls to its other end, where the tool that generates the hole in the ground is mounted. In the case of Figure 1a), the tool is a hollow punch (4), and in the case of Figure 1b), it is a hollow drill bit (5), and will be explained in detail in the following figures. Figure 2 is a view of the inside of the seed loading and firing module (1), showing that the seeds entering through the flexible tube (2) are accumulated in a tank (6), which due to the shape of its base, allows only one seed at a time to fall into the holes of the rotating drum (7), which is driven by the motor (8) and therefore introduces the seeds mounted on it into a firing chamber (9). Mounted on the base of said chamber (9), there is a one-way pneumatic nonreturn valve, also known as “duck-billed” type (10), whose function is to prevent air from entering through it and to facilitate the seed to exit towards the tool that generates the hole, as explained below. It can also be seen in this figure that there is another electric motor (11) acting on a gear (12), and it is placed on the upper part of a double gear (13) rotating counterclockwise as marked by the arrow, whose lower part only has teeth in one sector of its perimeter, which are linked to a toothed rack (14) that has on its side the piston (15), which is located inside a chamber (16). A pneumatic valve (17) is mounted on the side of this chamber; the valve has a filter that allows clean air to enter the chamber (16), but not to exit it. Note that at the base of the piston (15), there is a rubber seal or o-ring (18), whose function is to “seal” the volume of air below the piston (15) when it moves inside the chamber (16). In this way, the motor drive (11) raises the piston (15), and as it does, the lower part of the chamber (16) is filled with clean air that enters through the pneumatic valve (17), as the pneumatic valve (10) does not allow it. It is also noted that there is a spring (19) mounted between the top of the chamber (16) and the upper end of the piston (15), and which is compressed as the piston ascends. Maximum spring (19) compression occurs when the lower part of the gear (13) loses the linkage with the toothed rack (14) of the piston (15), and when this occurs, the piston (15) descends abruptly as a result of the potential force accumulated in the spring (19) which is instantaneously decompressed, generating a positive pressure on the seed that entered the firing chamber (9), which overcomes the resistance of the pneumatic valve (10), and therefore, the seed will enter the semi-rigid duct (3) until it reaches the tool (4) or (5) which creates the hole in the soil. Figure 3 is similar to the previous one, but viewed from the other side of the module (1), and therefore, it can be seen that there is an optical sensor (20), close to the firing chamber (9), whose function is to detect whether or not a seed is lodged in the hole closest to it. This optical sensor (20) delivers its signal to an electronic controller not shown in the figure, which is also connected to the motor (8), and if the optical sensor (20) detects that there is no seed lodged in the hole of the rotating drum (7), the electronic controller causes the electric motor (8) to accelerate instantaneously, so that before the piston (15) descends, it is ensured that a seed is available to be fired into the semi-rigid duct (3). In this way, the object of the invention reacts and prevents errors from being created during sowing, differing from the products belonging to the present state of the art which only detect that the loading of a seed failed, since they do not have the capacity to react in order to avoid the failure.

Figure 4 shows the object of the invention when it has a hollow punch mounted as a tool generating the hole in the soil. Figure 4a) represents the position with the punch out of the hole, while Figure 4b) represents the position with the punch when producing the hole. This figure shows that the hollow punch (4) is pivotally linked to the shaft of an electric-magnetic actuator (21), whose function is to move the hollow punch (4) up or down to the extent that its shaft is or is not contained within its body. In other words, the electric- magnetic actuator (21), also called a linear motor, drives the hollow punch (4) to produce the hole in the soil, and is also connected to an electronic controller, not included in the figure, and it determines the depth of the hole to be created. In turn, the other end of the electric-magnetic actuator (21) is linked to a support (22) which by means of the bolts (23) is to be linked to the tool bar, not depicted in this figure. Two steel rods (24) are also shown, one on each side of the hollow punch (4), with one end fixed to the actuator stem (21) and the other to a pivot point with respect to the support (22), and whose functions are to give rigidity to the punch structure and reduce the stresses on the actuator stem (21). Finally, it is noted that there is an extendable arm (25) between the hollow punch (4) and the support (22) which pivots at both ends and which allows for changing the angle of penetration of the punch with the soil, to the extent that it is more or less extended.

Figure 5 is an expanded view of Figure 4b) and enables a more detailed view of the pivoting linkage of the hollow punch (4) to the rods (24), the electric- magnetic actuator rod (21) and to the extendable arm (25). It is also noted that the hollow punch (4) has a hole (26) through which the seed (27) provided by the firing chamber (9) of the seed loading and firing module (1) exits. It is important to note that the hole (26) is located near the lower end of the punch, but that it is actually a few millimeters above the punch tip and on the side opposite to the machine advance direction, represented by the black arrow. In other words, the duct (28) inside the hollow punch (4), which is connected to the semi-rigid duct (3) through which the seed falls, has a small “backward” curve, considering the machine advance direction to ensure that the hole (26) is not plugged with soil when making the hole and to allow the seed (27) to remain inside the hole. This means that it is very important to establish an adequate angle of inclination of this tool with respect to the ground plane, which is achieved through the extendable arm (25).

Figure 6 shows the object of the invention when it has a hollow drill bit (5) mounted as a tool generating the hole in the soil. Figure 6a) depicts the position with the drill bit out of the hole, while Figure 6b) depicts the position when the drill bit produces the hole. Note that only in the case of Figure 6a), a thin tube is “peeking out” from the lower part of the drill bit, the function of which is explained in the following figures. It is also shown that there is an electric motor (29) mounted on the upper part of the drill bit, whose function is to rotate the drill bit so that when it is introduced into the soil through the action of the electric-magnetic actuator (21) as explained above, the propeller on its surface can extract the soil as the tool is introduced into the soil. The motor (29) is connected to the electronic controller that turns it on or off.

Figure 7 is an expanded image of Figure 6b), but with the drill bit (5) drawn “in transparent mode”, so that it can be seen that there is a thin tube (30) mounted therein, which has a hole (31) on one side of its lower end and which is covered by the body of the drill bit (5); that is, when the drill bit is generating the hole, the hole is “protected” against clogging by soil. Also shown is the motor (29), which by means of two gears (32) transmits the rotational motion to the drill bit (5) so that the propeller extracts the soil as it is introduced into the hole. As in the case of the punch tool, the electric-magnetic actuator shaft (21) exerts the necessary pressure for the generation of the hole, and the extendable arm (25) determines the angle of attack of the tool on the ground, which in this case must be perpendicular to the ground for the drill bit to work correctly.

Figure 8 is an expanded image of Figure 6a), but with the drill bit (5) drawn “in transparent mode”, showing that the thin tube (30) arranged therein has a spring (33) mounted, whose function is explained in the following figure, and that in this situation, the hole (31) is free, unprotected” by the body of the drill bit (5), making it easier for the seed to exit.

Figure 9 is a view that details the operation of this tool to avoid plugging the hole (31) that has the hollow pin (30) on its side. Specifically, Figure 9a) represents the situation in which the drill bit (5) descends and generates the hole in the ground, first penetrating the tip (34) of the hollow pin (30), and then, the actual body of the drill bit (5), so that its propeller removes the loose soil. Note that in this case, the hole (31) is inside the body of the drill bit, and therefore, soil is prevented from entering through it to avoid interfering with the fall of the seed. Also note that there is a spring (33), compressed in this case, which is mounted on the hollow pin (30), and whose lower end is supported by the outer seat (35) of the pin (30), and whose upper end is supported by the inner seat (36) of the drill bit (5). On the other hand, Figure 9b) represents the situation when the drill bit (5) ascends to exit the hole already produced. As seen in this case, the spring (33) is decompressed and pushed down on the hollow pin (30), releasing the hole (31) and allowing a seed (27) to be deposited inside the generated hole. Figure 10 shows another implementation of the seed loading and firing module (1), which presents an alternative way of entering the seeds into the firing chamber (9). As in the first implementation, the seeds enter the upper part of the module (1) and are stored in a hopper (6), which is connected to the seed firing chamber (9) through a conduit (37), at the end of which, before entering the firing chamber (9), there is an optical sensor (20), and between this sensor and the firing chamber (9) is mounted a pneumatic non-return valve, also called the one-way pneumatic valve (38), which is not very visible in this figure and whose function is explained below. It can also be seen that there is an electric motor (11) acting on a gear (12), placed on the upper part of the double seed selector gear (39). In this way, the seeds travel down the tube (37) until they come into contact with the seed selector gear (39), which selects one seed and places it in front of the optical sensor (20) before the valve (38) and the firing chamber (9), ready to enter it when the pneumatic valve (38) allows it to do so. As in the first implementation form, there is a “duck-billed” type pneumatic valve (10) at the outlet of the firing chamber (9) towards the semi-rigid duct (3), a double gear (13) that rotates counterclockwise as marked by the arrow and that interacts with the toothed rack (14) of the piston (15), which has at its base a rubber seal or o-ring (18), and which is inserted into a chamber (16), which has on its side a pneumatic valve (17), and at its top a spring (19) linked to the piston (15). That is, this second preferred way of implementing the seed loading and firing module works practically in the same way as the one shown in Figure 2, with the difference that it changes the mode of access of the seeds to the firing chamber (9) using a single motor, and having at its inlet a pneumatic valve (38) that opens when the piston (15) rises through the action of the electric motor (11), since below the piston, a depression is generated that helps a seed enter the firing chamber (9) driven by the seed selector gear (39). In turn, the pneumatic valve (38) is closed by the positive pressure generated by the piston (15) when it descends abruptly, and which in turn also opens the “duckbilled” pneumatic valve (10), causing the seed that had previously entered the firing chamber (9) to fall through the semi-rigid duct (3) to the hollow punch (4) or the hollow drill bit (5) that opens the hole in the soil. In other words, the tools used to open the hole do not change, they are the same as those explained in the previous figures. The optical sensor (20) performs the same function as in the previous case, i.e. if it detects that there is no seed available at the entrance of the firing chamber (9), the electric motor (11) is accelerated through the electronic controller to position a seed at the entrance of the firing chamber (9), and thus prevent sowing failure.

It is important to highlight the importance of the pneumatic diaphragm valve (17) and the pneumatic valves (38) and (10) linked to the firing chamber (9), since regardless of their commercial name, their function is key for the system consisting of the piston (15) and the other components linked to it to act as a true compressor to fire the seed loaded in the firing chamber (9) into the semirigid duct (3).

It is also important to emphasize that the electronic controller allows for synchronizing the machine’s advance speed with the number of holes to be sown, being connected with the optical sensor (20), with the shaft of the electric-magnetic actuator (21) that determines the depth of the hole, with the motor (29) to turn it on or off and with the motors (8) and (11), since its operation enables the entry of a seed into the firing chamber (9) to fall through the semi-rigid duct (3) into the tool used to make the hole in the soil, whether punch (4) or drill bit (5).

Claims

Having described and determined the nature and scope of the present invention and the way it is to be implemented, it is hereby declared that the following is claimed as an invention of exclusive ownership:

1 . A distribution apparatus for sowing seeds in individual holes generated at a predetermined distance, which is linked to a hopper that uses gravity to supply it with seeds, and to a tool bar, and which is pulled by a tractor or transported by an agricultural vehicle, wherein it includes a seed loading and firing module (1) which has, in its interior, a seed accumulation space (6) which delivers one seed at a time to a firing chamber (9), which has an optical sensor (20) at its inlet and a pneumatic non-return valve (10) at its outlet, and a semi-rigid duct (3), which is connected at the other end to a hollow punch (4) or a hollow drill bit (5), which are pivotally connected to a support (22), the firing chamber (9) is also pneumatically connected to a piston (15) located inside a chamber (16) having on its side a pneumatic valve (17), and on its upper part a spring (19) connected to the piston (15), which has a rubber seal (18) on its base and a toothed rack (14) on its side which is connected to the teeth of a double gear (13), which is driven by an electric motor (11) that is connected to an electronic controller.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the entry of a seed into the firing chamber (9) is related to the movement of a rotating drum (7), which is driven by a motor (8) that is connected to the electronic controller.

3. The apparatus of any of claims 1 or 2, wherein the entry of a seed into the firing chamber (9) is related to the opening of a pneumatic valve (38) and to a double gear (39), which is driven by the motor (11) that is connected to the electronic controller.

4. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the piston (15) ascends while the toothed rack (14) is in contact with the teeth of the double gear 5. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the pneumatic valve (38) is opened when the piston (15) is raised, and closed when it is lowered.

6. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the pneumatic valve (10) opens when the piston (15) descends.

7. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the hollow drill bit (5) is coupled to the support (22) via an electric-magnetic actuator (21), an extendable arm (25), and a pair of rods (24).

8. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the hollow drill bit (5) is linked to an electric motor (29) and to a hollow pin (30) inside it having a hole (31) at its lower end.

9. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the hollow punch (4) is coupled to the support (22) via an electric-magnetic actuator (21), the extendable arm (25), and the rods (24).

10. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the displacement of the electric-magnetic actuator shaft (21) is related to the vertical displacement of the hole generating tool.

11. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the elongation of the extendable arm (25) is related to the angle between the tool generating the hole and the ground plane.

12. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 11 , wherein a spring (33) is mounted on the hollow pin (30) and whose lower end is supported by the outer seat

(35) of the hollow pin (30), and its upper end is supported by the inner seat

(36) of the drill bit (5).

13. The apparatus of any of claims 1 to 12, wherein the electronic controller is connected to the optical sensor (20), the electric-magnetic actuator (21), and the motors (8), (11) and (29).