US 12,364,184 B2
Kickout wheel assembly for a seed meter
Elijah B. Garner, Bettendorf, IA (US); Beth A. Wolfs, Tiffin, IA (US); and Jerry Samuelson, Woodhull, IL (US)
Assigned to DEERE & COMPANY, Moline, IL (US)
Filed by DEERE & COMPANY, Moline, IL (US)
Filed on Apr. 11, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/718,105.
Application 17/718,105 is a division of application No. 16/409,418, filed on May 10, 2019, granted, now 11,297,761.
Prior Publication US 2022/0232756 A1, Jul. 28, 2022
Int. Cl. A01C 7/04 (2006.01); A01C 7/08 (2006.01); A01C 7/10 (2006.01); A01C 7/14 (2006.01); B65G 65/48 (2006.01)
CPC A01C 7/046 (2013.01) [A01C 7/0443 (2023.05); A01C 7/0445 (2023.05); A01C 7/082 (2013.01); A01C 7/102 (2013.01); A01C 7/14 (2013.01); B65G 65/4881 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A kickout wheel assembly for a seed meter having a metering member, the metering member including a first circumferential array of apertures for picking up seeds from a seed reservoir under the influence of a pressure differential, and a second circumferential array of apertures for picking up seeds from the seed reservoir under the influence of the pressure differential, the metering member being rotatable about a rotation axis at a metering member speed, the first circumferential array of apertures being disposed at a first radial distance from the rotation axis and the second circumferential array of apertures being disposed at a second radial distance from the rotation axis, the second radial distance being different than the first radial distance, the kickout wheel assembly comprising:
a first kickout wheel configured to remove seeds from the first circumferential array of apertures, wherein the first kickout wheel is configured to be driven by the metering member at a first kickout wheel rotational speed that is proportional to the metering member speed; and
a second kickout wheel configured to remove seeds from the second circumferential array of apertures, wherein the second kickout wheel is configured to be driven by the metering member at a second kickout wheel rotational speed that is proportional to the metering member speed, wherein the second kickout wheel rotational speed is different than the first kickout wheel rotational speed.