Nursery box and transplanter

Abstract

The present invention provides a seedling raising box capable of reducing the possibility that adjacent seedbed portions in a seedbed housing portion are partially connected during cultivation, and a rice transplanter adapted to use blanket seedlings cultivated in the seedling raising box. The seedling raising box is formed with a partitioning rib (82) that divides a seedbed into a plurality on an upper surface of a bottom plate (80), the partitioning rib (82) being set to a degree of protrusion height (h2) in the upward direction that is the same as a degree of protrusion height (h1) in the upward direction of a peripheral frame (81) that protrudes to a position lower than a lower surface of the bottom plate (80), a lower-side partitioning rib (83) that protrudes downward at a position overlapping the partitioning rib (82) when viewed from above is formed on the lower surface side of the bottom plate (80), and a degree of protrusion (h4) in the downward direction of the lower-side partitioning rib (83) is set to a degree that is the same as a degree of protrusion (h3) in the downward direction of the peripheral frame (81).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to a seedling box formed with a partitioning reinforcing rib erected upward in a manner to divide a seedbed into a plurality of seedbeds, and a transplanter capable of transplanting a mat-shaped seedling raised using the seedling box. BACKGROUND

[0002] As a seedling box formed with a partitioning reinforcing rib erected upward in a manner to divide a seedbed into a plurality of seedbeds, for example, there is a seedling box having the following configuration.

[0003] That is, by partitioning a seedbed receiving portion surrounded by a peripheral frame in a longitudinal and lateral direction into a plurality of seedbeds with a partitioning member, a plurality of seedbeds are formed (see Patent Document 1).

[0004] In the case of the seedling box described in Patent Document 1, the partitioning member erected upward in a manner to divide a seedbed into a plurality of seedbeds is erected to a height position identical to that of the peripheral frame of the seedling box. By providing a higher partitioning member as described above, it is advantageous in that it is easy to raise a plurality of mat-shaped seedlings in one seedling box.

[0005] However, in this configuration, when the adjacent seedbed portions in the seedbed receiving portion are somewhat warped upward or the like, the seedbeds can be partially connected to each other by passing over the upper side of the partitioning member, and there is room for improvement in this regard.

[0006] (Prior Art Documents)

[0007] (Patent Documents)

[0008] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication "Tokukaihei 7-39254" SUMMARY

[0009] (Problems to be Solved by the Invention)

[0010] The present application provides a seedling box capable of reducing the possibility that the adjacent seedbed portions in the seedbed receiving portion are partially connected to each other during the raising process, and a transplanter suitable for transplanting a mat-shaped seedling raised in the seedling box.

[0011] (Solutions to the Problems)

[0012] The seedling box of the present application has a seedbed housing portion that houses a seedbed of a blanket seedling, and is characterized in that the seedbed housing portion has a bottom plate that blocks a lower surface of the seedbed, and a peripheral frame that is rectangular in plan view and stands up around the seedbed to a position higher than an upper surface of the bottom plate, a partitioning reinforcing rib being formed on the upper surface of the bottom plate and standing up upward to partition the seedbed into a plurality of portions, the partitioning reinforcing rib being set to a height that is the same as a height of the peripheral frame in a standing direction, the peripheral frame protruding to a position lower than a lower surface of the bottom plate, and a lower-side partitioning reinforcing rib being formed on the lower surface side of the bottom plate and protruding downward at a position overlapping the partitioning reinforcing rib in plan view, the lower-side partitioning reinforcing rib being set to a protruding amount that is the same as a protruding amount of the peripheral frame downward.

[0013] According to the present application, a partitioning reinforcing rib that stands up to a height that is the same as a height of a peripheral frame in a standing direction is formed on an upper surface of a bottom plate in a manner of partitioning a seedbed into a plurality of portions, and a lower-side partitioning reinforcing rib that protrudes downward at a position overlapping the partitioning reinforcing rib in plan view is also formed on a lower surface of the bottom plate. Also, the lower-side partitioning reinforcing rib is set to a protruding amount that is the same as a protruding amount of the peripheral frame downward.

[0014] Therefore, when seedlings are raised by stacking seedling boxes on top of each other, a lower end of the lower-side partitioning reinforcing rib of an upper seedling box abuts against or is located in close proximity to an upper end of the partitioning reinforcing rib of a lower seedling box. Thus, the seedbed housing portion is in a state of being almost completely separated, and it is possible to most effectively prevent the seedbed portions of the blanket seedlings existing in the separated spaces from being in a state of being connected to each other.

[0015] Also, the lower-side partitioning reinforcing rib that is employed for the purpose of ensuring separation also functions as a reinforcing means of the seedling box itself.

[0016] In the present application, as a preference, the partitioning reinforcing rib and the lower-side partitioning reinforcing rib are formed at a position that bisects the seedbed housing portion.

[0017] According to this structure, it is possible to raise two blanket seedlings of a width of a seedling placement portion of a seedling loading table in one seedling box, and it is possible to efficiently perform production.

[0018] In the present application, as a preference, the peripheral frame is rectangular and has a longitudinal frame portion of a prescribed length and a transverse frame portion that is shorter than the longitudinal frame portion, and the partitioning reinforcing rib and the lower-side partitioning reinforcing rib are formed in a direction parallel to the longitudinal frame portion.

[0019] According to the structure, for the rice transplanter in which seedlings are transplanted at unequal row distances with narrower row distances and wider row distances, the seedling carrying table can be easily used for cultivating the narrow and long mat-shaped seedlings that are suitable for being carried on the seedling carrying part with a narrow width.

[0020] In the present application, as a preference, the thickness of the partitioning reinforcing rib and the lower partitioning reinforcing rib in the direction of the cross frame portion is thinner than the thickness of the longitudinal frame portion in the direction of the cross frame portion.

[0021] According to the structure, the strength of the seedling raising box is mainly ensured by the peripheral frame such as the longitudinal frame portion, and reducing the thickness of the partitioning reinforcing rib and the lower partitioning reinforcing rib does not affect the partitioning function, so that the seedling raising box itself can be miniaturized and lightened.

[0022] The rice transplanter of the present application is characterized in that a seedling transplanting device is equipped at the rear of a traveling body, the seedling transplanting device has a seedling carrying table having a plurality of seedling carrying parts capable of carrying mat-shaped seedlings at a plurality of positions, and a plurality of seedling transplanting mechanisms that take out the mat-shaped seedlings carried on the seedling carrying parts and transplant them in a farmland, the seedling carrying table has a plurality of the seedling carrying parts having a left-right direction width along a left-right moving direction of the seedling carrying table set to a fixed value, and a vacant tray part located at a position adjacent to the seedling carrying part and not carrying a mat-shaped seedling in a transversely arranged state, the left-right direction width of the seedling carrying part corresponds to a mat-shaped seedling cultivated in the seedling raising box, the seedling carrying parts located at adjacent positions are partitioned by a side wall part that is detachably connected, the side wall part is extended across a range from a lower end part to an upper end part of the seedling carrying part in a manner of partitioning the mat-shaped seedlings divided left and right in the seedling receiving part of the seedling raising box, and a seedling taking-out port formed in each of the seedling carrying parts corresponds to a seedling taking-out transplanting claw provided in the seedling transplanting mechanism.

[0023] The rice transplanter of the present application is characterized in that a seedling transplanting device is equipped at the rear of a traveling body, the seedling transplanting device has a seedling carrying table having a plurality of seedling carrying parts capable of carrying mat-shaped seedlings at a plurality of positions, and a plurality of seedling transplanting mechanisms that take out the mat-shaped seedlings carried on the seedling carrying parts and transplant them in a farmland, the seedling carrying table has a plurality of the seedling carrying parts having a left-right direction width along a left-right moving direction of the seedling carrying table set to a fixed value, and a vacant tray part located at a position adjacent to the seedling carrying part and not carrying a mat-shaped seedling in a transversely arranged state, the left-right direction width of the seedling carrying part corresponds to a mat-shaped seedling cultivated in the seedling raising box, the seedling carrying parts located at adjacent positions are partitioned by a side wall part that is detachably connected, the side wall part is extended across a range from a lower end part to an upper end part of the seedling carrying part in a manner of partitioning the mat-shaped seedlings divided left and right in the seedling receiving part of the seedling raising box, and a seedling taking-out port formed in each of the seedling carrying parts corresponds to a seedling taking-out transplanting claw provided in the seedling transplanting mechanism.

[0024] With the above structure, as a rice transplanter capable of performing seedling transplanting work at unequal row distances, the left-right direction width of the seedling carrying part corresponds to the width of the seedling receiving part of the seedling raising box divided left and right, so that the divided mat-shaped seedlings are suitably received in each of the seedling carrying parts to perform seedling transplanting. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1This is an overall side view of a ride-on rice transplanter.

[0026] Figure 2 This is a left view of the seedling transplanting device.

[0027] Figure 3 This is a top view of the rice seedling transplanting device.

[0028] Figure 4 This is a rear view of the seedling transplanting device.

[0029] Figure 5 This is a front view showing the upper part of the seedling transplanting platform.

[0030] Figure 6 This is a three-dimensional diagram showing the structure of the insertion part of the fertilization device sliding door on the upper part of the seedling platform.

[0031] Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional view showing the connected structure of the seedling-carrying part of the seedling-carrying platform.

[0032] Figure 8 This is an explanatory diagram showing the operating status of the sliding door of the fertilizer applicator.

[0033] Figure 9 This is a three-dimensional diagram representing a seedling tray.

[0034] Figure 10 This is a cross-sectional view showing the seedling trays in an overlapping state during use.

[0035] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0036] 1: Motor body

[0037] 5: Seedling transplanting device

[0038] 5B: Seedling transplanting mechanism

[0039] 8: Seedling box

[0040] 8A: Seedling Storage Department

[0041] 54: Insertion claw

[0042] 60: Rice seedling platform

[0043] 62: Seedling placement section

[0044] 62a: Seedling outlet

[0045] 62d: Side wall portion

[0046] 63: Empty disk section

[0047] 80: Base Plate

[0048] 81: Peripheral frame

[0049] 81A: Vertical frame section

[0050] 81B: Horizontal frame section

[0051] 82: Separating stiffener

[0052] 83: Lower side partition reinforcing rib

[0053] d1: Thickness

[0054] d2: Thickness

[0055] h1: Protrusion height

[0056] h2: Protrusion height

[0057] h3: Protrusion Amount

[0058] h4: Protrusion Amount

[0059] W1: First Interval

[0060] W2: Second Interval

[0061] W3: Width in the left and right directions Detailed Implementation

[0062] Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0063] Unless otherwise specified, the forward and backward directions and left and right directions described in this embodiment are as follows. That is, for the riding-type rice transplanter of the present invention, the direction of travel of the traveling body on the forward side during operation (refer to...) Figure 1 , 3 Arrow F) indicates "forward," and the direction of travel on the backward side (refer to...). Figure 1 , 3 Arrow B) represents "back," and along this forward-backward direction, with the forward posture as a reference, the direction is equivalent to the right (see...). Figure 3 The arrow R) represents "right," which is equivalent to the direction to the left (see reference). Figure 3 The arrow L) indicates "left".

[0064] (Overall structure of a ride-on rice transplanter)

[0065] Figure 1 This is a side view of the riding-type rice transplanter, which is the rice transplanter of the present invention. Figure 2 This is a side view showing the seedling planting device 5 for planting 8 rows of seedlings, which is located at the rear of a ride-on rice transplanter.

[0066] As mentioned above Figure 1 , 2As shown, the riding rice transplanter has a pair of front wheels 1F and 1F at the front that can be freely turned, located below the frame 10 of the traveling body 1, and a pair of rear wheels 1R and 1R at the rear of the traveling body 1, which serve as a pair of left and right drive wheels, enabling it to travel automatically.

[0067] Power from the engine 20 of the power unit 2 located at the front of the machine body is transmitted to the rear wheels 1R, 1R. The power of the engine 20 is also transmitted to the fertilization device 4 and the seedling transplanting device 5, which is a ground-operating device. The fertilization device 4 is mounted at the rear of the traveling machine body 1, and the seedling transplanting device 5 is connected to the rear of the machine frame 10 of the traveling machine body 1 via a lifting linkage mechanism 11 that can swing freely up and down.

[0068] The vehicle body 1 has a driver's compartment 3 located behind the power unit 2, which houses the engine 20 within the hood 21. This driver's compartment 3 has a control section 31 on the driver's compartment floor 30, with a steering handle 31a and the like at the front. A driver's seat 32 is located behind the control section 31, allowing the driver to operate the vehicle. Boarding / alighting pedals 33 are located below the two horizontal ends of the driver's compartment floor 30 for getting on and off from the ground.

[0069] Side steps 22 are provided on the left and right sides of the engine compartment 2's hood 21, which are connected to the front of the driver's compartment floor 30. These side steps 22 allow passengers to board from the front of the aircraft.

[0070] like Figure 1 As shown, at the front of the traveling machine body 1, the pre-loaded seedling platform 12 is set on the outer side of the left and right side pedals 22.

[0071] Although not illustrated, the width of the driver's floor 30 in the left and right directions is not consistent in the part further forward than the driver's seat 32, forming different sections at the front and back. That is, the width of the driver's floor 30 in the left and right directions is wider in the rear position closer to the driver's seat 32 than the width of the driver's floor 30 in the left and right directions further forward than the driver's seat 32.

[0072] (Fertilizer application device)

[0073] The riding-type rice transplanter is equipped with a fertilizer applicator 4, which is an example of an agricultural material supply device.

[0074] The fertilizer applicator 4 includes: a hopper 40 for storing powdered fertilizer, which is an example of an agricultural material; a delivery unit 41 for discharging the stored fertilizer from the hopper 40 in a prescribed amount; a transport pipe 42 for transporting the discharged fertilizer; and a furrow opener 43, which serves as a ground supply unit, for guiding the supplied fertilizer to the farmland.

[0075] The hopper 40 holds four container units, each with a storage space for powdered fertilizer, arranged in a row along the left-right direction and positioned at the rear end of the vehicle body 1, on the back side of the driver's seat 32. Each container unit has a delivery section 41 at its lower part. Fertilizer delivered from the delivery section 41 is fed via a transport pipe 42 into the furrow opener 43 installed in the seedling transplanting device 5, and then supplied to the trough formed in the farmland.

[0076] The delivery section 41 is connected to: a conveying pipe 42 for conveying the fertilizer to the furrow opener 43; and a wind-generating device 35 for conveying the fertilizer to the furrow opener 43 by means of wind.

[0077] like Figure 1 and Figure 8 As shown, the air-generating device 35 includes: an electric blower 36 for generating air; a transport duct 37a located in the supply path for transporting fertilizer to the side of the seedling transplanting device 5; a discharge duct 37b serving as a discharge path for removing the remaining fertilizer to the outside; and an air intake duct 37c for drawing in external air heated and dried in the power unit 2 into the electric blower 36.

[0078] The delivery unit 41 has a delivery mechanism consisting of delivery rollers 45 and the like inside the outer packaging box 44. It delivers the fertilizer provided from each container unit downwards in a specified amount and delivers it to the side of the transport pipe 42 by means of the high-pressure transport air supplied from the transport conduit 37a.

[0079] There are four delivery units 41 corresponding to the container unit. Each delivery unit 41 is connected to two transport pipes 42, 42, and fertilizer is delivered from the eight transport pipes 42 connected to the four delivery units 41 to the furrow openers 43 located at eight points on the seedling transplanting device 5.

[0080] like Figure 8 As shown, regarding the delivery section 41, the pull door 46 (equivalent to the fertilizer stop device) can be inserted and removed from the outside of the outer packaging box 44 in a manner that can block and release the flow of fertilizer from each container unit of the hopper 40 to the corresponding delivery section 41.

[0081] By using the sliding door 46 Figure 8 The fertilizer, inserted into the outer casing 44 as shown by the solid line, can prevent (block) the fertilizer stored in the hopper 40 from flowing towards the discharge section 41. Furthermore, by using... Figure 8 The fertilizer is pulled out of the outer box 44 in the manner shown by the dotted line, which allows (unblocks) the fertilizer stored in the hopper 40 to flow to the delivery section 41.

[0082] like Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, a pull-out door 46 that can be pulled out of the outer packaging box 44 is supported on the upper part of the seedling loading platform 60 of the seedling loading mechanism 5C described below. The specific structure of supporting the pull-out door 46 on the upper part of the seedling loading platform 60 will be described below.

[0083] (Seedling transplanting device)

[0084] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the seedling transplanting device 5, as an example of a ground-operating device, is connected to the rear end of the lifting linkage mechanism 11.

[0085] The seedling transplanting device 5 includes: a transplanting frame 5A supported at the rear end of the lifting linkage mechanism 11; a seedling transplanting mechanism 5B located at the rear of the transplanting frame 5A; a seedling loading mechanism 5C that carries a blanket of seedlings above the transplanting frame 5A and moves laterally back and forth in the left and right directions; and a land preparation device 5D located at the lower part of the transplanting frame 5A.

[0086] The insertion frame 5A is connected to the lifting linkage mechanism 11 via a rear link 13 located at the rear end of the lifting linkage mechanism 11, and is supported in a manner that allows it to swing laterally about the swing axis X1 in the front-back direction.

[0087] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the insertion frame 5A has: a supply box 50 connected to the rear connecting rod 13; a tool rod 51 fixed to the supply box 50 and extending to the left and right sides; and five insertion transmission boxes 52 that are longer in the front-rear direction and extend rearward from the rear surface of the tool rod 51.

[0088] Power from the engine 20 on the side of the vehicle body 1 is transmitted to the supply box 50 via the inserted drive shaft 14.

[0089] The power transmitted to the supply box 50 is input to the transmission mechanism (not shown) located inside the insertion transmission box 52 via the drive shaft 50a extending laterally from both sides of the supply box 50.

[0090] At the rear of the planting transmission box 52, a rotating box 53 (equivalent to a rotating box), which serves as the seedling planting mechanism 5B, is supported on the side of the planting transmission box 52 in a manner that allows it to rotate about a horizontal axis in a left-right orientation. A claw support box 55, which has a planting claw 54 that serves as the seedling planting mechanism 5B, is supported at both ends of each rotating box 53 in a manner that allows it to rotate relative to the other rotating boxes 53.

[0091] like Figure 3 and Figure 4As shown, regarding the rotating box 53 of the seedling transplanting mechanism 5B, the rotating box 53 is positioned on both sides of the three central transplanting transmission boxes 52 among the five transplanting transmission boxes 52 arranged in a horizontally aligned manner. The rotating box 53 is supported in a manner that allows it to rotate about a horizontal axis, opposite the two outermost transplanting transmission boxes 52, at a position facing the horizontal side of the transplanting transmission boxes 52 towards the central side.

[0092] In the seedling transplanting mechanism 5B, regarding the structure configured in the transplanting transmission box 52, the rotating box 53 is arranged on the side close to the transplanting transmission box 52, and the claw support box 55 is supported on the transplanting transmission box 52 together with the rotating box 53 in a state where it is located further away from the side of the transplanting transmission box 52 than the rotating box 53.

[0093] Furthermore, the left-right spacing between the planting claws 54 located on the claw support box 55 is as follows: the left-right spacing between the planting claws 54 located in the position that clamps the planting transmission box 52 is a second spacing W2 corresponding to the wider row spacing of the planted seedlings; and the spacing between the planting claws 54 not located in the position that crosses the planting transmission box 52 is a first spacing W1 corresponding to the narrower row spacing of the planted seedlings.

[0094] Auxiliary frames 56 are provided at both ends of the tool lever 51. These auxiliary frames 56 are designed to be able to rotate around a horizontal axis in the horizontal direction. Figure 3 and Figure 4 The installation method involves changing the posture between the auxiliary posture shown along the horizontal direction and the upright posture with the free end facing down (not shown).

[0095] In the illustrated auxiliary posture, when the seedling transplanting device 5 is in operation, it is easy to prevent the seedling platform 60, which moves laterally back and forth in the seedling placement mechanism 5C, and the sliding plate 61, which guides the lateral movement of the seedling platform 60, from contacting other objects. In the upright posture, the seedling placement mechanism 5C, including the seedling platform 60 and the sliding plate 61, and the seedling transplanting mechanism 5B, which are in a non-operating state, can be supported in a tilted-up position from the ground.

[0096] like Figure 3 As shown, the left-right length L1 of the tool rod 51 and the left-right length L2 including the tool rod 51 and the auxiliary frame 56 are set to be longer than the left-right length L3 of the sliding plate 61 located at the lower part of the seedling platform 60.

[0097] Below the tool rod 51 and the insertion transmission box 52, there is a floating plate unit 70 as a land preparation device 5D.

[0098] The float unit 70 is composed of a central float 71 located in the center in the left-right direction, a pair of left and right side floats 72 located on the left and right sides, and a pair of left and right end floats 73 located further outward than the side floats 72, which are used for 8 rows of planting.

[0099] Each float 71, 72, and 73 constituting the float unit 70 supports the front end in a manner that allows it to swing up and down, and supports the rear end area in a manner that allows its height to be adjusted via the support link 74.

[0100] These floating plates 71, 72, and 73 contact the farmland surface when the seedling planting device 5 is in a lowered operating state. They support the seedling planting device 5 at a specified depth based on the seedling planting depth of each seedling planting mechanism 5B, and prepare the land near the seedling planting area of ​​the seedling planting mechanism 5B.

[0101] Each of the floating plates 71, 72, and 73 is equipped with a trench opener 43, which creates trenches to guide and bury the fertilizer supplied by the fertilization device 4 onto the mud surface.

[0102] like Figure 3 As shown, the central floating plate 71 is located approximately in the center between the left and right front wheels 1F, 1F and the left and right rear wheels 1R, 1R.

[0103] The wheel track L4 of the left and right rear wheels 1R is narrower than the wheel track L5 of the left and right front wheels 1F, so that the rear wheels 1R and 1R pass inside the track of the front wheels 1F and 1F. By reducing the wheel track L4 of the rear wheels 1R and 1R as described above, the left and right side floats 72 are configured to pass through the travel track of the left and right rear wheels 1R.

[0104] (Seedling placement mechanism)

[0105] The seedling placement mechanism 5C, which holds the blanket-shaped seedlings above the planting frame 5A and moves laterally back and forth in the left and right direction, has a seedling platform 60 that can swing back and forth in the left and right direction. The seedling platform 60 has, in a laterally arranged state, eight seedling placement sections 62 capable of holding one row of blanket-shaped seedlings; and three empty tray sections 63, which do not hold blanket-shaped seedlings.

[0106] At the lower part of the seedling carrier 60, a sliding plate 61 is disposed at the lower end capable of receiving the blanket-shaped seedlings. This sliding plate 61 is fixed above the planting frame 5A to guide the reciprocating lateral movement of the seedling carrier 60. Furthermore, the sliding plate 61 has eight seedling outlets 62a corresponding to each seedling placement section 62. In other words, the sliding plate 61, together with the seedling placement sections 62, supports the blanket-shaped seedlings and functions as the seedling placement sections 62. Therefore, in this specification, the seedling outlets 62a formed in the seedling placement sections 62 refer to the seedling outlets 62a formed in the sliding plate 61.

[0107] Furthermore, the sliding plate 61 not only functions as the seedling placement part 62, but also as a guide component for the reciprocating lateral movement of the seedling platform 60. Therefore, the sliding plate 61 does not move laterally as a unit with the seedling placement part 62, but is fixed above the planting frame 5A in a manner that allows it to move relative to the seedling placement part 62 and the empty tray part 63 of the seedling platform 60, thus supporting the seedling placement part 62 and the empty tray part 63 from below.

[0108] Each seedling placement section 62 of the seedling platform 60 has a longitudinally rotating seedling conveyor belt 62c on its seedling placement surface 62b, and also has a known longitudinal conveying mechanism (not shown), which longitudinally conveys the placed blanket-shaped seedlings toward the seedling outlet 62a in a predetermined amount. In addition to this longitudinal conveying mechanism, although not shown, there is also a known lateral conveying mechanism for reciprocatingly driving the seedling platform 60 in the left-right direction. A seedling placement mechanism 5C, comprising the aforementioned longitudinal and lateral conveying mechanisms, is formed on the seedling platform 60.

[0109] The left-right width W3 of the seedling placement section 62 is set to be the same as the width M2 of the seedling section after dividing the left-right width M1 of the seedling section 8A into two equal parts, for the purpose of cultivating the blanket-shaped seedlings in the seedling box 8 described below.

[0110] In an embodiment of the present invention, the left-right width W4 of the empty tray 63 is approximately the same as the left-right width W3 of the seedling placement portion 62, and can be appropriately set according to the wider row spacing among the row spacing of the seedlings planted by the seedling planting device 5.

[0111] By setting the left-right width W3 of the seedling placement section 62 and the left-right width W4 of the empty tray section 63 as described above, the left-right spacing of the seedling outlet 62a and the planting claw 54 is set to an unequal interval such as a first interval W1 corresponding to a pre-set narrower row spacing and a second interval W2 corresponding to a wider row spacing that is wider than the narrower row spacing. The lateral conveying mechanism of the seedling platform 60 causes the seedling platform 60 to reciprocate in the left-right direction within a range equivalent to the aforementioned first interval W1.

[0112] The first interval W1 is set to be consistent with the interval between the seedling outlets 62a of the seedling placement section 62 which are adjacent to the seedling placement section 62 in a manner that does not clamp the empty tray section 63, and the second interval W2 is set to be consistent with the interval between the seedling outlets 62a of the seedling placement section 62 which are adjacent to the seedling placement section 62 in a manner that clamps the empty tray section 63.

[0113] like Figure 4As shown, the portion having the second interval W2 is positioned above the central float 71 and the left and right side floats 72 of the float unit 70, and the trajectories of the rear wheels 1R, 1R overlap with the width of the second interval W2 of the portion above the side floats 72. Furthermore, as... Figure 3 , 4 As shown, an insertion transmission box 52 is provided within the interval of the portion having the second interval W2.

[0114] In this structure, a reinforcing rib 64 is erected on the rear-facing surface 63a of the upper part of the empty tray 63, in a direction that intersects with the direction in which the blanket-shaped seedling is inserted from above.

[0115] By placing the reinforcing rib 64 on the upper part of the empty tray 63, the operation of replenishing seedlings can be carried out accurately. That is, when the driver or assistant on the traveling body 1 takes out the blanket-shaped seedlings from the prepared seedling platform 12 and replenishes the seedlings on the rear seedling platform 60, if they attempt to mistakenly insert the blanket-shaped seedlings into the empty tray 63, the reinforcing rib 64 will abut against the top of the blanket-shaped seedling to be inserted, thus becoming an obstruction.

[0116] This allows operators to easily identify incorrect seedling placement, thereby reducing the possibility of erroneous operations.

[0117] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, on the upper part of the front surface of the seedling carrier 60, opposite to the seedling placement surface 62b of the seedling placement section 62 and the rear-facing upward surface 63a of the empty tray section 63, there are operating levers 65 for split-row clutches (not shown) at five locations. The split-row clutches, operated by these levers 65, are used to connect and disconnect the power transmitted from the transmission mechanism inside the planting transmission box 52 to the rotating box 53. The split-row clutches are located inside the five planting transmission boxes 52 and can be connected and disconnected separately via each operating lever 65.

[0118] Each operating lever 65 and the split clutch is set to a state corresponding to each insert transmission box 52.

[0119] by Figure 3 Taking the three insertion drive boxes 52 located near the center as an example, a typical insertion drive box 52 has a pair of left and right rotating boxes 53. Each rotating box 53 has an insertion claw 54 on the side away from the insertion drive box 52. As described above, the spacing between the insertion claws 54, which are arranged to sandwich the insertion drive box 52 and the left and right rotating boxes 53, inevitably tends to increase. Therefore, the spacing between the insertion claws 54, which are arranged to sandwich the insertion drive box 52 and the left and right rotating boxes 53, is configured to correspond to the position where insertion is performed with a wider row spacing.

[0120] In addition, in this embodiment, in Figure 3 Two insertion transmission boxes 52 are also provided at the left and right ends. The insertion transmission box 52 at each end is provided with a rotating box 53 on the side closer to the center in the left-right direction. The rotating box 53 has an insertion claw 54 on the side away from the insertion transmission box 52.

[0121] In this embodiment, as described above, the five insertion transmission boxes 52, which are provided with three locations of a pair of left and right rotating boxes 53 and two locations of a rotating box 53 on one side near the center in the left and right direction, are each provided with a row clutch, and an operating lever 65 corresponding to each row clutch is provided so as to enable the connection and disconnection of each row clutch.

[0122] Regarding the split clutches arranged as described above, with the operation of each operating lever 65, the split clutches at the two end locations are configured to connect and disconnect the drive of a rotating box 53 located at the end of the insertion transmission box 52. The split clutches at the three insertion transmission boxes 52 located near the center are configured to simultaneously connect and disconnect the drive of the two rotating boxes 53 located on the left and right sides of each insertion transmission box 52 with the operation of each operating lever 65.

[0123] The fertilizer applicator 4 has four delivery sections 41, each with a delivery roller 45. Each delivery section 41 is connected to two transport pipes 42, and a total of eight transport pipes 42 are connected in a manner that enables fertilizer to be supplied to the furrow openers 43 at eight different locations.

[0124] Each feeding section 41 has two door insertion parts 47 above the feeding roller 45, and the door 46 can be inserted and removed from each door insertion part 47. Thus, fertilizer can be supplied and stopped for each row through the door 46.

[0125] As described above, the number of feeders 41 is less than the number of split clutches, and the fertilizer supply can be stopped by pulling door 46 according to the number of seedling transplanting mechanisms 5B that are stopped by the split clutches.

[0126] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, a retaining hole 63b is formed on the upper part of the empty disc portion 63, which is used to hold the sliding door 46 in an inserted state to prevent fertilizer from being dispensed from the fertilizer applicator 4. The retaining hole 63b is formed at two locations on the upper part of the empty disc portion 63, allowing the top ends of the two sliding doors 46 to be inserted and held in place.

[0127] The sliding door 46 is a component that can be inserted and removed arbitrarily relative to the retaining hole 63b, and can also be inserted and removed arbitrarily relative to the sliding door insertion part 47 of the fertilizer device 4.

[0128] To stop fertilizer supply by inserting the top of the pull door 46 into the pull door insertion part 47 of the fertilizer applicator 4, the splitting clutch is disengaged, stopping the seedling planting mechanism 5B from planting seedlings at the target location. At this time, because the pull door 46 is located near the holding hole 63b on the upper part of the empty disc 63, close to the operating lever 65 used to disengage the splitting clutch and the pull door insertion part 47 of the fertilizer applicator 4, the disengagement of the splitting clutch and the stopping of fertilizer delivery from the fertilizer applicator 4 can be performed quickly and easily.

[0129] The operating lever 65 for operating the split-row clutch is located at five points on the upper part of the front surface of the seedling carrier 60. The retaining hole 63b, which allows the seedling to be held in the inserted pull door 46 state, is located on the upper part of the empty plate section 63, not on the upper part of the seedling carrier 62. This is because it is difficult to ensure sufficient space for the retaining hole 63b on the upper part of the seedling placement section 62, and it is impractical to perform seedling planting operations with all or most of the split-row clutches stopped. Therefore, by placing it on the upper part of the empty plate section 63, practical convenience can be ensured.

[0130] like Figure 4 and Figure 7 As shown, the seedling carrier 60 is provided with sidewall portions 62d that separate adjacent seedling placement portions 62 from each other. The sidewall portions 62d extend from the lower end to the upper end of the seedling placement portions 62.

[0131] The side wall portion 62d is formed by connecting the two shaped surface plates 66 and 66 that constitute adjacent seedling placement portions 62 and 62.

[0132] In other words, a standing piece 66a is provided at the connection point between adjacent shaped surface plates 66, 66, serving as the side wall portion 62d of the seedling placement portion 62, 62. The top of the standing piece 66a is clamped by an upper abutment plate 67a and a lower abutment plate 67b, and is connected and fixed by a connecting bolt 68.

[0133] Therefore, when constructing the seedling carrier 60, it is not constructed as a whole by continuous molded parts, but by using multiple molded surface plates 66, 66, which are connected to adjacent seedling placement parts 62, 62, so that seedling carriers 60 with different numbers of rows can be constructed.

[0134] (Seedling box)

[0135] Figure 9 andFigure 10 The seedling box 8 is shown as a seedbed storage section 8A for a seedbed used in the aforementioned ride-on rice transplanter, which has a seedbed for storing blanket-shaped seedlings.

[0136] The seedbed storage section 8A includes: a base plate 80 that blocks and supports the lower surface of the seedbed; and a perimeter frame 81 that is rectangular when viewed from above and rises upwards beyond the upper surface of the base plate 80 to surround the seedbed. Furthermore, reinforcing ribs 82 are formed on the upper surface of the base plate 80, which rise upwards to divide the seedbed into multiple sections.

[0137] The peripheral frame 81 is formed as a rectangle consisting of a vertical frame portion 81A of a specified length and a horizontal frame portion 81B that is shorter than the vertical frame portion 81A.

[0138] The reinforcing rib 82 is formed at the position of the seedbed storage section 8A in a direction that intersects with the horizontal frame section 81B and is parallel to the vertical frame section 81A.

[0139] The upward protrusion height h2 of the partition reinforcing rib 82 is set to be the same as or the same as the upward protrusion height h1 of the peripheral frame 81.

[0140] The peripheral frame 81 is formed to protrude downwards beyond the lower surface of the base plate 80. Furthermore, a lower dividing reinforcing rib 83 is formed on the lower surface of the base plate 80, and the lower dividing reinforcing rib 83 protrudes downwards at the point where it overlaps with the dividing reinforcing rib 82 when viewed from above. Therefore, the lower dividing reinforcing rib 83 is also formed along a direction that intersects with the horizontal frame portion 81B and is parallel to the vertical frame portion 81A.

[0141] The downward protrusion h4 of the lower partition reinforcing rib 83 is set to be the same as the downward protrusion h3 of the lower surface of the peripheral frame 81 relative to the bottom plate 80.

[0142] like Figure 10 As shown, when the seedling boxes 8 with the above structure are stacked vertically, the lower end of the lower reinforcing rib 83 of the upper seedling box 8 abuts against or is very close to the upper end of the reinforcing rib 82 of the lower seedling box 8. Thus, one seedbed storage section 8A is almost completely separated. This prevents even the slightest connection between the seedbed sections of the blanket-like seedlings existing in the separated spaces.

[0143] Therefore, when cultivating multiple blanket-shaped seedlings using a single seedling tray 8, it is possible to reliably prevent the seedbeds from connecting with each other. Furthermore, the lower reinforcing ribs 83, which protrude downwards from the bottom plate 80 to ensure separation, also effectively function as reinforcing components of the seedling tray 8 itself.

[0144] like Figure 10As shown, the thickness d2 of the dividing reinforcing rib 82 and the lower dividing reinforcing rib 83 along the direction of the horizontal frame portion 81B is thinner than the thickness d1 of the vertical frame portion 81A along the direction of the horizontal frame portion 81B.

[0145] The seedbed storage section 8A of the seedling box 8 has a left-right width M1 that is approximately twice the left-right width W3 of the seedling placement section 62. By dividing it into two equal parts, it is set to be the same as the left-right width W3 of the seedling placement section 62.

[0146] In other words, the seedling box 8 can cultivate two blanket-shaped seedlings with a width M2 of the same width as the seedling placement part 62 in the left and right direction.

[0147] Although not shown in the diagram, the bottom plate 80 of the seedbed storage section 8A naturally has multiple small holes that allow seedling roots to extend into.

[0148] (Other implementation methods)

[0149] Other embodiments will now be described. Multiple combinations of these other embodiments are possible without creating contradictions. The scope of this invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0150] (1) In the above embodiment, it is shown that the left-right width W4 of the empty tray 63 is set to the same degree as the left-right width W3 of the seedling placement portion 62, but it is not necessarily limited to this structure.

[0151] For example, the left-right width W4 of the empty tray 63 can be larger or smaller than the left-right width W3 of the seedling placement section 62. The left-right widths W3 and W4 can be set appropriately to accommodate the row spacing of the transplanted seedlings.

[0152] Other structures can be the same as those described in the above embodiments.

[0153] (2) In the above embodiment, in order to prevent the insertion of the blanket-shaped seedlings into the empty tray 63, a reinforcing rib 64 is provided on the upward surface 63a of the empty tray 63 in a direction that intersects with the insertion direction of the blanket-shaped seedlings, but it is not necessarily limited to this structure.

[0154] For example, a stepped section can be formed in a way that is higher or narrower than the inlet side in the insertion direction. Appropriate shape changes can be made freely. In short, the goal is to draw attention or create obstacles in a way that prevents the blanket-like seedlings from being inserted into the empty tray 63.

[0155] Other structures can be the same as those described in the above embodiments.

[0156] (3) In the above embodiment, an auxiliary frame 56 is shown at both ends of the tool rod 51, but it is not necessarily limited to this structure.

[0157] In other words, the lateral length L1 of the tool rod 51 is set to be longer than the lateral length L3 of the sliding plate 61. Therefore, if the purpose is only to protect the end of the sliding plate 61 through the tool rod 51, then a dedicated auxiliary frame 56 is not required. Therefore, a structure that omits the auxiliary frame 56 can also be adopted. In the embodiment, the auxiliary frame 56 is supplemented with a structure that can switch the posture to an upright posture with the free end facing down, thereby supporting the seedling planting device 5 in a non-operating state in a state that can be tilted off the ground.

[0158] Other structures can be the same as those described in the above embodiments.

[0159] (4) In the above embodiment, as a way to stop the supply of fertilizer from the fertilizer applicator 4, it is shown that the pull door 46 is inserted into the pull door insertion part 47 of the fertilizer applicator 4, thereby preventing fertilizer from flowing down from the hopper 40 to the delivery part 41, but it is not necessarily limited to this structure.

[0160] For example, instead of using the sliding door 46, a structure can be used in the fertilizer flow path connected to each conveying pipe 42, although not shown, to stop the fertilizer supply by using a clutch device that can stop the operation of the delivery roller 45.

[0161] Other structures can be the same as those described in the above embodiments.

[0162] (5) In the above embodiment, the land preparation device 5D is shown to have a structure consisting of a float unit 70 formed by combining five ground-contacting floats, but it is not necessarily limited to this structure. For example, as ground-contacting floats, a continuous land preparation float that is longer in the left-right direction may be used, or two or more land preparation floats may be used. Furthermore, land preparation rotors or rakes that are not ground-contacting floats may also be used.

[0163] Other structures can be the same as those described in the above embodiments.

[0164] (6) In the above embodiment, the seedling box 8 is shown to have a structure in which the seedling bed storage section 8A is divided into two equal parts, and a reinforcing rib 82 is formed along the direction that intersects the horizontal frame section 81B and is parallel to the vertical frame section 81A. However, it is not necessarily limited to this structure. For example, when dividing the seedling bed storage section 8A, it may not be divided into two equal parts, but rather divided into two parts by expanding one side and shrinking the other side.

[0165] Furthermore, it is also possible to divide it into three or more parts instead of two.

[0166] Other structures can be the same as those described in the above embodiments.

[0167] (7) In the above embodiment, a structure in which the empty tray 63 is not loaded with blanket-shaped seedlings is adopted, but it is not necessarily limited to this structure. For example, the width W4 in the left and right direction of the empty tray 63 can be adjusted so that the prepared blanket-shaped seedlings can be loaded. In this case, the reinforcing rib 64 can be temporarily moved or disassembled.

[0168] Other structures can be the same as those described in the above embodiments.

[0169] (Industry availability)

[0170] This invention is not limited to rice transplanters for 8-row planting, but can also be applied to rice transplanters capable of planting seedlings in fewer than 8 rows, as well as rice transplanters capable of planting more than 8 rows.

Claims

1. A seedling tray, comprising a seedbed storage section for storing blanket-shaped seedlings. The characteristic of this seedling box is that... The seedbed storage section includes: a base plate that blocks and supports the lower surface of the seedbed; and a perimeter frame that is rectangular when viewed from above, rising above the upper surface of the base plate to surround the seedbed. Reinforcing ribs are formed on the upper surface of the base plate, and these reinforcing ribs rise upwards to divide the seedbed into multiple sections. The upward protrusion height of the dividing reinforcing rib is set to be the same as the protrusion height of the peripheral frame in the upright direction. The peripheral frame protrudes downwards from a position lower than the lower surface of the base plate. A lower side reinforcing rib is formed on the lower surface of the base plate. When viewed from above, the lower side reinforcing rib protrudes downward at the position where it overlaps with the reinforcing rib. The downward protrusion of the lower dividing reinforcing rib is set to be the same as the downward protrusion of the peripheral frame.

2. The seedling box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The dividing reinforcing ribs and the lower dividing reinforcing ribs are formed at the positions that divide the seedbed storage section into two equal parts.

3. The seedling box according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The peripheral frame is formed as a rectangle with a vertical frame portion of a specified length and a horizontal frame portion shorter than the vertical frame portion. The dividing reinforcing ribs and the lower dividing reinforcing ribs are formed in a direction parallel to the longitudinal frame portion.

4. The seedling box according to claim 3, characterized in that, The thickness of the dividing reinforcing rib and the lower dividing reinforcing rib along the direction of the horizontal frame portion is thinner than the thickness of the vertical frame portion along the direction of the horizontal frame portion.

5. A rice transplanter, equipped with a seedling planting device at the rear of the traveling body, using the seedling box according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The seedling transplanting device includes: a seedling carrier platform with multiple seedling holding sections capable of holding blanket-shaped seedlings; and multiple seedling transplanting mechanisms for removing the blanket-shaped seedlings placed in the seedling holding sections and transplanting them into the farmland. The seedling carrier platform is arranged laterally and includes: multiple seedling placement sections, the width of which in the left-right direction along the left-right movement direction of the seedling carrier platform is set to a fixed value; and an empty tray section located adjacent to the seedling placement sections, which is not used to hold the blanket-like seedlings. The width of the seedling placement section in the left-right direction corresponds to the width of the blanket-shaped seedlings cultivated in the seedling box. The seedling placement sections located in adjacent positions are separated from each other by sidewalls that can be detachably connected. The connecting sidewall extends across the area from the lower end to the upper end of the seedling placement section, in a manner that separates the blanket-like seedlings that are divided left and right in the seedbed storage section of the seedling box. The seedling outlets formed in each of the seedling placement sections correspond to the seedling removal and planting claws provided in the seedling planting mechanism.

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