Vacuum control for seed planter
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A vacuum manifold for a seed planter comprising:
- a series of seed planting units receiving vacuum to pull seeds into pockets within a metering plate;
a vacuum source;
a manifold attached to the vacuum source to distribute a vacuum to the series of seed planting units through multiple manifold branches;
a first valve within a manifold branch;
an actuator communicating with the first valve to delay opening of the manifold branch with respect to at least one other manifold branch during initial stages of establishing a vacuum in the manifold; and
a second valve within a second manifold branch coordinating with the first valve to delay opening of a second manifold branch with respect to the opening of the first manifold branch.
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Abstract
A seed planting unit provides a manifold connecting a vacuum to multiple metering disks. The manifold includes valves to sequentially connect the manifold branches to the seed unit so as to moderate the peak air flow necessary to be handled by the vacuum source reducing horsepower drain and cost of the vacuum source itself.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A vacuum manifold for a seed planter comprising:
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a series of seed planting units receiving vacuum to pull seeds into pockets within a metering plate; a vacuum source; a manifold attached to the vacuum source to distribute a vacuum to the series of seed planting units through multiple manifold branches; a first valve within a manifold branch; an actuator communicating with the first valve to delay opening of the manifold branch with respect to at least one other manifold branch during initial stages of establishing a vacuum in the manifold; and a second valve within a second manifold branch coordinating with the first valve to delay opening of a second manifold branch with respect to the opening of the first manifold branch. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A vacuum manifold for a seed planter comprising:
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a series of seed planting units receiving vacuum to pull seeds into pockets within a metering plate; a vacuum source; a manifold attached to the vacuum source to distribute a vacuum to the series of seed planting units through multiple manifold branches; at least a first valve within a manifold branch; an actuator communicating with the first valve to delay opening of the manifold branch with respect to at least one other manifold branch during initial stages of establishing a vacuum in the manifold; and wherein the actuator includes a timer delaying a predetermined time after starting of the vacuum source to infer the predetermined vacuum level.
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11. A method of planting seeds comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a series of seed planting units having a metering plate including a series of pockets for receiving seeds; (b) attaching the seed planting units to a manifold communicating with a vacuum source and having multiple manifold branches connected with different seed planting units and including at least one valve in one manifold passage; (c) controlling the valve for sequentially applying a vacuum source to groups of the seed planting units to draw seeds into the series of pockets upon starting of a planting operation to limit a maximum air flow to the vacuum source; and wherein at least one of the valves is sequenced by a timer. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A method of planting seeds comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a series of seed planting units having a metering plate including a series of pockets for receiving seeds; (b) attaching the seed planting units to a manifold communicating with a vacuum source and having multiple manifold branches connected with different seed planting units and including at least one valve in one manifold passage; (c) controlling the valve to sequentially applying a vacuum source to groups of the seed planting units to draw seeds into the series of pockets upon starting of a planting operation to limit a maximum air flow to the vacuum source; (d) providing separate drives for rotating the metering plates corresponding to each group of seed planting units; and (e) during a pre-charging period, as pressure is being built up in the manifold passage associated with a group, rotating the plates corresponding the group; and (f) after pressure is built up in the manifold passage associated with a group and during the pre-charging period, halting rotation of the plates associated with the group.
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Specification