Design and Working Parameter Optimization of Pneumatic Reciprocating Seedling-Picking Device of Automatic Transplanter
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report (Previous Reviewer 1)
Although the manuscript has been greatly revised, there are still many problems, including some important theoretical and experimental defects. The following question is only part of it.
1. Formula (1) is wrong and does not consider that the lifting force of clamping cylinder should be applied to pot body through clamping needle to form a clamping force.
2. Formula (3) is incorrect. Is the lifting force of the clamping cylinder only related to the positive pressures of the seedlings against the pot body? Gravity and adhesion force of the hole to the pot body should also be considered.
3. Neither of the pictures in Figure. 4 can be seen clearly.
4. Fig. 5 unmarked R.
5. How to obtain the data in the Table 3? And some units are error?
6. The conclusion "with the decrease of p1 and n1, the time for cylinder stabilization decreased" and "the maximum acceleration of the cylinder is positively correlated with the air source pressure, and negatively correlated with the flow coefficients" are not consistent with figure 7.
7. In Table 5, why is the Maximum Acceleration sometimes positive and sometimes negative? Why the same simulation parameters in the simulation have different results?
8. Table 6 conflicts with Table 7.
9. This paper lacks the analysis of variance and model significance of the test results. According to figure 9b and its analysis, the Maximum Acceleration of test numbers 2 and 8 is the lowest, and the Time to Stabilize is also close to the optimization result, so why not use them?
10. The analysis of the test data in this paper is superficial and insufficient.
Comments for author File: 
Comments.pdf
Author Response
Please see the attachment.The first two pages are the answers to the questions, and the following pages are the contents of the paper.
Author Response File: 
Author Response.docx
Reviewer 2 Report (New Reviewer)
The manuscript addresses a relevant topic, the Design and Working Parameter Optimization of Pneumatic Re- 2ciprocating Seedling Picking Device of Automatic Transplanter that is inside the scope of the journal, however, the following comments should be solved:
1) The English language of the paper must be refined.
2) In the introduction section should be improved the explanation of the problem, objectives and organization of the manuscript.
3) Please clarify the point of novelty of the text? The subject is attractive but the method is simple.
4) The literature review of the work must be updated.
5) The mathematical equations are written in an unorganized, incomprehensible manner, and in an inappropriate style for the MDPI template, I recommend re -coordinating and summarizing them more than that. I also recommend inserting a Table of symbols and Notations before the introduction.
6) The results discussion should be improved. They should be further analyzed.
7) Conclusion is poor and needs prominent points.
8) References must be updated with related and modern research such as (2020, 2021, and 2022).
Author Response
尊敬的审稿人：
回复：手稿ID：agriculture-2005531，标题：自动插秧机气动往复式捡苗装置的设计及工作参数优化。
感谢您的来信和审稿人对我们题为“自动插秧机气动往复式捡选苗装置的设计与工作参数优化”的稿件（ID：agriculture-2005531）的评论。这些意见都很有价值，对我稿的修改和完善很有帮助，对我们的研究具有重要的指导意义。我们仔细研究了意见，并进行了更正，希望得到批准。修订部分在稿件中标有黄色。稿件中的主要更正和对审稿人评论的回应如下：
回复审稿人的评论：
评论1：
论文的英语语言必须完善。
响应：
感谢您的建议。我们对整篇文章进行了润色，希望得到审稿人的认可。
评论2：
在引言部分应改进对问题、目标和稿件组织的说明。
响应：
我们修改了引言，重新组织了论文的结构，总结了问题和研究目的。
评论3：
请澄清文本的新颖性？这个主题很有吸引力，但方法很简单。
响应：
气动育苗采摘机构不同于传统的机械采苗方式。它利用了反应速度快、气动传动调节方便等优点。它是由采苗-育苗-投苗全过程的气压驱动的。该装置利用气压驱动幼苗爪在幼苗采摘位置和秧苗投掷位置之间直线移动。同时，从能量释放的角度对末端缓冲器的工作参数进行了优化。提出了一种基于理论分析、仿真优化和最终实验验证的研究方法。该机构结构简单，效率高，为开发简单高效的插秧机提供了参考。
评论4：
作品的文献综述必须更新。
响应：
我们在引言中添加了几个参考资料。
评论5：
数学方程式以无组织、难以理解的方式编写，并且以不适合 MDPI 模板的风格编写，我建议重新协调和总结它们。我还建议在介绍之前插入符号和符号表。
响应：
感谢您的建议。我们重新排列了公式。特别是在力分析部分，我们重新组织了分析过程。将盆体和苗针的应力分析分开，供读者了解。
评论6：
结果讨论应得到改进。应进一步分析它们。
响应：
感谢您的建议。我们对数据结果进行了更深入的分析，并在论文中做了补充。增加了盆体损坏的原因分析和气动采苗机构的局限性。与传统的机械采苗机构相比，该摘苗机构结构简单，效率高，为开发简单高效的插秧机提供了参考。
评论7：
结论很差，需要突出点。
响应：
谢谢你的建议。我们重新总结了结论。
评论8：
参考文献必须通过相关和现代研究进行更新，例如（2020、2021 和 2022）。
响应：
参考文献已标记为黄色。
这些是我对审稿人评论的回应。特别感谢您的好评。
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
Reviewer 3 Report (New Reviewer)
This manuscript presented the structure and working principle of the pneumatic seedling picking for an automatic transplanter device. My concern with the manuscript as follows:
(1) The title of “4.2 Establish AMESim Simulation Model of Pneumatic Control Circuit of Longitudinal Cylinder” needs to be upgraded.
(2) The discussion part in this manuscript was weak. It needs further optimization and refinement such as adding the analysis that result in damaged seedlings and damaged pots. Please add the disadvantage of the developed transplanter device. In addition, please add the comparative analysis with existing automatic transplanter device.
(3) The "where" does not require indentation. Please check Line194, 212, 240, 271, 290, 345, 427, 433, 437 and so on.
Author Response
Dear reviewers,
Re: Manuscript ID: agriculture-2005531 and Title: Design and Working Parameter Optimization of Pneumatic Reciprocating Seedling Picking Device of Automatic Transplanter.
Thank you for your letter and for the reviewers’ comments concerning our manuscript entitled “Design and Working Parameter Optimization of Pneumatic Reciprocating Seedling Picking Device of Automatic Transplanter” (ID: agriculture-2005531). Those comments are all valuable and very helpful for revising and improving our manuscript, as well as the important guiding significance to our researches. We have studied comments carefully and have made correction which we hope meet with approval. Revised portion are marked in yellow in the manuscript. The main corrections in the manuscript and the responds to the reviewer’s comments are as flowing:
Responds to the reviewer’s comments:
Comment 1:
The title of “4.2 Establish AMESim Simulation Model of Pneumatic Control Circuit of Longitudinal Cylinder” needs to be upgraded.
Response:
Thank you for your suggestion. The title is modified to: 4.2 AMESim Simulation Analysis of Longitudinal Cylinder Pneumatic Control Circuit
Comment 2:
The discussion part in this manuscript was weak. It needs further optimization and refinement such as adding the analysis that result in damaged seedlings and damaged pots. Please add the disadvantage of the developed transplanter device. In addition, please add the comparative analysis with existing automatic transplanter device.
Response:
Thank you for your suggestions. We have conducted a more in-depth analysis of the data results and made a supplement in the paper. The reason analysis of the damage to the pot body and the limitations of the pneumatic seedling picking mechanism are added. Compared with the traditional mechanical seedling picking mechanism, the seedling picking mechanism is simple in structure and high in efficiency, providing a reference for the development of a simple and efficient transplanter.
Comment 3:
The "where" does not require indentation. Please check Line194, 212, 240, 271, 290, 345, 427, 433, 437 and so on.
Response:
This part has been modified.
These are my responses to the comments of the reviewer. Special thanks to you for your good comments.
Author Response File: Author Response.docx
This manuscript is a resubmission of an earlier submission. The following is a list of the peer review reports and author responses from that submission.
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
1. The content of the manuscript does not match the title. The manuscript only briefly introduces device structure and working principle of pneumatic peciprocating seedling picking mechanism of automatic transplanter, but does not reflect its innovative design content. The goal of the manuscript is to improve the seedling picking efficiency of vegetable transplanter and reduce the damage rate of plug seedling, but the parameter optimization in the title only involves a longitudinal driving cylinder. The content of the manuscript differs greatly from the title.
2. The manuscript lacks innovation. Just as the manuscript does not involve the design content of the pneumatic peciprocating seedling picking mechanism of automatic transplanter, but only the selection of a longitudinal driving cylinder and the optimization of its working parameters.
3. The logic of the manuscript is not clear enough. The improvement of seedling picking efficiency is not only related to the longitudinal driving cylinder, but also to the horizontal linear cylinder, lifting cylinder and clamping cylinder, etc., but the manuscript does not explain why only the model and working parameters of the longitudinal driving cylinder are discussed. The main factor affecting the damage rate of seedling pot should be the structure and working parameters of the seedling claw, not only the inertial impact of the longitudinal stroke, otherwise the inertial impact of the lateral stroke and the combined longitudinal and lateral inertial impact should also be considered.
4. The manuscript lacks theoretical analysis. The content of Dynamic Characteristics of Pneumatic Components in the manuscript lists simple formulas, but does not provide guidance for the analysis of key component structures and working parameters.
5. The reason why the same simulation parameters in the simulation of Box-Behnken response surface test have two different results is not explained in the manuscript.
6. Why is the optimization goal of Maximum acceleration of cylinder operation an interval value? If it is an interval value, there are not only three sets of optimization results.
7. The Response Spectrum analysis in the manuscript is too simple, how to add boundary conditions, why choose six-order modal analysis data, etc. are not explained.
8. The amount of manuscript bench test is too small and cannot reflect the general situation.
Comments for author File: Comments.docx
Reviewer 2 Report
In this study, a pneumatic reciprocating seedling picking device was developed, which installed multiple picking claws in parallel and then picked seedlings in a row. This seedling picking device improves the seedling picking efficiency of the vegetable transplanter and reduce the damage rate of plug seedling. The study is interesting for robotic transplanting and helpful for industries. The manuscript is in its present form is suitable for publication after some minor revision. The comments and suggestions are given in the attached file.
Comments for author File: Comments.pdf
