Seed disc with seed aperture path having interspersed agitation cavities

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9265191-B2
Application number	US-201313804630-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2013
Priority date	Mar 22, 2011
Publication date	Feb 23, 2016
Grant date	Feb 23, 2016

Abstract

A seed meter for an agricultural planter in which the seed disc is rotatably mounted within a seed meter housing. As the seed disc rotates, the apertures in the disc rotate along a seed aperture path through a horizontally adjacent seed pool area. The seed disc includes cavities disposed along the seed aperture path to agitate the seeds in the seed pool area. A singulator having multiple co-planar singulator surfaces is biased against the seed side surface of the seed disc.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A seed meter for an agricultural planter, comprising:
a meter housing including a seed housing, said seed housing defining a seed pool area into which seeds are communicated and collected; and
a seed disc rotatably mounted within said meter housing, said seed disc having a seed side surface defining a seed plane, said seed disc having a central axis and a direction of rotation, said seed disc further having a plurality of seed apertures spaced radially outward from said central axis, said plurality of apertures defining a seed path along said seed plane, said seed side surface having a plurality of cavities intersecting said seed path, each of said cavities having a portion inward of an inner radius of said seed path, and each of said cavities further having a surface recessed relative to said seed plane, wherein each of said cavities includes a forward face, wherein said forward face is substantially normal to said seed side surface, and wherein each of said cavities further includes a rearward face, wherein said rearward face is chamfered with respect to said seed side surface.

2. The seed meter of claim 1 , wherein said forward face extends between said seed plane and said recessed surface, said forward face of each of said cavities disposed in a backward-swept orientation relative to said direction of rotation.

3. The seed meter of claim 2 , wherein said rearward face extends between said seed plane and said recessed surface, said rearward face sloping from said recessed surface to the seed plane toward said direction of rotation.

4. The seed meter of claim 2 , wherein each of said cavities is in a backward-swept orientation relative to said direction of rotation.

5. The seed meter of claim 1 , wherein said forward face is disposed at an acute angle relative to a radial line extending from said central axis through a central axis of a rotationally following one of said plurality of seed apertures.

6. The seed meter of claim 5 , wherein said angle is approximately 15 degrees.

7. The seed meter of claim 6 , wherein said angle is between approximately 10 and 30 degrees.

8. The seed meter of claim 5 , wherein said plurality of cavities includes at least 10 cavities.

9. The seed meter of claim 8 , wherein said cavities are arranged in a substantially radially symmetrical fashion about a rotational axis of said seed disc.

10. The seed meter of claim 8 , wherein each of said cavities is substantially larger than each said plurality of seed apertures, and wherein each of said cavities is sized to agitate seeds in said seed pool area.

11. The seed meter of claim 1 , wherein said seed disc includes a plurality of radially spaced drive teeth.

12. The seed meter of claim 11 , wherein said drive teeth are adapted to be driven by an electric motor.

13. A seed meter for an agricultural planter, comprising:
a meter housing including a seed side housing;
an opening in said seed side housing into which seeds are communicated;
a seed pool area within said seed side housing for collecting said communicated seeds; and
a seed disc rotatably mounted within said meter housing, said seed disc including a plurality of seed apertures defining a seed path, said seed disc having a seed side surface with a plurality of cavities, wherein each of said cavities includes a forward face, and wherein each forward face is in a backward-swept orientation relative to a direction of rotation of said seed disc, and wherein said forward face is substantially normal to said seed side surface; and
wherein each of said cavities includes a rearward face and wherein said rearward face is chamfered with respect to said seed side surface.

14. The seed meter of claim 13 , wherein said cavities intersect said seed path, and wherein said cavities extend radially inward of said seed apertures.

15. The seed meter of claim 13 , wherein each of said cavities is in a backward-swept orientation relative to a direction of rotation of said seed disc.

16. The seed meter of claim 13 , wherein each said forward face is disposed at a substantial acute angle relative to a line, said line extending through a rotational center of said seed disc, and said line extending through a central axis of a seed aperture following said cavity along said seed path.

17. The seed meter of claim 16 , wherein said angle is approximately 15 degrees.

18. The seed meter of claim 17 , wherein said angle is between approximately 10 and 30 degrees.

19. The seed meter of claim 16 , wherein said plurality of cavities includes at least 10 cavities.

20. The seed meter of claim 19 , wherein said cavities are arranged in a substantially radially symmetrical fashion about a rotational axis of said seed disc.

21. The seed meter of claim 19 , wherein each of said cavities is substantially larger than each of said seed apertures, and wherein each of said cavities is sized to agitate seeds in said seed pool area.

22. The seed meter of claim 2 , wherein said seed disc includes a plurality of radially spaced drive teeth.

23. The seed meter of claim 22 , wherein said drive teeth are adapted to be driven by an electric motor.

Assignees

• Prec Planting Llc

Inventors

• Sauder Derek
• Schaefer Tim

Classifications

• A01C7/123

  Housings for feed rollers or wheels · CPC title

• A01C7/12 Primary

  Seeders with feeding wheels · CPC title

• A01C7/128

  Cell discs · CPC title

• A01C7/084

  Pneumatic distribution heads for seeders · CPC title

• A01C7/04

  Single-grain seeders with or without suction devices · CPC title