Machine and method for cutting plant roots

Abstract

Plant root cutting machine (25) comprising a plant (20) receiving station (2) and a cutting tool mounted movably between a position far apart and a position close to each other, the receiving station or each receiving station (2) defining a passage (4) intended to be occupied by the cutting tool or one of the cutting tools in a position close to the receiving station (2) and the cutting tool. The receiving station (2) comprises two guides (5, 6) arranged on either side of said passage (4), and each forming a cradle (51; 61), said cradles (51, 61) being positioned opposite each other to form with their grooves (630) in line an elongated through receiving housing (7) for said plant (20) accessible from the top of the cradles (51, 61), one (51) of the cradles (51, 61) being provided with at least two stops called distal and proximal offset axially along the housing (7) to limit an axial displacement of the portion of said plant (20) extending between said stops.Figure for the summary: Fig. 2.

Description

Title of the invention: Machine and method for cutting plant roots

[0001] The present invention relates to a machine and a method for cutting plant roots.

[0002] It relates in particular to a machine for cutting plants, in particular vine plants, in the form of an elongated body, such as a rootstock, capable of being extended at one of its ends by a shoot and at its other end by roots originating at a swelling of said end, said machine comprising at least one station for receiving said plant and a cutting tool mounted to move between a spaced apart position and a position close to each other, known as the cutting configuration, in which the receiving station defines a passage capable of being occupied by the cutting tool.

[0003] Installations for cutting plant roots are known as illustrated by patent EP 1 498 021. However, the installations known to date are not entirely satisfactory, particularly with regard to cutting the roots of vine plants. Indeed, the roots must be cut as short as possible to avoid, when the plant is replanted, observing, when the roots are too long, the roots growing upside down. In the case of upside down growth, the roots rise along the elongated body and are oriented towards the sky. The roots then grow towards the surface of the soil until they come into the open air, which leads to the death of the plant or to reduced growth of the latter.

[0004] An aim of the invention is to propose a method and an installation whose designs allow cutting of the roots with a final length of the roots between 3 mm and 10 mm, that is to say substantially flush with the swollen part of the plant.

[0005] To this end, the invention relates to a machine for cutting the roots of plants, in particular vine plants, in the form of an elongated body, such as a rootstock, capable of being extended at one of its ends by a shoot and at its other end by roots originating at a swelling of said end, said machine comprising at least one station for receiving said plant and a cutting tool mounted to move between a spaced apart position and a position close to each other, the or each receiving station defining a passage intended to be occupied by the or one of the cutting tools in a position close to the receiving station and the cutting tool, characterized in that the or at least one of the receiving stations comprises two guides arranged on either side of said passage, said guides forming each a cradle, each cradle comprising a bottom and two sides delimiting with the bottom a groove, said cradles being positioned opposite each other to form with their grooves in line an elongated through housing for receiving said plant accessible from above the cradles, one of the cradles called the first cradle being provided with at least two stops called distal and proximal by reference to their position relative to the passage, said distal and proximal stops being axially offset along the housing to limit an axial displacement of the portion of said plant extending between said distal and proximal stops. The stops allow indexing in position of said plant, and in particular of the roots of said plant, relative to said passage, and consequently relative to the cutting tool.

[0006] According to one embodiment of the invention, the proximal stop of the first cradle has the shape of a stud extending in projection from the bottom of said first cradle.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the invention, the groove of the first cradle opening at one end into the passage, the proximal stop extends at the level of the outlet of the groove of said first cradle in said passage. Thus, the indexing position of the plant is located as close as possible to the cutting path followed by the cutting tool.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the invention, the distal stop of the first cradle is formed by bringing together the flanks on the end side of the groove of the first cradle opposite that opening into the passage to form a constriction on the end side of the groove furthest from the passage.

[0009] According to one embodiment of the invention, one of the sides of the cradle without stops, called the second cradle, extends towards the inside of the cradle to give said side a C-shape. The second cradle has the function of gathering the roots and concentrating them by surrounding them at least partially.

[0010] According to one embodiment of the invention, the machine comprises a U-shaped notch arranged in the extension of the elongated housing for receiving the plant, spaced apart from said elongated through housing for receiving said plant, to form a support for a part of the elongated body of the plant away from the roots.

[0011] According to one embodiment of the invention, the first cradle is carried by a support in the form of a ski tip with a curved end, the U-shaped notch is arranged at the level of said curved end of the tip and the first cradle is arranged at the end opposite the curved end.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the invention, each cradle is coupled to a conveyor, said conveyors being integral during movement.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the invention, the cutting tool is a rotary cutting blade.

[0014] The invention also relates to a method for cutting the roots of plants, in particular vine plants, in the form of an elongated body, such as a rootstock, capable of extending at one of its ends by a shoot and at its other end by roots originating at a swelling of said end, using a cutting machine, characterized in that the cutting machine being of the aforementioned type, said method comprises, before the cutting step, a step of positioning the plant in the cradles with the rooted end of the body of the plant extending beyond the cradle free of stops, a step of driving the body of the plant in the direction of the first cradle to a position in which the swelling of the rooted end of the body of the plant extends between the stops and a step of driving the body of the plant in the opposite direction to a position in which said swelling rests against the proximal stop. Brief description of the drawings

[0015] The invention will be better understood on reading the following description of exemplary embodiments, with reference to the appended drawings in which:

[0016] [Fig-1] represents a top view of a cutting machine according to the invention;

[0017] [Fig.2] represents a perspective view of a reception station ready to accommodate a plant;

[0018] [Fig.3] represents a top view of a reception station ready to accommodate a plant;

[0019] [Fig.4] represents a perspective view of a reception station during the introduction of a plant into the said post;

[0020] [Fig.5] represents a partial perspective view of a reception station in the state in which a plant has been introduced into said station;

[0021] [Fig.6] represents a detail view of a reception station taken at the level of the passage;

[0022] [Fig.7] represents a detail view of a reception station taken at the level of the stop proximal to the first cradle;

[0023] [Fig.8] represents a top view of a reception station in the positioned state of a plant in said station.

[0024] As mentioned above, the invention relates to a machine 1 for cutting the roots 25 of plants 20, an example of which is provided in [Fig. 1]. Such a plant 20 may be in accordance with that shown in [Fig. 2]. This plant 20 is in the form of an elongated body 21 which is provided, at one of its ends shown at 23 in the figures, with a bulge 24 sometimes called a bulb or heel. This bulge 24 forms the base of the root system. This root system comprises roots 25 arranged in the extension of the bulge 24. It is these roots 25 which must be cut as close as possible to the bulge 24 to avoid, when planting the plant, the roots 25 rising along the body 21 of the plant 20 and either growing exposed in the open air, which would lead to suffering or death of the plant 20. The opposite end, represented at 22 in the figures, of the plant 20 may have a shoot 26 also called a graft when the elongated body 2 is a rootstock.

[0025] In the example shown, the plant 20 is a vine plant, but other plant plants with roots can be treated with said cutting machine 1. This cutting machine 1 comprises at least one station 2 for receiving the plant 20 and at least one cutting tool 3 mounted to move between a spaced apart position and a close position from each other. Generally, the or each cutting tool 3 is a rotating cutting blade, such as a circular saw or a set of cutting discs active by shearing.

[0026] This machine 1 may comprise one or more stationary cutting tools 3 and one or more mobile docking stations 2 or one or more mobile cutting tools 3 and one or more stationary docking stations 2 or both one or more mobile cutting tools 3 and one or more mobile docking stations 2 without departing from the scope of the invention.

[0027] In the example of [Fig.l], the machine 1 comprises a stationary cutting tool 3 housed inside an enclosure with controlled access and a plurality of mobile docking stations 2 forming a line of docking stations 2 capable of moving in the direction of moving the cutting tool 3 closer to or further apart. The cutting machine 1 could, in an equivalent manner, have comprised a single docking station 2.

[0028] The or each receiving station 2 defines a passage 4 occupied by the or one of the cutting tools 3 in a position close to the cutting tool 3 and the receiving station 2. This receiving station 2 comprises, as illustrated in figures 2 to 4, two guides 5 and 6 arranged on either side of the passage 4. The guide 5 forms a cradle 51 comprising a bottom 510 and two flanks 520 delimiting with the bottom 510 a groove 530. The guide 6 forms a cradle 61 comprising a bottom 610, and two flanks 620 delimiting with the bottom 610 a groove 630.

[0029] The cradles 51 and 61 are positioned opposite each other to form with their grooves 530 and 630 in line an elongated through housing 7 for receiving the plant 20 accessible from above the cradles 51 and 61, as illustrated in [Fig.4].

[0030] The bottoms 510 and 610 of the cradles 51 and 61 may be flat or rounded. One of the cradles, called the first cradle and corresponding to the cradle shown at 51 in the figures, is provided with at least two stops, called distal 8 and proximal 9 with respect to their position, in particular their distance, with respect to the passage 4. The proximal stop 9 is the stop closest to the passage 4 while the distal stop 8 is the stop furthest from the passage 4. This passage 4 is formed by a space left free between the two cradles 51 and 61. This passage can be traversed by the cutting tool 3. The distal 8 and proximal 9 stops are axially offset along the housing 7 to limit an axial displacement of the portion of the plant 20 extending between the distal 8 and proximal 9 stops. These stops allow indexing in position of the plant 20 relative to the passage 4 and consequently, relative to the cutting tool 3.

[0031] The portion of the plant 20 extending between the distal 8 and proximal 9 stops comprises at least the bulge 24 of the plant in the cutting configuration, that is to say in the configuration in which the passage 4 of the receiving station 2 is occupied by the cutting tool 3. This position of the plant 20 in the first cradle 51 is illustrated in [Fig.5].

[0032] As illustrated in [Fig.6], the proximal stop 9 of the first cradle 51 has the shape of a stud or a nipple extending outward from the bottom 510 of the cradle. This proximal stop 9 extends at the level of the outlet of the groove 530 of the first cradle in the passage 4. It is the part of the bulge 24 of the plant 20 from which the roots protrude which is intended to come to bear on this proximal stop 9.

[0033] The distal stop 8 of the first cradle 51 is formed by bringing together the flanks 120 on the end side of the groove 530 of the first cradle 51 opposite that opening into the passage 4 to form a constriction on the end side of the groove 530 furthest from the passage 4. This constriction or tightening of the flanks prevents the bulge 24 of the plant 20 from exiting through this zone of the first cradle 51. Thus, it is the part of the bulge 24 of the plant 20 connected to the body 21 which can come to bear on this distal stop 8.

[0034] The second cradle 61 is preferably free of stops. The function of this second cradle 61 is to concentrate or gather the roots 25 to facilitate cutting once the correct positioning of the roots 25 has been guaranteed thanks to the proximal stop 9 of the first cradle 5. The second cradle 61 comprises, in the example of [Fig. 2], in particular a flank 620 which extends towards the inside of the cradle 61 to give said flank 620 a C-shape capable of surrounding the roots. The bottom of the second cradle 61 is here concave with a concavity facing towards the inside of the second cradle 61.

[0035] To ensure that the plant 20 is held in place at several points, as illustrated in [Fig. 5], the cutting machine 1 comprises a U-shaped notch 10 arranged in the extension of the elongated housing 7 for receiving the plant. This notch 10 is arranged at a distance from the elongated through housing 7 for receiving the plant to form a support for a part of the elongated body 61 of the plant 20 away from the roots 25. This U-shaped notch 10 therefore extends in the extension of the housing 7. Thus, the first cradle 51 is arranged between the second cradle 61 and the U-shaped notch 10.

[0036] In the example of [Fig.5], the first cradle 51 is carried by a support 11 which has the shape of a ski tip with a curved end 12. The U-shaped notch 10 is arranged at the level of said curved end 11 of the tip and the first cradle 51 is arranged at the end of the spatula opposite the curved end 12. At least part of the first cradle 51 and the support 11 can be made in one piece.

[0037] Finally, to perfect said cutting machine 1, the first cradle 51 and the second cradle 61 are each coupled to a conveyor 13 which is in the form of an endless conveyor. These conveyors 13 which are integral in movement operate in synchronism. Thus, the first cradle 51 and the second cradle 61 move simultaneously and at the same speed.

[0038] In practice, the method of cutting the roots 25 of plants 20 using a cutting machine 1 comprises: - a positioning step by an operator holding the plant 20 by its end 22 provided with a shoot 26 in the first and second cradles from above the cradles, that is to say by the top of the grooves of said cradles, as illustrated in [Fig. 4], so that the end 23 provided with roots 25 of the body 21 of the plant 20 extends beyond the second cradle 61 and the body 21 is elongated with an upward slope from this end 23 provided with roots 25 towards the opposite end 22 of the body 21.

[0039] This step is followed by a step of driving the elongated body 21 of the plant from the second cradle 61 in the direction of the first cradle 51 to a support position of the bulge 24 of the plant 20 extending between the distal stop 8 and the proximal stop 9 in support on the distal stop 8. In this position, a part of the body 21 of the plant 20 extends towards the end 22 of the plant 20 provided with a shoot 26 or a graft vertically above the notch 10.This stop position is shown in [Fig.6].

[0040] This step is followed by a step of driving the body 21 of the plant 20 in an opposite direction, that is to say from the first cradle 51 towards the second cradle 61 to a position in which the bulge 24 of the body 21 rests against the proximal stop 9, as illustrated in [Fig. 7]. In this position, the body 21 is introduced into the notch 10 of the support 11, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 8. The cutting operation can be carried out. For this purpose, the receiving station 2 and the cutting tool 3 are brought closer to each other until the passage 4 of the receiving station 2 is occupied by the cutting tool 3. The cut is carried out flush with the proximal stop 9 so that the roots have a final length generally at most equal to 10 mm.

[0041] In the case where several reception stations 2 are aligned to be successively crossed by the cutting tool 3, as illustrated in [Fig.l], an operator can be placed in front of each of the reception stations 2 to increase the efficiency of the cutting machine 1.

Claims

Claims

1. Machine (1) for cutting the roots (25) of plants (20), in particular vine plants, in the form of an elongated body (21), such as a rootstock, capable of being extended at one (22) of its ends (22, 23) by a shoot (26) and at its other end (23) by roots (25) originating at a bulge (24) of said end (23), said machine (1) comprising at least one station (2) for receiving said plant (20) and a cutting tool (3) mounted to move between a spaced apart position and a position close to each other, the or each receiving station (2) defining a passage (4) intended to be occupied by the or one of the cutting tools (3) in a position close to the receiving station (2) and the cutting tool (3), characterized in that the or at least one of the stations (2) receiving unit comprises two guides (5, 6) arranged on either side of said passage (4), said guides (5; 6) each forming a cradle (51;61), each cradle (51; 61) comprising a bottom (510; 610) and two sides (520; 620) delimiting with the bottom (510; 610) a groove (530; 630), said cradles (51, 61) being positioned opposite each other to form with their grooves (530, 630) in line an elongated through housing (7) for receiving said plant (20) accessible from above the cradles (51, 61), one (51) of the cradles (51, 61) called the first cradle (51) being provided with at least two stops called distal (8) and proximal (9) with reference to their position relative to the passage (4), said distal (8) and proximal (9) stops being axially offset along the housing (7) to limit an axial displacement of the portion of said plant (20) extending between said distal (8) and proximal (9) stops.;

2. Cutting machine (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the proximal stop (9) of the first cradle (51) has the shape of a stud extending in projection from the bottom (510) of said first cradle (51).

3. Cutting machine (1) according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the groove (530) of the first cradle (51) opening at one end into the passage (4), the proximal stop (9) extends at the level of the opening of the groove (530) of said first cradle (51) in said passage (4).

4. Cutting machine (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the distal stop (8) of the first cradle (51) is formed by bringing together the flanks (520) on the end side of the groove (530) of the first cradle (51) opposite that opening into the passage (4) to form a constriction on the end side of the groove (530) furthest from the passage (4).

5. Cutting machine (1) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that one of the flanks (620) of the cradle (61) free of stops, called the second cradle (61), extends towards the inside of the cradle (61) to give said flank (620) a C-shape.

6. Cutting machine (1) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it comprises a U-shaped notch (10) arranged in the extension of the elongated housing (7) for receiving the plant, at a distance from said elongated through housing (7) for receiving said plant, to form a support for a part of the elongated body (21) of the plant (20) remote from the roots (25).

7. Cutting machine (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that the first cradle (51) is carried by a support (11) in the form of a ski spatula with a curved end (12), in that the U-shaped notch (10) is arranged at the level of said curved end (12) of the spatula and in that the first cradle (51) is arranged at the end opposite the curved end (12).

8. Cutting machine (1) according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that each cradle (51; 61) is coupled to a conveyor (13), said conveyors (13) being integral in movement.

9. Cutting machine (1) according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the cutting tool (3) is a rotary cutting blade.

10. Method for cutting the roots (25) of plants (20), in particular vine plants, in the form of an elongated body (21), such as a rootstock, capable of being extended at one (22) of its ends (22, 23) by a shoot (26) and at its other end (23) by roots (25) originating at a bulge (24) of said end (23), using a cutting machine (1), characterized in that the cutting machine (1) being in accordance with one of claims 1 to 9, said method comprises, before the cutting step, a step of positioning the plant (20) in the cradles (51, 61) with the end (23) provided with roots (25) of the body (21) of the plant (20) extending beyond the cradle (61) free of stops, a step driving the body (21) of the plant (20) in the direction of the first cradle (51) to a position in which the bulge (24) of the end (23) provided with roots (25) of the body (21) of the plant (20) extends between the stops and a step of driving the body (21) of the plant (20) in displacement in an opposite direction to a position of support of said bulge (24) against the proximal stop (9).

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