The Design and Experimentation Results for a Whole-Row Mechanical Two-Jaw Automatic Vegetable Seedling-Picking and Dropping Mechanism

To address the problems of low picking efficiency, high pot-breaking rate, and poor stability in the pick-up and drop mechanisms of existing automatic vegetable transplanters, this paper describes the design of a whole-row mechanical two-claw seedling-picking mechanism. A “reciprocating common-rail”-type seedling picking trajectory is introduced. A whole-row mechanical two-claw seedling-picking mechanism composed of a planetary gear-linkage mechanism and a gripping mechanism is designed. The coordination method between seedling feeding and seedling picking is determined, and the parameters of the supporting seedling-feeding mechanism are established, completing the design and modelling of key parameters. Through single-factor simulation experiments, the optimal combination of key parameter levels for the seedling-picking claws was selected. A three-factor three-level orthogonal experiment was conducted to determine the optimal combination of working parameters. Seedling-picking performance tests were carried out on peppers, tomatoes, and broccoli. The test results meet relevant national standards, indicating that the pick-up and drop mechanism exhibits strong stability and good versatility, fulfilling the design requirements. This study lays a solid foundation for the design of seedling-picking mechanisms in automatic transplanters.