US 11,980,119 B2
Method for conveying and dropping seedlings based on device for conveying and positioning seedling tray of automatic transplanter
Jianping Hu, Zhenjiang (CN); Mengjiao Yao, Zhenjiang (CN); Shulin Liu, Zhenjiang (CN); Jinhao Zhou, Zhenjiang (CN); Chensheng Ren, Zhenjiang (CN); Menglei Wei, Zhenjiang (CN); Tengfei Zhang, Zhenjiang (CN); and Jiawei Shi, Zhenjiang (CN)
Assigned to JIANGSU UNIVERSITY, Zhenjiang (CN)
Appl. No. 17/912,059
Filed by JIANGSU UNIVERSITY, Zhenjiang (CN)
PCT Filed Jan. 11, 2022, PCT No. PCT/CN2022/071365
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Sep. 16, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2022/227703, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 3, 2022.
Claims priority of application No. 202110460015.6 (CN), filed on Apr. 27, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0016080 A1, Jan. 18, 2024
Int. Cl. A01C 11/02 (2006.01)
CPC A01C 11/025 (2013.01) 2 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for conveying and dropping seedlings based on a device for conveying and positioning a seedling tray of an automatic transplanter, wherein the device for conveying and positioning the seedling tray of the automatic transplanter comprises a platform for conveying the seedling tray, a first sensor, a second sensor, a plurality of push rods, and a control system, wherein the platform for conveying the seedling tray is configured for conveying the seedling tray to be below seedling picking claws; the push rods are evenly distributed on the platform for conveying the seedling tray; the seedling tray is placed between adjacent two of the push rods; the first sensor is mounted close to the seedling picking claws and is configured for identifying the seedling tray; the second sensor is mounted on a rack of the platform for conveying the seedling tray and is configured for identifying the push rods; the control system controls, according to the first sensor and the second sensor, the platform for conveying the seedling tray to allow a first row of the seedling tray to be located at grasping positions of the seedling picking claws; the first sensor is located on a left side of a last one of the seedling picking claws encountered in a forward direction of the seedling tray; the second sensor is located at any position of the rack of the platform for conveying the seedling tray; and a distance between the first sensor and the last one of the seedling picking claws is larger than a distance between the adjacent two of the push rods, and the method comprises the following steps:
conveying and positioning the seedling tray, further comprising:
controlling, by the control system, a motor of the platform for conveying the seedling tray to allow the seedling tray to be conveyed to a position where the first sensor is located, wherein the control system acquires a first pulse value D1 of the motor; controlling, by the control system, the motor of the platform for conveying the seedling tray to allow the seedling tray to be conveyed continuously, wherein when the second sensor identifies the push rods, the control system acquires a second pulse value D2 of the motor; setting the last one of the seedling picking claws encountered in the forward direction of the seedling tray as a first seedling picking claw, and determining a distance between a current position of the seedling tray and the first seedling picking claw according to a difference value between D2 and D1; and controlling, by the control system, the motor of the platform for conveying the seedling tray to allow the seedling tray to be conveyed to a grasping position of the first seedling picking claw;
synchronously extracting the seedlings by the seedling picking claws, further comprising:
controlling, by the control system, the seedling picking claws to directionally move to be above a first column of the seedling tray; controlling, by the control system, the seedling picking claws to descend, be inserted into the seedling tray, and ascend to extract the seedlings, so as to complete an extraction of the seedlings in a column at intervals; and controlling, by the control system, the seedling picking claws to return to an initial position to drop the seedlings;
controlling, by the control system, the platform for conveying the seedling tray to allow the seedling tray to move forwards; and controlling, by the control system, the seedling picking claws to repeatedly operate to extract other seedlings in the first column of the seedling tray in a same way till the seedlings in the first column of the seedling tray are all extracted;
controlling, by the control system, the platform for conveying the seedling tray to allow the seedling tray to move backwards to the grasping position of the first seedling picking claw; controlling, by the control system, the seedling picking claws to directionally move to be above a second column of the seedling tray; controlling, by the control system, the seedling picking claws to descend, be inserted into the seedling tray, and ascend to extract the seedlings, so as to complete the extraction of the seedlings in a column at intervals; and controlling, by the control system, the seedling picking claws to return to the initial position to drop the seedlings;
controlling, by the control system, the platform for conveying the seedling tray to allow the seedling tray to move forwards; and controlling, by the control system, the seedling picking claws to repeatedly operate to extract other seedlings in the second column of the seedling tray in the same way till the seedlings in the second column of the seedling tray are all extracted; and
repeating the above steps until the seedlings in the seedling tray are all extracted.