Research Of The End-Effector Of Plug Seedlings Transplanting

As a new method of cultivation, automatic seedling transplanting has been adopted extensively both in Taiwan region and abroad. Compared with the traditional methods of seedling planting, it has several advantages, such as high efficiency, low power consumption and cost of small. The end-effector, which finishes the implementation of gripping and feeding the seedling, is the heart composition of the automatic transplanting equipment. And it’s also the key of the distinction between automatic machine and semi-automatic machine. Most of existing automatic transplanters fasten on the transplanter which is in parallel connection and control. It’s bulky equipment and complex control make it not fit the transplanting outdoor farmland. So it’s necessary to research for and develop one kind of end-effector of the automatic actuators for suitable outdoor farmland.To meet the desire of the outdoor transplanting, the end-effect for transplanting researched by us is characterized by light weight, easy to control and great flexibility. Specific studies are as follows:In the mechanical design, the cylindrical cam is used as its main driving force. The stepper motor placed inside of the cylindrical cam drives the cam. Then the rotary cam follower gripper institutions as do linear motion. Below the gripper, the pipe which changes the gripper’s vertically-oriented direction, makes it gathered and insert into the matrix.After the parts’ dimensions are defined, the Pro/E software is used for three-dimensional modeling of all parts; then the mechanica and mechanism modules are used to make the simulation of the stepper motor, the cylindrical cam and its followers function, and analyse the result. Afterwards, some modification on dimensions or machine would be done based on the analyse.In the sense of control, the SCM is used to control and driving the end-effector’s stepper motor. To obtain the continuity in transplanting, single-chip computer controls the stepper motor based on the signal both from the photoelectric sensor and the arm of the transplanting manipulator, combining with the controlling of the arm of the transplanting manipulator. Tests proves that the end of the actuator can completed operations of gripping and feeding the seedlings, and the research of controling meets the scheduled effect basically.