Patent ID: 8752490

Claim:
A seed feeding apparatus comprising: a feed assembly comprising: a first member having an outer rim and an inner face wherein at least a groove portion of the outer rim substantially forms an arc; a second member adjacent to the inner face of the first member; wherein the first and second members are configured such that a V-shaped groove is formed with walls provided by a portion of the second member and the groove portion of the outer rim of the first member; a drive operative to move a driven member, comprising at least one of the first and second members, and a control operative to control a speed of the driven member; a pocket formed by the walls of the groove and by a pocket plate extending into the groove and configured to substantially conform to the groove, wherein the pocket plate is located such that the driven member moves in a direction that moves seeds in the pocket up the arc of the groove portion of the outer rim; wherein operation the pocket is positioned to receive seeds from a seed supply system such that received seeds in the pocket are carried in the groove out of the pocket as the driven member moves; wherein received seeds form a pile of seeds in the pocket and as the driven member moves, seeds fall from the pile of seeds to a bottom of the groove with sides of the seeds bearing against the walls of the groove such that the seeds are aligned in single file along the bottom of the groove adjacent to each other, and as the driven member moves the seeds move upward over an upper edge of the groove and then fall out of the groove one at a time into a furrow, and wherein the speed of the driven member is selected to provide a desired spacing between seeds in the furrow; and wherein: the first member comprises a substantially circular disc, wherein the outer rim thereof is provided by an outer wall of the disc, and the inner face thereof is provided by a substantially flat end of the disc; the second member comprises a groove plate, and wherein a surface of the groove plate is located adjacent to the inner face of the first member such that the surface of the groove plate provides a first wall of the V-shaped groove and the outer wall of the disc provides a second wall of the V-shaped groove; the circular disc is tilted such that the outer rim is oriented at an upward angle to the horizontal; and at least one of the first and second members rotates about a rotational axis oriented at an upward angle to the horizontal.