Patent ID: 9516804
Filing Date: 2016-12-13
CPC Classification: A01C

Claim Text:
1. A vacuum seeder for dispensing seeds at regular intervals into a seeding mechanism, comprising: an elongated, cylindrical pipe rotatably mounted to a frame with at least a pair of rotational bearings at first and second ends of the pipe, the pipe including an inside surface, an outside surface, and at least one circumferential row of apertures traversing the pipe from the inside surface to the outside surface thereof, each aperture being smaller than one of the seeds; a vacuum mechanism fixed with the second end of the pipe and the frame, the vacuum mechanism adapted for producing a negative pressure within the pipe when compared with ambient pressure; a drive mechanism fixed with the frame and coupled with the pipe for driving the pipe in a first direction, the drive being is a variable-speed drive motor; a reservoir fixed with the frame for holding the seeds and positioned adjacent an upward side of the pipe, the reservoir having at least one opening on a side and top of the reservoir adjacent the pipe such that the pipe blocks the at least one opening at the side of the reservoir, the upward side of the pipe being the side that travels upward with respect to the reservoir when the drive mechanism drives the pipe in the first direction; at least one seed removal mechanism fixed with the frame and positioned adjacent on an opposing, downward side of the pipe; and at least one seed receiver fixed with the frame and positioned proximate the at least one seed removal mechanism, the at least one seed receiver adapted for delivering seeds to the seeding mechanism; whereby with the vacuum mechanism producing the negative pressure within the pipe, the pipe driven by the drive mechanism to rotate, and the reservoir filled with the seeds, a seed is pulled up against the pipe at each aperture by the negative pressure and retained on the pipe as the pipe rotates the seed over the top thereof and down to the seed removal mechanism whereby the seed drops off of the pipe and into the at least one seed receiver to be delivered to the seeding mechanism, and whereby the delivery speed of the seeds into the seeding mechanism can be regulated by adjusting the speed of the drive motor.