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Seed meter with multiple sensors for seed cell status monitoring

  • US 10,257,974 B1
  • Filed: 09/22/2017
  • Issued: 04/16/2019
  • Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2017
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A vacuum seed meter, comprising:

  • a housing defining a seed chamber wall and a vacuum channel wall;

    a seed transport member having seed cells defined as openings through a perimeter region of the seed transport member, the seed transport member is disposed between the seed chamber wall and the vacuum channel wall, the seed transport member is spaced apart from the seed chamber wall to define a seed chamber between the seed transport member and the seed chamber wall, and the seed transport member is spaced apart from the vacuum channel wall to define a vacuum channel between the seed transport member and the vacuum channel wall, wherein the seed transport member is rotatably carried within the housing such that during each complete rotation of the seed transport member each of the seed cells successively passes through at least the following zones within the seed meter;

    a seed acquisition region and a post-delivery region; and

    a plurality of sensors, each of the plurality of sensors having a detection zone disposed within the housing, the detection zone of at least one of the plurality of sensors being targeted so that during each complete rotation of the seed transport member within the housing a discernible feature of the seed transport member passes through the detection zone of the at least one of the plurality of sensors;

    wherein;

    the detection zone of a first sensor of the plurality of sensors is disposed within the post-delivery region;

    the detection zone of a second sensor of the plurality of sensors is disposed within the seed acquisition region; and

    the detection zone of a third sensor of the plurality of sensors is disposed within an intermediate region that is successively intermediate the seed acquisition region and the post-delivery region during each complete rotation of the seed transport member within the housing.

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