Planter seed meter with accelerator wheel system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9706702-B2
Application number	US-201514619873-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 11, 2015
Priority date	Feb 11, 2015
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

A planter includes seed meters with accelerator wheel systems. Each accelerator wheel system receives singulated seeds from a respective seed meter and spaces the seeds with respect to each other to correct timing and thus spacing anomalies of seeds being released from seed disks of the seed meters at incorrect seed disk release events. Each accelerator wheel system adjusts and to adjust the velocity of the seeds to correspond to planter travel speed for releasing the seeds to drop straight down onto the field, without a horizontal velocity. Seeds are rotationally redirected from a generally downward delivery direction from a seed disk to a generally horizontal delivery direction out of the accelerator wheel system, opposite the tractor and implement travel direction.

First claim

We claim:

1. A planter, comprising:
a chassis towable behind a tractor through an agricultural field for planting seeds onto the field during a planting session, wherein the planter moves through the field in a planter travel direction with a planter velocity (V Planter );
multiple row segments supported by the chassis, each of the multiple row segments including,
a seed meter with a seed meter housing having a seed meter housing outlet and supported at the row segment for singulating seeds for individual delivery into a seed trench of the field, wherein the seed meter releases the individual seeds out of the seed meter housing outlet, wherein the seed meter further comprises a seed disk rotating inside the seed meter housing to convey individual seeds through the seed meter housing for release of individual seeds out of the seed meter housing outlet at a seed meter release velocity (V Seed Meter Release ), and wherein the seed disk further comprises seed disk pockets holding the individual seeds relative to the seed disk while the seeds are conveyed by the seed disk through the seed meter housing; and
an accelerator wheel system receiving the individual seeds from the seed meter housing outlet and wherein the accelerator wheel system is configured to accelerate the individual seeds in the accelerator wheel system and release the seeds onto the field in a seed release direction that is substantially opposite the planter travel direction and with an accelerated seed release velocity (V Accelerated Seed Release ), wherein the V Accelerated Seed Release value includes a horizontal velocity component (V Accelerated Seed Release-Horizontal ) value that is substantially equal to the V Planter value, wherein the accelerator wheel system further comprises
an accelerator wheel housing having an inlet receiving the individual seeds released out of the seed meter housing outlet; and
an accelerator wheel rotating inside the accelerator wheel housing, wherein the accelerator wheel receives the seeds from the accelerator wheel housing, wherein the accelerator wheel of the accelerator wheel system further comprises accelerator wheel pockets holding the individual seeds relative to the accelerator wheel while the seeds are conveyed by the accelerator wheel through the accelerator wheel housing, wherein the accelerator wheel pockets extend into an outer circumferential surface of the accelerator wheel, wherein the outer circumferential surface of the accelerator wheel includes ramped segments extending between the accelerator wheel pockets, and wherein the accelerator wheel accelerates the seeds from the V Seed Meter Release to the V Accelerated Seed Release value and releases the seeds from the accelerator wheel housing with the V Accelerated Seed Release-Horizontal value substantially equal to the V Planter value.

2. The planter of claim 1 , wherein the accelerator wheel pockets rotate with a relatively greater angular velocity in the accelerator wheel housing than the seed disk pockets in the seed meter housing.

3. The planter of claim 2 , wherein the accelerator wheel has a relatively larger diameter than the seed disk.

4. The planter of claim 3 , wherein the accelerator wheel and the seed disk are rotated by a common drive system.

5. The planter of claim 1 , wherein each ramped segment extends between a pair of accelerator wheel pockets with the respective pair of accelerator wheel pockets including a leading accelerator wheel pocket and a trailing accelerator wheel pocket with the leading accelerator wheel pocket arranged relatively ahead of the trailing accelerator wheel pocket with respect to a direction of rotation of the accelerator wheel.

6. The planter of claim 5 , wherein each ramped segment includes a leading end proximate the respective leading accelerator wheel pocket and a trailing end proximate the respective trailing accelerator wheel pocket, and wherein the leading end of the ramped segment is spaced relatively further from an axis of rotation of the accelerator wheel than the trailing end of the ramped segment.

7. The planter of claim 6 , wherein each ramped segment extends at least partially angularly from the leading end to the trailing end in a tightening radius relative to the axis of rotation of the accelerator wheel providing a generally saw-tooth-type perimeter shape to the accelerator wheel.

8. The planter of claim 7 , wherein at each pair of adjacent ramped segments, a transition is defined between a first ramped segment and a second ramped segment, wherein a first radius is defined between the trailing end of the first ramped segment and the axis of rotation of the accelerator wheel and a second radius is defined between the leading end of the second ramped segment and the axis of rotation of the accelerator wheel, and wherein a step change in radius value is defined between the first radius of the trailing end of the first ramped segment and the second radius of the leading end of the second ramped segment.

9. The planter of claim 8 , wherein each accelerator wheel pocket at least partially defines the transition between the respective first and second ramped segments arranged opposite the accelerator wheel pocket such that the accelerator wheel pocket defines the trailing accelerator wheel pocket relative to the first ramped segment and the leading accelerator wheel pocket relative to the second ramped segment.

10. The planter of claim 1 , wherein the accelerator wheel housing includes an accelerator wheel housing outlet and a seed tube extends away from the accelerator wheel housing outlet directing seeds released from the accelerator wheel housing to the seed trench such that the accelerator wheel system is arranged between the seed tube and the seed meter.

11. The planter of claim 1 , wherein the seed meter includes a release location at which individual seeds are released from the seed disk pockets of the seed disk and wherein the accelerator wheel housing inlet is arranged adjacent the release location of the seed meter with a portion of the accelerator wheel overlapping a portion of the seed disk such that the seeds released from the seed disk fall toward the outer circumferential surface of the accelerator wheel.

Assignees

• Cnh Ind America Llc

Inventors

• Wendte Keith W
• Adams Brian T

Classifications

• A01C7/20 Primary

  Parts of seeders for conducting and depositing seed · CPC title

• A01C7/046 Primary

  with perforated seeding discs · CPC title