Endless belt seed transport member for a differential pressure seed meter

• US 20110185956A1
• Filed: 01/13/2011
• Published: 08/04/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: Friestad, Michael E., Garner, Elijah, Mariman, Nathan A.
• Application Number:
  US13/005,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20110185956A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 111/200
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/042 using pneumatic means
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/127 Cell rollers, wheels, discs or belts

Abstract

A seed meter is provided having an endless belt as a seed transport member together with a pressure differential to hold the seed onto the belt. The use of an endless belt as the seed transport member enables the spatial orientation of the seed transport member to vary from location to location along the path of the belt where different seed meter functions are performed. The belt allows greater freedom in determining the location of the seed pick-up region and the seed release or removal region beyond the constraints of a fixed diameter seed disk. The belt further allows for a narrow envelope seed meter which can cross-feed seed into a substantially vertically oriented delivery device.

Claims

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22. A seed meter endless belt having a seed side and an opposite side with a lengthwise array of apertures extending through the belt between the seed and opposite sides and adapted to be driven in a travel direction through a pool of seed, the seed side having features forming a confronting face following each aperture in the travel direction.

23. The seed meter endless belt as defined in claim 22 wherein the features forming the confronting faces are formed by recesses in the seed side.

24. The seed meter endless belt as defined in claim 23 wherein each aperture is surrounded by one of the recesses in the seed side with the confronting face following the aperture in the travel direction.

25. The seed meter endless belt as defined in claim 22 wherein the features forming the confronting faces project outward from the seed side.

26. The seed meter endless belt as defined in claim 25 wherein one of the confronting faces is formed adjacent each of the apertures and following the aperture in the travel direction.

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