Automated planter
AssigneeUltraCell Corporation
InventorsChristopher George Fountain, Nicholas Fountain, Robin Charles Fountain
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An automated planter includes a locating device arranged to locate a propagation tray; at least one plant extraction device adapted to pull a plant out of a propagation tray located by the locating device; and a delivery assembly arranged to receive a plant extracted by the at least one plant extraction device and deliver the received plant to the ground. The planter lifts the plants out of their cells in the tray by inserting fingers, which are caused to converge to pinch the root ball. A plant transport includes two tracks, such that one can be loaded while the other is transporting plants to the delivery assembly.
Claims37
An automated planter comprising:
- a) at least one extraction device adapted to extract a plant out of a propagation tray;
- b) a delivery assembly arranged to receive extracted plants and to deliver the plants to ground;
- c) a plant transport arranged to receive extracted plants from the at least one extraction device to present said plants to the delivery assembly, the plant transport comprising:
- i) first and a second plant conveyors, each conveyor being adapted to receive extracted plants, and
- ii) a control operable to hold one conveyor in a static state to receive the plants from said at least one plant extraction device while the second conveyor is driven to present previously deposited plants to the delivery assembly.
A method of automated planting, comprising the steps of:
- a) extracting plants out of a propagation tray by at least one plant extraction device;
- b) receiving the extracted plants from the at least one extraction device by a plant transport;
- and
- c) receiving the extracted plants from the plant transport to a delivery assembly and delivering the extracted plants to ground by a delivery assembly,
- d) wherein said step of receiving the extracted plants from the at least one extraction device includes the steps of:
- i) receiving the extracted plants onto first and second plant conveyors, and
- ii) controlling the conveyors to hold one conveyor in a static state to receive the plants from said at least one extraction device while driving the second conveyor to present previously deposited plants to the delivery assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.