Seedling transplanter

Abstract

To provide a seedling transplanter which can reduce the work burden related to the input of seedling mats and improve work efficiency.SOLUTION: A seedling transplanter comprises: a travel vehicle body 2 which is equipped with a steering wheel that is steered by a steering device; a seedling transplanting part which is connected to the rear part of the travel vehicle body 2 for planting seedlings in a farm field; a position information acquisition device which acquires position information; a control unit which detects the steering angle of the steering wheel and drives the steering device on the basis of the detected steering angle and the position information acquired by the position information acquisition device to control the automatic travel of the travel vehicle body 2; and a seedling mat storage part which is provided over the entire upper part of the machine body from the front end to the rear end of the travel vehicle body 2 for storing seedling mats to be supplied to the seedling planting part. The seedling mat storage part includes: a seedling mat extraction mechanism which extracts the seedling mats that have been input from a nursery box; and a seedling mat conveyance mechanism which conveys the seedling mats extracted by the seedling mat extraction mechanism.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a seedling transplanter that transplants rice while traveling in a farm field. [Background technology]

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses a seedling transplanter in which the space on the traveling vehicle body for replenishing the working seedling mats containing seedlings, fertilizer, etc. is eliminated, and the body is simplified and slimmed down. In this conventional work vehicle, when an operator inserts a seedling mat into the seedling mat insertion port provided at the front of the body, the seedling mat is transported to the rear of the body by a seedling mat transport mechanism provided inside the body, and the seedling mat is planted in the field by the working section (seedling planting section) at the rear of the body. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-017256 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, because the seedling mats are in seedling boxes before being inserted into the machine, the above-mentioned conventional seedling transplanter requires the operator to take out the seedling mats from the seedling boxes one by one when inserting them into the seedling mat inlet, which is time-consuming. In addition, when the seedling mats are inserted into the machine, their posture may be disturbed, preventing smooth transportation by the seedling mat transport mechanism, which may reduce work efficiency.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a seedling transplanter that can solve such problems, reduce the work burden associated with inserting seedling mats, and improve work efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the first invention provides: A vehicle body having steered wheels steered by a steering device; A seedling transplanting unit that is connected to the rear of the traveling vehicle body and plants seedlings in a field; A location information acquisition device that acquires location information; a control unit that detects a steering angle of the steered wheels and drives the steering device based on the detected steering angle and the position information acquired by the position information acquisition device to control automatic traveling of the traveling vehicle body; A seedling mat storage section is provided over the entire upper part of the vehicle body from the front end to the rear end, and stores seedling mats to be fed to the seedling planting section. The seedling transplanter is characterized in that the seedling mat storage section is equipped with a seedling mat removal mechanism that removes the seedling mat that has been placed inside from the seedling box, and a seedling mat transport mechanism that transports the seedling mat removed by the seedling mat removal mechanism.

[0007] According to the first aspect of the present invention, the seedling mats that have been inserted are removed from the seedling boxes by the seedling mat removal mechanism and transported by the seedling mat transport mechanism, thereby reducing the workload associated with inserting the seedling mats and improving work efficiency.

[0008] The second invention is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of the first invention described above, the seedling mat removal mechanism is provided with left and right seedling mat lifting rollers, and by rotating the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers, an upward rotational friction force is applied to both the left and right sides of the seedling mat to lift the seedling mat from the seedling box, and the lifted seedling mat is placed on a separation plate that separates the seedling box and the seedling mat, thereby removing the seedling mat from the seedling box.

[0009] According to the second invention, in addition to the effects of the first invention, when the seedlings N in the seedling mat M come into contact with the seedling mat lifting roller 1, upward rotational friction is applied from both the left and right sides, lifting the seedling mat M, allowing the seedlings N to be lifted quickly while preventing them from being damaged. In addition, by applying upward rotational friction force to both the left and right sides of the seedling mat, the position of the seedling mat can be adjusted. Furthermore, the separation plate that separates the seedling mat from the seedling box allows the seedling mat to be quickly removed from the seedling box.

[0010] The third invention has the same configuration as the second invention, but further comprises: The left and right seedling mat lifting rollers are characterized in that they are arranged in an upwardly inclined position toward the rear.

[0011] According to the third invention, in addition to the effects of the second invention, the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers are arranged in an upwardly inclined position, so that the seedling mat moving backward in the conveying direction can be lifted upward effectively.

[0012] The fourth invention has the following features in addition to any one of the first to third inventions: The seedling mat removal mechanism includes a seedling box conveying roller for conveying the seedling box, The seedling box transport roller is configured to transport the seedling box after the seedling mat has been removed and the seedling box is emptied, and to drop the seedling box onto an inclined guide plate that guides the seedling box out of the seedling mat storage section.

[0013] According to the fourth invention, in addition to the effects of any one of the first to third inventions, the seedling boxes are dropped onto the inclined guide plate, guided out of the seedling mat storage section, and returned to the worker. This makes it possible to quickly collect the empty seedling boxes, improving work efficiency.

[0014] The fifth invention is, in addition to the configuration of the second or third invention, The seedling mat removal mechanism is characterized in that it comprises a support arm that supports the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers in hollow, and an electric cylinder that enables the support arm to extend and retract up and down, and is configured so that the height positions of the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers can be adjusted by controlling the extension and retraction of the electric cylinder.

[0015] According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of either the second or third aspect of the present invention, it is possible to flexibly respond to the length of the seedlings and improve the work accuracy. That is, it is possible to effectively prevent mistakes in lifting the seedling mat.

[0016] The sixth invention is any one of the first to fifth inventions, in addition to the above, Equipped with an obstacle detection sensor that detects surrounding obstacles, The present invention is characterized in that when an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection sensor, the automatic driving is stopped and external operations are not accepted for a certain period of time.

[0017] The sixth invention has the effect of improving safety during automatic travel of the seedling transplanter in addition to the effect of any one of the first to fifth inventions. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, a seedling transplanter can be provided that can reduce the workload associated with inserting seedling mats and improve work efficiency. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of an operating state of a seedling transplanter according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram mainly showing the controller of the seedling transplanter. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway side view of the seedling transplanter. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the seedling transplanter. [Diagram 5]FIG. 5 is a left side view of the main part around the seedling mat lifting section 100X of the seedling mat storage section. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a front view of the main part around the seedling mat lifting section 100X of the seedling mat storage section. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the seedling mat removal mechanism. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a left side view of a main part around a seedling mat lifting section of a seedling mat storage section according to another embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of the safety improvement process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] A detailed description of the seedling transplanter 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the moving direction of the seedling transplanter 1 (the direction indicated by the arrow F in FIG. 1) is referred to as the forward direction, the opposite direction is referred to as the rearward direction, and the right direction from the forward direction is referred to as the right side, and the left direction is referred to as the left side. First, the basic configuration of the seedling transplanter 1 will be described below. In addition, hereinafter, the traveling body of the seedling transplanter 1, or the entire seedling transplanter including the traveling body and the seedling planting unit, may be referred to as the machine body.

[0021] <Basic configuration of seedling transplanter> FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of the operating state of a seedling transplanter 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram focusing on the controller C of the seedling transplanter 1, and FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway side view of the seedling transplanter 1.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the seedling transplanter 1 can perform planting work of seedlings N in a predetermined farm field A1 while automatically traveling unmanned along a work path L that has been taught in advance.

[0023] The seedling transplanter 1 is configured by connecting a seedling planting unit 3 to the rear of a traveling body 2 having front and rear drive wheels 2a and 2b so that the seedling planting unit 3 can move up and down. The front wheels 21 function as steered wheels and are connected to a steering mechanism 41 shown in FIG. 2.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 3, the traveling body 2 is equipped with a power transmission device including a prime mover and a transmission case, both of which are not shown, mounted on a body frame 16. The power source may be an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, or an electric motor. The generated power is used not only to move the traveling body 2 forward and backward, but also to drive each device of the seedling planting section 3 (2).

[0025] A portion of the power transmitted from the transmission case constituting the power transmission device to the front wheels 2a and the rear wheels 2b can be transmitted to the front wheels 2a via the left and right front wheel final cases 17, and the remainder can be transmitted to the rear wheels 2b via the left and right rear wheel gear cases 18. The left and right front wheels 2a are connected to the left and right front wheel final cases 17 via axles 17a, and the left and right rear wheels 2b are connected to the rear wheel gear cases 18 via axles 18a.

[0026] In addition, a seedling mat storage section 10 is provided over the entire upper part of the vehicle body from the front end to the rear end of the traveling vehicle body 1. The configuration of this seedling mat storage section 10 will be described in detail later, but when an operator puts seedling mats M into the seedling mat storage section 10, the seedling mats M are transported to the rear of the vehicle body and stored. Then, the seedlings N are successively picked up from the seedling mats M stored in the seedling mat storage section 10 by the seedling planting section 3 and planted in the field A1.

[0027] <Controller C peripheral configuration> The automatic travel of the seedling transplanter 1 is achieved by a controller C (see FIG. 2), which is a control unit mounted on the traveling vehicle body 2, performing steering control on the automatic steering device 4. That is, the controller C acquires its own position information by radio waves received from a navigation satellite 300 orbiting in the sky, and can make the seedling transplanter 1 automatically travel based on the acquired position information and the steering angle of the front wheels 2a acquired by the steering angle detection device 42.

[0028] The position information of the seedling transplanter 1 is acquired by a receiving antenna 51 provided on the traveling vehicle body 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the receiving antenna 51 constitutes a part of a position information acquisition device 5 such as a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) control device or a GPS (Global Positioning System) control device.

[0029] Incidentally, the seedling transplanter 1 can be operated not only automatically but also by remote control by an operator. For example, the seedling transplanter 1 may be operated automatically from a storage shed to the field A1, or may be operated remotely by an operator to run on the farm road A2.

[0030] The controller C, which serves as a control unit of the seedling transplanter 1, includes a processing unit having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and the like, a storage unit such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and an input / output unit. These are connected to each other so that signals can be exchanged between them, and a computer program for controlling the seedling transplanter 1 is stored in the storage unit.

[0031] As shown in Figure 2, the controller C is connected to a drive control device 6 that controls the drive system including the travel of the seedling transplanter 1, a seedling box transport motor mt1 that drives the seedling mat removal mechanism 100 provided in the seedling mat storage section 10 described later, a seedling mat lifting motor mt2, a seedling mat retracting motor mt3, an electric cylinder 104, a seedling mat transport motor 7 that drives the seedling mat transport mechanism 200, various other actuators 400, various switches 600 that accept operations from the operator, and a load detection sensor S1.

[0032] The various actuators 400 include, for example, a throttle motor that adjusts the amount of air intake into the engine, a trunnion drive motor that changes the rotation angle of the trunnion of the hydraulic continuously variable transmission, and a planting clutch motor that operates the planting clutch.

[0033] Also, connected to the controller C are, for example, a seedling sensor 8 for detecting the remaining amount of seedlings N provided in the seedling transplanter 1 and a monitoring camera 9 for capturing images of the planting status in the field A1. For example, a person in charge of work can visually check the image data captured by the monitoring camera 9 to determine the presence of missing plants or the status of the planting work. Also, the installation position of the monitoring camera 9 can be appropriately set according to the purpose of use. Furthermore, various sensors 500 for acquiring various information, including, for example, a direction sensor for detecting the direction of the machine and an attitude sensor for detecting the attitude of the machine, are connected.

[0034] Although omitted in FIG. 2, the remote device carried by the operator and the controller C are The remote device can be connected wirelessly using a certain wireless communication standard. A mobile phone or a tablet terminal device can also be used as the remote device.

[0035] As described above, the seedling transplanter 1 is equipped with the automatic steering device 4 controlled by the controller C, and the position information acquisition device 5 for acquiring position information.

[0036] The automatic steering device 4 is equipped with a steering mechanism 41 including a steering motor whose drive is controlled by the controller C, and enables automatic steering of the seedling transplanter 1 by the controller C. For example, when a start switch (not shown) is turned ON, the controller 3 starts automatic operation of the traveling body 2 via the automatic steering device 4 based on position information acquired by a position information acquisition device 5 (described later).

[0037] The position information acquisition device 5 has a receiving antenna 51 that receives signals from a navigation satellite 300 used in GNSS and GPS, acquires position information (coordinate information) of the seedling transplanter 1 on the Earth, and transmits the acquired position information to the controller C.

[0038] The controller 3 can also derive the actual speed of the seedling transplanter 10 from the machine's position data acquired by the position information acquisition device 5. That is, the actual running speed can be successively calculated from the amount of movement of the machine within a certain period of time. Therefore, the controller C can automatically run the machine while maintaining an optimal speed for planting the seedlings N. Also, even if the front wheels 21 or the rear wheels 22 slip, for example, the actual vehicle speed of the seedling transplanter 1 can be acquired regardless of the amount of rotation of the rear wheels 2b.

[0039] In this way, the seedling transplanter 1 can perform planting work of seedlings N while automatically traveling along a predetermined work path L by controlling the steering mechanism 41 based on the steering angle of the front wheels 11 detected by the steering angle detection device 42 and the acquired position information using the controller C.

[0040] <Configuration of seedling mat storage section 10> The seedling mat storage section 10 of the seedling transplanter 1 will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. Figure 3 is a partially cutaway side view of the seedling transplanter 1, and Figure 4 is a perspective view of the seedling transplanter 1. In Figure 4, the details of the seedling planting section 3 are omitted, and only the outer shape is shown by imaginary lines.

[0041] As shown in the figure, the seedling mat storage unit 10 according to this embodiment includes a tank unit 15 that functions as a housing for storing seedling mats M, a seedling mat removal mechanism 100 that removes the seedling mats M that have been placed in the tank unit 15 from the seedling raising box M2, and a seedling mat transport mechanism 200 that transports the seedling mats M. The seedling raising box M2 is a box body that is rectangular in plan view and on which the seedling mats M are placed.

[0042] The tank section 15 has a base section 15a and a dome section 15b formed on the base section 15a, and is formed in a hollow shape by the base section 15a and the dome section 15b. The base section 15a is provided with the controller C described above, and has a seedling mat insertion port 131 formed at the front of the machine body (the forward direction side of the machine body) for an operator to insert a seedling mat M.

[0043] On the other hand, the dome section 15b is formed in a dome shape rising obliquely from a position slightly rearward from the front of the base section 15a in a side view, and a material discharge outlet 132 is formed at the rear end so as to face the seedling planting section 2. That is, in the tank section 15, the seedling mat transport mechanism 200 is arranged in a curved wave shape that continues from a concave shape to a convex shape from the seedling mat inlet 131 located relatively lower to the seedling mat outlet 132 located relatively upper, and is configured to move the seedling mat M upward while transporting it rearward.

[0044] In this way, the seedling mat transport mechanism 200 provided inside the tank section 15 can store (store) multiple seedling mats M in a loaded state, in which seedlings N are arranged in multiple rows to be planted in the field 100, and can sequentially transport these stored (stored) seedling mats M to the seedling loading platform 20 of the seedling planting section 3 at an appropriate timing.

[0045] In this way, the seedling mat storage section 10 allows the seedling mat M to be easily loaded from outside the machine body, and the seedling mat transport mechanism 200 that transports the seedling mat M to the seedling planting section 3 eliminates the need for an operator to board the traveling vehicle body 1 and set the seedling mat M on the seedling loading platform 20 in the working section 2.

[0046] The seedling mat transport mechanism 200 may be provided in multiple rows according to the number of rows supported by the seedling transplanter 10. In the illustrated example, the seedling transplanter 10 is configured to plant four rows, and four rows of seedling mats M can be placed on the seedling carrier 20 provided in the seedling transplanting section 3. Accordingly, the seedling mat transport mechanism 200 is also provided in four rows in the tank section 15. However, the illustrated example is not limiting, and the mechanism may be configured in six rows corresponding to six rows of planting, for example.

[0047] In addition, a disk-shaped mounting seat 15c is formed at the boundary between the tapered portion and the horizontal portion at the front side of the dome portion 15b, and the receiving antenna 51 of the position information acquisition device 5 is disposed on the mounting seat 15c. In this way, the receiving antenna 51 is stably disposed at the approximate center position of the aircraft, so that highly accurate position information can be stably acquired.

[0048] The seedling mat transport mechanism 200 is, for example, configured with a motor-driven roller conveyor, and is capable of easily transporting a plurality of seedling mats M placed on it. By transporting the seedling mats M using rollers in this way, the seedling mats M can be transported in a stable state without their ends being turned over. The seedling mat transport mechanism 200 may also be configured with a belt conveyor.

[0049] In this way, when the operator puts the mat seedlings M contained in the seedling box M2 through the seedling mat inlet 131 opening on the front side of the tank section 15, the mat seedlings M are taken out of the seedling box M2 by the seedling mat take-out mechanism 100 described later, and then supplied to the seedling mat transport mechanism 200, which sends them sequentially to the back (rear) and stops them at a position facing the seedling mat outlet 132 opening on the rear side of the tank section 15. The tank section 15 and the seedling mat transport mechanism 200 of the seedling mat storage section 10 according to this embodiment are each independently supported by a support device (not shown) on the vehicle frame 16 so that they can be raised and lowered freely. Therefore, if only the tank section 15 is raised, maintenance of various mechanisms in the seedling mat storage section 10 can be easily performed.

[0050] The seedling planting section 3 of the seedling transplanter 10 according to this embodiment utilizes the same configuration as a known seedling planting section. That is, as shown in Fig. 3, the seedling planting section 3 is provided with a seedling planting device 21 provided with a pair of planting claws 22 for taking out the seedlings N from the seedling carrier 20 and transplanting them into the field 100 on the lower side of the seedling carrier 20, and is also provided with a float 23 and a rotor 24 for leveling the field 100. The seedling planting section 3 is rotatably connected to the vehicle frame 16 of the traveling vehicle body 1 by a lifting device 25 provided with a link mechanism.

[0051] In addition, a seedling sensor 8 (see FIG. 2) is provided on the seedling platform 20 of the seedling planting section 2. Based on a detection signal from the seedling sensor 8, the controller 3 raises the seedling platform 20 and drives the seedling mat transport mechanism 200 of the seedling tank 13 to automatically replenish the seedlings N that have fallen below a specified amount by sending them to the seedling platform 20. In this embodiment, the seedling sensor 8 is also provided in the seedling tank 15, which detects the remaining amount of seedling mats M in the seedling tank 15. When the remaining amount falls below a specified amount, the controller C controls the seedling transplanter 1 to automatically move to the edge of the bank.

[0052] <Configuration of seedling mat removal mechanism 100> At the entrance of the seedling mat inlet 131 of the seedling mat storage section 10, a seedling mat removal mechanism 100 is provided which removes the seedling mat M from the seedling raising box M2 and supplies it to the seedling mat transport mechanism 200. Next, the seedling mat removal mechanism 100 will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 5 to 8.

[0053] As shown in Figure 5, the seedling mat removal mechanism 100 comprises a support plate 110 that supports the seedling box M2, a seedling box transport roller 120 that transports the seedling box M2, a seedling mat lifting section 100X that lifts the seedling mat M, a separation plate 130 that separates the seedling mat M and the seedling box M2, a pull-in conveyor 140 that pulls the seedling mat M into the seedling mat storage section 10, and an inclined guide plate 150 that guides the seedling box M2 separated from the seedling mat M out of the seedling mat storage section 10.

[0054] The support plate 110 is a rectangular flat support member arranged in front of the seedling mat input port 131 of the seedling mat storage unit 10, and is attached and fixed to the front end of the base unit 15a. The support plate 210 serves to support the seedling box M2 when the worker inputs the seedling mat M into the seedling mat storage unit 10. In addition, since the support plate 110 is configured to protrude from the base unit 15a, it is configured so that the worker can easily place the seedling box M2 on the support plate 110 and input it at the beginning of the input of the seedling mat M. In addition, a plurality of partition plates 110a that separate the seedling boxes M2 are provided on the support plate 110 corresponding to a plurality of rows. The partition plates 110a are configured to be freely attached and detached to the support plate 110, and the left-right spacing between the partition plates 110a and the number of partition plates 110a attached can be adjusted by selecting the mounting position.

[0055] The seedling box conveying roller 120 is provided behind the support plate 110 and is rotatably attached to the base portion 15a so that its upper end is at approximately the same height as the support plate 110. When the seedling conveying motor mt1 (see FIG. 2) is driven, the seedling box conveying roller 120 rotates in the direction of the arrow f1 by belt transmission. This conveys the seedling box M2 supported by the support plate 110 (in other words, placed on the support plate 110) to the back side (rear) of the seedling mat storage unit 10. The seedling box M2 conveyed to the back side (rear) of the seedling mat storage unit 10 and climbing over the seedling box conveying roller 120 is dropped and supplied to the inclined guide plate 150 described later. Although not shown, the seedling box conveying roller 120 is provided with a load detection sensor S1 for detecting the load of the seedling box M2. The detection information of the load detection sensor S1 is transmitted to the controller C, so that the controller C can determine whether or not the seedling box M2 is on the seedling box conveying rollers 120.

[0056] The separation plate 130 is a flat plate member having a rectangular shape in a plan view, and the front end side (tip side) is tapered at an acute angle. This prevents the seedling mat M from getting caught on the tip of the separation plate 130, allowing for smooth separation. The separation plate 130 is disposed above the seedling box conveying roller 120 at a height position that provides a space for the seedling boxes M2 to pass through.

[0057] The pull-in conveyor 140 rotates an endless belt by driving a seedling mat pull-in motor mt3 (see FIG. 2) to pull the seedling mat M into the rear seedling mat storage section 10. The seedling mat M pulled into the seedling mat storage section 10 by the pull-in conveyor 140 is supplied to the seedling mat transport mechanism 200.

[0058] The inclined guide plate 150 is disposed below the seedling box transport roller 120 and has a downward slope that slopes downward toward the front. As a result, when an empty seedling box M2 is dropped onto the inclined guide plate 150, the seedling box M2 slides down the upper surface of the inclined guide plate 150 and is guided out of the seedling mat storage section 10 and returned to the worker.

[0059] <Configuration of seedling mat lifting part 100X> Fig. 5 is a left side view of the main part around the seedling mat lifting part 100X of the seedling mat storage part 10. Fig. 6 is a front view of the main part around the seedling mat lifting part 100X of the seedling mat storage part 10.

[0060] Next, the seedling mat lifting portion 100X will be described. The seedling mat lifting section 100X is configured by attaching a pair of left and right seedling mat lifting arms 100B, 100B to a flat mounting plate 100A fixed so as to span the inside of the base section 15a. Although not shown, the pair of left and right seedling mat lifting arms 100B, 100B are arranged in a number corresponding to the number of rows of the seedling mat transport mechanism 14 in the tank section 15. In other words, although not shown, in this embodiment, the seedling mat transport mechanism 14 is also arranged in four rows in the tank section 15, so that four pairs of left and right seedling mat lifting arms 100B, 100B are attached to the mounting plate 100A.

[0061] The seedling mat lifting arm 100B is equipped with a seedling mat lifting roller 101 on each side that rotates in contact with the seedling mat M to lift it up, a motor box 102 that incorporates a seedling mat lifting motor mt2 that rotates the seedling mat lifting roller 101, a support arm 103 that supports the motor box 102 (and the seedling mat lifting roller 101 via the motor box 102) in midair, and an electric cylinder 104 that allows the support arm 103 to extend and retract up and down.

[0062] The left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 are provided with a left-right interval that is approximately the same as the left-right width of the seedling mat. As a result, the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 are configured to contact both the left and right sides of the seedling mat M. When the seedling mat lifting motor mt2 is driven, the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 connected to the rotation drive shafts 101a, 101a of the seedling mat lifting motor mt2 rotate in synchronization with the direction of lifting the seedling mat M (rotation direction R1). As a result, when the seedlings N of the seedling mat M come into contact with the seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101, upward rotational friction is applied from both the left and right sides, and the seedling mat M is lifted. By adopting a mechanism for lifting by rotational friction, the seedlings N can be lifted quickly while preventing damage to the seedlings N. In addition, by applying an upward rotational friction force to both the left and right sides of the seedling mat M, the posture of the seedling mat M can also be adjusted.

[0063] The motor box 102 incorporates a seedling mat lifting motor mt2 and is fixed to the mounting part 103a provided at the lower end of the support arm 103 in a rotatable state by a mounting fixture 103b. The mounting fixture 104a is, for example, a knob bolt, and by loosening the mounting fixture 103b, the motor box 102 can be rotated around the horizontal axis (arrow R2 direction), and by tightening it, the motor box 102 can be fixed. This allows the up and down inclination angle of the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 to be adjusted (arrow Y direction). In the illustrated example, the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 are set to be inclined at about 30 degrees from the horizontal direction (upward inclination toward the rear) in a side view, and this allows the seedling mat M moving backward to be lifted upward well.

[0064] The left and right support arms 103, 103 are fixed to the mounting plate 100A in a rotatable state by the mounting fixture 103d at the upper end mounting portion 103c. The mounting fixture 103d is, for example, a knob bolt, and the left and right support arms 103, 103 can be configured to rotate around the vertical axis (arrow R3 direction) by loosening the mounting fixture 103d, and the support arms 103, 103 can be fixed by tightening the mounting fixture 103d. This allows the left and right inclination angles of the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 to be adjusted (arrow X direction). In the illustrated example, the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 are arranged in a parallel posture, but the left and right inclination angles of the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 can be set so that the left and right width becomes narrower toward the rear, making it easier to lift the seedlings N by moving them toward the left and right center. In addition, a plurality of mounting portions (e.g., screw holes for mounting) to which the mounting fixtures 103d can be attached may be provided at a predetermined interval on the mounting plate 100A, and the mounting positions of the left and right support arms 103, 103 in the left and right direction may be adjustable. This allows for flexible response to the left and right width and number of rows of the seedling mat M.

[0065] The left and right support arms 103, 103 are provided with electric cylinders 104 that can be controlled to expand and contract at their midpoints, thereby making it possible to adjust the overall length H of the support arms 103. As a result, the height positions of the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 can be adjusted and set, and the height of the seedling mat M can be adjusted to an easy height to lift according to the length of the seedlings N. This allows for flexible response to the length of the seedlings N and improves work accuracy. In other words, it is possible to effectively prevent mistakes in lifting the seedling mat. Here, the expansion and contraction of the electric cylinders 104 is performed by the worker operating various switches 600, but it is also possible to configure the controller C to automatically adjust the height positions of the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 (for example, to a position lower than the top end of the seedlings by a predetermined distance) based on the length of the seedlings N calculated by image analysis by providing an imaging device at an appropriate location inside the base part 15a. This reduces the workload of the worker.

[0066] <Operation of seedling mat removal mechanism 100> FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the seedling mat removal mechanism 100. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, in response to the operator inserting the seedling mat M, the seedling mat removal mechanism 100 performs the following steps to remove the seedling mat M from the seedling box M2, and supplies the removed seedling mat M to the seedling mat transport mechanism 200.

[0067] (STEP 1) First, the worker starts to insert the seedling mat M in the seedling box M2 from the entrance of the seedling mat insertion port 131. At this time, the worker first places the tip of the seedling box M2 on the support plate 110, and then pushes it toward the rear of the seedling mat storage section 10. At this point, the seedling box transport rollers 120, seedling mat lifting rollers 101, and pull-in conveyor 140 are all in a stopped state.

[0068] (STEP 2) Next, when the leading end of the seedling box M2 reaches the seedling box transport roller 120, the load detection sensor S1 detects the load, and the controller C, which has acquired the detection information, starts driving the seedling box transport roller 120, the seedling mat lifting roller 101, and the pull-in conveyor 140. As a result, the seedling box M2 starts to be transported backward, and the seedlings N come into contact with the seedling mat lifting roller 101, lifting up the front end portion of the seedling mat M.

[0069] (STEP 3) With the front end portion of the seedling mat M lifted by the seedling mat lifting roller 101, the seedling box M2 is transported backward by the seedling box transport roller 120, and the separation plate 130 enters between the seedling mat M and the seedling box M2, and separates the seedling mat M from the seedling box M2 as the seedling box M2 is transported backward. Here, the controller 3 rotates the seedling mat lifting roller 101 for a predetermined time (e.g., 3 seconds) and then stops it. As a result, the lifted seedling mat M is released and placed on the separation plate 130.

[0070] (STEP 4) As the seedling box M2 is transported backward by the seedling box transport rollers 120, the seedling mat M is pushed by the frame of the seedling box M2 and moves further backward, and rides onto the separation plate 130. As a result, the seedling mat M moves onto the pull-in conveyor 140, and is pulled into the seedling mat storage unit 10 by the pull-in conveyor 140.

[0071] (STEP5) The seedling mat M is further transported backward by the pull-in conveyor 140 and supplied to the seedling mat transport mechanism 200. This completes the removal of the seedling mat M from the seedling box M2. At the same time, the seedling box M2 is dropped onto the inclined guide plate 150, guided out of the seedling mat storage section 10, and returned to the worker. This allows the empty seedling box M2 to be quickly collected. When the load detection sensor S1 no longer detects a load, the controller C stops driving the seedling box transport roller 120. In addition, when a predetermined time (e.g., 5 seconds) has elapsed since the seedling box transport roller 120 was stopped, the supply of the seedling mat M to the seedling mat transport mechanism 200 is completed, and the pull-in conveyor 140 is also stopped.

[0072] As described above, when the worker inserts the seedling mat M contained in the seedling box M2 through the entrance of the seedling mat insertion port 131, the seedling mat M contained in the seedling box M2 is removed by the seedling mat removal mechanism 100 and transported inside the seedling mat storage section 10, thereby reducing the workload associated with inserting the seedling mat and improving work efficiency.

[0073] <Other embodiments> Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. It goes without saying that the present invention can be modified appropriately within the scope of the technical concept.

[0074] Fig. 8 is a left side view of the main part around the seedling mat lifting section 100X of the seedling mat storage section 10 according to another embodiment. In the above embodiment, the inclined guide plate 150 is configured to return the empty seedling box M2 to the worker, but as shown in Fig. 8, instead of the inclined guide plate 150, a seedling box storage section 151 capable of storing a plurality of empty seedling boxes M2 can be provided below the seedling box conveying roller 120. The seedling box storage section 151 can be configured as a drawer that can be freely pulled out from the seedling mat storage section 10, for example.

[0075] <Contact prevention during automatic driving> An obstacle detection sensor that detects obstacles around the seedling transplanter 1, an abnormality detection sensor that detects abnormalities in the machine, and a three-color light that notifies the surrounding area of ​​the degree of safety by the color of the light that turns on may be provided at appropriate positions on the machine, and the controller C may be configured to acquire detection information from the obstacle detection sensors and abnormality detection sensors and execute safety improvement processing to improve safety during automatic driving.

[0076] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of the safety improvement process. The safety improvement process is started when the automatic driving starts, and judges whether or not an abnormality has occurred during the automatic driving based on the detection information of the obstacle detection sensor and the abnormality detection sensor (step S1). An abnormality is, for example, the detection of a worker or other obstacle within the detection range of the obstacle.

[0077] Next, if an abnormality occurs, automatic traveling is stopped, and it is determined which of the first to third groups, which are divided according to the importance of the abnormality, the abnormality belongs to (steps S2 to 4), and then processing according to each group is performed (steps S5 to 16). That is, the greater the importance of the abnormality that occurred (in the illustrated example, the first group, the second group, and the third group, in descending order), the more confirmation steps are performed before automatic traveling is started again, thereby improving safety. The importance of the abnormality can be determined to be greater, for example, the closer the distance between the aircraft and an obstacle.

[0078] In addition, the controller C is configured to temporarily halt the machine without accepting any operation from the operator (in other words, ignoring external input signals such as the various switches 600) until a certain period of time has elapsed after an obstacle is detected, thereby improving safety in order to avoid the obstacle.

[0079] <Battery arrangement> In the above embodiment, the seedling transplanter 1 is described as being configured without a driver's seat, but a simple driver's seat can also be provided on the traveling body 2. In this case, the seedling planting unit 3 can be configured to be driven by an electric motor, and the driving battery can be arranged under the driver's seat and above the bottom surface of the transmission case, and further forward of the rear wheel axle. With this configuration, the minimum ground clearance of the machine body can be secured to improve the ability to travel over wet rice fields, while improving the ease of replacing the battery.

[0080] <Improvement of work efficiency of seedling transplanters> The seedling transplanter 1 may have a function that allows an operator to manually select the work route of the transplanter based on data on the occurrence of weeds in the agricultural management system. Furthermore, the occurrence of weeds may be classified into levels according to the density of weeds, and an area above a certain level may be automatically selected as a work route. [Explanation of symbols]

[0081] 1 Seedling transplanter 2 Running vehicle 3 Seedling planting department 4. Autopilot 5 Location information acquisition device 8 Seedling sensor (remaining amount detection device) 10 Seedling mat storage area 11 Front wheels (steerable wheels) 13 Seedling tank (material storage area) 14 Material handling mechanism 15 Tank section 15a Base part 15b Dome section 15c Mounting seat 20 Seedling stand 51 Receiving antenna 100 Seedling mat removal mechanism 101 Seedling mat lifting roller 110 Support plate 120 Seedling box transport roller 130 Separation plate 140 Intake Conveyor 150 Inclined guide board 200 Seedling mat transport mechanism 200 131 Material inlet A1 Field A2 Farm road C Controller (control unit) M Seedling Mat M2 Seedling box N seedlings

Claims

1. A vehicle body having steered wheels steered by a steering device; A seedling transplanting unit that is connected to the rear of the traveling vehicle body and plants seedlings in a field; A location information acquisition device that acquires location information; a control unit that detects a steering angle of the steered wheels and drives the steering device based on the detected steering angle and the position information acquired by the position information acquisition device to control automatic traveling of the traveling vehicle body; A seedling mat storage section is provided over the entire upper part of the vehicle body from the front end to the rear end, and stores seedling mats to be fed to the seedling planting section. The seedling transplanter is characterized in that the seedling mat storage section is equipped with a seedling mat removal mechanism that removes the seedling mat that has been placed inside from the seedling box, and a seedling mat transport mechanism that transports the seedling mat removed by the seedling mat removal mechanism.

2. The seedling mat removal mechanism is characterized in that it has left and right seedling mat lifting rollers, and by rotating the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers, an upward rotational friction force is applied to both the left and right sides of the seedling mat to lift the seedling mat from the seedling box, and the lifted seedling mat is placed on a separation plate that separates the seedling box and the seedling mat, thereby removing the seedling mat from the seedling box.

3. 3. The seedling transplanter according to claim 2, wherein the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers are arranged in an upwardly inclined position toward the rear.

4. The seedling mat removal mechanism includes a seedling box conveying roller for conveying the seedling box, A seedling transplanter as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the seedling box transport roller is configured to transport the seedling box that has been emptied after the seedling mat has been removed, and to drop the seedling box onto an inclined guide plate that guides the seedling box out of the seedling mat storage section.

5. The seedling transplanter described in claim 2 or claim 3, characterized in that the seedling mat removal mechanism comprises a support arm that supports the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers in hollow, and an electric cylinder that enables the support arm to be extended and retracted up and down, and is configured so that the height position of the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers can be adjusted by controlling the extension and retraction of the electric cylinder.

6. Equipped with an obstacle detection sensor that detects surrounding obstacles, The seedling transplanter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that when the obstacle detection sensor detects an obstacle, the automatic driving is stopped and no external operation is accepted for a certain period of time.

Images