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NZ757599B2 - Improvements to automatic selective transplanters - Google Patents
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NZ757599B2 - Improvements to automatic selective transplanters - Google Patents

Improvements to automatic selective transplanters Download PDF

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Publication number
NZ757599B2
NZ757599B2 NZ757599A NZ75759918A NZ757599B2 NZ 757599 B2 NZ757599 B2 NZ 757599B2 NZ 757599 A NZ757599 A NZ 757599A NZ 75759918 A NZ75759918 A NZ 75759918A NZ 757599 B2 NZ757599 B2 NZ 757599B2
Authority
NZ
New Zealand
Prior art keywords
plugs
conveyor
seedlings
seedling
plug
Prior art date
Application number
NZ757599A
Other versions
NZ757599A (en
Inventor
Geoffrey Alan Williames
Original Assignee
Williames Pty Ltd
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Williames Pty Ltd filed Critical Williames Pty Ltd
Priority claimed from PCT/AU2018/050192 external-priority patent/WO2018157215A1/en
Publication of NZ757599A publication Critical patent/NZ757599A/en
Publication of NZ757599B2 publication Critical patent/NZ757599B2/en

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01C—PLANTING; SOWING; FERTILISING
    • A01C11/00—Transplanting machines
    • A01C11/02—Transplanting machines for seedlings
    • A01C11/025—Transplanting machines using seedling trays; Devices for removing the seedlings from the trays
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
    • A01G9/00—Cultivation in receptacles, forcing-frames or greenhouses; Edging for beds, lawn or the like
    • A01G9/02—Receptacles, e.g. flower-pots or boxes; Glasses for cultivating flowers
    • A01G9/029—Receptacles for seedlings
    • A01G9/0299—Handling or transporting of soil blocks or seedlings
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
    • A01G9/00—Cultivation in receptacles, forcing-frames or greenhouses; Edging for beds, lawn or the like
    • A01G9/08—Devices for filling-up flower-pots or pots for seedlings; Devices for setting plants or seeds in pots
    • A01G9/086—Devices for repotting
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
    • A01G9/00—Cultivation in receptacles, forcing-frames or greenhouses; Edging for beds, lawn or the like
    • A01G9/08—Devices for filling-up flower-pots or pots for seedlings; Devices for setting plants or seeds in pots
    • A01G9/088—Handling or transferring pots
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G2201/00—Indexing codes relating to handling devices, e.g. conveyors, characterised by the type of product or load being conveyed or handled
    • B65G2201/02—Articles
    • B65G2201/0202—Agricultural and processed food products
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G2203/00—Indexing code relating to control or detection of the articles or the load carriers during conveying
    • B65G2203/02—Control or detection
    • B65G2203/0208—Control or detection relating to the transported articles
    • B65G2203/0225—Orientation of the article
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G2811/00—Indexing codes relating to common features for more than one conveyor kind or type
    • B65G2811/06—Devices controlling the relative position of articles
    • B65G2811/0621—Devices controlling the relative position of articles by modifying the orientation or position of articles
    • B65G2811/0626—Orientation of articles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
    • B65G47/02—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors
    • B65G47/04—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles
    • B65G47/06—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from a single group of articles arranged in orderly pattern, e.g. workpieces in magazines
    • B65G47/08—Devices for feeding articles or materials to conveyors for feeding articles from a single group of articles arranged in orderly pattern, e.g. workpieces in magazines spacing or grouping the articles during feeding
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
    • B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
    • B65G47/74—Feeding, transfer, or discharging devices of particular kinds or types
    • B65G47/90—Devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials

Abstract

Apparatus for transplanting seedlings from a tray into a ground planting position, wherein the tray includes a plurality of cells for holding plugs of growing medium containing seedlings. The apparatus includes a plug ejection means arranged to eject plugs from the cells of the tray, a conveyor arranged to receive plugs ejected from the tray and to convey the plugs to a seedling planting apparatus and a plug removal means arranged to remove plugs that do not contain seedlings from the conveyor at a plug removal position before they are transferred to the seedling planting apparatus. The apparatus includes seedling retention means arranged to engage with plant material of the seedlings projecting from the plugs at said removal position before the plugs are transferred to the seedling planting apparatus, thereby preventing removal of plugs containing seedlings with projecting plant material by the plug removal means. The conveyor has a plurality of cell pockets for receiving plugs ejected from the tray. The conveyor includes cell pocket opening means arranged to open a cell pocket partially when said cell pocket reaches the plug removal position, and after removal of plugs without seedlings, the cell pockets close to retain the plugs containing seedlings with projecting plant material, and the cell pockets are advanced by movement of the conveyor to a pre-planting hold position before the plugs containing seedlings are transferred to the seedling planting apparatus.

Claims (21)

CLAIMS :
1. Apparatus for transplanting seedlings from a tray into a ground planting position, wherein the tray includes a plurality of cells for holding plugs of growing medium containing seedlings, the apparatus including: a plug ejection means arranged to eject plugs from the cells of the tray; a conveyor arranged to receive plugs ejected from the tray and to convey the plugs to a seedling planting apparatus; a plug removal means arranged to remove plugs that do not contain seedlings from the conveyor at a plug removal position before they are transferred to the seedling planting apparatus; wherein the apparatus includes seedling retention means arranged to engage with plant material of the seedlings projecting from the plugs at said removal position before the plugs are transferred to the seedling planting apparatus, thereby preventing removal of plugs containing seedlings with projecting plant material by the plug removal means wherein the conveyor has a plurality of cell pockets for receiving plugs ejected from the tray, the conveyor includes cell pocket opening means arranged to open a cell pocket partially when said cell pocket reaches the plug removal position, and wherein, after removal of plugs without seedlings, the cell pockets close to retain the plugs containing seedlings with projecting plant material, and the cell pockets are advanced by movement of the conveyor to a pre-planting hold position before the plugs containing seedlings are transferred to the seedling planting apparatus.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the seedling retention means includes a resilient surface to engage with the plant material at the plug removal position. 21111018_1 (GHMatters) P42670NZPC
3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the seedling retention means comprises a flexible roller adapted to engage and retain plant material of seedlings on the conveyor at the plug removal position.
4. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the cell pocket opening means is arranged to cause an angular change in the direction of movement of the conveyor at the plug removal position.
5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the angular change in direction is between 10 and 25 degrees.
6. Apparatus according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the conveyor includes at least one extension portion adjacent a respective cell pocket arranged to support plant material projecting from a plug containing a live seedling.
7. Apparatus according to claim 6, wherein plant material projecting from the plug containing a live seedling is trapped between the seedling retention means and an extension portion of the conveyor at said plug removal position.
8. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the conveyor is arranged to move at discrete steps of between 10 to 15 cell pockets per second.
9. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further including at least one sensor to detect the presence or absence of the plug at the pre-planting hold position.
10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the cell pockets are at least partially opened at an end position of the conveyor after the pre-planting hold position to enable the plugs containing seedlings to be transferred to the seedling planting apparatus. 21111018_1 (GHMatters) P42670NZPC
11. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the conveyor includes an adjustable position nose roller arranged to open the cell pockets at said end position.
12. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11 wherein movement of the conveyor is stopped to hold the plug containing a seedling at the hold position until a plant signal is received from the seedling planting apparatus.
13. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the conveyor comprises a conveyor belt arranged in an endless loop.
14. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the plug ejection means and/or the plug removal means is pneumatically operated.
15. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the plug removal means includes means arranged to direct a jet of air onto each plug at said plug removal position before plugs are transferred to the seedling planting apparatus so that plugs that are not restrained by engagement of the seedling retention means with projecting plant material are removed.
16. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims further including seedling delivery means arranged to deliver plugs containing seedlings to the seedling planting apparatus.
17. Apparatus according to claim 16 wherein plugs are retained on the conveyor in a substantially horizontal orientation, and the seedling delivery means is arranged to deliver plugs containing seedlings to the seedling planting apparatus in a substantially vertical orientation for planting.
18. Apparatus according to claim 17 wherein the seedling delivery means includes at least one substantially upright discharge tube and/or the seedling 21111018_1 (GHMatters) P42670NZPC delivery means utilizes a combination of pneumatic air pressure and gravity to change the orientation of the plugs containing seedlings from the substantially horizontal orientation on the conveyor to the substantially vertical orientation for planting.
19. Apparatus according to any one of claims 16 to 18 wherein the seedling delivery means includes an air jet or air expander at the conveyor pocket that has been opened by the cell pocket opening means that pneumatically transfers plugs with seedlings from the conveyor to the seedling planting apparatus and/or the air jet or air expander is arranged to direct a substantially vertical airflow onto plugs with seedlings in transition from the horizontal orientation to the vertical orientation.
20. Apparatus according to claim 19 wherein the air jet or air expander is arranged to direct a substantially horizontal airflow to transfer plugs with seedlings into a transfer tube having a substantially horizontal section and a substantially vertical section joined by a bend section, and/or the apparatus further includes an electronic or computer controller arranged to synchronise the operation of the plug ejection means, the movement of the conveyor, and the operation of the plug removal means.
21. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 and substantially herein described with reference to the drawings. 21111018_1 (GHMatters) P42670NZPC
NZ757599A 2018-03-02 Improvements to automatic selective transplanters NZ757599B2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2017900730A AU2017900730A0 (en) 2017-03-03 Improvements to Automatic Selective Transplanters
PCT/AU2018/050192 WO2018157215A1 (en) 2017-03-03 2018-03-02 Improvements to automatic selective transplanters

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
NZ757599A NZ757599A (en) 2024-10-25
NZ757599B2 true NZ757599B2 (en) 2025-01-28

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