A01C7/046

Agricultural row unit systems, methods, and apparatus
09807921 · 2017-11-07 · ·

A row unit for an agricultural planter having features for releasably operably coupling a seed meter of the row unit to a seed deposition apparatus of the row unit such as a seed conveyor, seed tube or the like. Apparatus are provided for tipping a seed meter of the hopper for disengagement from the seed deposition apparatus. Apparatus are provided for biasing the seed deposition apparatus into operative engagement with the seed meter. The row unit includes features such as latches for releasably operably coupling the row unit to crop input and vacuum supply lines. Apparatus are provided for tipping a seed meter of the hopper for disengagement from the crop input and vacuum supply lines. Systems are provided for supplying vacuum and crop inputs to the seed meter via the releasably engageable apparatus.

Sowing machine with a distribution box having ejection point adjacent open furrow
09763374 · 2017-09-19 · ·

A single-grain seeder including a chassis that supports at least one seeding element including a dispensing housing, at least one opening disk for opening a furrow in the ground, and at least one depth control wheel, the dispensing housing delivering seeds one by one via a rotary dosing element configured to turn about a rotation axis, each seed being ejected from the rotary dosing element at an ejection point extending in a lower portion of the rotary dosing element. The ejection point is disposed in an external diameter of the opening disk, when viewed along the rotation axis of the rotary dosing element.

Row unit with integrated pressure source

An agricultural planter includes a plurality of row units attached to a toolbar. The row units include seed meters in seed meter housings for receiving, singulating, and dispensing seed or other particulate. The seed meters include a circular seed disc with a seed path for receiving the seed in the seed meter housing. Integrated with the seed meter, such as at the housing, is an electric pressure source dedicated for providing a pressure differential for the seed meter or meters at a particular location on the planter. The pressure source can be positive or negative to temporarily adhere seed to the seed disc of the meter. A single pressure source can provide the pressure differential to a single meter or to multiple meters or discs at a row unit.

Planter with seed delivery apparatus

An agricultural implement is provided that 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. Seed delivery systems are included to aid in transporting the seed from the seed meter to the ground in a controlled manner to mitigate skips and to aid in controlling the spacing of the seeds, which can be based upon the ground speed of the implement as it moves through the field. The seed delivery systems can control the transport of the seed to a furrow in the field such that the seed can experience zero or near zero relative velocity so that the seed will have little to no movement once positioned in the furrow.

PREDICTIVE WEED MAP AND MATERIAL APPLICATION MACHINE CONTROL

A predictive map is obtained by an agricultural material application system. The predictive map maps predictive weed values at different geographic locations in a field. A geographic position sensor detects a geographic locations of an agricultural material application machine at the field. A control system generates a control signal to control the agricultural material application machine based on the geographic locations of the agricultural material application machine and the predictive map.

Precision seed-dispensing system
11197410 · 2021-12-14 ·

A precision seed-distribution system of the type applied on planters with a machine element that touches the soil, a row unit chassis that supports a seed meter, and a seed conductor tube extending downward from the seed meter. The seed conductor tube may have vertical grooves along a length of the seed conductor tube and across an internal surface of at least one sidewall of the seed conductor tube.

PLANTER CONTROL USING TIMESTAMP/LOCATION STAMPS
20210378164 · 2021-12-09 ·

A plurality of different controllers on an agricultural machine are time synchronized. A positioning system detects a geographic location and a timestamp, which is indicative of a time when the geographic location was sensed, is applied to the geographic location. A first controller, that identifies an action to be taken based upon a location of the agricultural machine and a speed of the agricultural machine, and also based on a geographic location of where the action is to be taken, generates a future timestamp indicating a future time at which the action is to be taken. An action identifier (that identifies the action) and the future timestamp is sent to an actuator controller that controls an actuator to take the action. The actuator controller identifies an actuator delay corresponding to the actuator and controls the actuator to take the action at a time identified in the future timestamp based upon the future timestamp, a current time, and the actuator delay.

Multiple variety seed meter of a planter for planting multiple seed varieties

A multiple variety seed meter for multi-variety row crop planting a segmented feed pipe system that may include a feed pipe with multiple passages that can be rotated to present one of multiple variety openings toward a seed pool in the seed meter to deliver a specific seed variety into the seed meter. The feed pipe may be an inner selector pipe concentrically nested for rotation in an outer sleeve that extends into the seed meter.

Seed meter assembly with seed loader

A seed meter assembly for a seeding machine. The seed meter assembly has a metering member mounted for rotation about a meter axis and driven to rotate in a direction of travel, the metering member having an inner surface configured to receive seeds and an outer surface and apertures passing through the metering member between the inner surface and the outer surface at a radial distance from the meter axis. The seed meter assembly also has a seed delivery mechanism configured to discharge the seeds from the seeding machine, and a loader including at least one non-cylindrical loader surface movable into and out of a position in which the loader surface is disposed at the radial distance adjacent one of the apertures.

Assembly for Dispensing Granular Products
20220159902 · 2022-05-26 ·

A distribution assembly for distributing a granular product that are to be distributed on the ground comprises, a mechanism for distributing said granular product singly, a mechanism for conveying said singled granular product to the ground, and a mechanism for transferring said singled granular product from the mechanism for distributing to the mechanism for conveying. The mechanism for transferring may be synchronized in terms of speed and in terms of position with said mechanism for distributing, and the mechanism for transferring may capture said granular product singly and immobilize it within said mechanism for transferring, so as to keep each granular product spaced a determined and constant distance from one another, in said mechanism for transferring and during the transfer of said granular product, to the mechanism for conveying.