Patent ID: 8074586

Claim:
A seeding machine, comprising: at least one seed metering system; and a least on seed delivery system, each said seed delivery system being in communication with a corresponding said seed metering system to receive seed therefrom, each said seed delivery system including: a housing having right and left laterally spaced opposite walls and a side wall extending therebetween, the side wall having an upper opening for receiving seed from said corresponding metering system, a lower opening through which seed is discharged, and the side wall having an interior surface extending between the upper and lower openings; an endless member within said housing disposed around a first drive pulley and a second idler pulley, said endless member having a gripping portion engaging the interior surface of said housing wall and moving there along as said endless member is driven from said upper opening, where the seed from said seed meter is gripped by said gripping portion and entrapped by said gripping portion and said housing wall, to said lower opening to convey seed to said lower opening and discharge seed there through; the housing side wall further having a first segment extending between the upper and lower openings in the direction of travel of the endless member and a second segment extending between the lower and upper openings in the direction of travel of the endless member and a seed sensor mounted on the first segment of the side wall of the housing along which the seed is moved from the upper opening to the lower opening to sense the passing of seed through the housing and produce an output signal in response thereto.