Transplanter

Abstract

To provide a transplanter which can preferably feed a pot seedling to a downward side, by a feeding pawl, even when a position of the pot seedling placed on a lateral feeding belt, is deviated to a width direction of the lateral feeding belt.SOLUTION: The transplanter comprises a lateral feeding belt 60 and a feeding pawl 70. The lateral feeding belt 60 transports the pot seedling N in a lateral direction of the transplanter while placing the pot seedling. The feeding pawl 70 feeds the pot seedling N downward by contacting with the pot seedling N from above in a terminal part of the lateral beeding belt 60. When viewed in the lateral direction, the feeding pawl 70 overlaps with 80% or more of a total width of the lateral feeding belt 60. Therefore, even when a position of the pot seedling N placed on the lateral feeding belt 60 is deviated in a width direction of the lateral feeding belt 60, the pot seedling can be preferably fed downward by the feeding pawl 70.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transplanter for transplanting potted seedlings into a farm field. [Background technology]

[0002]

[0003] A conventional transplanter is known that removes potted seedlings having root balls from seedling boxes and transplants them into a field. A conventional transplanter is described in, for example, Patent Document 1.

[0003] This type of transplanter is equipped with a transverse conveyor that transports potted seedlings in the left-right direction, and a sending claw that sends the potted seedlings transported by the transverse conveyor to the planting section. The sending claw moves up and down reciprocally near the end of the transverse conveyor. The sending claw comes into contact from above with the root ball of the potted seedling that falls from the transverse conveyor. This causes the potted seedling to stand upright and send it downward. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-37687 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Conventional sending claws are formed with a width that allows them to contact only the root ball of the potted seedling. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 8 of Patent Document 1, for example, the sending claws are configured to overlap only the area of ​​the lateral feed belt where the root ball is transported. However, with this configuration, if the potted seedling is placed in a position shifted in the width direction (rearward) on the upper surface of the lateral feed belt, the sending claws cannot contact the root ball. This can cause problems in transporting the potted seedling.

[0006] The present invention has been developed in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a transplanter that can smoothly send pot seedlings downward using the sending claws even if the position of the pot seedlings placed on the lateral feed belt is misaligned in the width direction of the lateral feed belt. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the first invention of the present application is a transplanter for transplanting pot seedlings into a farm field, comprising a lateral feed belt that transports the pot seedlings in the left-right direction of the transplanter while placing them on it, and sending-out claws that contact the pot seedlings from above at the end of the lateral feed belt and send the pot seedlings downward, and when viewed in the left-right direction, the sending-out claws overlap 80% or more of the total width of the lateral feed belt.

[0008] The second invention of the present application is a transplanter of the first invention, wherein, when viewed from the left to right, the width of the portion of the lateral feed belt that does not overlap with the feed claws is 40% or less of the height of the root ball of the pot seedling.

[0009] A third aspect of the present invention is the transplanter of the first aspect, wherein the sending claws overlap the entire width of the lateral feed belt when viewed in the left-right direction.

[0010] The fourth invention of the present application is a transplanter according to any one of the first to third inventions, further comprising a seedling support portion that contacts the stem and leaf portion of the pot seedling from below when the sending claws contact the pot seedling from above.

[0011] A fifth aspect of the present invention is the transplanter of the fourth aspect, wherein, when viewed in the left-right direction, the seedling support parts are positioned outside both ends of the lateral feed belt in the width direction.

[0012] A sixth aspect of the present invention is the transplanter of the fourth aspect, wherein the seedling supporting portion has an inclined portion whose height gradually decreases toward the outside in the left-right direction. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the first to sixth aspects of the present application, even if the position of the potted seedlings placed on the lateral feed belt is misaligned in the width direction of the lateral feed belt, the potted seedlings can be smoothly fed downward by the feeding claws.

[0014] In particular, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the potted seedling is pushed downward by the sending-out claws, the seedling support part comes into contact with the stem and leaf part of the potted seedling, thereby allowing the potted seedling to stand upright.

[0015] In particular, according to the fifth aspect of the invention, it is possible to prevent the stems and leaves of the potted seedlings from getting caught on the seedling support part.

[0016] In particular, according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the stems and leaves that come into contact with the seedling support parts can move outward in the left-right direction along the inclined parts, which further prevents the stems and leaves from getting caught on the seedling support parts. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a seedling box holding pot seedlings. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a side view of the transplanter. [Figure 4] 1 is an oblique view of a seedling tray transport section, a push-out mechanism, and a seedling inversion mechanism. FIG. [Diagram 5] 4 is a side view of the seedling box transport section, the push-out mechanism, the seedling inversion mechanism, the transverse feed belt, and the sending claws. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a partial rear view of the transplanter including the transverse belt and delivery claws. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a side view of the transverse feed belt and the feed claw. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a side view of the transverse feed belt and the feed claw. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0018] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0019] <1.About seedling trays> First, the seedling box 9 used in the transplanter 1 of this embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the seedling box 9. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the seedling box 9 holding pot seedlings N. This seedling box 9 is a container that holds a plurality of pot seedlings N. The pot seedlings N are, for example, seedlings of leafy vegetables such as Chinese cabbage. However, the pot seedlings N may also be seedlings of bok choy, spinach, cabbage, broccoli, or the like.

[0020] The seedling box 9 has a generally rectangular outer shape when viewed from above. In the transplanter 1 described below, the seedling box 9 is transported in a conveying direction which is its longitudinal direction. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the seedling box 9 has a plurality of seedling chambers 91. The plurality of seedling chambers 91 are arranged at intervals in the conveying direction and in the left-right direction perpendicular to the conveying direction.

[0021] The seedling chamber 91 is a recess that is recessed downward from the top surface of the seedling tray 9. The seedling chamber 91 is, for example, shaped like a truncated cone whose diameter gradually decreases downward. A bottom hole (not shown) is provided in the bottom surface of each seedling chamber 91. The bottom hole is, for example, a Y-shaped notch. However, the bottom hole may be a cross-shaped notch or a circular through hole.

[0022] The seedling box 9 also has a number of transport holes 92 on both the left and right sides. The transport holes 92 are holes for transporting the seedling box 9 in the transplanter 1 described below. The multiple transport holes 92 are arranged at intervals in the transport direction. The intervals between the transport holes 92 in the transport direction are the same as the intervals between the seedling chambers 91 in the transport direction.

[0023] The pot seedlings N are obtained by putting soil into each seedling chamber 91 of the seedling box 9 and sowing and raising the seedlings. As shown in FIG. 2, the pot seedlings N have a root ball portion N1 and a stem and leaf portion N2. The root ball portion N1 is made up of the soil contained in the seedling chamber 91 and the roots of the seedling extending into the soil. The stem and leaf portion N2 is made up of the stems and leaves extending upward from the root ball portion N1. The seedling box 9 is placed on the transplanter 1 with a plurality of pot seedlings N held in it.

[0024] <2. Configuration of transplanter> 3 is a side view of the transplanter 1. The transplanter 1 is a device that travels through a field G, sequentially takes out pot seedlings N from seedling boxes 9, and transplants them into the field G. The transplanter 1 includes a main body 10, a seedling box placement table 20, a seedling box transport section 30, a push-out mechanism 40, a seedling inversion mechanism 50, a lateral feed belt 60, a delivery claw 70, and a planting section 80.

[0025] The main body 10 has an engine 11 and four wheels 12. The four wheels 12 include two front wheels and two rear wheels. The wheels 12 rotate by the power output from the engine 11. This causes the main body 10 to move forward. The seedling box transport unit 30, the push-out mechanism 40, the seedling inversion mechanism 50, the lateral feed belt 60, the sending claws 70, and the planting unit 80, which will be described later, operate by the power transmitted from the engine 11 via the PTO shaft or the power transmitted from the wheels 12.

[0026] The main body 10 also has a seat 13 and an operation unit 14. The seat 13 and the operation unit 14 are provided at the rear of the main body 10. The operator operates the operation unit 14 while seated on the seat 13 to control the transplanter 1.

[0027] The seedling box placing table 20 is a table on which the seedling boxes 9 before or after transplanting are placed. The seedling box placing table 20 is provided near the seat 13. When using the transplanter 1, an operator seated on the seat 13 takes out the seedling boxes 9 before transplanting from the seedling box placing table 20 and sets them in the seedling box transport section 30. The operator also takes out the seedling boxes 9, which have been emptied after the pot seedlings N have been transplanted, from the seedling box transport section 30 and stores them on the seedling box placing table 20.

[0028] Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the seedling box transport section 30, the push-out mechanism 40, and the seedling inverting mechanism 50. Fig. 5 is a side view of the seedling box transport section 30, the push-out mechanism 40, the seedling inverting mechanism 50, the transverse feed belt 60, and the sending claw 70.

[0029] The seedling box transport unit 30 is a mechanism that transports the seedling boxes 9 along a predetermined transport path within the transplanter 1. As shown in Fig. 4, the seedling box transport unit 30 has a transport surface 31 and a seedling box sending mechanism 32. The transport surface 31 extends diagonally downward toward the front from a position in front of the operation unit 14. When using the transplanter 1, an operator sets the seedling box 9 holding a plurality of pot seedlings N on the transport surface 31.

[0030] The seedling box feeding mechanism 32 is a mechanism that intermittently transports the seedling boxes 9 set on the transport surface 31 at a predetermined pitch. The seedling box feeding mechanism 32 transports the seedling boxes 9 by engaging its claws with the transport holes 92 of the seedling boxes 9 and moving the claws downward. The transport pitch of the seedling boxes 9 (the distance the seedling boxes 9 are transported by one transport operation) is the same as the interval between the multiple seedling chambers 91 in the transport direction.

[0031] The push-out mechanism 40 is a mechanism that pushes out the pot seedlings N from the seedling box 9 at a predetermined position (hereinafter referred to as the "push-out position") on the transport path of the seedling box 9 by the seedling box transport section 30. The push-out mechanism 40 has a plurality of push-out rods 41. The multiple push-out rods 41 are arranged at regular intervals in the left-right direction. The multiple push-out rods 41 are also integrated by connecting sections 42 extending in the left-right direction. The interval between adjacent push-out rods 41 is the same as the interval between the seedling chambers 91 in the seedling box 9 in the left-right direction.

[0032] The seedling box 9 is transported approximately vertically downward at the push-out position. At this time, the position of the seedling box 9 is such that the root ball portion N1 of the pot seedlings N is arranged at the rear and the stem and leaf portion N2 is arranged at the front. When the multiple seedling chambers 91 are arranged at the push-out position, the push-out mechanism 40 pushes the multiple push-out rods 41 forward. Then, the push-out rods 41 are inserted into the multiple seedling chambers 91 through the bottom holes, and the pot seedlings N are pushed forward from each seedling chamber 91. As a result, the multiple pot seedlings N lined up in the left-right direction (one row of pot seedlings N) are removed from the seedling box 9.

[0033] The seedling inversion mechanism 50 is a mechanism that inverts the position of the pot seedlings N taken out of the seedling box 9 and transfers them to the lateral feed belt 60. As shown in FIG. 4, the seedling inversion mechanism 50 has a seedling receiving member 51. The seedling receiving member 51 reciprocates between a receiving position in front of the push-out position and a delivery position below the receiving position in accordance with the transport cycle of the seedling box 9. When the pot seedlings N are pushed out of the seedling box 9, the seedling receiving member 51 is positioned at the receiving position.

[0034] The seedling receiving member 51 has a plurality of receiving grooves 52 aligned in the left-right direction. A plurality of pot seedlings N pushed out of the seedling box 9 are held by the seedling receiving member 51 with their root balls N1 inserted into the receiving grooves 52. The seedling receiving member 51 then moves from the receiving position to the delivery position, and drops the plurality of pot seedlings N onto the lateral feed belt 60. At that time, the seedling receiving member 51 is turned over, so that the pot seedlings N are placed on the lateral feed belt 60 with their root balls N1 in front and their stems and leaves N2 in the rear.

[0035] FIG. 6 is a partial rear view of the transplanter 1 including the transverse feed belts 60 and the delivery claws 70. As shown in FIG.

[0036] The lateral feed belt 60 is a mechanism that transports multiple pot seedlings N from side to side while placing them thereon. The transplanter 1 of this embodiment has a pair of lateral feed belts 60 aligned on the left and right. The left lateral feed belt 60 transports multiple pot seedlings N that have fallen from the receiving groove 52 in the left half of the seedling receiving member 51 to the left. The right lateral feed belt 60 transports multiple pot seedlings N that have fallen from the receiving groove 52 in the right half of the seedling receiving member 51 to the right.

[0037] Each of the lateral feed belts 60 is a circular flat belt stretched between a pair of pulleys. The lateral feed belts 60 rotate with the rotation of the pulleys, and transport the potted seedlings N placed on the upper surface in a horizontal direction (rightward or leftward).

[0038] The sending claws 70 are a mechanism for sending downward the pot seedlings N transported by the lateral feed belts 60. The sending claws 70 are provided near the ends of the left and right lateral feed belts 60 in the transport direction, respectively. The sending claws 70 reciprocate up and down between an elevated position where their lower ends are higher than the upper surface of the lateral feed belts 60 and a descended position where their lower ends are lower than the upper surface of the lateral feed belts 60 in accordance with the transport cycle of the pot seedlings N.

[0039] When the pot seedling N transported by the lateral feed belt 60 falls downward from the terminal end of the lateral feed belt 60, the sending claws 70 move from the raised position to the lowered position and come into contact with the pot seedling N from above. As a result, the pot seedling N is sent downward and the pot seedling N stands upright. Thereafter, the pot seedling N passes between a pair of sending rollers and is dropped into a planting cup 81 located below.

[0040] The planting unit 80 is a mechanism for planting pot seedlings N in a field G. The planting unit 80 is provided below a pair of sending rollers. As shown in FIG. 3, the planting unit 80 has a planting cup 81. The planting cup 81 is a cup whose lower end can be opened and closed. The planting cup 81 moves up and down reciprocally between a receiving position below the sending rollers and a planting position further below the receiving position.

[0041] At the receiving position, the lower end of the planting cup 81 is closed. At the receiving position, the planting cup 81 receives the potted seedling N from the sending roller. At the planting position, the lower end of the planting cup 81 is inserted into the field G and the lower end opens. As a result, a hole is formed in the field G and the potted seedling N falls from the planting cup 81 into the hole. As a result, the potted seedling N is planted in the field G.

[0042] <3. About the feeding jaws> 7 and 8 are side views of the lateral feed belt 60 and the sending claw 70. As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the sending claw 70 is attached to the tip of an arm 71 that rotates up and down. The sending claw 70 has a plurality of protrusions 72 extending downward. The plurality of protrusions 72 are arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction. The number of protrusions 72 is preferably four or more, and in this embodiment, there are five protrusions.

[0043] The sending claw 70 reciprocates up and down as the arm 71 rotates between the raised position shown in Fig. 7 and the lowered position shown in Fig. 8. When the sending claw 70 moves from the raised position to the lowered position, it comes into contact with the pot seedlings N dropping from the end of the lateral feed belt 60 from above, and sends the pot seedlings N downward.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 8, when the lateral feed belt 60 is viewed in the left-right direction (when the left lateral feed belt 60 is viewed from the outside on the left), the sending-out claws 70 in the lowered position cover substantially the entire width D1 in the width direction (front-to-back direction) of the lateral feed belt 60. Therefore, even if the position of the pot seedling N placed on the lateral feed belt 60 is shifted in the width direction of the lateral feed belt 60, the sending-out claws 70 come into contact with the root ball portion N1 of the pot seedling N. Therefore, the pot seedling N can be sent downward satisfactorily.

[0045] In order to accommodate misalignment of the pot seedlings N in the width direction on the lateral feed belt 60, it is desirable that the width D2 of the sending claw 70 overlaps with 80% or more of the total width D1 of the lateral feed belt 60 when the lateral feed belt 60 is viewed in the left-right direction. It is more desirable that the width D2 of the sending claw 70 overlaps with 90% or more of the total width D1 of the lateral feed belt 60 when the lateral feed belt 60 is viewed in the left-right direction. It is even more desirable that the width D2 of the sending claw 70 overlaps with the total width D1 of the lateral feed belt 60 when the lateral feed belt 60 is viewed in the left-right direction.

[0046] Furthermore, in order to accommodate misalignment of the pot seedling N in the width direction on the lateral feed belt 60, when the lateral feed belt 60 is viewed in the left-right direction, it is desirable that the width of the portion of the lateral feed belt 60 that does not overlap with the sending claws 70 of the overall width D1 of the lateral feed belt 60 is 40% or less of the height H of the root ball portion N1 of the pot seedling N. Furthermore, when the lateral feed belt 60 is viewed in the left-right direction, it is more desirable that the width of the portion of the lateral feed belt 60 that does not overlap with the sending claws 70 of the overall width D1 of the lateral feed belt 60 is 30% or less of the height H of the root ball portion N1 of the pot seedling N.

[0047] As shown in Figs. 5 to 8, the transplanter 1 has a seedling support part 73. The seedling support part 73 is fixed to a frame supporting the lateral feed belt 60. When the sending claws 70 contact the pot seedling N from above, the seedling support part 73 contacts the stem and leaf part N2 of the pot seedling N from below, as shown in Fig. 8. This allows the pot seedling N to stand up from a horizontal position.

[0048] However, if the stem and leaf portion N2 gets caught on the seedling support portion 73, the pot seedling N becomes difficult to send out downward. However, in this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, when the lateral feed belt 60 is viewed in the left-right direction, the seedling support portion 73 is located outside both ends of the lateral feed belt 60 in the width direction. In this way, the seedling support portion 73 comes into contact with the tip side of the stem and leaf portion N2 compared to when the seedling support portion 73 is located inside both ends of the lateral feed belt 60 in the width direction. This makes it possible to prevent the stem and leaf portion N2 from getting caught on the seedling support portion 73.

[0049] As shown in Figs. 6 to 8, the seedling support section 73 has an inclined section that is inclined in the left-right direction. The upper surface of the inclined section gradually becomes lower in height as it approaches the outside in the left-right direction. The stem and leaf section N2 of the pot seedling N comes into contact with the inclined section of the seedling support section 73. At that time, the stem and leaf section N2 that comes into contact with the inclined section can escape to the outside in the left-right direction along the inclined section. This can further prevent the stem and leaf section N2 from getting caught on the seedling support section 73. As a result, the success rate of transport from the transverse feed belt 60 to the planting section 80 can be improved.

[0050] <4. Modifications> Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

[0051] In the above embodiment, a so-called two-row planting transplanter 1 capable of simultaneously transplanting two rows of pot seedlings N on the left and right sides has been described. However, the transplanter of the present invention is not limited to two-row planting. The transplanter of the present invention may be, for example, a one-row, four-row, six-row, or eight-row planting transplanter.

[0052] In the above embodiment, a so-called riding type transplanter 1 that is operated by an operator while riding on the transplanter has been described. However, the transplanter of the present invention is not limited to the riding type. The transplanter of the present invention may be a so-called walking type transplanter that is operated by an operator walking along with the transplanter.

[0053] In addition, the detailed configuration of the transplanter may differ from the shapes shown in the drawings of the present application. Furthermore, the elements appearing in the above-mentioned embodiments and modifications may be appropriately combined within the scope of not causing any contradiction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1 transplanter 9 Seedling box 10 Main body 11 Engine 12 wheels 13 seats 14 Control section 20 Seedling tray stand 30 Seedling box transport section 31 Conveying surface 32 Seedling box feeding mechanism 40 Extrusion mechanism 41 Extrusion rod 42 Connecting part 50 Seedling inversion mechanism 51 Seedling holder parts 52 Receiving groove 60 Cross feed belt 70 Delivery jaw 71 Arm 72 Protrusion 73 Seedling Support Section 80 Planting Section 81 Planting Cup 91 Nae-muro 92 Transport hole D1 Overall width of traverse belt D2 Width of feeding jaw G Field H Height of the root ball N Potted seedlings N1 Root ball part N2 Stem and leaf part

Claims

1. A transplanter for transplanting pot seedlings into a field, A lateral feed belt that carries the potted seedlings and transports them in the left and right directions of the transplanter; A delivery claw that delivers the potted seedlings downward by contacting the potted seedlings from above at the end portion of the transverse feed belt; Equipped with When viewed in the left-right direction, the delivery claws overlap with 80% or more of the overall width of the lateral feed belt.

2. 2. A transplanter according to claim 1, In the transplanter, when viewed from the left to right, the width of the portion of the lateral feed belt that does not overlap with the sending claws is 40% or less of the height of the root ball of the pot seedling.

3. 2. A transplanter according to claim 1, When viewed from the left and right, the delivery claws overlap the entire width of the lateral feed belt.

4. A transplanter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A seedling support portion that contacts the stem and leaf portion of the potted seedling from below when the sending claw contacts the potted seedling from above. The transplanter further comprises:

5. A transplanter according to claim 4, A transplanter in which, when viewed in the left-right direction, the seedling support portion is located outside both ends of the lateral feed belt in the width direction.

6. A transplanter according to claim 4, The seedling support portion has an inclined portion whose height gradually decreases toward the outside in the left-right direction.

Images