JP3921652B2 - Potting method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a potting method in which a normal seedling pot formed in a cup shape is dropped for each pot receiver of a tray in which a bottomed pot receiver is formed, and placed in an inserted state.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, when raising vegetable seedlings or flowering tree seedlings, soft plastic seedling pots represented by polyethylene or vinyl have been widely used. Each of such conventional seedling pots is formed from a cylindrical side wall whose upper end is open and a bottom wall continuous to the lower end of the side wall, and these seedling pots are used for raising seedlings in use. Each is configured to be set one by one in a bottomed pot receiver provided on the tray. These seedling pots are generally stored, transported and marketed in a state where a plurality of seedling pots are stacked one on top of the other. It was necessary to set in the receiver.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, these seedling pots are all made of soft thin-walled material and have the same size and shape. Therefore, when these seedling pots are stacked one above the other, the inner surface of the seedling pot and the outer surface of the adjacent seedling pot are in close contact with each other. Therefore, it is difficult to pull out the seedling pots that overlap each other at the top and bottom, making it difficult to perform smooth name work due to the occurrence of two or three picking pots. There was a problem.
[0004]
Therefore, a so-called connection pot in which a large number of seedling pots are connected together is devised, and this connection pot is accommodated in a tray. In this connection pot, since each seedling pot is formed corresponding to each pot receiver of the tray, each seedling pot of the connection pot is collectively stored in each pot receiver of the resin tray. The operation of inserting one by one becomes unnecessary, and the working time can be shortened and the working efficiency is improved.
[0005]
However, after supplying soil and seedlings in each seedling pot, when trying to separate one seedling pot at the time of shipping the seedling pot, etc., the operator should shred the seedling pot one by one. If separated, it may take time for the separation work, and sometimes it can be easily separated or it may be difficult to separate, and there is a problem that the flow of separation work does not go smoothly and it is difficult for the operator to work. It was.
[0006]
Therefore, a partition frame is formed in a lattice shape at a position corresponding to each of a plurality of seedling pots provided in the connection pot, and a frame member for placing each seedling pot in the partition frame And a pressing member for pressing all of the seedling pots from above the frame member, and by pressing all of the seedling pots constituting the connection pot from above the frame body with the pressing member. There has been proposed a separation jig for separating all the seedling pots into individual pieces and then dropping them into the pot housing part (recessed part) of the resin case (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-285318).
[0007]
According to this separation jig, all the seedling pots constituting the connection pot are pressed down. Therefore, the same number of rods (pipe materials) as the number of the seedling pots are placed on the pushing member constituting the separation jig. It is necessary to prepare for the position corresponding to each seedling pot, especially when the diameter of the seedling pot is small and the quantity is large, the bar material (pipe material) that constitutes the pushing member increases, and it is close to each other, There is a problem in that the mold becomes complicated and the mold becomes expensive, and the mold itself is heavy and requires a large amount of power consumption.
[0008]
In addition, when performing the work of arranging the bar material (pipe material) with respect to the seedling pot fitted in the partition frame, the operator must surely insert the bar material (pipe material) into the seedling pot. There is also a problem that it takes time and effort, and the work flow is not smooth and difficult to work, and it takes time and work efficiency is poor.
[0009]
Next, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-127691, a partition member is provided in a lattice shape inside the frame member, and a separation protrusion for separating the connection portion of the connection pot is provided above the partition member. There is also a proposal, but according to this separation jig, there is a problem that it is easy to get injured with work risk because it employs a structure that protrudes a separation protrusion on the upper edge of the partition material was there. In addition, since it is difficult to stack the partition members up and down, there is a problem that a large storage space and a transport space are required, and the cargo is easily collapsed and easily injured.
[0010]
Then, recently, advance overlapped by a distance corresponding separation between the spacer that bulges outwardly from the plurality of bottom surface of the bottomed nursery pot-shaped cups formed on the bottom side to the spacer, nursery There has been proposed a potting method in which a plurality of claw portions are attached to a spacer of a pot , pulled out and held as it is, and placed in a state where the seedling pots are respectively fitted in the pot receivers of the tray. According to this method, it is necessary to overlap the seedling pots with a distance corresponding to the distance from the bottom surface to the spacer, so that in addition to the overall size of the apparatus, there are defective pulling out of the seedling pots or a plurality of them are removed. In many cases, there was a problem that there was a defect such as quickness and accuracy.
[0011]
The present invention has been made in view of the problems as described above. The purpose of the present invention is to drop a normal seedling pot formed into a cup shape for each pot receiver provided in the tray, thereby raising seedlings. It is intended to provide a potting method with excellent working efficiency that allows pots to be potted continuously or semi-continuously.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the technical means adopted by the invention according to claim 1 is: "The bottomed pot holder having openings of the same diameter at regular intervals in the vertical or horizontal direction or in the vertical and horizontal directions is formed A potting method for dropping a seedling pot formed into a normal round cup shape for each tray receiving the tray,
A gripping device having a gripping tool comprising four arms that deforms each seedling pot into a substantially rectangular shape by opening outwardly and abutting against the inner wall surface of the seedling pot at a position corresponding to each of the pot receivers Is lowered toward the storage case that stores the seedling pot in a position corresponding to each of the pot receivers,
The four arms are opened outward, and the seedling pots are gripped in a state of being deformed into a substantially rectangular shape, moved upward as they are, and then the tray is moved horizontally below the gripping device . The gist of the potting method is to drop the seedling pots into the pot receptacles by moving the arms inward and releasing the gripping.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below, but these are representative ones, and the present invention is not limited by the following examples unless it exceeds the gist.
[0014]
The potting method according to the present invention can be implemented by using the following apparatus.
[0015]
This device is capable of reciprocating vertically with guiding means for guiding horizontally a tray with a bottomed pot holder having openings of the same diameter at regular intervals in the vertical or horizontal or vertical and horizontal directions. In order to drop each of the seedling pots into the pot receiver by releasing the gripping while holding the seedling pot in contact with the inner wall surface of the seedling pot at a position corresponding to each of the pot receivers. A gripping device having a gripping tool composed of a book arm, and a storage case disposed below the gripping device, in which a plurality of seedling pots are overlapped to form a block, and the block is stored in a position corresponding to each of the pot receivers The tray guidance and the operation of the gripping device are both controlled by an optical sensor. The seedling pot may be a normal round seedling pot that does not have, for example, a spacer on the peripheral wall. It goes without saying that there are approximately the same number of seedling pots constituting the block.
[0016]
First, the gripping device is lowered and stopped in a state where four arms are inserted into each seedling pot located at the uppermost part in the storage case. When the four arms are opened outward, the four arms are brought into contact with the inner wall surface of the seedling pot , respectively, and the round seedling pot can be gripped in a substantially rectangular shape.
[0017]
Then, in the state that has gripped the seedling pots, and stops raising the gripping device.
[0018]
Then, under the gripping device, and it stops moving the tray to be placed receiving pot tray is at a position in correspondence with each of the gripper (aligning and), four gripping the respective seedling pots When the arms are moved inward to release the gripping state, each seedling pot can be dropped into the pot receiver. Then, the tray is taken out of the apparatus.
[0019]
By repeating the above-described series of operations, a so-called round normal seedling pot formed into a cup shape can be potted continuously or semi-continuously on the tray pot receiver.
[0020]
Note that a series of these operations can be semi-automated or automated through a sensor connected to a drive mechanism.
[0021]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the potting method according to the present invention, even if the seedling pot is made of soft plastic, it is not necessary to set the inside of the tray receiver while pulling out the seedling pots piled up one by one, In addition, it is not necessary to manufacture a so-called connecting pot in which a large number of seedling pots are connected in series as in the prior art. Therefore, for example, when shipping each seedling pot, an operator pulls the seedling pots one by one. Since it is not necessary to separate it into pieces, there is no need for a separation jig.
[0022]
In addition, since it is possible to use a so-called round normal seedling pot molded into a cup shape, it is not necessary to prepare a dedicated seedling pot having a spacer that bulges outward as in the prior art. In addition to reducing the overall size of the device and reducing the work space, it is possible to quickly and surely provide a seedling pot in the pot receiver, which makes it difficult to remove seedling pots or to remove multiple seedling pots . It is possible to provide a potting method that is highly effective in shortening and improving work efficiency, and its practical value is extremely large.

Claims (1)

A seedling pot formed in a normal round cup shape is dropped for each pot receiver in a tray that has a bottomed pot receiver having openings with the same diameter at regular intervals in the vertical or horizontal direction or in the vertical and horizontal directions. A potting method,
A gripping device having a gripping tool comprising four arms that deforms each seedling pot into a substantially rectangular shape by opening outwardly and abutting against the inner wall surface of the seedling pot at a position corresponding to each of the pot receivers Is lowered toward the storage case that stores the seedling pot in a position corresponding to each of the pot receivers,
The four arms are opened outward, and the seedling pots are gripped in a state of being deformed into a substantially rectangular shape, moved upward as they are, and then the tray is moved horizontally below the gripping device . A potting method, wherein the seedling pots are dropped into the pot receivers by moving the arms inward to release the grip.