A finger-clamping precision seed meter suitable for high-speed and precision seeding operation

Abstract

The application discloses a finger clamp type precision seed sowing device and belongs to the technical field of agricultural machinery. The seed sowing device comprises a shell, a finger clamp disc, a seed cleaning mechanism and a clutch mechanism. The finger clamp disc is circumferentially provided with a plurality of finger clamps with increased friction lines. The seed cleaning mechanism comprises a seed cleaning brush and a precision adjusting mechanism. Ten gear positions of seed cleaning distance can be adjusted by rotating an eccentric mechanism in a lateral adjustment hole. The clutch mechanism realizes quick on-off of power transmission by engaging or separating a gear tooth and a chain wheel protrusion. The application effectively reduces the heavy sowing and missing sowing rate by the adjustable seed cleaning mechanism, improves the working reliability and maintenance convenience by the wear-resistant finger clamp and the quick clutch design, and is especially suitable for high-speed precision sowing operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of agricultural machinery technology, specifically relating to seed metering components of seeding machinery, and in particular to a finger-clamp seed metering device that achieves single-seed picking and precision sowing through mechanical finger clamping. Background Technology

[0002] The seed metering device is the core component of a seeder, and its performance directly determines the uniformity of sowing and the quality of seedling emergence. The finger-clamp seed metering device, as a mechanical precision seed metering device, relies on rotating finger-clamping discs to pick up individual seeds from the seed box and place them into the seed furrow. It is widely used for sowing large-diameter crops such as corn.

[0003] Currently, existing finger-clamp seed metering devices on the market still have some common problems in practical applications: First, their seed cleaning devices are mostly fixed or have a limited range of adjustment, making it difficult to accurately adapt to seeds of different sizes and shapes. During high-speed operation, they are prone to double-seeding (carrying in excess seeds) or missed brushing (over-cleaning leading to empty holes). Second, the fitting precision and wear resistance of the finger clamps and finger clamp discs are insufficient. After long-term use, wear can easily lead to a decrease in the reliability of the clamping, affecting the seeding qualification rate. Third, the seed metering device is usually rigidly connected to the transmission system. During maintenance, cleaning, or transportation, it is impossible to disconnect the power of a single unit, which is inconvenient to operate and poses safety hazards.

[0004] Comprehensive analysis reveals significant shortcomings in existing finger-clamp seed metering devices regarding seed cleaning accuracy and adaptability, wear resistance and reliability of key components, and ease of maintenance. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a new type of finger-clamp precision seed metering device with precisely adjustable seed cleaning performance, reliable finger clamp operation, and rapid separation capability to meet the demands of modern high-speed precision seeding for high reliability, high adaptability, and high convenience. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to address the shortcomings of existing finger-clamp seed metering devices, such as non-adjustable seed cleaning effect, easy wear of key components, and inconvenient maintenance, by providing a finger-clamp precision seed metering device. This invention aims to solve the problems of double-seeding and missed-seeding under high-speed sowing, and to improve the reliability and ease of maintenance of the seed metering device. Specifically, the purpose of this invention is:

[0006] 1. A seed metering device with precise and multi-level adjustable seed cleaning effect is provided, which can flexibly adapt to seeds of different sizes and shapes, fundamentally reducing the reseeding and missed seeding rates under high-speed operation.

[0007] 2. A reliable and durable seed metering device is provided. By optimizing the finger clip material and surface treatment, its wear resistance and clamping stability are significantly improved, and its service life is extended.

[0008] 3. A seed metering device with rapid separation function is provided, which can achieve single-unit power cutting without tools, greatly simplifying the maintenance, cleaning and transportation process, and improving safety and convenience.

[0009] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0010] A finger clamp precision seed metering device includes a housing, a seed metering shaft, and a finger clamping disc disposed within the housing.

[0011] The finger gripper disc is evenly equipped with multiple finger grippers for picking up seeds. The finger grippers are made of wear-resistant metal material through a special process, and their inner surfaces that come into contact with the seeds have textures or coatings to increase friction, ensuring that they can reliably pick up single seeds under various working conditions.

[0012] The housing contains a seed-cleaning brush, the core innovation of which lies in its connection to the housing via an adjustment mechanism located on the side. This adjustment mechanism includes an adjustment hole on the side wall of the housing and a built-in eccentric adjustment structure. By inserting a special wrench into the adjustment hole and rotating it, the eccentric structure can be driven to move, thereby precisely controlling the radial distance between the seed-cleaning brush and the finger clips. This mechanism provides at least ten fixed settings, allowing operators to accurately select the most suitable seed-cleaning intensity based on the size, shape, and surface characteristics of the seeds, thus achieving optimal seed-cleaning results.

[0013] The seed metering device also includes a clutch mechanism comprising a manually operable clutch lever and a clutch bracket. When power needs to be cut off for maintenance or transport, simply rotate the clutch lever upwards to disengage it from the lug on the drive sprocket and engage the lever with the clutch bracket, allowing the seed metering device to idle without disassembling any parts. To engage, simply lift the bracket; the lever will automatically return to its original position under spring pressure and engage with the lug, restoring power transmission.

[0014] In addition, the seed metering device is equipped with a seed guide belt to smoothly guide the picked-up seeds to the seed outlet; the shell is equipped with an observation window to facilitate viewing the internal working status at any time; and the seed outlet is equipped with a removable rubber dust cover to effectively prevent dust from entering.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the finger clamp type precision metering and seeding device provided by the present invention has the following significant advantages:

[0016] 1. High sowing precision and good adaptability: The ten-level adjustable seed cleaning mechanism enables precise and stepless adjustment of the seed cleaning intensity, which can perfectly adapt to different varieties and batches of seeds. It completely solves the problems of incomplete seed cleaning (re-sowing) or excessive seed cleaning (missed sowing) caused by differences in seed size, and significantly improves the success rate of single-seed precision sowing.

[0017] 2. Reliable operation and long service life: The finger clip is made of wear-resistant material and supplemented with friction-enhancing surface treatment, which greatly enhances its wear resistance. Even after long-term use, it can still maintain excellent clamping performance and consistent seeding quality, reducing performance degradation and replacement frequency caused by component wear.

[0018] 3. Convenient operation and maintenance, high safety: The unique quick-clutch mechanism makes the separation and engagement of the power of a single seed metering device very simple and quick, without any tools, which greatly facilitates daily maintenance, troubleshooting and transportation and storage. It not only saves time, but also eliminates the safety hazards of operators operating near the transmission parts.

[0019] 4. Optimized structural design and improved overall performance: The detailed design of the observation window, seed guide belt, dust cover and other features reflects the human-centered design concept, making the working status visible, the seed flow smoother and the environmental adaptability stronger, thus improving the overall user experience and reliability of the seed metering device. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. These drawings are schematic diagrams used to clearly illustrate the structure, connection relationships, and working principle of the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the actual shape, size, or proportion of the product.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall installation position of the finger-clamp precision seed metering device described in this embodiment of the invention on a seeder;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the external structure of the finger-clamp precision seed metering device;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the engagement state of the clutch mechanism;

[0024] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the clutch mechanism in the disengaged state. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the technical solution of the present invention. This description is intended to enable those skilled in the art to understand and reproduce the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of its protection.

[0026] Please see Figures 1-4 This is a preferred embodiment of the finger clamp precision seed metering device 420 of the present invention, which mainly includes a housing 421, a finger clamping plate 422, a seed metering shaft 424, a seed cleaning mechanism, a clutch mechanism, and a seed guide belt.

[0027] The housing 421 is injection molded from high-strength engineering plastic or machined from aluminum alloy, and its interior forms the channel for seed flow and the installation space for various components. The housing 421 has an interface for connecting to the seed box at the top, a seed outlet at the bottom, and an observation window 427 on the side. This observation window 427 is made of transparent and wear-resistant material, allowing operators to directly observe the working status of the internal finger clamps and the seed flow without disassembling the seed metering device.

[0028] The finger clamping disc 422 is the core working component of the seed metering device. It is fixedly mounted on the seed metering shaft 424 via a key connection and can rotate with the shaft. The finger clamping disc 422 is made of high-strength engineering plastic, and its circumferential edge is evenly provided with multiple mounting grooves. Each mounting groove is hinged to a finger clamp 426 via a pivot. The finger clamp 426 is made of special wear-resistant steel through heat treatment and precision stamping. Its inner surface in contact with the seed is formed with a fine mesh pattern through laser engraving or chemical etching, or it is coated with a wear-resistant Teflon or ceramic coating with a high coefficient of friction. This treatment significantly increases the friction between the finger clamp 426 and the seed, ensuring that even under high-speed rotation or vibration conditions, the finger clamp 426 can reliably grip a single seed, effectively preventing seed slippage and thus reducing the missed sowing rate. A spring hook is provided at the tail of the finger clamp 426. One end of a torsion spring is fixed to the finger clamping disc 422, and the other end is hooked to the hook at the tail of the finger clamp 426. The spring provides a continuous clamping force to the finger clamp 426, enabling it to open and clamp seeds when passing through the seed box, and to remain stable when passing through the seed cleaning station and the seed feeding station.

[0029] The seed cleaning mechanism is crucial for ensuring precise single-seed planting. It mainly comprises a seed cleaning brush 423 and a precision adjustment mechanism. The seed cleaning brush 423, made of high-quality nylon or bristle material, is mounted on the inner wall of the housing 421 via a mounting base. The tips of its bristles make slight contact with or maintain a very small gap from the rotating finger clip 426. The core of the precision adjustment mechanism is an eccentric cam mechanism, with its adjustment knob hidden in an adjustment hole located on the side wall of the housing. Using the included hex wrench 428, inserting it into the adjustment hole and rotating it drives the internal eccentric cam to rotate. The rotation of the cam translates into a small linear displacement of the seed cleaning brush 423 mounting base, thereby precisely changing the radial distance between the seed cleaning brush 423 and the finger clip 426. This mechanism is designed with ten clearly defined positioning positions. Each rotation changes the distance by approximately 0.1 mm, and the adjustment position is visually displayed via a position icon 425. Operators can select the most suitable position according to the seed size (e.g., small, medium, large corn seeds). Rotating the lever 428 clockwise moves the brush 423 closer to the finger clip 426, increasing the seed-cleaning force and effectively removing excess double seeds or impurities from the finger clip to prevent reseeding. Rotating it counterclockwise moves the brush 423 away from the finger clip 426, reducing the seed-cleaning force and avoiding excessive interference with the seeds to prevent missed sowing. This multi-level adjustable design greatly improves the adaptability of the seed metering device to different seeds.

[0030] The clutch mechanism is the core component for enabling rapid maintenance. It includes a seeding sprocket 4291 fixed to the end of the seeding shaft, a protrusion 4292 integrally formed with or fixedly connected to the seeding sprocket, a clutch shift tooth 4293 rotatable around a pin, and a clutch bracket 4294 fixed to the housing. In the engaged state (as shown in the attached diagram) Figure 3 As shown, under the action of the internal torsion spring, the clutch lever 4293 engages tightly with the protrusion 429 on the seed dispensing sprocket 4291, thereby reliably transmitting the power of the sprocket 4291 to the seed dispensing shaft 424. When it is necessary to cut off the power to clean the seed box, remove blockages, or transport the seed, the operator only needs to rotate the lever 4293 upwards by about 90 degrees with their fingers to disengage it from the protrusion 4292, and continue rotating until the tail of the lever 4293 engages in the slot of the clutch bracket 4294 (as shown in the attached diagram). Figure 4 As shown in the diagram, complete separation of power can be achieved. At this point, even if the seeder moves, the seed metering device will not rotate. The entire operation requires no tools and can be completed with one hand, making it safe and quick.

[0031] In addition, a seed guide belt is provided around the periphery of the finger clamp 422. This belt is made of flexible rubber material, and its inner surface makes slight contact with the tip of the finger clamp 426. Its main function is to stably restrain the seeds that have been grasped by the finger clamp and separated from the seed cluster within the finger clamp, preventing them from falling off prematurely due to vibration or centrifugal force, and smoothly guiding them to the seed outlet to ensure accurate seed placement into the seed guide tube 430. At the seed outlet of the housing 421, a removable rubber dust cover is also fitted, which effectively prevents field dust and impurities from entering the seed metering device and reduces wear on internal parts.

[0032] The working process of this embodiment of the invention is as follows: During operation, power is transmitted to the seed dispensing shaft 424 through the clutch mechanism in a engaged state, driving the finger clamping disc 422 to rotate. The finger clamps 426 pick up seeds as they pass through the seed box, and then pass through the seed cleaning brush 423 to remove excess seeds, ensuring single-seed carrying. Then, the seeds are transported to the seed outlet under the constraint of the seed guide belt. The finger clamps 426 open under the action of the opening cam 4292, and the seeds fall into the seed guide tube 430 under gravity, completing the sowing process. When maintenance is required, the power can be cut off through the clutch mechanism.

[0033] As can be seen from the above detailed description, this invention, through the organic combination of innovative designs such as an adjustable seed cleaning mechanism, a quick clutch mechanism, wear-resistant finger clips, and a seed guide belt, has successfully constructed a finger clip-type precision seed metering device with high sowing accuracy, strong reliability, good adaptability, and convenient maintenance, effectively solving many problems existing in the prior art.

Claims

1. A finger-clamp precision seed metering device, comprising a housing (421), a seed metering shaft, and a finger clamping disc (422) disposed within the housing, characterized in that: The finger clamping disc (422) is evenly provided with a plurality of finger clamps (426) for picking up seeds in the circumferential direction. The housing is provided with a seed cleaning brush (423), which is connected to the housing through an adjustment mechanism located on the side of the housing. The adjustment mechanism can precisely adjust the radial distance between the seed cleaning brush (423) and the finger clip (426). The seed metering device is also provided with a clutch mechanism (425), which includes an operable clutch tooth (428). The clutch tooth (428) has an engaged state that engages with the seed metering sprocket protrusion (429) and a disengaged state that separates from the seed metering sprocket protrusion (429).

2. The finger-clamp precision seed metering device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The adjustment mechanism includes an adjustment hole (427) on the side wall of the housing and an eccentric adjustment structure on the mounting base of the seed cleaning brush (423). By inserting a special tool into the adjustment hole (427) and rotating it, the eccentric adjustment structure can be driven to move, thereby causing the seed cleaning brush (423) to move closer to or further away from the finger clip (426).

3. The finger-clamp precision seed metering device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The adjustment mechanism has at least ten different fixed positions to provide more than ten levels of seed cleaning intensity adjustment.

4. The finger-mounted precision seed meter of claim 1, wherein, The finger clip (426) is made of wear-resistant metal material, and the inner surface of the finger clip (426) that contacts the seed is provided with a textured surface or covered with a friction-enhancing coating.

5. The finger-clamp precision seed metering device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The clutch mechanism (425) also includes a clutch bracket; when the clutch shift tooth (428) rotates to the disengaged state of separating from the seed sprocket protrusion (429), the clutch shift tooth (428) can be locked on the clutch bracket to achieve continuous power separation.

6. The finger clip seed meter of claim 1, wherein, A fixing plate is provided below the finger clamp (422). The finger clamp (422) achieves circumferential positioning and power transmission by cooperating with the groove on the fixing plate through the protrusion on its back.

7. The finger-clamp precision seed metering device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The seed metering device also includes a seed guide belt (424) which is wrapped around the outside of the finger clamp plate (422) to guide the seeds held by the finger clamp (426) to the seed metering port.

8. The finger-clamp precision seed metering device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The housing (421) is provided with an observation window for observing the internal working conditions.

9. The finger-clamp precision seed metering device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The seed metering device is connected to the seeder frame via a parallel four-bar linkage contouring mechanism.

10. The finger-clamp precision seed metering device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, A rubber dust cover is detachably installed at the seed outlet of the shell (421).

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