The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
May. 30, 2017
Filed:
Dec. 29, 2015
Ball Horticultural Company, West Chicago, IL (US);
Robert Scott Conrad, Wheaton, IL (US);
Xiaolei Hu, Aurora, IL (US);
BALL HORTICULTURAL COMPANY, West Chicago, IL (US);
Abstract
A seed sowing system for depositing seeds in a germination tray is disclosed. The seed sowing system may include a rotatable drum having a plurality of rows of apertures configured to pick up, carry, and release the seeds so that they fall into respective depressions in the germination tray. A light source may be provided to illuminate the row of seeds as each row passes through an illumination region while being carried on the rotatable drum. A detector may be positioned to capture light reflected from the rows of seeds as each row passes through the illumination region. Output signals from the detector may be analyzed to determine an improper quantity of seeds at predetermined locations on the rotatable drum. Based on this analysis, an alert and/or report may be provided to the operator so that he or she can adjust and/or repair the seed sowing system.