Planter with high speed seed delivery apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025275498-A1
Application number	US-202519212198-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 19, 2025
Priority date	Sep 29, 2017
Publication date	Sep 4, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

An agricultural planting implement includes a number of row units. The row units include one or more seed meters for receiving, singulating, and dispensing seed to the ground such that preferred spacing of subsequent seed is attained. A seed meter provides seeds one at time to a seed carrier, such as a brush wheel. The brush wheel may move the seeds one at a time to a seed conveyor by directly moving seeds along a curved portion of a seed disc in the seed meter. The seed conveyor may be a flighted belt, and the velocity of the seeds when transferred from the seed carrier may match the velocity of the flighted belt. The seed conveyor conveys the seeds to a position near the bottom of a furrow, and ejects the seeds with little or no horizontal velocity relative to the bottom of the furrow.

First claim

1 . An agricultural planting implement, comprising:
a plurality of row units, each of the row units comprising:
a seed meter, said seed meter including a housing and a seed disc therein, the housing having a seed side and a vacuum side, wherein the vacuum side applies a negative pressure to a full seed side of the seed disc; and
a seed conveyor in communication with the seed meter to receive seeds from the seed meter, wherein the seed conveyor is adapted to move the seed towards an ejection location proximate to a bottom of a furrow and is adapted to eject the seed with substantially no horizontal velocity relative to the bottom of the furrow.

2 . The agricultural planting implement of claim 1 , further comprising a knock-off member on the vacuum side of the meter housing, the knock member including an extension that extends at least partially into a seed aperture of the seed disc to dislodge a seed held in the seed aperture by the negative pressure.

3 . The agricultural planting implement of claim 2 , wherein the knock-off member comprises a rotating member with a plurality of extensions extending outwardly from the rotating member.

4 . The agricultural planting implement of claim 2 , wherein the knock-off member further comprises a hinge to connect the knock-off member to the seed meter housing.

5 . The agricultural planting implement of claim 4 , wherein the hinge is biased to urge the knock-off member towards the seed disc.

6 . The agricultural planting implement of claim 1 , wherein the seed disc comprises a plurality of seed apertures radially spaced to form a seed path and a curved portion radially external the seed path.

7 . The agricultural planting implement of claim 1 , further comprising a seal positioned inside an outer edge of the vacuum side of the seed disc and extending circumferentially about the outer edge of the disc to create a fully pressurized zone within the seal on the vacuum side of the seed disc.

8 . The agricultural planting implement of claim 1 , further comprising a seed carrier in communication with a seed exit of the seed meter, said seed carrier receiving seed from the seed meter one seed at a time.

9 . The agricultural planting implement of claim 8 , wherein the seed carrier receives seed that has been dislodged by the knock-off member.

10 . The agricultural planting implement of claim 9 , wherein the seed carrier is a brush wheel.

11 . The agricultural planting implement of claim 1 , wherein the seed conveyor comprises a flighted belt.

12 . A method of planting seed, comprising:
adhering seed to a seed aperture of a seed disc using a negative pressure, wherein said seed disc having a plurality of seed apertures forming a seed path; without cutting off the negative pressure, dislodging the seed from the seed aperture; receiving the dislodged seed with a carrier member and moving the seed via the carrier member in a rotational manner; transferring the seed from the carrier member to a seed conveyor towards the ground and releasing the seed from the seed carrier with substantially no horizontal velocity relative to the ground.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the carrier member comprises a rotating brush.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the seed disc rotates about a seed disc axis that is generally aligned with a direction of travel.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the rotating brush rotates about a brush axis that is generally horizontal and transverse to the seed disc axis.

16 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the conveyor comprises a flighted belt within a conveyor cover.

17 . An agricultural planting implement including a plurality of row units, each of the plurality of row units comprising:
a seed meter comprising a seed meter housing; a rotatable seed disc within the seed meter housing and separating the seed meter housing into a seed side and a vacuum side, said seed disc comprising a plurality of seed apertures radially spaced to form a seed path; and a seed conveyor in communication with the seed meter to receive seeds from the seed meter, wherein the seed conveyor is adapted to move the seed towards an ejection location proximate to a bottom of a furrow and is adapted to eject the seed with substantially no horizontal velocity relative to the bottom of the furrow.

18 . The agricultural planting implement of claim 17 , further comprising a knock-off member on the vacuum side of the meter housing, the knock member including an extension that extends at least partially into a seed aperture of the seed disc to dislodge a seed held in the seed aperture by a negative pressure, wherein the knock-off member comprises a rotating member with a plurality of extensions extending outwardly from the rotating member.

19 . The agricultural planting implement of claim 18 , wherein the plurality of extensions of the knock-off member are configured to align with the seed apertures of the seed disc as the knock-off member rotates.

20 . The agricultural planting implement of claim 17 , further comprising a seal positioned inside an outer edge of the vacuum side of the seed disc and extending circumferentially about the outer edge of the disc to create a fully pressurized zone within the seal on the vacuum side of the seed disc.

Assignees

• Kinze Mfg Inc

Inventors

• Wilhelmi Matthew
• Hahn Dustan
• Willis Philip
• Martin Dean
• Mcdowell Dalton
• Newell Gary

Classifications

• A01C7/0445

  Seed ejectors · CPC title

• A01C7/046

  with perforated seeding discs · CPC title

• A01C7/126

  Stubbed rollers or wheels · CPC title

• A01C7/16

  Seeders with other distributing devices, e.g. brushes, discs, screws or slides · CPC title

• A01C7/08

  Broadcast seeders; Seeders depositing seeds in rows · CPC title