Design and Testing of a Closed Multi-Channel Air-Blowing Seedling Pick-Up Device for an Automatic Vegetable Transplanter

Bingchao Zhang, Xiangyu Wen, Yongshuang Wen (), Xinglong Wang, Haoqi Zhu, Zexin Pan and Zhenyu Yang
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Bingchao Zhang: Key Laboratory of Modern Agricultural Intelligent Equipment in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510630, China
Xiangyu Wen: Key Laboratory of Modern Agricultural Intelligent Equipment in South China, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Guangzhou 510630, China
Yongshuang Wen: School of Mechanical Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, China
Xinglong Wang: School of Mechanical Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, China
Haoqi Zhu: School of Mechanical Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, China
Zexin Pan: School of Mechanical Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, China
Zhenyu Yang: School of Mechanical Engineering, Shandong University of Technology, Zibo 255000, China

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 10, 1-15

Abstract: In this study, a closed multi-channel air-blowing plug seedling pick-up device and a combined plug tray were designed to address the issues of complex structure, high seedling damage rates and low pick-up efficiency in fully automated vegetable transplanter systems. The device operates by sealing the plug seedlings in a seedling cup, where compressed air is channeled into the sealed cavity through multiple passages during the seedling pick-up process. The upper surface of the seedling plug is subjected to uniform force, overcoming the friction and adhesion between the plug seedlings and the tray. This process presses the seedlings into the guide tube, completing the pick-up operation. A mechanical model for the plug seedlings was developed, and the kinetics of the pick-up process were analyzed. The multi-channel high-pressure airflow was simulated and evaluated, identifying three key parameters affecting seedling pick-up performance: water content of the seedling plug, air pressure during pick-up, and air-blowing duration. Using these factors as variables, and with seedling pick-up rate and substrate loss rate as evaluation indicators, single-factor experiments and a three-factor, three-level orthogonal experiment were conducted. The experiments’ results showed that the best seedling pick-up performance was achieved when the water content of the plug was 20%, the air pressure was 0.3 MPa, and the air-blowing time was 30 ms. Under these conditions, the seedling pick-up success rate was 97.22%, and the substrate loss rate was 10.46%.

Keywords: seedling pick-up device; vegetable plug seedlings; multi-channel; air-blowing seedling pick-up; experiment (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: 2024
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