Seed metering device

Claim 2

A planter having a frame, a furrow opener, a seed hopper having an outlet defined by a rim in the bottom thereof, said hopper being moUnted on the frame for discharging seed to the furrow formed by said furrow opener and seed metering means between the hopper and the furrow opener comprising: a platform disposed between said seed hopper on which seed discharged from the hopper is deposited, said platform disposed below said seed hopper such that the spacing between the surface of the platform and the rim of said outlet is slightly greater than the thickness of a seed so that seeds are deposited on the platform in a single layer, driven seed engaging means mounted adjacent the platform for moving the seeds over the platform, a plurality of inclined elongated passages having openings in their upper ends communicating with the surface of said platform in the path of the moving seed to receive the latter therein and having outlets at their other end for discharging seed to said furrow, and vibratory means carried by the frame and operatively engageable with said platform and said passage for vibrating the latter sufficiently to overcome the frictional resistance of the passage to the movement of seed therethrough.

Claim 3

The invention set forth in claim 1, wherein said passages are integral with said platform and said vibratory means is operatively connected to said platform and said passages to agitate the seed and assure its feeding from the platform to said opening and the advance of seed through said passages.

Claim 4

A planter having a frame, a furrow opener, a seed hopper mounted on the frame for discharging seed to the furrow formed by said furrow opener and seed metering means between the hopper and the furrow opener comprising, a platform on which seed discharged from the hopper is deposited, driven seed engaging means mounted adjacent the platform for moving the seed over the platform, a plurality of inclined elongated passages having openings in their upper end communicating with the surface of said platform and the path of the moving seed to receive the latter therein and having outlets at their other end for discharging seed to said furrow, said passages being vertically stacked inclined tubular chutes having their seed receiving openings in a horizontal plane and their discharge outlets in a vertical plane, vibratory means carried by the frame and operatively engageable with said platform and said passages for vibrating the latter sufficiently to overcome the frictional resistance of the passage to the movement of seed therethrough, stop means supported by said frame adjacent each of said discharge outlets to prevent premature seed discharge, knockout means, and means for periodically actuating said knockout means to displace said stop means and eject seed from said outlets.

Claim 5

A planter having a frame, a furrow opener, a seed hopper mounted on the frame for discharging seed to the furrow formed by said furrow opener and seed metering means between the hopper and the furrow opener comprising, a platform on which seed discharged from the hopper is deposited, driven seed engaging means mounted adjacent the platform for moving the seed over the platform, a plurality of inclined elongated passages having openings in their upper end communicating with the surface of said platform and the path of the moving seed to receive the latter therein and having outlets at their other end for discharging seed to said furrow, said passages being vertically stacked inclined tubular chutes having their seed receiving openings in a horizontal plane and their discharge outlets in a vertical plane, vibratory means carried by the frame and operatively engageable with said platform and said passages for vibrating the latter sufficiently to overcome the frictional resistance of the passage to the movement of seed therethrough, stop means supported by said frame adjacent each of said discharge outlets to prevent premature seed discharge, knockout means, and means for periodically actuating said knockout means to displace said stop means and eject seed from said outlets.

Claim 6

The invention set forth in claim 3, wherein said stop means is unitary with said knockout means and of said knockout means.

Claim 7

The invention set forth in claim 1, wherein said knockout means includes a leaf spring, one being provided for each of said outlets, and an actuator member rotatably mounted on the frame is provided with cam lobes engageable with said leaf springs during rotation of said actuator member to displace said springs and eject the seed.

Claim 8

The invention set forth in claim 5, wherein said actuator member includes a driven vertical shaft parallel to and adjacent said vertically stacked outlets and said cam lobes are relatively circumferentially displaced about the axis of the actuator member and are successively engageable with the respective of said leaf springs during rotation of the actuator member.