Design and experiment of tray handling device for industrialized rice seedling raising

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20240861

Acta Agriculturae Zhejiangensis ›› 2025, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (7): 1545-1555.DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-1524.20240861

• Biosystems Engineering • Previous Articles Next Articles

Design and experiment of tray handling device for industrialized rice seedling raising

TAN Shiyi¹^,²(), YU Guohong¹^,², XUE Xianglei¹^,², ZHAO Yinglei¹^,², XU Baoyu¹^,², ZHANG Chenghao¹^,²^,^*()

1. Institute of Agricultural Equipment, Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hangzhou 310021, China
2. Key Laboratory of Agricultural Equipment for Hilly and Mountainous Areas in Southeastern China (Co-Construction by Ministry and Province), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Hangzhou 310021, China

Received:2024-10-10 Online:2025-07-25 Published:2025-08-20

Abstract

Abstract:

Currently, factory-based intelligent rice seedling cultivation faces challenges such as high labor intensity, low efficiency, and high costs associated with manual tray handling. To address these issues, this study designed a rice seedling tray handling device specifically for stereoscopic circulating mobile seedling beds. The device could accurately grasp multiple trays simultaneously, enabling the automated transfer of germinated trays from the conveyor line to the seedling bed baskets, and the subsequent return of trays from the baskets back to the conveyor line after the seedling cultivation phase was completed. This paper detailed the structure and working principle of the handling device. Based on the finite element method (FEM) and theoretical analysis, structural design and component selection were conducted for key parts including clamping mechanism, seedling tray lifting mechanism, robotic arm, and conveying mechanism. Using a programmable logic controller (PLC) as the central control unit, an automated tray loading and unloading control system was established. Prototype fabrication and field tests demonstrated that, under the operational parameters of a clamping height of 10 mm, a placement height of 15 mm, and a robotic arm execution speed of 0.6 m·s^-1, the average success rates for tray loading and unloading reached 97.78% and 98.89%, respectively. The findings of this study could provide valuable technical insights for enhancing the mechanization and intelligence levels of rice seedling cultivation.

Key words: agricultural machinery, rice seedling cultivation, tray handling, robotic arm, success rate

CLC Number:

S229

TAN Shiyi, YU Guohong, XUE Xianglei, ZHAO Yinglei, XU Baoyu, ZHANG Chenghao. Design and experiment of tray handling device for industrialized rice seedling raising[J]. Acta Agriculturae Zhejiangensis, 2025, 37(7): 1545-1555.

Figures/Tables 15

Fig.1 Three-dimensional circulating seedbed

Fig.2 Structural diagram of rice seedling tray handling device 1, Ground rail system; 2, Robotic arm; 3, Conveying mechanism; 4, Blocking mechanism; 5, Clamping mechanism; 6, Basket fixing mechanism; 7, Seedbed (basket); 8, Lifting mechanism; 9, Seedling tray; 10, Control module.

Fig.3 Structure diagram of the clamping mechanism 1, Clamping jaw; 2, Clamping jaw connecting plate; 3, End connecting plate; 4, Fixed crossbar; 5, Clamping jaw cylinder.

Fig.4 Schematic diagram of the clamping mechanism during seedling tray clamping operation

Fig.5 Comparison of tray at maximum deviation position vs. corrected clamped state l was the length of clamping jaw; a was the total clampable length of the seedling tray, 450 mm; α was the deviation angle of the seedling tray, [-8°, 8°]; f was the distance between the contact points of the clamping jaw and the seedling tray before and after position adjustment.

Fig.6 Force analysis of the clamping jaw a, Cloud diagram of equivalent stress under full load; b, Cloud diagram of total deformation under full load.

Fig.7 Force analysis diagram of the basket a, Cloud diagram of equivalent stress under full load; b, Cloud diagram of total deformation under full load.

Fig.8 Structure diagram of the seedling tray lifting mechanism 1, Lifting fixed frame; 2, Lifting plate; 3, Lifting cylinder; 4, Main frame; 5, Lifting linear bearing; 6, Lifting guide rod; 7, Translation guide rod; 8, Translation cylinder; 9, Translation linear bearing.

Fig.9 Schematic diagram of seedling tray positions before and after lifting

Fig.10 Structure diagram of the conveying mechanism 1, Fixed frame; 2, Blocking cylinder; 3, Guide rod; 4, Baffle plate; 5, Seedling tray; 6, Conveyor belt; 7, Photoelectric sensor.

Fig.11 Structure diagram of control system

Fig.12 Flow chart of control system a, Flow chart of loading control system; b, Flow chart of unloading control system.

Fig.13 Touch screen for human-machine interface

Fig.14 Test of seedling tray handling device for rice

Table 1 Success rate of loading and unloading test %

试验号 No.	上盘成功率 Success rate of loading	下盘成功率 Success rate of unloading
1	96.67	100.00
2	100.00	100.00
3	96.67	96.67
平均值Average	97.78	98.89

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Design and experiment of tray handling device for industrialized rice seedling raising

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