Transplanter

Abstract

To provide a transplanter which facilitates the attachment / detachment of a seedling mat to / from a seedling-placing table.SOLUTION: The transplanter comprises a seedling mat pressing mechanism positioned over the seedling-placing table. The seedling mat pressing mechanism is rotatable about the upstream side in a feeding direction of a seedling mat on the seedling-placing table and is disposed in such a manner where the downstream side on the seedling-placing table can be opened.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transplanter. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a riding rice transplanter that uses a seedling mat holder to hold down a seedling mat placed on a seedling carrier. The seedling mat can be removed from the seedling carrier by rotating the seedling mat holder around its rear end as a pivot point. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-283016 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the configuration of Patent Document 1, a pivot shaft that serves as the pivot point for the seedling mat holder is located near the bottom of the seedling carrier. This makes it difficult to secure a large working space near the bottom of the seedling carrier for attaching and detaching the seedling mat, which may make the work of attaching and detaching the seedling mat difficult. In this respect, the configuration of Patent Document 1 leaves room for improvement.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and its object is to provide a transplanter that can easily perform the work of attaching and detaching a seedling mat to and from a seedling carrier. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A transplanter according to one aspect of the present invention is a transplanter equipped with a seedling mat holding mechanism located above the seedling carrier, which is rotatable around the upstream side of the seedling mat on the seedling carrier in the feed direction, and is positioned so as to be able to open the downstream side of the seedling carrier.

[0007] Another aspect of the present invention is a transplanter equipped with a seedling mat holding mechanism located above the seedling carrier, the seedling mat holding mechanism having a seedling mat operating body that holds down the seedling mat on the seedling carrier, and an operating body support part that supports the seedling mat operating body so that it can move in the feed direction of the seedling mat on the seedling carrier. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the above configuration, the seedling mat can be easily attached and detached to and from the seedling carrier. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a side view of the planting section of the transplanter. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a rear view of the seedling loading device of the planting section seen from the rear. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a seedling mat pressing mechanism provided in the transplanter. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a seedling mat operating body of the seedling mat pressing mechanism. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a side view of the seedling mat operating body at a position where it presses down the seedling mat on the seedling carrier. [Figure 7] 10 is a perspective view of the seedling mat pressing mechanism when the working body support part is in the open position. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a side view showing the seedling mat pressing mechanism in the initial state of the work of attaching the seedling mat to the seedling carrier. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a side view showing the seedling mat pressing mechanism in an open state. [Figure 10] A side view showing the seedling mat pressing mechanism in the upstream side sliding state. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is a side view showing the seedling mat pressing mechanism in a standby state. [Figure 12] FIG. 4 is a side view showing the seedling mat pressing mechanism in a closed state. [Figure 13] A side view showing the seedling mat pressing mechanism in the downstream side sliding state. [Figure 14] 10 is a side view of the holding mechanism when the operating body support part is held at the operating position. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a side view of the holding mechanism when the working body support part is held in the open position. [Figure 16] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the holding mechanism. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. For the sake of convenience in the following description, directions will be defined as follows: First, the traveling direction of the traveling body 2 (leftward in FIG. 1) is defined as the front (forward), and the opposite direction is defined as the rear (rear). Furthermore, the left side of the traveling direction of the traveling body 2 is defined as the left (leftward), and the right side of the traveling direction is defined as the right (rightward). Furthermore, the direction of gravity is defined as the up-down direction, the upstream side is defined as the top (upper), and the downstream side is defined as the bottom (lower). In the drawings, the forward side is indicated by the symbol "F," the rear side by the symbol "B," the left side by the symbol "L," the right side by the symbol "R," the upper side by the symbol "U," and the lower side by the symbol "D," as necessary. Note that the upstream side refers to the starting point side when a direction is indicated by an arrow, and is synonymous with the upstream side. The downstream side refers to the end point side when a direction is indicated by an arrow, and is synonymous with the downstream side.

[0011] <1. Overview of the transplanter> Fig. 1 is a side view showing the schematic configuration of a transplanter 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the planting unit 3 of the transplanter 1 of Fig. 1. The transplanter 1 of this embodiment is a vegetable (seedling) transplanter that plants vegetable seedlings such as cabbage into soil. The transplanter 1 comprises a traveling body 2 and the planting unit 3.

[0012] The traveling machine body 2 is supported by left and right front wheels 1a and left and right rear wheels 1b. An engine 1c is mounted on the traveling machine body 2 as a drive source. The power output from the engine 1c is transmitted to the driven parts via a transmission unit 1d. In addition to the front wheels 1a and rear wheels 1b, the driven parts include the planting unit 3, which will be described later. Therefore, the transmission unit 1d includes a PTO (Power Take Off) shaft for driving the planting unit 3.

[0013] The traveling machine body 2 includes a seat 2a for the operator, an operating unit 2b operated by the operator, and a spare loading unit 2c for loading spare seedling mats. The operating unit 2b includes a steering handle for controlling the traveling direction, a speed change lever for controlling the traveling speed, and an operation lever for operating the planting unit 3.

[0014] A communication unit 2d is disposed on top of the auxiliary mounting portion 2c. The communication unit 2d is provided for receiving radio signals transmitted from positioning satellites to acquire the position information of the vehicle itself, and for wireless communication with an external remote monitoring device.

[0015] The planting unit 3 is connected to the rear of the traveling body 2 via a lifting mechanism 4 so that it can be raised and lowered. The lifting mechanism 4 includes a top link 41, a lower link 42, and a lifting cylinder (not shown). The top link 41 and lower link 42 connect the traveling body 2 and the planting unit 3. The lifting cylinder is connected to the lower link 42. For example, by operating the operating unit 2b (operating lever), the lifting cylinder 43 is extended and retracted, causing the lower link 42 to rotate and the top link 41 to rotate. This allows the planting unit 3 to be raised and lowered relative to the traveling body 2.

[0016] The planting section 3 has a seedling loading device 31 and a seedling planting mechanism 32. The seedling planting mechanism 32 picks up one seedling from the seedling mat placed on the seedling loading device 31 and plants the picked seedling in the soil (ridge).

[0017] FIG. 3 is a rear view of the seedling loading device 31. The seedling loading device 31 transports seedling mats MT (see FIG. 4) placed on seedling loading trays 311 downward by driving a vertical feed belt 312. The transplanter 1 of this embodiment is configured so that seven single-row seedling loading trays 311, each capable of carrying one row of seedling mats MT, are arranged in a row from side to side, and four seedling loading trays 311, arranged every other row, are used to plant four rows of seedlings. The number of seedling loading trays 311 used for planting seedlings may be selected appropriately depending on the number of rows to be planted, the type of seedlings to be planted, etc. The transplanter 1 of this embodiment (particularly the seedling loading device 31) is equipped with a seedling mat holding mechanism 50, the details of which will be described later.

[0018] The vertical feed belt 312 is driven vertically by a vertical feed mechanism 313 shown in FIG. 2. The vertical feed mechanism 313 feeds the vertical feed belt 312 vertically by one stalk (one row) when the seedling planting mechanism 32 finishes removing one row of seedlings from the seedling mat MT in the left-right direction. This allows the seedling planting mechanism 32 to remove the next row of seedlings from the seedling mat MT. The seedling carrier 311 is driven horizontally by a horizontal feed mechanism 314. After the vertical feed belt 312 has vertically fed the seedling mat MT, the horizontal feed mechanism 314 feeds the seedling carrier 311 horizontally in either the left or right direction. In particular, the horizontal feed mechanism 314 reverses the horizontal feed direction of the seedling carrier 311 each time the vertical feed belt 312 vertically feeds the seedling mat MT (each time the vertical feed belt 312 finishes removing one row of seedlings from the seedling mat MT). This allows the seedling planting mechanism 32 to continuously pick up the seedlings in the next row after finishing picking up one row of seedlings from the seedling mat MT.

[0019] The traverse mechanism 314 has a drive shaft (traverse shaft) that moves the seedling carrier 311 laterally. The traverse shaft is driven by power transmitted from the engine 1c via the PTO shaft. A drive cam 314a is attached to the traverse shaft. The drive cam 314a rotates together with the rotation of the traverse shaft.

[0020] The vertical feed mechanism 313 has a drive shaft (vertical feed shaft) that drives the vertical feed belt 312 in the vertical direction, and a rotating shaft for rotating the vertical feed shaft. A driven cam 313a is attached to the rotating shaft. The driven cam 313a comes into contact with a drive cam 314a of the lateral feed mechanism 314 at a predetermined timing. Here, the predetermined timing is the timing when the removal of one row of seedlings from the seedling mat MT is completed.

[0021] When the rotation of the lateral feed shaft causes the drive cam 314a to come into contact with the driven cam 313a at the predetermined timing and rotate the rotating shaft by a predetermined angle together with the driven cam 313a, the power generated by the rotation of the rotating shaft is transmitted to the longitudinal feed shaft via a power transmission mechanism (not shown). This drives the longitudinal feed belt 312 for longitudinal feed at the predetermined timing. When the contact between the drive cam 314a and the driven cam 313a is released, the driven cam 313a rotates in the opposite direction due to the biasing force of a biasing member (not shown) and returns to its initial position before rotation. The power transmission mechanism may include, for example, gears, belts, chains, etc., but may be provided as needed. In other words, the power of the rotating shaft to which the driven cam 313a is attached may be transmitted directly to the longitudinal feed shaft (without a power transmission mechanism).

[0022] The seedling planting mechanisms 32 are provided corresponding to the seedling trays 311 to be used. In this embodiment, four seedling planting mechanisms 32 are provided in the left-right direction corresponding to the four seedling trays 311 to be used (see FIG. 3).

[0023] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, each seedling planting mechanism 32 has a rotary case 321. The rotary case 321 is rotatably supported on a power transmission case 33b extending in the left-right direction. A planting unit 322 having planting claws is journaled at a position radially offset from the rotation axis of the rotary case 321. In this embodiment, one planting unit 322 is supported on one rotary case 321, but multiple planting units 322 (for example, two) may be supported.

[0024] The power transmission case 33b is fixed to a planting case 33a extending in the front-to-rear direction. The planting case 33a is fixed to the planting frame 33 (see Figure 2). In this embodiment, two planting cases 33a are provided in the left-to-right direction. The power transmission cases 33b of the two seedling planting mechanisms 32 are fixed to the left-to-right planting case 33a on opposite sides. Similarly, the power transmission cases 33b of the two seedling planting mechanisms 32 are fixed to the right-to-left planting case 33a on opposite sides.

[0025] Each seedling planting mechanism 32 is driven by power extracted from the PTO shaft. More specifically, when power is transmitted from the PTO shaft to the rotating shaft of the rotary case 321 of each seedling planting mechanism 32 via the power transmission shaft in the planting case 33a and the power transmission case 33b, the rotary case 321 rotates. As a result, the planting claws of the planting units 322 journaled on the rotary case 321 pick the seedlings one by one from the seedling mat MT and plant the picked seedlings in the rows one by one.

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, the planting frame 33 of the planting unit 3 supports a planting depth adjustment mechanism 35 and a furrow former 36. The planting depth adjustment mechanism 35 adjusts the planting depth of seedlings relative to the soil surface (e.g., the top surface of a ridge). For example, when the planting depth adjustment lever 351 of the planting depth adjustment mechanism 35 is rotated upward, the lifting sensor 353 rises via the link mechanism 352. In this case, the position of the seedling planting mechanism 32 drops relative to the lifting sensor 353, which is in contact with the soil surface. Therefore, the seedlings planted by the seedling planting mechanism 32 are planted deeply. Conversely, when the planting depth adjustment lever 351 is rotated downward, the lifting sensor 353 drops via the link mechanism 352. In this case, the position of the seedling planting mechanism 32 rises relative to the lifting sensor 353. Therefore, the seedlings planted by the seedling planting mechanism 32 are planted shallowly.

[0027] The furrow former 36 creates furrows in the soil for planting seedlings prior to planting the seedlings by scraping away part of the soil (ridge) as the traveling body 2 travels. This makes it easy to plant seedlings in the soil even in hard field soil.

[0028] Soil covering wheels 37 are supported on the planting frame 33 via auxiliary frames 33c. A pair of soil covering wheels 37 are provided on the left and right sides of each seedling planting mechanism 32 (see Figure 3). The soil covering wheels 37 press down from above on the right and left sides of the seedlings planted in the furrows by the seedling planting mechanism 32. This compacts the soil around the planted seedlings, preventing them from falling over.

[0029] <2. Seedling mat holding mechanism details> Next, we will explain in detail the seedling mat pressing mechanism 50 of the seedling loading device 31. For convenience, we will explain the seedling mat pressing mechanism 50 supported on the leftmost seedling loading platform 311 of the four seedling loading platforms 311 below, but the seedling mat pressing mechanisms 50 supported on the other seedling loading platforms 311 have the same configuration.

[0030] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the seedling mat pressing mechanism 50. The seedling mat pressing mechanism 50 is located above the seedling carrier 311. The seedling mat pressing mechanism 50 is provided to press down the seedling mat MT when it is placed on the seedling carrier 311. The seedling mat MT placed on the seedling carrier 311 is fed vertically by the vertical feed belt 312. For convenience of the following explanation, the direction in which the seedling mat MT is fed vertically on the seedling carrier 311, i.e., the direction in which the seedling mat MT moves from the upper end to the lower end of the seedling carrier 311, is also referred to as the feed direction S1. Furthermore, in the following explanation, unless otherwise specified, when simply referring to the upstream side or the downstream side, it refers to the upstream side or the downstream side of the feed direction S1.

[0031] The seedling mat pressing mechanism 50 has a seedling mat action body 51 and an action body support part 52. The seedling mat action body 51 is a structure that presses down the seedling mat on the seedling carrier 311. The action body support part 52 is a slide guide that supports the seedling mat action body 51 so that it can move between the upstream and downstream sides in the feed direction S1. First, the seedling mat action body 51 will be described.

[0032] (2-1. Seedling mat active material) 5 is a perspective view of the seedling mat action body 51. The seedling mat action body 51 is formed by connecting a pair of individual action bodies 511 arranged in the left-right direction with a connecting portion 512 in the left-right direction. This will be explained in more detail as follows.

[0033] Each individual acting body 511 has an upper extending portion 5111, a lower extending portion 5112, and a connecting member 5113. The upper extending portion 5111 is made of, for example, a thin plate-like member and extends in the feed direction S1. The upper extending portion 5111 may also be made of a rod-like member extending in the feed direction S1.

[0034] The lower extension portion 5112 is located below the upper extension portion 5111, i.e., closer to the seedling carrier 311. The lower extension portion 5112 is formed, for example, by bending a thin rod-shaped body, and extends in the feed direction S1 as a whole. More specifically, the lower extension portion 5112 has a pressing portion 5112a, an upstream connecting portion 5112b, and a downstream connecting portion 5112c. In other words, the seedling mat operating body 51 has the pressing portion 5112a, the upstream connecting portion 5112b, and the downstream connecting portion 5112c.

[0035] The pressing portion 5112a extends in the feeding direction S1 and presses the seedling mat MT onto the seedling carrier 311. The upstream connecting portion 5112b is located upstream of the pressing portion 5112a in the feeding direction S1 and is connected to the pressing portion 5112a. The downstream connecting portion 5112c is located downstream of the pressing portion 5112a in the feeding direction S1 and is connected to the pressing portion 5112a.

[0036] The connecting member 5113 is formed of, for example, a thin rod-like body, and connects the upper extending portion 5111 and the lower extending portion 5112 in each individual acting body 511. The connecting member 5113 and the upper extending portion 5111 are connected by, for example, welding. The connecting member 5113 and the lower extending portion 5112 are also connected by, for example, welding.

[0037] In particular, the connecting member 5113 has a first connecting member 5113a and a second connecting member 5113b. The first connecting member 5113a connects the upstream end of the upper extending portion 5111 in the feed direction S1 to the lower extending portion 5112 (particularly the upstream connecting portion 5112b). The second connecting member 5113b connects the downstream end of the upper extending portion 5111 in the feed direction S1 to the lower extending portion 5112 (particularly the downstream connecting portion 5112c). In this embodiment, the distance between the first connecting member 5113a and the second connecting member 5113b increases from the upper extending portion 5111 side toward the lower extending portion 5112 side. Note that this distance may be constant or may decrease from the upper extending portion 5111 side toward the lower extending portion 5112 side.

[0038] The connecting portion 512 has a front connecting portion 512a and a rear connecting portion 512b. The front connecting portion 512a connects the upstream ends of the left and right upper extending portions 5111 to each other by welding or the like. The rear connecting portion 512b connects the downstream ends of the left and right upper extending portions 5111 to each other by welding or the like. The connecting portion 512 is inserted into a guide 5211 (see FIG. 4 ) of the action body support portion 52, which will be described later. As a result, the connecting portion 512 is supported by the guide 5211 and forms a slide bar that is movable along the guide 5211. Stoppers 512P are provided at the left and right ends of the connecting portion 512 to prevent the connecting portion 512 from coming off the guide 5211.

[0039] 6 is a side view of the seedling mat operating body 51 when it is in a position to press the seedling mat MT on the seedling carrier 311. As shown in the figure, the vertical feed belt 312 is an endless belt that is stretched by a drive roller 3121 and a driven roller 3122. The drive roller 3121 is provided coaxially with the vertical feed shaft. The vertical feed belt 312 rotates so as to be exposed to a part of the seedling carrier 311 (an opening formed in the seedling carrier 311) (see FIG. 3). The vertical feed belt 312 has horizontal bars 312a as protrusions extending in the left-right direction formed at predetermined intervals in the belt travel direction (feed direction S1).

[0040] On the other hand, grooves G are formed extending in the left-right direction on the back side of the seedling mat MT, i.e., on the side of the seedling mat MT that comes into contact with the vertical feed belt 312 (seedling carrier 311). The grooves G are formed at the same pitch as the formation pitch of the cross bars 312a of the vertical feed belt 312 in the feed direction S1 of the seedling mat MT. The grooves G of the seedling mat MT fit into the cross bars 312a of the vertical feed belt 312, causing the vertical feed belt 312 to be fed vertically, thereby transporting the seedling mat MT in the feed direction S1.

[0041] In this embodiment, when seedling mats MT are placed on the seedling carrier 311, they are generally inserted from the upstream side of the carrier 311 in the feed direction S1. However, in order to feed the seedling mats MT vertically by the vertical feed belt 312, the grooves G of the seedling mat MT must be fitted into the cross bars 312a of the vertical feed belt 312 to lock them in place. Therefore, when placing seedling mats MT on the seedling carrier 311, the seedling mat operating member 51 is retracted from the seedling mat MT holding position only when placing the first seedling mat MT, thereby opening the downstream side of the seedling carrier 311. Then, after the first seedling mat MT is placed so that the grooves G fit into the cross bars 312a of the vertical feed belt 312, the seedling mat operating member 51 is returned to the seedling mat MT holding position. The second and subsequent seedling mats MT are inserted from the upstream side of the carrier 311 in the feed direction S1 and contact the rear end (upstream end) of the preceding seedling mat MT. As a result, when the succeeding seedling mat MT comes into contact with the vertical feed belt 312, the groove G on the back surface of the succeeding seedling mat MT fits into the horizontal bar 312a of the vertical feed belt 312, allowing it to be transported (vertically fed) continuously with the preceding seedling mat MT. As a method for retracting the seedling mat action body 51 from the holding position when the first seedling mat MT is placed, for example, at least one of rotating the action body support part 52 and sliding the seedling mat action body 51 can be considered, but details of this will be described later.

[0042] 6, when the pressing portion 5112a is in a position to press the seedling mat MT, the upstream connecting portion 5112b and the downstream connecting portion 5112c of the lower extension portion 5112 of the seedling mat operating body 51 are positioned farther from the seedling tray 311 than the pressing portion 5112a. Specifically, when the seedling mat operating body 51 is in a position to press the seedling mat MT placed on the seedling tray 311, the distance between the pressing portion 5112a and the seedling tray 311 is d1 (mm), the minimum distance between the upstream connecting portion 5112b and the seedling tray 311 is d2 (mm), and the minimum distance between the downstream connecting portion 5112c and the seedling tray 311 is d3 (mm), then d2 > d1 and d3 > d1.

[0043] In this configuration, the pressure member 5112a prevents the seedling mat MT from lifting off the seedling carrier 311. Furthermore, when the first seedling mat MT advances in the feed direction S1, the second seedling mat MT, inserted from the upstream side onto the seedling carrier 311, can advance downstream through the gap between the seedling carrier 311 and the upstream connecting member 5112b. This allows the leading edge (downstream end) of the second seedling mat MT to come into contact with the trailing edge (upstream end) of the first seedling mat MT. Therefore, the first and second seedling mats MT can be transported (vertically fed) continuously. Therefore, even after seedlings have been removed from the first seedling mat MT, seedlings can be removed continuously (without interruption) from the second seedling mat MT.

[0044] Furthermore, even when the last seedling mat MT advances in the feed direction S1 and the groove G is released by the crosspiece 312a of the vertical feed belt 312, the last seedling mat MT (several rows on the upstream side) can pass through the gap between the seedling carrier 311 and the downstream connecting part 5112c and advance further downstream under its own weight. This makes it possible to scrape the seedlings from the seedling mat MT after they leave the vertical feed belt 312.

[0045] The lower extension 5112 may have any shape that satisfies the conditions d2>d1 and d3>d1, and is not limited to the bent shape shown in Fig. 6. For example, the upstream connecting portion 5112b may have a shape that extends in a straight line obliquely away from the seedling carrier 311 as it moves further upstream from the upstream end of the pressing portion 5112a. Similarly, the downstream connecting portion 5112c may have a shape that extends in a straight line obliquely away from the seedling carrier 311 as it moves further downstream from the downstream end of the pressing portion 5112a.

[0046] (2-2. Working body support part) 4, the operating body support portion 52 has a pair of left and right guide plates 521 and a guide plate connecting portion 522. Each guide plate 521 is made up of a plate-like member extending in the feed direction S1. The guide plate connecting portion 522 is made up of a plate-like member extending in the left-right direction. The guide plate connecting portion 522 connects the upstream ends of each guide plate 521 together in the left-right direction.

[0047] Each guide plate 521 is provided with a guide 5211. The guide 5211 is formed of a long hole extending from the upstream side to the downstream side in the feed direction S1. That is, the action body support portion 52 has the guide 5211.

[0048] An operating body locking portion 5211a is provided at the upstream end of the guide 5211. The operating body locking portion 5211a locks the connecting portion 512 (particularly the front connecting portion 512a) shown in FIG. 5 when the seedling mat operating body 51 is positioned (at) the (most) upstream side in the feed direction S1. Such operating body locking portion 5211a is formed by a recess 5211b. The connecting portion 512 (front connecting portion 512a) as a slide bar fits into the recess 5211b, thereby locking the seedling mat operating body 51 at a predetermined position on the upstream side in the feed direction S1. When the seedling mat operating body 51 is positioned at the most downstream side in the feed direction S1, the rear connecting portion 512b of the connecting portion 512 is held in contact with the downstream end of the guide 5211 due to the weight of the seedling mat operating body 51. Therefore, the downstream end of the guide 5211 does not have a recess, such as the recess 5211b, for engaging the rear connecting portion 512b.

[0049] As shown in Figure 4, the working body support part 52 further has a shaft part 53. The shaft part 53 is composed of a rod-shaped body extending in the left-right direction. The shaft part 53 is fixed to a support post 311P. The support posts 311P are respectively erected on partition frames 311L and 311R located on both the left and right sides of the seedling tray 311. The upper ends of the support posts 311P lined up in the left-right direction are connected to a common frame 311Q that straddles the tops of the multiple seedling trays 311 lined up in the left-right direction.

[0050] The shaft portion 53 is provided so as to penetrate the pair of left and right guide plates 521. Each guide plate 521 can rotate around the shaft portion 53 as a rotation axis. In other words, the action body support portion 52 having each guide plate 521 is disposed through the shaft portion 53 (rotation axis) which serves as the rotation center, and can rotate around the shaft portion 53 as the rotation axis.

[0051] The seedling mat operating body 51 slides along the guide 5211 and holds down the seedling mat MT while positioned (furthest) downstream in the feed direction S1, as shown in Figure 4. At this time, the shaft portion 53 serving as a rotation axis is positioned upstream in the feed direction S1 from the position of the seedling mat operating body 51 when holding down the seedling mat MT. This allows the operating body support portion 52 to rotate around the shaft portion 53 as a rotation center so as to open the downstream side of the seedling carrier 311. Therefore, it can be said that the seedling mat holding mechanism 50 having the operating body support portion 52 is arranged so as to be rotatable around the upstream side of the seedling mat MT on the seedling carrier 311 in the feed direction S1 as a rotation center and to be able to open the downstream side of the seedling carrier 311.

[0052] Here, the position of the action body support part 52 when the seedling mat action body 51 presses down the seedling mat MT is referred to as the action position P1. The seedling mat pressing mechanism 50 when the action body support part 52 is in the action position P1 is as shown in FIG. 4. Furthermore, the position where the action body support part 52 rotates and the seedling mat action body 51 is farther from the seedling carrier 311 than the action position P1 is referred to as the release position P2. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the seedling mat pressing mechanism 50 when the action body support part 52 is in the release position P2. In this embodiment, the action body support part 52 (seedling mat pressing mechanism 50) is rotatable about the shaft part 53 (rotation axis) between the action position P1 shown in FIG. 4 and the release position P2 shown in FIG. 7.

[0053] (2-3. Seedling Mat Installation Procedure) 8 to 13 are side views showing the seedling mat pressing mechanism 50 at each stage of the work of attaching the first seedling mat MT to the seedling carrier 311. In these drawings, for the purpose of clarifying the position of the seedling mat operating body 51, the left partition frame 311L of the seedling carrier 311 (see Figures 4 and 7) and the left support bracket 545L fixed to the seedling carrier 311 (see Figures 4 and 7) have been omitted for convenience.

[0054] When attaching the seedling mat MT to the seedling carrier 311, the seedling mat holding mechanism 50 sequentially adopts the following states: initial state (see Figure 8), open state (see Figure 9), upstream sliding state (see Figure 10), standby state (see Figure 11), closed state (see Figure 12), and downstream sliding state (see Figure 13).

[0055] That is, in the initial state of Figure 8, the seedling mat operating body 51 is held by its own weight with the rear connecting part 512b (see Figure 5) in contact with the downstream end of the guide 5211. The position of the operating body support part 52 at this time is the same as the position when the seedling mat operating body 51 presses down the seedling mat MT on the seedling carrier 311, that is, the operating position P1 shown in Figure 4.

[0056] When the operator grasps the switching lever 541 of the holding mechanism 54 (described later) and pulls it diagonally upward from the state shown in FIG. 8, the action body support part 52 rotates around the upstream shaft 53, with the downstream side (the side connected to the switching lever 541) moving away from the seedling carrier 311, as shown in FIG. 9. Furthermore, because the seedling mat action body 51 (particularly the connecting part 512) is supported by the guide 5211 of the action body support part 52, simultaneously with the rotation of the action body support part 52, the downstream side of the seedling mat action body 51 also rotates away from the seedling carrier 311. This creates a space between the seedling carrier 311 and the seedling mat action body 51 on the downstream side of the seedling carrier 311. In other words, the downstream side of the seedling carrier 311 is opened. The position of the action body support part 52 at this time is the same as the open position P2 shown in FIG. 7.

[0057] Next, as shown in Fig. 10, the operator slides the seedling mat action body 51 upstream along the guide 5211. The front connecting portion 512a (see Fig. 5) of the seedling mat action body 51 enters the action body locking portion 5211a (recess 5211b) located at the upstream end of the guide 5211, thereby holding the seedling mat action body 51 on the upstream side.

[0058] In the state shown in Figure 10, the seedling mat operating member 51 is not present on the downstream side of the seedling carrier 311, so the space between the seedling carrier 311 and the operating member support member 52 is further increased on the downstream side of the seedling carrier 311. In other words, a larger space is secured on the downstream side of the seedling carrier 311 than in the state shown in Figure 9. In this state, the operator places the seedling mat MT on the downstream side of the seedling carrier 311 (see Figure 11). At this time, as shown in Figure 6, the seedling mat MT is placed so that the groove G on the back side of the seedling mat MT fits into the cross rail 312a of the vertical feed belt 312 exposed on the seedling carrier 311.

[0059] Next, the operator grasps the switching lever 541 and pushes it diagonally downward. As a result, as shown in Figure 12, the working body support part 52 rotates around the upstream shaft part 53 in the direction in which the downstream side approaches the seedling carrier 311. This closes the working body support part 52. The position of the working body support part 52 at this time is the same as the working position P1.

[0060] Next, the operator releases the engagement between the front connecting portion 512a of the seedling mat operating body 51 and the operating body locking portion 5211a, and slides the seedling mat operating body 51 downstream along the guide 5211. The engagement of the front connecting portion 512a can be easily released by slightly lifting the front connecting portion 512a and removing it from the recess 5211b.

[0061] As described above, the lower extension portion 5112 is configured as a thin rod-like body extending in the feed direction S1 as a whole. Therefore, when the seedling mat action body 51 is slid downstream, the branches and leaves of the seedlings of the seedling mat MT are pushed aside in the left-right direction by the lower extension portion 5112. Therefore, the seedling mat action body 51 can be slid downstream while reducing the possibility of the branches and leaves getting caught in the lower extension portion 5112.

[0062] When the seedling mat operating body 51 is slid downstream and the rear connecting portion 512b abuts against the downstream end of the guide 5211, the state shown in Figure 13 is reached. The position of the seedling mat operating body 51 at this time is the same as the initial position shown in Figure 8. In the state shown in Figure 13, the seedling mat MT on the seedling carrier 311 is pressed down by the pressing portion 5112a of the seedling mat operating body 51.

[0063] This completes the installation of the first seedling mat MT onto the seedling carrier 311. Furthermore, for example, after the planting work is completed, when removing the remaining seedling mats MT from the seedling carrier 311, the above steps can be carried out in reverse order.

[0064] As described above, in this embodiment, the seedling mat pressing mechanism 50, which includes the seedling mat operating member 51 and operating member support member 52, is rotated around the upstream shaft 53 to open the downstream side of the seedling carrier 311. This allows for a large working space to be secured on the downstream side of the seedling carrier 311 for attaching and detaching the seedling mat MT. This facilitates the attachment and detachment of the seedling mat MT to and from the seedling carrier 311. For example, when attaching and detaching the seedling mat MT to and from the seedling carrier 311, the horizontal rails 312a of the vertical feed belt 312 can be easily engaged with and disengaged from the grooves G on the back side of the seedling mat MT.

[0065] In order to make the downstream side of the seedling carrier 311 openable as in this embodiment, it is desirable that the operating body support portion 52 of the seedling mat holding mechanism 50 be arranged through the upstream side shaft portion 53 which serves as the pivot axis.

[0066] In addition, in order to ensure that the downstream side of the seedling carrying platform 311 can be opened, as shown in Figure 4, it is desirable that the axis portion 53, which serves as the pivot axis, be positioned upstream of the position of the seedling mat operating body 51 when pressing the seedling mat MT.

[0067] In order to ensure that there is sufficient working space on the downstream side of the seedling carrier 311 for attaching or removing the seedling mat MT, it is desirable that the operating body support part 52 be rotatable between an operating position P1 (see Figure 4) and an open position P2 (see Figure 7).

[0068] In order to enable the seedling mat action body 51 to slide reliably in the feed direction S1, it is desirable that the seedling mat action body 51 has a connecting portion 512 that can move along the guide 5211 of the action body support portion 52.

[0069] 11, it is desirable to be able to hold the seedling mat operating body 51 at a position on the upstream side so that the worker has time to attach the seedling mat MT to the seedling carrier 311. In this regard, as in this embodiment, it is desirable that the guide 5211 has an operating body locking portion 5211a that locks the connecting portion 512 at a predetermined position on the upstream side (for example, the most upstream position).

[0070] From the viewpoint of realizing the action body locking portion 5211a with a simple structure, it is desirable that the action body locking portion 5211a be formed with a recess 5211b into which the connecting portion 512 fits.

[0071] The above describes an example in which the seedling mat MT is attached to the seedling carrier 311 by changing the state of the seedling mat pressing mechanism 50 in the order of Figures 8 to 13, but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, the seedling mat MT may be attached to the seedling carrier 311 in the order of Figures 8, 12, and 13. In other words, the seedling mat MT may be attached to the seedling carrier 311 by simply sliding the seedling mat operating body 51 without rotating the seedling mat pressing mechanism 50.

[0072] Even if the position of the action body support part 52 is constant (even if the action body support part 52 is not rotated), by sliding the seedling mat action body 51 upstream, a large space where the seedling mat action body 51 was located is opened up on the downstream side of the seedling carrier 311. This allows space to be secured between the seedling carrier 311 and the action body support part 52 on the downstream side of the seedling carrier 311 for attaching the seedling mat MT to the seedling carrier 311. The same applies when removing the seedling mat MT from the seedling carrier 311 after planting is completed. In other words, by sliding the seedling mat action body 51 upstream, a space to remove the seedling mat MT from the seedling carrier 311 can be secured between the seedling carrier 311 and the action body support part 52 on the downstream side of the seedling carrier 311. This makes it easy to attach and detach the seedling mat MT to and from the seedling carrier 311.

[0073] From the above, it can be said that the transplanter 1 of this embodiment may have the following configuration. That is, the transplanter 1 of this embodiment is a transplanter equipped with a seedling mat pressing mechanism 50 located above the seedling carrier 311. The seedling mat pressing mechanism 50 has a seedling mat operating member 51 that presses down the seedling mat MT on the seedling carrier 311, and an operating member support part 52 that supports the seedling mat operating member 51 so that it can move in the feed direction S1 of the seedling mat MT on the seedling carrier 311.

[0074] Of course, the above-mentioned operating body support part 52 may be rotatable as in this embodiment. That is, the seedling mat pressing mechanism 50 may be rotatable about the upstream side in the feeding direction S1 as the rotation center and may be disposed so as to be able to open the downstream side on the seedling carrier 311. Also, the operating body support part 52 may be rotatable between an operating position P1 (see FIG. 4) and an open position P2 (see FIG. 7).

[0075] (2-4. Holding mechanism) The seedling mat pressing mechanism 50 of this embodiment further includes a holding mechanism 54. The holding mechanism 54 holds the operating body support part 52 at each of the operating position P1 and the release position P2. The holding mechanism 54 is provided on the downstream side of the operating body support part 52.

[0076] 14 and 15 are side views of the holding mechanism 54. In particular, FIG. 14 shows a state in which the holding mechanism 54 holds the acting body support part 52 at the acting position P1. Also, FIG. 15 shows a state in which the holding mechanism 54 holds the acting body support part 52 at the release position P2. Note that, for convenience, as with FIG. 10 and the like, the left partition frame 311L and the left support bracket 545L of the seedling carrier 311 are omitted from the illustration in FIGS. 14 and 15.

[0077] The holding mechanism 54 has a switching lever 541. A base end portion of the switching lever 541 opposite to a grip portion 541a at the tip is rotatably connected to one end portion of a lever connecting portion 542. The switching lever 541 has a shape that is bent midway between the grip portion 541a and the base end portion. A rotation axis that passes through the base end portion of the switching lever 541 and one end portion of the lever connecting portion 542 is defined as a first axis 542a.

[0078] The lever connector 542 is U-shaped and sandwiches the base end of the switching lever 541 from the left and right (see FIG. 16). That is, the lever connector 542 is configured to have a pair of opposing wall portions 542P and a bottom portion 542Q that connects the ends of the pair of wall portions 542P, and the base end of the switching lever 541 is sandwiched between the pair of wall portions 542P from the left and right. At this time, the bottom portion 542Q of the lever connector 542 is located downstream in the feed direction S1 with respect to the first shaft 542a. The U-shaped lever connector 542 is open on the side opposite the bottom portion 542Q with respect to the first shaft 542a, and the switching lever 541 passes through the open space.

[0079] The other end of the lever connecting portion 542, i.e., the end of the lever connecting portion 542 opposite to the side connected to the switching lever 541, is rotatably connected to one end of the support stay 543. A rotation axis passing through the other end of the lever connecting portion 542 and the one end of the support stay 543 at this time is defined as a second axis 542b.

[0080] The support stay 543 is fixed to the support frame 544 by welding or the like. The support frame 544 extends in the left-right direction and is fixed to the upper part of the left support bracket 545L (see Figure 16) and the right support bracket 545R by bolts or the like. The left and right support brackets 545L and 545R are fixed to the left and right sides of the downstream end of the seedling carrier 311 by bolts or the like, respectively.

[0081] Figure 16 is a perspective view of the holding mechanism 54 as viewed from the downstream side in the feed direction S1. The midpoint of the switching lever 541 is rotatably fixed to the protrusion 523 of the acting body support part 52. The protrusion 523 is fixed by welding or the like to the vicinity of the center in the left-right direction of the connecting rod 524, and is provided so as to protrude toward the seedling carrier 311. The connecting rod 524 is a rod-like body that is inverted U-shaped when viewed from the downstream side, and connects the downstream ends of each guide plate 521. The rotation axis that passes through the midpoint of the switching lever 541 and the protrusion 523 is referred to as the third axis 541b.

[0082] The support stay 543 has a stay main body 543a extending in the feed direction S1 and a rear wall portion 543b extending in one of the left and right directions (for example, leftward) from the lower end of the stay main body 543a. A support pin 546 is screwed to the rear wall portion 543b using a nut or the like. The support pin 546 is fixed by passing through the rear wall portion 543b so as to be movable back and forth in the feed direction S1.

[0083] A spring locking portion 546a (see FIGS. 14 and 15) is provided on the support pin 546 on the side opposite to the fixed side with respect to the rear wall portion 543b (upstream side in the feed direction S1). The spring locking portion 546a has a hole in which one end of the biasing spring 547 is locked. For convenience, the biasing spring 547 is not shown in FIG. 16.

[0084] Meanwhile, the lever connecting portion 542 is provided with a support shaft 542c extending in the left-right direction. The support shaft 542c is provided between the one end (the end connected to the switching lever 541) and the other end (the end connected to the support stay 543) of the lever connecting portion 542. As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the other end of the biasing spring 547 is engaged with the support shaft 542c. This biases the lever connecting portion 542 in a direction that causes the biasing spring 547 to contract. The biasing force of the biasing spring 547 can be adjusted by moving the support pin 546 back and forth in the feed direction S1 relative to the rear wall portion 543b.

[0085] 14 and 15, a stopper 543c is provided on a stay main body 543a of the support stay 543. When a bottom portion 542Q of the lever connecting portion 542 abuts against the stopper 543c, movement of the lever connecting portion 542 due to the biasing force of the biasing spring 547 in the contracting direction is restricted.

[0086] The stopper 543c is fixed to the support stay 543 so as to be movable in the feed direction S1. That is, the amount of protrusion of the stopper 543c in the feed direction S1 relative to the support stay 543 is adjustable. The smaller the amount of protrusion of the stopper 543c from the support stay 543, the more downstream the lever connecting portion 542 is in the feed direction S1, and the closer the action body support portion 52 and the seedling mat action body 51 are to the seedling carrier 311. This increases the pressing force of the seedling mat action body 51 on the seedling mat MT. Conversely, the larger the amount of protrusion of the stopper 543c from the support stay 543, the more upstream the lever connecting portion 542 is in the feed direction S1, and the farther the action body support portion 52 and the seedling mat action body 51 are from the seedling carrier 311. This decreases the pressing force of the seedling mat action body 51 on the seedling mat MT.

[0087] In this way, by adjusting the protrusion amount of the stopper 543c, it is possible to adjust the pressing force of the seedling mat MT by the seedling mat acting body 51. This makes it possible to appropriately adjust the pressing force of the seedling mat MT depending on the type and thickness of the seedling mat MT used.

[0088] Next, a description will be given of the operation of switching the position of the acting body support part 52 by operating the switching lever 541. As shown in Fig. 14, when the acting body support part 52 is located at the acting position P1, the lever connecting part 542 is maintained in contact with the stopper 543c by the biasing force of the biasing spring 547. In other words, the acting body support part 52 is held at the acting position P1.

[0089] When the operator grasps the grip portion 541a at the tip of the switching lever 541 and pulls it upward (away from the seedling tray 311) from the state shown in FIG. 14, the switching lever 541 rotates around the first shaft 542a while pulling the lever connector 542 via the first shaft 542a. The lever connector 542 also rotates around the second shaft 542b against the biasing force of the biasing spring 547. At this time, the lever connector 542 rotates so that the support shaft 542c moves around the second shaft 542b and is positioned on the opposite side of the second shaft 542b from the seedling tray 311. As shown in FIG. 15, the switching lever 541 abuts against the bottom 542Q of the lever connector 542, restricting its rotation around the first shaft 542a. As a result, the switching lever 541 stops in the state shown in FIG. 15.

[0090] Furthermore, as the switching lever 541 moves upward, the middle portion of the switching lever 541 rotates about the third shaft 541b, and the action body support portion 52, which is connected to the middle portion via the third shaft 541b, the protrusion 523, and the connecting rod 524 (see FIG. 16), moves upward. Therefore, when the switching lever 541 stops in the state of FIG. 15, the action body support portion 52 also stops in the state of FIG. 15. That is, the action body support portion 52 is held at the open position P2.

[0091] Conversely, when switching the action body support part 52 from the release position P2 to the action position P1, the operator grasps the grip part 541a at the tip of the switching lever 541 and pushes it downward (towards the seedling carrier 311). In this case, the lever connecting part 542 rotates in the opposite direction to the above and abuts against the stopper 543c, stopping the rotation and maintaining the state shown in Figure 14. In other words, the action body support part 52 is maintained at the action position P1.

[0092] When the seedling mat MT is placed on the seedling carrier 311, in order to constantly hold down the seedling mat MT by the seedling mat acting body 51 (to constantly prevent it from floating up), it is desirable that the acting body support part 52 that supports the seedling mat acting body 51 be held in the acting position P1. Also, in order to maintain the open space between the seedling carrier 311 and the acting body support part 52, which is formed by rotating the acting body support part 52 when attaching or detaching the seedling mat MT to or from the seedling carrier 311, it is desirable that the acting body support part 52 be held in the open position P2. For these reasons, it is desirable that the seedling mat holding mechanism 50 be equipped with the holding mechanism 54 described above.

[0093] (2-5. Regulatory Frame) As shown in Figure 16, a regulating frame 548 extending in the left-right direction is provided below the support frame 544. The regulating frame 548 is fixed to the left and right support brackets 545L and 545R so as to be adjustable in the height direction. In this embodiment, the height of the regulating frame 548 relative to the seedling carrier 311 can be adjusted in three stages, but this is not limited to this example. For example, the height of the regulating frame 548 may be fixed at all times (fixed to one level), or may be adjustable in two stages or four or more stages.

[0094] If the branches and leaves of the seedlings on the seedling mat MT (see FIG. 4) being fed vertically on the seedling carrier 311 are tilted downward in the feed direction S1 relative to the normal of the seedling carrier 311, the planting unit 322 of the seedling planting mechanism 32 (see FIG. 2) may entangle the branches and leaves along with the root ball when scraping a single seedling from the seedling mat MT. This makes it difficult to scrape the seedlings in the proper position. By providing the regulating frame 548, even if the branches and leaves are tilted downward in the feed direction S1, the branches and leaves can bend upward as the seedling mat MT passes below the regulating frame 548 (toward the seedling carrier 311). This allows the seedling planting mechanism 32 to scrape the seedlings from the seedling mat MT in the proper position and plant the scraped seedlings in the soil.

[0095] <3. Supplementary Information> The transplanter 1 described in this embodiment may be combined with a mulch sheet laying mechanism that lays a mulch sheet on the soil before planting the seedlings in the soil.

[0096] <4. Notes> The transplanter described in this embodiment can also be expressed as follows.

[0097] The transplanter in Appendix (1) is A transplanter equipped with a seedling mat pressing mechanism located above the seedling carrier, The seedling mat pressing mechanism is rotatable around the upstream side of the seedling mat on the seedling carrier in the feeding direction as a rotation center, and is positioned so as to be able to open the downstream side on the seedling carrier.

[0098] The transplanter of appendix (2) is the transplanter of appendix (1), The seedling mat holding mechanism is A seedling mat operating body that presses the seedling mat on the seedling carrier; An operating body support portion that supports the seedling mat operating body movably between the upstream side and the downstream side in the feed direction, The action body support portion is disposed so as to pass through the rotation axis serving as the rotation center.

[0099] The transplanter of appendix (3) is the transplanter of appendix (2), The seedling mat operating body holds the seedling mat while being positioned downstream in the feeding direction, The pivot shaft is located upstream in the feeding direction from the position of the seedling mat operating body when pressing the seedling mat.

[0100] The transplanter of appendix (4) is a transplanter according to appendix (2) or (3), The operating body support portion is rotatable around the pivot axis between an operating position in which the seedling mat operating body presses the seedling mat and an open position in which the mat operating body is farther from the seedling carrier than the operating position.

[0101] The transplanter of appendix (5) is the transplanter of appendix (4), The actuator has a holding mechanism that holds the operating body support portion at each of the operating position and the release position.

[0102] The transplanter of appendix (6) is a transplanter according to any one of appendices (2) to (5), The seedling mat working body, A pressing portion extending in the feeding direction and pressing the seedling mat; an upstream-side connecting portion located upstream of the pressing portion in the feed direction and connected to the pressing portion; a downstream-side connecting portion that is located downstream of the pressing portion in the feed direction and is connected to the pressing portion, When the pressing portion is in a position to press the seedling mat, the upstream connecting portion and the downstream connecting portion are positioned farther from the seedling carrier than the pressing portion.

[0103] The transplanter of appendix (7) is a transplanter according to any one of appendices (2) to (6), the working body support portion has a guide extending from the upstream side to the downstream side in the feed direction, The seedling mat operating body is supported by the guide and has a slide bar that is movable along the guide.

[0104] The transplanter of appendix (8) is the transplanter of appendix (7), The guide has an acting body locking portion that locks the slide bar at a predetermined position on the upstream side in the feed direction.

[0105] The transplanter of appendix (9) is the transplanter of appendix (8), the guide is an elongated hole extending in the feed direction, The acting body locking portion is a recess formed at the upstream end of the elongated hole, into which the slide bar fits.

[0106] The transplanter in Appendix (10) is A transplanter equipped with a seedling mat pressing mechanism located above the seedling carrier, The seedling mat holding mechanism is A seedling mat operating body that presses the seedling mat on the seedling carrier; The seedling mat operating body has an operating body support portion that supports the seedling mat operating body so that the operating body can move in the feed direction of the seedling mat on the seedling carrier.

[0107] The transplanter of appendix (11) is the transplanter according to appendix (10), The seedling mat pressing mechanism is rotatable around the upstream side in the feeding direction as a rotation center and is positioned so as to be able to open the downstream side on the seedling carrier.

[0108] The transplanter of appendix (12) is the transplanter according to appendix (11), The operating body support portion is rotatable between an operating position in which the seedling mat operating body presses the seedling mat and an open position in which the seedling mat operating body is spaced upward from the seedling mat.

[0109] The transplanter of appendix (13) is the transplanter according to appendix (12), A holding mechanism is provided to hold the working body support portion at each of the working position and the released position.

[0110] The transplanter of appendix (14) is a transplanter according to any one of appendices (11) to (13), The action body support portion is disposed so as to pass through the rotation axis serving as the rotation center.

[0111] The transplanter of appendix (15) is the transplanter according to appendix (14), The seedling mat operating body holds the seedling mat while being positioned downstream in the feeding direction, The pivot shaft is located upstream in the feeding direction from the position of the seedling mat operating body when pressing the seedling mat.

[0112] The transplanter of appendix (16) is a transplanter according to any one of appendices (10) to (15), The seedling mat working body, A pressing portion extending in the feeding direction and pressing the seedling mat; an upstream-side connecting portion located upstream of the pressing portion in the feed direction and connected to the pressing portion; a downstream-side connecting portion that is located downstream of the pressing portion in the feed direction and is connected to the pressing portion, When the pressing portion is in a position to press the seedling mat, the upstream connecting portion and the downstream connecting portion are positioned farther from the seedling carrier than the pressing portion.

[0113] The transplanter of appendix (17) is a transplanter according to any one of appendices (10) to (16), the working body support portion has a guide extending from the upstream side to the downstream side in the feed direction, The seedling mat operating body is supported by the guide and has a slide bar that is movable along the guide.

[0114] The transplanter of appendix (18) is the transplanter according to appendix (17), The guide has an acting body locking portion that locks the slide bar at a predetermined position on the upstream side in the feed direction.

[0115] The transplanter of appendix (19) is the transplanter of appendix (18), the guide is an elongated hole extending in the feed direction, The acting body locking portion is a recess formed at the upstream end of the elongated hole, into which the slide bar fits.

[0116] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these, and the invention can be expanded or modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0117] The transplanter of the present invention can be used as a transplanter for planting, for example, vegetable seedlings into soil (furrows). [Explanation of symbols]

[0118] 1 transplanter 50 Seedling mat holding mechanism 51 Seedling mat agent 52 Working body support part 53 Shaft (rotating shaft) 54 Retention mechanism 311 Seedling stand 512 Connecting part (slide bar) 512a Front connecting part (slide bar) 512b Rear connection part (slide bar) 5112a Presser foot 5112b Upper side connection part 5112c Lower side connection part 5211 Guide (long hole) 5211a Effecting body locking part 5211b Recess MT Seedling Mat P1 working position P2 open position S1 Feed direction

Claims

1. A transplanter equipped with a seedling mat pressing mechanism located above the seedling carrier, The seedling mat holding mechanism is rotatable around the upstream side of the seedling mat on the seedling carrier in the feed direction as a rotation center, and is positioned so as to be able to open the downstream side on the seedling carrier.

2. The seedling mat holding mechanism is A seedling mat operating body that presses the seedling mat on the seedling carrier; An operating body support portion that supports the seedling mat operating body movably between the upstream side and the downstream side in the feed direction, The transplanter according to claim 1 , wherein the working body support portion is disposed through the rotation axis serving as the rotation center.

3. The seedling mat operating body holds the seedling mat while being positioned downstream in the feeding direction, 3. The transplanter according to claim 2, wherein the pivot shaft is located upstream in the feeding direction from the position of the seedling mat operating member when pressing the seedling mat.

4. The transplanter described in claim 2, wherein the operating body support portion is rotatable around the pivot axis between an operating position in which the seedling mat operating body presses the seedling mat and an open position in which the mat operating body is farther from the seedling carrier than the operating position.

5. The transplanter according to claim 4, further comprising a holding mechanism for holding the working body support part at each of the working position and the release position.

6. The seedling mat working body, A pressing portion extending in the feeding direction and pressing the seedling mat; an upstream-side connecting portion located upstream of the pressing portion in the feed direction and connected to the pressing portion; a downstream-side connecting portion that is located downstream of the pressing portion in the feed direction and is connected to the pressing portion, 3. The transplanter according to claim 2, wherein when the pressing portion is in a position to press the seedling mat, the upstream connecting portion and the downstream connecting portion are positioned farther from the seedling carrier than the pressing portion.

7. the working body support portion has a guide extending from the upstream side to the downstream side in the feed direction, 3. The transplanter according to claim 2, wherein the seedling mat working body has a slide bar supported by the guide and movable along the guide.

8. 8. The transplanter according to claim 7, wherein the guide has an acting body locking portion that locks the slide bar at a predetermined position upstream in the feeding direction.

9. the guide is an elongated hole extending in the feed direction, 9. The transplanter according to claim 8, wherein the working body engaging portion is a recess formed at the upstream end of the elongated hole, into which the slide bar is fitted.

10. A transplanter equipped with a seedling mat pressing mechanism located above the seedling carrier, The seedling mat holding mechanism is A seedling mat operating body that presses the seedling mat on the seedling carrier; A transplanter having an action body support part that supports the seedling mat action body so that it can move in the feed direction of the seedling mat on the seedling carrier.

11. The transplanter according to claim 10, wherein the seedling mat pressing mechanism is rotatable about the upstream side in the feeding direction as a rotation center and is arranged on the seedling carrier so as to be able to open the downstream side.

12. The transplanter according to claim 11, wherein the working body support portion is rotatable between an operating position in which the seedling mat working body presses the seedling mat and an open position in which the seedling mat working body is spaced upward from the seedling mat.

13. The transplanter according to claim 12, further comprising a holding mechanism for holding the working body support part in each of the working position and the released position.

Images