Crop sprayer guidance system
OwnerRaymond A. Bourgeoisinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
For marking a field with unseeded rows during seeding, the seed box of a seed drill is equipped with a valve unit mounted inside the box for shutting off seed flow to one of the seed cups during selective passes. A control system for the unit allows the shut-off to be automatic, after a selective number of passes have been completed, or manual as selected by the operator. The unseeded rows are used after germination for guiding a crop sprayer so that there will be no spray overlap and no gaps between the sprayer passes.
Claims17
A valve assembly for use with a seed box of a seeder to control seed flow therethrough, the valve assembly comprising:
- base means comprising a bottom wall having an outlet aperture therein;
- slide valve means including a valve plate mounted on the bottom wall for sliding movement between an open position adjacent the aperture and a closed position extending across the aperture,
- motor means remote from the base means;
- valve plate translating means for moving the valve plate between the open and closed positions, including linkage means connecting the motor and the valve plate for moving the valve plate between the open and closed positions in response to operation of the motor;
- and
- control means for controlling operation of the motor means whereby seed may selectively be omitted from selected rows during planting so as to mark a field.
In a seeder having a transversely elongate seed box with a bottom wall having a plurality of seed dispensing openings spaced therealong, and seed metering and planting means below the seed dispensing openings for planting seed at a predetermined, metered rate, the improvement comprising valve means for selectively closing one of the seed dispensing openings, means mounting the valve means on the bottom wall, inside the seed box, the valve means including a valve plate and means mounting the valve plate for movement between a closed position extending across said one of the seed dispensing openings and an open position located beside the said one of the seed dispensing openings, motor means located outside the seed box and linkage means coupling the motor means to the valve means for moving the valve plate between the closed and open positions.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.