Seed trench closing sensors

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12501845-B2
Application number	US-202318307166-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2023
Priority date	Nov 15, 2017
Publication date	Dec 23, 2025
Grant date	Dec 23, 2025

Abstract

A system for sensing characteristics of a trench in a soil surface during planting operations. A trench opening assembly opens a trench in the soil surface as the trench opening assembly moves in a forward direction of travel. A trench closing assembly disposed rearward of the trench opening assembly closes the opened trench with soil. One or more sensors may be disposed on an appurtenance disposed in said trench configured to provide characteristics of an area of the open trench or an area of the trench closed with soil by the trench closing assembly or a sensor may be disposed outside of said trench configured to provide characteristics of an area of the trench closed with soil or a combination of the sensors may be disposed in the trench and outside of the trench.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A system for sensing characteristics of a trench in a soil surface during planting operations, the system comprising:
a trench opening assembly configured to open a trench in the soil surface as said trench opening assembly moves in a forward direction of travel; a seed delivery mechanism; a trench closing assembly disposed rearward of said trench opening assembly to close said opened trench with soil as said trench closing assembly moves in said forward direction of travel; an appurtenance disposed in said open trench rearward of said trench opening assembly and forward of said trench closing assembly, said appurtenance having a body supporting at least one sensor configured to provide characteristics of said trench; wherein said at least one sensor includes a trench closing sensor having a drag wire extending rearward from said appurtenance body into an area of said trench closed with soil by said closing assembly, said appurtenance body instrumented to measure an amount of force required to pull said drag wire through said closed area of said trench, said measured force indicative of closure of said closed area with soil; characterized in that said at least one sensor further includes electric probes disposed on opposing sides of said appurtenance body, said electric probes generating signals indicative of alignment of said appurtenance body with a bottom of said trench.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said at least one sensor is supported on said appurtenance body in an area of said trench forward of said trench closing assembly, said at least one sensor configured to detect at least one of: trench sidewall smoothness, trench sidewall knitting, soil density, soil moisture, dry dirt ingress, soil electrical conductivity.

3 . The system of claim 1 further comprising a camera disposed on said appurtenance body, said camera providing a rearward-looking view of the trench to provide visual indication of i) said trench geometry and alignment of said appurtenance body with a bottom of said trench, and/or ii) if seeds are being kicked from a bottom of said trench by said trench closing assembly.

4 . The system of claim 1 further comprising i) a light/reflectivity sensor and/or a temperature sensor disposed on said appurtenance body, said temperature sensor measuring temperature of soil in an area of said trench.

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein said drag wire is in a serpentine or coil configuration.

6 . The system of claim 1 further comprising:
a work layer imaging sensor disposed outside of said trench, said work layer imaging sensor selected from a group consisting of: GPR, ultrasound, audible range sound or electric current, wherein said work layer imaging sensor generates a work layer image of an area of soil of interest.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein:
a) said work layer imaging sensor is disposed over an area of said trench closed with soil by said trench closing assembly, and wherein said work layer image provides characteristics of said closed trench area, said characteristics including any of: trench depth, trench shape, depth of seed in said trench, seed depth relative to trench depth, crop residue in said closed trench, and void spaces in said closed trench; b) said work layer imaging sensor includes a transmitter disposed on one side of said closed trench and a receiver disposed on another side of said closed trench; c) said work layer imaging sensor includes a transmitter disposed on one side of said closed trench, a first receiver disposed on another side of said closed trench and a second receiver disposed adjacent and rearward of said transmitter on said one side of said closed trench; d) said work layer imaging sensor includes a plurality of transmitter and receiver pairs disposed above and transverse to said forward direction of travel; or e) said work layer imaging sensor comprises includes a first work layer sensor disposed forward of said trench opening assembly and a second work layer sensor disposed rearward of said trench opening assembly, said first work layer sensor generating a first work layer image as a reference image, said second work layer sensor generating a second work layer image.

8 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a leveling sensor disposed outside of said trench, said leveling sensor determining the levelness of the soil after an area of said trench closed with soil by said trench closing assembly.

9 . The system of claim 8 , wherein said leveling sensor includes:
a) at least one arm supporting spring steel wires disposed to drag over said closed trench, and a sensor configured to measure displacement of the spring steel wires, whereby displacement measurements of said steel spring wires dragging over said closed trench correlates to soil levelness; b) a chain disposed to drag over said closed trench, and a sensor configured to measure drag force of said chain, whereby said drag force measurements correlates to soil levelness; c) a flap disposed to drag over said closed trench, and a sensor configured to measure an amount of bend of said flap, whereby said bend amount measurements correlate to soil levelness; or d) a flap disposed to drag over said closed trench, and an accelerometer disposed on said flap to measure soil levelness.

10 . The system of claim 1 further comprising:
a thrown soil sensor, said thrown soil sensor including a plate attached to said trench closing assembly; and a force sensor disposed on said plate for measuring impact of soil thrown against said plate by said trench closing assembly.

11 . The system of claim 1 further comprising:
a thrown soil sensor, said thrown soil sensor including an arm attached to said trench closing assembly; and
beam sensors disposed on said arm to measure soil thrown by said trench closing assembly.

12 . The system of claim 1 further comprising:
a trench depth sensor disposed on said trench closing assembly forward of an area of said trench closed with soil by said trench closing assembly, said trench depth sensor selected from a group consisting of: ultrasonic, radar and laser, said trench depth sensor measuring a distance to a bottom of said open trench.

13 . The system of claim 12 further comprising:
a ground sensor disposed on said trench closing assembly rearward of said trench depth sensor and over an area of said trench closed with soil by said trench closing assembly, said ground sensor selected from a group consisting of: ultrasonic, radar and laser, said ground sensor measuring a distance to a surface of said closed trench, whereby depth of said trench is determined by subtracting said distance measured by said ground sensor from said distance measured by said trench depth sensor.

14 . The system of claim 1 further comprising:
a closing wheel angle sensor, said closing wheel angle sensor selected from a group consisting of: a rotation sensor, a potentiometer and a Hall-effect sensor, wherein said closing wheel angle sensor measures an angle between a closing wheel arm and a frame member of said trench closing assembly.

Assignees

• Prec Planting Llc

Inventors

• Koch Dale
• Stoller Jason
• Swanson Todd
• Strnad Michael
• Morgan Matthew
• Radtke Ian
• Kater Timothy
• Hodel Jeremy

Classifications

• A01C7/105

  Seed sensors · CPC title

• A01B47/00

  Soil-working with electric potential applied between tools and soil · CPC title

• A01C7/205

  comprising pressure regulation means · CPC title

• A01C7/203 Primary

  comprising depth regulation means · CPC title

• A01B79/005

  Precision agriculture · CPC title