Riding type rice transplanter with chemical sprayer

Abstract

To provide a riding type rice transplanter with a chemical spraying device capable of surely preventing mud splashed by a planting claw of the planting device when planting seedlings from adhering to the chemical spraying device by a mud guard when the planting device is liftably installed at the rear part of a traveling machine body in which a driver's seat is installed at the center close to the rear part and the chemical spraying device for spraying the chemical stored in a resin hopper through which a worker can see the residual amount from the driver's seat to a paddy field surface by a delivery device or a diffusion device installed below the hopper is installed at the rear part of the planting device.SOLUTION: To detachably provide a mud guard made of a steel plate, which receives mud splashed by a planting claw and serves as a shield for a hopper, a delivery device and a diffusion device, on the upper part of a support frame together with a chemical spray device.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a riding rice transplanter equipped with a chemical spraying device that simultaneously plants seedlings in the surface of a rice paddy and sprays chemicals on it. [Background technology]

[0002] A riding rice transplanter, which is an agricultural work vehicle, has a planting device that can be raised and lowered at the rear of a traveling body equipped with left and right front and rear wheels, and the planting mechanism attached to this planting device plants rice seedlings successively into the paddy field (rice field surface). Furthermore, if a special spraying device is used to spray mainly granular chemicals such as herbicides and fungicides and insecticides onto the rice field surface at the same time as this rice planting work, the labor required by the worker for the chemical spraying work can be reduced and the work time can be shortened, thereby reducing rice production costs.

[0003] Therefore, in riding rice transplanters, a chemical spraying device can be attached to the rear (above) of the planting machine as needed, just as a fertilizer applicator for paste fertilizer or granular fertilizer is provided so that fertilizer can be applied simultaneously with rice planting. However, when the chemical spraying device is attached to the rear of the planting machine in this way, mud splashed up by the planting claws that perform the seedling planting operation of the planting mechanism adheres to the chemical spraying device attached above.

[0004] If mud adheres to the chemical spraying device in this way, there is a risk that the chemical spraying function will be impaired, so a mud cover is provided to avoid this. In this case, it is known that by providing the mud cover only in the area directly below the chemical spraying device, the mud cover can be made compact and is less likely to obstruct the operator's view, making it easier to visually check the operating status of the planting tines (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-171322 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] With changes in the agricultural management environment, such as the expansion of farming scale due to the consolidation of farmland and incorporation, it is necessary to work on reducing production costs by increasing the number of rows of seedlings planted, such as 8 or 10 rows, and increasing the work speed (planting speed).In addition, in this case, if a chemical sprayer is used to spray chemicals on the rice field surface at the same time as the rice planting, further reductions in labor and work time can be expected.

[0007] However, if the operating speed of a riding rice transplanter is increased beyond conventional speeds, the seedling planting speed using the planting tines naturally needs to be increased as well. Even if a rotary planting mechanism, developed several decades ago and commonly used since then, is adopted to increase the seedling planting speed, increasing the operating speed of the planting tines causes the mud kicked up by the planting tines to fly extremely high and irregularly, creating the problem that conventional mudguards installed directly below the chemical sprayer are unable to adequately prevent the mud from adhering to the chemical sprayer.

[0008] In other words, the tips of the planting tines of the rotary planting mechanism trace a roughly elliptical planting trajectory to plant the seedlings. The planting tines are located above the rice field surface partway down from the top dead center of this elliptical trajectory, and after picking up seedlings one by one from the bottom end of the seedling carrier that moves back and forth from side to side, when they reach near the bottom dead center, they penetrate (penetrate) into the rice field surface, pushing the seedlings into the field and planting them. When the planting tines collide with the rice field surface at this time, some muddy water may splash up, but this can be sufficiently prevented from splashing onto the chemical spraying device by a mudguard installed directly above.

[0009] However, after planting the seedlings in the rice field, the planting claw begins to rise, and as it does so, the tip of the planting claw inadvertently splashes up muddy water from the rice field surface with its top surface, etc. The mud splashed up by the planting claw remains attached to the tip of the planting claw and gains a great deal of kinetic energy as the planting claw rises vigorously toward the top dead center, so when the planting claw reaches near the top dead center and slows down, the mud that had been adhering to it detaches from the planting claw and falls high in a parabolic arc.

[0010] Also, in this case, there is no problem if the mud flies from directly above toward the rear mudguard, but if the mud escapes the front end of the mudguard and flies forward, the mudguard will be useless, and if the scattered mud hits the mat seedlings placed on the front seedling carrier or the seedling holders that support the stems and leaves, changing its direction to the rear, the mud will be scattered in front of the chemical sprayer (see Figure 10).On the other hand, the hopper that stores the chemical in the chemical sprayer is made of a see-through resin so that the operator can visually check the amount of chemical remaining in the hopper from the driver's seat installed on the traveling machine body.

[0011] Therefore, if mud accumulates on the front of the hopper of the chemical spraying device, the operator cannot check the remaining amount of chemical from the driver's seat, and must either frequently stop work to open the hopper lid to check whether the chemical remains in the hopper, or frequently wipe the mud off the front of the hopper so that the remaining amount can be visually confirmed from the driver's seat. This inevitably reduces work efficiency, and neglecting to do so can result in areas where the chemical is not sprayed.

[0012] Furthermore, the casing that covers the chemical feeder and spreader, which are installed below the hopper, is equipped with a buzzer that notifies the operator when the chemical feeder or spreader has sprayed the chemical onto the rice field surface, and the back cover of the casing that covers the buzzer is equipped with a slit-shaped air transmission hole that transmits the sound (operation confirmation sound) that is emitted when the buzzer is activated to the outside. However, if this air transmission hole becomes clogged with mud kicked up by the planting tines, the mud blocks the sound, preventing the operator from hearing the operation confirmation sound from the driver's seat, which creates the problem of having to frequently clear the mud from the air transmission hole before spraying.

[0013] Therefore, in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention aims to provide a riding rice transplanter with a chemical spraying device that has a planting device that can be freely raised and lowered at the rear of a traveling body with a driver's seat located in the center toward the rear, and that has a rotary planting mechanism that scrapes off mat seedlings one by one from the bottom end of the seedling carrier and plants them in the rice field, and a chemical spraying device that sprays the chemical onto the rice field surface using a dispensing device or diffusion device that is located below a plastic hopper that allows the operator to see the remaining amount from the driver's seat, and is installed at the rear of the planting device, and that has a mudguard that can reliably prevent mud kicked up by the planting claws of the planting device when planting seedlings from sticking to the chemical spraying device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the riding rice transplanter with chemical spraying device of the present invention is characterized in that, at the rear of the running body on which the driver's seat is located in the center near the rear, the planting device is equipped with a rotary planting mechanism that uses planting tines to scrape mat seedlings one by one from the lower end of a seedling carrier that slopes high at the front and low at the rear and plants them in the rice field, and is freely raised and lowered via a link mechanism with a hydraulic cylinder, and the chemical spraying device is installed on the upper part of a support frame erected at the rear of the planting device, and the chemical spraying device sprays the chemical stored in a plastic hopper that allows the operator to see the remaining amount from the driver's seat onto the rice field surface using a dispensing device and a spreading device installed below the hopper, and when the planting tines are raised after planting one seedling, a steel plate mudguard is installed on the upper part of the support frame together with the chemical spraying device, and this mudguard receives the mud splashed up by the planting tines on the front side of the hopper and the dispensing device and the spreading device, and acts as a shield for the hopper, the dispensing device and the spreading device, and is freely attached and detached.

[0015] In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the riding rice transplanter with pesticide spraying device of the present invention is characterized in that the mudguard is made of a steel plate with a left-right width approximately equal to that of the hopper, and is bent backward halfway from the top to the bottom to form an attachment portion for the upper surface of the horizontal bar of the support frame.

[0016] Furthermore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the riding rice transplanter with pesticide spraying device of the present invention is characterized in that the mudguard is bent downward from its attachment point to the upper surface of the horizontal bar of the support frame, creating a space between it and the back cover of the casing that covers the dispensing device and the diffusion device, so that the mudguard itself does not block the operation confirmation sounds of the dispensing device and the diffusion device, which are emitted by a buzzer located inside the back cover through an air transmission hole located on the front surface of the back cover. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the riding rice transplanter with chemical spraying device of the present invention, the driver's seat is located in the center near the rear of the running body, and the planting device is equipped with a rotary planting mechanism that uses planting tines to scrape mat seedlings one by one from the lower end of the seedling carrier that slopes high at the front and low at the rear, and plants them in the rice field.The planting device is capable of being raised and lowered via a link mechanism with a hydraulic cylinder, and the chemical spraying device sprays the chemical stored in a plastic hopper, which allows the operator to see the remaining amount from the driver's seat, onto the rice field surface using a dispensing device and a spreading device located below the hopper.At the same time, a plate-shaped mudguard is detachably mounted on the top of the support frame attached to the rear of the planting device, and when the planting tines are raised after planting one seedling, the mud splashed up by the planting tines is received on the front side of the hopper, the dispensing device, and the spreading device, and acts as a shield for the hopper, the dispensing device, and the spreading device.

[0018] Therefore, when rice planting is carried out at a high working speed using a planting device equipped with a rotary planting mechanism and at the same time chemical spraying is carried out on the rice field surface using a chemical spraying device, the mud kicked up high by the planting claws of the rotary planting mechanism as they rise can be received by a steel plate mudguard that is provided on the front side of the hopper, dispensing device, and diffusion device of the chemical spraying device and acts as a shield for the hopper, dispensing device, and diffusion device, effectively preventing mud from adhering to the front side of the hopper, dispensing device, and diffusion device.

[0019] Therefore, the operator can reliably visually check the remaining amount of chemical stored in the chemical sprayer's plastic hopper from the driver's seat, and by quickly refilling it when the remaining amount is low, the occurrence of unsprayed areas due to chemical shortages can be eliminated, and the chemical can always be sprayed appropriately over the rice field surface.In addition, because mud kicked up by the planting tines no longer clogs the air transmission holes on the front side of the housing that covers the chemical sprayer's payout device and diffusion device, the operator can quickly take appropriate action, such as repairing the chemical sprayer, based on information (such as malfunctions and spray volume) provided by the operation confirmation sound emitted from the chemical sprayer.

[0020] In addition, according to the riding rice transplanter with pesticide spraying device of the present invention, the mudguard is made by bending a steel plate, which has a left-right width approximately equal to that of the hopper, halfway from the top to the bottom towards the rear to form an attachment portion for the upper surface of the horizontal bar of the support frame.Therefore, the mudguard can be formed inexpensively using steel plate with the minimum required width, and the bent attachment portion of the steel plate can be fastened together with the pesticide spraying device to the upper surface of the horizontal bar of the support frame using bolts, making it possible to easily attach the mudguard to the specified position, and also reducing the number of parts required to attach the mudguard.

[0021] Furthermore, according to the riding rice transplanter with pesticide spraying device of the present invention, the mudguard is bent downward from its attachment point to the upper surface of the horizontal bar of the support frame, creating a space between it and the back cover of the casing that covers the dispensing device and the diffusion device, so that the mudguard itself does not block the operation confirmation sound of the dispensing device and the diffusion device, which is emitted by a buzzer located inside the back cover through an air transmission hole located on the front of the back cover.As a result, the operation confirmation sound emitted by the buzzer can be transmitted through the air without hindrance to the operator sitting in the driver's seat. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a side view of a riding rice transplanter with a chemical spraying device to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a riding rice transplanter equipped with a chemical spraying device. [Figure 3] This is a rear view of a riding rice transplanter equipped with a chemical spraying device. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing the state in which the chemical spraying device is attached to the rear of the planting device. [Figure 5] This is a side view showing the state in which a mudguard is provided on the front of the chemical spraying device. [Figure 6] A side view showing the state in which the chemical spraying device and mudguard are attached to the support frame. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] This is an explanatory diagram showing the planting claws of a rotary planting mechanism splashing up mud. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figures 1 to 3, a riding rice transplanter 1, which is an agricultural work vehicle, has a planting device 6, which serves as a working device, connected to the rear of a traveling body 4, which has left and right front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3, so that the planting device 6 can be freely rolled, via a link mechanism 5. The planting device 6 is provided with a hydraulic cylinder 7 attached between the rear of the traveling body 4 and the rear of the link mechanism 5, so that the planting device 6 can be freely raised and lowered between a lowered working position and a raised non-working position.

[0024] The traveling machine body 4 is equipped with a machine body frame 8 configured by fastening multiple cross members formed from channel steel or the like to left and right side members formed from square steel pipes or the like, and a diesel engine (engine) 9 is mounted near the front of this machine body frame 8. A transmission case 10 and a front axle case for the front wheels 2 are attached to the machine body frame 8 behind the engine 9, and furthermore, a rear axle case 11 for the rear wheels 3 is attached near the rear of the machine body frame 8.

[0025] A torque generator constituting a power steering device is attached to the upper surface of a transmission case 10 provided behind the diesel engine 9, and a steering column is erected on the upper surface of this torque generator. A steering handle 12 for steering the front wheels 2 is provided at the upper end of a steering shaft connected to the torque generator.

[0026] Furthermore, the main speed change lever, sub speed change lever, and engine control lever are rotatably attached to the left and right sides of the bracket fixed to the steering column, and a panel cover 13 is attached to the bracket, covering the base sides of these and equipped with a quick-up lever and monitor panel for raising and lowering the planting device 6. Also, a rear cover 14 is provided below the panel cover 13, on which the starter switch for the engine 9 and other components are attached, and a hood 15 is provided in front of the panel cover 13 and rear cover 14, covering the diesel engine 9, air cleaner, and other components.

[0027] Furthermore, a step frame formed from a framework of steel pipes, channel steel, etc. is fixed or attached to the aforementioned aircraft frame 8 and the seat frame on which the driver's seat 16 is mounted, which is located in the center near the rear of the aircraft frame 8, and a synthetic resin panel is attached to this step frame, with the upper surface of the panel forming the floor 17 of the control section and the work step 18.

[0028] The basic configuration of the traveling machine body 4 has been explained above, but to briefly explain the power transmission system of the traveling system of the riding rice transplanter 1, the engine 9 drives an HST (hydrostatic continuously variable transmission: main transmission) attached to a transmission case 10 via a transmission belt. In addition, the power transmitted from the HST to the inside of the transmission case 10 is transmitted to an auxiliary transmission constituted by a gear transmission provided inside the transmission case 10.

[0029] Furthermore, the power switched to a working speed or a traveling speed by the sub-transmission passes through a differential gear device provided in the transmission case 10 and drives the left and right front wheels 2 via transmission shafts provided in the left and right front axle cases and the kingpin case. Moreover, the power transmitted from the sub-transmission through the traveling PTO shaft into the rear axle case 11 drives the rear wheels 3 via left and right wet disc-type side clutches provided in the rear axle case 11.

[0030] Furthermore, a disc brake is provided on the transmission shaft that transmits power from the sub-transmission to the left and right side clutches, and when the brake pedal 19 provided on the floor 17 of the control section is depressed, the main transmission lever returns to the neutral position, the HST goes into neutral, and the disc brake is activated to apply four-wheel brakes to the front wheels 2 and rear wheels 3. Furthermore, when turning the steering wheel 12 on the headland, if the steering wheel 12 is turned more than a predetermined amount, the side clutch on the turning side is disengaged, and the rear wheel 3 on that side goes into a free-spinning state.

[0031] Next, we will explain the planting device 6 attached to the traveling body 4. The planting device 6 shown in the embodiment, which plants eight rows, is equipped with a planting frame 20 in the shape of a rectangular pipe that is long in the left-right direction, located near the front of the lower part. The center of the planting frame 20 in the left-right direction is attached to a holder attached to the rear of the link mechanism 5 so that it can rotate left and right, allowing the planting device 6 to be connected to the traveling body 4 so that it can roll freely. A horizontal control mechanism is provided between the holder and the planting device 6, so that the planting device 6 can be controlled to always remain horizontal in accordance with the rice field surface.

[0032] The planting frame 20 has support stays 21 erected on both the left and right sides, and on these left and right support stays 21 are seedling carriers 22, each formed by lining up eight support plates 22a in the left-right direction on which mat seedlings are placed, which are tilted so that their front is higher and their rear is lower. The lower end of the seedling carrier 22 is supported so that it can slide freely from side to side by the front upper part of a long apron 23, which receives and supports the lower ends of the mat seedlings placed on the seedling carrier 22. Meanwhile, the apron 23 is arranged above four planter cases 24 (described below) so as to be aligned in the left-right direction, and its mounting position is adjustable up and down so that the number of seedlings to be planted can be adjusted.

[0033] The front parts of the four planter cases 24 are attached at a predetermined interval to the lower rear end of the planting frame 20, and at the rear end of each planter case 24, a pair of rotary planting mechanisms 26 are provided, one on each side. These mechanisms use planting claws 25 to scrape off seedlings one by one from the lower end of the seedling carrier 22 (more specifically, the seedling removal opening 23a of the apron 23 provided at the lower end of the seedling carrier 22) and plant them in the rice field. Furthermore, below the planting mechanisms 26, five floats 27 are attached to the planter cases 24 so that they can swing up and down, leveling the planting area while leveling the tracks and turning marks.

[0034] As shown in Figure 10, the rotary planting mechanism 26 includes a rotary case 28 and two planter arms 29. Five eccentric gears (a sun gear and planetary gears) mesh within the rotary case 28. When the rotary case 28 rotates around its drive shaft, the two planter arms 29 rotate while revolving around the axis of the rotary case 28. The tips of the planting tines 25 attached to the planter arms 29 move up and down, tracing a long, elliptical planting locus k. As the planting tines 25 descend from the top dead center of the planting locus k, they pick up seedlings one by one from the bottom of the seedling carrier 22. When the planting tines 25 reach near the bottom dead center, the forks 30 push the seedlings into the soil, planting them in the paddy field.

[0035] Here, we will explain the power transmission system from the engine 9 to the planting device 6 described above. Power is transmitted from the engine 9 via the HST into the transmission case 10, and then via the planting clutch and inter-row transmission provided in the transmission case 10, to the planting device 6 provided at the rear of the traveling body 4 using the PTO shaft 31. In addition, power enters the drive case provided on the front side of the planter case 24 closer to the center by the PTO shaft 31, and is transmitted into the four planter cases 24 equipped with row-stop clutches via drive shafts provided on the left and right of the drive case, and can rotate and drive the rotary planting mechanisms 26 provided on the left and right rear of each planter case 24.

[0036] Meanwhile, the power of the engine 9 that enters the drive case is transmitted to the transverse feed case via a drive shaft also provided in the drive case, and a four-speed transverse feed speed change mechanism provided in the transverse feed case rotates a screw shaft provided along the back side of the seedling carrier 22, and the screw shaft moves the seedling carrier 22 back and forth left and right via a slide block. Furthermore, a cam is provided at the end of the screw shaft, and this cam intermittently strikes the vertical feed lever up and down, operating the vertical feed belt 32 provided on the seedling carrier 22 with each left and right reciprocation, and feeding and moving the mat seedlings placed on the belt 32 toward the apron 23 below.

[0037] In addition to the vertical feed belt 32, the seedling carrier 22 is also equipped with a seedling presser 33 that prevents the mat seedlings placed on the seedling carrier 22 from turning over or shifting sideways, a seedling support plate (seedling holder) 34 that makes it easier to pick up the seedlings with the planting claws 25 and prevents the seedlings from falling over so that they are not damaged or lose their position, a seedling stopper 35 that receives the lower edge of any of the mat seedlings placed on the seedling carrier 22 and prevents the mat seedlings from moving downward, and an extension seedling carrier plate 36 that increases the amount of mat seedlings that can be carried. Furthermore, the seedling carrier 22 for the left row and the apron 23 can be folded onto the adjacent seedling carrier 22 for the right row or rotated downward so that they can be stored when transporting the riding rice transplanter 1.

[0038] In addition to being equipped with the planting device 6 described above, the riding rice transplanter 1 is also equipped with left and right markers 37 that mark the paddy field surface as a guide for the next work run, and these markers 37 are rotatably attached to the tip of a support rod that rotatably supports the planting frame 20 of the planting device 6 at its base, and by operating the support rod with a marker drive motor, the marker 37 can be switched between an active position where it touches the paddy field surface to mark it, and a non-active position where it is retracted above the planting device 6. In addition, a center pole 38 is provided at the front of the machine frame 8 so as to be rotatable in the front-to-rear direction, and trace markers 39 are provided on the left and right sides of the machine frame 8.

[0039] Furthermore, the riding rice transplanter 1 is provided with a pair of sliding spare seedling trays 41 on the left and right sides that enable mat seedlings to be replenished onto the seedling carrier 22 of the planting device 6 by placing seedling boxes containing mat seedlings on rollers 40 that rotatably support the trays and sliding them from the front of the traveling body 4 to above the work step 18 next to the driver's seat 16. Also, since the surface of the headland inevitably becomes rough due to mud being pushed by the wheels 2, 3 and the soil being carried around when turning during rice planting work, a soil leveling rotor 42 that levels this rough headland is provided between the rear wheels 3 and the float 27 and can be raised and lowered.

[0040] The riding rice transplanter 1 has been described above, but next we will explain the chemical spraying device 43 that is provided together with the planting device 6 described above. The chemical spraying device 43 of this embodiment is a herbicide spraying device 43 that sprays granular herbicide onto the surface of a rice field simultaneously with rice planting work, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. This spraying device 43 is equipped with a hopper 44 that stores the chemical (herbicide) and a dispensing device provided below the hopper 44, and is provided by being detachably attached to the top of a support frame 45 that is erected at the rear of the planting device 6 described above.

[0041] 6 to 8, hopper 44, which stores herbicide in herbicide spraying device 43, is a translucent or transparent resin container with a generally rectangular herbicide inlet at the top and a generally rectangular outlet at the bottom that is smaller than the inlet. Therefore, when herbicide is poured into hopper 44 by opening lid 46, which is provided at the top and also serves as a rain cover, the operator can visually check the remaining amount of herbicide stored in hopper 44 from driver's seat 16 by looking through the scale provided on the front of hopper 44.

[0042] The herbicide spraying device 43 also has a steel housing 47 below the hopper 44, and this housing 47 is equipped with a payout device that causes the herbicide stored in the hopper 44 to fall downward from a discharge port by opening and closing a slide valve with an electromagnetic solenoid, a diffuser that sprays the herbicide dropped by the payout device from the discharge port 47a of the housing 47 over the rice paddy surface with a diffuser rotated by an electric motor, and a controller that operates the payout device and diffuser, etc. The herbicide spraying device 43 described above requires a power source to operate the aforementioned electromagnetic solenoid, electric motor, or controller.

[0043] For this reason, a battery kit containing multiple dry cells can be prepared and used as the power source for the herbicide spraying device 43. However, since the riding rice transplanter 1 has the battery 48 installed below the work step 18 on the left side of the engine 9, if there is any spare capacity in this battery 48, it can be used as the power source for the herbicide spraying device 43. In this case, the power connector for the herbicide spraying device 43 is connected to the work machine power supply take-out connector connected to the battery 43, and a hand switch box is installed near the driver's seat 16 of the traveling body 4, so that the operator can turn on the power switch installed in this box to operate the herbicide spraying device 43 when spraying herbicide.

[0044] Furthermore, the herbicide spraying device 43 uses a transmitter 49 attached to the support frame 45 to open and close the slide valve for a certain period of time, and the wire built into the transmitter 49 is designed to send a signal a total of eight times, four times when it is pulled out by the left and right movement of the seedling carrier 22 and four times when it is returned, so one end of the wire pulled out from the transmitter 49 needs to be attached to the seedling carrier 22 using a metal fitting. Alternatively, a signal from a vehicle speed sensor provided on the traveling machine body 4 can be input to the transmitter 49, and the device can be linked to spray once after traveling approximately 1.5 to 2.0 m, for example.

[0045] The herbicide spraying device 43 constructed as described above is detachably attached to the top of a support frame 45 erected at the rear of the planting device 6. The support frame 45 is made up of a horizontal bar 50 with mounting bolts formed from a square pipe, a first support 51 attached and fixed to the left and right ends of the horizontal bar 50 with bolts, a second support 52 which can be attached and fixed at two positions, upper and lower, using bolts at the bottom of the first support 51, a support 53 which is attached and fixed at the middle part of the second support 52 by passing a fixing bolt through a long hole 53a provided on the upper side of the second support 52, and diagonal braces 54 which are attached to both ends of the left and right first support 51 and second support 52 so as to cross over them.

[0046] The transmitter 49 is attached with a bolt via an extension plate 55 to the connecting portion between the right first support column 51 and the second support column 52. When attaching the support frame 45 to the planting device 6, the lower parts of the second support column 52 and the supports 53 of the support frame 45 are fixed with bolts, respectively, using holes provided in the upper parts of the two planter cases 24 located near the center of the left and right sides. In this case, if the height of the horizontal bar 50 on which the herbicide spraying device 43 is attached is high, the mounting height of the herbicide spraying device 43 can be lowered by attaching and fixing the first support column 51 using the hole on the lower side of the second support column 52.

[0047] Furthermore, if the presence of the support frame 45 makes it difficult to remove surplus seedlings remaining on the seedling carrier 22 at the end of planting work, the attachment and fixing position of the second support 52 and the support 53 can be changed using the long holes 53a, thereby tilting the support frame 45 backward and making it easier to remove the surplus seedlings. Also, although not shown, a T-shaped metal fitting to which the tip of the wire built into the transmitter 49 is attached and which pulls out this wire can be attached using the metal fitting that attaches the seedling holder 34 to the lower end of the seedling carrier 22.

[0048] Next, we will explain the mudguard 56, which receives mud thrown up by the planting tines 25 of the rotary planting mechanism 26 on the front side of the hopper 44, the dispensing device, and the spreading device, shielding the hopper 44, the dispensing device, and the spreading device. As shown in Figure 9, the mudguard 56 is formed by bending a steel plate with a width roughly the same as the left-to-right width of the hopper 44. That is, the mudguard 56 is formed by bending a steel plate slightly forward, with the upper and lower portions of the steel plate bent backward to form a mounting portion 56a that fits tightly against the upper surface of the horizontal bar 50 formed by the square pipe of the support frame 45. In addition, two holes 56b are formed on the left and right sides of the mounting portion 56a, through which mounting bolts fixed to the horizontal bar 50 can be passed.

[0049] Furthermore, the mudguard 56 is bent straight down from the mounting portion 56a and then bent back again toward the rear so as to tilt slightly forward as it approaches the bottom. Therefore, the mudguard 56 formed in this manner can be manufactured relatively easily and inexpensively as a single part. The mudguard 56 is then attached to the top of the support frame 45 erected at the rear of the planting device 6, together with the herbicide spraying device 43.

[0050] That is, the two bolts protruding from the top surface of the cross bar 50 of the support frame 45 are first passed through two holes 56b provided in the mounting portion 56a of the mudguard 56, and then through mounting holes drilled in the left and right arms 47b protruding forward from the housing 47 of the herbicide spraying device 43. Then, after passing through flat washers and spring washers, the mudguard 56 and arms 47b are fastened together with knobbed nuts 57, thereby attaching the herbicide spraying device 43 and mudguard 56 to the top of the support frame 45.

[0051] Therefore, the herbicide spraying device 43 and the mudguard 56 can be easily attached to and detached from the upper part of the support frame 45, so that, for example, when the riding rice transplanter 1 is loaded onto a truck and transported, by removing the herbicide spraying device 43 and the mudguard 56 beforehand, it is possible to eliminate the risk of the support frame 45 to which they are attached being damaged by vibrations during travel, etc. Furthermore, if the herbicide spraying device 43 is to be maintained or the mud adhering to the mudguard 56 is to be removed, each task can be performed more easily.

[0052] The above describes a form for implementing the present invention based on the drawings. Spraying herbicide onto the rice field surface using herbicide spraying device 43 at the same time as rice planting can be expected to reduce labor and shorten working time. However, if the working speed of the riding rice transplanter 1 is increased to a higher speed than before in order to further improve efficiency, as described in the problem that the present invention aims to solve, conventional mudguards cannot sufficiently prevent mud from adhering to the chemical spraying device 43, and in particular, if mud adheres to the front of hopper 44, the worker will not be able to check the remaining amount of chemical from the driver's seat 16.

[0053] In addition, a buzzer 58 is provided in the casing 47 that covers the dispensing device and the diffuser provided below the hopper 44, and it notifies the operator when the dispensing device or the diffuser has sprayed herbicide onto the rice field surface. The back cover 47c of the casing 47 that covers the buzzer 58 is provided with a slit-shaped air transmission hole 47d that transmits the sound (operation confirmation sound) that is emitted when the buzzer 58 is activated to the outside. However, if the air transmission hole 47d becomes clogged with mud kicked up by the planting tines 25, the sound is blocked by the clogged mud, and the operator cannot hear the operation confirmation sound from the driver's seat 16. This creates a problem in that the operator must frequently clear the mud from the air transmission hole 47d before spraying.

[0054] In order to solve this problem, in the present invention, a chemical spraying device 43 for spraying chemicals onto the rice field surface is mounted on top of a support frame 45 that stands upright at the rear of the planting device 6, and a steel mudguard 56 is detachably mounted on top of the support frame 45 together with the chemical spraying device 43 to receive the mud kicked up by the planting claws 25 when they are raised after planting one seedling. The mudguard 56 acts as a shield for the hopper 44, the dispensing device, and the spreading device by receiving the mud kicked up by the planting claws 25 on the front side of the hopper 44, the dispensing device, and the spreading device.

[0055] Therefore, when rice planting is performed at a high working speed using a planting device 6 equipped with a rotary planting mechanism 26 and at the same time chemical spraying is performed on the rice field surface using a chemical spraying device 43, the mud kicked up high by the planting claws 25 of the rotary planting mechanism 26 as they rise can be received by a steel mudguard 56 that is provided on the front side of the hopper 44, dispensing device, and diffusion device of the chemical spraying device 43 and acts as a shield for the hopper 44, dispensing device, and diffusion device, thereby effectively preventing mud from adhering to the front side of the hopper 44, dispensing device, and diffusion device.

[0056] Therefore, the operator can reliably visually check the remaining amount of chemical stored in the plastic hopper 44 of the chemical sprayer 43 from the driver's seat 16. For example, by quickly refilling the remaining amount when it gets low, the occurrence of unsprayed areas due to a shortage of chemical can be eliminated, and the chemical can be consistently sprayed appropriately over the rice field surface. Furthermore, since mud kicked up by the planting tines 25 no longer clogs the air transmission holes 47d on the front surface of the housing 47 that covers the feeder and diffuser of the chemical sprayer 43, the operator can quickly take appropriate action, such as repairing the chemical sprayer 43, based on information (such as malfunction or spray amount) emitted by the operation confirmation sound from the chemical sprayer 43.

[0057] Furthermore, the mudguard 56 is made by bending a steel plate, which has a width from top to bottom approximately equal to that of the hopper 44, backward halfway to form an attachment portion 56a for the upper surface of the horizontal bar 50 of the support frame 45. This means that the mudguard 56 can be formed inexpensively from a steel plate having the minimum necessary width, and the bent attachment portion 56a of the steel plate can be fastened together with the chemical spraying device 43 to the upper surface of the horizontal bar 50 of the support frame 45 using bolts, allowing the mudguard 56 to be easily attached to the specified position, and the number of parts required to attach the mudguard 56 can also be reduced.

[0058] Furthermore, the mudguard 56 is bent downward from the attachment portion 56a attached to the upper surface of the horizontal bar 50 of the support frame 45, creating a space s between it and the back cover 47c of the casing 47 of the dispensing device and the diffusion device, so that the mudguard 56 itself does not block the operation confirmation sound of the dispensing device and the diffusion device emitted by the buzzer 58 provided on the inside of the back cover 47c through the air transmission hole 47d provided on the front surface of the back cover 47c.As a result, the operation confirmation sound emitted by the buzzer 58 can be transmitted through the air without hindrance and delivered to the operator sitting in the driver's seat 16.

[0059] The mudguard 56 is provided in a range from a height corresponding to the midpoint of the hopper 44 in the vertical direction to a height corresponding to the midpoint of the casing 47 that covers the buzzer 58, the dispensing device, and the diffusion device, and is tilted slightly forward in front of them, thereby preventing mud from adhering to the entire front surface of the hopper 44 and at least the entire front surface of the air transmission hole 47d of the casing 47. When the operator checks the amount of medicine remaining in the hopper 44 from the driver's seat 16, the upper end of the mudguard is lower than the upper end of the hopper 44 and is tilted forward and positioned away from it, eliminating the risk that the mudguard will obstruct the operator's view and prevent him or her from checking the amount of medicine remaining in the hopper 44. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 1. Riding rice transplanter 4 Running body 6 Planting equipment 16 Driver's seat 22 Seedling stand 25 Planting Claw 26 Rotary planting mechanism 43 Herbicide spraying equipment (chemical spraying equipment) 44 Hopper 45 Support Frame 47 Casing 56 Mudguard

Claims

1. This ride-on rice transplanter with a pesticide spraying device is characterized in that, at the rear of the running body, the driver's seat is located in the center near the rear, and the planting device is equipped with a rotary planting mechanism that uses planting tines to scrape mat seedlings one by one from the lower end of a seedling carrier that slopes high at the front and low at the rear, and plants them on the rice field surface.The planting device is equipped with a rotary planting mechanism that can be freely raised and lowered via a link mechanism equipped with a hydraulic cylinder, and a pesticide spraying device that sprays pesticides stored in a plastic hopper that allows the operator to see the remaining amount from the driver's seat onto the rice field surface using a dispensing device and a spreading device located below the hopper is equipped on the upper part of a support frame that stands upright at the rear of the planting device.When the planting tines are raised after planting one seedling, mud splashed up by the planting tines is received on the front side of the hopper and the dispensing device and the spreading device, and a steel plate mudguard is attached to the upper part of the support frame together with the pesticide spraying device and is capable of being attached and detached.

2. The riding rice transplanter with pesticide spraying device described in claim 1, characterized in that the mudguard is made by bending a steel plate, from the top to the bottom, with a width approximately equal to that of the hopper toward the rear, forming an attachment portion for the upper surface of the horizontal bar of the support frame.

3. The riding rice transplanter with pesticide spraying device described in claim 2, characterized in that the mudguard is bent downward from its attachment point to the upper surface of the horizontal bar of the support frame to create a space between it and the back cover of the casing that covers the dispensing device and the diffusion device, so that the mudguard itself does not block the operation confirmation sound of the dispensing device and the diffusion device, which is emitted by a buzzer located inside the back cover through an air transmission hole located on the front surface of the back cover.

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