Spraying work machine

Abstract

To spray an appropriate amount of liquid drug on necessary areas.SOLUTION: In a spraying work machine which includes a liquid drug spraying apparatus that sprays liquid drug to the side of a travel vehicle body and in which the liquid drug spraying apparatus includes release devices that control the release of the liquid drug at predetermined intervals, a blower device that blows air in a prescribed direction is provided in the travel vehicle body, a blowing path that distributes the air released from the blower device in the longitudinal direction of the liquid drug spraying apparatus and directs the air downward before and after the liquid drug released from the release device is provided, the blowing path consists of: a telescopic air duct that moves the air in the longitudinal direction of the liquid drug spraying apparatus and toward the outer end, and multiple air-blowing nozzles that blow the air from the air duct toward the front and rear of the release devices and the lower side of the machine body, suction ports of the multiple air-blowing nozzles have smaller diameters as they are provided on the machine body outer side, and all the air outlets have the same shape.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 36

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a spraying work machine equipped with a spraying device such as a side boom. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventional spraying machines are equipped with a chemical tank that stores the chemical solution to be sprayed at the rear of the traveling body, and with extendable side booms that are deployed on both the left and right sides of the machine body to spray the chemical solution. The left and right side booms are composed of a fixed boom and a sliding boom, and spraying nozzles that spray the chemical are arranged at a predetermined interval on the fixed boom and the sliding boom. (Patent Document 1) [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6244144 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Although there is some misalignment between the pesticide released from each spray nozzle due to the inertia and vibrations of the vehicle as it moves, the pesticide is sprayed downward at high speed due to the pressure in the delivery pipes, so that the appropriate amount is basically supplied to the crops directly below.

[0005] However, if strong winds are blowing during operation, the supplied pesticide may be affected by the wind and be blown upwards or blown to the left or right of the machine body, which can prevent the pesticide from having its intended effect and can lead to poor growth or the influence of pests, resulting in the end of the harvest or a decline in quality.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT In consideration of the conventional problems, the present invention has an object to provide a spraying machine that can spray a chemical to an appropriate spraying range even when a strong wind is blowing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The invention of claim 1 provides a spraying work machine having a liquid agent spraying device (10, 10) for spraying a liquid agent on the side of a traveling body (1), the liquid agent spraying device (10, 10) having discharge devices (120, 130) for turning on and off the discharge of the liquid agent at predetermined intervals, the spraying work machine being provided with an air blowing device (504) for blowing air in a predetermined direction on the traveling body (1), and distributing the air discharged from the air blowing device (504) in the longitudinal direction of the liquid agent spraying device (10, 10), and having an air blowing path (500) for blowing air down in front of and behind the liquid agent discharged from the discharge devices (120, 130). The air passage (500) is configured by an expandable air duct (501, 502) for moving air in the longitudinal direction of the liquid agent spraying device (10, 10) and toward the outer end, and a plurality of blowing nozzles (503) for blowing air from the air duct (501, 502) toward the front and rear of the discharge device (120, 130) and toward the bottom of the machine body, and the intake ports (503a) of the plurality of blowing nozzles (503) are smaller in diameter as they are provided on the outer side of the machine body, and the blowing ports (503b) are all of the same shape. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the invention of claim 1, by blowing air down from the air supply path (500) in front of and behind the liquid agent released from the release device (120, 130), it is possible to prevent the liquid agent from scattering in a location other than the intended spraying location, and by supplying an appropriate amount of the liquid agent to a necessary location, poor growth and the influence of pests and diseases are prevented, and the quality and yield of the harvested crop are improved.

[0009] In addition, by configuring the air blowing path (500) with an expandable air blowing duct (501, 502), the range of air blowing can be changed in accordance with the expansion and contraction of the liquid agent spraying device (10, 10), and the range of spraying of the liquid agent can be protected by wind.

[0010] In addition, by making the diameter of the intake ports (503a) of the multiple blow-out nozzles (503) smaller as they are provided on the outside of the body, a sufficient amount of air can be blown out even from a part of the air flow path (500) where the wind travels a long distance. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] Side view of a work vehicle [Diagram 2] Plan view of a work vehicle [Diagram 3] Front perspective view of the transmission case [Figure 4] Rear perspective view of the transmission case [Diagram 5] A perspective view of the transmission case from the rear bottom [Figure 6] Schematic cross-sectional view of the transmission case [Figure 7] Close-up of the clutch inside the transmission case [Figure 8] A perspective view of the front case of the transmission case seen from the front [Figure 9] A perspective view of the front case of the transmission case seen from the inside [Figure 10] A perspective view of the center case of the transmission case seen from the front [Figure 11] A perspective view of the center case of the transmission case seen from the rear [Figure 12] A perspective view of the rear case of the transmission case seen from the inside [Figure 13] A perspective view of the rear case of the transmission case seen from the rear [Figure 14] Front view of the clutch plate [Figure 15] Enlarged view of the PTO shaft in Figure 6 [Figure 16] FIG. 2A is a front view of a main portion showing a side boom in a contracted state; FIG. 2B is a plan view of a main portion showing a side boom in a contracted state; [Figure 17] (a) is a front view of a main part showing a side boom in an extended state, (b) is a plan view of a main part showing a side boom in an extended state [Figure 18] Side view of the main part of the open / close nozzle [Figure 19](a) A front view of a main part showing an open / close nozzle in an open state, (b) A front view of a main part showing an open / close nozzle with a spray switching pin in contact with a switching cock, (c) A front view of a main part showing an open / close nozzle in an intermediate state, and (d) A front view of a main part showing an open / close nozzle in a closed state. [Figure 20] FIG. 1A is a plan view of a main part showing an open / close nozzle in an open state; FIG. 1B is a plan view of a main part showing an open / close nozzle with a spray switching pin in contact with a switching cock; FIG. 1C is a plan view of a main part showing an open / close nozzle in an intermediate state; and FIG. 1D is a plan view of a main part showing an open / close nozzle in a closed state. [Figure 21] (a) A front view of a main part showing an example of an opening and closing nozzle in an open state, (b) A front view of a main part showing an example of an opening and closing nozzle in a different configuration in which a spray switching pin is in contact with a switching cock, (c) A front view of a main part showing an example of an opening and closing nozzle in an intermediate state, (d) A front view of a main part showing an example of an opening and closing nozzle in a closed state [Figure 22] (a) A plan view of the main part showing an example of an opening and closing nozzle in an open state, (b) A plan view of the main part showing an example of an opening and closing nozzle in a different configuration in which a spray switching pin is in contact with a switching cock, (c) A plan view of the main part showing an example of an opening and closing nozzle in an intermediate state, (d) A plan view of the main part showing an example of an opening and closing nozzle in a closed state [Figure 23] (a) A front view of the main part showing the overlap of the drug spray ranges between the nozzles, (b) A plan view of the main part showing the overlap of the drug spray ranges between the nozzles [Figure 24] Block diagram showing the input and output systems of each part of the aircraft [Diagram 25] Flowchart showing the extension and retraction operation of the side boom by manual operation and automatic control [Figure 26] A schematic diagram of a field work map showing areas where chemical spraying has been performed with coloring. [Figure 27] A flow chart showing the extension and contraction control of the side boom that causes the chemical to be sprayed overlappingly near the ends of adjacent rows. [Figure 28] A front view of the main part showing the state where the end of the side boom does not reach the adjacent row [Figure 29] A front view of the main part showing the state in which the end of the side boom is partially overlapping with the adjacent bar. [Diagram 30]A front view of the main part showing the state in which the end of the side boom overlaps with the spraying position of the adjacent row to perform pesticide spraying work. [Diagram 31] A schematic diagram of a field work map showing areas where chemical spraying has been performed with coloring. [Diagram 32] Flowchart showing coloring control of a field work map corresponding to a chemical spraying work [Diagram 33] FIG. 2A is a front view of the main part showing the side boom and the ventilation duct in the contracted state; FIG. 2B is a plan view of the main part showing the side boom and the ventilation duct in the contracted state; [Diagram 34] (a) is a front view of the main part showing the side boom and the ventilation duct in the extended state, (b) is a plan view of the main part showing the side boom and the ventilation duct in the extended state [Diagram 35] Schematic diagram showing the joints that connect the air blower to the left and right ventilation ducts when installed [Diagram 36] A plan view of the main part showing that the diameter of the intake port of the blow-out nozzle becomes smaller toward the outside of the aircraft. [Figure 37] A side view showing the air blower attached to the vehicle body. [Figure 38] A plan view showing the state in which an air blower is attached to a traveling vehicle body. [Figure 39] (a) is a front view of a main part of a blower duct equipped with a pressure relief nozzle, and (b) is a plan view of a main part of a blower duct equipped with a pressure relief nozzle. [Diagram 40] Side view of the vehicle with air grass-splitting devices attached near the front and rear wheels [Diagram 41] Plan view of the air grass splitter installed near the front and rear wheels of the vehicle [Diagram 42] Side view of the vehicle body with the grass splitting air duct installed from the front to rear wheels [Diagram 43] Plan view of the vehicle body with the grass split air duct installed from the front to rear wheels DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that in the embodiment of the present invention, a pest control work vehicle that sprays agricultural chemicals will be described as an example of a work vehicle.

[0013] In this application, the side of the work vehicle 1 in the vehicle travel direction is referred to as the front, the opposite side as the rear, the left side in the travel direction as the left, and the right side in the travel direction as the right.

[0014] 1 and 2, the work vehicle 1 is a vehicle that sprays pest control liquid, and is equipped with front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3, with an engine (not shown) covered by a bonnet 4 provided at the front of the traveling body 1. Behind the bonnet 4 is provided a control section 5, which is equipped with a steering wheel 6 and a seat 8.

[0015] A chemical tank 9 that contains a chemical liquid is removably mounted behind the seat 8. The work vehicle 1 also includes a hydraulic continuously variable transmission (HST) that is a mechanism that can adjust the forward / reverse direction of travel and the speed of the vehicle, and an engine start restriction device that restricts the starting of the engine.

[0016] Further, support brackets 12a protruding in the left-right direction are provided on both the left and right sides of the front body of the work vehicle 1, and lift-lower links 12 constituted by upper and lower link bodies are rotatably supported on the left and right support brackets 12a. The upper and lower link bodies of the lift-lower link 12 are configured to move in conjunction with each other, and a telescopic lift-lower cylinder 13 is provided on the lower section of the link body of the lift-lower link 12 so as to connect the lower section of the link body of the lift-lower link 12 to the support brackets 12a, so that the lift-lower link 12 can be swung up and down by telescoping the lift-lower cylinder 13.

[0017] The lift links 12 extend to a position in front of the bonnet 4, and the front frame 11 is attached to the front end of the lift links 12 so as to connect the left and right lift links 12. Therefore, by simultaneously extending and retracting the left and right lift cylinders 13, the front frame 11 can be raised and lowered via the left and right lift links 12 that move up and down.

[0018] A pair of left and right side booms 10, which are an example of a working device and spray a chemical solution, are attached to both ends of the front frame 11 so as to be rotatable about an axis in the vertical direction, and boom rotation cylinders 109, 109 are provided for each of the left and right side booms 10 so that they can be individually deployed and folded in the left and right direction. A plurality of nozzles 100 are attached to the side booms 10, and a front boom 110 having a plurality of front nozzles 111 provided at equal intervals in the left and right direction is attached to the front frame 11, and the nozzles 100 of each side boom 10 and each front nozzle 111 of the front boom 110 are configured to receive a supply of chemical solution from a chemical solution tank 9 and spray the chemical solution in a spray form. Note that the right side boom 10 is omitted from FIG. 1.

[0019] The state in which the side boom 10 is rotated inward in the left-right direction of the machine body and then rotated downward along the left and right sides of the vehicle body is called the stowed position, and the state in which the side boom 10 is rotated forward and upward in the left-right direction of the machine body and then rotated outward in the left-right direction of the machine body and extended to the left and right is called the chemical spraying position. In the stowed position, the side boom 10 can be maintained facing diagonally upward and rearward of the vehicle body by placing the side boom 10 on boom receivers 15 provided on both the left and right sides of the work vehicle 1.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the transmission case 20 mounted on the work vehicle of this embodiment, seen from the front to the rear, FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the transmission case 20, seen from the rear to the front, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the transmission case 20 of FIG. 4, seen from the bottom side.

[0021] 3 to 5, 21 is a front case, 22 is a center case, 22a is a bottom surface of the center case 22, and 23 is a rear case. Furthermore, 24 is an input shaft for transmitting power from the engine, and 25 and 26 are first and second hydraulic pumps. Furthermore, 27 is a shaft for switching the clutch on and off, which will be described later, 28 is a rear lift valve, and 29 is a traveling output shaft for the front wheels 2. Furthermore, 30 is a hydraulic continuously variable transmission (HST), and 31 is a clutch lubrication hole. Furthermore, 32 is a PTO shaft for a working device such as a boom sprayer, 33 is a live PTO output shaft (additional transmission shaft), which will be described later, 34 is a vehicle speed sensor, 35 is a drain, 36 is a sub-transmission shaft, 37 is a breather, and 38 is a traveling output shaft for transmitting driving power for driving the rear wheels 3.

[0022] Further, the inside of the transmission case 20 has a structure as shown in Figures 6 and 7. Figure 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the entire case, and Figure 7 is an enlarged view focusing on the clutch 55.

[0023] First, the front case 21 will be mainly described. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the front case 21 as seen from the front side, and Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the front case 21 as seen from the rear side. Here, the ball bearings of the bearings are omitted in Figs. 8 and 9. The input shaft 24 is held by the input bearing 21a. A gear 40 is connected to the rear end of the input shaft 24. A gear 41 fixed to a clutch drive shaft 42 meshes with the gear 40. The front end of the clutch drive shaft 42 is supported by a clutch front bearing 43 formed in the front case 21. Here, 55 denotes a clutch.

[0024] Furthermore, the gear 41 meshes with a gear 44 located below it, and this gear 44 is fixed to a gear pump drive shaft 45 that drives the first hydraulic pump 25, and a gear pump bearing 46 that is a bearing for this gear pump drive shaft 45 is formed in the front case 21.

[0025] On the other hand, a gear 47 attached to a shaft 48 meshes with the upper part of the gear 40, and the tip of the shaft 48 is supported by a bearing 49 formed in the front case 21. Furthermore, the rear end of the shaft 48 is supported by a bearing 50a provided in a part of a bearing plate portion 50 attached to the center case 22. A gear 51 is attached near the center of the shaft 48, and a gear 52 meshes with the gear 51, and the gear 52 is fixed to the above-mentioned live PTO output shaft 33. The front end of the live PTO output shaft 33 is supported by a bearing 54 formed in the front case 21, and the rear end is journaled by a bearing 50b formed in the bearing plate portion 50, and protrudes rearward to be usable as a live PTO output shaft.

[0026] When the driving force of the engine is input from the input shaft 24, the gear 40 rotates. The gear 47 meshing with the gear 40 rotates, which in turn rotates the shaft 48. The rotation of the shaft 48 rotates the gear 51, which in turn rotates the meshing gear 52.

[0027] As a result, the live PTO output shaft 33 fixed to the gear 52 rotates, and the driving force from the engine is output to the outside. This driving force is output from the upstream side (right side) of the clutch 55, so it is not affected by the engagement and disengagement of the clutch 55, and can be output as long as the engine is running.

[0028] The gear 40 is further meshed with a gear 41, which is fixed to a clutch drive shaft 42, so that the driving force of the engine is also transmitted from the input shaft 24 to the clutch drive shaft 42. The clutch drive shaft 42 is connected to a clutch 55. Therefore, the driving force transmitted to the clutch drive shaft 42 depends on whether the clutch 55 is engaged or disengaged.

[0029] Furthermore, a gear 44 meshes with the gear 41, and the driving force of the engine is also transmitted from the input shaft 24 to a gear pump drive shaft 45 to which the gear 44 is fixed. The first hydraulic pump 25 is driven by the rotation of the gear pump drive shaft 45. Oil is pumped by the first hydraulic pump 25 to the working hydraulic system. The second hydraulic pump 26 attached to the front case 21 is also driven by a similar mechanism.

[0030] Next, the central case 22 and the rear case 23 will be described. As shown in Fig. 10 and Fig. 11, the central case 22 is detachable from the front case 21 and the rear case 23 by a bolt mechanism. As shown in Fig. 6, A indicates the boundary surface between the front case 21 and the central case 22, and B indicates the boundary surface between the central case 22 and the rear case 23. The central case 22 is fixed to the frame of the traveling body 1' of the work vehicle 1 by a connecting part 53 (see Fig. 11). Fig. 12 is a perspective view of the rear case 23 as viewed from the inside, and Fig. 13 is a perspective view as viewed from the rear outside.

[0031] Inside the central case 22, the above-mentioned bearing plate portion 50 is formed at the front side position, and a clutch bearing plate portion 57 is formed at the central position.

[0032] A clutch 55 is disposed between the front bearing plate portion 50 and the clutch bearing plate portion 57, and the clutch drive shaft 42 is journalled to a bearing portion 60 of the clutch bearing plate portion 57 via the clutch 55. Furthermore, the rear portion of the clutch drive shaft 42 passes through a hole 61 (see FIG. 11) of the bearing portion 60 and is journalled by a clutch drive shaft bearing 62 of the rear case 23.

[0033] Incidentally, the HST drive shaft is supported by rear case 23, and is therefore either cantilevered by rear case 23 or fixed to the HST itself.

[0034] In addition, since the drive shaft is long in the front-to-rear direction, it is supported by the front case 21, the center case 22, and the rear case 23.

[0035] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, a transmission gear 70 is fixed to the clutch drive shaft 42, and the transmission gear 70 meshes with a gear 71 (loose-fit gear) that is attached to the shaft of the implement PTO shaft 32 so as to be freely rotatable.

[0036] The rotation of the gear 71 is transmitted to the PTO shaft 32 by the rotation of the clutch drive shaft 42 through a mechanism described later. Therefore, the rotation of the working device PTO shaft 32 is affected by the engagement and disengagement of the clutch 55. Reference numeral 32a denotes a PTO bearing provided in the rear case 23.

[0037] On the other hand, a gear 63 is further attached to the clutch drive shaft 42, and the gear 63 meshes with an HST input gear 64. An HST output gear 65 is connected to the front wheel drive output shaft 29 and the rear wheel drive output shaft 38 via three gear mechanisms 66, 67, and 68. In FIG. 8, 29a is a bearing for the front wheel drive output shaft 29. Therefore, the output changed in speed by the HST 30 is transmitted to the drive output shafts 29 and 38. Here, 30a is an HST input side portion, and 30b is an HST output side portion. Also, 72 and 73 are HST input bearings and HST output bearings, respectively.

[0038] In this way, by dividing the transmission case 20 into front, center, and rear sections and fixing the center case 22 to the frame of the running body 1' of the work vehicle 1 (connection part 53), maintenance work can be performed inside the case without removing the entire transmission case 20 from the body.

[0039] Next, the clutch 55 in this embodiment has a wet structure, not a so-called dry type. That is, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the clutch drive shaft 42 is supported at both ends (43, 62) by the front case 21 and the rear case 23, and an oil passage is formed between the shaft and the support. Lubricating oil is supplied from the clutch lubrication hole 31. The lubricating oil returns the hydraulic pressure return (working hydraulic system) of the pest control machine to the oil passage of the clutch drive shaft 42.

[0040] The clutch 55 is configured by fitting a plurality of clutch plates 55b inside a clutch case 55a, and by providing the clutch case 55a on the clutch drive shaft 42. Furthermore, the clutch drive shaft 42 has a flow path for hydraulic oil, and is capable of supplying hydraulic oil to the inner periphery of the clutch plates 55b. Furthermore, the clutch case 55a is formed with a return hole portion for returning hydraulic oil that has entered the clutch case 55a to the hydraulic circuit. Note that FIG. 14 shows the clutch plate 55b, which is formed with a communication hole 92 from the inner periphery to the outer periphery, as indicated by the arrow C.

[0041] Because the clutch 55 has this structure, by supplying hydraulic oil into the clutch case 55a from the flow passage of the clutch drive shaft, it is possible to prevent the clutch plates 55b from burning out and becoming immobile, thereby ensuring that travel transmission and work transmission can be switched on and off reliably.

[0042] Furthermore, by forming a return hole in the clutch case 55a, the hydraulic oil that has entered the clutch case 55a can be returned to the transmission case 20, thereby preventing an increase in internal pressure and a shortage of hydraulic oil.

[0043] In addition, by forming the communicating hole 92, the hydraulic oil that has entered between the clutch plate 55b and the clutch case 55a can be moved to the outside of the clutch case 55a, thereby preventing problems caused by hydraulic oil that is no longer able to return to the flow path becoming stale.

[0044] In other words, the communication hole 92 is formed by penetrating the clutch plate 55b toward the outer periphery at one or more points, so that when the hydraulic oil stored in the transmission case 20 is immersed in the hydraulic oil, the hydraulic oil can enter the inside of the communication hole 92 from that portion and permeate the inside of the clutch case 55a (this phenomenon occurs particularly when the clutch is stopped). Also, when the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the clutch drive shaft 42 scatters the hydraulic oil that has entered the communication hole 92 to the outside of the clutch case 55a, the hydraulic oil is sent into the transmission case 20. In other words, the configuration is such that the hydraulic oil can both enter the inside and be discharged to the outside.

[0045] FIG. 15 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 6, focusing on a PTO shaft 32 for a work device such as a boom sprayer.

[0046] As described above, the transmission gear 70 is fixed to the clutch drive shaft 42, and the transmission gear 70 meshes with a gear 71 (loose-fit gear) that is freely rotatably attached to the shaft of the implement PTO shaft 32. This gear 71 meshes with a first counter gear 75 fixed to a counter shaft 76. Another second counter gear 77 is fixed to the counter shaft 76, and this second counter gear 77 meshes with a gear 78 fixed to the shaft of the PTO shaft 32. Reference numeral 71a denotes a grooved washer.

[0047] Therefore, rotation of the clutch drive shaft 42 causes gear 70 to rotate, and the rotation is transmitted to gear 71, which is a loose-fit gear, and the rotation of gear 71 is transmitted to first counter gear 75, which is transmitted to counter shaft 76, which is transmitted to second counter gear 77, and which is transmitted to gear 78, and as a result, the PTO shaft 32 is transmitted to and rotates.

[0048] On the other hand, reference numeral 90 denotes a lubricant oil supply pipe that returns and discharges hydraulic oil from the working hydraulic system into the transmission case 20. Reference numeral 79 denotes an outlet 79 of the lubricant oil supply pipe 90 provided in the rear case 23. The outlet 79 of the lubricant oil supply pipe 90 is disposed above a work driving force transmission mechanism that is disposed on the upper side inside the transmission case 20. Here, the transmission mechanism is a mechanism for transmitting driving force to the working mechanism, such as the PTO shaft 32, which is an example of the work transmission shaft of the present invention.

[0049] With this structure, hydraulic oil is discharged from the upper side of the transmission case 20, so that the upper transmission mechanism, which is prone to internal lubricating oil shortages, can be reliably lubricated, thereby reducing wear and seizure and preventing a decrease in the durability of the transmission case 20.

[0050] In this case, the transmission case 20 itself also serves as an oil tank. The first hydraulic pump 25 described above pumps the oil from this oil tank as hydraulic oil back to the drive cylinder.

[0051] Furthermore, a diffusion member that receives the hydraulic oil discharged from the discharge port 79 and diffuses it to the surroundings is rotatably attached to this PTO shaft (work transmission shaft) 32. An example of the diffusion member of the present invention is the above-mentioned freely rotating gear 71.

[0052] By rotating the gear 71 of the diffusion member provided on the PTO shaft 32 in this manner, the hydraulic oil can be diffused over a wide area by centrifugal force, which further prevents wear and seizure due to a shortage of hydraulic oil.

[0053] Furthermore, gear 71, which is the diffusion member, is formed with oil passage holes 91 through which hydraulic oil can enter the interior. This makes it easier to diffuse the hydraulic oil over a wide range in directions other than the rotational direction. It is preferable to provide multiple oil passage holes 91. For example, four oil passage holes 91 are provided at 90° angles around the axis. This also has the effect of allowing lubricating oil to flow into the inside of gear 71.

[0054] Since gear 71, which is a diffusion member, rotates in a fixed direction, this alone would tend to cause the hydraulic oil to be scattered slightly biased in the direction of rotation; however, by forming oil passage holes 911 penetrating gear 71, the hydraulic oil that has entered the interior through outlet 79 is released by centrifugal force at a position other than that where it is repelled by the wing portion of gear 71 (corresponding to the gear teeth portion), and the hydraulic oil is more likely to be diffused downstream in the direction of rotation.

[0055] The lubricant oil supply pipe 90 is attached to the front or rear of the transmission case 20, and an orifice is formed at the discharge port 79 of the lubricant oil supply pipe 90, and the orifice faces the inside of the transmission case 20. This allows the hydraulic oil to be dispersed over a greater distance.

[0056] As described above, the hydraulic return (working hydraulic system) from the pest control machine back into the transmission case 20 includes a system returning from the clutch lubrication hole 31 via the clutch 55, and a system returning from the outlet 79 of the lubrication oil supply pipe 90 in the rear case 23 of the transmission case 20. In addition, there is also a system in which the hydraulic oil discharged from the lifting valve and the lower link cylinder returns into the transmission case 20 from the main valve provided on the side of the transmission case 20.

[0057] The left and right side booms 10, 10 are configured to be extendable and retractable to adjust the range over which pest control chemicals and the like are sprayed. As shown in Figures 1, 2, 16(a)(b), and 17(a)(b), a base boom 101 is provided at the left and right ends of the front frame 11 so as to be rotatable in the up-down and left-right directions, and a slide frame 102 is provided at the top of the base boom 101 so as to be slidable along the base boom 101, and a moving boom 103 is provided on the slide plate 102. By changing the projection of the moving boom 103 in the left-right direction of the machine body by sliding the slide plate 102 left and right, the amount of extension and retraction, in other words, the range over which the chemicals are sprayed, can be changed.

[0058] Specifically, a driven pulley 104 is rotatably provided on the end side (rear side of the machine body or outside the machine body) of the base boom 101, a boom telescopic motor 106 for driving a driving pulley 105 is provided on the base side (front side of the machine body or inside the machine body) of the base boom 101, and an extension wire 107 is brought into contact with the driving pulley 105 and the driven pulley 104, and both ends of the extension wire 107 are respectively connected to mounting bent parts 102a, 102a at the left and right ends of the slide plate 102. Furthermore, a rotary encoder 108 is provided on the side of the drive pulley 105 to calculate the sliding amount of the moving boom 103 from the rotation caused by contact with the extension wire 107.

[0059] The sensor for the extension / contraction amount of the side boom 10 may be a sensor that calculates the sliding amount of the moving boom 103 from the reflection time of an oscillating ultrasonic wave or laser instead of the rotary encoder 108 described above.

[0060] With the above configuration, when the boom extension motor 106 is operated, the extension wire 107 slides left and right on the slide frame 102, thereby changing the amount of left and right protrusion of the movable boom 103 supported by the slide frame 102, and the spray range of the drug can be changed.

[0061] The above-mentioned nozzles 100 are provided at predetermined intervals on the base boom 101 and the movable boom 103, and a set amount of chemical is sprayed by setting the opening of each nozzle 100 and the output of the chemical pump 9a which pumps the chemical from the chemical tank 9.

[0062] When the side boom 10 is fully extended, i.e., when the movable boom 103 projects outwardly of the machine body to its maximum extent, it is possible to supply the pesticide to a set range by spraying the pesticide from all the nozzles 100. However, when the left-right length of the side boom 10 is not at its maximum, the pesticide spray ranges of some of the nozzles 100 may be the same or may overlap to a large extent, and there is a problem that excess pesticide is used if all the nozzles 100 are open. Furthermore, there is a problem that an oversupply of pesticide may cause poor growth of crops or pesticide may remain on the harvested crop, reducing its commercial value.

[0063] To prevent the above problems from occurring, while also preventing problems such as pests due to shortages of chemicals and uneven spraying, the nozzle 100 provided on the base boom 101 is configured as follows. As shown in Figures 18 to 20, a chemical flow path 122 through which the chemical passes is formed inside an opening / closing nozzle body 121, and a switching rotation shaft 123 forming a switching flow path 123a is rotatably inserted into the chemical flow path 122 to enable switching between an open state and a closed state. Then, a bent portion (corner) of an L-shaped (or V-shaped, or L-shaped) switching cock 124 is inserted into the switching rotation shaft 123 to configure an opening / closing nozzle 120 in which the open state and closed state of the chemical flow path 122 are switched by rotating the switching cock 124.

[0064] 19(a)-(d) and 20(a)-(d), the switching cock 124 is configured to rotate within a range of approximately 180 degrees, and has a first contact part OC that contacts the spray switching pin 112 when switching from the open state to the closed state, and a second contact part CO that contacts the spray switching pin 112 when switching from the closed state to the open state, and one of the first contact part OC and the second contact part CO is configured to face the movement path of the spray switching pin 112. Note that, as shown in FIGS. 19(a)-(d), when the switching cock 124 rotates 90 degrees, the switching flow path 123a is rotated 45 degrees, and when it rotates 180 degrees, it is rotated 90 degrees.

[0065] As shown in Figs. 21 and 22, limit pins 125 may be provided at least in two places on the open / close nozzle base 121 to prevent excessive rotation causing misalignment between the drug flow path 122 and the switching flow path 123a.

[0066] A spray switching pin 112 protruding toward the base boom 101 is provided on the lower part of the slide frame 102, and the spray switching pin 112 comes into contact with the downwardly protruding part of the switching cock 124, thereby switching between the on and off states of each opening / closing nozzle 120.

[0067] As shown in Figures 16(a)(b) and 17(a)(b), the movable boom 103 is not provided with the above-mentioned opening / closing nozzle 120, but is provided with a constant spray nozzle 130 whose opening angle can only be adjusted, so that the pesticide is constantly sprayed while the side boom 10 is in spraying operation, regardless of whether the spraying range of the side boom 10 is changed.

[0068] As described above, the nozzle 100 is the name of a component that includes the open / close nozzle 120 and the constant spray nozzle 130. In addition, the spray ranges of the open / close nozzle 120, the constant spray nozzle 130, and the front nozzle 110 spread out in a cone shape (cone-like) from the center point of each nozzle in the plan view of Fig. 23(b), and spread out in a triangular shape from the lower end of each nozzle in the front (rear) view during operation in Fig. 23(a).

[0069] 24 and 25, the boom extension motor 106 is operated by manual operation by an operator or in response to an extension / retraction signal from a control program, to move the moving boom 103 and extend or retract the side boom 10. A manual adjustment switch (not shown), which adjusts the length by manual operation, is operated by sending a signal from the control device 200 to the boom extension motor 106 only during operation, and when the operation is stopped, the boom extension motor 106 stops at a position equivalent to a predetermined nozzle pitch P, as will be described later, and the spraying range of the moving boom 103 is changed.

[0070] This allows the worker to spray the pesticide over the optimal area while visually checking the condition of the crops. However, the worker needs to extend and retract either the left or right side booms 10, 10 while driving the traveling body 1, which places a heavy burden on the worker.

[0071] The extension and retraction of the side boom 10 by the control program is to move a plurality of open / close nozzles 120 or continuous spray nozzles 130 in units of the left-right spacing, i.e., the nozzle pitch P (e.g., 300 mm), per traffic light.

[0072] This allows the spraying width of the side boom 10 to be automatically switched, allowing the operator to concentrate on operating the work vehicle 1 and reducing the likelihood of deviations in the traveling direction.

[0073] It also prevents the pesticide from being sprayed over an excessively wide area, resulting in the pesticide being supplied to overlapping areas and causing poor growth of the crops. It also prevents areas where the pesticide is not sprayed, and prevents the crops from withering and becoming unharvestable due to pests and diseases.

[0074] The boom extension motor 106 is connected to the control device 200 and operates or stops in response to a control signal. When a stop signal is sent from the control device 200, the boom extension motor 106 can operate for at least the period during which it extends or retracts by one nozzle pitch P.

[0075] When the moving boom 103 moves in the extension direction, the opening / closing nozzle 120 located at the outermost position of the machine body within the extension range is stopped in the middle of switching from the closed state to the open state, and when the moving boom 103 moves in the contraction direction, the opening / closing nozzle 120 located at the outermost position of the machine body within the contraction range is stopped in the middle of switching from the open state to the closed state. In other words, the intermediate state is a state in which the spray switching pin 112 is located between the left and right of the first contact part OC and the second contact part CO, as shown in Figures 19(c) and 20(c).

[0076] The boom extension motor 106 is configured to stop suddenly when the rotary encoder 108 detects a predetermined rotation angle, either by manual stopping operation or when a signal is received from the control device 200 due to the satisfaction of a stopping condition. The detection of the rotation angle of this rotary encoder 108 is performed by providing a separate sensor (not shown) that detects the angle, or by calculating it from the rotation angle of the rotating body that is the object of reading by the rotary encoder 108.

[0077] Alternatively, the rotor may be configured to rotate to a predetermined angle by inertia after receiving a stop signal and stopping.

[0078] With this stop control configuration, when the operation of moving the movable boom 103 is stopped, the spray switch pin 112 rotates the switch cock 124 by approximately 45 degrees and stops it at a position moved to an intermediate state between the open state and the closed state.

[0079] The intermediate state is a state in which switching flow path 123a is in contact with drug flow path 122 in the vertical direction of the machine body at an angle, i.e., the flow paths are narrow but connected, and if the flow rate of the drug and the pressure of the pump are sufficient, an amount of drug less than the set amount is sprayed from the open / close nozzle 120 due to the internal pressure. At this time, the amount of drug sprayed is less than that of the open / close nozzle 120 in the open state, and the spray range is an isosceles triangle with a small apex angle, or a cylinder.

[0080] As described above, when the boom extension motor 106 stops, the switching cock 124 of the opening / closing nozzle 120 located at the outermost position of the machine within the changed spraying work range is set to an intermediate state, allowing the opening / closing nozzle 120 to spray less pesticide than the set amount and over a narrower area.

[0081] As a result, when the spraying range of the side boom 10 is changed, a sufficient amount of pesticide can be supplied to the area near the outer edge of the spraying range, preventing crops from being affected by pests and diseases due to a shortage of pesticide, and preventing a decrease in commercial value and yield.

[0082] In addition, since a smaller amount of chemical is supplied to the vicinity of the outer end than to other locations, waste of chemical is reduced and adverse effects on crop growth due to an oversupply of chemical is prevented.

[0083] 16 and 17, at least one constant spray nozzle 130 is provided on the base side of the base boom 101, and when the moving boom 103 is maximally contracted, the front end of the moving boom 103 and the slide frame 102 stops at a position closer to the end than the constant spray nozzle 130 provided at the endmost side of the base frame 101. At this time, as shown in Figs. 16 and 17, the constant spray nozzles 130 provided at predetermined intervals on the moving boom 103 and the opening / closing nozzles 120 provided at predetermined intervals on the base frame 101 are arranged to overlap in the fore-and-aft direction of the machine body during spraying operation, and in the left-right direction of the machine body when stored.

[0084] Of the constant spray nozzles 130 provided on the movable boom 103, at least one (in this application, two) from the end side is spaced away from the end of the base boom 101 and does not overlap with the opening / closing nozzles 120.

[0085] With the above configuration, when the movable boom 103 is contracted to the maximum extent, the chemical is sprayed only by the constant spray nozzles 130 arranged at a constant nozzle pitch P, preventing excessive consumption of the chemical. This prevents poor growth of crops and reduces operating costs.

[0086] In addition, by providing constant spray nozzles 130 that do not overlap with other nozzles on the base side of the base boom 101 and the end side of the movable boom 103, a set amount of pesticide can be stably supplied to the left and right sides of the traveling body 1 and the outer end of the side boom 10 regardless of the amount of extension and contraction of the side boom 10.

[0087] As a situation in which the control device 200 is used to automatically control the extension and retraction of the side boom 10, a task can be considered in which the end of an adjacent row that has just finished spraying a chemical is overlapped with the end of the current working row over a predetermined distance, as shown in Fig. 26. The end of the working row is sprayed with chemicals from a constantly open nozzle 130 provided near the outer end of the moving boom 103, but since the spraying range of the constantly open nozzle 130 provided on the outermost side does not overlap with other constantly open nozzles 130 or the opening and closing nozzles 120, the amount of chemicals sprayed may be reduced due to the influence of wind direction, etc.

[0088] However, if the amount of sprayed chemicals is to be reduced, it is desirable to use the edge of the adjacent row where the chemicals have been sprayed as the boundary line, and to control the extension and retraction of the outer edge of the side boom 10 so as not to intrude into the adjacent row as much as possible, always using this boundary line as the reference. With this spray control, overlapping of spray positions of chemicals is minimized, and the amount of chemicals used is reduced.

[0089] On the other hand, although the amount of pesticide used will increase, in order to spray the pesticide at the ends of the work rows in a manner similar to the pesticide spraying positions of the other nozzles 100 (open / close nozzle 120, constant spray nozzle 130), it is desirable to have the outermost constant spray nozzle 130 face near the end of the adjacent row and overlap the pesticide spraying positions.

[0090] In order to control the extension and retraction of the side boom 10 as described above, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 24, the traveling vehicle body 1 is provided with a receiving antenna 140 which communicates with a satellite to obtain position information, and the control device 200 performs a process of correlating and recording the coordinates received by this receiving antenna 140 with the amount of movement of the mobile boom 103 detected by the rotary encoder 108 at the time of reception, and also installs a spraying record application 201 or makes it available via a cloud server, which displays on a virtual field work map FM the work rows where the pesticide has been sprayed and the ends of these work rows by using different colors or linear shapes, etc.

[0091] The control device 200 needs to perform various control calculations simultaneously, so a single device that performs all of these operations needs to have high performance. However, if the processing load is large, the device may need to be replaced in a short period of time.

[0092] Therefore, the control device 200 is configured by combining a first CPU 202 that controls the extension and retraction control and deployment and storage control of the side booms 10, 10, a second CPU 203 that processes signal information obtained from the receiving antenna 140, and a third CPU 204 that determines whether the side booms 10, 10 are in a spraying or non-spraying state and controls the coloring of the spraying record application 201.

[0093] As described above, by allocating different controls to multiple CPUs, each CPU only bears the load of its own control processing, and multiple controls are executed in parallel, so that the aircraft's operations associated with the controls are performed accurately.

[0094] However, each of the CPUs 202 to 204 may perform processes in parallel depending on the situation, rather than performing only a single task.

[0095] Furthermore, when one of the left and right side booms 10, 10 is extended and spraying is stopped to perform work, the first CPU 202 can determine whether spraying work is being performed by the third CPU 204 while grasping the position of the side boom 10, so that the spraying record application 201 can prevent recording in color areas where spraying work is not being performed. This improves the reliability of the spraying record.

[0096] In the above, when it is determined that the side boom 10 is in a non-spraying state, the spraying record application 201 is controlled not to color the corresponding area, but it may also be controlled to color it in a different color to indicate that it is in a non-spraying state.

[0097] The satellites with which the receiving antenna 140 communicates include GNSS, GLONAS, Michibiki, etc., which are capable of receiving satellite signals stably at the work site, and an IMU or the like may be installed near the receiving antenna 140 or elsewhere on the running vehicle 1 to enable control of operations other than pesticide spraying.

[0098] Furthermore, in order to improve reception accuracy, it is desirable to install the receiving antenna 140 as high as possible on the traveling vehicle body 1, so if a cabin is provided to cover the periphery of the seat 8, the receiving antenna 140 should be installed on the roof of the cabin and near the center in the left-right direction of the aircraft, and if a ROP is provided behind the seat 8, the receiving antenna 140 should be installed above the ROP and near the center in the left-right direction of the aircraft. In this case, there is a certain distance between the receiving antenna 140 and the side boom 10 in the fore-and-aft direction, so to further improve accuracy, it is preferable to have the control device 200 correct the fore-and-aft distance between the receiving antenna 140 and the side boom 10.

[0099] If the fore-and-aft distance between the side boom 10 and the receiving antenna 140 is to be reduced, an antenna pole may be erected protruding upward from the bonnet 4, or an antenna frame may be provided spanning the bonnet 4.

[0100] 1 and 2, a receiving antenna 140 that has high reception accuracy even at a low position may be attached to the surface of the bonnet 4. In either case, if the receiving antenna 140 is provided near the center position of the left and right of the aircraft, it can be spaced approximately the same distance from both the left and right side booms 10, 10, preventing bias in position detection accuracy.

[0101] A handle potentiometer 141 is provided to detect the amount of operation of the steering handle 6 of the traveling vehicle body 1, and when an amount of operation that can be regarded as the traveling vehicle body 1 being turned by operation of the steering handle 6 is detected, the control device 200 determines whether the left or right side is on the outside in the turning direction.

[0102] Furthermore, when the handle potentiometer 141 detects an amount of operation that can be regarded as a turning operation, the control device 200 contracts the boom turning cylinder 109 of the side boom 10 corresponding to the outer side of the turning direction, and switches the side boom 10 to an upward tilted position facing the outer side of the turning direction. This makes it possible to prevent the side boom 10 on the outer side of the turning direction from coming into contact with the slope or wall at the edge of the ridge and being damaged.

[0103] In addition, by operating the automatic shut-off button during turning in accordance with the planting method of the crops near the turning position at the edge of the field, the supply of pesticide to the left and right side booms 10, 10 and the front boom 110 can be stopped while turning, or the spraying of pesticide from the left and right side booms 10, 10 and the front boom 110 can be turned off at will.

[0104] With the above-described configuration, under working conditions where it is necessary to spray a chemical while turning, a sufficient amount of the chemical can be supplied to the crops near the turning position, preventing the crops from being affected by pests due to a shortage of the chemical.

[0105] On the other hand, if there are no crops near the rotation position, the supply of pesticide can be stopped, thereby reducing the amount of pesticide consumed and reducing agricultural work costs.

[0106] The control device 200 records the lateral width of the traveling vehicle body 1 and the length of the base boom 101 when deployed to the side of the vehicle, and outputs a fixed value for the distance from the lateral center position of the vehicle where the receiving antenna 140 is attached to the outer end of the base boom 101. If the mounting position of the receiving antenna 140 and the outer end of the base boom 101 in the deployed state are misaligned in the fore-aft direction of the vehicle, a correction value using trigonometric functions is applied.

[0107] In addition, the left and right position of the movable boom 103 fluctuates depending on the amount of extension and contraction, but by setting the mounting interval between the spray nozzles 130, the so-called nozzle pitch P, to 30 cm and using this 30 cm as a unit of detection by the rotary encoder 108, the current amount of extension and contraction can be calculated by the control device 200.

[0108] After the above-mentioned turning travel control, when it is deemed that the next working position has been reached as shown in FIG. 27, that is, when the detection value of the handle potentiometer 141 becomes one that can be deemed to be a non-turning operation, the control device 200 calculates the extension / contraction amount of the outer end of the side boom 10 on the inside of the turn, that is, the movable boom 103, calculated from the position coordinates currently received via the receiving antenna 140 and the detection value of the rotary encoder 108 on the side that was located on the inside of the turn during the turning travel.

[0109] Then, the left-right difference between the end position of the adjacent row where the previous spraying operation was performed, which corresponds to the obtained current position coordinates, and the center position in a plan view of the constant spray nozzle 130 installed at the outermost part of the current moving boom 103, is calculated, and the boom extension motor 106 is operated based on the calculated difference, and the operation of the boom extension motor 106 is stopped in accordance with the detection of the rotary encoder 108.

[0110] As shown in Figure 28, when the constant spray nozzle 130 provided at the outer end of the movable boom 103 is positioned within the width of the current working row and does not extend into an adjacent row, the control device 200 extends the movable boom 103 toward the adjacent row by the nozzle pitch P, i.e., 300 mm, at regular intervals.

[0111] 30, when the detection value indicates that the constant spray nozzle 130 is located above the adjacent row beyond the end EX of the adjacent row, that is, when it is calculated that the spray range of the constant spray nozzle 130 extends into the end EX of the adjacent row by 150 mm or more, the distance X between the center of the constant spray nozzle 130 and the recorded end position of the adjacent row is calculated. If this distance X is 150 mm or more, the control device 200 stops the boom extension motor 106 because an overlapping spray position for one constant spray nozzle 130 has been properly secured on the adjacent row.

[0112] If the boom extension motor 106 continues to operate due to inertia even after it is stopped, a stop signal for the boom extension motor 106 may be sent approximately 20 to 30 mm before it reaches the target (this value may vary depending on factors such as the performance of the motor and the structure of the boom extension mechanism).

[0113] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 29, when the separation distance X is less than 150 mm, the spray range of approximately 300 mm, which is the range of one constant spray nozzle 130, does not fully enter the adjacent row, so the boom extension motor 106 is operated to move the nozzle by one nozzle pitch P, that is, 300 mm, to ensure that the nozzle fully enters the adjacent row.

[0114] The above boom position calculation is performed for each position coordinate that matches the position coordinate obtained for the adjacent row, and the boom extension motor 106 is not operated while the adjacent row includes a spraying range of approximately 300 mm, which is the range of one constant spray nozzle 130.However, if it is detected that the spraying range of the outermost constant spray nozzle 130 extends beyond the end of the adjacent row toward the current work area, the boom extension motor 106 is operated to move the movable boom 103 toward the adjacent row by 300 mm + separation distance X.

[0115] In addition, position coordinates are often acquired multiple times in a short period of time, and if the boom spray range is calculated each time, the load on the control device 200 increases, and if the extension and retraction signal is continuously transmitted, the moving boom 103 of the side boom 10 repeats the extension and retraction operation in a short period of time, which may prevent the continuous spray nozzle 130 from staying in the appropriate spray position. Therefore, if the comparison of the position information of the adjacent row and the current working row is performed every time a predetermined time or a predetermined number of points are passed, the calculation frequency of the control device 200 is reduced and the load is reduced, and the moving boom 103 can be kept in the appropriate position so that the outermost continuous spray nozzle 130 can spray the medicine, and a sufficient amount of medicine can be supplied to the overlapping spray positions.

[0116] Alternatively, the controller 200 may be configured to calculate the difference in left-right coordinates between at least two points caused by lateral deviation of the traveling vehicle body 1, and transmit an operation signal to the boom extension / retraction motor 106 when the difference in coordinates exceeds an allowable range, even if it is within a specified time or for the number of points within a specified value.

[0117] With the above configuration, the pesticide can be automatically sprayed in an overlapping manner near the ends of adjacent rows, so that the pesticide is supplied in the same way as other open / close nozzles 120, constant spray nozzles 130, or areas where an open / close nozzle 120 and a constant spray nozzle 130 are adjacent to each other, preventing the effects of pests and diseases due to a shortage of pesticide, and a decrease in commercial value and yield.

[0118] The distribution record application 201 will now be described in further detail.

[0119] As shown in Figure 24, the base boom 101 of the left and right side booms 10 and the front boom 110 are provided with left and right side spray switches 301L, 301R and a center spray switch 302 which determine whether the device is in a state to spray pesticide.

[0120] As shown in Figure 32, the spray on / off determination of these side spray switches 301L, 301R and center spray switch 302 is determined by whether or not a signal is sent to the third CPU 204, and this third CPU 204 replaces the area corresponding to the area where spray on has been determined to be on with a specified color or line, as shown in Figure 31, on the virtual map FM recorded in the spray record application 201.

[0121] This replacement is performed in real time as the traveling body 1 advances, so when an operator looks at the display, it looks like the screen is being repainted, so the replacement can also be called coloring. At this time, in order to perform the coloring in real time as the traveling body 1 advances, the second CPU 203 processes the signal information acquired from the receiving antenna 140, and changes the range to be colored in association with the on / off of the left and right side spray switches 301L, 301R and the center spray switch 302 at each time of acquisition.

[0122] In addition, since the movable boom 103 that constitutes the side booms 10, 10 varies in the amount of protrusion in the left-right direction of the machine body depending on the settings and extension / retraction control, the current amount of extension / retraction of the movable boom 103 input to the first CPU 202 is transmitted to the third CPU 204, and the colored range indicating spraying operation in the left-right direction of the machine body is increased or decreased.

[0123] When the rotary encoder 108 is used to detect the extension / contraction amount of the moving boom 103, the first CPU 202 determines the current projection amount based on the number of rotations detected by the rotary encoder 108. For example, if the left-right distance between adjacent opening / closing nozzles 120 is the nozzle pitch P (e.g., 300 mm) and one rotation detected by the rotary encoder 108 is the same distance as the nozzle pitch P, the projection amount can be calculated from the number of rotations.

[0124] The third CPU 204 then expands or contracts the coloring range in accordance with the number of rotations detected by the rotary encoder 108. Note that the number of rotations detected by the rotary encoder 108 when the moving boom 103 is not extended at all, in other words, when it is maximally contracted, is set to 0, and the number of rotations is added to this, thereby making it possible to determine the amount of extension of the moving boom 103 and the corresponding coloring range.

[0125] When a laser or ultrasonic wave is used for detection, the distance is calculated from the time required for reflection, and the first CPU 202 determines the closest protrusion amount.

[0126] With the above configuration, the field work map FM can be colored according to the actual spraying of the pesticide, making it easier to visually determine how the pesticide spraying work in the field was carried out. For example, if there are many uncolored areas, it is easier to determine whether there is a problem with the telescopic control settings of the side booms 10, 10 or the operation of the traveling body 1, and it is also easier to determine where the effects of a shortage of pesticide are likely to occur, making it easier to plan future work and take measures.

[0127] On the other hand, when the side booms 10, 10 are controlled to extend and retract to deliberately create overlapping spraying positions with adjacent rows, it becomes easier to visually determine whether the width of the overlapping spraying position is appropriate, making it easier to identify areas for improvement in pesticide spraying work.

[0128] Regarding overlapping positions, as shown in Figures 26 and 31, changing the density of the color (e.g. making it darker) or adding a crosshatched line or the like will make it easier to see that there is an overlap, making it easier to understand the work content.

[0129] The left and right side booms 10, 10 are used to spray pesticide downward from an open / close nozzle 120 and a constant spray nozzle 130, and the pesticide passage is made narrow so that the pesticide is sprayed out at high speed due to pressure.

[0130] Even so, farm fields are well ventilated, or in other words, places with few obstructions when the wind blows, so windy days in particular affect the direction of spraying of the pesticide.If the sprayed pesticide is blown away by the wind, there will be areas where a large amount of the pesticide is sprayed unevenly and areas where no pesticide is sprayed at all, which can cause problems such as differences in growth rate and increased susceptibility to pests and diseases.

[0131] In addition, if the chemical solution scattered by the wind adheres to the traveling vehicle body 1, it will take extra time to clean up after the work is completed. In addition, if a worker is exposed to the chemical solution, he or she may be affected by the chemical solution.

[0132] In order to prevent this problem, as shown in Fig. 33(a)(b) and Fig. 34(a)(b), an air duct 500 is formed by providing an expandable, for example bellows-shaped base duct 501 on the base boom 101 constituting the side boom 10, and providing a slide duct 502 on the movable boom 103 that can slide together, and the air duct 500 has a plurality of blowing nozzles 503 for blowing air arranged at predetermined intervals in the fore-and-aft direction of the machine body when deployed to the working position. The slide duct 502 has a smaller diameter than the base duct 501, and is structured so that air can easily reach a location far from the air intake port. Furthermore, if the slide duct 502 is formed in a conical or pyramidal shape that becomes smaller toward the outer end, it is possible to easily deliver air to a location far from the supply port even if the lateral length of the side boom 10 is increased, and a configuration can be achieved in which air can be sufficiently delivered to the blowing nozzle 503 arranged near the outer side of the machine body.

[0133] The outer end of the base duct 501 and the inner end of the slide duct 502 are connected to each other by a highly elastic transfer hose (not shown).

[0134] The multiple blow-out nozzles 503 are disposed at the same positions as the open / close nozzles 120 and the constant spray nozzles 130 or as close as possible to them. However, unlike the open / close nozzles 120, the blow-out nozzles 503 do not have a structure that switches between open and closed states depending on the position to which the movable boom 103 is moved left and right, and depending on the extension and contraction amount of the side boom 10, the multiple blow-out nozzles 503 are positioned in front of or behind some of the open / close nozzles 120 and are in a state of blowing out air.

[0135] An air outlet of an air blower 504 that blows out the sucked air at high speed is connected to the inside of the aircraft body of the base duct 501. This air blower 504 may be attached to each of the left and right air ducts 500, but since a hydraulic motor would complicate the hydraulic circuit and an electric motor would increase power consumption, it is desirable to provide a branch joint 506 at the outlet of one air blower 504 and connect the inside-air-body ends of the left and right base ducts 501, 501 to this branch joint 506 as shown in Figure 35.

[0136] As shown in Figures 37 and 38, the air intake 504a of the air blower 504 is positioned on the bottom side of the running body 1, below the engine, transmission case 20, HST 30, etc., and is configured so that the air is sent to the left and right air ducts 500, 500 before it is heated by exhaust heat from the engine, transmission case 20, and HST 30.

[0137] This increases the air temperature below the traveling body 1, preventing the crops located under the vehicle from being exposed to high temperatures and from being weakened or killed by contacting the heated bottom of the traveling body 1, thereby preventing a decline in the quality and yield of the harvested crops.

[0138] In particular, when the traveling vehicle body 1 is stopped or traveling at a low speed, it is possible to prevent some of the crops from being exposed to high heat in a concentrated manner and becoming weakened.

[0139] In addition, since the air below the traveling vehicle body 1 is low in temperature, the engine, HST 30, etc. are less likely to overheat, preventing interruptions to work and damage to equipment.

[0140] The blow-out nozzle 503 has an intake port 503a on the upper side for taking in air blown into the base duct 501 or slide duct 502, and a blow-out port 503b on the lower side for blowing out air. However, if the intake ports 503a are roughly the same diameter, air will be more likely to enter the air duct 500 located closer to the inside of the aircraft, making it more difficult for air to reach the area located outside the aircraft, resulting in weak air blow-out outside the aircraft or unevenness.

[0141] In order to deliver sufficient air to the outer end of the fuselage, as described above, the slide duct 502 is formed to have a smaller diameter toward the outside of the fuselage, and the output of the air blower 504 is increased to ensure a sufficient amount of air blowing. In addition, at least the intake port 503a of the blow-out nozzle 503 provided in the slide duct 502 should have a smaller diameter as it is positioned toward the outside of the fuselage, as shown in FIG. 36.

[0142] The outlet 503b of the blow-out nozzle 503 may blow air in a cone-shaped range, or may blow air linearly downward from multiple positions in the left and right directions, so that the air is blown out in a plate-like shape when viewed from the front and back. Furthermore, the air blow-out ranges of the blow-out nozzles 503 are provided with overlapping ranges to prevent gaps in the airflow.

[0143] With the above configuration, a wall of air, a so-called air curtain, can be formed on the front and rear sides of the side boom 10 over a width approximately equal to the left and right width of the side boom 10, so that the chemicals sprayed out from the opening / closing nozzle 120 and the constantly open nozzle 130 can be contained within the front-to-rear width of the front and rear air curtains.

[0144] This prevents the pesticide from being scattered randomly by the wind blowing through the field, and ensures that the amount of pesticide applied within the field is uniform, reducing the amount of pesticide consumed and preventing a decline in crop quality and contamination of surrounding soil and water due to oversupply.

[0145] In addition, by spraying the pesticide using an air curtain that blows downwards onto the crops, bending them, the pesticide can be more easily delivered to the roots of the crops rather than just the tops of the crops, making the crops less susceptible to pests and diseases, and preventing poor growth and reduced harvest quality and yield.

[0146] In addition, the air blown out from the blowing nozzle 503 arranged at the outermost end of the slide duct 502 does not overlap with the blowing range on the outside of the body, which may cause the medicine to scatter to the side of the body.

[0147] To prevent this, the outermost nozzle 503c arranged on the outside should have its outlet 503b facing closer to the traveling vehicle body 1 than the other blowing nozzles 503, and the nozzle arranged on the front side of the machine body should be arranged in an inclined position so that the outlet 503b faces the rear side of the machine body, and the nozzle arranged on the rear side of the machine body should be arranged in an inclined position so that the outlet faces the front side of the machine body.

[0148] By arranging the front and rear outermost nozzles 503c, 503c, the air blown out at the outer end of the fuselage creates diagonal walls at the outer end of the air curtain when viewed from above, covering the spraying range of the pesticide from the side boom 10 and preventing the pesticide from being washed away by the wind.

[0149] In the air duct 500, it is necessary to blow a strong wind from the air blower 504 in order to generate an air curtain that is not easily affected by the wind blowing in the field, and the internal pressure is likely to rise even if the blowing nozzle 503 is always open. Therefore, the fixed duct 501 and the slide duct 502 are provided with a pressure relief nozzle 505 that opens by utilizing the pressure when the inside of the air duct 500 becomes overpressurized. This pressure relief nozzle 505 may be provided with only one nozzle with a large blowing diameter when opened, but if the air in the air duct 500 is rapidly discharged, there will be a shortage of air to be blown out as an air curtain, and the blowing nozzle 503 near the outer end of the machine body, which uses the internal pressure to deliver air, will not blow out, and there is a possibility that the generation of the air curtain will stop partially.

[0150] To prevent this, as shown in FIG. 39, the outlet of pressure relief nozzle 505 may be made the same shape as outlet nozzle 503, and further, pressure relief nozzles 505 may be provided at approximately the same intervals as outlet nozzles 503, at the front and rear of the upper side of air duct 500, so that an air curtain is also formed above side boom 10 when the overpressurized state is eliminated.

[0151] This prevents damage to the air duct 500 due to an increase in internal pressure and prevents the pesticide from being supplied while being affected by the wind, and when an over-pressurized state occurs, an air curtain is also formed above the side boom 10, preventing the air mixed with the pesticide from flying up when it tries to blow back upwards in reaction to coming into contact with the ground or crops.

[0152] By containing the rising air near the top of the side boom 10, workers are prevented from being exposed to air mixed with chemicals.

[0153] The above-mentioned pressure relief nozzle 505 may be one that can be switched to a constantly open state, and when air is supplied from the air blower 504 to the air duct 500, an air curtain may be constantly formed above the side boom 10 as well.

[0154] In this case, the pressure relief nozzles 505 may be formed at an inclination angle on both the front and rear sides of the aircraft body, so that an air curtain is formed diagonally above the side boom 10 in the fore-and-aft direction.

[0155] This makes it difficult for wind mixed with chemicals and soil to blow upward above the side boom 10, preventing it from interfering with the operation of the traveling body 1, the side boom 10, etc., and also prevents the chemicals and soil from affecting the physical condition of the worker.

[0156] In addition, since the chemicals and soil can be returned to the field, poor growth of the cultivated crops and damage from pests are less likely to occur, and the soil with components and texture suitable for cultivation is less likely to be lost from the field, maintaining the quality of the field.

[0157] The air curtain described above is generated within the spray range of the left and right side booms 10, 10, but has almost no effect on the front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3 which are inside the spray range, or on the area below the traveling body 1 between them.

[0158] A traveling vehicle body 1 used as a riding cultivation machine for spraying pesticides straddles the furrows on which growing crops are vegetated between the left and right front wheels 2,2 and the reverse wheels 3,3, but since the left and right front wheels 2,2 and the reverse wheels 3,3 travel in a small gap between the crops, there is a risk that the stems and leaves will get caught in the axles when the crops approach the front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3. To avoid this, it is common to provide the traveling vehicle body 1 with a weed-splitting rod that comes into contact with the stems and leaves of the crops and pushes them away from the front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3, but when the crops no longer come into contact with the weed-splitting rod, they may recoil and return to the side where the front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3 are located, and the stems and leaves may end up getting caught in the axles.

[0159] To prevent this, as shown in Figures 40 and 41, an air grass-splitting device 510 is installed on the outside and inside of the front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3, and under the running body 1, and has one grass-splitting nozzle 511 on each side of the inside and outside of the machine, or multiple nozzles at predetermined intervals, which blow air at crops approaching the front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3 to move them away.

[0160] The air supply source for the air grass dividing device 510 may be the air blower 504 if sufficient wind power can be secured, but a separate air blower (not shown) may be used to stably generate an air curtain around the side boom 10. In particular, when the crops are spaced far apart, are not easily bent, and are not likely to come into contact with the front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3 even when the wind is blowing, and the crops are short in height, there is no point in blowing air from the grass dividing nozzle 511, so it is better to use a separate air blower for grass dividing that can be turned on and off to reduce unnecessary power and fuel consumption.

[0161] When multiple grass-dividing nozzles 511 as described above are provided, the one provided at the front end of the vehicle body is positioned further forward of the front end of the front wheel 2, and the one provided at the rear end of the vehicle body is positioned further rearward of the rear end of the rear wheel 3.

[0162] As shown in Figure 40, the sides of the front wheel 2 and the rear wheel 3 are respectively equipped with front and rear wheel guards 2a, 3a that prevent the intrusion of soil, etc. The grass-splitting nozzle 511 can keep the stems and leaves away from the front wheel 2 and the rear wheel 3 even if it continues to blow straight down, but by blowing wind toward the wheel guards 2a, 3a, which act as walls, from either the outside or inside of the machine body and reflecting it, the wind can be guided in a direction away from the front wheel 2 and the rear wheel 3, and the stems and leaves can be kept even further away from the front wheel 2 and the rear wheel 3.

[0163] Therefore, among the grass dividing nozzles 511, those arranged on the outer side of the front wheel 2 and rear wheel 3 of the aircraft are inclined toward the inner side of the aircraft, and those arranged inside the aircraft are inclined toward the inner side of the aircraft.

[0164] This prevents the stems and leaves from coming into contact with the front and rear wheels 2 and 3, becoming caught in the rotation and getting entangled around the axles or the like and being torn off, or being crushed by the front and rear wheels 2 and 3, thereby preventing damage to crops in the middle of cultivation and a decrease in the quality and yield of the harvested crops.

[0165] 42 and 43, the air grass dividing device 510 may be configured such that grass dividing air ducts 512 are arranged on both the left and right sides of the bottom of the traveling body 1 in the fore-and-aft direction of the body, and grass dividing nozzles 511 are also provided between the front and rear wheels 2 and 3 to blow out wind for grass dividing. In this configuration as well, the grass dividing nozzle 511 provided at the front end of the body is positioned further forward of the body than the front ends of the front wheels 2, and the grass dividing nozzle 511 provided at the rear end of the body is positioned further rearward of the body than the rear ends of the rear wheels 3.

[0166] With the above-mentioned configuration, the crops continue to receive the weed-dividing wind from above until the traveling vehicle body 1 has passed, so that the crops can be prevented from coming into contact with the front wheels 2 and the rear wheels 3 when the wind flow is interrupted, and damage to the crops in the middle of cultivation and a decrease in the quality and yield of the harvested crops can be prevented.

[0167] In addition, by continuously blowing wind downward, air can be continuously circulated below the traveling body 1, which prevents air heated by heat radiation from the engine of the traveling body 1 and the HST 30 from accumulating under the body, thereby preventing crops from being weakened by high temperatures.

[0168] In addition, since the air blower can be connected to either the front or rear of the machine body of the grass division air ducts 512, 512, the wiring path can be configured simply.

[0169] In addition, the grass dividing blower 511 has an outlet from which wind is blown out in a spiral shape, so that the winds blown out from the grass dividing blower 511 are less likely to interfere with each other at the outlet side, and as the vortex spreads downward, it becomes easier to move the crops away from the front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3. [Industrial Applicability]

[0170] The present invention is ideal for a spraying machine for pesticides and the like, which is equipped with an extendable side boom for spraying pesticides on farm fields. [Explanation of symbols]

[0171] 1 Running vehicle 2 Front wheels 3 Rear wheel 10 Side boom (liquid spraying device) 120 Opening and closing nozzle (discharge device) 130 Continuous spray nozzle (continuous release device) 500 Air duct (air flow path) 501 Base duct (air supply duct) 502 Slide duct (air duct) 503 Blowing nozzle 503a Inlet 503b Air outlet 503c Outermost nozzle 504 Air Blower (Air Blower) 505 Pressure relief nozzle 510 Air Grass Separator 511 Grass Nozzle

Claims

[Claim 1] A liquid agent spraying device (10, 10) for spraying a liquid agent is provided on the side of a traveling vehicle body (1), and the liquid agent spraying device (10, 10) is provided with a discharge device (120, 130) for turning on and off the discharge of the liquid agent at predetermined intervals. A blower (504) for blowing air in a predetermined direction is provided on the traveling vehicle body (1), and a blower path (500) is provided for distributing the wind emitted from the blower (504) in the longitudinal direction of the liquid agent spraying device (10, 10) and for blowing the wind down in front of and behind the liquid agent discharged from the discharge device (120, 130); the air blowing path (500) is configured by providing an expandable air blowing duct (501, 502) that moves air in the longitudinal direction of the liquid agent spraying device (10, 10) and toward the outer end, and a plurality of blowing nozzles (503) that blow air from the air blowing duct (501, 502) forward and rearward of the discharge device (120, 130) and toward the bottom of the aircraft body, The spraying work machine is characterized in that the suction ports (503a) of the plurality of blowing nozzles (503) are smaller in diameter as they are provided on the outer side of the machine body, and the blowing ports (503b) are all of the same shape.

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