Automatic sweet potato transplanter and transplanting method

Abstract

The invention relates to an automatic sweet potato transplanter and a transplanting method. The automatic sweet potato transplanter comprises a rack, a rotary tillage ridging device, a fertilizing device, a seedling laying device, a drip irrigation device, a film mulching device, a film breaking device, a seedling hooking device and a double-helix soil covering device for covering sweet potato seedling belts and mulching films with soil respectively. When the machine is used, firstly, the rotary tillage ridging device is used for loosening soil and ridging, and the fertilizing device is used for fertilizing; then, sweet potato seedling strips are laid on the ridge surfaces through a seedling laying device, and the seedling strips are covered with soil through a double-helix soil covering device; a drip irrigation belt is laid on a ridge surface through the drip irrigation device, the whole ridge body is covered with a mulching film through the film covering device, and then the mulching film is covered with soil through the double-helix soil covering device for film pressing; and finally, breaking the film at the growing point of each potato seedling through a film breaking device, and hooking out the growing end of the potato seedling at the broken film through a seedling hooking device. The sweet potato seedling transplanting machine integrates the functions of rotary tillage, ridging, fertilization, seedling laying, pipe laying, film mulching, soil covering, film breaking and seedling hooking, and automatic horizontal transplanting of sweet potato seedlings is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of agricultural machinery technology, and more particularly to the field of sweet potato seedling transplanting, specifically to an automatic sweet potato transplanter and transplanting method. Background Technology

[0002] Sweet potatoes are a fundamental crop for food security and an important economic crop, holding a vital position in my country and the world. While there are various methods for transplanting sweet potatoes, horizontal transplanting offers advantages such as producing a large and uniform number of tubers and facilitating reasonable dense planting, making it particularly suitable for fresh-eating sweet potato cultivation and the mainstream planting method.

[0003] When transplanting sweet potato seedlings horizontally, existing sweet potato transplanters often require manual assistance to position the seedlings in real time, which is labor-intensive and prone to seedling loss. Their soil-covering devices also have poor coverage in some special soils with high sand and gravel content. Furthermore, effectively breaking through the mulch film after covering and hooking out the growing end of the seedling has become an urgent problem to be solved.

[0004] The above problems have hindered the development of the sweet potato industry, and there is an urgent need to realize the automated and mechanized horizontal transplanting of sweet potato seedlings. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides an automatic sweet potato transplanter and transplanting method, which enables horizontal transplanting of sweet potato seedlings without the need for manual assistance in mechanical seedling placement. It also integrates multiple functions, improving the automation level of sweet potato seedling transplanting and significantly reducing the intensity of manual labor.

[0006] The present invention is achieved through the following technical solution: providing an automatic sweet potato transplanter, including a frame, a seedling laying device, a film covering device and a film breaking device installed on the frame, wherein the film covering device is located behind the seedling laying device and the film breaking device is located behind the film covering device. The seedling laying device includes a first mounting frame and a second mounting frame rotatably connected to the machine frame via a horizontal shaft. A seedling belt shaft with a seedling belt roll wound around it is rotatably mounted on the first mounting frame. A seedling laying roller is mounted on the second mounting frame. The seedling laying roller includes a cylinder located behind the seedling belt roll and rollers fixed to both ends of the cylinder. The rollers are rotatably connected to the second mounting frame. The lead-out end of the seedling belt roll extends from the front side of the seedling laying roller to the bottom of the cylinder of the seedling laying roller. When the machine frame moves forward, the friction between the cylinder and the seedling belt drives the seedling laying roller to rotate. The film covering device includes a film hanging shaft that passes through the frame in the left-right direction and a film pressing roller located behind the film hanging shaft. The mulch film on the film hanging shaft is laid on the ridge surface below the film pressing roller. The film-breaking device includes a rotating shaft that is drivenly connected to the roller, and a housing that is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft. Film-breaking rods are inserted through the circumferential sidewall of the housing, and the housing is located above the mulch film laid on the ridge.

[0007] This solution uses a seedling laying device to lay sweet potato seedling strips on the ridge surface. The continuous laying of the seedling strips is achieved by rotating the seedling laying roller. The mulch film is laid by a mulching device, and the mulch film is leveled by a pressing roller. The mulch film is broken at each growth point of the sweet potato seedlings by a film breaking device, which allows the sweet potato seedlings to grow.

[0008] As an optimization, a seedling hooking device is provided behind the film breaking device. The seedling hooking device includes a camshaft connected to the roller drive, a cam fixed on the camshaft, and a limiting frame located below the camshaft and fixed to the frame. An upper limiting plate and a lower limiting plate located below the upper limiting plate are fixed on the limiting frame. A spring II is supported on the lower limiting plate. A separation cover is passed through the inner hole of the spring II downwards. A support plate supporting the upper end of the spring II is fixed at the upper end of the separation cover. The upper limiting plate forms an upper limit position on the support plate. A through hole for the separation cover to pass through is opened on the lower limiting plate. A seedling hooking shaft located below the cam and adapted to the cam is passed through the inner hole of the separation cover. A seedling hook is fixed at the lower end of the seedling hooking shaft. A limiting plate located between the upper limiting plate and the cam is fixed on the seedling hooking shaft. A spring I is sleeved on the seedling hooking shaft below the limiting plate. The lower end of the spring I is supported on the support plate. The seedling hooking device in this optimized scheme uses a cam to drive the seedling hooking shaft downwards, and the seedling hooks the growing end of the potato seedling. When the cam continues to rotate, the elastic force of spring I causes the seedling hooking shaft to move upwards, hooking the growing end of the potato seedling out of the mulch film, and the separation cover blocks the potato seedling from the seedling hook.

[0009] As an optimization, a reversing drive shaft is rotatably mounted on the frame. The reversing drive shaft is connected to the roller and the rotating shaft via chain drive, and the rotating shaft is connected to the camshaft via chain drive. This optimized solution utilizes the rotation of the seedling spreading roller to provide power for film breaking and seedling hooking, eliminating the need for an additional power mechanism. Furthermore, it improves the coordination of film breaking and seedling hooking, and enhances the level of automation.

[0010] As an optimization, the film pressing roller includes a film pressing bracket and a film pressing cylinder rotatably mounted on the film pressing bracket. The film pressing bracket is hinged to the frame, and a tension spring is connected to the film pressing bracket, with the front end of the tension spring connected to the frame. This optimization scheme, by setting the tension spring, tightens the film pressing roller when pressing the film, which helps the film pressing roller to flatten the soil under the film and make the ridge surface flat.

[0011] As an optimization, a double-helix soil covering device is also included. This device comprises two soil-lifting auger sleeves arranged in a left-right direction and fixed to the frame, and soil-lifting augers respectively installed in the two sleeves. The outlets of the two sleeves are each equipped with a flow guide, which corresponds to the two sides of the mulch film being laid. This optimized solution uses the soil-lifting augers to lift the soil and allow it to flow out through the flow guides, thus covering the sides of the mulch film. Furthermore, by setting the soil-lifting auger sleeves to be arranged in a left-right configuration, the overall stability of the machine is improved.

[0012] As an optimization, the system also includes a soil-covering auger sleeve located between the two soil-lifting auger sleeves, and soil-covering augers installed at both ends inside the soil-covering auger sleeve. The two ends of the soil-covering auger sleeve are connected to the soil outlets of the two soil-lifting auger sleeves. A soil-spraying nozzle is located on the side wall of the soil-covering auger sleeve, positioned above the seedling-laying roller. Several circumferentially arranged soil-dropping holes are formed on the body of the seedling-laying roller. This optimized solution, by setting up a soil-covering auger, ensures that a portion of the soil lifted by the soil-lifting auger is transported by the soil-covering auger to the soil-spraying nozzle and sprayed out, covering the seedling strip with soil.

[0013] As an optimization, one end of the seedling-laying roller is provided with a circumferentially closed soil trough, which corresponds to the growing end of the sweet potato seedlings on which the seedling roll is laid. An arc-shaped soil-retaining plate adapted to the opening of the soil trough is fixed to the frame, extending from the top of the soil trough along the front side of the roller to the bottom of the soil trough. This optimized solution, by setting up the soil trough, ensures that a portion of the soil sprayed from the nozzle enters the soil trough and ultimately remains on the surface of the soil ridge near the growing end of the sweet potato seedling. The arc-shaped soil-retaining plate prevents the soil in the soil trough from concentrating and falling onto the ridge surface.

[0014] As an optimization, a scraper blade extending into the soil trough is fixedly connected to the auger sleeve, with the scraper blade located on the side of the soil trough away from the curved retaining plate. This optimization scheme uses the scraper blade to remove residual soil from the soil trough to prevent blockage.

[0015] As an optimization, a support frame is fixed to the machine frame, and a drip irrigation tape winding shaft is rotatably mounted on the support frame. A drip irrigation tape limiting hole is provided on the machine frame above the mulching device. The drip irrigation tape lead-out end wound on the drip irrigation tape winding shaft extends downward through the drip irrigation tape limiting hole and is laid under the mulch film. This optimized design enables the laying of drip irrigation tape, making the machine more functional.

[0016] This solution also provides a transplanting method for the aforementioned automatic sweet potato transplanter, including the following steps: a. Place the bundled seedlings onto the seedling tape shaft, install the drip irrigation tape onto the drip irrigation tape winding shaft of the drip irrigation device, install the mulch film roll onto the film hanging shaft, and use a tractor to drive the whole machine forward; b. Pull out the seedling tape, drip irrigation tape, and mulch film in sequence, and bury them with soil at the beginning of the ridge from bottom to top; as the machine moves forward, use the rotary tillage and ridging device installed on the frame to loosen the soil and rid the ridge, and the fertilizer device installed on the frame to evenly mix fertilizer into the soil; the seedling roller contacts the ridge surface and generates friction to drive itself to rotate and press the sweet potato seedling tape wrapped around the front of the seedling roller onto the ridge surface. At the same time as the seedling is laid, the chain drive drives the side reversing shaft to rotate. c. The double-helix soil covering device uses a soil lifting auger to crush the soil and lift it to the outlet. Part of the soil flows through the soil covering auger to the seedling laying roller to cover the seedling strip, and another part of the soil flows through the guide hood to both sides of the mulch film to cover the mulch film. The scraper scrapes off the soil in the soil trough of the seedling laying roller, so that more soil is covered at the growing end of the potato seedling. d. The reversing shaft drives the film-breaking device shaft and the electric heating rod installed on it to rotate through chain drive, which burns the film according to the plant spacing, thus completing the film-breaking operation; e. The rotating shaft of the film-breaking device drives the camshaft and the cam mounted on it to rotate through chain drive. It periodically presses down the seedling hook shaft and the separation cover according to the film-breaking hole spacing, and periodically resets them through spring I and spring II. This achieves the goal of hooking out the growing end of the potato seedling without taking out the whole seedling, thus completing the entire automated transplanting operation.

[0017] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: 1. It integrates rotary tillage, ridging, fertilization, seedling laying, pipe laying, mulching, soil covering, mulching breaking, and seedling hooking into one unit, which greatly improves the mechanization and automation of sweet potato transplanting machinery.

[0018] 2. It improves the uniformity of sweet potato seedling spacing and transplanting depth, which is conducive to improving the light energy utilization rate of seedlings, promoting uniform growth, facilitating field management and optimizing ventilation conditions, thereby improving sweet potato yield and quality.

[0019] 3. No manual labor is required to accompany the machine in placing the seedlings throughout the entire process. The seedlings can be replaced only after the rolls are used up. This greatly reduces the labor intensity of sweet potato transplanting while increasing the speed of machine operation. It also prevents the occurrence of missing seedlings, ensuring the efficiency and quality of sweet potato seedling transplanting.

[0020] 4. The double helix soil covering device has strong adaptability to the working environment and can be applied to most soil conditions. It can cover sweet potato seedlings and mulch separately. The double helix structure design can crush the soil more finely, ensuring the thickness of the soil covering while making the soil covering more uniform.

[0021] 5. The seedling laying roller, arc-shaped retaining plate, and scraper of the seedling laying device work together with the double spiral soil covering device to cover more soil at the growing end of the potato seedlings, leaving gaps between the growing point of the seedlings and the mulch film, thus avoiding scalding of the seedlings by the mulch film.

[0022] 6. The roller, film-breaking device, and seedling-hooking device of the seedling laying device work together through chain drive to achieve precise film breaking at the growth point of the sweet potato seedlings and hook out the growing end of the seedlings without taking out the whole seedling. This realizes full automation of film breaking and seedling hooking, further reducing the labor intensity of sweet potato transplanting. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic front view of the overall structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a right-side view of the overall structure of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a top view schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention; Figure 4 This is an isometric schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the seedling laying device of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the double-helix soil covering device of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the membrane breaking device and the seedling hooking device of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the seedling shaft installation; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the present invention without the storage tray; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the seedling hook shaft and the separation cover structure; Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the seedling shaft; As shown in the figure: 1. Frame; 2. Rotary tillage and ridging device; 3. Fertilizer applicator; 4. Seedling laying device; 5. Drip irrigation device; 6. Mulching device; 7. Mulching device; 8. Seedling hooking device; 9. Double helix soil covering device; 10. Helical bevel gear steering mechanism; 11. Seat; 12. Storage tray; 13. Ground wheel; 14. Mulching roller; 15. Mulching disc; 16. Three-point suspension frame; 17. Furrowing plow; 18. Rotary tiller blade; 19. Ridging plate; 20. Mulching shaft; 21. Gearbox; 22. Rotary tiller blade shaft; 23. Fertilizer delivery pipe; 24. Arc-shaped soil retaining plate; 25. Seedling belt shaft; 26. Seedling laying roller; 27. First mounting frame; 28. Bolt; 29. ​​Second mounting frame; 30. 31. Roller, 32. Scraper, 33. Soil lifting auger, 34. Soil covering auger, 35. Soil covering auger sleeve, 36. Flow guide, 37. Soil lifting auger sleeve, 38. Bearing seat, 39. Directional shaft, 40. Shaft, 41. Film breaking rod, 42. Shell, 43. Limiting frame, 44. Spring I, 45. Spring II, 46. Separation cover, 47. Cam, 48. Seedling hook shaft, 49. Camshaft, 50. Main drive shaft, 51. Tension spring, 52. Drip irrigation tape limiting wheel, 53. Support frame. Detailed Implementation

[0024] To clearly illustrate the technical features of this solution, the following detailed implementation method will be used to explain the solution.

[0025] An automatic sweet potato transplanter includes a frame 1 equipped with ground wheels 13, and a rotary tillage and ridging device 2, a fertilization device 3, a seedling laying device 4, a drip irrigation device 5, a mulching device 6, a mulch breaking device 7, a seedling hooking device 8, and a double-helix soil covering device 9 mounted on the frame 1. The fertilization device is located directly above the rotary tillage and ridging device 2, the seedling laying device 4 is located behind the fertilization device, the double-helix soil covering device is located behind the seedling laying device, and covers the sweet potato seedling strips and mulch film with soil respectively. The mulching device 6 is located behind the seedling laying device 4 and below the double-helix soil covering device. The mulch breaking device 7 and the seedling hooking device 8 are both located behind the mulching device 6. The drip irrigation device 5 is located on the rear side of the frame and lays drip irrigation tape after covering the seedling strips with soil.

[0026] The function of frame 1 is to fix and support other devices, ensuring that each device can operate in coordination without structural interference. A three-point suspension frame 16 is installed at the front of frame 1 to connect the entire machine to the tractor. The transmission 21 transmits power from the tractor to the rotary tiller shaft 22 and the main drive shaft 49 via chain drive, causing them to rotate. The main drive shaft 49 transmits power to the spiral bevel gear steering gear 10 via chain drive, and the spiral bevel gear steering gear 10 then transmits power to the soil-lifting auger 32 and the soil-covering auger 33 of the double-spiral soil-covering device 9 via chain drive.

[0027] The rotary tillage and ridging device 2 adopts existing technologies, such as... Figure 1 The rotary tillage and ridging device 2 shown includes a furrowing plow 17, a rotary tillage blade shaft 22 located behind the furrowing plow 17 and arranged longitudinally, 12 pairs of rotary tillage blades 18 mounted on the rotary tillage blade shaft 22, and two ridging plates 19 located below the seedling laying device 4 and arranged longitudinally. In use, the furrowing plow at the front of the machine opens furrows, improving rotary tillage efficiency while reducing mechanical resistance. Power from the tractor is transmitted through the transmission to the rotary tillage blade shaft and the main drive shaft, causing them to rotate. This drives the 12 pairs of rotary tillage blades on the rotary tillage shaft to rotate, deeply loosening the soil. The ridging plates behind the rotary tillage blade shaft gather the soil into preliminary sweet potato transplanting ridges.

[0028] The fertilization device 3 also adopts existing technology. Specifically, it includes a fertilizer box body, a fertilizer delivery pipe 23 located below the fertilizer box, and an impeller connecting the fertilizer delivery pipe and the fertilizer box outlet. The impeller's shaft is connected to the side plate of the fertilization device 3. The inlet of the impeller cover is connected to the outlet of the fertilizer box, and the outlet of the impeller cover is connected to the fertilizer delivery pipe. The impeller is electrically driven, and the electricity is directly supplied by the tractor. In use, fertilizer can be evenly mixed into the rotary-tilled soil from the fertilizer box through the fertilizer delivery pipe as the machine moves forward. The flow rate of fertilizer can be adjusted by controlling the speed of the shaft inside the fertilization device with the motor, thereby adjusting the fertilizer content in the subsequent soil ridges.

[0029] like Figure 5 As shown, the seedling laying device 4 includes a first mounting frame 27 and a second mounting frame 29 that are rotatably connected to the frame via a horizontal shaft. In this embodiment, the horizontal shaft is made of bolts, which can fix the first mounting frame and the second mounting frame, and also allow the first mounting frame and the second mounting frame to rotate, ensuring that the seedling laying roller is always subjected to frictional rotation, thereby increasing the application scenarios.

[0030] The first mounting frame 27 is rotatably mounted with a seedling tape shaft 25 wound with seedling tape rolls, and the second mounting frame 29 is mounted with a seedling spreading roller 26. The seedling spreading roller 26 includes a cylinder located behind the seedling tape roll and rollers 30 fixed to both ends of the cylinder. The rollers are coaxial with the cylinder and are rotatably connected to the second mounting frame 29. The lead-out end of the seedling tape roll extends from the front side of the seedling spreading roller to the bottom of the cylinder of the seedling spreading roller. When the frame moves forward, the friction between the cylinder and the seedling tape drives the seedling spreading roller to rotate.

[0031] In this embodiment, the sweet potato seedling rolls need to be pre-installed on the seedling belt shaft 25. The lead-out end is pulled out and loops around the front of the seedling spreading roller 26 to the ridge surface below it, and the starting end is fixed. As the machine moves forward, the sweet potato seedlings on the seedling belt shaft 25 are gradually pulled out and spread onto the ridge surface by the seedling spreading roller 26. The friction between the seedling spreading roller 26 and the ridge surface and the seedling roll generates friction, which drives the seedling spreading roller 26 and the roller shaft 30 to rotate, completing the seedling spreading operation and providing power for the subsequent film breaking device 7 and seedling hooking device 8. The pre-treated seedling rolls are made by braiding sweet potato seedlings into a rope ladder shape and bundling them by a sweet potato seedling rope braiding and bundling machine. A rotating shaft sleeve is provided in the center and fixed to the seedling belt shaft 25 with bolts.

[0032] To facilitate the replacement of the seedling tape rolls, the seedling tape shaft is fixed with a bolt 28 on the first mounting frame. The bolt 28 is equipped with two stops that are fixed to the first mounting frame 27. The stops can restrict the freedom of the bolt 28. The seedling tape shaft 25 can be removed by pulling and rotating the bolts 28 on both sides of the first mounting frame 27, which makes it easy to replace the sweet potato seedling tape rolls. Specifically, in this embodiment, a placement groove adapted to the seedling tape shaft 25 is provided on the top surface of the first mounting frame, and a pull bolt 28 extending above the placement groove is slidably provided on the first mounting frame. Along the sliding direction of the pull bolt, a first stop post and a second stop post are fixedly connected to the first mounting frame. The first stop post is located at the top of the first mounting frame, and the second stop post is located on the side of the first mounting frame. When the pull bolt seals the upper opening of the placement groove, it prevents the seedling tape shaft from coming out. The second stop post blocks the pull bolt, preventing the pull bolt from leaving the placement groove. When it is necessary to replace the seedling tape roll, the pull bolt is rotated so that the second stop post loses its obstruction of the pull bolt. The pull bolt is then pulled to leave the placement groove to facilitate the removal and replacement of the seedling tape roll. At this time, the first stop post blocks the pull bolt, preventing the pull bolt from falling.

[0033] The mulching device 6 includes a film-hanging shaft 20 running horizontally through the middle of the frame, a film-pressing roller 14 located behind the film-hanging shaft, and a mulching disc 15 located below the drip irrigation device 5. The film-hanging shaft is parallel to the roller and is used to hold the mulch film. The lead-out end of the mulch film on the film-hanging shaft passes under the film-pressing roller and is laid on the ridge surface. In use, the mulch film is pulled out and wrapped around the top of the film-breaking device and the bottom of the seedling hooking device, and the starting end is buried in the soil for fixation. As the machine moves forward, the mulch film covers the ridge surface that has been seedled, covered with soil, and piped. Soil from the double-helix soil covering device fixes the two sides of the mulch film, and the mulching disc gathers the soil from the furrows to the two sides of the mulch film to improve the mulching effect. The setting of the mulching disc can adopt existing technology, which will not be described in detail here.

[0034] The pressing roller 14 in this embodiment includes a pressing bracket and a pressing cylinder body rotatably mounted on the pressing bracket. The pressing bracket is hinged to the frame, and a tension spring 50 is connected to the pressing bracket. The front end of the tension spring is connected to the frame. The tension spring 50 can tighten the pressing roller 14 when pressing the film, which helps the pressing roller 14 to flatten the soil under the film and make the ridge surface flat.

[0035] like Figure 7 As shown, the film-breaking device 7 includes a rotating shaft 39 connected to the roller drive, and a housing 41 fixedly connected to the rotating shaft 39. The rotating shaft is rotatably connected to the frame. The housing is cylindrical, and a film-breaking rod 40 is inserted through the circumferential side wall of the housing 41. The housing 41 is located above the film laid on the ridge surface. In this embodiment, the film-breaking rod 40 is an electric heating rod, and a power source electrically connected to the electric heating rod is provided inside the housing. The left end of the rotating shaft 39 of the film-breaking device is connected to the reversing rotating shaft 38 through a sprocket and chain device, the middle section is connected to the camshaft 48 of the seedling hooking device 8 through a sprocket and chain device, and the right end is axially connected to the frame 1. The reversing rotating shaft 38 is bolted to the frame 1 using a bearing seat 37.

[0036] A reversing drive shaft 38 is rotatably mounted on the frame. The reversing drive shaft 38 is connected to the roller 30 and the rotating shaft 39 via chain drive, and the rotating shaft 39 is connected to the camshaft 48 via chain drive. In this embodiment, when the film-breaking device 7 is in operation, the power transmitted from the reversing drive shaft 38 via chain drive drives the rotating shaft 39 of the film-breaking device to rotate. The rotation of the rotating shaft 39 drives the housing 41 and the electric heating rod inside it to rotate. The electric heating rod breaks the film, achieving film breaking according to the plant spacing L, while simultaneously transmitting power to the rear seedling hooking device 8. One rotation of the rotating shaft 39 completes one film breaking operation. The expression for the number of rotations N required for the rotating shaft 39 to rotate once per rotation of the seedling spreading roller is: Where N is the number of rotations required for the shaft 39 of the film-breaking device, D is the diameter of the seedling-laying roller, and L is the spacing between sweet potato seedlings. The speed ratio of the four shafts—the roller shaft 30, the reversing drive shaft 38, the shaft 39 of the film-breaking device, and the camshaft 48—is 1:1:N:N, which is the transmission ratio of the gears on the four shafts.

[0037] The purpose of the mulch film is to cover the entire soil ridge. Sweet potato seedlings transplanted horizontally are arranged perpendicular to the direction of the ridge, with the growing ends of the seedlings located on the side of the ridge. Therefore, the mulch film is applied to the side of the ridge. The drip irrigation tape is only about two centimeters wide and is located in the center of the upper surface of the ridge, so it will not be scalded. The relative positions of each part from bottom to top are: basic soil ridge, seedling strip, soil from the double-helix covering device, drip irrigation tape, and mulch film.

[0038] A seedling hooking device 8 is provided behind the film breaking device. The seedling hooking device 8 includes a camshaft 48 that is connected to the roller 30, a cam 46 fixed on the camshaft 48, and a limiting frame 42 located below the camshaft and fixed to the frame. An upper limiting plate and a lower limiting plate located below the upper limiting plate are fixed on the limiting frame 42. A spring II 44 is supported on the lower limiting plate. A separation cover 45 is passed through the inner hole of the spring II 44 downward. A support plate supporting the upper end of the spring II is fixed at the upper end of the separation cover 45. The upper limiting plate forms an upper limit position on the support plate. A through hole is opened on the lower limiting plate for the separation cover to pass through.

[0039] A seedling hook shaft 47, located directly below and adapted to the cam, passes through the inner hole of the separation cover. The seedling hook shaft corresponds to the growing end of the sweet potato seedling on which the seedling tape roll is laid. A seedling hook is fixed at the lower end of the seedling hook shaft 47. A limiting plate, located between the upper limit plate and the cam, is fixed on the seedling hook shaft. A spring I 43, sleeved on the seedling hook shaft, is located below the limiting plate. The lower end of the spring I 43 is supported on a support plate. A through hole is opened on the upper limit plate for the spring I to pass through downward. When the cam 46 is pressed down, the seedling hook shaft 47 moves down, compressing the spring I 43 and causing the separation cover 45 to move down. Under the support of the lower limiting plate of the limiting frame 42, the spring II 44 is compressed. The length of the spring I 43 is greater than that of the spring II 44, so that the stroke of the seedling hook shaft 47 is longer than that of the separation cover 45, and the hook can extend out from the separation cover 45. During actual operation, the separating cover 45 is pressed against the ridge surface, and the hook of the seedling hooking shaft 47 extends and hooks the potato seedling. When the cam 46 returns, springs I 43 and II 44 return to their original positions, driving the seedling hooking shaft 47 and the separating cover 45 back to their original positions. As the machine moves forward, the seedling separates from the hook of the seedling hooking shaft 47 under the action of the separating cover 45, completing the seedling hooking process. The downward-pressing separating cover allows the cover opening to be close to the side ridge surface, preventing the entire seedling from being pulled out during hooking. The seedling hooking shaft and the separating cover are each supported by two springs, and their horizontal freedom is restricted by the upper and lower limit plates of the limiting frame.

[0040] In use, the power brought by the chain drive drives the camshaft 48 and the cam 46 at its left end to rotate. Its rotation speed is the same as that of the rotating shaft 39 of the film breaking device. It can periodically press down the hooking shaft 47 and the separation cover 45 according to the distance of the film breaking holes, and periodically reset through spring I 43 and spring II 44, so as to hook out the growing end of the potato seedling without taking out the whole seedling.

[0041] The double-helix soil covering device 9 includes two soil-lifting auger sleeves 36 arranged in a left-right direction and fixed to the frame, and soil-lifting augers 32 respectively installed in the two soil-lifting auger sleeves. The soil outlets of the two soil-lifting auger sleeves 36 are respectively equipped with guide shields 35, which correspond to the two sides of the mulch film being laid. A spiral bevel gear steering device 10 is bolted to the soil-lifting auger sleeves 36. The spiral bevel gear steering device 10 is connected to the soil-lifting augers 32, the soil-covering augers 33, and the main drive shaft 49 via a sprocket and chain assembly.

[0042] The double-helix soil covering device 9 in this embodiment also includes a soil covering auger sleeve 34 located between the two soil lifting auger sleeves, and soil covering augers 33 installed at both ends inside the soil covering auger sleeve 34. The two ends of the soil covering auger sleeve are respectively connected to the soil outlets of the two soil lifting auger sleeves. A soil spraying port located between the two soil covering augers is opened on the side wall of the soil covering auger sleeve. The soil spraying port is located above the seedling laying roller. Several soil dropping holes arranged circumferentially are opened on the cylinder body of the seedling laying roller. In use, the power from the tractor is transmitted to the main drive shaft through the gearbox and drives it to rotate. The main drive shaft transmits power to the spiral bevel gear steering gear through chain drive. The spiral bevel gear steering gear transmits power to the double-helix soil covering device through chain drive.

[0043] One end of the seedling-laying roller has a circumferentially closed soil trough, which corresponds to the growing end of the sweet potato seedlings on which the seedling roll is laid. An arc-shaped retaining plate 24, adapted to the opening of the soil trough, is fixed to the frame. The arc-shaped retaining plate 24 extends from the top of the soil trough along the front side of the roller to the bottom of the trough. The soil trough can temporarily store soil, and the arc-shaped retaining plate prevents soil loss before reaching the bottom, ensuring that the soil in the trough flows to the surface of the ridge at the lowest point. Residual soil can be scraped off by a scraper. A scraper 31 extending into the soil trough is fixed to the auger sleeve of the soil-covering auger, located on the side of the trough away from the arc-shaped retaining plate. The seedling roll passes around the seedling-laying roller from the side near the rotary tillage and ridging device, i.e., below and in front of the seedling-laying roller. The spray nozzle of the double-helix soil-covering device is located above and behind the seedling-laying roller so that the sprayed soil can be sprayed into the soil trough of the seedling-laying roller.

[0044] In this embodiment, the double-helix soil covering device uses a soil lifting auger to crush the soil and lift it to the outlet. Part of the soil flows through the soil covering auger to the seedling laying roller to cover the seedling strip, and another part of the soil flows through the guide hood to both sides of the mulch film to cover the mulch film. The soil scraper scrapes off the soil in the soil trough of the seedling laying roller, so that more soil is covered at the growing end of the potato seedling.

[0045] The drip irrigation device 5 includes a support frame 52 bolted to the rear side of the machine frame. A drip irrigation tape winding shaft is rotatably mounted on the upper rear of the support frame 52. Drip irrigation tape limiting wheels 51 are installed at both ends of the drip irrigation tape winding shaft. A drip irrigation tape limiting hole is opened on the machine frame above the mulching device. The lead-out end of the drip irrigation tape wound on the drip irrigation tape winding shaft extends downward through the drip irrigation tape limiting hole and is laid under the mulch film as the machine moves forward. In use, the drip irrigation tape is pulled out from the drip irrigation tape winding shaft in advance and passed through the drip irrigation tape limiting hole. The starting end is buried in the soil for fixation, so that the drip irrigation tape is laid under the mulch film as the machine moves forward. By setting the drip irrigation tape limiting hole, the drip irrigation tape can be accurately laid in the center of the ridge surface to prevent uneven irrigation.

[0046] The transplanter in this embodiment also includes a seat 11 and a storage tray 12 installed on the frame 1 above the double spiral soil covering device 9. The storage tray can store multiple bundles of sweet potato seedlings. After a bundle of seedlings is used up, the operator can sit on the seat 11 to replace it.

[0047] Specifically, see the appendix. Figure 2 The left side is the front end of the machine, the right side is the rear end of the machine, the height direction is vertical, the horizontal direction is horizontal, and the direction perpendicular to the height and horizontal directions is vertical.

[0048] When using the machine in this embodiment, the soil is first loosened and ridged by the rotary tillage and ridging device, and fertilizer is applied by the fertilization device. Then, the seedling laying device lays sweet potato seedling strips on the ridge surface, and the double spiral soil covering device covers the seedling strips with soil. Next, the drip irrigation device lays drip irrigation tape on the ridge surface, the mulching device covers the entire ridge with mulch film, and the double spiral soil covering device covers the mulch film with soil for pressing. Finally, the mulch film breaking device breaks the mulch film at each seedling growth point, and the seedling hooking device hooks out the seedling growth end at the broken mulch film.

[0049] Specifically, the transplanting method of the automatic sweet potato transplanter in this embodiment includes the following steps: a. Pour the fertilizer into the fertilizer box of the fertilizer application device 3, put the bundled seedling straps on the seedling strap shaft 25, install the drip irrigation tape on the drip irrigation tape winding shaft of the drip irrigation device 5, install the mulch film roll on the film hanging shaft, use the tractor to drive the whole machine forward, connect the tractor to the three-point suspension frame 16 of the whole machine with bolts and drive the whole machine to work in the field.

[0050] b. Pull out the seedling tape, drip irrigation tape and mulch film in sequence, and bury them with soil at the beginning of the ridge from bottom to top; as the machine moves forward, use the rotary tillage and ridging device 2 installed on the frame to loosen the soil and rid the ridge, and use the fertilizer application device 3 installed on the frame to mix fertilizer evenly into the soil; the seedling roller 26 contacts the ridge surface and generates friction to drive itself to rotate and press the sweet potato seedling tape wrapped around the front of the seedling roller 26 onto the ridge surface. At the same time as the seedling is laid, the chain drive drives the side reversing shaft 38 to rotate.

[0051] c. Power from the tractor is transmitted via transmission 21 to rotary tiller shaft 22 and main drive shaft 49, causing them to rotate. Main drive shaft 49 transmits power to spiral bevel gear steering gear 10 via chain drive, and spiral bevel gear steering gear 10 then transmits power to double spiral soil covering device 9 via chain drive. Double spiral soil covering device 9 uses soil lifting auger 32 to crush the soil and lift it to the outlet. Part of the soil flows through soil covering auger 33 to seedling roller 26 for seedling covering, and another part of the soil flows through guide shroud 35 to both sides of the mulch film for mulch film covering. Covering disc 15 gathers the soil in the furrows to both sides of the mulch film to improve the covering effect. Scraper 31 scrapes off the soil in the soil groove of seedling roller 26, so that more soil is covered at the growing end of the potato seedlings.

[0052] d. The reversing shaft 38 drives the film-breaking device shaft 39 and the electric heating rod 40 installed on it to rotate through chain drive, which burns the film according to the plant spacing to complete the film-breaking operation.

[0053] e. The rotating shaft 39 of the film breaking device drives the cam shaft 48 and the cam 46 mounted on it to rotate through chain transmission. It periodically presses down the seedling hook shaft 47 and the separation cover 45 according to the film breaking hole spacing, and periodically resets them through spring I 43 and spring II 44, thereby hooking out the growing end of the potato seedling without taking out the whole seedling, thus completing the fully automated transplanting operation.

[0054] This embodiment uses sweet potato seedling strips for transplanting, ensuring absolute consistency in plant spacing and transplanting depth. It eliminates the need for manual supervision throughout the entire process, preventing missed or missing seedlings and significantly reducing the labor intensity of sweet potato transplanting while increasing machine operating speed. Furthermore, this embodiment integrates rotary tillage, ridging, fertilization, seedling laying, pipe laying, mulching, soil covering, mulch breaking, and seedling hooking into one unit. Each device operates collaboratively without structural interference, greatly enhancing the mechanization and automation of sweet potato transplanting machinery.

[0055] Of course, the above description is not limited to the examples above. Technical features not described in this invention can be implemented by or using existing technology, and will not be repeated here. The above embodiments and drawings are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this invention and are not intended to limit this invention. This invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art should understand that any changes, modifications, additions or substitutions made by those skilled in the art within the scope of this invention do not depart from the spirit of this invention and should also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of this invention.

Claims

1. An automatic sweet potato transplanter, comprising a frame (1), characterized in that: It also includes a seedling laying device (4), a film covering device (6) and a film breaking device (7) installed on the frame (1), with the film covering device (6) located behind the seedling laying device (4) and the film breaking device (7) located behind the film covering device (6); The seedling laying device (4) includes a first mounting frame (27) and a second mounting frame (29) rotatably connected to the machine frame via a horizontal shaft. A seedling belt shaft (25) with a seedling belt roll wound around it is rotatably mounted on the first mounting frame (27). A seedling laying roller (26) is mounted on the second mounting frame (29). The seedling laying roller (26) includes a cylinder located behind the seedling belt roll and rollers (30) fixed to both ends of the cylinder. The rollers (30) are rotatably connected to the second mounting frame (29). The lead-out end of the seedling belt roll extends from the front side of the seedling laying roller to the bottom of the cylinder of the seedling laying roller. When the machine frame moves forward, the friction between the cylinder and the seedling belt drives the seedling laying roller to rotate. The film covering device (6) includes a film hanging shaft (20) that runs through the frame in the left-right direction and a film pressing roller (14) located behind the film hanging shaft. The film leading end on the film hanging shaft passes under the film pressing roller and is laid on the ridge surface. The film breaking device (7) includes a rotating shaft (39) connected to the roller drive, and a housing (41) fixed to the rotating shaft (39). A film breaking rod (40) is provided on the circumferential side wall of the housing (41), and the housing (41) is located above the mulch film laid on the ridge.

2. The automatic sweet potato transplanter according to claim 1, characterized in that: A seedling hooking device (8) is provided behind the film breaking device. The seedling hooking device (8) includes a camshaft (48) that is connected to the roller (30) for transmission, a cam (46) fixed on the camshaft (48), and a limiting frame (42) located below the camshaft and fixed to the frame. An upper limiting plate and a lower limiting plate located below the upper limiting plate are fixed on the limiting frame (42). A spring II (44) is supported on the lower limiting plate. A separation cover (45) is provided through the inner hole of the spring II (44) downward. A support plate is fixed at the upper end of the separation cover (45) and supported on the upper end of the spring II. The upper limiting plate forms an upper limit position on the support plate. A through hole is provided on the lower limiting plate for the separation cover to pass through. The inner hole of the separation cover is provided with a seedling hook shaft (47) located below the cam and adapted to the cam. The lower end of the seedling hook shaft (47) is fixed with a seedling hook. A limiting plate located between the upper limit plate and the cam is fixed on the seedling hook shaft. A spring I (43) is sleeved on the seedling hook shaft below the limiting plate. The lower end of the spring I (43) is supported on the support plate.

3. The automatic sweet potato transplanter according to claim 2, characterized in that: A reversing drive shaft (38) is rotatably mounted on the frame. The reversing drive shaft (38) is connected to the roller (30) and the rotating shaft (39) respectively via chain drive. The rotating shaft (39) is connected to the camshaft (48) via chain drive.

4. The automatic sweet potato transplanter according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pressing roller (14) includes a pressing bracket and a pressing cylinder body rotatably mounted on the pressing bracket. The pressing bracket is hinged to the frame and a tension spring (50) is connected to the pressing bracket. The front end of the tension spring is connected to the frame.

5. An automatic sweet potato transplanter according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a double-spiral soil covering device (9), which includes two soil lifting auger sleeves (36) arranged in the left and right direction and fixed to the frame, and soil lifting augers (32) installed in the two soil lifting auger sleeves respectively. The soil outlets of the two soil lifting auger sleeves (36) are respectively equipped with guide hoods (35), and the two guide hoods (35) correspond to the two sides of the mulch film.

6. An automatic sweet potato transplanter according to claim 5, characterized in that: It also includes a soil covering auger sleeve (34) located between the two soil lifting auger sleeves, and soil covering augers (33) installed at both ends inside the soil covering auger sleeve (34). The two ends of the soil covering auger sleeve are respectively connected to the soil outlets of the two soil lifting auger sleeves. A soil spraying nozzle is opened on the side wall of the soil covering auger sleeve between the two soil covering augers. The soil spraying nozzle is located above the seedling laying roller. Several soil dropping holes are opened on the cylinder body of the seedling laying roller arranged in a circumferential direction.

7. An automatic sweet potato transplanter according to claim 6, characterized in that: The seedling roller has a closed soil trough at one end of its cylinder, which corresponds to the growing end of the sweet potato seedlings on which the seedling roll is laid. An arc-shaped retaining plate (24) adapted to the opening of the soil trough is fixed on the frame. The arc-shaped retaining plate (24) extends from the top of the soil trough along the front side of the cylinder to the bottom of the soil trough.

8. An automatic sweet potato transplanter according to claim 7, characterized in that: A scraper (31) extending into the soil trough is fixedly connected to the soil-covering auger sleeve. The scraper (31) is located on the side of the soil trough away from the arc-shaped retaining plate.

9. An automatic sweet potato transplanter according to claim 1, characterized in that: A support frame (52) is also fixedly connected to the frame. A drip irrigation tape winding shaft is rotatably installed on the support frame (52). A drip irrigation tape limiting hole is opened on the frame above the mulching device. The drip irrigation tape lead-out end wound on the drip irrigation tape winding shaft extends downward through the drip irrigation tape limiting hole and is laid under the mulch film.

10. A transplanting method using the automatic sweet potato transplanter as described in claim 2, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: a. Place the bundled seedlings onto the seedlings shaft (25), install the drip irrigation tape onto the drip irrigation tape winding shaft of the drip irrigation device (5), install the mulch film roll onto the film hanging shaft, and use the tractor to drive the whole machine forward; b. Pull out the seedling tape, drip irrigation tape and mulch film in sequence, and bury them with soil at the beginning of the ridge from bottom to top; As the machine moves forward, the rotary tillage and ridging device (2) installed on the frame is used to loosen the soil and rid the soil. The fertilizer device (3) installed on the frame mixes the fertilizer evenly into the soil. The seedling roller (26) contacts the ridge surface and generates friction to drive itself to rotate and press the sweet potato seedlings wrapped around the front side of the seedling roller (26) onto the ridge surface. At the same time as the seedling is laid, the side-mounted reversing shaft (38) is driven to rotate through the chain drive. c. The double helix soil covering device (9) uses a soil lifting auger (32) to crush the soil and lift it to the outlet. Part of the soil flows through the soil covering auger (33) to the seedling laying roller (26) to cover the seedling strip with soil, and another part of the soil flows through the guide hood (35) to both sides of the mulch film to cover the mulch film with soil. The scraper (31) scrapes off the soil in the soil trough of the seedling laying roller (26) so that more soil is covered at the growing end of the potato seedlings. d. The reversing shaft (38) drives the shaft (39) of the film breaking device and the electric heating rod installed on it to rotate through the chain drive, so as to burn the film according to the plant spacing and complete the film breaking operation; e. The rotating shaft (39) of the film breaking device drives the cam shaft (48) and the cam (46) mounted on it to rotate through the chain drive. The hooking shaft (47) and the separation cover (45) are periodically pressed down according to the film breaking hole spacing, and are periodically reset by spring I (43) and spring II (44), so as to hook out the growing end of the potato seedling without taking out the whole seedling, and thus complete the full set of automated transplanting operations.

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