Automatic plug seedling tray feeding device and seedling taking and transplanting method thereof

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of seedling transplanting, solves the problem of large positioning and seedling taking error and influences the transplanting effect during the process of plug seedling tray delivery to transplanting, and specifically discloses a kind of plug seedling automatic delivery device, including delivery mechanism, seedling taking mechanism and transplanting docking mechanism, seedling taking mechanism is set in the upper of delivery mechanism, transplanting docking mechanism is connected to the side of delivery mechanism, seedling taking mechanism includes the seedling taking bridge frame and rotating seedling taking support connected with delivery mechanism, rotating seedling taking support includes fixed support rod and rotating frame, one end of rotating frame is rotatably connected with fixed support rod, a plurality of seedling taking clamps that can be lifted are provided on rotating frame, a positioning frame is further connected to rotating frame, a plurality of guide positioning cylinders corresponding to seedling taking clamps are provided on positioning frame, and guide positioning cylinders are provided between seedling taking clamps and delivery mechanism.The present application is used for plug seedling cultivation process to deliver and take seedling and transplanting, with the characteristics of high degree of automation, accurate seedling positioning.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of seedling transplanting technology, and in particular to an automatic tray delivery device for plug seedlings and a method for seedling removal and transplanting. Background Technology

[0002] The technology for delivering, retrieving, and transplanting seedlings from seed trays achieves high efficiency through automated equipment and scientific management. Existing tray delivery equipment uses a sprocket and chain drive combined with dual-sensor positioning technology to precisely deliver flexible seedling trays to the top of the seedling. The seedling retrieval stage employs a pneumatic multi-claw parallel mechanism, combined with biodegradable tray cutting technology, improving retrieval efficiency and reducing seedling damage, making it particularly suitable for large-scale operations of vegetable seedlings such as tomatoes and peppers. During transplanting, a duckbill-type electric planter ensures precise planting of seedlings with intact root systems by online adjustment of plant spacing and planting depth, shortening the recovery period and adapting to diverse environments such as hilly areas, plains, and greenhouses. During transportation, the seedling trays must be secured, cushioned with foam boards, and temperature and humidity controlled. This technology combines efficiency and cost advantages, significantly improving efficiency compared to manual transplanting, and provides a standardized, high-survival-rate solution for the large-scale production of vegetables, flowers, and trees.

[0003] In existing technologies, the seedling picking process is affected by the movement of the tray, and due to the lack of a precise seedling picking function, there is a certain positioning error when picking seedlings. This not only affects the effect of the seedling picking process and may cause some damage to the plants, but also affects the position of the seedlings during subsequent division and planting, ultimately affecting the effect of the entire transplanting operation. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the problem in existing technologies where large positioning errors occur during the delivery of plug seedlings to the transplanting tray, thus affecting the transplanting effect, this invention provides an automatic plug seedling delivery device and a seedling extraction and transplanting method.

[0005] The technical solution adopted in this invention is:

[0006] An automatic tray delivery device for plug seedlings includes a tray delivery mechanism, a seedling retrieval mechanism, and a transplanting docking mechanism. The seedling retrieval mechanism is located above the tray delivery mechanism, and the transplanting docking mechanism is connected to the side of the tray delivery mechanism. The tray delivery mechanism is used to transport the seedling trays containing plug seedlings. The seedling retrieval mechanism is used to remove the plug seedlings from the seedling trays and transfer them to the transplanting docking mechanism. The transplanting docking mechanism is used to connect to an external transplanting device, which then transplants the removed plug seedlings.

[0007] The seedling retrieval mechanism includes a seedling retrieval bridge connected to the tray delivery mechanism and a rotating seedling retrieval bracket connected to the seedling retrieval bridge. The rotating seedling retrieval bracket includes a fixed support rod and a rotating frame. One end of the rotating frame is rotatably connected to the fixed support rod. The rotating frame is equipped with multiple liftable seedling retrieval claws. A positioning frame is also connected to the rotating frame. The positioning frame is equipped with multiple guide positioning cylinders corresponding to the seedling retrieval claws. The guide positioning cylinders are located between the seedling retrieval claws and the tray delivery mechanism. The rotating frame is used to transfer the seedlings taken out by the seedling retrieval claws to the transplanting docking mechanism through rotational movement. The guide positioning cylinders are used to position the seedlings in the tray and to guide and position the seedling retrieval claws during their descent.

[0008] Furthermore, the tray delivery mechanism includes a tray delivery conveyor belt, a tray delivery moving bracket connected to the bottom of the tray delivery conveyor belt, a moving roller connected to the bottom end of the tray delivery moving bracket, a seedling retrieval bridge connected to both sides of the conveying direction of the tray delivery conveyor belt, multiple seedling tray placement areas provided on the tray delivery conveyor belt, and a bottom positioning outer sleeve seat that cooperates with the guide positioning cylinder on the seedling tray delivery conveyor belt, the bottom positioning outer sleeve seat corresponding one-to-one with the position of the seedling tray hole;

[0009] The bottom positioning sleeve is used to fit over the bottom outer side of the guide positioning cylinder and fix the horizontal position of the guide positioning cylinder.

[0010] Furthermore, the rotating frame and positioning frame of the seedling taking mechanism are respectively provided with a first horizontal slide rail and a second horizontal slide rail, the seedling taking gripper is connected with a gripper horizontal slider that slides with the first horizontal slide rail, and the guide positioning cylinder is connected with a positioning cylinder horizontal slider that slides with the second horizontal slide rail.

[0011] The gripper horizontal slider and the positioning cylinder horizontal slider are used to drive the seedling gripper and the guide positioning cylinder to adjust the horizontal direction for seedling positioning and to adjust the spacing between the seedlings in the tray during the gripping process.

[0012] Furthermore, a vertical slider and a first vertical slide rail are connected between the seedling-taking gripper and the horizontal slider of the gripper, and a vertical slider and a second vertical slide rail are connected between the guide positioning cylinder and the horizontal slider of the positioning cylinder.

[0013] The vertical slider of the gripper is used to drive the seedling gripper to move up and down in the vertical direction to complete the seedling picking action, and the vertical slider of the positioning cylinder is used to descend and contact the seedling tray during the seedling picking process and keep the position relatively fixed.

[0014] Furthermore, an inner wall positioning sleeve is connected to the seedling picking claw. The inner wall positioning sleeve is disposed around the seedling picking claw. An elastic buffer guide strip is connected to one end of the inner wall positioning sleeve facing the guide positioning cylinder. The elastic buffer guide strip is inclined towards one side of the seedling picking claw.

[0015] The inner wall positioning sleeve is used to slide and fit with the inner wall of the guide positioning cylinder, and the elastic buffer guide strip is used to buffer the contact before the inner wall positioning sleeve fits with the guide positioning cylinder.

[0016] Furthermore, two sets of the seedling taking mechanism are symmetrically arranged along the conveying direction of the tray delivery mechanism, and multiple sets of the transplant docking mechanism are arranged corresponding to the seedling taking mechanism and are respectively connected to both sides of the tray delivery mechanism.

[0017] Furthermore, the transplanting docking mechanism is provided with multiple transplanting pre-separation seats, which are movably disposed on the surface of the transplanting docking mechanism; the transplanting pre-separation seats are used to support and move the seedlings when they are taken out of the seedling trays and placed on the transplanting docking mechanism.

[0018] A method for transplanting seedlings from plug trays using an automatic tray delivery device includes the following steps:

[0019] S100, tray delivery: Place the seedling trays carrying the seedlings onto the conveyor belt of the tray delivery mechanism, so that the seedling trays are initially aligned with the location of the seedling retrieval mechanism in the conveying direction; start the tray delivery conveyor belt and transport the seedling trays to the seedling retrieval station at a preset speed;

[0020] S200, Positioning, the rotating frame on the fixed support rod of the rotating seedling picker adjusts the angle of the rotating frame, and at the same time adjusts the horizontal position of the seedling picker claw on the rotating frame so that the seedling picker claw is aligned with the target hole in the seedling tray. The positioning frame guide positioning cylinder descends to the surface of the seedling tray and contacts the bottom positioning outer sleeve seat through the elastic buffer guide strip to achieve positioning and fixation of the guide positioning cylinder.

[0021] S300, Seedling Retrieval: Control the seedling retrieval claws to descend vertically along the inner wall of the guide positioning cylinder. Verticality is ensured by the sliding fit of the inner wall positioning sleeve. After the claws contact the seedlings in the plug tray, they close to hold the seedling stems or substrate blocks. After the seedling retrieval claws hold the seedlings in the plug tray, they are raised to a safe height, while the guide positioning cylinder remains in contact with the seedling tray.

[0022] S400, Transplanting: The rotating seedling-taking bracket rotates around the fixed support rod, transferring the seedling-taking claws to above the transplanting docking mechanism. During rotation, the spacing between the seedling-taking claws is adjusted by the horizontal slider of the claws to match the distribution pattern of the transplanting pre-separation seats. When the seedling-taking claws reach directly above the transplanting docking mechanism, the claws descend and release, and the seedlings in the plug trays fall into the transplanting pre-separation seats. The moving rollers drive the tray-delivering moving bracket to the transplanting position, where the transplanting device takes out the plug tray seedlings for planting.

[0023] S500, reset cycle, rotate the seedling picker back to the initial position, the guide positioning cylinder resets to above the seedling tray, and the tray conveyor belt starts the next round of seedling tray conveying, and performs continuous cycle operation.

[0024] Furthermore, the clamping force of the seedling-taking claws in the S300 is controlled between 0.5N and 1.5N, and the distance between the seedling-taking claws is adjusted between 20cm and 40cm.

[0025] Furthermore, a seedling ejection mechanism is used between S200 and S300 to eject the seedlings from the bottom of the seedling tray, preparing for the seedling retrieval claws in S300 to pick them up.

[0026] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0027] The device of this invention achieves precise alignment between the seedling clamps and the seedlings in the tray through the nested cooperation of the guide positioning cylinder and the bottom positioning sleeve of the seedling tray. The coordinated adjustment function of the horizontal slide rail and the vertical slider can dynamically adjust the clamp spacing and descent depth. Combined with the sliding fit design of the inner wall positioning sleeve and the guide positioning cylinder, it effectively avoids lateral offset and angular deviation during the seedling retrieval process, ensuring that the clamping position error is less than ±1mm, significantly improving the success rate of seedling retrieval and reducing seedling damage. In the tray delivery stage, the bottom positioning sleeve and the guide positioning cylinder mechanically lock the horizontal position of the seedling tray. During seedling retrieval, the guide positioning cylinder descends to contact the tray surface and fixes the benchmark. The clamps descend vertically along the inner wall of the guide cylinder to complete the precise clamping. During the rotation and transfer process, the clamp spacing is dynamically adjusted by the horizontal slide rail to match the distribution of the pre-separated seedlings for transplanting. The entire process, through the coordinated control of multi-level positioning mechanisms and mechanical guidance, improves the positioning accuracy of the seedlings from the tray to the transplanting process to over 98%, ensuring that the seedlings do not tilt, scatter, or get damaged. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 This is a front view of the automatic tray feeding device of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a top view of the automatic tray feeding device of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the seedling-collecting mechanism of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the rotating seedling-picking support structure of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the seedling-picking gripper structure of the present invention.

[0033] Figure label:

[0034] 1. Tray feeding mechanism; 11. Tray feeding conveyor belt; 12. Tray feeding moving support; 13. Moving roller; 14. Seedling tray; 15. Bottom positioning outer sleeve; 2. Seedling retrieval mechanism; 21. Seedling retrieval bridge; 22. Rotating seedling retrieval support; 221. Fixed support rod; 222. Rotating frame; 223. Seedling retrieval gripper; 224. Positioning frame; 225. Guide positioning cylinder; 226. Gripper horizontal slider; 227. Positioning cylinder horizontal slider; 228. Inner wall positioning sleeve; 229. Elastic buffer guide strip; 3. Transplanting docking mechanism; 31. Transplanting pre-separation seat. Detailed Implementation

[0035] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0036] Example 1

[0037] An automatic tray delivery device for plug seedlings includes a tray delivery mechanism 1, a seedling retrieval mechanism 2, and a transplanting docking mechanism 3. The seedling retrieval mechanism 2 is located above the tray delivery mechanism 1, and the transplanting docking mechanism 3 is connected to the side of the tray delivery mechanism 1. The tray delivery mechanism 1 is used to transport the seedling tray 14 containing plug seedlings. The seedling retrieval mechanism 2 is used to remove the plug seedlings from the seedling tray 14 and transfer them to the transplanting docking mechanism 3. The transplanting docking mechanism 3 is used to connect to a transplanting device, and the transplanting device transplants the removed plug seedlings.

[0038] The seedling retrieval mechanism 2 includes a seedling retrieval bridge 21 connected to the tray delivery mechanism 1 and a rotating seedling retrieval bracket 22 connected to the seedling retrieval bridge 21. The rotating seedling retrieval bracket 22 includes a fixed support rod 221 and a rotating frame 222. One end of the rotating frame 222 is rotatably connected to the fixed support rod 221. The rotating frame 222 is provided with multiple liftable seedling retrieval claws 223. A positioning frame 224 is also connected to the rotating frame 222. The positioning frame 224 is provided with multiple guide positioning cylinders 225 corresponding to the seedling retrieval claws 223. The guide positioning cylinders 225 are located between the seedling retrieval claws 223 and the tray delivery mechanism 1. The rotating frame 222 is used to transfer the seedlings taken out by the seedling retrieval claws 223 to the transplanting docking mechanism 3 through rotational movement. The guide positioning cylinders 225 are used to position the seedlings in the tray and to guide and position the seedling retrieval claws 223 during their descent.

[0039] In this embodiment, the tray delivery mechanism 1 continuously transports the seedling trays 14 to the seedling collection station via a conveyor belt. The rotating seedling collection bracket 22 on the seedling collection bridge 21 is hinged to the rotating bracket 222 via a fixed support rod 221, allowing the rotating bracket 222 to rotate controllably from 0° to 180° in the horizontal plane. When the seedling tray 14 reaches the seedling collection position, the fixed support rod 221 supports the rotating bracket 222 to rotate and swing around the fixed support rod 221 as the hinge point, ensuring that the transfer path of the rotating bracket 222 between the seedling collection and transplanting positions is fixed, avoiding deviation of the rotation center position due to repeated reciprocating motion, thereby reducing errors. The connection structure between the positioning frame 224 and the rotating bracket 222 ensures that the guide positioning cylinder 225 always maintains a vertical alignment with the seedling collection gripper 223, ensuring the uniqueness of the gripping reference through mechanical synchronization and eliminating accumulated errors. When the seedling collection gripper 223 descends along the inside of the guide positioning cylinder to position and grip the seedlings in the tray, significantly improving the gripping accuracy.

[0040] Example 2

[0041] Based on Embodiment 1, the tray delivery mechanism 1 includes a tray delivery conveyor belt 11, a tray delivery moving bracket 12 connected to the bottom of the tray delivery conveyor belt 11, a moving roller 13 connected to the bottom end of the tray delivery moving bracket 12, a seedling retrieval bridge 21 connected to both sides of the conveying direction of the tray delivery conveyor belt 11, a plurality of seedling tray 14 placement areas are provided on the tray delivery conveyor belt 11, and a bottom positioning outer sleeve 15 that cooperates with the guide positioning cylinder 225 is provided on the seedling tray 14. The bottom positioning outer sleeve 15 corresponds one-to-one with the position of the tray hole on the seedling tray 14; wherein, the bottom positioning outer sleeve 15 is used to fit on the bottom outside of the guide positioning cylinder 225 and fix the horizontal position of the guide positioning cylinder 225.

[0042] When the tray conveyor belt 11 is running, the bottom positioning outer sleeve 15 of the seedling tray 14 and the guide positioning cylinder 225 form a nested fit. Utilizing the gap between the conical inner wall and the outer wall of the guide cylinder (preferably 0.3–0.5 mm) for compensation, the horizontal position is matched after the conveyor belt stops. Then, the guide positioning cylinder 225 descends and engages with the bottom positioning outer sleeve 15 for fixation, positioning the seedling gripper 223. The moving rollers 13 are driven by a servo motor to move the tray moving bracket 12, allowing the device to adapt to the transplanting position.

[0043] Example 3

[0044] Based on Embodiment 1, the rotating frame 222 and positioning frame 224 of the seedling taking mechanism 2 are respectively provided with a first horizontal slide rail and a second horizontal slide rail. The seedling taking gripper 223 is connected to a gripper horizontal slider 226 that slides with the first horizontal slide rail. The guide positioning cylinder 225 is connected to a positioning cylinder horizontal slider 227 that slides with the second horizontal slide rail. The gripper horizontal slider 226 and the positioning cylinder horizontal slider 227 are respectively used to drive the seedling taking gripper 223 and the guide positioning cylinder 225 to adjust the horizontal direction for seedling taking and positioning, and to adjust the spacing between the seedlings in the tray during the gripping process.

[0045] In a preferred embodiment, a vertical slider and a first vertical slide rail are connected between the seedling-taking gripper 223 and the horizontal slider 226, and a vertical slider and a second vertical slide rail are connected between the guide positioning cylinder 225 and the horizontal slider 227; wherein, the vertical slider is used to drive the seedling-taking gripper 223 to move up and down in the vertical direction to complete the seedling-taking action, and the vertical slider is used to descend and contact the seedling tray 14 during the seedling-taking process and maintain a relatively fixed position.

[0046] The cooperation between the first horizontal slide rail and the horizontal slider 226 of the gripper allows the spacing of the seedling-removing gripper 223 to be independently adjusted in the horizontal direction (e.g., adjustable to 20cm, 30cm, 40cm) to accommodate the plant spacing differences of different sized seedling trays 14. The second horizontal slide rail synchronously adjusts the distribution pattern of the guide positioning cylinders 225 through the horizontal slider 227 of the positioning cylinder, ensuring that each guide cylinder is aligned upwards with the seedling-removing gripper 223 and downwards with the bottom positioning outer sleeve 15 of the seedling tray 14, forming a coaxial positioning of the three. The vertical slider of the gripper drives the seedling-removing gripper 223 to descend vertically at a constant speed (e.g., 50mm / s, 60mm / s, 70mm / s, 80mm / s). Its built-in pressure sensor monitors the gripping resistance in real time. When the resistance exceeds 1.5N, an emergency stop is triggered to prevent the gripper from being overloaded and damaging the seedling stem. After the vertical slider of the positioning cylinder descends to the surface of the seedling tray 14, its height can be fixed by a pneumatic locking device to form a stable guide reference surface.

[0047] Example 4

[0048] Based on Embodiment 1, an inner wall positioning sleeve 228 is connected to the seedling clamp 223. The inner wall positioning sleeve 228 is disposed on the periphery of the seedling clamp 223. An elastic buffer guide strip 229 is connected to one end of the inner wall positioning sleeve 228 facing the guide positioning cylinder 225. The elastic buffer guide strip 229 is inclined towards one side of the seedling clamp 223. The inner wall positioning sleeve 228 is used to slide and fit with the inner wall of the guide positioning cylinder 225, and the elastic buffer guide strip 229 is used to provide buffer contact before the inner wall positioning sleeve 228 and the guide positioning cylinder 225 are fitted together.

[0049] The inner positioning sleeve 228 is made of polyurethane material, and its outer diameter is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the guide positioning cylinder 225 (the gap can be set to 0.1-0.2 mm). During the descent of the seedling gripper 223, lateral sway is eliminated through sliding friction. The elastic buffer guide strip 229 is designed with an inclination angle of 15°-25°. When the seedling gripper 223 approaches the upper end of the guide positioning cylinder 225, the buffer strip first contacts the upper edge of the guide positioning cylinder 225, absorbs mechanical vibration energy through elastic deformation, reduces instantaneous impact force, and guides the descending seedling gripper 223 into the guide positioning cylinder 225.

[0050] Example 5

[0051] Based on Embodiment 1, two sets of seedling-taking mechanisms 2 are symmetrically arranged along the conveying direction of the tray-feeding mechanism 1. Multiple sets of transplanting docking mechanisms 3 are arranged corresponding to the seedling-taking mechanisms 2 and are respectively connected to both sides of the tray-feeding mechanism 1. The two symmetrically arranged seedling-taking mechanisms 2 operate synchronously through a central controller. The rotating frame 222 can rotate in the same or opposite directions (e.g., one set clockwise, the other counterclockwise), allowing the pre-seedling seats of the transplanting docking mechanisms 3 on both sides of the tray-feeding mechanism 1 to alternately receive seedlings from the trays, achieving parallel operation at two workstations.

[0052] Example 6

[0053] Based on Embodiment 1, a plurality of pre-separated transplanting seats 31 are provided on the transplanting docking mechanism 3. The pre-separated transplanting seats 31 are movably disposed on the surface of the transplanting docking mechanism 3. The pre-separated transplanting seats 31 are used to support and move the seedlings when they are taken out of the plug tray and placed on the transplanting docking mechanism 3.

[0054] The pre-seedling tray 31 features a movable seedling separation function driven by a linear motor. It transports seedlings from the seedbed to different guide tubes (e.g., single-row or double-row mode) in batches according to planting needs, avoiding idle waiting time for the transplanting device and improving overall transplanting efficiency to over 120 seedlings per minute. A pneumatic clamp can be installed at the bottom of the pre-seedling tray, closing instantly upon receiving the seedling to fix the root position and prevent displacement due to wind or mechanical vibration, thus increasing the upright planting rate.

[0055] Example 7

[0056] A method for transplanting seedlings from plug trays using an automatic tray delivery device can be implemented based on any one of Examples 1-6, and includes the following steps:

[0057] S100, Placing the seedling tray 14 carrying the seedlings is placed on the conveyor belt of the tray delivery mechanism 1, so that the seedling tray 14 is initially aligned with the location of the seedling retrieval mechanism 2 in the conveying direction; the tray delivery conveyor belt 11 is started to transport the seedling tray 14 to the seedling retrieval station at a preset speed.

[0058] S200, Positioning: Adjust the angle of the rotating frame 222 on the fixed support rod 221 of the rotating seedling picker 22, and at the same time adjust the horizontal position of the seedling picker 223 on the rotating frame 222 so that the seedling picker 223 is aligned with the target hole of the seedling tray 14. The guide positioning cylinder 225 of the positioning frame 224 descends to the surface of the seedling tray 14 and contacts the bottom positioning outer sleeve 15 through the elastic buffer guide strip 229 to achieve positioning and fixation of the guide positioning cylinder 225.

[0059] S300. Seedling removal: Control the seedling removal claw 223 to descend vertically along the inner wall of the guide positioning cylinder 225. Verticality is ensured by the sliding fit of the inner wall positioning sleeve 228. After the claw contacts the seedling in the plug tray, it closes to hold the seedling stem or substrate block of the plug tray seedling. After the seedling removal claw 223 holds the seedling in the plug tray, it is raised to a safe height, while the guide positioning cylinder 225 maintains contact with the seedling tray 14.

[0060] S400, Transplanting: The rotating seedling-taking bracket 22 rotates around the fixed support rod 221, transferring the seedling-taking claws 223 to above the transplanting docking mechanism 3; during the rotation, the spacing of the seedling-taking claws 223 is adjusted by the claw horizontal slider 226 to match the distribution pattern of the transplanting pre-separation seat 31; when the seedling-taking claws 223 reach directly above the transplanting docking mechanism 3, the claws descend and release, and the seedlings in the plug trays fall into the transplanting pre-separation seat 31; the moving roller 13 drives the tray-delivering moving bracket 12 to move to the transplanting position, and the transplanting device takes out the plug tray seedlings for planting;

[0061] S500, reset cycle, rotate the seedling picker 22 back to the initial position, guide positioning cylinder 225 reset to above the seedling tray 14, and the tray conveyor belt 11 starts the next round of seedling tray 14 conveying, and carry out continuous cycle operation.

[0062] In a preferred embodiment, the clamping force of the seedling clamp 223 in S300 is controlled between 0.5N and 1.5N, for example, 0.5N, 0.8N, 1N, 1.2N or 1.5N, and the distance between the seedling clamps 223 is adjusted to be between 20cm and 40cm, for example, 20cm, 25cm, 30cm, 35cm or 40cm.

[0063] In a preferred embodiment, a seedling ejection mechanism is used between S200 and S300 to eject the seedlings from the bottom of the seedling tray 14, in preparation for the seedling retrieval claw 223 in S300 to pick them up.

[0064] In step S200, when the guide positioning cylinder 225 descends to the surface of the seedling tray 14, a pressure sensor can be installed at its bottom to detect the contact pressure. When the pressure reaches a set threshold (e.g., 2N), the feedback signal stops the descent, ensuring that the guide positioning cylinder 225 is in close contact with the tray surface and does not damage the seedlings. In step S300, the closing action of the seedling clamp 223 is divided into two stages: the first stage is to lightly touch the seedling stem at a low speed (e.g., 10mm / s), and the second stage is to adaptively adjust the clamping force according to the diameter of the seedling stem (e.g., 0.5N when the diameter is ≤3mm, 1.2N when it is >3mm) to reduce the risk of pinching. During the rotation transfer process in step S400, the angular velocity of the rotating frame 222 and the moving speed of the transplanting pre-seedling seat 31 are dynamically matched through a PID algorithm, so that when the clamp reaches the release point, the pre-seedling seat moves to the docking position exactly. The time and space synchronization error is controlled within ±0.1s, thereby completing the two adjustment actions in the same time period and improving work efficiency.

[0065] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of specific implementations of the present invention, and while the descriptions are detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements all fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic tray delivery device for plug seedlings, characterized in that, The device includes a tray delivery mechanism, a seedling retrieval mechanism, and a transplanting docking mechanism. The seedling retrieval mechanism is located above the tray delivery mechanism, and the transplanting docking mechanism is connected to the side of the tray delivery mechanism. The tray delivery mechanism is used to transport the seedling trays containing plug seedlings. The seedling retrieval mechanism is used to remove the plug seedlings from the seedling trays and transfer them to the transplanting docking mechanism. The transplanting docking mechanism is used to connect to an external transplanting device, which then transplants the removed plug seedlings. The seedling retrieval mechanism includes a seedling retrieval bridge connected to the tray delivery mechanism and a rotating seedling retrieval bracket connected to the seedling retrieval bridge. The rotating seedling retrieval bracket includes a fixed support rod and a rotating frame. One end of the rotating frame is rotatably connected to the fixed support rod. The rotating frame is equipped with multiple liftable seedling retrieval claws. A positioning frame is also connected to the rotating frame. The positioning frame is equipped with multiple guide positioning cylinders corresponding to the seedling retrieval claws. The guide positioning cylinders are located between the seedling retrieval claws and the tray delivery mechanism. The rotating frame is used to transfer the seedlings taken out by the seedling retrieval claws to the transplanting docking mechanism through rotational movement. The guide positioning cylinders are used to position the seedlings in the tray and to guide and position the seedling retrieval claws during their descent. The rotating seedling picker on the seedling picker bridge is hinged to the rotating frame via a fixed support rod, which is used to allow the rotating frame to rotate 0°~180° in the horizontal plane. The tray delivery mechanism includes a tray delivery conveyor belt with multiple seedling tray placement areas. Each seedling tray on the conveyor belt has a bottom positioning outer sleeve that cooperates with the guide positioning cylinder. The bottom positioning outer sleeve corresponds one-to-one with the position of the seedling tray hole. The bottom positioning outer sleeve is used to fit over the bottom outside of the guide positioning cylinder and fix the horizontal position of the guide positioning cylinder.

2. The automatic tray delivery device for plug seedlings according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom of the tray conveyor belt is connected to a tray moving bracket, and the bottom end of the tray moving bracket is connected to a moving roller. The seedling picking bridge is connected to both sides of the tray conveyor belt in the conveying direction.

3. The automatic tray delivery device for plug seedlings according to claim 1, characterized in that, The rotating frame and positioning frame of the seedling taking mechanism are respectively provided with a first horizontal slide rail and a second horizontal slide rail. The seedling taking gripper is connected to a gripper horizontal slider that slides with the first horizontal slide rail. The guide positioning cylinder is connected to a positioning cylinder horizontal slider that slides with the second horizontal slide rail. The gripper horizontal slider and the positioning cylinder horizontal slider are used to drive the seedling gripper and the guide positioning cylinder to adjust the horizontal direction for seedling positioning and to adjust the spacing between the seedlings in the tray during the gripping process.

4. The automatic tray delivery device for plug seedlings according to claim 3, characterized in that, The seedling-taking gripper is connected to the gripper's horizontal slider by a gripper's vertical slider and a first vertical slide rail, and the guide positioning cylinder is connected to the positioning cylinder's vertical slider and a second vertical slide rail. The vertical slider of the gripper is used to drive the seedling gripper to move up and down in the vertical direction to complete the seedling picking action, and the vertical slider of the positioning cylinder is used to descend and contact the seedling tray during the seedling picking process and keep the position relatively fixed.

5. The automatic tray delivery device for plug seedlings according to claim 1, characterized in that, The seedling-taking gripper is connected to an inner wall positioning sleeve, which is located around the seedling-taking gripper. An elastic buffer guide strip is connected to one end of the inner wall positioning sleeve facing the guide positioning cylinder, and the elastic buffer guide strip is inclined towards one side of the seedling-taking gripper. The inner wall positioning sleeve is used to slide and fit with the inner wall of the guide positioning cylinder, and the elastic buffer guide strip is used to buffer the contact before the inner wall positioning sleeve fits with the guide positioning cylinder.

6. The automatic tray delivery device for plug seedlings according to claim 1, characterized in that, Two sets of seedling-taking mechanisms are symmetrically arranged along the conveying direction of the tray-feeding mechanism, and multiple sets of transplanting docking mechanisms are arranged corresponding to the seedling-taking mechanisms and are respectively connected to both sides of the tray-feeding mechanism.

7. The automatic tray delivery device for plug seedlings according to claim 1, characterized in that, The transplanting docking mechanism is provided with multiple pre-separation seats for transplanting, and the pre-separation seats are movably disposed on the surface of the transplanting docking mechanism; the pre-separation seats are used to support and move the seedlings when they are taken out of the seedling trays and placed on the transplanting docking mechanism.

8. A method for transplanting seedlings using an automatic tray delivery device, wherein the automatic tray delivery device for seedlings according to any one of claims 1-7 is characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S100, tray delivery: Place the seedling trays carrying the seedlings onto the conveyor belt of the tray delivery mechanism, so that the seedling trays are initially aligned with the location of the seedling retrieval mechanism in the conveying direction; start the tray delivery conveyor belt and transport the seedling trays to the seedling retrieval station at a preset speed; S200, Positioning: Adjust the angle of the rotating frame on the fixed support rod of the rotating seedling picker, and at the same time adjust the horizontal position of the seedling picker claw on the rotating frame so that the seedling picker claw is aligned with the target hole in the seedling tray. The guide positioning cylinder of the positioning frame descends to the surface of the seedling tray and contacts the bottom positioning outer sleeve seat through the elastic buffer guide strip to achieve positioning and fixation of the guide positioning cylinder. S300, Seedling Retrieval: Control the seedling retrieval claws to descend vertically along the inner wall of the guide positioning cylinder. Verticality is ensured by the sliding fit of the inner wall positioning sleeve. After the claws contact the seedlings in the plug tray, they close to hold the seedling stems or substrate blocks. After the seedling retrieval claws hold the seedlings in the plug tray, they are raised to a safe height, while the guide positioning cylinder remains in contact with the seedling tray. S400, Transplanting: The rotating seedling-taking bracket rotates around the fixed support rod, transferring the seedling-taking claws to above the transplanting docking mechanism. During rotation, the spacing between the seedling-taking claws is adjusted by the horizontal slider of the claws to match the distribution pattern of the transplanting pre-separation seats. When the seedling-taking claws reach directly above the transplanting docking mechanism, the claws descend and release, and the seedlings in the plug trays fall into the transplanting pre-separation seats. The moving rollers drive the tray-delivering moving bracket to the transplanting position, where the transplanting device takes out the plug tray seedlings for planting. S500, reset cycle, rotate the seedling picker back to the initial position, the guide positioning cylinder resets to above the seedling tray, and the tray conveyor belt starts the next round of seedling tray conveying, and performs continuous cycle operation.

9. The method for transplanting seedlings using an automatic tray delivery device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The clamping force of the seedling picker in the S300 is controlled between 0.5N and 1.5N, and the distance between the seedling picker claws is adjusted between 20cm and 40cm.

10. The method for transplanting seedlings using an automatic tray delivery device according to claim 8, characterized in that, Between S200 and S300, a seedling ejection mechanism is used to eject the seedlings from the bottom of the seedling tray, preparing for the seedling retrieval claws in S300 to pick them up.

Images