CA1108478A - Transplanting apparatus utilizing a disc mechanism for transferring plants from a supply tape to the furrow - Google Patents
Transplanting apparatus utilizing a disc mechanism for transferring plants from a supply tape to the furrowInfo
- Publication number
- CA1108478A CA1108478A CA287,862A CA287862A CA1108478A CA 1108478 A CA1108478 A CA 1108478A CA 287862 A CA287862 A CA 287862A CA 1108478 A CA1108478 A CA 1108478A
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- plants
- discs
- tape
- disc
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Abstract
Abstract of the Disclosure The transplanting apparatus includes a mobile frame supporting a rigid disc and a flexible disc mounted on a trans-verse shaft for rotation in unison about a horizontal axis as the frame traverses a strip of soil to transfer plants from a supply tape to a furrow. Although the discs are spaced apart somewhat at their centers or hubs, at an upper location the flexible disc is flexed even a greater distance away from the rigid disc to provide a continuously open space for the succes-sive reception of the leaf ends of plants delivered from a supply tape. At a lower location the flexible disc is sepa-rated from the rigid disc only enough to open the discs for the successive release of the plants into the furrow. As the plants are transferred from the upper location to the lower location, the periphery of the flexible disc is pressed toward the rigid disc to assure retention of the plants during their downward travel. The apparatus further includes a furrow opener and a furrow closer.
Description
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Background of the Invent on 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to transplanting apparatus for planting tree seedlings, lettuce, as well as other partially matured plants, and pertains more particularly to apparatus for transferring the items to ; be planted from a tape supply into a furrow ormed as the apparatus advances along the ground.
Background of the Invent on 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to transplanting apparatus for planting tree seedlings, lettuce, as well as other partially matured plants, and pertains more particularly to apparatus for transferring the items to ; be planted from a tape supply into a furrow ormed as the apparatus advances along the ground.
2~ Description of the Prior Art Various machines have been contrived for planting or transplanting small plants of various types. The prior art machines with which I am acquainted have met with varying degrees of success. One particular trans-planting machine that has proved reasonably successful is described in United -States Patent No. 3,719,158 granted on March 6, 1973 to Herbert C.O. Roths titled "Transplanting Machine". However, the machine is more complicated than need be, requiring a number of synchronized movements that render it quite intricate and costly.
Summary of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided transplanting apparatus comprising a mobile frame adapted to traverse a strip of soil to be planted, first and second discs rotatably carried on said frame, said second disc having at least an annular flexible portion adjacent its periphery, means on said frame for rotating said discs in unison about a generally horizontal -` axis, means for separating said first and second discs at an upper angular location to provide an opening which, when viewed from above, has a closed end in the direction said discs rotate, supply means including holding means for holding the plants to be transplanted, feeding means for transporting the holding means and the plants held thereby so as to successively introduce portions of said plants into said opening and advance said plant portions in a straight line toward the closed end of said opening, and release means for successively releasing plants from said holding means at the closed end of ~' ''' ' : '' , : , ' ' , .".
said opening to drop the plants directly into -the opening for i.mmediate gripping thereof by the annular portions of said discs that are at that time forming the closed end of said opening for transfer to a lower angMlar loca-tion, and means for separating said first and second discs at said lower angular location for releasing said plants at said lower an~ular location into a furrow.
A preferred embodiment of my invention comprises a mobile frame on which a pair of plant ~ransfer discs are mounted for rotation in unison on a . horizontal axis, the discs being in a side-by-side relation, although slightly - 2a -. . .
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spaced at their centers. One disc is rigid and the other flexible. Near the topJ more specifically at the eleven o'clock position, a member extends inwardly between the two discs so as to flex the flexible disc away from the rigid disc at this upper location, thereby forming a continuously open V-shaped space or void into which the leaf end of the plants to be transplanted are successively delivered from a tape supply. At the top or twelve o'clock position a second member bears against the outer surface of the flexible disc and presses this disc toward the rigid disc to close the V-shaped opening formed by the first member. At the bottom or six o'clock position the flex-: 10 ible disc is flexed away from ~he rigid disc by a third memberJ which extends inwardly between the two discs, to successively release the plants that have been transferred from the upper location to the lower location, the plants being delivered root first into a furrow formed as the apparatus traverses a strip of ground to be planted. As the discs rotate, a fourth member acts against the outside of the . .
do~m~.~ardl l! traveling s-~.ent oi~ th~ ~lexible disc to ~ress .i' 2Gainst t:~e rigid disc to assure revention o~ the plant3 as they are being transferred-fro~ the u~per location ~o the lower location~
A supply tape composed of -~arious soft elastomeric blocks secured to a flexible 9 but nonstretching, backing strip provides slits lnto ~hich the various plants can be lnitlall~
l.nsertedO The supply tape is fed ~ast the up~er location and Plexed so as ~o open the slits as each slit passes abo~e the discs~ HoweYer9 as each plant arrlves, it ~irst advances through the open space continuously provided between the discs .
- ~ as t:hey ap-oroach the top or twe~Ye o'clock position, and as . ~ the open space becomes progresslvely narrowerS the periphery o~
the ~lexible dlsc ls pressed against the rigid dlsc at khe.
twelve o 7 clock position with the stem of the plant clasped therebetween~ khe timing being such that the discs literally - pull the pla~t from the supply ta~e a-. the moment the slit open~
;~ ~ to rele2se 'che plarltO
The speed ol the supply tape may be changed in order to chang~ the rate at whlch the pl~nts are deli~ered to the transfe~ discs and thereby deposit the plants at appropriatel~r selected svacin~s in the furro~J. A furrow opener precedes the tran~;fer discs and a pair o:E packing irheels trall behind the . discs so that the apparatus achie~/es ~ com~letely automated transplanting of various plants.
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~r~ ef Description o~ the Dra7,~rinGs ~ igure 1 is an elevational view of one side o~
transplæn.~ing apparatus ex~mpli~ying my invention;
Pigure 2 is a perspective view taken from the opposits side appearing in Figure l;
Figure 3 ls an enlarged perspective view Q~ a por-tion o~ the apparatus seen în Figure l;
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Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken in the direction of line 4-4 in Flgure l;
Figure 5 ls a horizontal sectlonal view taXen ~n the dlrectlon of llne 5-5 ln Fi~ure 1~
Figure 6 is a bottom plan view taken in the dlrectlon of line 5~5 in Figure 19 Figure 7 is- an enlarged detail view constituting portion of Figure 5, and ~ igure 8 is another detail vlew5 this view looking downwardly at the two discs in ~he direction o~ line 8-8 in Flgure 1 ~or ~he purpose of depicting ~he V~shaped open-Ln~ into which the plants are successively delivered.
2a Description of the Preferred Embodiment Transplantlng apparatus illustrating m~ invention has been denoted generally by the reference numeral 10~ The apparatus 10 comprlses a ~rame 12 composed o~ laterally sp2ced side mer..bers 14 9 160 As the description progresses~ ~t wi}-become e~ident that the apparatus 10 can be sufficiently narrow .
.~1,~ , that parallQl or multiple ro~s only one ~oot apart can be transplanted. In other words~ the side members 14~ 16 can be quite close together without detractin~ from the efficien~
operation and proper functioning of the various components hereinafter describedO Although the apparatus 10 can be self-propelled (and this is desirable when transplanting rows ha~ing a narrow spaclng~g it i9 simpler to assume that it is towed . or pulled by a tractor (not shown); there~ore, a drawbar 1 extends forwardly from the ri~ht or front end o~ t~e frame ~-2 SU~DOrting the ~orward end of the frame 12 is a ~round~engaging drive wheel 20 journaled ~or rotation on a shaft Z2 extending between the spaced side members 14, 16.
~he shaft 22 has a drive sprocket 24 keyed thereto.
A chaln 26 ls ~n mesh with the drl~e spro~ket 24~ the .15 chain 26 extending rearwardl~ so as to rotate a plant transfer mechanism 28~ More speclPically~ the transfer mechanism ~8 in-cludes a horisontal shaft 30 having its ends jou~naled ~or ro-kation in the spaced side members 14, 16 of the frame 12~ the shaft 30 having a drlve sprocket 31 secured thereto~
Playlng an important role in the practiGin~ o~ my lnvention and constituting an integral part of the trans~er mechanism 28 ls a ri~ld disc 32g preferably of s~eel, mounted on the shaft 30 and a flexible disc 34, praferably of reinfor~ed rubberg also mounted on the same shaft 30. The disc 34 is slightly largar in diametQr than the disc 32. A tubular spacer or slee~Je 35 ~'igure 7) about 1-1/2 inches lon~ encircles t~
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shaft 30 bet.~een the dis^s 32, 34 to keep ~hem separated or spaced a?ar,, at their cent,ers or hu-~s. A oortion of' the shaft 30 is threaded and the two dl~cs 32 ~ 34 are cla~ed in their slightly spaced relation by tT~Jo nu~s 36. In practice~
two pins (not shown) extend through th_ discs 32, 34 to prevent any relati~e rota~ion therebetween. In this wa~, the dlscs 32, 34 are rotated in unison by means o~ the chain 26 and the sproclcèts 245, 310 As c~n be most readlly appreciated from Figure 3, the trans~er mechanism 28 further compri~es an upstanding s~an-dard 379 pre~erably of rectangular tubing~ Nelded at its lower end to the slde member 14 of the frame 12. The standard 37 carr~es ak its upper end a vertically ad~ustable bracke~ 38 ha~ln~ a slot 40 therelnO Bolts 42 extend through hole~ in the standard 37 and the slot 40 so as to malntain the bracket 38 at an appropriate elevation. The bracket 38 supports a horizontal plate 44.
-~ At thls time~ attention is directed ko a~ openln~
-:~ or f`lexing unit indlcated generally by the refer~nce numeral 460 The un_t 46 includes a spacer block 48 secured to the unflerslde o., the horizontal plate 44 by means o~ an anchor bolt 50, A straight rod 52 is welded to the underslde of : the spacer ~lock 48 and proJects in opposite dirertions ~here-from. An ~nverted U-sha~ed rod 54 composed o~ leg portions 54a~ 5l1b and a connectlng bi~ht ~ortion 54c has its leg por-tlon 511~ ~Jelded to one pro~est~n~ end o, the rod 5~ so that the bight 54c curves over the peri~h~ral edge of the flexible disc 3l' in order khat the leg 54b ex~ends downwardly betr.~e~n the con~ronting annular portions o~ the two discs 32, 34.
The memb2r or leg 54b bears against the inner surface of the flexible disc 34 at the eleven o~clock position so as to flex ~he ~lexible disc 34 away fro~. the rigid disc 32 to pro-vide an open space tlater referred to by the reference numeral 21~) for a purpose presenkly to be made mani~est, Th~ other end of the stralght rod 52 carrles an integral presser shoe 56.
0 Thus 9 while khe ~eg 54b spreads or separates *he ~lexible disc .
34 aw2y from the rigid dlsc 329 the presser shoe 56 bears againsk khe outer surface of the ~lexible disc 34 at khe twel~
o~clock posltion ~o as ko urge the dlsc 34 agains~ the rigid disc 32O Here agaln3 the reason for this will soon be ex-plainedO
Whereas the opener or flexing unit 46 ~s located at substantially the eleven o'clock position, a~ already ex~
plai~ed, a lower opening or flexin~ unit 58 is located so a~ ~o separate or open the discs 32, 34 a~ substantially the si~
o~ clock ~osition. The unit 58 includes an angle iron 6~ ad-~ustably secured ko the side member 14 by a pair of bolts 6 extend~ng inwardly through two horizontal slots 64 in~o ~pped hole~ pro~Jided in the ~ertical flan~e of the member 60~ ~lded to the horizontal flange of khe mem~er 60 ls a ~urved rod 66 that flexes the botkom marginal por.,ion of the flexible disc 34 away from the rigid disc 32. Althou~h not complekely apparen~
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at ~his par~icular s~a~e of the description~ the lo~rer unir 58 e.fects a release of the plants that are trc~ns~erred ~rom the twelve otclock or upper location to the si~ orclock or lo-~rer location.
Referring now to what will be termed a closing unit 72, it will be discerned ~hat it includes an upper angle iron 74 and a lo~,Jer angle iron 76, the horizontal flanges o~ these ~ngle irons 74~ 76 being welded to the side member 14 of the ~rame 12. Each vertical flange of the angle members 74~ 76 ; .
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has a hor~zontal slot 78 formed therein. It will be noted that an arcuate presser rod 8Q subtends a su~starl~ial arc e~c-~end~ng generally from the one or two o'clock pos:ition to about the :~ive o~cïock positionO The presser rod 80 has an ~ upper threaded stud 82 and a lower threaded stud 84 which are .. : '5 recei~ed in the slots 78 of the angle irons 7~ and 76, therebelng a nut 86 on the stud 82 and a nut 88 on th~ stud 84 so as ko olamp the arcuate presser rod 80 in a pre~erred radially located positionO The ~resser rod 80 functions ~o urge the ~ flexible dlsc 311 toward the rlOid disc 32 during the ma~or ., 20 portion of the downward travel of the discs 32~ 34. OP course, the presser shoe 56 initiates the closing aGtion; the arcuate rod 80 continues it for the remalnder o~ the downward tra~rel~
Ref'errirlg now to the plant s~pply mechanism indicated general:l.y by the refererlce numeral 90, it will ~e seen that it 1 ncludes a rear mast or support 92 that extends ~er.,ically upT,Yardly 4he side 16 OL the f`rame 12. Carried at the up~er end .
o~ the mast 92 is a ta~e suppl~- reel 94 ~aving a ~ub 96 thereon.
The reel 94 is rotatably mounted on a pin 98 extending from the up?er end of the mast 92. A drag is im~osed on the reel 94 through the agency of a fric~ion brake 100 tFigure l) moun~ed on an arm 102 which is attached to the mast 92. The pl~nt supply mec~anism 90 further includes a guide or a deflection roller 104 mounted on a pln 106 carried at the free end ~f ~n arm 108 extending ~rom a lower portion o~ the mast 92.
- A post 110 has its lower end welded to the ~rame . side member 14~ The support 110 has attached t~ its upper end a U shaped member 112 providing a pair o~ laterally spaced gulde plates 114 for twistl~g the plant supply tape still ~o be referred to. Larger plates for guiding the leaves 7 ~hile stlll held by the supply tape have been omitted ~or reasons o~ clarity in that they merely guide or direct the lea~ ends - of the plants to be transplanted into the trans~er mechanlsm 28~ more speclfically between the discs 32 and 34. How~ver~
even though lts omlssion would perhaps make the dr~w~n~ simpler5 :
a channel-shaped member 115 has been illustraked prnvi.din~
a pair o~ laterally spaced plates 116 that guide the roo~ end~
of the plants while held between the discs 32~ 34 a~ th~ plant~
are being transferred downwardly. The plates 116 are secured dlrectly to ~,he side members 14, 16.
~ Continulng wlth the description of' ~he plan~ ~uppl~
m_chanism 90~ it will now be explained tha~ it fur~her includes a pair ol t~.pe flex~ng or diverting rollers 118, l~G mounted on .
vertical pins 122, 124, respectively, that e~tend upwardly from the previously mentioned horizontal plate 44.
A for.~ardly disposed mast or support 126 has its lower end secured to the side member 16. Partway up the mast 126 i5 Journaled a transverse shaft 128 having a hexa-gonal portion for remova~ly keying a sprocket 130 on the sha~t 128 and about which the previously m~ntioned chain Z6 passes.
Also carried on the shaft 128 is a taae dri~e roller 132 . and a pulley 134~ Secured to the mast 126 benea~h the shaft . .
: lO 128 ~s an inclined arm 138 carryi~g at ~ts opposite ends a palr of deflect;1ng or guide rollers 140, 142 mourlted on trans~
verse plns 144~ 146~ respectively9 attached ~o the arm 138.
Still con~lnulng wlth the descrlption of the plan~
supply mechanism 90~ attentlon is now called to a rewind reel 148 having a hub 150, the hub 150 being journaled on a shaf~
~52 extending from the upper end o~ the mast 126. Also on ~he . . . . ~ shaft 152 is a pulley 1540 A rewind drive belt 155 ~with . ~
slipplng tension to accommodate for taXe-up speed chan~;es Or - the rewind reel 1489 the reel 148 rotating faste~t dur~ng ~}~e initial rewind~ne of the tape yet to be speciflcally rePerred to) e~etends about the pulleys 134~ 154 so as to ro~ate ~he rewind reel 148 when the shaft 128 îs rota~ed ~ia the sprocke~
130 and chaln 26~
Havlng mentioned the spro~ket5 24, 31 and 130, ~he chain 26 being entrained about all three o~ ~he~e sprocke~s3 ~t : should noT.~ be ~olnted out that the relative s~e of t~e sprockets /~
can be c~n~ed in order to provid~ dî~fer~nt speed ~ariation~
for a purpose soon to become clea-~r. MQre speci~ically, ~t is planned ~hat the sprocket 130 be changed, the substitut~on having been lacili~ated ln practi^e by having a hexagonally configured opening therein which ~Lts over the hexaæonal portion of the shaft 128~ Because OL the in~ended change ~n the size of the sprocket 130, plus the ~act that any slack in the chain 26 should be taken up~ there i9 employed a spring loaded idler sprocket 158 mounted on the ~rame 12. Th~ sprocket lQ . 1~8 simply ~unctions to keep the cha.in 26 taut so no need is seen ~or detailing the wa~ in which it i~ mounted and ~he manner in whioh i~ is spring loaded.
; A supply tape has been indicated generally by the ~ :
reference numeral 1600 More speciLi cally~ the tape supply 1~ includes a flexible nonstretching belt or backing strlp 162 ~o which sof~ ~oamed elastomer~c ~locks 164 are adhesi~ely secured provlding a multiplicity o~ slits 1667 there be~rlg one such slit 166 between each two blocks 164~ ~Gtually~ a lQng strip of the resilient and readily compressible elastomRri~
~0 ~aterial is initially bonded to the belt 162 and cut at de~
sired intervals to form the slits 166~ This supply ~ape 160 .~ /S~
is general~y similar to khat re~erred to in Patent No~ T~J~Y
here~n earller menkioned~ Ho~JeYer~ its cons~ru~tion ~s ~i~pler in that the grommetted sprocket holes used for ~.he synch~onized advance~ent o~ the tape needed fo- the tr~nsplantln~ m~chine o~
Pakent 3~719~158 are not required -.~.~en prackicing the inst~n~ .
7~3 . invention.
The function of the su~ly tape 160 is to furn~sh partially grown plants 170 in a serial sequence to the . transfer mechani~m 280 It will be helpful to assign the - 5 referenoe n~meral 170a to the root end o~ the plants 170 and ~he reference numeral 170b to the leaf end thereo~. The ,-root ends 170a are inserted lnto the slits 166 by bending the belt or backing skrip 162 suf:ficiently to open the slits.
However, when th~ tape 1~0 is strai~ht or substantially so, ; 10 the adJacent blocks 164 gently squee~e or press against the root ends 170a so as ko hold them~ -~ apparakus 10 further comprises a furrow opening unit 172~ The unit 172 includes a plow structure 173 havlng a forwardly d~ sposed ~rertical edge 174 that separates or penetrates the soil to form the furrow or trench as the apparatus 10 ls advanced across the ~ield to be planted~ The plow struc~ure 173 has a closed V shaped bottom 17~ f'ormlng a slot 17~ and laterally spaced panels 177 that straddle the more forward ~egments of the dlscs 32, 34 to prevent the furrow fro~ caving in until the plants 170 have been dropped therein~
The furrow opening unit 172 has an arm 178 extend~ng ~orwar~ly from the plow structure 173 and by means o~ a hole in the arm the forward end of the plow structure 173 can be anchored to a bracket 1829 the upper end of' the bracket 182 ~ being welded to the ~ide member ~ OI the frame 12.
~ /3 A vertical adjustment of the forward end of the plow structure 173 is realized via a series of vertically extending holes 184 in the bracket 182 and a pin 186 that is inserted through the most appropriate holes 184, thereby determining the depth at which the plow structure 173 travels in forming the furrow.
Toward the rear of the plow structure 173 is a pair of upwardly extending plates 188. The upper ends of the plates 188 can be adjustably ~although not shown as so being) attached to :~
the side members to vary the depth at which the rear of the plow 173 extends.
A furrow closing unit 196 is also employed. It ~:
includes a pair of angled brackets 198, there being one de-` pending from the side member 14 and the toehr from the side ; member 16. As perhaps best viewed in Figure 3, a series of horizontally disp~sed holes 200 and a series of similar holes 202 are formed in the two side members 14 and 16. Bolts 204 and 206 are positioned ln selected holes 200 and 202 so as to orient properly the brackets 198 in a fore and aft direction with ~ :
respect to the discs 32 and 34. The brackets 198 are shaped so that axles 208 angle outwardly and downwardly to rotatably sup-port canted soil packing wheels 210 having soil. engaging rims 212 which press the spread-apart soil back into the furrow to complete the transplan:ting of the plants 170. As will become apparent from the operational description now to be given, it is important to position the packing wheels 210 with respect to the discs 32 and 34 so as to assist with the release of the root 39L7~
ends 170~ of the pl~nts 170 from the transfer mechanism 28.
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In preparing my transplanting appa~atus 10 ~or use, . . .
the plants 170 are placed in the various slits 166 between ~ 5 the resilient blocks 164 o~ the supply tape 160. The loaded - tape 160 is then coiled on the supply reel 94 and the leading :,` .
end o~ the tape ~s brought around the idler roller ~04. Ad-vancement of the tape 160 ~ s manually contlnued~ the tapebeing - placed between the two tape ~lexin~; rollers 118, 120. Fromthe rollers 118~ 120 it ls threaded around the drive roller 12 past the ~wo guide rollers 140 and 142~ and finally upward-y - ~-o the hub 150 of the rewlnd reel 1480 m è foregolng result~
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in a stretch o~ several feet of tape beyond the tape ~lex~n~
rollers 118 D 120 wh~re the ~arious plants are released ~hat need not have any plants contained in the slits 166 in thi~
Iength o~ tapeG
Depending upon the variety and size of the plants 170g the furrow openin~ unlt 172 should be mounted to pro~id~
B the proper depth of ~urrow a the po ltian o~ the~ s ~ and ~1~8 readily permittlng thiso Yarious ad~ustments can be readily made as ~ar as the plant krans~er mechanism 28 is con~erned. In this regard, the members 54 (together w1th the member 56~ ~ 7a and 80 c~:~
the unlts 469 58 and 72 are individually ad~ustable to achieve a timed plant transfer and also so khat planks of di.feren~
: lengths and varieties can be trans~lanted. More specifically, - it is im~ortant that t,he shoe 56 close the V-shaped o~enir.O
214 (Figure 8) at the top just as the plants 170 are being released from the supply ~ape 160.
Furtherg since ~he plants 170 should be held by the . discs 32, 34 at thelr stQms 3 that is between the root ends 170aand the leaf ends 170bg members 56 and 80 should be properly positioned so that this holdlng action is achieved. Acco.rdingly, ~, e ~ e ~
it ~ollows that the ~efflb~s 54 ~ should be lnserted be tween the dlscs 32 and 34 to a ~reater or lesser distance de-pendlng on whether the plant 170 has relatl~ely long leaves 170b and/or relatively long roots 170a. Also, the arcua~e member 80 of the closln~; tmit 72, which presses against ~he outer side of the Plexible dtsc 34~ should bear against the most approprlate arcuate portion o~ the flexible disc 34 ~o as to effect a gentle grlpping o~ the plants ad~acent the disc peripheries thereby causing less dama~e to the plant$
during their downward travel while belng trans~erred from ~he upoer locatlon where they are received to the lower locati~n where they are relea~edO As best under~tood from Figllre 7~
the membe~ 80 ls radial.l~ positi.oned somewhat inwardl~ ~rom th2 periphery of the ~îexible dlsc 34 so as to preserve ~he .
flared o~ dlverging space acco~odatin~ the leaves 170b.
Once ~he several member units ~-~i ,. 58 and 72 have ~een properly po~itlonedg when the a~paratus 10 is towed by a trac~or ~not sho~.rn, although the a~paratus can be sel~-propelled ~s al-ready indicated), then various movements automaticall y occur.
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It will ~ hel~ul9 it is belie~d3 to assign arr3rls to the~e movements. Therefore, the ar:~o.~ la~eled 220 denotes khe di-rection of travel of the a~aratlls 10 across bhe stri~ of soil . to be plantedO The a~ro-~ 222 in~icates the direction in whlch .~5 the supply reel 94 rot2tes9 where s the arro~.T 224 denote5 - the direction in which the rewi~.d r~e7 148 rotates. The di rection in whlch the supply tapQ 160 moves is indicated by ~he reference nu.meral 2260 T.'ne direction in which the chain 26 ; moves has been indicated by the reference numeral 22~, the chaln 26 causlng the dlscs 32 and 34 to rotate in the direction oY
t he arrow 2 3 0 O
Inasmuch as the member 54, more speci~ica~ly its :Leg 54b, belonging to the unit 46 extends downwar~ly between the two di scs 32 and 34 ~ ack uallJ bearing a~ainst the inner ~ur-~5 face of the ~nnular portion of the flexible disc 34 ad~acent : its periphery~ it flexes the annular portion ou~wardly away ~rom the rl~d disc 320 mls re3ults ln the forma~ion of the .~ V-shaped open space labeled 214 in Flgure 8. From Figure 2~
. it is believed evldent that the tape~flexing rollexs 118 and 120 deflect ~he t~pe 160 in a direction to open ~he ~arious slits 166 as they pass above the space or openin~; 214, more precisely d~ q~ckly over ~,he end o~ the openin~; 214 ~eing closed by ~he presser sh~e 5~ should be recognized that entrance to the space or openinO 214 is cons~antly kept open by vir.,ue o f the de:Elect~ ve aci,ion exerted agains~ the ~lexlble disc 34 by ~he leg 5LIbo However~ th~ shoe 5O bears a~;alnst the outer side of the flexible disc 34 so as to press the disc 34 closed Just as the slits 166 o~en, thereby Gently pulling t;ne leaf ends 170b from the tape 160.
To assure retention o~ the plants 170, the arcuate rod 80 of the closing unit continues the pressural action in-T-- tiated by the shoe 569 doing so through an arc or an~le ex-tending do-rnwardly to the lower location where the plants are releasedO Inasmuch as Figure 5 is taken in the dlrection of llne 5~5 of ~lgure 1~ lt can be seen that the periphery o~ the ~10 dlsc 34 is being pressed toward the di5c 32 to hold ~he plan~s -~ 170 .at thelr stems between their root and leaf ends. The inventio~ permlts only enough pressure to be app~led to hold the particular type of plant 17Q being transplanted~ Conse-quentlyg ~he peripheries of the discs 32, 34 need not ac~uall~
1 5 kouchg as is believed e~rident from F~ures 5 and 7 (and also ; to a degree from Figura 89 although a plant does not appear ln thls particular view) a instead, they need onl~ contact the plant stems with suffIcient ;firmness to assure their retentior , . . .
during the do-:rnward transfer phase of the operation~
Once the plants 170 reach ~he lower lo~ation~ the , :rod or ~inger 66 o~ the lower opening unit 5~ ~lexes ~he ~lexi~le disc 3~ awa~y lrom the rlgld disc ~ust enough to elimln~t:e ehe holding pressure that has been exerted by the rQd 8~ up to th~ 5 point. This releases ~he plan~s 17~ more spec~ically~ ~heir leaf ends 17~b which ar~ now free to be pulled from betT~reen the discs 32~ 34. ~he plants 170 are pulled downwardly ~rom ~he discc . .
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-32, 34 by the furrow closing unit 196 ln ~hat the rims 212 of the packing wheels 210 immediately press the soil dis-placed by the furro~J opening unit 172 back into the furrow and against the root ends ~70aO This t~med action is achieved by properly positioning the packin~ ~heels 21~ in relatlon to the discs 32, 34, so that thelr canted rims 212 press the soil firmly around the root ends 170aO ~he ad~us~
; able brackets 198 are movable fo~ardly or rearwardly to ~hift the wheels 220 into the ~ought after optimum relation with the ~0 . di~cs 329 3l~ .D as ehould be readlly understandable ~ ~onsequentlg~
th@ plants ï70 are tran~p:Lanted in an upright ma~ner~
~nasmuGh a~ plants 170 should be spaced during the transplanting thbreof at intervals or spacings mos~ appropriate to the partlcular varie-ty of plant, the apparatus 10 lllustrati my lnventlon lends itself readlly to obtainin~; ~he ~est spacing between pïants as they are placed in ~he furrow~ In this re-gardg the sprocket 130~ be~ng remova~le ~rom the ~haft 12~, can be chan~;ed,~ a larger or s~naller sprocke~ alterlnæ the speed at which the kape 160 is advanced i n relation to the for~
speed o~ the apparatus 10 in the directlon o~ the arrow 220 and hence de~ermlnlng the number of plants ~70 deli~ered to the transfer mechanism 28 during a ~i~en interval o~ t~mÆ. Con-sequently3 lt is not necessary to chan~e to a di~ferent plant supply tape 160 with dif~erent slit spaclngs.
Consequently, my apparatus lO is quite versatile and ls susceptible to ~arious alterations which make it suitable for ~ /5 the effective and efficient tra~spl~nting of different ~aristies of plantsg with minimal amount of dam~ge to fragile plants 3 such as bibb lettuce, and virtually no damage to rough plants, 5uch as tree seedlings. Because of its extreme simplicity and ru~gedness~ the apparatus 10 functions well in the ~ield, re~
:~ sulting in very little downtime for maintenance and repairs.
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Summary of the Invention According to the present invention there is provided transplanting apparatus comprising a mobile frame adapted to traverse a strip of soil to be planted, first and second discs rotatably carried on said frame, said second disc having at least an annular flexible portion adjacent its periphery, means on said frame for rotating said discs in unison about a generally horizontal -` axis, means for separating said first and second discs at an upper angular location to provide an opening which, when viewed from above, has a closed end in the direction said discs rotate, supply means including holding means for holding the plants to be transplanted, feeding means for transporting the holding means and the plants held thereby so as to successively introduce portions of said plants into said opening and advance said plant portions in a straight line toward the closed end of said opening, and release means for successively releasing plants from said holding means at the closed end of ~' ''' ' : '' , : , ' ' , .".
said opening to drop the plants directly into -the opening for i.mmediate gripping thereof by the annular portions of said discs that are at that time forming the closed end of said opening for transfer to a lower angMlar loca-tion, and means for separating said first and second discs at said lower angular location for releasing said plants at said lower an~ular location into a furrow.
A preferred embodiment of my invention comprises a mobile frame on which a pair of plant ~ransfer discs are mounted for rotation in unison on a . horizontal axis, the discs being in a side-by-side relation, although slightly - 2a -. . .
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spaced at their centers. One disc is rigid and the other flexible. Near the topJ more specifically at the eleven o'clock position, a member extends inwardly between the two discs so as to flex the flexible disc away from the rigid disc at this upper location, thereby forming a continuously open V-shaped space or void into which the leaf end of the plants to be transplanted are successively delivered from a tape supply. At the top or twelve o'clock position a second member bears against the outer surface of the flexible disc and presses this disc toward the rigid disc to close the V-shaped opening formed by the first member. At the bottom or six o'clock position the flex-: 10 ible disc is flexed away from ~he rigid disc by a third memberJ which extends inwardly between the two discs, to successively release the plants that have been transferred from the upper location to the lower location, the plants being delivered root first into a furrow formed as the apparatus traverses a strip of ground to be planted. As the discs rotate, a fourth member acts against the outside of the . .
do~m~.~ardl l! traveling s-~.ent oi~ th~ ~lexible disc to ~ress .i' 2Gainst t:~e rigid disc to assure revention o~ the plant3 as they are being transferred-fro~ the u~per location ~o the lower location~
A supply tape composed of -~arious soft elastomeric blocks secured to a flexible 9 but nonstretching, backing strip provides slits lnto ~hich the various plants can be lnitlall~
l.nsertedO The supply tape is fed ~ast the up~er location and Plexed so as ~o open the slits as each slit passes abo~e the discs~ HoweYer9 as each plant arrlves, it ~irst advances through the open space continuously provided between the discs .
- ~ as t:hey ap-oroach the top or twe~Ye o'clock position, and as . ~ the open space becomes progresslvely narrowerS the periphery o~
the ~lexible dlsc ls pressed against the rigid dlsc at khe.
twelve o 7 clock position with the stem of the plant clasped therebetween~ khe timing being such that the discs literally - pull the pla~t from the supply ta~e a-. the moment the slit open~
;~ ~ to rele2se 'che plarltO
The speed ol the supply tape may be changed in order to chang~ the rate at whlch the pl~nts are deli~ered to the transfe~ discs and thereby deposit the plants at appropriatel~r selected svacin~s in the furro~J. A furrow opener precedes the tran~;fer discs and a pair o:E packing irheels trall behind the . discs so that the apparatus achie~/es ~ com~letely automated transplanting of various plants.
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~r~ ef Description o~ the Dra7,~rinGs ~ igure 1 is an elevational view of one side o~
transplæn.~ing apparatus ex~mpli~ying my invention;
Pigure 2 is a perspective view taken from the opposits side appearing in Figure l;
Figure 3 ls an enlarged perspective view Q~ a por-tion o~ the apparatus seen în Figure l;
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Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken in the direction of line 4-4 in Flgure l;
Figure 5 ls a horizontal sectlonal view taXen ~n the dlrectlon of llne 5-5 ln Fi~ure 1~
Figure 6 is a bottom plan view taken in the dlrectlon of line 5~5 in Figure 19 Figure 7 is- an enlarged detail view constituting portion of Figure 5, and ~ igure 8 is another detail vlew5 this view looking downwardly at the two discs in ~he direction o~ line 8-8 in Flgure 1 ~or ~he purpose of depicting ~he V~shaped open-Ln~ into which the plants are successively delivered.
2a Description of the Preferred Embodiment Transplantlng apparatus illustrating m~ invention has been denoted generally by the reference numeral 10~ The apparatus 10 comprlses a ~rame 12 composed o~ laterally sp2ced side mer..bers 14 9 160 As the description progresses~ ~t wi}-become e~ident that the apparatus 10 can be sufficiently narrow .
.~1,~ , that parallQl or multiple ro~s only one ~oot apart can be transplanted. In other words~ the side members 14~ 16 can be quite close together without detractin~ from the efficien~
operation and proper functioning of the various components hereinafter describedO Although the apparatus 10 can be self-propelled (and this is desirable when transplanting rows ha~ing a narrow spaclng~g it i9 simpler to assume that it is towed . or pulled by a tractor (not shown); there~ore, a drawbar 1 extends forwardly from the ri~ht or front end o~ t~e frame ~-2 SU~DOrting the ~orward end of the frame 12 is a ~round~engaging drive wheel 20 journaled ~or rotation on a shaft Z2 extending between the spaced side members 14, 16.
~he shaft 22 has a drive sprocket 24 keyed thereto.
A chaln 26 ls ~n mesh with the drl~e spro~ket 24~ the .15 chain 26 extending rearwardl~ so as to rotate a plant transfer mechanism 28~ More speclPically~ the transfer mechanism ~8 in-cludes a horisontal shaft 30 having its ends jou~naled ~or ro-kation in the spaced side members 14, 16 of the frame 12~ the shaft 30 having a drlve sprocket 31 secured thereto~
Playlng an important role in the practiGin~ o~ my lnvention and constituting an integral part of the trans~er mechanism 28 ls a ri~ld disc 32g preferably of s~eel, mounted on the shaft 30 and a flexible disc 34, praferably of reinfor~ed rubberg also mounted on the same shaft 30. The disc 34 is slightly largar in diametQr than the disc 32. A tubular spacer or slee~Je 35 ~'igure 7) about 1-1/2 inches lon~ encircles t~
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shaft 30 bet.~een the dis^s 32, 34 to keep ~hem separated or spaced a?ar,, at their cent,ers or hu-~s. A oortion of' the shaft 30 is threaded and the two dl~cs 32 ~ 34 are cla~ed in their slightly spaced relation by tT~Jo nu~s 36. In practice~
two pins (not shown) extend through th_ discs 32, 34 to prevent any relati~e rota~ion therebetween. In this wa~, the dlscs 32, 34 are rotated in unison by means o~ the chain 26 and the sproclcèts 245, 310 As c~n be most readlly appreciated from Figure 3, the trans~er mechanism 28 further compri~es an upstanding s~an-dard 379 pre~erably of rectangular tubing~ Nelded at its lower end to the slde member 14 of the frame 12. The standard 37 carr~es ak its upper end a vertically ad~ustable bracke~ 38 ha~ln~ a slot 40 therelnO Bolts 42 extend through hole~ in the standard 37 and the slot 40 so as to malntain the bracket 38 at an appropriate elevation. The bracket 38 supports a horizontal plate 44.
-~ At thls time~ attention is directed ko a~ openln~
-:~ or f`lexing unit indlcated generally by the refer~nce numeral 460 The un_t 46 includes a spacer block 48 secured to the unflerslde o., the horizontal plate 44 by means o~ an anchor bolt 50, A straight rod 52 is welded to the underslde of : the spacer ~lock 48 and proJects in opposite dirertions ~here-from. An ~nverted U-sha~ed rod 54 composed o~ leg portions 54a~ 5l1b and a connectlng bi~ht ~ortion 54c has its leg por-tlon 511~ ~Jelded to one pro~est~n~ end o, the rod 5~ so that the bight 54c curves over the peri~h~ral edge of the flexible disc 3l' in order khat the leg 54b ex~ends downwardly betr.~e~n the con~ronting annular portions o~ the two discs 32, 34.
The memb2r or leg 54b bears against the inner surface of the flexible disc 34 at the eleven o~clock position so as to flex ~he ~lexible disc 34 away fro~. the rigid disc 32 to pro-vide an open space tlater referred to by the reference numeral 21~) for a purpose presenkly to be made mani~est, Th~ other end of the stralght rod 52 carrles an integral presser shoe 56.
0 Thus 9 while khe ~eg 54b spreads or separates *he ~lexible disc .
34 aw2y from the rigid dlsc 329 the presser shoe 56 bears againsk khe outer surface of the ~lexible disc 34 at khe twel~
o~clock posltion ~o as ko urge the dlsc 34 agains~ the rigid disc 32O Here agaln3 the reason for this will soon be ex-plainedO
Whereas the opener or flexing unit 46 ~s located at substantially the eleven o'clock position, a~ already ex~
plai~ed, a lower opening or flexin~ unit 58 is located so a~ ~o separate or open the discs 32, 34 a~ substantially the si~
o~ clock ~osition. The unit 58 includes an angle iron 6~ ad-~ustably secured ko the side member 14 by a pair of bolts 6 extend~ng inwardly through two horizontal slots 64 in~o ~pped hole~ pro~Jided in the ~ertical flan~e of the member 60~ ~lded to the horizontal flange of khe mem~er 60 ls a ~urved rod 66 that flexes the botkom marginal por.,ion of the flexible disc 34 away from the rigid disc 32. Althou~h not complekely apparen~
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at ~his par~icular s~a~e of the description~ the lo~rer unir 58 e.fects a release of the plants that are trc~ns~erred ~rom the twelve otclock or upper location to the si~ orclock or lo-~rer location.
Referring now to what will be termed a closing unit 72, it will be discerned ~hat it includes an upper angle iron 74 and a lo~,Jer angle iron 76, the horizontal flanges o~ these ~ngle irons 74~ 76 being welded to the side member 14 of the ~rame 12. Each vertical flange of the angle members 74~ 76 ; .
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has a hor~zontal slot 78 formed therein. It will be noted that an arcuate presser rod 8Q subtends a su~starl~ial arc e~c-~end~ng generally from the one or two o'clock pos:ition to about the :~ive o~cïock positionO The presser rod 80 has an ~ upper threaded stud 82 and a lower threaded stud 84 which are .. : '5 recei~ed in the slots 78 of the angle irons 7~ and 76, therebelng a nut 86 on the stud 82 and a nut 88 on th~ stud 84 so as ko olamp the arcuate presser rod 80 in a pre~erred radially located positionO The ~resser rod 80 functions ~o urge the ~ flexible dlsc 311 toward the rlOid disc 32 during the ma~or ., 20 portion of the downward travel of the discs 32~ 34. OP course, the presser shoe 56 initiates the closing aGtion; the arcuate rod 80 continues it for the remalnder o~ the downward tra~rel~
Ref'errirlg now to the plant s~pply mechanism indicated general:l.y by the refererlce numeral 90, it will ~e seen that it 1 ncludes a rear mast or support 92 that extends ~er.,ically upT,Yardly 4he side 16 OL the f`rame 12. Carried at the up~er end .
o~ the mast 92 is a ta~e suppl~- reel 94 ~aving a ~ub 96 thereon.
The reel 94 is rotatably mounted on a pin 98 extending from the up?er end of the mast 92. A drag is im~osed on the reel 94 through the agency of a fric~ion brake 100 tFigure l) moun~ed on an arm 102 which is attached to the mast 92. The pl~nt supply mec~anism 90 further includes a guide or a deflection roller 104 mounted on a pln 106 carried at the free end ~f ~n arm 108 extending ~rom a lower portion o~ the mast 92.
- A post 110 has its lower end welded to the ~rame . side member 14~ The support 110 has attached t~ its upper end a U shaped member 112 providing a pair o~ laterally spaced gulde plates 114 for twistl~g the plant supply tape still ~o be referred to. Larger plates for guiding the leaves 7 ~hile stlll held by the supply tape have been omitted ~or reasons o~ clarity in that they merely guide or direct the lea~ ends - of the plants to be transplanted into the trans~er mechanlsm 28~ more speclfically between the discs 32 and 34. How~ver~
even though lts omlssion would perhaps make the dr~w~n~ simpler5 :
a channel-shaped member 115 has been illustraked prnvi.din~
a pair o~ laterally spaced plates 116 that guide the roo~ end~
of the plants while held between the discs 32~ 34 a~ th~ plant~
are being transferred downwardly. The plates 116 are secured dlrectly to ~,he side members 14, 16.
~ Continulng wlth the description of' ~he plan~ ~uppl~
m_chanism 90~ it will now be explained tha~ it fur~her includes a pair ol t~.pe flex~ng or diverting rollers 118, l~G mounted on .
vertical pins 122, 124, respectively, that e~tend upwardly from the previously mentioned horizontal plate 44.
A for.~ardly disposed mast or support 126 has its lower end secured to the side member 16. Partway up the mast 126 i5 Journaled a transverse shaft 128 having a hexa-gonal portion for remova~ly keying a sprocket 130 on the sha~t 128 and about which the previously m~ntioned chain Z6 passes.
Also carried on the shaft 128 is a taae dri~e roller 132 . and a pulley 134~ Secured to the mast 126 benea~h the shaft . .
: lO 128 ~s an inclined arm 138 carryi~g at ~ts opposite ends a palr of deflect;1ng or guide rollers 140, 142 mourlted on trans~
verse plns 144~ 146~ respectively9 attached ~o the arm 138.
Still con~lnulng wlth the descrlption of the plan~
supply mechanism 90~ attentlon is now called to a rewind reel 148 having a hub 150, the hub 150 being journaled on a shaf~
~52 extending from the upper end o~ the mast 126. Also on ~he . . . . ~ shaft 152 is a pulley 1540 A rewind drive belt 155 ~with . ~
slipplng tension to accommodate for taXe-up speed chan~;es Or - the rewind reel 1489 the reel 148 rotating faste~t dur~ng ~}~e initial rewind~ne of the tape yet to be speciflcally rePerred to) e~etends about the pulleys 134~ 154 so as to ro~ate ~he rewind reel 148 when the shaft 128 îs rota~ed ~ia the sprocke~
130 and chaln 26~
Havlng mentioned the spro~ket5 24, 31 and 130, ~he chain 26 being entrained about all three o~ ~he~e sprocke~s3 ~t : should noT.~ be ~olnted out that the relative s~e of t~e sprockets /~
can be c~n~ed in order to provid~ dî~fer~nt speed ~ariation~
for a purpose soon to become clea-~r. MQre speci~ically, ~t is planned ~hat the sprocket 130 be changed, the substitut~on having been lacili~ated ln practi^e by having a hexagonally configured opening therein which ~Lts over the hexaæonal portion of the shaft 128~ Because OL the in~ended change ~n the size of the sprocket 130, plus the ~act that any slack in the chain 26 should be taken up~ there i9 employed a spring loaded idler sprocket 158 mounted on the ~rame 12. Th~ sprocket lQ . 1~8 simply ~unctions to keep the cha.in 26 taut so no need is seen ~or detailing the wa~ in which it i~ mounted and ~he manner in whioh i~ is spring loaded.
; A supply tape has been indicated generally by the ~ :
reference numeral 1600 More speciLi cally~ the tape supply 1~ includes a flexible nonstretching belt or backing strlp 162 ~o which sof~ ~oamed elastomer~c ~locks 164 are adhesi~ely secured provlding a multiplicity o~ slits 1667 there be~rlg one such slit 166 between each two blocks 164~ ~Gtually~ a lQng strip of the resilient and readily compressible elastomRri~
~0 ~aterial is initially bonded to the belt 162 and cut at de~
sired intervals to form the slits 166~ This supply ~ape 160 .~ /S~
is general~y similar to khat re~erred to in Patent No~ T~J~Y
here~n earller menkioned~ Ho~JeYer~ its cons~ru~tion ~s ~i~pler in that the grommetted sprocket holes used for ~.he synch~onized advance~ent o~ the tape needed fo- the tr~nsplantln~ m~chine o~
Pakent 3~719~158 are not required -.~.~en prackicing the inst~n~ .
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The function of the su~ly tape 160 is to furn~sh partially grown plants 170 in a serial sequence to the . transfer mechani~m 280 It will be helpful to assign the - 5 referenoe n~meral 170a to the root end o~ the plants 170 and ~he reference numeral 170b to the leaf end thereo~. The ,-root ends 170a are inserted lnto the slits 166 by bending the belt or backing skrip 162 suf:ficiently to open the slits.
However, when th~ tape 1~0 is strai~ht or substantially so, ; 10 the adJacent blocks 164 gently squee~e or press against the root ends 170a so as ko hold them~ -~ apparakus 10 further comprises a furrow opening unit 172~ The unit 172 includes a plow structure 173 havlng a forwardly d~ sposed ~rertical edge 174 that separates or penetrates the soil to form the furrow or trench as the apparatus 10 ls advanced across the ~ield to be planted~ The plow struc~ure 173 has a closed V shaped bottom 17~ f'ormlng a slot 17~ and laterally spaced panels 177 that straddle the more forward ~egments of the dlscs 32, 34 to prevent the furrow fro~ caving in until the plants 170 have been dropped therein~
The furrow opening unit 172 has an arm 178 extend~ng ~orwar~ly from the plow structure 173 and by means o~ a hole in the arm the forward end of the plow structure 173 can be anchored to a bracket 1829 the upper end of' the bracket 182 ~ being welded to the ~ide member ~ OI the frame 12.
~ /3 A vertical adjustment of the forward end of the plow structure 173 is realized via a series of vertically extending holes 184 in the bracket 182 and a pin 186 that is inserted through the most appropriate holes 184, thereby determining the depth at which the plow structure 173 travels in forming the furrow.
Toward the rear of the plow structure 173 is a pair of upwardly extending plates 188. The upper ends of the plates 188 can be adjustably ~although not shown as so being) attached to :~
the side members to vary the depth at which the rear of the plow 173 extends.
A furrow closing unit 196 is also employed. It ~:
includes a pair of angled brackets 198, there being one de-` pending from the side member 14 and the toehr from the side ; member 16. As perhaps best viewed in Figure 3, a series of horizontally disp~sed holes 200 and a series of similar holes 202 are formed in the two side members 14 and 16. Bolts 204 and 206 are positioned ln selected holes 200 and 202 so as to orient properly the brackets 198 in a fore and aft direction with ~ :
respect to the discs 32 and 34. The brackets 198 are shaped so that axles 208 angle outwardly and downwardly to rotatably sup-port canted soil packing wheels 210 having soil. engaging rims 212 which press the spread-apart soil back into the furrow to complete the transplan:ting of the plants 170. As will become apparent from the operational description now to be given, it is important to position the packing wheels 210 with respect to the discs 32 and 34 so as to assist with the release of the root 39L7~
ends 170~ of the pl~nts 170 from the transfer mechanism 28.
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In preparing my transplanting appa~atus 10 ~or use, . . .
the plants 170 are placed in the various slits 166 between ~ 5 the resilient blocks 164 o~ the supply tape 160. The loaded - tape 160 is then coiled on the supply reel 94 and the leading :,` .
end o~ the tape ~s brought around the idler roller ~04. Ad-vancement of the tape 160 ~ s manually contlnued~ the tapebeing - placed between the two tape ~lexin~; rollers 118, 120. Fromthe rollers 118~ 120 it ls threaded around the drive roller 12 past the ~wo guide rollers 140 and 142~ and finally upward-y - ~-o the hub 150 of the rewlnd reel 1480 m è foregolng result~
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in a stretch o~ several feet of tape beyond the tape ~lex~n~
rollers 118 D 120 wh~re the ~arious plants are released ~hat need not have any plants contained in the slits 166 in thi~
Iength o~ tapeG
Depending upon the variety and size of the plants 170g the furrow openin~ unlt 172 should be mounted to pro~id~
B the proper depth of ~urrow a the po ltian o~ the~ s ~ and ~1~8 readily permittlng thiso Yarious ad~ustments can be readily made as ~ar as the plant krans~er mechanism 28 is con~erned. In this regard, the members 54 (together w1th the member 56~ ~ 7a and 80 c~:~
the unlts 469 58 and 72 are individually ad~ustable to achieve a timed plant transfer and also so khat planks of di.feren~
: lengths and varieties can be trans~lanted. More specifically, - it is im~ortant that t,he shoe 56 close the V-shaped o~enir.O
214 (Figure 8) at the top just as the plants 170 are being released from the supply ~ape 160.
Furtherg since ~he plants 170 should be held by the . discs 32, 34 at thelr stQms 3 that is between the root ends 170aand the leaf ends 170bg members 56 and 80 should be properly positioned so that this holdlng action is achieved. Acco.rdingly, ~, e ~ e ~
it ~ollows that the ~efflb~s 54 ~ should be lnserted be tween the dlscs 32 and 34 to a ~reater or lesser distance de-pendlng on whether the plant 170 has relatl~ely long leaves 170b and/or relatively long roots 170a. Also, the arcua~e member 80 of the closln~; tmit 72, which presses against ~he outer side of the Plexible dtsc 34~ should bear against the most approprlate arcuate portion o~ the flexible disc 34 ~o as to effect a gentle grlpping o~ the plants ad~acent the disc peripheries thereby causing less dama~e to the plant$
during their downward travel while belng trans~erred from ~he upoer locatlon where they are received to the lower locati~n where they are relea~edO As best under~tood from Figllre 7~
the membe~ 80 ls radial.l~ positi.oned somewhat inwardl~ ~rom th2 periphery of the ~îexible dlsc 34 so as to preserve ~he .
flared o~ dlverging space acco~odatin~ the leaves 170b.
Once ~he several member units ~-~i ,. 58 and 72 have ~een properly po~itlonedg when the a~paratus 10 is towed by a trac~or ~not sho~.rn, although the a~paratus can be sel~-propelled ~s al-ready indicated), then various movements automaticall y occur.
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It will ~ hel~ul9 it is belie~d3 to assign arr3rls to the~e movements. Therefore, the ar:~o.~ la~eled 220 denotes khe di-rection of travel of the a~aratlls 10 across bhe stri~ of soil . to be plantedO The a~ro-~ 222 in~icates the direction in whlch .~5 the supply reel 94 rot2tes9 where s the arro~.T 224 denote5 - the direction in which the rewi~.d r~e7 148 rotates. The di rection in whlch the supply tapQ 160 moves is indicated by ~he reference nu.meral 2260 T.'ne direction in which the chain 26 ; moves has been indicated by the reference numeral 22~, the chaln 26 causlng the dlscs 32 and 34 to rotate in the direction oY
t he arrow 2 3 0 O
Inasmuch as the member 54, more speci~ica~ly its :Leg 54b, belonging to the unit 46 extends downwar~ly between the two di scs 32 and 34 ~ ack uallJ bearing a~ainst the inner ~ur-~5 face of the ~nnular portion of the flexible disc 34 ad~acent : its periphery~ it flexes the annular portion ou~wardly away ~rom the rl~d disc 320 mls re3ults ln the forma~ion of the .~ V-shaped open space labeled 214 in Flgure 8. From Figure 2~
. it is believed evldent that the tape~flexing rollexs 118 and 120 deflect ~he t~pe 160 in a direction to open ~he ~arious slits 166 as they pass above the space or openin~; 214, more precisely d~ q~ckly over ~,he end o~ the openin~; 214 ~eing closed by ~he presser sh~e 5~ should be recognized that entrance to the space or openinO 214 is cons~antly kept open by vir.,ue o f the de:Elect~ ve aci,ion exerted agains~ the ~lexlble disc 34 by ~he leg 5LIbo However~ th~ shoe 5O bears a~;alnst the outer side of the flexible disc 34 so as to press the disc 34 closed Just as the slits 166 o~en, thereby Gently pulling t;ne leaf ends 170b from the tape 160.
To assure retention o~ the plants 170, the arcuate rod 80 of the closing unit continues the pressural action in-T-- tiated by the shoe 569 doing so through an arc or an~le ex-tending do-rnwardly to the lower location where the plants are releasedO Inasmuch as Figure 5 is taken in the dlrection of llne 5~5 of ~lgure 1~ lt can be seen that the periphery o~ the ~10 dlsc 34 is being pressed toward the di5c 32 to hold ~he plan~s -~ 170 .at thelr stems between their root and leaf ends. The inventio~ permlts only enough pressure to be app~led to hold the particular type of plant 17Q being transplanted~ Conse-quentlyg ~he peripheries of the discs 32, 34 need not ac~uall~
1 5 kouchg as is believed e~rident from F~ures 5 and 7 (and also ; to a degree from Figura 89 although a plant does not appear ln thls particular view) a instead, they need onl~ contact the plant stems with suffIcient ;firmness to assure their retentior , . . .
during the do-:rnward transfer phase of the operation~
Once the plants 170 reach ~he lower lo~ation~ the , :rod or ~inger 66 o~ the lower opening unit 5~ ~lexes ~he ~lexi~le disc 3~ awa~y lrom the rlgld disc ~ust enough to elimln~t:e ehe holding pressure that has been exerted by the rQd 8~ up to th~ 5 point. This releases ~he plan~s 17~ more spec~ically~ ~heir leaf ends 17~b which ar~ now free to be pulled from betT~reen the discs 32~ 34. ~he plants 170 are pulled downwardly ~rom ~he discc . .
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-32, 34 by the furrow closing unit 196 ln ~hat the rims 212 of the packing wheels 210 immediately press the soil dis-placed by the furro~J opening unit 172 back into the furrow and against the root ends ~70aO This t~med action is achieved by properly positioning the packin~ ~heels 21~ in relatlon to the discs 32, 34, so that thelr canted rims 212 press the soil firmly around the root ends 170aO ~he ad~us~
; able brackets 198 are movable fo~ardly or rearwardly to ~hift the wheels 220 into the ~ought after optimum relation with the ~0 . di~cs 329 3l~ .D as ehould be readlly understandable ~ ~onsequentlg~
th@ plants ï70 are tran~p:Lanted in an upright ma~ner~
~nasmuGh a~ plants 170 should be spaced during the transplanting thbreof at intervals or spacings mos~ appropriate to the partlcular varie-ty of plant, the apparatus 10 lllustrati my lnventlon lends itself readlly to obtainin~; ~he ~est spacing between pïants as they are placed in ~he furrow~ In this re-gardg the sprocket 130~ be~ng remova~le ~rom the ~haft 12~, can be chan~;ed,~ a larger or s~naller sprocke~ alterlnæ the speed at which the kape 160 is advanced i n relation to the for~
speed o~ the apparatus 10 in the directlon o~ the arrow 220 and hence de~ermlnlng the number of plants ~70 deli~ered to the transfer mechanism 28 during a ~i~en interval o~ t~mÆ. Con-sequently3 lt is not necessary to chan~e to a di~ferent plant supply tape 160 with dif~erent slit spaclngs.
Consequently, my apparatus lO is quite versatile and ls susceptible to ~arious alterations which make it suitable for ~ /5 the effective and efficient tra~spl~nting of different ~aristies of plantsg with minimal amount of dam~ge to fragile plants 3 such as bibb lettuce, and virtually no damage to rough plants, 5uch as tree seedlings. Because of its extreme simplicity and ru~gedness~ the apparatus 10 functions well in the ~ield, re~
:~ sulting in very little downtime for maintenance and repairs.
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Claims (18)
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. Transplanting apparatus comprising a mobile frame adapted to tra-verse a strip of soil to be planted, first and second discs rotatably carried on said frame, said second disc having at least an annular flexible portion adjacent its periphery, means on said frame for rotating said discs in unison about a generally horizontal axis, means for separating said first and second discs at an upper angular location to provide an opening which, when viewed from above, has a closed end in the direction said discs rotate, supply means including holding means for holding the plants to be transplanted, feeding means for transporting the holding means and the plants held thereby so as to successively introduce portions of said plants into said opening and advance said plant portions in a straight line toward the closed end of said opening, and release means for successively releasing plants from said holding means at the closed end of said opening to drop the plants directly into the open-ing for immediate gripping thereof by the annular portions of said discs that are at that time forming the closed end of said opening for transfer to a lower angular location, and means for separating said first and second discs at said lower angular location for releasing said plants at said lower angular location into a furrow.
2. Transplanting apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said means for separating said discs include a first member extending inwardly between said first and second discs adjacent said upper angular location to bear against the inner surface of said annular flexible portion of said second disc as said discs rotate to flex said annular portion away from said first disc to form said opening for successively receiving said plants and a second member extending inwardly between said first and second discs adjacent said lower angular location to bear against the inner surface of said flexible portion of said second disc as said discs rotate to flex said annular portion away from said first disc to form another opening for successively releasing said plants into a furrow.
3. Transplanting apparatus in accordance with claim 2 including clos-ing means comprising a third member bearing against the outer surface of said annular flexible portion of said second disc as said discs rotate downwardly to press said annular portion toward said first disc to hold said plants between said discs as said plants are transferred downwardly from said upper angular location to said lower angular location.
4. Transplanting apparatus in accordance with claim 3 including respec-tive means for adjusting said first, second and third members relative to the peripheries of said first and second discs.
5. Transplanting apparatus in accordance with claim 3 in which said upper angular location is approximately at a twelve o'clock position and said lower angular location is at approximately a six o'clock position.
6. Transplanting apparatus in accordance with claim 5 in which said third member subtends an arc from approximately a one o'clock position to approximately a five o'clock position, as viewed with the discs rotating clockwise.
7. Transplanting apparatus in accordance with claim 6 in which said first disc is of rigid material between its periphery and said horizontal axis, and said second disc is of resilient material between its periphery and said horizontal axis.
8. Transplanting apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said holding means includes a tape comprising a flexible nonstretching backing strip and a series of resilient blocks on said strip forming slits for hold-ing the plants to be transplanted, said feeding means includes means for pulling said tape past said upper angular location, and said release means include means for changing the direction of tape travel at said upper angular location to open each slit and thus permit said plants to successively enter said opening for transfer to said lower angular location.
9. Transplanting apparatus in accordance with claim 8 in which said opening at said upper angular location is V-shaped when viewed from above and said tape directs plants into the larger end of said V-shaped opening and toward the closed end thereof.
10. Transplanting apparatus in accordance with claim 9 including a furrow opening unit mounted on said frame to form a furrow, and a furrow closing unit mounted on said frame for closing said furrow after said plants have been successively deposited therein after release from said discs.
11. Transplanting apparatus in accordance with claim 10 in which said furrow closing unit includes a pair of packing wheels and means for relative-ly positioning said packing wheels relative said discs so as to press soil against the roots of said plants as they are released from said discs.
12. Transplanting apparatus in accordance with claim 8 including a ground-engaging wheel for supporting the forward end of said frame, a drive sprocket associated with said ground-engaging wheel, a drive sprocket associ-ated with said discs, and a chain entrained about said sprockets for causing said discs to rotate at a speed corresponding to the forward speed of said apparatus.
13. Transplanting apparatus in accordance with claim 12 including a second drive sprocket about which said chain is entrained, said tape pulling means being driven by said second sprocket.
14. Transplanting apparatus in accordance with claim 13 in which said second sprocket is removable so as to permit a substitution of a different size sprocket to change the speed at which the tape is pulled and hence to change the spacing between the plants desposited in the furrow.
15. Transplanting apparatus in accordance with claim 13 in which said tape pulling means includes a drive roller rotated by said second sprocket and idler roller means for deflecting said tape about said drive roller to effect a frictional engagement of said tape against said drive roller suf-ficient to pull said tape.
16. Transplanting apparatus in accordance with claim 15 including a supply reel and a rewind reel mounted on said frame, said tape being initial-ly stored on said supply reel with said plants held in said slits and said tape being subsequently wound on said rewind reel after successive delivery of said plants to said discs and after said tape has passed said tape pulling means.
17. Transplanting apparatus in accordance with claim 16 including a pulley driven by said second sprocket, a pulley connected to said rewind reel, and a flexible belt entrained about said pulleys for rotating said rewind reel.
18. Transplanting apparatus in accordance with claim 17 in which said flexible belt frictionally engages said pulleys to permit said belt to slip and thereby to adjust for differences in the diameter of the rewound tape as it accumulates on said rewind reel.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US82680877A | 1977-08-22 | 1977-08-22 | |
| US826,808 | 1986-02-10 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1108478A true CA1108478A (en) | 1981-09-08 |
Family
ID=25247590
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA287,862A Expired CA1108478A (en) | 1977-08-22 | 1977-09-30 | Transplanting apparatus utilizing a disc mechanism for transferring plants from a supply tape to the furrow |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1108478A (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5676072A (en) * | 1992-08-10 | 1997-10-14 | Williames Hi-Tech International Pty Ltd. | Apparatus for automatically planting seedlings taken from a hard seedling tray |
-
1977
- 1977-09-30 CA CA287,862A patent/CA1108478A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US5676072A (en) * | 1992-08-10 | 1997-10-14 | Williames Hi-Tech International Pty Ltd. | Apparatus for automatically planting seedlings taken from a hard seedling tray |
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| Date | Code | Title | Description |
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| MKEX | Expiry |