JP2001197834A - Method of potting - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a potting method that can be done continuously or semi- continuously with excellent work efficiency by allowing the normal seedling pots formed in a cup shape to fall down into each pot receiver set on the tray and placing them in the state that the pots are fitted to the pot receiver. SOLUTION: A plurality of bottom-having pot receivers are formed on the tray at a certain interval in the longitudinal or transverse direction or in the longitudinal and transverse direction and the arms are arranged to individual positions corresponding to the pot receivers, respectively, so that each lever may come into contact with the inner wall face of the seedling pot and may hold it. Individual seedling pots are allowed to fall down into the pot receiver by releasing the arm holding.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to potting in which a normal seedling growing pot formed in a cup shape is dropped into each of the pot receivers of a tray having a bottomed pot receiver and placed in a fitted state. It is about the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when raising vegetable seedlings or flowering tree seedlings, seedling pots made of soft plastic typified by polyethylene or vinyl have been widely used. Each of such conventional seedling pots is formed of a cylindrical side wall having an open upper end, and a bottom wall connected to the lower end of the side wall. Each of the trays is configured to be set one by one in a bottomed pot receiver provided on the tray. Generally, these seedling pots are stored, transported, and sold in a state where a plurality of the seedling pots are stacked one on top of the other. It had to be set in the catch.

[0003]

However, since all of these seedling raising pots are made of a soft, thin material and are formed to have the same dimensions and shape, when a plurality of these seedling pots are stacked one on top of the other, an inner surface of the seedling raising pot is adjacent. Since the outer surfaces of the seedling pots are in close contact with each other, it is difficult to remove each one of the seedling pots that overlap vertically, and two or three pickings are generated, making smooth name work difficult. There was a problem that it took time and the work efficiency was poor.

[0004] Therefore, a so-called connected pot has been devised in which a large number of seedling pots are connected in a lump, and the connected pot is accommodated in a tray. In this connection pot, since each seedling raising pot is formed corresponding to each tray tray, each seedling pot of the linkage pot is collectively stored in each tray tray of the resin tray.
It is not necessary to insert the seedling pots one by one, so that the working time can be reduced and the working efficiency can be improved.

[0005] However, after the soil and seedlings are supplied into each seedling pot, if one of the seedling pots is to be separated at the time of shipping the seedling pot or the like, the worker cuts the seedling pot one by one. Was separated like this,
In some cases, it takes time to perform the separation work, and in some cases, the separation work can be easily performed or the separation work cannot be performed easily.

[0006] Therefore, a partition frame is formed in a lattice shape at a position corresponding to each of a plurality of seedling pots provided in the connection pot, and each seedling pot is placed in a state fitted in the partition frame. A frame member and a pressing member for pressing all the seedling pots from above the frame member, and pressing all the seedling pots constituting the connection pot from above the frame with the pressing member. To separate all the seedling pots into single pieces,
A separation jig that is dropped into a pot housing portion (recess) of a resin case has been proposed (JP-A-11-285318).
No.).

According to this separation jig, all the seedling pots constituting the connection pot are pressed down. Therefore, the pushing members constituting the separation jig are provided with the same number of rods (pipe members) as the number of the seedling pots. ) Must be provided at positions corresponding to the respective seedling raising pots. In particular, when the diameter of the seedling raising pot is small and the number thereof is large, the number of rods (pipe materials) constituting the pushing member increases, and the rods are close to each other. Therefore, there is a problem that the mold becomes complicated and the mold becomes expensive, the mold itself becomes heavy, and a large amount of power consumption is required.

When laying a bar (pipe) for a seedling pot fitted in a section frame, an operator surely inserts the bar (pipe) into the seedling pot. There is also a problem that the flow of the work is not smooth and it is difficult to perform the work.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-127691 discloses that a partition member is provided in the form of a lattice inside a frame member, and a separating protrusion for separating a connecting portion of a connecting pot is provided above the partition member. However, according to this separation jig, a configuration is used in which a separation projection is protruded from the upper edge of the partitioning material, resulting in work-related danger and injury. There was a problem that it was easy. In addition, since it is difficult to stack partition materials vertically, a large storage space and a transport space are required, and there is a problem that the load is easily collapsed and injured.

Next, recently, a plurality of cup-shaped bottomed seedling-growing pots having outwardly swelling spacers formed on the bottom side are overlapped with a distance corresponding to the distance from the bottom surface to the spacers. In advance, a potting method has been proposed in which a plurality of claws are linked to a spacer of a seedling raising pot and pulled out and held as it is, so that the seedling raising pots are placed in a state where the seedling pots are fitted into the tray pot receivers, respectively. I have. According to this method, it is necessary to overlap the seedling raising pots with a distance corresponding to the distance from the bottom surface to the spacer. In many cases, there is a problem that there is a problem such as quickness and accuracy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to drop a cup-shaped normal seedling pot for each pot receiver provided on a tray. It is an object of the present invention to provide a potting method which is capable of continuously or semi-continuously potting a seedling raising pot by placing the seedling pot in a fitted state and having excellent work efficiency.

[0012]

The technical means adopted by the invention according to claim 1 to achieve the above object is as follows.
`` A seedling pot formed in a cup shape was dropped into and fitted into each of the pot receivers of the trays having bottomed pot receivers having openings of the same diameter at regular intervals in the vertical or horizontal direction or in the vertical and horizontal directions. A potting method for placing in a state, wherein the arm is provided at a position corresponding to each of the pot receivers, and an arm that abuts against an inner wall surface of the seedling raising pot and individually grips the seedling raising pot is used to grip the arm. A potting method comprising a step of dropping each seedling raising pot into the pot receiver by releasing the potting method. "

[0013]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail, but these are representative ones, and the present invention is limited by the following examples unless departing from the gist thereof. It is not something to be done.

The potting method according to the present invention can be implemented by using the following apparatus.

This apparatus comprises a guiding means for guiding a tray formed with a bottomed pot receiver having openings of the same diameter at regular intervals in the vertical or horizontal direction or in the vertical and horizontal directions, and a reciprocating vertical movement. It is possible to hold the seedling pot in contact with the inner wall surface of the seedling raising pot at a position corresponding to each of the pot holders, and release the grip to place each of the seedling pots in the pot receiver. And a plurality of pots for raising seedlings, which are arranged below the gripping device, are stacked on each other to form a block, and the block is accommodated in a position corresponding to each of the pot receivers. , And both the guidance of the tray and the operation of the gripping device are controlled by an optical sensor. The seedling raising pot may be a round, normal seedling raising pot that does not have a spacer or the like on the peripheral wall. It goes without saying that the number of seedling pots constituting the block is approximately the same.

First, the gripping device is lowered, and stopped in a state in which four arms are inserted into each of the seedling raising pots located at the uppermost position in the storage case. When the four arms are opened outward, the four arms are respectively brought into contact with the inner wall surface of the seedling raising pot, and each of the round seedling raising pots can be gripped in a substantially rectangular shape.

Then, while holding the pot for raising seedlings, the holding device is raised and stopped.

Next, the tray was moved and stopped (positioned) so that the tray pot receivers could be arranged at positions corresponding to each of the arms below the gripping device, and each seedling raising pot was gripped. When each of the four arms is moved inward to release the gripping state, each seedling pot can be dropped into the pot receiver. Then, the tray is taken out of the apparatus.

By repeating the above-described series of operations, a so-called round-shaped normal seedling-growing pot formed in a cup shape can be continuously or semi-continuously potted in the tray receiving tray.

It should be noted that a series of these operations can be semi-automated or automated through a sensor connected to a drive mechanism.

[0021]

As described above, according to the potting method according to the present invention, even if the seedling pot is made of a soft plastic, the operator removes the stacked seedling pots one by one and sets them in the tray tray tray. There is no need to manufacture a so-called connected pot in which a large number of seedling pots are connected at once as in the past,
Therefore, for example, when each nursery pot is shipped, it is not necessary for an operator to separate the nursery pots one by one, so that there is no need for a separation jig.

Also, a so-called round normal seedling growing pot formed in a cup shape can be used.
Since there is no need to prepare a dedicated seedling raising pot having a spacer that bulges outward as in the conventional method, the entire device can be reduced in size and work space can be reduced. A potting method that is highly effective in that a pot for raising seedlings can be quickly and reliably provided in the pot receiver with poor pulling out of the pot and it is difficult to remove multiple pots, shortening the work time and improving work efficiency. It can be provided and its practical value is extremely large.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A seedling pot formed in a cup shape is provided for each of the trays having a bottomed pot receiver having openings of the same diameter at regular intervals in the vertical, horizontal, or vertical and horizontal directions. It is a potting method for placing in a state of being dropped and fitted, provided in a position corresponding to each of the pot receivers, from an arm that abuts against an inner wall surface of the seedling growing pot and individually grips the seedling growing pot. A potting method comprising a step of dropping each seedling raising pot into the pot receiver by releasing the grip of the arm.