Design and optimization of operating parameters for potted anthodium transplant manipulator

Abstract: As potted flower becomes more and more important in people's daily life, its planting area and sales volume have been largely increased in recent years. For saving the space and ensuring the flowering rate, it is a key link to transplant the flower seedlings from small pot to large pot in the growth process of potted flower. However, this task still relies on the manual operation, which is tiring and costly. In order to improve the mechanical transplanting of the potted flower seedling, the transplant manipulator of potted flower was designed which could complete the transplanting task of potted anthurium from the pot of 110 mm × 90 mm to the one of 170 mm × 150 mm. The manipulator adopted the form that it grasped the stem of flower seedlings from both of the sides, which could provide sufficient grasping force. Due to the large leaves and soft substrates the flower seedlings had in transplanting stage, the gathering gripper was used to protect the leaves, and the steel needles were used to fix the flower seedlings. As the result, it not only improved the success rate of transplanting, but also avoided the injury to the seedlings. Based on the actual situation of potted flower seedling, this paper analyzed the working process of transplant manipulator for potted anthurium. The results showed that the insertion angle and the distance from steel needle's insertion point to the center of flower seedling could be adjusted, and these two major factors would affect the performance of transplant manipulator for potted anthurium. Moreover, lifting cylinder pressure was another major factor. Because the transplanting effects were influenced by multiple parameters, the of combination tests of quadratic orthogonal rotatory regression were conducted to determine the optimal technological parameters of transplant manipulator for potted anthurium, so as to improve the transplanting effect and the success rate of transplanting. According to the transplanting tests, the weighted value of extracting effect was determined as the experimental index, and the breakage rate of leaves, integrity of root and substrate and vertical degree of flower seedlings were selected by the rating condition of weighted value of extracting effect. Three variables were selected as the experimental factors, i.e. lifting cylinder pressure, insertion angle, and the distance from steel needle's insertion point to the center of flower seedling. The regression equation of the model was obtained by the experiment. Based on the regression equation, the influence of single factor and the optimal parameters were obtained. The experiment results showed that as the single factor, the distance from steel needle's insertion point to the center of flower seedling had a significant influence to the weighted value of extracting effect, which changed from 63 to 90 due to the factor. Moreover, when lifting cylinder pressure was 0.36 Mpa, insertion angle of the steel needle was 28 degrees, and the distance from steel needle's insertion point to the center of flower seedling was 38.12 millimeters, the weighted value of extracting effect could achieve 93. The difference between the predicted value and the actual value was 1%, and the result from the model was consistent with that from the experiment. The optimal operating parameters are reliable, stable and can be applied to practical application.