Apparatus and method for placing bulbs
AssigneeIG Specials B.V.
InventorsWim Struijk, Wim Van Der El, Andrew Wagner
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
There is discussed a method of picking and placing bulbs, in which bulbs are supplied on a supply surface of a bulbs supply system; the bulbs being identified and picked from the supply surface with a pick-and-place head; wherein picked bulbs are transferred from the pick-and-place head, shoot-first and roots-last to a transfer-receptacle comprising at least one bulb-receptor, wherein the bulb-receptor temporarily clutches said bulb.
Claims21
A method of picking and placing bulbs, comprising:
- supplying a plurality of bulbs upon a supply surface of a bulbs supply system;
- identifying a bulb as suitable for individual pick up,
- picking said identified bulb from the supply surface, with a pick-and-place head;
- reorienting the picked bulb;
- and
- placing the reoriented bulb, roots-first, into a holder;
- wherein the method comprises:
- transferring the picked bulb from the pick-and-place head, shoot-first and roots-last, to a transfer-receptacle comprising at least one bulb-receptor, wherein said bulb-receptor temporarily clutches said bulb.
A transfer-receptable for receiving bulbs, comprising:
- an array of bulb-receptors configured to temporarily clutch a plurality of bulbs in a fixed array, such that the plurality of bulbs stay in position when rotating the transfer receptacle around an axis, wherein said bulb-receptors are each configured to receive a bulb-shoot such that the bulb-shoot faces the transfer-receptacle.
The apparatus of 14 further comprising a supply of pin bearing hydroponic holders;
- wherein the transfer-receptacle and the holder supply are configured for relative movement to impale bulbs in supplied pin bearing holders.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.