JP2008295408A - Grafting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a grafting device enabling inexpensive and reliable grafting. <P>SOLUTION: The grafting device is structured as follows: a flexible tube T having a slit formed in the same direction as that of the center of the axis of a stalk part around a joining position between the stalks of a rootstock seedling and a scion seedling is mounted while the end parts of the stalks of the rootstock seedling and the scion seedling come in contact with each other, to produce a grafting seedling; the end parts of the rootstock seedling and the scion seedling are held while abutting on each other; a supporting means 243 and a tube holding means 244 are provided to be opposite to each other; and the tube holding means holds the tube so as to make the slit head to the rootstock seedling and the scion seedling. The joint part of the rootstock seedling and the scion seedling is inserted into the tube through the slit so as to attach the tube to the rootstock seedling, the scion seedling and the periphery of the joint position of the rootstock seedling and the scion seedling when making the support means and the tube holding means relatively come close to each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a grafting device, and more particularly to a grafting device that joins rootstocks and hogis to produce a graft.

Today, when producing crops such as tomatoes and eggplants, it is common to use grafts made by joining rootstocks and spikelets, and these grafts are conventionally manufactured by hand or the following grafts. It is designed to be manufactured by a device.
As said grafting apparatus, the grafting apparatus (patent document 1) which mounts | wears with the clip which has a structure which urges | biases two holding members to a closing direction with a spring member in the junction part of a rootstock and Hogi, and a rootstock and Hogi There is known a grafting device (Patent Document 2) for adhering to each other with an adhesive.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-9 JP-A-2005-211046

However, it is difficult to manufacture a large amount of grafts by hand, and in the case of the grafting device of Patent Document 1, the clip that joins the rootstock seedling and the seedling seedling has a structure like a clothespin. The unit price is high, and this clip cannot be detached until the rootstock seedling and the safflower seedling are completely joined together, which requires a large number of clips and is expensive.
In addition, when the rootstock seedling and the hogi seedling are bonded with an adhesive, the rootstock seedling and the hogi seedling may be separated due to insufficient adhesive force, and the grafting may not be reliably performed.
In view of such a problem, the present invention provides a grafting apparatus that can reliably graft at low cost.

That is, the grafting device according to claim 1 is a state in which the stems of the stems and the hogi are cut with the ends of the stems joined to each other, and the stem center axis around the joining position of the rootstock and the hogi. A grafting device for manufacturing a graft by attaching a flexible tube having slits formed in the same direction as
The grafting device comprises rootstock holding means for holding rootstock, hogi holding means for holding spikelets, and tube holding means for holding the tubes,
The rootstock holding means and the hogi holding means hold the rootstock and the hogi in a state where the end of the stem and the end of the hogi are joined to each other, and the tube The holding means holds the tube so that the slit faces the bonded rootstock and hogi,
When the tube holding means is brought relatively close to the joined rootstock and hogi, the joined portion of the rootstock and hogi is inserted into the tube from between the slits, and the tube is held by the tube holding means. It is released, and a tube is mounted around the joining portion of the rootstock and the hogi, and the rootstock and the hogi are held in a joined state.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the joint portion of the rootstock and the hogi can be joined by using a tube having only a slit, and grafting can be performed easily and reliably. It is also possible to produce a large number of grafted seedlings.

The illustrated embodiment will be described below. FIG. 1 shows a graft production system 1, which is a system for joining grafted tomato rootstock and hogi to produce grafts.
This graft production system 1 includes a rootstock supply device 2 that supplies rootstock to the following grafting device 4, a stock supply device 3 that supplies spikelets to the following grafting device 4, a rootstock supply device 2, and a stock supply. It comprises a grafting device 4 that joins rootstock and hogi supplied from the device 3 to produce a graft, and a grafting discharge device 5 that discharges the grafted graft to a subsequent process, and these are controlled by control means (not shown). It is controlled.
The rootstock supply device 2 is manually supplied with a rootstock tray 6 containing a plurality of the rootstocks. In the rootstock supply device 2, the rootstock from the rootstock tray 6 is transferred to the rootstock carrier 7 one by one. The rootstock is transferred together with the root carrier 7 to the grafting device 4.
The above-mentioned hotwood supply device 3 is manually supplied with a hotwood tray 8 containing a plurality of the above-mentioned hogi. In this hotwood supply device 3, the hotwood from the hotwood tray 8 is transferred to the hotwood carrier 9 one by one. It is transferred and transported, and further, this hogi is cut at a predetermined position and then supplied to the grafting device 4.
In the grafting device 4, after cutting the rootstock and the hogi at a required joining position, they are joined at the joining position to produce a graft, and the obtained grafting together with the rootstock carrier 7 is sent to the grafting discharge device 5. It comes to supply.
In the graft delivery device 5, the grafts accommodated in the root carrier 7 serving as a graft carrier supplied from the grafting device 4 are transferred to a graft tray 10 capable of accommodating a plurality of the grafts. It is supplied to a subsequent process (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, the rootstock tray 6 is formed by arranging a plurality of pockets 6 a that can accommodate one rootstock, and each pocket 6 a is formed in a shape that spreads from below to above. It is easy to store or take out the whole soil.
As shown in FIG. 3, the outside of the root carrier 7 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and a pocket 7a having the same shape as the pocket 6a of the root tray 6 is provided on the inner side. The rootstock accommodated in one of the pockets 6a is accommodated.
Further, different bar codes and identification information media such as RFID are affixed to the outer peripheral surface of each root carrier 7 (not shown).
The hogi tray 8 and the graft tray 10 have the same shape as the rootstock tray 6, and the hogi carrier 9 has the same shape as the rootstock carrier 7, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Usually, a tomato seedling is composed of a stem portion extending upward from the cultivation soil, a cotyledon extending in a direction opposite to the stem portion at a position closest to the ground, and a main leaf located above the cotyledon.
FIG. 3 shows a graft, which is obtained by joining a rootstock cut below at a required joining position and an upper tree cut at a desired joining position by a tube T. Yes. In this embodiment, the joining position is a position about 5 to 10 mm above the cotyledons.
For example, the rootstock located below uses varieties that are resistant to soil-borne diseases, and the upper rootstock uses varieties with excellent fruit quality and yield, so that You can get a graft that can be harvested.
The tube T is a tubular member having flexibility, and is attached to the stem of the rootstock and the hogi at the joining position so that the rootstock and the hogi are not broken. It has become.
The tube T is formed with a slit in the same direction as the stem portion. When the tube T is mounted on the stem portion of the rootstock and hogi, the slit is widened and the base is removed from the slit. Trees and hogi are inserted into the tube T, and then the tube T tightens the stems of the rootstock and the hogi by the elastic force to be restored.

The rootstock supply device 2 includes a rootstock tray transporting means 11 for transporting the rootstock tray 6, a first conveyor 12 as a rootstock carrier transporting means for transporting the rootstock carrier 7 in a row, and the rootstock tray 6. Rootstock transfer means 13 for transferring the rootstock from the rootstock carrier 7, rootstock inspection means 14 for inspecting the rootstock, and rootstock for selecting the rootstock according to the inspection result by the rootstock inspection means 14 Sorting means 15 and rootstock rotating means 16 for rotating the rootstock to a required angle are provided.
The rootstock tray transporting means 11 is constituted by three conveyors 11a to 11c arranged in a substantially U shape in plan view, and the rootstock tray is manually placed on the conveyor 11a located at the upstream end on the left side in the figure. 6 and the empty rootstock tray 6 of the conveyor 11c located at the downstream end on the right side in the figure is manually collected.
The central conveyor 11b is driven by a servo motor and intermittently feeds the rootstock tray 6 to intermittently supply the rootstock in the rootstock tray 6 to the following picking position of the rootstock transfer means 13. It is supposed to be.

The upstream end of the first conveyor 12 is connected to an eleventh conveyor 304 of the graft delivery device 5 described later, and the downstream end is connected to the rootstock sorting means 15. The first conveyor 12 conveys the root carrier 7 through the root transfer means 13 and the root inspection means 14 to the root sorting means 15.
The first conveyor 12 is provided so as to cross over the conveyor 11b of the root tray transfer means 11, and a stopper 12a for stopping the transport of the root carrier 7 at a position upstream of the root transfer means 13. Is provided.

The rootstock transfer means 13 includes an intermittent transport means 21 that intermittently transports the root carrier 7 on the first conveyor 12, a gripper 22 that grips a stem portion of the rootstock, and a moving means that moves the gripper 22 23.
The intermittent conveying means 21 includes a conveying belt 21a provided adjacent to a portion where the first conveyor 12 crosses the upper portion of the conveyor 11b of the root tray conveying means 11, and a plurality of stopper members 21b provided on the conveying belt 21a. It consists of and.
The conveyor belt 21a is driven by a servo motor, the stopper members 21b are provided at regular intervals, and the root carrier 7 is positioned one by one between adjacent stopper members 21b. Yes.
According to the intermittent conveyance means 21, the root carrier 7 is sent to the downstream side one by one by intermittently moving the stopper member 21b to the downstream side by the conveyance belt 21a.

As shown in FIG. 4, the gripper 22 is adapted to grip the stem of the rootstock, and the moving means 23 includes a frame 23a provided in the horizontal direction and a horizontal direction along the frame 23a. A horizontally moving mechanism 23b that moves, an elevating mechanism 23c that is provided on the horizontal moving mechanism 23b and moves up and down, and an extendable mechanism 23d that is provided on the elevating mechanism 23c and moves the gripper 22 forward and backward with respect to the rootstock. It is composed of
The frame 23a is provided so as to cross the upper side of the conveyor 11b in parallel with the first conveyor 12, and a predetermined interval is provided between the first conveyor 12 and the frame 23a.
The horizontal movement mechanism 23b moves the gripper 22 horizontally according to the width of the rootstock tray 6, and the lifting mechanism 23c lifts and lowers the gripper 22 according to the height of the rootstock tray 6 and the height of the rootstock carrier 7. The expansion / contraction mechanism 23d moves the gripper 22 back and forth in a direction orthogonal to the frame 23a.

With this configuration, the rootstock transfer means 13 transfers the rootstock from the rootstock tray 6 to the rootstock carrier 7 as follows.
First, the conveyor 11b of the rootstock tray transport means 11 intermittently transports the rootstock tray 6 and positions the pocket 6a containing the rootstock between the first conveyor 12 and the frame 23a.
On the other hand, the intermittent conveying means 21 is supplied with a predetermined number of empty root carrier 7 by releasing the stopper 12a of the first conveyor 12, and then the intermittent conveying means 21 moves the root carrier 7 one downstream. Carry one by one.
From this state, the moving means 23 moves the gripper 22 onto the rootstock tray 6, and when the gripper 22 grips the lower part of the cotyledons of the rootstock, the gripper 22 is then lifted, and the rootstock is put together with the soil from the pocket 6a. Let go.
Next, the moving means 23 moves the gripper 22 above the root carrier 7 located at the downstream end of the intermittent transport means 21 and accommodates the root stock together with the soil in the pocket 7 a of the root carrier 7.
When the gripper 22 releases the rootstock, the intermittent transport means 21 intermittently transports the rootstock carrier 7 and the rootstock carrier 7 containing the rootstock located at the downstream end is transported on the first conveyor 12. Move to the rootstock inspection means 14.

FIG. 5 shows a side view of the rootstock inspection means 14, recorded on a drive belt 31 as a rotating means provided along the first conveyor 12 and an identification information medium affixed to the rootstock carrier 7. A scanner (not shown) for reading the identification data, an irradiating means 32 for irradiating light to the rootstock, a photographing means 33 for photographing the rootstock, and an image processing of the image data photographed by the photographing means 33 to inspect the rootstock Image processing means.
The drive belt 31 is provided on both sides of the first conveyor 12, and the root carrier 7 is rotated in the horizontal direction by driving the drive belts 31 in opposite directions.
The scanner reads the identification data of the identification information medium attached to the root carrier 7 from the rotating root carrier 7 and stores it as identification data of the root carrier 7.
The irradiation means 32 and the photographing means 33 are provided so as to sandwich the first conveyor 12, and the photographing means 33 photographs a rootstock rotated by the driving belt 31, and transmits the photographed image to the image processing means. It is supposed to be.
In this embodiment, the irradiating means 32 is provided on the opposite side of the root carrier 7, but the irradiating means 32 is provided on the photographing means 33 side, and the light irradiated by the irradiating means 32 is reflected on the root stock. You may make it image | photograph the done image.

In the image processing means, the obtained image is recognized by a conventionally known method, and the thickness of the stem portion of the rootstock and the bending state of the stem portion are inspected.
As the thickness of the stem portion of the rootstock, the image processing means inspects the thickness of the stem portion at the joining position in the rootstock, and “thick / medium / thin” according to the thickness of the stem portion at the joining position. These are classified into three types of levels.
In addition, as a bending condition of the stem portion, whether or not it can be processed by the grafting device 4 is used as a criterion, and a rootstock whose stem portion is bent more than a predetermined is a rootstock that is not suitable for grafting by the grafting device 4. Are classified as “unprocessable”.
The image processing means stores the inspection result in association with the identification data of the identification information medium of the root carrier 7 recognized by the scanner, and transmits the inspection result and the identification data to the control means.

The rootstock sorting means 15 is provided on the four second to fifth conveyors 41 to 44 for storing the root carrier 7 according to the inspection result of the rootstock inspection means 14 and the second to fourth conveyors 41 to 43. It comprises a sixth conveyor 45 that conveys the root carrier 7 to the root rotating means 16.
The second to fourth conveyors 41 to 43 are connected so as to branch from the middle of the first conveyor 12 in an orthogonal direction, and the fifth conveyor 44 is connected to the downstream end of the first conveyor 12.
The rootstock carrier 7 determined to be “thick” by the rootstock inspection means 14 is supplied to the second conveyor 41, and the rootstock rootstock determined to be “medium” is supplied to the third conveyor 42. The carrier 7 is supplied, the rootstock carrier 7 determined to be “thin” is supplied to the fourth conveyor 43, and the rootstock carrier of the rootstock determined to be “unprocessable” is supplied to the fifth conveyor 44. 7 is supplied.
Further, on the upstream side of the position where the first conveyor 12 and the second conveyor 41 are connected, a scanner (not shown) that reads the identification data of the identification information medium of the root carrier 7 is provided, and the read identification data is controlled. Send to means.
The control means collates the recognition result of the identification data by the scanner with the inspection result by the rootstock inspection means 14, and the rootstock accommodated in the rootstock carrier 7 is “thick / medium / thin / Recognize which of “cannot be processed”.
Pushers (not shown) are provided at positions facing the second to fourth conveyors 41 to 43 along the conveyance path of the first conveyor 12. When the rootstock carrier 7 containing the determined rootstock reaches the connection position between the first conveyor 12 and the second conveyor 41, the pusher provided in the second conveyor 41 is activated, and the root carrier 7 is extruded from the first conveyor 12 to the second conveyor 41.

Moreover, the 1st sensor (not shown) which counts the passage of the root carrier 7 is provided in the upstream end of the 2nd-4th conveyors 41-43, and the stoppers 41a-43a respectively controlled by a control means are provided in a downstream end. And a second sensor (not shown) that measures the number of root carriers 7 that pass through the stoppers 41a to 43a.
The control means constantly determines the number of root carriers 7 supplied to the second to fourth conveyors 41 to 43 by the first sensor and the number of root carriers 7 that pass through the stoppers 41a to 43a by the second sensor. By monitoring, the number of root carrier 7 stored on the second to fourth conveyors 41 to 43 is constantly grasped.
The stoppers 41a to 43a protrude on the second to fourth conveyors 41 to 43, respectively, to block the root carrier 7 on the second to fourth conveyors 41 to 43.
When the control means recognizes that a predetermined number of rootstock carriers 7 are stored in the second conveyor 41 by the first sensor, for example, the control means retracts the stopper 41a to move the root carrier 7 to the sixth conveyor. Supply to the conveyor 45.
When the control means recognizes that a predetermined number of root carriers 7 have passed by the second sensor, the stopper 41a protrudes onto the second conveyor 41 and blocks the root carrier 7 on the second conveyor 41 again. It is like that.
On the other hand, the pushers and stoppers 41a to 43a as in the second to fourth conveyors 41 to 43 are not provided in the fifth conveyor 44, and the root carrier 7 conveyed to the downstream end of the first conveyor 12 is It moves on the fifth conveyor 44 as it is, and then stops at the downstream end of the fifth conveyor 44.

The rootstock rotating means 16 is provided at a connection position between the sixth conveyor 45 and the grafting device 4, and rotates a rootstock carrier 7 and a photographing means (not shown) for photographing the rootstock carrier 7 in the horizontal direction. Rotating means (not shown) and image processing means (not shown) for processing an image taken by the photographing means are provided.
The photographing means photographs the root carrier 7 from above, and the image processing means recognizes the direction in which the cotyledons extend from the photographed image.
The rotating means has the same configuration as the drive belt 31 of the rootstock inspection means 14, for example, and rotates the rootstock carrier 7 based on the direction of the roots of the rootstock recognized by the image processing means. It has become.
The rotating means rotates so that the cotyledons of the rootstock are directed in the tangential direction with respect to the rotational direction of the grafting apparatus 4 when the rootstock carrier 7 is held by the grafting apparatus 4.

Next, the hotwood supply device 3 includes a hotwood tray transport means 111 for transporting the hotwood tray 8, a first conveyor 112 as a hotwood carrier transport means for transporting the hotwood carrier 9, and the hotwood tray 8. A hotwood transfer means 113 for transferring a hotwood to a hotwood carrier 9, a hotwood inspection means 114 for inspecting the hotwood, and a hotwood for selecting the hotwood according to the inspection result by the hotwood inspection means 114 The sorting means 115, the spike rotation means 116 for rotating the spikes to a required angle, the spike cutting means 117 for cutting the spikes at the required position, and the spikes for returning the spike carrier 9 to the first conveyor 112. Wood carrier return means 118.
Among them, the above-mentioned hogi tray conveying means 111, the first conveyor 112, the hogi transferring means 113, the hogi inspecting means 114, the hogi selecting means 115, and the hogi rotating means 116 are the bases in the stock feeding device 2. Since it has the same configuration as the wood tray transport means 11, the first conveyor 12, the rootstock transfer means 13, the rootstock inspection means 14, the rootstock sorting means 15, and the rootstock rotation means 16, detailed description thereof is omitted. In the figure, the common members are given the same reference numerals used for the rootstock supply device 2 with 100 added.

In the following, the cutting head 117 will be described. The cutting head 117 is provided on the seventh conveyor 151 installed from the above-mentioned rotating hand 116 to the returning carrier 118, and this cutting means. In 117, the cut hogi is supplied to the grafting device 4.
FIG. 6 is a view showing a state in which the above-mentioned hogi carrier 9 is conveyed on the seventh conveyor 151 from the hogi rotating means 116 to the hogi carrier returning means 118 via the hogi cutting means 117.
First, FIG. 6A shows a state in which the hotwood carrier 9 rotated by the hotwood rotating means 116 is supplied onto the seventh conveyor 151.
The seventh conveyor 151 includes two conveyors 151a and 151b provided in parallel. The conveyors 151a and 151b are provided with a height difference, and the hogi carrier 9 is first placed on the upper conveyor 151a. It comes to be supplied.
Further, in the above-mentioned hogi rotating means 116, the cotyledons of hogi are oriented in the same direction as the conveying direction of the seventh conveyor 151 by rotating the hogi carrier 9.

FIG. 6B is a diagram showing a state at a position that is substantially in the middle between the hotwood rotating means 116 and the hotwood cutting means 117.
A slope 152 is formed between the conveyors 151a and 151b of the seventh conveyor 151, and a guide member 153 is provided on the upper conveyor 151a so as to approach the lower conveyor 151b.
For this reason, the hotwood carrier 9 conveyed on the upper conveyor 151 a is pushed by the guide member 153 to the lower conveyor 151 b and falls to the lower conveyor 151 b while rolling over by the inclination 152.
Here, at a position adjacent to the lower conveyor 151b, a step 154 having a height slightly lower than the center of the overturned hogi carrier 9 is formed. When the hogi carrier 9 rolls over, the cotyledons of the hogi are formed. Fall in a substantially horizontal direction and the cotyledons are positioned on the step 154 in a substantially horizontal state.

FIG. 6C is a diagram showing a state in the above-mentioned hogi cutting means 117.
The spike cutting means 117 is composed of a gripper 155 that holds the spike and a cutter 156 that cuts the spike. Of these, the gripper 155 is the spike supply station of the grafting device 4 shown in FIG. This will be described when B is described.
A stopper (not shown) is provided at the position of the hogi cutting means 117 so that the hogi carrier 9 is temporarily stopped while the hogi is cut.
The inclination 152 of the seventh conveyor 151 is substantially vertical at the position of the scion cutting means 117 so that the interval between the inclination 152 and the step 154 is substantially the same as the height of the scion carrier 9. It has become. For this reason, the upper end portion of the hogi carrier 9 is kept close to the step 154.
The cutter 156 is moved up and down by an air cylinder 156a, and a slit 154a is formed in the step 154 at the cutting position of the stem where the cutter 156 descends.
With such a configuration, the scrub cutting means 117 cuts the scrub as follows.
When the hogi carrier 9 transported on the seventh conveyor 151 is stopped by the stopper, the gripper 155 first grips the upper part of the cotyledon from the hogi.
Next, the cutter 156 is lowered by the air cylinder 156a, and the tip of the cutter 156 is inserted into the slit 154a, so that the stem portion of the scion is reliably cut.

Next, the Hogi carrier return means 118 will be described with reference to FIG. The hogi carrier return means 118 includes a gripper 161 for holding the cut hogi, a gripper 162 for holding the hogi carrier 9, and an eighth conveyor 163 (connected to the downstream end of the conveyor 151a of the seventh conveyor 151). 1) and a soil collection box 164 (see FIG. 1) provided at the downstream end of the conveyor 151b.
A stopper (not shown) for temporarily stopping the hogi carrier 9 is provided at the position shown in FIG. 6 (d), and while the hogi is extracted from the hogi carrier 9 together with the culture medium, the hogi carrier 9 is temporarily To stop.
As shown in FIG. 6 (d), the conveyor 151a of the seventh conveyor 151 is lower than the conveyor 151b at the position of the hogi carrier returning means 118, and the inclination 152 is opposite to that in FIG. 6 (b). Is formed.
The grippers 161 and 162 are configured to grip the stalk portion and the sap carrier 9 when the sap carrier 9 is stopped by the stopper.
When the grippers 161 and 162 hold the hogi and the hogi carrier 9, the gripper 162 is moved to the conveyor 151 a side by a moving means (not shown), and moves the hogi carrier 9 onto the slope 152.
As a result, the hogi is extracted from the hogi carrier 9 together with the cultivated soil, and then the gripper 161 releases the cultivated wood, so that the hogi is transported on the conveyor 151b and then collected in the cultivated soil collection box 164. The Rukoto.
On the other hand, when the gripper 162 releases the hotwood carrier 9, the hotwood carrier 9 is inverted again by the inclination 152, and then the hotwood carrier 9 moves from the conveyor 151a to the eighth conveyor 163.
The eighth conveyor 163 is connected to the upstream end of the first conveyor 112, and the hotwood carrier 9 that is turned upside down and empty is supplied to the first conveyor 112 again.

The grafting device 4 is a device for manufacturing a graft by transporting the rootstock and the hogi intermittently in the horizontal direction, and is composed of a total of eight work stations A to H.
These work stations A to H are a rootstock supply station A connected to the rootstock supply device 2, a stock supply station B connected to the stock supply device 3, a position for cutting the rootstock and the stock. Cutting position recognition station C to be recognized, cutting station D to cut rootstock and hogi at the recognized position, joining station E to join the cut rootstock and hogi as a graft, and inspecting the joined graft An inspection station F, a reject station G for removing a graft determined to be defective, and a graft discharge station H connected to the graft discharge device 5 are configured.

As shown in FIG. 7, the grafting device 4 includes a rotary shaft 201 fixed to the ground, a lower rotary table 202 and an upper rotary table 203 that are rotatably provided to the rotary shaft 201, and a lower rotary table. A rootstock holding means 204 that is held by 202 and holds the rootstock, and a stock holding means 205 that is held by the upper rotary table 203 and holds the headstock.
The lower rotary table 202 and the upper rotary table 203 are rotated in the horizontal direction by driving means (not shown), and the upper and lower positions of the rootstock holding means 204 and the hotwood holding means 205 are aligned with each other. A to H are moved intermittently.
The rootstock holding means 204 is provided at eight positions on the circumference of the lower rotary table 202 at equal intervals, and is held so as to be movable up and down with respect to the lower rotary table 202. Further, the hogi holding means 205 is provided at eight positions at equal intervals on the circumference of the upper rotary table 203 at positions corresponding to the rootstock holding means 204, and is held so as to be movable up and down with respect to the upper rotary table 203. .

The rootstock holding means 204 holds a shaft 211 provided so as to penetrate the lower rotary table 202, a mounting table 212 provided on the upper portion of the shaft 211 for holding the root carrier 7, and the root carrier 7. The first gripper 213, the second gripper 214 that grips the stem portion of the rootstock, and the lower cam follower 215 provided at the lower end of the shaft.
The first gripper 213 and the second gripper 214 are opened and closed independently by different driving means (not shown), and the opening and closing are controlled by the control means.
The lower cam follower 215 abuts on the upper surface of the lower cam 216 provided so as to surround the rotating shaft 201 and moves up and down according to the lower cam 216, whereby the mounting table 212, the first gripper 213, The two grippers 214 are moved up and down integrally.
The scion holding means 205 includes a shaft 217 provided so as to penetrate the upper rotary table 203, a third gripper 218 provided at the lower end of the shaft 217 and gripping the stem part of the saf, and the upper end of the shaft 217. The upper cam follower 219 is connected to the upper cam follower 219.
The third gripper 218 is opened and closed by a driving means (not shown), and the opening and closing of the third gripper 218 is controlled by a control means.
The upper cam follower 219 comes into contact with the upper surface of the upper cam 220 provided so as to surround the rotating shaft 201, and moves up and down according to the upper cam 220 to move the third gripper 218 up and down. It is designed to move up and down.

First, the rootstock supply station A will be described. At this rootstock supply station A, the rootstock carrier 7 is received from the rootstock rotating means 16 of the rootstock feeder 2.
The rootstock rotating means 16 includes a gripper (not shown) that grips the rootstock carrier 7 and a moving means (not shown) that moves the gripper. The height of one gripper 213 is positioned so as not to interfere with each other by the lower cam 216.
When the rootstock rotating means 16 rotates the rootstock carrier 7 in a predetermined direction, the rootstock carrier 7 is placed on the placing table 212 of the rootstock holding means 204 by the gripper and the moving means.
When the root carrier 7 is placed on the placing base 212, the first gripper 213 grips the root carrier 7, and at the same time, the second gripper 214 grips the stem of the root.
At this time, the root rotation means 16 rotates the root carrier 7 in a predetermined direction in advance, so that the orientation of the roots of the roots held by the root holding means 204 is determined by the lower rotary table 202. The direction is the same as the direction of rotation.

Next, the hogi supply station B will be described with reference to FIG. The hotwood supply station B receives the cut hotwood from the hotwood cutting means 117 of the hotwood supply device 3.
As shown in FIG. 7, the sap cutting means 117 is provided with the gripper 155 for gripping the cut stalk, and this gripper 155 is an arm that swings around a rotating shaft 221 fixed at a required position. 222 and an air cylinder 223 which is provided at the tip of the arm 222 and moves the gripper 155 forward and backward.
When the scion cutting means 117 cuts the scion, the arm 222 directs the gripper 155 in the vertical direction, and when the scion carrier 9 stops at the position of the scion cutting means 117, the air cylinder 223 is extended. The gripper 155 is used to hold the hogi.
When the cutter is cut by the cutter 156, the air cylinder 223 contracts to raise the spike, and then the arm 222 swings downward with the rotating shaft 221 as a fulcrum to move the gripper 155 in a substantially horizontal direction. Turn to.
At this time, the height of the gripper 155 and the height of the third gripper 218 of the scrub holding means 205 are such that the third gripper 218 is positioned slightly below the upper cam 220.
Thereafter, when the air cylinder 223 further expands, the hogi moves to the position of the third gripper 218, and when the third gripper 218 grips the hogi, the gripper 155 releases the hogi and moves backward by the air cylinder 223.

The cutting position recognition station C will be described. In the cutting position recognition station C, the height of the joining position of the rootstock and the hogi at the time of grafting is detected by photographing the rootstock and the hogi.
The cutting position recognizing station C includes an irradiating means (not shown) provided on the rotating shaft 201 side, an imaging means (not shown) provided on the opposite side across the rootstock holding means 204 and the hogi holding means 205, and an imaging means. Image processing means (not shown) for processing the photographed image.
The rootstock holding means 204 and the earwood holding means 205 are located at positions separated as much as possible by the lower and upper cams 216, 220, and when taken by the photographing means, the cotyledons and ears of the rootstock The position of the cotyledons of the tree can be recognized.
Then, the image processing means performs image processing on the image taken by the photographing means, recognizes the position of the cotyledons of the rootstock and the position of the cotyledon of the hogi, and increases the height of the joining position where the rootstock and the hogi are joined. Recognize

The cutting station D will be described. At the cutting station D, the rootstock and hogi are cut at the joining position.
The cutting station D includes lower elevating means 231 for elevating the rootstock holding means 204 to a required height, upper elevating means 232 for elevating the hogi holding means 205 to a required height, rootstock and hogi. The cutting means 233 for cutting the stem portion of the stalk and the unnecessary seedling recovery box 234 for recovering the unnecessary portions of the rootstock and the hogi are configured.
The lower lifting / lowering means 231 and the upper lifting / lowering means 232 have the same configuration as that provided in the joining station E described below, and will be described with reference to FIG. Since 231 and the upper lifting / lowering means 232 have the same configuration, detailed description of the upper lifting / lowering means 232 is omitted.
The lower lifting / lowering means 231 includes a stay 231a fixed so as not to move with respect to the central axis, a servo motor 231b provided on the stay 231a, and a moving cam 231c that moves up and down by the servo motor 231b. .
The servomotor 231b keeps the moving cam 231c at the same height as the upper surface of the lower cam 216 until the rootstock holding means 204 reaches the cutting station D. At this time, the lower cam 216 The tree holding means 204 is held at the lowest position.
When the servo motor 231b is driven to raise the moving cam 231c, the rootstock held by the second gripper 214 by the lower cam follower 215 can be positioned at the required height together with the rootstock carrier 7.

The cutting means 233 will be described with reference to FIGS. The cutting means includes two guide members 235 and 235 that support the stem portion and the stem portion of the rootstock, and an air cylinder 236 that moves the guide members 235 and 235 forward and backward in the radial direction of the rotary table, Two cutters 237 and 237 provided at the same height as the guide members 235 and 235, and an air cylinder 238 for moving the cutters 237 and 237 forward and backward in the radial direction of the rotary table.
FIG. 9 is a view of the guide member 235 that supports the stem part of the hogi as seen from the direction in which the cutter 237 enters, that is, the radial direction of the rotary table, and is formed by a slit 235a formed at the center of the guide member 235. The stem portion is held so as to face in the vertical direction.
The cutter 237 has a substantially V-shaped tip, and the guide member 235 is provided with a slit 235b formed in an oblique direction in which the cutter 237 can be inserted. The upper and lower guide members 235 and 235 and the cutters 237 and 237 have the same shape.

In the cutting station D having such a configuration, the rootstock and the hogi are cut as follows.
First, when the rootstock holding means 204 holding the rootstock and the stock holding means 205 holding the spikes reach the cutting station D, the guide members 235 and 235 and the cutters 237 and 237 are The air cylinders 236 and 238 are located at the retracted positions.
When the rootstock holding means 204 and the hogi holding means 205 reach the cutting station D, the lower lifting means 231 is moved according to the joining position of the rootstock and the hogi recognized by the cutting position recognition station C. The joining position of the rootstock is raised to the height of the lower cutter 237, and the upper elevating means 232 raises the joining position of the scrub to the height of the upper cutter 237.
From this state, the guide members 235 and 235 are first advanced by the air cylinder 236, and the stems of the rootstock and the hogi are positioned in the slits 235a and 235a of the guide members 235 and 235.
Subsequently, when the cutter 237, 237 is advanced by the air cylinder 238 and the cutters 237, 237 are inserted into the slits 235b, 235b of the guide members 235, 235, the rootstock and hogi are cut at the joining position. Will be.
Then, the upper part of the rootstock and the lower part of the hogi that are cut and become unnecessary fall down as they are and are collected in the unnecessary seedling collection box 234.
In this way, by cutting the stem portion with the cutters 237 and 237, the joining position of the rootstock is cut into a substantially V shape, and the joining position of the stalk is shaped to fit the cutting shape of the V shape. It will be cut off.
By doing in this way, the joining area of rootstock and hogi when joining rootstock and hogi can be widened, and the survival rate of rootstock and hogi can be improved. .
It should be noted that the cutters 237 and 237 do not have a substantially V-shaped tip, and it is also possible to use two flat cutters that match the inclination of the slits 235b and 235b.

The joining station E will be described. The joining station E joins the rootstock and hogi cut at the joining position, and attaches a tube T to these joining positions to obtain a graft.
As shown in FIG. 10, the joining station E joins the lower elevating means 231 for elevating and lowering the rootstock holding means 204, the upper elevating means 232 for elevating the hosiery holding means 205, and the rootstock and the hogi. In addition, a grafting means 241 for mounting the tube T and a tube supply means 242 for supplying the tube T to the grafting means 241 are provided.
The lower and upper lifting / lowering means 231 and 232 raise / lower the rootstock holding means 204 and the spikelet holding means 205 according to the joining position and the joining position of the rootstock recognized by the cutting position recognition station C. .
As a result, the end of the hogi is inserted into the V-shaped end of the rootstock cut at the cutting station D, and the rootstock and the hogi are held in a joined state.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the grafting means 241 includes a supporting means 243 for supporting the rootstock and the hogi from the side and a tube holding means 244 for holding the tube.
The support means 243 includes two plate-like support members 245 and 245 provided in parallel in the vertical direction, and an air cylinder 246 that moves the support members 245 and 245 forward and backward in the radial direction of the rotary table, The front ends of the support members 245 and 245 are formed in a square shape, and the stem-shaped portion of the rootstock and the hogi are supported from the side by the square-shaped portion.
Further, the upper support member 245 supports the hogi and the lower support member 245 supports the rootstock, and the joining position of the rootstock and the hogi is located between the two support members 245.
The tube holding means 244 is provided at a position on the opposite side of the support means 243 across the rootstock and the hogi, and at a position connected to the stay 251 and sandwiching the rootstock and the hogi. Two holding members 252 and 252, a pair of leaf springs 253 and 253 having one ends fixed to the holding members 252 and 252, pressing means 254 for closing the pair of leaf springs 253 and 253, and the stay 251 A stopper member 255 provided so as to be capable of moving forward and backward, and an air cylinder 256 that is connected to the stay 251 and moves forward and backward in the radial direction of the rotary table.
The pair of leaf springs 253 and 253 are narrower than the distance between the two support members 245 and 245 of the support means 243 and have a width that allows entry and exit between the support members 245 and 245.
The holding members 252 and 252 are provided in parallel, and when the tube T shown in FIG. 11B is attached to the rootstock and the hogi, the tip thereof is positioned closer to the rotating shaft 201 than the rootstock and the hogi. It is like that.
The front ends of the holding members 252 and 252 are bent inward so as to face each other, and the leaf springs 253 and 253 are directed from the front ends of the bent holding members 252 and 252 outward in the radial direction of the rotary table. Is provided. The other ends of the leaf springs 253 and 253 have free ends at their ends, and normally the free ends are maintained in an open state as shown in FIG. 11C.
The pressing means 254 includes a pair of pressing members 254a and 254a that are rotatably provided on the stay 251. The pressing members 254a and 254a have a substantially U-shape, and their one ends mesh with each other. The stay 251 is pivotally supported, and is opened and closed synchronously by a driving means (not shown).
The holding members 252 and 252 have through holes 252a and 252a through which the other ends of the pressing members 254a and 254a pass, and the pressing members 254a and 254a open and close to open the through holes 252a and 252a. The leaf springs 253 and 253 are pressed from both sides.
When the leaf springs 253 and 253 are pressed from both sides by the pressing members 254a and 254a, the free ends of the leaf springs 253 and 253 come into contact with each other to be in a closed state (see FIG. 11D).
When the tube supply means 242 lowers the tube T in this state, the slits of the tube T descend while sliding on the outside of the leaf springs 253 and 253 that are in contact with each other, and the tube T is mounted on the leaf springs 253 and 253. The Rukoto.
Then, when the pressing of the leaf springs 253 and 253 by the pressing members 254a and 254a is released in a state where the tube T is mounted on the leaf springs 253 and 253, the leaf springs 253 and 253 are restored to their original shapes by the elastic force. As a result, the tube T is held in a state of being biased in the direction in which the slit spreads (see FIG. 11A).
The stopper member 255 is slidably provided with respect to the stay 251, and has a configuration in which a spring 255 a is mounted between the stopper member 255 and the stay 251.

Hereinafter, the procedure for attaching the tube T to the rootstock and the hogi by the grafting means 241 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 11A shows that the rootstock holding means 204 and the headwood holding means 205 join the rootstock and the headwood to each other at the joint position, and the rootstock and the headwood are supported by the support means 243 and the tube holding means. 24 shows a state where it is positioned between the terminal 244 and 244.
At this time, the support means 243 and the tube holding means 244 are positioned in the retracted position by the air cylinders 246 and 256, and the leaf springs 253 and 253 of the tube holding means 244 are closed and are in free contact with each other. A tube T is attached to the.
FIG. 11B shows a state in the middle of mounting the tube T on the rootstock and the hogi with the support means 243 and the tube holding means 244 approaching each other.
Specifically, the support means 243 is first advanced to bring the square-shaped portion of the support member 245 into contact with the rootstock and hogi, and then the tube holding means 244 is advanced.
When the tube holding means 244 advances, the rootstock and hogi supported by the support means 243 move relatively toward the tube T in the space between the leaf springs 253 and 253, and the rootstock and hogi are moved. When the distance between the leaf springs 253 and 253 comes into contact with the part where the stem diameter is smaller than the stem diameter of the rootstock and the hogi, the leaf springs 253 and 253 are pushed and spread by the rootstock and the hogi, and the slit of the tube T is widened. It is like that.

FIG.11 (c) has shown the figure when the tube holding means 244 is advanced further from the state of FIG.11 (b), and the tube T is mounted | worn with a rootstock and a safflower and made the graft.
Here, the slits are expanded by the rootstock and the hogi through the leaf springs 253 and 253 until the rootstock and the hogi can pass through, and the rootstock and the hogi are pushed into the tube T.
Thereafter, when the tube holding means 244 is further advanced, the free ends of the leaf springs 253 and 253 are detached from the slits of the tube T, and the leaf springs 253 and 253 are opened again by their elastic force.
When the free ends of the leaf springs 253 and 253 are detached, the tube T returns to its original shape and holds the rootstock and the hogi in a joined state. As a result, a graft is obtained. .
When the graft is obtained in this way, the root holding means 204 and the second and third grippers 214 and 218 of the spike holding means 205 that have been holding the rootstock and the hogi until then release the graft respectively. At the same time, the air cylinders 246 and 256 retract the support means 243 and the tube holding means 244, respectively, and then the graft is conveyed to the next inspection station F in a state where it is accommodated in the root carrier 7 held by the first gripper 213. Is done.
FIG. 11 (d) shows a state before a new tube T is mounted on the tube holding means 244.
First, the control means moves the support means 243 and the tube holding means 244 apart from each other to the retracted position.
Next, the pressing means 254 in the tube holding means 244 is activated, the pressing member 254a is closed, the leaf springs 253 and 253 are pressed from both sides, the leaf springs 253 and 253 are elastically deformed, and the free ends are brought into contact with each other. Let
Thereafter, when the tube supply means 242 supplies a new tube T, the new tube T is attached to the free ends of the leaf springs 253 and 253.

As shown in FIG. 11, the tube supply means 242 includes a supply means 261 for supplying the tube T, a guide member 262 for guiding the tube T supplied from the supply means 261 to the tube holding means 244, and the tube holding means. The stopper member 263 is provided below the 244 and stops the tube T, and the cutter 264 cuts the tube T.
The supply means 261 pushes an uncut endless tube T downward, and the slit is formed in advance in the tube T.
The guide member 262 is a plate-like member having a required thickness provided between the supply unit 261 and the tube holding unit 244. One end of the guide member 262 is inserted into the tube T through a slit. By inserting, the slit is kept open.
Further, the lower end portion of the guide member 262 is provided adjacent to the upper side of the tube holding means 244 located in the retracted state, and the pressing means 254 contacts the free ends of the leaf springs 253 and 253 with each other. Located on the line.
For this reason, when the tube T is moved downward by the supply means 261, the tube T moves to the free ends of the leaf springs 253 and 253 that are in contact with each other while maintaining the state in which the slit is widened. Are attached to the leaf springs 253 and 253.
The stopper member 263 is located at a position adjacent to the lower end of the position where the free ends of the leaf springs 253 and 253 located in the retracted state are in contact with each other. As described above, the tube T is prevented from being sent.
The cutter 264 is provided between the tube holding means 244 and the guide member 262, and cuts the tube T stopped by the stopper member 263 by moving horizontally by an air cylinder (not shown). It is like that.

The inspection station F will be described. The inspection station F inspects the graft grafted at the joining station E by image recognition.
Similar to the cutting position recognition station C, the inspection station F includes an imaging unit as an illuminating unit and a graft thickness detection unit, and an image processing unit that performs image processing on the captured image.
The image photographed by the photographing means is transmitted to the image processing means, and the control means inspects the joint portion in the graft from the photographed image, and the thickness of the stem portion of the graft and the joining of the rootstock and hogi are determined. It recognizes whether or not it is properly performed, and memorizes this inspection result.

The reject station G will be described. The reject station G rejects the grafts determined to be defective in the inspection station F.
The reject station G includes a ninth conveyor 271 for transporting the root carrier 7 discharged from the root holder holding means 204, and a reject box 272 for collecting grafts together with the root carrier 7 transported on the conveyor. Has been.
When a graft determined to be defective in the inspection station F reaches the reject station G, the second gripper 214 of the rootstock holding means 204 releases the root carrier 7 and is pushed by a pusher (not shown). The root carrier 7 is moved from the mounting table 212 to the ninth conveyor 271 and then collected in the reject box 272.

The graft removal station H will be described. The graft discharge station H supplies the graft to the graft discharge device 5 and will be described below together with the graft discharge device 5.
As shown in FIG. 1, the graft discharge device 5 is a tenth as a graft carrier transporting means 301 for transporting a graft tray 10 and a graft carrier transporting means 301 for receiving a root carrier 7 containing a graft from the graft discharge station H. A conveyor 302, a graft transfer means 303 for transferring grafts from the root carrier 7 to the graft tray 10, and a first graft carrier return means for returning the root carrier 7 to the first conveyor 12 of the root feeder 2 11 conveyor 304.
The graft transfer means 303 has substantially the same configuration as the rootstock transfer means 13 of the rootstock supply device 2, and members common to the graft discharge device 5 and the rootstock supply device 2 are the same. Will be described by adding 300 to the code.
The tenth conveyor 302 is provided adjacent to the graft discharge station H of the grafting device 4. When the root carrier 7 containing the graft is conveyed to the graft discharge station H, the first gripper of the root holder holding means 204 is provided. 213 releases the root carrier 7 and is moved from the mounting table 212 to the tenth conveyor 302 by a pusher (not shown) or the like.

The graft tray conveying means 301 includes conveyors 301a and 301b provided in parallel in two rows, elevators 301c and 301d provided at the downstream ends of the conveyors 301a and 301b, and moving the graft tray 10 up and down, and the elevator 301c, A discharge conveyor 301e for discharging the graft tray 10 on 301d.
The conveyors 301a and 301b provided in parallel are configured to intermittently convey the grafting tray 10, and in this embodiment, the grafting tray 10 on the conveyor 301a has a "thin" stem thickness. The grafts determined to be “thick / medium” are accommodated in the graft tray 10 on the conveyor 301b.
The elevators 301c and 301d are provided at the downstream ends of the conveyors 301a and 301b. When the graft trays 10 containing the grafts are conveyed to all the pockets 10a by the conveyors 301a and 301b, the elevator trays 10 are lowered. And is supplied to the discharge conveyor 301e.
For example, in a state where the grafts determined to be “thin” are not accommodated in all the pockets 10 a of the graft tray 10, the grafts determined to be “thick / medium” are accommodated in all the pockets 10 a of the other graft tray 10. Then, the elevator 301d lowers the graft tray 10 containing the grafts determined to be “thick / medium” and then passes below the graft tray 10 storing the grafts determined to be “thin”. , And is supplied to the discharge conveyor 301e.

The frame 323a of the graft transfer means 303 is provided so as to cross over the two conveyors 301a and 301b, and the moving means 323 moves within a range in which the graft grafts can be accommodated in the two graft trays 10. ing. The intermittent movement means 321 has the same configuration as that of the rootstock transfer means 13.
The graft transfer means 303 grips the graft in the root carrier 7 and moves it to the graft tray 10. When the graft is removed from the root carrier 7, the empty root carrier 7 is removed. Is returned to the tenth conveyor 302 by the intermittent moving means 321 and then supplied to the eleventh conveyor 304.
The eleventh conveyor 304 is provided between the tenth conveyor 302 and the first conveyor 12 of the rootstock feeder 2, and transports the empty rootstock carrier 7 to the first conveyor 12, It is designed to be reused.

Hereinafter, the operation of the graft production system 1 having the above configuration will be described.
A plurality of empty rootstock carriers 7 are placed from the upstream side of the stopper 12 a provided on the first conveyor 12 of the rootstock supply device 2 in advance to the eleventh conveyor 304 of the grafting discharge device 5.
On the other hand, a plurality of empty hotwood carriers 9 are placed from the upstream side of the stopper 112 a provided on the first conveyor 112 of the above-mentioned hogi supply device 3 to the eighth conveyor 163.
From this state, the rootstock tray 6 containing the rootstock is supplied to the rootstock supply device 2 manually, and the hotwood tray 8 containing the headstock is supplied to the stock supply device 3.

In the rootstock feeder 2, the conveyor 11 b of the rootstock tray transport means 11 intermittently transports the rootstock tray 6 to the rootstock transfer means 13, and in the first conveyor 12, the stopper 12 a is empty. Rootstock carrier 7 is supplied to rootstock transfer means 13.
The rootstock transfer means 13 controls the moving means 23 and the gripper 22 to grip the rootstock one by one from the rootstock tray 6 and transfer it to an empty root carrier 7 on the first conveyor 12. .
When the rootstock is accommodated in the rootstock carrier 7, the rootstock transfer means 13 operates the intermittent conveyance means 21 to supply the rootstock carrier 7 to the rootstock inspection means 14 via the first conveyor 12. .
The rootstock inspection means 14 reads the identification information medium of the rootstock carrier 7 and photographs the rootstock by the photographing means 33. The rootstock accommodated in the rootstock carrier 7 is “thick / medium / thin / unprocessable”. ”Is recognized.

Then, when the rootstock carrier 7 is transported to the rootstock sorting means 15, the rootstock carrier containing the rootstock determined to be “thick / medium / thin” according to the inspection result by the rootstock inspection means 14. 7 moves to the second to fourth conveyors 41 to 43 according to its thickness, and the root carrier 7 containing the roots determined to be “unprocessable” moves to the fifth conveyor 44.
Thereby, the root carrier 7 which accommodated the rootstock judged to be "thick, medium, thin" is stored in the upstream of the said stoppers 41a-43c in the 2nd-4th conveyors 41-43, respectively. -The number of root carrier 7 stored in the 4th conveyors 41-43 is memorized.
In addition, the root carrier 7 containing the roots that have been transferred to the fifth conveyor 44 and determined to be “incapable of processing” is sequentially stored from the downstream end of the fifth conveyor 44, collected manually, and then manually “ It is grafted with Hogi, which is judged as “unprocessable”.

On the other hand, also in the hogi supply device 3, the hogi transferring means 113 transfers the hogi one by one from the hogi tray 8 to the empty hogi carrier 9, and then the hogi accommodated in the hogi carrier 9. Is recognized by the above-mentioned hogi inspection means 114 as “thick / medium / thin / unprocessable”.
Subsequently, in the hogi selection means 115, the hogi carrier 9 containing the hogi determined as “thick / medium / thin” by the above-mentioned hogi inspection means 114 is second to second according to the thickness. It moves to 4 conveyors 141-143, and a control means memorize | stores the number of the root carrier 7 stored by the 2nd-4th conveyors 41-43.
On the other hand, the hogi carrier 9 containing the hogi determined to be “unprocessable” moves to the fifth conveyor 144 and is manually collected in the same manner as the base carrier 7 on the fifth conveyor 44 in the base stock feeder 2. Then, it is grafted with a rootstock that is determined to be “unprocessable”.

And the control means is the number of root carriers 7 stored in the second to fourth conveyors 41 to 43 of the root sorting means 15 and the ears stored in the second to fourth conveyors 141 to 143 of the ear sorting means 115. The number of wood carriers 9 is constantly compared.
For example, a predetermined number of rootstock carriers 7 that contain rootstocks determined to be “thick” and hogi carriers 9 that contain basestocks determined to be “thick” are placed on the second conveyors 41 and 141. When stored, the stoppers 41 a and 141 a are operated, and the same number of root carrier 7 and hogi carrier 9 are supplied to the sixth conveyors 45 and 145.
As a result, the root carrier 7 supplied to the sixth conveyor 45 moves to the root rotating means 16, and the root carrier 7 is rotated to a required angle by the root rotating means 16 and then the grafting device 4. To the rootstock supply station A.
On the other hand, the hotwood carrier 9 supplied to the sixth conveyor 145 is rotated by the hotwood rotating means 116, and then the hotwood cutting means 117 cuts the hotwood, and the cut hogi is cut into the grafting device 4. To Hogi supply station B.
As described above, since the same number of rootstocks and spikelets are supplied to the grafting device 4 at the same time, the rootstock holding means 204 is used in the graft supply station B of the grafting device 4. The rootstock held by and the stalk stem held by the hogi holding means 205 have the same thickness.
Further, an unnecessary portion of the hogi cut by the hogi cutting means 117 is transported to the hogi carrier returning means 118 as shown in FIG. The hogi is collected in the soil collection box 164. On the other hand, the empty hotwood carrier 9 that has been tumbled over is inverted again, and then is transported on the eighth conveyor 163 and supplied to the first conveyor 112 again.

In the grafting device 4, the rootstock together with the root carrier 7 is held by the rootstock holding means 204 at the rootstock supply station A, and the cut spikelets are held by the spikelet holding means 205 at the spike supply station B. These rootstocks and hogi are sequentially performed at the following work stations C to H.
At the cutting position recognition station C, the rootstock and the hogi are photographed and the joining position where the rootstock and the hogi are joined is recognized. Here, for example, 5 to 10 mm above the cotyledon is recognized as the joining position.
In the cutting station D, the rootstock and the hogi are cut at the joining position recognized by the cutting position recognition station C. At this time, the cutters 237 and 237 of the cutting means 233 have a substantially V-shaped tip, so the tip of the rootstock is cut into the V-shape, and the tip of the hogi is cut into the V-shape. Cut into matching shape.
At the joining station E, the rootstock and the hogi are brought into contact with each other at the joining position, and then the tube T is mounted on the joined rootstock and the hogi. At this time, the support means 243 of the grafting means and the tube holding means 244 are brought close to each other, thereby pushing the rootstock and the hogi into the slit of the tube T so as to obtain the graft.
Further, in the joining station E, when the graft is obtained from the rootstock and the hogi, the second gripper 214 of the rootstock holding means 204 and the third gripper 218 of the hogi holding means 205 have been gripped so far. The rootstock and hogi are released, and the rootstock carrier 7 is transported to the inspection station F in a state where the rootstock carrier 7 is gripped by the first gripper 213 of the rootstock holding means 204.

In the inspection station F, the graft obtained at the joining station E is photographed, and the thickness of the stem and the joining state of the rootstock and the hogi at the joining position are inspected to determine whether the graft is good or bad.
In the reject station G, the grafts determined to be defective in the inspection station F are discharged together with the rootstock and collected in the reject box 272. The grafts determined to be non-defective are directly used in the next graft discharge station H. It is conveyed to.

In the graft delivery device 5, the graft is discharged from the graft delivery station H in a state where it is accommodated in the root carrier 7, and this root carrier 7 is conveyed to the graft transfer means 303 by the tenth conveyor 302.
In the graft transfer means 303, the graft determined as “thick / medium” is transferred to the graft tray 10 on one conveyor 301 a of the graft tray transport means 301 according to the inspection result at the inspection station F of the grafting device 4. And the graft determined to be “thin” is transferred to the graft tray 10 on the other conveyor 301b.
For example, when the grafts determined to be “thick / medium” are accommodated in all the pockets 10a of the graft tray 10, the conveyor 301a conveys the graft tray 10 to the elevator 301c, and the elevator 301c descends the graft tray 10. Then, the sheet is discharged to the subsequent process by the discharge conveyor 301e.
On the other hand, the rootstock carrier 7 that has become empty is then transported to the first conveyor 12 of the rootstock supply apparatus 2 by the eleventh conveyor 304 and used again.

As described above, according to the graft production system 1 in the present embodiment, the grafting means 241 of the grafting device 4 can easily attach the rootstock and the scrub with a flexible tube to produce the graft. Can produce grafts.
That is, since it is only necessary to use a continuous tube T cut into a required length, grafting can be performed at a lower cost than the clip in Patent Document 1.
Moreover, since it holds so that a rootstock and Hogi may be surrounded by the said tube T, it can hold | maintain a rootstock and Hogi so that it may not be broken, and when joining by an adhesive like patent document 2 Compared to, it is possible to perform grafting more reliably.

Further, according to the graft production system 1 in the present embodiment, the thickness of the stems and the stems of the spikes by the rootstock inspection means 14 of the rootstock supply device 2 and the spikelet inspection means 114 of the spike supply device 3. This is inspected and sorted by the rootstock sorting means 15 and the hogi sorting means 115 according to the thickness of the stem.
For this reason, the grafting device 4 is supplied with rootstock and hogi of the same thickness, and since the grafting device 4 can join the rootstock and hogi of the same thickness, the rootstock And hogi are securely fixed, and problems such as breakage and poor growth due to different thicknesses of stems can be suppressed, and the yield can be improved.
Further, rootstocks and hogis that are determined to be “unprocessable” are separately accumulated on the sixth conveyors 45 and 145 by the rootstock sorting means 15 and the hogi sorting means 115. Can be grafted manually.
Further, the rootstock transfer means 13 transfers the rootstock from the rootstock tray 6 that accommodates a plurality of rootstocks to the rootstock carrier 7 that accommodates one rootstock. The hogi is transferred from the hogi tray 8 containing the hob to the hogi carrier 9 containing one hogi, and a large amount of rootstock and hogi can be processed.
The graft discharging device 5 inspects the thickness of the graft at the inspection station F provided in the grafting device 4 and accommodates it in different graft trays 10 according to the thickness. Can be used for post-process management.

In the above embodiment, tomato seedlings are grafted, but other seedlings such as eggplant and cucumber can be grafted by the graft production system 1.
Moreover, in the inspection station F of the grafting device 4, the thickness of the stem portion of the graft is inspected. However, the thickness of the stem portion of the graft may not be particularly inspected. In this case, the graft transfer means 303 recognizes the thickness of the stem portion of the graft using the inspection results of the rootstock inspection means 14 and the earwood inspection means 114, and according to the thickness of the stem portion. You may make it sort into each graft tray 10. FIG.

The block diagram of the graft production system concerning a present Example. The top view and side view about a rootstock tray. The top view and side view about a rootstock carrier. The side view about a rootstock transfer means. The side view about a rootstock inspection means. Each state at the seventh conveyor in the hogi supplying apparatus is shown, (a) shows a state where the hogi carrier is rotated by the hogi rotating means, (b) shows a state where the hogi carrier is rolled over, (C) shows a state in which the hogi is cut by the hogi cutting means, and (d) shows a state in which the soil is removed from the hogi carrier by the hogi carrier returning means. Cross section at the cutting station of the grafting equipment The side view about a cutting | disconnection means. The figure which looked at the cutting | disconnection means from the moving direction of the cutter. Sectional drawing in the joining station of a grafting apparatus. The figure which showed the procedure which attaches the tube by a grafting means to a rootstock and Hogi.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Graft production system 2 Rootstock supply device 3 Hogi supply device 4 Grafting device 5 Graft discharge device 7 Rootstock carrier 9 Hogi carrier 13 Rootstock transfer means 14 Rootstock inspection means 15 Rootstock selection means 113 Hogi transfer Means 114 Hotwood inspection means 115 Hotwood selection means 233 Cutting means 241 Grafting means A rootstock supply station B hogi supply station C cutting position recognition station D cutting station E joining station F grafting inspection station G reject station H grafting discharge station T tube

Claims (4)

Flexibility with slits formed in the same direction as the axis of stems around the joining position of rootstock and hogi, with the ends of stems cut into rootstock and hogi joined together. A grafting device for manufacturing a graft by attaching a tube having the property,
The grafting device comprises rootstock holding means for holding rootstock, hogi holding means for holding spikelets, and tube holding means for holding the tubes,
The rootstock holding means and the hogi holding means hold the rootstock and the hogi in a state where the end of the stem and the end of the hogi are joined to each other, and the tube The holding means holds the tube so that the slit faces the bonded rootstock and hogi,
When the tube holding means is brought relatively close to the joined rootstock and hogi, the joined portion of the rootstock and hogi is inserted into the tube from between the slits, and the tube is held by the tube holding means. A grafting device which is released and is held in a state where a tube is mounted around a joint portion between a rootstock and a hogi and the rootstock and the hogi are joined. The tube holding means includes two plate-like members that are provided opposite to each other with a rootstock and a hogi sandwiched between them and one of which is a free end,
The grafting device according to claim 1, wherein the free ends of the two plate-like members hold the tube while being urged in a direction in which the slit of the tube is expanded. The two plate-like members are two leaf springs in which the free ends are maintained apart from each other in a natural state, and the tube holding means presses the two leaf springs from the outside. And a pressing means for bringing the free ends of the leaf springs close to or in contact with each other,
When the tube is held by the free end of the leaf spring, the pressing means presses the leaf spring to bring the free end of the plate-like member close to or in contact, and the tube is attached to the free end of the leaf spring. The grafting device according to claim 2, wherein the pressing means releases the pressing to the leaf spring, and the leaf spring holds the tube while being urged in a direction to widen the slit by an elastic force.   2. The tube according to claim 1, wherein the tube is formed in a continuous shape, and includes a tube supply unit that supplies one end of the tube to the tube holding unit, and a tube cutting unit that cuts the tube into a predetermined length. The grafting device according to any one of claims 3 to 4.

Images