Patent ID: 9661805
Date: 2017-05-30
CPC Classifications: A01C,A01G,G01N,G01V

Claim:
1. A seed sowing system for depositing seeds in a germination tray, comprising: a frame; a drum rotatably connected to the frame and rotatable about a longitudinal axis, the drum having a cylindrical peripheral wall and a hollow interior; a plurality of rows of apertures formed in the cylindrical peripheral wall and in fluid communication with the hollow interior, each row of the plurality of rows of apertures being parallel to the longitudinal axis; a hopper connected to the frame and configured to deliver seeds onto the cylindrical peripheral wall during operation; a vacuum configured to reduce pressure within the hollow interior of the drum so that the seeds from the hopper are temporarily held against the cylindrical peripheral wall at the plurality of rows of apertures in a plurality of rows of seeds; a light source configured to illuminate the plurality of rows of seeds one at a time as each row passes through an illumination region during operation; an optical detector positioned to receive light reflected by the plurality of rows of seeds when each row passes through the illumination region; and the light source comprising a laser configured to emit rays of light offset from the cylindrical peripheral wall of the drum so that the light source does not directly illuminate the cylindrical peripheral wall of the drum.