Tillage device and agricultural work robot

Abstract

To provide a tillage device that stirs soil throughout a wide area of a field to make the soil uniform, and an agricultural work robot equipped therewith that enables semi-automatic or automatic tillage to reduce a worker's burden in agricultural work.SOLUTION: A body portion 22 of an agricultural machine 12 having moving means 11 for traveling over a field is provided with a tillage device 10 including: a horizontal drive shaft 13 disposed perpendicular to a traveling direction of the agricultural machine 12 and rotationally driven; a horizontal driven shaft 14 disposed parallel to and spaced rearwardly from the horizontal drive shaft 13 in the traveling direction of the agricultural machine 12; an endless track 15 wound between the horizontal drive shaft 13 and the horizontal driven shaft 14; and a plurality of chisel claws 16 attached to the outer periphery of the endless track 15, the tillage device 10 performing tillage work by horizontally moving the chisel claws 16 within soil of the field from front to rear in the traveling direction of the agricultural machine 12 while the agricultural machine 12 is moving forward or stopped.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a tilling device and an agricultural robot that can mix a wide area of ​​fields and homogenize the soil. [Background technology]

[0002] Agricultural work in fields involves a variety of tasks, such as tilling, sowing (planting seedlings, transplanting rice), weeding (mowing), and harvesting (reaping, threshing), and in order to reduce the burden on workers, various devices and vehicles have been developed for use in each task. Conventional tillers are available in two types: walk-behind (push-type), in which the operator pushes the tiller by hand while working, and ride-on (vehicle-type), in which the operator rides on the tiller and drives it while moving (traveling) while working. These tillers are further classified as axle rotary, front rotary, and rear rotary depending on the mounting position of the rotary blade, but all have multiple tines (also called tiller tines or rotary blades) arranged radially around the outer periphery of a single rotating shaft, and can till (plow) fields by rotating the rotating shaft. In addition to devices or vehicles dedicated to specific tasks, devices or vehicles capable of performing multiple tasks are also being considered. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an agricultural work machine in which a traveling mechanism is capable of traveling between parallel rails laid on both sides of a field, a slider is attached to the traveling mechanism so that it can move along the traveling mechanism, a mounting body is attached to the slider so that it can move up and down and rotate freely, and various working devices are attached to the mounting body so that they can be replaced. Also, Patent Document 2 discloses a track-reversing automatic traveling agricultural machine in which rails of a fixed width are laid in a paddy field or field as a fixed track, a chassis is attached to a vehicle body that travels on the track, and the chassis is configured to move up and down using power, and the agricultural machine mounted on the chassis of the vehicle body is detachable from the chassis as an attachment with functions according to the application. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 51-71301 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-166003 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, conventional tillers move while digging up the soil with hatchet blades that rotate around a rotating shaft, so the working area per unit time is small and the mixing range is limited.In other words, because the small mixing range moves one after another, mixing is done in stripes, and only micro-mixing can be done for the entire area of ​​the field, which poses the problem of not being able to obtain uniform soil. On the other hand, Patent Documents 1 and 2 aim to improve work efficiency and reduce labor, thereby reducing the burden on workers, but they have the problem that rails must be laid in advance in the fields to be worked on, the equipment is large-scale, and installation takes time and effort.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a tilling device that can stir a wide area of ​​fields and homogenize the soil, and an agricultural robot that is equipped with the same, thereby semi-automating or automating tilling work and reducing the workload of workers in agricultural work. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The plowing device according to the first invention that meets the above-mentioned object is a plowing device that is attached to an agricultural machine equipped with a moving means for moving through a field and performs plowing work, The agricultural machine has a horizontal drive shaft that is arranged perpendicular to the direction of travel of the agricultural machine and is driven to rotate, a horizontal driven shaft or horizontal auxiliary drive shaft that is arranged parallel to and spaced apart from the horizontal drive shaft in front or behind the direction of travel of the agricultural machine, an endless track wound between the horizontal drive shaft and the horizontal driven shaft, and a plurality of tines attached to the outer periphery of the endless track, and while the agricultural machine is moving forward or stopped, the tines are moved horizontally in the soil of the field from front to rear in the direction of travel of the agricultural machine to perform plowing work.

[0007] In the tilling implement according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the tilling implement be attached interchangeably with other agricultural work implements attached to the agricultural machine.

[0008] In the tillage implement according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that a plurality of the hatchet tines are arranged in the width direction of the endless track.

[0009] In the tillage implement according to the first aspect of the present invention, it is preferable that the moving speed of the tines during the tillage work is faster than the moving speed of the agricultural machine caused by the moving means.

[0010] The agricultural robot according to a second invention that meets the above-mentioned objective is an agricultural robot that moves around fields and performs agricultural work by remote control or autonomous driving, The tilling device according to the first aspect of the present invention is detachably attached to a main body provided with a moving means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] The plowing device of the first invention performs plowing work by moving multiple hatchet claws attached to the outer periphery of an endless track horizontally through the soil of a field from front to rear in the direction of travel of the agricultural machine.This means that the working area per unit time is larger than that of conventional rotary blades, and it can mix a wide area of ​​soil, thereby achieving uniform soil distribution throughout the field.

[0012] In the tilling device according to the first aspect of the present invention, when it can be attached interchangeably with other agricultural work devices that can be attached to agricultural machinery, the functions of the tilling device can be added to existing agricultural machinery, thereby making the agricultural machinery more multifunctional and improving the efficiency of tilling work.

[0013] In the tillage device of the first invention, when multiple hatchet claws are arranged in the width direction of the endless track, the area where the endless track faces the soil can be finely stirred in a short period of time, resulting in excellent efficiency of tillage work.

[0014] The agricultural robot of the second invention has a main body equipped with a moving means to which the tilling device of the first invention is detachably attached, allowing it to move around fields by remote control or autonomous driving, efficiently stirring soil over a wide area in a short amount of time, thereby making tilling work less labor-intensive or automated and reducing the workload on workers. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a tillage device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the agricultural robot to which the tilling device is attached. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a side view of the agricultural work robot. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings to facilitate understanding of the present invention. A plowing device 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention shown in Figures 1 to 3 is attached to an agricultural machine 12 equipped with moving means 11 for moving through fields, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, and performs plowing work. In this embodiment, the moving means 11 is configured with four tires 11a, but the number and arrangement of the tires 11a can be selected as appropriate. Furthermore, the moving means 11 is not limited to tires 11a, and crawlers may also be used. Note that the agricultural machine 12 can easily change its direction of travel by selecting the rotation direction (forward or reverse) of the moving means 11 (tires 11a).

[0017] The tilling device 10 has a horizontal drive shaft 13 that is disposed perpendicular to the direction of travel of the agricultural machine 12 and is driven to rotate, a horizontal driven shaft 14 that is disposed parallel to and spaced apart from the horizontal drive shaft 13 behind the direction of travel of the agricultural machine 12, an endless track 15 wound between the horizontal drive shaft 13 and the horizontal driven shaft 14, and a plurality of tines 16 attached to the outer periphery of the endless track 15. The tilling device 10 performs plowing work by horizontally moving the tines 16 in the soil of the field from front to rear in the direction of travel of the agricultural machine 12 while the agricultural machine 12 is moving forward or while it is stopped. Note that, if necessary, the horizontal drive shaft 13 may be rotated in the reverse direction to horizontally move the tines 16 from rear to front in the direction of travel of the agricultural machine 12. An agitator 17 is attached to the rear end of the tilling device 10. The agitator 17 has a plurality of agitator claws 19 attached in a spiral shape to the outer periphery of a horizontal rotating shaft 18, and assists in plowing by the hatchet claws 16 while also erasing the marks left by the tires 11a. The attachment position of the agitator 17 is not limited to this embodiment and can be selected as appropriate. It may be attached to the front end of the tilling device 10, or to both the front and rear ends of the tilling device 10, as necessary.

[0018] In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the hatchet tines 16 are attached two by two in the width direction of the endless track 15 of the tillage device 10, and are arranged in a staggered (alternate) pattern when viewed in a plane, with the positions of adjacent hatchet tines 16 in the front and rear shifted in the width direction (they are spaced at different intervals), but the number and arrangement of the hatchet tines 16 are not limited to this embodiment and can be selected as appropriate. In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, the hatchet claws 16 are attached in pairs across the width of the endless track 15, and the tip side of the hatchet claws 16 is curved inward or outward across the width of the endless track 15 so that they are symmetrical when viewed from the front, but the shape of the hatchet claws 16 is not limited to this embodiment and can be selected as appropriate.

[0019] The agricultural machine 12 in this embodiment shown in Figures 4 and 5 is a so-called agricultural work robot, which moves around fields and performs agricultural work by remote control or autonomous driving. This agricultural machine 12 may be dedicated to tilling work, or the tilling device 10 may be attached interchangeably as an attachment to other agricultural work devices, such as a sowing means for sowing seeds in fields, a chemical application means for supplying chemicals to fields, or a harvesting means for harvesting crops in fields. Furthermore, this tilling device 10 is not limited to the agricultural machine 12 (agricultural work robot) in this embodiment, but may also be mounted on a riding type (vehicle type) agricultural machine or the like.

[0020] In this embodiment, the tilling device 10 is attached to the bottom of the main body 22 of the agricultural machine 12 via the frame 21 and does not protrude from the front or rear of the main body 22, thereby preventing the overall length of the agricultural machine 12 from becoming too long and making it more compact. As a result, it is able to turn easily and perform tilling work evenly throughout the fields. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the frame 21 has a cover body 23 that covers the top and the front and rear of the tilling device 10. This prevents soil, stones, etc. that are stirred up during tilling work from hitting the bottom surface of the agricultural machine 12 or scattering in front and behind the agricultural machine 12, but the shapes and arrangements of the frame 21 and the cover body 23 can be selected as appropriate.

[0021] The tillage device 10 has a built-in drive means (not shown) such as a motor that rotates the horizontal drive shaft 13, and the horizontal drive shaft 13 of the tillage device 10 and the moving means 11 of the agricultural machine 12 are driven independently. If the drive force of the horizontal drive shaft is insufficient, the drive force can be supplemented by attaching a horizontal auxiliary drive shaft that is rotated and driven by auxiliary drive means such as a motor in place of the horizontal driven shaft. If the movement speed of the tines 16 during plowing is slower than the movement speed of the agricultural machine 12 by the moving means 11, the agricultural machine 12 will move forward (advance) faster than the tines 16 move horizontally through the soil from front to rear in the direction of travel of the agricultural machine 12, and the soil will not be stirred sufficiently. Therefore, by setting the movement speed of the tines 16 to be faster than the movement speed of the agricultural machine 12 by the moving means 11, the stirring range can be expanded, and the entire field can be stirred on a macro level to promote soil homogenization. Furthermore, because the horizontal drive shaft 13 of the tilling implement 10 and the moving means 11 of the agricultural machine 12 are driven independently, plowing can be performed not only while the agricultural machine 12 is moving forward, but also while the machine is stopped. Therefore, if it is difficult to mix the soil in a short time because the soil is hard, it is possible to stop the agricultural machine 12 as needed and drive only the tilling implement 10 to perform plowing over a longer period of time.

[0022] When the agricultural machine 12 is remotely operated, an operator can use an operation means to give instructions to the agricultural machine 12 via wireless communication. The movement means 11 and the tillage implement 10 are driven by instructions (operation signals) from the operation means, and a predetermined (instructed) operation is performed. The operation means may be a manual operation type in which the operator manually operates a lever, handle, joystick, or the like to give instructions (send operation signals) to the agricultural machine 12 (including the tillage implement 10), or an automatic operation type in which a pre-created operation program is stored in the operation means and instructions are given to the agricultural machine 12 from the operation means in accordance with the operation program. In the manual operation type, a camera is mounted on the main body 22 of the agricultural machine 12, so that the operator can operate (give instructions) the agricultural machine 12 while checking the image captured by the camera on a monitor at hand.

[0023] When the agricultural machine 12 moves autonomously, the movement route is stored in the main body 22, and the operation of each part of the movement means 11 and the tillage device 10 (for example, control data such as the rotation speed, rotation time, stop time, rotation direction, etc. of each drive means that drives the horizontal drive shaft 13 of the movement means 11 and the tillage device 10) is saved in chronological order corresponding to the movement route, eliminating the need for operation by the operator. The agricultural machine 12 may be capable of switching between remotely controlled movement and autonomous movement. Furthermore, since the tilling working unit 25, which is composed of the horizontal drive shaft 13, horizontal driven shaft 14, endless track 15 and hatchet tines 16, is attached to the frame 21 so that it can be raised and lowered, as needed, the tilling working unit 25 can be raised and lowered to adjust the depth of the tilling work, or the tilling working unit 25 can be raised so that the hatchet tines 16 do not come into contact with the ground, allowing the agricultural machine 12 to be moved without performing tilling work.

[0024] The above describes an embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above embodiment, and also includes other embodiments and modifications that are possible within the scope of the matters described in the claims. The agricultural machine is preferably powered by a battery built into the main body, but is not limited to this. The tilling device is preferably equipped with a dedicated battery and driven independently of the agricultural machine, but may be configured so that power can be supplied from the agricultural machine to the tilling device. The battery of the agricultural machine and the dedicated battery of the tilling device may each be charged by a commercial power source, or may be charged by solar-generated power from a solar panel attached to the main body. In addition, in the above embodiment, the horizontal drive shaft is arranged at the front of the agricultural machine in the direction of travel, and the horizontal driven shaft is arranged at the rear, but the front-to-rear positions of the horizontal drive shaft and the horizontal driven shaft may be reversed. [Explanation of symbols]

[0025] 10: tillage device, 11: transportation means, 11a: tire, 12: agricultural machine, 13: horizontal drive shaft, 14: horizontal driven shaft, 15: caterpillar, 16: hatchet claw, 17: stirring means, 18: horizontal rotating shaft, 19: stirring claw, 21: frame, 22: main body, 23: cover body, 25: tillage working part

Claims

1. A tilling device that is attached to an agricultural machine equipped with a moving means for moving through fields and performs tilling work, A plowing device comprising: a horizontal drive shaft arranged perpendicular to the direction of travel of the agricultural machine and driven to rotate; a horizontal driven shaft or horizontal auxiliary drive shaft arranged parallel to and spaced apart from the horizontal drive shaft in front or rear of the direction of travel of the agricultural machine; an endless track wound between the horizontal drive shaft and the horizontal driven shaft; and a plurality of tines attached to the outer periphery of the endless track, wherein the tines are moved horizontally in the soil of the field from front to rear in the direction of travel of the agricultural machine while the agricultural machine is moving forward or stopped to perform plowing work.

2. 2. The tilling device according to claim 1, wherein the tilling device is attachable to the agricultural machine so as to be interchangeable with other agricultural work devices attached to the agricultural machine.

3. 2. The tilling device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the hatchet tines are arranged in the width direction of the endless track.

4. 2. The tilling device according to claim 1, wherein the moving speed of the hatchet tines during the tilling operation is faster than the moving speed of the agricultural machine caused by the moving means.

5. An agricultural robot that moves around fields and performs agricultural work by remote control or autonomous driving, 5. An agricultural robot comprising: a main body provided with a moving means; and a tilling device according to claim 1 detachably attached to said main body.

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