RU2840064C1 - Agricultural machine - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: agriculture.

SUBSTANCE: agricultural machine comprises main loading chute (1), linear actuator (2) for pushing the drill drive unit into the soil, additional loading tray (3) with a rotating mixing feed drum, a lever handle for transverse movement of the flange for changing the distance between the drilling shafts, ending with a threaded element, and rotary button for gripping on external housing (4) when performing adjustment, drain chute (5) for fertilizers and seeds, inclined deflecting plate (6) and drill bits (7) for soil digging. Drill bits (7) are driven by a chain drive engaged with gears in the form of gear wheels on three internal and three external shafts, and torque/rotation speed is controlled by DC motor (15) or stepper motor.

EFFECT: easy-to-use multipurpose agricultural machine is provided, which is well suited for use on small farms, vegetable gardens and in backyard gardens and is made with possibility of complex soil preparation, ploughing, tillage, removal of weeds, formation of even planting beds on normal areas or layers of embankment on muddy soils, throwing in seeds/fertilizers, digging holes for planting seedlings, levelling soil and other agricultural processes.

16 cl, 5 dwg

Description

AREA OF TECHNOLOGY

The subject matter of the invention described in this document generally relates to a type of agricultural machinery, and in particular it relates to an agricultural machine for preparing soil and performing several agricultural work processes using one machine.

LEVEL OF TECHNOLOGY

Soil loosening is a basic activity performed to aerate and fertilize the soil, to apply fertilizers, and to make holes in the ground for planting. Soil loosening also helps seeds to germinate and grow. Machines are used in farming and gardening to prepare the soil, sow seeds, or plant plants.

Ploughing and tilling activities on farms involve breaking up the hardened soil structure, which promotes drainage and root growth. Ploughing also helps to supply the soil with organic matter by enhancing decomposition and building up soil nutrients. Loosening and compacting heavy soil helps to increase the overall volume of the soil and ensures better water retention. Forming ridges and soil layers using grooves/furrows can be facilitated by machines for home gardening and small-scale fields for horticultural crops, as well as for intensive cultivation practices with intercropping.

Tillage machinery and implements are very useful in dry and hard soil conditions and where soil separation is difficult. Tillage involves turning over the soil, mixing the soil, lifting the soil and breaking up the soil. Tillage also helps to effectively cut crop residues, remove weeds and mix in fertilizers.

Many vegetables, leafy greens and herbaceous plants can be grown from seeds sown outdoors. A prerequisite for successful cultivation of agricultural and horticultural crops and vegetables is the preparation of a good seedbed, free of weeds and with a loose soil surface texture.

Mechanization of farms and home gardens helps to increase productivity in growing vegetables and crops. It helps to contribute to rural modernization by popularizing and applying agricultural machinery, promoting joint application and improving the usefulness of agricultural machinery.

Tillage equipment helps to create a good nursery bed with less soil compaction so that the seedlings can grow more easily. It improves air circulation and allows water to penetrate more quickly. Tillage also damages or kills competing plants. In annual cropping systems, even no-till systems, it is necessary to disturb the soil cover to accommodate the transplanted plant or seed.

Tilling is the process of preparing the soil for seed cultivation by digging, tilling and turning the soil. This ensures proper mixing of nutrients and uprooting of growing weeds early. The practice of double digging is also preferred where the soil is compacted, where the land has not been previously cultivated, where noxious perennials grow or when creating raised beds. Raised beds are widely used for growing fruits and vegetables as they enhance drainage. Mulch has recently been used as a “foliar feed” during the planting season as it gradually decomposes into the topsoil, adding additional nutrients.

Tillage, as used in farming and horticulture, refers to many types of mechanical operations in which soil is moved to change ground conditions, crop residues are processed, and weeds are removed, or fertilizer application and/or seeding is performed. Specific tillage systems are often discussed in terms of the type of tillage implement used, such as a plow, rotary tiller, power shovel, strip tiller, disc harrow, disc harrow assembly, tines, etc. Tillage systems are also discussed in terms of their general purpose, such as conventional tillage, conservation tillage, no-tillage, or minimum tillage. Supplementary tillage, which refers to soil disturbance followed by primary tillage, is designed to prepare the bed for seed or to perform some other specific task, such as soil improvement, loosening, weed removal, etc.

A soil tillage machine is designed to prepare the soil for cultivation more easily and efficiently than by hand labor or draft animals, using energy to pull a plough and other soil-cultivating implements. Machines, agricultural machinery and implements, usually used with tractors and/or powered by internal combustion engines, are known by names such as cultivators or rotary tillers, and employ units with disc harrows, furrowers, ploughs, furrow openers, tines and assemblies thereof.

Tine designs range from “blade” types designed to prevent vegetative matter from becoming “stuck” in tine sets, to pointed-tip or pivot tines that can turn over organic matter such as cover crops to improve the soil. Rotary tines, driven by the tractor’s output shaft, are available. During operation, the soil is broken up by the rotation and forward feed of the blades mounted on the shaft.

Home gardening can be made more enjoyable by reducing the manual labor and drudgery involved with machines that can help in preparing the soil for planting and in maintaining the garden. Tilling is usually done before planting seeds or seedlings to break up the soil and loosen the soil.

There are several types of agricultural equipment and gardening hand tools available on the market that are attached to tractors or to autonomous, self-propelled machines that have internal combustion engines that run on gasoline or diesel.

In document US 10405473 B2, which discloses a device for soil cultivation for selective primary soil cultivation and preparation of seed beds, it is said that a primary soil cultivation rod is configured to be selectively movable to provide periodic, local and/or operational flexibility of the soil cultivation operation. The device for soil cultivation comprises a cultivator frame, at least one additional soil cultivation tool mounted on the frame, and a primary soil cultivation rod mounted on the frame, wherein the primary soil cultivation rod is configured to be selectively movable between a lowered position with engagement with the soil and a raised position without engagement with the soil. In a method for plowing or preparing a bed for seeds, a device for soil cultivation is pulled around a field, wherein at least one additional tool for soil cultivation is brought into engagement with the field when additional soil cultivation of the field is required, and a main rod for soil cultivation, designed with the possibility of selective movement, is lowered with engagement with the field when primary soil cultivation of the field is required, or is raised without engagement with the field when primary soil cultivation is not required.

Document CN201869530 U discloses a machine for milling soil, making furrows, ridges, burying weeds and planting seeds, which relates to the field of agricultural machinery. The machine comprises a frame, a knife shaft for milling soil, a reduction unit, a gearbox, a furrow opener, a mounting frame, an auger, etc., wherein the reduction unit and the traction frame are located above the frame, one side of the frame is provided with a gearbox, the knife shaft for milling soil is located under the front end of the frame, the auger is located under the rear end of the frame and the furrow opener is located under the rear end of the auger by means of the mounting frame, and the auger is connected to the reduction unit by means of the gearbox and the transmission shaft. By means of the machine disclosed in this utility model, the operations of soil milling, furrowing, ridge-making, weeding and seed-embedding are performed in one step, and such problems as the slow furrowing and ridge-making by the traditional furrow opener, the shallow depth of the furrows made and the fact that the furrowing and ridge-making operations can only be simply performed, but the operations regarding the soil generated in the process of furrowing, the weeds in the field and the crop seeds sown on the soil surface cannot be performed, and additional operations must be performed by other machines or manually are required. The machine disclosed in this utility model is particularly suitable for operations in an agricultural area with high soil moisture and a large number of roots and weeds.

Document CN101124865A discloses a multi-purpose machine used for soil milling, ridge forming and fertilizing and configured to work with a tractor. A ridge forming device and a fertilizing device are further provided at the rear of the rotary tiller, wherein the ridge forming device comprises a plough ditch digger and a plough stand, while the fertilizing device comprises a fertilizing box, a fertilizing pipe, a land wheel, a fertilizing drum, a chain wheel, and a chain and a furrower. The plough stand is fixed to the rotary tiller by means of an upper beam and a lower beam, the fertilizing box is fixed to the upper beam, while the land wheel is pivotally fixed to the lower beam. This can be used to perform all operations at once, such as soil milling, pit digging and ridge forming, as well as deep fertilizing, etc.; thus, labor is saved, labor intensity is reduced and work quality is improved, in particular, work efficiency can be improved more than five times.

Document US4243104 A discloses a soil cultivating machine comprising a pair of frame assemblies inclined in a rearward direction with a divergence relative to each other, wherein each frame assembly comprises a corresponding tool holding shaft. Each shaft is associated with two tool holding rods, one on the front shaft and one behind it. The rods carry deep ploughing devices, while the shafts carry disc tools. A predetermined quantitative relationship is used between the ploughing depth by means of these devices and the distance, measured in a direction parallel to the direction of advance of the machine, between the predetermined device and the disc tool associated with it. An additional predetermined quantitative relationship is used between this distance and the speed of advance of the machine.

However, most traditional tillage implements and machines are designed for use on large farms and fields. Small farms and home gardens require much more compact, versatile and smaller machines that are well suited for general-purpose applications such as preparing planting beds, dividing the soil/ploughing, levelling soil layers, loosening large clumps of soil to separate weeds, double-digging furrows and forming raised beds, incorporating fertilizers into the deep soil layers, seeding and digging holes in which seedlings are to be planted.

In addition, most of the traditional machines are designed to perform one type of operation. None of the analogues known from the state of the art provide versatility in performing complex soil preparation or agronomic work processes with one machine. Traditional machines are suitable for use in large fields and require special skills to operate such machines. Moreover, these existing machines are more time-consuming and more difficult to use, which is the main problem associated with existing agricultural machines.

Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide a user-friendly multi-purpose agricultural machine that is well suited for use in small farms, vegetable gardens and home gardens and is capable of performing comprehensive soil preparation, plowing, loosening, weeding, forming level planting beds on normal terrain or embankment layers on silty soils, throwing seeds/fertilizers, digging holes for planting seedlings, leveling the soil and other agricultural processes, which ultimately eliminates the association of mental images of hard, backbreaking labor with activities based on agriculture and farming.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

This summary is intended to introduce, in a simplified form, a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key or important ideas of the invention.

The aim of the present invention is to overcome the problems associated with the prior art analogues.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-purpose agricultural machine that is well suited for use on small farms, vegetable gardens and home gardens and is capable of performing comprehensive soil preparation, plowing, loosening, weed removal, forming planting beds, throwing seeds/fertilizers, digging holes for planting seedlings and other agricultural processes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-purpose agricultural machine that can operate on slopes to create embankment layers suitable for planting crops on sloping terrain in hilly areas.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-purpose agricultural machine which is mounted on a manually controlled trolley comprising wheels for free transport and movement of the machine or alternatively, if necessary, provided with a power element in the case of medium and large fields.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-purpose agricultural machine that is easy to use and does not require any special skills to operate the machine.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-purpose agricultural machine that saves time, increases productivity in gardening, horticultural crop cultivation and is used in small farm operations. Young people who otherwise reject agriculture and gardening as hard work may be attracted to the idea of mechanization in farming, which is affordable and feasible and requires moderate labor, skill and investment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-purpose agricultural machine that contains a certain number of subassemblies and related know-how that can interest and intrigue ordinary rural educated youth, encourage them to engage in farming activities, master professions related to growing crops and vegetables, processing agricultural products, and contribute to the economy of agriculture. Similarly, hobbyists can, with moderate investment of time and labor, achieve greening of their gardens and obtain vegetables from the garden for home consumption, while offering their products to local sellers due to the increased production of vegetables and crops.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-purpose agricultural machine that can be manufactured in a home workshop or in manufacturing organizations operating as a small business. Entrepreneurs, with the help of the know-how that has been shared, can make changes, improvements and optimize the machine to suit changing applications, manufacture and sell them in their local community of farming and gardening enthusiasts.

Accordingly, in one aspect, the present invention provides an agricultural machine, wherein said machine contains:

(a) a drilling unit located within the outer casing and comprising:

at least three rotating soil augers capable of rotating to loosen and remove soil, or spiked soil loosening rods;

at least one deflection plate;

(a) a composite flange assembly comprising:

(i) at least one upper flange mounted on the central axial shaft; and

(ii) at least one lower flange mounted on the central axial shaft;

(iii) an axial shaft mounted on bearings on the upper and lower covers at each end of the machine body, such axial shaft also passing through a bushing at the upper and lower end of the cover, near the bearing block to allow axial movement of the shaft and capable of providing downward or upward movement of the unit;

(iv) a rotary drive which, for operation, is engaged with a piston-type linear actuator or a threaded rod with a nut-shaped element to which a central axial shaft with a composite flange assembly and a drive assembly for augers is connected, for inserting the axial shaft and auger assemblies into the soil for digging or for withdrawing and returning them;

(v) three drilling shafts sliding within a flange assembly, combined with rotating augers for digging the soil;

(i) at least three spring-loaded outer blocks with spring-loaded sliding bearing supports for supporting one end of three outer drill shafts on the lower surface of the upper flange;

(ii) at least three spring-loaded outer blocks with spring-loaded sliding bearing supports for supporting the other end of the three outer drill shafts on the lower surface of the lower flanges;

(iii) at least three internal blocks with radially sliding bearing supports for supporting one end of three internal drill shafts on the upper surface of the upper flange;

(iv) at least three internal blocks with radially sliding bearing supports for supporting the other end of the internal drill shafts on the upper surface of the lower flanges;

(v) radial guides and slots for the drill shafts, mounted on bearings in their supports, on all internal and external blocks to enable them to move inward or outward within such blocks;

(vi) a spring loading the bearing supports on the three outer blocks to facilitate their return after being moved inward;

(vii) spiral guide slots on the upper and lower flange in which the direction of the drill shafts is provided by the use of a lever to enable the drills to be brought towards each other or moved outwards;

(viii) at least one lever configured to provide movement of the drill shafts radially inward or radially outward relative to the central axis of the shaft;

(ix) a threaded member at the end of the lever for effecting lateral movement, wherein the fastening nut holds the wheel for securing the flange assembly in the housing after adjusting the distances between the drills, or a ratchet mechanism with a pawl for one-way movement, locking or releasing if necessary to stop and block the lateral movement for changes in the distance between the drills;

wherein the rotating augers for digging the soil are connected by means of couplings and bolts either to three pairs of internal blocks or to three pairs of external blocks, and such internal and external blocks are arranged along the radial direction on two flanges by means of a lever;

(c) a drive device for drills within a flange assembly as specified in (b) above, located within the machine housing and comprising:

(i) at least three chain driven pinions in the form of toothed wheels mounted on the inner three drill shafts supported at each end on bearings within three sliding bearing supports, within the inner blocks, on the upper surface of both flanges; and

(ii) at least three chain driven pinions in the form of toothed wheels mounted on the outer three drill shafts supported at each end on bearings within three spring loaded sliding bearing supports, within the outer blocks, on the lower surface of both flanges;

(iii) a chain passing along the outer surface of the gears on the three outer drill shafts and along the inner surface of the gears on the three inner drill shafts;

(iv) a motor located in the axial direction of the flange assembly, connected to one of the drilling shafts between the outer blocks and driving it;

wherein the unit of the drive device for the drills and the flange assembly is mounted on a manually controlled trolley and contains a linear actuator or device in the form of a threaded rod/nut assembly with a drive from a motor, which are connected to the central axial shaft for driving it, are located in the axial direction of the flange assembly with rotating drills for digging the soil and are designed with the possibility of introducing the drills into the soil or removing them from the soil.

Digging Soil and Preparing Planting Beds: Three auger shafts and a motor to drive the auger shafts enable the augers to dig the soil to create furrows in the field soil while simultaneously deflecting the dug soil to the side of the furrow to form planting beds as the machine on its carriage moves across the field.

Changing the width of the furrow or planting bed: The adjustment lever for changing the width of the furrow and the corresponding width of the planting bed is made in the form of a threaded rod with a tension wheel, while the fastening nut is made with the possibility of fixing on the outer casing to fix the adjusted radial distances between the drills from the central axis of the shaft, while the use of the lever ensures a change in the distance between the drilling shafts, while the engagement of the chain drive is ensured even when the distances between the drills change.

Alternate fixation of adjusted distances between drills: A ratchet mechanism with a pawl is located on the outer end of the flanges and is designed to ensure unidirectional movement and holding the shafts in place after adjusting the radial distances between the drills and to release them with repeated adjustment of the distances if necessary.

Traction force and movement of the machine: The machine is mounted on a cart to enable it to move in the field to obtain grooves/planting beds or to move between dug holes in the field in the required places, for planting seedlings or for transplanting them, while the manually controlled cart contains at least two wheels with tires and at least two metal studded wheels that increase the traction force with the field; electric motors or internal combustion engines are provided, if necessary, to provide the force necessary for the movement of the traction of the wheels, facilitating movement in the field.

Four-wheel independent suspension: A manually controlled bogie comprising independent double wishbone suspension for each of the wheels comprising at least two parallel forked arms which provides support to a hub/bearing housing, the bearing supporting an axle connected to the wheels; the hub/bearing housing is welded to the bogie frame; this arrangement enables independent movement of all four wheels to provide the ability to (a) easily steer the machine over uneven terrain or (b) move over muddy soils in hilly areas to produce terraced planting beds along a slope.

Wheel height adjustment on one side: The wheels include a height adjustment element on the trolley, designed to facilitate movement on water-soaked, muddy soils.

Furrow openers for application of fertilizers or seeding: A manually controlled cart contains furrow openers with two inclined disks, designed to facilitate the introduction of fertilizers or seeds into the soil layer. The frame of the cart contains a device for adjusting the height of the furrow openers with inclined disks to ensure the possibility of changing the depth of the furrows opened for the introduction of fertilizers or seeds.

Soil deflection for preparing planting beds: The machine comprises inclined deflection plates adapted to direct soil removed from the field during the formation of furrows to deflect it to form raised beds on the side of the resulting furrows as the machine moves across the field.

Mechanism for changing the distance between drills: By moving the lever up to 120 degrees to move the drill shafts radially inward, the drilling shafts slide along the spiral guide slot on the flange assembly and along the radial guide elements in the internal and external blocks.

Soil loosening: The spiked loosening rods are designed for deep loosening to loosen hard, large pieces or for deep digging to apply fertilizer to deeper soil layers.

Motor and chain drive for rotating the drill shafts: The motor for driving the drill shafts by means of a chain drive is a direct current motor or a stepping motor; or an internal combustion engine is provided to provide rotational drive for one of the drill shafts.

Loosening rods: Loosening rods are jagged, pointed rods with sharp edges projecting in the direction perpendicular to the rod, in the radial direction.

Fertilizer/compost thrower: The machine comprises a main loading chute with a half left-handed and half right-handed rotating threaded element for moving fertilizer or compost towards the center with the provision of guiding and pushing such fertilizer into an additional loading chute, which contains a rotating feed drum for loosening large pieces and feeding them into an attached element in the form of a transparent discharge chute for gravity feeding for feeding fertilizer or compost into the loosened soil layer during deep digging or onto planting beds during a second pass.

Seeding device: The machine comprises a main loading chute chamber mounted above the drive unit housing with a drill feeding seeds into an additional loading chute chamber with a rotating mixing feed drum serving as a dosing device for throwing seeds into a transparent discharge chute for gravity feeding to planting beds obtained using a furrow opener; additional adjustment of the sliding movement of the furrow opener up and down vertically on the trolley frame allows seeds to be thrown to the required depth within the planting bed.

Field Traction for Machine Movement: The machine shall, where appropriate, contain a battery powered DC motor or internal combustion engine to provide motorization for a manually operated carriage providing traction for movement in the field, with a disc brake to control or stop movement.

In one embodiment of the present invention, three rotating soil augers are connected by means of several couplings and several bolts to auger shafts that are held either between (a) three pairs of internal bearing supports sliding within internal blocks located radially on the upper surface of two flanges; or between (b) three pairs of spring-loaded external bearing supports sliding within external blocks located radially on the lower surface of two flanges.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a drive unit for drills is provided, located inside a housing of the drive unit, which comprises at least six chain-driven gears in the form of toothed wheels, wherein (a) three gears in the form of toothed wheels are mounted on inner three drill shafts supported within three inner bearing supports sliding within three inner blocks on the upper surface of two flanges, and (b) three other gears in the form of toothed wheels are mounted on outer three shafts supported on spring-loaded bearing supports sliding within three outer blocks on the lower surface of two flanges.

The central axial shaft, which holds the drive unit for augers, is mounted on bearings at each end of the housing, on a manually controlled trolley, and a linear actuator driven by a motor is located axially at the upper end of the shaft. The linear movement of the piston-type actuator at the upper end of the central axial shaft introduces the drive unit for augers with three rotating augers for digging soil into the soil to dig the soil, and at the same time, retracting the actuator pulls the augers back out of the soil.

In one embodiment of the present invention, three drills are mounted by means of couplings and bolts both on three inner shafts holding the drills and on three outer shafts holding the drills, and the drill shafts with chain gears in the form of toothed wheels are driven by means of a chain drive, wherein the engine transmits torque to one of the three drill shafts with the drive of the drills for digging soil into rotation.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the machine comprises an attached compost throwing element, designed to feed compost into furrows opened in the soil. Such opening of furrows in the soil, preceding the feeding of compost/fertilizers or seeds, is carried out by means of rotating furrow openers with inclined disks, located between the front and rear wheels of the cart. The furrow openers with disks are fixed on a shaft mounted at each end, on bearings, inside a housing, which is welded to the frame of the cart.

In addition, the mechanism for throwing seeds or fertilizers contains a chamber of the main loading chute, installed above the housing of the drive unit, with a drill feeding compost into the chamber of an additional loading chute with a rotating mixing feed drum, designed with the possibility of breaking up large pieces of compost into a transparent discharge chute for gravity feeding or dosing seeds into a transparent discharge chute for gravity feeding for sowing purposes.

The above aspects and advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ATTACHED GRAPHIC MATERIALS

It should be understood that the graphical materials presented in the present invention only provide examples of the application of the present invention and therefore should not be considered as limiting its scope. In the description below, additional information is provided with additional details and particulars with reference to the accompanying graphical materials, which are listed below without details.

Fig. 1 is a schematic isometric view from the front of an agricultural machine according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic representation of the base of the cart with metal studded wheels and rear wheels with rubber pneumatic tires with independent suspensions on each side, resting on hubs with bearings that hold the axle shaft connected to the wheel. The bearing housing or hub is welded to the frame of the cart. The agricultural machine is mounted according to one embodiment of the present invention. Also visible is a furrow opener with inclined disks between the front studded metal wheels and the rear wheels with tires.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic representation of a drive mechanism for drills with drill shafts on bearing supports sliding within the inner and outer blocks welded to the upper and lower surfaces of two flanges. The drill shafts contain gears in the form of toothed wheels driven by a chain drive. Three drills are connected by means of couplings and bolts either to the drill shafts between three pairs of inner blocks or to the drill shafts between three pairs of outer blocks according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of one of the flanges, showing (a) a spiral guide; (b) three drill shafts on their bearing supports sliding within inner blocks on the upper surface of the flange; and (c) three outer blocks with spring-loaded bearing supports supporting the other three shafts and their gears in the form of toothed wheels. A chain is placed around the gears so that it runs along the outer circumference of the gears in the outer block and along the inner circumference of the gear in the inner blocks, and thus maintains tension, while the length remains the same even when the drill shafts are moved radially inward along the spiral guide slot or are retracted outward along the same spiral guide slot in a radially outward direction, by using a lever to change the distance between the three drills. The drills are mounted either on (a) three shafts between three bearing supports sliding within three inner blocks, or on (b) three shafts between outer spring-loaded bearing supports sliding within three outer blocks. A drive mechanism for the drills is thus shown according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view from below of an agricultural machine, showing three augers, a fertilizer/seed chute, a deflector plate, an independent suspension, a furrow opener with seed discs, front studded metal wheels and rear wheels with pneumatic tires according to one embodiment of the present invention. In this view, an inclined deflector plate can also be seen, which pushes the excavated soil by means of augers to one side of the furrow.

It may be noted that one or more elements may be represented in the figures by conventional symbols, and only those specific details may be shown in the figures that facilitate an understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, so as not to obscure the figures with details that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It should be understood in the first place that, although exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, the present invention may be practiced using any number of methods, both known and currently in existence. The present invention should in no way be considered as limited to the exemplary embodiments, drawings and methods presented below, including the exemplary design and embodiment shown and described herein, but may be modified within the scope of equivalents.

Unless otherwise specified, all terms and especially technical and/or scientific terms used in this document may be understood to have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

This document makes reference to certain "embodiment embodiments". It should be understood that an embodiment is an example of a possible embodiment of any features and/or elements presented in the claims. Some embodiments have been described for the purpose of illustrating one or more possible ways in which specific features and/or elements in the above claims satisfy the requirements of unambiguity, utility and non-obviousness.

Accordingly, in one embodiment, the present invention as set forth and generally described herein provides a multi-purpose agricultural machine which is capable of: (i) digging holes; (ii) loosening soil; (iii) producing furrows/trenches and planting beds near the furrows; (iv) forming embankments on silty soils; (v) leveling the soil; (vi) ploughing/weeding; (vii) fertilising; (viii) seeding, as well as such applications as double digging for enriching deeper soil layers or for soil improvement. The machine is well suited for planting on small farms and in home gardens, double digging and preparing embankment layers on gently rolling terrain.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the machine comprises three augers which rotate to loosen and remove soil to form holes or, when moving along a path, make grooves/furrows to form a raised planting bed on one side of the furrow, with an attached element in the form of an inclined (or spiral) deflector plate, which can also be used as a leveller if necessary.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a drive unit for augers with three augers is introduced into the soil in the axial direction of a linear piston-type actuator to a measured depth of digging a hole or forming a furrow, thereby adjusting the depth of the resulting ditch or hole.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the lever in the drilling unit, when rotated in a radial direction up to 120 degrees, around the central axial shaft, provides movement of three drilling shafts towards each other by sliding in guide slots on two flanges formed on the axial shaft, inside the drive unit for drills.

The movement of the lever causes the drilling shafts to move between the three inner blocks on the upper flange and the inner blocks on the lower flange radially inward toward the axial shaft. At the same time, a similar movement of the drilling shafts occurs between the three outer blocks on the upper flange and the three outer blocks on the lower flange radially inward toward the axial shaft. The direction of movement of the drilling shafts occurs in a radial spiral guide groove on the flange. When turning in the opposite direction, the drilling shafts move in the direction away from each other, while they move back along the spiral guide in the radial outward direction. Such a layout with the ability to change the distance between the drills allows you to vary the width of the resulting furrow and the corresponding planting bed.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the drills are driven by a chain drive, with the torque/speed of rotation being controlled by a DC motor or a stepper motor.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the length of the chain (driving) rotating the drill shafts is maintained uniform during the process of changing the distances between the drills by means of mechanisms providing sliding of the drive shafts for the drills and configurations of the installed gears driven by the chain drive. The drill shafts rotate within two sets of inner and outer bearing supports with sliding within radially located blocks on each side of the two flanges.

In one embodiment of the present invention, soil removed in the furrows is directed by an inclined deflection plate to form raised beds on the side of the resulting furrows.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a deflector plate, which is not inclined and is installed perpendicular to the planting bed, can help level the bed.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the augers can be replaced by spiked loosening rods for double digging in the second pass. The loosening rods are jagged pointed rods, wherein in the direction perpendicular to the rod, in the radial direction, protruding sharp edges are made. When used instead of augers, they can perform loosening, plowing or making furrows in the soil in a deeper soil layer. In the machine, an attached element for throwing compost / fertilizers can be used during the second pass of the machine to throw compost into a deeper soil layer, along the furrows made in the first pass, according to the recommended practice for double digging.

In one embodiment of the present invention, compost/fertilizer is fed into the loosened soil layer by means of an attached compost throwing element. A main loading chute is mounted above the housing of the auger drive unit, wherein the auger extends transversely within the loading chute. The auger is half left-handed and half right-handed to allow the compost to move toward the central area of the loading chute. The fertilizer is pushed through openings in the main loading chute into the chamber of an additional loading chute with a rotating mixing feed drum, which breaks large pieces of compost into a transparent discharge chute for gravity feeding. When the main and additional loading chute are used for throwing seeds, the feed drum in the additional loading chute serves as a metering device for throwing seeds into the chute.

In one embodiment of the present invention, in the case of settings regarding reduced height, the machine on two telescopic legs (if necessary built-in) on one side parallel to the axis of the drill, in combination with independent suspension (10) of the wheels, can work on slopes with the creation of embankment layers suitable for planting plants on sloping terrain in hilly areas.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the drilling unit is mounted on a manually operated cart with tire wheels at the rear end, and the traction force is increased when the cart is pulled forward because the front wheels are metal and studded. If desired, the cart can be motorized rather than hand-pulled, and a battery-powered DC motor or internal combustion engine is used to move it in the field.

The machine disclosed in the present invention is designed to dig holes, loosen with removal of weeds and breaking up large pieces, obtain furrows/canals with raised planting beds near the furrows, form embankments on silty soils, plow the soil, level the soil layers, apply fertilizers, and sow. The machine is well suited for planting plants on small farms and in home gardens.

The machine according to the present invention comprises three rotating augers for digging the soil (or, if necessary, loosening rods with spikes instead of augers); a deflector plate; a main loading chute for throwing in fertilizers and seeds; a rotating mixing feed drum in an additional loading chute; a discharge chute and a drive in the form of a rotary DC motor for driving the auger shafts by means of chains around gears on such shafts; a linear actuator providing for the introduction of the unit with augers into the soil for digging to a controlled depth and its withdrawal, wherein the entire unit and attached elements are mounted on a trolley that is pulled by hand (if necessary equipped with a motor for ground transportation).

The machine can be used for (a) making holes; (b) making furrows with adjacent raised beds; (c) double digging with an additional second pass for throwing in fertilizer/compost; (d) opening furrows for throwing in seeds into the soil layer; (e) making embankments on hilly sloping terrain; (f) ploughing the soil with loosening elements removing weeds and breaking up large pieces of hardened soil; and (g) levelling the soil layer.

The machine can be used for loosening and/or removing soil, digging holes, forming grooves/furrows and forming raised beds on small farms and in home gardens, as well as for fertilizing and sowing. In case of settings regarding the reduced height on two legs on one side parallel to the axis of the auger/direction of travel of the trolley, in combination with the independent suspension (10) realized on the front studded metal wheels and the rear wheels with pneumatic tires, the machine can work on slopes with the creation of embankment layers suitable for planting on sloping terrain in hilly areas.

Fig. 1 is a schematic front view of a multi-purpose agricultural machine and shows a main loading chute (1); a linear actuator (2) for pushing the drive unit for the augers into the soil; an additional loading chute (3) with a rotating mixing feed drum; a lever handle for transversely moving the flange for changing the distance between the auger shafts, ending in a threaded element, and a rotary button for gripping on the outer casing (4) when making adjustments; a discharge chute (5) for fertilizers and seeds; an inclined deflector plate (6); and augers (7) for digging the soil.

Soil digging is carried out by means of augers. Three augers are engaged by means of a mechanism that allows the radial distance between the augers to be changed relative to the central axis of the shaft, thereby providing the possibility of changing the diameter of the hole or the width of the furrow obtained in the field.

The machine comprises three augers which rotate with loosening and removing soil to obtain pits or, when moving along the path, make grooves and raised beds on one side near the furrow by using the extracted soil, pushing it out and dividing it into layers by means of an attached element in the form of an inclined (if necessary, spiral-shaped) deflection plate (6). The drive unit for the augers is introduced into the soil by means of a linear actuator (2), which can adjust the depth of the ditch or pit, depending on the situation, and the augers or loosening elements can be installed by means of couplings and bolts either on three internal shafts between pairs of internal blocks on two flanges, or on three external shafts between pairs of external blocks on two flanges. The handle in the auger unit, when turning in the transverse radial direction up to 120 degrees, ensures the movement of the augers towards each other. When turning in the opposite direction, the augers move in the direction away from each other.

In addition, the drills are made driven by means of a chain drive engaged with gears in the form of toothed wheels on three internal and three external shafts, wherein the torque/rotation speed is regulated from a DC motor (15) or a stepper motor. The drive force for rotating the drills is maintained uniform in the process of changing the distances between the drills. The drill shafts, held on bearings in their supports, slide within three internal and three external blocks on each of the two flanges. Six gears in the form of toothed wheels on the drill shafts are driven by means of a drive chain engaged with such gears. Three of the gears are mounted on three internal shafts held on bearing supports and sliding within three internal blocks on the upper flange and three internal blocks on the lower flange on the central axial shaft. The internal blocks are located radially on the upper surface of both flanges and contain guides for sliding the bearing supports holding the drill shafts. Similarly, the remaining three gears are mounted on three outer shafts supported by bearing supports and sliding within three outer blocks on the upper flange and three outer blocks on the lower flange on the central shaft. The bearing supports are spring loaded on the outer blocks to allow rearward movement when a lever is operated to move the drill shafts back outward from each other.

Three augers or three loosening rods can be provided with couplings and bolts either on three auger shafts installed between the outer blocks or on three auger shafts installed between the inner blocks. The soil removed in the furrows is directed by means of an inclined deflecting plate (14) with the formation of raised beds on the side of the resulting furrows. The augers can be replaced by spiked loosening rods for double digging in the second pass. During double digging in the second pass, compost can be fed into the loosened soil layer. In the present invention, the main loading chute is installed above the drive unit housing, and the mixing feed drum in the additional loading chute breaks up large pieces of compost or doses seeds into a discharge chute for gravity feeding.

Fig. 2 is a schematic representation of the wheel base of a cart on which a multi-purpose agricultural machine is mounted, and shows a furrow opener (8) with two inclined disks, which opens the soil in the planting bed for sowing; studded front wheels (9) for better holding and traction in the field; and independent double-wishbone suspensions (10) for all four wheels, making it possible to move on sloping terrain or an uneven field.

The machine is also suitable for forming embankment layers on gentle slopes or on mountainous terrains, for which the wheels on one side of the cart are reduced, and the planting beds are obtained by ploughing along the contours and moving the excavated soil to one side to form a planting bed. Such contour-leveled planting beds will need to be made from the lower end of the slope and then continue to form more beds along the contours at a higher elevation. The machine uses an independent double wishbone suspension (10) as the design of the independent suspension (10), wherein two (parallel) fork arms are used to hold the bearing inside its housing with holding the axle connected to the wheel. The bearing housing is welded to the frame of the cart. This arrangement makes it possible for the left wheels and the right wheels to move up and down vertically independently.

The machine enables better control and variability of the diameter of the dug holes or the changed width of the grooves and planting beds on small farms and in home gardens. The human labor costs are lower and the machine enables increased productivity in farming and home gardening. The drilling unit is mounted on a manually controlled trolley with studded wheels (9) for easy transportation and movement of the machine along the path for creating planting beds or for quickly moving the machine to designated places for digging holes. Movement in the field can also be facilitated by means of a drive electric motor, if necessary.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a third pass along the furrow in the field is used to throw seeds. The main loading chute above the drive unit is aligned with the chamber of the additional loading chute to allow fertilizers or seeds to pass between the chambers through openings on the adjacent sides. The additional loading chute is equipped with a rotating seed mixing feed drum for breaking up large pieces of fertilizers into a discharge chute (5) for fertilizers inserted into the chamber of the additional loading chute. The feed drum for feeding compost/fertilizers also serves as a seed metering device for throwing seeds into the same transparent plastic seed discharge chute during the sowing operation.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the auger in the main loading chute is half left-handed and half right-handed to allow the rotating auger to push fertilizers or seeds onto the central area and into an additional chamber with a compost/seed feed drum, which throws compost or seeds into a gravity feed chute. A furrow opener (8) with two inclined discs is located in the center between the wheels to allow the furrow to be opened when moving along the planting bed, into which the seeds fall from the chute behind the inclined discs of the furrow opener. Using an additional device for raising or lowering the two inclined discs of the furrow opener on the cart, if necessary, the depth of immersion of the discs into the soil can be achieved to change the depth at which the seeds are ejected.

In one embodiment of the present invention, soil spillage into the furrow is prevented by aligning the disc harrows, which can optionally be attached to the furrow opener side on the intermediate axle.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic representation of the drive mechanism of the drill shafts, to which the drills (7) are connected, and which shows the internal blocks and external blocks (11), the radial guide element (12) on the internal block for moving the bearing support holding the shafts, and the drive in the form of a DC motor (15) for causing the shafts to rotate.

A direct current motor (15) drives three drills (7) by means of a chain drive. The rotation drive is constantly engaged even when the radial distances between the drills (7) change. This is made possible by using sliding bearing supports with rotating bearings on which the shaft holds gears in the form of toothed wheels. The drill shafts contain gears in the form of toothed wheels, with the chain drive located on one side and the drills (7) located on the other side.

There are six rotating shafts with three spring-loaded bearing supports sliding within the outer blocks located radially on the lower surface of each flange and three other bearing supports sliding within the inner blocks on the upper surface of each flange. Both the three inner blocks and the three outer blocks are located radially on the upper and lower surfaces of the two flanges, respectively.

There are two component units, each comprising a flange with three internal blocks on one side and three external blocks on the other side in the drive mechanism. This arrangement makes it possible to install six shafts between three pairs of internal blocks and between three pairs of external blocks. When the shafts are driven by means of a chain drive, they rotate on their corresponding bearing supports. The bearing supports on the external blocks are spring-loaded within the blocks. The bearing supports slide within the three internal blocks and within the three external blocks in the transverse radial direction, thereby ensuring the movement of the drills (7) towards or away from each other. Three internal shafts with gears, installed between three sets of internal blocks (three of such internal blocks are on the right/lower flange and three corresponding internal blocks are on the left/upper flange), with their ends located on bearing supports within the internal blocks, both sliding radially within the internal blocks and at the same time also guided along a spiral guide slot on the flanges in two composite units. Similarly, three external shafts with gears are mounted on spring-loaded bearing supports sliding within the external blocks.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic representation of a flange with a spiral guide along which three internal shafts can slide inward with the drive of the drill shafts toward each other, and a gear for driving the drills, around which a chain moves with the provision of driving the drills (7) into rotation; the figure shows a gear in the form of a toothed wheel under the chain, a spiral guide (16) on the flange for transverse movement and external blocks (17) with spring-loaded bearing supports sliding radially within the external blocks, and drill shafts with their gears.

These six shafts shown support gears around which the drive chain is elastically wound and fitted so that the chain on the gears in the outer blocks runs along the outer circumference of the gears, and in the three inner blocks the chain runs along the inner circumference of the gears.

Three drills (7) are fixed either to three inner shafts or to three outer shafts by means of couplings and bolts. The transverse/radial movements of the three inner shafts, which can hold the drills (7), are guided by means of an inclined spiral guide on the central flange between the three inner and three outer blocks and converge towards the centre. This transverse adjustment is carried out by means of a manually operated lever located on one of the outer blocks in one of the component units. This use of the lever makes it possible to move the drill shafts towards each other along the converging spiral transverse guide slot on the flanges, as well as their simultaneous sliding in the radial inward direction along the sliding guides along their blocks with their bearing supports.

When the lever is used in the reverse direction, the shafts move away from each other with a divergence along a spiral guide on two flanges with a radial outward movement. When the three inner drill shafts are moved inward by using the lever, they also pull the outer drill shafts holding the outer gears and the outer bearing supports sliding within the outer blocks inward when all six gears are driven by a chain of constant length around the six gears.

Thus, the transverse/radial movement inward or outward of the drills (7) is carried out by means of a lever. When the lever is used up to 120 degrees, the drill shafts slide along a spiral guide on the flange, providing a radial movement inward of the shafts and providing a movement of the drill shafts towards each other when turning in one direction, or they move away from each other radially when the shafts return back along a curved path in the outward direction, when the lever is used in the opposite direction.

The lever is designed as a threaded rod with a tension wheel for fastening to the outer housing in order to fix the obtained adjusted distances between the augers. As an alternative, a ratchet and pawl mechanism at the outer end of the flanges can also ensure unidirectional movement and holding of the shafts in place after adjusting the radial distance. A linear actuator (2), driven by a motor, is located in the axial direction of the flange assembly parallel to the augers (7) for inserting the augers (7) into the soil to the required depth and for removing them as and when required. The entire unit is mounted on a wheeled trolley for moving the augers for loosening the soil to the required locations for:

(a) digging holes for planting seedlings or for transplanting them;

(b) loosening the soil to loosen it for weed removal, moisture retention, aeration, or decomposition of organic matter to enrich the soil;

(c) to produce grooves/furrows and raised beds for planting or sowing;

(d) carrying out double digging to prepare the soil with the introduction of fertilizers into the deep layer;

(e) introducing fertilizers or seeds by means of a loading chute assembly, an attachable element adapted for feeding by gravity/metering, and by means of furrow opener/leveller discs;

(f) ploughing in hard, dry, weedy, stumpy soil conditions and soils where separation is a problem, using higher torque and lower speeds;

(g) the machine can operate on sloping terrain in hilly areas to produce embankments for cultivation by adjusting the height of the wheels on one side parallel to the axis of the drill and by means of independent suspension (10) of the wheels, making it possible to move by means of raised wheels on one side on silty soil;

(h) although the wheels of the carriage are fixed so that the augers are inclined towards the field in the longitudinal direction of travel, when all four wheels are on the ground, it is possible to further tilt the auger unit relative to the direction of travel on the field up to 20 degrees, since the unit is hinged at one end and can be rotated due to this additional tilt (13). When raised to support only two wheels with tires, the machine can make vertical holes in the field.

Tines, harrows and other types of additional soil-cultivating devices cannot meet the needs of home gardening and the needs of small farms as effectively as a machine with the design described above.

The augers (7) can be replaced by spiked loosening rods for double digging in the second pass. The loosening rods are jagged pointed rods, whereby in the direction perpendicular to the rod, in the radial direction, protruding sharp edges are made, used instead of augers (7) for loosening, ploughing or making furrows in the soil in a deeper soil layer. In the machine, an attached element for throwing in compost/fertilizer during the second pass of the machine along the furrows made in the first pass makes it possible to throw in compost into a deeper soil layer according to the recommended practice for double digging.

The machine according to the present invention can be used with augers (7) for digging holes for planting seedlings in a field or for obtaining furrows with the formation of soil layers on one side. The attached element in the form of a loosening rod, provided with protruding spikes, can be used instead of augers (7) for loosening and separating the soil. It can also be used in a second pass of the machine on the field for loosening a deeper soil layer, as is necessary in practice for double digging. During this pass, compost is also added to enrich the deeper soil layer.

In one embodiment according to the present invention, a multi-purpose agricultural machine is proposed, wherein said machine comprises: (a) a drilling unit located inside an outer casing and containing at least three rotating augers (7) for digging soil, configured to rotate with loosening and removing soil; at least one deflection plate (6); (b) a flange unit comprising at least one upper flange mounted on a central shaft and at least one lower flange mounted on the central shaft; several drilling shafts on their bearing supports are configured to slide within inner and outer blocks arranged radially, in combination with the rotating augers (7) for digging soil; at least three spring-loaded outer blocks on the upper flange, at least three spring-loaded outer blocks on the lower flange, at least three inner blocks on the upper flange, at least three inner blocks on the lower flange; at least one lever configured to provide movement of the drilling shafts radially inward or radially outward relative to the central axis of the shaft.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the rotating augers (7) for digging the soil are connected by means of several couplings and several bolts either to three pairs of bearing supports sliding within their three inner blocks, or to three pairs of spring-loaded outer bearing supports sliding within their respective outer blocks, located in the radial direction on two flanges by means of a lever; and the machine comprises at least three spiral guide slots (16) on the upper and lower flange for moving the auger shafts radially inward or radially outward.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a drive unit is provided, located inside the housing of the drive unit and containing at least six chain-driven gears in the form of toothed wheels mounted on three internal shafts and three external shafts held on bearings within their supports sliding within the internal blocks or external blocks. The internal blocks are welded to the upper surface of the flanges, and the external blocks are welded to the lower surface of the flanges. The flanges are welded to the central axial shaft. The drilling unit is mounted on a manually controlled trolley and contains a linear actuator (2), driven by a motor, which is located in the axial direction of the flange unit with rotating drills (7) for digging the soil and is designed with the possibility of introducing the drills (7) into the soil.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the internal blocks comprise a radial guide element (12) designed to move the bearing supports holding the drill shafts. The rotation drive for the drill shaft is provided by a DC motor.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the machine comprises an attached compost throwing element, designed to feed compost into a loosened soil layer. In addition, it comprises a main loading chute chamber mounted above the drive unit housing, with a drill feeding compost into an additional loading chute chamber with a rotating mixing feed drum designed to break up large pieces of compost, for throwing under the action of gravity by means of a transparent discharge chute.

The machine is well suited to the recommended practice of double digging to maintain the ecosystem of the soil layers, adding organic matter in the form of compost and aged manure to the deeper soil layers, combined with the use of mulch or cover crops (green manure) for the topsoil. This represents an improved way of preparing the soil layer for planting agricultural and horticultural crops on small farms and in home gardens. The main requirement for double digging is to obtain an extra deep layer of loosened soil, 16-18 inches compared to the 6-8 inches provided by most tillage methods, and it should be done preferably without turning the soil layers.

Double digging helps assess the condition of the underlying soil and determine the nature of the soil improvements that need to be made. If the soil is clayey, it can be lightened with peat to provide aeration and improve drainage. Double digging provides a supply of nutrients and water for deeper plant roots.

Double digging is a gardening technique used to increase soil drainage and aeration. It involves loosening two layers of soil and adding organic matter.

Double digging is usually done when cultivating the soil in a new garden or when deep topsoil is required. In poor or heavy soils, or for vegetable gardens, double digging may be necessary about every 3 years. In other cases, double digging is really only necessary at the beginning of a new garden or in the case of general replanting.

Development stages:

The initial attempts came from a project supported by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India and the Ministry of MSME, Government of India, which was to develop a central database of know-how and technology to be disseminated and shared through a web portal to provide access to potential entrepreneurs, government agencies promoting entrepreneurship and the community at large. The portal developed was hosted at the URL http://indiaskillpedia.comand http://indiatechpedia.com./

The content to be uploaded to the site and distributed under various domains, topics and application areas was intended to engage practitioners, experts, government institutions/structures and educational institutions in the decisions.

The challenge was to attract content, as the content was not crowdsourced and uploaded to the site as planned. This led to the conclusion that original content needed to be created. Accordingly, the working group tried to develop technologies, collect various know-how, and distribute such technologies, products, and applications through the portal.

The need for dissemination of information in the DIY culture was considered important. Consequently, a Machine Making and Training Workshop was set up in the premises of the Barsi Raj Bhavan in Gangtok. Training workshops were held in Gangtok and Mysore and members of the IndiaSkillpedia Foundation were encouraged to develop DIY projects, technologies, ideas and know-how, which were then to be disseminated and shared to support entrepreneurship in various sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, garments, food processing.

The search for suitable DIY projects allowed us to consider ideas, concepts, projects related to metal fabrication, mechanized farming and agricultural processing, which are important activities in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors that provide employment and sources of income for potential entrepreneurs.

Based on the search, research was conducted on numerous existing machines that contribute and contribute to the productivity and livelihoods of people. In the process, numerous shortcomings were discovered in the machines that exist today.

The possibilities of designing machines that can overcome these shortcomings and allow the younger and next generation to embrace ideas that make farming and manufacturing more interesting are in themselves aspects worth exploring and paying attention to.

Properly designed engine driven machinery can help to attract the interest of small farms, enable them to develop their land and engage in horticultural and mixed crop cultivation. Ploughing machines can increase land/labour productivity and reduce production costs with reduced turnaround time.

The designed machine is characterized by low investment, simple know-how and ease of operation and management. It is suitable for the cultivation of crops in small farms and home gardens and increases their availability in local markets and sales at consumer outlets. The machine can be manufactured in local workshops by applying simple cutting and welding technology and DIY know-how, except for some parts such as motors, bearings, chains and wheels, which are purchased from hardware and machinery outlets.

Thus, there have been intensive efforts to create machines that can be of interest to young people and communities and at the same time help them in their efforts to become self-employed and have sources of income.

When it comes to organic farming, adding organic matter in the form of compost and aged manure, or using mulch, or growing cover crops (green manure) are the best ways to prepare the soil for planting. Organic soil is rich in humus, the end result of decomposing materials such as leaves, grass clippings, and compost. It holds moisture but has good drainage. Good organic garden soil is loose and soft, filled with air for plant roots, and contains many minerals essential for vigorous plant growth. It is full of living organisms, from earthworms to fungi and bacteria, that help maintain soil quality. Proper pH is also an essential characteristic of healthy soil. Plants need air, both above the surface for photosynthesis and in the soil itself. The air in the soil holds atmospheric nitrogen, which can be converted into useful nitrogen for plants. Oxygen in the soil is also critical for the survival of soil organisms that are beneficial to plants.

Good soil has just the right amount of space between its particles to hold the air that plants can use. Silty and heavy clay soils contain small particles that are close together. These compact soils contain little air. Sandy soils have the opposite problem: their particles are too large and spaced apart. Too much air in sandy soil causes the organic matter to decompose quickly. Adding organic matter, especially compost, will help balance the air supply (ideal soil contains about 25% air). In soils with too much pore space (sandy soils), water is quickly drawn out and cannot be used by plants. In compact, silty or clayey soils, the soil becomes saturated because all the pore space is filled with water. This will suffocate plant roots and soil organisms.

The above details indicate that soil preparation must be done carefully. It requires careful planning and considerable effort. The best soils have both small and large pore spaces. Adding organic matter is the best way to improve soil structure by forming aggregates. Organic matter also holds water so that plants can use it when they need it.

A population of healthy organisms will also be important to maintaining healthy soil. Soil organisms, living things, provide nutrients to plants and bind soil particles into aggregates that make the soil loose and soft. Soil organisms include earthworms, nematodes, springtails, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, mites, and many others.

Adding compost will improve almost any soil. The texture of silt and clay soils, as well as their nutrient levels, are dramatically improved by mixing compost in initially. All soils benefit from being placed on top each year.

Although the initial design obtained consisted of a drilling unit capable of digging the soil and making furrows to make holes and prepare soil layers, it was soon realized that for double digging practices, as well as for the efforts required to prepare good organic soil, it became necessary to add an attached element for throwing fertilizers and seeds. This made the design more versatile, widely applicable and suitable for cultivation in small fields and home gardens.

Some non-limiting advantages of the present invention are as follows:

(a) The machine allows better control and variability of the diameter of the holes dug for planting seedlings by adjusting the distances between the drills (7).

(a) The depth of digging of earth and soil is controlled by activating the linear actuator (2), which drives the drilling unit into the soil.

(b) The production and formation of furrows and raised planting beds of variable width is achieved by varying the distance between the augers (7) for digging the soil and by dividing the soil into layers on one side of the furrow by means of an inclined or spiral deflection plate (6).

(c) Double digging practices for better soil nutrition on small farms and home gardens can be effectively achieved by driving the auger into the soil to a controlled depth by means of a linear actuator (2) and rotary drive motor controls.

(d) Speed and torque variations are available to accommodate different soil textures and ground hardnesses and to break up large soil chunks of varying sizes.

(e) Human labour is less and the machine makes possible increased productivity in farming and home gardening.

(f) Wheels fitted with tyres and metal studded wheels (9) allow for easy transport and movement of the machine along the path for creating planting beds or for quickly moving the machine to designated places for digging holes.

(g) The height of the tyred wheel and the studded metal wheel with two legs on one side parallel to the auger axis may be reduced in combination with independent suspension (10) of the wheels to enable the machine to operate on slopes to create embankment layers suitable for planting crops on sloping terrain in hilly areas.

(h) Independent double wishbone suspension (10) as a design of independent suspension (10) in which two (sometimes parallel) forked arms are used to accommodate the wheels of the bogie, making it possible for the left wheels and the right wheels to move independently.

The preparation of land and soil using the machine disclosed in the present invention takes much less time. The duration of the interval between rotations for cultivating horticultural crops can also be reduced. Household income can be increased or, alternatively, dependence on external sources for vegetables and the associated costs can be reduced.

The machine disclosed in the present invention eliminates the association of mental images of hard, exhausting labor with agricultural and farm activities. On the contrary, it makes them more acceptable both as a hobby during vacations and as a way of pleasant pastime, as well as for the main farming activity or gardening activities for supporting sources of income.

The machine contains a number of subassemblies that may interest and intrigue simple rural educated youth. The machine itself can be manufactured in a home workshop or small enterprise, with the exception of a few purchased components such as bearings, motors and chains.

Young people are likely to be keen on farming/gardening and love growing crops, vegetables and fruits. They are likely to see it as a challenge that requires machines and the use of technology with the right set of attachments, attachments and scientific approaches. This is also linked to the perception of it as a profession worth pursuing to earn a living.

The use of gadgets is more interesting to the current generation. Agricultural equipment with innovative features would interest them. In addition, improved sources of income, which characterize farm income, contributing to an acceptable lifestyle, will be an additional plus.

Other applications, improvements and modifications of the embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. All such improvements and other applications are considered to be within the scope of the teachings disclosed herein.

Claims (41)

1. An agricultural machine, wherein the said machine comprises: (a) a drilling unit located within the outer casing and comprising: at least three rotating augers (7) for digging the soil, designed with the possibility of rotation with loosening and removing the soil, or spiked loosening rods; at least one deflection plate (6); (b) a composite flange assembly comprising: (i) at least one upper flange mounted on the central axial shaft; and (ii) at least one lower flange mounted on the central axial shaft; (iii) an axial shaft mounted on bearings on the upper and lower covers at each end of the machine body, such axial shaft also passing through a bushing at the upper and lower end of the cover, near the bearing block to allow axial movement of the shaft and capable of providing downward or upward movement of the unit; (iv) a rotary drive which, for operation, is engaged with a piston-type linear actuator or a threaded rod with a nut-shaped element to which a central axial shaft with a composite flange assembly and a drive assembly for augers is connected, for inserting the axial shaft and auger assemblies into the soil for digging or for withdrawing and returning them; (v) three drilling shafts sliding within a flange assembly, in combination with rotating augers (7) for digging the soil; (vi) at least three spring-loaded outer blocks with spring-loaded sliding bearing supports for supporting one end of three outer drill shafts on the lower surface of the upper flange; (vii) at least three spring-loaded outer blocks with spring-loaded sliding bearing supports for supporting the other end of the three outer drill shafts on the lower surface of the lower flanges; (viii) at least three internal blocks with radially sliding bearing supports for supporting one end of three internal drill shafts on the upper surface of the upper flange; (ix) at least three internal blocks with radially sliding bearing supports for supporting the other end of the internal drill shafts on the upper surface of the lower flanges; (x) radial guides and slots for the drill shafts, mounted on bearings in their supports, on all internal and external blocks to enable them to move inward or outward within such blocks; (xi) a spring loading the bearing supports on the three outer blocks to facilitate their return after being moved inward; (xii) spiral guide slots (16) on the upper and lower flange, in which the direction of the drill shafts is ensured by the use of a lever, to enable the drills to be brought towards each other or moved outwards; (xiii) at least one lever configured to provide movement of the drill shafts radially inward or radially outward relative to the central axis of the shaft; (xiv) a threaded member at the end of the lever for effecting lateral movement, wherein the fastening nut holds the wheel for securing the flange assembly in the housing after adjusting the distances between the drills, or a ratchet mechanism with a pawl for one-way movement, locking or releasing if necessary to stop and lock the lateral movement to change the distance between the drills; wherein the rotating augers (7) for digging the soil are connected by means of couplings and bolts either to three pairs of internal blocks or to three pairs of external blocks, and such internal and external blocks are located along the radial direction on two flanges by means of a lever; (c) a drive device for drills within a flange assembly as specified in (b) above, located within the machine housing and comprising: (i) at least three chain driven pinions in the form of toothed wheels mounted on the inner three drill shafts supported at each end on bearings within three sliding bearing supports, within the inner blocks, on the upper surface of both flanges; and (ii) at least three chain driven pinions in the form of toothed wheels mounted on the outer three drill shafts supported at each end on bearings within three spring loaded sliding bearing supports, within the outer blocks, on the lower surface of both flanges; (iii) a chain passing along the outer surface of the gears on the three outer drill shafts and along the inner surface of the gears on the three inner drill shafts; (iv) a motor located in the axial direction of the flange assembly, connected to one of the drilling shafts between the outer blocks and driving it; wherein the unit of the drive device for the drills and the flange assembly is mounted on a manually controlled trolley and contains a linear actuator (2) or a device in the form of a threaded rod/nut assembly with a drive from a motor, which are connected to the central axial shaft for driving it, are located in the axial direction of the flange assembly with rotating drills (7) for digging the soil and are designed with the possibility of introducing the drills (7) into the soil or removing them from the soil. 2. The machine according to item 1, characterized in that three drilling shafts and a motor for ensuring rotation of the drilling shafts allow the drills to dig up the soil to form furrows in the soil of the field and simultaneously deflect the dug up soil to the side of the furrow to form planting beds as the machine moves on its cart across the field. 3. The machine according to item 1, characterized in that the adjustment lever for changing the furrow width and the corresponding width of the planting bed is made in the form of a threaded rod with a tension wheel, while the fastening nut is made with the possibility of being secured to the outer casing for fixing the adjusted radial distances between the drills (7) from the central axis of the shaft, while the use of the lever ensures a change in the distance between the drilling shafts, while the engagement of the chain drive is ensured even when the distances between the drills change. 4. The machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the ratchet mechanism with a pawl is located on the outer end of the flanges and is designed to ensure unidirectional movement and holding of the shafts in place after adjusting the radial distances between the drills (7) and for releasing them with repeated adjustment of the distances if necessary. 5. The machine according to claim 1, characterized in that it is mounted on a cart to ensure the possibility of its movement in the field to obtain grooves/planting beds or for movement between dug holes in the field in the required places, for planting seedlings or for their transplantation, wherein the manually controlled cart contains at least two wheels with tires and at least two metal studded wheels (9), increasing the force of adhesion to the field; electric motors or internal combustion engines are provided, if necessary, to provide the force necessary for the movement of the adhesion of the wheels, facilitating movement in the field. 6. The machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the manually controlled bogie comprises an independent double wishbone suspension (10) for each of the wheels, comprising at least two parallel forked levers, which provides support for the hub/bearing housing, wherein the bearing holds the axle connected to the wheels; the hub/bearing housing is welded to the frame of the bogie; such an arrangement makes it possible to independently move all four wheels, ensuring the possibility of (a) easy control of the machine on uneven terrain or (b) movement on silty soils in hilly areas to obtain terraced planting beds along the slope. 7. The machine according to item 6, characterized in that the wheels contain an element for adjusting the height on the trolley, designed to facilitate movement on water-saturated silty soils. 8. The machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the manually controlled trolley contains furrow openers (8) with two inclined disks, designed to facilitate the throwing of fertilizers or seeds into the soil layer; the trolley frame contains a device for adjusting the height of the furrow openers with inclined disks to ensure the possibility of changing the depth of the furrows opened for throwing fertilizers or seeds. 9. The machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the machine comprises inclined deflection plates (14) designed to direct the soil removed from the field during the formation of furrows, so as to deflect it with the formation of raised beds on the side of the resulting furrows as the machine moves across the field. 10. The machine according to item 1, characterized in that by moving the lever up to 120 degrees to move the drill shafts radially inward, sliding of the drill shafts along the spiral guide slot on the flange assembly and along the radial guide elements in the internal and external blocks is ensured. 11. The machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the motor for driving the drill shafts by means of a chain drive is a direct current motor or a stepper motor; or an internal combustion engine is provided to ensure rotation of one of the drill shafts. 12. The machine according to item 1, characterized in that the spiked loosening rods are designed with the possibility of loosening for loosening large solid pieces or for use for deep digging for introducing fertilizers into deeper layers of soil. 13. The machine according to item 12, characterized in that the loosening rods are jagged pointed rods, and in the direction perpendicular to the rod, in the radial direction, protruding sharp edges are made. 14. The machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the machine contains a main loading chute with a half-left-hand and half-right-hand rotating threaded element for moving fertilizers or compost to the center with the provision of guiding and pushing out such fertilizers into an additional loading chute, which contains a rotating feed drum for loosening large pieces and feeding them into an attached element in the form of a transparent chute for gravity feeding for feeding fertilizers or compost into the loosened layer of soil during deep digging or onto planting beds during the second pass. 15. The machine according to claim 14, characterized in that the machine comprises a chamber of the main loading chute, installed above the housing of the drive unit, with a drill feeding seeds into the chamber of an additional loading chute with a rotating mixing feed drum, which serves as a dosing device for throwing seeds into a transparent discharge chute for gravity feeding to planting beds obtained with the help of a furrow opener; additional adjustment of the sliding movement of the furrow opener up and down vertically on the frame of the cart allows throwing seeds to the required depth within the planting bed. 16. The machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, if necessary, the machine comprises a battery-powered DC motor or an internal combustion engine providing motorization of a manually controlled cart, providing traction for movement in the field, with a disc brake for controlling or stopping movement.