A low-damage puncture seedling removal end effector for pot body

Abstract

A low-damage puncture-type seedling-taking end effector for a pot body comprises a probe slide, a seedling-taking probe sliding in the probe slide, and a flexible connector; the probe slide has a linear slide, one of the sliding directions of the linear slide being the execution direction; the seedling-taking probe comprises a straight portion and a deformation portion that slide with the linear slide, the free end of the deformation portion being the puncture end; when the deformation portion slides in the execution direction, at least a portion can protrude to the outside of the probe slide for piercing the culture medium; the two ends of the flexible connector are respectively a driven end and a limiting end, and the driven end is connected to the deformation portion; a limiting mechanism is provided on the probe slide, which can limit the sliding of the limiting end along the execution direction so that the flexible connector is switched from a relaxed state to a tensioned state; this actuator performs hooking in the matrix by imitating the posture of a fishhook, without the need to clamp the pot, and has good stability and adaptability during transplanting, and does not require adjustment, making it easy to use.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of agricultural transplanting equipment, in particular to a low-damage puncture-type seedling-taking end effector for a pot body. Background Art

[0002] my country is a major vegetable producer. Among the comprehensive mechanization levels of vegetable cultivation, management, and harvesting, planting has the lowest level of mechanization, severely restricting the development of agricultural mechanization. Seedling transplanting involves transplanting seedlings grown in greenhouse trays to the field. Compared to direct sowing, it offers advantages in climate compensation, increasing the multiple cropping index, and protecting against low temperatures and chilling damage during the seedling stage, making it an effective way to achieve high yields and increase production.

[0003] During the transplanting process, there are two ways for the end effector to take the seedlings, namely the stem clamping method and the pot clamping method.

[0004] Some seedlings have good root packing and the roots of the seedlings are heavy, so the stem clamping method can easily damage the stems of the seedlings. When the pot clamping method is used, the end effector applies squeezing force to the matrix with its fingertips to remove the seedlings. During implementation, the squeezing force can easily damage the matrix, affecting the root packing of the potted seedlings and limiting the success rate of seedling removal. At the same time, when faced with seedlings with large morphological differences, the pot clamping seedling removal device may not be able to adjust parameters such as the clamping angle and force well, which can easily damage the seedlings or make it impossible to remove the seedlings completely. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to propose a low-damage puncture seedling removal end effector for a pot body, which performs hooking in the matrix by imitating the posture of a fish hook, does not require clamping the pot, has good stability and adaptability during transplanting, does not require adjustment, and is easy to use.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a low-damage puncture seedling removal end effector for a pot body, comprising a probe slide, a seedling removal probe sliding in the probe slide, and a flexible connector;

[0007] The probe slide has a linear slide, one of the sliding directions of which is the execution direction;

[0008] The seedling extraction probe includes a straight portion that slides with the linear slide and a deformable portion, wherein the free end of the deformable portion is a puncture end; when the deformable portion slides in the execution direction, at least a portion of the deformable portion can protrude to the outside of the probe slide to pierce the culture medium;

[0009] The two ends of the flexible connector are respectively a driven end and a limit end, and the driven end is connected to the deformation part; a limiting mechanism is provided on the probe slide, and the limiting mechanism can limit the sliding of the limit end along the execution direction so that the flexible connector switches from a relaxed state to a tensioned state;

[0010] During the sliding of the straight portion along the execution direction, the flexible connector in a tensioned state can restrict and pull the puncture end, and when the straight portion continues to slide, the deformed portion protruding to the outside of the probe slide is bent laterally to hook the culture medium.

[0011] As a preferred solution, the limiting end includes a stop baffle fixed to the end of the flexible connector, and the limiting mechanism includes a stop step arranged in the linear slide groove for cooperating with the stop baffle.

[0012] As a preferred solution, the surface of the deformation portion is provided with a baffle groove along its length direction, which is slidably matched with the stop baffle.

[0013] As a preferred solution, a surface of the deformation portion is provided with an accommodating groove for accommodating the flexible connector.

[0014] As a preferred solution, the puncture end has a radial rope threading hole, the middle part of the flexible connector passes through the rope threading hole, and a bending portion is formed at the rope threading hole for sliding and pulling the rope threading hole;

[0015] The driven end of the flexible connector is fixedly connected to an end of the deformation portion away from the puncture end.

[0016] As a preferred solution, the flexible connecting member is a traction rope.

[0017] As a preferred embodiment, the linear slide includes a first channel and a second channel connected to each other, the diameter of the first channel is larger than that of the second channel, and a stop step is formed at the connection between the two, and the diameter of the second channel is adapted to the outer diameter of the seedling probe.

[0018] As a preferred solution, the probe slide is tapered as a whole, and the end close to the puncture end has a smaller diameter.

[0019] As a preferred solution, a probe driving mechanism is provided on the outer side of the probe slide, and the probe driving mechanism drives the seedling removal probe to slide in the linear slide groove.

[0020] As a preferred solution, the probe slides are arranged in groups of two, and multiple groups of probe slides are distributed in a straight line. A distance-changing mechanism for adjusting the distance between adjacent groups is connected to the top of the multiple groups of probe slides.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0022] 1. Solve the problem of fragile pots and poor root packing in clamped pot extraction. Clamped pot extraction clamps the substrate during extraction, applying pressure to the substrate, which damages the substrate and affects root packing. The present invention adopts the principle of fishhook extraction, which does not squeeze the substrate. Instead, it uses a fishhook-like method to hook the substrate out of the tray, resulting in a smaller force area and less damage to the substrate.

[0023] 2. Solve the problem of complex structure of clamping pot seedling removal. The insertion of the matrix component requires consideration of many factors. Its shape and angle need to be adapted to the shape and size of different pot seedlings, and its head angle and dimensional accuracy must be high. The present invention adopts the principle of hooking seedlings, and the insertion angle can be kept perpendicular to the matrix. It has high adaptability, simple structure and low precision requirements.

[0024] 3. The present invention adopts a pneumatic propulsion method to bend the probe, which is simple and efficient, does not need to consider the control accuracy, and avoids complex circuits and programming control methods.

[0025] 4. Strong applicability and low requirements for substrates. The present invention can adapt to different substrate depths and widths, and can adjust the depth of seedling insertion and the curvature of the seedling probe. The curvature of the seedling probe can be controlled by simply controlling the propulsion stroke of the cylinder, and is suitable for substrates of different depths. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0027] Figure 1 It is an overall axial side schematic diagram of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 Schematic cross-sectional view of the probe slide and seedling removal probe assembly of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 Schematic cross-sectional view of the probe slide of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the entire seedling removal probe of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A magnified schematic diagram of point A in the middle;

[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the deformation portion of the seedling removal probe of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the flexible connector of the present invention in an installed state;

[0034] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the present invention in the process of transplanting seedlings;

[0035] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the deformation portion of the present invention in a bent state;

[0036] Figure 10 It is a partial schematic diagram of the deformation part of the present invention.

[0037] Reference numerals:

[0038] 1. Probe slide;

[0039] 2. Seedling probe, 201, straight part, 202, deformation part, 203, puncture end, 204, rope hole, 205, baffle slide, 206, accommodating groove 206;

[0040] 3. Linear slide, 301. Stop step, 302. First channel, 303. Second channel;

[0041] 4. Flexible connector, 401. Stop plate, 402. Bend portion;

[0042] 5. Probe drive mechanism, 501. Support frame, 502. Cylinder body, 503. Cylinder push plate;

[0043] 6. Pitch-changing mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The present invention is described in detail below by way of exemplary embodiments. However, it should be understood that elements, structures, and features in one embodiment may also be beneficially combined in other embodiments without further description.

[0045] It should be noted that: unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used herein shall have the ordinary meaning understood by persons having ordinary skills in the field to which the invention belongs. The words "one", "an" or "the" and the like used in the patent application specification and claims of the present invention do not express a quantity limitation, but indicate the existence of at least one; the words "first", "second" and "third" used herein shall not be regarded as a limitation on the order of components, but are only used to distinguish different components; the words "include" or "comprise" and the like indicate that the elements or objects appearing before "include" or "comprise" include the elements or objects listed after "include" or "comprise" and their equivalents, but do not exclude other elements or objects with the same function.

[0046] In order to more clearly describe the specific structure of the pot body low damage puncture seedling removal end effector, combined with the attached Figure 1-10 Describe this embodiment:

[0047] A low-damage puncture-type seedling removal end effector for a pot body comprises a probe slide 1, a seedling removal probe 2 that slides within the probe slide 1, and a flexible connector 4. The probe slide 1 has a linear slide 3, one sliding direction of which is an execution direction s. The seedling removal probe 2 includes a straight portion 201 that slides with the linear slide 3 and a deformable portion 202, the free end of which is a puncture end 203. When the deformable portion 202 slides in the execution direction s, at least a portion of the deformable portion 202 can protrude outside the probe slide 1 for puncturing the culture medium (or pot body).

[0048] See Figure 4 、 Figure 5 、 Figure 6 The two ends of the flexible connector 4 are respectively a driven end a and a limiting end b, and the driven end a is connected to the deformation part 202; a limiting mechanism is provided on the probe slide 1, which can limit the limiting end b from sliding along the execution direction s so that the flexible connector 4 switches from a relaxed state to a tensioned state; during the sliding of the straight part 201 along the execution direction s, the flexible connector 4 entering the tensioned state can limit and pull the puncture end 203, and when the straight part 201 continues to slide, the deformation part 202 protruding to the outside of the probe slide 1 is bent laterally to hook the culture medium (or bowl).

[0049] The straight portion 201 of the seedling retrieval probe 2 can be made of an aluminum alloy with high hardness, low density and light weight. The deformable portion 202 can be bent and deformed and automatically recover when not under force. It can be made of a material with good elasticity, such as rubber or metal. If the materials used for the straight portion 201 and the deformable portion 202 are different, they can be fixed by bolts; the tip part of the puncture end 203 adopts a trapezoidal structure, which can be smoothly inserted into the matrix, inserted into the matrix and retracted.

[0050] The flexible connecting member 4 is a flexible, foldable or bendable structure, and its length does not need to change in its tensioned state. Specifically, it can be a traction rope; the limiting end b does not move, and when the seedling probe 2 slides along the execution direction s, the traction rope begins to be tensioned, and when it continues to slide, the puncture end 203 is pulled by the traction rope, so that the deformation part 202 is forced to bend, such as Figure 9 shown.

[0051] The position of the limiting end b can be always fixed. For example, the limiting structure can be a connecting component fixed on the probe slide 1, and the connecting component is fixedly connected to the limiting end of the flexible connector 4;

[0052] The position of the limiting end b can also be changed. For example, the limiting end includes a stop baffle 401 fixed to the end of the flexible connector 4, and the limiting mechanism is a stop step 301 arranged in the linear slide 3 for cooperating with the stop baffle 401; the limiting end can slide in the linear slide 3 along with the stop baffle 401, and the position of the limiting end b is fixed only after the stop baffle 401 contacts the rear stop step 301. This setting method enables the seedling retrieval probe 2 to have sliding space in the execution direction in the non-bent state, so that the seedling retrieval probe 2 first penetrates into the matrix and then bends the hook, so that the hooking is stable.

[0053] The driven end a can be directly fixedly connected to the deformable portion 202 (near the puncture end 203 ), which is not shown in the figure;

[0054] See Figure Figure 6 and Figure 10 , a sliding method can also be adopted, specifically: a radial rope hole 204 is set at the puncture end 203, the middle part of the flexible connector 4 passes through the rope hole 204, and a sliding and pulling bending portion 402 at the rope hole 204 is formed at the rope hole 204, and the driven end of the flexible connector 4 is fixedly connected to the end of the deformation part 202 away from the puncture end 203; this method relies on the bending portion 402 to pull the rope hole 204, so that the deformation part 202 bends. The advantage of this method is that the flexible connector 4 can slide in the rope hole 204, so the puncture end 203 can be lowered and bent synchronously, which is conducive to smooth puncture of the matrix.

[0055] See Figure 5 In the above embodiment, a baffle groove 205 is provided on the surface of the deformation portion 202 along its length direction, which is slidably matched with the stop baffle 401. On the one hand, it prevents the limit end of the flexible connector 4 from moving randomly. On the other hand, when the seedling probe 2 is disassembled, the flexible connector 4 can be taken out together, which facilitates the installation and disassembly of the flexible connector 4.

[0056] See Figure 6 In the above embodiment, in order to reduce the friction between the flexible connector 4 and the linear slide 3, a receiving groove 206 for receiving the flexible connector 4 is provided on the surface of the deformation portion 202, and the receiving groove 206 can replace the baffle slide 205; receiving grooves 206 are opened on two opposite sides of the seedling probe 2, and the lower ends of the two receiving grooves 206 are connected through the rope hole 204.

[0057] See Figure 3 Specifically, the linear slide 3 includes a first channel 302 and a second channel 303 connected to each other. The diameter of the first channel 302 is larger than that of the second channel 303, and a stop step 301 is formed at the connection between the two. The diameter of the second channel 303 is adapted to the outer diameter of the seedling probe 2.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the overall shape of the probe slide 1 can be set to be conical, and the diameter of the end close to the puncture end 203 is small, which facilitates the partial penetration of the probe slide 1 into the matrix during use; at the same time, the conical surface can exert a certain degree of downward pressure, and the fishhook-shaped deformation portion 202 can produce a vertical clamping force on the matrix, which is beneficial to the stability of the transfer process.

[0059] A layer of hydrophobic polytetrafluoroethylene coating can be applied to the outside of the probe slide 1 to provide hydrophobicity and prevent the probe slide 1 from being adhered to the matrix when inserted into the matrix.

[0060] See Figure 1 A probe driving mechanism is provided on the outer side of the probe slide 1, and the probe driving mechanism drives the seedling retrieval probe 2 to slide in the linear slide 3. The probe driving mechanism specifically includes a support frame 501, a cylinder body 502 and a cylinder push plate 503; one end of the support frame 501 is fixed to the cylinder body 502, and the other end is fixed to the probe slide 1 in a ring-shaped structure. A cylinder push plate 503 is provided on the cylinder arm of the cylinder body 502, which is used to connect to the straight part 201 of the seedling retrieval probe 2, and the seedling retrieval probe 2 is driven to slide in the probe slide 1 through the cylinder push plate 503;

[0061] See Figure 8 The probe slides 1 can be grouped in pairs, and multiple groups of probe slides 1 are distributed in a straight line. A distance-changing mechanism for adjusting the distance between adjacent groups is connected to the top of the multiple groups of probe slides 1. The distance-changing mechanism can adopt a conventional mechanism and will not be described in detail here.

[0062] The specific use process of the present invention is:

[0063] The present invention is installed on the pitch-changing mechanism 6, and the movement of the whole is controlled by the pitch-changing mechanism 6. The pitch-changing mechanism 6 is controlled by the motor to move horizontally and vertically. During the transplanting process, the present invention moves to the top of the hole tray under the drive of the pitch-changing mechanism 6, and then moves downward as a whole. The probe slide 1 is inserted into the matrix. After the end effector is lowered to a certain depth of the probe slide 1, the cylinder starts to push the seedling probe 2 to move downward in the linear slide 3. After the seedling probe 2 is lowered to a certain height, the stop baffle 401 that cooperates with the slide of the seedling probe 2 reaches the stop step 301 where the first channel 302 and the second channel 303 in the tapered tube are connected. As the seedling probe 2 descends, the stop baffle 401 is blocked at the stop step 301 and no longer moves. At this time, the flexible connector 4 is tightened, and the puncture end 203 of the seedling probe 2 begins to be tightened. As the cylinder stroke increases, the seedling probe continues to move downward, and the deformation portion 202 on the lower side of the seedling probe 2 begins to bend and deform, and begins to hook the matrix like a fishhook. Then the end effector moves upward as a whole, hooking out the matrix and seedlings. After reaching the seedling placement position, the cylinder drives the seedling probe to retract, and the lower part of the seedling probe begins to return to its original shape. The matrix and seedlings fall off, and preparations for the next seedling removal work begin.

[0064] Parts not described in detail in the above embodiments are prior art.

[0065] It should be noted that although the present invention has been described with reference to the above embodiments, the present invention may also have other various embodiments. Without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, it is obvious that those skilled in the art may make various corresponding changes and modifications to the present invention, and such changes and modifications shall fall within the scope of protection of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A low-damage puncture seedling removal end effector for a pot, characterized by: It comprises a probe slide (1), a seedling removal probe (2) sliding in the probe slide (1), and a flexible connector (4); the probe slides (1) are arranged in groups of two, and multiple groups of probe slides (1) are distributed in a straight line, and a variable distance mechanism for adjusting the distance between adjacent groups is connected to the top of the multiple groups of probe slides (1); The probe slide (1) has a linear slide (3), one of the sliding directions of the linear slide (3) being the execution direction; the linear slide (3) comprises a first channel (302) and a second channel (303) connected to each other, the diameter of the first channel (302) being larger than that of the second channel (303), and a stop step (301) being formed at the connection between the first channel (302) and the second channel (303), and the diameter of the second channel (303) being adapted to the outer diameter of the seedling removal probe (2); The seedling extraction probe (2) comprises a straight portion (201) and a deformable portion (202) that slides with the linear slide groove (3); the free end of the deformable portion (202) is a puncture end (203); when the deformable portion (202) slides in the execution direction, at least a portion of the deformable portion (202) can protrude to the outside of the probe slide (1) for piercing the culture medium; The puncture end (203) has a radial rope threading hole (204), the middle portion of the flexible connector (4) passes through the rope threading hole (204), and a bending portion (402) is formed at the rope threading hole (204) for sliding and pulling the rope threading hole (204); The two ends of the flexible connector (4) are respectively a driven end and a limiting end, and the driven end of the flexible connector (4) is fixedly connected to an end of the deformation portion (202) away from the puncture end (203); a limiting mechanism is provided on the probe slide (1), and the limiting mechanism can limit the limiting end from sliding along the execution direction so that the flexible connector (4) switches from a relaxed state to a tensioned state; The limiting end includes a stop baffle (401) fixed to the end of the flexible connector (4), and the limiting mechanism includes a stop step (301) provided in the linear slide groove (3) for cooperating with the stop baffle (401); a baffle slide groove is provided on the surface of the deformation portion (202) along its length direction for slidingly cooperating with the stop baffle (401); During the sliding of the straight portion (201) along the execution direction, the flexible connector (4) in a tensioned state can restrict and pull the puncture end (203), and when the straight portion (201) continues to slide, the deformation portion (202) protruding to the outside of the probe slide (1) is bent laterally to hook the culture medium.

2. The low-damage puncture seedling removal end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The surface of the deformation portion (202) is provided with an accommodating groove for accommodating the flexible connecting member (4).

3. The low-damage puncture seedling removal end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible connecting member (4) is a traction rope.

4. The low-damage puncture seedling removal end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The probe slide (1) is tapered as a whole, and the end close to the puncture end (203) has a small diameter.

5. The low-damage puncture seedling removal end effector according to claim 1, characterized in that: A probe driving mechanism is provided on the outer side of the probe slide (1), and the probe driving mechanism drives the seedling removal probe (2) to slide in the linear slide groove (3).

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