Seedling tray loading device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a seedling box loading device for smooth transport of pallets loaded with seedling boxes containing sown seeds. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the seedling box loading device comprises a seedling box supplying section for transporting seedling boxes containing sown seeds, and a pallet transporting section for transporting pallets on which the seedling boxes are loaded. In one embodiment, the seedling box supplying section comprises a seedling box parallel transporting section to which seeded seedling boxes are transported, a clamp unit located above the seedling box parallel transporting section for gripping the seedling boxes aligned on the seedling box parallel transporting section and transporting them to a loading conveyor unit, and a clamp unit transporting section for moving the clamp unit up and down and back and forth.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a seedling tray loading device, and more particularly to a seedling tray pallet loading device that automatically loads seeded seedling trays onto the top of a pallet to facilitate the storage and transportation of seedling trays that are supplied in sequence, allowing workers to easily transport pallets loaded with seedling trays using a forklift or hand lift.

[0002] In particular, the present invention relates to a clamp unit for moving seedling trays in a seedling tray loading device.

[0003] Such a seed sowing machine loads seedling boxes, supplies soil and seeds into the boxes, and then discharges the seedling boxes after the seeds have been sown and transported to the germination site. Meanwhile, in order for workers to move the discharged seedling boxes to the designated location, workers have traditionally either moved the seedling boxes one by one or manually stacked and moved multiple seedling boxes, but such work has the problem of significantly reducing work efficiency. [Background technology]

[0004] A seed drill is used to easily and accurately sow seeds and apply fertilizer to furrows prepared for cultivating paddy crops such as rice seeds and field crops such as onions and leeks. Such a seed drill loads seedling trays, supplies soil and seeds into the trays, and then discharges the seedling trays after seeding to the germination site. Conventionally, workers have had to move the discharged seedling trays to the designated location by moving them one by one or manually stacking and moving multiple seedling trays. However, such work significantly reduces work efficiency.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the applicant has previously filed and registered a technology known as Patent Document 1, which is a seedling tray stacking device that is equipped to supply and stack seedling trays containing soil and seeds via a conveyor.

[0006] However, in Patent Document 1 proposed by the present applicant, the speed at which workers move stacked seedling trays slows down, which increases the number of stacked seedling trays that need to be moved, resulting in the problem that it is difficult for workers to move a certain number of seedling trays, and there is also the problem that workers have to keep a close eye on the seedling tray stacking device in order to move a certain number of seedling trays.

[0007] Furthermore, in Patent Document 1 proposed by the applicant as mentioned above, workers must manually move stacked seedling trays to designated locations or load them onto pallets, which requires a lot of labor and there is always the risk of safety accidents, such as workers being injured while moving the seedling trays.

[0008] Also, Patent Document 2 proposes a seedling tray transport device. In Patent Document 2, seedling trays are pulled out one by one from the sowing machine and supplied to a loading frame. After being lined up and aligned in a certain number on the loading frame by a movement control unit, they are positioned on a transport bed by a transmission transport unit, and the discharge transport unit pulls the transport bed, moving them sequentially on the transport frame and transporting them to a germination chamber. In this way, the seedling trays pulled out one by one from the sowing machine are transported in a lined up and aligned state on the loading frame. However, in the seedling tray transport device disclosed in Patent Document 2, the seedling trays pulled out from the sowing machine are transported to the transport frame in a single-layered, aligned state on the loading frame, and then discharged.However, when transporting the seedling trays arranged in a single layer on the loading frame to the next process, the work process is delayed by several processes.In addition, in order to arrange more than a certain number of seedling trays on the loading frame, the loading frame must have a certain area or more, so a large installation space is required.Furthermore, since the seedling trays are arranged in a single layer on the loading frame, utilization is significantly reduced compared to the large area of ​​the loading frame, resulting in a decrease in work efficiency and production efficiency.

[0009] Therefore, there is a demand for a pallet loading device for seedling trays that solves the above-mentioned conventional problems. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1740876 [Patent Document 2] Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1039193 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] The present invention has been invented to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and aims to provide a loading device for seedling boxes that stacks seedling boxes that are supplied in sequence and transports and loads a large number of stacked seedling boxes onto the top of a transport standby pallet, allowing an operator to easily transport the pallet loaded with seedling boxes using a forklift or hand lift. [Means for solving the problem]

[0012] One embodiment of the present invention provides a seedling tray loading device for facilitating the transportation of pallets loaded with seeded seedling trays.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the seedling tray loading device comprises a seedling tray supply unit for transporting seedling trays containing seeds, and a pallet transport unit for transporting pallets on which the seedling trays are loaded.

[0014] In one embodiment, the seedling tray supply section comprises a seedling tray parallel transport section to which seeded seedling trays are transported, a clamp unit located above the seedling tray parallel transport section for grasping the seedling trays aligned on the seedling tray parallel transport section and transporting them to a loading conveyor unit, and a clamp unit transport section for moving the clamp unit up and down and back and forth.

[0015] In one embodiment, the pallet transport section comprises a supply conveyor unit for allowing empty pallets to enter and move, a loading conveyor unit for transporting the pallets via the supply conveyor unit to a location for loading seedling trays, and a discharge conveyor unit for discharging the pallets once the seedling tray loading operation is completed.

[0016] In one embodiment, the clamping unit is a type of gripping part configured to grip both ends of a seedling raising box containing seeds, and the clamping unit is moved up and down and back and forth by a clamping unit transport part to grip and transport the seedling raising box. The clamping unit is generally composed of a gripping part for gripping the seedling raising box, a lower sensing contact part for sensing the descent of the gripping part, and a weight counterweight for reducing the load on the gripping part.

[0017] In one embodiment, the gripping portion comprises a first gripping portion and a second gripping portion, and is structured to grip the seedling tray at both ends of the seedling tray. The first and second gripping portions are structured to open and close left and right by the movement of a rack and pinion based on the drawing. The rack and pinion are a pair, one at the front and one at the back based on the drawing, and both have the same structure. Each rack and pinion is connected by an interlocking shaft and configured to be interlocked simultaneously. For convenience, the pair of rack and pinion units will be referred to as a first rack and pinion unit and a second rack and pinion unit, and each rack and pinion unit is composed of an upper rack, a lower rack, a pinion that rotates and is disposed between the upper rack and the lower rack, and a drive cylinder.

[0018] In one embodiment, a support base is provided below the first and second gripping units to enter the lower part of the seedling box and assist in stable gripping of the seedling box when the gripping units are closed and gripping the seedling box. While the support base is designed to support the seedling box from below, allowing for stable support, there is a risk that a portion of the lower part of the seedling box may get caught on the support base and come out of the gripping units when the gripping units are opened. To prevent this, a box separation bar is provided in the gripping units. When the gripping units are opened, the box separation bar moves toward the inner space between the two gripping units, preventing the seedling box from getting caught on the support base and coming out of the gripping units.

[0019] In one embodiment, the box separating bar comprises a first guide bar that moves linearly as the rack moves, a second guide bar that is positioned perpendicular to the first guide bar but is linked to the movement of the first guide bar, and a structure that converts the forward and backward linear movement of the second guide bar into rotational movement of the box separating bar via a hinge. Therefore, the box separating bar rotates as the rack moves, but when the grippers open, the box separating bar enters the inner space between the two grippers to prevent the seedling boxes from getting caught on the support base and coming out, and when the grippers close, the box separating bar moves toward each gripper so as not to interfere with the grippers' gripping of the seedling boxes.

[0020] In one embodiment, a lower sensing contact part is attached to the bottom of the first and second grippers. The lower sensing contact part stops the descent of the grippers when the grippers descend and come into contact with a pallet or the like, and is composed of a lower contact part, a bracket, a shaft, and a bracket sensing part. The lower contact part is disposed in a state of being suspended from the bottom of each gripper by its own weight or the elastic force of a spring. When the lower contact part comes into contact with an object such as a pallet as the gripper descends, the descent of the lower contact part, shaft, and bracket is stopped by the ground reaction force. The grippers including the bracket sensing part continue to descend for a certain distance, and the grippers stop their descent only when the bracket sensing part senses the bracket. In addition, the lower contact portion has multiple protrusions that protrude toward the inside of the gripping portion and is configured to sense the size of the pallet and seedling boxes.The lower contact portion is also configured to be bent at an angle toward the outside to act as a guide, allowing the gripping portion to easily perform the opening operation without getting caught on the top of the pallet or stacked seedling boxes.

[0021] In one embodiment, the pallet transport section comprises a supply conveyor unit for receiving and moving empty pallets, a loading conveyor unit for transporting the pallets via the supply conveyor unit to a location where seedling trays are to be loaded, and a discharge conveyor unit for discharging the pallets once the seedling tray loading operation is complete. The supply conveyor unit, loading conveyor unit, and discharge conveyor unit are equipped with contact sensors that detect the pallets and generate signals for the next operation.

[0022] In one embodiment, the contact sensor comprises a sensor dog and a sensing unit. The sensor dog is a component that acts like a cam when it comes into contact with the object to be sensed. When the pallet moves and pushes against the sensor dog, the sensor dog moves in a certain direction, which is recognized by the sensing unit and detects that the pallet has come into contact. The supply conveyor unit and the loading conveyor unit are provided with stopper cylinders that, if necessary, stop the pallet's progress when the contact sensor detects a pallet. The stopper cylinders protrude upward to stop the progress of the pallet and stop it at a predetermined position, or descend to allow the pallet to continue moving, in response to a signal from the control unit. Of course, it is also possible to repeatedly operate and stop each conveyor unit of the pallet transport unit in response to a signal from the contact sensor.

[0023] In one embodiment, the supply conveyor unit and the loading conveyor unit are provided with pallet width guides. The pallet width guides are installed on both sides of the supply conveyor and function to properly align pallets in the center of the conveyor. The width of the pallet width guides is adjustable to accommodate various sizes of pallets. The width of the pallet width guides is adjusted by rotating the pinion, with two rack gears, one above the other, connected to the pinion. In the drawing, when the pinion rotates clockwise, the upper rack moves to the right and the lower rack moves to the left, widening the width. When the pinion rotates counterclockwise, the width narrows. The multiple pallet width guides installed in the supply conveyor unit and the loading conveyor unit operate via rack and pinions, as described above, and all of the multiple pinions are connected via a connecting shaft to operate simultaneously.

[0024] The loading conveyor unit is located between the supply conveyor unit and the discharge conveyor unit, and is located adjacent to the end of the parallel seedling tray transport section, where the seedling trays containing seeds are loaded onto the pallets that have actually been supplied. The loading conveyor unit is equipped with multiple pallet detection sensors to determine where to load the seedling trays on the pallets.

[0025] In one embodiment, a contact sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a pallet and generating a control signal, and a stopper for preventing the pallet from moving forward, are located at the end of the discharge conveyor unit. A loaded pallet enters the discharge conveyor unit in the loading conveyor unit and moves to the position of the contact sensor at the end, where the signal from the contact sensor stops the conveyor and the stopper stops the pallet at a predetermined position. In this state, the pallet loaded with seedling trays can be moved by a forklift or the like. [Effects of the Invention]

[0026] The seedling tray loading device according to the present invention described above easily stacks seedling trays that are supplied one after another, and transports and loads a large number of stacked seedling trays onto the top of a waiting pallet, allowing workers to easily transport the pallet loaded with seedling trays using a forklift or hand lift. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall perspective view of a seedling tray loading device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a view showing the entire gripping part and each part thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] 1 is a view showing the entire gripping part and each part thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is a view showing the entire gripping part and each part thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 5] 1 is a view showing the entire gripping part and each part thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6] 1 is a view showing the entire gripping part and each part thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] 1 is a view showing the entire gripping part and each part thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 8] 1 is a view showing the entire gripping part and each part thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 9] 1 is a diagram showing a weight balance according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 1 is a diagram showing a weight balance according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 1 is a view showing a seedling tray parallel conveying unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 12] 1 is a view showing a seedling tray parallel conveying unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 13] 1 is a view showing a supply conveyor unit without a pallet attached thereto according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is a top view of a feed conveyor unit with a pallet installed according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] 2 is a view showing a configuration of a pallet width direction guide according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 16] 1 is a view showing a state immediately before a pallet for loading seedling trays according to an embodiment of the present invention enters a loading conveyor unit. [Figure 17] 1 is a view showing a state in which a pallet enters a loading conveyor unit to load seedling trays according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 18] 1 is a view showing a state in which seedling raising boxes are loaded onto a pallet in a loading conveyor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 19] 1 is a view showing a state in which seedling raising boxes are all loaded on a pallet in a loading conveyor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 20] 1 is a view showing a state immediately before a loaded pallet enters a discharge conveyor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] To clarify the technical concept of the present disclosure, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. When describing the present disclosure, detailed descriptions of related known functions or components will be omitted if it is determined that such descriptions would unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present disclosure. In the drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals and symbols whenever possible, even if they appear in different drawings. For convenience of description, apparatuses and methods will be described together when necessary. Operations in the present disclosure do not necessarily need to be performed in the order described, but may be performed in parallel, selectively, or individually.

[0029] The terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are generally used and widely used as much as possible, taking into consideration the functionality of the present disclosure. However, this may vary depending on the intentions of those skilled in the art, legal precedents, the emergence of new technologies, etc. In addition, in certain cases, the applicant may arbitrarily select terms, and in such cases, their meanings will be described in detail in the description of the corresponding embodiments. Therefore, the terms used in this specification should be defined based on the meanings of the terms and the overall content of the present disclosure, rather than simply by the names of the terms.

[0030] Throughout this disclosure, singular expressions can include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to specify the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof, and should be understood not to preclude the presence or possible addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof. In other words, throughout this disclosure, when a part "comprises" a certain component, this does not exclude other components, but means that other components may also be included, unless specifically stated to the contrary.

[0031] A phrase such as "at least one" modifies the entire list of members, and not each member of the list individually. For example, "at least one of A, B, and C" and "at least one of A, B, or C" refer to A only, B only, C only, both A and B, both B and C, both A and C, all of A, B, and C, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, terms such as "... unit" and "... module" used in this disclosure refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented by hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0032] Throughout this disclosure, when a part is said to be "connected" to another part, this includes not only when it is "directly connected" to another part, but also when it is "electrically connected" with another element sandwiched therebetween. Furthermore, when a part is said to "include" a certain component, this does not exclude other components, but means that it may further include other components, unless otherwise specified to the contrary.

[0033] As used throughout this disclosure, the phrase "configured to" may be used interchangeably with terms such as "suitable for," "having the capacity to," "designed to," "adapted to," "made to," or "capable of," depending on the context. The term "configured to" does not necessarily refer only to hardware that is "specifically designed to." Instead, in some contexts, a "system configured to" may mean that the system, together with other devices or components, is "capable of." For example, a "processor configured to perform A, B, and C" may refer to a dedicated processor for performing those operations (e.g., an embedded processor) or a general-purpose processor (e.g., a CPU or application processor) that can perform those operations by executing one or more software programs stored in memory.

[0034] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the seedling tray loading device 1 is composed of a seedling tray supply unit 10 for transporting seedling trays B containing seeds, and a pallet transport unit 20 for transporting pallets on which the seedling trays are loaded.

[0035] The seedling tray supply section 10 is composed of a seedling tray parallel conveying section 100 to which seeded seedling trays B are transported, a clamping unit 200 located above the seedling tray parallel conveying section 100 for grasping the seedling trays B aligned in the seedling tray parallel conveying section 100 and transporting them to the loading conveyor unit 600, and a clamping unit conveying section 300 for moving the clamping unit 200 up and down and back and forth.

[0036] The pallet transport section 20 comprises a supply conveyor unit 500 for allowing an empty pallet P to enter and move, a loading conveyor unit 600 for transporting the pallet P via the supply conveyor unit 500 to a location for loading seedling boxes B, and a discharge conveyor unit 700 for discharging the pallet P once the loading of the seedling boxes B is completed.

[0037] The clamp unit 200 of the seedling tray supply unit 10 is a type of gripping unit configured to grip both ends of seeded seedling trays, and to grip and transport the seedling trays, the clamp unit 200 is moved up and down and back and forth by the clamp unit transport unit 300. The clamp unit 200 is largely composed of a gripping unit 210 for gripping the seedling tray B, a lower sensing contact unit 230 for sensing the descent of the gripping unit, and a weight balance unit 240 for reducing the load on the gripping unit.

[0038] In one embodiment, the gripping part 210 is composed of a first gripping part 211 and a second gripping part 212, and is configured to grip the seedling tray B at both ends of the seedling tray B. The first and second gripping parts have racks connected to the upper and lower parts, respectively, based on the pinion.

[0039] The first and second grippers are configured to open and close left and right by the movement of racks 213, 214, 215, and 216 and pinions 217 and 218. The racks 213, 214, 215, and 216 and the pinions 217 and 218 are configured as a pair, one at the front and one at the back, and both have the same structure. The pinions 217 and 218 are connected by an interlocking shaft 219 so as to move simultaneously in an interlocking manner. For convenience, the pair of rack and pinion units are referred to as a first rack and pinion unit 221 and a second rack and pinion unit 222, and each rack and pinion unit 221 and 222 is configured with an upper rack 213 and 215 and a lower rack 214 and 216, pinions 217 and 218 that are disposed between the upper and lower racks and rotate, and drive cylinders 223 and 224.

[0040] For convenience, the first rack and pinion unit 221 is defined as consisting of a first upper rack 213, a first lower rack 214, and a first pinion 217, and the second rack and pinion unit 222 is defined as consisting of a second upper rack 215, a second lower rack 216, and a second pinion 218.

[0041] The opening operation of the grippers 211 and 212 will now be described. To open the grippers, the first gripper 211 must move leftward and the second gripper 212 must move rightward, with reference to FIG. 3, and the first pinion 217 must rotate counterclockwise (although not shown in FIG. 3, the second pinion 218 must also rotate counterclockwise). To this end, when the first lower rack 214 moves rightward by operation of the first driving cylinder 223, the first pinion 217 rotates counterclockwise, and in conjunction with this, the first upper rack 213 makes a linear movement leftward, and the first gripper 211 connected to the first upper rack 213 moves leftward, and the second gripper 212 connected to the first lower rack 214 moves rightward, so that the grippers as a whole perform an opening operation. In the case of the closing operation in which the gripping parts retract, the operation is the opposite of the above, but as the first lower rack 214 connected to the first driving cylinder 223 moves leftward, the first pinion 217 rotates clockwise, and in conjunction with this, the first upper rack 213 makes a linear movement to the right, the first gripping part 211 connected to the first upper rack 213 moves rightward, and the second gripping part 212 connected to the first lower rack 214 moves leftward, and as a whole, the gripping parts retract to perform the closing operation.

[0042] Also, the operation of the upper gripper has been described with reference to FIG. 3 and based on the first rack and pinion unit 221, but the second rack and pinion unit 222 also performs the same operation as the first rack and pinion unit 221.

[0043] The pair of rack and pinion units 221, 222 are linked and interlocked by an interlocking shaft 219. Although each rack and pinion unit 221, 222 can operate independently, they are designed to operate simultaneously to perform gripping work using the gripper. However, a time difference in operation can occur due to errors, including a difference in operation time between the drive cylinders 223, 224 of each rack and pinion unit 221, 222. In this case, if one of the rack and pinion units operates first, a misalignment occurs between the rack and pinion units, making smooth gripping work difficult. However, taking this into consideration, even if an error occurs in the operation of one of the drive cylinders and one of the rack and pinion units operates first, the other rack and pinion unit also operates in conjunction with it, allowing for smooth gripping work.

[0044] In one embodiment, a support base 225 is provided below the first and second gripping units. The support base 225 penetrates the bottom of the seedling box and supports the seedling box downward when the gripping units 211 and 212 close to grip the seedling box, thereby helping to ensure stable gripping of the seedling box. While the support base 225 is also configured to support the seedling box from below, and stable support is possible, when the gripping units 211 and 212 open, a portion of the bottom of the seedling box may touch the support base 225 and come out of the gripping units. To prevent this, a box separation bar 226 is provided at the gripping units. When the gripping units 211 and 212 open, the box separation bar 226 moves toward the inner space between the gripping units, preventing the seedling box from coming out of the support base.

[0045] In one embodiment, the box separating bar includes a first guide bar 227 that moves linearly as the first and second upper racks 213 and 215 move, and a second guide bar 228 that is arranged perpendicular to the first guide bar but moves in conjunction with the movement of the first guide bar. The linear movement of the first guide bar converts the box separating bar 226 into rotational movement through a cam structure 229. Therefore, the movement of the upper racks 213, 215 causes the box separation bar 226 to rotate, but when the gripping sections 211, 212 are opened, the box separation bar 226 enters the inner space between the two gripping sections, and even if a seedling box is hanging on the support base, the movement of the seedling box is restricted by the box separation bar, preventing it from coming out.When the gripping sections 211, 212 are closed, the box separation bar 226 moves toward the respective gripping sections 211, 212 so as not to interfere with the gripping sections 211, 212's gripping of the seedling box B.

[0046] In one embodiment, a lower sensing contact part 230 is attached to the bottom of the first and second gripping parts 211 and 212. The lower sensing contact part 230 stops the descent of the gripping parts 211 and 212 when the gripping parts 211 and 212 descend and come into contact with a pallet P, etc., and is composed of a lower contact part 231, a bracket 232, a shaft 233, and a bracket sensing part 234. The lower contact portion 231 is disposed in a state of being suspended from the lower portion of each gripping portion 211, 212 by its own weight or the elastic force of a spring 235, and when the lower contact portion 231 comes into contact with an object such as the upper surface of a pallet P or stacked boxes as the gripping portion descends as shown in FIG. 6, the lower contact portion 231, shaft 233, and bracket 232 stop descending due to a reaction force from the ground / top of the boxes, and the gripping portion including the bracket detecting portion 234 continues to descend a certain distance, and only when the bracket detecting portion 234 detects the bracket 232 do the gripping portions 211, 212 stop descending.

[0047] The lower contact portion 231 has a plurality of protrusions 236 that protrude toward the inside of the gripping portion 210, and is configured to be able to sense the size of the pallet P and the seedling box. The lower contact portion 231 is also configured to be bent outward at an angle to act as a guide, allowing the gripping portion 210 to easily perform the opening operation without getting caught on the top of the pallet or the seedling box that is stacked on top of it.

[0048] Meanwhile, the spring 235 may be disposed by being sandwiched on the outside of the shaft 233 .

[0049] Next, the lifting and lowering operation of the clamp unit 200 and the weight balance part 240 will be described. As shown in Figures 9 and 10, in order to lift and lower the clamp unit 200, the force generated by the lifting servo motor 241 is transmitted through pulleys 242, 243 and belt 244 to finally ball screw 245, and the rotation of ball screw 245 causes gripping parts 211, 212 connected to a linear motion lifting LM guide structure 246 to perform lifting motion. When gripping part 210 grips and lifts and moves multiple seedling raising boxes B containing seeds, a large load is placed on the clamp unit 200. In the present invention, in order to reduce the load on the lifting servomotor 241 and prevent the gripping parts 211, 212 from suddenly dropping in the event of a malfunction of the lifting servomotor 241, an air cylinder 247 is connected to the lifting LM guide structure 246 so that a constant load is always applied by air pressure, thereby reducing the load on the lifting servomotor 241 when the gripping parts 211, 212 are lifted or lowered. Meanwhile, the clamp unit transport part 300 for moving the clamp unit 200 up and down and back and forth is a two-axis LM guide made up of LM guides.

[0050] On the other hand, the seedling tray parallel transport section 100 is located below the gripping section 210 and is the route along which the seedling trays B containing seeds are transported to the gripping position by the gripping section 210. The seedling tray parallel transport section 100 is provided with a detection sensor 101 at a predetermined gripping position for detecting the entry of a seedling tray, thereby determining the gripping position by the gripping section. On the other hand, the seedling tray parallel transport section 100 is located in contact with the loading conveyor unit 600.

[0051] Next, we will explain the pallet transport unit 20. As shown in Figure 1, the pallet transport unit 20 is composed of a supply conveyor unit 500 for receiving and moving empty pallets, a loading conveyor unit 600 for transporting the pallets via the supply conveyor unit 500 to a location where seedling trays are to be loaded, and a discharge conveyor unit 700 for discharging the pallets once the seedling tray loading operation is complete. The supply conveyor unit 500, loading conveyor unit 600, and discharge conveyor unit 700 are equipped with contact sensors LS that detect the pallets and generate a signal for the next operation.

[0052] The contact sensor LS consists of a sensor dog SD and a sensing unit D. The sensor dog SD is a member that acts like a cam when it comes into contact with the object to be sensed. When a pallet moves and presses the sensor dog SD, the sensor dog SD moves in a certain direction, which is recognized by the sensing unit D, detecting that the pallet has come into contact. The supply conveyor unit 500, loading conveyor unit 600, and discharge conveyor unit 700 are each provided with a stopper ST / stopper cylinder SC that stops the pallet's movement as necessary when the contact sensor LS detects a pallet. The stopper ST / stopper cylinder SC moves upward and protrudes to stop the pallet's movement, or descends to allow the pallet to move forward, in response to a command from the control unit that receives a signal from the contact sensor LS. Of course, it is also possible for each conveyor unit 500, 600, and 700 of the pallet transport unit 20 to alternately operate and stop in response to a signal from the contact sensor LS.

[0053] The supply conveyor unit 500, loading conveyor unit 600, and discharge conveyor unit 700 are basically structured such that a chain 512 is wound around a chain sprocket 511, and the rotation of the chain sprocket 511 moves the pallet placed on the chain 512.

[0054] The supply conveyor unit 500 and the loading conveyor unit 600 are provided with pallet width direction guides 800. The pallet width direction guides 800 are installed on both sides of the supply / loading conveyors 500 and 600 and function to properly align pallets in the center of the conveyors. The width of the pallet width direction guide 800 can be adjusted to accommodate pallets of various sizes. The width of the pallet width direction guide 800 is adjusted by the rotation of a pinion 801, with two upper and lower rack gears 802 and 803 respectively coupled to the pinion 801. In the drawing, when the pinion 801 rotates clockwise, the upper rack 802 moves to the right and the lower rack 803 moves to the left, respectively, widening the width. When the pinion 801 rotates counterclockwise, the width narrows. As described above, the multiple pallet width-direction guides 800 provided on the supply conveyor unit 500 and the loading conveyor unit 600 operate using racked pinions, and all of the multiple pinions 801 are connected via connecting shafts 804 so that they move simultaneously in unison.

[0055] The loading conveyor unit 600 is located between the supply conveyor unit 500 and the discharge conveyor unit 700, and is located at a point adjacent to the end of the seedling tray parallel transport section 100, where the seedling trays containing seeds are loaded onto the pallets that have actually been supplied. The loading conveyor unit 600 is equipped with multiple pallet detection sensors 601, 602 for determining where to load the seedling trays on the pallet.

[0056] 16 to 19, a pallet enters the loading conveyor unit 600 and moves to the position of the pallet detection sensor 601. When the pallet is detected, the control unit stops the operation of the conveyor, and the first loading stopper cylinder 603 stops the movement of the pallet (FIG. 17). When the operation of the pallet is stopped by the first loading stopper cylinder 603, a predetermined number of seedling raising boxes are loaded on the upper right end of the pallet, as shown in FIG. 18. When the loading of the predetermined number of seedling raising boxes is completed, the conveyor starts again, and the pallet moves in the forward direction again, to the position of the pallet detection sensor 602, where the operation of the conveyor stops, and its movement is stopped by the second loading stopper cylinder 604. Then, when the operation of the pallet is stopped by the second loading stopper cylinder 604 as shown in FIG. 19, a seedling raising box is loaded on the upper left end of the pallet, as shown in the drawings. Once the predetermined number of seedling raising boxes have been loaded, the pallet moves again in the forward direction and proceeds to the discharge conveyor unit 700.

[0057] Finally, a contact sensor LS for detecting the presence or absence of a pallet and generating a control signal, and a stopper ST for stopping the pallet's progress, are located at the end of the discharge conveyor unit 700. A loaded pallet enters the discharge conveyor unit 700 from the loading conveyor unit 600 and moves to the position where the end contact sensor LS is located. Then, the signal from the contact sensor LS stops the operation of the conveyor, and the progress is stopped by the stopper ST. In this state, the pallet loaded with seedling trays can be moved by a forklift or the like.

[0058] The control unit 900 is configured to control the seedling tray supply unit 10 and the pallet transport unit 20, sense the position of the pallet for loading seedling trays, determine whether to move it, and if the pallet is in a predetermined position, determine whether to load seedling trays and output a signal for loading. In addition, if an abnormal operation occurs, it activates an alarm and outputs a control signal to stop operation.

[0059] Next, the overall operation of the seedling tray loading device according to the present invention will be described.

[0060] A pallet is supplied for loading seedling trays containing seeds. The pallet advances along the supply conveyor unit 500, aligned to the center of the conveyor by the pallet widthwise guide 800, which is designed to fit the dimensions of the pallet being loaded. After passing through the pallet widthwise guide 800 and being aligned to the center, the pallet advances to the stopper cylinder SC of the supply conveyor, where its position is detected by the second contact sensor 502. If the loading conveyor unit 600 detects that there is no pallet in this state, the stopper cylinder SC located at the end of the supply conveyor unit 500 descends, and the pallet advances to the loading conveyor unit 600 and advances to the first loading stopper cylinder 603, where it is detected by the pallet detection sensor 601. Once the pallet has been moved to the predetermined seedling tray loading position, the seedling tray is loaded via the conveyor of the seedling tray parallel transport unit 100 located on the side of the loading conveyor unit 600. The seedling boxes advance to the position of the stopper 102 of the seedling box parallel conveyor 100, and this process is repeated until a certain number of seedling boxes are supplied to the seedling box parallel conveyor 100. Once the seedling boxes and pallets are ready, the gripper 210 of the clamp unit 200 begins to operate, and the clamp unit 200 descends to grip the seedling boxes. As the clamp unit 200 descends, the lower sensing contactor 230 accurately determines the height of the gripping position. The seedling boxes gripped by the gripper 210 are loaded onto the front portion of the pallet waiting on the loading conveyor unit 600. Once the seedling boxes have been loaded onto the front portion of the pallet, the pallet moves to the position of the second loading stopper cylinder 604, and the position of the pallet is recognized by the pallet detection sensor 602. After the pallet has moved in this manner, seedling boxes are loaded into the remaining space on the pallet. The loaded pallet is moved to the position where the stopper ST of the discharge conveyor unit 700 is located, and then the pallet is moved to a predetermined location by a forklift or the like.

[0061] The above description of the present disclosure is merely an example, and those skilled in the art will understand that the present disclosure can be easily modified into other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present disclosure. Therefore, the above-described embodiments should be understood to be illustrative in all respects and not limiting. For example, each component described as a single component may be implemented in a distributed form, and similarly, each component described as a distributed component may be implemented in a combined form.

[0062] The scope of the present disclosure is indicated by the claims set forth below rather than by the above detailed description, and all modifications and variations derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be construed as being included within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A seedling box loading device comprising a seedling box supply unit (10) for transporting seedling boxes (B) containing seeds, and a pallet transport unit (20) for transporting pallets on which the seedling boxes are loaded, The seedling tray supply unit (10) includes a clamp unit (200) for gripping the seeded seedling trays at both ends, and a clamp unit transport unit (300) for moving the clamp unit (200) up and down and back and forth, The clamp unit (200) includes a gripping part (210) for gripping a seedling raising box, and a support base (225) located below the gripping part (210) for entering a lower part of the seedling raising box to support the seedling raising box from below and assist in gripping when the gripping part (210) grips the seedling raising box, The gripping unit (210) is composed of a first gripping unit (211) and a second gripping unit (212), and the first gripping unit (211) and the second gripping unit (212) each include an upper rack, a lower rack, a pinion that is disposed between the upper rack and the lower rack and rotates, and a drive cylinder for driving the pinion; When the gripping part (210) is opened, a part of the lower part of the seedling box is caught on the support base (225) and is provided with a box separation bar (226) to prevent it from coming out of the gripping part. The box separation bar (226) is linked to a first guide bar that moves linearly with the movement of the upper rack, and the linear movement of the first guide bar rotates the box separation bar through a cam structure.

2. 2. The seedling tray loading device according to claim 1, wherein a lower sensing contact part is attached to the bottom surface of the gripping part.

3. The seedling tray loading device of claim 2, wherein the lower sensing contact portion comprises a lower contact portion, a bracket, a shaft, and a bracket sensing portion, and the lower contact portion is arranged in a suspended state below the gripping portion by its own weight or the elastic force of a spring.

4. The seedling tray loading device described in claim 3, characterized in that a plurality of gripping sections (210), consisting of the first gripping section (211) and the second gripping section (212), are arranged in a row, and the pinions of the plurality of gripping sections (210) are connected to each other by an interlocking shaft (219) so that the plurality of gripping sections (210) are interlocked.

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