A pressure gradient or differential in a product distribution line for conveying granular particulate material, including at least one of seed or fertilizer, in an air flow to an agricultural field consistently decreases as air speed and velocity in the product distribution line decreases until a critical air speed is reached. Below the critical air speed, the particulate material is susceptible to falling out of the air flow to cause a blockage in the system. A control system efficiently determines an optimum operating velocity for an air flow that is above the critical air speed yet below a maximum air speed associated with inefficient operation.

The present disclosure describes an agricultural product distribution system having first and second product meters configured to meter first and second amounts of agricultural product from a product tank over first and second periods of time, respectively. The system also includes first and second motors coupled to the first and second product meters, respectively, and configured to turn the first and second product meters a first number of turns and a second number of turns, respectively, over the first and second periods of time to meter the first and second amounts of agricultural product. Further, the system includes a controller configured to receive inputs indicative of the first amount of agricultural product, the first number of turns, the second amount of agricultural product, and the second number of turns and to compare the signals to determine first and second calibration rate of the first and second product meters.

A method of maintaining a desired seed population rate during periods of acceleration of the agricultural planter. In one method, if the horizontal acceleration of the planter is greater than a predefined upper threshold, the seed disc is driven at a rotational speed to maintain the desired seed population rate based on a highest stable ground speed. In another method, if the horizontal acceleration is less than a predefined lower acceleration threshold, the seed disc is driven at a rotational speed to maintain the desired seed population rate based on a lowest stable ground speed. In another method, if the horizontal acceleration is less than the predefined upper acceleration threshold and is greater than the predefined lower acceleration threshold, the seed disc is driven at a rotational speed to maintain the desired seed population rate based on an a preferred planter ground speed input.

A method includes performing a plurality of calibration routines in which a metering element operates at different speeds. The method also includes receiving a respective plurality of measurements of commodity amounts metered out during the calibration routines. The method further includes generating a calibration factor for operating the metering element based on data generated from the measurements taken from the calibration routines. Also, the method includes generating a control command for the metering element according to the calibration factor. The method additionally includes operating, by the control system, the metering element according to the control command.

A seeding control system and method to improve yield by minimizing overplanting and underplanting during planting operations. As the planter traverses the field, a precise seed placement map is created by associating the time of each seed pulse generated by the seed sensors with the location of a GPS unit. Based on the generated seed placement map, a stop-planting boundary is defined by previously planted seed or other field boundary such that when a swath of the planter crosses over the stop-planting boundary the swath controllers disengage the drivers of the corresponding seed meters to prevent planting of seeds. The swath controllers cause the drivers to reengage allowing planting to resume when the affected swaths pass out of the stop planting boundary.

A method for controlling a material flow rate from a metering system, includes determining, via a controller, a change in weight of material in a storage tank. The method further includes determining, via the controller, a swept area of an agricultural implement associated with the change in weight based at least in part on a width of the agricultural implement and a change in position of the agricultural implement. Further, the agricultural implement is configured to receive the material from the storage tank. The method also includes determining, via the controller, a calibration of the metering system based at least in part on the change in weight and the swept area. In addition, the method includes controlling, via the controller, a rotation rate of a meter roller of the metering system based at least in part on the calibration to control the material flow rate.

A particulate material agitation and leveling system includes a controller having a memory and a processor. The processor is configured to receive a sensor signal indicative of a measured weight distribution of a particulate material within a storage tank of an agricultural system, determine whether a determined variation between the measured weight distribution and a target weight distribution is greater than a threshold variation, and control an agitator to decrease the determined variation in response to determining that the determined variation is greater than the threshold variation.

The invention relates to a device for metering a granular or grainy material in a distributor machine, comprising a housing; an inlet opening which is formed on the housing and through which a granular or grainy material can be introduced in the housing for metering; an outlet opening which is formed on the housing and through which the granular or grainy material can be discharged out of the housing after metering; a metering space which is formed in the housing in such a way that granular or grainy material in the housing can be moved from the inlet opening via the metering space to the outlet opening; a metering wheel which is arranged in the metering space on a drive shaft, and which is configured to meter the granular or grainy material supplied via the inlet opening; a mounting opening which is formed on the housing and via which the metering wheel can be exchangeably mounted in the metering space; and a mounting component which is detachably arranged in the mounting opening in a mounted position, and this in turn is arranged at least partially welded onto the housing, wherein the mounting component has a receiving unit for detachably receiving the metering wheel, in such a way that the metering wheel received on the receiving unit is mounted on the drive shaft when arranging the mounting component in the mounted position, and in such a way that, when detaching the mounting component from the mounted position, the metering wheel is forcibly detached from the drive shaft (6), such that the metering wheel can be removed from the metering space in this way and can be detached from the housing together with the mounting component. A distributor machine is also provided for distributing a granular or grainy material, such as seeds, fertiliser or grit.

A row unit for a seeding machine. The row unit includes a frame, a gauge wheel arm pivotally coupled to the frame, a gauge wheel coupled to the gauge wheel arm, and a position sensor assembly configured to detect a gap corresponding to a rotational position of the gauge wheel arm. The position sensor assembly includes a sensing target surface. The sensing target surface is at least one of an eccentric surface or a cam surface.

The invention relates to a method for matching the operation of an individualizing device (26) and the operation of a portioning device (14) of an agricultural dispensing machine to each other in order to achieve a specified local depositing ratio (x) when depositing seeds (K) individualized by the individualizing device (26) and fertilizer portions (P) produced by the portioning device (14) on a usable agricultural area (N), having the steps of: depositing individualized seeds (K) and produced fertilizer portions (P) onto the usable agricultural area (N) using the agricultural dispensing machine as part of a calibration drive and detecting the depositing positions (P.sub.K, P.sub.P) of the seeds (K) and fertilizer portions (P) deposited during the calibration drive and/or the local depositing relationship (x.sub.K) thereof using a mobile testing device (54).