ROW UNIT FOR A SEEDING MACHINE HAVING ACTIVE DOWNFORCE CONTROL FOR THE CLOSING WHEELS

• US 20120255475A1
• Filed: 04/11/2011
• Published: 10/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Mariman, Nathan Albert, Riewerts, Paul Reed, Garner, Elijah B., Zumdome, Lee E.
• Granted Patent: US 8,910,582 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 111/149
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 5/066 Devices for covering drills or furrows
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/205 comprising pressure regulation means

Abstract

A planter row unit is disclosed having an active downforce control system for the closing wheels. This separate control of the downforce pressure for the closing wheels is provided from the row unit downforce control. A single operator input is used to set a desired downforce for all row units. The control system then operates to produce the desired downforce. Alternatively, the control system may display a downforce load to the operator who then manually makes adjustments as desired.

Claims

1. A row unit for a seeding machine comprising:

a row unit frame adapted to mounted to a machine frame;

a furrow opener and a furrow depth regulating member both mounted to the row unit frame; and

a furrow closing arrangement movably mounted to the row unit frame, the furrow closing arrangement having a ground contacting member, and a furrow closing downforce actuator operable to vary force applied to soil by the ground contacting member as the seeding machine moves through a field.

2. The row unit of claim 1 further comprising a control system including a load sensor adapted to detect a load applied by the ground contacting member to the soil, and a controller receiving a signal from the load sensor, wherein the controller is operably connected to the furrow closing downforce actuator to vary the load applied by the ground contacting member to the soil.

3. The row unit of claim 2 wherein the controller is adapted to dynamically operate the furrow closing downforce actuator to vary the load applied by the ground contacting member to the soil.

4. The row unit of claim 1 further comprising a control system including a load sensor adapted to detect a load applied to the soil, a monitor receiving a signal from the load sensor and displaying the load to an operator and an operator input to operate the furrow closing downforce actuator to vary the load applied by the ground contacting member to the soil.

5. The row unit of claim 1 wherein the furrow closing arrangement includes a linkage through which the ground contacting member is movably mounted to the row unit frame.

6. The row unit of claim 1 wherein the furrow closing downforce actuator is one of a pneumatic cylinder, hydraulic cylinder, and electro-mechanical actuator.

7. The row unit of claim 1 further comprising a linkage mounting the row unit frame to the machine frame, a row unit downforce actuator operable to vary downforce on the row unit and a control system including at least one load sensor adapted to detect a load applied to the soil, and a controller receiving a signal from the load sensor wherein the controller is operably connected to both the row unit downforce actuator and the furrow closing downforce actuator to vary the load applied to the soil by the depth regulating member and the ground contacting member.

8. The row unit of claim 7 wherein the control system comprises two load sensors with one sensor adapted to detect the load applied to the soil by the furrow depth regulating member and a second load sensor adapted to detect the load applied to the soil by the ground contacting member.

9. The row unit of claim 1 wherein the furrow closing arrangement includes a pivot arm rotatably coupled to the row unit frame with the ground contacting member mounted to the pivot arm, the pivot arm being a first link of a parallelogram linkage together with a second link and a coupler, the first and second links being connected to the row unit frame and the coupler connected to each of the first and second links and wherein the furrow closing downforce actuator is connected between the row unit frame and the coupler to move the coupler and thereby the pivot arm to vary a load applied to the soil by the ground contacting member.

10. The row unit of claim 9 wherein the connection between the coupler and the pivot arm permits lateral adjustment of the pivot arm relative to the coupler.