Machine to feed seeds from pile - picks seeds up by suction at rail hole and uses vibration to ensure one seed per hole

摘要

The machine picks up seeds and places them individually in a soil ball. A shallow pivotable (5) box (3) with a cover opening (11) and a suction rail (7) built into the floor stores the bulk seed, pickup being effected by the suction at rail apertures (9). Vibrations of the box ensures that all seeds are dislodged except one centred over each aperture, using an offset pin (17) on a revolving disc (16) to engage a hooked pin-jointed arm (18) and pivot the box against the action of a return spring (22). The box also pivots about a second axis (13a) formed by the vacuum feed (13) passing under a sub-floor, inverting for the opening to house over a receiver (2) with openings (26) to inclined discharge pipes (25). The final phase of releasing the seeds into the pipes is accomplished by isolating the rail from the vacuum source.