Down and/or up force adjustment system
First Claim
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1. An agricultural device comprising:
- a toolbar;
a row unit;
a linkage coupling the row unit to the toolbar, wherein the linkage includes a first arm and a second arm, and wherein each of the first arm and the second arm includes a first end coupled to the toolbar and a second end coupled to the row unit;
an actuator coupled to the toolbar;
a biasing member coupled to the linkage and the actuator, wherein the actuator is adapted to adjust the biasing member to vary an amount of force applied to the row unit; and
a first sensor adapted to sense a characteristic of the biasing member.
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Abstract
An agricultural device includes a number of row units that each includes a seed furrow opener that creates a furrow in the soil for seed placement. Each row unit is mounted to a toolbar of the device by a four-bar linkage which allows each row unit to move vertically to adjust to the contour of the soil independently of the other row units on the same toolbar. The four-bar linkages include one or more springs which work to transfer weight from the toolbar to the row unit. An actuator varies the tension in the spring thereby adjusting the down or up force applied to the row unit.
51 Citations
20 Claims
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1. An agricultural device comprising:
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a toolbar; a row unit; a linkage coupling the row unit to the toolbar, wherein the linkage includes a first arm and a second arm, and wherein each of the first arm and the second arm includes a first end coupled to the toolbar and a second end coupled to the row unit; an actuator coupled to the toolbar; a biasing member coupled to the linkage and the actuator, wherein the actuator is adapted to adjust the biasing member to vary an amount of force applied to the row unit; and a first sensor adapted to sense a characteristic of the biasing member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of adjusting a force applied to a row unit of an agricultural planter, the agricultural planter including a toolbar and the row unit including a linkage coupling the row unit to the agricultural planter, the method comprising:
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providing an actuator; coupling a biasing member to the linkage and to the actuator; sensing a plurality of characteristics associated with planting with at least one sensor, said characteristics including at least one characteristics associated with a portion of soil upon which the row unit travels; generating a signal associated with the characteristics sensed by the at least one sensor; communicating the signal to a processing unit; and adjusting the biasing member with the actuator based on the signal received by the processing unit in order to adjust an up or down force applied to the row unit. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A row unit adjustment system for use with an agricultural planter for planting seeds, the agricultural planter including a toolbar and at least one row unit coupled to the toolbar, the row unit adjustment system comprising:
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an actuator operatively connected to the row unit; a biasing member operatively connected to the linkage and the actuator; and a plurality of sensors each adapted to sense a separate characteristic associated with planting seeds and to generate a signal associated with each of the sensed characteristics; wherein the actuator is adapted to adjust the biasing member to vary an amount of force applied to the at least one row unit. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification