Design and Experimental Research on an Automated Force-Measuring Device for Plug Seedling Extraction

Tengyuan Hou, Xinxin Chen (), Jianping Hu, Wei Liu, Junpeng Lv, Youheng Tan and Fengpeng Li
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Tengyuan Hou: Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Hi-Tech Research for Intelligent Agricultural Equipment, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Xinxin Chen: Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Hi-Tech Research for Intelligent Agricultural Equipment, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Jianping Hu: Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Hi-Tech Research for Intelligent Agricultural Equipment, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Wei Liu: Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Hi-Tech Research for Intelligent Agricultural Equipment, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Junpeng Lv: Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Hi-Tech Research for Intelligent Agricultural Equipment, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Youheng Tan: Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Hi-Tech Research for Intelligent Agricultural Equipment, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China
Fengpeng Li: Qingshan Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Yangzhou 225804, China

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 18, 1-24

Abstract: Existing force-measuring devices lack versatility in studying the dynamic coupling process between the seedling-picking device and the plug seedling pot during automatic transplanting. This research developed a universal force-measuring device featuring a centrally symmetrical clamping needle layout and a simultaneous insertion and clamping mechanism. The force-measuring device enables the flexible adjustment of the number of clamping needles (2/3/4 needles) via a modular structure. It can also modify the insertion depth and angle of the clamping needles to accommodate three specifications of plug seedlings, namely 50-hole, 72-hole, and 128-hole plug seedlings. A real-time monitoring system with dual pull-pressure sensors is integrated to precisely acquire the dynamic response curves of the clamping force (F J ) and the disengaging force (F N ) of the plug seedling pot during the seedling-picking process. Taking water spinach plug seedlings as the research object and combining with EDEM-RecurDyn coupling simulation, the interaction mechanism between the clamping needle and the plug seedling pot was elucidated. The performance of the force-measuring device was verified through systematic force-measuring experiments. The main research findings are as follows: The force-measuring device designed in this study can successfully obtain the mechanical characteristic curve of the relevant seedling plug pot throughout the automatic seedling-picking process. The simulation results show high consistency with the experimental results, indicating that the force-measuring device can effectively reveal the dynamic coupling process between the seedling-picking device and the plug seedling pot. The verification experiment demonstrates that the force-measuring device can effectively quantify the mechanical properties of the of plug seedling pots under different plug seedlings specifications and different clamping needles configurations. Reducing the hole size and increasing the number of clamping needles can effectively decrease the peak value of the disengaging force (F Nmax ). The peak clamping force (F Jmax ) is approximately inversely proportional to the needle number, with the four-needle layout providing the most uniform force distribution. The force-measuring device developed in this study is functional, applicable, and versatile, offering a general force-measuring tool and a theoretical foundation for optimal seedling-picking device design.

Keywords: force-measuring device; plug seedling; clamping force; disengaging force; mechanical properties; dynamic coupling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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