A seed delivery apparatus and methods in which a seed conveyor delivers seed from a metering device to a furrow in a controlled manner to maintain seed placement accuracy within the furrow.

A direct drive seed metering device for a row crop sowing machine with a seed metering disc rotatable about a central shaft having a plurality of seed capturing and retaining holes for capturing and retaining the seeds and laying them in a controlled manner in a furrow. The seed disc has a flexible sealing member attached to an inner wall of the housing and sealingly pressed against a face of the metering disc thereby forming a vacuum chamber by a the vacuum generator that lowers the air pressure on a face of the metering disc so as to capture and retain the seeds. The vacuum chamber is created by the vacuum generator being fluidly connected to the chamber through a hollow shaft of a drive motor and through a perforated hollow hub.

A direct drive seed metering device for a sowing machines with a rotatable vacuum chamber operated by vacuum and driven by a coaxial electric motor. The rotatable vacuum chamber has a seed metering disc for capturing seeds from a reservoir and laying them in a controlled manner in a furrow in the soil. The rotatable vacuum chamber is created by a concave plate located within the housing and sealingly attached to a face of the seed metering disc that is supplied a vacuum by a non-rotatable tube having a protruding hollow member, a flange and an of extraction outlet attached to a vacuum generator. A motor with an annular hollow-shaft is coupled to the concave plate wherein the vacuum generator lowers the air pressure on a face of the metering disc so as to capture and retain the seeds within the seed capturing and retaining holes arranged on another face of the metering disc opposite the rotatable vacuum chamber.

A seed research plot planter includes a rotating seed plate for picking up and transporting seeds from a seed chamber to a release point, and a sensor that detects the rotational position of the seed plate. A distance measuring device measures a distance traveled by the planter. A controller uses a first signal from the sensor and a second signal from the distance measuring device to control a sequence of operations of the planter based on the rotational position of the seed plate and the location of the planter within the field. A field layout system is provided for creating a plot field layout having a desired number of ranges, a desired number of planter passes, and desired parameters for each plot within the field. The field layout system allows different plot lengths and seed populations to be input for individual plots within the same planter pass through the field.

An agricultural metering device with a variable geometry meter roller is provided. The agricultural metering device includes a meter roller having a plurality of flutes. An aggregate cross sectional area of the flutes increases along a longitudinal axis of the meter roller.

An agricultural seeding machine comprises, in one example, a seed delivery system configured to deliver seeds to at least one trench by two or more substantially gravity-drop channels, and a seed metering system comprising a rotating meter element configured to singulate seeds from a seed source into the two or more channels.

A seed dispersion unit for distributing a plurality of seeds includes a single inlet for the plurality of seeds, a chamber in communication with the single inlet, and a plurality of outlet conduits in communication with the chamber. Each of the plurality of outlet conduits is configured to transfer a portion of the plurality of seeds from the chamber. An annular base defines a portion of the chamber. Each of the outlet conduits extends radially from the base.

An agricultural metering system includes independently controllable meter rollers, in which each meter roller is configured to rotate about a respective rotational axis. The agricultural metering system also includes meter boxes configured to receive agricultural product from a storage tank. Each meter roller is disposed within a respective meter box, and each meter roller is configured to meter the agricultural product from the storage tank. In addition, the agricultural metering system includes independently controllable motors. Each independently controllable motor is coupled to a respective meter roller, and each independently controllable motor is configured to drive the respective meter roller to rotate.

A seed delivery apparatus and methods in which a seed conveyor delivers seed from a metering device to a furrow in a controlled manner to maintain seed placement accuracy within the furrow.

A direct drive seed metering device for sowing machines operated by vacuum and driven by a coaxial electric motor, comprising a seed metering disc for capturing seeds from a reservoir and laying them in a controlled manner in a furrow in the soil, where in the coaxial electrical motor couples directly and coaxially to the metering disc without the need for intermediate transmission elements, redactors, gears or timing belts, and where said coaxial electrical motor is a toroidal electric motor with a hollow rotor shaft, which fluidly connects said seed capturing means with a vacuum generating means.