BR-102025011340-A2 - OUTPUT SELECTOR VALVE DEVICE FOR APPLICATION OF AGRICULTURAL INPUTS, A SYSTEM AND A SEEDER COMPRISING IT, AND A METHOD FOR APPLYING AGRICULTURAL INPUTS

BR102025011340A2BR 102025011340 A2BR102025011340 A2BR 102025011340A2BR-102025011340-A2

Abstract

A selector valve system for dispensing/distributing planting/fertilization products and others, for use in air seeders, comprising: a) an inverted “Y” shaped housing with an inlet opening at the top to receive the product from the bottom of a supply hopper, and two different pipe outlets to distribute it; b) a pneumatic conveying line having a common inlet and two opposite outlets suitable for receiving air, traversing the system and propelling air and product through the associated pipes; c) an air and product outlet selector valve by means of a divider plate comprising a diverter shaft and which can be positioned at two different angles; and d) a spring located on the front wall and a spring located on the rear wall that operate in parallel and are actuated by two independent controls that allow controlling the angle of position of the divider plate.

Inventors

Ignacio Tanzi

Assignees

MARIO TANZI S.A

Dates

Publication Date: 20260310
Application Date: 20250604
Priority Date: 20250519

Claims (9)

1. An outlet selector valve device for the application of agricultural inputs, for example, dosing or distribution of planting or fertilization products or others, for use in systems for the application of agricultural inputs with air, for example, air seeders, characterized by comprising: a) an inverted “Y” shaped housing with an inlet opening at the top to receive the agricultural input from the bottom of a supply hopper, and two different pipe outlets to distribute it; b) a pneumatic conveying line having a common inlet and two opposite outlets suitable for receiving air, passing through the device and propelling air and the agricultural input through the associated pipes; c) an air and agricultural input outlet selector valve by means of a divider plate comprising a diverter shaft and which can be positioned at two different angles; ed) a first spring located on a front wall of the housing and a second spring located on a rear wall of the housing that operate in parallel and are actuated by two independent controls that allow controlling the angle of the dividing plate.
2. The outlet selector valve device of claim 1, characterized in that the inverted “Y” shaped housing consists of two coupling halves.
3. The outlet selector valve device of claim 2, characterized in that the coupling halves are fastened together by means of fasteners.
4. The outlet selector valve device of claim 1, characterized in that one end of each of the first spring and the second spring is attached to a fixed point on the housing, and the opposite end is fixed to the control that allows controlling the position angle of the dividing plate.
5. The outlet selector valve device of claim 1, characterized by also comprising a detachable base having two fixed covers that allow access to two independent inspection windows on the distribution piping.
6. The outlet selector valve device of claim 5, characterized in that the base is mounted inserted into a centrally disposed pin and is adjusted with a thread.
7. A system for applying agricultural inputs with air, characterized by comprising an outlet selector valve device of claim 1.
8. An air seeder characterized by comprising an outlet selector valve device of claim 1.
9. A method for applying agricultural inputs with a system for applying agricultural inputs with air, for example, an air seeder, characterized by comprising an output selector valve device of claim 1, wherein the method comprises positioning the dividing plate at two different angles.

Description

Field of Invention [0001] The present invention relates generally to systems for applying agricultural inputs with air, for example, dosing or distributing products for planting or fertilization, or applying any other agricultural input and, in particular, relates to an output selector valve device for dosing planting or fertilization or expelling any product from agricultural equipment by pneumatic drive, for example, a pneumatically driven seeder, which may be of the type commonly called an air-driven system (“air drill”) or others, by means of a flow selector valve through which the selection and blocking of output for dosing seeding or fertilization, or for distributing any input from one or more supply tanks, towards distribution lines that disperse the products to various furrow openers that deposit the product in the soil, is simplified. Fundamentals of the invention [0002] Currently, seeding and/or fertilizing machines that use airflow, which may be disc-based, nozzle-based, or apply the product by falling onto the surface, comprise a product supply tank that has side walls of sufficient quantity, depending on the design developed for the hoppers, with one or more internal divisions and on the roof doors/lids to receive the agricultural input and be supplied in its different parts, with one or more outlets on the lower wall, comprising a dosing or transfer system for seeds or fertilizers, or any other type of input. [0003] These dosing or transfer systems, which are usually located under the hoppers, deliver the input to pipelines that then transport it to the furrow openers, or to other distribution towers or pipelines. These pipelines may constitute a single input flow line, which receives the product extracted by the dosers or conveying systems of 2, 3 or a plurality of hoppers. [0004] Dosing systems comprise diverter valves with an inlet port, connected to the metering device or hopper through which the inputs fall, as well as ports connected to the input transport pipes to selectively divert the air stream and the agricultural input towards one or the other outlet as needed. [0005] This type of pneumatic machine comprises a system for dispersing the products in the required quantities by means of a distribution system from the tank to the planting soil through supply pipes, of which one line of piping is deactivated, blocking one of the outlets and guiding the inputs towards the other pipe, depending on whether the aforementioned inputs from 2, 3 or a plurality of hoppers are to be applied together or separately. [0006] This is achieved through different diversion mechanisms that have been developed throughout the evolution of this type of planting. In US patent 6,834,599 B1, which describes an improved collector assembly for pneumatic planting systems that allows the distribution of materials and fertilizers from multiple supply tanks to pneumatic conveying lines, the diversion device comprises all valves joined together by a common actuating rod. [0007] In U.S. Patent 10,631,454 B2, which describes an air stream selector device for pneumatic planting systems, allowing the selective diversion of agricultural materials through pneumatic conveying lines, the diversion device is a selector device that can be removed and replaced by rotating 180° on the underside of the housing. [0008] However, among the techniques developed we find a complex linkage in which all valves need to be interchanged together, or, when it is permitted to modify the route individually, it requires disassembly, rotation and assembly work, generating extra effort and a less than optimal use of time. It is important for the farmer to be able to recognize the system in a visible and noticeable way, therefore a new spring-operated selector valve device is proposed here, which can be manipulated and selected in a simple and practical manner. [0009] Another problem to be solved is the tendency for the air to continue filtering itself due to the difficulty in correctly locating the internal dividers. Objective of the Invention [0010] As explained above, one of the objectives of the present spring-operated selector valve device is to interrupt the distribution of a conduit, which is achieved by means of an outlet selector valve for the dosing/distribution of planting/fertilization products or others that are inside the inverted “Y” shaped casing of the device, using the potential energy of the spring and ensuring a closure that prevents the passage of air, substances and/or product grains towards the blocked pipe. [0011] Another objective of the spring-operated selector valve device is to simplify its operation, requiring only finger pressure, without tools, minimizing adjustment time and avoiding the disassembly of parts that could lead to component loss or assembly errors. Summary of the Invention [0012] Thus, an object of the present invention is an outlet selector valve device for dosing/distributing planting/fertilization pro