US 12,453,302 B2
Seed distributor used for agricultural machines
Ariel Alberto Antonio Spinsanti, Provincia Santa Fe (AR)
Appl. No. 17/437,086
Filed by Ariel Alberto Antonio Spinsanti, Provincia Santa Fe (AR)
PCT Filed Sep. 19, 2019, PCT No. PCT/IB2019/057948
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 8, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/053376, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 25, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0159901 A1, May 26, 2022
Int. Cl. A01C 7/04 (2006.01); A01C 19/02 (2006.01)
CPC A01C 7/046 (2013.01) [A01C 19/02 (2013.01)] 5 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A seed metering device for an agricultural machine comprising:
a vertical casing including a rear shell and a front shell, the rear shell and the front shell are peripherally connected defining an interior space;
a metering plate or disk located at the interior space of the vertical casing;
a seed inlet located at the rear shell of the casing, wherein seeds are picked by a pneumatic vacuum source and placed within a plurality of annularly arranged seed cells located on the metering plate or disk, forming at least one crown of cells adjacent to a periphery of said metering plate or disk, the metering plate or disk is in communication with said seed inlet;
wherein the metering plate or disk is connected to a motor that is connected to an axis of the metering plate or disk and to an annular set of teeth forming a ring gear, the ring gear is engaged to a cylindrical gear driven by the motor;
wherein when the metering plate or disk rotates, the seeds inside said seed cells are released, wherein the released seeds are directed to an outlet in communication with a sowing furrow;
an annular recess located on the metering plate or disk near the seed cells;
wherein said annular recess is formed by a wall portion that is parallel to the axis of the metering plate or disk and projects towards an inner face of the front shell, wherein an end of the wall portion includes the ring gear ring gear includes male teeth projecting towards the inner surface of the rear shell;
wherein the wall portion includes an oblique wall projecting towards the inner surface of the rear shell until reaching the axis of the metering plate or disk and ends in a cylindrical bushing coaxial to a shaft of the metering plate or disk, the cylindrical bushing that projects towards the inner surface of the front shell;
a plate including an annular flange located in the wall portion, the plate includes a hole through which the shaft passes the annular flange is parallel to said wall portion;
wherein the axis of the metering plate or disk passes through said plate forming a separation of the interior space of the casing between said metering plate or disk and the inner surface of the rear shell producing a first volume and a second volume that does not communicate with each other;
the first volume communicates with the seed inlet and the at least one annular crown of seed cells, the second volume defines an area free of dust and seeds;
wherein a second bushing sits in the cylindrical bushing, the second bushing is coaxial with cylindrical bushing, an end of the second bushing includes a locking device for locking the metering plate or disk with respect to the second bushing, cooperating with seats made at an end of the cylindrical bushing;
wherein the rotational movement is being applied externally on the axis of the metering plate or disk from the rear shell of said casing.