SEEDER MONITOR

摘要

The monitor is used with seeder equipment having one or more seeder hopper sections wherein each hopper section has a number of metering assemblies for feeding the seed from each hopper section to the soil. The monitoring apparatus includes at least one sensor consisting of a piezoelectric transducer which provides an output signal in response to being struck by a seed, a vibration isolating mounting structure to position the sensor in the seed flow path between the metering assembly and the soil, and a circuit for receiving the sensor electronic response and providing an indication of seed flow condition. The mounting structure includes an elongated member such as a metal tubing, to one end of which is fixed a cushion nude of a material such as a closed cell foam and to the other end of which is fixed a securing member to secure the structure to the seeder. The sensor is positioned on the cushion and a pair of leads connected across the sensor, pass through the tube and are connected to twin conductors at the other end. The circuit for each sensor includes a control circuit which processes the sensor signal and which provides an output control signal representing a flow condition such as the no flow condition. The circuit further includes visual and audio alarm circuits which indicate the flow condition for each sensor.