Apparatus having automatically adjustable pot seedling feed rate and method therfor

• US 10,638,656 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2016
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jiangsu University (Jiangsu Education Department)
• Original Assignee: Jiangsu University (Jiangsu Education Department)
• Inventors: Dong, Lili, Yuan, Hao, Zheng, Shuyou, Li, Fuzhu
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Kavel
• Application Number:
  US15/736,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20180192579A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 11/02 for seedlings
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/086 Devices for repotting

Abstract

An apparatus having an automatically adjustable pot seedling feed rate and a method therefor are provided. In some embodiments, the apparatus comprises a pot seedling scooper, a conveyance unit, a detection sensor, a controller, a seedling sorting unit, side panels, and brackets. The conveyance unit comprises a servomotor, a transmission shaft, a conveyor belt, a tension shaft, and a bearing. The seedling sorting unit comprises a seedling sorting rod, a reset spring, a guide post and a support seat.

Claims

1. An automatic adjustable pot seedling feeding speed device, comprising:

a conveyor unit comprising a transmission shaft, a conveyor belt, a tensioning shaft, and one or more bearings;

a pot seedlings shovel;

a seedling separation unit configured to separate and correct a feeding posture of a pot seedling;

a detection sensor configured to detect whether the pot seedling reaches a seedling separation position;

a controller;

side plates, wherein the side plates are folded trumpet shape so that an operator can place a number of pot seedlings on the conveyor belt of the conveyor unit at a time; and

support stands,

wherein the tensioning shaft and the transmission shaft are configured to keep the conveyor belt in a tensioned work state.

2. The automatic adjustable pot seedling feeding speed device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to drive the conveyor belt via a step motor, a numerically controlled hydraulic motor, or a pneumatic motor.

3. The automatic adjustable pot seedling feeding speed device of claim 1, wherein the side plates have a straight edge.

4. The automatic adjustable pot seedling feeding speed device of claim 1, wherein the conveyor unit allows an operator to place multiple pot seedlings simultaneously;

thereby relieving excessive fatigue caused by frequent repetitive actions.

5. The automatic adjustable pot seedling feeding speed device of claim 1, wherein the conveyor unit further comprises a servo motor configured to drive the conveyor belt, and wherein the controller is configured to control operation of the servo motor.

6. The automatic adjustable pot seedling feeding speed device of claim 5, wherein the seedling separation unit comprises a seedling separation rod, a support seat, a reset spring, an adjustment plate, a guide post, a brake cable, and a sleeve tube configured to separate and correct a feeding posture of a pot seedling.

7. The automatic adjustable pot seedling feeding speed device of claim 6, wherein the seedling separation rod and the guide post are connected to the adjustment plate, wherein the seedling separation rod and the guide post pass through guide holes defined by the support seat, and wherein the support seat is secured on one of the side plates.

8. The automatic adjustable pot seedling feeding speed device of claim 7, wherein the detection sensor is connected to the side plate at a pot seedling pre-feeding position and configured to send an instruction to the controller to run or stop the servo motor;

wherein when the detection sensor does not detect a pot seedling, the detection sensor is configured to send an instruction to run the servo motor in order to transfer a pot seedling to the seedling separation rod at the pre-feeding position to wait for seedling feeding;

wherein when the detection sensor detects that a pot seedling reaches the pre-feeding position or a pot seedling exists at the pre-feeding position, the detection sensor is configured to send an instruction to stop the servo motor to prevent the pot seedling from being damaged due to running of the conveyor belt.

9. The automatic adjustable pot seedling feeding speed device of claim 8, wherein the seedling separation unit is mounted on one of the side plates at a first end of the conveyor unit that is lower compared to a second end of the conveyor unit, wherein the brake cable of the seedling separation unit is controlled by a brake cable position switch;

wherein when a seedling receiving barrel of the planter moves to a seedling receiving position under the seedling separation rod, the brake cable is controlled via the brake cable position switch, and wherein when the seedling separation rod is ejected, the servo motor contemporaneously drives the conveyor belt to move a pot seedling along the conveyor belt.

10. The automatic adjustable pot seedling feeding speed device of claim 9, wherein the brake cable is in the middle of the guide post and the seedling separation rod;

and wherein the seedling separation rod is configured to correct a drop posture of the pot seedling falling into the seedling receiving barrel.

11. The automatic adjustable pot seedling feeding speed device of claim 10, wherein the seedling separation rod is controlled by the planter by using the brake cable and the sleeve tube.

12. The automatic adjustable pot seeding feeding speed device of claim 11, wherein the seedling separation rod is ejected to correct the drop posture of the pot seedling.

13. The automatic adjustable pot seedling feeding speed device of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to control operation of the servo motor based on a control signal received from the detection sensor and another control signal received from the seedling separation unit.

14. The automatic adjustable pot seedling feeding speed device of claim 1, wherein the automatic adjustable pot seedling feeding speed device is configured to accommodate one or more rows of pot seedlings.

15. A method for operating an automatic adjustable pot seedling feeding speed device, the method comprising:

placing, with a pot seedlings shovel of the automatic adjustable pot seedling feeding speed device, a pot seedling on a conveyor belt of a conveyor unit of the automatic adjustable pot seedling feeding speed device;

providing, by a detection sensor of the automatic adjustable pot seedling feeding speed device, detection information to a controller of the automatic adjustable pot seedling feeding speed device;

responsive to receiving the detection information, providing, by the controller, an instruction to operate a servo motor of the conveyor unit to move the pot seedling along the conveyor belt to a pre-feeding position, wherein the pre-feeding position is located in front of a seedling separation rod of a seedling separation unit of the automatic adjustable pot seedling feeding speed device;

detecting, by the detection sensor, the pot seedling in the pre-feeding position;

responsive to detecting the pot seedling in the pre-feeding position, providing, by the controller, an instruction to stop the servo motor;

when a planter is in a seedling receiving position located under the seedling separation rod, retracting a brake cable of the seedling separation unit so that the seedling separation rod is ejected under the effect of a sleeve tube of the seedling separation unit and a guide post of the seedling separation unit;

while the seedling separation rod is ejected, providing, by the controller, an instruction to operate the servo motor so that the pot seedling moves along the conveyor belt and drops in a seedling receiving barrel of the planter under the effect of gravity;

while the pot seedling is dropped, correcting, by the seedling separation rod, a feeding posture of the pot seedling by blocking a stem of the pot seedling and leaves of the pot seedling; and

after receiving the pot seedling in the seedling receiving barrel, releasing the brake cable so that the seedling separation rod is returned to an initial position in which the seedling separation rod to block additional pot seedlings on the conveyor belt from dropping into the seedling receiving barrel.