US 11,770,997 B2
Row unit for a seeding machine with pneumatic seed loading
Elijah B. Garner, Bettendorf, IA (US); Stanley R. Borkgren, Geneseo, IL (US); Cary S. Hubner, Geneseo, IL (US); Beth A. Wolfs, Tiffin, IA (US); Michael E. Frasier, Iowa City, IA (US); Joseph W. Migliorini, Moline, IL (US); Kriss Helmick, Ottumwa, IA (US); Keith L. Felton, Sherrard, IL (US); and Kamalakannan Natarajan, Vellore (IN)
Assigned to Deere & Company, Moline, IL (US)
Filed by DEERE & COMPANY, Moline, IL (US)
Filed on Jun. 1, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/830,139.
Application 17/830,139 is a continuation of application No. 15/888,882, filed on Feb. 5, 2018, abandoned.
Application 15/888,882 is a continuation in part of application No. 14/869,723, filed on Sep. 29, 2015, granted, now 9,883,624.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/077,030, filed on Nov. 7, 2014.
Prior Publication US 2022/0287226 A1, Sep. 15, 2022
Int. Cl. A01C 7/20 (2006.01); A01C 7/04 (2006.01); A01C 7/16 (2006.01)
CPC A01C 7/20 (2013.01) [A01C 7/046 (2013.01); A01C 7/206 (2013.01); A01C 7/16 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A row unit for a seeding machine, the row unit comprising:
a seed reservoir;
a seed metering member having opposing sides and a plurality of apertures therethrough, wherein one of the opposing sides is oriented to face the seed reservoir, the seed metering member operable to selectively move seeds from the seed reservoir;
a conveyor having an inlet for receiving seeds and an outlet for discharging seeds from the seeding machine, wherein the conveyor includes a belt movable from the inlet to the outlet, wherein the belt is one of a flighted and a brush belt;
an air source;
a pump in pneumatic communication with the air source and configured to generate a pressure differential across the plurality of apertures sufficient to adhere seeds to the one of the opposing sides such that, during operation of the row unit, at least one seed is at or adjacent to at least one aperture of the plurality of apertures; and
a pneumatic seed displacer including a nozzle in pneumatic communication with the air source, wherein the nozzle is disposed adjacent the metering member and configured to eject a stream of air in a direction from and including 0 degrees to 90 degrees relative to a surface of the other of the opposing sides of the seed metering member that at least partially forms the plurality of apertures, such that during operable rotation of the seed metering member, the stream of air is directed to move a seed from the metering member as the belt moves from the inlet to the outlet, and wherein the nozzle is mounted on a rotatable hub.