Seed sensor device

Abstract

To provide a seed sensor device that can be easily incorporated.SOLUTION: A seed sensor device 22 comprises a detection unit 23, a determination unit 41, and a notification unit 42. The detection unit 23 is attached to a guide member that guides seeds intermittently falling from a sowing device 12 toward a soil surface. The detection unit 23 emits an infrared pulsed laser toward the inner surface of the guide member, receives the reflected light, and obtains the distance to the seed that has passed and the reflectance of the infrared pulsed laser. The determination unit 41 determines a disturbed state for the temporal interval of passage of the seeds in the guide member on the basis of the distance and reflectance obtained from the detection unit 23. The notification unit 42 notifies a user of the disturbed state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a seed sensor device. [Background technology]

[0002] There is a type of seeder that uses a seeding plate to sow seeds in the soil of a farm field. The seeding plate has a plurality of holes through which the seeds pass. The size and arrangement of the holes vary depending on the seeding plate, and the seeding plate is selected according to the type of seeds to be sown. However, the holes may become clogged with seeds due to the shape, size, mass, etc. of the seeds. In such a case, a missed seed area is generated on the soil surface where the seeds are not sown.

[0003] Therefore, a granular material supplying device equipped with a detection sensor for detecting granular material such as seeds has been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a granular material supplying device equipped with a storage section for storing granular material, a feeding mechanism for feeding the granular material stored in the storage section, and a granular material detection sensor for detecting the granular material in a supplying path through which the granular material fed by the feeding mechanism falls. In this granular material supplying device, a discharge path that enables the granular material stored in the storage section to be discharged by its own weight is formed outside the supplying path, and a detection unit of the granular material detection sensor is disposed at a portion facing the supplying path in a plan view and on the opposite side to the discharge path. The detection unit of the granular material detection sensor is a light-emitting / receiving unit having a light source that emits a light beam to a mirror disposed at a position opposite to the supplying path, and a light-receiving unit that receives the reflected light from the mirror. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2013-201919 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the granular material supplying device described in Patent Document 1 has a complex structure including a granular material detection sensor, making it difficult for farmers and other workers to adopt it.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT EMBODIMENT It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a seed sensor device that can be easily implemented. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The seed sensor device of the present invention includes a detection unit, a determination unit, and an alarm unit. The detection unit is attached to a guide member that guides particles that fall intermittently from the sowing device toward the soil surface, and emits infrared pulse light toward the inner surface of the guide member and receives the reflected light to determine the distance to the passing particle and the reflectance of the infrared pulse light. The determination unit determines a disturbance state for the time interval of the passage of the particles through the guide member based on the distance and reflectance obtained from the detection unit. The alarm unit alarms the disturbance state.

[0008] The infrared pulsed light is preferably an infrared pulsed laser.

[0009] It is preferable that the guide member further includes a holder that holds the detector and allows the detector to be detachably attached to the guide member. It is preferable that the holder determines the position of the detector relative to the guide member. It is preferable that the detector is positioned and attached at a set position that is set based on the proportion of the irradiation area of ​​the infrared pulse light inside the guide member.

[0010] The proportion of the irradiated region is preferably a proportion of the area of ​​the irradiated region of the infrared pulse light in a plane that intersects the vertical direction and includes a horizontal axis and the optical axis of the infrared pulse light.

[0011] It is preferable that the guide member further comprises a reflection suppressing member provided in an area irradiated with the infrared pulsed light on the inner surface of the guide member to suppress reflection of the infrared pulsed light.

[0012] It is preferable that the sensor further includes foreign matter adhesion prevention members provided below and on both sides of the detection portion to prevent adhesion of foreign matter. Effect of the Invention

[0013] The seed sensor device of the present invention is easily adopted. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a seed sowing machine provided with a seed sensor device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a seeding device and a guide member. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a seeding device and a guide member. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a guide member and a seed sensor device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a seed sensor device. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an alarm unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a processing flow of the seed sensor device. [Figure 8] 13A and 13B are schematic diagrams of a detection unit of a seed sensor according to another embodiment, in which (A) is a schematic diagram seen from the rear side of a traveling vehicle body, and (B) is a schematic partially cross-sectional side view. [Figure 9] 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line (IX)-(IX) in FIG. 8, illustrating the proportion of the irradiation area inside the guide member. FIG. [Figure 10] 3A and 3B are schematic diagrams of a reflection suppressing member. [Figure 11] 4 is a schematic diagram of a foreign matter adhesion suppression member. FIG. [Figure 12] 4 is a schematic diagram of a foreign matter adhesion suppression member. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0015] In FIG. 1, a seeding machine 10 is used for sowing seeds in soil S in a farm field, and is also used for fertilization instead of sowing seeds. In the following, an example of sowing seeds will be described. The seeding machine 10 includes a traveling body 11 and a sowing device 12 provided, for example, at the rear of the traveling body 11, and sows seeds by intermittently dropping seeds 13, which are particles, while traveling forward. When fertilizing, fertilizer, which is particles, is dropped intermittently. A commercially available tractor can be used as the traveling body 11, and this is also used in this example. In the following description, the front-rear direction of the seeding machine 10 is the X direction, the lateral direction (the direction perpendicular to the X direction on a horizontal plane) is the Y direction, and the vertical direction is the Z direction.

[0016] As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the sowing device 12 includes a hopper 16 for storing the supplied seeds 13 and a circular sowing plate 17, and the sowing plate 17 is disposed inside the hopper 16. The sowing plate 17 has a plurality of holes 18 formed along the periphery, penetrating in the thickness direction. The sowing plate 17 is attached so as to be freely rotatable with the circular center as the center of rotation, and the rotating shaft (not shown) is configured to rotate in the circumferential direction at a speed corresponding to the traveling speed of the traveling body 11 (see Fig. 1). As a result, the sowing plate 17 rotates at a speed corresponding to the traveling speed of the traveling body 11. The wall plate 16a to which the sowing plate 17 of the hopper 16 is attached is in an inclined upright position. An opening is formed in the upper part of this wall plate 16a, and the movement trajectory of each of the plurality of holes 18 during the rotation of the sowing plate 17 passes through this opening. As a result, the seeds 13 (see FIG. 1) that have entered the holes 18 at the bottom of the hopper 16 are guided upward by the rotation of the sowing plate 17, and when the holes 18 reach a position where they overlap with the openings in the wall plate 16a, the seeds 13 in the holes 18 are released to the outside of the hopper 16. As the multiple holes 18 pass through the openings in sequence, the seeds 13 are released to the outside of the hopper 16. However, the sowing device 12 is not limited to this example, and any known device, including commercially available products, can be used.

[0017] A guide member 21 is attached to the outside of the opening of the hopper 16, which guides the seeds 13 intermittently discharged from the opening toward the surface (soil surface) of the soil S (see FIG. 1). The guide member 21 has a base end fixed to the hopper 16, which is formed into a tubular shape, for example, rectangular (trapezoidal in this example), and guides the seeds 13 by converging or regulating the path of the seeds 13 discharged from the hopper 16 by the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the sowing plate 17 toward the soil S (see FIG. 1).

[0018] The lower part of the guide member 21 (the tip side opposite to the base end side) is cut out of the wall plate in the rear direction in the front-rear direction (X direction) of the traveling body 11, and the detection unit 23 of the seed sensor device 22 (see FIG. 5) is disposed in the cutout portion. As shown in FIG. 4, the seed sensor device 22 has a holder 26 as an example of a holder for holding the detection unit 23, and the holder 26 makes the held detection unit 23 detachable from the guide member 21. The detection unit 23 is attached to and detached from the guide member 21 by attaching or detaching the holder 26 to the guide member 21. The holder 26 may be equipped with any attachment member such as a magnet, a hook-and-loop fastener, or a double-sided tape, and is attached to the guide member 21 by these attachment members. In this way, the detection unit 23 is attached to the guide member 21 via the holder 26. Note that the portion above the cutout portion of the guide member 21 in this example is made of metal to which the magnet 52 (see FIG. 8(A)) is attracted, and the holder 26 is equipped with a magnet. The seeder 10 (see FIG. 1) including the guide member 21 may be a commercially available product, and in this example, one manufactured by Tabata Agricultural Machinery Manufacturing Co., Ltd. is used. In this way, the detection unit 23 can be easily attached to a commercially available seeder, so that it can be easily adopted by workers such as farmers to easily perform seed detection work. In addition, the detection unit 23 can be easily attached and detached from the guide member 21, so maintenance is easy, and it can be easily removed when it breaks down, and cleaning can be easily performed when part of the detection unit 23 is contaminated with foreign matter such as dust and dirt.

[0019] 4, when viewed from the side, i.e., when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the XZ plane, holder 26 has a dogleg shape and is disposed with the inside of the dogleg facing the inside of guide member 21. Holder 26 holds detection unit 23 such that a part of detection unit 23 is disposed at a position slightly recessed inside guide member 21.

[0020] The detection unit 23 is an example of a detection section that emits an infrared pulse laser, which is an example of infrared pulse light, toward the inner surface of the guide member 21, receives the reflected light, and determines the distance to the seed 13 that has passed through and the reflectance of the infrared pulse laser. The detection unit 23 is held by the holder 26 on the lower side of the L-shape, and such that an emission section that emits an infrared pulse laser and a light receiving section that receives the reflected light are on the inside of the L-shape. The holder 26 is attached so that the bent part on the inside of the L-shape is positioned approximately at the upper end of the notch part of the guide member 21. As a result, the detection unit 23 is arranged in a position where the light receiving section and the emission section face the inside of the guide member 21, and is easily positioned so that the infrared pulse laser is irradiated to a predetermined area on the inner surface of the guide member 21. Regardless of the traveling speed of the traveling vehicle body 11 (in this example, in the range of 2 km / h or more and 6 km / h or less), a position within the guide member 21 that the falling seed 13 will always pass through, or a position that it will pass through with a high probability, is specified in advance, and the detection unit 23 is set so that the optical axis OA of the emitted light LO is located at the specified position; in this example, the positioning and setting are made easier and more reliable by using a holder 26.

[0021] A ToF (Time of Flight) sensor is preferable as the detection unit 23, and the ToF sensor may be a commercially available product. In this example, a commercially available ToF sensor is used as the detection unit 23, and an infrared LED (Light Emitting Diode) is used as the light source to emit light LO that can be regarded as a pulsed laser. The ToF sensor used is a Time-of-Flight (ToF) proximity sensor and ambient light sensing (ALS) module, VL6180X, manufactured by ST Microelectronics. This ToF sensor integrates three components, an infrared emitter, a distance sensor, and an ambient light sensor, in a single reflow-compatible package. In detecting a falling object, a strip-shaped fiber sensor, an optical sensor, or a reflection from a mirror may be used, but using a ToF sensor as the detection unit 23 has the following advantages. 1. The guide member 21 can be attached without modification or with only slight modification. 2. Small size 3. It’s inexpensive 4. Power consumption is kept extremely low 5. The detection accuracy is less likely to be affected by dust on the reflecting and receiving parts, and maintenance frequency is kept low. 6. Easier to install

[0022] As shown in Fig. 5, the seed sensor device 22 includes a detection unit 23, a determination unit 41, and an alarm unit 42. The number of detection units 23 is not limited, and in this example, there are multiple detection units, specifically, four. The number of detection units 23 is the same as the number of hoppers 16 (see Fig. 2) used for sowing among the hoppers 16 (see Fig. 1) provided on the traveling body 11. In this example, the traveling body 11 is provided with four hoppers 16, and the detection units 23 are provided on the guide members 21 provided on each of these hoppers 16, all of which are used for sowing.

[0023] The plurality of detection units 23 independently operate and perform the processes described below. As a result, when one of the plurality of detection units 23 breaks down, only the broken detection unit 23 can be replaced.

[0024] The judgment unit 41 is provided, for example, near the hopper 16, and the notification unit 42 is provided in a position visible to the driver of the traveling vehicle body 11 in this example. Both the judgment unit 41 and the notification unit 42 are detachable from the traveling vehicle body 11. The judgment unit 41 may be detachable from the seeding device 12. The judgment unit 41 is an example of a judgment unit that judges a turbulent state for the time interval of the passage of particles in the guide member 21 based on the distance and reflectance acquired from the detection unit 23. The judgment unit 41 is electrically connected (wired connection) to each of the detection units 23, which makes it easy for the operator to set it up. The notification unit 42 is provided with an operation button for executing a wireless pairing process between the judgment unit 41 and the notification unit 42, and the pairing mode is set in response to the pressing of this operation button, so that the wireless pairing process between the judgment unit 41 and the notification unit 42 is automatically executed. Therefore, the judgment unit 41 and the notification unit 42 can be easily replaced. The pairing process is performed by executing a specific algorithm for connection based on the ID (identification information) with the strongest reception strength.

[0025] The determination unit 41 is composed of an MCU (Micro Controller Unit) that operates with low power consumption, an EnOcean wireless chip with energy harvesting specifications, and the like. Therefore, for example, if used for 8 hours per day with six AA batteries (9V), it will operate for about two weeks, and can also be used with eight AA batteries (12V). The operating time varies depending on the time the batteries are in use (powered state), and in this example, the determination unit 41 is equipped with batteries and is in a powered state, and it has been confirmed that it can operate for about 10 days with eight AA batteries. Thus, in this example, it is designed to operate with eight AA batteries (12V), but the specifications are not limited to this.

[0026] The notification unit 42 is an example of a notification unit that notifies a disturbance state, and is capable of communicating with the determination unit 41, acquires various information from the determination unit 41, and issues an alarm indicating the disturbance by at least one of sound and display such as lighting of a light when the disturbance state (degree of indicating a disturbance state) is equal to or greater than a certain threshold, and displays a normal state when the disturbance state is less than the threshold (light non-lighting is also an example of display). As the alarm, at least one of sound and display such as lighting of lights (LEDs in this example) 43A to 43D shown in FIG. 6 is preferable, and in this example, both are used. Examples of displays indicating a normal state include non-lighting of the lights 43A to 43D and lighting of the lights 43A to 43D in a color different from the lighting of the lights 43A to 43D as an alarm. The lights 43A to 43D correspond to the four detection units 23 (see FIG. 5), respectively. The determination unit 41 (see FIG. 5) and the notification unit 42 in this example are wirelessly connected in the 920 MHz band. The notification unit 42 is small, with the area of ​​the top and bottom faces being about the same as a business card, and is adapted to be operated from the cigarette lighter of the traveling vehicle body 11 (see FIG. 1) or from a dry cell (6 V or higher).

[0027] The process flow performed by the seed sensor device 22 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. The detection unit 23 emits an infrared pulse laser from an emission section toward the inner surface of the guide member 21 (see Figs. 2 to 4) (e.g., emission period of 30 ms), and periodically detects the reflected light. Based on this detection, the distance (unit: mm) from the seed 13 (see Fig. 4) and the reflectance (unit: Mcps) of the irradiated light are calculated, and the calculated distance and reflectance are sent to the determination unit 41. The method of calculating the distance and reflectance is as described in 4.2 and 4.3 of the application note AN-4545 VL6180X basic ranging application note for the ToF sensor used in this example.

[0028] The judgment unit 41 removes the distance and reflectance that are outside the normal range from the acquired distance and reflectance, judges the detection failure, creates a packet, and sends it to the notification unit 42. The normal range for the distance to the seed 13 is determined in advance based on the shape of the housing of the detection unit 23 and / or the guide member 21. The detection unit 23 in this example has a cover glass (not shown) that covers the emission part and the light receiving part. The minimum value of the normal range is larger than the distance from the light receiving part of the detection unit 23 to the outer surface of the cover glass, which is 0 mm in this example, and 10 mm is set as the minimum value because the distance from the cover glass to the guide member 21 in the X direction is 10 mm in the example shown in FIG. 8 described later. The maximum value of the normal range is larger than the distance from the light receiving part to the inner surface of the guide member 21 facing the light receiving part, which is 120 mm in the example shown in FIG. 8 described later. The cover glass is attached to the housing of the detection unit 23, prevents the intrusion of dust and moisture, and transmits the infrared pulse laser. The normal range for reflectance has a minimum value of 1 and a maximum value of 20,000 (sensor observation, outliers removed). The minimum value of the normal range for reflectance is set to the above value in order to determine a measurement failure when there is no reflective object. The maximum value is set in order to observe the detection unit 23 and remove outliers. For both distance and reflectance, if values ​​outside the normal range are detected consecutively, it is determined that a distance measurement error or reflectance measurement error has occurred and the processing is interrupted.

[0029] After removing distances and reflectances outside the normal range, the judgment unit 41 calculates the average and deviation of the reflectance, detects the species 13, counts the number of species 13, creates a packet for the count number, and sends it to the notification unit 42. In this example, the average and deviation are calculated for 200 samples of reflectance from which the ones outside the normal range have been removed. The average is calculated by dividing the sum of the sample values ​​by the number of samples. The deviation is calculated by dividing the sum of the reflectance of the samples and the absolute value of the average value by the number of samples, and is not a standard deviation. It is preferable to correct the calculated deviation as follows. That is, the corrected deviation is corrected so that the sum of the average value and the corrected deviation is set as a threshold value, and the number of sample values ​​exceeding this threshold value is less than 1% of the total number of samples. This corrected deviation is calculated in order to remove abnormally high reflectances as outliers when determining a threshold value for species detection, which will be described later.

[0030] Next, a sowing interval calibration may be performed. In the sowing interval calibration, based on the calculation of the average and deviation of the reflectance, the detection of the seeds is performed from the magnification of the threshold for detecting the seeds 13 from the reflectance, the average value of the sowing interval (unit: ms), the deviation of the sowing interval (unit: ms), the detection rate (%), and the number of missed detections (0.1 seeds / second).

[0031] Furthermore, when the judgment unit 41 detects the seeds 13, it measures the detection period of the seeds 13 (the time interval at which the seeds 13 are detected), and calculates the average and deviation of the detection period based on the measurement result to quantify the disturbance of the detection period. Then, it creates a packet indicating the quantified disturbance of the detection period as a disturbance state and sends it to the notification unit 42. When the judgment unit 41 executes the sowing interval calibration, instead of this method, if the judgment unit 41 cannot detect the seeds 13 even once within the sowing interval calculated by the sowing interval calibration, it increments the number of undetected seeds as no seeds. Since the detection rate is not 100%, the number of seeds determined as undetected includes the number of cases where the seeds 13 fell but were not detected. Therefore, the number of undetected seeds (LostCount) is determined by subtracting the number of undetected seeds calculated by the sowing interval calibration from the number of undetected seeds. The number of unseeded seeds is accumulated for one second and cleared after transmission. Similarly, a packet is created which indicates that the detected period is in a disordered state, and is sent to the reporting unit 42 .

[0032] The judgment unit 41 calculates the allowable range of fluctuation to take into consideration the variation in timing of the seeds 13 falling due to the shape of the seeds 13, the traveling speed of the traveling vehicle 11 (see FIG. 1), the unevenness of the soil surface of the field, etc. In addition, since the emitted light LO (see FIG. 4) spreads in a cone shape, if a non-detection area where the seeds 13 are not detected occurs in the guide member 21, even if the seeds 13 pass through this non-detection area, the seeds 13 may not fall at equal intervals on the soil surface. However, according to this example, this case is preferably determined as a disturbed state. Note that it is preferable to detect the disturbed state after detecting the traveling speed of the traveling vehicle 11 in a stable state (for example, a constant speed of 4 km / h).

[0033] The notification unit 42 analyzes the received packets and notifies the operator of a disturbance state exceeding a threshold value with a light (such as an LED) and a sound such as a buzzer. According to the above method, the determination unit 41 transmits information such as the state of the detection units 23 in the four sowing devices 12, the number of detected seeds 13, the number of detected disturbances in time intervals, and dirt on the detection units 23 to the notification unit 42 at a timing of less than every second. Therefore, alarms and status notifications are issued in real time.

[0034] Examples of the notification targets and notification methods include the following: display states of the lights 43A-43D in the wireless pairing state, display states of the lights 43A-43D during stable driving, and display states of the lights 43A-43D indicating that the detection unit 23 is not connected. In addition, when the seeds 13 are not falling (including when the holes 18 are clogged with seeds 13, when the seeds 13 stored in the hopper 16 are not in contact with the sowing plate 17, and when the seeds 13 released from the hopper 16 are not falling on an incorrect trajectory), the lights 43A-43D can be turned on and the buzzer can be turned on for a shorter period of time; when the seeds 13 have not fallen for a long period of time, the lights and the buzzer can be turned on for a longer period of time; when the seeds 13 have run out in the hopper 16 or when the vehicle 11 makes a U-turn in the field, the lights 43A-43D can be turned on and the buzzer can be turned on for a longer period of time; and when the detection response of the detection unit 23 is reduced due to dust or dirt, the lights 43A-43D can be set to flash.

[0035] Furthermore, the time interval for dropping the seeds 13 may be automatically calculated by performing automatic calibration for each type of the sowing plate 17. Also, a method may be adopted in which the timing of dropping the seeds 13 of the four sowing devices 12 is sampled to detect an abnormality in the sowing lane corresponding to each sowing device 12 (synchronous detection). The detection and judgment conditions may be changed according to the type of the seeds 13 (color, shape, size, mass, etc.). A mechanism for detecting a decrease in sensitivity due to dirt on the lens of the light receiving unit may be provided. Furthermore, a position (section) where the seeds 13 were not sown may be mapped on the field using GPS and displayed on the display device. In addition to the notification unit 42, a wireless notification (sound or display) may be performed. Detection timing control may be performed using an acceleration sensor. In addition to detection timing control, the acceleration sensor is used to determine the movement of the traveling vehicle body 11. For example, it detects a state (including a change in state) such as starting driving (driving), stopping driving (driving), keeping a constant driving speed, and making a U-turn in the field. This allows the behavior of the traveling vehicle body 11 to be accurately grasped, and erroneous detection is prevented.

[0036] In addition, when the seeder 10 is used for fertilization, i.e., when fertilizer is applied to the soil instead of seeds, the seed sensor device 22 judges the disturbance state regarding the time interval of the passage of the fertilizer through the guide member 21 and reports the disturbance state.

[0037] As described above with reference to Fig. 4, the detection unit 23 is set by using the holder 26 so that the optical axis OA of the emitted light LO is positioned at a position inside the guide member 21 (see Fig. 4) where the seed 13 passes with a high probability, but the holder 26 is not limited to the detection unit 23 as long as it can be positioned and set in this way. For example, depending on the ToF sensor used as the detection unit 23, the positional relationship including the distance between the emission part and the light receiving part, the directivity angle of the emitted light LO emitted from the emission part and spreading, i.e., the degree of spreading, and the like differ, and the irradiation area irradiated by the emitted light LO differs depending on the guide member. Therefore, a holder in which the detection unit 23 is positioned and set is configured according to the detection unit and guide member used.

[0038] For example, instead of the holder 26, a holder 51 shown in FIG. 8 can be used. The holder 51, like the holder 26, is bent in a dogleg shape when viewed from the side as shown in FIG. 8(B), and has at least two of the above-mentioned magnets 52 that are attracted to the guide member 21. The angle of the bent portion is slightly different from that of the holder 26. The holder 51 positions the detection unit 23 held by the holder 51 so that the detection unit 23 is located outside the guide member 21. That is, the detection unit 23 is positioned at a position away from the guide member 21 in the above-mentioned cutout portion of the guide member 21. As a result, the position of the detection unit 23 is adjusted to a position at a greater distance from the inner surface of the guide member 21 that it faces, compared to when it is held by the holder 26. In this way, the holders exemplified as the holder 26 and the holder 51 position the detection unit 23, including its orientation, according to the detection unit 23 and the guide member 21 used. In this example, the inner surface 21Sa of the guide member 21 facing the detection unit 23 is flat, and the surface 23s of the detection unit 23, from which the infrared pulse laser is emitted and received, is non-parallel to the inner surface 21Sa. The orientation of the detection unit 23 is set so as to prevent the emitted light reflected by the inner surface 21Sa of the guide member 21, or the reflected light reflected by the reflection suppression member 55 when the reflection suppression member 55 is provided as in this example, from being directly incident on the light receiving section of the detection unit 23.

[0039] The magnet 52 is provided on the upper part of the holder 51, on the inside of the bent L-shape similar to the detection unit 23. However, the number and arrangement of the magnets 52 are not limited to this example, and it is only necessary that the detection unit 23 can be kept in a stable attachment state with respect to the guide member 21. The seed sensor device 22 (see FIG. 5) preferably further includes a reflection suppression member 55 and a foreign matter adhesion suppression member 56, and this is also the case in this example.

[0040] Since the seeds 13 may fall while colliding with the inner wall of the guide member 21, the passing trajectory of the seeds 13 inside the guide member 21 is not necessarily vertical, i.e., Z direction. However, in order to more reliably detect the falling seeds 13, the detection unit 23 is disposed so that the optical axis OA intersects with the Z direction. It is preferable that the detection unit 23 is positioned at a preset position based on the proportion of the irradiation area of ​​the emitted light LO inside the guide member 21. Thereby, the position including the direction of the optical axis OA becomes one through which the seeds 13 will pass with a higher probability, and the detection accuracy of the seeds 13 is improved.

[0041] The ratio of the irradiation area when setting the set position is the area ratio of the irradiation area of ​​the emitted light LO on the predetermined surface. The predetermined surface is a surface that intersects with the Z direction and includes a horizontal axis and the optical axis LO. The horizontal axis is set on the XY plane. When the guide member 21 is open (open) on the predetermined surface like the guide member 21 of this example, as shown in FIG. 9, both ends of the opening are connected by a straight line, and the inside of this straight line is the inside of the guide member 21. Note that in FIG. 9, the holder 51 and the foreign matter adhesion suppression member 56 are omitted. The area of ​​the predetermined surface shown by dot hatching inside the guide member 21 is S1, and the area of ​​the irradiation area of ​​the emitted light LO on the predetermined surface shown by cross hatching is S2. Note that when the reflection suppression member 55 is provided as in this example, the thickness of the reflection suppression member 55 is very thin, so the cross-sectional area on the predetermined surface is not taken into consideration, and the areas S1 and S2 may be obtained respectively assuming that the reflection suppression member 55 does not exist. In some cases, the proportion of the above-mentioned irradiation area is a percentage (unit: %) calculated by (S2 / S1)×100. By setting the set position in this manner, the detection unit 23 is positioned, including its orientation, so that it irradiates the passing orbit through which the seeds 13 pass with a higher probability and more reliably receives the reflected light reflected by the seeds 13, and as a result, the seeds 13 that have passed through the inside of the guide member 21 are more reliably detected. The larger the proportion of the above-mentioned irradiation area, the more preferable it is, and in this example, the holder 51 is configured so that at least 60% is ensured even if the position of the detection unit 23 varies slightly. Depending on the shape of the guide member, the position at which the detection unit 23 can be attached may be limited, but it is preferable to configure the holder based on the proportion of the above-mentioned irradiation area according to the guide member and detection unit used, and to position the position (including the orientation) of the detection unit.

[0042] The reflection suppression member 55 shown in Fig. 10 suppresses reflection of the emitted light LO on the inner surfaces 21Sa and 21Sb of the guide member 21 to more reliably detect the passing species 13. The inner surfaces 21Sa and 21Sb of the guide member 21 are made of metal and have smooth surfaces, and the reflection suppression member 55 is provided to include the irradiation area R (shown by cross-hatching in Fig. 10) of the emitted light LO on the inner surfaces 21Sa and 21Sb of the guide member 21. The reflection suppression member 55 is formed in a sheet shape. It is assumed that a slight difference in the mounting position of the holder 51 will cause a difference in the position of the detection unit 23, which will cause a slight difference in the irradiation area R. Therefore, it is preferable to make the reflection suppression member 55 a larger size in consideration of the difference in the expected irradiation area R. The reflection suppression member 55 in this example is provided on the inner surface 21Sa of the guide member 21 facing the detection unit 23 and on both side surfaces 21Sb that intersect and connect to the inner surface 21Sa, and the upper end is above the upper end position of the notch portion 21N of the guide member 21, and the lower end is flush with the lower end of the guide member 21. As a result, even if there is a slight difference in the position of the detection unit 23, the reflection suppression member 55 can reliably include the irradiation area R, and reflection of the emitted light LO is suppressed, thereby suppressing erroneous detection. The sheet-like reflection suppression member 55 may be formed as a single unit or may be formed by combining multiple sheets. In the latter case, an example is a combination of one sheet provided on the inner surface 21Sa of the guide member 21 and two sheets provided on the pair of 21Sb.

[0043] The reflection suppression member 55 is intended to suppress reflection of the emitted light LO to suppress erroneous detection, and may be any member capable of suppressing incidence of reflected light on the light receiving section of the detection unit 23. For example, the reflection suppression member 55 may be a member that absorbs infrared light, which is the emitted light LO, or a member that has fine irregularities on its surface. Therefore, the reflection suppression member 55 is not limited to a sheet-like member as in this example, and may be, for example, a coating film having a plurality of fine irregularities or a coating film that absorbs infrared light. The reflection suppression member 55 may also be formed by layering the above-mentioned sheet and the above-mentioned coating film provided on the surface of the sheet.

[0044] Moreover, in order to prevent foreign matter such as dust stirred up from the soil S (see FIG. 1) from adhering to the irradiation region R, it is preferable that the reflection suppressing member 55 suppresses the adhesion of such foreign matter. Examples of the reflection suppressing member 55 that suppresses the adhesion of foreign matter include one made of an antistatic material and one having an antistatic layer made of an antistatic material formed on the surface. By suppressing the adhesion of foreign matter with the reflection suppressing member 55, a decrease in the detection accuracy of the detection unit 23, that is, a decrease in the reflectance of the emitted light LO on the inner surface of the guide member 21, is suppressed.

[0045] From the viewpoint of suppressing both the reflection of the emitted light LO in the irradiation region R and the adhesion of foreign matter, examples of the reflection suppressing member 55 include the following (a) to (g). Commercially available products can be used for the sprays and sheets of the following (a) to (g). Among these, (b) and (f) are particularly preferable. When a sheet is used, it is applied to the guide member 21 with an adhesive or the like, and when a coating film is formed, it is preferable to spray it onto the guide member 21 with, for example, a spray and allow it to harden (including drying). (a) A coating formed with a black transparent matte spray (b) A coating film formed by chipping spray, with multiple fine irregularities on the surface (c) A porous sheet having fine pores, such as a sponge (d) A rubber sheet made of rubber (e) A sheet having a layer of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) on the surface of a sheet made of rubber, such as a Teflon (registered trademark)-coated rubber sheet. (f) Rubber sheet made of rubber having antistatic properties (g) Leather seats made of leather

[0046] Examples of the sprays of (a) include GSI Creos Mr. Super Clear Matte Spray 170ml Hobby Finishing Material B514 manufactured by GSI Creos Co., Ltd., Holts Paint Paint Matte Finishing Agent Matte Paint Clear 300ml Holts MH11605 manufactured by Musashi Holt Co., Ltd., High Durability Lacquer Spray 300ML Matte Clear manufactured by Asahipen Co., Ltd., Stone Tone Spray 300ML Black Stone manufactured by Asahipen Co., Ltd., etc. Examples of the sprays of (b) include Rubber Chipping (Black) NX483 manufactured by Ichinen Chemicals Co., Ltd., Rubber Chipping (Gray) NX482 manufactured by Ichinen Chemicals Co., Ltd., Chipping Spray (Black) 75919184 manufactured by MonotaRO Co., Ltd., etc. Examples of the sprays of (c) include CR Sponge ST Attached 1×200×300 manufactured by Yawata Neji Co., Ltd., etc. Examples of (d) include natural rubber sheet GR1-10 manufactured by Hikari Co., Ltd. Examples of (e) include slide cushion KTST-0510 manufactured by Hikari Co., Ltd., and uxcell Heat Resistant Tape PTFE Film Adhesive Tape PTFE Film Tape Single Sided Adhesive for Vacuum Sealers and Manual Pulse Sealers 20mm x 10m 0.13mm Thickness Gray manufactured by uxcell Japan. Examples of antistatic rubber sheets (f) include Fabric FGB-500 Series (Antistatic Grade FGB-500-10 manufactured by Chukoh Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. Examples of leather seats (g) include motorcycle seat repair sticker black matte coarse 63030 manufactured by Daytona Co., Ltd.

[0047] 8, 11, and 12, the foreign matter adhesion suppression member 56 suppresses foreign matter such as dust that is blown up from the soil S (see FIG. 1) from adhering to the emission section and light receiving section of the detection unit 23. Note that the thickness of the foreign matter adhesion suppression member 56 is greatly exaggerated in these FIGS. 8, 11, and 12. The foreign matter adhesion suppression member 56 is provided at least below and on both sides of the detection unit 23. The foreign matter adhesion suppression member 56 in this example has a pair of side plate portions 56a provided on both sides of the detection unit 23 in the Y direction so as to close the gap between the guide member 21 and the detection unit 23, and a bottom plate portion 56b provided below the detection unit 23 and intersecting the vertical direction. The foreign matter adhesion suppression member 56 is integrally formed with a side plate portion 56a, a bottom plate portion 56b, and a back plate portion 56c that covers the outer surface of the detection unit 23, and the back plate portion 56c is fixed to at least one of the holder 51 and the detection unit 23. The fixing method is not particularly limited, and in this example, it is screwed. The side plate portion 56a and the bottom plate portion 56b protrude from the detection unit 23 toward the guide member 21 side, thereby suppressing the intrusion of foreign matter such as dust into the internal space surrounded by the detection unit 23 and the guide member 21. As a result, adhesion of foreign matter to the emission portion and the light receiving portion of the detection unit 23 is suppressed, and erroneous detection is less likely to occur.

[0048] The foreign matter adhesion suppression member 56 is preferably made transparent or semi-transparent so that when the emitted light LO is reflected, for example, by the guide member 21 and / or the seed 13 and the reflected light is incident on the foreign matter adhesion suppression member 56, it is transmitted to the outside. This suppresses reflection of the emitted light LO on the foreign matter adhesion suppression member 56, suppresses diffuse reflection, and suppresses erroneous detection. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 10 Seeding machine 12 Seeding device 13 species 21 Guide member 22 Seed sensor device 23 Detection Unit 26, 51 Holder 41 Judgment Unit 42 Notification unit 55 Anti-reflection material 56 Foreign matter adhesion prevention material S Soil

Claims

1. A detection unit that is attached to a guide member that guides particles that fall intermittently from the sowing device toward the soil surface, emits infrared pulse light toward the inner surface of the guide member, receives reflected light, and determines the distance to the particles that have passed through and the reflectance of the infrared pulse light; a determination unit that determines a turbulent state regarding a time interval of the passage of the particles through the guide member based on the distance and the reflectance obtained from the detection unit; a notification unit that notifies the disturbance state; A seed sensor device comprising:

2. 2. The seed sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the infrared pulse light is an infrared pulse laser.

3. A holding portion that holds the detection portion and makes the detection portion detachable from the guide member. The seed sensor device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

4. The holding portion is The seed sensor device according to claim 3 , wherein the position of the detection portion is determined relative to the guide member.

5. The detection unit is 5. The seed sensor device according to claim 4, wherein the seed sensor device is attached at a preset position that is set based on a proportion of an irradiation area of ​​the infrared pulse light inside the guide member.

6. The proportion of the irradiated area is 6. The seed sensor device according to claim 5, which is an area ratio of the region irradiated with the infrared pulse light in a plane that intersects the vertical direction and includes a horizontal axis and the optical axis of the infrared pulse light.

7. a reflection suppressing member provided in an irradiation area of ​​the infrared pulsed light on the inner surface of the guide member to suppress reflection of the infrared pulsed light; The seed sensor device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

8. A foreign matter adhesion prevention member provided below and on both sides of the detection unit to prevent adhesion of foreign matter The seed sensor device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising:

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