Seed treatment apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11291154-B2
Application number	US-201816190527-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2018
Priority date	Aug 3, 2009
Publication date	Apr 5, 2022
Grant date	Apr 5, 2022

Abstract

A seed treatment apparatus provides for minimal waste of products for treating seeds, in that it is precisely controllable and automatically adjustable. A volume of seeds to be treated and a flow rate of treatment product for treating the seeds can both be sensed. At least one of the flow rate of the treatment product and the volume of seeds can automatically be adjusted if it is determined that a ratio of the flow rate of treatment product to the volume of seeds is not the same as a predetermined flow rate to volume ratio.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A seed treatment apparatus, comprising:
a housing having a seed inlet for receiving seeds and a seed outlet for dispensing the seeds;
a control processor;
a seed meter disposed within the housing for volumetrically measuring and dispensing the seeds thereby providing a controlled volumetric flow of seeds, the seed meter controlled by the control processor, wherein the seed meter comprises a rotatable seed wheel having an outer surface and a plurality of slots for containing a metered volume of seeds;
a seed treatment applicator for receiving seeds from the seed meter and treating the seeds;
a plurality of treatment tank units each with a treatment fluid, each treatment tank unit with a pump controlled by the control processor, each treatment tank unit being in fluid communication with the seed treatment applicator, whereby the volumetric flow of the treatment fluid is controlled by the control processor;
the process controller communicatively coupled with the seed meter and the treatment tank pumps, wherein the process controller automatically adjusts at least one of the volumetric flow of treatment fluid and the volumetric flow of seeds in response to a change in the other thereby maintaining a predetermined ratio of the flow rate of treatment fluid to the volumetric flow of seeds; and
a seed sensor disposed adjacent the seed meter for sensing a volume of seeds to be dispensed from the seed meter to the seed treatment applicator, the seed sensor connected to the control processor;
wherein each one of the plurality of slots extends across the length of the rotatable seed wheel and is parallel to an axis of rotation of the rotatable seed wheel, and
wherein the apparatus further comprises a tumbling drum for additional coating of the seeds by seed to seed contact, wherein the tumbling drum is positioned between the seed treatment applicator and a seed discharge portion.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein each treatment tank unit has a flow sensor disposed adjacent each respective treatment tank for sensing a flow rate of respective treatment fluid being dispensed to the seed treatment applicator.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the seed treatment applicator comprises an atomizer configured as a rotating plate for applying the treatment fluid to seeds and a dispersion cone that generally uniformly disperses the seeds around the atomizer.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a control panel connected to the control processor whereby a user monitors and controls the flow of treatment fluid and the volumetric flow of seeds and adjusts one of the flow of treatment fluid and the volumetric flow of seeds whereby the control processor automatically adjusts the other of the flow of treatment fluid and the volumetric flow of seeds.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the apparatus further comprises a motor configured to dispense a seed after the seed has been metered and to rotatably fill an adjacent slot in the seed wheel.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , where one or more of the plurality of treatment tank units comprises a premix tank.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a grader positioned at a top portion of the rotatable seed wheel.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the control processor is configured to receive batch data from an operator.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8 , wherein said batch data are selected from the group consisting of treatment composition, treatment application rate, seed treatment rate, or any combination thereof.

10. A method of treating seeds with the seed treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , the method comprising:
depositing a plurality of seeds through the seed inlet in the seed treatment apparatus into the seed meter;
controlling the seed meter by the control processor to provide a volumetric flow rate of seeds passing therethrough;
sensing the seed in the inlet above the seed meter and sending data to the control processor for determining when the seed meter will run out of seed for metering;
discharging the seeds from the seed meter at the volumetric flow rate through a seed treatment region of the seed treatment applicator;
individually pumping from each of the plurality of treatment tank units treatment fluid into the seed treatment applicator and controlling each pump by the control processor thereby regulating a volumetric flow rate and thereby coating the seeds passing through the seed treatment region at a predetermined ratio, with the treatment fluid from the plurality of treatment tank units;
discharging the treated seeds from the seed treatment applicator;
wherein when one of the flow rate of the treatment fluid pumped to the seed treatment applicator and the volumetric flow rate of seeds changes during the seed treatment, the other is automatically changed by the control processor thereby maintaining a predetermined ratio of the volumetric flow rate of treatment fluid to the seed volumetric flow rate.

11. A method of adjusting the application of a treatment-fluid to a plurality of seeds in the seed treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , the method comprising:
depositing seed into the seed inlet to be fed into the rotatable seed wheel and controlling by the rotation of the rotatable seed wheel a volumetric feed rate of seeds to be treated in the seed treatment apparatus with a control processor;
dropping the seeds from the seed wheel into a seed treatment region of the seed treatment applicator,
controlling the volumetric flow rate of the treatment fluid for coating the seeds by the control processor in a predetermined ratio of volume of treatment fluid to seed volume;
monitoring the volumetric flow rate of the treatment fluid and the volumetric feed rate of the seeds by the control processor; and automatically adjusting by the control processor the volumetric flow rate of the treatment fluid when the volumetric feed rate of seeds changes, and automatically adjusting by the control processor, the volumetric feed rate of seeds when the volumetric flow rate of the treatment fluid changes, thereby maintaining the predetermined ratio of volume of treatment fluid to seed volume.

12. A method of treating seeds with the seed treatment apparatus according to claim 1 , the method comprising:
depositing a plurality of seeds through the seed inlet in the seed treatment apparatus into the seed meter;
controlling with the seed meter a volumetric flow rate of seeds passing therethrough;
sensing the seed in the inlet above the seed meter and sending data to the control processor for determining when the seed meter will run out of seed for metering;
discharging the seeds from the seed meter at the volumetric flow rate through a seed treatment region of the seed treatment applicator;
pumping a treatment fluid into the seed treatment applicator at a volumetric flow rate thereby coating the seeds passing through the seed treatment region at a predetermined ratio, with treatment fluid;
discharging the treated seeds from the seed treatment applicator;
determining with the control processor when the seed meter will run out of seed based on sensing the seed in the seed inlet and stopping the pumping of the treatment fluid when the seed will stop passing through the seed treatment region;
wherein when one of the flow rate of the treatment fluid pumped to the seed treatment applicator and the volumetric flow rate of seeds controlled by the seed meter is automatically adjusted during the seed treatment when the other is changed thereby maintaining a predetermined ratio of the volumetric flow rate of treatment fluid to the seed volu

Assignees

• Bayer Cropscience Lp

Inventors

• Reineccius Greg A
• Schulz Steven

Classifications

• A01C1/08 Primary

  Immunising seed · CPC title

• A01C1/06 Primary

  Coating or dressing seed · CPC title