Chemical spray device

Abstract

To provide a chemical spray device in which a work efficiency is improved to solve a problem of a conventional chemical spray device having a side boom being folded and stored on an outer lateral side of a cabin, in which the side boom is first lifted from a stored state to a vertical state by operating a vertical operation switch positioned outside of the cabin, an operator opens a cabin door, gets into a cabin, and closes the cabin door after being onboard, and the side boom is lowered to the stored state by operating the vertical operation switch inside the cabin and drives a machine body.SOLUTION: When an open / close sensor for detecting an open / close operation of a cabin door 25 detects an open operation of the cabin door 25, a vertical operation actuator 44 lifts a side boom 51 to a position such as not to interfere with the opening and closing of the cabin door 25. When the open / close sensor detects a close operation of the cabin door 25, the vertical operation actuator 44 lowers the side boom 51 to a stored state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a drug sprayer for spraying a drug. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is a pesticide sprayer in which a side boom for spraying pesticide is folded and stored outside the cabin (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-167466 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] For an operator to open the cabin door and enter the cabin, he or she had to operate a lift switch outside the cabin to raise the side booms, which were stored outside the cabin, from the stowed position to a vertical position, then open the cabin door and enter the cabin. After boarding, he or she had to close the cabin door and operate the lift switch inside the cabin to lower the side booms to the stowed position, and then move the machine forward, which was a time-consuming and inefficient process.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a drug sprayer with improved work efficiency. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention described in claim 1 is a pesticide sprayer which has a cabin 20 equipped with a cabin door 25 for an operator to board, and a side boom 51 for spraying pesticide which is brought into a stored position by a lifting actuator 44 at an outer position of the cabin door 25, in which when an opening / closing sensor 70 which detects the opening and closing operation of the cabin door 25 detects the opening operation of the cabin door 25, the lifting actuator 44 raises the side boom 51 by a predetermined angle to a position which does not interfere with the opening and closing of the cabin door 25, and when the opening / closing sensor 70 detects the closing operation of the cabin door 25, the lifting actuator 44 lowers the side boom 51 to the stored position.

[0007] According to the invention described in claim 1, when the cabin door 25 is opened, the side boom 51 automatically rises to a position where it does not interfere with the cabin door 25, eliminating the need to first operate the lift switch outside the cabin 20, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0008] In addition, when the cabin door 25 is closed, the side boom 51 automatically descends to the stowed position, eliminating the need for the operator to lower the side boom 51 inside the cabin 20, thereby shortening the time required for the machine to start moving.

[0009] The invention described in claim 2 is a pesticide sprayer described in claim 1 which performs automatic raising control of the side boom 51 when the vehicle speed sensor 73 provided on the running body 2 does not detect movement of the running body 2 and detects that the side boom 51 is in a stored position, and performs automatic lowering control of the side boom 51 when the vehicle speed sensor 73 provided on the running body 2 does not detect movement of the running body 2.

[0010] According to the invention described in claim 2, the side boom 51 is not automatically raised or lowered even if the cabin door 25 is opened or closed while traveling, so that the side boom 51 can be prevented from coming into contact with electric wires, etc. while moving.

[0011] When the vehicle speed sensor 73 provided on the traveling body 2 does not detect the movement of the traveling body 2 and detects that the side boom 51 is in the stored position, automatic lift control of the side boom 51 is performed, thereby preventing the side boom 51 from automatically rising when boarding the cabin 20 while the side boom 51 is not in the stored position during pesticide spraying work.

[0012] The invention described in claim 3 is a pesticide sprayer described in claim 1 or claim 2 in which an alarm device 97 is activated when the side boom 51 is automatically raised or lowered by opening or closing the cabin door 25, and the side boom 51 is not raised or lowered until a certain time has elapsed after the alarm device 97 is activated.

[0013] According to the invention described in claim 3, when the side boom 51 is automatically raised or lowered, the alarm device 97 notifies the worker, thereby preventing the worker from coming into contact with the side boom 51 or hitting the side boom 51 with the open cabin door 25.

[0014] Automatic elevation of the side boom 51 begins a certain time after the alarm device 97 is activated, thereby ensuring time for the worker to evacuate and preventing contact with the side boom 51.

[0015] The invention described in claim 4 is a pesticide sprayer described in claim 3, in which the automatic raising amount and automatic lowering amount of the side boom 51 are the same, and a setting means 98 is provided for setting the automatic raising amount and automatic lowering amount.

[0016] According to the invention described in claim 4, the amount of automatic raising and lowering of the side boom 51 can be adjusted by the setting means 98, so that the side boom 51 can be moved to a position that does not interfere with opening and closing the cabin door 25 to get on and off, thereby appropriately preventing the worker from coming into contact with the side boom 51 when getting on and off.

[0017] The invention described in claim 5 is a pesticide sprayer as described in claim 2 which, if the angle sensor 53 does not detect the angle at which the side boom 51 is in the stored position even after a predetermined time has elapsed after the start of automatic descent of the side boom 51 due to the closing operation of the cabin door 25, or if the sensor 72 of the boom receiver 80 does not detect that the side boom 51 is received and supported by the boom receiver 80, increments the automatic descent operation count by 1 and automatically lowers the side boom 51 again, and when the cumulative count reaches N times, activates the alarm device 97.

[0018] According to the invention described in claim 5, if the descent of the side boom 51 is not completed within a specified time and the descent is not completed even after multiple attempts to lower the boom, the alarm device 97 is activated to notify the worker, thereby making the worker aware that some kind of abnormality has occurred and reducing the amount of time that work is interrupted.

[0019] The invention described in claim 6 is a pesticide sprayer described in claim 5 which terminates the automatic raising and lowering of the side boom 51 when the detected angle of the side boom 51 by the angle sensor 53 does not change for a certain period of time, or when the stop mechanism of the lifting actuator 44 of the side boom 51 is activated by a load.

[0020] According to the invention described in claim 6, during the automatic raising and lowering of the side boom 51, when the angle of the side boom 51 detected by the angle sensor 53 does not change for a certain period of time or when the stop mechanism of the lifting actuator 44 of the side boom 51 is operated by a load, the automatic raising and lowering of the side boom 51 is terminated, so that the side boom 51 can be automatically stopped when it comes into contact with the body of a worker, a wall, etc., thereby preventing damage to the side boom 51 and improving work safety. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of a drug sprayer according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 1 is a plan view of a drug sprayer according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 3] 1 is a control block diagram of a drug sprayer according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This is an oblique view of the main parts around the cabin door of an embodiment of a pesticide sprayer of the present invention. [Diagram 5] An oblique view showing another embodiment of the side boom of a pesticide sprayer according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] A chemical sprayer according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below.

[0023] <Outline of the chemical sprayer> FIG. 1 is a left side view of a drug sprayer 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the drug sprayer 1. As shown in FIG.

[0024] In this specification, the side in the direction of travel of the drug sprayer 1, as shown by the arrow in Figure 1 or Figure 2, is referred to as the "front", and unless otherwise specified, the left side in the direction of travel of the drug sprayer 1 is referred to as the "left" and the opposite side is referred to as the "right".

[0025] The chemical sprayer 1 comprises a running body 2, a chemical tank 30 attached to the rear of the running body 2, a center boom 50 provided at the front of the running body 2, and a pair of left and right side booms 51, 52 rotatably provided on the left and right sides of the center boom 50.

[0026] The vehicle body 2 comprises a main frame 8 which constitutes the skeleton of the vehicle body, a cabin 20 attached to the upper part of the main frame 8, front wheels 6 and rear wheels 7, and a bonnet 12 inside which the engine 3 is mounted.

[0027] Inside the cabin 20 in which the operator (pilot) sits, there are a steering handle 5 for steering the front wheels 6, a driver's seat 4, a controller 60 for controlling the pesticide sprayer 1, and an operating unit 9 having various operating switches.The pesticide sprayer 1 in this embodiment travels over a field and sprays the pesticide stored in the pesticide tank 30 over the field from a center boom 50 and a pair of left and right side booms 51, 52 based on the operation of the operator seated in the driver's seat 4.

[0028] The power output from the engine 3 is changed in speed inside a transmission case (not shown) and then transmitted to front wheels 6 and rear wheels 7. As a result, the traveling vehicle body 2 moves forward or backward.

[0029] Chemical tank 30 functions as a container for storing liquid in which pesticides and the like are dissolved, and has a substantially U-shape in plan view so as to surround driver's seat 4.

[0030] The center boom 50 and the pair of left and right side booms 51, 52 are each equipped with a number of nozzles 42 for spraying the chemicals supplied from the chemical tank 30, and are connected to the front of the traveling body 2 via a lifting link device 13.

[0031] The lifting link device 13 comprises an upper link arm 14 and a lower link arm 15 arranged parallel to each other, a hitch bracket 16 attached to the front of the arms, and a pair of lift cylinders 17 on the left and right. The rear ends of the upper link arm 14 and the lower link arm 15 are connected to a support pillar 40 provided at the front of the running body 2.

[0032] A support frame 41 to which a center boom 50 is fixed is attached to the front of the hitch bracket 16, and when the front parts of the upper link arm 14 and the lower link arm 15 are rotated up and down by a pair of left and right lift cylinders 17, the hitch bracket 16, support frame 41, center boom 50 and the pair of left and right side booms 51, 52 are raised and lowered (rotated) up and down as a unit.

[0033] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the control system, detection system, input system and drive system of the drug sprayer 1 shown in FIG.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 3, the control system of the drug sprayer 1 includes a controller 60 that controls the overall operation of the drug sprayer 1.

[0035] The controller 60 includes a processing unit 89 having a CPU, and a memory unit 62 having a ROM and RAM, and the memory unit 62 stores various programs and data for controlling the medicine sprayer 1.

[0036] The detection system of the pesticide sprayer 1 includes a steering sensor 58 having an encoder that detects the steering angle of the steering handle 5, and an angle sensor 53 that is provided near the pivot fulcrum 19 serving as the rotation axis of the base of each side boom 51, 52 and detects the rotation angle of each side boom 51, 52 centered on the pivot fulcrum 19.

[0037] The drug sprayer 1 is equipped with an operation unit 9 that functions as an input system.

[0038] The operating unit 9 is equipped with an up / down switch 90 for extending and retracting the lift cylinder 17, a left opening / closing switch 91 and a right opening / closing switch 92 for extending and retracting the opening / closing cylinder 18 and switching each of the pair of left and right side booms 51, 52 between an deployed position and a stored position, and a left lift switch 93 and a right lift switch 94 for extending and retracting the up / down movement cylinders 44, 45 as lift actuators and rotating the free ends (the rear ends in Figure 2) of each of the pair of left and right side booms 51, 52 in the up and down direction.

[0039] The drive system of the pesticide sprayer 1 includes a motor 96 which extends and retracts each lift cylinder 17, left and right geared motors 27 which extend and retract each of the left and right opening / closing cylinders 18 which switch each of the left and right pair of side booms 51, 52 shown in Figure 1 between an deployed position and a stored position, and left and right solenoid valves 46 which extend and retract the left and right up-down cylinders 44, 45.

[0040] The pair of left and right side booms 51, 52 can be rotated and switched independently between a stored position in which they extend rearward along the side of the traveling body 2 and a deployed position in which they extend outward in the vehicle width direction from the traveling body 2, as described below.

[0041] An opening / closing cylinder 18 having a geared motor 27 is attached to each of the left and right upper surfaces of the support frame 41.

[0042] The tip of each opening / closing cylinder 18 is connected to an attachment arm 23 or 24 provided at both the left and right ends of the support frame 41, and when each of the left and right opening / closing cylinders 18 extends or retracts, each of the left and right attachment arms 23, 24 is configured to rotate around a pivot point 19 extending approximately in the vertical direction.

[0043] Here, the rear part of the left mounting arm 23 is fixed to the left support pillar 43 to which one end of the left side boom 51 is attached, and the rear part of the right mounting arm 24 is fixed to the right support pillar 43 to which one end of the right side boom 52 is attached. Thus, when each opening / closing cylinder 18 is extended, as the mounting arms 23, 24 are rotated, each side boom 51, 52 is rotated outward in the left-right direction integrally with the support pillar 43 around the rotation fulcrum 19.

[0044] As a result, each side boom 51, 52 is deployed outward in the left and right direction, so that while traveling through a field, the center boom 50 and the pair of left and right side booms 51, 52 can be used to spray pesticide widely in the width direction of the vehicle body.

[0045] In contrast, when the left and right opening / closing cylinders 18 are contracted, the mounting arms 23, 24 are rotated, and the side booms 51, 52 are rotated inwardly in the left-right direction around the rotation fulcrum 19.

[0046] As a result, each side boom 51, 52 takes up a stored position extending rearward along the side of the running body 2, thereby preventing the pair of left and right side booms 51, 52 from becoming bulky outward in the width direction of the vehicle body when pesticide is not being sprayed.

[0047] Furthermore, in either the stowed posture or the deployed posture, the free ends of each side boom 51, 52 (the ends opposite the ends attached to the pillars 43, which are the rear ends in the stowed posture shown in FIG. 2) can be rotated up and down independently to the left and right as follows.

[0048] 1, a pair of left and right vertical movement cylinders 44, 45 are provided to connect the upper parts of the left and right support columns 43 and the side booms 51, 52. When the vertical movement cylinders 44, 45 extend and retract, the free ends of the side booms 51, 52 (the rear ends in the stowed position shown in FIG. 2) are rotated downward or upward.

[0049] In this embodiment, when the up-and-down cylinders 44, 45 are extended and the free ends of the side booms 51, 52 are rotated downward to their limits, the side booms 51, 52 are configured to assume a substantially horizontal posture in which the free ends and the fixed ends fixed to the mounting arm 23 are positioned at substantially the same height. Hereinafter, the posture in which the free ends and fixed ends of the side booms 51, 52 are positioned at substantially the same height will be referred to as the "horizontal posture."

[0050] On the other hand, when each of the up-and-down cylinders 44, 45 is contracted and the free ends of each of the side booms 51, 52 are raised, each of the side booms 51, 52 takes an oblique position so that its free end side is positioned higher than the fixed end side, and rises up to a vertical position.

[0051] On the other hand, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, a sway prevention unit 10 having a boom receiver 80 that accommodates the side boom 51 or 52 in a stored position (a position extending approximately rearward along the side of the traveling body 2) is provided on each of the left and right rear parts of the traveling body 2.

[0052] In this embodiment, when each side boom 51, 52 in the deployed posture is switched to the stowed posture, it is stored in each boom receiver 80 as described below, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, thereby preventing the rear portions of each side boom 51, 52, which are formed elongated, from swinging excessively in the vehicle width direction due to vibrations of the traveling vehicle body 2 or strong winds.

[0053] Of the pair of left and right anti-sway sections 10, the left anti-sway section 10 comprises a support frame 81 attached to the rear of the running body 2, an approximately L-shaped stay 85 reinforcing the upper part of the support frame 81, an outer support section 82, and an inner support section 83 attached to a portion of the support frame 81 further inward (to the right) in the vehicle width direction than the outer support section 82.

[0054] In this embodiment, the left boom receiver 80 that houses the left side boom 51 is constituted by the upper end of the support frame 81, the outer receiving part 82, and the inner receiving part 83. Specifically, the outer part of the left boom receiver 80 in the vehicle width direction is constituted by the outer receiving part 82, the inner part of the left boom receiver 80 in the vehicle width direction is constituted by the inner receiving part 83, and the bottom of the left boom receiver 80 is constituted by the upper end of the support frame 81.

[0055] When the left side boom 51, which is in an unfolded and horizontal position, is stored in the left boom receiver 80, first, the worker operates the left lift switch 93 on the operation unit 9 to drive the up-and-down cylinder 44, causing the left side boom 51 to assume an upward and leftward oblique position (with the free end side raised).

[0056] Next, based on the operator's operation of the left opening / closing switch 91 on the operating unit 9, the left opening / closing cylinder 18 is contracted and the left side boom 51 is switched to the stowed position, and the left lifting switch 93 is operated to drive the up-down movement cylinder 44, causing the left side boom 51 to descend to a position where it is supported by the left boom receiver 80, and then to assume the stowed position.

[0057] The left side boom 51 housed in the boom receiver 80 can be deployed from the stored position in the reverse order to the above, and can also be switched to a horizontal position.

[0058] Additionally, the operation of storing the left side boom 51 into the boom receiver 80 and deploying it from the boom receiver 80 by rotating the left side boom 51 has been described. In the same manner as for the left side boom 51, the right side boom 52 can be set to a deployed horizontal position and a stowed position.

[0059] On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the cabin 20 includes a pair of left and right cabin doors 25, a door frame 26 arranged around the cabin doors 25, a side glass 39 arranged behind the door frame 26, a cabin rear frame 28 located behind the side glass 39, and a rear glass.

[0060] Left and right handrail stays 22 are attached to the rear of the left and right sides of the cabin 20 so as to straddle the door frame 26 and the cabin rear frame 28, and the handrail stays 22 function as reinforcing members for the cabin 20.

[0061] In addition, the handrail stay 22 is roughly U-shaped (roughly C-shaped) and is configured to function as a handle when the operator (pilot) opens the cabin door 25 and gets in and out of the cabin 20.

[0062] On the other hand, left and right turn signals 21 are attached to the upper rear parts of the left and right handrail stays 22.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 1, a boom guard 29 having a substantially C-shape or a substantially inverted C-shape is attached to each of the left and right side surfaces of the cabin rear frame 28 so as to protrude outward in the width direction of the vehicle body.

[0064] Each of the pair of left and right boom guards 29 is positioned higher than the handrail stays 22 shown in Figures 1 and 2, and is provided for the purpose of preventing each side boom 51, 52 from swinging widthwise across the vehicle body and coming into contact with the upper part of the side of the cabin 20 when each side boom 51, 52 assumes a diagonal position with the rear raised at a steeper angle than the state shown in Figure 1.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 1, an undercover 35 is provided at a lower position on the bottom surface of the traveling vehicle body 2, which is capable of being opened downward by a rotating pivot shaft provided on one side.

[0066] Therefore, if small parts such as bolts are dropped during maintenance, the small parts are received by the undercover 35 and are easy to pick up, facilitating maintenance. In addition, since the undercover 35 can be freely opened and closed, it is easy to clean when dirt such as mud accumulates.

[0067] In addition, instead of having a rotating pivot shaft on one side so that the undercover 35 can be opened and closed freely downward, it may be configured so that rotating pivot shafts are provided on both sides so that it opens like a double door, or it may be configured so that it slides outward.

[0068] Furthermore, if the undercover 35 is made in a lattice shape, mud, dust, etc. will be less likely to accumulate.

[0069] FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the side booms 51, 52, in which a diffusion prevention plate 65 is provided at the outer ends of the side booms 51, 52.

[0070] Therefore, by preventing the spread of the sprayed pesticide outside the aircraft body, it is possible to prevent the pesticide from spreading outside the field as much as possible.

[0071] <Control configuration of cabin door 25 and side boom 51> Conventionally, when an operator (pilot) opens the left cabin door 25 to enter the cabin 20, the left side boom 51, which is supported by the left boom receiver 80 and in a stowed position, is located outside the left cabin door 25, so the operator (pilot) cannot open the left cabin door 25 to enter the cabin 20. In addition, there is a risk of the operator coming into contact with the left side boom 51 and damaging the nozzle 42 of the side boom 51. Therefore, a left lift switch is provided on the outside of the cabin 20 to extend and retract the left up-down cylinder 44 to lift and lower the left side boom 51. First, the operator operates the left lift switch to lift the left side boom 51 from the stowed position to a vertical position, then the left cabin door 25 is opened and the operator enters the cabin 20. After boarding, the operator closes the left cabin door 25 and operates the left lift switch 93 inside the cabin 20 to lower the left side boom 51 to the stowed position, and then the operator moves the machine forward, which is time-consuming and reduces work efficiency.

[0072] Therefore, in this embodiment, a unique control configuration as described below is implemented particularly for the left side boom 51 that is in the stowed position while being supported by the left cabin door 25 and the left boom receiver 80. Although the left cabin door 25 and the left side boom 51 will be described, a similar control configuration may be applied to the right cabin door 25 and the right side boom 52.

[0073] That is, as shown in FIG. 4, a limit switch 70 is provided on the door frame 26 as an opening / closing sensor for detecting the opening / closing of the left cabin door 25 , and the open / closed state of the left cabin door 25 is input to the controller 60 by the limit switch 70 .

[0074] In addition, a limit switch 70 ′ may be provided on the damper 71 of the left cabin door 25 to input the open / closed state of the left cabin door 25 to the controller 60 .

[0075] In addition, the open state of the left cabin door 25 may be input to the controller 60 by an operator holding a smart key bringing his / her hand close to the doorknob 25a of the left cabin door 25 or pressing an open / close switch, or the open / close state of the left cabin door 25 may be input to the controller 60 by remote operation using a remote control.

[0076] In addition, instead of a means for detecting the opening and closing of the left cabin door 25, a weight sensor may be provided on the boarding and alighting step 36, and the weight sensor may be used to determine whether an operator is boarding or disembarking from the cabin 20 by opening or closing the right cabin door 25.

[0077] As a means for detecting that the left side boom 51 is in a stowed posture supported by the left boom receiver 80, an angle sensor 53 which detects the rotation angle of the side boom 51 detects the angle at which the left side boom 51 is in a stowed posture supported by the left boom receiver 80 (in the embodiment, since the angle of the side boom 51 in the stowed posture is 30 degrees, the controller 60 judges that the posture is stowed if it is 27 degrees to 33 degrees taking into account an error of plus or minus 3 degrees. Furthermore, a deployment angle sensor which detects the angle at which the left side boom 51 is deployed in the left and right direction may be provided, and since the deployment angle of the side boom 51 in the stowed posture is 0 degrees, a condition may be added whereby the controller 60 judges that the posture is stowed if it is -3 degrees to 3 degrees taking into account an error of plus or minus 3 degrees), or a limit switch 72 is provided as a sensor on the surface of the boom receiver 80 which receives the side boom 51, and the detection that the left side boom 51 is received and supported by the boom receiver 80 is input to the controller 60 by the limit switch 72.

[0078] Further, a vehicle speed sensor 73 is provided on the traveling vehicle body 2, and the controller 60 judges from the input of the vehicle speed sensor 73 whether the traveling vehicle body 2 is stationary or moving.

[0079] Then, when the operator (pilot) operates to open the left cabin door 25 to enter the cabin 20 (the limit switches 70, 70' detect the open state of the left cabin door 25 or the left cabin door 25 is opened using a smart key or remote control), the controller 60, on the condition that the traveling vehicle body 2 is stopped based on the input from the vehicle speed sensor 73 and the left side boom 51 is in the stowed position (the angle sensor 53 detects the angle at which the left side boom 51 is in the stowed position supported by the left boom receiver 80, or the limit switch 72 of the boom receiver 80 detects that the left side boom 51 is received and supported by the boom receiver 80), activates the up-down cylinder 44 to raise the left side boom 51 from the stowed position to a predetermined angle to a position (in this embodiment, raised to a vertical position) that does not interfere with opening the left cabin door 25.

[0080] In addition, when the operator (pilot) gets into the cabin 20 and operates to close the left cabin door 25 (the limit switches 70, 70' detect the closed state of the left cabin door 25 or the left cabin door 25 is closed using a smart key or remote control), the controller 60, on the condition that the traveling vehicle body 2 is stopped based on the input from the vehicle speed sensor 73, activates the up-and-down cylinder 44 to lower the left side boom 51 to a stowed position supported by the left boom receiver 80.

[0081] Therefore, when the left cabin door 25 is opened, the left side boom 51 automatically rises to a position where it does not interfere with the left cabin door 25, eliminating the need to first operate the left lift switch outside the cabin 20, improving work efficiency.

[0082] Furthermore, when the left cabin door 25 is closed, the left side boom 51 automatically descends to the stowed position, eliminating the need for the operator to lower the left side boom 51 inside the cabin 20, thereby shortening the time required for the machine to start moving.

[0083] Furthermore, on the condition that the traveling vehicle body 2 is stopped based on the input from the vehicle speed sensor 73, the up-down movement cylinder 44 is operated to automatically raise and lower the left side boom 51. Therefore, while traveling, even if the left cabin door 25 is opened or closed, the left side boom 51 will not be automatically raised or lowered, and the left side boom 51 can be prevented from coming into contact with electric wires, etc. while moving.

[0084] Furthermore, when the inclination angle of the left side boom 51 can be determined to be in the stowed state or when it is supported by the boom receiver 80, the left side boom 51 is automatically raised and lowered, thereby preventing the left side boom 51 from automatically raising and lowering when getting on and off the machine during a break or the like when the left side boom 51 is deployed to the left and right during pesticide spraying operations, or when it is not deployed to the left and right but has not been rotated downward to the stowed state.

[0085] Furthermore, when the left side boom 51 is automatically raised or lowered by opening or closing the left cabin door 25, the controller 60 activates an alarm device 97 such as a buzzer, and does not raise or lower the left side boom 51 until a certain time (3 to 5 seconds) has elapsed after the alarm device 97 is activated.

[0086] Therefore, when the left side boom 51 is automatically raised or lowered, the alarm device 97 notifies the worker, thereby preventing the worker from coming into contact with the left side boom 51 or hitting the left side boom 51 with the open left cabin door 25.

[0087] In addition, automatic raising and lowering of the left side boom 51 begins a certain period of time after the alarm device 97 is activated, thereby ensuring time for the worker to evacuate and preventing contact with the left side boom 51.

[0088] Furthermore, the amount of automatic lift and the amount of automatic lowering of the left side boom 51 are the same, and setting means 98 such as a dial or monitor icon for setting the amount of automatic lift and the amount of automatic lowering is provided.

[0089] Therefore, by making it possible to adjust the amount of automatic raising and lowering of the left side boom 51 using the setting means 98, the left side boom 51 can be moved to a position that does not interfere with opening and closing the left cabin door 25 to get in and out of the vehicle, thereby appropriately preventing the worker from coming into contact with the left side boom 51 when getting in and out of the vehicle.

[0090] Furthermore, if the angle sensor 53 does not detect the angle at which the left side boom 51 is in the stowed position even after a predetermined time (20 to 30 seconds) has elapsed after the left cabin door 25 has closed and the limit switch 72 of the boom receiver 80 does not detect that the left side boom 51 is received and supported by the boom receiver 80, the automatic descent operation count is incremented by +1 and the left side boom 51 is automatically lowered again. When the cumulative count reaches N times (3 to 5 times), an alarm device 97 such as a buzzer is activated to warn the operator of the abnormality.

[0091] Therefore, if the automatic descent of the left side boom 51 is not completed within the specified time and the automatic descent is not completed even after multiple attempts to lower the boom, an alarm device 97 such as a buzzer is activated to warn the operator of the abnormality, making it possible to make the operator aware that some abnormality has occurred, thereby reducing the amount of time that work is interrupted.

[0092] When the left side boom 51 is to be automatically lowered again, it is raised a predetermined amount, operated in the closing direction a predetermined amount, and lowered a predetermined amount. When the left side boom 51 is in the appropriate stowed position, the control is terminated.

[0093] Furthermore, during the automatic raising and lowering of the left side boom 51, when the angle of the left side boom 51 detected by the angle sensor 53 does not change over a certain period of time (when the posture does not change over a certain period of time), the automatic raising and lowering of the left side boom 51 is terminated. When the angle of the left side boom 51 detected by the angle sensor 53 does not change over a certain period of time, minute changes in the detected angle are considered to be zero.

[0094] In addition, during the automatic raising and lowering of the left side boom 51, when the stop mechanism of the up-and-down movement cylinder 44 of the left side boom 51 is operated by the load, the automatic raising and lowering of the left side boom 51 may be terminated.

[0095] Therefore, by terminating the automatic lifting and lowering control when the posture of the left side boom 51 during automatic lifting and lowering does not change for a predetermined time, the left side boom 51 can be automatically stopped when it comes into contact with the body of the worker, a wall, etc., thereby preventing damage to the left side boom 51 and improving work safety.

[0096] In addition, a camera may be mounted on the aircraft so that the automatic raising and lowering of the left side boom 51 is terminated when the image captured by the camera predicts that the left side boom 51 will come into contact with a worker or an object such as a wall.

[0097] In addition, the components such as the sensors and actuators related to the automatic raising and lowering of the left side boom 51 are continuously powered so that they can operate even when the key is off. [Explanation of symbols]

[0098] 20 Cabin 25 Cabin Door 44 Lift actuator (up and down cylinder) 51 Side boom 70 Opening / Closing Sensor (Limit Switch) 72 Sensor (Limit Switch) 73 Vehicle speed sensor 97 Alarm device 98 Setting Method 80 Boom receiver

Claims

1. This pesticide sprayer is provided with a cabin (20) equipped with a cabin door (25) for an operator to board, and a side boom (51) for spraying pesticide that is brought to a stored position by a lifting actuator (44) at an outer position of the cabin door (25). When an opening / closing sensor (70) for detecting the opening / closing operation of the cabin door (25) detects the opening operation of the cabin door (25), the lifting actuator (44) raises the side boom (51) to a predetermined angle to a position that does not interfere with the opening and closing of the cabin door (25), and when the opening / closing sensor (70) detects the closing operation of the cabin door (25), the lifting actuator (44) lowers the side boom (51) to the stored position.

2. A pesticide sprayer as described in claim 1, characterized in that when a vehicle speed sensor (73) provided on the traveling body (2) does not detect movement of the traveling body (2) and detects that the side boom (51) is in a stored position, automatic raising control of the side boom (51) is performed, and when the vehicle speed sensor (73) provided on the traveling body (2) does not detect movement of the traveling body (2), automatic lowering control of the side boom (51) is performed.

3. A pesticide sprayer as described in claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that when the side boom (51) is automatically raised and lowered by opening and closing the cabin door (25), an alarm device (97) is activated, and the side boom (51) is not raised or lowered until a certain time has elapsed after the alarm device (97) is activated.

4. A pesticide sprayer as described in claim 3, characterized in that the automatic raising amount and the automatic lowering amount of the side boom (51) are the same, and a setting means (98) is provided for setting the automatic raising amount and the automatic lowering amount.

5. A pesticide sprayer as described in claim 2, characterized in that if, after a predetermined time has elapsed after the start of automatic descent of the side boom (51) by the closing operation of the cabin door (25), the angle sensor (53) does not detect the angle at which the side boom (51) is in the stored position, or if the sensor (72) of the boom receiver (80) does not detect that the side boom (51) is received and supported by the boom receiver (80), the automatic descent operation count is incremented by +1, the side boom (51) is automatically lowered again, and when the cumulative count reaches N times, an alarm device (97) is activated.

6. A pesticide sprayer as described in claim 5, characterized in that during automatic raising and lowering of the side boom (51), the automatic raising and lowering of the side boom (51) is terminated when the detected angle of the side boom (51) by the angle sensor (53) does not change for a certain period of time, or when the stop mechanism of the lifting actuator (44) of the side boom (51) is activated by a load.

Images