Seedling transplanter

Abstract

To provide a seedling transplanter capable of reducing a workload associated with transplanting seedling mats and improving work efficiency.SOLUTION: A seedling transplanter comprises a seedling mat storage part provided across an entire upper part of a transplanter body from a front end to a rear end of a traveling car body, and storing seedling mats to be sent to a seedling planting part, where the seedling mat storage part includes a seedling mat takeout mechanism for taking out the seedling mats fed inside from nursery trays, and a seedling mat conveying mechanism for conveying the seedling mats taken out by the seedling mat takeout mechanism. The seedling mat takeout mechanism includes the nursery tray conveying roller for conveying the nursery trays. The nursery tray conveying roller is configured to convey empty nursery trays from which the seedling mats have been taken out, and to supply the nursery trays onto an inclined guide plate for guiding the nursery trays outside the seedling mat storage part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a seedling transplanter that performs rice transplanting while traveling in a field.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 below discloses a seedling transplanter in which a space for replenishing work seedling mats such as a driver's seat, seedlings, and fertilizers is omitted from the upper part of the body of a traveling vehicle body, and the body is simplified and slimmed down. In this conventional work vehicle, when an operator inserts a seedling mat through a seedling mat insertion port provided at the front of the body, the seedling mat is conveyed rearward by a seedling mat conveying mechanism provided inside the body and is planted in a field by a working part (seedling planting part) at the rear of the body.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, since the seedling mat before being inserted into the body is in a state of being contained in a nursery box, according to the above-described conventional seedling transplanter, when an operator inserts the seedling mat into the seedling mat insertion port, it is necessary to sequentially take out the seedling mat from the nursery box, which is troublesome. Further, at the time of inserting the body, the posture of the seedling mat is disturbed, smooth conveyance by the seedling mat conveying mechanism is hindered, and there is a possibility that the working efficiency may be reduced.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve such problems, reduce the work burden related to inserting a seedling mat, and provide a seedling transplanter capable of improving the working efficiency.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To achieve the above object, a first invention is a traveling vehicle body having a steering wheel steered by a steering device, a seedling planting part connected to the rear part of the traveling vehicle body for planting seedlings in a field, a position information acquisition device for acquiring position information, a control part that detects the steering angle of the steering wheel and drives the steering device based on the detected steering angle and the position information acquired by the position information acquisition device to control the automatic traveling of the traveling vehicle body, a seedling mat storage part provided over the entire upper part of the machine body extending from the front end part to the rear end part of the traveling vehicle body for storing a seedling mat to be fed to the seedling planting part, the seedling mat storage part includes a seedling mat taking-out mechanism for taking out the seedling mat put into the interior from a seedling raising box, and a seedling mat conveying mechanism for conveying the seedling mat taken out by the seedling mat taking-out mechanism, the seedling mat taking-out mechanism includes a seedling raising box conveying roller for conveying the seedling raising box, The seedling raising box conveying roller is configured to convey the seedling raising box that has been emptied after the seedling mat has been taken out and supply it onto an inclined guide plate that guides the seedling raising box outside the seedling mat storage part, and provides a seedling transplanter characterized by this.

[0007] According to the first invention described above, since the put-in seedling mat is taken out from the seedling raising box by the seedling mat taking-out mechanism and conveyed by the seedling mat conveying mechanism, the work load related to seedling mat input can be reduced and the work efficiency can be improved.

[0008] A second invention, in addition to the configuration of the first invention described above, the seedling mat taking-out mechanism includes left and right seedling mat lifting rollers, and by the rotational drive of the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers, an upward rotational frictional force is applied to both the left and right sides of the seedling mat to lift the seedling mat from the seedling raising box, separate the lifted seedling mat from the seedling raising box, and take out the seedling mat from the seedling raising box, which is characterized by this.

[0009] According to the second invention, in addition to the effects of the first invention, when the seedlings N of the seedling mat M come into contact with the seedling mat lifting roller 1, upward rotational friction is applied from both the left and right sides, and a mechanism for lifting the seedling mat M is provided, so that the seedlings N can be quickly lifted while preventing damage to the seedlings N. Further, by applying upward rotational frictional forces to both the left and right sides of the seedling mat, the posture of the seedling mat can also be adjusted. Furthermore, by separating the seedling raising box from the seedling mat, the seedling mat can be quickly taken out from the seedling raising box.

[0010] The third invention, in addition to the configuration of the second invention, is characterized in that the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers are arranged in an upwardly inclined posture that slopes upward as it goes rearward.

[0011] According to the third invention, in addition to the effects of the second invention, since the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers are arranged in an upwardly inclined posture that slopes upward as it goes rearward, the seedling mat moving rearward in the conveying direction can be lifted upward well.

[0012] The fourth invention, in addition to the configuration of the second or third invention, the seedling mat taking-out mechanism includes a support arm that supports the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers in a hollow manner, and an electric cylinder that enables the support arm to expand and contract vertically. By controlling the expansion and contraction of the electric cylinder, the height position of the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers can be adjusted.

[0013] According to the fourth invention, in addition to the effects of the second or third invention, the seedling raising box is dropped and supplied to the inclined guide plate, guided outside the seedling mat storage section, and returned to the operator. As a result, it is possible to quickly collect the emptied seedling raising boxes, improving the working efficiency.

Advantages of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a seedling transplanter that reduces the work load related to seedling mat input and improves the working efficiency.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] Hereinafter, based on the accompanying drawings, the seedling transplanter 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the traveling direction of the seedling transplanter 1 (the direction indicated by the arrow F in FIG. 1) is defined as the front, the opposite direction as the rear, and when facing the front, the right direction is referred to as the right side and the left direction as the left side. First, the basic configuration of the seedling transplanter 1 will be described below. In the following, the entire seedling transplanter including the traveling vehicle body of the seedling transplanter 1 or the traveling vehicle body and the seedling planting part may be referred to as the machine body.

[0017] <Basic Configuration of the Seedling Transplanter> FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of the working state of the seedling transplanter 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram centered on the controller C of the seedling transplanter 1 as described above, and FIG. 3 is a partial cutaway side view of the seedling transplanter 1 as described above.

[0018] As shown in FIG. 1, the seedling transplanter 1 can perform the planting operation of the seedlings N while automatically traveling unmanned along a teaching work path L in a predetermined field A1.

[0019] The seedling transplanter 1 is configured by connecting a seedling planting unit 3 to the rear part of a traveling vehicle body 2 having front wheels 2a and rear wheels 2b as drive wheels in a vertically movable manner. The front wheel 21 functions as a steering wheel and is interlockingly connected to the steering mechanism 41 shown in FIG. 2.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, the traveling vehicle body 2 includes a power transmission device including a prime mover and a transmission case (not shown) mounted on a vehicle body frame 16. The power source may be an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine, or an electric motor. The generated power is used not only to move the traveling vehicle body 2 forward and backward, but also to drive each device of the seedling planting unit 3(2).

[0021] From the transmission case constituting the power transmission device, part of the power transmitted to the front wheels 2a and the rear wheels 2b can be transmitted to the front wheels 2a via the left and right front wheel final cases 17, and the rest can be transmitted to the rear wheels 2b via the left and right rear wheel gear cases 18. Each of the left and right front wheels 2a is connected to the left and right front wheel final cases 17 via an axle 17a, and each of the left and right rear wheels 2b is connected to the rear wheel gear cases 18 via an axle 18a.

[0022] In addition, a seedling mat storage unit 10 is provided over the entire upper part of the machine body extending from the front end portion to the rear end portion of the traveling vehicle body 1. Although details of the configuration of this seedling mat storage unit 10 will be described later, when an operator inputs the seedling mat M into the seedling mat storage unit 10, the seedling mat M is conveyed rearward of the machine body and stored. Then, the seedling mat M stored in the seedling mat storage unit 10 is configured such that the seedlings N are sequentially scraped off by the seedling planting unit 3 and planted in the field A1.

[0023] <Configuration around the controller C> The automatic running of the seedling transplanter 1 is performed by the controller C (see FIG. 2), which is a control unit mounted on the traveling vehicle body 2, performing steering control on the automatic steering device 4. That is, based on the position information of itself acquired by the radio wave received from the navigation satellite 300 orbiting in the sky and the steering angle of the front wheel 2a acquired by the steering angle detection device 42, the controller C can automatically run the seedling transplanter 1.

[0024] The position information of the seedling transplanter 1 is acquired by the receiving antenna 51 provided on the traveling vehicle body 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the receiving antenna 51 constitutes a part of the position information acquisition device 5 such as a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) control device or a GPS (Global Positioning System) control device.

[0025] By the way, the seedling transplanter 1 can be run not only by automatic driving but also by remote operation by an operator. For example, from a storage shed or the like to the field A1, it may be automatically run, or the operator may remotely operate it to run on the farm road A2.

[0026] The controller C as the control unit included in the seedling transplanter 1 includes a processing unit having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like, a storage unit such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and further an input / output unit. These are connected to each other and can transfer signals to each other, and a computer program for controlling the seedling transplanter 1 is stored in the storage unit.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, the controller C is connected to a drive control device 6 that controls a drive system including the traveling of the seedling transplanter 1, a nursery box transport motor mt1 that drives a seedling mat extraction mechanism 100 provided in a seedling mat storage unit 10 described later, a seedling mat lifting motor mt2, a seedling mat retracting motor mt3, an electric cylinder 104, a seedling mat transport motor 7 that drives a seedling mat transport mechanism 200, other various actuators 400, various switches 600 that receive operations from an operator, and a load detection sensor S1.

[0028] Examples of the various actuators 400 include a throttle motor that adjusts the intake air amount of the engine, a trunion drive motor that changes the rotation angle of the trunion of a hydraulic continuously variable transmission, and a planting clutch motor that operates a planting clutch.

[0029] In addition, the controller C is connected to, for example, a seedling sensor 8 that detects the remaining amount of the seedlings N included in the seedling transplanter 1 and a monitoring camera 9 that images the planting status of the field A1. By visually recognizing the image data captured by the monitoring camera 9, for example, by a work supervisor, the presence of missing plants or the planting work status can be determined. Further, the monitoring camera 9 can appropriately set the installation position according to the purpose of use. Furthermore, various sensors 500 that acquire various information including, for example, an azimuth sensor that detects the direction of the machine body and an attitude sensor that detects the attitude of the machine body are connected.

[0030] Although omitted in Fig. 2, the remote device carried by the operator and the controller C can be wirelessly connected according to a predetermined wireless communication standard. As the remote device, a mobile phone or a tablet terminal device can also be used.

[0031] As described above, the seedling transplanter 1 includes an automatic steering device 4 controlled by the controller C and a position information acquisition device 5 that acquires position information.

[0032] The automatic steering device 4 includes a steering mechanism 41 including a steering motor whose driving is controlled by the controller C, and enables automatic steering of the seedling transplanter 1 by the controller C. When, for example, a start switch (not shown) is turned on, the controller 3 starts automatic driving of the traveling vehicle body 2 via the automatic steering device 4 based on the position information acquired by the position information acquisition device 5 described later.

[0033] The position information acquisition device 5 has a receiving antenna 51 that receives signals from the navigation satellite 300 used in GNSS or GPS, acquires the position information (coordinate information) of the seedling transplanter 1 on the earth, and transmits the acquired position information to the controller C.

[0034] From the position data of the machine body acquired by the position information acquisition device 5, the controller 3 can also derive the actual speed of the seedling transplanter 10. That is, the actual traveling speed can be sequentially calculated from the amount of movement of the machine body within a certain time. Therefore, the controller C can automatically travel while maintaining a speed optimal for the planting operation of the seedling N. Further, for example, even when the front wheels 21 or the rear wheels 22 slip, the actual vehicle speed of the seedling transplanter 1 can be acquired regardless of the rotation amount of the rear wheels 2b.

[0035] In this way, the seedling transplanter 1 can execute the planting operation of the seedling N while automatically traveling along a predetermined work path L while the controller C controls the steering mechanism 41 based on the steering angle of the front wheels 11 detected by the steering angle detection device 42 and the acquired position information.

[0036] <Configuration of Seedling Mat Storage Unit 10> The seedling mat storage unit 10 of the seedling transplanter 1 will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a partially cut-away side view of the seedling transplanter 1, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the seedling transplanter 1. In FIG. 4, for the seedling planting unit 3, the details are omitted and only the outer contour is shown by an imaginary line.

[0037] As shown in the drawings, the seedling mat storage unit 10 according to the present embodiment includes a tank unit 15 that functions as a housing for storing the seedling mat M, a seedling mat extraction mechanism 100 that extracts the seedling mat M put into the tank unit 15 from the seedling raising box M2, and a seedling mat conveyance mechanism 200 that conveys the seedling mat M. The seedling raising box M2 is a rectangular box in plan view on which the seedling mat M is placed.

[0038] The tank unit 15 has a base portion 15a and a dome portion 15b formed on the base portion 15a, and is formed in a hollow shape by the base portion 15a and the dome portion 15b. The base portion 15a is provided with the aforementioned controller C, and a seedling mat inlet 131 for an operator to input the seedling mat M is formed at the front part of the machine body (the forward direction side of the machine body).

[0039] On the other hand, the dome portion 15b is formed in a dome shape so as to rise obliquely from a position slightly rearward of the front portion of the base portion 15a in a side view, and a material discharge port 132 is formed at the rear end so as to face the seedling planting unit 2. That is, in the tank unit 15, the seedling mat conveyance mechanism 200 is disposed in a gently continuous curved wave shape from concave to convex from the relatively lower seedling mat inlet 131 to the relatively upper seedling mat discharge port 132, and is configured to move the seedling mat M upward while conveying it rearward.

[0040] In this way, the seedling mat conveying mechanism 200 provided inside the tank portion 15 accommodates (stores) a plurality of seedling mats M in which seedlings N for planting in the field 100 are arranged in multiple rows in a placed state, and at an appropriate timing, these accommodated (stored) seedling mats M can be sequentially fed to the seedling mounting table 20 of the seedling planting portion 3.

[0041] In this way, the seedling mat storage portion 10 can easily input the seedling mat M from the outside of the machine body, and the work of an operator boarding the traveling vehicle body 1 and setting the seedling mat M on the seedling mounting table 20 of the working portion 2 is made unnecessary by the seedling mat conveying mechanism 200 that conveys the seedling mat M to the seedling planting portion 3.

[0042] Note that the seedling mat conveying mechanism 200 may be arranged in a plurality of rows corresponding to the number of rows of the seedling transplanter 10. In the illustrated example, the seedling transplanter 10 is a four-row planter, and the seedling mounting table 20 provided in the seedling transplanting portion 3 is configured to be able to place four rows of seedling mats M. Accordingly, the seedling mat conveying mechanism 200 is also arranged in four rows inside the tank portion 15. However, not limited to the illustrated example, for example, it may be configured in six rows corresponding to six-row planting.

[0043] Also, a disk-shaped mounting seat 15c is formed at the boundary portion between the tapered portion and the horizontal portion on the front side of the dome portion 15b, and the receiving antenna 51 of the position information acquisition device 5 is arranged on such a mounting seat 15c. In this way, since the receiving antenna 51 is arranged in a stable state at a substantially central position of the machine body, highly accurate position information can be stably acquired.

[0044] The seedling mat conveying mechanism 200 is configured by, for example, a motor-driven roller conveyor and can easily convey a plurality of seedling mats M in a placed state. In this way, by using rollers for conveyance, the seedling mat M can be conveyed in a stable state without the ends or the like being curled. Note that the seedling mat conveying mechanism 200 may be configured by a belt conveyor.

[0045] In this way, when an operator inserts the mat seedlings M stored in the seedling raising box M2 through the seedling mat insertion opening 131 that opens to the front side of the tank unit 15, after the mat seedlings M are taken out from the seedling raising box M2 by the seedling mat extraction mechanism 100 described later, they are supplied to the seedling mat conveyance mechanism 200. The seedling mat conveyance mechanism 200 sequentially sends them to the back side (rear) one by one, and it is configured to stop at a position facing the seedling mat discharge opening 132 that opens to the rear part side of the tank unit 15. Note that the tank unit 15 of the seedling mat storage unit 10 according to the present embodiment and the seedling mat conveyance mechanism 200 are each independently supported by a support device (not shown) so as to be vertically movable with respect to the vehicle body frame 16. Therefore, if only the tank unit 15 is raised, maintenance of various mechanisms in the seedling mat storage unit 10 can be easily performed.

[0046] Note that the seedling planting unit 3 of the seedling transplanter 10 according to the present embodiment uses the configuration of a well-known seedling planting unit as it is. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the seedling planting unit 3 includes a seedling planting device 21 provided with a pair of planting claws 22 that take out seedlings N from the seedling stage 20 and transplant them to the field 100 on the lower side of the seedling stage 20, and also includes a float 23 and a rotor 24 for leveling the field 100. Further, the seedling planting unit 3 is rotatably connected to the vehicle body frame 16 of the traveling vehicle body 1 by a lifting device 25 having a link mechanism.

[0047] Further, a seedling sensor 8 (see FIG. 2) is provided on the seedling stage 20 of the seedling planting unit 2. Based on the detection signal from the seedling sensor 8, the controller 3 raises the seedling stage 20 and drives the seedling mat conveyance mechanism 200 of the seedling tank 13 to send the seedlings N that have become less than the specified amount to the seedling stage 20 and automatically replenish them. Also, in the present embodiment, a seedling sensor 8 is provided in the seedling tank 15 as well to detect the remaining amount of the seedling mat M in the seedling tank 15. When the remaining amount becomes less than the specified amount, the controller C controls the seedling transplanter 1 to automatically move to the edge of the ridge.

[0048] <Configuration of the seedling mat extraction mechanism 100> At the entrance part of the seedling mat inlet 131 of the seedling mat storage part 10, a seedling mat taking-out mechanism 100 is provided for taking out the seedling mat M from the seedling raising box M2 and supplying it to the seedling mat conveying mechanism 200. Next, the seedling mat taking-out mechanism 100 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 5, the seedling mat taking-out mechanism 100 includes a support plate 110 for supporting the seedling raising box M2, a seedling raising box conveying roller 120 for conveying the seedling raising box M2, a seedling mat lifting part 100X for lifting the seedling mat M, a separating plate 130 for separating the seedling mat M from the seedling raising box M2, and a drawing conveyor 140 for drawing the seedling mat M into the seedling mat storage part 10, and an inclined guide plate 150 for guiding the seedling raising box M2 separated from the seedling mat M out of the seedling mat storage part 10.

[0050] The support plate 110 is a rectangular flat plate-shaped support member arranged in front of the seedling mat inlet 131 of the seedling mat storage part 10, and is fixedly attached to the front end of the base part 15a. The support plate 210 functions to support the seedling raising box M2 when the operator inputs the seedling mat M into the seedling mat storage part 10. Further, since the support plate 110 is configured to project from the base part 15a, in the initial stage of inputting the seedling mat M, the operator can easily place and input the seedling raising box M2 on the support plate 110. A plurality of partition plates 110a for partitioning the seedling raising box M2 are provided on the support plate 110 corresponding to a plurality of rows. The partition plate 110a is detachably configured on the support plate 110, and the left-right interval and the number of mounted ones between the partition plates 110a can be adjusted by selecting the mounting position.

[0051] The seedling-raising box conveying roller 120 is provided behind the support plate 110 and is rotatably attached to the base portion 15a such that its upper end is at substantially the same height position as the support plate 110. When the seedling-raising conveyance motor mt1 (see FIG. 2) is driven, the seedling-raising box conveying roller 120 rotates in the direction of the arrow f1 by belt transmission. Thereby, the seedling-raising box M2 supported (in other words, placed on) the support plate 110 is configured to be conveyed toward the inner side (rear side) of the seedling mat storage portion 10. The seedling-raising box M2 that is conveyed toward the inner side (rear side) of the seedling mat storage portion 10 and has passed over the seedling-raising box conveying roller 120 is drop-supplied to the inclined guide plate 150 described later. Although not shown, a load detection sensor S1 for detecting the load of the seedling-raising box M2 is provided on the seedling-raising box conveying roller 120. The detection information of the load detection sensor S1 is transmitted to the controller C, whereby the controller C can determine the presence or absence of the seedling-raising box M2 on the seedling-raising box conveying roller 120.

[0052] The separation plate 130 is a flat plate member rectangular in plan view, and the front end side (tip side) is formed at an acute angle that tapers. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the seedling mat M from being caught on the tip of the separation plate 130 and to smoothly separate. Further, it is disposed at a height position above the seedling-raising box conveying roller 120 and provided with a space through which the seedling-raising box M2 can pass.

[0053] The drawing-in conveyor 140 rotates an endless belt by driving the seedling mat drawing-in motor mt3 (see FIG. 2) and functions to draw the seedling mat M into the seedling mat storage portion 10 at the rear. The seedling mat M drawn into the seedling mat storage portion 10 by the drawing-in conveyor 140 is supplied to the seedling mat conveying mechanism 200.

[0054] The inclined guide plate 150 is disposed below the seedling-raising box conveying roller 120 and is provided with a downward inclination that slopes downward toward the front. Thereby, when receiving the drop supply of the empty seedling-raising box M2, the seedling-raising box M2 moves so as to slide down the upper surface of the inclined guide plate 150, is guided out of the seedling mat storage portion 10, and is returned to the operator.

[0055] <Configuration of the Seedling Mat Lifting Portion 100X> FIG. 5 is a left side view of the main part around the seedling mat lifting portion 100X of the seedling mat storage portion 10. Further, FIG. 6 is a front view of the main part around the seedling mat lifting portion 100X of the seedling mat storage portion 10.

[0056] Next, the seedling mat lifting portion 100X will be described.

[0057] The seedling mat lifting portion 100X is configured by attaching a pair of left and right seedling mat lifting arms 100B, 100B to a flat mounting plate 100A fixed so as to be spanned inside the base portion 15a. Although not shown, the number of the pair of left and right seedling mat lifting arms 100B, 100B corresponds to the number of rows of the seedling mat conveying mechanism 14 in the tank portion 15. That is, although not shown, in the present embodiment, since the seedling mat conveying mechanism 14 is also arranged in 4 rows in the tank portion 15, four pairs of left and right seedling mat lifting arms 100B, 100B are attached to the mounting plate 100A.

[0058] Each of the left and right seedling mat lifting arms 100B includes a seedling mat lifting roller 101 that rotatably contacts the seedling mat M and lifts it, a motor box 102 having a built-in seedling mat lifting motor mt2 that rotationally drives the seedling mat lifting roller 101, a support arm 103 that hollowly supports the motor box 102 (and the seedling mat lifting roller 101 via the motor box 102), and an electric cylinder 104 that enables the support arm 103 to expand and contract vertically.

[0059] The left - right interval between the left and right seedling - mat lifting rollers 101, 101 is provided to be substantially the same as the left - right width of the seedling mat. Thus, the left and right seedling - mat lifting rollers 101, 101 are configured to contact both the left and right sides of the seedling mat M. When the seedling - mat lifting motor mt2 is driven, the left and right seedling - mat lifting rollers 101, 101 connected to the rotation drive shafts 101a, 101a of the seedling - mat lifting motor mt2 rotate synchronously in the direction (rotation direction R1) of lifting the seedling mat M. Thereby, when the seedlings N of the seedling mat M come into contact with the seedling - mat lifting rollers 101, 101, upward rotational friction is applied from both the left and right sides, and the seedling mat M is lifted. By adopting the mechanism of lifting by rotational friction, it is possible to quickly lift the seedlings while preventing damage to the seedlings N. Also, by applying upward rotational frictional force to both the left and right sides of the seedling mat M, the posture of the seedling mat M can be adjusted.

[0060] The motor box 102 houses the seedling - mat lifting motor mt2 and is fixed in a rotatable state by a fixture 103b to a mounting portion 103a provided at the lower end of the support arm 103. The fixture 104a is, for example, a knob bolt. By loosening the fixture 103b, the motor box 102 can be rotated (in the direction of the arrow R2) about the horizontal axis, and by tightening it, the motor box 102 can be fixed. Thereby, the vertical inclination angle of the left and right seedling - mat lifting rollers 101, 101 can be adjusted (in the direction of the arrow Y). In the illustrated example, in a side view, the left and right seedling - mat lifting rollers 101, 101 are set to be inclined approximately 30 degrees from the horizontal direction (an upward slope as it goes backward, i.e., the more backward it goes, the more upward it goes), and thereby, the seedling mat M moving backward can be lifted upward well.

[0061] The left and right support arms 103, 103 have mounting portions 103c at their upper ends that are rotatably fixed to the mounting plate 100A by fixtures 103d. The fixtures 103d are, for example, knob bolts. By loosening the fixtures 103d, the left and right support arms 103, 103 can be rotated about the vertical axis (in the direction of arrow R3), and by tightening them, the support arms 103, 103 can be fixed. As a result, the left and right tilt angles of the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 can be adjusted (in the direction of arrow X). In the illustrated example, the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 are arranged in a parallel posture, but the left and right tilt angles of the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 can be set so that the left and right widths become narrower toward the rear, and the seedlings N can be moved closer to the left and right center sides to facilitate lifting. Also, a plurality of mounting portions (for example, screw holes for mounting) on the mounting plate 100A where the fixtures 103d can be mounted may be provided at predetermined intervals in the left and right directions, and the mounting positions of the left and right support arms 103, 103 in the left and right directions may be configured to be adjustable. Thereby, it is possible to flexibly respond to the left and right widths and the number of rows of the seedling mat M.

[0062] The left and right support arms 103, 103 are provided with electric cylinders 104 at their intermediate portions that can be telescopically controlled, whereby the overall length H of the support arms 103 can be adjusted. As a result, the height positions of the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 can be adjusted and set, and the seedling mat M can be adjusted to a height at which it is easy to lift according to the length of the seedlings N. Thereby, it is possible to flexibly respond to the length of the seedlings N and improve the working accuracy. That is, it is possible to satisfactorily prevent mistakes in lifting the seedling mat. Here, the expansion and contraction of the electric cylinder 104 are performed by the operator operating various switches 600, but an imaging device is provided at an appropriate location inside the base portion 15a, and the controller C acquires the captured image of the seedlings N and automatically adjusts the height positions of the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 based on the length of the seedlings N calculated by image analysis (for example, adjusted to a position a predetermined distance below the upper end of the seedlings). Thereby, the working burden on the operator is reduced.

[0063] <Operation of the Seedling Mat Extraction Mechanism 100> FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the seedling mat extraction mechanism 100.

[0064] As shown in FIG. 7, in response to the operator inserting the seedling mat M, the seedling mat extraction mechanism 100 performs the operation of extracting the seedling mat M from the seedling raising box M2 according to the following steps, and supplies the extracted seedling mat M to the seedling mat conveying mechanism 200.

[0065] (STEP1) First, the operator starts inserting the seedling mat M contained in the seedling raising box M2 from the entrance of the seedling mat insertion port 131. At this time, the operator first places the front end portion of the seedling raising box M2 on the support plate 110, and then performs a pushing operation backward into the rear of the seedling mat storage portion 10. At this point, the seedling raising box conveying roller 120, the seedling mat lifting roller 101, and the drawing conveyor 140 are all in a drive stop state.

[0066] (STEP2) Next, when the front end of the seedling raising box M2 reaches the seedling raising box conveying roller 120, the load detection sensor S1 detects the load, and the controller C that has acquired the detection information starts driving the seedling raising box conveying roller 120, the seedling mat lifting roller 101, and the drawing conveyor 140. As a result, the seedling raising box M2 starts to be conveyed backward, and the seedling N comes into contact with the seedling mat lifting roller 101, and the front end portion of the seedling mat M is lifted.

[0067] (STEP3) With the front end portion of the seedling mat M lifted by the seedling mat lifting roller 101, as the seedling raising box M2 is conveyed backward by the seedling raising box conveying roller 120, the separation plate 130 enters between the seedling mat M and the seedling raising box M2, and separates the seedling mat M and the seedling raising box M2 as the seedling raising box M2 is conveyed backward. Here, the controller 3 rotates the seedling mat lifting roller 101 for a predetermined time (for example, 3 seconds) and then stops it. As a result, the lifted seedling mat M is released and placed on the separation plate 130.

[0068] (STEP4) The seedling mat M is pushed by the frame part of the seedling raising box M2 by being conveyed rearward by the seedling raising box conveying roller 120, and is further moved rearward and rides on the separation plate 130. As a result, the seedling mat M moves onto the retracting conveyor 140 and is retracted into the seedling mat storage part 10 by the retracting conveyor 140.

[0069] (STEP5) The seedling mat M is further conveyed rearward by the retracting conveyor 140 and supplied to the seedling mat conveying mechanism 200. As a result, the extraction of the seedling mat M from the seedling raising box M2 is completed. At the same time, the seedling raising box M2 is dropped and supplied to the inclined guide plate 150, guided outside the seedling mat storage part 10, and returned to the operator. Thus, the empty seedling raising box M2 can be quickly recovered. When the load detection sensor S1 no longer detects the load, the controller C stops the drive of the seedling raising box conveying roller 120. Also, when a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds) has elapsed since the drive of the seedling raising box conveying roller 120 stopped, since the supply of the seedling mat M to the seedling mat conveying mechanism 200 is completed, the drive of the retracting conveyor 140 is also stopped.

[0070] As described above, when the operator inserts the seedling mat M contained in the seedling raising box M2 from the entrance of the seedling mat insertion port 131, the seedling mat M contained in the seedling raising box M2 is taken out by the seedling mat taking-out mechanism 100 and conveyed into the seedling mat storage part 10. Therefore, the work load related to the seedling mat insertion can be reduced and the work efficiency can be improved.

[0071] <Other Embodiments> Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited only to the above-described embodiments. Needless to say, it can be appropriately changed within the scope of the technical idea.

[0072] FIG. 8 is a left side view of the main part around the seedling mat lifting part 100X of the seedling mat storage part 10 according to another embodiment. In the above embodiment, the inclined guide plate 150 is configured to return the empty seedling raising box M2 to the operator. However, as shown in FIG. 8, instead of the inclined guide plate 150, a seedling raising box storage part 151 capable of accommodating a plurality of empty seedling raising boxes M2 can be provided below the seedling raising box conveying roller 120. The seedling raising box storage part 151 can be configured as a drawer that can be pulled out from the seedling mat storage part 10, for example.

[0073] <Contact prevention processing during automatic driving> An obstacle detection sensor for detecting obstacles existing around the seedling transplanter 1 and an abnormality detection sensor for detecting abnormalities of the machine body, and a three-color lamp for notifying the degree of safety to the surroundings according to the lighting color of the lamp are provided at appropriate positions on the machine body. The controller C may be configured to acquire the detection information of the obstacle detection sensor and the abnormality detection sensor and execute a safety improvement process for improving safety during automatic driving.

[0074] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of the safety improvement process.

[0075] The safety improvement process starts when automatic driving starts, and determines whether an abnormality has occurred during automatic driving based on the detection information of the obstacle detection sensor and the abnormality detection sensor (step S1). An abnormality is, for example, that an operator or other obstacle has been detected within the detection range of the obstacle.

[0076] Subsequently, when an abnormality occurs, automatic driving is stopped, and after determining which of the first to third groups divided according to the importance of the abnormality the occurred abnormality belongs to (steps S2 to step 4), processing corresponding to each group is performed (steps S5 to 16). That is, the greater the importance of the occurred abnormality (in the illustrated example, the first group, the second group, and the third group in descending order), the more confirmation steps are required until automatic driving is started again to improve safety. The importance of an abnormality can be determined, for example, that the closer the distance between the machine body and the obstacle, the greater the importance.

[0077] Further, the controller C is configured to temporarily stop the aircraft without accepting an operation from the operator for a certain period of time after an obstacle is detected (in other words, ignoring an external input signal such as various switches 600), so that safety can be improved for obstacle avoidance.

[0078] <Battery Arrangement Configuration> In the above embodiment, the seedling transplanter 1 has been described with a configuration without a driver's seat, but a simple driver's seat can also be provided on the traveling vehicle body 2. At this time, the seedling planting unit 3 is configured to be driven by an electric motor, and a driving battery is disposed under the driver's seat and above the bottom surface of the transmission case, and further, it can be configured to be disposed in front of the rear wheel axle. According to such a configuration, it is possible to improve the battery replaceability while ensuring the lowest ground clearance of the machine body for improving the wet paddy field traversability.

[0079] <Improving the Working Efficiency of the Seedling Transplanter> The seedling transplanter 1 may be provided with a function that allows an operator to manually select a working route of the transplanter based on data on the occurrence state of weeds in the farming system. Further, a function may be provided to classify the occurrence situation of weeds according to the density of weeds and automatically select an area above an arbitrary level as the working route.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0080] 1 Seedling transplanter 2 Traveling vehicle body 3 Seedling planting unit 4 Automatic steering device 5 Position information acquisition device 8 Seedling sensor (remaining amount detection device) 10 Seedling mat storage section 11 Front wheels (steering wheels) 13 Seedling tank (material storage section) 14 Material transport mechanism 15 Tank section 15a Base section 15b Dome section 15c Mounting seat 20 Seedling trays 51 Receiver antenna 100 Seedling mat extraction mechanism 101 Seedling mat lifting roller 110 Support plate 120 Seedling box conveyor roller 130 Separation plate 140 Retracting conveyor 150 Inclined guide plate 200 Seedling mat conveying mechanism 200 131 Material inlet A1 Field A2 Farm road C Controller (control unit) M Seedling mat M2 Seedling box N Seedling

Claims

1. A traveling vehicle body having a steering wheel steered by a steering device, a seedling planting unit connected to the rear part of the traveling vehicle body for planting seedlings in a field, a position information acquisition device for acquiring position information, a control unit that detects the steering angle of the steering wheel and drives the steering device based on the detected steering angle and the position information acquired by the position information acquisition device to control the automatic traveling of the traveling vehicle body, a seedling mat storage unit provided over the entire upper part of the machine body extending from the front end part to the rear end part of the traveling vehicle body for storing a seedling mat to be fed to the seedling planting unit, The seedling mat storage unit includes a seedling mat taking-out mechanism for taking out the seedling mat put into the interior from a seedling raising box, and a seedling mat conveying mechanism for conveying the seedling mat taken out by the seedling mat taking-out mechanism, The seedling mat taking-out mechanism includes a seedling raising box conveying roller for conveying a seedling raising box, The seedling raising box conveying roller is configured to convey a seedling raising box emptied by taking out the seedling mat and supply it onto an inclined guide plate that guides the seedling raising box outside the seedling mat storage unit.

2. The seedling mat taking-out mechanism includes left and right seedling mat lifting rollers. By the rotational drive of the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers, upward rotational frictional forces are applied to both left and right sides of the seedling mat to lift the seedling mat from the seedling raising box, separate the lifted seedling mat from the seedling raising box, and take out the seedling mat from the seedling raising box. The seedling transplanter according to claim 1, characterized in that.

3. The left and right seedling mat lifting rollers are arranged in an upwardly inclined posture that slopes upward as it goes rearward. The seedling transplanter according to claim 2, characterized in that.

4. The seedling mat taking-out mechanism includes a support arm that supports the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers in a hollow manner, and an electric cylinder that enables the support arm to expand and contract vertically. By controlling the expansion and contraction of the electric cylinder, the height position of the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers can be adjusted. The seedling transplanter according to claim 2 or claim 3, characterized in that.

Images