SUGAR CANE PLANTER MACHINE

Abstract: A machine (10) for planting sugar cane billets, driven by a tractor, having a chassis (20) with wheel assembly (20) including a reservoir assembly (60) containing the sugar cane billets and plough assembly (80) below the reservoir assembly (60) so that the billets are deposited somewhat below the ground surface. Gear-chain assembly (40) includes a feeding shank (42) driven by the rotation of the wheels so that the billets are released in proportion with the distance travelled by the machine (10). The billets are buried by trailing fins (83) which restored the soil removed by plough assembly (80).

Description: I. SUGAR CANE PLANTER MACHINE II. TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to sugar cane planting machines and more particularly to such machines that are hauled by a tractor. III. BACKGROUND ART Aplicant believes that the closest reference corresponds to the United States patent No. 3,943,862, issued to Pupulin. However, it differs from the present invention because it does not utilize a conveyor but rather a pair of reservoirs that dispense the pieces of sugar cane to be planted aided by the arms of a rotating feeding shank and the billets are deposited at a suitable distance below the ground surface. Other patents describing the closest subject provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention. IV. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION It is the main object of the present invention to provide a planter machine that is capable of planting in two rows simultaneoustly while at the same time it fertilizes, treats them with insecticide and covers the sugar cane billets. It is another object of the present invention to achieve the above referenced object and also to plant the sugar cane billets at uniform distance from each other at a suitable distance below the average ground level. It i-s another object of this invention to provide machine that is simple and unexpensive to . manufacture and that can work in difficult terrain. Further objects of the invention will be brought out in the following part of the specification, wherein detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing the invention without placing limitations thereon. V. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS With the above and other related objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction and combination of parts as will be more fully understood from the following description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 represents a view in perspective of the planter machine with only one removable container in place and the insecticide containers shown in phantom. Figure 2 shows a removable container for sugar cane billets standing upright. Figure 3 illustrates a feeding shank, including bearing means and a rigidly mounted gear at the end. Figure 3A shows a detailed operation of cam element 68. Figure 4 is a side view of the planter, in operation. Figure 5 is a top cross-sectional view of the machine across line 5-5' in Figure 4, with the wheels and associated propelling mechanism removed. Figure 6 represents a front view fo the planter. VI. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to Figure 1, it can be seen that the planter machine is generally represented with numeral 10. In general terms, it comprises a chasis assembly 20, wheel assembly 30, gear-chain assembly 40, plough assembly 80, reservoir assembly 60 and tractor engagement assembly 70. In Figure 1 and 2, it can be seen that there is a removable container 61 for sugar cane billets that may be filled independently, while the planter is in operation, in order to minimize the idle time of the planter. The bottom of container 61 narrows down to a longitudinally extending neck 62 that has vertically extending openings 63 on the sides of the neck. Openings 63 are of a sufficient size to allow the arms 41 of feeding shank 42 to protrude inside neck 62. The arms 41 rotate, as it will be described below, pushing the sugar cane billets inside container 61 downwardly to uniformly pass through neck 62. The billets are either held in place or pushed down by arm 41 thereby coupling their release to the rotation of shank 42 which will be proportional to the displacement of planter 10 along the crop rows, as it will be explained below where the gear assembly operation is explained. Containers 61 are provided, in the preferred embodiment, with a hingedly mounted longitudinal bottom plate 64 for closing the longitudinal orifice at the bottom of the neck in order to prevent the billets from falling through prior to the installation of container 61 in the planter. The use of several removable containers 61 allows planter 10 to be refilled without stopping the work in the field and bringing the planter to where the billets are stored and then bringing it back to the field, with the consequent waste of time. In Figure 1 container's support member 65 on the left has been shown without removable container 61. Connecting members 164 provide the necessary structural integrity for upwardly extending container support members 65. The linear displacement of planter 10 is translated to a rotational movement which is then transmitted through gear assembly 40 to activate several functions. Wheel assembly 30 includes a pair of wheels 31 rigidly mounted to the ends of a shaft 32 that has sprocket 43 rigidly mounted thereto. Wheel assembly 30 is rigidly mounted to chassis assembly 20. The rotational movement of wheels 31 is transmitted, through sprocket 43 and chain 44 trained thereon, to sprocket 45 which is rigidly mounted on • shaft 46, which in turn transmits the movement to gears 47 nad 48, also rigidly mounted to shaft 46. Ball bearing assemblies 55 support shaft 46. Gears 47 and 48, rigidly mounted on shaft 46, are meshed with gears 49 and 50 thereby imparting the required rotational movement to shaft 42 which will be proportional to the linear displacemet of planter 10. It can be seen from Figures 4 and 5 that the sugar cane billets are dropped from the neck 62 of the containers 61 to the ground through plough housing 85 having an internal cavity 81 in plough assembly 80. The billets are thereby planted a few inches below the ground surface by virtue of the ground breaking action of plough element 82. Fins 83, trailing planter 10, cover the billets with the soil displaced. Fins 83 are mounted to elongated rigid member 84 which is adjustably attached to the outer wall of plough housing 85, through fastening means 86. Members 84 have an archuated or angled G-MPI shape designed to push back inside, over the planted billet, the soil displaced by plough assembly 80. As part of the reservoir assembly 60, there are two additional pairs of containers, one pair having a conical shape, in the preferred embodiment, and positioned behind containers 61 and the other pair hair having a cubic shape, in the preferred embodiment, and positioned in front of containers 61. One pair corresponds to fertilizing containers 66 and the other one being insecticide containers 67. The insecticide is usually a concentrated liquid and a pair of pumps 165, one shown in Figure 4, is provided with suitable tubing 166 connected to insecticide containers 67. Corresponding fertilizer release control cam 68 is mounted on shaft 42 so that the release of these materials is periodically obstucted in direct proportion with the displacement of planter 10. Since the fertilizer is solid, a hingedly mounted closure plate 168, is used in the preferred embodiment, which is activated by the eccentric cam element 68. In the case of insecticide container 67, insecticide cam element 69 actuates the diaphram of a conventional pump and then pours the insecticide through outlet 160. O PI As shown in Figure 1 and 5, tractor engagement assembly 70 is basically a rectangular frame 71 rigidly mounted over chassis 20 and having a pair of upwardly extending rigid members 73 and 74 that are perpendicularly mounted to rectangular frame 71. Members 73 and 74 have several holes 72 so that planter 10 may be given the desired inclination with respect to the ground thereby allowing a greater or smaller angle for plough member 82 ground breaking operation. The actual hauling force from the tractor is applied to pins 76 and 77 which are rigidly secured to frame 71 through brackets 78 and 79. It is believed the foregoing description conveys the best understanding of the objects and advantages of the present invention. Different embodiments may be made of the inventive concept of this invention. It is to be understood that all matter disclosed herein is to be interpreted merely as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense, except as set forth in the following appended claims. VII. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY It is aparent from the previous paragraphs that an improvement of the type for such a sugar cane planter machine is quite desirable for the efficient and fast planting of sugar cane billets .

Claims: VIII. CLAIMS What is claimed is: 1. A machine for planting sugar cane billets to be hauled by a tractor, comprising: a. a chassis assembly including two longitudinally extending rigid members disposed spaced apart and parallel to each other; b. a reservoir assembly including a pair of container support members mounted to said rigid members and extending upwardly therefrom and cooperating removable containers having an open top and a narrow bottom terminated with a longitudinal opening that runs parallel to said rigid members and said narrow bottom having a plurality of veritcally extending slots; c. a pair of plough assemblies including each an upwardly extending housing with internal cavity of elongated cross-section -^σf j _ OM corresponding and connected to said longitudinal opening and having a plough element on one end of the bottom edge which is followed by a flanged longitudinal surface; d. a wheel assembly rigidly mounted to the underside of said chassis assembly; e. means for engaging said tractor to said chassis assembly; f. a pair of feeding shanks positioned parallel to the narrow bottom of said removable containers and having a plurality of radically extending arms rigidly mounted theron and said shank being sufficiently close to and in alignment with said slots so that said arms can protrude inside said housing during a portion of its rotational movement; g. means for transmitting the rotational movement of the wheels in said wheel assembly to said feeding shanks. 2. The machine set forth in claim 1 wherein said reservoir assembly includes a pair of fertilizer containers positioned behind said containers and over said feeding shank, in alignment with a cooperating first release cam means rigidly mounted to said shank, so that a predetermined amount of fertilizing material is released for each turn of the shank. 3. The machine set forth in claim 2 wherein said reservoir assembly further comprises a pair of insecticide containers including second release cam means rigidly mounted in alignment with a cooperating obstruction to said shank and further including pump and tubing means connected to said insecticide containers and activated by said second release cam- means so that a predetermined amount of insecticide is released for each turn of the shaft. 4. The machine set forth in claim 3 wherein each one of said plough assemblies includes a pair of trailing fins positioned so that they urge inside the soil laterally displaced by said plough element thereby covering the billets being planted. OMPI 5. The machine set forth in claim 4 wherein said means for engaging said tractor includes means for adjusting the inclination of said planter and consequently of said plough assembly with respect with the horizontal plane of the ground. S UB S TITUTE SHEET

Inventors: GIRALT FERMIN, GIRALT, FERMIN
Applicants: CHUZO IND INC, CHUZO INDUSTRIES, INC.
Application year: 1984
Main classification: B60P1
IPC codes: A01C9