# US 9,516,819 B2 · Apparatus and method for placing plant cuttings and cutting holding unit for planting cuttings in a cultivation medium > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,516,819 B2 - Document ID: US9516819B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/949,338 - Filed: 2013-07-24 - Published: 2013-12-19 - Granted: 2016-12-13 - Earliest claimed: 2011-01-24 - Assignees: IG Specials B.V. - Applicants: IG Specials B.V. - Inventors: Wim Struijk; Wim Van Der El; Dirk Jan De Koning; Willem Nicolaas Schouten - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9516819B2 ## CPC - A01G 9/083: {Devices for setting plants in pots} - A01G 9/085: {Devices for setting seeds in pots} - B25J 15/0028: {with movable, e.g. pivoting gripping jaw surfaces} - A01G: HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING (picking of fruits, vegetables, hops or the like A01D46/00; propagating unicellular algae C12N1/12) - B25J: MANIPULATORS; CHAMBERS PROVIDED WITH MANIPULATION DEVICES ({manipulators specially adapted for use in surgery A61B34/70; manipulators used in cleaning hollow articles B08B9/04}; manipulators associated with rolling mills B21B39/20; manipulators associated with forging machines B21J13/10; {manipulators associated with picking-up and placing mechanisms B23P19/007}; means for holding wheels or parts thereof B60B30/00; {vehicles with ground-engaging propulsion means, e.g. walking members B62D57/02, B62D57/032; devices for picking-up and depositing articles or materials between conveyors B65G47/90, B65G47/91; manipulators with gripping or holding means for transferring packages B65H67/065}; cranes B66C; {manipulators used in the protection or supervision of pipe-line installations F17D5/00; walking equipment adapted for nuclear steam-generators F22B37/006}; manipulators specially adapted for, or associated with, nuclear reactors G21C; {apparatus used for handling wafers during manufacture or treatment of semiconductor H10P72/50}) ## Abstract The present invention relates to an apparatus for placing cuttings of plants in a cultivation medium. The apparatus has a cuttings supply system for supplying a plurality of cuttings, a camera system for identifying cuttings among the plurality of cuttings that are suitable for individual pick up using pattern recognition, a pick-up tool for picking up cuttings identified by the camera system, and a planting system for simultaneously planting multiple cuttings in the cultivation medium. The planting system and the pick-up tool are separate entities. Furthermore, the pick-up tool is arranged for suitably placing picked-up cuttings in the planting system. ## Claims ### Claim 1 Apparatus for placing cuttings of plants in a cultivation medium comprising: a cuttings supply system for supplying a plurality of cuttings; a camera system for identifying cuttings among the plurality of cuttings provided by the supply system that are for individual pick up using pattern recognition; a pick-up tool for picking up cuttings identified by the camera system among the plurality of cuttings; a planting system for simultaneously planting multiple cuttings in the cultivation medium, wherein the planting system and the pick-up tool are separate entities and the pick-up tool is arranged for placing picked-up cuttings in the planting system; and one or more cutting holding units for planting cuttings in a cultivation medium comprising a cutting clamp comprising two opposing members for clamping a portion of a cutting at a clamping position, and further comprising a holding device comprising two opposing members for supporting the cutting at a position closer to the cutting end that is to be put into the cultivation medium than the clamping position. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the planting system comprises: a planting unit for accommodating multiple cuttings in a predetermined orientation; and an indentation unit for indenting the cultivation medium before planting such that the planting unit can plant the multiple cuttings in corresponding indentations in the cultivation medium made by the indentation unit. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the planting unit comprises a frame, the planting unit and the indentation unit both being connected to the frame. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pick-up tool is arranged to place picked cuttings in the cutting clamps such that the distance between the clamping position and a cutting end to be planted in the cultivation medium is substantially the same for each cutting. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pick-up tool is arranged to pick up a cutting at a predetermined distance from a cutting end to be planted in the cultivation medium in dependence of one or more images obtained with the camera system. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cuttings supply system comprises an irregularly moveable surface for supporting the supplied cuttings. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) Apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a control unit for controlling a movement program to be applied to the irregularly moveable surface in dependence of one or more images obtained with the camera system. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) Apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cultivation medium supply unit for supplying the cultivation medium to the planting system. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the cultivation medium supply unit comprises a conveyor belt for supplying the cultivation medium, the conveyor belt being aligned with the indentation unit and the planting unit. ### Claim 10 Method of placing cuttings of plants in a cultivation medium comprising: providing a plurality of cuttings via a cuttings supply system; identifying individual cuttings among the plurality of cuttings for individual pick up by means of a camera system using pattern recognition; picking up an identified cutting with a pick-up tool and placing the picked up cutting into a planting system; clamping the cutting with a cutting clamp of the planting system; holding the cutting with a holding device of the planting system; and planting the placed cutting in the cultivation medium with the planting system. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) Method according to claim 10, wherein the method further comprises indenting the cultivation medium, and wherein the placed cuttings are planted in the indentations within the cultivation medium. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) Method according to claim 10, further comprising supplying the cultivation medium via a conveyor belt. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) Method according to claim 10, wherein the planting system comprises a plurality of cutting clamps for clamping a portion of the cuttings at a clamping position, and wherein placing comprises placing picked cuttings in the cutting clamps such that the distance between the clamping position and a cutting end to be planted in the cultivation medium is substantially the same for each cutting. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) Method according to claim 10, wherein picking up identified cuttings comprises picking up a cutting at a predetermined distance from a cutting end to be planted in the cultivation medium in dependence of one or more images obtained with the camera system. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) Method according to claim 10, wherein the cuttings supply system includes an irregularly moveable surface, and wherein providing cuttings includes controlling the irregularly moveable surface to obtain cuttings for individual pick up. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) Method according to claim 15, wherein the irregularly moveable surface is communicatively coupled to a control unit provided with a movement program, and wherein controlling the irregularly moveable surface comprises activating the movement program in dependence of one or more images obtained with the camera system. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) Computer readable medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon for performing, when executed by a processor, the method as defined by claim 10. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) Method according to claim 10, wherein placing cuttings of plants in a cultivation comprises repeating the picking up and suitably placing until a predetermined number of cuttings is placed in the planting system.