Planter monitor system
First Claim
1. A system for monitoring small discrete particles having a high dielectric constant, such as seeds, that pass along a path, comprisinga sensor having at least one transmitter and one receiver electrode means spaced from one another and electrically exposed to said path passing between them;
- transmitter circuit means applying to said transmitter electrode means a constant electrical signal to produce an electrical sensing field between said electrode means transverse to said path;
receiver circuit means detecting a change in electrical energy received by said receiver electrode means from said transmitter electrode means in response to a particle passing on said path in proximity to said electrode means; and
a grounded conductive shield extending further along said path than the electrode means sufficiently for both isolating said electrode means from the external environment and for confining said transverse electric sensing field to a short length of said path between electrodes.
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Accused Products
Abstract
This invention monitors the presence of or a flow of discrete small particles having a high dielectric constant, particularly seeds being planted by a seed planting machine. The invention uses the high dielectric constant of the particles, such as seeds, passing at least a pair of spaced electrodes to vary the capacitance between them and thereby indicate presence of the seed. The capacitance variation is detected and then processed by console located display, alarm and/or counting circuitry.
50 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A system for monitoring small discrete particles having a high dielectric constant, such as seeds, that pass along a path, comprising
a sensor having at least one transmitter and one receiver electrode means spaced from one another and electrically exposed to said path passing between them; -
transmitter circuit means applying to said transmitter electrode means a constant electrical signal to produce an electrical sensing field between said electrode means transverse to said path; receiver circuit means detecting a change in electrical energy received by said receiver electrode means from said transmitter electrode means in response to a particle passing on said path in proximity to said electrode means; and a grounded conductive shield extending further along said path than the electrode means sufficiently for both isolating said electrode means from the external environment and for confining said transverse electric sensing field to a short length of said path between electrodes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A system for monitoring small particles having a high dielectric constant, such as seeds, that pass along a plurality of separate paths, comprising
a plurality of sensors, one for each path and arranged in a matrix having rows and columns, each sensor having at least one transmitter and one receiver electrode means spaced from one another and electrically exposed to said path passing between them; -
transmitter circuit means including a source of constant electrical signal to produce an electric sensing field between said electrode means transverse to said path; a grounded conductive shield extending further along said path than the electrode means sufficiently for both isolating said electrode means from the external environment and for confining said transverse electric sensing field to a short length of said path between electrodes; a separate driver for selectively connecting said source to the transmitter electrode means for one row of sensors; separate receiver circuit means connected to the receiver electrode for each sensor; a multiplexer interconnecting the output of the separate receiver circuit means for the sensors in each column of said matrix; and
microprocessor means gating in sequence the drivers for the rows of sensors and simultaneously enabling the multiplexer to scan the receiver circuit output for the sensors in the gated row. - View Dependent Claims (9)
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10. A system for monitoring small electrically conductive discrete particles, such as the size of seeds, that pass along a path, comprising
a sensor having at least one transmitter and one receiver electrode means spaced from one another and electrically exposed to said path passing between them; -
a grounded conductive shield extending further along said path than the electrode means sufficiently for both isolating said electrode means from the external environment and for confining the transverse electric sensing field between said electrode means to a short length of said path between electrodes; transmitter circuit means applying to said transmitter electrode means a constant electrical signal to produce said electric sensing field transverse to said path; and receiver circuit means detecting a change in electrical energy received by said receiver electrode means from said transmitter electrode means in response to a particle passing on said path in proximity to said electrode means. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12)
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Specification