EP4322733A1 - Automated seed magazine filling machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A filling machine for loading seeds into a seed magazine block includes: a frame; a seed package presenting station and a seed filling station, both mounted to the frame. The seed filling station comprises: an enclosure defining a filling chamber; a seed magazine block mounting frame mounted within the filling chamber; at least one rail with a gantry slidably mounted thereon for movement in the longitudinal direction; a carriage slidably mounted on the gantry for movement in a transverse direction; and a dispensing hopper mounted to the carriage. A controller controls the movement of components of the filling machine.

Description

AUTOMATED SEED MAGAZINE FILLING MACHINE

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates generally to materials handling, and more specifically to the handling and tracking of seeds.

Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to US Provisional Patent Application No. 63/175,654 filed 16 April 2021, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

Background

[0003] Agricultural seed research can involve vast numbers of seeds that are developed, planted, and assessed for any number of qualities (e.g., size, yield, ideal growing conditions, hardiness under extreme conditions, etc.). Different varieties of seeds must be tracked prior to, during and after planting in order to understand the experimental results. In many instances, different strains or varieties of seeds can have very similar, if not virtually identical, appearance, so tracking them to assure that the researchers can properly identify the seeds prior to and during planting can require meticulous care.

[0004] At the same time, given the enormous numbers of seeds that must be planted in order to provide useful research results, the seeds should be provided in a form that is easily planted in the field while still being tracked. Consequently, it may be desirable to provide an apparatus that can easily track seeds while enabling the seeds to be easily and conveniently planted for research purposes.

Summary

[0005] Methods, systems and apparatus are provided for improving seed handling. As a first aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to a filling machine for loading seeds into a seed magazine block. The filling machine comprises: a frame; a seed package presenting station mounted to the frame; and a seed filling station mounted to the frame. The seed filling station comprises: an enclosure having a floor, a ceiling, and walls defining a filling chamber; a seed magazine block mounting frame mounted within the filling chamber; at least one rail fixed relative to the floor and extending in a longitudinal direction; a gantry slidably mounted to the rail for movement in the longitudinal direction; a carriage slidably mounted on the gantry for movement in a transverse direction; and a dispensing hopper mounted to the carriage. A controller is operatively connected with the seed package presenting station and the seed filling station, the controller configured with computer-readable instructions to control the movement of the gantry and the carriage so that the dispensing hopper is conveyed to a desired location above the seed magazine block.

[0006] As a second aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to a method of loading seeds into a magazine block with a filling machine. The method comprises the steps of:

(a) with a scanner of the filling machine, scanning packages of seeds to confirm the contents the packages;

(b) depositing the seeds of a package in a hopper mounted to the filling machine;

(c) via automation, conveying and depositing the seeds in the hopper into a predetermined cell of a magazine block positioned in a filling chamber of the filling machine, the cell determined based on the identity of the seeds;

(d) repeating steps (a)-(c) until the cells of the magazine block are filled;

(e) installing a cover on the magazine block; and

(f) via automation, scanning a label on the cover to confirm the identity of the seeds loaded into the cells of the magazine block.

Brief Description of the Figures

[0007] FIG 1 is a perspective view of a plurality of magazines used for seed storage and planting according to embodiments of the invention.

[0008] FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary envelopes containing seeds employed for filling magazines as in FIG. 1. [0009] FIG. 3 illustrates manual emptying of seeds into magazine cells according to the prior art.

[0010] FIG. 4 illustrates seeds manually loaded into multiple cells of magazines according to the prior art.

[0011] FIGS. 5-7 illustrate the steps of manually installing a cover on a magazine block, applying a label, and securing the cover in place according to the prior art.

[0012] FIG. 8 illustrates a basket of manually loaded magazine blocks according to the prior art.

[0013] FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of a filling machine according to embodiments of the invention.

[0014] FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of the filling machine of FIG. 9.

[0015] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the tracking station of the filling machine of FIG. 9, with the plunger in a lowered position.

[0016] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the tracking station of FIG. 11 with the plunger in a raised position that lifts a seed envelope for scanning.

[0017] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the presentation station of the filling machine of FIG. 9, with the plunger in a lowered position.

[0018] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the presentation station of FIG. 13 with the plunger in a raised position that lifts a seed envelope for grasping and dispensing.

[0019] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the presentation station of FIG. 13 showing an operator scanning an empty envelope after dispensing.

[0020] FIG. 16 is a front perspective view of the filling station of the filling machine of FIG.

1.

[0021] FIG. 17 is a front, right side perspective view of the filling station of FIG. 16.

[0022] FIG. 18 is a rear, left side perspective view of the filling station of FIG. 16 showing the dispensing hopper.

[0023] FIG. 19 is a front, right side perspective view of the filling station of FIG. 16 showing a cover installed on a magazine block after dispensing of seeds into the magazines. [0024] FIG. 20 is a front, left side perspective view of the filling station of FIG. 16 showing the scanning of the label on the cover.

[0025] FIG. 21 is a flow chart illustrating operations of the filling machine of FIG. 9b.

[0026] FIG. 22 is a perspective view of a magazine block mounted on a planter.

[0027] FIG. 23 is a rear perspective view of an 8-row planter.

[0028] FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram of a plot for planting seeds from magazine blocks.

[0029] FIG. 25 is a portion of the schematic diagram of FIG. 24 identifying the magazine blocks to be used in specific sections of the plot.

[0030] FIG. 26 is a schematic diagram showing how cells of a magazine block may be labelled for planting.

[0031] FIG. 27 is a schematic diagram illustrating the travel path of a planter that is planting seeds from the magazine blocks of FIGS. 24-26.

Detailed Description

[0032] The present invention now is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0033] In the figures, certain layers, components or features may be exaggerated for clarity, and broken lines illustrate optional features or operations unless specified otherwise. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

[0034] It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the present invention. The sequence of operations (or steps) is not limited to the order presented in the claims or figures unless specifically indicated otherwise.

[0035] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the specification and relevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.

[0036] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising", when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0037] As used herein, phrases such as "between X and Y" and "between about X and Y" should be interpreted to include X and Y. As used herein, phrases such as "between about X and Y" mean "between about X and about Y." As used herein, phrases such as "from about X to Y" mean "from about X to about Y."

[0038] Referring now to the figures, FIGS. 1-8 illustrate the general steps previously employed to provide seeds for research planting. A series of seed magazines 200 is shown in FIG. 1. Each magazine 200 includes four different cells 202 that are arranged in a single row and are connected at their side edges. Each cell 202 includes a number of seeds (e.g., 50 seeds) that are to be planted (see FIG. 4). The seeds for a particular cell 202 are provided in a small envelope 204 (see FIG. 2) or other package that includes information 201 regarding the seeds; such information may include the number of seeds, the lot number, the date, and the like. In embodiments, the information may be provided as a hand-written identifier, a bar code, a QR code, or any other known form of identifier. In the past, the contents of the seed envelopes 204 have been emptied into the cells 202 by hand (see FIG. 3). A series of ten filled magazines 200 is then arranged as a 4 x 10 grid and covered with a cover 206 (FIG. 5) The edges of the cover 206 slide into capture flanges 208 that are on the upper side edges of each magazine 200 to form a 10-magazine unit 210 (hereinafter referred to as a "magazine block"). The cover 206 of the magazine block 210 is labelled with a label 211, which can be a barcode, QR code or any other form of identification (FIG. 6) and secured with tape (FIG. 7), then stored with other magazine blocks (typically stacked in a basket 212 - see FIG. 8) for subsequent planting.

Notably, the location of the label 211 can be important, as (a) it may contain information (such as a bar code) that is read by an automated scanner (and that cannot be read if the label is positioned incorrectly), and (b) the magazine block 210 needs to be oriented correctly for planting in order that the identities of the seeds in the cells 202 can be tracked.

[0039] Given the number of steps that are performed by hand, the risk of error is high. These can include, as non-limiting examples, errors during seed transfer from the seed envelopes into the cell, errors during seed cell and magazine filling, and errors in labeling magazine covers 206, including incorrect placement of label 211 on a cover. The inventors herein have recognized that these errors, as well as potential other errors, can be reduced via the use of an automated seed magazine filling machine of the present invention, designated broadly at 10 and shown in FIGS. 9-20. The filling machine 10 includes a frame 12 on which are mounted a tracking station 14, a presentation station 18 with a carousel 20, and a filling station 22. These components are described in detail below.

[0040] Referring to FIGS. 9, 11 and 12, the tracking station 14 includes a rotating carousel 16. The carousel 16 has a plurality of slots (40 slots in this example) or compartments 24 (corresponding to the number of cells in a magazine block 210). Each of the compartments 24 has an opening in the floor to enable a plunger 28 mounted below the carousel 16 to extend upwardly, thereby raising an envelope E residing in the compartment 24. A bar code reader 30 or other scanner is positioned to read information from the envelope E when it is raised by the plunger 28.

[0041] In operation, the carousel 16 is filled with envelopes, each containing seeds. The carousel 16 rotates in intermittent fashion, stopping as each compartment 24 is positioned over the plunger 28. From its retracted position in FIG. 11, the plunger 28 extends upwardly, thereby lifting the envelope E within the compartment 24 upwardly (FIG. 12) so that the bar code reader 30 can scan the information on the envelope E. This information is stored for subsequent use.

[0042] Those of skill in this art will recognize that the carousel 16 may be driven in any number of ways, such as via an electric motor. The plunger 28 may also be driven mechanically, electrically, or pneumatically.

[0043] As an alternative, the carousel 16 may be replaced with a linear, compartmented carriage or magazine that moves past the plunger 28. Alternatively, the plunger 28 may be replaced with a mechanical linkage or the like that causes a member to extend upwardly through the carousel 16. As another alternative, the tracking station 14 may take a different form; for example, the tracking station 14 may comprises a pick-and-place robotic arm that retrieves and presents individual envelopes for scanning. Other alternatives will be apparent to those of skill in this art.

[0044] Referring now to FIGS. 13-15, the presentation station 18 includes a carousel 20 with 40 slots or compartments 40. Each of the compartments 40 also has a slot or opening in the floor. A bar code reader 44 or other scanner is positioned to read information from an envelope E2 presented to it. A plunger 46 is positioned to lift envelopes E2 from their compartments. It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the carousel 20 may be the same carousel 16 employed in the tracking station 14 that is simply shifted to the presentation station 18 with the envelopes E still in the same compartments 24 as they were when scanned previously. The presence of two carousels 16, 20 can improve through-put and provide the filling machine 10 with flexibility. [0045] In operation, the carousel 20 is filled with envelopes E2 containing seeds that have been scanned by the tracking station 14. The carousel 20 rotates in intermittent fashion, presenting each envelope E2 sequentially as the plunger 46 extends from a retracted position (FIG. 13) to an extended position (FIG. 14) to lift the envelope E2. When the envelope E2 rises, the operator lifts the envelope E2 from the compartment 40, tears open the envelope E2, empties its contents into a feed hopper 60 of the filling station 22 (discussed below), then presents the information on the envelope E2 to the bar code scanner 44 (FIG. 15). This action confirms that the seeds in the envelope E2 are the seeds expected to be present based on the earlier scanning by the tracking station bar code scanner 30. If the seeds do not match, the packet is not emptied and optionally may be replaced or discarded.

[0046] Those of skill in this art will appreciate that the presentation station 18 may take other forms. For example, the carousel 20 may be replaced with a linear, compartmented carriage or magazine that moves past the plunger 46. Alternatively, the plunger 46 may be replaced with a mechanical linkage or the like that causes a member to extend upwardly through the carousel 20. As another alternative, the presentation station 18 may comprise a robotic pick-and-place arm that "hands" the envelope to the operator; similarly, the operator may "hand" an emptied envelope to the pick-and-place robot for scanning. Other alternatives will be apparent to those of skill in this art.

[0047] Also, in some embodiments the presentation station 18 may serve as the tracking station, such that the information scanned from the envelope E2 identifies the seeds for the filling machine 10. Also, in some embodiments the information on the envelope E2 may be scanned prior to (rather than after) being emptied into the feed hopper 60.

[0048] Referring now to FIGS. 16-20, the filling station 22 includes a filling chamber 50, which contains a floor 61 with a rectangular raised frame 62 and a ceiling 63. The dispensing hopper 60 is fixed in the ceiling 63. Two longitudinal rails 64 are mounted on either side of the frame 62. A transverse gantry 66 is slidably mounted on the rails 64 for forward and rearward movement. A carriage 68 is slidably mounted on the gantry 66 and can move transversely (i.e., "side-to-side") relative thereto. A funnel-shaped dispensing hopper 70 is mounted on the carriage 68 rearwardly of the gantry 66; the dispensing hopper 70 has a gate (not shown) at its lower end.

[0049] To load a magazine block 210, a plurality of (e.g., ten) empty magazines 200 are placed on the raised frame 62 to form the 4 x 10 grid of the magazine block 210. Initially the gantry 66 is positioned near the rear end of the rails 64, and the carriage 68 is positioned on the gantry 66 so that the dispensing hopper 70 is located beneath the feed hopper 60. After removing an envelope E2 from the carousel 40, the operator empties the contents of the envelope E2 into the feed hopper 60 as described above. The seeds descend through the feed hopper 60 into the dispensing hopper 70. The carriage 68 moves to a predetermined position on the gantry 66, and the gantry 66 moves to a predetermined position on the rails 64, such that the dispensing hopper 70 is located above a desired cell 202 of a particular magazine 200. The dispensing hopper 70 opens the aforementioned gate, which allows the seeds in the dispenser hopper 70 to drain into the appropriate cell 202. The gate of the dispensing hopper 70 closes, the gantry 66 returns to its rear position on the rails 64, and the carriage 68 returns to its position on the gantry 66 beneath the feed hopper 60. This process is repeated until all of the seeds to be loaded into the magazine block 210 are indeed loaded. The gantry returns to its rear position, and the operator can slide a cover 206 into place as the magazines 200 are positioned in the raised frame 62. (In some embodiments, the cover 206 is slid through a slot in one of the rails 64, and guides 69 may also facilitate installation of the cover 206). Once the cover 206 is in place, the gantry 66 and carriage 68 move a bar code reader 74 or other scanner mounted to the carriage 68 over the cover 206, thereby enabling the bar code reader 74 to scan the label on the cover 206 to confirm the identity of the magazine block 210. The magazine block 210 is then removed from the filling chamber 50, another set of ten magazines 200 are loaded onto the raised frame 62, and the process continues with the next batch of seeds.

[0050] Those of skill in this art will appreciate that the gantry 66 may be propelled along the rails 64 in any number of ways, including via chains/cables driven by motors, gears (e.g., a worm gear and a mating pinion), electromagnetic actuators, or the like. Similarly, the carriage 68 may be propelled along the length of the gantry 66 in any number of alternative ways, including via chains/cables, gears, electromagnetic actuators, or the like. Further, a robotic arm may be employed to convey the contents of an envelope from the feed hopper 60 to a desired cell 202. Other alternatives will be apparent to those of skill in this art.

[0051] Movement of the carousels 16, 20, the plungers 28, 46, the gantry 66, the carriage 68, and the gate of the dispensing hopper 70 are controlled by a controller 300. The controller 300 also gathers and stores the data obtained by the bar code readers 30, 44, 74. The controller 300 may include hardware, software implemented with hardware, firmware, tangible computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon and/or a combination thereof. For example, the controller 300 may include a processor circuit, a memory, a user interface, and one or more sensors electrically coupled to the processor. The processor may include or otherwise represent one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers that is/are configured to control operations of the controller 300. The memory may be a general purpose memory that is used to store both program instructions for the processor as well as data, such as image data, configuration data, and/or other data that may be accessed and/or used by the processor. The memory may include a nonvolatile read/write memory, a read-only memory, and/or a volatile read/write memory. For example, the memory may include a read-only memory in which basic operating system instructions are stored, a non-volatile read/write memory in which re-usable data, such as configuration information, may be stored, as well as a volatile read/write memory, in which short-term instructions and/or temporary data may be stored. As such, the memory can store computer readable program code or instructions that, when executed by the processor, carry out operations described herein, such as the operations illustrated in the flowcharts of FIG. 21. The memory may also include systems and/or devices used for storage of data captured by the controller 300.

[0052] The user interface may include various input/output components, including a display, virtual and/or physical buttons, switches, and/or knobs. The user interface may thus be configured for receiving user input, displaying operating status, and/or providing alerts or otherwise signaling malfunction to a user.

[0053] The controller 300 may further include one or more communication interfaces that may communicate with other communication devices and/or one or more networks, including any conventional, public and/or private, real and/or virtual, wired and/or wireless network, including the Internet. The communication interfaces 345 may be used by the processor 340 to transfer information in the form of signals between the filling machine 10 and another computer (e.g., a smartphone or application executing thereon) or a network (e.g., the Internet). The communication interfaces may include a modem, a network interface (such as an Ethernet card), a wireless interface, a radio interface, a communications port, or the like. [0054] The processor may be, or may include, one or more programmable general purpose or special-purpose microprocessors, digital signal processors (DSPs), programmable controllers, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field- programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), trusted platform modules (TPMs), or a combination of such or similar devices. The processor may be configured to execute computer program code/instructions stored in the memory. The computer program code/instructions may represent one or more program modules that are executable to perform the aforementioned operations.

[0055] Referring now to FIG. 21, the general flow of operations for the filling machine 10 is illustrated therein. An envelope or other package is scanned to confirm the identity of the seeds in the envelope (Block 310). This can be done at the presentation station 18, the tracking station 14, or both for confirmation. In typical embodiments, the envelopes will be presented in a sequence that corresponds to a desired layout in a plot to be planted (Illustrated in FIGS. 24-27 below). The operator deposits seeds from a package into a hopper (Block 320 - in the illustrated embodiment, the operator dispenses into the feed hopper 60, but in other embodiments there may be only a single hopper that both receives the seeds and dispenses them). The seeds are conveyed to the correct predetermined cell 202 of the magazine block 210 and are dispensed therein (Block 330). If the magazine block 210 is not full (i.e., a "NO" at decision point 340), Blocks 310, 320 and 330 are repeated. If the magazine block 210 is full (i.e., a "YES" at decision point 340), the operator installs the cover 206 on the magazine block 210 (Block 350), and the bar code reader 74 on the carriage 68 scans the label on the cover 206 to record the identity and contents of the magazine block 210 (Block 360) [0056] Those of skill in this art will appreciate that operations may include additional steps, or may perform these steps in a sequence that differs from that shown above.

[0057] FIG. 22 illustrates an exemplary magazine block 210 mounted on an exemplary 8- row agricultural planter 400. The 8-row planter 400 is shown from the rear in FIG. 23.

[0058] FIGS. 24-27 are schematic diagrams that illustrate how magazine blocks 210 loaded via the filling machine 10 may be employed. FIG. 24 represents a plot 410 to be planted, with 100 numbered sections 412 within the plot 410. The different shadings and patterns indicate plants/seeds to be grown in each plot. FIG. 25 represents the eight lower left corner sections 412 of the plot 410, and indicates that each will be planted with a specific magazine block 210 (termed a "cover" in FIG. 25). FIG. 26 represents the 40 cells 202 within a magazine block 210, with the different shades and patterns indicating seeds to be contained in each (based on subsequent planting plans, such as based on the plans of FIG. 24). FIG. 27 represents an exemplary planting scheme followed by the planter 400.

[0059] FIGS. 24-27 help to demonstrate the enormous amount of information regarding seeds that must be tracked and followed to ensure that the correct seeds are planted in the correct plot. The filling machine 10 can provide magazine blocks 210 that are quickly and properly filled, with confirmation steps along the way to ensure that the proper seeds are loaded into the proper cells 202, and that are properly labeled for subsequent tracking. Thus, the resulting planting operation, irrespective of its complexity, should occur with far fewer errors than are produced manually.

[0060] In this way, methods and apparatus are provided for facilitating seed handling and tracking, particularly as seeds are transferred to planters for planting in fields. Non-limiting embodiments of the invention comprise a filling machine for loading seeds into a seed magazine block. In embodiments, the filling machine comprises a frame; a seed package presenting station mounted to the frame; a seed filling station mounted to the frame, the seed filling station comprising an enclosure having a floor, a ceiling, and walls defining a filling chamber; a seed magazine block mounting frame mounted within the filling chamber; at least one rail fixed relative to the floor and extending in a longitudinal direction; a gantry slidably mounted to the rail for movement in the longitudinal direction; a carriage slidably mounted on the gantry for movement in a transverse direction; and a dispensing hopper mounted to the carriage; and wherein the filling machine further comprises a controller operatively connected with the seed package presenting station and the seed filling station, the controller configured to control the movement of the gantry and the carriage so that the dispensing hopper is conveyed to a desired location above the seed magazine block. In some embodiments, the filling station further comprises a feed hopper mounted to the ceiling of the enclosure and configured to feed into the dispensing hopper. In particular embodiments, the at least one rail comprises two rails, and the gantry is mounted to the two rails. In embodiments, the seed filling station further comprises a bar code reader (or QR code reader or reader for identifying any other form of identifier) mounted on the carriage. In particular embodiments, the bar code reader is mounted on a front side of the gantry and over the mounting frame, and the dispensing hopper is mounted on an opposite rear side of the gantry. In embodiments, the seed package presenting station comprises a rotating carousel with a plurality of compartments, an extendable plunger, and a bar code reader. In embodiments, the filling station further comprises a tracking station, the tracking station comprising a rotating carousel having a plurality of compartments, an extendable plunger, and a bar code reader. In embodiments, the tracking station is operatively connected with the controller, and the controller is configured to signal the plunger to extend when a seed package resides in a compartment that is positioned over the plunger, and to signal the bar code reader to read a bar code on the package as it is raised by the plunger. In other embodiments, the at least one rail includes a slot through which a cover can be inserted, the cover configured to be installed over a magazine block mounted in the mounting frame.

[0061] Non-limiting embodiments of the invention include a method of loading seeds into a magazine block with a filling machine. Embodiments of the method comprise the steps of: (a) with a scanner of the filling machine, scanning packages of seeds to confirm the contents the packages; (b) depositing the seeds of a package in a hopper mounted to the filling machine; (c) via automation, conveying and depositing the seeds in the hopper into a predetermined cell of a magazine block positioned in a filling chamber of the filling machine, the cell determined based on the identity of the seeds; (d) repeating steps (a)-(c) until the cells of the magazine block are filled; (e) installing a cover on the magazine block; and (f) via automation, scanning a label on the cover to confirm the identity of the seeds loaded into the cells of the magazine block. In particular embodiments of the method, step (e) is performed manually (e.g., only step (e) is performed manually while all other steps are not performed manually but using automation).

[0062] In embodiments, the filling machine includes at least one fixed rail within a filling chamber of the filling machine and extending in a longitudinal direction; a gantry slidably mounted to the rail for movement in the longitudinal direction; and a carriage slidably mounted on the gantry for movement in a transverse direction; and wherein the hopper is a dispensing hopper mounted to the carriage. In embodiments, the filling machine further comprises a bar code reader mounted on the carriage, wherein step (f) is performed by the bar code reader. In some embodiments, the bar code reader is mounted on a front side of the gantry and over the mounting frame, and the dispensing hopper is mounted on an opposite rear side of the gantry. In further embodiments, the filling machine further comprises a feed hopper that is fixed relative to the filling chamber, and wherein the dispensing hopper is movable relative to the feed hopper and receives seeds from the feed hopper.

[0063] In particular embodiments of the method, step (a) is performed with a seed package tracking station, the seed package tracking station including a rotating carousel with a plurality of compartments, an extendable plunger, and a bar code reader. In some embodiments, step (a) is performed before step (b), that is, step (b) is performed after step (a) has been completed. In embodiments, the filling machine further includes a seed package presentation station, the seed package tracking station including a second rotating carousel with a plurality of compartments, a second extendable plunger, and a second bar code reader. In particular embodiments, the magazine block comprises 10 magazines, each comprising four individual cells. In some embodiments, the label is positioned off-center on the cover of the seed magazine.

[0064] The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.

Claims

That Which is Claimed is:

1. A filling machine for loading seeds into a seed magazine block, comprising: a frame; a seed package presenting station mounted to the frame; a seed filling station mounted to the frame, the seed filling station comprising: an enclosure having a floor, a ceiling, and walls defining a filling chamber; a seed magazine block mounting frame mounted within the filling chamber; at least one rail fixed relative to the floor and extending in a longitudinal direction; a gantry slidably mounted to the rail for movement in the longitudinal direction; a carriage slidably mounted on the gantry for movement in a transverse direction; and a dispensing hopper mounted to the carriage; and a controller operatively connected with the seed package presenting station and the seed filling station, the controller configured to control the movement of the gantry and the carriage so that the dispensing hopper is conveyed to a desired location above the seed magazine block.

2. The filling machine defined in Claim 1, further comprising a feed hopper mounted to the ceiling of the enclosure and configured to feed into the dispensing hopper.

3. The filling machine defined in Claim 1 or Claim 2, wherein the at least one rail comprises two rails, and wherein the gantry is mounted to the two rails.

4. The filling machine defined in any of Claims 1-3, wherein the seed filling station further comprises a bar code reader mounted on the carriage.

5. The filling machine defined in Claim 4, wherein the bar code reader is mounted on a front side of the gantry and over the mounting frame, and the dispensing hopper is mounted on an opposite rear side of the gantry.

6. The filling station defined in any of Claims 1-5, wherein the seed package presenting station comprises a rotating carousel with a plurality of compartments, an extendable plunger, and a bar code reader.

7. The filling station defined in any of Claims 1-6, further comprising a tracking station, the tracking station comprising a rotating carousel having a plurality of compartments, an extendable plunger, and a bar code reader.

8. The filling station defined in Claim 7, wherein the tracking station is operatively connected with the controller, and wherein the controller is configured to signal the plunger to extend when a seed package resides in a compartment that is positioned over the plunger, and to signal the bar code reader to read a bar code on the package as it is raised by the plunger.

9. The filling station defined in any of Claims 1-8, wherein the at least one rail includes a slot through which a cover can be inserted, the cover configured to be installed over a magazine block mounted in the mounting frame.

10. A method of loading seeds into a magazine block with a filling machine, comprising the steps of:

(a) with a scanner of the filling machine, scanning packages of seeds to confirm the contents the packages;

(b) depositing the seeds of a package in a hopper mounted to the filling machine;

(c) via automation, conveying and depositing the seeds in the hopper into a predetermined cell of a magazine block positioned in a filling chamber of the filling machine, the cell determined based on the identity of the seeds;

(d) repeating steps (a)-(c) until the cells of the magazine block are filled; (e) installing a cover on the magazine block; and

(f) via automation, scanning a label on the cover to confirm the identity of the seeds loaded into the cells of the magazine block.

11. The method defined in Claim 10, wherein step (e) is performed manually.

12. The method defined in Claim 10 or Claim 11, wherein the filling machine includes: at least one fixed rail within a filling chamber of the filling machine and extending in a longitudinal direction; a gantry slidably mounted to the rail for movement in the longitudinal direction; and a carriage slidably mounted on the gantry for movement in a transverse direction; and wherein the hopper is a dispensing hopper mounted to the carriage.

13. The method defined in Claim 12, wherein the filling machine further comprises a bar code reader mounted on the carriage, and wherein step (f) is performed by the bar code reader.

14. The method defined in Claim 13, wherein the bar code reader is mounted on a front side of the gantry and over the mounting frame, and the dispensing hopper is mounted on an opposite rear side of the gantry.

15. The method defined in any of Claims 12-14, wherein the filling machine further comprises a feed hopper that is fixed relative to the filling chamber, and wherein the dispensing hopper is movable relative to the feed hopper and receives seeds from the feed hopper.

16. The method defined in any of Claims 10-15, wherein step (a) is performed with a seed package tracking station, the seed package tracking station including a rotating carousel with a plurality of compartments, an extendable plunger, and a bar code reader.

17. The method defined in Claim 16, wherein step (a) is performed before step (b).

18. The method defined in Claim 16, wherein the filling machine further includes a seed package presentation station, the seed package tracking station including a second rotating carousel with a plurality of compartments, a second extendable plunger, and a second bar code reader.

19. The method defined in any of Claims Claim 10-18, wherein the magazine block comprises 10 magazines, each comprising four individual cells.

20. The method defined in any of Claims 10-19, wherein the label is positioned off- center on the cover.