Method for automatically placing plant seeds into seedling pots, associated planting tool and robotic system

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for automatically placing plant seeds in propagation pots (1) for pre-cultivating seedlings, comprising, among other things, the steps of automatically moving a dibber (5) guided by an automatically controlled handling machine (4) such that the dibber (5) is pressed into the planting substrate (2) of the at least one propagation pot (1) to create at least one planting hole (7) for a plant seed to be inserted into the planting substrate (2), and of automatically moving a seed holder (6) guided by an automatically controlled handling machine (4), in which a plant seed taken from the storage container (3) is held, such that the plant seed is automatically guided over the planting hole (7) in the planting substrate (2) of the at least one propagation pot (1) and automatically released there, so that the plant seed is inserted into the planting hole (7).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method for automatically placing plant seeds in propagation pots for raising seedlings. The invention also relates to an associated planting tool and an associated robot system.

[0002] US Patent 2003 / 0106258 A1 describes a robotic device for extracting seeds from covered or uncovered containers and planting the seeds in selected planting chambers. This robotic device includes a first vacuum-activated probe configured to pick up an entire seed population from a dispensing container. A seed alignment trough is provided to receive the seed population from the first probe. The seed alignment trough is configured to align or otherwise arrange the seeds placed in the trough. A second vacuum-activated probe is configured to successively pick up individual seeds from the seed alignment trough and plant each picked seed in a selected planting chamber.

[0003] US Patent 4,627,190 A describes a seed drill that plants seeds in rows, one after the other, into a seedling tray. A seed-receiving depression is formed in the tray by a plunger. A seed-receiving bar moves back and forth between a seed hopper and an upper seed-receiving bar, where the seeds are released into an opening through which they are conveyed into the tray. The seed hopper is vibrated by a motor to distribute the seeds evenly. The seeds are held against the seed-receiving nozzles by a vacuum until they are released through the nozzles by pressure. An inlet slide and an outlet slide move each tray from one inlet of the seed drill to one outlet, one row at a time. The seed-receiving bar, the inlet slides, the outlet slides, and the plunger are driven by a drive motor.Seed trays of varying sizes can be accommodated. Furthermore, microswitches are provided that detect the presence of a tray in the seed drill and only allow seed dispensing when the tray is in the seed-receiving position.

[0004] US 2020 / 0128724A1 describes a seed placement unit comprising a seed metering device for singulating seeds, a shaft configured to convey the seeds from the seed metering device to the ground without a continuous seed trench, and an actuator coupled to the shaft and configured to move the shaft vertically with respect to the ground.

[0005] The object of the invention is to create a method for automatically placing plant seeds into propagation pots, an associated planting tool and an associated robot system, whereby plant seeds can be placed into propagation pots particularly effectively and accurately.

[0006] The task is solved by a method for automatically placing plant seeds into propagation pots for raising seedlings, comprising the following steps: - Providing at least one seedling pot filled with planting substrate, - Providing a storage container containing plant seeds in the form of loose bulk material, - Automatic movement of a dibber guided by an automatically controlled handling machine in such a way that the dibber is pressed into the planting substrate of at least one propagation pot in order to create at least one planting hole for at least one plant seed to be inserted into the planting substrate, - Automatic movement of a seed holder guided by an automatically controlled handling machine, in which at least one plant seed taken from the storage container is held, such that the at least one plant seed is automatically guided over the planting hole in the planting substrate of the at least one propagation pot and automatically released there, so that the at least one plant seed is inserted into the planting hole, wherein a robot arm is used as the automatically controlled handling machine, to whose tool flange a combined planting tool is attached, which includes both at least one dibber and at least one seed holder, so that when the robot arm is moved, either the at least one dibber or the at least one seed holder is automatically brought to the at least one propagation pot.

[0007] For starting seedlings, it is particularly useful to place a defined number of seeds in each individual seedling pot. This ensures that only the required number of plants, i.e., only the desired number of seedlings, develop in each pot. The seedling pot can be made from a rapidly biodegradable material such as paper, cardboard, papier-mâché, or wood pulp. This has the advantage that once the seedlings have grown from the seeds in the seedling pot have reached a sufficient size, they can be transplanted into a larger pot without having to remove the delicate seedlings from the seedling pot.

[0008] The individual seedling pot can be provided for the procedure. Alternatively, several individual seedling pots can be grouped together, for example, in a pot holder, which can also be called a tray. Several seedling pots can also be combined into a single seedling tray or seedling box and, for example, arranged as a matrix of rows and columns for the procedure.

[0009] Each seedling pot is filled with a planting substrate. This substrate can be, for example, topsoil or humus. Alternatively, other absorbent or water-retaining materials can be used. These can include, for example, peat, sand, expanded clay, perlite, glass husks, wood fibers, coconut fibers, and / or tree bark.

[0010] The respective propagation pot or groups of propagation pots can be transported to an automated workstation where the process is carried out by means of an automation device.

[0011] To carry out the procedure, at least one storage container must be provided, containing the desired plant seeds in loose bulk material. The storage container can be pot-shaped or box-shaped and have an opening facing upwards.

[0012] The respective storage container can be transported to an automated workstation where the process is carried out using an automated device. The respective storage container can also be refilled with plant seeds by an automated device, such as a robotic arm, when it is empty.

[0013] The at least one automatically controlled handling machine automatically moves the at least one dibber and / or the at least one seed holder. Optionally, a first automatically controlled handling machine may be provided that automatically moves the at least one dibber, and a second automatically controlled handling machine may be provided that automatically moves the at least one seed holder. It can be particularly advantageous if the at least one dibber and the at least one seed holder are moved by the same, optionally single, automatically controlled handling machine.

[0014] The automatically controlled handling machine is a robot. The robot comprises at least one robot controller and a robot arm or other multi-axis kinematic system. For example, the robot arm can be an articulated robot, a SCARA arm, or a gantry robot. The robot arm has a tool flange. At least one dibber and / or at least one seed holder can be attached to this tool flange, so that the dibber and / or seed holder can be moved automatically in space by adjusting the joints connecting the segments of the robot arm, in particular according to a robot program running on the robot controller.

[0015] A dibber holder can be provided, for example, attached to the tool flange of the robot arm, and it carries at least one dibber. However, the dibber holder can also carry two or more dibbers. If the dibber holder carries multiple dibbers, several planting holes can be pressed into the substrate of the seedling pot simultaneously with a single movement of the robot arm or the dibber holder. Each dibber can have a conical tip, and the dibber is automatically pressed into the surface of the substrate in the seedling pot with its tip pointing forward. This is achieved by the robot arm, automatically controlled by the robot controller, moving the dibber downwards from the top of the seedling pot.

[0016] As the dibber penetrates the substrate, its conical shape causes the substrate to be displaced not only to a greater depth but also to an increase in the diameter of the resulting planting hole. The depth of the planting hole can, for example, be half the height of the seedling pot, ensuring that the seed is placed approximately in the center of the pot or the substrate. Alternatively, the depth of the planting hole can be adjusted to optimize seed placement within the substrate, depending on the plant species, particularly its preferred germination depth and / or root system.

[0017] The seed holder can be designed in various ways. For example, it is conceivable that the seed holder is designed like an automatic gripper or automatic tweezers, so that each plant seed can be automatically picked up, held, and released at its destination above the seedling pot, either by force or form.

[0018] Preferably, the seed holder is designed as a suction gripper. This means that the seed to be collected is not held by friction or form-fitting means, but rather is suctioned to the body of the seed holder by means of a vacuum provided via at least one suction nozzle. As long as a vacuum is present at the at least one suction nozzle of the seed holder, the suctioned seed remains adhered to the body of the seed holder. If the vacuum at the at least one suction nozzle is released, or even if a flow reversal occurs, whereby pressurized air is expelled from the at least one suction nozzle, the previously suctioned seed falls into the planting hole either by gravity and / or due to the force of the expelled airflow.The system is designed so that, after the planting hole is automatically created in the substrate of the respective seedling pot, the dibber is automatically moved away from the planting hole, and the seed holder with the attached seed is automatically moved over the planting hole. Once the seed holder is positioned over the planting hole, the attached seed can be dropped into the planting hole as described previously.

[0019] The seed holder can be designed to pick up exactly one single seed and place it into the planting hole. Alternatively, the seed holder can also be designed to pick up several seeds simultaneously and place all of them into the planting hole together.

[0020] The type and / or shape of the plant seeds is irrelevant for the use of the seed holder. The seed holder can be designed to hold a specific type and shape of plant seeds or a specific group of different plant seeds. Therefore, the seed holder can handle virtually any conceivable type and / or shape of plant seeds.

[0021] The seed holder can thus comprise a hollow tube with at least one opening at its distal end. The cavity of the hollow tube can be connected to a vacuum source. The vacuum source can, for example, be an automatically operating suction pump that delivers an airflow and thereby draws air in through the at least one opening of the seed holder and through the cavity or a hollow channel within the hollow tube of the seed holder. The at least one opening can be adapted in shape and size to the shape and size of the plant seed or plant seed species to be received. For example, a single, particularly circular, opening can be provided, which has a slightly smaller diameter than the smallest plant seed to be received. Optionally, several openings can be provided on the seed holder instead of a single opening.In another embodiment, a relatively large opening can be provided, i.e., an opening whose diameter is larger than the size of the plant seed to be received, whereby this large opening is then covered, for example, by means of a grid or a net.

[0022] If the seed carrier has a tubular, i.e., elongated and narrow shape, which is narrower or smaller in cross-section than the size of the planting hole, the seed carrier, which carries a plant seed, can be automatically inserted into the cavity of the planting hole, so that the plant seed adhering to the seed carrier can be brought very close to the bottom of the planting hole and positioned there before the plant seed is automatically released.

[0023] The method can be designed so that at least one dibber and at least one seed holder are moved together by an automatically controlled handling machine. This has the advantage that the dibber and seed holder can be moved simultaneously and thus guided together for at least a substantial part of the overall movement. Therefore, when the seed holder transports a seed from the storage container to the planting hole of the seedling pot, the dibber is moved along with it simultaneously. This ensures that when the dibber reaches the planting hole, not only is the transported seed close to the hole, but the dibber is also close to the planting hole. Thus, just before the transported seed is released, the dibber can be used to create the necessary planting hole.This eliminates the need for a separate, expansive movement to pick up the dibber from a storage location and transport it separately to the planting hole in order to prepare the planting hole.

[0024] A robot arm is used as an automatically controlled handling machine, to whose tool flange a combined planting tool is attached, which includes at least one dibber and at least one seed holder, so that when the robot arm moves, either the at least one dibber or the at least one seed holder is automatically brought to the at least one growing pot.

[0025] By providing both the at least one dibber and the at least one seed holder on the combined planting tool and attaching the combined planting tool to the tool flange of the robot arm, the at least one dibber and the at least one seed holder can be moved together from a starting position to a target position by a large movement of the robot arm, and in a space close to the target position, either the dibber or the seed holder can be moved from the target position to its respective desired target end position by a uniaxial movement of the tool flange.

[0026] In a specific embodiment of a robot arm, the tool flange can be automatically rotated around a rotary axis by the robot controller, allowing it to be adjusted in its rotational or angular position. The at least one dibber and the at least one seed carrier can be arranged at different positions and / or in different orientations at a distance from the rotational axis of the tool flange on the planting tool. Thus, when the rotational or angular position of the tool flange, and consequently of the planting tool, is adjusted, the instantaneous positions and / or orientations of the dibber and the seed carrier can change. The dibber and the seed carrier can extend radially away from the rotational axis of the tool flange. This is relative to the distal tip of the dibber and the point of attachment of the seed carrier, in particular the opening of the seed carrier where the collected plant seed is held.This could, for example, be the distal tip of a tubular seed carrier. Thus, by a simple rotation of the tool flange, and therefore of the planting tool, either the dibber or the seed carrier can be selectively aligned towards the seedling pot, while the other, the dibber or seed carrier, is simultaneously moved away from the seedling pot.

[0027] Instead of such a radial arrangement of the at least one dibber and the at least one seed carrier, the at least one dibber and the at least one seed carrier may optionally also be arranged in a revolver-like manner, i.e. each at a distance from the axis of rotation of the tool flange and with their longitudinal extensions aligned parallel to the axis of rotation of the tool flange on the planting tool.

[0028] In a further development of the method, it can be provided that in a first step the robot arm is controlled in such a way that the planting tool is brought to the storage container and picks up at least one plant seed by means of the at least one seed holder, then in a second step the robot arm is controlled in such a way that the planting tool together with the at least one plant seed held by the at least one seed holder is brought to the at least one propagation pot and first, by means of the at least one dibber, the at least one planting hole for a plant seed to be inserted into the planting substrate is created, and finally in a third step the robot arm is controlled in such a way that the planting tool is repositioned.to remove at least one dibber from at least one seedling pot and to bring at least one seed holder with at least one held plant seed to at least one seedling pot and then to insert the at least one plant seed into at least one planting hole.

[0029] In an alternative or supplementary further development of the method, it may be provided that, by means of the combined planting tool, which comprises several seed holders, a number of individual plant seeds corresponding to the number of seed holders are picked up, and, by means of the combined planting tool, which comprises a number of dibbers corresponding to the number of seed holders, a number of individual planting holes corresponding to the number of dibbers are made in the substrate of the at least one propagation pot, and a single plant seed is placed in each individual planting hole.

[0030] In a further development of the method, it may be provided that the several dibbers are arranged on a dibber support attached to the planting tool in a geometric structure that corresponds to the geometric structure of the seed holders on a seed holder support attached to the planting tool.

[0031] Thus, by means of a single, shared movement of the planting tool, automatically moved by the handling machine, in particular the robot arm, controlled by the robot control system, several planting holes can be created simultaneously, and subsequently the several individual plant seeds can each be placed one into one of the several planting holes simultaneously.

[0032] The problem is also solved by a planting tool, in particular for carrying out a method according to one of the described embodiments, which has a tool base carrier to which at least one first dibber support, carrying at least one dibber, is attached in a first position and / or orientation, and to which at least one first seed holder support, carrying at least one seed holder, is attached in a second position and / or orientation different from the first position and / or orientation, so that by repositioning and / or reorienting the tool base carrier either the at least one first dibber support or the at least one first seed holder support can be aligned with at least one propagation pot.

[0033] A single dibber holder can be arranged on the tool base. This single dibber holder can, for example, have a single dibber. Alternatively, the single dibber holder can, for example, have two, three, four, five, or more than five dibbers. However, multiple dibber holders can also be arranged on the tool base. Each of the multiple dibber holders can have a different number of dibbers. For example, a first dibber holder can have only a single dibber, a second dibber holder can have five dibbers, and a third dibber holder can have 25 dibbers, particularly in a matrix arrangement of five rows and five columns.

[0034] In a manner similar to the dibber supports and dibbers, a single seed holder support can be arranged on the tool base. This single seed holder support can, for example, have a single seed holder. Alternatively, the single seed holder support can have, for example, two, three, four, five, or more than five seed holders. However, multiple seed holder supports can also be arranged on the tool base. Each of the multiple seed holder supports can have a different number of seed holders. For example, a first seed holder support can have only a single seed holder, a second seed holder support can have, for example, five seed holders, and a third seed holder support can have, for example, 25 seed holders, particularly in a matrix arrangement of five rows and five columns.

[0035] The number and / or arrangement of dibber supports and dibbers can correspond to the number and / or arrangement of seed holder supports and seed holders. In particular, the dibber supports and seed holder supports can be arranged in pairs, grouped in equal numbers depending on the respective number of seed holders and dibbers.

[0036] The at least one first seed holder carrier can have a circumferential contour which, in its shape and size, is adapted to the shape and size of an opening of a storage container in which plant seeds are contained in the form of loose bulk material, so that the opening of the storage container is covered by the seed holder carrier, leaving at most a small gap, when the at least one seed holder is immersed in the storage container to receive at least one plant seed.

[0037] In the case of a cuboid storage container with four flat side walls, a rectangular or square bottom wall, and a rectangular or square top opening, the seed holder can, for example, be appropriately designed as a cuboid or a cube. One or more seed holders can be arranged on the distal, outward-facing surface of the cuboid or cube seed holder. When the at least one seed holder is immersed in the storage container to receive the at least one plant seed, the cuboid or cube seed holder can thus be at least largely flush with the rectangular or square top opening of the storage container.

[0038] The storage container can have at least one movable, in particular pivotally mounted, closure flap which is pre-tensioned in a closed position, so that the rectangular or square upper opening of the storage container is closed in its home position. Due to the cuboid or cube shape of the seed holder carrier, it can automatically open the at least one closure flap when the seed holder carrier is automatically moved into the storage container to receive the plant seeds. As soon as the seed holder carrier leaves the storage container again, the at least one closure flap can automatically return to its closed position. The closure flap can, for example, be spring-loaded on the storage container.

[0039] The at least one dibber of the at least one first dibber carrier can have a flow channel with at least one outlet opening on the surface of the dibber, to which a pressure source can be connected, so that shortly before and / or during the dibber being pulled out of the planting substrate into which the dibber is pressed, compressed air can be expelled from the at least one outlet opening of the dibber via the flow channel.

[0040] In a modified embodiment, the dibber and seed holder can be combined into a single, integrated holder. This allows the dibber to simultaneously hold the seed, thus enabling both harvesting and planting with a single tool. Such an adapted design of dibber or seed holder may feature an inward-facing concave curve on the dibber to prevent damage to the seed when inserting it into the substrate.

[0041] The planting tool may additionally include a label holder designed to automatically pick up a label from a label printer and to automatically transport the picked-up label to a seedling pot and to automatically apply the transported label to the seedling pot.

[0042] The task is also solved by a robot system comprising a robot arm and a robot controller that automatically controls the robot arm, wherein the robot controller is designed and configured to perform a method according to one of the described embodiments, wherein a planting tool according to one of the described embodiments is attached to a tool flange of the robot arm.

[0043] The feature that the robot controller is designed accordingly means that the robot controller is structurally designed in this specific way, i.e., in particular, it has a planting tool according to one of the described embodiments. The feature that the robot controller is set up accordingly means that the robot controller is programmed and / or configured in this specific way, for example, by means of a program or software, in order to be able to execute the described method.

[0044] Specific embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail in the following description with reference to the accompanying figures. Specific features of these exemplary embodiments can, regardless of the specific context in which they are mentioned, and optionally considered individually or in further combinations, represent general features of the invention.

[0045] They show: Fig. 1 a flowchart of the steps in the basic method according to the invention, Fig. 2 a schematic representation of an exemplary workplace for the automatic placement of plant seeds in propagation pots for the pre-cultivation of seedlings with a basic embodiment of a robot system and a planting tool system according to the invention, Fig. 3 an enlarged partial view of the planting tool according to Fig. 2, which has only a single dibber support with five exemplary dibbers and a single seed holder support with five exemplary seed holders, Fig. 4 a perspective view of the planting tool according to Fig. 2 during the collection of plant seeds from a storage container, Fig. 5 a perspective view of the planting tool according to Fig. 2 while making the planting holes in a substrate of a seedling pot in a tray of several seedling pots, Fig. 6 a perspective view of the planting tool according to Fig. 2 during the placement of the plant seeds into the prepared planting holes, Fig. 7 A schematic representation of a modified workstation for the automatic placement of plant seeds into seedling pots for the pre-cultivation of seedlings during the automatic removal of a tray of several seedling pots from a shelf, Fig. 8 a perspective view of the modified planting tool according to Fig. 7 during the collection of plant seeds from a storage container, Fig. 9 a perspective view of the modified planting tool according to Fig. 7. While making the planting holes in a substrate of a seedling pot in a tray of several seedling pots, Fig. 10 a perspective view of the modified planting tool according to Fig. 7 during the placement of the plant seeds into the prepared planting holes, Fig. 11 a perspective view of the modified planting tool according to Fig. 7 during watering of several seedling pots, Fig. 12 a perspective view of the modified planting tool according to Fig. 7 during an automatic retrieval of a label from a label printer, Fig. 13 a perspective view of the modified planting tool according to Fig. 7 during the automatic application of a label to the tray of several seedling pots, and Fig. 14 a perspective view of the modified planting tool according to Fig. 7 during the transfer of the tray containing the plant seeds from several seedling pots.

[0046] In the Fig. Figure 1 schematically illustrates a process for automatically placing plant seeds into propagation pots 1 for pre-cultivating seedlings.

[0047] In a first process step S1, at least one propagation pot 1 is provided, which is filled with a planting substrate 2, as is also the case in Fig. 2 is shown.

[0048] In a second process step S2, a storage container 3 is provided, which contains plant seeds in the form of loose bulk material.

[0049] In a third process step S3, a dibber 5 guided by an automatically controlled handling machine 4 is moved automatically in such a way that the dibber 5 is pressed into the planting substrate 2 of the at least one propagation pot 1 in order to create at least one planting hole 7 for a plant seed to be inserted into the planting substrate 2.

[0050] In a fourth process step S4, a seed holder 6, guided by an automatically controlled handling machine 4, is automatically moved, holding a plant seed taken from the storage container 3, in such a way that the plant seed is automatically guided over the planting hole 7 in the planting substrate 2 of the at least one propagation pot 1 and automatically released there, so that the plant seed is inserted into the planting hole 7.

[0051] In the case of the exemplary embodiment of the Fig. 2 A robot arm 4a is used as an automatically controllable handling machine 4, to whose tool flange 8 a combined planting tool 9 is attached, which includes at least one dibber 5 and at least one seed holder 6, so that when the robot arm 4a moves, either the at least one dibber 5 or the at least one seed holder 6 is automatically brought to the at least one propagation pot 1.

[0052] The robot system 10 comprises the robot arm 4a and a robot controller 4b which automatically controls the robot arm 4a, wherein the robot controller 4b is designed and configured to carry out the procedure, wherein the planting tool 9 is attached to a tool flange 8 of the robot arm 4a.

[0053] The workstation for automatically placing plant seeds into seedling pots 1 for pre-cultivating seedlings comprises, for example, several storage containers 3, which are grouped together in a combined seed box 10 that can contain several different types of plant seeds. The workstation also includes a tray 11 with a multitude of seedling pots 1, each of which is to be placed individually. The robot arm 4a is a kick-arm robot with several links 12 and joints 13 arranged serially and alternately. The joints can be adjusted by internal motors, in particular electric motors, automatically controlled by the robot controller 4b.

[0054] The planting tool 9 is characterized by a tool base carrier 14, as is found, for example, in Fig. 3 to Fig. 6 is shown, to which at least one first dibber support 15, which carries at least one dibber 5, is attached in a first position and / or orientation, and to which at least one first seed holder support 16, which carries at least one seed holder 6, is attached in a second position and / or orientation different from the first position and / or orientation, so that by repositioning and / or reorienting the tool base support 14 either the at least one first dibber support 15 or the at least one first seed holder support 16 can be aligned onto at least one propagation pot 1.

[0055] The Fig. Figure 4 shows how the seed holder carrier 16, together with its, for example, five seed holders 6, is immersed in one of the storage containers 3 to receive a single plant seed in each seed holder 6. The dibber carrier 15 is aligned with the storage containers 3 in a way that points the way.

[0056] The Fig. Figure 5 shows how the dibber holder 15, together with its, for example, five dibbers 5, creates a corresponding number of five planting holes 7 in the substrate of a seedling pot 1. The seed holder holder 16 is aligned with the seedling pots 1 in a guiding manner.

[0057] The Fig. Figure 6 shows how the seed holder carrier 16, together with its, for example, five seed holders 6, places a corresponding number of five plant seeds into the five prepared planting holes 7. The dibber carrier 15 is aligned with the seedling pots 1 in a guiding manner.

[0058] How specifically from Fig. As can be seen from Figure 4, the at least one first seed holder carrier 16 can have a circumferential contour which is adapted in its shape and size to the shape and size of the opening of the storage container 3, in which plant seeds are contained in the form of loose bulk material, so that the opening of the storage container 3 is covered by the seed holder carrier 16, leaving at most a small gap, when the at least one seed holder 6 is immersed in the storage container 3 to receive at least one plant seed.

[0059] The first step in the process, as described in Fig. As illustrated in Figure 4, the robot arm 4a is controlled such that the planting tool 9 is brought to the storage container 3 and at least one plant seed is picked up by means of the at least one seed holder 6. Subsequently, in a second step, the robot arm 4a is controlled such that the planting tool 9, together with the at least one plant seed held by the at least one seed holder 6, is brought to the at least one propagation pot 1 and, firstly, the at least one planting hole 7 is created for a plant seed to be inserted into the planting substrate 2 by means of the at least one dibber 5, as shown in Figure 4. Fig. 5 is shown. Finally, in a third step, the robot arm 4a is controlled in such a way that the planting tool 9 is repositioned to remove the at least one dibber 5 from the at least one seedling pot 1 and to bring the at least one seed holder 6 with the at least one held plant seed to the at least one seedling pot 1 and the at least one plant seed is then inserted into the at least one planting hole 7.

[0060] By means of the combined planting tool 9, which in the case of the illustrated embodiments comprises several seed holders 6, a number of individual plant seeds corresponding to the number of seed holders 6 can be received, and by means of the combined planting tool 9, which comprises a number of dibbers 5 corresponding to the number of seed holders 6, a number of individual planting holes 7 corresponding to the number of dibbers 5 can be made in the substrate 2 of the at least one propagation pot 1, and a single plant seed can be placed in each individual planting hole 7.

[0061] In the case of several dibbers 5 attached to a dibber support 15 on the planting tool 9, these can be arranged in a geometric structure that corresponds to the geometric structure of the several seed holders 6 on a seed holder support 16 attached to the planting tool 9.

[0062] The Fig. 7 to Fig. Figure 14 shows a modified setup of a workstation for the automatic placement of plant seeds in propagation pots 1 for the pre-cultivation of seedlings. For better visual recognition of the workstation components relevant to the invention, general tool holders and / or storage areas for tools not currently guided by the robot arm 4a are not shown.

[0063] In Fig. 7 The robot arm 4a guides a transport fork 17 for picking up and automatically transporting a tray 11 containing a number of seedling pots 1, each of which is to be filled with a defined number of plant seeds. Several trays 11, which can also be referred to as trays, are stored in a shelf 18 for filling with plant seeds. The robot arm 4a uses the transport fork 17 to pick up a tray 11 containing empty seedling pots 1, which do not yet contain plant seeds but already have the substrate in them. The robot arm 4a brings the tray 11 to the workstation, as shown in Fig. 8 is shown.

[0064] In the Fig. Figure 8 shows how the robot arm 4a uses the planting tool 9 to remove the plant seeds from one of the storage containers 3.

[0065] A more detailed description of the Fig. Figure 9 shows how the planting tool 9 is rotated so that a specific dibber support 15, which includes several dibbers 5 and is attached to the planting tool 9, is aligned with a specific propagation pot 1, so that by a downward movement of the robot arm 4a the dibbers 5 can penetrate the substrate 2 to create the planting holes.

[0066] In a more detailed description of the Fig. 10. The dibber holder 15 is turned away from the seedling pot 1, and the seed holder holder 16 with the multiple seed holders 6 is aligned with the specific seedling pot 1 in order to place the transported, individual plant seeds individually into a planting hole 7. This process is repeated for each individual seedling pot 1 in each row and each column of the tray 11 until all seedling pots 1 are filled with plant seeds.

[0067] In the Fig. Figure 11 schematically shows how the robot arm 4a, using the transport fork 17, moves a tray 11 under a stationary irrigation tool 19, so that the entire tray 11, i.e., all substrates 2 of all seedling pots 1 in the tray 11, are moistened. The irrigation tool 19 can have a tube with a plurality of outlet openings or nozzles from which water or another nutrient solution can emerge. Preferably, the seedling pots 1 of the tray 11 are irrigated by the irrigation tool 19 before the seedling pots 1 are filled with the plant seeds. However, irrigation can also take place after the seedling pots 1 have been filled with the plant seeds.

[0068] Furthermore, the planting tool 9 can have a label holder 20 which is designed to automatically pick up a label 21 from a label printer 22, as is the case in Fig. 11 is shown, and for the automatic transport of the recorded label 21 to a propagation pot 1, as shown in Fig. 12 is shown, and for the automatic application of the transported label 21 to the propagation pot 1, as shown in Fig. 13 is shown.

[0069] The Fig. Figure 13 shows the situation when the robot arm 4a automatically attaches the label 21 to the tray 11 of several seedling pots 1 using the planting tool 9.

[0070] In the Fig. Figure 14 shows that the robot arm 4a has put down the planting tool 9 and picked up the transport fork 17 again in order to automatically return the tray 11 containing the plant seeds from several seedling pots 1 to the shelf 18.

Claims

[1] Method for automatically placing plant seeds into seedling pots (1) for growing seedlings, comprising the steps: - Providing at least one seedling pot (1) filled with a planting substrate (2), - Providing a storage container (3) containing plant seeds in the form of loose bulk material, - Automatic movement of a dibber (5) guided by an automatically controlled handling machine (4) such that the dibber (5) is pressed into the planting substrate (2) of the at least one propagation pot (1) in order to create at least one planting hole (7) for at least one plant seed to be inserted into the planting substrate (2), - Automatic movement of a seed holder (6) guided by an automatically controlled handling machine (4), on which at least one plant seed taken from the storage container (3) is held, such that the at least one plant seed is automatically guided over the planting hole (7) in the planting substrate (2) of the at least one propagation pot (1) and automatically released there, so that the at least one plant seed is inserted into the planting hole (7), characterized by , that a robot arm (4a) is used as an automatically controllable handling machine (4), to whose tool flange (8) a combined planting tool (9) is attached, which includes at least one dibber (5) and at least one seed holder (6), so that when the robot arm (4a) is moved, either the at least one dibber (5) or the at least one seed holder (6) is automatically brought to the at least one propagation pot (1). [2] Method according to claim 1, characterized by, that in a first step the robot arm (4a) is controlled such that the planting tool (9) is brought to the storage container (3) and picks up at least one plant seed by means of the at least one seed holder (6), then in a second step the robot arm (4a) is controlled such that the planting tool (9) together with the at least one plant seed held by the at least one seed holder (6) is brought to the at least one propagation pot (1) and first, by means of the at least one dibber (5), the at least one planting hole (7) for a plant seed to be inserted into the planting substrate (2) is created, and finally in a third step the robot arm (4a) is controlled such that the planting tool (9) is repositioned,to remove at least one dibber (5) from at least one seedling pot (1) and to bring at least one seed holder (6) with the at least one held plant seed to the at least one seedling pot (1) and then to insert the at least one plant seed into the at least one planting hole (7). [3] Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by , that by means of the combined planting tool (9), which comprises several seed holders (6), a number of individual plant seeds corresponding to the number of seed holders (6) are picked up and by means of the combined planting tool (9), which comprises a number of dibbers (5) corresponding to the number of seed holders (6), a number of individual planting holes (7) corresponding to the number of dibbers (5) are made in the substrate of the at least one propagation pot (1), and a single plant seed is placed in each individual planting hole (7). [4] Method according to claim 3, characterized by , that the multiple dibbers (5) are arranged on a dibber support (15) attached to the planting tool (9) in a geometric structure that corresponds to the geometric structure of the seed holders (6) on a seed holder support (16) attached to the planting tool (9). [5] Method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by , that the dibber (5) and the seed holder (6) are functionally combined by a common stick holder. [6] Planting tool, in particular for carrying out a method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized bya tool base carrier (14) to which at least one first dibber carrier (15), which carries at least one dibber (5), is attached in a first orientation and to which at least one first seed holder carrier (16), which carries at least one seed holder (6), is attached in a second orientation different from the first orientation, so that by reorienting the tool base carrier (14) either the at least one first dibber carrier (15) or the at least one first seed holder carrier (16) can be oriented towards at least one propagation pot (1). [7] Planting tool according to claim 6, characterized by, that the at least one first seed holder carrier (16) has a circumferential contour which in its shape and size is adapted to the shape and size of an opening of a storage container (3) in which plant seeds are contained in the form of loose bulk material, so that the opening of the storage container (3) is covered by the seed holder carrier (16) at most, leaving a small gap, when the at least one seed holder (6) is immersed in the storage container (3) to receive at least one plant seed. [8] Planting tool according to claim 6 or 7, characterized by, that the at least one dibber (5) of the at least one first dibber support (15) has a flow channel with at least one outlet opening on the surface of the dibber (5) to which an overpressure source can be connected, so that shortly before and / or during a withdrawal of the dibber (5) from the planting substrate (2) into which the dibber (5) is pressed, compressed air can be expelled via the flow channel from the at least one outlet opening of the dibber (5). [9] Planting tool according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized by , that the planting tool (9) has a label holder (20) which is configured to automatically pick up a label (21) from a label printer (22) and to automatically transport the picked-up label (21) to a growing pot (1) and to automatically apply the transported label (21) to the growing pot (1). [10] Robot system comprising a robot arm (4a) and a robot controller (4b) automatically controlling the robot arm (4a), wherein the robot controller (4b) is configured and set up to perform a method according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a planting tool (9) according to one of claims 6 to 9 is attached to a tool flange (8) of the robot arm (4a).

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