Work vehicles
By installing rail travel wheels and passageway traveling wheels on the working vehicle, and using photosensors and control systems, the vehicle's accurate face-to-face problem when steering adjacent working channels and insufficient space during facility conversion are solved, and the vehicle's efficient and precise operation in plant cultivation facilities is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2021060744
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2021-03-31
- Publication Date
- 2025-03-21
- Estimated Expiration
- 2041-03-31
AI Technical Summary
Existing working vehicles find it difficult to accurately face the track when turning to adjacent working channels, and there is insufficient space for switching between the working channels and the moving channels of the plant cultivation facility, resulting in unsmooth conversion.
A working vehicle was designed, equipped with rail travel wheels and passageway traveling wheels. Through photosensors and control systems, the vehicle is accurately faced on the track and moved parallelly in the moving channel, avoiding steering operations.
The smooth conversion and accurate alignment of working vehicles between different working channels is achieved, and the operation efficiency and accuracy of the vehicles in plant cultivation facilities are improved.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a work vehicle configured to travel along a work passage between a plurality of cultivation beds provided in a house of a plant cultivation facility for cultivating plants, and, after traveling along the work passage, to travel along an adjacent work passage. [Background technology]
[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a work vehicle equipped with an agricultural robot, which is configured such that work aisles are provided between multiple cultivation beds provided in a greenhouse for cultivating plants, the work vehicle travels straight on rails laid in the work aisles between the cultivation beds, turns after traveling on the work aisle, travels on a transfer aisle toward an adjacent work aisle, and travels straight on the rails laid in the adjacent work aisle, and the work vehicle is provided with a sensor for detecting the cultivation beds. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-163927 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] However, the work vehicle disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured to run on rails laid in a certain work passage, then turn within the transfer passage to move to a position opposite the rails laid in the adjacent work passage, and then run on the rails laid in the adjacent work passage. Because it turns within the transfer passage, it was difficult to accurately position it in a position directly opposite the rails in the adjacent work passage.
[0005] In addition, when trying to move from a work passage between cultivation beds located along the wall inside the plant cultivation facility to an adjacent work passage, there was a problem that there was no space to turn, making it impossible to make a smooth transition.
[0006] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a work vehicle that is configured to run on rails laid in a work passage between cultivation beds of a plant cultivation facility, then run within a transfer passage and run on rails laid in an adjacent work passage, which can be easily positioned in a position directly opposite the rails in the adjacent work passage and can easily move from a work passage provided along the wall of the plant cultivation facility to the adjacent work passage. [Means for solving the problem]
[0007] The object of the present invention is to A work vehicle travels within a plant cultivation facility that includes a plurality of rows of cultivation beds arranged substantially parallel to one another for cultivating plants in a greenhouse of the plant cultivation facility, a work passage extending between adjacent rows of cultivation beds in the longitudinal direction of the cultivation beds, the work passage having a rail laid therein, and a transfer passage connecting adjacent work passages, A rail running wheel capable of running on the rail laid in the working passage in the longitudinal direction of the cultivation bed; A passage running wheel capable of running in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cultivation bed within the passage for moving is provided, The work vehicle is configured to run on the rail laid in the work passage in a predetermined direction of the longitudinal direction of the cultivation bed by the rail running wheels, and after reaching an end of the rail, run on the rail laid in the work passage in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction, reach the end of the rail, and exit from the work passage to the transfer passage, and then move in a direction approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cultivation bed by the passage running wheels within the transfer passage, and run on the rail laid in a work passage adjacent to the work passage in a predetermined direction of the longitudinal direction of the cultivation bed, a pair of photosensors are provided on the side of the work vehicle that is to the front when the work vehicle travels in the predetermined direction, the distance between the two sides being greater than the distance between the outer sides of the rails, each of the photosensors having a light-emitting element that emits light in the longitudinal direction of the rails and a light-receiving element that receives reflected light emitted from the light-emitting element; Furthermore, the above object is achieved by a work vehicle characterized in that it is provided with a control means configured to emit light from the light-emitting elements of the pair of photosensors toward the rail before the work vehicle moves through the moving passage in a direction approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cultivation bed, and drive the passage running wheels until the light-receiving elements of the pair of photosensors receive reflected light of the light emitted from the light-emitting elements and stop receiving reflected light from the rail.
[0008] According to the present invention, the pair of photosensors are arranged so that the distance between them is greater than the distance between the outsides of the rails, and are configured to emit light in the longitudinal direction of the rails. Therefore, when the work vehicle is facing the rails laid in the work passage where it has finished traveling, the light emitted from the light-emitting elements of the pair of photosensors toward the rails passes through the outside of the rails and is not reflected by the rails. Therefore, before the work vehicle moves to the adjacent work passage, the passage running wheels are driven until the light-receiving elements of the pair of photosensors no longer receive reflected light from the rails, so that the work vehicle can be faced directly against the rails in the work passage where it has finished traveling. Simply by driving the passage running wheels to move the work vehicle in a direction approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cultivation beds over a distance equal to the distance between the adjacent work passages, the work vehicle can be positioned so that it is facing the rails laid in the adjacent work passages. Since there is no need to turn the work vehicle in the moving passage, it is possible to accurately position the work vehicle in a position facing the rails in the adjacent work passages.
[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control means is configured to drive the aisle running wheels to move the work vehicle within the movement area in a direction approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cultivation bed, and to stop the aisle running wheels when one of the pair of photosensors detects reflected light from the rail and then the pair of photosensors no longer detects reflected light from the rail.
[0010] The pair of photosensors are arranged so that the distance between them is greater than the distance between the outsides of the rails and are configured to emit light in the longitudinal direction of the rails. Therefore, when a work vehicle facing the rails in a work passageway after it has finished traveling is moved in a direction approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cultivation beds, the photosensor of the pair of photosensors that is located downstream in the direction of movement of the work vehicle will first detect the rail. However, since the distance between the pair of photosensors is arranged so that it is greater than the distance between the outsides of the rails, the photosensor located downstream will no longer detect the rail before the photosensor located upstream detects the rail. Therefore, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to position the work vehicle in a position directly facing the rails laid in the work passageway after it has finished traveling.
[0011] In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the work vehicle is further provided with a photosensor capable of detecting an object located at a predetermined distance or less at a front portion thereof when traveling in the predetermined direction, and when the photosensor detects the rail or the cultivation bed while the work vehicle is moving in a direction approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cultivation bed, the control means is configured to determine that the work vehicle is too close to the rail and to output a reverse signal to the aisle running wheels to move the work vehicle away from the rail or the cultivation bed.
[0012] According to a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the photosensor is capable of detecting objects located at a predetermined distance or less, and if the predetermined distance is set to the distance between the work vehicle and the rail or cultivation bed when the work vehicle is moving in a direction approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cultivation bed, then when the photosensor detects the rail or cultivation bed, it determines that the work vehicle is too close to the rail or cultivation bed and moves the work vehicle away from the rail or cultivation bed. Thus, it becomes possible to effectively prevent the work vehicle from getting too close to the rail or cultivation bed when the work vehicle is moving in a direction approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cultivation bed. Effect of the Invention
[0013] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a work vehicle that is configured to run on rails laid in a work passage between cultivation beds of a plant cultivation facility, then run within a transfer passage and run on rails laid in an adjacent work passage, and that can be easily positioned in a position directly opposite the rails in the adjacent work passage and can easily move from a work passage provided along the wall of the plant cultivation facility to the adjacent work passage. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of a plant cultivation facility. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the vicinity of each cultivation bed. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic enlarged plan view of an end region of a cultivation bed. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing a work vehicle traveling on rails. [Diagram 5] Figure 5(A) is a conceptual diagram showing the positional relationship between the surface of the sub-passage, the rail, the rail running wheel, and the passage running wheel when the rail running wheel is rotating while abutting against the surface of the rail laid in the work passage, and Figure 5(B) is a conceptual diagram showing the positional relationship between the surface of the movement area, the rail running wheel, and the passage running wheel when the passage running wheel is rotating while abutting against the surface of the movement area. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a control system, a detection system, and a drive system of the work vehicle 3 according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. [Figure 7] 7(A), 7(B), 7(C) and 7(D) are schematic plan views showing the optical path of light emitted from the light-emitting elements of a pair of photosensors towards the rail. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing a work vehicle in the process of turning. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic side view of a work vehicle according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view of a work vehicle according to still another embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0015] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0016] A work vehicle according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is configured to travel between a plurality of cultivation beds provided in a house of a plant cultivation facility for cultivating plants. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing the configuration of the plant cultivation facility.
[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, the plant cultivation facility includes a cultivation room 1 where plants are cultivated and where the indoor environment, such as temperature and humidity, is controlled, and a shipping room 2.
[0018] As shown in Fig. 1, a main passage 4 through which a work vehicle 3 and the like can pass is provided in the cultivation room 1, and a large number of cultivation beds 5 for cultivating plants are provided on both sides of the main passage 4. The cultivation beds 5 are arranged in a direction substantially perpendicular to the main passage 4 and substantially parallel to each other, and between the cultivation beds 5, sub-passages 6 are provided that extend vertically from the main passage 4 and through which the work vehicle 3 and the like can pass. Therefore, various tasks can be performed on the plants cultivated in the cultivation beds 5 while the work vehicle 3 is moving through the sub-passage 6.
[0019] The shipping room 2 is equipped with a nutrient solution supplying device 11 that supplies nutrient solution to each cultivation bed 5, and a sorting device 12 that sorts harvested plants by weight, size or grade, and the sorting device 12 has a sorting conveyor 13 that transports and sorts the harvested products, and harvested product storage sections 14 for each grade provided on both sides of the sorting conveyor 13. Workers can move between the cultivation room 1 and the shipping room 2 through an entrance / exit 15.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the vicinity of each cultivation bed 5.
[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, above the cultivation beds 5, a wire 16 extends in a direction across the cultivation beds 5, and an attractant string 18 is hung vertically from the wire 16 via a hook 17, so that the plants cultivated in each cultivation bed 5 are configured to grow along the attractant string 18.
[0022] FIG. 3 is a schematic enlarged plan view of an end region of the cultivation bed 5. As shown in FIG.
[0023] As shown in Figure 3, rails 7 are laid in a sub-passage 6 provided between adjacent cultivation beds 5A, 5B, and the work vehicle 3 is configured to travel on the rails 7 and perform various tasks on the plants 8A, 8B cultivated in the cultivation beds 5A, 5B, and the area in which the rails 7 are laid forms a work passage 30.
[0024] After completing work, the work vehicle 3 can move through the main passage 4 to the work passage 30 in the adjacent sub-passage 6, and a movement area 32 is formed by the main passage 4 through which the work vehicle 3 passes.
[0025] In FIG. 3, the cultivation bed located on the left side is 5A, the cultivation bed located on the right side is 5B, the plant cultivated in the cultivation bed 5A on the left side is 8A, and the plant cultivated in the cultivation bed 5B on the right side is 8B.
[0026] As shown in FIG. 3, the work vehicle 3 is equipped with a rail guide for traveling on rails 7 laid in a work passage 30. traveling wheel The vehicle is equipped with wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, and 21D for passage, and wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, and 22D for passage that are used when traveling on the main passage 4. The wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, and 22D for passage are configured so that their orientation can be changed by rotary motors 23A, 23B, 23C, and 23D, respectively. traveling wheel The wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, and 21D are integrally formed with the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, and 22D, and are rail-running. traveling wheelThe wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D and the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D are configured to be rotated by driving motors 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D. When the work vehicle 3 runs on the rails 7 laid in the work passage 30 in the sub-passage 6, the rail running motors 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D are rotated by the driving motors 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D. traveling wheel It is configured such that 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D come into contact with the rail 7, and when traveling in the main passage 4, passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D come into contact with the surface of the main passage 4. When the work vehicle 3 travels on the rail 7 laid in the work passage 30 in the sub-passage 6, the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D are separated from the sub-passage 6, while their inner surfaces face the outer surface of the rail 7, and function as guides to guide the work vehicle 3 to travel along the rail 7.
[0027] In FIG. 3, of the rail running wheels located on the left side, the rail running wheel closest to rail 7 is 21A, and the rail running wheel farthest from the rail is 21C, and of the rail running wheels located on the right side, the rail running wheel closest to rail 7 is 21B, and the rail running wheel farthest from the rail is 21D. In FIG. 3, of the rotating motors located on the left side, the rotating motor closest to rail 7 is 23A, and the rotating motor farthest from the rail is 23C, and of the rotating motors located on the right side, the rotating motor closest to rail 7 is 23B, and the rotating motor farthest from the rail is 23D.
[0028] Rotation motors 23A, 23B, 23C, and 23D are rail-driven. traveling wheel In this embodiment, the direction of the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, and 21D and the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, and 22D is changed by the rotary motors 23A, 23B, 23C, and 23D. traveling wheel The orientation of 21A, 21B, 21C, and 21D and passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, and 22D is configured to be changeable through 90 degrees.
[0029] In this embodiment, with the directions of the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D and the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D set parallel to the longitudinal direction of the rail 7, the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D and the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D are rotated to move the work vehicle 3 within the main passage 4, and further onto the rail 7 within the sub-passage 6. Next, the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D are used to run the work vehicle 3 in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 3, while performing a predetermined operation on the plant 8A cultivated in one cultivation bed 5A. When the work vehicle 3 reaches the end of the rail 7, , the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D and the aisle running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D are rotated in the opposite direction to cause the work vehicle 3 to travel on the rails 7 laid in the sub-passage 6 in the direction of arrow B in FIG. 3 while performing a predetermined operation on the plant 8B cultivated in the other cultivation bed 5B, and when the work vehicle 3 reaches the connection part 7a of the rail 7, the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D and the aisle running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D continue to rotate to move the work vehicle 3 from on the rails 7 into the movement area 32 of the main passage 4, and position the work vehicle 3 at a predetermined position within the movement area 32.
[0030] FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing the work vehicle 3 while it is traveling on the rails 7. As shown in FIG.
[0031] As shown in FIG. 4, when the work vehicle 3 is traveling on the rail 7, the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, and 22D are positioned so that their orientations are parallel to the longitudinal direction of the rail 7.
[0032] In this way, the work vehicle 3 runs on the rail 7 in the direction of arrow A, and when it reaches the end of the rail 7, it runs on the rail 7 in the direction of arrow B and after reaching the connection part 7a of the rail 7, it leaves the rail 7 and the aisle running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D come into contact with the movement area 32 of the main passage 4, and when the work vehicle 3 reaches a predetermined position within the movement area 32 as shown in Figure 3, the rotation of the aisle running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D is stopped.
[0033] Thereafter, the work vehicle 3 is moved toward the adjacent work passage 30 as necessary.
[0034] As shown in Fig. 3, a pair of photosensors 25A, 25B are provided on bumper 35 provided at the front of the work vehicle 3, which is the front side when the work vehicle 3 travels on the rails 7 in the direction of arrow A. Here, in Fig. 3, the photosensor located on the left side is 25A, and the photosensor located on the right side is 25B.
[0035] The pair of photosensors 25A, 25B are arranged in line-symmetrical positions with respect to a vertical central plane passing through the center of the width of the work vehicle 3, and the distance between the pair of photosensors 25A, 25B is set to be greater than the distance between the outer sides of the rails 7.
[0036] Each of the pair of photosensors 25A, 25B has a light-emitting element (not shown) that emits light toward the front and a light-receiving element (not shown) that receives light reflected by an object and detects the object, and in this embodiment, each of the pair of photosensors 25A, 25B is provided at approximately the same height as the rail 7.
[0037] In the work vehicle 3 of this embodiment, when traveling on the rail 7, the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, and 21D rotate with the wheels in contact with the upper surface of the rail 7, and when traveling within the main passage 4, the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, and 22D rotate with the wheels in contact with the surface of the movement area 32.
[0038] Figure 5(A) is a conceptual diagram showing the positional relationship between the surface 6a of the sub-passage 6, the rail 7, the rail running wheel 21A, and the passage running wheel 22A when the rail running wheel 21A is rotating while abutting against the surface of the rail 7 laid in the work passage 30, and Figure 5(B) is a conceptual diagram showing the positional relationship between the surface 32a of the movement area 32, the rail running wheel 21A, and the passage running wheel 22A when the passage running wheel 22A is rotating while abutting against the surface 32a of the movement area 32.
[0039] When the work vehicle 3 runs on the rails 7 laid in the sub-passage 6, the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D rotate while abutting against the surface of the rail 7, thereby causing the work vehicle 3 to run on the rail 7. At this time, the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D come into contact with the surface 6a of the sub-passage 6 and are spaced a small distance h1 from the surface 6a of the sub-passage 6 so as not to interfere with the running of the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D.
[0040] On the other hand, when the work vehicle 3 travels within the movement area 32, the aisle running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D rotate while contacting the surface 32a of the movement area 32, thereby causing the work vehicle 3 to travel. At this time, the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D are spaced a small distance h2 from the surface 32a of the movement area 32 so as not to contact the surface 32a of the movement area 32 and interfere with the travel of the aisle running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D.
[0041] Therefore, when the work vehicle 3 moves from a state in which it has been running on the rails 7 laid in the sub-passage 6 to the transfer area 32, the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, which are spaced above the surface 30a of the work passage 30 by a distance h1, drop by a distance h1 toward the surface 32a of the transfer area 32; however, if h1 is set to a sufficiently small value, the drop distance of the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D is short, and therefore the impact on the work vehicle 3 is small.
[0042] On the other hand, when the work vehicle 3 moves from a state in which it is traveling within the movement area 32 of the main passage 4 to onto the rails 7 laid in the sub-passage 6, the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, and 21D, which are spaced above the surface 32a of the movement area 32 by h2, will ride up onto the rails 7. Therefore, if the height of the rail 7 is set to H and (H-h2) is set to a sufficiently small value, the impact applied to the work vehicle 3 when the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, and 21D ride up onto the rails 7 can be reduced.
[0043] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the control system, detection system, and drive system of the work vehicle 3 according to this embodiment.
[0044] As shown in FIG. 6, the control system of the work vehicle 3 according to this embodiment includes a controller 40 that controls the overall operation of the work vehicle 3, a ROM 41 that stores control programs, and a RAM 42 that stores various data.
[0045] As shown in FIG. 6, the detection system of the work vehicle 3 according to this embodiment includes a pair of photosensors 25A, 25B attached to the front surface of the work vehicle 3.
[0046] As shown in FIG. 6, the drive system of the work vehicle 3 in this embodiment includes rotation motors 23A, 23B, 23C, 23D that change the orientation of the aisle running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D and the orientation of the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D, and travel motors 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D that rotate the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D and the aisle running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D.
[0047] The work vehicle 3 according to the present embodiment configured as described above travels on the rails 7 laid on the work passage 30 in the direction of the arrow A, performs a predetermined operation on the plant 8A planted in the cultivation bed 5A, and when it reaches the end of the rails 7, it reverses and travels on the rails 7 of the work passage 30 in the direction of the arrow B, performing a predetermined operation on the plant 8B planted in the cultivation bed 5B. When the operation on the plants 8A and 8B planted in the cultivation beds 5A and 5B is completed and the connection portion 7a of the rails 7 is reached, the work vehicle 3 leaves the rails 7 and proceeds from the work passage 30 into the transfer area 32. FIG. 3 shows the state in which the work vehicle 3 thus proceeds from the work passage 30 into the transfer area 32 and is located in the transfer area 32.
[0048] In this embodiment, when performing work on a plant 8A cultivated in a cultivation bed 5A, first, the aisle running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D are driven, and the work vehicle 3 travels within the main aisle 4 and is set in a position directly facing the connection part 7a of the rail 7 laid within the work aisle 30 of the sub-aisle 6 provided between the cultivation beds 5A and 5B in which the plant 8A to be worked on is cultivated.
[0049] At this point, the aisle running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, and 22D of the work vehicle 3 are in contact with the surface of the main aisle 4, the work vehicle 3 is supported by the aisle running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, and 22D, and the pair of rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, and 21D are held at a distance h2 from the surface of the work aisle 32.
[0050] Next, the controller 40 outputs a first drive signal to the traveling motors 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D to rotate the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D and the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D. As a result, the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D of the work vehicle 3 climb up onto the laid rail 7 from the connection part 7a of the rail 7 laid in the work passage 30 where work needs to be performed.
[0051] Even after the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, and 21D ride up onto the rail 7, the controller 40 continues to output a first drive signal to the running motors 24A, 24B, 24C, and 24D, causing the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, and 21D to rotate at a predetermined speed, and the work vehicle 3 runs on the rail 7 in the direction of arrow A (see Figure 3).
[0052] While the work vehicle 3 travels on the rails 7 in the direction of the arrow A, a predetermined operation is carried out on a plant 8A cultivated in a cultivation bed 5A.
[0053] In this way, while performing the specified work on the plant 8A, the work vehicle 3 runs in the direction of arrow A on the rails 7 laid within the work area 30, and when it is detected that the work vehicle 3 has reached the end of the rails 7, the controller 40 outputs a stop signal to the travel motors 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D to stop the rotation of the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D and stop the work vehicle 3.
[0054] Next, the controller 40 outputs a second drive signal to the traveling motors 24A, 24B, 24C, and 24D to rotate the rail traveling wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, and 21D in the direction opposite to the direction when the first drive signal was output.
[0055] As a result, the work vehicle 3 travels on rails 7 laid inside the work passage 30 in the direction of arrow B in FIG.
[0056] While the work vehicle 3 travels on the rails 7 in the direction of the arrow B, a predetermined operation is carried out on the plant 8A cultivated in the cultivation bed 5B.
[0057] In this way, while performing the necessary work on the plant 8B, the work vehicle 3 travels on the rail 7, and when it is detected that it has reached the connection portion 7a of the rail 7, the controller 40 outputs a stop signal to the travel motors 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D to stop the rotation of the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D, and stop the work vehicle 3.
[0058] In this manner, the work vehicle 3 travels back and forth on the rail 7, and the specified work is performed on the plants 8A, 8B cultivated in the cultivation beds 5A, 5B. When the work vehicle 3 reaches the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 and is stopped, the controller 40 outputs a second drive signal to the travel motors 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D to rotate the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D and the aisle running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D.
[0059] As a result, the work vehicle 3 leaves the rail 7, proceeds into the movement area 32 of the main passage 4, and when it reaches a predetermined position, the controller 40 outputs a stop signal to the traveling motors 24A, 24B, 24C, and 24D to stop the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, and 22D.
[0060] In this way, the work vehicle 3 is stopped at a predetermined waiting position within the transfer area 32 of the main passage 4.
[0061] Thereafter, the work vehicle 3 is moved within the movement area 32 of the main passage 4 from the waiting position toward the adjacent work passage 30 in order to work on the plants 8A, 8B cultivated in the cultivation beds 5A, 5B in the adjacent work passage 30, as necessary.
[0062] When the work vehicle 3 moves within the movement area 32 of the main passage 4 toward the adjacent work passage 30, the position of the work vehicle 3 is first adjusted prior to the movement so that the work vehicle 3 is accurately facing the connection part 7a of the rail 7 laid in the work passage 30 where work has been completed.
[0063] Specifically, the controller 40 outputs a detection signal to a pair of photosensors 25A, 25B, causing light to be emitted from the light-emitting elements (not shown) of the pair of photosensors 25A, 25B toward the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 laid on the work path 30 where work on the plants 8A, 8B has been completed, and the light reflected by the rail 7 is received by a light-receiving element (not shown).
[0064] 7(A), 7(B), 7(C) and 7(D) are schematic plan views showing the optical paths of light emitted from the light-emitting elements of the pair of photosensors 25A and 25B toward the rail 7.
[0065] As described above, the pair of photosensors 25A, 25B are arranged in positions symmetrical with respect to the vertical center plane passing through the center of the width of the work vehicle 3, the distance between the pair of photosensors 25A, 25B is set to be greater than the distance between the outsides of the rails 7, and the light-emitting elements are configured to emit light in a direction perpendicular to the front surface of the work vehicle 3. Therefore, the vertical center plane passing through the center of the work vehicle 3 is arranged to coincide with the center plane passing through the center of the rail 7, and when the work vehicle 3 is facing the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 laid in the work passage 30 after completing work, as shown in FIG. 7A, the direction of light emitted from the light-emitting elements of the pair of photosensors 25A, 25B is parallel to the side surface of the rail 7, and the light emitted from the light-emitting elements of the pair of photosensors 25A, 25B, which are installed so that the distance between them is greater than the distance between the outer surfaces of the rail 7, passes outside the sides of the rail 7 and is not reflected by the rail 7. Therefore, when the work vehicle 3 is facing the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 laid in the work passage 30 after completing work, the light receiving elements of the pair of photosensors 25A, 25B do not receive reflected light from the rail 7, and the amount of light received by the light receiving elements is small and is below the first threshold value TH1.
[0066] In contrast, when the work vehicle 3 is not directly facing the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 laid in the work passage 30 where the work vehicle 3 has finished work, and the central plane passing through the center of the work vehicle 3 is inclined counterclockwise with respect to the vertical central plane passing through the center of the rail 7, as shown in Fig. 7B, the light emitted from the left photosensor 25A passes through the left side of the rail 7, but the light emitted from the right photosensor 25B is irradiated to the right side surface of the rail 7 and reflected, and the reflected light is received by the light receiving elements of the photosensors 25A and 25B. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 7B, when the central plane passing through the center of the work vehicle 3 is inclined counterclockwise with respect to the vertical central plane passing through the center of the rail 7, the amount of light received by the light receiving elements of the pair of photosensors 25A and 25B is greater than that in Fig. 7A and exceeds the first threshold value TH1.
[0067] On the other hand, when the central plane passing through the center of the work vehicle 3 is inclined clockwise with respect to the vertical central plane passing through the center of the rail 7, the light emitted from the right-side photosensor 25B passes through the right side of the rail 7, but the light emitted from the left-side photosensor 25A is irradiated onto the left side of the rail 7 and reflected, and the reflected light is received by the light-receiving elements of the photosensors 25A and 25B, so that the amount of light received by the light-receiving elements of the pair of photosensors 25A and 25B is greater than in the case of Figure 7A and exceeds the first threshold value TH1.
[0068] In contrast, when the vertical center plane passing through the center of the work vehicle 3 is parallel to the vertical center plane passing through the center of the rail 7, but the vertical center plane passing through the center of the work vehicle 3 is shifted in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rail 7 and does not face the connection part 7a of the rail 7 laid in the work passage 30 where the work vehicle 3 has finished work, as shown in FIG. 7C, when the work vehicle 3 is shifted to the right, the light emitted from the light-emitting element of the right-side photosensor 25B is not irradiated to the rail 7 and is not reflected, but the light emitted from the light-emitting element of the left-side photosensor 25A is irradiated to the connection part 7a of the rail 7 and is reflected, while, as shown in FIG. 7D, when the work vehicle 3 is shifted to the left, the light emitted from the light-emitting element of the left-side photosensor 25A is not irradiated to the rail 7 and is not reflected, but the light emitted from the light-emitting element of the right-side photosensor 25B is irradiated to the connection part 7a of the rail 7 and is reflected. Therefore, the amount of light received by the light-receiving elements of the photosensors 25A and 25B is greater than that in FIG. 7A. 7C or 7D with the case of Fig. 7B, in the case of Fig. 7B, the light emitted from the light-emitting element is obliquely incident on the side surface of the rail 7 and reflected, whereas in the case of Fig. 7C or 7D, the light emitted from the light-emitting element is approximately perpendicularly incident on the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 and reflected. Therefore, the amount of reflected light reflected by the rail 7 and received by the light-receiving element is greater in the case of Fig. 7C or 7D than in the case of Fig. 7B, so that in the case of Fig. 7C or 7D, the amount of light received by the light-receiving elements of the pair of photosensors 25A, 25B exceeds a second threshold value TH2 that is greater than the first threshold value TH1.
[0069] Therefore, when the amount of light received by the light receiving elements of the pair of photosensors 25A, 25B exceeds the first threshold value TH1 and also exceeds the second threshold value TH2, it is determined that the central plane passing through the center of the work vehicle 3 is parallel to the median plane passing through the center of the rail 7 but is shifted in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rail 7, as shown in Figure 7C or Figure 7D, and the controller 40 outputs a drive signal to the rotation motors 23A, 23B, 23C, 23D to orient the aisle running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rail 7, and outputs a drive signal to the travel motors 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D to rotate the aisle running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, and move the work vehicle 3 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rail 7 until the amount of light received by the light receiving elements of the pair of photosensors 25A, 25B becomes less than the first threshold value TH1.
[0070] As a result, the work vehicle 3 moves to a position directly facing the connection portion 7a of the rails 7 laid on the work passage 30 where work has been completed.
[0071] In contrast, when the amount of light received by the light receiving elements of the pair of photosensors 25A, 25B exceeds the first threshold value TH1 but is less than the second threshold value TH2, the controller 40 determines that, as shown in Figure 7B, the work vehicle 3 is not directly facing the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 laid in the work passage 30 that it is about to enter, and that the central plane passing through the center of the work vehicle 3 is inclined with respect to the central plane passing through the center of the rail 7. In this case, when the amount of light received by the light receiving element of the right-side photosensor 25B is greater than the amount of light received by the light receiving element of the left-side photosensor 25A, the controller 40 determines that the central plane passing through the center of the work vehicle 3 is tilted counterclockwise with respect to the central plane passing through the center of the rail 7, as shown in FIG. 7B, and outputs a drive signal to the rotation motors 23A, 23B, 23C, 23D, and outputs a drive signal to the travel motors 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D with the aisle running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D tilted as shown in FIG. 8, to rotate the aisle running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D until the amount of light received by the light receiving elements of the pair of photosensors 25A, 25B becomes less than the first threshold value TH1.
[0072] In this way, when the work vehicle 3 is positioned directly opposite the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 laid on the work passage 30 where work has been completed, the controller 40 outputs drive signals to the rotational motors 23A, 23B, 23C, 23D to position the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rail 7, thereby completing the positioning operation of the work vehicle 3.
[0073] Here, in the plant cultivation equipment of this embodiment, all of the sub-passages 6, work passages 30 and rails 7 are arranged parallel to each other, so that by aligning the work vehicle 3 in this way so as to face the connection part 7a of the rail 7 laid in the work passage 30 on which work has been completed, it is possible to position the work vehicle 3 directly opposite the connection part 7a of the rail 7 laid in the work passage 30 adjacent to the work passage 30 on which work has been completed, by simply outputting a drive signal to the travel motors 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D to rotate the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D to move the work vehicle 3 a predetermined distance in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rail 7, the work vehicle 3 can be positioned directly opposite the connection part 7a of the rail 7 laid in the work passage 30 adjacent to the work passage 30 on which work has been completed.
[0074] Specifically, the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, and 22D, the orientation of which is set perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rail 7, are rotated to emit light from the light-emitting elements of the pair of photosensors 25A and 25B, while the work vehicle 3 is moved in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rail 7. At this time, when the work vehicle 3 is not directly facing the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 laid in the adjacent work passage 30, the optical path of the light emitted from the light-emitting elements of the pair of photosensors 25A and 25B is as shown in FIG. 7D, so that the amount of light received by the light-receiving elements of the pair of photosensors 25A and 25B is greater than the second threshold value TH2. On the other hand, when the work vehicle 3 is directly facing the connection portion (end portion) 7a of the rail 7 laid in the adjacent work passage 30, the optical path of the light emitted from the light-emitting elements of the pair of photosensors 25A and 25B is as shown in FIG. 7A, and the amount of light received by the light-receiving elements of the pair of photosensors 25A and 25B is less than the first threshold value TH1. Therefore, by simply rotating the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D while monitoring the amount of light emitted from the light-emitting elements of the pair of photosensors 25A, 25B and received by the light-receiving elements of the pair of photosensors 25A, 25B, the work vehicle 3 can be positioned directly opposite the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 laid in the work passage 30 adjacent to the work passage 30 on which work has been completed, and just as if the work vehicle 3 had traveled on the rail 7 of the work passage 30 on which work has been completed, by simply controlling the rotation of the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D and the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, it is possible to perform the desired work on the plants 8A, 8B cultivated in the cultivation beds 5A, 5B provided in the work passage 30 adjacent to the work passage 30 on which work has been completed.
[0075] In this way, the controller 40 positions the work vehicle 3 directly opposite the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 laid on the work passage 30 where work has been completed, then positions the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rail 7, outputs a drive signal to the travel motors 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D to rotate the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, and when it determines that the work vehicle 3 has moved a distance equal to the distance between the center plane of the work passage 30 where work has been completed and the center plane of the work passage 30 of the adjacent sub-passage 6, outputs a drive stop signal to the travel motors 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D to stop the work vehicle 3.
[0076] According to this embodiment, by simply providing a pair of photosensors 25A, 25B on the front side of the work vehicle 3, in a plant cultivation facility having a plurality of rows of cultivation beds arranged approximately parallel to each other for plant cultivation within a greenhouse, the work vehicle 3 can be made to travel as desired on rails 7 laid within a work passage 30, perform specified work on plants 8A, 8B cultivated in cultivation beds 5A, 5B provided on the work passage 30, and face the work vehicle 3 directly against the connection portion 7a of the rails 7 of the work passage 30 adjacent to the work passage 30 between the cultivation beds 5A, 5B on which work has been performed.
[0077] In this way, when the work vehicle 3 is faced directly against the connection part 7a of the rails 7 laid on the work passage 30 where work is about to be performed, the controller 40 outputs a drive signal to the travel motors 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D to rotate the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D and the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D, moving the work vehicle 3 forward toward the connection part 7a of the rails 7 of the work passage 30 where work is about to be performed, and causing the work vehicle 3 to run up onto the rails 7.
[0078] As described above, in the plant cultivation facility according to this embodiment, all of the sub-passages 6, all of the work passages 30 and all of the rails 7 are arranged to be parallel to one another. Therefore, the work vehicle 3 is aligned in a position directly opposite the connection portion 7a of the rails 7 laid in the work passage 30 where work has been completed, and a drive signal is output to the travel motors 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D to rotate the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, so that the work vehicle 3 is moved a predetermined distance in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rails 7. By simply moving the work vehicle 3 over a distance, it is usually possible to position the work vehicle 3 directly facing the connection part 7a of the rails 7 laid in the work passage 30 adjacent to the work passage 30 where work has been completed. However, for some reason, when the work vehicle 3 is moved in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rails 7, it is possible that the work vehicle 3 cannot be moved accurately in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rails 7, and the work vehicle 3 may not be faced directly with the connection part 7a of the rails 7 laid in the work passage 30 where work is about to be performed.
[0079] Therefore, the controller 40 outputs a drive signal to the traveling motors 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D to rotate the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D and cause the light-emitting elements of the pair of photosensors 25A, 25B to irradiate light toward the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 prior to the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D climbing up onto the rail 7 laid on the work passage 30 where work will be performed.
[0080] As a result, when the amount of light received by the light receiving elements of the pair of photosensors 25A, 25B exceeds the first threshold value TH1 but is less than the second threshold value TH2, it is determined that the work vehicle 3 is not directly facing the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 laid on the work passage 30 where work will be performed, and since the positional relationship between the work vehicle 3 and the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 is as shown in FIG. 7B, the controller 40 determines that the central plane passing through the center of the work vehicle 3 is parallel to the center of the rail 7. It is determined that the work vehicle 3 is tilted counterclockwise with respect to the central plane, and a drive signal is output to the rotary motors 23A, 23B, 23C, 23D to change the orientation of the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D until the amount of light received by the light receiving elements of the left and right photosensors 25A, 25B becomes equal. Next, a drive signal is output to the traveling motors 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D to cause the work vehicle 3 to travel toward the connection part 7a of the rails 7 laid on the work passage 30 where work will be performed.
[0081] On the other hand, when the amount of light received by the light receiving elements of the pair of photosensors 25A, 25B exceeds the first threshold value TH1 and also exceeds the second threshold value TH2, it is determined that the work vehicle 3 is not directly facing the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 laid on the work passage 30 where work will be performed, and the positional relationship between the work vehicle 3 and the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 is as shown in Figure 7C or Figure 7D, so the controller 40 outputs drive signals to the rotary motors 23A, 23B, 23C, 23D, The orientation of the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D is positioned in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rails 7, and a drive signal is output to the travel motors 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D to rotate the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, and move the work vehicle 3 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rails 7 laid on the work passage 30 where work will be performed until the amount of light received by the light receiving elements of the pair of photosensors 25A, 25B becomes less than a first threshold value TH1.
[0082] As a result, the work vehicle 3 is set in a position directly facing the connection portion 7a of the rails 7 laid in the work passage 30 where work is to be carried out.
[0083] In this way, when the work vehicle 3 is positioned so that it is facing the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 laid in the work passage 30a where work is about to be performed, the controller 40 outputs a drive signal to the rotation motors 23A, 23B, 23C, 23D to orient the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D in the longitudinal direction of the rail 7, and then rotates the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D and the rail running wheels 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D to ride up onto the rail 7 laid in the work passage 30 where work is about to be performed.
[0084] According to this embodiment, prior to moving to a work passage 30 adjacent to the work passage 30 on which work has been completed, the position of the work vehicle 3 is adjusted so that the work vehicle 3 faces the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 laid in the work passage 30 on which work has been completed, and then, by simply moving the work vehicle 3 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rail 7, the work vehicle 3 can be positioned in a position directly facing the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 laid in the work passage 30 adjacent to the work passage 30 on which work has been completed. Unlike the conventional method in which the work vehicle 3 is rotated within the movement area 32 and then positioned in a position directly facing the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 laid in the work passage 30 adjacent to the work passage 30 on which work has been completed, it is possible to easily and reliably position the work vehicle 3 directly facing the connection portion (end portion) 7a of the rail 7 laid in the work passage 30 adjacent to the work passage 30 on which work has been completed.
[0085] In addition, according to this embodiment, the work vehicle 3 can be moved to an adjacent work passage 30 without turning, so that the work vehicle 3 can be easily moved even when moving from a work passage 30 provided along the wall of the plant cultivation facility to an adjacent work passage 30.
[0086] FIG. 9 is a schematic side view of a work vehicle 3 according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[0087] As shown in Figure 9, in addition to a pair of photosensors 25A, 25B (not shown in Figure 9), the work vehicle 3 is provided with a photosensor 25C at a position higher than the rail 7, and the photosensor 25C is configured to emit light diagonally downward from the light-emitting element and receive reflected light from the rail 7 by the light-receiving element.
[0088] The photosensor 25C is configured to irradiate light onto an object at a predetermined distance and receive the reflected light.
[0089] Therefore, when the work vehicle 3 is traveling on the rails 7, only the rails 7 are detected by the photosensor 25C, as shown in FIG. 9, and when the work vehicle 3 is traveling on the main passage 4, only the main passage 4 is detected by the photosensor 25C, as shown in FIG. 9(B), so the controller 40 can determine whether the work vehicle 3 is traveling on the rails 7 or the main passage 4.
[0090] In addition, while traveling along the specified path of the main passage 4 toward the adjacent work passage 30 on the transfer passage 32, as shown in Figure 9 (C), the photosensor 25C detects the main passage 4, and when the pair of photosensors 25C detect the connection part 7a of the rail 7 or the cultivation bed 5B while the work vehicle 3 is traveling laterally along the main passage 4 toward the adjacent work passage 30, it is determined that the work vehicle 3 is too close to the connection part 7a of the rail 7 or the cultivation bed 5B, and the controller 40 outputs a drive signal to the rotating motors 23A, 23B, 23C, 23D to orient the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D so that the direction of the rail 7 is parallel to the longitudinal direction of the rail 7, and outputs a reverse drive signal to the traveling motors 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D to move the work vehicle 3 away from the connection part 7a of the rail 7 and the cultivation bed 5B. Therefore, according to this embodiment, it is possible to reliably prevent the work vehicle 3 from getting too close to the rail 7 and the cultivation bed 5B.
[0091] Figure 10 is a schematic plan view of a work vehicle 3 according to yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, with Figure 10(A) showing the work vehicle 3 moving as desired, perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rail 7, from a work passage 30 on which work has been completed to an adjacent work passage 30, and Figures 10(B) and 10(C) showing a state in which the central plane passing through the center of the work vehicle 3 is inclined relative to the longitudinal direction of the rail 7 when moving from a work passage 30 on which work has been completed to an adjacent work passage 30.
[0092] As shown in FIG. 10, in this embodiment, in addition to the pair of photosensors 25A, 25B, a photosensor 25D1 that emits light in a direction perpendicular to the front of the work vehicle 3 and a photosensor 25D2 that emits light in a direction perpendicular to the rear of the work vehicle 3 are provided on the front and rear of the work vehicle 3, respectively. When both photosensors 25D1 and 25D2 detect the connection portion 7a of the rail 7, the controller 40 determines that the work vehicle 3 is moving in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the rail 7 of the work passage 30 where the work has been completed, and continues to rotate the passage running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D, and detects the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 of the work passage 30. When only one of photosensor 25D1 and photosensor 25D2 detects the connection portion 7a of the rail 7, it is determined that the work vehicle 3 is tilted with respect to the longitudinal direction of the rail 7, and a drive signal is output to the rotation motors 23A, 23B, 23C, 23D to rotate the orientation of the aisle running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D. Only when both photosensor 25D1 and photosensor 25D2 detect the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 is the orientation of the aisle running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D fixed, the aisle running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D rotated, and moved to a position directly facing the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 laid on the adjacent work aisle 30.
[0093] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and it goes without saying that these modifications are also included within the scope of the present invention.
[0094] For example, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the photosensor 25C is provided at a position higher than the rail 7, but the photosensor 25C can also be provided at the same height as the rail 7.
[0095] In addition, in the embodiment shown in Figure 9, when the pair of photosensors 25C detect the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 while the work vehicle 3 is traveling laterally along the main passage 4 toward the adjacent work passage 30, the controller 40 determines that the work vehicle 3 is too close to the connection portion 7a of the rail 7 and moves the work vehicle 3 away from the connection portion 7a of the rail 7. However, when the pair of photosensors 25C detect the cultivation bed 5B instead of or together with the connection portion 7a of the rail 7, the controller 40 can also be configured to determine that the work vehicle 3 is too close to the cultivation bed 5B or the connection portion 7a of the cultivation bed 5B and the rail 7, and move the work vehicle 3 away from the connection portion 7a of the rail 7. [Explanation of symbols]
[0096] 1 cultivation room 2 Shipping Room 3. Work vehicles 4. Main Passage 5. Cultivation Beds 5a,5b Cultivation beds 6 Sub-passage 6a Sub-passage surface 7 Rail 7a Rail connection 8A, 8B Plant 11 Nutrient solution supply device 12 Sorting equipment 13 Sorting conveyor 14 Harvest storage section 15 Entrance / Exit 16 Wire 17 Hook 18 Attraction string 21A, 21B, 21C, 21D Rail running wheels 22A, 22B, 22C, 22D Aisle running wheels 23A, 23B, 23C, 23D Rotary motor 24A, 24B, 24C, 24D Travel motor 25A, 25B, 25C, 25D1, 25D2 Photosensors 30 Work passage 30a Surface of the work passage 32 Moving area 32a Surface of the moving area 40 Controller 41 ROM 42 RAM 51 Rail-running wheel drive motor 52 Passageway wheel drive motor
Claims
1. A work vehicle that travels within a plant cultivation facility including a plurality of rows of cultivation beds arranged substantially parallel to each other, a plurality of work passages provided between the rows of cultivation beds and having rails for traveling thereon, and a transfer passage connecting adjacent work passages, A pair of rail running wheels for rolling on the rail and running the vehicle body along the longitudinal direction of the cultivation bed; A pair of passage running wheels for running a vehicle body in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cultivation bed in the moving passage; a control means for driving the pair of rail running wheels to run on the rails of the working passageway to be the object of work in a predetermined direction along the longitudinal direction of the cultivation bed, and after reaching one end of the rails, running on the rails laid in the working passageway in a direction opposite to the predetermined direction, and when reaching the other end of the rails, exiting the working passageway to the transfer passageway, and then moving within the transfer passageway in a direction approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cultivation bed by driving the pair of passage running wheels to move the vehicle body onto the rails laid in the working passageway to be the next object of work; a pair of photosensors provided on the outer side of the pair of rail running wheels in the vehicle width direction, the pair of photosensors having a light-emitting element that emits light in the longitudinal direction of the rail and a light-receiving element that receives reflected light of the light emitted from the light-emitting element; Furthermore, the control means is configured to emit light from the light-emitting elements of the pair of photosensors toward the rail prior to moving the vehicle body through the moving passage in a direction approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cultivation bed, and drive the pair of passage running wheels until the light-receiving elements of the pair of photosensors receive reflected light of the light emitted from the light-emitting elements and, as a result, the light-receiving elements no longer receive reflected light from the rail.
2. The work vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that the control means is configured to drive the pair of aisle running wheels to move the work vehicle through the moving aisle in a direction approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cultivation bed, and to stop the pair of aisle running wheels when one of the pair of photosensors detects reflected light from the rail and then the pair of photosensors no longer detects reflected light from the rail.
3. Further, a second photosensor is provided in a front portion of a body of the work vehicle, the second photosensor being capable of detecting an object located at a predetermined distance or less when the work vehicle is traveling in the predetermined direction, The work vehicle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when the second photosensor detects the rail or the cultivation bed while the work vehicle is moving in a direction approximately perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cultivation bed, the control means determines that the work vehicle is too close to the rail and outputs a reverse signal to the pair of aisle running wheels to move the work vehicle away from the rail or the cultivation bed.
Citation Information
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