US 4,836,412 A · Continous loop flexible lip vacuum seal

Abstract

In a seed meter in which a vacuum source is coupled to the interior of a generally cylindrical housing in which a seed disk is rotatably mounted, a seal in the form of an endless loop is mounted within the housing so as to extend between an inner wall of the housing and a side surface of the seed disk so as to confine the vacuum from the vacuum source to a selected portion of the seed disk. The seal has a first portion of the length thereof extending around a major portion of a circle on the opposite side of a circumferential array of apertures in the seed disk from the axis of rotation of the seed disk and a second portion of the length thereof extending across the circumferential array of apertures and into a region adjacent the axis of rotation to isolate a seed discharge chamber on the other side of the seed disk from the vacuum source. The seal has a base portion extending along the length thereof and releasably mounted within a holder mounted on the inner wall of the housing, the base portion having ribs in the opposite sides thereof which fit into mating grooves in the side walls of the holder. The seal also has a thin lip portion along the length thereof which emanates from an edge of the base portion opposite the inner wall of the housing and which extends in a direction outwardly and away from the axis of rotation of the disk and into contact with the side surface of the disk.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A seal of resilient material, the seal being generally continuous configuration and having a base portion extending along the length thereof, a hinge portion extending along the length thereof and a relatively thin lip portion extending along the length thereof, the relatively thin lip portion being joined to the base portion by the hinge portion along the length of the seal, the lip portion being substantially thinner than the base portion and the hinge portion being thinner than the lip portion, the base, hinge and lip portions being formed from a single, integral element of the same material, the seal having a first portion of the length thereof lying along substantially more than half the circumference of a circle between opposite first and second ends thereof and a second portion of the length thereof extending between the first and second ends and lying inside of the circle.

In a seed meter, the combination comprising:

a seed disk mounted for rotation about an axis and having a side surface facing outwardly in the direction of the axis, the disk also having a plurality of apertures extending through the thickness of the disk from the side surface thereof;
a housing member disposed adjacent the seed disk and having an inside configured to form a compartment therein at the side surface of the seed disk, substantially the entire side surface of the seed disk forming a boundary of the compartment;
an elongated seal mounted on the inside of the housing member and having a lip portion along the length thereof which projects in the axial direction into contact with the side surface of the seed disk radially outwardly of the axis as the seed disk rotates relative to the seal, the seal forming a generally continuous loop extending around a substantial portion of the compartment and forming a vacuum chamber therein together with a portion of the side surface of the seed disk and a portion of the inside of the housing member;
and
means for creating a reduced pressure within the vacuum chamber of the housing member.

2 more elements

In a vacuum seed meter, the combination comprising:

a generally cylindrical housing having a hollow interior defined by an inner wall thereof;
a seed disk mounted for rotation about an axis within the housing and having an axially facing side surface;
a seal in the form of a generally continuous loop mounted within the housing, the seal being mounted on the inner wall and having a lip portion along the length thereof which extends in the axial direction into contact with the side surface of the seed disk radially outwardly of the axis to define a vacuum chamber lying within the generally continuous loop and between the side surface of the seed disk and the inner wall, the seal encompassing a major portion of the side surface of the seed disk and having a radially inwardly directed indentation in the configuration thereof which forms a non-vacuum chamber outside of the seal at a minor portion of the side surface of the seed disk;
and
means for providing a reduced pressure within the vacuum chamber.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Continous loop flexible lip vacuum seal

Life of this patent

Continous loop flexible lip vacuum seal

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20