An autonomous travel system equipped with a first travel route creation unit, a second travel route creation unit, a linked route creation unit, and a storage unit. The first travel route creation unit is capable of creating a first travel route. The second travel route creation unit is capable of creating a second travel route. The linked route creation unit has a function for creating the second travel route in conjunction with the creation of the first travel route by the first travel route creation unit and/or a function for creating the first travel route in conjunction with the creation of the second travel route by the second travel route creation unit. The storage unit stores, in association with each other, the travel route created by the first travel route creation unit or the second travel route creation unit, and the travel route created by the linked route creation unit.

A sapling tray handling system for a transplanter comprising a track, a plurality of sapling trays, and a drive mechanism. The track is in the form of rectangular loop having four corners and four sides. The sapling trays are configured to traverse the track. The drive mechanism propels the plurality of sapling trays. Each corner of the rectangular track is configured to secure a sapling tray. The drive mechanism comprises four actuators with each actuator positioned at one of the four corners. Each actuator is configured to propel the sapling tray secured at the respective corner.

A sapling gripping head for a transplanter. The sapling gripping head is attached to sapling retrieval apparatus and comprises a support frame and a sliding frame, slidably coupled to each other. A plurality of gripping units are placed along the length of the gripping head. Each of the gripping units comprises of a first fork and a second fork. An actuation mechanism is provided to actuate the gripping head. Each of the first forks is attached to the support frame and each of the second forks is attached to the sliding frame. The sliding frame is configured to slide relative to the support frame via the actuation mechanism.

The present invention belongs to the autonomous and precision agriculture sector, and refers, more specifically, to a system for seedling planting machines with a focus on reforestation and forestry (silviculture) for mechanized planting, in areas of installation, renovation and/or recovery of degraded areas with minimal impact on the environment, self-propelled, which plants from 1,800 to 3,600 seedlings per hour, in a sliding and continuous system, with water or gel irrigation, guaranteeing the quality of planting with an intelligent system, which checks each seedling, evaluating whether there has been drowning of the collection, exposure of the substrate, if the seedling is inclined, indicating even if the seedling was not planted and where it happened, generating a planting map (KML) with the GPS position of each seedling.

An efficient transplanting device with an automatic seedling pick-up and supplementation function includes a seedling pick-up device, a seedling discharging device, and a seedling supplementation device. The seedling discharging device is used to discharge plug seedlings for transplantation; the seedling pick-up device is used to transfer the plug seedlings and the seedling supplementation device is used to supplement the plug seeding. A seedling pick-up photoelectric sensor, a detection camera, and a controller are provided for the operations of plug seedling pick-up, supplementation and discharge of the plug seedlings.

An apparatus having a support frame supports a tray actuation means, a pick up means and a conveyor assembly for feeding a transplanter with viable plants from a multi-celled tray. The tray actuation means is configured to move the multi-celled tray along the support frame. The pick up means is configured to pick up the viable plants by their foliage from the multi-celled tray and leaving non-viable plants therein. The conveyor assembly includes receptacles for receiving one viable plant from the pick up means, and at least one sensor for detecting empty receptacles. A controller cooperatively operates the tray actuation means, the pick up means, and the conveyor assembly in order to skip empty receptacles for ensuring continuous feeding of the transplanter with viable plants. A gripper for picking up plants by their foliage. A method for continuously feeding the transplanter with viable plants.

A plant transplanter is comprised of a pair of blades connected to one another by a pair of chains that allow the varying of the distance between the two blades. Each blade has a vertically upwardly directed shaft such that the two shafts are joined by a horizontally disposed horizontal bar that has a centrally disposed tension rod allowing the length of the horizontal bar to vary between its attachment points with the two shafts. A compass is attached to one of the shafts. Horizontally disposed transverse lift bars are attached to each shaft for heavy lifts.

A transplanter including a frame structure that is configured to support a tray, an operating handle structure, and a base structure including a chute. The frame structure can include a furrower to from a furrow in soil and the transplanter can also include a furrow closing structure configured to close the furrow at a location beyond an end of the chute. The operating handle structure can enable one or more attributes of the operating handle to be selectively reconfigured. The base structure can be fabricated from one or more injection molded parts.

Attachment including a base plate and three guiding plates disposed on the base plate is attached to a pot seedling guide portion. The guiding plates are arranged alternately on right and left sides along a reference line L, and resistance imparting portions are arranged on the reference line L. This allows a tensile force to be generated between individual pots and linked by a link piece, and a corrective effect on a posture of the individual pots in contact with guiding surfaces of the guiding plates can be enhanced.

Systems and methods for forming holes in a ground cover material as a vehicle travels over terrain. The methods comprise: detecting when a mobility mechanism of the vehicle or a machine coupled to the vehicle has moved in a direction by a certain amount; generating a control signal by a controller responsive to said detecting; communicating the control signal from the controller to a heat source; producing heat by the heat source in response to the control signal; and using the heat to form a hole in the ground cover material as the vehicle travels at a speed over the terrain.