JPH09205888A - Seedling inspection device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a seedling inspection device which is improved in working precision by enabling an inspection mechanism to insert an inspection arm into a seedling array and easily measure seedling shaft diameters after an obstacle is removed from an inspection area by an arm for cleaning. SOLUTION: A cleaning mechanism 6 which drives the cleaning arm 11 for removing an obstacle from the inspection area that the inspection arm 7 inspects and the inspecting mechanism 5 which drives the inspection arm 7 for seedling shaft diameter measurement in the inspection area are provided on the same end of a seedling group. The cleaning mechanism 6 is so constituted as to drive the cleaning arm 11 to clamp the shaft of a seedling after inserting it into the seedling array and further lift the cleaning arm 11 in contact with the seedling, thereby removing the obstacle including the cleaning arm 11 itself from the inspection area. The inspecting mechanism 5 is so driven as to insert the inspection arm 7 into the seedling array after the cleaning arm 11 removes the obstacle from the inspection area. Here, the inspection arm 7 is preferably equipped with one couple of sensors 8 for seedling shaft diameter measurement for each array of seedlings.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a seedling inspection device used when producing various seedlings, and is particularly effective for seedling transplantation work by automatically inspecting good seedlings, defective seedlings, and empty seedlings. The present invention relates to a seedling inspection device that gives an index.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in fields such as agriculture and horticultural industry, production and cultivation of seedlings are being divided into labors.
Of these, the seedling producer planted the required number of seeds and small seedlings in each cell of a cell molding tray (hereinafter simply referred to as a tray) to grow excellent seedlings, and then grew the grown seedlings in each tray. It is supplied to growers. These trays are usually
It is a box type with a size of about 300 mm × 600 mm, and about 5 × 10 to 20 × 25 seedlings are planted in this tray.

By the way, seedling producers who specialize in producing seedlings and supplying these grown seedlings to the growers, see the quality of seedlings, the rate of usable seedlings, the survival rate in shipped seedlings, etc. Is very important, and this information is also very important in terms of production technology and human cost.

Therefore, from the viewpoint of improving the quality of seedlings, conventionally, seedling producers observe the growth state of individual seedlings in the tray after a certain period of time. Generally, a plant has seeds that germinate,
Futaba spreads, or true leaves spread out.

In addition to the case where a seedling to be supplied to a grower is grown from one kind of seed, the seedling from two kinds of seeds may be grafted and grown as one seedling. For example, if a tomato seedling resistant to disease is used as a rootstock and a tomato seedling with a large yield is grafted as a scion, a seedling resistant to a disease and with a large yield can be obtained.

Whether seedlings are grafted or not, among the seedlings in the growing stage, there are various kinds of seedlings such as poorly colored seedlings, fallen seedlings, delayed growth seedlings, and seedlings whose shape is unnatural. There are seedlings.

[0007] Therefore, the seedling producer inspects three kinds of states of good seedlings, bad seedlings, and empty areas where seedlings are not grown, and if there is bad seedlings of poor quality, picks out bad seedlings of poor quality. ,
While replanting this defective seedling part into a good quality seedling, transplant a good quality seedling prepared separately to the empty part of the seedling where the seedling is not growing,
Furthermore, if necessary, high quality seedlings are simultaneously transplanted to the defective seedling part and the seedling empty part to ensure a uniform quality seedling group for each tray, thereby maintaining the seedling quality by the producer. ing.

The growth condition of seedlings can be evaluated by measuring the diameter of the seedling shaft. Therefore, a seedling inspection device has been conventionally used as a device for inspecting this seedling by measuring the axis diameter of the seedling.

In such a seedling inspection device, before the actual measurement of the shaft diameter, it is necessary to clean the periphery of the stem (seedling shaft) in order to avoid erroneous measurement due to fallen leaves and dirt caused by growth. Therefore, first, the cleaning mechanism is inserted into the tray to clean the periphery of the seedling axis.

Then, the sensor body for measuring the shaft diameter is inserted into the tray to measure the shaft diameter. Here, for example, in a seedling inspection device for inspecting grafted seedlings, the diameters of both the rootstock and the scion are measured. In this case, the sensor unit has a structure in which the rootstock and the scion are separately measured, so that the sensor unit has a long structure in the height direction of the seedling.

[0011]

As described above, for example, in a seedling inspection device for inspecting grafted seedlings, the sensor portion occupies from the hypocotyl portion of the seedling to the vicinity of the bilobes. Depending on the situation, the seedling may come into contact with the sensor and the leaves may get caught in the sensor.

Further, as described above, it is necessary to insert the cleaning mechanism onto the tray and clean the periphery of the shaft in order to eliminate the obstacles in the portion measured by the sensor. But,
In order to insert the sensor unit and the cleaning mechanism into a narrow space around the axis on the tray up to Futaba, consider the relative size of each mechanism with respect to the seedlings, the insertion operation and the order, etc.
In addition, fine control must be performed in some cases, and its handling is very complicated.

Further, for example, it is conceivable to dispose a cleaning mechanism at a position opposed to the mechanism for inserting the sensor part into the seedling tray with the tray interposed therebetween.
Each side of the tray will be occupied by each mechanism of the seedling inspection device, and the working space of a person raising the seedlings will be extremely limited.

Therefore, a person can easily work on the tray.
It is difficult with the conventional method to provide a seedling inspection device with a structure and operation that can be operated, and a seedling inspection device that can smoothly operate the cleaning mechanism and the sensor unit without adversely affecting the seedlings. is there.

The present invention has been made in consideration of such circumstances, and a first object is to sufficiently secure a space in which a person can work and operate on a tray on which seedlings are planted, and It is an object of the present invention to provide a seedling inspection device capable of easily measuring the seedling shaft diameter by removing obstacles around the seedling shaft on the tray.

The second purpose is to ensure a sufficient space for humans to work and operate on the tray on which seedlings are planted, and to easily remove obstacles around the seedling axis on the tray. It is an object of the present invention to provide a seedling inspection device capable of measuring the diameter of seedlings and measuring the diameters of two different locations of the same seedling in a series of operations. A third object of the present invention is to provide a seedling inspection device capable of scrubbing the seedling shaft with a cleaning mechanism in order to remove obstacles around the seedling shaft.

[0017]

In order to solve the above problems, the invention according to claim 1 is characterized in that an inspection arm is inserted along a seedling row between seedling groups consisting of a plurality of seedling rows. In a seedling inspection device for inspecting the state of seedlings, a cleaning mechanism that drives a cleaning arm for removing obstacles in the inspection area to be inspected by the inspection arm and the inspection arm for measuring the seedling axis diameter in the inspection area An inspection mechanism is provided at the same end with respect to the seedling group, and the cleaning mechanism drives the cleaning arm so as to sandwich the axis of the seedling after inserting it into the row of seedlings, and in a state where the cleaning arm is still in contact with the seedling. By driving to lift up, the obstacle including the cleaning arm itself is configured to be removed from the inspection area, and the inspection mechanism is
After the cleaning arm removes obstructions from the inspection area,
This is a seedling inspection device that drives the inspection arm to be inserted into the seedling row.

Next, the invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the inspection arm is provided with a pair of sensors for measuring seedling axis diameter for each row of seedlings. This is a seedling inspection device that measures the diameter of seedlings when they are inserted and when they are pulled out.

The invention according to claim 3 is, in the invention according to claim 2, a seedling inspection device for measuring seedling shaft diameters at different height positions at the time of inserting and when pulling out.
Furthermore, in the invention according to claim 4, in the invention according to claim 2 or 3, the inspection arm is composed of a pair of arms, and is provided with a pair of photoelectric sensors as a pair of sensors. Is a seedling inspection device in which the arm and the light receiver are provided in respective arms.

Furthermore, the invention corresponding to claim 5 is
In the inventions corresponding to claims 1 to 4, the cleaning arm is a seedling inspection device having brush hair, and a portion contacting the seedling is brush hair.

Therefore, first, in the seedling inspection device of the invention according to claim 1, the state of each seedling is inspected by inserting the inspection arm along the seedling row between the seedling groups consisting of a plurality of seedling rows. It is supposed to be done.

The cleaning mechanism drives the cleaning arm for removing obstacles in the inspection area to be inspected by the inspection arm. On the other hand, the inspection mechanism drives the inspection arm for measuring the seedling axis diameter in the inspection area.

Since the cleaning mechanism and the inspection mechanism are provided at the same end with respect to the seedling group, the space at the other end of the seedling group is not occupied by the constituent members of the seedling inspection apparatus. Therefore, a space where humans can work and operate is sufficiently secured in the tray or the like where the seedlings are planted.

The cleaning mechanism first inserts the cleaning arm into the row of seedlings, and then drives it so as to sandwich the axis of the seedlings. Further, the cleaning mechanism drives the cleaning arm to lift upward while keeping contact with the seedlings.

As a result, the obstacle including the cleaning arm itself is removed from the inspection area. In addition to the cleaning arm itself, the obstacle here may be, for example, a foreign substance on the seedling, a hanging leaf of the seedling, or the like. These will be cleaned and lifted by the cleaning arm and removed from the examination area.

Then, the inspection arm is inserted into the seedling row by the inspection mechanism, and the diameter of the seedling axis is measured by the inspection arm. By such operations of the cleaning arm and the inspection arm, a smooth seedling inspection is ensured even when the cleaning mechanism and the inspection mechanism are provided at the same end with respect to the seedling group.

Next, in the seedling inspection device of the invention according to claim 2, the inspection arm operates in the same manner as in the invention according to claim 1, and the inspection arm has sensors for measuring seedling axis diameter arranged in a row of seedlings. Since one pair is provided, the seedling shaft diameter can be measured when the inspection arm is inserted and when the inspection arm is pulled out. That is, the seedling axis diameter is measured with the movement of the inspection arm at the time of insertion, and the seedling axis diameter is similarly measured with the movement of the inspection arm at the time of pulling out.

In addition, in the seedling inspection device of the invention according to claim 3, the same function as the invention according to claim 2 is obtained, and in addition, the seedling shaft diameters at different height positions are measured at the time of insertion and at the time of extraction. You can In other words, after inserting the inspection arm, the height from the seedling is changed by the drive from the inspection mechanism, and then the pulling operation is performed.
The above measurement is realized.

As a result, the shaft diameters of two different spots of the same seedling can be measured by a series of operations. Furthermore, in the seedling inspection device of the invention corresponding to claim 4, in addition to the same operation as the invention corresponding to claim 2 or 3, the inspection arm is composed of a pair of arms, and a pair of photoelectric sensors as a pair of sensors. Is equipped with.

Further, a light transmitting portion and a light receiving portion of the photoelectric sensor are provided in each arm. Therefore, if the seedling blocks the light transmitting portion and the light receiving portion along with the movement of the inspection arm, the presence of the seedling can be detected and the diameter of the seedling can be measured.

Furthermore, in the seedling inspection device of the invention according to claim 5, the cleaning arm has brush hair in addition to the same function as the invention according to claims 1 to 4. Then, by making the part that comes into contact with the seedling with brush hair, the seedling shaft is sandwiched and rubbed up through the brush hair.

Therefore, the obstacles in the range from the lower part of the inspection arm to the movable uppermost part of the inspection arm are removed, the seedling is supported by the upper part, and the seedlings that are laterally displaced or tilted are corrected to the cell center. be able to.

[0033]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. (First Embodiment of the Invention) FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a seedling inspection device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, in a cell molding tray 1 for growing seedlings, each cell is partitioned in a matrix, and a culture soil 2 is put in each cell. In each cell of the cell molding tray 1, grafted seedlings 3 were planted at regular intervals, and a large number of seedlings planted on this matrix,
That is, the seedling group is arranged in parallel with the x1 or x2 direction in the figure.

The grafted seedling 3 has a graft portion 4 where the rootstock and the scion are joined. As rootstock and scion, for example tomato, eggplant,
Cucumber etc. are planted. This seedling inspection device is provided with a main part only on one side of the cell molding tray 1, and is composed of an inspection mechanism 5, a cleaning mechanism 6 shown in FIG. 1, and an inspection measurement part described later.

In this inspection mechanism 5, a vertical drive unit 9 for vertically moving a pair of sensor arms 7 as inspection arms, to which the sensors 8 are attached, in the z2 direction in the figure, and a vertical drive unit to which the sensor arm 7 is attached. A front-rear drive unit 10 for moving back and forth 9 in the x2 direction is provided.

The sensor 8 comprises a pair of photoelectric sensors,
A pair of sensor arms 7 are attached to the tip of the sensor arm 7 so as to sandwich the seedlings. If there is something that blocks this photoelectric sensor, its output is turned off. Since the sensor 8 moves back and forth at a constant speed by the front-rear drive unit 10, the shaft diameter of the grafted seedling 3 can be measured by measuring the time of the OFF output.

On the other hand, the cleaning mechanism 6 includes a cleaning arm 11
, A pinching drive unit 13 for pinching or expanding in the y1 direction in the figure, a vertical drive unit 12 for vertically moving the cleaning arm 11 in the z1 direction, a pinching drive unit 13 to which the cleaning arm 11 is attached, and vertical drive. Part 12 x
A front-rear drive unit 14 for moving back and forth in one direction is provided.

Brush hair 20 is attached to this cleaning arm 11 at the portion where the grafted seedling 3 contacts. Further, air for blowing away dust is ejected from the tip of the cleaning arm 11.

Next, the structure of each drive unit of the inspection mechanism 5 and the cleaning mechanism 6 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the pinching drive unit of the cleaning mechanism.

As shown in the figure, the cleaning arm 11 is x1.
The tip extends in the direction of the grafted seedling 3 parallel to the direction. The cleaning arm 11 comprises a pair of sandwiching arms composed of an arm 11a and an arm 11b.
The brush hair 20 is attached to the facing surface of 11b.

The roots of the arms 11a and 11b are integrated by root bars 21a and 21b, respectively. That is,
All arms 11 in all cleaning arms 11
a is connected by the root bar 21a, and similarly, all the arms 11a in all the cleaning arms 11 are connected by the root bar 21a.

The base bars 21a and 21b have air cylinders 2 extending and contracting in a direction parallel to the y1 direction.
2a and 22b are attached, and the distance d between the arms 11a and 11b is changed by the operation of the air cylinders 22a and 22b. As a result, a pinching or unfolding operation of the cleaning arm 11 is realized.

Alternatively, an air cylinder may be individually attached to each of the arms 11a and 11b so that the distance d can be changed individually. Next, the configurations of the vertical drive unit and the front-back drive unit will be described.

FIG. 3 is a view showing the arrangement of the vertical drive unit and the front-back drive unit of the cleaning mechanism. In FIG. 3, the cleaning arm 1
1 is attached to the base bar 21a, 21b is a pin 23
It is mounted on the rail of the base plate / rail 24 via. In addition, z1 is attached to the lower ends of the base bars 21a and 21b.
An air cylinder 25 that expands and contracts in a direction parallel to the direction is attached.
The cleaning arm 1b moves up and down.

Further, the base plate / rail 24 is further attached to a rail 27 provided on the base plate 26 via a pin 28. The pin 28 is attached to a base (not shown) on the rail 27, and x1 is attached to the base.
An actuator 29 that expands and contracts in a direction parallel to the direction is attached. The base plate / rail 24 and thus the cleaning arm 11 move back and forth by the expansion and contraction of the actuator 29.

The above is a description of the configuration of the vertical drive unit 12 and the front-back drive unit 14 of the cleaning mechanism 6, but the vertical drive unit 9 and the front-back drive unit 10 of the inspection mechanism 5 are also configured in the same manner, although not particularly shown. .

Next, the air blowing portion of the cleaning arm 11 will be described. FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the tip portion of the cleaning arm. As shown in the figure, the cleaning arm 11
The insides of the arms 11a and 11b are hollow, and air is ejected from the tips thereof. With this jet of air, dead leaves, dust, and the like are blown away in the traveling direction so that cleaning can be performed more efficiently.

Next, the inspection / measurement unit for controlling the seedling inspection device will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a signal flow of this seedling inspection device. In the figure, the inspection measurement unit 30
Is composed of a control unit 31, a measurement unit 32, and an output unit 33.

The control section 31 controls the cleaning mechanism 6 and the inspection mechanism 5 in accordance with the instruction from the measuring section 32. Measuring unit 32
Is instructed by the sensor unit 8 to control the cleaning mechanism 6 and the inspection mechanism 5 by an instruction input from an input means (not shown) or a preprogrammed timing (a timing such as a fixed time interval). The shaft diameter of each grafted seedling 3 is measured based on the measurement output of 1. and the measurement result is output to the output unit 33.

The output section 33 comprises a display device such as a CRT, a printing device such as a printer, or a storage device such as a hard disk, and outputs or saves the seedling axis measurement result. Next, the operation of the seedling inspection device according to the embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the operation of the seedling inspection device of this embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the positions of the cleaning arm 11 and the sensor arm 7 when viewed from the direction A in FIG.

First, the cell molding tray 1 in which the grafted seedlings 3 are planted is set to a position where the arms of the inspection mechanism 5 and the cleaning mechanism 6 can be inserted onto the tray. The arms 7 and 11 for inspection and cleaning are provided according to the number of rows of seedlings on the cell molding tray 1. After the cell molding tray 1 is set,
The cleaning arm 11 moves in the x1 direction by the front-rear driving front 14, and the cleaning arm 11 is inserted into the tray (FIG. 6).
ST1). At this time, the state viewed from the direction A is shown in FIG.
Is shown in In this inserting operation, the air is ejected from the tip of the cleaning arm 11 and the cleaning arm 11 is inserted while blowing away dust, dead leaves and the like.

Next, the cleaning arm 11 is moved in the y1 direction by the sandwiching drive unit 13 to sandwich the seedling (FIG. 6S).
T2). At this time, a state viewed from the direction A is shown in FIG.

Next, the cleaning arm 11 is moved in the Z1 direction by the up-and-down drive unit 12 while sandwiching the seedling. Figure 7
Scrape around the seedling axis while sandwiching the seedling to the position shown in (c). During this rubbing, the obstructions and dead leaves attached to the seedling shaft are lifted. Further, the leaves such as the hungry leaves are lifted onto the cleaning arm 11 (see FIG. 6).
ST3). As a result, the cleaning arm lifts up obstacles, leaves, etc., and a space for inserting the sensor arm 7 of the inspection mechanism is secured.

Next, the sensor arm 7 is moved in the x2 direction by the forward / backward drive 10, and the sensor arm 7 is inserted into the cell molding tray 1. When the sensor arm 7 is inserted, the shaft diameter of the root stock portion 3a of the grafted seedling 3 is measured by the sensor 8 as the arm moves (ST4 in FIG. 6). FIG. 7 shows a state viewed from the direction A after the sensor arm 7 is inserted.
It is shown in (c).

Next, the height of the sensor arm 7 is set to the vertical drive unit 9
The height is changed by, and the height is raised at least above the graft surface 4 (ST5 in FIG. 6). The state viewed from the direction A at this time is shown in FIG.

Then, the sensor arm 7 is moved in the x2 direction by the forward / backward drive 10 to measure the shaft diameter of the spike portion 3b when the sensor arm 7 is removed from the tray (FIG. 6ST6). The root part 3
The shaft diameters of the a and the stem portion 3b may be measured in the reverse order.

Next, when the measurement of the shaft diameters of the root part 3a and the scion part 3b is completed and the sensor arm 7 is removed from the cell molding tray 1, then the cleaning arm 11 is expanded in the y1 direction. , Eliminate pinching of the shaft (ST7).

Further, the cleaning arm 11 is lowered to the position shown in FIG. 7A, moved in the x1 direction, and removed from the tray (ST8). Then, arithmetic processing is performed based on the measured values of the shaft diameters of the rootstock and the scion, and the rootstocks of the seedlings on the cell molding tray 1, the average diameters of the scoops, the deviations, and the scoop differences are obtained. The quality of the seedlings is determined and output.

As described above, according to the seedling inspection device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the inspection mechanism 5 and the cleaning mechanism 6 are provided on the same end side with respect to the cell forming tray 1, and the axis formed by the sensor arm 7 is provided. Before the diameter measurement, cleaning by the cleaning arm 11 and removal of the obstacle in the seedling axis diameter measurement portion by lifting the arm itself are performed, so that a person can work and operate on the tray where the seedlings are planted. A sufficient space can be secured, and obstacles around the seedling axis on the tray can be eliminated to easily measure the seedling axis diameter.

At this time, the cleaning mechanism 6 includes the sensor arm 7
It operates earlier and not only removes the obstacles that hinder the movement of the sensor arm 7, but also retracts to a range that does not hinder the movement of the sensor arm 7 and holds down the seedlings so that the seedlings do not shake. It is possible to guarantee a reliable and accurate shaft diameter measurement.

Further, according to the seedling inspection device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the vertical height of the sensor arm 7 is made variable by the inspection mechanism 5, and the height is changed when the sensor arm 7 is inserted and when it is pulled out. Since this is done, it is possible to measure the shaft diameters at two different locations of the same seedling in a series of operations.

Further, according to the seedling inspection device of the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained in addition to the above effects. 1) By disposing the inspection mechanism 5 and the cleaning mechanism 6 only on one side of the tray 1, there is sufficient space on the opposite side,
Not only can a space for a person to work on the tray 1 be secured, but when the obstruction is blown by blowing air from the tip of the cleaning arm 11, there is no mechanism in the flying direction. Does not get caught. Further, the obstruction can be blown off by the air jet having a strength that does not have a bad influence on the ejected obstruction.

2) Since the inspection and cleaning mechanisms 5 and 6 are gathered on one side, the arrangement of the entire equipment structure is reduced, and the entire apparatus can be made compact and space saving can be achieved. 3) Since the sensor arm 7 and the cleaning arm 11 are provided such that the number of rows corresponding to the number of rows of seedlings on the tray 1 is sandwiched, the seedlings on the tray can be inspected at one time.

4) The cleaning arm 11 is the sensor arm 7
It is possible to secure a sufficient space for inserting the sensor arm by inserting the tray into the tray 1 in the state of being on the lower side and cleaning around the seedling shaft so that there are no leaves that hit the sensor arm 7. As a result, it is possible to prevent the seedling from moving, scratching, or causing an error in the seedling axis without hitting the seedling when the sensor arm 7 is inserted or removed.

5) Since the sensor arm 7 has a pair of sensors, the width of the sensor arm 7 can be narrowed, and the seedling does not hit the tray 1 where the seedlings are planted with each other. Can be inserted and removed in the same manner. Since the sensor arm 7 is thin, cleaning between the seedlings by the cleaning mechanism 6 can be sufficient in a small space. Further, since the sensor arm 7 is thin, the sensor arm 7
The variable range of the height of can be made large. When the size of the seedling is different, the height of the sensor arm 7 is largely variable, so that it is possible to cope with various sizes of the seedling to be inspected.

6) Depending on the condition of the seedlings in the tray 1, it may not be necessary to measure the axis diameter of the rootstock, and it may be possible to determine the quality of the seedlings only from the axis diameter of the scion. In this case, the sensor arm 7 measures the diameter of the scion axis while inserting the sensor arm 7 and can immediately determine the quality of the seedling on the tray.

7) Since the seedling shaft is sandwiched by the cleaning arm 11 of the cleaning mechanism 6, it is possible to prevent the seedling from moving and causing an error in the shaft diameter. In the present embodiment, the case of grafted seedlings was described as the seedling to be inspected, but the application of the present invention is not limited to the case of grafted seedlings and is used for measuring the shaft diameter of non-grafted seedlings. You can also In that case, for example, the vertical movement of the sensor arm may be omitted, or the state of the seedlings may be more surely grasped by measuring the shaft diameter at two vertical positions. (Second Embodiment of the Invention) In the first embodiment of the invention, the measurement has been described in the case where the seedlings are accurately aligned in a line in the x1, x2 directions. In the present embodiment, the measurement will be described when the seedlings are not accurately aligned in a row in the x1 and x2 directions.

The seedling inspection device of the present embodiment has the same configuration as the seedling inspection device of the first embodiment, except for the structure of brush hair provided on the cleaning arm 11. Therefore, description of the same parts will be omitted, and only different parts will be described here.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a part of the cleaning arm 11 of the seedling inspection device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4A, the brush hair 20b of the cleaning arm 11 is long. When the brush hair 20b is long, each arm 11 of the cleaning arm 11 when pinched
Even if the distance d between a and 11b is widened to some extent, the seedlings can be effectively cleaned. On the other hand, if the length of the brush hair is short, the strength of the brush is strong, so that dust and the like can be sufficiently removed. In the case of the first embodiment, the brush hair is short, and an example in that case is shown in FIG.

Next, the operation of the seedling inspection device when the long brush hair 20b is attached to the cleaning arm 11 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the operation of the seedling inspection device according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 9 (a), for example, in the cells in the row A, if the seedling axes are slightly displaced on both sides of the sandwiching cell center line cc like seedlings a to e,
If the cleaning arm 11 with no brush hair or short brush hair is sandwiched, seedlings such as a and b may be broken or bent.

In the seedling inspection device of this embodiment, the brush hair 2
Since 0b is sufficiently long, it is possible to widen the interval between the cleaning arm 11 main bodies after being pinched. Therefore,
As shown in FIG. 7, even when the seedlings are not growing in the cell center cc in the cells in the row A, when the cleaning arm 11 tries to sandwich the seedlings in the cell center cc, the brush hair 20b is put on the sandwiching surface. Because of its elasticity, it is possible to clean the seedlings flexibly without damaging them, and it is possible to perform sufficient cleaning.

As described above, according to the seedling inspection device of the embodiment of the present invention, in addition to the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, long brush hair is provided on the surface of the cleaning arm 11 on which the seedling is inserted. Since 20b is provided and the spacing between the cleaning arm 11 main bodies after sandwiching is widened so that the portion contacting the seedlings becomes the brush hair 20b, the same effect as the seedling inspection device according to the embodiment of the invention described above. Besides, the cleaning arm 11 can be moved without giving an impact to the seedling shaft. Also,
It is possible to prevent the seedling axis from getting into the elasticity of the brush hair and damaging the seedling axis.

Furthermore, the obstacles in the range from the lower part of the inspection arm to the movable uppermost part of the inspection arm are removed, and the upper part supports the seedlings to suppress the swinging of the seedlings, and they are laterally displaced or leaning. The seedling can be straightened to the cell center. The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be variously modified without departing from the gist thereof.

[0077]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, since the inspection mechanism and the cleaning mechanism are provided on the same side and the obstruction is removed by the cleaning arm in advance, the inspection is performed by a human being. Provide a seedling inspection device that can secure a sufficient space for work and operation on the planted tray and that can easily measure the seedling axis diameter by eliminating obstacles around the seedling axis on the lay. be able to.

Further, since the seedling shaft diameter is measured at the time of inserting and pulling out the inspection arm, a sufficient space for humans to work and operate on the tray on which the seedlings are planted is ensured, and It is possible to provide a seedling inspection device capable of easily measuring the seedling shaft diameter by removing obstacles around the seedling shaft on the tray and measuring the shaft diameters of two different spots of the same seedling in a series of operations. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a seedling inspection device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a pinching drive unit of the cleaning mechanism of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a view showing a configuration of a vertical drive unit and a front-back drive unit of the cleaning mechanism according to the same embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a tip portion of the cleaning arm of the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a signal flow of the seedling inspection device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the seedling inspection device according to the same embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the positions of the cleaning arm and the sensor arm when viewed from the direction A in FIG. 1 in the same embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram showing a part of a cleaning arm of a seedling inspection device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a view showing a state during operation of the seedling inspection device according to the same embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Cell molding tray, 2 ... Culture soil, 3 ... Grafted seedling, 3a
... root part, 3b ... spike part, 4 ... graft surface, 5 ... inspection mechanism, 6 ... cleaning mechanism, 7 ... sensor arm, 8 ... sensor, 9
... vertical drive part, 10 ... front-back drive part, 11 ... cleaning arm, 12 ... vertical drive part, 13 ... pinching drive part, 14 ...
Front-rear drive unit, 20, 20b ... brush hair, 30 ... inspection measurement unit, 31 ... control unit, 32 ... measurement unit, ae ... seedling axis, cc
… A centerline that is sandwiched.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A seedling inspection device for inspecting the state of each seedling by inserting an inspection arm along the seedling row between seedling groups consisting of a plurality of seedling rows. A cleaning mechanism that drives a cleaning arm for removing obstacles, and an inspection mechanism that drives the inspection arm for measuring the seedling axis diameter in the inspection region are provided at the same end with respect to the seedling group, and the cleaning mechanism is By driving the cleaning arm so as to sandwich the axis of the seedling after being inserted into the seedling row, and further by driving the cleaning arm to lift up while keeping contact with the seedling, the cleaning arm is cleaned. It is configured to remove an obstacle including the arm itself from the inspection area, the inspection mechanism, after the cleaning arm removes the obstacle from the inspection area, the inspection arm to the seedling row. A seedling inspection device characterized by being driven so as to be inserted. 2. The inspection arm is provided with a pair of sensors for measuring seedling axis diameter for one row of the seedling row, and the seedling axis diameter is measured when the inspection arm is inserted and pulled out. Item 2. The seedling inspection device according to item 1. 3. The seedling inspection device according to claim 2, wherein seedling shaft diameters at different height positions are measured at the time of inserting and at the time of pulling out. 4. The inspection arm comprises a pair of arms, includes a pair of photoelectric sensors as the pair of sensors, and a light transmitter and a light receiver of the photoelectric sensor are provided in each arm. The seedling inspection device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that. 5. The seedling inspection device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning arm includes brush hair, and a portion contacting the seedling is the brush hair.