Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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AUTOMATED PLANTER FOR PLANTING SEEDLINGS IN OBSTACLE-STREWN AND/OR
UNEVEN TERRAIN
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to devices for planting seedlings. More
particularly,
the present invention relates to an automated seedling planter for planting
seedlings in
obstacle-strewn and/or uneven terrain.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This background and documents mentioned below are provided for the purpose of
making known information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance
to the
present invention, and in particular allowing the reader to understand
advantages of the
invention over devices and methods known to the inventor, but not necessarily
public. No
admission is necessarily intended, nor should be construed as admitting, that
any of the
following documents or methods known to the inventor constitute legally
citable prior art
against the present invention.
CA 2,343,911 entitled "Tree Planting Mound Preparation Apparatus" teaches, in
Fig.
7 thereof, an excavator 26 modified to have a disc blade 7 mounded on a distal
end of the
excavator moveable arm, replacing the excavator bucket normally there
situated. CA '911
does not teach any means or device for injecting seedlings into soil, nor any
manner or
apparatus to provide seedlings at the distal end of the moveable arm 18.
US 6,343,663 entitled "Horizontal Boring Apparatus" teaches, in Fig. 1
thereof, an
crawler excavator 10 having a hydraulically powered rotary drive mechanism 30
attached to
a distal end of the excavator moveable articulated arm 18, replacing the
excavator bucket
normally there situated, for powering a helical boring tool. US '663 does not
teach any means
or device for injecting seedlings into soil, nor any manner or apparatus to
provide seedlings
at the distal end of the moveable arm 18.
US 5,222,563 entitled "Mulching Apparatus" to the within inventor, teaches a
powered
excavator-type vehicle 10 having a maniuplable boom 12, to which mulching
apparatus 14 is
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removably coupled. Hydraulic connections are provided between boom 12 and
mulching
apparatus 14 to power hydraulic motor 16. A mulching head 24 at the distal end
of the
maniuplable boom 12, has a rotatable base plate 37, having protruding cutting
teeth 42, 44.
US '563 does not teach any means or device for injecting seedlings into soil,
nor any manner
or apparatus to provide seedlings at the distal end of the moveable arm 18.
US 3,818,957 entitled "Land Clearing and Tree Planting Site Preparation
Apparatus"
teaches a tracked vehicle such as a bulldozer or skid-steer device, having a
boom means for
mounting a rotating cutting and tree planting site preparation wheel.
Hydraulic motor means
are provided for rotating shafts powering the cutting/side preparation wheel.
US 4,413,661 entitled "Boom Mount" teaches a mobile tree processor having a
boom
member reciprocally mounted thereon, wherein the boom member can be raised and
lowered
while it remains horizontal and parallel to the ground. US '661 does not teach
any means or
device for injecting seedlings into soil, nor any manner or apparatus to
provide seedlings at
the distal end of the boom 30.
US 4,351,253 entitled "Tree Planter and Trailer" teaches a truck having a
digger
mounted to an hydraulically mounted boom pivotally mounted at one end to the
frame fo the
truck, and a trailer which can be towed by the truck.
US 2006/0156590 entitled "Tree Root Pruning Apparatus and Method of Use"
teaches a tracked vehicle with an articulated machine arm, with root pruning
vibratory
apparatus affixed to the distal end of such machine arm.
US 6,343,659 entitled "Mini Shrub Spader" teaches a hydraulically actuated U-
blade,
which is attached to a frame which has at its opposite end a three-point hitch
arrangement for
attachment to a 3-point hitch on the back of a tractor.
Notably with regard to the above , none of such prior art documents not teach
any
means or device for injecting seedlings into soil, nor any manner or apparatus
to provide
seedlings at the distal end of the boom 30 to allow for successive injection
of a plurality of
seedlings simultaneously into soil.
Tracts of forested or burned land having residual tree stumps and/or tree
snags, or
alternatively rocky land, all traditionally require significant site
preparation using mechanized
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equipment such as bulldozers, rock pickers and the like, before conventional
seedling
planting devices can operate to plant trees on such tracts of land.
While mechanized site preparation in the above manner is not needed when large
labour forces of humans, who may manually navigate and avoid such obstacles
when
planting small trees and seedlings, such alternative necessarily has high cost
drawbacks.
Accordingly, a real need exists in the silviculture industry for automated
seedling and
small tree planting apparatus which can not only successively inject a
plurality of seedlings or
small trees simultaneously into soil, and do so continuously in a relatively
rapid and efficient
manner using few human operators, but which may also be able to do so over
obstacle-
strewn landscape.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To meet the aforesaid need in the silviculture industry, it is an object of
the invention
to provide an automated seedling planter machine which efficiently automates
the act of
planting and optionally cultivating seedlings on obstacle-strewn terrain.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automated
seedling planter
which provides improvement in speed in planting and associated costs over the
heretofore
required common practice of using manual labor used in planting sites having
uneven terrain
or terrain having obstacles therein such as tree stumps which sites have
heretofore required
manual labor for seedling planting.
It is a still further object of certain embodiments of the present invention
to provide a
planting apparatus which can be comparatively easily fabricated by making
modification to
existing mass-produced equipment, such as an earth excavator.
A spacing between seedlings being planted at a particular site varies
depending on
climactic conditions, soil quality, and type of seedling being planted, and
also due to the
presence of haphazard obstacles which may be strewn over .a terrain and which
otherwise
precludes consistent and uniform planting of seedlings by an automated
planter, it is a still-
further object to provide a seedling planting apparatus whereby seedling
injectors thereon
may be quickly repositioned so as to thereby adjust the spacing between
seedlings when
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planted.
Accordingly, in a first broad embodiment the present invention provides an
automated
seedling planter for planting seedlings in ground, comprising:
a powered vehicle configured to traverse said ground, having a cab thereon
for an operator;
an elongate, powered, moveable arm, a proximal end of which is secured to
said vehicle and a distal end of which is extendable outwardly from said
vehicle;
an elongate boom member, mounted at said distal end of said moveable arm
at least portions of which are disposed parallel to said ground;
a plurality of seedling injectors for planting seedlings in said ground,
mounted
in spaced relation along a length of said elongate boom member, said plurality
of
seedling injectors comprising at least a pair of seedling injectors mounted on
mutually
opposite ends of said boom member;
said seedling injectors each comprising soil-engaging members for piercing
and/or tilling the ground when injecting said seedlings in said ground;
a bin, configured to contain said seedlings; and
a plurality of flexible hoses extending from said bin to respectively each of
said
seedling injectors, for successively supplying individual of said seedlings
from said
bin to each of said seedling injectors for planting in said ground.
In an alternative embodiment the seedling planter of the present invention is
fabricated by modifying a commercially available excavator. Such
advantageously provides a
tracked vehicle readily adapted to the further modifications set out herein.
Accordingly, in such further aspect of the invention, such planter comprises:
a modified earth excavator having tracks for propelling said modified earth
excavator over said ground, having:
(i) a cab thereon for an operator to control said seedling planter;
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(ii) an elongate, powered moveable arm, a distal end of which is
vertically- positionable and extendable outwardly from said modified
earth excavator;
(iii) an elongate boom member mounted at said distal end of said
moveable arm and replacing a normally-situated excavator bucket at
said distal end of said moveable arm, said elongate boom member
extending parallel to said ground;
(iv) a plurality of seedling injectors mounted along a length of said
elongate boom member, said plurality of seedling injectors comprising
at least a pair of seedling injectors mounted on mutually opposite ends
of said boom member;
(v) said seedling injectors each containing soil-engaging members for
piercing and/or tilling the ground when injecting seedlings in said
ground;
(vi) a bin, configured to contain said seedlings; and
(vii) a plurality of flexible hoses extending from said bin to respectively
each of said seedling injectors, for supplying individual seedlings
from said bin to each of said seedling injectors.
In both embodiments, the flexible hoses are preferably are vacuum hoses.
Supply of
seedlings to each of said seedling injectors is achieved by the seedling
injectors withdrawing
air from an associated of said hoses extending to said bin.
In both embodiments, each of the seedling injectors may further be provided
with soil
tillage appendages protruding from a ventral position thereon, such soil
tillage appendages
engaging the ground during injection of a seedling in the ground, and adapted
to be
reciprocated in a back and forth manner at a time of injection of a seedling
in said ground by
a respective seedling injector.
Advantageously, by the automated seedling planter of the present invention
having a
boom member mounted on a movable arm numerous advantages useful for efficient
and
automated planting can be realized.
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By way of few non-limiting examples, as a first example, by having the boom
member
effectively replace the excavator bucket of a commercially-available
excavator, the movable
arm and boom member may be swung if desired from a normal position directly in
front of the
seedling planter to an offset position to the side of the planter.
Specifically, by swinging the
moveable arm and boom member to the side of the automated planter. If the boom
rotation
feature is further incorporated, the boom member when swung to the side may
still, if desired,
be maintained perpendicular to the direction of travel. In either scenario, by
having the boom
member and seedling injectors situated to the side of the vehicle, such
capability is
particularly useful where the spacing of seedling injectors along the length
of the boom
members crowded and planting seedlings using the seedling injectors in front
of the seedling
planter would result in some of the planted seedlings being crushed by the
tracks when the
planter passes forwardly and over them.
As a second example, having seedling injectors mounted on a boom member
parallel
to the ground advantageously allows for adjustable positioning of at least the
seedling
injectors on mutually opposite ends of the boom member, .which is extremely
useful for
obstacle avoidance.
As a third benefit of the design, which provides for mounting of the seedling
injectors
on the boom member , the ends for such boom member may be made pivotable,
wherein
one or both of the ends may be temporarily raised to allow for obstacle
avoidance and
passage of such boom member and seedling planter past such obstacle, such as a
remaining tree in an otherwise burned forest area that is being re-planted
after a fire, or to
avoid a stump in a previously logged area that is now being re-seeded.
Pivotable ends of the boom member also allow for folding over of the pivotable
ends,
so as to reduce the width of the planter apparatus to allow transportation of
such planter
apparatus on roadways having a lesser width and thus be able to meet width
limitations for
travel over such roadways.
In a preferred embodiment of the seedling planter, ends of the boom member are
extended and retracted by powered means, such as by a hydraulic cylinder
supplied by
pressurized hydraulic fluid from the vehicle. A pair of hydraulic cylinders,
for example, may be
mounted proximate mutually opposite respective ends of the boom member, and
when
actuated extend or retract such mutually opposite ends. The mutually opposite
ends typically
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have mounted thereon a seedling injector, and in such manner the position of
each seedling
injector at such mutually opposite ends of the boom member may be individually
altered. This
feature is particularly advantageous if an obstacle were to be encountered on
the terrain
being seeded, and relocation of one seedling injector on the boom member is
needed to
temporarily avoid the obstacle to allow further progression of the automated
seeder, or to
allow a non-uniform positioning of a seedling which is unable to be located in
a uniform
position due to an obstacle such as tree stump, rock, or the like.
In a refinement, the boom member may be provided with powered separator means
thereon for altering a distance separating two or more seedling injectors on
said boom
member from each other. The powered separator means is actuated and controlled
by the
operator from the cab of the seedling planter. The powered separator means for
varying or
altering the separation of the plurality of seedling injectors between each
other may take the
form of hydraulic cylinders or other means of motive power such as electric
motors driving
gearing which relocates the seedling injectors along the boom member. Such
feature
advantageously allows the avoidance of interference of a seedling injector on
the boom
member with a local obstacle, such as a tree stump, and may also allow
variably adjust the
separation distance of seedling injectors on the boom member to quickly allow
more dense or
less dense planting of seedlings.
In an embodiment of the invention where the automated seedling planter is
constructed by modifying a commercially-available earth excavator and the
excavator bucket
replaced by the boom member of the present invention, the powered means for
extending
and retracting ends of said boom member is coupled to and controlled by
hydraulic pressure
lines which otherwise would have been used by said operator to control said
otherwise
normally-situated excavator bucket on said moveable arm. In such manner the
automated
seeding apparatus may be relatively easily manufactured from modifications
made to a
commercially¨available vehicle with only retrofitting of a commercially
¨available excavator
being required.
Depending on the types of seedlings, the quality and fertility of the soil in
which the
seedlings are being planted, and local meteorological conditions such as the
amount of
annual rainfall received, the spacing between planted seedlings may wish to be
adjusted,
prior to commencing seeding.
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While altering the distance separating the seedling injectors along the boom
member
may be done using powered means, alternatively, the separation of the seedling
injectors on
the boom member may be manually adjusted, prior to the commencement of
seedling
planting, so as to thereby beforehand adjust the spacing of seedlings being
planted. In such
an embodiment each seedling injector mounted on said boom member is further
provided
with a position adjustment mechanism to allow altering or varying spacing of
seedling
injectors along said boom member. Such position adjustment means may be a
powered
means, such as a hydraulic cylinder, or may be a manual relocation means, such
as a series
of slidable positions with a manually operated pin which may be inserted to
thereby lock each
seedling injector at a desired slidable position along the boom member. Where
a manual
relocation capability is provided, an operator may, prior to commencement of
planting,
manually adjust the position of the seedling injectors along the boom member.
Such
adjustment mechanism also allows more seedling injectors to be added on the
boom
member and the spacing of remaining seedling injectors already mounted on the
boom
member to be slidably adjusted, so as to maintain uniform spaced apart
distance between
each.
In a further refinement, the boom member is comprised of two half-members
extending perpendicularly outwardly from respective mutually opposite sides of
said distal
end of said moveable arm. Each of the half-members are provided with a
pivotable wrist
member pivotably mounted at an outboard end of each of said half-members. The
pivotable
wrist members are each respectively coupled to a respective hydraulic cylinder
to allow
powered upward pivoting of each wrist member when the respective hydraulic
cylinder is
actuated by said operator. In such manner, with selective upward pivoting of
the wrist
members, low obstacles such as stumps can be passed over by the seeder
planter. Also,
upward pivoting of both wrist members effectively decreases the width of the
boom member,
useful for transporting the automated seedling planter over roadways of lesser
width.
In a further refinement, a boom-rotating means may be provided at the distal
end of
said moveable arm, for rotating said boom member within a plane parallel to
said ground.
Typically, the boom-rotating means will only allow a maximum rotation in one
direction of a
900 arc, due to otherwise causing twisting or parting of flexible tubing lines
used in conveying
seedlings from the bin to each of the seedling injectors (see further
discussion of flexible
tubing lines, below). Preferably, the boom-rotating means is powered to allow
the planter-
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operator to rotate the boom member remotely from the cab of the seedling
planter.
In an embodiment of the invention where the automated seedling planter is
constructed by modifying a commercially-available earth excavator and the
excavator bucket
replaced by the boom member of the present invention, the boom-rotating means
is may be
powered by and physically coupled to hydraulic pressure lines which otherwise
would have
been used by said operator to control said normally-situated excavator bucket
on said
moveable arm.
In a further aspect of the present invention, the design lends itself to being
able to
load and unload a bin containing seedlings, which bin is transported by the
seedling planter
of the present invention.
Accordingly, in a further refinement of the present invention, the seedling
planter
further comprises a powered gantry for lifting the bin onto the seedling
planter, and for
demounting said bin from the vehicle when supply of seedlings therein is
exhausted. The
powered gantry may further possess bin-engaging apparatus for releasably
engaging said
bin to allow said powered gantry to lift said bin onto said vehicle and to
demount said bin
from said vehicle.
Preferably, the moveable arm which is pivotably mounted on the seedling
planter,
may further be pivoted from side to side of the vehicle when desired by said
operator.
Where used herein, the term "excavator" means and includes include a tracked
vehicle or rubber-tyred loader, unless followed with a specific reference to
the excavator
being a tracked excavator.
In addition, where the term "seedling" is used, such may include a young tree
and/or a
germinated seed, and further includes and is not limited to tree cuttings
(e.g. twigs without
roots), seedlings in earth plugs with or without biodegradable wrappings, and
seeds or
embryos.
The above summary of the invention does not necessarily describe all features
of the
invention.
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For a complete description of the invention, reference is to further be had to
the
drawings and the detailed description of some preferred embodiments, read
together with the
claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further advantages and other embodiments of the invention will now appear from
the above along with the following detailed description of the various
particular embodiments
of the invention taken together with the accompanying drawings, each of which
are intended
to be non-limiting, in which:
FIG. 1 is depicts a front perspective view of the automated seedling planter
of the
present invention, positioned to plant seedlings in the ground, and which
employs a gantry
system for mounting a bin containing seedlings on the rear of the automated
seedling
planter;
FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the automated seedling planter shown in
Fig. 1,
depicting further depicting the gantry system for loading and demounting the
bin containing
seedlings;
FIG. 3 is a front view of the automated seedling planter of the present
invention,
wherein the moveable arm is swung to the side of the seedling planter so that
the boom
member is aligned at a transverse angle to the direction of travel of the
automated planter, to
thereby plant seedlings with a foreshortened distance of separation between
them if the
position of the seedling injectors on the boom member is fixed on such boom
member;
FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of an embodiment of the automated seedling
planter of the present invention, having the feature wherein the boom member
may be
pivoted about the distal end of the movable arm, so as to allow planting of
seedlings with a
foreshortened distance of separation between them if the position of the
seedling injectors on
the boom member is fixed on such boom member;
FIG. 5 in an enlarged view of an embodiment of the boom member of the
automated seedling planter of the present invention, such boom member having
the features
of extendable mutually opposite ends (wrist elements) and thus the ability to
reposition the
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seedling injectors on such mutually opposite ends, and further having
additional hydraulic
cylinders to allow, when desired, pivotable folding of one or both of the
wrist elements for the
purpose of obstacle avoidance and/or transportation of the automated seedling
planter, such
as by flatbed trailer, when not being used;
FIG. 6 is a forward- looking view from the cab of the automated seedling
planter of
the present invention, when the boom member thereof initially encounters an
obstacle which
otherwise obstructs the planting by one of the seedling injectors on such boom
member;
FIG. 7 is a similar forward- looking view from the cab of the automated
seedling
planter of the present invention, with one of the hydraulic cylinders on the
boom member
having been actuated by the operator so as to extend the boom member at one
end so as to
thereby reposition one of the seedling injectors and avoid the obstacle (tree
stump) and
thereby allow planting;
FIG. 8 is a frontal view of the automated seedling planter of the present
invention,
wherein the ends of the boom member (wrist elements) have been partially
pivotably folded,
to reduce the length of the boom member, to avoid obstacles and/or when about
to be
transported on, for example , the flatbed of a tractor trailer truck;
FIG. 9 is a cut-away view of one embodiment of the seedling injector for use
in the
automated seedling planter of the present invention;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the automated seedling planter of the present
invention, having as an optional accessory a skid which may have a bin of
seedlings loaded
thereon, and which may be towed by the automated seedling planter of the
present invention;
FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view of an alternative gantry mounting
system, for
mounting and demounting a bin containing seedlings onto and from the rear of
the
automated seedling planter; and
FIG. 12 is a partial cut-away view of the seedling injector of Fig. 9, further
showing
one embodiment of the manner, using loop brackets, by which the seedling
injectors may be
slidably mounted or removed from the boom member.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SOME PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the following description, similar and functionally equivalent components
in the
drawings are identified with corresponding same reference numerals.
Reference to an element in the singular, such as by use of the article "a" or
"an" is
not intended to mean "one and only one" unless specifically so stated, but
rather "one or
more".
Fig.s 1-4 depict an automated seedling planter 10 of the present invention for
planting seedlings 42 in ground 11. Fig. 1 depicts a forward perspective view
(Fig. 1) the
automated seedling planter 10; Fig. 2 a rear perspective view; Fig. 3 a
frontal perspective
view when a side method of planting seedlings is employed (typically when
seedling spacing
is such that tracks 14 of the vehicle 12 would otherwise overrun the planted
seedlings 42 if a
frontal planting position of moveable are 20 was employed), and Fig. 4 being a
rear
perspective view of a further embodiment of automated seedling planter 10
which employs
a boom-rotating means 70 to rotate the boom 24 in a plane parallel to ground
11.
As may be generally seen from Fig.s 1-4, automated seedling planter 10
comprises a powered vehicle 12 having tracks 14 for traversing difficult
terrain or loose or
muddy ground 11. Powered vehicle 12 typically comprises a modified earth
excavator having
an excavator bucket (not shown) removed from a distal end 22 of a powered
articulated
moveable arm 20 ,and a boom member 24 coupled to moveable arm 20 at distal end
22
thereof. Moveable arm 20 on tracked vehicle 12 is preferably capable of being
swung from
side to side of vehicle 12 by the operator as is common for earth excavators.
Proximal end
23 of moveable arm 20 is pivotably secured to vehicle 12.
Advantageously, in place of the excavator bucket (not shown) there is provided
an
elongate boom member 24 mounted at the distal end 22 of moveable articulated
arm 20.
Elongate boom member 24 extends horizontally and perpendicularly outwardly
from distal
end 22 of moveable arm 20.
A plurality of seedling injectors 28 are mounted in spaced relation to each
other
along a length of elongate boom member 24. Seedling injectors 28 inject
seedlings 42 into
ground 11 during travel of automated seedling planter 10 in a forward
direction as shown in
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Fig. 1. Boom member 24 possesses at least a pair (28a, 28b) of seeding
injectors 28
mounted on mutually opposite ends (29a, 29b) respectively of boom member 24.
(see Fig. 5)
As may be best seen from Fig.'s 5, 9, & 12 seedling injectors 28 each comprise
soil-
engaging and/or soil tillage members 30a, 30b protruding from a ventral
position. Soil
tillage members 30a, 30b are configured so as to reciprocate in a back and
forth manner as
more fully explained herein at the time or immediately prior to injection of a
seedling 42 in
ground 11 by a respective seedling injector 28, so allow tillage of earth
around the seedling
42 or breaking up of ground 11 in preparation for seedling injection in ground
11. Such
feature is particularly useful if planting is being done in winter and the
ground otherwise be
frozen, or if the ground 11 is otherwise hard or compacted, and also for
tillage of unwanted
plant material at the location of seedling planting.
A seedling bin 40 for containing seedlings 42 on vehicle 12 prior to their
being
planted by seedling planter 10, may be mounted on seedling planter 10,
preferably at the
rear of vehicle 12, as shown in Figs. 1-4.
To allow seedlings 42 in bin 40 to be rapidly and efficiently supplied to each
seedling
injector 28 for planting, the seedling planter 10 of the present invention
utilizes a plurality of
flexible hoses 44 extending from bin 40 respectively to each of seedling
injectors 28. In a
preferred embodiment, flexible hoses 44 are vacuum hoses. In such embodiment,
the supply
of seedlings 42 to each of said seedling injectors 28 is achieved by said
seedling injectors 28
withdrawing air from an associated respective vacuum hose 44 extending from
such
respective seedling injector 28 to bin 40, to thereby withdraw seedlings 42
through such
vacuum hose 44 to a respective seedling injector 28 for injection into ground
11.
In a preferred embodiment as best shown in Fig. 5, boom member 24 is provided
with
powered means 95a, 95b for extending and retracting one or both of mutually
opposite
ends 29a, 29b of boom member 24, so as to thereby alter distance and/or
`d2' separating
a pair 28a, 28b of seedling injectors 28a, 28b which are respectively situated
at mutually
opposite ends 29a, 29b of boom member 24. Powered means 95a, 95b may comprise
any
motive force, such as a piston and cylinder powered by hydraulic fluid or
compressed air, or
an electric or pneumatically-powered motor. In a preferred embodiment powered
means
comprises hydraulic cylinders 95a, 95b as shown in Fig. 5.
Advantageously and by way of illustrative example, as best shown in successive
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Figs. 6 & 7, should seedling planter 10 approach an obstacle such as a tree
stump 52 at a
location which would otherwise interfere with seedling injector 28b planting a
seedling 42 at
such location (ref. Fig. 6), hydraulic cylinder 95b may be actuated to extend
end 29b
telescopically outwardly from pivotable wrist member 27b of boom member 24, to
thereby
avoid tree stump 52 when boom member 24 is lowered so as to contact ground 11
and allow
seedling injector 28b to then inject a seedling at a location other than at
the location of stump
52.
In a refinement, powered means 95a, 95b may be provided for each seedling
injector
28 situated along boom member 24 to further provide capability of individually
adjusting
distances separating not only h the pair of seedling injectors 28a, 28b
mounted on mutually
opposite ends 29a, 29b of boom member 24 but all individual seedling injectors
28 along
boom member 24. Such feature is useful and advantageous for not only avoiding
obstacles,
such as tree stumps in the example depicted in Figs. 6 & 7 for each seedling
injector 28, but
is also advantageous for adjusting simultaneously the spacing distances 'd'
separating each
seedling injector 28 from another. In such manner spacing distance "d1", `d2"
etc. may be
varied by the seedling planter operator when using seedling planter 10 at
different seedling
locations and with different types of seedlings 42, without having the
operator of the seedling
planter 10 be forced to exit from cab 16 to manually relocate spacing of
seedling injectors 28
along boom member 24 in the manner below explained.
If no powered means 95a, 95b is provided for automated re-positioning of
seedling
injectors 28 along boom member 24, in an alternative embodiment seedling
injectors 28 may
nonetheless be manually repositioned along boom member 24 via a position-
adjustment
mechanism 50a, 50b to allow spacing distances 'd' separating each seedling
injector 28
from another to nevertheless still be adjusted. Advantageously, this feature
allows
adjustment of spacing between seedlings, for different seedling locations and
with different
types of seedlings 42.
In such embodiment, as best showing in Fig. 5 & Fig. 12, each of seedling
injectors
28 are slidably mounted on boom member 24 via (and position-adjustment
mechanism 50a,
50b comprises) a pair of inverted cup-shaped brackets 53, each bracket member
having an
aperture 51 therein for receiving a locking pin 50. Boom member 24 is likewise
provided
with a plurality of apertures 51 therealong for receiving locking pin 50.
Repositioning of a
seeding injector 28 along boom member 24 is accomplished by removing locking
pin 50,
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slidably repositioning seedling injectors 24 along boom member 24 to a desired
position
having a uniform desired separation between seedling injectors 28, and
reinserting locking
pin 50 when each seedling injector 28 is at a location when aperture 51 in
inverted cup-
shaped bracket 53 is aligned with corresponding aperture 51 in boom member 24
at the
desired spacing distance. As shown in Fig. 5, such manual means of
repositioning seedling
injectors 28 along boom member 24 may be used in combination with powered
means 95a,
95b.
In a further refinement of seedling planter 10, and as best shown in Fig. 8
and Fig. 5,
further capability of the boom member 24 of pivotable folding of boom member
24 on each
of respective opposite sides of moveable arm 20 is provided. In such further
refinement
boom member 24 is comprised of two half-members 25a, 25b extending
respectively
perpendicularly outwardly of respective mutually opposite sides of distal end
22 of moveable
arm 20. Each of half-members 26a, 26b are provided with a respective pivotable
wrist
members 27a, 27b pivotably mounted at and to a respective outboard end 29a,
29b of each
of half-members 26a, 26b.
Pivotable wrist members 27a, 27b are each respectively coupled to a respective
hydraulic cylinder 96a, 96b to thereby allow powered pivotable folding of each
wrist member
27a, 27b on a respective half-member 26a, 26b as shown in Fig. 8 when the
respective
hydraulic cylinder 96a, 96b is actuated by seedling planter operator.
Such above further refinement advantageously provides two important features.
Firstly such further refinement allows one or more seedling injectors 28, and
particularly seedling injectors 28a, 28b mounted at mutually opposite ends of
boom member
24, to be raised to avoid an obstacle such as a tree stump 52 in the path of
boom member 24
(Of course, such obstacle 52 may be alternatively be avoided by raising
movable arm 20, or
by extending or retracting the seedling injector 28b in the manner explained
and as shown in
Fig.s 6 & 7).
Secondly, and more importantly, such refinement allows the width of the boom
member 24 to be temporarily reduced. This feature in particularly thereby
allows for the
transportation of the seedling planter 10 along roadways. of limited width,
and during
transportation of seedling planter 10 from one planting location to another,
or to allow the
planter 10 to pass between two obstacles, such as two spaced apart trees.
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In a still further refinement, boom member 24 may be rotatable about an
azimuth in
a plane parallel to ground 11, as best shown for example comparing Fig.'s 1& 4
, where
boom member 24 has been rotated in such a plane from its orientation in Fig. 1
to that
shown in Fig. 4. In such further refinement boom rotating means 70 is provided
at distal end
22 of moveable arm 20.
Boom rotating means 70 may comprise a roller bearing (not shown), an electric
or
hydraulically powered motor 71 powering a driving pinion (not shown) , and a
gear ring (not
shown) fixedly secured to one or the other of the distal end 22 of moveable
arm 20 or boom
member 24, with the driving pinion causing relative rotation of boom member 24
relative and
about distal end 22 of moveable arm 20.
Other configurations of boom-rotating means 70 and means for providing
relative
rotatable motion of boom member 24 to distal end 22 of movable arm 20 will now
occur to
persons of skill in the art of hydraulic equipment, and are not further
described herein. The
feature of a rotatable boom member 24 may alternatively allow the width of the
planter 10 to
be reduced, instead of using hydraulic cylinders 96a, 96b to foldable collapse
boom member
24.
In addition, by having a rotatable boom 24, such allows, when moveable arm 20
is
moved to the side of planter 10 as shown in Fig. 3 for side planting, boom 24
to be rotated so
as to continue to be perpendicular to the direction of travel of the planter
10.
In preferred embodiments of the seedling planter 10, a powered gantry 80 may
be
provided for lifting bin 40 onto rear of seeding planter 10, and for
demounting bin 40 from
planter 10 when supply of seedlings 42 therein is exhausted, as best shown in
Fig's 2, 19, &
11,
Preferably, powered gantry 80 possesses bin-engaging apparatus 90, such as a
pair
of hydraulically powered cylinders 99a, 99b driving corresponding lever arms
100a, 100b, for
releasibly engaging pinions 101a, 101 b on bin 40 to allow powered gantry 80
to engageably
couple to bin 40, and then via cylinders 102a, 102b lift bin 40 to rear of
planter 10. The
aforesaid equipment operates in reverse to demount bin 40 from rear of planter
10.
In a further refinement, a towable skid 200 on which an additional bin 40' may
be
carried at shown in Fig. 10 , may be towed by planter 10 to increase the range
that planter
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may plant with seedling 42, without having to return to a base for restocking
of bin 40.
Figs. 9 & 12 show partial cut-away sections of a typical seedling injector 28,
and in
particular the reciprocating soil tillage members 30a, 30b which protrude from
a ventral
portion of each seedling injector 28, preferably on either side of where
seedlings 42 are
5 supplied to seedling ground penetrating portion 300 of seedling injector
28. Powered means,
such as, but not limited to, a pair of double-acting hydraulic
piston/cylinders 301a, 301b, are
respectively, through cam arms 303a, 303b, coupled to respective rotatable
shafts 302a,
302b to convert linear motion of the hydraulic cylinders 301a, 301b to rotary
motion, thereby
moving respective tillage members 30a, 30b mounted thereon in a back and forth
motion
10 when pistons in hydraulic cylinders 301a, 301b are actuated back and
forth. Soil around
and at the location of injection of seedling 42 may thereby be broken up and
tilled. Such
advantageously allows for not only breaking up of ground 11 for example when
planting of
seedlings in winter when ground 11 may be frozen, but further allows for
tillage and
elimination of weeds and aeration of the soil in the region of seedling
planting to thereby
assist growth of the planted seedling 42.
=
Clearly, various configurations and mechanisms for reciprocating tillage
members
30a, 30b on seedling injectors 28 will now occur to persons of skill in the
art. For example, in
place of linearly-oscillating hydraulic cylinders 301a, 301b, rotatable shafts
302a, 302b, may
alternatively be oscillated back and forth via a corresponding pair of
electrically-powered or
pneumatically-powered motors (not shown) to thereby oscillate tillage members
30a,30b
mounted thereon.
Operation of Seedling Planter and Planting Operation
The manner of operation of seedling planter 10 is briefly described below.
Seedling planter 10 is first transported to a location for planting. A bin 40,
loaded with
seedlings 42, is independently transported to site, or may be transported to
site with seedling
planter 10.
Seedling planter is positioned so that powered gantry 80, and in particular
the pair of
hydraulically powered cylinders 99a, 99b driving corresponding lever arms
100a, 100b, are
positioned so as to allow them to releasibly engage pinions 101a, 101b on bin
40. Hydraulic
pistons/cylinders 102a, 102b are then actuated to then lift and mount bin 40
on seedling
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planter 10.
Vacuum hoses 44 are then coupled to bin 40, to allow supply of seedlings 42 to
individual seedling injectors 28.
Hydraulic arms 96a, 96b are actuated, to unfold boom member 24 from a
typically-
folded position for transport as partially shown in Fig. 8, to the unfolded
operative position as
shown in Fig. 1.
Spacing between seedling injectors 28 is then adjusted to a desired uniform
distance
for the location and seedlings 42 being planted at such site,, either manually
via position-
locator means 50a, 50b as described above, or via powered means 95a, 95b as
earlier
described.
Thereafter, moveable arm 20 is positioned directly in front of vehicle 12, or
moveable
arm 20 swung to one side of planter 10 as shown in Fig. 3. Vehicle 12 is then
moved in a
forward direction.
Planting is commenced by stopping forward motion of seedling planter 10,
lowering
boom member 24 such that seedling injectors 28 thereon engage the ground at
regular
intervals, actuating tillage member 30a, 30b so as to till the ground in the
region of the
seedling 42 being planted at each seedling injector 28. Each seedling injector
28 thereafter
applies a vacuum to each vacuum hose 44 to withdraw a respective seedling 42
from bin 40
through such vacuum hose 44 to the respective seedling injector 28, and such
seedling 42
injected into the tilled ground 11 via ground-penetrating portion 300 of
seedling injector 28.
Moveable arm 20 and boom member 24 are then raised, forward motion of the
seedling planter 10 is resumed, and the above seedling planting step is
carried out at the
next planting location.
The above process is repeated until a plot of land is fully planted with
seedlings 42 or
until bin 40 requires re-filling, in which case the emptied bin 40 is
demounted from planter 10,
and a restocked bin 40 then mounted on seedling planter 10 via the powered
gantry 80 and
the seedling planting operation resumed.
The foregoing description of some embodiments of the system of the present
invention is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use
the present
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invention.
For a complete definition of the invention and its intended scope, reference
is to be
made to the summary of the invention and the appended claims, read together
with and
considered with the above disclosure and drawings herein.
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