Industrial Technology Institute

Rimrock Corporation

Hartmans Plants, Inc.

Kenneth J Hornacek

Robert Dale Hartman

Jerry Kirsch

Kerry F Kirsch

Kevin J Brendel

Yossef Tur-Kaspa

An automated plant tissue proliferation system in which mature plants within a culture vessel are cut into a plurality of plugs using a die type cutter block. The cutter block is moved using a pick and place actuator to a work station where any extraneous nutrient media or plant material adhering to the sides of the cutter are removed using an indexed membrane sheet. A pair of opposed articulated wiping arms cause the membrane sheet to be wrapped around the cutter and pulled down vertically along its sides to remove the excess material. Thereafter, the cutter is indexed to deposit some fraction of the cut cells into a container having culture medium. Fluid pressure is used to eject material from the appropriate cells onto the media material. A number of additional containers are indexed into position with the cutter until all of the plugs of material are removed. the actuator and ejection system are so operated to distribute the plugs of plant material in a preselected array in a number of containers. The system provides rapid plant proliferation minimizing labor requirements and the liklihood of tissue culture contamination.

Automated plant culture proliferation system

A four-axis robot has three independent linear motions and one rotational component. The robot is disposed between a pair of confronting storage units and is operable to store and retrieve articles in and from them. The robot comprises a carrier disposed half-way between the two storage units for travel parallel to the units. A head is supported from the carriage and in turn supports an arm for horizontal extension and retraction. The head can be both elevated and lowered along, as well as rotated about, a vertical axis. The head and arm are capable of 180.degree. rotary motion about the vertical axis to access the two storage units. Specific rotational control of the head is provided by a unique actuating mechanism with associated adjustable stops. The mechanism includes a linearly movable gear rack operated by a power cylinder and meshing with a pinion concentric with the vertical axis. The pinion is mounted on the bearing portions of a ball spline shaft and bearing coupling. The head is affixed to the shaft portion of the coupling so that it can be vertically positioned independently of rotary motion imparted to the coupling, yet with rotary motion imparted to the coupling being effective to rotate the head. A second pinion affixed to the coupling concentric with the first pinion operates a driven gear rack and the adjustable stops are selectively cooperatively associated with the driven gear rack to control the rotary positioning of the coupling and twice of the head and arm. The stops are selectively operated along linear paths of travel by respective actuators and toggle mechanisms.

High weight capacity robot to pick and place palleted materials in a

A rotary and linear actuating device is disclosed for imparting precision rotary and linear movement to an external member or assembly. In a preferred form of the invention a rotatable assembly is rotated about an axis within a housing by selectively varying the relative pressures of an actuating fluid in at least a pair of fluid pressure chambers defined by the housing, the rotatable assembly and at least a pair of vane members extending therebetween. An elongated shaft member is rotationally fixed relative to the rotatable assembly and is supported by at least a pair of linear bearing assemblies to allow linear movement of the elongated shaft member along said axis. The linear bearing assemblies remain a fixed axial distance from one another in order to adequately support heavy loads on the elongated shaft member and the external member or assembly attached thereto. The device also preferably includes adjustment means for selectively adjusting the clearance between the elongated shaft member and the linear bearing assemblies.

Rotary and linear actuating device

Growing community of inventors

Pontiac, MI, United States of America

Kenneth J Hornacek