DEVICE FOR MOVING BALLED SEEDLINGS TO THE GROUND

Abstract: The invention relates to equipment and method for transferring balled seedlings into substrate. According to the invention the plant is moved downwards in a plant cup (1), in which there are walls (3) sidewards fexible, which walls after having yielded sidewards let the plants go through the cup.

Description: Device for moving balled seedlings to the ground. The invention relates to equipment and method for transferring balled seedlings into substrate. The invention is adapted for use in especially planting seedlings from growing honeycombs into pots or honey¬ combs having bigger pigeonholes. For example indoor plants are generally ger¬ minated to plant stage in honeycombs having several pigeonholes. Plants germinated are then transferred to grow further in separate pots. Today potting is normally carried out in a manner that pots are trans¬ ferred by a conveyor, substrate is put into pots, a hole is made in substrate for the ball to be planted and the ball is placed in the hole by hand simul¬ taneously compacting the ball into the substrate. Due to the fact that the procedure is thus to large extent carried out manually, expenses turn in this manner rather high. The objective of this invention is thus to create a system, which can be taken advantage of when transferring balled seedlings automatically from the honeycombs into the substrate, especially into separ¬ ate pots. The invention is described in independent claims. Some of its embodiments are described in dependent claims. In the invention it is essential that the balled seedling is brought into a plant cup having a form narrowing from the top downwards and an open bottom as well as walls flexible sidewards. In this cup the ball is then transferred downwards held by the walls. When the cup reaches its bottom position the flexible walls yield and the ball moves through the cup into the substrate below. The ball can be brought into the cup by a special pushing device or just dropped in it. The ball transferred into the substrate might need compacting around it. For this purpose there can be a special compacting device mounted in the equip¬ ment. The ball can in principle be transferred trough the cup only by moving the cup quickly enough and stopping the movement in a manner that the kinetic energy of the ball makes it possible to push the walls sidewards. Preferably, however, there is a special release device for transferring the ball from the cup into the substrate. Most convenient for the purpose there are pushing devices to be found in the release device, which pushing devices simultaneously act as compacting devices for the ball. In the schematic representation of the descrip¬ tion Fig. 1 is a plant cup of an equipment according to the invention in its bottom position when trans¬ ferring the plant into the substrate. Fig. 2 is a plant cup of an equipment according to the invention in its bottom position when trans- ferring the plant into the substrate, the equipment additionally having a compacting device, Fig. 3 is a front view of an equipment accord¬ ing to the invention, in which equipment there is additionally a pushing device for bringing the plant into the cup as well as a release device for trans¬ ferring the plant from the cup and compacting it. Fig. 4 is a side view of an equipment according to Fig. 3, Fig. 5 shows transferring procedure of the balled seedling from the cup in an equipment according to Fig. 3, Fig. 6 shows compacting of the balled seedling into the substrate in an equipment according to Fig. 3 and Fig. 7 shows releasing of pushing and compact¬ ing devices from around the plant compacted. In the following the invention will be de¬ scribed in more detail in reference to the accompany¬ ing drawings. In Fig. 1 there is a plant cup 1 to be seen. It consists of four strips 3 outwards flexible connected downwards in a collar 2. The top parts of the strips form a cone narrowing downwards and the bottom parts face directly downwards. When the strips are in position of rest, the opening in the bottom of the cup is smaller than the diameter of the ball to be plant¬ ed. The cup is attached by a horizontal arm into a pneumatic cylinder 4 to be able to move vertically. When the cup 1 is in its top position, a cone- shaped, in its cross profile quadratic balled seedling 5 is brought from the top in it. The ball is placed in the cup in a manner that it does not go through the cup but stays stuck in it compressed by the strips. Then the cup is brought by the cylinder 4 in its bottom position. During the movement the shoots are in shelter inside the cup. Speed of the movement and deceleration are chosen in a manner that the strips in the cup yield due to steady-state force directed to them by the ball, and thus the ball falls through the cup into the substrate 7 in the pot 6, in which substrate there is a hole made beforehand for the ball. The equipment is adapted for use in potting machine, in which both bringing the balled seedlings from the honeycomb into the cup and transferring the pots under the equipment are carried out automatical¬ ly. In the equipment as shown in Fig. 2 there are additionally compacting devices 8 to be found, which press the ball 5 obliquely from the top tight into the substrate 7. The compacting is carried out most conveniently in the stage, when the shoots are still in shelter inside the cup 1. In principle the ball 5 can be brought into the cup 1 by dropping. In the equipment according to the Fig. 3 and 4 there is additionally a special pushing device 9 for bringing the ball 5 into the cup 1'. In the pushing device 9 there are two pushing plates 10 to be found, one of which settles in front of the ball 5 brought on top of the cup 1' and the other behind it. The bottom edge of the pushing plates is horizontal and settles against the top surface of the ball. The plates face obliquely upwards out- and respectively backwards. Thus there is formed a free space between the plates for the shoots and the ball can be pushed from its side between the plates without damaging the shoots. The top edges of the plates are connected in an air cylinder 11, by which the plates can be moved vertically. The balled seedling is brought between the plates by a swinging fork 12, in spikes of which the ball is stuck from a honeycomb lying on its side (see e.g. public patent application FI 874803, which corresponds to US-patent 4893571). When the ball is in its position between the plates, the plates are pushed downwards, and thus the ball re¬ leases from the spikes and settles in the cup. In the cup 1' there are similar kind of flex¬ ible strips 3 as in the cup 1 described above. In the sides there are, however, strips 3' lacking the ver- tical bottom part. The ball is pushed into the cup 1' so deep that the top surface of the ball is brought beneath the bottom edge of the side strips 3'. In the equipment according to the Fig. 3 and 4 there is additionally a special release device 13 for releasing the ball 5 from the cup 1' at the descent point of the ball. The release device acts simul¬ taneously as a compacting device. There is a cross beam 15 sliding in its ends along vertical rails 14 in the release device 13. In the cross beam on both sides of the cup 1' there are rotating elements 17 mounted in bearings in axles 16 in cross direction of the beam. In the rotating element there is an arm facing sidewards, an arm headed forwards in its end and a push arm in its end headed obliquely down- and inwards. In the rotating elements there are drillings in cross direction, in which there is a boom 19 attached in its ends, which boom is slightly thinner than the drilling. The boom is connected for moving to a vertical arm 20 of a separate air cylinder. Sliding friction between the boom and the rails is bigger than rolling friction of axles. After the cup 1' has reached is bottom posi¬ tion, the release device 13 is started to be pushed downwards from the boom 19 by the arm 20. Then the rotating elements 17 rotate slightly inwards in a manner, that the slide parts 18 settle from the sides onto the surface of the ball 5 beneath the shoots (Fig. 5). Only after that, after rotating resistance has increased, the cross beam 15 starts moving down¬ wards and the slide parts push the ball out from the cup and push it into the substrate (Fig. 6). The slide parts also compact the ball into the substrate. When the release device has reached its bottom position, it starts moving up again. Also in this stage the rota- ting elements rotate first thus removing the slide parts from under the shoots and only after this the rotating elements start moving upwards with the cross beam. In the manner described above can also the com- pacting be carried out without damaging the shoots. The invention can naturally also be realized in other manners than described in the drawings. The flexible walls of the plant cup can be made e.g. of several yarns or strips turning against spring force. Most convenient for round balls is a cup round in its cross profile. For example a pneumatic spray jet can be used for transferring the ball from a gripping device into a cup.

Claims: Claims 1. Equipment for transferring balled seedlings from top into substrate below, c h a r a c t e r - i z e d in that there is a plant cup (1) having an open top and bottom and narrowing downwards to be found in the equipment, the cup having walls (3) side¬ wards flexible from position of rest in a manner that the walls in position of rest hold the plant in the cup, but after having yielded let it move through the cup, and in which plant cup the plant is transferred from the top downwards. 2. Equipment as in claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that there is also a release device (13) to be found for transferring the plant from the plant cup (1 ' ) into the substrate. 3. Equipment as in claim 1 or 2, c h a r - a c t e r i z e d in that there is also a compacting device (8/18) to be found for compacting the plant into the substrate. 4. Equipment as in one of the claims 1-3 for transferring the balled seedling from a gripping device holding the ball, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that there is also a pushing device (9) for bring- ing the plant into the plant cup (1'). 5. Method for transferring balled seedlings from the top into substrate below, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the plant is brought into a plant cup having an open top and bottom and narrowing downwards, in which cup there are walls sidewards flexible from position of rest, which walls in posi¬ tion of rest hold the plant in the plant cup, the plant cup is moved downwards and the plant is removed through the bottom of the cup into the substrate.

Inventors: MURMANN KIM, MURMANN, KIM
Applicants: LAENNEN TEHTAAT OY
Application year: 1991
Main classification: A01C11
IPC codes: A01C11