Authors

Abstract

To address the issues of high damage rates and low success rates in seedling picking due to adhesion between seedlings and pots in the picking mechanism of an automatic transplanter, this study proposes a pre-separation method for pot seedlings based on airflow impact. Unlike the traditional jacking or vibrating-assisted separation method, this method achieves pre-separation through non-contact airflow impact and minimizes mechanical damage to the root-soil composite. Based on this method, a seedling pre-separation mechanism was designed and integrated into the seedling picking mechanism. By establishing a mechanical model of the airflow impact force, the influence of the nozzle aperture and air pressure on the separation effect was revealed. Parameter optimization and functional verification were completed using 50-day-old tomato seedlings. Experimental results showed that the pre-separation success rate of pot seedlings was 93.3% under the optimal combination of a 5 mm nozzle aperture and 125 kPa air pressure. After integration into the seedling pick-up mechanism, the pick-up success rate was 94.4%, with a damage rate of only 1.4%. This study confirmed that air-blowing pre-separation technology can effectively eliminate adhesion between pot seedlings and their pots, significantly reducing damage to seedlings and providing a feasible technical solution for developing a low-damage, automatic transplanter seedling pick-up mechanism.

Abstract in Chinese

为解决全自动移栽机取苗机构因钵苗-钵体间黏附力导致的高损伤率和低取苗成功率的问题，本研究提出一种基于气流冲击的钵苗预分离方法。与传统的顶杆式或振动式辅助分离方式不同，该方法通过非接触式气流冲击实现预分离，最大限度减少对根土复合体的机械损伤。据此设计了钵苗预分离机构，并将其集成应用于取苗机构中。通过建立气流冲击力的力学模型，揭示了喷嘴孔径与气压对分离效果的影响规律。以50天龄番茄育苗盘苗为对象，完成了参数优化与功能验证。试验结果表明，在喷嘴孔径5 mm、气压125 kPa的最优组合下，该装置的钵苗预分离成功率达93.3%；集成于取苗机构后，取苗成功率为94.4%，损伤率仅为1.4%。本研究证实气吹预分离技术能有效消除钵苗与钵体间的黏附力，显著降低幼苗损伤率，为开发低损伤型全自动移栽机取苗机构提供了可行的技术路径。