Seed singulator

Abstract

A seed singulator for use with a vacuum disk having a seed face and a shoulder. The seed singulator has a first member and a second member supported by biasing members. The first member has upper lobes disposed at a radius of curvature slightly less than the outside radius of a row of apertures on a seed plane of the vacuum disk. The seed member has lower lobes disposed at a radius of curvature slightly greater than the inside radius than the row of apradius. The biasing members permit the lobes to move with the seed plane and the shoulder as the vacuum disk rotates thereby maintaining their position with respect to the apertures.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. In combination, a seed singulator and a vacuum disk, the vacuum disk having a seed plane and a row of apertures at a radius R 1  from the center of the disk, a radius R 2  to the outside of the apertures, a radius R 3  to the inside of the apertures, and a radius R 4  to an annular shoulder of the vacuum disk, said singulator comprising:
 a first member having upper lobes disposed at a radius of curvature slightly less than the radius R 2 , said first member further having a surface biased radially toward the annular shoulder of the vacuum disk; 
 a second member having lower lobes disposed at a radius of curvature slightly greater than the radius R 3 ; 
 said upper and lower lobes having substantially co-planar surfaces biased axially against the seed plane of the vacuum disk. 
 
     
     
       2. The combination of  claim 1  wherein said singulator includes three upper lobes and two lower lobes. 
     
     
       3. The combination of  claim 1  wherein said surface of said first member of said singulator has a radius of curvature substantially the same as the radius R 4 . 
     
     
       4. The combination of  claim 3  wherein said first member and said second member of said singulator comprise a single unitary element. 
     
     
       5. The combination of  claim 4  wherein said singulator further includes an axial spring and a radial spring whereby said axial spring biases said single unitary element in a axial direction and said radial spring biases said single unitary element in a radial direction. 
     
     
       6. The combination of  claim 4  wherein said upper lobes and said lower lobes move with the seed plane and with the shoulder while maintaining the position of the upper lobes with the radius R 2  and the lower lobes with the radius R 3 . 
     
     
       7. The combination of  claim 1  wherein said upper lobes and said lower lobes move with the seed plane and at least said upper lobes move with the shoulder while maintaining the position of the upper lobes with the radius R 2 . 
     
     
       8. A seed meter comprising:
 a seed disc rotating about a central rotational axis in a direction of rotation, said seed disc having a plurality of seed apertures disposed in a seed plane, said seed disc disposed to entrain seeds from a seed pool onto said seed apertures by vacuum as said seed apertures rotate in said direction of rotation through said seed pool, said seed disc having a shoulder; and   a singulator disposed after said seed pool in said direction of rotation, said singulator having a plurality of lobes disposed to cover at least a portion of each of said plurality of seed apertures rotating in said direction of rotation past said lobes so as to bump said seeds entrained onto each of said plurality of seed apertures to remove excess seeds from said seed apertures such that only one seed remains entrained on each of said plurality of seed apertures, said plurality of lobes configured to float with at least one of said seed plane and said shoulder of said seed disc as said seed disc rotates about said central rotational axis.   
     
     
       9. The seed meter of claim 8, wherein said lobes are disposed to remain in contact with said seed plane. 
     
     
       10. The seed meter of claim 8, wherein said lobes are disposed to remain in contact with said shoulder. 
     
     
       11. The seed meter of claim 8, wherein said coverage of said apertures by said lobes remains constant regardless of movement of said seed disc. 
     
     
       12. A seed meter comprising:
 a seed disc having a central rotational axis and plurality of seed apertures disposed along an aperture path radius from said central rotational axis, each of said plurality of seed apertures having a top side defined by an outer radius from said central rotational axis which is greater than said aperture path radius, each of said plurality of seed apertures having a bottom side defined by an inner radius from said central rotational axis which is less than said aperture path radius; and   a singulator having lobes disposed relative to said aperture path radius, said lobes disposed to make contact with seed entrained on said plurality of apertures three times along said top side and two times along said bottom side as each of said plurality of seed apertures rotates past said singulator as said seed disc rotates about said central rotational axis.