Grounding sensing mechanism

Abstract

This provides a ground sensing mechanism that allows for miniaturization and selection of float shapes, thereby increasing design flexibility. [Solution] The planting device 12, which has a function to adjust the height according to the distance from the field surface 102, is attached to a rice transplanter 1 and is configured to sense whether or not it has made contact with the field surface 102. The planting device 12 has a float 31 which is disposed at the bottom of the planting device 12 and a blade 32 which is disposed to protrude downward from the bottom surface of the float 31. The device senses that it has made contact with the field surface 102 when the blade 32 is inserted into the soil from the field surface 102 and the float 31 comes into contact with the field surface 102.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a ground sensing mechanism incorporated in equipment used in soft ground.

Background Art

[0002] As equipment used in soft ground, a rice transplanter disclosed in Patent Document 1 below is known. This rice transplanter includes a self-propelled body and a seedling planting device. Here, in order to make the roots of the seedlings reach a prescribed depth during planting, it is necessary to maintain the distance between the planting claws of the seedling planting device and the paddy field surface (soil surface) at a predetermined distance. For this reason, this type of seedling planting device includes a ground sensing mechanism that senses whether or not a float attached to the bottom has contacted the field surface, and a lifting device that raises and lowers the seedling planting device according to the sensing result.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, the ground sensing mechanism of the above-described rice transplanter has the following problems to be solved. Specifically, in the above-described ground sensing mechanism, the reaction force when the float contacts the field surface is detected to sense whether or not the float has contacted the field surface. In this case, since the paddy field surface is very soft, unless the area of the float is increased, the float will sink into the soil and it will not be possible to sense that contact has occurred when the float contacts the field surface. That is, in the conventional ground sensing mechanism, there is a problem that the design of the ground sensing mechanism is restricted due to the inability to miniaturize the float.

[0005] This invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its main objective is to provide a ground sensing mechanism that enables miniaturization and selection of the shape of the float, thereby increasing the degree of freedom in design. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the ground contact sensing mechanism described in claim 1 is a ground contact sensing mechanism that is attached to equipment equipped with a work device that performs a predetermined task and has a function to adjust its height according to the distance from the surface of soft ground soil, and senses whether or not it has made contact with the surface of the soil, comprising a float disposed at the bottom of the work device and a blade disposed so as to protrude downward from the bottom surface of the float, and senses that it has made contact with the surface of the soil when the blade is inserted into the soil from the surface of the soil and the float comes into contact with the surface of the soil.

[0007] Furthermore, the ground sensing mechanism according to claim 2 is the ground sensing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the blade is arranged to be inclined in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of the equipment when the work is performed.

[0008] Furthermore, the ground sensing mechanism described in claim 3 is the ground sensing mechanism described in claim 2, further comprising an angle adjustment mechanism for adjusting the inclination angle of the blade.

[0009] Furthermore, the ground sensing mechanism according to claim 4 is the ground sensing mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the angle adjustment mechanism includes an operating unit that allows adjustment of the inclination angle via a wire connected to the blade.

[0010] Furthermore, the ground sensing mechanism described in claim 5 is the ground sensing mechanism described in any one of claims 1 to 4, and is attached to the planting mechanism as the working device in the rice transplanter as the equipment. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the ground contact sensing mechanism described in claim 1, by comprising a float disposed at the bottom of the work device and a blade disposed so as to protrude downward from the bottom surface of the float, even if the float is small, the blade inserted into the soil shares the reaction force from the soil, so that it is possible to reliably sense when the float has come into contact with the surface of soft ground. Therefore, unlike conventional configurations in which it is not possible to sense when the float has come into contact with the surface unless the surface area is large, this ground contact sensing mechanism allows for miniaturization of the float and selection of its shape, thereby greatly increasing the degree of freedom in designing the device.

[0012] Furthermore, according to the ground sensing mechanism described in claim 2, by arranging the blade so as to be inclined in the opposite direction to the direction of movement of the equipment during work, it is possible to reliably prevent the blade from piercing the soil and making it difficult for the equipment to move forward.

[0013] Furthermore, according to the ground contact sensing mechanism described in claim 3, by providing an angle adjustment mechanism for adjusting the inclination angle of the blade, it is possible to accurately sense when contact has been made with the surface of soft ground by adjusting the inclination angle of the blade according to the terrain and soil hardness.

[0014] Furthermore, according to the ground sensing mechanism described in claim 4, the angle adjustment mechanism is equipped with an operating unit that allows adjustment of the tilt angle via a wire connected to the blade. This makes it possible to adjust the tilt angle of the blade by operating the operating unit from, for example, the operator's seat of the equipment, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0015] Furthermore, according to the ground sensing mechanism described in claim 5, when attached to the planting mechanism as a working device in a rice transplanter, it is possible to significantly reduce the size of the floats, which would otherwise be large in conventional configurations, and increase the freedom of shape selection when used in rice transplanters on very soft ground. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This is a side view showing the configuration of the rice transplanter 1. [Figure 2] It is a first explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the ground contact sensing mechanism 13. [Figure 3] It is a second explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the ground contact sensing mechanism 13. [Figure 4] It is a first explanatory diagram for explaining the movement of the float 31 in a configuration without the blade 32. [Figure 5] It is a second explanatory diagram for explaining the movement of the float 31 in a configuration without the blade 32.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of the ground contact sensing mechanism will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] First, the configuration of the rice transplanter 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. As shown in the figure, the rice transplanter 1 is configured to include a main body portion 11, a planting device 12, and a ground contact sensing mechanism 13.

[0019] The main body portion 11 includes an engine as a power source, an operation control unit, and a drive mechanism, and is configured to be able to travel in a paddy field as soft ground.

[0020] The planting device 12 is an example of a working device, and has a function of performing height adjustment (vertical movement) according to the distance from the paddy field surface 102 (the surface of the soil), and performs the planting of seedlings as a predetermined operation. In this case, the planting device 12 is connected to the main body portion 11 via a link mechanism 21 and performs vertical movement by a hydraulic cylinder 22.

[0021] The ground contact sensing mechanism 13 is an example of the ground contact sensing mechanism according to the present invention, and has a function of sensing whether or not it has contacted the paddy field surface 102. Specifically, the ground contact sensing mechanism 13 is configured to include a float 31, a blade 32, a float fixture 33, and an angle adjustment mechanism 34.

[0022] As shown in Figure 1, the float 31 is attached to the lower part of the planting device 12 via a float mounting bracket 33. In this case, the float 31 is lightweight by having a hollow structure made of a material such as resin.

[0023] As shown in Figure 1, the blade 32 is positioned to protrude downward from the bottom surface of the float 31. Furthermore, the blade 32 is positioned to tilt in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of the rice transplanter 1 during operation (leftward in Figure 1). Also, as shown in Figure 2, the blade 32 is rotatable with its upper end as a pivot point, allowing for a variable tilt angle. In this case, the blade 32 is made of a material such as metal to withstand the resistance of being pushed into and pulled by the soil below the paddy field surface 102.

[0024] The angle adjustment mechanism 34 has the function of adjusting the inclination angle of the blade 32. Specifically, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the angle adjustment mechanism 34 is composed of a spring 41, an outer tube 42, a wire 43, and an operating part 44. The spring 41 is a tension spring that biases the blade 32 in a direction that increases the inclination angle of the blade 32 (towards becoming vertical). One end of the outer tube 42 is locked to the upper end of the blade 32, and the other end is locked to the operating part 44. The other end of the wire 43 is connected to the end of the spring 41 at one end and to the operating part 44 at the other end. The operating part 44 is configured to allow the wire 43 to be fed out and pulled.

[0025] In this case, when using the rice transplanter 1 in a shallow tilling pan 103, the tensile force of the spring 41 is reduced by feeding out the wire 43 by operating the control unit 44, as shown in Figure 2, thereby reducing the inclination angle of the blade 32. This reduces the reaction force from the tilling pan 103 on the blade 32. On the other hand, when using the rice transplanter 1 in a deep tilling pan 103, the tensile force of the spring 41 is increased by pulling the wire 43 by operating the control unit 44, as shown in Figure 3, thereby increasing the inclination angle of the blade 32. This increases the reaction force from the tilling pan 103 on the blade 32.

[0026] As described above, the ground contact sensing mechanism 13 is equipped with a blade 32 that is positioned to protrude downward from the bottom surface of the float 31. In a conventional configuration without a blade 32, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, if the area of ​​the float 31 is small, the float 31 sinks into the soil, making it impossible to sense contact when the bottom surface of the float 31 comes into contact with the paddy field surface 102. In other words, with a conventional configuration, the float 31 cannot be miniaturized, which imposes constraints on the design of the ground contact sensing mechanism 13. In contrast, with the ground contact sensing mechanism 13 of the present invention equipped with a blade 32, even if the float 31 is small, when the float 31 comes into contact with the paddy field surface 102 and the blade 32 inserted into the soil comes into contact with the hard part of the soil (plow pan 103), the sinking of the float 31 stops, and thus it is possible to reliably sense that the bottom surface of the float 31 has come into contact with the paddy field surface 102. Therefore, this ground sensing mechanism allows for miniaturization and selection of the shape of the float 31, significantly increasing the design flexibility of the ground sensing mechanism 13.

[0027] Furthermore, this ground contact sensing mechanism 13 is equipped with an angle adjustment mechanism 34 for adjusting the inclination angle of the float 31. By adjusting the inclination angle of the float 31 according to the terrain and the hardness of the tilled surface 103, it is possible to accurately sense when the bottom surface of the float 31 is in contact with the paddy field surface 102.

[0028] The above-described configuration of the ground sensing mechanism is merely one example of the ground sensing mechanism of this application, and any modified configuration can be adopted as appropriate. For example, the above example includes a function to adjust the inclination angle of the blade 32, but a configuration in which the inclination angle is fixed can also be adopted. Furthermore, although the above example shows the blade 32 arranged to be inclined, a ring-shaped blade 32 with a circular or elliptical side view can also be used, and in such a configuration, inclination is not necessary. In addition, although the above example uses a metal blade 32, the material of the blade 32 is not limited to metal and any material can be used.

[0029] Furthermore, although an example of attaching the ground sensing mechanism 13 to the planting device 12 of the rice transplanter 1 has been described, the ground sensing mechanism 13 can be attached to other agricultural equipment, civil engineering equipment, and other work devices. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0030] 1. Rice transplanter 11 Main body 12 Planting equipment 13 Ground sensing mechanism 21 Link mechanism 22 Hydraulic Cylinders 23. Hydraulic adjustment mechanism 31 Floats 32 blades 34 Angle adjustment mechanism 41 Spring 42 Outer tube 43 Wire 44 Control section 101 Water surface 102 Tanmen 103 Plow board

Claims

1. A ground contact sensing mechanism is attached to a work device equipped with a function to adjust the height according to the distance from the surface of soft ground soil and to perform a predetermined task, and senses whether or not it has made contact with the surface of the soil, The work device comprises a float disposed at the bottom of the work device and a blade disposed so as to protrude downward from the bottom surface of the float, A ground contact sensing mechanism that senses that the blade has made contact with the soil surface when it is inserted into the soil from the soil surface and the float has made contact with the soil surface.

2. The ground sensing mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the blade is arranged to be inclined in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of the equipment when the work is performed.

3. The ground sensing mechanism according to claim 2, further comprising an angle adjustment mechanism for adjusting the inclination angle of the blade.

4. The ground sensing mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the angle adjustment mechanism is provided with an operating unit that allows adjustment of the tilt angle via a wire connected to the blade.

5. A ground contact sensing mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is attached to a planting mechanism as a working device in a rice transplanter as the aforementioned equipment.

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