Description The invention relates to a method for sowing forest seeds in a forest floor with a movable sowing machine.
Motor-driven sowing machines or sowing machines which are moved through the forest manually and with the aid of draft animals for sowing forest seeds are known.
EP 2 781 145 B1 describes disk clearing equipment and a method for the prepara- tion of seed strips for the forest seeding of conifer species.
EP 2 944 176 describes a forest seed drill and a method for sowing deciduous tree species.
During sowing by means of conventional sowing machines, the location of the working area to be processed is established by the operator and the processing of the working areas is adapted to the conditions existing on site.
This is demanding, restricts the sowing capacity and can lead to errors where the seeds are spread on the wrong or unsuit- — able areas.
Additionally, in the event of a commission or a license for sowing forest seeds, it becomes difficult to demonstrate the capacity produced more accurately.
US 2003/145770 Al describes a motor-driven forest work machine provided with a harvester head on a boom and with an articulated arm with a seeding apparatus at the rear.
A forest sector is clarified by means of the harvester and by means of the seeding apparatus, the seeds and seedlings are applied to the passed-over working area.
WO 2013/135971 Al describes an apparatus for scarification of forest soil mounted to the rear of a forwarder or other work machine.
When the forest seed is applied, the work machine passes over the working area.
Starting from this, the object which forms the basis of the invention is to provide a method for sowing forest seeds in a forest floor with a movable sowing machine, which avoids disadvantageous soil compaction, allows for increased working speeds and allows for processing of rough, steep and/or not cleared land for the seeds germination.
The object is achieved by a method having the features of Claim 1.
Advantageous embodiments of the method are indicated in the subclaims.
The method for sowing forest seeds comprises a motor-driven working equipment having a gripping tool and/or an interface for an attachment and a sowing unit or sowing implement which is configured to be gripped in the attachment position by the gripping tool and/or to be connected to the interface.
The device can be assembled simply by connecting a sowing unit or sowing imple- ment to a motor-driven working equipment.
The motor-driven working equipment can be conventional working equipment which is available anyway in forestry or the like.
According to an embodiment, the motor-driven working equipment is a forestry machine (forest machine), a mini-excavator or other excavator or a crane.
Advantageous embodiments of the method are indicated in the sub-claims and in the following.
The connection of the sowing unit or sowing implement to the motor-driven working equipment is brought about simply in that it is gripped by a gripping tool of the self- driving working equipment or it is connected to an interface for an attachment of — the motor-driven working equipment.
The interface can be a standardized interface which can also be utilized for other working equipment.
According to a further embodiment, the interface comprises apparatuses for fixing the attachment to the working equipment, in particular to a boom of the working equipment.
According to a further embodiment, it comprises apparatuses for transferring an axial movement, a rotational movement or another movement from the working equipment to the attachment.
These apparatuses can be utilized for driving disks and/or a dosing unit for seeds of the sowing unit or sow- ing implement.
According to another embodiment, the disks are rotated in that the sowing unit or sowing implement is relocated on the forest floor by means of the working equipment, wherein the disks roll.
In the course of this, dosing equipment arranged on the sowing unit or sowing implement can be driven by the disks.
According to a further embodiment, the device comprises an adapter which is con- figured to connect the sowing implement or sowing unit to the gripping tool and/or to the interface.
For the connection or respectively the receiving of the sowing unit or sowing imple- ment by a gripping tool, the sowing unit or sowing implement has, according to a further embodiment, an external surface which is configured to complement the inner surface of the gripping tool in a position which said gripping tool assumes when gripping an object.
According to a further embodiment, the gripping tool is a clamshell bucket grab or an orange-peel grab which has shell-like gripping elements which can be pivoted around horizontal axes from an opened position into a more or less closed position.
According to a further embodiment, the outer surface of the sowing unit or sowing implement is configured so that it complements the inner surface of the gripping elements of the gripping tool in at least a partially pivoted-
— together position.
Consequently, the gripping tool lies in contact with the sowing unit or sowing implement, with the gripping elements lying in contact in a close and planar manner, such that the gripping tool can hold and guide the sowing unit or sowing implement more or less free of play.
The gripping tool or the interface is arranged at the end of a boom of the working equipment.
According to a further embodiment, the boom is an articulated arm or a telescopic arm.
Conventional working equipment having booms can be used for this.
By moving the boom, the working equipment of the sowing unit or sowing imple- ment is relocated along a sowing distance.
The working equipment stands on a pre-
defined track or is displaced along a predefined track and processes working areas in a larger area next to the track.
Such tracks (e.g. logging trails) are, in many cas- es, laid out in the forest at a distance of 40 m or 20 m.
By relocating the sowing implement or sowing unit from the tracks, high working speeds can be attained and rough or steep land can be processed.
In addition, soil compaction is avoided as a result.
According to a further embodiment, the working equipment or the sowing unit or sowing implement has a depth restriction for restricting the penetration depth of the seed strip or the sowing furrow into the soil.
According to a further embodiment,
the depth restriction is a roller apparatus coupled to a boom or a gripping tool or a sowing unit or sowing unit, which roller apparatus restricts the penetration depth of the sowing unit or the sowing implement into the forest floor. According to a further embodiment, the depth restriction is firmly connected to the sowing implement or sowing unit. According to a further embodiment, the depth restriction comprises at least one sensor which is configured to detect the distance of the sensor from the soil sur- face, a control apparatus connected to the sensor and an adjusting apparatus con- nected to the control apparatus, which is configured to adjust the position of the sowing implement or of the sowing unit relative to the soil surface to a predefined value. A sowing implement is a movable tool or aid for sowing forest seeds. A sowing unit is a unit made up of multiple interacting sowing implements. According to a further embodiment, the motor-driven working equipment is working equipment driven by at least one internal-combustion engine and/or by at least one electric motor. According to a further embodiment, the working equipment having at least one at- tached sowing implement is a self-propelled (e.g. remote-controlled) or autono- mously driving (independently driving) vehicle. According to a further embodiment, the working equipment drives on wheels or on tracks, i.e. it is a wheeled vehicle or a tracked vehicle. The invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to the appended drawings of embodiment examples, wherein:
Fig. 1 shows a crawler excavator having a multi-arm gripper and disk clear- ing equipment for preparing seed strips in a perspective view from the front and from the side;
Fig. 2 shows a further crawler excavator having a multi-arm gripper and disk clearing equipment in a view from the side;
Fig. 3 shows a further crawler excavator having a multi-arm gripper and a 5 forest seed drill with toothed disks in a perspective view from the front and from the side;
Fig. 4 shows autonomously driving forest working equipment having disk clearing equipment in a perspective view from the front and from the side;
Fig. 5 shows a forestry machine having a multi-arm gripper and disk clearing equipment in a view from the front and from the side;
Fig. 6 shows the same forestry machine having a forest seed drill with toothed disks in a perspective view from the front and from the side;
Fig. 7 show a processing diagram during the performance of forest sowing starting from a track in a top view. According to Fig. 1, a crawler excavator 1 has an interface 3 for an attachment at the end of a boom 2 in the form of an articulated arm. A gripping tool 4 in the form of a multi-arm gripper is mounted on the interface 3. The gripping tool 4 grips disk clearing equipment 5 for preparing seed strips for the forest seeding of conifer species. The disk clearing equipment has an arrangement of disks 6, 7, a storage container 8 and a dosing device 9 for seeds, as described in EP 2 781 145 B1. However, in con- trast to the disk clearing equipment described therein, the disk clearing equipment 5 only has a compact equipment carrier in the form of a short first profiled support, on which the rotational axes are held, which support the two disks 6, 7. In addition, the disk clearing equipment 5 does not have an additional supporting axis.
The storage container 8 sits centrally between the two disks. The outer surface of the storage container is preferably formed so that it lies in contact all over with the inner surface of the multi-arm gripper in a partially closed gripping condition. As a consequence, the disk clearer 5 can be easily coupled around the storage container — by partial closing of the gripping tool 4. Starting from a track 9, the boom 2 can be maneuvered such that the disk clearing equipment 5 processes sowing distances 10 on both sides of the track 9. According to Fig. 2, a crawler excavator 1 having a longer boom 2 can provide larg- er areas with sowing distances 10 on both sides of the track 9, inter alia embank- ments and slopes. According to Fig. 3, the crawler excavator 1 is coupled to a forest seed drill 11 for sowing deciduous tree species with heavy fruit, which is substantially configured according to EP 2 944 176 B1. In contrast to the forest seed drill described therein, the bearing shafts of the toothed disks 12, 13 are mounted on a compact equip- ment carrier which also carries a storage container 14 for seeds and a dosing device
15. The forest seed drill 11 does not have any protective frame, any holding device for additional weights nor any handle for handling the equipment on the land. The outer surface of the storage container 14 is, in turn, configured so that the lat- ter can be gripped well by the gripping tool 4. According to Fig. 4, autonomous driving forest working equipment 16 is equipped with disk clearing equipment 4 at an interface 17 which can also serve to receive a milling machine or clearing equipment. The disk clearing equipment 4 has an inter- face which is configured to complement the interface of the forest working equip- ment 16, in order to be connected thereto. According to Fig. 5, a forestry machine 18 having a gripping tool is, in turn, coupled to a boom 2 having disk clearing equipment 5. According to Fig. 6, the forestry machine 18 is coupled to the forest seed drill 11.
According to Fig. 7, sowing distances 10 are introduced into the forest floor on both sides, starting from a road way 9, by means of the device according to Fig. 1 to 6. The introduction is adapted to the circumstances on site, in particular the old tree population 19 or natural regeneration 20.