Planting – Plant setting – Plant containing receptacle impressed into soil
Patent
1991-10-21
1993-09-07
Reese, Randolph A.
Planting
Plant setting
Plant containing receptacle impressed into soil
111103, 111104, 111115, 111174, 111 96, 111200, A01C 1102, A01G 908
Patent
active
052419177
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a device for the automatic setting in place and positioning of plants.
It is adapted to facilitate and automate the positioning of all types of plants, while preserving their integrity by virtue of the use of non-mechanical handling means.
2. Discussion of Background Material
The devices manufactured up until now have had to use manual positioning, requiring substantial labor or to use mechanized systems using robots equipped with pliers, needles or pusher devices, whose action on the plants, especially young plants, consequently delicate plants, risks damaging them at the level of the roots and the leaves.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,035 describes a machine especially characterized by the successive use of three insufflations of air in order to position the plant in the earth. This machine is obviously complicated, and due to the way that it is conceived, promotes the risk of causing lesions to plants, thereby necessitating the insertion of the latter plant in a "bit" of earth before the transplantation operations. This substantially increases the costs of the operation.
The device according to the present invention eliminates all of these disadvantages. Indeed, it enables complete automation of transplantation operations while completely eliminating risks of lesion of the roots and leaves.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is constituted of the combination of the present invention to provide a vertical positioner element, conical on top and cylindrical at the bottom, in which the plant , with its earth ball, is introduced by known means. The earth ball is placed in the cylindrical part, whereas the plant itself is located in the conical part, tapered upwardly. The combination includes an insufflation head equipped with a seal adjusted on the positioner element, and enabling injection of air or of a gas at the moment when the assembly is located above a hole previously made in the receiver element in which the young plant must be placed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the annexed drawings, given as non-limitative examples embodiments of the present invention:
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic vertical section of the device.
FIG. 2 illustrates at a different scale, an embodiment in which several assembled elements form a ramp.
FIGS. 3 and 4 represent a vertical section of varying embodiments of the positioner element.
FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic vertical section illustrating another embodiment of the device with a centering pushing device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The device as illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 is constituted by a positioner element 1 on which an insufflation element 2 may be adjusted by means of a seal 3, once the plant 6, 7 is inserted in the positioner element, e.g., positioner element 1 and the insufflation element 2 may be independently adjustable with respect to each other. The positioner element 1 comprises an internal vertical passage, preferably of a circular section, but also being able to have a polygonal or other shape. The top of the passage 4, adapted to receive the upper part 6 of the young plant, is conical and tapered towards the top, whereas the lower part 5 of the passage receives the micro earth ball 7, attached to the plant. The internal part 21 (FIG. 3) of the positioner element 1 may be interchangeable, so as to adapt itself to the dimensions of the plant.
The insufflation head 2 is linked to a source of compressed air or gas, controlled by a system (not described) activating a propulsion along arrow 9 at the moment when the positioner element 1 is above a hole 8 made previous to the positioning, where the planting will take place, so as to project the plant in the hole 8, without any mechanical action.
It is possible to mount several positioner elements 1 and several insufflation heads 2 on the bodies 10, 11, movable with respect to one another, so as to constitute ramps enabling the planting of several plants simultaneously, for example in casings 12 (FIG. 2) adapted fo
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Novosad Christopher J.
Reese Randolph A.
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