Agricultural implement having hopper weighing system

摘要

An agricultural seeding implement has a seed hopper that is weighed continuously during field operations as the seed volume in the hopper progressively diminishes. The weight information is used to perform ongoing control functions on the implement. One embodiment uses the weight information to reduce the down pressure on compaction wheels of a wing section of the machine as a function of the diminishing weight of the hopper on the main section.

主权项

1. An agricultural seeding implement comprising:
a mobile frame including a main section and a wing section hingedly attached to said main section, said main section having ground-engaging main section compaction wheels that support the weight of said main section and compact the ground under said main section as the frame is advanced, said wing section having ground-engageable wing section compaction wheels that support the weight of said wing section and compact the ground under said wing section when the wing section compaction wheels are on the ground and the frame is advanced; main section seeding units on said main section and wing section seeding units on said wing section for depositing seeds in the ground as the frame is advanced; a seed hopper carried on the main section for dispensing seeds to both the main section seeding units and the wing section seeding units as the frame is advanced; and a system coupled with the hopper for determining the weight of the hopper and performing a control function on the implement in response to determining the weight of the hopper, said system comprising a hydraulic operating circuit including a hydraulic wing cylinder operably coupled with said wing section for use in applying adjustable down-pressure against the wing section when the wing section compaction wheels are engaging the ground, said system further comprising an electrical control circuit operable to cause adjustment of the down-pressure against the wing section by said hydraulic wing cylinder as a function of changes in the weight of the hopper on the main section due to a changing supply of seeds in the hopper determined by said electrical control circuit, whereby to promote uniform soil compaction by said main section compaction wheels and said wing section compaction wheels across the width of the implement.