Automated seedling cultivation equipment

Abstract

This invention relates to an automated seedling cultivation device, mainly comprising a conveying unit, an oil spraying unit, a soil filling unit, at least one spraying unit, a sowing unit, and a soil covering unit. The conveying unit transports a plurality of seedling trays along a conveying path, while the oil spraying unit, soil filling unit, spraying unit, sowing unit, and soil covering unit are arranged along the conveying path. The oil spraying unit sprays oil into the containing space of the seedling trays, after which the potting soil, seeds, and chemicals are placed in the seedling trays. By coating the bottom of the seedling trays with a layer of oil, excessive water accumulation at the bottom of the trays can be avoided, reducing the risk of root rot caused by prolonged soaking of the seed roots, thus significantly improving the seedling success rate.

Description

Automated seedling cultivation equipment Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an automated seedling cultivation device, which mainly involves coating the bottom of the seedling tray with a layer of oil. This reduces the risk of root rot caused by prolonged immersion in water, thus significantly improving the success rate of seedling cultivation. Prior Technology

[0002] Rice is one of the staple foods for humans, and rice cultivation typically begins with seedling raising. During seedling raising, seeds undergo pretreatment, starting with selecting strong seeds and sterilizing them. Specifically, salt water can be used for seed selection, removing empty husks and shriveled grains floating on the surface. The seeds are then soaked in a chemical solution to remove pathogens attached to the seed coat. After soaking, the seeds are placed in an environment with appropriate temperature and humidity to germinate until they sprout.

[0003] Then place the potting soil in a seedling tray and bury the germinated seeds in the potting soil. When sowing, the density can be adjusted according to the seed variety, ensuring that the seeds do not overlap. Afterward, water and fertilize the potting soil and seeds.

[0004] Seedling trays are placed in a hot and humid environment to promote seed growth. During this process, it is crucial to control the moisture content of the potting soil, keeping it moist but not waterlogged. Excessive moisture can cause root rot, while insufficient moisture will prevent successful seed growth. Therefore, controlling the moisture level in the seedling trays is closely related to the success rate of seedling cultivation. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the problems of previous technologies, this invention proposes an automated seedling cultivation device that can automatically perform steps such as seedling tray transportation, oil spraying, soil filling, pesticide spraying, sowing, and soil covering, significantly improving seedling cultivation efficiency and productivity. Furthermore, this invention first evenly coats the bottom of the seedling tray with a layer of oil, reducing excessive water accumulation at the bottom of the tray and minimizing root rot caused by prolonged water immersion, thus greatly improving the seedling success rate.

[0006] This invention proposes an automated seedling cultivation device, which mainly includes a conveying unit, an oil spraying unit, a soil filling unit, a first spraying unit, a sowing unit, and a soil covering unit. The conveying unit conveys a plurality of seedling trays along a conveying path, while the oil spraying unit, soil filling unit, first spraying unit, sowing unit, and soil covering unit are sequentially arranged on the conveying path.

[0007] This novel invention primarily uses an oil spraying unit to evenly spray oil into the seedling tray's storage space, followed by a soil filling unit to place potting soil into the seedling tray's storage space, and a first spraying unit to spray pesticide onto the potting soil in the seedling tray. A sowing unit places multiple seeds on the potting soil, and a covering unit further buries the seeds within the seedling tray's storage space by covering the soil.

[0008] Since oil and water are immiscible, applying oil evenly to the bottom of the seedling tray beforehand prevents excessive moisture from accumulating there, thus avoiding root rot caused by prolonged soaking in water. Furthermore, it helps inhibit bacterial growth at the seed roots, reducing the risk of pests and diseases during seedling cultivation.

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, this invention proposes an automated seedling cultivation device, comprising: at least one conveying unit for conveying one or more seedling trays along a conveying path, wherein the seedling tray includes a receiving space; an oil spraying unit located on the conveying path for spraying an oil onto the receiving space of the seedling tray; a soil filling unit located on the conveying path for placing a potting soil into the receiving space of the seedling tray; a first spraying unit located on the conveying path for spraying a first agent onto the potting soil; a sowing unit located on the conveying path for placing a plurality of seeds onto the potting soil; and a soil covering unit located on the conveying path for placing potting soil into the receiving space of the seedling tray, such that the potting soil covers the plurality of seeds.

[0010] In at least one embodiment of the automated seedling cultivation equipment, a second spraying unit is disposed on the conveying path and located between the sowing unit and the covering unit. The second spraying unit is used to spray a second agent onto the culture soil and seeds.

[0011] In at least one embodiment of the automated seedling cultivation equipment, the oil sprayed by the oil spraying unit onto the seedling tray is vegetable oil or edible oil.

[0012] In at least one embodiment of the automated seedling cultivation equipment, the oil sprayed by the oil spraying unit onto the seedling tray is palm oil or salad oil.

[0013] In at least one embodiment of the automated seedling cultivation equipment, the oil spraying unit includes a nozzle and a baffle, the baffle being located upstream of the nozzle. The nozzle is used to spray oil onto the receiving space of the seedling tray, while the baffle is used to limit the spraying range of the oil sprayed from the nozzle.

[0014] In at least one embodiment of the automated seedling cultivation equipment, a stacking unit is disposed on the conveying path and located downstream of the soil covering unit. The stacking unit is used to stack seedling trays so that the seedling trays are stacked in layers.

[0015] In at least one embodiment of the automated seedling cultivation equipment, a feeding unit is disposed on the conveying path and located upstream of the oil spraying unit. The feeding unit is used to convey seedling trays to the conveying unit, so that the seedling trays are arranged on the conveying unit along the conveying path.

[0016] In at least one embodiment of the automated seedling cultivation equipment, a leveling unit is disposed on the conveying path and located downstream of the soil covering unit. The leveling unit is used to scrape off excess cultivation soil in the seedling tray, so that the cultivation soil is laid flat in the accommodating space of the seedling tray.

[0017] In at least one embodiment of the automated seedling cultivation equipment, the sowing unit includes a roller, and the seeds are evenly scattered onto the cultivation soil of the seedling tray through the rotation of the roller.

[0018] In at least one embodiment of the automated seedling cultivation equipment, the oil spraying unit is used to spray oil onto the bottom of the accommodating space of the seedling tray. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0019] [Figure 1] is a top view of an embodiment of the new automated seedling cultivation equipment.

[0020] [Figure 2] is a side view of an embodiment of the new automated seedling cultivation equipment.

[0021] [Figure 3] is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an embodiment of the oil spraying unit of the new automated seedling cultivation equipment.

[0022] [Figure 4] is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an embodiment of the soil filling unit of the new automated seedling cultivation equipment.

[0023] [Figure 5] is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an embodiment of the sowing unit of the new automated seedling cultivation equipment.

[0024] [Figure 6] is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an embodiment of the soil covering unit of the new automated seedling cultivation equipment.

[0025] [Figure 7] is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an embodiment of the feeding unit of the new automated seedling cultivation equipment.

[0026] [Figure 8] is a perspective view of an embodiment of the stacking unit of the new automated seedling cultivation equipment. Implementation

[0027] Figure 1 is a top view of an embodiment of the new automated seedling cultivation equipment. Figure 2 is a side view of an embodiment of the new automated seedling cultivation equipment. As shown in the figures, the automated seedling cultivation equipment 10 mainly includes a conveying unit 11, an oil spraying unit 12, a soil filling unit 13, a first spraying unit 14, a sowing unit 15, and a soil covering unit 17.

[0028] The conveying unit 11 can be used to carry one or more seedling trays 21 and convey the seedling trays 21 along a conveying path 20. As shown in Figure 2, the conveying unit 11 can be a conveyor belt and includes a plurality of conveyor rollers 111 and at least one conveyor belt body 113, wherein the conveyor belt body 113 is disposed on the plurality of conveyor rollers 111. An electric motor is connected to one of the conveyor rollers 111 and is used to drive the connected conveyor roller 111 to rotate; for example, the conveyor roller 111 connected to the electric motor can be defined as a drive roller. When the conveyor roller 111 rotates, it drives the conveyor belt body 113, causing the seedling trays 21 placed on the conveyor belt body 113 to be displaced along the conveying path 20.

[0029] In one embodiment of this novel invention, the oil spraying unit 12, the soil filling unit 13, the first spraying unit 14, the sowing unit 15, and the soil covering unit 17 can be sequentially arranged on the conveying path 20 of the seedling tray 21.

[0030] Please refer to Figure 3. The oil spraying unit 12 is located on the conveying path 20 of the seedling tray 21 conveyed by the conveying unit 11, and is used to spray oil 122 onto the seedling tray 21. Specifically, the seedling tray 21 has a receiving space 211, and the oil spraying unit 12 is used to spray oil 122 into the receiving space 211 of the seedling tray 21. For example, the seedling tray 21 and the receiving space 211 can be a cuboid, and the oil spraying unit 12 is used to spray oil 122 onto the bottom 2111 of the cuboid receiving space 2111 to form an oil film on the bottom 2111 of the receiving space 2111.

[0031] In one embodiment of this invention, the oil spraying unit 12 may include a nozzle 121 and a baffle 123, wherein the baffle 123 is located upstream of the nozzle 121. For example, the baffle 123 may be a bent plate, wherein the lower part of the baffle 123 may be bent toward the direction of the conveying path 20. The nozzle 121 is used to spray oil 122 onto the receiving space 211 of the seedling tray 21, while the baffle 123 is used to limit the spraying range of the oil 122 sprayed from the nozzle 121.

[0032] In practical applications, nozzle 121 can be connected to a pump, which applies high pressure to the oil 122 in the cavity, forcing the oil 122 into the narrow nozzle 121, where it is then ejected as fine oil droplets. In different embodiments, nozzle 121 can be connected to a high-pressure gas cylinder, using compressed air from the cylinder to generate a high-speed airflow that breaks the oil 122 at nozzle 121 into extremely fine droplets.

[0033] Furthermore, the area and flow rate of the oil 122 sprayed from the oil nozzle 121, as well as the distance between the nozzle 121 and the seedling tray 21, can be further adjusted so that the oil 122 sprayed from the nozzle 121 can be evenly and completely sprayed onto the bottom 2111 of the accommodating space 211 of the seedling tray 21. For example, the distance between the nozzle 121 and the seedling tray 21 can be adjusted according to the size of the seedling tray 21.

[0034] In one embodiment of this invention, the oil 122 sprayed from the nozzle 121 can be edible oil, such as vegetable oil, olive oil, palm oil, or salad oil.

[0035] Please refer to Figure 4. The soil filling unit 13 is located on the conveying path 20 of the seedling tray 21 conveyed by the conveying unit 11. The soil filling unit 13 is located downstream of the conveying path 20 compared to the oil spraying unit 12. The soil filling unit 13 can be used to place a potting soil 23 in the accommodating space 211 of the seedling tray 21.

[0036] In one embodiment of this novel invention, the filling unit 13 may be a funnel-shaped structure and may be used to place a fixed amount of potting soil 23 into the receiving space 211 of the seedling tray 21. During the process of the filling unit 13 placing the potting soil 23 into the seedling tray 21, the conveying unit 11 will continuously convey the seedling tray 21 along the conveying path 20, so that the potting soil 23 is evenly spread on the bottom 2111 of the receiving space 211 of the seedling tray 21.

[0037] The first spraying unit 14 is disposed on the conveying path 20 of the seedling tray 21, wherein the first spraying unit 14 is located downstream of the soil filling unit 13. The first spraying unit 14 can be used to uniformly spray a first agent 141 onto the culture soil 23 in the accommodating space 211 of the seedling tray 21, wherein the first agent 141 may include water, pesticides, fertilizers and / or fungicides, etc.

[0038] Please refer to Figure 5. The sowing unit 15 is positioned on the conveying path 20 of the seedling tray 21, and is located downstream of the first spraying unit 14. The sowing unit 15 is used to evenly place a plurality of seeds 25 on the potting soil 23, wherein the seeds 25 can be seeds of various plants, such as rice or vegetable seeds.

[0039] The sowing unit 15 may be a funnel-shaped structure, used to place a fixed amount of seeds 25 onto the potting soil 23 in the seedling tray 21. During the process of the sowing unit 15 placing the seeds 25 into the potting soil 23, the conveying unit 11 continuously conveys the seedling tray 21 along the conveying path 20, so that the seeds 25 can be evenly distributed on the potting soil 23 of the seedling tray 21.

[0040] In one embodiment of this invention, the sowing unit 15 may include a roller 151. For example, the surface of the roller 151 may be provided with a plurality of concave and convex structures, wherein the concave and convex structures are parallel to the axial direction of the roller 151. The roller 151 may be disposed at the bottom of the funnel-shaped structure, and through the rotation of the roller 151, a plurality of seeds 25 are evenly sown on the culture soil 23 of the seedling tray 21.

[0041] In one embodiment of this invention, a second spraying unit 16 may be provided on the conveying path 20 of the seedling tray 21, wherein the second spraying unit 16 is located downstream of the sowing unit 15, for example, the second spraying unit 16 may be located between the sowing unit 15 and the covering unit 17. The second spraying unit 16 can evenly spray a second agent 161 onto the culture soil 23 and seeds 25 in the accommodating space 211 of the seedling tray 21, wherein the second agent 161 may include water, pesticides, fertilizers and / or fungicides, etc. In practical applications, the first agent 141 sprayed by the first spraying unit 14 and the second agent 161 sprayed by the second spraying unit 16 may be agents of the same composition or agents of different compositions.

[0042] Please refer to Figure 6. The soil covering unit 17 is set on the conveying path 20 of the seedling tray 21 conveyed by the conveying unit 11. The soil covering unit 17 is located downstream of the sowing unit 15 and the second spraying unit 16. The soil covering unit 17 can be used to place the culture soil 23 in the seedling tray 21 so that the culture soil 23 covers the seeds 25.

[0043] The soil covering unit 17 can be constructed similarly to the soil filling unit 13, and is also used to evenly spread the potting soil 23 within the receiving space 211 of the seedling tray 21. In one embodiment of this invention, a leveling unit 171 can be located downstream of the soil covering unit 17, wherein the leveling unit 171 is located on the conveying path 20. When the conveying unit 11 conveys the seedling tray 21 along the conveying path 20, the leveling unit 171 will come into contact with the potting soil 23 in the seedling tray 21 and be used to scrape off excess potting soil 23 in the seedling tray 21, so that the potting soil 23 is evenly spread within the receiving space 211 of the seedling tray 21. For example, the leveling unit 171 can be a scraper or a brush.

[0044] Before the steps of filling soil, spraying pesticides, sowing, and covering with soil, this new invention pre-applies oil 122 to the bottom 2111 of the seedling tray 21 through the oil spraying unit 12. Since oil 122 is immiscible with water, such as the water in the first pesticide 141 and the second pesticide 161, water accumulation at the bottom 2111 of the seedling tray 21 is prevented. This avoids the roots of the seeds 25 from being soaked in water for extended periods, thus preventing root rot. It also helps to inhibit bacterial growth at the roots of the seeds 25, reducing the occurrence of pests and diseases during seedling cultivation.

[0045] Please refer to Figure 7. The automated seedling cultivation equipment 10 may include a feeding unit 18, which is located upstream of the oil spraying unit 12. The feeding unit 18 is used to convey the seedling trays 21 to the conveying unit 11, so that the seedling trays 21 are arranged on the conveying unit 11 along the conveying path 20. In one embodiment of this invention, a plurality of stacked seedling trays 21 can be conveyed to the feeding unit 18. The feeding unit 18 is used to carry the stacked seedling trays 21 and drive the seedling trays 21 to move along the direction perpendicular to the conveying path 20.

[0046] When the bottom seedling tray 21 comes into contact with the conveying unit 11, the conveying unit 11 will move the contacting seedling tray 21 along the conveying path 20. Then the feeding unit 18 can continue to transfer the seedling tray 21 it carries to the conveying unit 11, so that the stacked seedling trays 21 are arranged in sequence on the conveying unit 11, which is conducive to subsequent steps such as oiling, filling soil, sowing, spraying pesticides and covering soil.

[0047] Please refer to Figure 8. The automated seedling cultivation equipment 10 may include a stacking unit 19, which is disposed on the conveying path 20 and located downstream of the soil covering unit 17. The stacking unit 19 is used to stack a plurality of seedling trays 21, such that the plurality of seedling trays 21 are stacked.

[0048] In one embodiment of this invention, the stacking unit 19 can be used to grip the seedling tray 21 on the conveying unit 11 and move the seedling tray 21 away from the conveying unit 11 along the direction of the vertical conveying path 20. For example, the stacking unit 19 can lift the seedling tray 21 upwards, creating a gap between the seedling tray 21 and the conveying unit 11. The conveying unit 11 will convey the next seedling tray 21 to the stacking unit 19. For example, the next seedling tray 21 will be located in the gap between the previous seedling tray 21 and the conveying unit 11. The stacking unit 19 can place the gripped seedling tray 21 on the seedling tray 21 of the conveying unit 11 to complete the stacking of two seedling trays 21.

[0049] Furthermore, the stacking unit 19 can move two stacked seedling trays 21 away from the conveying unit 11 along the vertical conveying path 20. When the conveying unit 11 conveys the next seedling tray 21 to the stacking unit 19, the stacking unit 19 can place the two stacked seedling trays 21 it has gripped onto the seedling trays 21 of the stacking unit 19 to complete the stacking of three seedling trays 21. The stacking unit 19 can repeat the above steps multiple times until the number of stacked seedling trays 21 reaches a preset number.

[0050] The above description is merely one preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. All equivalent changes and modifications made to the shape, structure, features and spirit described in the claims of the present invention should be included within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

[0051] 10: Automated seedling cultivation equipment 11: Conveying Unit 111: Conveyor Roller 113: Conveyor belt body 12: Fuel Injection Unit 121: Nozzle 122: Oil 123: baffle 13: Fill Unit 14: First spraying unit 141: First Agent 15: Sowing Unit 151: Roller 16: Second spraying unit 161: Second potion 17: Soil-covered unit 171: Leveling Unit 18: Feeding Unit 19: Stacking Units 20: Conveying Path 21: Seedling tray 211: Storage space 2111: Bottom 23: Potting soil 25: Seeds

Claims

1. An automated seedling cultivation device, comprising: At least one conveying unit for conveying one or more seedling trays along a conveying path, wherein the seedling tray includes a receiving space; an oil spraying unit located on the conveying path for spraying an oil into the receiving space of the seedling tray; a soil filling unit located on the conveying path for placing a potting soil into the receiving space of the seedling tray; a first spraying unit located on the conveying path for spraying a first agent onto the potting soil; a sowing unit located on the conveying path for placing a plurality of seeds onto the potting soil; and a soil covering unit located on the conveying path for placing the potting soil into the receiving space of the seedling tray such that the potting soil covers the plurality of seeds.

2. The automated seedling cultivation equipment as claimed in claim 1, comprising a second spraying unit disposed on the conveying path and located between the sowing unit and the covering unit, the second spraying unit being used to spray a second agent onto the culture soil and the seed.

3. The automated seedling cultivation equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the oil sprayed by the oil spraying unit onto the seedling tray is vegetable oil or edible oil.

4. The automated seedling cultivation equipment as claimed in claim 3, wherein the oil sprayed by the oil spraying unit onto the seedling tray is palm oil or salad oil.

5. The automated seedling cultivation equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the oil spraying unit includes a nozzle and a baffle, the baffle being located upstream of the nozzle, the nozzle being used to spray the oil onto the receiving space of the seedling tray, and the baffle being used to limit the spraying range of the oil sprayed from the nozzle.

6. The automated seedling cultivation equipment as claimed in claim 1, comprising a stacking unit disposed on the conveying path and located downstream of the covering unit, the stacking unit being used to stack the seedling trays such that the seedling trays are stacked.

7. The automated seedling cultivation equipment as claimed in claim 1 includes a feeding unit disposed on the conveying path and located upstream of the oil spraying unit, the feeding unit being used to convey the seedling tray to the conveying unit such that the seedling tray is arranged on the conveying unit along the conveying path.

8. The automated seedling cultivation equipment as claimed in claim 1 includes a leveling unit disposed on the conveying path and located downstream of the covering unit, the leveling unit being used to scrape off excess culture soil from the seedling tray so that the culture soil is laid flat within the receiving space of the seedling tray.

9. The automated seedling cultivation equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sowing unit includes a roller, and the seeds are evenly scattered on the culture soil of the seedling tray by the rotation of the roller.

10. The automated seedling cultivation equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the oil spraying unit is used to spray the oil onto the bottom of the receiving space of the seedling tray.

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