It has been so designed that it can traverse a farm area and rough
terrain smoothly.
It is connected to the chassis with the help of 3 springs, which
decreases the bounce while traversing terrain and keeps the whole
chassis stable.
Rack and pinion mechanism is used for the slider, which changes its
position according to the availability of the plant. Moreover, for
smooth motion of rack and slider, the rack is mounted on a keyboard
slider.
It consists of a rotating circular grid having a capacity of 16 plants
above a fixed circular frame.
A slider creates space for the sapling above, to fall through it into
a pipe via a funnel and reaches to the dug ground.
Its angle with the chassis in a stationary position is such that it
provides ground clearance required for digging.
It digs the soil up to a depth of 9 cm.
The operation is performed by two spades connected to two pneumatic
actuators.
The spades are cut at calculated angles to collect an adequate amount
of soil.
The actuators are at an angle such that the spades form a closed
pyramid in the maximum position and achieve the required penetration
in soil.
Two linear actuators are used to lift this mechanism when digging is
done.
The mechanism is used for tapping the area for proper setting of
plants and nearby soil.
A linear actuator connected with a base plate to which grippers,
having reduced orifice, is attached for enforcing the sapling into the
ground.
The synchronous motion of grippers is controlled with a vega motor and
spur gears meshed together.
The chassis frame is symmetric and a double layer made of aluminium
box-section profiles, brazed together to form a lightweight and robust
frame.
The two layers are connected by small vertical box sections to
distribute the stress evenly.
The plant storage mechanism is bolted to a truss-like structure, which
is brazed with the chassis.
Customized wheels are manufactured to provide traction and support the
four-wheeled differential drive.
The wheel is mounted on the aluminium cylinder (which is further fixed
to the suspension )with the help of bearings, which provides effective
rotation of wheels.
