Apparatus for singulating and depositing seeds
First Claim
1. Apparatus for singulating individual seeds from a bulk supply and depositing the seeds in a tableting apparatus, comprisingsingulating means including a rotatable distributor tray having an annular receiver channel to support said bulk supply, a shaft, means supporting said tray for rotation about an axis angularly oriented relative to the axis of said shaft, a turret rotatable about the axis of said shaft and having a vacuum manifold therein, a plurality of fingers extending from said turret toward said channel to scan said bulk supply during part of the rotation of said fingers, said fingers having an internal bore portion connected with said manifold, seed receiving apertures formed in said fingers and communicating with said bore portions, said apertures being of lesser size than the seeds to be used therewith, drive means for rotating said turret for sequentially moving said seed receiving apertures of said fingers through said tray and said bulk supply to support individual seeds over said apertures responsive to the subatmospheric pressure in said bores, a discharge station in the path of said fingers for receiving singulated seeds released at said station, vibrator means interposed between said bulk supply and said discharge station for engaging and oscillating said seed carrier fingers in the course of said movement, to detach excess seeds from said fingers, and means for increasing the pressure in said bores of said fingers when said fingers are in registry with said discharge station to effect said seed release, andtransfer means for feeding a seed to a mold cavity of a tableting apparatus, said transfer means comprisinga tubular conduit at said discharge station having an entrance end for admitting a seed and an exit end, means for inducing an air flow through said conduit adjacent said entrance end, thereby to impart a velocity to said seed in accordance with the velocity of said air flow, said conduit, at a portion intermediate said entrance and exit ends, including a curved conformation having air bleed portions of a size to preclude the passage therethrough of said seed, the area of said bleed portions being sufficient to permit substantially the entirety of said air stream to pass through said bleed portions, said seed being discharged at said exit end under inertia imparted by said air stream, and substantially the entirety of said air stream flows through said bleed portions whereby the air at said exit end is essentially quiescent.
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to apparatus for automatically fabricating environmental seed cells, e.g. tablets incorporating two or more layers of material which will protect the seed during transportation and facilitate its growth after the same is planted, the apparatus including a tableting machine for feeding the environmental surround material into compression mold cavities, a singulator mechanism whereby individual seeds are separated from a bulk supply, and transfer mechanism for receiving separated seeds from the singulator and depositing them in the molds of the tableting machine. After loading, the aggregate comprising the environmental material and seed are subjected to compression, to produce the finished environmental seed cell.
43 Citations
5 Claims
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1. Apparatus for singulating individual seeds from a bulk supply and depositing the seeds in a tableting apparatus, comprising
singulating means including a rotatable distributor tray having an annular receiver channel to support said bulk supply, a shaft, means supporting said tray for rotation about an axis angularly oriented relative to the axis of said shaft, a turret rotatable about the axis of said shaft and having a vacuum manifold therein, a plurality of fingers extending from said turret toward said channel to scan said bulk supply during part of the rotation of said fingers, said fingers having an internal bore portion connected with said manifold, seed receiving apertures formed in said fingers and communicating with said bore portions, said apertures being of lesser size than the seeds to be used therewith, drive means for rotating said turret for sequentially moving said seed receiving apertures of said fingers through said tray and said bulk supply to support individual seeds over said apertures responsive to the subatmospheric pressure in said bores, a discharge station in the path of said fingers for receiving singulated seeds released at said station, vibrator means interposed between said bulk supply and said discharge station for engaging and oscillating said seed carrier fingers in the course of said movement, to detach excess seeds from said fingers, and means for increasing the pressure in said bores of said fingers when said fingers are in registry with said discharge station to effect said seed release, and transfer means for feeding a seed to a mold cavity of a tableting apparatus, said transfer means comprising a tubular conduit at said discharge station having an entrance end for admitting a seed and an exit end, means for inducing an air flow through said conduit adjacent said entrance end, thereby to impart a velocity to said seed in accordance with the velocity of said air flow, said conduit, at a portion intermediate said entrance and exit ends, including a curved conformation having air bleed portions of a size to preclude the passage therethrough of said seed, the area of said bleed portions being sufficient to permit substantially the entirety of said air stream to pass through said bleed portions, said seed being discharged at said exit end under inertia imparted by said air stream, and substantially the entirety of said air stream flows through said bleed portions whereby the air at said exit end is essentially quiescent.
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5. Apparatus for singulating and depositing individual seeds from a bulk supply to the transfer mechanism of a tableting apparatus, comprising singulating means including a rotatable distributor tray having an annular receiver channel to support said bulk supply, a shaft, means supporting said tray for rotation about an axis angularly oriented relative to the axis of said shaft, a turret rotatable about the axis of said shaft having a vacuum manifold therein, a drive lug secured to said turret and contacting said tray to drive said tray about its axis and about said shaft, a plurality of fingers extending from said turret toward said channel to scan said bulk supply during part of the rotation of said fingers, said fingers having an internal bore portion connected with said manifold, seed receiving apertures formed in said fingers and communicating with said bore portions, said apertures being of lesser size than the seeds to be used therewith, drive means for rotating said turret for sequentially moving said seed receiving apertures of said fingers through said tray and said bulk supply to support individual seeds over said apertures responsive to the subatmospheric pressure in said bores, a discharge station in the path of said fingers for receiving singulated seeds released at said station, vibrator means interposed between said bulk supply and said discharge station for engaging and oscillating said seed carrier fingers in the course of said movement, to detach excess seeds from said fingers, and means for increasing the pressure in said bores of said fingers when said fingers are in registry with said discharge station to effect said seed release.
Specification