JP2979745B2 - Grafted seedling production equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improved grafted seedling production apparatus for producing grafted seedlings by automatically supplying and bonding rootstock seedlings and spikelets.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional grafted seedling manufacturing apparatus is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-107125, a seedling mounting table having slits for holding cotyledon development bases of rootstock seedlings and earlings, and the seedlings. A transport mechanism that grips a predetermined position of each seedling placed on the mounting table and transports the seedling separately, a cutting mechanism that cuts the seedling transported by each transport mechanism with a rotating cutting blade, and a gripping mechanism that uses both transport mechanisms. And an adhesion mechanism for joining and fixing the cut surfaces of the stock and scion facing each other at a predetermined position.

[0003]

However, in the conventional apparatus, the vicinity of the base of cotyledon development of the seedling suspended in the slit of the seedling mounting table can be correctly positioned at the slit position.
In the case of a bent seedling or a seedling with an unevenly distributed center of gravity, there is a drawback that the transport mechanism cannot grip the seedling correctly because the hypocotyl is displaced from the center line of the slit. Also, when cutting the seedlings, the cutting depth was not stable because the seedlings were bent against the movement of the cutting blade and escaped to the side opposite to the cutting blade. In addition, although an air cylinder that protrudes and retreats is used for the scion transfer arm, even if a rotationless cylinder is used, there is a slight play in the rotation direction, and supply may not be performed in an accurate grafting posture. In addition, since rootstock seedlings are often thick and earlings are thin in grafting, there is a problem that formation layers near both epidermis are not necessarily joined so as to be in contact with each other, and it is difficult to improve the survival rate. . Further, the structure of the bonding mechanism has room for further improvement.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of these problems of the conventional apparatus, and has further improved the apparatus. In particular, the present invention provides an apparatus capable of smoothly and efficiently producing grafted seedlings through high-precision positioning. The purpose is to provide.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following constitution.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a rootstock seedling holder for holding rootstock seedlings, a rootstock seedling holder for holding earlings, and a rootstock seedling waiting in the rootstock seedling holder. A rootstock transport mechanism that grips by a gripper and transports it to a grafting position; a scion transporting mechanism that grips a scionling seedling waiting in the scionling holder and transports it to a grafting position by the gripping means; A cutting mechanism that cuts a predetermined portion of each seedling conveyed by the conveyance mechanism, and an adhesion mechanism that adheres both cut surfaces of the stock and scion conveyed to the grafting position by the two conveyance mechanisms,
Each of the seedling holding devices is a grafted seedling manufacturing apparatus including an upper slit for suspending the vicinity of a cotyledon deployment base on a lower surface of a cotyledon of a seedling, and a lower slit for inserting a hypocotyl of the seedling.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the cutting mechanism is provided with each cutting blade for cutting the seedling by a predetermined movement, and the cutting mechanism is opposed to a movement locus of each cutting blade and is conveyed to a cutting position. 2. The grafted seedling production apparatus according to claim 1, wherein guide members along the respective seedlings are arranged at opposing positions.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the guide member is attached to the transfer mechanism, and the holding mechanism projects from the transfer mechanism toward the seedling holding tool at the holding position of the holding means. 3. The grafted seedling manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a driving mechanism for retracting the gripping means from the cutting mechanism at the position and projecting the gripping means toward the bonding mechanism at the bonding position of the bonding mechanism.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the transport mechanism, a stop plate is provided on a rod of a cylinder that protrudes and retracts the gripping means, and a sliding member is disposed along a reciprocating direction of the rod. The grafted seedling production apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the apparatus is slidably contacted with the sliding member.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the bonding mechanism includes a temporary fixing mechanism for temporarily fixing both cut surfaces of the rootstock seedling and the scion seedling by a closing operation of the holding body, and the holding body is moved from the grafting position. The grafted seedling production apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the grafted seedling production apparatus is arranged so as to intersect a moving path of the grafted seedling suspended from the returning rootstock transport mechanism.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the bonding mechanism includes a pressing member for aligning the respective skin portions of the cutting portions of the rootstock seedlings and the cuttings of the scion seedlings that are arranged opposite to the bonding position during bonding. 6. The grafted seedling production apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the bonding mechanism includes a guiding path for guiding the grafting clip toward the bonding position, and pushing means for pressing the clip in the guiding path toward the bonding position. The grafted seedling production apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a suppression unit that suppresses the grafting clip toward the guide path when extruding by the pushing means.

[0013]

In the grafting seedling manufacturing apparatus configured as described above, when seedlings serving as rootstocks are supplied one by one to the rootstock seedling holder, the rootstock transport mechanism grips the seedlings and transports them to the grafting position. On the other hand, when the seedlings to become the scions are supplied one by one to the scion seedling holder, the scion transport mechanism grasps the seedlings and transports them to the grafting position. Each seedling being transported by both transport mechanisms is cut at a predetermined portion by a corresponding cutting mechanism, and when the rootstock and spike come to the grafting position, both cut surfaces are bonded by an adhesive mechanism to produce a grafted seedling. .

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 3, the grafted seedling production apparatus 1 of the present invention
When the rootstock seedlings are supplied one by one to the rootstock seedling holder 21, the rootstock transport mechanism 31 grasps the seedlings and transports them to the grafting position A. When the seedlings are supplied to the scion seedling holder 22 one by one, the scion transport mechanism 32 grasps the seedlings and transports them to the grafting position A. Each of the seedlings being transported by the transport mechanisms 31 and 32 is connected to the corresponding cutting mechanism 41 or
When the cutting blades 46, 46 are rotated, predetermined portions are cut, respectively, and when the stock and the scion arrive at the grafting position A, the cut surfaces thereof are supplied with a clip by the clip bonding mechanism 51 to be bonded and bonded. The grafted seedlings are configured to fall and be collected.

In FIG. 1, a mounting plate 4 is fixed to a front surface of a middle column 2 constituting a machine frame 2, and the rootstock seedling holder 21, a rootstock transport mechanism 31, and a rootstock are mounted on the front surface of the mounting plate 4. The stock support 5 as a support member to which the cutting mechanism 41 is to be integrally mounted is attached via an adjustment mechanism C1 described later.
The stock side support 5 includes a horizontal portion 5a and the horizontal portion 5a.
And a vertical portion 5b which is bent downward from the rear end. Support rods 6, 6 for suspending the stock cutting mechanism 41 are protruded forward from the horizontal portion 5a. The rear ends of the support rods 6, 6 are made to protrude rearward from the rear end of the horizontal portion 5a, and protrude rearward through the through holes 4a, 4a in the upper part of the mounting plate 4.

A rootstock seedling holder 21 is attached to the vertical part 5b of the rootstock-side support 5 with bolts 26, and the horizontal part 5
The base 31a of the stock transport mechanism 31 is fixed in a suspended manner on the lower surface of a, and a stock cutting mechanism 41 is provided in front of the support rods 6,6.
Attach.

Then, bolts 7 are fastened to the mounting plate 4 through three long holes 5c for fixing provided in the vertical portion 5b of the rootstock-side support 5, and the vertical portion 5b of the rootstock-side support 5 is fixed. It is integrally fixed to the mounting plate 4. Further, an adjusting mechanism C1 for positioning the rootstock-side support 5 when fixing it to the mounting plate 4 is configured as follows. That is, the adjusting mechanism C1 attaches a U-shaped stop plate 8 to the upper end on the back surface side of the mounting plate 4, and screws adjusting screws 9, 9 from the left and right sides of the stop plate 8, and inserts them into the through holes 4a, 4a. The left and right positions of the stock support 5 can be positioned by abutting the rear ends of the support rods 6 and 6 integrated with the inserted stock support 5 from the side.

On the other hand, the scion side support 15 is formed symmetrically with respect to the stock side support 5 and assembled to the machine casing 2. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the scion seedling holder 22, the scion transport mechanism 32, and the scion cutting mechanism 42
Is attached via the same adjusting mechanism C2 as when the stock support 5 is fixed to the mounting plate 4.
5 is fastened to the mounting plate 4 with fixing bolts 7.

The rootstock seedling holder 21 and the earling seedling holder 22 are symmetrically constructed on the rootstock side and the earwood side, and an overview is shown in FIG. 1 and details are shown in FIG. As described above, the upper holding plate 2 having the slits 23a on the upper side at appropriate intervals to be suspended and held near the base of the cotyledon development of the seedling.
3 and a lower holding plate 24 parallel to the lower side of the upper holding plate 23 and supporting the hypocotyl of the seedling in the lower slit 24a.
Are integrally connected by a connection plate 25. Here, the slits 23a and 24a have different notch directions from each other, and the slit 23a is opened inward of the apparatus.
4a is open to the outside of the device. Reference numeral 29a in FIG. 4 denotes an adjustment bolt fixed upwardly to a stopper plate 28 projecting forward from the lower ends of the vertical portions 5b and 15b, and penetrates through the lower holding plate 24 and is screwed into the hexagonal column spacer 30. . Connecting plate 2
A bolt 26a protrudes from the rear of the bolt 5, and the bolt 26a is tightened by a nut 26b via a flat spring 27 through a vertical portion 5b (15b). 26c is a sliding member, and 29b is a pin for positioning the spacer 30. Therefore, if the spacer 30 is rotated from the outside, the height position of the seedling holder 21 (, 31) can be adjusted by screwing with the adjustment bolt 29a.

The stock transport mechanism 31 is, as shown in FIG.
The mounting frame 33 is attached to the tip of the support shaft 33a of the rotation cylinder 31a.
c, the reciprocating cylinder 36a is attached via its support shaft 3
The reciprocating cylinder 36 is configured to be able to rotate 180 degrees around the center 3a. Then, the vertical portion 11a of the L-shaped stop plate 11 is attached to the tip of the reciprocating rootstock transfer arm 34a of the cylinder 36a, and the front end of the horizontal portion 11b of the stop plate 11 is used to hold the rootstock. A pair of left and right fingers 35a, 35a that can be freely opened and closed are mounted. The stock transport mechanism 31 configured as described above is attached to the lower surface of the horizontal portion 5a of the support 5 in a suspended manner by fixing the rotation cylinder 31a.

The scion transport mechanism 32 is configured substantially symmetrically to the stock transport mechanism 31. That is, the cylinder 36b is attached to the tip of the support shaft 33b of the rotation cylinder 31b via the attachment frame 33d, and the cylinder 36b is configured to be able to rotate 180 degrees about the support shaft 31b. Then, a pair of left and right fingers 35b, 35b for gripping the scion is attached to the tip of the scion transport arm 34b of the cylinder 36b via the L-shaped stop plate 12. The scion transport mechanism 32 configured as described above is provided with the horizontal portion 15 a of the scion side support 15.
The lower cylinder is fixed to the rotating cylinder 31b so as to be suspended.

A cutting guide 37a having a function of assisting cutting when cutting the rootstock seedling is mounted on the mounting frame 33c. As shown in FIG. 9, the cutting guide 37a is a seedling supporting portion 37 formed by bending a metal strip into a shape along the cotyledons of the seedling.
c and a sliding portion 37d parallel to the expansion and contraction direction of the transfer arm 34a. The sliding portion 37d is
The stop plate 11 is always in sliding contact with the outer end sliding portions of the vertical portions 11a and 12a.

A cutting guide 37b having a function of assisting the cutting of the scion seedling is formed integrally with the mounting frame 33d. As shown in FIG. 2, the cutting guide 37b forms a seedling supporting portion for supporting the hypocotyl of the scion, and a sliding portion 37e parallel to the direction of extension and contraction of the arm 34b. Sliding part 3
7e is always in sliding contact with the outer end sliding portion of the vertical portion 12a of the stop plate 12.

As shown in FIG. 1, the support shaft 33a protrudes from the horizontal portion 5a of the stock support 5 to the upper surface, and the arm rod 20 is fixed to the protruding end thereof. The start and end of are defined by the stop members 13 and 14, respectively, at the stop position. Reference numeral 38 denotes a stop cylinder for stopping the rotation of the transfer arms 34a and 34b at the cutting position, and protrudes into the turning path of the arm 20 to stop the arm 20 at a timing described later. A stop member 38c supports the arm of the stop cylinder 38a from the side. Stop members 13, 14,
An adjusting screw is screwed into each of 38c so that the stop position of the arm rod 20 can be finely adjusted.

The stock cutting mechanism 41 includes the stock transport mechanism 3
It is provided in the middle of the rotation path of one transfer arm 34a. That is, a motor 44 such as a stepping motor is fixed to a mounting plate 43 which is slidably movable forward and backward at a position in front of the support rod 6 of the rootstock-side support 5, and a cutting arm is attached to a rotating shaft of the motor 44. The cutting arm 45 is provided with a cutting blade 46 and a roller 47 for restraining cotyledons. A top 48 is fixed to the mounting plate 43, and an adjustment bolt 4 constituting a cutting position adjustment mechanism is fixed to the top 48.
9 is screwed. The rear ends of the adjustment bolts 49 are
The adjusting bolt 49 is provided with a rotating grip 49 at the front end thereof.

The scion cutting mechanism 42 is configured symmetrically to the stock transport mechanism 41 and supports the support rods 16, 1 of the scion support 15.
6 is attached to the front position of the
The cutting blade is installed at a position higher than the cutting arm 45 of the stock transfer mechanism 41 in accordance with the height position of the transfer path of the transfer arm 34b of the stock transfer mechanism 31 being higher than that of the stock transfer mechanism 31. Since other configurations are almost the same as the stock cutting mechanism 41,
A detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The grafting clip 62 used for grafting of the grafted plant by the present apparatus is generally used in the process of manufacturing grafted plants by hand. As shown in FIG. 6, a protrusion 62a projecting up and down is provided at the front end thereof. , 62a as well as knob portions 62b, 62b at the rear end. A clip bonding mechanism 51 for bonding seedlings with the clip 62
Is cut out in the lengthwise direction at the center of the upper side surface of the square cylindrical body at the take-out part of a vibrating parts feeder 54 (see FIG. 3) having a spiral rising path 53 provided along the inner surface of the bowl body 52. At the same time, a guide rail 55 having a guide path for guiding the projection 62a is connected to the bottom surface. As shown in FIG. 7 (b), a narrowed portion 55a having a narrow inner diameter is formed on the front surface of the inner end of the guide rail 55, and the closing movement of the clip is reduced at the front end opening of the narrowed portion 55a. Steps 55b, 5
5b, and a groove 55c for allowing the spring portion 62c of the clip 62 to escape. As shown in FIG. 6, a clip pushing cylinder 56 for supplying clips 62 one by one is provided on the upper front end of the guide rail 55.
Is pushed out toward the guide path of the guide rail 55. As shown in FIG. 8, the extruded piece 57 has a seedling pressing surface
7a, a suppression surface 57b as a suppression portion that constantly urges the tip protrusion 62a of the clip 62 downward, a pushing surface 57c as a pushing means for pushing the clip, and a tip protrusion 62a of the clip 62 of the next order when the cylinder 56 is retracted. Has a guiding surface 57d for allowing the air to escape forward.

Accordingly, the clip bonding mechanism 51 vibrates the parts feeder 54 to sequentially load the clips 62 on the guide rail 55, and advances the arm of the clip pushing cylinder 56. The upper surface is pushed out while being suppressed.
2 is a state in which the knob 62b enters the stenotic portion 55a and the knob 62b is pressed by the stenotic portion 55a to be in an open state. The rootstock seedlings 3 and the scionling seedlings 4 arranged at the grafting position A are integrally bonded.

In the upper part of the front end of the clip bonding mechanism 51,
A temporary fixing mechanism 61 having flexible holding bodies 60a, 60b extended at the tips of the fingers 59, 59 that can be opened and closed is disposed. The holding body 60a on the stockstock side is the holding body 60b on the scion side.
The tip is bent toward the scion side.
The tip of the holding body 60a is connected to a root carrier arm 3 described later.
Finger 3 when 4a returns from graft position
Arranged in a crossing manner on the rotation path of the grafted seedling 10 suspended between 5a and 35a (see FIG. 7A).

Each air cylinder and each finger used in the present apparatus are operated by supplying compressed air from an air compressor (not shown). These air cylinders, fingers, and the like are operated by a programmable controller (not shown) in a predetermined order as described later.

The process of operating the grafted seedling production apparatus 1 of the present invention to produce the grafted seedling 10 by joining the rootstock seedling 3 and the spikelet seedling 4 will be described with reference to the rotation locus diagram of FIG. It will be described with reference to FIG. P1 to P14 shown in FIG.
The positions of a and 35b are shown, and they are written in parentheses in the following description and used for convenience.

In the initial state, the fingers 35a, 35b of the two transport mechanisms 31, 32 face the holders 21, 22 (P1, P2).

First, the operator manually removes the rootstock seedling 3 and the scionling seedling 4 by the slits 23a,
24a.

Next, the cylinder 36a of the rootstock transport mechanism 31 is driven to project toward the rootstock seedling 3, and the fingers 35a, 35 are driven.
a is closed and the rootstock seedling 3 is clamped (P3), and the arm 34a is turned to take out the rootstock seedling 3 from the rootstock seedling holder 21. At this time, since the seedling 3 has the cotyledon development base 3a supported by the upper holding plate 23 and the hypocotyl 3b supported by the lower holding plate 24, the hypocotyl of the rootstock seedling 3 is located between the slits 23a and 24a. It is maintained and the delivery to the transfer arm 34a is reliably performed. Further, since the slits 23a and 24a of the seedling holding device have different notch directions, when the cotyledon developing base is disposed deep in the slit 23a, the hypocotyl portion of the seedling is shifted to the slit 2a.
4a without being shifted in the exit direction.
Can securely hold the seedlings.

The transfer arm 3 from which the rootstock 3 has been removed
4a turns after being driven by the rotation cylinder 31a,
The stop cylinder 38a is projected to suspend the arm 34a at the cutting position B1 facing the rootstock cutting mechanism 41 (P
5). During this rotation, the cylinder 36a is driven backward,
The cutting guide 37a is brought into contact with the back surface of the cotyledon of the retreated rootstock seedling 3 (P4).

Then, the motor 44 of the stock cutting mechanism 41 is operated to rotate the cutting arm 43 one turn, and the cutting blade 46 cuts one leaf portion of the cotyledon developing base 3a of the stock 3 at an angle of about 30 degrees. Disconnect. The cutting process will be described with reference to FIG. 9. The cutting guide 37a is brought into contact with the back surface of the rear cotyledon 3c of the rootstock 3 by the retreating operation of the cylinder 36a, and the roller 47 lifts the front cotyledon 3d.
6 cuts off the front cotyledons 3d. At the time of this cutting, as the seedling supporting surface 37c of the cutting guide 37a is in contact with the back side of the rear cotyledon 3c, the seedling does not escape backward when the roller 47 lifts the front cotyledon 3d. Cutting can be performed at a stable cutting depth regardless of the flexibility of the seedling.

The rootstock seedling 3 cut in this manner is attached to the arm 34.
The cylinder 36a is projected while rotating a (P6), and the cylinder 36a is disposed at the grafting position A, which is the tip of the clip bonding mechanism 51 (P7).

On the other hand, the scion seedlings 4 are also supplied to the scion seedling holder 22 manually by the same process as the stock seedlings 3, and are clamped by the fingers 35b, 35b of the scion transport mechanism 32 to transfer the transfer arms. It turns at 34b (P8, P9), stops at the cutting position B2, and cuts the hypocotyl part 4b of the spikelet seedling by the spike cutting mechanism 42 at a cutting angle of about 10 degrees (P1).
0), it is transported to the grafting position A which is the tip of the clip bonding mechanism 51 (P11). At the time of this cutting (P10), the cutting guide 37b is in contact with the back side of the hypocotyl portion of the scion seedling 4 as in the cutting of the stockstock side. Regardless of flexibility, cutting can be performed at a stable cutting depth.

As described above, the cutting guides 37a and 37b are formed with the sliding portions 37d parallel to the direction of expansion and contraction of the transfer arm 34a, and the vertical portions 11a and 1b of the stopper plates 11 and 12 are formed.
As a result of the slide guide 2a always being in sliding contact with the cutting guides 37a and 37b, there is no play in the rotation direction of the transfer arms 34a and 34b when the cylinders 36a and 36b expand and contract. Note that the shapes of the stop plates 11 and 12 are not limited to the square shape as in the present embodiment, and the shape of the sliding portion 37d is not limited to the flat shape as in the present embodiment.

The rootstock seedling 3 and the hogi seedling 4 conveyed to the grafting position A which is the front end of the clip bonding mechanism 51 in this manner.
Are arranged with both cut surfaces facing each other. However, since there is a slight gap between both cut surfaces, the temporary fixing mechanism 61
Is actuated to temporarily fix the two cut surfaces by holding the joining portion from the left and right by the holding bodies 60a and 60b.
Here, since the rear cotyledon 3c is supported by the cutting guide 37a, even when the deeply cut seedling cannot stand on its own, the sandwiching body 60a can be reliably arranged on the back surface of the rear cotyledon 3b. The surface can be temporarily fixed reliably.

Then, the clip bonding mechanism 51 is operated to supply the clip 62 to the front, and to bond the joining portion between the rootstock 3 and the scion 4 with the clip 62 from the left and right sides. It becomes a grafted seedling.

In this joining, since the pressing surface 57b of the extruded piece 57 is constantly pressed downward, the clip 6
2 is not supplied obliquely, and a bonding error of the clip 62 can be prevented. Further, as shown in FIG.
The seedling pushing surface 57a at the tip of the extruded piece 57 pushes the side of the cut surface of both seedlings 3 and 4 at the time of clip extrusion, so that the skin on the side of the cut surface of both seedlings is aligned along the seedling pushing surface 57a. Becomes Therefore, the grafted seedlings joined in this state are fixed in a state where the formation layers near the epidermis of both seedlings are in contact with each other, so that the survival rate after grafting can be significantly improved.

Further, since the stepped portions 55b, 55b are formed at the front end opening of the narrowed portion 55a of the guide rail 55, the gripped portions 62b of the pushed-out clip 62 are not released at a time, and the stepped portions 55b, 55b are not removed. As a result, the closing operation of the clip 62 is reduced, and it is possible to prevent the sudden closing operation of the clip 62 from damaging the hypocotyl of the seedling.

After this joining, the fingers 35b, 35b of the scion transport mechanism 32 are opened, and the cylinder 36b is retracted to release the scion seedlings 4 (P12).
4b is rotated to return to the initial state P2.

On the other hand, the stock transport mechanism 31
5A, 35a are opened, and the fingers 35a, 35a are rotated while the vicinity of the cotyledon development base of the grafted seedling 5 is suspended (P13), and the initial state P1 is returned. At this time, the grafted seedling 10 is prevented from turning by the holding body 60a arranged in a crossing manner in the rotation path, cannot fall along with the rotation of the stock transport arm 34a, and is dropped and stored (see FIG. 7A). ). In particular, since the tip of the holding body 60a is bent toward the scion side, the grafted seedling 10 is securely locked at the bent portion, and the finger 35
There is no possibility that the grafted seedling 10 remains between the a and 35a.

At the time of this return, the stock carrier arm 34a
Moves backward by the operation of the cylinder 36a (P14).

In this embodiment configured as described above, the first
The upper holding plate 23 and the lower holding plate 24 having slits
Are provided, the seedlings to be held are bent or the hypocotyl is slit 23a (24).
Even when the hypocotyl is out of the center line of a), the hypocotyl can be reliably positioned at the expected position.
An error in gripping the 34b is prevented, and the grafted seedling production process can be reliably performed.

Second, it faces the rotational path of the cutting blade 46,
Further, cutting guides 37a and 37b are provided as guide members along the rootstock seedlings 3 and 4 at positions opposed to each other via the seedlings 3 and 4 transported to the cutting positions B1 and B2. Cutting guides 37a, 37b on the back side of
As a result, since the seedlings do not escape backward during cutting, the cuttings can be cut at a stable cutting depth regardless of the flexibility of the seedlings.

Third, the transfer arms 34a, 34b to which the cutting guide 37 is attached are protruded by the cylinders 36a, 36b toward the seedling holders 21, 22 at the gripping positions of the fingers 35a, 35a.
At the time, the cutting device 41 and 42 are retracted from the
Is configured to protrude toward the clip bonding mechanism 51, the cutting guide 37 does not interfere with the seedling holders 21 and 22 and the clip bonding mechanism 51 when the transport arms 34a and 34b are rotated. And cutting mechanism 41
In this case, the function of the cutting guide 37 can be effectively performed.

Fourth, a sliding portion 37d is formed on the cutting guide 37a in parallel with the direction of expansion and contraction of the transfer arm 34a.
The vertical portions 11a, 12a of the stop plates 11, 12 are cut by the cutting guide 3.
As a result of the sliding contact with the cylinder 7a at all times, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of play in the rotation direction of the transfer arm 34a during the expansion and contraction operation of the cylinder 36a.

Fifth, the holding member 60a of the temporary fixing mechanism 61
Are arranged in a crossing manner on the rotation path of the grafted seedling 10 suspended from the grafting transfer mechanism 34a returning from the grafting position, so that the grafted seedling 10 is prevented from turning by the holding body 60a, and Since the plant is dropped and accommodated without being able to follow the turn, it is possible to prevent the grafted seedling 10 from being caught by the clip bonding mechanism 51 and remaining.

Sixth, the extruded piece 5 of the clip bonding mechanism 51
7 is provided with a seedling pressing surface 57a at the tip thereof.
The seedling pressing surface 57a presses the side of the cut surface of both seedlings 3 and 4 when sandwiching, so that the cut surfaces of both seedlings are aligned along the seedling pressing surface 57a. Are joined in a state where they are in contact with each other, so that the survival rate after grafting can be significantly improved.

Seventh, since the pressing piece 57 of the clip bonding mechanism is provided with a suppressing surface 57b so as to always suppress the clip 62 toward the bottom surface of the guide rail 55 which is the supply reference plane, the clip 62 Is not supplied obliquely, and a clipping mistake of the clip 62 can be prevented.

[0054]

The present invention configured as described above has the following effects.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the seedling holder having the upper slit and the lower slit is provided, the hypocotyl can be reliably positioned even in the case of a bent seedling or a seedling in which the center of gravity is unevenly distributed. Therefore, the gripping error of the transport mechanism can be prevented, and the grafted seedling production process can be reliably performed.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since each guide member is provided at a position facing the movement locus of each cutting blade and facing the seedling conveyed to the cutting position along the seedling, In cutting, the guide member is in contact with the back side of the seedling,
At the time of cutting, the seedlings do not escape backward, and the cuttings can be cut at a stable cutting depth regardless of the flexibility of the seedlings.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the guide member is integrally attached to the transfer mechanism, and the holding mechanism projects from the holding mechanism toward the seedling holding tool at the holding position of the holding means. In the above, the gripping means is retracted from the cutting position, and at the bonding position of the bonding mechanism, there is provided a drive mechanism for projecting the gripping means toward the bonding position. The function of the guide member in the cutting mechanism can be effectively performed without interfering with the tool or the bonding mechanism.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a stopper plate is provided on a rod of a cylinder that protrudes and retracts a gripping means of a transport mechanism, and a sliding member is disposed along a reciprocating direction of the rod.
Since the stop plate is brought into sliding contact with the sliding member, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of play in the rotating direction of the rod when the rod is projected and retracted.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the bonding mechanism includes a temporary fixing mechanism for temporarily fixing both cut surfaces of the rootstock seedling and the cuttings of the splint by closing the holding body, and the holding body is returned from the grafting position. Since the grafted seedlings are arranged in a crossing manner on the movement path of the grafted seedling suspended by the rootstock transport mechanism, the grafted seedlings are blocked by the holding body disposed on the movement path and cannot follow the movement of the rootstock transport mechanism. Since the plant is dropped and accommodated in the rotation path of the tree transport mechanism, there is no risk that the grafted seedling after bonding will be caught by the bonding mechanism, and the subsequent steps can be performed smoothly.

According to the invention of claim 6, since the bonding mechanism is provided with a pressing member for aligning the respective skin portions of the cutting portions of the rootstock seedlings and the earlings at the time of bonding, the bonding mechanism of each cutting portion of both seedlings at the time of bonding is provided. By aligning the respective skin portions along the pressing member, the formation layers near the skin of both seedlings are joined in a state of contact with each other, so that the survival rate after grafting can be significantly improved.

In the invention according to claim 7, the bonding mechanism includes a guide path for guiding the grafting clip toward the bonding position, and a pushing means for pressing the clip in the guide path toward the bonding position. When extruded by the means, since a suppression portion for suppressing the grafting clip toward the guide path is provided, the clip can be supplied in a correct posture without being supplied obliquely,
A clip bonding error can be prevented beforehand.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a main part of a grafted seedling manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a main part of the grafted seedling manufacturing apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing an apparatus for producing a grafted seedling according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the seedling holder.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the rotation trajectory of the stock transfer arm and the scion transfer arm.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a main part of the clip bonding mechanism.

7A and 7B are front end portions of the clip bonding mechanism, in which FIG. 7A is a plan view and FIG. 7B is a plan view in which a part thereof is cut away.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing an operation of an extruded piece of the clip bonding mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a side view showing an operation of a cutting guide 37a as a guide member.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 grafted seedling production apparatus 3 rootstock seedling 4 scion seedling 10 grafted seedling 11a, 12a vertical portion 21 rootstock seedling holding tool 22 earling seedling holding tool 31 rootstock transport mechanism 32 earwood transport mechanism 35a, 35b fingers 36a, 36b Cylinders 37a, 37b Cutting guide 37d Sliding part 41 Rootstock cutting mechanism 42 Scion cutting mechanism 51 Clip bonding mechanism 57 Extrusion piece 57a Seedling pressing surface 57b Suppression surface 60a, 60b Holder 61 Temporary fixing mechanism 62 Clip A Grafting position B1, B2 Cutting position

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] 1. A rootstock seedling holder for holding rootstock seedlings, a rootstock seedling holder for holding earlings, and a rootstock seedling waiting in the rootstock seedling holder by gripping means. A rootstock transport mechanism that transports the seedlings to the grafting position, a scionling seedling waiting in the scionling seedling holder, and a scion transporting mechanism that transports the seedlings to the grafting position by gripping means, and transported by the two transport mechanisms. A cutting mechanism that cuts a predetermined portion of each seedling, and an adhesive mechanism that bonds both cut surfaces of the stock and scion transferred to the grafting position by the two transfer mechanisms.
An apparatus for producing a grafted seedling, comprising: an upper slit for suspending the vicinity of a cotyledon development base on a lower surface of a cotyledon of a seedling; and a lower slit for inserting a hypocotyl of the seedling. 2. A cutting mechanism, comprising: a cutting mechanism for cutting a seedling by a predetermined movement;
2. The grafted seedling production apparatus according to claim 1, wherein guide members along the respective seedlings are arranged at positions opposed to each other via the seedlings conveyed to the cutting position. 3. The guide member is attached to the transport mechanism, and the transport mechanism has a gripper projecting toward the seedling holder at a gripping position of the gripper, and a cutting mechanism at a cutting position of the cutting mechanism. 3. The grafted seedling production apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a driving mechanism for retracting the gripping means from the gripper and projecting the gripping means toward the bonding mechanism at the bonding position of the bonding mechanism. 4. The transfer mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a stop plate provided on a rod of the cylinder that projects and retracts the gripping means, and a slide member disposed along a reciprocating direction of the rod, and the stop plate is connected to the slide member. The grafted seedling production apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the apparatus is brought into sliding contact with. 5. The bonding mechanism includes a temporary fixing mechanism for temporarily fixing both cut surfaces of the rootstock seedling and the cuttings by closing operation of the holding body, and the holding body returns from the grafting position to the rootstock conveyance. The grafted seedling production apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the grafted seedling production apparatus is arranged so as to intersect with a movement path of the grafted seedling suspended by the mechanism. 6. The bonding mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a pressing member for aligning the respective skin portions of the cutting portions of the rootstock seedling and the cuttings of the scion, which are arranged opposite to the bonding position during bonding. 6. The grafted seedling production apparatus according to [1]. 7. The bonding mechanism includes a guide path for guiding the grafting clip toward the bonding position, and pushing means for pressing the clip in the guide path toward the bonding position.
7. The grafted seedling production apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a suppression unit that suppresses the grafting clip toward the guide path when extruding by the pushing means.