US 11,917,937 B2
Seed injector
Jason Stoller, Eureka, IL (US); Todd Swanson, Morton, IL (US); Jeremy Hodel, Morton, IL (US); Kent Levy, Morton, IL (US); and Ian Radtke, Washington, IL (US)
Assigned to Precision Planting LLC, Tremont, IL (US)
Appl. No. 16/629,886
Filed by Precision Planting LLC, Tremont, IL (US)
PCT Filed Jul. 10, 2018, PCT No. PCT/US2018/041371
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 9, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/014165, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 17, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/530,754, filed on Jul. 10, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0128724 A1, Apr. 30, 2020
Int. Cl. A01C 7/00 (2006.01); A01C 5/04 (2006.01); A01C 7/04 (2006.01); A01C 7/06 (2006.01); A01C 7/20 (2006.01)
CPC A01C 7/002 (2013.01) [A01C 5/04 (2013.01); A01C 7/04 (2013.01); A01C 7/06 (2013.01); A01C 7/20 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A seed planting unit comprising:
a seed meter for singulating seeds;
a first shaft defining a space or recess for receiving a seed at a distal end of the first shaft, wherein the first shaft is configured to deliver the seeds to soil without a continuous seed trench;
a first actuator comprising a first wheel and a second wheel, wherein the first wheel and the second wheel are configured to rotate in a common vertical plane, wherein the first shaft is connected to the first wheel via a first pivot and to the second wheel via a second pivot so that, as the first and second wheels rotate, the first shaft moves vertically with respect to the soil; and
a second shaft actuated by a second actuator to eject the seed from the space or recess into the soil.