No-till stubble row seeder guidance system and method

A guidance system for guiding a seeder towed by a vehicle, said guidance system sensing locations of standing stubble rows left by a previous crop and in response to said sensing guiding the seeder so that furrow openers of said seeder travel on a preferred path between said standing stubble rows, said guidance system comprising:

• a first row location sensor mounted on said seeder and adapted to sense the location of said standing stubble rows, said first row location sensor sending a first steering signal when said first row location sensor senses that said furrow openers have deviated from said preferred path;
• a second row location sensor mounted on said seeder at a different location from the first row location sensor and adapted to sense the location of said standing stubble rows, said second row location sensor sending a second steering signal when said second row location sensor senses that said furrow openers have deviated from said preferred path, and a control by which the operator may select which of said row location sensors guides the seeder, thereby allowing an operator to choose the row location sensor where said standing stubble rows or furrows are most suitable and avoid a row location sensor position where said standing stubble rows have been trampled by a previous field operation;
• a seeder position adjuster, said adjuster responsive to said steering signals;
• where in operation said row location sensor is in a neutral position when the furrow openers of said seeder are travelling on the preferred path between the standing stubble rows, and wherein when the seeder deviates from its preferred path said row location sensor sends the steering signal to said seeder position adjuster which causes said adjuster to move the seeder to one side or the other relative to the towing vehicle so as to direct said seeder back on to the preferred path.

A guidance system for guiding a seeder towed by a vehicle, said guidance system sensing locations of standing stubble rows left by a previous crop and in response to said sensing guiding the seeder so that furrow openers of said seeder travel on a preferred path between said standing stubble rows, said guidance system comprising:

• a row location sensor mounted on said seeder and adapted to sense the location of said standing stubble rows, said row location sensor sending a row steering signal when said row location sensor senses that said furrow openers have deviated from said preferred path;
• a furrow sensor attached to said seeder such that said furrow sensor follows an end furrow of a previous seeding pass thus acting as a marker to properly space a present seeder pass from the previous seeder pass, said furrow sensor sending a furrow steering signal when said furrow sensor is moved perpendicular to the direction of seeder travel by the deviation of the seeder from the preferred path, and further comprising a control whereby the operator can select which of said steering signals, that of said row location sensor or said furrow sensor, guides said seeder;
• a seeder position adjuster, said adjuster responsive to said steering signals;
• where in operation said row location sensor is in a neutral position when the furrow openers of said seeder are travelling on the preferred path between the standing stubble rows, and wherein when the seeder deviates from its preferred path said row location sensor sends the steering signal to said seeder position adjuster which causes said adjuster to move the seeder to one side or the other relative to the towing vehicle so as to direct said seeder back on to the preferred path.