RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENT OF RAPID DISENGAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR KELP SEEDLING ROPES BASED ON A LOCKING DEVICE

In China’s algae farming, ropes are widely used for seedling cultivation and suspension, requiring fast and reliable uncoupling during harvest. However, current kelp harvesting faces issues like complex rope connections, low unlocking efficiency, and poor reusability. To address this, a PLC-controlled rapid disengagement system was developed. The proposed system employs a button with self-locking functionality, coupled with a magnetically controlled disengagement device, to achieve automated unfastening of seedling ropes without damaging the suspension rope. The paper presents the components and operating principle of the locking device. To address the force characteristics of the seedling rope during the disengagement process, a dual-fingered pusher configuration was designed. The use of an involute trajectory enabled stable extraction of the rope from the locking groove. A Delta PLC was employed as the central controller, and an execution system comprising of an electric push rod, proximity sensors, magnetic adsorption module, and rope-pulling motor was developed to achieve automated control of lock correction, magnetic positioning, unlocking, and rope disengagement. Experimental results indicated that the system achieved the highest disengagement success rate of 96.67% when the guiding slot clearance was 14 mm, the haulage rope speed was 40 mm/s, and the pusher length was 45 mm, demonstrating stable and reliable device performance.