Seed tube for an agricultural seeding machine

An agricultural seeding machine, comprising:

• a seed meter;
• and
• a seed tube positioned to receive individual seeds from said the seed meter for passage through said the seed tube, said the seed tube including:
• a front side wall having an exterior and an interior surface, the front side wall interior surface having a continuous non-disjoint and substantially smooth surface exposed to said the seeds passing through the tube, a portion of the interior surface of the front side wall being concave, the exterior surface of the front side wall being configured to face a direction of travel of the seed tube, and including at least a portion thereof of the front side wall comprised of a substantially transparent material;
• and, the portion of the front side wall having substantially transparent material including a first half mount having a structure extending from the exterior surface;
• a rear wall opposite the front side wall, the rear wall having an exterior and interior surface and a second half mount, the front side wall and the rear wall defining a hollow interior through which the seeds pass, a portion of the interior surface of the rear wall being convex, the interior surfaces of the front side wall and the rear wall curved in a rearward direction;
• and
• a sensor pair which includes a first half sensor and a second half sensor, the first half sensor mounted into the structure of the first half mount adjacent the transparent material which forms a part of the front side wall, the sensor pair configured to operate through the transparent material and to detect the passage of individual seeds through the interior of the seed tube.
• a sensor including a transmitter, said transmitter positioned adjacent an outside of said side wall, and operating through said transparent material to detect passage of individual seeds through said seed tube.

A seed tube, through which individual seeds pass, for an agricultural seeding machine, the seed tube comprising:

• a front wall and a rear wall opposite the front wall, the front wall and the rear wall defining a hollow interior through which the seeds pass, the front wall configured to face a direction of travel of the seed tube, the front wall and the rear wall curved in the rearward direction, the front wall having an interior surface a portion of which is concave and the front wall having an exterior surface a portion of which is convex, the rear wall having an exterior surface a portion of which is concave and an interior surface a portion of which is convex, the interior surface of the front wall exposed to the seeds passing through the hollow tube being continuous, non-disjoint and substantially smooth, the front wall including at least a portion thereof formed from a substantially transparent material, and a mount having a structure which extends from the outer surface of the front wall which includes the transparent material;
• and
• a sensor pair having a first sensor half and a second sensor half, the sensor pair configured to detect passage of individual seeds through the interior of the seed tube, the structure of the mount configured to receive and hold the first sensor half adjacent to the substantially transparent material and the outside convex exterior surface of the front wall, and the rear wall including a hole through the rear wall, the hole configured to receive and hold the second sensor half.

A seed tube, through which individual seeds pass, for an agricultural seeding machine, the seed tube comprising:

• a front side wall and a rear side wall opposite the front side wall and two opposing side walls extending between the front and rear walls, the side walls defining a hollow interior through which the seeds pass, the front side wall configured to face a direction of travel of the seed tube, the front side wall and the rear side wall curved in the rearward direction, the front wall having an interior surface a portion of which is concave, and the front wall having an exterior surface a portion of which is convex, the rear wall having an exterior surface a portion of which is concave and an interior surface, the interior surface of the front wall exposed to the seeds passing through the hollow tube being continuous, non-disjoint and substantially smooth, the opposing side walls including at least a portion thereof formed from a substantially transparent material, and a mount having a structure which extends from the outer surface of one side wall which includes the transparent material;
• and
• a sensor pair having a first sensor half and a second sensor half, the sensor pair configured to detect passage of individual seeds through the interior of the seed tube, the structure of the mount configured to associate with the first sensor half adjacent to the substantially transparent material and the outside exterior surface of one side wall, and one side wall including a hole, the hole configured to receive and hold the second sensor half.

A seed tube, through which individual seeds pass, for an agricultural seeding machine, the seed tube comprising:

• a front wall and a rear wall opposite the front wall, the front wall and the rear wall defining a hollow interior therebetween, the front wall configured to face a direction of travel of the seed tube, the front wall having a continuous non-disjoint substantially smooth surface exposed to the seeds and at least a portion of the front wall being formed from a substantially transparent material;
• a sensor including a first half sensor and a second half sensor, the sensor configured to operate through the transparent material to detect passage of individual seeds through said seed tube;
• and
• a mount having a structure which extends from an exterior surface of the front wall with the transparent material and configured to engage the first half sensor on the exterior surface, and the rear wall including a second half mount configured to hold the second half sensor.