Row unit with integrated pressure source
AssigneeKinze Manufacturing, Inc.
InventorsDUSTAN HAHN, MATTHEW J. WILHELMI
Life of this patent
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Abstract
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.
Claims20
A seed meter for use on a row unit of an agricultural implement, comprising:
- a housing comprising a seed disc side and a vacuum side, said vacuum side comprising a conduit for directing a vacuum pressure;
- at least one seed disc rotatably positioned within the housing and including a plurality of seed apertures comprising a seed path, said seed disc positioned with a seed side adjacent the seed disc side of the housing;
- and
- an integrated, electric fluid pressure source positioned at the housing and configured to provide a pressure differential for the seed apertures of the seed path to temporarily adhere a seed;
- wherein the conduit of the housing directs a vacuum pressure on an opposite side of the seed disc than the seed side.
The seed meter of claim, 5 wherein each of the first and second sources are positioned at the housing.
A row unit of an agricultural implement, comprising:
- a seed meter comprising at least one housing, said at least one housing comprising a seed disc side and a vacuum side, said vacuum side comprising a conduit for directing a vacuum pressure;
- at least one seed disc rotatably positioned within the at least one housing and including a plurality of seed apertures comprising a seed path, said seed disc positioned with a seed side adjacent the seed disc side of the housing;
- and
- an integrated, electric fluid pressure source positioned at the row unit and configured to provide a pressure differential for the seed apertures of the seed path to temporarily adhere a seed by directing a vacuum source from the electric fluid pressure source via the conduit towards the seed disc.
An agricultural implement, comprising:
- a plurality of row units operatively attached to a toolbar, each of said row units including at least one seed meter housing for substantially enclosing at least one seed meter configured to singulate and dispense seed, said each of at least one seed meter housings comprising a seed side and a pressure side with said pressure side including a conduit for directing a pressure towards an interior of the housing;
- and
- an integrated, electric fluid pressure source operatively connected to the conduit of the at least one housing and configured to provide a pressure differential for at least a portion of an interior of the at least one seed meter housing to urge seed to temporarily adhere to a seed disc positioned therein.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.