US 5,209,170 AGranted

Setting machine

AssigneeShadan Hojin Naganoken Nokyo Chiiki Kaihatsu Kiko

InventorEtsuo Kobayashi

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Abstract

A setting machine for transplanting plugged seedlings of vegetables along predetermined transplantation ridges in a field used in combination with seedling culture trays made of synthetic resin and formed with cells as through-holes. The setting machine includes a taking-out device for supporting the seedling culture trays and for selectively taking the seedlings out of open bottoms of the cells successively. The taking-out device includes a selecting member adapted to be two-dimensionally positioned in a plane in parallel with the bottom surface of the seedling culture tray, and formed with selecting holes to be aligned with the cells of the seedling culture tray. The setting machine further includes a transfer device for forcibly transferring the seedlings taken out of the cells to a predetermined position by the action of negative pressure, and a transplanting device for transplanting the seedlings into the ground along predetermined transplantation ridges. The setting machine is capable of performing all the operations from taking-out to transplantation of the seedlings completely mechanically, and accomplish remarkable improvement in operation efficiency with significant labor saving, particularly in transplanting seedlings along multiple ridges in fields.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A setting machine which includes a movable vehicle body comprising:

seedling culture tray support means for supporting and holding stationary a seedling culture tray made of a synthetic resin having a plurality of cells containing seedlings to be transplanted;
selector means for selectively taking the seedlings out of predetermined cells of said tray successively under negative pressure;
seedling transfer means for forcibly transferring the taken out seedlings to a predetermined position under negative pressure, said transfer means including a transfer pipe having an upstream end for receiving the taken out seedlings and a downstream end horizontally offset with respect to said upstream end, and a negative pressure source connected to said transfer pipe at said downstream end for forcibly transporting the seedlings along said transfer pipe to the predetermined position;
and transplanting means for receiving the seedlings transferred to the predetermined position thereat and transplanting them into ground, and wherein said selector means comprises selecting means formed with at least one selecting hole and means for moving said selecting means relative to the stationary seedling culture trays in predetermined directions in a plane which is parallel with a bottom surface of the seedling culture tray to bring said at least one selecting hole into alignment with predetermined cells of the seedling culture tray successively.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.