Seed delivery apparatus, systems, and methods
AssigneePrecision Planting LLC
InventorsIan Radtke, Todd Swanson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A seed delivery apparatus having a seed meter configured to entrain seeds on a seed disc and to release said entrained seeds at a seed release location; a seed conveyor having an upper end disposed to receive released seeds from said seed meter and a lower end through which the released seeds are discharged proximate a soil surface; and a loading wheel rotatably disposed at said upper end of said seed conveyor to introduce the released seeds from said seed meter into said seed conveyor, wherein said loading wheel has a plurality of radial fingers with each of said radial fingers having a sinusoidal configuration.
Claims5
A seed meter comprising:
- a seed disc having a plurality of apertures;
- and
- a seed sensor disposed to detect a seed on one of the plurality of apertures, wherein the seed sensor comprises a plurality of transmitters on a first side of the seed disc and a plurality of receivers on a second side of the seed disc.
A method for determining a presence of a seed on a seed aperture on a seed disc in a seed meter, wherein the seed meter comprises the seed disc having a plurality of apertures;
- and a seed sensor disposed to detect a seed on one of the plurality of apertures, wherein the seed sensor comprises a plurality of transmitters on a first side of the seed disc and a plurality of receivers on a second side of the seed disc, the method comprising:
- transmitting signals from the plurality of transmitters;
- and
- detecting with the plurality of receivers whether the signals are received.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.