Air seeder blockage monitoring system
First Claim
1. A seed blockage sensor system comprising:
- a seed flow path having a cross-sectional area;
a flexible piezoelectric sensor element having a generally flat surface; and
,means to support and align the generally flat surface of said flexible piezoelectric sensor element at an acute angle to the flow direction of seeds in the seed flow path, to thereby cause a portion of seeds flowing in the seed path to impact said flexible piezoelectric sensor element.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A seed blockage monitoring system employs a flexible, generally flat piezoelectric seed sensor element inserted at an acute angle of about 13 degrees into a seed flow path so that a portion of seeds traveling in the seed flow path strike the seed sensor element, preventing damage to the seeds and maintaining forward momentum of all seeds in the seed flow path. In order to provide flexibility in monitoring seeds of different types and to increase the data rate that information can be obtained from numerous multiple seed sensor elements, the use of a one-shot to temporarily store a seed detection signal and serial sampling of the temporarily stored signals from the sensors as in the prior art is avoided. Instead, a comparator that includes a diode in a feedback loop so as to function as a latch is used in conjunction with a serial shift register that has parallel data input lines. This enables the microprocessor to monitor outputs from one or more sensor elements, or a digital representation thereof, at a higher rate than attainable in the prior art seed blockage monitors. As a result of the increased rate at which information can be obtained from the seed sensor elements, the microprocessor can not only provide seed blockage data but can also provide relative flow data for the various monitored seed flow paths and compute an overall seeding rate.
49 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A seed blockage sensor system comprising:
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a seed flow path having a cross-sectional area; a flexible piezoelectric sensor element having a generally flat surface; and
,means to support and align the generally flat surface of said flexible piezoelectric sensor element at an acute angle to the flow direction of seeds in the seed flow path, to thereby cause a portion of seeds flowing in the seed path to impact said flexible piezoelectric sensor element. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A seed blockage monitor system comprising:
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a microprocessor; one or more seed sensor elements, each having an output; one or more comparators, each having a positive and negative input and an output, one of said inputs of each comparator being connected to receive a signal representative of the output from a respective seed sensor element; a shift register having, as at least one data input, a signal output from said one or more comparators; and
,means to shift the data in the shift register serially into the microprocessor. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. In a seed blockage monitoring system, the combination of a blockage sensor tube having an end of a secondary seed tube inserted therein a short distance, said blockage sensor tube and the secondary seed tube being secured from becoming detached by spring clips which fit into aligned holes in the blockage sensor tube and secondary seed tube.
Specification