Claims:
What I claim is
1. A grain sampler device comprising a rotary wheel, a plurality of funnels mounted to said wheel, a lower housing surrounding said wheel, chute means transmitting grain onto said wheel, power means for rotating said wheel with said funnels diverting a sample of said grain to the side of the wheel, receptacle means for receiving said diverted sample of grain, said wheel comprising a pair of annular side flanges with open spaces between the flanges, said housing having a spout like opening at its bottom whereby the portions of the grain being transmitted by said chute means which is not diverted by said funnels may pass between the flanges through the open spaces and out the spout of the housing.
2. A grain sampler device according to claim 1, wherein said sampler device includes a primary sub divider, said primary sub divider comprising a pivotally mounted funnel adapted to pivot back and forth through a main stream of grain and divert a portion of said main stream of grain to said chute means, with said diverted portion of said main stream of grain diverted by said pivotally mounted funnel providing grain for transmission by said chute means.
3. A grain sampler device according to claim 2 wherein said sampler device includes a motor powering said rotary wheel and pivotally mounted funnel.
4. A grain sampler device according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of funnels extend between the pair of flanges and are mounted to the flanges for said mounting to the rotary wheel, and said open spaces between the flanges are further limited as being between the plurality of funnels mounted to the wheel.
Description:
The invention relates to sampling devices, more particularly the invention relates to grain sampling devices. This invention is also related to my copending Pat. application Ser. No. 799,350 filed Feb. 14, 1969, entitled "Grain Sampling Device."
It is an object of the invention to provide a novel primary grain subdivider diverter and secondary grain subdivider and diverter which can easily and inexpensively be manufactured and operated.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel simplified grain sampling device which employs a novel pivotably mounted main diverter and subdivider of grain with a novel rotary wheellike secondary diverter and subdivider of grain with the wheellike secondary diverter having a plurality of diverting funnels mounted in the wheel to subdivide and divert the sample of grain received from the main diverter.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a novel grain sampling device having a power plant mounted to the secondary diverter operating the secondary diverter, with a wheellike secondary diverter, having removing diverter funnels.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the novel grain sampling invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the primary or main grain diverter of the grain sampling invention taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1, with portions cutaway to reveal the interior construction.
FIG. 3 is a back view of the main diverter of the grain sampling invention taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary cutaway view of portions of the main diverter, similar to FIG. 1, and with portions cutaway to reveal the interior construction thereof.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1 and providing a top plan view of the secondary diverter and power plant of the invention.
FIG. 6 is a front elevational view of the secondary diverter and power plant of the invention.
FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG. 5, and illustrating the interior construction of the rotary wheel secondary diverter and its sample receptacles.
FIG. 8 is a view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7 of one of the diverter funnels of the rotary wheel diverter.
FIG. 9 is a view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 7.
Briefly stated, the invention comprises a grain sampling device having a primary diverter and a secondary diverter and power plant, the primary diverter has a pivotally mounted funnel adapted to pivot back and forth through the main stream of grain, a rotary wheel like secondary diverter adapted to receive the grain diverted by the main diverter, said secondary wheel like diverter having diverting funnels adapted to divert the grain away from the diverter into a sample receiving receptacle, while allowing the main body of the grain diverted by the main diverter to pass through the wheellike diverter, and a motor for powering said secondary diverter, cam means driven by said motor adapted to operate said primary diverter.
Referring more particularly to the drawings in FIG. 1, the grain sampling invention 20 is illustrated having a primary diverter and divider structure 21 and a secondary diverter and subdivider power plant structure 22.
The primary diverter structure 21 has a boxlike housing 23 with a cylindrical opening 24 at its top and a similar cylindrical opening 25 at its bottom. The main stream of grain will travel down the upper section 26 of a main cylindrical grain chute 26, which chute communicates with the cylindrical opening 24, and has the same inner radius as the opening 24, and allows the main stream of grain to travel into the housing 23 and out the cylindrical opening 25 at the bottom which opening communicates with the bottom section 27 of the main grain chute.
A funnel structure 28 is pivotably mounted in the housing 23. The funnel structure 28 has a hollow funnel portion 29 which is fixed to and communicates with a hollow stem 30. The stem 30 has a bolt 31 fixed to its lower end. The bolt 31 passes through the back panel 32 in the housing 23 and is rotatably mounted to the back panel 32. The bolt 31 also passes through and is rotatably mounted to a second backwall or panel 34 and projects beyond the second backwall 34. A crossplate 35 is fixed to the projecting outer end of the bolt 31 and acts to pivot the stem 30 and funnel 29 about the axis of the bolt 31.
Mounted beneath the opening 24 in the housing are a pair of inclined rectangular plates 37 and 38, which act as baffles and act to reduce the size of the grain stream when viewed from FIG. 2.
The funnel 28 pivots back and forth beneath the opening 24, from its position shown in dashed lines in FIG. 2 and described by numeral 39 to its position in dashed lines and designated by numeral 40. The funnel 28 is shown in its intermediate position in solid lines and designated by numeral 41 in FIG. 2.
A coil spring 42 has one end 42, fixed to the secondary wall 34 and its outer end attached to the one end 35' of the crossplate 35 and acts to urge the crossplate 35 clockwise when viewed from FIG. 3, and thereby maintains the funnel structure 28 in its position shown in dashed lines and designated by numeral 39 as viewed from FIG. 2. A cable 43 is attached to the other end 35" of the crossplate 35. The cable extends upward around a pulley 44 which pulley 44 is rotatably mounted to a pair of flanges 45 which flanges are in turn fixed to the backwall 34 of the housing.
The funnel 29 of the funnel structure 28 is hollow and communicates with the hollow interior 54 of the stem 30 of the funnel structure.
A metal annular disc 47 is fixed to the lower end of the stem in axial relation to the bolt 31. A pair of identical diverging plates 48 and 49 are mounted between the backwall 32 and secondary wall 34 and diverge downward toward one another. A half sleeve 50 is fixed at the bottom edge 51 of the diverging plates and connects them together. A cylindrical hollow spout 51 is mounted to the outside of the secondary wall 34. The wall 34 has a bore of the same inner radius of the spout 52 and the same inner radius of the half sleeve 50 and provides communication between the half sleeve 50 and the spout 52.
As the main stream of grain travels down through chute 26 and through opening 24, the funnel structure will pivot back and forth through the main stream of grain and each time it passes through the main stream it will receive sample of grain in the funnel 29, where it will travel down the funnel 29 into the hollow interior 54 of the stem 30, and lateral wall 55 at the lower end of stem deflecting the grain sample traveling down the stem out a rectangular opening 55 in the stem and through a rectangular opening 56 in the disc 47. The opening 56 in the disc is in communication with an arcuate slot or opening 57 in the backwall, which slot is arcuate so as to be in communication with the disc opening 56 and stem opening regardless of where the funnel structure is located whether it has pivoted to its right or left position 39 or 40, or is in some intermediate point.
The arcuate slot communicates with the area 58 between the backwall 32 and secondary wall 34 and between the diverging plates 48 and 49 whereby the grain traveling from the arcuate slot will travel downward between the diverging plates into the half sleeve 50 where it will be deflected into the spout 52, which spout 52 extends downward to the secondary divider and power plant 22 thereby transmitting the diverted grain downward to the secondary divider and power plant. A flexible arcuate flap 58 is mounted to the backwall 32 and covers the upper portion of the arcuate disc 47, to prevent grain from working its way therebetween.
SECONDARY DIVIDER AND POWER PLANT STRUCTURE
The secondary subdivider and diverter and power plant structure 21 has a main platform 60 with four legs 120 and 121 and 120' and 121' supporting the corners of the platform.
A motor 62 is fixed to the top of the platform, and a gear reducer 63 is mounted adjacent the motor 62, with a conventional slip clutch 64 connecting the output shaft 62' of the motor with the input shaft 63' of the gear reducer transmitting drive from the motor 62 to the gear reducer 63, and with the slip clutch enabling the gear reducer input shaft 63' to stop relative to the motor shaft 62' in the event of an overload or jamming. The gear reducer 64 has an output shaft 65 which extends out opposite sides of the gear reducer. A pulley 77 is fixed axially to one end 65' of the output shaft and a toothed gear 78 is fixed axially to the other end 65" of the output shaft of the reducer 63.
Mounted above the platform 60 is the rotary secondary diverter and subdivider. The rotary diverter and subdivider has a rotary wheel member 66 and housing 68 which surrounds wheel member 66 and also acts as a chute. A pair of rods 70 and 71 have their intermediate portions 70" and 71" fixed to the side panels 72 and 73 of the housing 68 and the bottom ends 70' and 71' are mounted to the platform 60. A crosspiece member 74 connects the upper ends of the rod together in fixed relation. An L-shaped rod 75 has one end fixed to the crosspiece 74 and the other end or leg has a frustoconical hollow cone member 76 fixed thereto, with the lower end 52' of the spout 52 from primary divider being slidably fitted into the cylindrical upper end 76' of the cone member 76.
The rotary wheel member 65 has a pair of annular flanges 80 and 81 which are connected together in fixed relation by plurality of radial vanes or plates 82. A pair of triangular funnels 83 and 84 are slidably mounted to opposite ends of the wheel or diverter member 66. Each of the triangular funnels have a tapered base wall portion 85 and a pair of sidewalls 86 and 87 integrally connected together with laterally outward projecting flanges 88 and 88' which extend laterally outward from sidewalls 86 and 87 respectively and are integrally connected thereat. The flanges 88 and 88' are slidably received and frictionally retained between a pair of stepped up flanges 89 and 89'. The stepped flanges 89 and 89' of funnel member 83 have their lower edge 90 fixed to annular flange 80 and the lower edges 90 of stepped up flanges 89 and 89' of funnel member 84 are fixed to the annular flange 81 to thereby detachably mount the funnels 83 and 84 to the wheel member 66.
The flange 80 has a rectangular opening 91 which communicates with the funnel 83, and flange 81 on opposite side of the wheel member has a similar opening 92.
A pair of boxlike sampler receiving receptacles 93 and 94 are hooked onto opposite side 72 and 73, respectively of the housing 68. The receptacles 93 and 94 each have a box portion 95 with four sides 96, 96', 96" and 96'" and a closed bottom 97. The inner side 96' has an inclined upward and inwardly extending flange 98 which extends toward the wheel member 66. The receptacles have projecting panel portions 99 and 99' which project from sidewalls 96" and 96'" and which project against their respective side panels 72 and 73 of the housing 68 to space the box portions 95 away from the panels 72 and 73 and to provide open spaces 100 and 100' therebetween. At the upper inner end of the projecting panels 99 and 99' is hook member 105 which hook over the upper inner edges of panel member 72 and 73 to detachably mount the receptacles 93 and 94 to the housing 68.
A pulley belt 101 extends upward from pulley 77 into the open space 100 and onto pulley 102, which pulley 102 is fixed axially on shaft 103. The rotary wheel member 66 has the shaft 103 fixed axially to its flanges 80 and 81 and the shaft 103 is rotatably mounted in panels 72 and 73 of the housing.
The secondary diverter in its operation receives the diverted grain sample from the main diverter 21 through the chute 52, where it travels through the frustoconical cone member into the space between in the wheel member between flanges 80 and 81. Every half revolution of the wheel member 66 rotates either the funnel 83 and 84 through the diverted grain traveling out of the cone member and the funnels 38 and 84 divert and subdivide a sample of grain out of their respective openings 91 and 92 onto the inclined flange of their respective boxes 93 and 94 and into their box portions 95 of their respective box member 93 and 94.
The housing 68 has four sidewalls 72 and 73, and 106 and 107 connected together with an inclined bottom wall 108 which enclosed the sides 72 and 73 and 106 an 107, except for a spout opening 109 at its lower outer end, whereby the grain sample received through the cone member 76, which was not diverted by funnel members 83 and 84 will pass downward between the flanges 80 and 81 of the rotary wheel member and be collected by the housing 68 and will travel out the spout opening 109 in the housing where it may be diverted into the main stream of grain.
POWER OPERATION
The motor 62 rotates and drives the wheel member 66, through the output shaft 65' of the gear reducer 64, which shaft drives pulley 77 and pulley 77 drives the pulley belt 101 which rotates pulley 102, and pulley 102 is fixed to shaft 103 and rotates the shaft 103, and shaft member 103 has the wheel member 66 fixed axially thereto.
The motor 62 also powers the oscillation of the crosspiece member 35 of the main diverter back and forth and thereby pivots the funnel member 28 back and forth, through the transmission of the drive from the output shaft 65" of the gear reducer 64.
The toothed gear 78 is fixed to the output shaft 65" and drives the endless link chain 110, and the endless link chain 110 drives the toothed gear 111. The gear 111 is fixed axially to shaft 112. The shaft 112 is rotatably mounted to a sleeve 113 and sleeve 113 is fixed to the platform 60. The shaft 112 has an arm 114 fixed to its outer end. The arm 114 has two elongated plates 115 and 116 with their inner ends fixed to shaft 112 and wheel 117 rotatably mounted to their outer ends, by a pin 118 fixed between plates 115 and 116 and the wheel 117 being rotatably mounted on the pin 118.
A lever arm 119 is mounted pivotally to the rear legs 120' and 121' by a pair of sleeves 122 and 123 which are fixed to the legs 120 and 121 of the platform 60. A rod 124 is rotatably mounted in the sleeves 122 and 123 and the outer end of the rod or shaft 124 is fixed to the one end 119' of the arm 119. A short reinforcing strap 125 is also fixed at one end to the rod 124 and extends parallel with arm 119 with its other end diverging laterally inward and fixed to the arm 119.
A wheel 126 is rotatably mounted to the arm 119 by a pin 127 fixed between the arm 119 and strap 125 and the wheel 126 being rotatably mounted on the pin 127. The lower end 43' of cable 43 is attached to the outer end 119" of the arm 119.
Consequently when the output shaft 65" through gear 78 drives the endless chain 110 and the endless chain rotates the gear 111, each revolution of the shaft 112 will swing the wheel 117 downward against the wheel 126 as the lever arm 119 pivoting the lever arm downward from its position shown in dashed lines and designated by numeral 129 to its position shown in solid lines and designated by numeral 129.
The movement of lever arm 119 to its position shown in solid lines and designated by numeral 127 pulls the cable 43 downward, which pulls the crosspiece in the main diverter counterclockwise about pin 31, which pivots the funnel 28 to its position shown in dashed lines and designated by numeral 40, as soon as the wheel 117 passes by the wheel, the coil spring 42 will pull the funnel back to its position generally shown in dashed lines and designated by numeral 39, when the arm 114 makes another revolution its wheel will again engage wheel 116 and pivot the arm 119 down again causing the funnel to pivot back to its position shown in dashed lines and designated by numeral 40, thus occilating or passing the funnel 28 back and forth through the main stream of grain coming in through the chute 26, with each pass of the funnel 28 diverting a sample of grain downward to the secondary diverter whereby it is subdivided with the subdivided sample going alternately into box members 93 and 94.
The triangular funnels 83 and 84, may be smaller than illustrated, with their outer edges of mounting flanges 88 and 88' remaining spaced the same distance apart, so that the smaller funnels may be mounted in the same stepped flanges 89 and 89' to thereby enable smaller samples to be taken. The bottom edge 130 of the openings 91 and 92 of flanges 80 and 81 have inwardly extending tongues 130 formed integrally with their respective flanges.
Thus it will be seen that a novel inexpensive grain sample has been provided which can be easily made and produced and operated.
It will be obvious that various changes and departures may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit thereof and accordingly it is not intended that the invention be limited to that specifically described in the specification or as illustrated in the drawings but only as set forth in the appended claims wherein: