SEEDING MACHINE WITH SEED DELIVERY SYSTEM

• US 20140290546A1
• Filed: 04/16/2014
• Published: 10/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deere & Company
• Original Assignee: Deere & Company
• Inventors: GARNER, ELIJAH B., THIEMKE, DANIEL B., RYLANDER, DAVID J., MARIMAN, NATHAN A., FRIESTAD, MICHAEL E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,480,199 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 111/171
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 17/00 Fertilisers or seeders with centrifugal wheels
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 21/00 Methods of fertilising , sowing or planting
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/008 Sod or grassland seeding A01C7/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/04 Single-grain seeders with or without suction devices
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/046 with perforated seeding discs
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/125 with bottom delivery of the seeds
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/127 Cell rollers, wheels, discs or belts
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/16 Seeders with other distributing devices, e.g. brushes, discs, screws or slides
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/166 Centrifugal distributors
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/20 Parts of seeders for conducting and depositing seed

Abstract

A seeding machine with a seed meter and a seed delivery system for moving seed from a seed meter to a furrow formed in the soil. The delivery system has an endless member moving in a housing about pulleys to move seed from an upper opening in the housing to a lower discharge opening. In one embodiment, a blocking loading surface guides seed from the metering member of the seed meter and into the delivery system.

Claims

1. A seeding machine comprising:

a seed meter which includes a metering member with a plurality of apertures in a circular array, the seed meter configured to move individual seeds sequentially along a first path to a release position;

a delivery system which moves the individual seeds in a second path from the release position to a discharge position adjacent a seed furrow formed in soil beneath the seeding machine; and

a blocking loading surface which blocks movement of the individual seeds along the first path and permits redirection and movement of the individual seeds along the second path as the individual seeds are moved to the release position.

2. The seeding machine as recited in claim 1 wherein the delivery system includes an endless member disposed within a housing, the endless member having a plurality of entrapment areas which capture and entrap the individual seeds at the release position and which entrapment areas engage, move and release the individual seeds at the discharge position where the seeds are moved in a direction opposite to a direction of movement of the seeding machine.

3. The seeding machine as recited in claim 1 wherein the metering member is configured to use a pressure differential to retain individual seeds on the metering member.

4. A seeding machine comprising:

a seed meter which includes a metering member with a plurality of apertures in a circular array, the metering member configured to hold individual seeds in individual apertures by a pressure differential, the seed meter configured to move individual seeds sequentially along a first path to a release position;

a delivery system which includes an endless belt which has a plurality of entrapment areas which capture and entrap the individual seeds at the release position and moves the individual seeds in a second path from the release position to a discharge position adjacent a seed furrow formed in soil beneath the seeding machine, the endless member configured and arranged to discharge the individual seeds in a direction opposite to a direction of movement of the seeder; and

a blocking loading surface which blocks movement of the individual seeds along the first path and effects redirection and movement of the individual seeds along the second path along which the individual seeds are moved to the release position by the endless belt.

5. The seeding machine as recited in claim 4 wherein the blocking loading surface is part of a wheel configured to rotate and move the individual seed into an entrapment area.

6. The seeding machine as recited in claim 5 wherein the entrapment areas of the endless belt and the loading wheel are adjacent one another to permit the individual seeds to move radially into an individual entrapment area.

7. The seeding machine of claim 5 wherein the metering member is a disk that lies substantially in a first plane and the endless member lies substantially in a second plane generally parallel to the first plane and the loading wheel is substantially in the second plane.