Sectional Meter Shut-Off for Precision Seeding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing air seeding systems face challenges in preventing over-seeding or over-fertilizing, especially on irregularly shaped fields, and in avoiding disturbance of already seeded or fertilized areas, as they lack the ability to selectively obstruct the meter and lift ground-engaging openers.
Innovation Solution
A sectional meter shut-off apparatus with individually operable gates, controlled by electric, hydraulic, or GPS systems, which can block specific portions of the metering roller and raise ground-engaging openers to prevent material flow and soil engagement in previously seeded or fertilized areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a metering device is implemented to apply a specific quantity of seed per linear distance, then seeding precision is improved, but double seeding still occurs when the land seeded is too narrow or odd shaped for the seeding device
Solution Approach 1:
The metering device is divided into multiple independently controllable sections or zones along its length. Each section can be selectively activated or deactivated to match the specific geometry of the field, preventing double seeding in overlapping areas while maintaining precise seed application in active zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The metering device incorporates dynamic control mechanisms that allow real-time adjustment of which sections are active. This enables the system to adapt to irregular field shapes and narrow areas by deactivating appropriate sections, thereby preventing double seeding while maintaining seeding precision in the active portions.
2Loss of substance
If the meter is turned off to prevent over-seeding, then seed waste is reduced, but ground-engaging openers are still engaging the ground and destroying the seed bed
Solution Approach 1:
The seeding system is segmented into independent modular units, each comprising a metering section and its corresponding ground-engaging openers. When a section is deactivated to prevent over-seeding, the associated openers are also automatically lifted or disengaged, preventing seed bed destruction in already seeded areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The control systems for the metering device and ground-engaging openers are merged into a single integrated control mechanism. This ensures that when the meter is turned off for a particular section, the openers in that same section are simultaneously deactivated, preventing both over-seeding and seed bed destruction in the same area.
3Productivity
If larger seeding equipment is used to increase efficiency, then productivity is improved, but the equipment becomes difficult to use on smaller pieces of land or irregularly shaped fields
Solution Approach 1:
The large seeding equipment is divided into multiple independently controllable sections along its width. This segmentation allows the operator to selectively activate only the portions of the equipment that correspond to unseeded areas in irregular or narrow fields, maintaining high productivity while adapting to various field geometries.
Solution Approach 2:
The seeding equipment incorporates dynamic section activation capabilities, allowing real-time adjustment of which width sections are operational. This enables the large equipment to efficiently cover irregularly shaped fields by dynamically activating and deactivating sections to match the available unseeded area, preserving both productivity and adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
An agricultural seeder or fertilizer having a meter device which dispenses seed or fertilizer to a plurality of ground-engaging members. The supply of metered seed or fertilizer to each of the ground-engaging members is controlled via input from a GPS/GNSS satellite navigation system to prevent the meter device delivering seed or fertilizer to selected of the ground-engaging members which would otherwise pass over soil which has been previously seeded or fertilized. Raising means, responsive to input from said GPS/GNSS satellite navigation system detecting that the device is travelling or is about to travel over areas of soil that has been previously seeded or fertilized, is further is provided to raise the selected ground-engaging members to which delivery of seed/fertilizer has been prevented in order to prevent soil which has been previously seeded or fertilized from being disturbed. A method of operating a seeder/fertilizer implement to achieve the aforesaid is further disclosed.