Patent ID: 11930735
Assignee: BOURGAULT INDUSTRIES LTD.
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC A  Y | IPC A

Claim 16:
17. The system of claim 1 wherein each seed metering apparatus comprises:
a seed disc rotatably mounted under the seed container about a substantially vertically oriented disc rotational axis extending upward through the seed container, and a disc drive operative to rotate the seed disc;
a plurality of seed chutes, each seed chute sloping downward from the seed container to an open discharge end configured to slide along an upper face of an outer portion of the seed disc as the seed disc rotates, and wherein the discharge ends of the seed chutes are substantially equally spaced around the outer portion of the seed disc;
wherein the discharge end of each seed chute defines a loading zone, and each space between adjacent seed chutes defines a discharge zone;
a plurality of seed apertures defined in the outer portion of the seed disc and extending through the seed disc from the upper face of the seed disc to a lower face of the seed disc, each seed aperture configured to receive one of the seeds, wherein the seed apertures are substantially equally spaced along a seed aperture path;
a stationary dispensing plate mounted under the seed aperture path on the seed disc such that the lower face of the seed disc slides along an upper face of the dispensing plate;
wherein the dispensing plate defines a plurality of dispensing apertures, each dispensing aperture located on the seed aperture path at a corresponding discharge zone, and each dispensing aperture extending through the dispensing plate from the upper face of the dispensing plate to a lower face of the dispensing plate and configured to allow one of the seeds to pass through into one of the seed delivery conduits.