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AssigneeWeirton Steel Corporation
InventorsRichard Harrison, Deborah Harrison, Peter B. Zuhoski, Jr.
Estimating the term…
An automatic transplanter utilizes relatively simple mechanical structure to so securely engage the root-bound plug of a seedling that the plug and seedling may be rapidly (a) lifted out of its small germination compartment, (b) horizontally transported to correct vertical register with its newly assigned soil-filled and dibbled larger compartment, and (c) accurately positioned in and discharged into the dibbled cavity. An illustrative relatively short two-second cycle is described wherein plural seedlings are thus concurrently transplanted, for each such cycle, from individual small compartments on a first periodically advanced conveyor of a two-dimensional array of germinated seedlings to correct individual larger compartments on a second conveyor that is also periodically advanced, but at a recurrence rate and incremental advance which differ from that of the first conveyor. All operations, including those involved in a multiple-plant pick-up, transport, and discharge, as well as dibbling, conveyor-advance increments and timing, and even automatic tagging of individual transplanted pottings, are under suitably programmed PC-computer control, and provision is made for such flexibility in setting up the apparatus as to adapt the same to changes in the two-dimensional array configurations and compartment-size proportions which may be involved in the automated transplanting of different varieties of plant seedlings.
A seedling pick-up and release device comprising a frame, a picking head guided with respect to said frame for vertical reciprocating strokes between upper and lower limits of picking-head reciprocation with respect to said frame, a picking slide guided on said picking head for vertical reciprocating strokes between upper and lower limits of picking-slide reciprocation with respect to said head, plural flexible prongs carried in spaced array by said picking slide and projecting downwardly below said picking slide, each of said prongs in unstressed condition extending in its own curvilinear course, guide means forming part of said head and individually guiding the lower ends of said prongs in substantially parallel vertically oriented array when said picking slide is in its upper limit of reciprocation with respect to said head;
A seedling pick-up and release device comprising an elongate body having elongate slide-guide means between upper and lower ends, a picking slide guided for reciprocating strokes between said ends, plural flexible prongs carried in spaced array by said picking slide and projecting downwardly below said picking slide, each of said prongs in unstressed condition extending on its own curvilinear course, prong-guide means forming part of said body and individually guiding the lower ends of said prongs in spaced array in substantially parallel relation to the elongate direction of said slide-guide means, and selectively operable actuating means for effecting stroke-reciprocating displacement of said picking slide;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.