WO2008043191A1

WO2008043191A1 - Portable spreader device for discharging granular material

Info

Publication number: WO2008043191A1
Application number: PCT/CH2007/000495
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jürg ZWAHLEN; Ruedi Eidenbenz
Original assignee: Birchmeier Sprühtechnik AG
Priority date: 2006-10-12
Filing date: 2007-10-05
Publication date: 2008-04-17

Abstract

The invention relates to a portable spreader device for storing and discharging granulate, particularly flowable granular bulk material. Said spreader device comprises a container (2), a distributor (4) for discharging the granulate and a tube-like connection (3) between the container (2) and the distributor (4). The tube-like connection (3) is flexibly configured in at least one section between the container (2) and the distributor (4). A flow governor (9) is provided in the area leading from the tube-like connection (3) to the distributor (4). The distributor (4) comprises a prechamber (10) with an essentially planar base. Deflection elements are arranged inside the prechamber (10) and at least two outlet openings (15) are provided at the side opposite the inlet opening of the prechamber (10). A tube section (16) is arranged at each outlet opening (15) of the prechamber (10) in such a way that the individual tube sections (16) extend from the outlet opening (15) in a divergent manner.

Description

Portable spreader for spreading granular substances

The invention relates to a portable spreader for storage and application of granules, in particular flowable bulk material on a surface, for example of granular fertilizer on a lawn, or of grit on smooth driveways or sidewalks according to the preamble of patent claim 1.

Conventionally, fertilizers or other bulk materials are delivered packed in boxes or bags. The user then has to spread the grit by hand or simple tools such as a shovel. The main problem is that a uniform spreading is practically impossible to achieve. In addition, the application of chemicals always carries the risk that the person who spreads them is damaged by corrosive particles. Further problems arise from the difficulty of storing opened boxes or bags of bulk goods safely and neatly, for example to protect them from moisture.

In addition to larger motor-driven devices, there are also hand spreaders, with the help of a spreading of chemicals is more precisely possible. The German Utility Model G 93 20 160.5 proposes a spreader for spreading road salt, and the like, on floor surfaces, which is characterized by the attachment of a handle to a conventional bottle. The user can, according to the idea of this utility model, carry grit out of the bottle by holding it by the handle and flinging it over and over with rapid movements. The advantage of this pull tab is that the user does not come in contact with the bulk material. However, a uniform spreading can be achieved only with difficulty.

Another proposed solution contains the US publication US 3,997,119. It discloses a device for discharging granular substances, a container and an attached discharge pipe and an am End of the spout arranged distributor comprises. The distributor has a substantially flat plate which is provided at the top with pins which are arranged perpendicular to the plate and distributed over the plate area. With the device, a uniform distribution of granules can be achieved without coming into contact with the material. The disadvantage of the device is that the user must swing the container together with the granules therein during application back and forth, which is relatively exhausting and tiring.

The present invention has for its object to overcome these disadvantages of known portable devices for dispensing granules, in particular flowable bulk material.

This object is achieved by the device described in claim 1.

The inventive portable spreader for storing and dispensing granules includes a container for receiving the granules, a hose connected to the flexible hose, and arranged at the free end of the hose distributor with a flow regulator for metering the flow rate of the spreading material to be applied. When spreading the grit, the user carries the container of the spreader with a belt arranged on the container as a shoulder bag under one arm or in front of the chest and holds the hose in the connection area to the distributor with one hand. In this case, the imaginary longitudinal axis of the hose runs away from the container slightly downwards in the direction of the bottom, so that the spreading material flows due to gravity from the container through the hose into the distributor or trickles. By uniform horizontal, spin-like movements by hand, the granules are thrown out of the distributor and so evenly applied to the ground. The flexible hose allows the distributor to swing back and forth without the container being swiveled. The application of the granules takes place without much effort, since the container and its contents with a shoulder strap is worn and to hold by hand only the hose end with the manifold.

Further advantages of the invention follow from the dependent claims and from the following description, in which the individual components of the scattering device are described in detail and explained in more detail with reference to an exemplary embodiment illustrated in the schematic drawings.

It shows:

F i g. 1 is a schematic representation of the device for applying granules;

F i g. FIG. 2 shows a schematic representation of the distributor with the flow regulator, the pre-chamber and the pipe sections, viewed from above; FIG.

F i g. Figure 3 is a schematic representation of the manifold with the flow regulator, the prechamber and the pipe sections as seen from the side;

Fig. 4 is a schematic representation of the flow controller.

In the figures, the same reference numerals have been used for the same elements and first explanations relate to all figures, unless expressly stated otherwise.

1 shows a schematic representation of the device 1 according to the invention for the application of granules. Granules are all conceivable fine and coarse-grained materials such as fertilizers, granular pesticides, road salt and the like to understand. The essential components of this device are the container 2 with a filling opening 18 and a pouring opening 7, a distributor 4 for dispensing the granules, and a hose-like connection 3 between the container 2 and the distributor 4. Furthermore, the device has a carrier belt 5 arranged on the container 2 and a closure lid 6 for closing the filling opening 18. The connected to the spout opening 7 of the container 2 hose-like compound 3 may consist of a flexible hose in the simplest case. Flexibility in this context means that the hose-like connection is flexible in the transverse direction without much effort, so that the arranged at the free end of the hose-like connection 3 distributor 4 to the right and left is slightly tilted, without the container 2 moves along. This hose-like connection 3 can also, as indicated in FIG. 1, be composed of a pipe section connected to the container 2, a flexible hose section or bellows 8 and a further pipe section. It is important that at least in a partial area between container 2 and distributor 4, the tubular connection 3 is flexible. The free end of the hose-like connection 3 is formed into a handle 20 and opens in the distributor 4.

In the figure 2, the distributor 4 is shown schematically from above. In the connection region of the hose-like connection 3 with the distributor 4, a flow regulator 9 is provided following the handle 20. With this flow regulator 9, the flow rate is regulated by narrowing the flow cross-section at the inlet opening of the distributor 4. At the flow controller 9, an adjusting controller 17 is further provided, which allows to set a reproducible flow cross-section. The flow regulator 9 follows in the distributor 4 a box-shaped antechamber 10. It has a substantially flat bottom. In the interior of this pre-chamber 10 deflecting elements 11 are arranged, which extend between the bottom and the upper boundary of the pre-chamber 10. These deflecting elements 11 serve to distribute the granules flowing into the prechamber 10 uniformly in the direction of the outlet openings 15. As a result, when the distributor 4 is moved back and forth, each discharge opening 15 is respectively supplied with the necessary amount in order to obtain the desired spread pattern. The optimal shape, size and placement of the Deflection elements 11 within the pre-chamber 10 depends on the grit. It is therefore advantageous to use different deflection elements 11 for different com sizes. This can be done on the one hand by various, interchangeable distributor, which are plugged onto the tubular connection 3 as needed and have different pre-chambers with therein correspondingly arranged deflecting elements 11. In a further embodiment variant, a drawer-like insert 19 is provided, which can be inserted into the prechamber 10. This drawer has a bottom with deflecting elements 11 attached thereto. The pre-chamber 10, which widens slightly towards the front, has at least two outlet openings 15 at the side opposite the inlet opening. However, five outlet openings 15 are advantageous. At each outlet opening 15, a pipe section 16 is arranged such that the individual pipe sections 16 run away from the outlet opening 15 in a divergent manner. The prechamber 10 with the finger-like pipe sections 16 arranged thereon has approximately the shape and size of an oversized hand, and this part of the device according to the invention is therefore also referred to as a "scattering hand". The scattering behavior of the scattering device according to the invention is very dependent on the configuration of the pipe sections 16 "the fingers" of the scattering hand. Depending on the particle size of the material to be spread, longer or shorter, thicker or thinner pipe sections are advantageous. For example, lead to short pipe sections 16 at a certain granule size that the granules trickles from the pipe sections 16, while too long pipe sections 16 result in the same granule size that the granules are thrown too far. This means that a distributor 4 is optimized for certain ranges of granule sizes. Depending on the design of the device according to the invention, therefore, different and possibly also exchangeable distributors 4 optimized for specific granulate sizes are provided.

3 shows a schematic representation of the distributor 4 seen from the side. In the connection region of the tube-like connection 3 with the handle 20, the flow regulator 9 arranged on the distributor 4 can be detected. NEN. The flow regulator 9 has at least one plate 13 arranged displaceably perpendicular to the longitudinal axis A of the distributor 4. The plate 13 has at least one passage opening 14. According to the positioning of the displaceable plate 13 with respect to the inlet openings 14 'of the flow regulator 9, the two openings 14,14' come to rest completely, partially or not at all, which corresponds to a maximum, a partial or no passage. A spring not shown in the figures pushes the displaceable plate 13 in an end position. In this position, the openings 14 and 14 'are not one above the other, but the plate 13 covers the inlet opening 14' of the flow controller 9 from. The flow is interrupted and the grit can not flow from the container 2 into the distributor. By pressing on the plate 13, it is pressed down in the flow regulator 9, so that a part of the opening 14 of the displaceable plate 13 comes to lie over a part of the inlet opening 14 'of the flow regulator 9.

FIG. 4 shows in a schematic representation the inlet opening 14 'of the flow regulator 9 in the region of the housing wall 12 of the flow regulator 9 with the plate 13 arranged parallel thereto and vertically displaceable. The arrow indicates the direction of movement of the plate 13. In the example shown, the inlet opening 14 'and the opening 14 of the plate 13 are each formed by a circular hole 14,14'. In a partial overlap of the two openings 14,14 'results in an elliptical-like passage 21. This ellipsoidal shape of the passage 21 has been proven for a wide range of granule sizes. For very small Komgrössen but other geometric shapes of the opening 14 in the plate 13 or in the inlet opening 14 of the flow controller 9 are conceivable. For example, they can have mutually facing triangular or elliptical holes. Another embodiment of the plate 13 is that it has a plurality of openings 14. For reproducible positioning of the plate 13, an adjusting regulator 17 is provided on the flow regulator 9 with a height-adjustable stop. When pressing on the adjustable plate 13, these can each only up to this stop in the Insert flow regulator 9. As a result, a once preselected cross-sectional opening 21 of the flow regulator 9 can be set reproducibly.

To dispense kömigen materials, the container 2 is first filled via the filling opening 18 with granules. Subsequently, the user of the device 1 hangs the container 2 by means of the carrying strap 5 like a shoulder-carrying bag. The container 2 now carries the person between the upper body and arm. With the hand, the user grips the ergonomically shaped handle 20 at the end of the flexible hose 3 in front of the flow regulator 9. The container 2 has a higher position with respect to the distributor 4, so that the flexible hose-like connection 3 runs in the direction of the bottom and the granules due to gravity flows out of the container 2 and through the tube 3 to the flow regulator 9. When not in use closes the flow controller 9, the inlet opening in the pre-chamber 10. To dispense the granules, the user presses with his thumb on the sliding plate 13 and thereby opens the flow area 21 to a previously set with the control knob 17 on the flow control 9 value. The granules then flow into the pre-chamber 10, where it encounters the deflecting elements 11. Simultaneously with the opening at the flow regulator 9, the user begins to move the distributor 4 or the "scattering hand" back and forth with horizontal, centrifugal hand movements. As a result, the granules flowing through the flexible hose 3 are scattered, scattered in the prechamber 10 at the deflecting elements 11 and distributed in the prechamber 10 and then thrown out of the distributor 4 out of the finger-like pipe sections 16. As soon as the user takes his thumb from the flow regulator 9, the spring forces the plate 13 up and stops the flow. Some subsequent centrifugal movements with the spreader hand empty the distributor 4. The device is closed to the outside. The granules in the container 2 can be stored in it until the next application.

With the scattering device described granular material without problems and thanks to the flexible, easily movable back and forth hose without great effort and without fatigue evenly applied. The user comes only minimally in contact with the grit. The very handy device also allows effortless application of fertilizer, pesticides and the like in difficult areas in the field such as soils under shrubs and bushes or embankments.

Claims

claims

1. A portable spreader for storing and dispensing granules, in particular flowable, granular bulk material, which spreader (1) a container (2), a distributor (4) for discharging the granules, and a hose-like connection (3) between the container ( 2) and the distributor (4), characterized in that the hose-like connection (3) is flexible at least in a partial area between the container (2) and distributor (4), that further in the connection region of the hose-like connection (3) to the Distributor (4) a flow regulator (9) is provided, further that the distributor (4) includes a prechamber (10) with substantially planar bottom and inside the prechamber (10) arranged deflecting elements (11), and that the prechamber (10 ) has at least two outlet openings (15) on the side opposite the inlet opening.

2. Scattering device according to claim 1, characterized in that the flow regulator (9) of at least one in the connection region to the distributor (4) perpendicular to the axis (A) of the hose-like compound (3) slidably disposed plate (13) with at least one passage opening ( 14) is formed.

3. Scattering device according to claim 2, characterized in that the flow regulator (9) an adjusting controller (17) for positioning the displaceable plate (13) is arranged.

4. Scattering device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the prechamber (10) has a drawer-like, insert insertable with at the bottom of the insert (19) arranged deflecting elements (11).

5. Scattering device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at each outlet openings (15) of the prechamber (10), a pipe section (16) is arranged such that the individual pipe sections (16) of the outlet opening (15) arranged away divergent are.

6. Scattering device according to claim 5, characterized in that at the pre-chamber (10) five outlet openings (15) are provided, and that at each outlet opening (15), a pipe section (16) is arranged, and that the prechamber (10) with the arranged thereon pipe sections (16) has approximately the shape of an oversized hand.