Kinze Manufacturing, Inc.

Tenneco Gmbh

Michael J Myers

Rhett Schildroth

Robert Blackwell

Merlan J Rolffs

Matthew J Wilhelmi

Dustan Lee Hahn

Courtney N Achen

Marvin Bachman

Derrick Becker

Susanne Veatch

John P Mulherin

Vaughan G Stevenson

John Kollman

Todd E Kniffen

Ryan Legge

Rhett Schlidroth

A planting unit includes a seed meter for singulating and dispensing seed. Opening wheels or discs are included to create an opening in the field, such as a furrow. The unit includes one or more continuous tracks for supporting the row unit as it moves through the field. The tracks can be positioned on opposite sides. The tracks reduce compaction around the created furrow and provide better control of seed depth placement. One or more motors are included to operate the tracks to move the planting unit through a field for planting independent of a tow vehicle.

Row unit with tracks

An agricultural planter includes systems, methods, and apparatuses for maintaining down force pressure at row units of the planter. The row units may include an electric linear actuator connected to linkages of the row units to maintain a down force pressure for the row unit. The linkage may also be removed and replaced with a strut or like mechanism to apply a direct down force pressure to components of the row unit. One or more sensors can be included to obtain information related to the ground to automatically adjust the amount of down force provided based upon a ground characteristic in order to maintain a substantially uniform furrow depth.

Apparatuses, methods, and systems for providing down force for an agricultural implement

An agricultural implement includes a number of row units. The row units include one or more seed meters for receiving, singulating, and dispensing seed to the ground such that preferred spacing of subsequent seed is attained. Seed delivery systems are included to aid in transporting the seed from the seed meter to the ground in a controlled manner to mitigate skips and to aid in controlling the spacing of the seeds, which can be based upon the ground speed of the implement as it moves through the field. The seed delivery systems can control the transport of the seed to a furrow in the field such that the seed can experience zero or near zero relative velocity so that the seed will have little to no movement once positioned in the furrow.

Planter with seed delivery apparatus

The use of self-powered, autonomous vehicles in agricultural and other domestic applications is provided. The vehicles include a self-propelled drive system, tracks or wheels operatively connected to the drive system, a power supply operatively connected to the drive system, an attachment mechanism for attaching equipment to the vehicle, and an intelligent control operatively connected to the drive system, power supply, and attachment mechanism. The vehicle is configured to connect to the equipment to perform agricultural operations based upon the equipment. Multiple vehicles can be used in a field at the same time. Furthermore, the invention includes the ability to move one or more of the autonomous vehicles from field to field, home to field, or from generally any first location to a second location.

Autonomous systems, methods, and apparatus for AG based operations

A planting unit includes a seed meter for singulating and dispensing seed. Opening wheels or discs are included to create an opening in the field, such as a furrow. The unit includes one or more continuous tracks for supporting the row unit as it moves through the field. The tracks can be positioned on opposite sides. The tracks reduce compaction around the created furrow and provide better control of seed depth placement. One or more motors are included to operate the tracks to move the planting unit through a field for planting.

An agricultural planter includes systems, methods, and apparatus for providing down force pressure at row units of the planter. The row units may include an electric linear actuator connected to linkages of the row units to provide and maintain a down force pressure for the row unit. The linkage may also be removed and replaced with a strut or like mechanism to apply a direct down force pressure to components of the row unit. One or more sensors can be included to obtain information related to the ground to automatically adjust the amount of down force provided based upon a ground characteristic in order to maintain a substantially uniform furrow depth.

An agricultural planter includes a plurality of row units attached thereto for planting seed in a field. The row units include a seed meter for singulating and dispensing seed. Opening wheels or discs are included to create an opening in the field, such as a furrow. The row unit can include one or more continuous tracks for supporting the row unit as it moves through the field. The tracks reduce compaction around the created furrow and provide better control of seed depth placement. Furthermore, one or more cylinders may be provided that control the depth of furrow being created to also control the depth at which the seed is deposited.

Growing community of inventors

Williamsburg, IA, United States of America

Michael J Myers