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US-20260123567-A1 - PLANTING UNIT FOR A SEEDING MACHINE HAVING A SEED METER AND A SEED DELIVERY SYSTEM

US20260123567A1US 20260123567 A1US20260123567 A1US 20260123567A1US-20260123567-A1

Abstract

A planting unit for a seeding machine having a frame member and a seed meter mounted thereto. The seed meter has a housing and a metering member rotatably mounted therein. The metering member has a sidewall with an inner surface and an outer surface with a rim portion of the sidewall adjacent an outer edge of the sidewall. The inner surface of the side wall and the housing form a trough at a bottom portion of the metering member to hold a seed pool. A mechanical seed delivery system takes seed from the metering member and moves seed to a discharge location adjacent a seed furrow formed in soil beneath the seeding machine.

Inventors

  • Elijah B. Garner
  • LEE E. ZUMDOME
  • Nathan A. Mariman
  • Michael E. Friestad

Assignees

  • DEERE & COMPANY

Dates

Publication Date
20260507
Application Date
20251205

Claims (8)

  1. 1 . A planting unit for a seeding machine comprising: a seed meter having a metering member mounted for rotation, the metering member having a sidewall extending to an outer edge, the sidewall having inner and outer surfaces, a rim portion of the sidewall adjacent the outer edge having apertures extending through the sidewall for adhering seed to the inner surface of the metering member to sequentially move individual seeds to a release position wherein seed adhered to the metering member are moving in a first direction at the release position; and a mechanical seed delivery system having a conveyor member receiving seed from the metering member at the release position, moving seed in a second direction substantially crosswise to the first direction and carrying seed to a discharge location adjacent a seed furrow formed in soil beneath the seeding machine.
  2. 2 . The planting unit of claim 1 wherein the second direction is at least 35° to the first direction.
  3. 3 . The planting unit of claim 1 wherein the second direction is at least 50° to the first direction.
  4. 4 . The planting unit of claim 1 wherein the seed delivery system moves seed in a second in the second direction that is between 50° and 80° to the first direction of travel of the seed on the metering member at the release position.
  5. 5 . The planting unit of claim 1 wherein the mechanical seed delivery system has a housing in which the conveyor member moves to carry seed from the seed meter to the discharge location, the delivery system housing having an opening in which the sidewall of the metering member is received.
  6. 6 . The planting unit of claim 1 wherein the conveyor member comprises a brush belt having bristles that sweep over the metering member sidewall at the release position to take seed from the metering member and to carry the seed to the discharge location.
  7. 7 . The planting unit of claim 6 wherein the metering member includes a projection on the metering member inner surface following each aperture in a direction of rotation of the metering member, the projections pushing seed into the bristles of the brush belt.
  8. 8 . The planting unit of claim 6 wherein seed enters the bristles of the brush belt at distal ends of the bristles.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 18/067,546, filed 16 Dec. 2022, which is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 16/930,954, filed 16 Jul. 2020, which is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 16/279,654, filed 19 Feb. 2019, which is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 15/454,870, filed 9 Mar. 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,206,326, which is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 14/505,829, filed 3 Oct. 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,661,799, which is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 13/072,051, filed 25 Mar. 2011, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,850,998. FIELD The following relates to a planting unit for a seeding machine and more particularly to a planting unit having a seed meter and seed delivery system. BACKGROUND Various types of seed meters have been developed that use an air pressure differential, either vacuum or positive pressure, to adhere seed to a metering member. The metering member takes seed from a seed pool and sequentially discharges single seeds. (In some cases, multiple seeds may be discharged at a time.) One common type of seed meter is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,909. There, a seed disk 48 contained in a housing is used to meter the seed. The seed pool is positioned on one side of the disk at a lower portion thereof while vacuum is applied to the opposite side of the disk. As the disk is rotated, individual seeds from the seed pool are adhered by the vacuum to apertures that extend though the disk. When the seed reaches a desired release position, the vacuum is terminated, allowing the seed to drop from the disk, through a seed tube to a furrow formed in the soil below. Flexible belts have also been used in an air pressure differential seed meter. One example is shown in US patent application 2010/0192818 A1. There, a flexible belt having an array of apertures therein is movable along a path in a housing. A seed pool is formed on one side of the belt. Vacuum applied on the opposite side of the belt along a portion of the belt path adheres seed to the apertures, allowing the belt to move the seed to a release position where the vacuum is cut-off. The seed then falls or is removed from the belt. When seed falls by gravity from the meter through the seed tube, it can be difficult to maintain accurate and consistent seed spacing at planting speeds greater than about 8 kph (5 mph). To maintain spacing accuracy, a seed delivery system that controls the seed as the seed moves from the seed meter to the soil is desirable. One such delivery system is shown in US patent application 2010/0192819-A1. With such a delivery system, the hand-off of seed from the disk of U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,909 to the delivery system is difficult to achieve in a consistent manner. While the hand-off of seed may be improved with the use of a belt meter, there is still a need for a more consistent and reliable hand-off of seed from the seed meter to the delivery system. Improvements to the seed meter and seed delivery system can improve the hand-off of seed to the delivery system. SUMMARY In one form, a planting unit for a seeding machine is provided having a planting unit frame member and a seed meter mounted to the planting unit frame member. The seed meter has a housing and a metering member rotatably mounted inside the housing. The metering member further having a sidewall with an inner surface and an outer surface and the sidewall having a rim portion adjacent an outer edge of the sidewall. The inner surface of the side wall and the housing form a trough at a bottom portion of the metering member to hold a seed pool. The inner surface of the sidewall of the metering member at the trough is oriented at an angle between 20° and 75° relative to a vertical vector pointing upward at the outer edge of the sidewall. In another form, a planting unit for a seeding machine is provided having a seed meter with a metering member mounted for rotation. The metering member has a sidewall extending to an outer edge with the sidewall having inner and outer surfaces and a rim portion of the sidewall adjacent the outer edge having apertures extending through the sidewall. The metering member is adapted to adhere seed to the apertures to sequentially move seed to a release position. The planting unit further has a mechanical seed delivery system adapted to take seed from the metering member at the release position and sweep seed across the inner surface of the sidewall in a direction substantially cross-wise to a direction of travel of the seed on the metering member as the metering member rotates. The seed delivery system then moves seed to a discharge location adjacent a seed furrow formed in soil beneath the seeding machine. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a common agricultural planter; FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of a planting unit frame, seed meter and seed delivery system; FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the seed meter and de