System for variable-ratio blending of multiple agricultural products for delivery via a ported opener

#This invention relates to the field of agricultural machinery related to seed drills and the like having variable rate metering systems useful in prescription farming, and in particular to a system for variable-ratio blending of multiple agricultural products for delivery via a multi-ported opener. An applicator such as a drill combines centralized delivery of the agricultural product including seeds and fertilizer with localized, high resolution, individually controlled, variable rate metering and variable-ratio blending of the multiple agricultural products at each opener in a lateral array of metering assemblies and corresponding openers, wherein each opener is fed from a multiplicity of metering devices and corresponding local hoppers for each metering device.

#Prescription farming is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,122,581 which issued Sep. 19, 2000, to McQuinn entitled Multi-Variable Rate Dispensing System for Agricultural Machine. As stated by McQuinn, there is a need for a variable rate applicator system for controlling delivery of agricultural products, also referred to by McQuinn as crop inputs, being dispensed from dispensing points across a spreader boom, planter, seeder and various other applicator devices substantially transverse to their direction of travel so as to accurately and precisely dispense agricultural products individually from multiple dispensing points attached to the applicator machine as the machine traverses a desired product delivery area. McQuinn notes that significant changes in soil conditions, topographical features, and/or characteristics such as nutrient levels, soil compaction, drainage or other qualifying crop production characteristics, have been found to occur even within a distance of a few feet. McQuinn describes simultaneously controlling the prescription and quantity of multiple agricultural products dispensed from multiple dispensing points attached to a variable rate product applicator machine so as to provide a multi-variable rate dispensing system wherein a digital map is used to coordinate the system. The map is customized to apply agricultural products to a desired target area being traversed by the application machine regardless of crop input prescription and quantity requirement differences at individual dispensing point locations across the machine. A computerized control system is described which holds a digital map of the location of various soil types, topographical features, and/or characteristics such as nutrient levels, soil compaction, drainage or other qualifying crop production characteristic in the field to be treated, and is responsive to machine locating devices such as GPS receivers for determining the location of the machine in the field, looking up the soil type, topographical features, and/or qualifying crop production characteristics of the soil the machine is currently over based upon its location, and simultaneously adjusting the crop input prescription and quantity for each individual dispensing point in response thereto.

#McQuinn describes the map coordinated system as allowing for variable input control in the horizontal plane from one side to the other, either by section control wherein several dispensing points are grouped together, or through individual dispensing point control. McQuinn states that, when utilized for planting or seeding applications, it may also be necessary to instruct different points on the machine to dispense different varieties of seeds and/or vary the rate of seeds to be dispensed therefrom so as to control the rates and or varieties of the seeds dispensed from the machine in a direction that is transverse to the direction of machine travel. McQuinn continues, stating that controlling these variable delivery rate differences is necessary when crop inputs are simultaneously dispensed from different dispensing points on the application machine, each delivering a unique and distinct prescription and quantity of crop inputs in response to the computerized control system which holds the digital soil map of the location of various soil types, topographical features, and/or any qualifying crop production characteristics in the field to be treated.

#In the present specification wherein like reference numerals denote corresponding parts in each view:

#FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a prior art opener.

#FIG. 2 is, in plan view, the prior art opener of FIG. 1.

#One of the objects of prescription farming is of course to increase crop yield. In view of the very large size of many farms, it is also important to those farmers to be productive and efficient while operating their seed drills according to a particular field's prescription. Thus, in order to obtain the increased yield using prescription farming methods such as described above by McQuinn, and as described above as a method of use, in conjunction with the various aspects of the present invention, a farmer does not want to be less efficient or otherwise disadvantaged by the increased complexity of operating the seed drill. Farmers currently struggle to carry many products to the field and also position the truck, and to position the conveyor, fill and cleanout the truck and conveyor, and repeat for each product, which typically takes too long.

#Optimizing crop yield using prescription farming methods not only relies on an accurate prescription for a particular field but also relies on that prescription being actually obtained in the ground by the seed drill. Thus, one object is to as closely as possible reproduce the resolution of the prescription with accuracy and without a reduction in efficiency. The efficiency of the seed drill operation is enhanced by reducing down-time for refilling of hoppers containing the agricultural products including seed and fertilizer components. In the prior art, accuracy is lost through product travel delays through long hoses, and accuracy loss through random manifold splitting of product flow.

#Thus, on the seed drill according to one aspect of the present invention, and for use with both granular and liquid agricultural products, high resolution, accuracy and flexibility of combining agricultural products from a multiplicity of such products carried in independent local hoppers in each pod is obtained by using individual control of metering from each local hopper which feeds corresponding individual openers via a selectively configurable manifold system in a high resolution lateral array of openers on the seed drill. The individual small local hoppers feed corresponding metering devices; one local hopper per metering device. Each metering device is selectively controlled, and individually metered to provide individualized application of the field prescription for each opener. That is, the agricultural product is locally and individually metered to each pod's opener in the array of pods in a unique combination of agricultural products according to the field prescription, and wherein a centralized multiplicity of bulk bins or bulk storage components which move with the seed drill are used to keep the multiplicity of individual small hoppers in each pod supplied with agricultural product in a one-to-one correspondence between a bulk storage compartment and a corresponding local hopper.