Seed Meter System with Singulator Control

• US 20160366814A1
• Filed: 06/22/2015
• Published: 12/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blue Leaf IP Incorporated (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Original Assignee: CNH Industrial America LLC (CNH Industrial N.V.)
• Inventors: Roszman, Joshua J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,675,002 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 19/02 by a motor
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/0443 Seed singulators
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/046 with perforated seeding discs
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/105 Seed sensors

Abstract

A seed meter system with singulators that are automatically controlled while planting to reduce instances of skips and doubles, without requiring stopping for manual adjustment of singulators. This allows the seed meter system to automatically adjust the singulators to compensate for variations in rotational speed of seed disks of the seed meters, variations in vacuum pressure within the seed meters, and variations in the size(s) of seeds being planted to reduce instances of skips and doubles while planting. Adjustments to the singulator may be made reactively by identifying seed delivery discontinuities such as skips and doubles and then making correction adjustments to attenuate singulator-induced stimulus that may influence seed delivery discontinuities. Adjustments to the singulator may be made proactively by identifying changes in seed meter performance characteristics or environment that lead to delivery discontinuities such as skips and doubles and, thus, influence seed delivery rate.

Claims

1. A method of adjusting seed singulation in a seed meter system of a planter while row-crop planting, the method comprising:

conveying seeds through a seed meter with a seed disk for delivering the seeds onto an agricultural field during a row-crop planting session with a planter,

singulating the seeds during conveyance through the seed meter for individual release out of the seed meter with a singulator;

detecting a current singulator setting of the singulator corresponding to a current position of the singulator inside of the seed meter;

detecting a current singulation rate;

determining a target singulation rate;

identifying a deviation of the current singulation rate with respect to the target singulation rate;

determining a target-corrected singulator setting corresponding to a target-corrected position of the singulator inside of the seed meter based on the identified deviation of the current singulation rate with respect to the target singulation rate; and

adjusting the singulator from the current singulator setting to the target-corrected singulator setting to move the singulator from the current position target-corrected position inside the seed meter.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein a control system receives signals from each of a singulator setting sensor arranged in the seed meter to detect the current singulator setting and a singulation sensor arranged in the seed meter to detect the current singulation rate and wherein while identifying the deviation of the current singulation rate with respect to the target singulation rate, the control system evaluates data based on the signal from the singulation sensor relative to the target singulation to determine a current deviation value and further comprising comparing the current deviation value to a threshold deviation value to determine whether to adjust the singulator.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising monitoring performance characteristic of the seed meter including at least one of a rotational speed of the seed disk, a vacuum pressure inside of the meter housing, and a travel speed of the seed meter relative to the agricultural field, detecting a change in the performance characteristic of the seed meter and making a preemptive correction adjustment to the singulator based on the detected change in the performance characteristic of the seed meter.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising

defining a seed type for planting with the planter;

and

making a preliminary adjustment to the singulators of the seed meters by adjusting the singulators to a preliminary singulator setting based at least in part on the defined seed type.

5. A method of adjusting seed singulation in a seed meter system of a planter while row-crop planting, the method comprising:

defining a seed type for planting with a planter including a seed meter system with seed meters for delivering seeds onto an agricultural field during a planting session, wherein each seed meter includes a seed disk having seed pockets carrying the seeds to a release location in the seed meter for release into a seed tube delivering the seeds onto the field and a singulator configured to remove potential extra seeds from the seed pockets for leaving a single seed in each seed pocket of the seed disk;

making a preliminary adjustment to the singulators of the seed meters for controlling how much mechanical interaction the singulators apply to the seeds in the seed pockets for removing the potential extra seeds from the seed pockets of the seed disks based at least in part on the defined seed type;

monitoring seed delivery rates of the seed meters during the planting session;

identifying a seed meter having a seed delivery rate discontinuity; and

making a correction adjustment to the singulator in the seed meter with the identified seed delivery rate discontinuity to change how much mechanical interaction the singulator applies to the seeds in the seed pockets based on the identified seed delivery rate discontinuity.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the singulator includes an adjustment drive system and a seed-removing assembly moved by the adjustment drive system and wherein the control system commands the adjustment drive system to move the seed-removing assembly between a maximum singulating position applying a maximum amount of mechanical interaction to the seeds in the seed pockets and a minimum singulating position applying a minimum amount of mechanical interaction to the seeds in the seed pockets.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the preliminary adjustment to the singulators includes calibrating each singulator by moving the seed-removing assembly from a first position relatively closer to the maximum singulating position creating a purposeful over-singulation condition in which the seed-removing assembly empties all seeds from individual seed pockets toward a second position relatively closer to the minimum singulating position while priming the seed meter by rotating the seed disk for simultaneously lessening the amount of mechanical interaction applied by the seed-removing assembly to the seeds in the seed pockets while priming the seed meter and stopping movement of the seed-removing assembly from the first position to the second position upon detection of seeds in the seed pockets to define a base position of the seed removing assembly.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein, during the preliminary adjustment, a control system commands an adjustment drive system of the singulator to move a seed-removing assembly within the seed meter to a base position corresponding to a predetermined base setting for the defined seed type.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the seed-removing assembly includes at least one spool and the control system commands movement of the at least one spool relatively nearer to or farther from the seed pockets during the preliminary adjustment until the spool arrives at the base position.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the seed-removing assembly includes a first spool and a second spool arranged on radial opposite sides of the seed pockets of the seed disk and wherein the control system commands movement of the first and second spools in opposite directions toward each other to move the first and second spools closer to the seed pockets or in opposite directions away from each other to move the first and second spools farther from the seed pockets while moving the first and second spools to the base position.

11. The method of claim 5 wherein the correction adjustment includes implementing a correction strategy determined based at least in part on the defined seed type.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the correction strategy includes making relatively larger correction adjustments for relatively larger seed types and making relatively smaller correction adjustments for relatively smaller seed types.

13. The method of claim 5 wherein the singulator includes an adjustment drive system arranged for moving a seed-removing assembly and wherein a control system sends a correction adjustment signal to the adjustment drive system commanding movement of the seed-removing assembly during the correction adjustment.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the adjustment drive system includes a motor, and the correction adjustment signal from the control system commands rotation of an output shaft of the motor in a direction and an angular distance corresponding to performing a correction of at least one of an under-singulation condition of the singulator in which the seed-removing assembly applies too little mechanical interaction to the seeds in the seed pockets allowing more than one seed to be carried in individual seed pockets and an over-singulation condition of the singulator in which the seed-removing assembly applies too much mechanical interaction to the seeds in the seed pockets allowing emptying all seeds from individual seed pockets for attenuating the at least one of the under-singulation condition and over-singulation condition the singulator.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the adjustment drive system includes a linear actuator and the correction adjustment signal from the control system commands extension or retraction of the linear actuator in a direction and distance corresponding to performing a correction of at least one of an under-singulation condition of the singulator in which the seed-removing assembly applies too little mechanical interaction to the seeds in the seed pockets allowing more than one seed to be carried in individual seed pockets and an over-singulation condition of the singulator in which the seed-removing assembly applies too much mechanical interaction to the seeds in the seed pockets allowing emptying all seeds from individual seed pockets for attenuating the at least one of the under-singulation condition and over-singulation condition the singulator.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the seed-removing assembly includes at least one spool and the control system commands movement of the at least one spool relatively nearer to or farther from the seed pockets during the correction adjustment until the spool arrives at an adjusted position.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the at least one spool of the seed-removing assembly includes a first spool and a second spool arranged on radial opposite sides of the seed pockets of the seed disk, and wherein the control system commands movement of the first and second spools in opposite directions toward each other to move the first and second spools closer to the seed pockets to attenuate under-singulation conditions of the singulator or in opposite directions away from each other to move the first and second spools farther from the seed pockets to attenuate over-singulation conditions of the singulator.

18. A seed meter system for dispensing individual seeds while row-crop planting an agricultural field with a planter, the seed meter system comprising:

a housing defining a housing cavity with a seed reservoir receiving seeds in the housing cavity and an outlet for directing seeds out of the housing toward an agricultural field during a planting session;

a seed disk arranged for rotation within the housing cavity and including seed pockets rotating past the seed reservoir and configured to receive seeds from the seed reservoir and carry the seeds toward the outlet of the housing;

a singulator arranged within the housing cavity upstream of the outlet, and wherein the singulator includes,

a seed-removing assembly arranged for movement with respect to the seed pockets to apply mechanical interaction to the seeds in the seed pockets for removing excess seeds from the seed pockets;

an adjustment drive system arranged for moving the seed-removing assembly to increase or decrease an amount of mechanical interaction applied by the seed-removing assembly to the seeds in the seed pockets while seeds are directed out of the housing during the planting session; and

a control system configured to detect a singulator setting of the singulator corresponding to a position of the seed-removing assembly within the housing and identify a deviation of a seed delivery rate with respect to a target seed delivery rate, wherein upon identifying the deviation of the seed delivery rate with respect to the target seed delivery rate, the control system determines a target-corrected singulator setting and moves the seed-removing assembly within the housing cavity by adjusting the singulator to the target-corrected singulator setting.

19. The seed meter system of claim 18, further comprising at least one seed sensor arranged downstream of the singulator configured to send a signal to the control system corresponding to a current seed delivery rate and wherein the control system evaluates the signal from the at least one seed sensor to identify an under-singulation condition in which the seed-removing assembly applies too little mechanical interaction to the seeds in the seed pockets allowing more than one seed to be carried in individual seed pockets or an over-singulation condition in which the seed-removing assembly applies too much mechanical interaction to the seeds in the seed pockets allowing emptying all seeds from individual seed pockets and wherein the control system controls the adjustment drive system to move the seed-removing assembly within the housing cavity to attenuate the under-singulation condition or over-singulation condition.

20. The seed meter system of claim 19, wherein the control system is configured to control the adjustment drive system to move the seed-removing assembly to a base position within the housing cavity during preparation for beginning the planting session and move the seed-removing assembly away from the base position during the planting session in response to the identified deviation of the seed delivery rate with respect to a target seed delivery rate.