JP3215250B2 - 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 a grafted seedling manufacturing apparatus for joining a rootstock of a stock and a stalk of a spike at a cut surface of the two to fix them.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a grafted seedling production apparatus, a stem of a rootstock and a stem of a scion are joined at a cut surface portion of the both, and the joined portion is fixed with a clip.
No. 7125, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. H4-187029 and H4-304817.

[0003]

A common feature of these devices is that a single scion and a stock are sequentially joined and fixed with a clip, and a plurality of seedlings cannot be grafted at once. There is a problem that the efficiency is poor.

In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 4-304817, a line for transporting a scion and a line for transporting a stock are arranged in parallel at a middle height position below a portal-type frame in a front view. It is symmetrically arranged, and working parts such as a rotary gripping and transferring mechanism, cutting mechanism, joining mechanism, and fixing mechanism using clips are arranged between the downstream ends of the transport of both lines. The transport line for the seedlings is arranged so as to be orthogonal to both lines in a plan view and to be lower at the height position.

[0005]

By the way, for example, there is a case where it is desired to select a suitable cutting portion (a stem length from the tip of the scion to the cutting portion) to be grafted according to the type of scion. On the other hand, the length of the stem varies depending on the growth degree of the scion. Similarly, in the case of a rootstock, there is a case where it is desired to change the length from the upper surface of the seedbed to the cutting point of the stem according to the type of rootstock.

However, in the grafted seedling production apparatus in the prior art, there is no means for adjusting the height position of the exits of the scion transport line and the stock transport line. Further, although a sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a scion and a stock is provided in the rotary gripping transfer mechanism, means for detecting the height of each of the scion and the stock is not provided.

Therefore, for example, if the relationship between the exit height position of the transfer line of the scion and the height position of the stem cutting mechanism is maintained constant, the stem can be cut at a fixed height position from the upper surface of the nursery bed in the scion. As a result, there is a problem that the above-mentioned request cannot be met.

Further, in the configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-304817, a grafted seedling is inserted into a pot on a transport line below a grafting operation.
Depending on the depth of the seedlings (seedling bed) in the pot, the distance to lower the grafted seedlings should not be changed unless the roots of the grafted seedlings are inserted into the seedbed at a depth that is insufficient or too deep to grow. Disadvantages such as inhibition of

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and performs a grafting operation for cutting, joining , and clip fixing a plurality of scions and rootstocks at a time to improve work efficiency. It is an object of the present invention to provide a grafted seedling manufacturing apparatus capable of performing an optimal grafting operation according to the type of seedling.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for producing a grafted seedling according to the first aspect of the present invention, comprising a seedling transfer line for a scion and a seedling transfer line for a rootstock. In a grafted seedling manufacturing apparatus including a grafted portion for joining and fixing a scion, the scion seedling transfer line and the rootstock seedling transfer line are arranged at least in parallel in a plan view, and each of the lines A tray in which a plurality of seedlings of a scion and a rootstock are planted in a row so that a plurality of seedlings intersect with the seedling transfer direction is placed on a frame provided so as to straddle above the two transfer lines. A gripping transfer mechanism for gripping the stem of each seedling in each transport line, a cutting mechanism for cutting the stem of each seedling at the same height , and a clip for grafting
While the transport mechanism is arranged, at least the height of the shoots transport line for the scions is adjustable.

[0011]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of the entire grafting seedling production apparatus 1, FIG. 2 is a schematic front view, and FIG. 3 is a moving range of a mechanism for each operation. FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the grafted seedling manufacturing apparatus 1 has a configuration in which a seedling transfer line 2 for a scion, a rootstock transfer line 3 and a grafted seedling transfer line 4 are arranged in parallel in a plan view.

In each of the transport lines, an endless belt 82 is wound around pulleys 81, 81 (only one pulley is shown in FIGS. 4 and 5) disposed before and after a frame 80, and a drive motor (not shown) Each of the trays 5 placed on each of the transport lines 2, 3, and 4 includes a scion, such as a belt conveyor 83 that is rotatably driven by a built-in drive motor. Seedlings H, rootstock seedlings D, and grafted seedlings S are respectively plural (six rows in the X direction,
The pot portion 20 capable of storing 12 rows in the Y direction) is formed in a matrix shape in a plan view.

The tray 5 is connected to the seedling transfer line 2 at the left end in FIG. 1 and the seedling transfer line 3 for the rootstock at the center in the direction of arrow Y in FIG. Are carried out intermittently, and various operations to be described later are executed at the lower part of the portal frame 6 in which the seedling grasping / transporting mechanism 7, the cutting mechanism 8, the clip transporting mechanism 9 and the like are arranged. Root of seedling H and seedling D for scion
The grafted seedlings S grafted to the leading end of the tray 5 are transferred in the grafted seedling transfer line 4 in the direction opposite to the transfer direction of the tray 5 in the transfer lines 2 and 3 (arrow Y 'direction) at the pitch P1. It is intermittently transported.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the belt conveyors 83 in each of the transport lines 2, 3, and 4 can be adjusted in height via a plurality of lifting / lowering means 85 and 85 on a main body frame 84 in a front and rear direction. Is provided. Each elevating means 85 pivotally connects a plurality of links 86 so as to be rotatable in an X-shape, and fixes one end of each of the links 86, 86 to the lower surface side of the main body frame 84 and the frame 80 of the belt conveyor 83. Then, the other ends of the links 86, 86 are manually connected in the lateral direction, and the inclination angle of these links 86 with respect to the horizontal plane is increased or decreased to change the vertical interval between the main body frame 84 and the frame body 80. A threaded rod 87 is screwed between a part of the pivot shaft 92, and the threaded rod 87 is supported by a bearing 88 so as to be rotatable only. A worm gear 89 attached to one end of the screw rod 87 has a gear 91 provided on the operation shaft 90.
To rotate. At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, the operation shaft 90 is disposed below the belt conveyor 83 along the longitudinal direction thereof, and a handle 93 for manual operation is attached to one end of the operation shaft.

Thus, the height of the seedling transfer line 2 for the scion, the seedling transfer line 3 for the rootstock, and the grafted seedling transfer line 4 can be independently adjusted. As shown in FIG. 1, one end of the operation shaft 90 is connected to a drive means 94 comprising a drive motor capable of rotating forward and reverse and a speed reduction mechanism. A spike height sensor 95 for detecting the height of the scion H on the tray 5 conveyed on the conveyance line 2 is provided, and based on the detection result of the scion height sensor 95, the control central processing unit 14 Then, the drive means 94 is rotated forward or backward to adjust the height position of the seedling transfer line 2 for the scion. In the embodiment, the upper and lower longitudinal line-shaped light transmitting portions are arranged on one side of the scion seedling transport line 2 along the height direction of the scion, and the upper and lower longitudinal line-like light receiving portions are arranged on the other side. The height from the position to the top of the scion is detected (measured)
It is configured to be able to.

A disposal box 12 for collecting the upper stems of the rootstock seedlings D that are no longer needed is provided on the side of the grafted seedling transfer line 4 and below the portal frame 6. A clip feeder 11 for supplying the clips 10 one by one to the clip transport mechanism 9 is disposed near the upper side of the disposal box 12. Note that reference numeral 1
Reference numeral 3 denotes a compressor serving as a compressed air source for driving the mechanisms 7, 8, 9 and the like, and reference numeral 14 denotes a control central processing unit such as an electric control circuit for controlling various operations.

In the gripping transfer mechanism 7, which will be described in detail later, six seedlings H for seedlings and seedlings D for rootstocks are taken from the trays 5 and 5 in the seedling transfer line 2 and root transfer line 3. 6
And a total of 12 seedlings at a time, and the grasping and transferring mechanism 7 moves the stem (top and bottom) at the root side and the tip (upper end) of one seedling vertically. It is held by the gripping hands 15 and 16. This upper gripping hand 1
The upper transfer frame 17 supporting the fifth group and the lower transfer frame 18 supporting the lower gripping hand 16 are integrally raised by a dimension H1 (not shown), and are held by the upper and lower gripping hands 15, 16. The potted portion of tray 5
From above, and then push the cutter 19 of the cutting mechanism 8 between the upper and lower gripping hands 15 and 16 in the space above the tray 5 to cut the stems of 12 seedlings at a time obliquely with respect to the axis thereof. .

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the tray 5 for accommodating the seedlings H for the scion and the seedlings D for the rootstock, as shown in FIGS. A pot tray 5b in which a seedbed pot portion 20 is formed of a flexible synthetic resin thin plate in the form of a matrix, and a base box 5a
, The pot tray 5b is removably mounted thereon. However, the heights of the left and right side plates of the base box 5a are substantially the same on the side of the pot section 20 group arranged in a row in the pot tray 5b in the pot tray 5b. Set lower between the parts.

At a predetermined position below the gripping transfer mechanism 7, there is provided a transmission sensor 96 comprising a light transmission section and a light receiving section provided on both left and right sides of each of the transport lines 2 and 3 (see FIG. 7). If the light of the transmission type sensor 96 passes through a gap portion on the lower surface side of the continuous flange portion between the front row portion and the rear row portion in the pot portion group arranged in a horizontal row of the pot tray 5b in each tray 5, It is determined that the pot portion 20 is located at the predetermined position, and it is determined that a group of the pot portions 20 arranged in a row has passed by blocking light. As described above, when it is detected that the pot portion 20 of the tray 5 is located at a predetermined position below the gripping transfer mechanism 7,
The left and right flanges of the base box 5a of the tray 5 and the left and right flanges of the pot tray 5b are sandwiched by electromagnetic solenoid type clippers 97 (see FIGS. 7 and 8).
In addition to fixing the position of the tray 5, the gripper transfer mechanism 7
When pulling the seedbed portion upward from the pot portion while pinching the middle stem from each tray 5, the pot tray 5b and the like are prevented from lifting. The upper surface of the continuous flange portion at an intermediate position between the pot portions 20 arranged in a horizontal line is viewed from the side in a side view L.
By pressing with the letter-shaped pressing rod 98 (see FIGS. 7 and 8), the left and right middle of the pot tray 5b is prevented from lifting.

The lower transfer frame 18 of the group of lower gripping hands 16 holds the lower side stems of the rootstock seedlings D (with soil cultivation) while holding the lower side stems of the twelve cut seedlings. ) Is located on the tray 5 of the grafted seedling transfer line 4,
The distance L1 is set so that the lower stem portion (with nutrient soil) of the seedling H for the scion is located on the tray 5 in the seedling transfer line 3 for the rootstock.
Move horizontally (for one line width). On the other hand, the upper transfer frame 17 of the upper gripping hand 15 group has a slight size H2 while holding the upper side stems of the twelve seedlings whose stems have been cut.
(Not shown), the upper side stem of the seedling H for the scion is located above the tray 5 of the grafted seedling transport line 4,
In addition, after the upper stem of the rootstock seedling D is laterally moved by a distance L2 (twice the distance L1) such that the upper stem of the rootstock seedling D is positioned on the disposal box 12, the upper stem of the seedling seedling H is shifted to the rootstock seedling. The group of upper gripping hands 15 is lowered by a predetermined dimension H2 so as to be joined to the cut surface of the lower stem portion (with soil cultivation) of D. In this state, when the clip 10 previously loaded in the clip transport mechanism 9 is fixed above the tray 5 of the grafted seedling transfer line 4 so as to approach and join the junction of the seedlings, the grafted seedling is completed. It becomes seedling S. Thus, the grafted six seedlings S that have completed the grafting work are moved to the empty pot portion 20 of the tray 5 of the grafted seedling transfer line 4 by lowering the gripping transfer mechanism 7 by the distance of H1. In this state, the upper gripping hand 15 and the lower gripping hand 16 may be opened to release the stem. At this time, the root-side stems (with nutrients) of the seedlings H for
Rootstock seedling transfer line 3 by opening movement of lower gripping hand 16
In the above, the rootstock seedlings D are stored in the empty pot portion 20 of the tray 5 from which the extracted rootstocks D have been removed, and the tip-side stems of the rootstock seedlings D that have become unnecessary are moved by the opening movement of the upper gripping hand 15. It falls naturally toward the waste box 12 and is discarded.

As shown in FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and FIG. 20, an extruding plate projecting in the Y 'direction by an actuator 99 such as an electromagnetic solenoid is provided on the portal frame 6 above the waste box 12. 100 is suspended and the extremity side stem of the rootstock seedling D that has not fallen even by the opening movement of the upper gripping hand 15 is extruded by the extruding plate 100 so as to be released from the upper gripping hand 15. In addition, the transmission type sensors 101a and 101b detect that all of the unnecessary stems of the rootstock seedlings D that have become unnecessary have fallen by the transmission type sensors 101a and 101b, and the process proceeds to the next grafting work cycle.
An alarm is issued to stop the operation.

Next, a detailed configuration of the gripping transfer mechanism 7 will be described with reference to FIGS. An elevating frame 21 of the gripping transfer mechanism 7 includes a first elevating actuator 22 such as an elevating air cylinder fixed to an upper surface plate of the portal frame 6.
At this time, it moves up and down largely with respect to the upper surface of the transfer line 2 for scion and the transfer line 3 for rootstock. A lower transfer frame 18 provided with twelve pairs of lower gripping hands 16 is mounted on the elevating frame 21 via a first lateral movement actuator 23 such as a lateral movement air cylinder that moves laterally by a distance L1.

A second horizontal actuator 25 such as an air cylinder for horizontal movement is vertically movably arranged on the vertical guide rail 24 on the front surface of the vertical frame 21, and the second horizontal actuator 25 is attached to the vertical frame 21. A small distance H2 by a second lifting actuator 26 such as a fixed air cylinder
It is mounted to move only up and down. With this second lateral movement actuator 25, 12 pairs of upper gripping hands 15
Is configured so that the upper transfer frame 17 provided with is moved laterally by the distance L2.

As can be understood from FIG. 6, the base of the lower gripping hand 16 for holding the lower stem of the rootstock seedling D (also common to the scionling seedling H) is located farther from the cutting mechanism 8; The base of the upper gripping hand 15 that holds the upper side stem of the rootstock seedling D is located closer to the cutting mechanism 8. The mechanism for expanding and narrowing the left and right supports 15a and 15b of the upper gripping hand 15 is the same as the mechanism for expanding and narrowing the left and right supports 16a and 16b of the lower gripping hand 16. As shown in FIG. 9, a pair of left and right sliding support pieces 31 are attached to a pair of vertically long guide shafts 30, 30 in the lower transfer frame 18, as shown in FIG.
a, 31b and a pair of left and right sliding support pieces 32a, 32b are slidably fitted on the left and right, and a pair of sliding support pieces 31a, 31b are provided.
12 left supports 16a of the lower gripping hand 16
Fix the horizontal rod 33 to be attached at a constant interval (P2). The twelve right supports 16b are attached to the other pair of sliding pieces 32a and 32b at fixed intervals (P2), and the horizontal rods 34 are fixed thereto.

8 and 9, the piston rod 35a of the enlarging / lowering actuator 35 provided at the left end of the lower transfer frame 18 is fixed to the sliding support piece 31a, while the piston rod 35a is provided at the right end of the lower transfer frame 18. The piston rod 36a of the expanded / narrowed movement actuator 36 is fixed to the sliding support piece 32b. With this configuration, the piston rods 35 of the left and right enlarging and narrowing movement actuators 35 and 36 are provided.
When the left and right supporting members 16a and 16a are protruded and moved, the left and right supporting members 16a and 16a
The horizontal rods 33, 34 move laterally so as to narrow the left-right distance of the right and left sides b, and the holding pieces 37a, 3 at the tips of the left and right supports 16a, 16b.
At 7b, the root-side stem of the rootstock seedling D (the scionling seedling H) is clamped from the left and right.

Conversely, when the piston rods 35a, 36a are protruded and moved, the lateral rods 33, 34 are moved laterally so that the left-right gap between the left and right supports 16a, 16b is widened.
The holding pieces 37a and 37b at the tips of 6a and 16b expand so as to release the stem.

In the upper transfer frame 17 as well, the left and right supports 15a, 15b are moved left and right via the actuators 35, 36 for widening and narrowing movement and the horizontal rods 38, 39, and the holding members 40a, 40b at the front ends are used to mount the base. The tip of the seedling D for the tree (the seedling H for the scion) is pinched or released. In FIG. 8, the upper transfer frame 17 and the like are not shown.

The holding pieces 37a and 37b (holding pieces 40
a and 40b are the same), as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG.
A guide groove 41, which is formed in an L-shaped cross section and is substantially V-shaped in plan view, is formed on the inner side of the horizontal plate so as to surround the stem, and the holding pieces 37a, 37b (holding pieces 40a, 4
0b), a soft elastic body 42 such as a sponge for preventing damage to the stem when sandwiched is fixed.

Next, the cutting mechanism 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6, 7, 10 and 11. The cutter 19 of the cutting mechanism 8 pushes and cuts off each of the stems from the upstream side in the transport direction of the rootstock seedlings D (spikelet seedlings H) at a position facing the gripping transfer mechanism 7. As shown in FIG. 11, the stem is cut obliquely with respect to the axis of the stem.

The seedlings D for rootstock and the seedlings H for scion, which have been nipped by the gripping transfer mechanism 7 and lifted to a predetermined height, are 12
In order to prevent the stem portion of each seedling from escaping and moving against the cutting off of the cutter 19 when cutting all at once, a pair of left and right gripping pieces 43a is provided between the upper gripping hand 15 and the lower gripping hand 16 in the vertical direction. , 43b, the cutter 19 is pushed forward in the direction of arrow Y in FIG.

The cutting frame 44 is held at a fixed height with respect to the portal frame 6, and the cutting frame 44 has a horizontal rod 45 and a right gripping piece 45 which support the bases of the twelve left gripping pieces 43a. A horizontal rod 46 supporting the base of 43b is supported to be able to move left and right. A piston rod 47a protruding from the left side of a gripping / moving actuator 47 such as an air cylinder attached to the cutting frame 44.
Is connected to the horizontal rod 46, while a piston rod 47 b projecting from the right side is connected to the horizontal rod 45. As a result, when the piston rods 47a and 47b protrude from each other, the left and right distance between the left and right grip pieces 93a and 43b is reduced, and the stem of the seedling is gripped from the left and right. Conversely, both piston rods 47
a, 47b are retracted from each other, the left and right grip pieces 43a,
This is because the left-right space of 43b is widened.

On the other hand, a support frame 48 supported by the cutting frame 44 so as to be movable back and forth (in the direction of arrow Y) is provided with twelve round rods, square rods, plate-like cutter shafts 49 at fixed intervals (P2). ), And the cutter frame 50 moves the support frame 48 (in the direction of the arrow Y).

Incidentally, as shown in FIG.
A nozzle 102 for injecting one or both of water and compressed air is provided on the lower side of 9, and water or compressed air is blown to the cutter 19 after each cutting operation, so that cutting chips adhere to the cutting edge and the like. To prevent dullness.

In the above embodiment, a number of upper gripping hands 1
5 (lower gripping hand 16) is simultaneously moved right and left by two left and right actuators 35 and 36,
All the gripping hands have the same moving amount. Therefore,
In this configuration, the types (quality) of the seedlings H for the scion and the seedlings D for the rootstock
It is difficult to adjust the change of the amount of expansion and contraction for each gripping hand according to the difference in the diameter of the seedlings and the difference in softness for each individual. Therefore, as shown in FIG.
An oscillating air actuator 51 is provided for each seedling location. Then, as shown in FIG. 13, a pressure reducing valve (pressure regulating valve) 54 is interposed between the ON / OFF control valve 53 and the actuator 51 in the pneumatic circuit 52 so that each stem is neither too strong nor too weak. It is preferable to be able to grip with an appropriate pressure. Reference numeral 55 denotes a filter, reference numeral 56 denotes a replicator, and reference numeral 57 denotes a relief valve.

Next, the detailed structure of the clip transport mechanism 9 will be described with reference to FIGS.

When a clip 10 made of a washing scissor-type synthetic resin or the like is randomly inserted into a clip feeder 11 composed of a vibration type part feeder or the like having a conventionally known configuration,
The clips 10 are aligned in a row so that the forked stem gripping portion 10a is located at the top near the supply port 11b and the forked opening / closing operation portions 10b and 10b are located rearward in the supply passage 11a having an open top surface. (FIG. 16A)
reference). Insertion groove 1 of bifurcated opening / closing operation portion 10b, 10b
The stem grip 10a is constantly urged in the closing direction by the split ring spring 10c passing through the 0d point.

The clip transport mechanism 9 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 5, a movable frame 61 suspended from the lower surface of a support frame 60 provided on the lower surface of the
It is configured to be movable in the direction and the Y direction. That is, the upper suspension 61a of the movable frame 61 is movably suspended in the left-right direction (X direction) with respect to the guide rail 62 elongated in the X direction fixed to the lower surface of the support frame 60. A timing belt 65 is wound around a driven pulley 63 and a driving pulley 64 provided on the lower surface side of the driving wheel 60, and the driving pulley 64 is driven by a forward / reverse rotatable step motor 66 fixed on the portal frame 6, The belt 65 and the upper hanging support 61 a are connected by a connecting fitting 69.
Further, the movable frame 61 is movably suspended from a front-rear (Y-direction) guide rail 67 provided on the lower surface of the upper suspension support 61a, and the piston of the drive actuator 68 fixed to the lower surface of the portal frame 6 is fixed. When a rod (not shown) is connected to the moving frame 61 and the piston rod protrudes, the moving frame 61 is moved so as to approach the front surface of the gripping transfer mechanism 7 (two points in FIG. 14). See dashed line).

In the moving frame 61, a clip holder 70 composed of six pairs of left and right hand bodies 70a and 70b has a fixed interval (P2) equal to the installation interval of the upper gripping hand 15 (lower gripping hand 16) in the gripping transfer mechanism 7. ).

The horizontal rod 71, to which the bases of the six right hand bodies 70b are fixed, and the horizontal rod 72, to which the bases of the six left hand bodies 70a are similarly fixed, can move from side to side with respect to the moving frame 60. It is attached to.

On the other hand, the left and right hand bodies 70a and 70b of each clip holder 70 have Y
Guide grooves 76, 76 are formed in the longitudinal direction, and while the split ring spring 10c of the clip 10 is
The stem grasping portion 10a, which is the tip of the stem, can move to the holding portion 77.

Then, as will be described later, the left and right hand bodies 70
In the state where the distance between the a and 70b is maintained at P4, the supply port 11a of the supply passage 11a in the clip feeder 11 is provided.
When the clip 10 is located in front of the b, the pusher 79 at the tip of the piston rod 78a of the clip supply actuator 78 such as an air cylinder arranged along the supply passage 11a pushes the clip 10 forward to be inherited by the clip holder 70 ( FIG. 16A).

At this time, as shown in FIG. 18, the base of the opening / closing operation section 10b is constructed so as to be connected to the middle of the stem gripping section 10a in the height direction. Spring plate clip restrictor 1 fixed to base
03 is disposed below the pair of left and right hand bodies 70a, 70b so as to extend toward the distal ends (free ends), and the distal ends of the clip restrictors 103 are bent upward. The tip is arranged so as to abut the lower end of the continuous portion of each clip 10 between the stem grasping portion 10a and the base of the opening / closing operation portion 10b. Further, the distal end surface of the clip regulating body 103 at this time is shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), in plan view, it is parallel to the tips of the left and right hand bodies 70a, 70b, and has a distance L3.
Only to protrude.

When the transfer of one clip 10 to one clip holder 70 is completed, the stepping motor 66 is operated to move the entire moving frame 60 to the pitch P.
The operation of intermittently moving the clip holder 70 by two in the horizontal direction (X direction) to position the empty clip holder 70 in front of the supply port 11b and allowing the clip holder 70 to take over the clip 10 is repeated, thereby obtaining six clip holders. When the clip 10 is supplied to all of the 70, increasing the moving frame 61 toward the front of the grip transport mechanism 6 in state shape obtained by bonding the cut point between the stock for seedling D and scion for seedlings H It is moved in the X direction.

A piston rod 73a projecting from the left side of a first clip actuator 73 such as an air cylinder fixed to the moving frame 61 is connected to a second clip actuator 74, and the piston rod 74a of the second clip actuator 74 is connected to the second clip actuator 74. Is connected to the horizontal rod 71, while the piston rod 73b projecting from the right side is connected to the second clip actuator 75, and the piston rod 75a of the second clip actuator 75 is connected to the horizontal rod 72. Thereby, both piston rods 73
a and 73b project from each other, the left and right hand bodies 70
The distance between the left and right sides of the a and 70b is reduced to P3 (see the state of FIG. 16B), the distance between the left and right opening and closing operation parts 10b and 10b in the clip 10 is narrowed, and the stem grasping part 10a can be maintained in an expanded state. Both piston rods 73a, 7
3b, the left and right hand bodies 70a, 70b
The left-right interval of b extends to P4 (see the state of FIG. 16A), and the clip feeder 11 is in a standby posture of inheriting the clip 10 from the supply port 11b. Then, in this spread state, the second clip actuators 74, 7
5 and the piston rods 74a, 75a are protruded and moved, the left-right distance between the left and right hand bodies 70a, 70b expands to P5 (see the state of FIG. 16 (c)). The joint of the grafted seedling S is grasped from the left and right and fixed. Piston rods 74a, 75
When a is moved backward, the left and right hand bodies 70a and 70b are returned so that the left-right space becomes narrow to P4 (see the state of FIG. 16B).

As described above, the left and right hand bodies 70a, 70
When the left-right gap of the b is widened, the free end side (the widest point) of the opening / closing operation portions 10b, 10b of the clip 10 is opened and closed with the stem gripping portion 10a of the clip 10 at the tip of the clip regulating body 103. If the location of the connecting portion with the base of the portion 10b is not regulated, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, since the distance L4 from the tips of the hand bodies 70a, 70b is kept constant by contacting the left and right holding parts 77, 77, the rotation fulcrum of the left and right stem gripping parts 10a (in other words, the hand The rotation fulcrum 104 of the bodies 70a and 70b is
As the distal ends of the left and right stem gripping portions 10a become narrower, they come closer to the distal ends of the hand bodies 70a and 70b.
Therefore, in this case, both left and right stem gripping portions 10a, 10a
As the tip of the stalk becomes narrower, the position of the stalk is deviated so as to be shorter than the K distance L5 with respect to the stalk gripping portion by the left and right stalk grippers 10a, 10a, and the stalk gripping operation is reliably performed. It becomes impossible state. Therefore, if the clip 10 is restricted by the distal end edge of the clip restricting body 103 so as not to approach the distal ends of the hand bodies 70a and 70b, the stalk grasping operation can be executed reliably. In addition, the leading edge of the clip regulating body 103 is the left and right stem gripping portion 1.
When the hand bodies 70a and 70b are opened and moved, the contact release timing between one of the holding parts 77 and the hand body 70a is released by contacting the hand body 70a and 70b with each other. Even if the timing of releasing the contact between the holding part 77 and the hand body 70a is shifted, the left and right stem gripping parts 1
There is no displacement of the posture such that 0a and 10a rotate in plan view.

With the above configuration, the gripping transfer mechanism 7
A total of 12 seedlings, 6 seedlings H for seedlings and 6 seedlings D for rootstock, are picked up from the tray 5 by holding the upper gripping hand 15 and the lower part at 16 and picking up the middle part of the stem. After cutting and moving the upper stem side by a distance L2 while slightly lifting the upper stem side after the cutting, and laterally moving the lower stem side by a distance L1, the upper stem side is lowered by the amount of the lifting. During the process of joining the upper part of the stem of the seedling for seedling H to the cut surface of the lower part of the seedling for rootstock D, the clip transport mechanism 9 inserts six clips 10 from the clip feeder 11 into the clip holder 70. Then, the process of moving in the X direction to approach the junction of the six seedlings is performed simultaneously.

In this case, according to the height of the scion seedlings H, the raising and lowering means 85 of the scion seedling conveying line 2 is manually operated to cut the stem from the upper end of the scion seedlings H. The height dimension can be set to a suitable position. Instead, the scion height sensor 95 is activated,
In addition to detecting the height from the reference height position of the scion seedling transfer line 2 to the upper end of the scion seedling H, the control central processing unit 14
First, the driving means 94 is driven to adjust the raising and lowering of the scion seedling transfer line 2 from the data of the suitable stem cutting height previously set and input according to the type of the seedling (such as a scion). You can. This data input may be an analog dial input or a digital input using a keyboard. If the grafted seedling transport line is adjusted by the elevating means in this way, the falling distance of the grafted seedling can be adjusted according to the height of the seedbed in the grafted seedling, and the seedbed is placed in the pot portion of the tray. It is possible to prevent the nursery from collapsing due to the impact of falling.

The raising and lowering means 8 of the rootstock seedling transfer line 3
By operating the tray 5, the height from the upper surface of the seedbed to the cut surface of the rootstock in the tray 5 on the transport line can be changed and adjusted to a suitable size.

When the grafting operation of fixing the junction of the six seedlings with the clip 10 is completed, the clip transport mechanism 9 returns to the original position and executes the clip loading operation. In the meantime, by lowering the gripping transfer mechanism 7 by the distance of H1, the grafted 6 that has completed the grafting operation is completed.
The book seedlings S are stored in the empty pot portions 20 of the tray 5 of the grafted seedling transfer line 4, and in this state, the upper gripping hand 15 and the lower gripping hand 16 are opened to release the gripping of the stem. good. At this time, the root-side stem portion (with nourishment) of the seedling H for the shoots, which becomes unnecessary, was pulled out from the rootstock transfer line 3 by the opening movement of the lower gripping hand 16. The tip side stem of the rootstock seedling D that is stored in the empty pot portion 20 of the tray 5 and becomes unnecessary is naturally dropped toward the disposal box 12 by the opening movement of the upper gripping hand 15 and is discarded. You.

In this case, a guide body 104 as shown in FIGS. 21 to 23 is arranged above the empty pot portion 20 of the tray 5 of the grafted seedling transfer line 4. This guide body 1
Numeral 04 denotes a guide hole 105 formed above the horizontal row of pot portions 20 in a horizontal row, and each guide hole 105 has a cutout groove through which a stem portion of the grafted seedling S can pass in the Y direction. 106 is formed. Thereby, when the grafted seedling S is allowed to fall naturally on the tray 5 with its nursery bed 107 down, the nursery bed 107 is guided to the guide hole 105.
Nursery bed 10 for pot portion 20 of each tray 5
7 can be set so that the stem is almost vertical.

If the grafted seedling conveying line 4 is adjusted by the elevating means 85, the falling distance of the grafted seedling S can be adjusted according to the height of the seedbed 107 and the like.
It is possible to prevent the nursery 107 from collapsing due to the impact of the nursery 107 falling into the pot portion 20.

Since the tray 5 in the seedling transfer line 2 for scions is emptied by the above operation, the empty tray 5
May be placed on the grafted seedling transport line 4 in order to use it for storing the grafted seedlings S. On the other hand, the rootstock seedling transport line 3
In the tray 5, the root-side stem portion (with nutrient soil) of the seedling H for the scion can be stored in the empty pot portion 20 after the rootstock seedling D is extracted. It is not necessary to prepare the tray 5 separately, and the required number of trays 5 can be reduced, and it is not necessary to separately secure a storage space for the unnecessary seedlings, and the installation area can be reduced.

In the tray 5 on the grafted seedling transport line 4, the interval between the pot portions 20 adjacent in the Y 'direction in FIG. 1 is short, so that the branches and leaves of the already stored grafted seedling S follow. The upper part of the empty pot part 20 may be covered, and if the grafted seedling S is dropped on the empty pot part 20, it may not be able to be stored in a normal posture.
For this purpose, the intermittent movement of the tray 5 of the grafted seedling transfer line 4 is controlled so that the grafted seedlings S are dropped to every other location in the pot portion 20 adjacent in the Y 'direction in FIG. You may do it.

As described above, a detector for detecting the height of the scion in a state where the scion is transported is provided on the scion seedling transfer line, and the scion is based on the detection result of the detector. If the control means for automatically adjusting the height of the seedling transfer line is provided, the spike height detector is operated to move the upper end of the shoot seedling from the reference height position of the seedling transfer line. In addition to detecting the height up to this point, the drive means is driven from the suitable stem cutting height data set and input in advance in the control central processing unit according to the type of the scion, and the seedling conveying line for scion is driven. Is automatically adjusted so that the grafting work can be performed with extremely high efficiency.

In the above-described embodiment, an apparatus capable of simultaneously producing six grafted seedlings has been described. However, the number can be increased or decreased according to the required area of the installation portion. According to the present invention, the clip fixing operation is performed after the cutting operation and the joining operation are performed in the space above the height of the seedling supplied on the transport line of each seedling, so that the mechanism for each operation is more than necessary. Since there is no restriction for miniaturization, the degree of freedom in the design of each mechanism is given.

[0056]

As described above, the first aspect of the present invention has a seedling transfer line for scion and a seedling transfer line for rootstock, and joins and fixes the scion to the rootstock. In the grafted seedling manufacturing apparatus including a graft portion, the seedling transfer line for scion and the seedling transfer line for rootstock are arranged at least in parallel in a plan view, and each line includes a scion and a rootstock. A tray in which a plurality of each seedlings are erected in a row so as to intersect with the seedling transfer direction is placed, and a frame provided so as to straddle above the two transfer lines includes: a grip transport mechanism for gripping the stem of the seedling, and cutting mechanism for cutting the stem of each seedling at the same height position, tangent
While the clip transport mechanism for the splint is arranged, at least the seedling transport line for the scion is configured to be adjustable in height, so that a plurality of seedlings arranged in a horizontal line in each transport line are removed. Hold, transfer, cut , and
Can perform the fixing operation using the clip, so that there is an effect that the efficiency of the grafted seedling manufacturing operation is remarkably improved.

According to the present invention, at least the height of the scion seedling transfer line is configured to be adjustable, so that the cutting position can be changed according to the type and growth of the scion seedling. In this case, the cutting mechanism and the height position of the seedlings for the scion on the tray can be adjusted very easily.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a grafted seedling manufacturing apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of a grafted seedling manufacturing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a movement range of a gripping transfer mechanism, a cutting mechanism, and a clip transport mechanism in a portal frame portion.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a lifting / lowering means of a transport line.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway plan view of a gripping transfer mechanism and a cutting mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a side view of a gripping transfer mechanism and a cutting mechanism, as viewed in the direction of arrows VII-VII in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway front view of a lower transfer frame and a lower gripping hand.

FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway perspective view of a lower transfer frame and a lower gripping hand.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a main part of a cutting mechanism.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a main part showing a positional relationship of parts when cutting the stem.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing another embodiment of the gripping hand actuator.

FIG. 13 shows a pneumatic circuit for controlling the gripping hand actuator.

FIG. 14 shows a clip transport mechanism XIV in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XIV.

FIG. 15 is a view taken along line XV-XV of FIG. 14;

16A is a plan cross-sectional view showing a clip passing state from a clip feeder to a clip holder, FIG. 16B is a plan view showing a state where a stem grip portion of the clip is opened,
(C) is a top view which shows the state which grasps a stem with a clip.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view taken along line XVII-XVII of FIG.

FIG. 18 is a view taken along line XVIII-XVIII in FIG. 16 (b).

FIG. 19 is an operation explanatory view.

20 is a sectional view taken along the line XX-XX in FIG.

FIG. 21 is a side sectional view of a transfer line for grafted seedlings.

FIG. 22 is a partially cutaway plan view of a guide body.

FIG. 23 is a view taken along line XXIII-XXIII in FIG. 22;

[Explanation of symbols]

 H Seedlings for seedlings D Seedlings for rootstocks S Grafted seedlings 1 Grafted seedling production equipment 2 Seedling transfer line for scionlets 3 Seedling transfer line for rootstock 4 Grafted seedling transfer line 5 Tray 6 Gate frame 7 Gripping transfer mechanism 8 Cutting mechanism 9 Clip transport mechanism 10 Clip 15 Upper gripping hand 16 Lower gripping hand 17 Upper transfer frame 18 Lower transfer frame 19 Cutter 80 Frame 85 Elevating means 86 Link 89 Worm gear 90 Operating shaft 91 Gear 93 Handle 94 Drive means 95 Hom height Sensor

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Akira Takahashi 1-32 Chaya-cho, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi Inside Yanmar Agricultural Machinery Co., Ltd. (72) Haruo Koga 1-32 Chaya-machi, Kita-ku, Osaka-Yanmar Agricultural Machinery Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Akira Takemura 1-32 Chayamachi, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi Inside Yanmar Agricultural Machinery Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masanao Ueyama 5-3-1 Tsukaguchi Honcho, Amagasaki-shi, Hyogo Showa Seiki Kogyo Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yoshinori Abe 5-3-1 Tsukaguchi Honcho, Amagasaki City, Hyogo Prefecture Showa Seiki Industry Co., Ltd. (58) Field surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A01G 1/06

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A grafted seedling manufacturing apparatus comprising a seedling transfer line for a scion and a seedling transfer line for a stock, and comprising a graft portion for joining and fixing the scion to the stock. The transfer line and the seedling transfer line for rootstock are arranged at least in parallel in a plan view, and in each of the lines, a plurality of seedlings of shoots and rootstock are arranged in a row so as to intersect the seedling transfer direction. A frame on which the planted trays are placed and which is provided so as to straddle above the two transport lines is provided with a gripping transfer mechanism for gripping a stem portion of each seedling in each transport line, A cutting mechanism for cutting the stem at the same height position and a clip transfer mechanism for grafting are arranged, while at least the scion seedling transfer line is configured to be adjustable in height. Grafting seedling production equipment.