Transplantation machine

Abstract

To address such a problem that in a state where a seating detection sensor detects seating of a worker, when a transplanter body reaches a ridge end, some transplanter stops an engine, however, when the worker leans forward to a seedling feeder side and a load is applied to a position near an edge of a work seat, the seating detection sensor cannot detect the seating of the worker and even when the transplanter reaches the ridge end, sometimes it does not stop; and to provide a transplanter accurately detecting the seating of the worker.SOLUTION: A transplanter comprising a seating detection sensor 195 at a position away from a planting device with respect to a turning support pin 508 in a horizontal direction of a transplanter body, installed at an end-part lower position in the planting device side of a work seat 46, comprises a seat position adjusting long hole 502 including a plurality of position adjustment holding recesses 504 formed in the longitudinal direction in the planting device side of a seat frame 500. The turning support pin 508 is disposed in the seat position adjusting long hole 502 and held by the plurality of position adjustment holding recesses 504, thereby to adjust the longitudinal position of the work seat 46.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transplanter for transplanting vegetable seedlings such as onions and lettuce into farm fields. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is a transplanter in which an operator sits on a work seat with his back to the direction of travel, feeds seedlings into a seedling supplying device, and plants the seedlings with a seedling planting device. The transplanter is provided with a mechanism that stops the engine and stops the machine on the spot when the machine reaches the edge of a furrow while a seating detection sensor on the work seat detects that the operator is seated (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-184949 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, if the worker leans toward the seedling supplying device and weight is applied to the front end of the work seat, the seating detection sensor cannot detect that the worker is seated, and the transplanter does not stop even when it reaches the edge of the furrow.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and has an object to provide a transplanter that accurately detects whether an operator is seated. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The first invention relates to a transplanter in which a traveling vehicle body (40) is provided with a planting device (42) and a work seat (46) on which an operator sits facing the planting device (42), the work seat (46) is made rotatable around a rotation support pin (508) in the left-right direction of the machine body provided at a lower end of a seat support member (506) on the planting device (42) side as a rotation fulcrum, and a seating detection sensor (195) for detecting that an operator is seated on the work seat (46) is provided at a position farther away from the planting device (42) than the rotation support pin (508), a positioning pin (525) is provided on the planting device (42) side of a seat frame (500) whose base is fixed to the traveling vehicle body (40); a slide plate (521) extending in a direction away from the planting device (42) is pivotally supported on a rotation support pin (508); a long hole (520) in the front-rear direction having a plurality of position adjustment holding recesses (504) is provided in the slide plate (521); a positioning pin (525) is placed in the long hole (520) and held in the plurality of position adjustment holding recesses (504), thereby adjusting the front-rear position of the work seat (46); This transplanter is characterized in that an attitude maintaining pin (526) is provided on the seat frame (500) at a position farther from the planting device (42) than the positioning pin (525) and at a vertically different position from the positioning pin (525), and when the positioning pin (525) is engaged with any of the position adjustment retaining recesses (504), the attitude maintaining pin (526) is located in a long hole (520) with a narrow vertical width outside the position adjustment retaining recess (504). The second invention provides a traveling vehicle body (40) provided with a planting device (42) and a work seat (46) on which an operator sits facing the planting device (42), the work seat (46) is made rotatable around a rotation support pin (508) in the left-right direction of the machine body provided at a lower end of a seat support member (506) on the planting device (42) side as a rotation fulcrum, and it is detected that the operator is seated on the work seat (46) at a position farther from the planting device (42) than the rotation support pin (508). a seat position adjustment slot (502) having a plurality of position adjustment holding recesses (504) in the front-rear direction is provided on the planting device (42) side of a seat frame (500) whose base is fixed to a traveling body (40); and a pivot support pin (508) of the work seat (46) is placed in the seat position adjustment slot (502) and held in the plurality of position adjustment holding recesses (504), thereby adjusting the front-rear position of the work seat (46); This transplanter is characterized in that when an operator sits on the work seat (46), a seat frame (500) contracts, and a second seating detection sensor (550) is provided to detect the contraction of the seat frame (500) and thereby detect the operator's seating. When at least one of the seating detection sensor (195) and the second seating detection sensor (550) detects the operator's seating, it is determined that the operator is seated. The third invention of the present invention is a transplanter in which a planting device (42) and a work seat (46) on which an operator sits facing the planting device (42) are provided on a traveling vehicle body (40), the work seat (46) is rotatable around a rotation support pin (508) in the left-right direction of the machine body provided at a lower end of a seat support member (506) on the planting device (42) side as a rotation fulcrum, and a seating detection sensor (195) for detecting that an operator is seated on the work seat (46) is provided at a position farther from the planting device (42) than the rotation support pin (508), a positioning pin (525) is provided on the planting device (42) side of a seat frame (500) whose base is fixed to the traveling vehicle body (40); a slide plate (521) extending in a direction away from the planting device (42) is pivotally supported on a rotation support pin (508); a long hole (520) in the front-rear direction having a plurality of position adjustment holding recesses (504) is provided in the slide plate (521); a positioning pin (525) is placed in the long hole (520) and held in the plurality of position adjustment holding recesses (504), thereby adjusting the front-rear position of the work seat (46); This transplanter is characterized in that when an operator sits on the work seat (46), a seat frame (500) contracts, and a second seating detection sensor (550) is provided to detect the contraction of the seat frame (500) and thereby detect the operator's seating. When at least one of the seating detection sensor (195) and the second seating detection sensor (550) detects the operator's seating, it is determined that the operator is seated. The first invention related to the present invention is a transplanter in which a planting device 42 and a work seat 46 on which an operator sits facing the planting device 42 are mounted on a traveling body 40, the work seat 46 is freely rotatable around a rotation support pin 508 in the left-right direction of the machine body provided at a lower end of a seat support member 506 on the planting device 42 side of the work seat 46 as a rotation fulcrum, and a seating detection sensor 195 for detecting that an operator is seated on the work seat 46 is provided at a position farther from the planting device 42 than the rotation support pin 508. In this transplanter, a seat frame 500 having a base fixed to the traveling body 40 is provided on the planting device 42 side with a seat position adjustment long hole 502 having a plurality of position adjustment holding recesses 504 formed in the front-rear direction, and the rotation support pin 508 of the work seat 46 is placed in the seat position adjustment long hole 502 and held in the plurality of position adjustment holding recesses 504, thereby adjusting the front-rear position of the work seat 46.

[0007] The first invention related to the present invention According to this, a seat frame 500, the base of which is fixed to the traveling body 40, is provided on the planting device 42 side with a seat position adjustment long hole 502 having a plurality of position adjustment retaining recesses 504 formed in the fore-and-aft direction, and the rotation support pin 508 of the work seat 46 is placed in the seat position adjustment long hole 502 and retained in the plurality of position adjustment retaining recesses 504, thereby adjusting the fore-and-aft position of the work seat 46. Therefore, even if a worker sits on the work seat 46 closer to the planting device 42, the opposite side of the work seat 46 is less likely to lift up, and the seating detection sensor 195 can accurately detect that the worker is seated.

[0008] The second invention related to the present invention The seat position adjustment slot 502 is formed in an arc shape that is lower toward the planting device 42. The first invention related to the present invention It is a transplant machine.

[0009] The second invention related to the present invention According to The first invention related to the present invention In addition to the above-mentioned advantageous effects, the seat position adjustment long hole 502 is made in an arc shape which becomes lower as it approaches the planting device 42. Therefore, when the rotation support pin 508 is held in the position adjustment holding recess 504 closest to the planting device 42, the work seat 46 is adjusted to a position closest to the planting device 42 and the work seat 46 is lowered, making it very easy for a short worker to work on the planting device 42.

[0010] In addition, since the seat position adjustment long hole 502 is arc-shaped, even if an operator remains seated on the work seat 46, the operator can easily slide the work seat 46 forward and backward along the arc of the seat position adjustment long hole 502 by holding the work seat 46 and removing the rotation support pin 508 from the position adjustment holding recess 504, thereby easily adjusting the forward and backward movement of the work seat 46.

[0011] The third invention related to the present invention The seat mounting frame 501 at the top of the seat frame 500 is provided with a seat position adjustment long hole 502 on the planting device 42 side, and the seat detection sensor 195 is provided at a position farther from the planting device 42 than the seat position adjustment long hole 502, and a pressing member 510 for pressing the seat detection sensor 195 is provided on the seat support member 506 of the work seat 46. The first or second invention related to the present invention It is a transplant machine.

[0012] The fourth invention related to the present invention The present invention relates to a transplanter in which a planting device 42 and a work seat 46 on which an operator sits facing the planting device 42 are mounted on a traveling vehicle body 40, the work seat 46 is rotatable around a rotation support pin 508 in the left-right direction of the machine body provided at a lower end of a seat support member 506 on the planting device 42 side as a rotation fulcrum, and a seating detection sensor 195 for detecting that an operator is seated on the work seat 46 is provided at a position farther away from the planting device 42 than the rotation support pin 508. A positioning pin 525 is provided on the planting device 42 side of a seat frame 500 having a base fixed to a pivot support pin 508, a slide plate 521 extending in a direction away from the planting device 42 is pivotally supported on a rotating support pin 508, and a long hole 520 in the front-to-rear direction having a plurality of position adjustment holding recesses 504 is provided in the slide plate 521. The positioning pin 525 is placed in the long hole 520 and held in the plurality of position adjustment holding recesses 504, thereby adjusting the front-to-rear position of the work seat 46.

[0013] The fourth invention related to the present inventionAccording to this, a positioning pin 525 is provided on the planting device 42 side of a seat frame 500 whose base is fixed to the traveling vehicle body 40, a slide plate 521 extending in a direction away from the planting device 42 is pivotally supported on a rotating support pin 508, a long hole 520 in the front-to-rear direction having a plurality of position adjustment retaining recesses 504 is provided in the slide plate 521, and the positioning pin 525 is placed in the long hole 520 and retained in the plurality of position adjustment retaining recesses 504, thereby adjusting the front-to-rear position of the work seat 46. Therefore, even if a worker sits on the work seat 46 closer to the planting device 42, the opposite side of the work seat 46 is less likely to lift up, and the seating detection sensor 195 can accurately detect that the worker is seated.

[0014] Furthermore, no matter which position adjustment retaining recess 504 the positioning pin 525 is engaged with to adjust the front-to-rear position of the work seat 46, the support member of the work seat 46 does not protrude from the work seat 46 toward the planting device 42, so it does not get in the way when transplanting seedlings, improving workability.

[0015] Fifth Invention Related to the Present Invention The positioning pin 526 is provided on the seat frame 500 at a position farther from the planting device 42 than the positioning pin 525 and at a different vertical position from the positioning pin 525. When the positioning pin 525 is engaged with any of the position adjustment holding recesses 504, the positioning pin 526 is positioned in a long hole 520 with a narrow vertical width outside the position adjustment holding recess 504. The fourth invention related to the present invention It is a transplant machine.

[0016] Fifth Invention Related to the Present Invention According to The fourth invention related to the present invention In addition to the above-mentioned advantageous effects, a posture maintaining pin 526 is provided on the seat frame 500 at a position farther from the planting device 42 than the positioning pin 525 and at a different vertical position from the positioning pin 525. When the positioning pin 525 is engaged with any of the position adjustment retaining recesses 504, the posture maintaining pin 526 is located in a long hole 520 with a narrow vertical width outside the position adjustment retaining recess 504. This prevents the work seat 46 from wobbling regardless of the worker's seated posture and prevents erroneous detection by the seating detection sensor 195.

[0017] The sixth invention related to the present inventionis configured such that when an operator sits on the work seat 46, the seat frame 500 shrinks, and a second seating detection sensor 550 is provided to detect the operator's seating by detecting the shrinkage of the seat frame 500, and if at least one of the seating detection sensor 195 and the second seating detection sensor 550 detects the operator's seating, it is determined that the operator is seated. Any of the first to fifth inventions related to the present invention It is a transplant machine.

[0018] The sixth invention related to the present invention According to Any of the first to fifth inventions related to the present invention In addition to the above-mentioned advantageous effects, if at least one of the seating detection sensor 195 and the second seating detection sensor 550 detects that the worker is seated, it is determined that the worker is seated. Therefore, regardless of the worker's seated posture or a malfunction of either the seating detection sensor 195 or the second seating detection sensor 550, it is possible to accurately detect that the worker is seated. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a left side view of a transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] Right side view of the same transplanter [Diagram 3] Rear view of the same transplanter [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view of the same transplanter. [Diagram 5] Plan view of the same transplanter [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main part of the front side of the transplanter; [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the main part of the front side of the transplanter. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main part of the front side of the transplanter; [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a side view of the main part of the front side of the transplanter. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the main part of the transplanter at the rear side of the machine body. [Figure 11] Side view of the main part of the transplanter [Figure 12] Electrical circuit diagram of the transplanter [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a side view showing a main part of a transplanter according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14]FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional side view of a main part of a transplanter according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 2 is an electric circuit diagram showing another embodiment of the same. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a side view showing a main part of a transplanter according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part of an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 18] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main part of an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 19] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a main part of an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 20] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main part of an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 21] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a main part of another embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 22] FIG. 1 is a rear view of a main part of an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 23] FIG. 1 is a rear view of a main part of an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 24] FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a main part for explaining the operation of another embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a left side view showing a transplanter 10 for transplanting seedlings as an example of a transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a right side view, FIG. 3 is a rear view, FIG. 4 is a front view, and FIG. 5 is a plan view.

[0022] In the following description, the side where the control handle 47 is located will be referred to as the rear, and the opposite side, i.e., the side where the engine 41 is located, will be referred to as the front. Furthermore, the right hand side facing the front of the aircraft will be referred to as the right, and the left hand side will be referred to as the left.

[0023] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, the transplanter 10 of this embodiment is equipped with a running body 40 that enables the machine to travel forward, a steering handle 47 for pedestrian steering provided at the rear of the running body 40, a planting device 42 that plants seedlings in the field, and a seedling supplying device 43 that supplies seedlings to the planting device 42.

[0024] The traveling vehicle body 40 has a transmission case 39 at the front of the vehicle body, and an engine 41, which is a drive unit, is provided in front of the transmission case 39. Axle covers 101, which cover axles whose treads can be adjusted to change the left and right positions of the rear wheels 44, are connected to the lower rear side of the vehicle body on both the left and right sides of the transmission case 39, and the traveling transmission cases 38, which transmit driving force to the rear wheels 44 provided at the rear of the vehicle body, are attached to the outer ends of the axle covers 101 so as to be vertically rotatable.

[0025] A base plate 400 is provided on the transmission case 26, which is transmitted from the transmission case 39 and supplies the driving force to the planting device 42 and the seedling supplying device 43, and covers at least the left and right side surfaces and the back of the transmission case 26. A frame stay 401 is detachably provided on the rear of the base plate 400 via a fixing member such as a bolt. A handle frame 402 is provided on the frame stay 401, which protrudes in an arc shape toward the upper rear side of the machine body. A control unit 403 is provided on the rear of the handle frame 402 to adjust the vehicle height up and down and to turn on and off the transmission of driving and planting work, and a control handle 47 is provided for the operator to grasp when operating the machine body when moving when not planting seedlings. The control handle 47 is shaped to bend toward the rear of the machine body in the left and right direction with the handle frame 402 as the center, and a side clutch operation lever 405 for turning on and off the transmission to the rear wheel 44 is provided on each of the left and right rear sides. Further, a first throttle lever 406 for increasing or decreasing the output of the engine 41 is provided on either the left or right side of the control handle 47.

[0026] A control panel 47a is provided between the left and right sides of the control handle 47, and on this control panel 47a are provided a height adjustment lever 123 which adjusts the height of the running body 40 by extending and retracting the lifting hydraulic cylinder 300, a main clutch lever 125 which switches on and off the transmission of driving force to the left and right running transmission cases 38 and the transmission case 26, a first engine switch 407 which switches the start and stop operation of the engine 41, and a main speed change lever 150 which switches the running transmission of the running body 40 between travel speed, planting work speed, running neutral, and reverse.

[0027] When permitting the engine 41 to start, the operator presses and rotates the first engine switch 407 to the ON position. Thus, when the engine 41 is started, the engine 41 starts. The engine 41 may be started using a starter or a recoil starter. Even when the engine 41 is driven by a drive device other than the engine 41, for example, an electric motor, the engine is started by energizing the electric motor when the first engine switch 407 is in the ON position.

[0028] When the operator stops the engine 41, he or she lightly presses the first engine switch 407, which is switched to the off position by the force of a built-in torque spring (not shown), thereby bringing the engine 41 into a stopped state.

[0029] To turn the machine off, the first engine switch 407 must be lightly pressed, so travel and planting can be stopped immediately. This means that travel and planting stop immediately when the machine reaches the edge of the furrow, preventing seedlings from being planted in places other than the furrows and reducing the amount of seedlings consumed. In addition, when moving the machine to the next furrow where planting work will be performed, no extra movement is required, reducing fuel consumption and work time.

[0030] A seedling supplying device 43, which will be described later, is provided on the front side of the operation handle 47 and on the top of the transmission case 26 to transport seedlings inserted by the operator to the left and right planting hoppers 20a, 20b. A fore-aft reinforcing frame 152 is provided between the rear of the seedling supplying device 43 and a reinforcing connecting stay 151 provided on the rear upper part of the handle frame 402 and in front of the operation panel 47a to increase the strength of the vicinity of the operation handle 47 and the seedling supplying device 43 and reduce vibration.

[0031] A rotating support plate 153 having an L-shape in a side view is attached between the front and rear of the reinforcing frame 152 in a position protruding toward the other left and right side of the machine body (the right side of the machine body) in a rear view. The other left and right sides of the machine body of the rotating support plate 153 are open, and the base of the visual rotation arm 154 is rotatably attached to this open side. The visual rotation arm 154 is rotatable until it contacts the handle frame 402 on one left and right side of the machine body (the left side of the machine body), and is rotatable until it contacts the rotating support plate 153 on the other left and right side of the machine body. In other words, when the visual rotation arm 154 is rotated toward the other left and right side of the machine body, the rotation of the rotating support plate 153 is restricted by the rotation restriction part 153a located on the lower side of the machine body at a position where the seedling supplying device 43 and the visual rotation arm 154 are approximately parallel to each other or in a downward inclined position toward the outside of the machine body.

[0032] In addition, below the portion where the visual rotation arm 154 is provided, the left / right other side up / down movement mechanism 21 which raises and lowers the planting hopper 20b on the other left / right side of the machine body is arranged so as to be able to rotate up and down. However, the visual rotation arm 154 which has been rotated to the other left / right side of the machine body until it comes into contact with the rotation restriction portion 153a is arranged to be positioned above the machine body relative to the up / down movement mechanism 21 which has been rotated upward to its maximum extent.

[0033] A visualization member 155 is rotatably provided on the end side of the visualization rotation arm 154, which reflects the scenery in the traveling direction of the traveling body 40, i.e., the front side of the machine body, and is visualized by an operator who boards the traveling body 40 with his back to the traveling direction of the traveling body 40 on the work seat 46 described below and the floor step 122. More specifically, the visualization member 155 has a ball-shaped connector (not shown) on the rear side of the machine body, and this ball-shaped connector is screwed into a connector hole (not shown) on the visualization rotation arm 154 side, and is configured to be freely rotatable and angle adjustable.

[0034] If the viewing member 155 is a mirror 155a, the scenery in front of the machine body can be reflected simply by attaching it, and the increase in costs due to the attachment can be suppressed. Note that in fields where seedlings are planted, it may be difficult to see due to the reflection of sunlight or surrounding lighting depending on the work time or work location, so it is advisable to make it possible to attach a shade body (not shown) or the like to the upper side of the mirror 155a.

[0035] In the above configuration, the visual confirmation rotating arm 154 can be rotated in an arc in the left-right direction of the machine body around a rotation axis in the front-rear direction to change the left-right position and up-down height of the visual confirmation member 155, so that the view in front of the machine body reflected in the visual confirmation member 155 can be easily seen according to the worker's working posture and physique. This allows the worker to reliably detect the approach to the edge of the ridge where seedling planting work will end and the presence or absence of obstacles in the path, preventing the worker from wasting seedlings in places other than the ridges and preventing the traveling body 40 from being damaged by contact with an obstacle.

[0036] In addition, the operator needs to turn his back to the direction of travel and insert the seedlings into the seedling supply device 43 located at the rear of the machine, but since there is no need to turn around to check the situation in front of the machine, it is possible to prevent the supply of seedlings from being interrupted and the planting hoppers 20a, 20b from not planting seedlings in the field, which is known as missing plants.

[0037] This eliminates the need for workers to manually plant seedlings in areas where stubble is missing, reducing the labor required by workers.

[0038] Furthermore, when the viewing rotation arm 154 is rotated toward one of the left and right sides of the body during storage, etc., the viewing rotation arm 154 is positioned inside the body relative to the left or right end of the body and is configured to fit within the left and right width of the body, thereby preventing the viewing device 157 from getting caught and being damaged in the storage location.

[0039] Furthermore, even if the visual viewing rotation arm 154 is rotated to its maximum extent toward the rotation control section 153a on the other left or right side of the body when not in use, the visual viewing rotation arm 154 is positioned at an upper position where it does not interfere with the up-down movement mechanism 21, thereby preventing the visual viewing rotation arm 154 from being damaged by contact with the up-down movement mechanism 21.

[0040] Furthermore, since the base side of the visual confirmation member 155 is provided between the front and rear of the reinforcing frame 152, vibrations of the aircraft are less likely to be transmitted to the visual confirmation member 155, making it easier to see the scenery reflected in the visual confirmation member 155.

[0041] In addition, by connecting the handle frame 402 and the seedling supplying device 43 with a reinforcing frame 152, the strength of the machine body is improved.

[0042] The visual rotation arm 154 is attached to the rotation support plate 153 with a double nut to prevent it from coming loose or rotating downward under its own weight, while allowing the operator to rotate it with light force, making adjustment easy and capable of being done without tools.

[0043] Bumper support frames 108 each having a U-shape in a front cross-sectional view are provided on both the left and right sides of the front side of the aircraft of the transmission case 39. Bumpers 109 protruding toward the front side of the aircraft are provided in front of the left and right bumper support frames 108.

[0044] The bumper 109 is made up of a bumper plate 109a, which is a plate body bent downward on the front side and both left and right sides of the aircraft, a front weight 109b that can be attached and detached to the upper surface of the bumper plate 109a, and a bumper rod 109c that extends in the left and right directions from the bumper plate 109a. The front weight 109b is made of a lump of a relatively heavy and hard material such as iron, and is shaped to protrude further toward the front of the aircraft than the bumper plate 109a.

[0045] As a result, the front weight 109b, which is a mass having weight and hardness, protrudes furthest forward of the aircraft body, thereby preventing damage extending to the bumper plate 109a when it comes into contact with an obstacle.

[0046] A recess (not shown) with an opening on the underside of the aircraft is formed on the front and underside of the left and right bumper support frames 108, and a front beam frame 110, whose longitudinal direction is in the left-right direction of the aircraft, is inserted and fixed into these recesses.

[0047] By providing the front beam frame 110, a square frame is also assembled on the front side of the aircraft with the left and right bumper support frames 108 and the transmission case 39, improving the strength of the front side of the aircraft. In particular, when the bumper 109 comes into contact with an obstacle, the left and right bumper support frames 108 are inserted and fixed into the front beam frame 110, so damage or impact is less likely to propagate to the rear sides of the left and right bumper support frames 108.

[0048] In addition, when assembling the transmission case 39 to the aircraft body, the recesses of the left and right bumper support frames 108 are inserted into the front beam frame 110 and then moved left and right, thereby allowing the transmission case 39 to be fixed in its front-to-rear position while its left and right position is adjusted, thereby preventing assembly work from being delayed due to misalignment of the mounting position of the transmission case 39.

[0049] The rear part of the engine 41 is mounted on one of the left and right sides in front of the transmission case 39, and the front part of the engine 41 is mounted on an engine mount disposed near the left and right center of the front beam frame 110, but the bumper support frame 108 on the side where the engine 41 is disposed and the engine 41 are disposed with a gap therebetween in the vertical direction. In other words, the bumper support frame 108 is not a member that supports the engine 41 from below.

[0050] With the above-described configuration, the impact when the bumper 109 comes into contact with an obstacle can be prevented from being transmitted from the bumper support frame 108 to the engine 41, thereby preventing the engine 41 from being damaged or from malfunctioning due to the impact.

[0051] Furthermore, even if the bumper support frame 108 is deformed by an impact, the loading state of the engine 41 is not likely to be affected, and work and movement can be performed using the power of the engine 41 even if the bumper 109 is damaged.

[0052] Step support plates 111 having left and right recesses for mounting bumper rods 109c are attached to the left and right sides of the bumper plate 109a. The left and right step support plates 111 are supported via reinforcing arms 112 provided on the left and right sides of the front beam frame 110 on the rear side of the aircraft body.

[0053] The top surfaces of the left and right step support plates 111 are flat, and on one of the left and right sides of the traveling body 40, i.e., the left side of the body, a front portion of a front boarding step 113 on which an operator places his / her feet when getting on and off from the front side of the body is attached. On the other hand, on the other left and right side of the body, i.e., the right side of the body, there are formed a spacing main speed change lever 801 and a spacing sub speed change lever 802 which set the front-to-rear spacing between seedlings planted by the planting hoppers 20a, 20b, i.e., the so-called spacing between plants, and a spacing change lever 803 which supports a planting speed change lever 803 which selects the first planting speed or the second planting speed when the main speed change lever 150 is operated to the planting speed.

[0054] The front boarding step 113 is composed of a lower foot rest 113a located at the front of the machine body and below in the vertical direction, an upper foot rest 113b located at the rear of the machine body and above in the vertical direction than the lower foot rest 113a, and an intermediate inclined portion 113c located between the lower foot rest 113a and the upper foot rest 113b and twisted and inclined toward the outside of the machine body. A plurality of anti-slip projections are formed on the surface of the lower foot rest 113a, and the intermediate inclined portion 113c is set at an inclination angle that makes it psychologically difficult for the worker to place his / her feet when getting on and off, and has a length in the front-rear direction that allows the worker to straddle and pass between the lower foot rest 113a and the upper foot rest 113b when moving between them.

[0055] On the other hand, the inter-plant switching cover 114 is composed of a lower base portion 114a located at the front of the machine body and below in the vertical direction, an upper base portion 114b located at the rear of the machine body and above in the vertical direction than the lower base portion 114a, and a lever mounting portion 114c located between the lower base portion 114a and the upper base portion 114b, which is twisted and inclined toward the outside of the machine body and has a moving groove along which the inter-plant main shift lever 801, the inter-plant auxiliary shift lever 802, and the main shift lever 150 each move.

[0056] In addition, the front boarding step 113 and the space-between-plant switching cover 114 have a symmetrical shape, and the one provided on one left or right side of the body may be called the space-between-plant switching cover 114, and the one provided on the other left or right side of the body may be called the front boarding step 113.

[0057] Further, at the rear side of the upper footrest 113b and the upper platform 114b, side steps 118 are provided, respectively, for workers to get on and off from the sides of the machine and to use as footholds during work. The side steps 118 are configured by arranging plates vertically and horizontally within a frame to form a plurality of spaces, and are configured to allow soil adhering to the soles of the workers' shoes to fall downward. In addition, a detachable central step 119 is provided between the left and right side steps 118 to serve as footholds for the workers getting on.

[0058] The floor step 122 is constructed as above.

[0059] The front boarding step 113, the spacer switch cover 114, the left and right side steps 118, and the center step 119 are attached independently of one another, i.e., they are not fastened together with a single attachment member (bolt, etc.). This eliminates the need to remove other step components when removing each step component during partial maintenance work, improving the efficiency of maintenance work.

[0060] A boarding / disembarking assistance mechanism 170 is attached to the front lower part of the front boarding step 113, on which an operator places his / her feet when getting on and off the front boarding step 113. The boarding / disembarking assistance mechanism 170 is composed of an outer support arm 171 located on the outside of the machine body, which is L-shaped in a side view, and which has a first protruding part 171a that protrudes downward and forward from the bent part of the machine body, an inner support arm 172 located on the inside of the machine body, which is L-shaped in a front view, and which has a second protruding part 172a that protrudes downward and outward from the bent part of the machine body, and a boarding / disembarking assistance step 173 provided across the first protruding part 171a and the second protruding part 172a.

[0061] The outer support arm 171 is attached to the traveling vehicle body 40 together with the step support plate 111 by means of a co-fastening bolt 174.... The inner support arm 172 is attached to the traveling vehicle body 40 together with the bumper plate 109a by means of a co-fastening bolt 174....

[0062] As a result, multiple components are fastened together with the common fastening bolts 174..., which improves the strength of the traveling body 40 near the front of the body and reduces the decrease in durability caused by the load applied when workers get on and off the vehicle.

[0063] In addition, by providing the boarding and alighting assistance step 173, even if the vehicle height of the traveling body 40 is raised to match the height of the ridges, the worker can board by placing his / her feet on the boarding and alighting assistance step 173 and then gradually placing his / her feet on the lower footrest portion 113a of the front boarding step 113, and can then dismount by performing the reverse action. This means that there is no need to raise his / her feet high or jump off in any way when getting on or off, reducing the physical burden on the worker.

[0064] Furthermore, by providing the boarding / alighting assistance step 173 across the first protrusion 171a and the second protrusion 172a, the outer support arm 171 and the inner support arm 172 are not positioned within the left-right width of the boarding / alighting assistance step 173, thereby preventing the worker's feet from coming into contact with the outer support arm 171 and the inner support arm 172.

[0065] On the other hand, when the vehicle height of the traveling body 40 is lowered or during planting work, not only is the boarding and alighting assistance mechanism 170 unnecessary, but depending on the vehicle height, it may come into contact with the ridge surface or the slope of the ridge, causing the ridge to collapse and reducing the accuracy of planting the seedlings.

[0066] To prevent this, the bases of the outer support arm 171 and the inner support arm 172 are attached with double nuts (not shown), and the outer support arm 171 and the inner support arm 172 are attached rotatably with the co-tightening bolts 174... as the pivot points, so that the boarding and alighting assistance mechanism 170 is configured to be rotatable up and down.

[0067] With the above configuration, when not required, the boarding / alighting assistance mechanism 170 can be rotated upward and away from the ridge surface, thereby preventing the boarding / alighting assistance mechanism 170 from damaging the ridges and maintaining the accuracy of planting seedlings.

[0068] 1 to 8, a lower portion of the spacing switching cover 114 is provided with a ridge end sensor stay 182a that supports a ridge end sensor 182 that rotates downward under its own weight to come into contact with the ridge surface and rotates further downward when the traveling body 40 reaches the end of the ridge and is no longer on the ground, activating an alarm device 181 that notifies the operator that the end of the field has been reached. The alarm device 181 is a buzzer or lamp attached to each part of the traveling body 40, or a communication device that notifies the operator's information terminal (tablet, smartphone, etc.).

[0069] The ridge end sensor 182 is configured by rotatably providing a sensor arm 183, rotatably mounting a ridge contact roller 184 to the lower part of the sensor arm 183, providing a ground biasing spring 185 that biases the sensor arm 183 downward, and providing a ridge end detection switch 186 at the base of the sensor arm 183 that turns on (or off) when the sensor arm reaches a predetermined angle or greater. The ground biasing spring 185 has its upper end mounted on a detection adjustment plate 187 whose angle can be adjusted along a long hole, and is configured so that the angle at which it operates can be changed in accordance with the ridge height.

[0070] When the travel for planting seedlings begins, the ridge edge sensor 182 is brought into contact with the ridge surface by adjusting the vehicle height of the travel body 40. By bringing the rotatable ridge contact ground roller 184 into contact with the ground, the ridge surface is less likely to collapse and minute irregularities can be smoothed out, improving the accuracy of planting seedlings.

[0071] Then, when the traveling body 40 continues to move forward and reaches the end of the ridge and the ridge contact ground roller 184 no longer contacts the ridge surface, the sensor arm 183 rotates downward due to the biasing force of the ground contact spring 185 and the weight of the sensor arm 183 and the ridge contact ground roller 184, and the ridge end detection switch 186 is no longer pressed. When the ridge end detection switch 186 is no longer pressed, electricity is applied to the alarm device 181, which activates the alarm device 181 to notify the operator that the front end of the traveling body 40 has reached the ridge end.

[0072] When the ridge end sensor 182 detects the ridge end, there is still space left on the ridge for several seedlings to be planted, so the operator does not immediately stop the machine, but instead prepares to stop the machine while loading the number of seedlings that can be planted in the remaining planting space into the seedling supply device 43.

[0073] This allows the worker to know when he is approaching the edge of the furrow without having to look back, and allows him to stop the machine just when the seedlings have finished planting on the furrow, preventing fuel consumption through unnecessary driving and longer travel distances to the next working row.

[0074] In addition, when approaching the edge of the ridge, the number of seedlings to be fed into the seedling supply device 43 can be adjusted, so that even if the operation to stop the planting work drive is delayed and the planting hoppers 20a, 20b perform planting operation, seedlings are prevented from being released into areas other than the ridge.

[0075] In addition, the sensor arm 183 may be a pair of left and right sensor arms 183a, 183a, the furrow contact ground roller 184 may be configured with left and right furrow contact ground rollers 184a, 184a each rotatably mounted, and left and right furrow end detection switches 186, 186 may be provided, respectively.

[0076] As a result, when either the left or right sensor arm 183, 183 rotates downward and one of the corresponding row end detection switches 186, 186 is not pressed, the alarm device 181 is activated, making it easier to detect the row end even if it has become distorted and loses its shape due to wind and rain, and allowing the worker to stop the planting work in a timely manner.

[0077] In addition, on both the left and right sides of the front of the traveling body 40, and further forward than the rear wheels 44, front wheels 45 are provided which are supported so as to be able to roll freely via horizontal frames 16 which are provided on the lower side of the front beam frame 110 and protrude in the left-right direction of the body.

[0078] The ends of the wheel drive shafts extending outward to the left and right from the transmission case 39 fit into the rotation axis position at the front of the traveling transmission case 38, and the traveling power passing through the traveling system speed change transmission part in the transmission case 39 is transmitted to the transmission mechanism in the traveling transmission case 38. The traveling power is transmitted to the rear wheel axle 12 of the traveling transmission case 38 via the transmission mechanism in the traveling transmission case 38, and the rear wheels 44 are driven to rotate.

[0079] The drive of each of the left and right rear wheels 44 can be cut off by left and right side clutches (not shown) provided inside the transmission case 39. Therefore, when turning the vehicle, the left or right rear wheel 44 on the inside of the turn is put into a non-driven state by the side clutch, enabling the vehicle to turn smoothly.

[0080] Further, a driving means that rotates up and down is connected to the traveling transmission case 38, which moves the rear wheels 44 up and down with the front side of the traveling transmission case 38 as a rotation fulcrum. Specifically, an arm extending upward is integrally attached to the mounting portion of the traveling transmission case 38 to the transmission case 39, and the arm 13 is connected to both left and right sides of a connecting body attached to the tip of a piston rod of a lifting hydraulic cylinder fixed to the transmission case 39. One of the left and right sides (the right side) is connected by a connecting rod, and the other side (the left side) is connected by a left and right horizontal control hydraulic cylinder that can expand and contract in response to the inclination of the vehicle body.

[0081] When the lifting hydraulic cylinder is actuated and its piston rod projects rearward, the left and right arms rotate rearward, causing the travel transmission case 38 to rotate downward and the machine to rise. Conversely, when the piston rod of the lifting hydraulic cylinder moves to the front of the machine and retracts into the cylinder, the left and right arms rotate forward, causing the travel transmission case 38 to rotate upward and the machine to descend.

[0082] This lifting hydraulic cylinder is operated by a ridge surface sensor that is in contact with the ridge surface and operates in accordance with the change in the vertical distance between the machine body and the ridge surface. The ridge surface sensor detects the height of the ridge top surface based on the machine body position, and the lifting hydraulic cylinder operates to bring the machine body to a set height corresponding to the ridge top surface height based on the detection operation of the ridge surface sensor.

[0083] Furthermore, when the left-right horizontal control hydraulic cylinder expands and contracts, the left arm connected to the left-right horizontal control hydraulic cylinder rotates, moving only the left rear wheel 44 up and down and tilting the machine body to the left and right. This left-right horizontal control hydraulic cylinder operates based on the detection results of a sensor that detects the left-right inclination of the machine body with respect to the left-right horizontal, making the machine body level to the left and right.

[0084] The horizontal frame 16 is mounted on the front beam frame 110 so as to be capable of rolling rotation about a longitudinal axis, and a vertically long vertical frame 17 is mounted on both the left and right sides of the horizontal frame 16. The left and right front wheels 45 are rotatably attached to a front wheel axle 18 fixed to the sides of the lower end of the vertical frame 17. Therefore, the left and right front wheels 45 are capable of rolling movement about a longitudinal axis in the center of the left and right of the vehicle. The vertical frame 17 is also provided so as to be vertically adjustable based on both the left and right sides of the horizontal frame 16, so that the height of the front wheels 45 can be adjusted.

[0085] The steering handle 47 is provided at the rear of the vehicle, and is located rearward of the rear wheel axle 12 of the rear wheels 44. More specifically, it is attached to the rear end of the vehicle frame, the front end of which is fixed to the transmission case 39.

[0086] The aircraft frame extends rearward from the left-right center of the aircraft, and also extends diagonally rearward and upward from the front-rear middle portion.

[0087] The steering handle 47 extends rearward on both sides from the rear end of the aircraft frame, with each rear end serving as a grip portion of the steering handle 47.

[0088] In the figure, the grip portion is configured as separate left and right portions, but the left and right rear end portions of the steering handle 47 may be connected to each other, and the connected portion may serve as the grip portion.

[0089] The planting device 42 comprises a number of beak-shaped planting tools with downward-pointing tips, an up-and-down movement mechanism 21 which moves the planting tools up and down between positions where the lower ends of the planting tools are above and below the field level, and an opening / closing mechanism which opens and closes the planting tools between a closed state in which the lower ends of the beak-shaped planting tools are closed to receive seedlings from above and store the seedlings inside, and an open state in which the lower ends of the planting tools open to the left and right and the seedlings stored inside can be released downward.

[0090] 1 to 5, the planting device 42 of this embodiment has a two-row planting configuration in which the first planting hopper 20a and the second planting hopper 20b are arranged side by side. The first planting hopper 20a and the second planting hopper 20b are each attached to a vertical movement mechanism 21 provided on both the left and right sides of the transmission case 26 to which power is transmitted from the transmission case 39.

[0091] Each seedling receiving body 22 of the seedling supplying device 43 has a cylindrical body that opens at the top and bottom, and a bottom lid that opens and closes the lower opening of the cylindrical body, and is connected to each other in a loop shape.

[0092] Then, the moving mechanism moves the connected seedling containers 22 in a counterclockwise direction in a loop-like trajectory that is elongated from side to side when viewed from above the left and right planting hoppers 20a, 20b.

[0093] Then, the seedling dropping mechanism opens the bottom cover of the seedling container 22 at a position above the planting hopper 20a, 20b corresponding to that seedling container 22.

[0094] The worker sits on the work seat 46 and supplies seedlings to each seedling container 22 of the seedling supply device 43, but when there are no seedlings to replenish or when some problem occurs, such as the seedlings continuously being planted in an abnormal position or the seedlings not being planted, it is necessary to stop the traveling vehicle body 40 and stop the drive of the planting hoppers 20a, 20b. Also, when the traveling speed or the raising and lowering pace of the planting hoppers 20a, 20b is faster than the pace of the worker, it is necessary to reduce the output of the engine 41 and change to a speed that is easy to work at.

[0095] In order to enable the above operations to be performed while seated on the work seat 46, a second engine switch 408 for switching whether the engine 41 is started and for stopping it is provided at the front of the seedling supply device 43 and at one of the left and right ends, i.e., on the right hand side of the operator seated on the work seat 46, and a second throttle lever 409 for increasing or decreasing the output of the engine 41 is provided at a position closer to the inside of the machine body (the other left or right side of the machine body) than the second engine switch 408 so that it can be rotated in the left and right direction of the machine body.

[0096] The second engine switch 408 is operated in the same manner as the first engine switch 407, but the engine 41 will not start unless both the first engine switch 407 and the second engine switch 408 are operated to the ON position.

[0097] As a result, when the operator is holding the control handle 47 at the rear of the machine to operate it, such as when moving, the engine can be stopped using the first engine switch 407, and when the operator is on board the traveling body 40, such as when planting seedlings, the engine 41 can be stopped by turning off the second engine switch 408. This means that there is no need to get off the traveling body 40 while on board and go to turn off the first engine switch 407, and planting or other operations that may cause problems to the machine can be interrupted.

[0098] In addition, since the second throttle lever 409 can be operated from above the traveling body 40, there is no need to get on or off the traveling body 40 when increasing or decreasing the output of the engine 41, improving work efficiency and work accuracy.

[0099] In addition, the left and right planting hoppers 20a, 20b are disposed rearward of the position of the rear wheel axle 12.

[0100] The seedling supplying device 43 is configured such that the seedling container 22 moves around once in a circle to match the left and right planting hoppers 20a, 20b and supply the seedlings.

[0101] A seedling container 22 for accommodating the seedlings to be dropped and supplied to the left and right planting hoppers 20a, 20b is provided separately, and the bottom lid opens only when the seedling container 22 comes above the corresponding left and right planting hoppers 20a, 20b, and does not open above the non-corresponding left and right planting hoppers 20a, 20b.

[0102] Therefore, when an operator seated on the work seat 46 supplies seedlings to each seedling container 22 of the seedling supplying device 43, each seedling container 22 moves in a circle in synchronization with the up and down movement of the left and right planting hoppers 20a, 20b, and when the left and right planting hoppers 20a, 20b face the upper part of the planting trajectory, their bottom covers open and the seedlings automatically drop into the left and right planting hoppers 20a, 20b (at the upper part of the planting trajectory where the left and right planting hoppers 20a, 20b move up and down by the up and down movement mechanism 21, the pair of beak-shaped planting tools which open and close at the lower part are closed).

[0103] The left and right planting hoppers 20a, 20b are then moved downward by the vertical movement mechanism 21, opening at the bottom of the planting trajectory where the pair of beak-shaped planting tools enter the field, planting the seedlings they are holding into the field, and then leaving the field in an open position.

[0104] The transplanter 10 of this embodiment is provided with soil covering compression wheels 37 used to compress the soil in accordance with the seedlings planted by the left and right planting hoppers 20a, 20b, located near both the left and right sides of the rear of the seedling planting areas of the left and right planting hoppers 20a, 20b.

[0105] The left and right soil-covering suppression wheels 37 are each composed of suppression arms 370, 370 that can be rotated up and down separately, and are formed by bending a single rod into a J shape when viewed in a plane, and suppression rotors 371, 371 that are rotatably mounted on the rear side of the left and right suppression arms 370, 370, respectively.

[0106] The suppression arm 370 has one end located inside the machine body attached to the rear side of the traveling body 40 so as to be vertically rotatable, and the rear part of the straight part protruding rearward is bent upward, then bent outside the machine body and further bent downward so as to be bent toward the front of the machine body at the same vertical position as the straight part inside the machine body. Of the left and right suppression rotors 371, 371, the suppression rotor 371 on the outside of the machine body is provided on the straight part outside the machine body that bends toward the front of the machine body, and the suppression rotor 371 inside the machine body is attached to the straight part inside the machine body.

[0107] With the above configuration, the rear of the suppression arm 370 is formed with an avoidance portion 372 that protrudes toward the top of the machine body, and the left and right suppression rotors 371, 371 are arranged with a left-right interval between them. As a result, the seedlings planted by the planting hoppers 20a, 20b pass through the left-right interval between the left and right suppression rotors 371, 371, and the surrounding soil is leveled while passing under the avoidance portion 372, so that they are pushed down by the soil-covering suppression wheels 37, 37 and the planting posture is prevented from being disturbed.

[0108] The left and right suppression arms 370, 370 are each mounted so that their left and right positions on the machine body can be adjusted, and the suppression position can be changed according to the row spacing setting of the planting hoppers 20a, 20b. If the left and right suppression rotors 371, 371 are also each configured so that their left and right positions can be adjusted, the soil around the seedlings after planting can be reliably compacted, preventing the seedlings from falling over or growing poorly due to low temperatures.

[0109] The field on which the traveling vehicle body 40 works is not flat, especially in mountainous areas, and some of the fields are inclined. The transplanter is equipped with heavy objects such as the transmission case 26, the seedling supply device 43, and the planting hoppers 20a and 20b on the rear side of the moving direction, and the front side of the machine body is likely to lift up on an upward slope. To prevent this, the engine 41 and the transmission case 39 are arranged on the front side of the traveling vehicle body 40, and the work seat 46 on which the operator sits is arranged to balance the weight between the front and rear, but even so, depending on the inclined work location, the front side of the machine body may lift up and the machine may assume a front-upward inclined position. As a result, the seedlings are planted on the furrow surface in a backward inclined position, which not only looks bad but may also cause problems with growth. In particular, as the fuel in the fuel tank is consumed as the work progresses and the number of replacement seedlings loaded in the spare seedling frame 50 decreases, the weight of the front side of the machine body fluctuates and the machine body is likely to assume a front-upward inclined position.

[0110] Furthermore, when seedlings are fed from the seedling feeder 43 into the planting hoppers 20a, 20b, they may not enter the upper openings of the planting hoppers 20a, 20b and may fall into the field, resulting in missing stalks at the location where planting would normally take place. Even if the seedlings do enter the planting hoppers 20a, 20b, they are fed toward the rear of the planting hoppers 20a, 20b, which, combined with the forward and rearward inclination of the traveling vehicle body 40, may cause the planting posture to become even more disturbed.

[0111] Furthermore, if the inclination angle becomes too large, the traveling vehicle body 40 may tip over, scattering the loaded seedlings across the field, requiring the effort of picking them up. In addition, there is a risk that various parts of the vehicle may be damaged if they come into contact with the field floor when the vehicle tips over.

[0112] 17, left and right excessive tilt sensors 194, 194 that come into contact with the left and right suppression arms 370, 370 when the traveling body 40 rotates by a predetermined angle or more are provided on the mounting base side of the left and right suppression arms 370, 370. When either the left or right excessive tilt sensor 194, 194 is pressed and enters a detection state, it determines that the traveling body 40 is in a position where it is tilted upward at a predetermined angle (e.g., 5 to 10 degrees) or more, and stops the engine 41 or cuts off the transmission of driving force to the left and right traveling transmission cases 38 and transmission case 26 in the transmission case 39.

[0113] The left and right excessive tilt sensors 194, 194 are actuated by pressure pins 370b, 370b in the left-right direction of the aircraft, which are provided on actuating pieces 370a, 370a extending forward from the mounting bases of the left and right suppression arms 370, 370, respectively.

[0114] The pressing pin 370b extends on both the left and right sides of the operating piece 370a, and is configured so that even if the row spacing is changed and the left and right suppression arms 370, 370 are moved inward in the left and right direction of the machine body, the pressing pin 370b activates the excessive tilt sensor 194. That is, when the row spacing is narrowed and the left and right suppression arms 370, 370 are moved inward in the left and right direction of the machine body, the outward extending portion of the pressing pin 370b activates the excessive tilt sensor 194, and when the row spacing is widened and the left and right suppression arms 370, 370 are moved outward in the left and right direction of the machine body, the inward extending portion of the pressing pin 370b activates the excessive tilt sensor 194. Therefore, when the row spacing is changed, there is no need to adjust the position of the pressing pin 370b or the excessive tilt sensor 194, which improves workability.

[0115] In addition, the transmission of driving force to the left and right traveling transmission cases 38 and the transmission case 26 is cut off by activating a traveling transmission actuator that switches the traveling clutch (not shown) built into the transmission case 39 on and off, and a planting transmission actuator that switches the planting clutch (not shown) on and off, respectively, or by activating a main transmission actuator that switches the main clutch (not shown) on the upstream side of the transmission than the traveling clutch and planting clutch on and off.

[0116] As a result, when the traveling vehicle body 40 assumes an inclined posture unsuitable for planting seedlings, the traveling for planting work is automatically stopped, preventing the seedlings from being disturbed in planting posture and preventing each part of the machine body from being damaged due to tipping over.

[0117] The above-mentioned front-upward tilt of the traveling body 40 becomes a problem if it occurs during planting work, but during work that does not involve planting seedlings, such as when moving to a field or loading and unloading onto a transportation means such as a light truck, the operator operates the vehicle by holding the steering handle 47 from the rear of the vehicle, so it is not particularly problematic and cannot occur in the first place. However, when going over a step or moving a step to be moved to the loading platform, the traveling body 40 needs to be tilted forward upward to an angle greater than the tilt angle at which the left and right excessive tilt sensors 194, 194 detect the tilt. At this time, if the engine 41 or the traveling transmission stops, the operator must move the traveling body 40 manually, which requires extra labor and the engine 41 must be restarted, which causes problems of extra labor and fuel consumption.

[0118] To prevent this, a seating detection sensor 195 that detects the operator sitting on the work seat 46 is provided. When the seating detection sensor 195 detects the operator sitting on the work seat, if the left and right excessive tilt sensors 194, 194 detect excessive tilt, the engine 41 or the traveling and planting transmissions are stopped, but when the operator is not detected to be sitting on the work seat, the circuit is configured not to stop the engine 41 or the traveling and planting transmissions even if the left and right excessive tilt sensors 194, 194 detect excessive tilt.

[0119] As a result, when planting work is not being performed, the traveling body 40 can continue to move by driving force, improving work efficiency and reducing the labor of the worker.

[0120] In addition, in order to prevent the seating detection sensor 195 from mistakenly detecting that the worker is seated due to the weight of luggage (e.g., empty boxes that contained seedlings, information terminals, water bottles, and plastic bottles) that the worker has loaded onto the machine body, the load that is deemed to be detected is set to a predetermined weight (e.g., 30 to 40 kg) or more, thereby ensuring that the sensor can detect that the worker is seated.

[0121] To further prevent false detection, it is advisable to set the conditions that the ridge end sensor 182 is not detecting the arrival at the ridge end and that either or both of the left and right excessive tilt sensors 194, 194 are in a detection state. In places where the machine is not passing over a ridge, the sensor arm 183 of the ridge end sensor 182 rotates downward so that the sensor arm 183 is always detecting the ridge end, and in the front-up tilted position, it is difficult for the sensor to come into contact with uneven ground, so that the engine 41, travel, and planting transmission are prevented from stopping due to false detection.

[0122] Here, the configuration of the work seat 46 and the seating detection sensor 195 that detects whether the worker is seated will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

[0123] The transplanter of this invention is provided with a work seat 46 on which an operator sits to supply seedlings to the seedling supplying device 43 and perform seedling supplying work. Specifically, the work seat 46 is disposed facing backwards in the center of the left and right of the machine body, which is the front side of the seedling supplying device 43. The operator sitting on the work seat 46 sits in a rearward facing position toward the front part of the seedling supplying device 43 and performs seedling supplying work by corresponding to the front part of the seedling supplying device 43, particularly the front straight portion 28 of the circular movement path of the seedling container 22.

[0124] The work seat 46 is mounted on left and right seat mounting frames 501, 501 which are welded to the upper part of a seat frame 500 made of an iron pipe material whose base is fixed to the traveling body 40.

[0125] The seat mounting frame 501 is an inverted U-shaped frame extending in the front-rear direction, and is provided with a seat position adjustment plate 503 having an arc-shaped long hole 502 for adjusting the seat position at the rear.

[0126] The seat position adjustment slot 502 is arc-shaped and becomes lower towards the rear, and has three position adjustment retaining recesses 504 at the bottom.

[0127] Further, the seat mounting frame 501 is provided with a seating detection sensor 195 facing a through hole 505 provided in the center.

[0128] The work seat 46 is provided with a seat support plate 506 at its bottom.

[0129] At the rear of the seat support plate 506, a seat support arm 507 is extended downward, and at its lower part, a rotation support pin 508 for left-right rotation of the aircraft body is provided.

[0130] A front support member 509 made of cushion rubber is provided at the front of the seat support plate 506 to support the front of the work seat 46 .

[0131] A pressing member 510 that passes through the through hole 505 of the seat mounting frame 501 and presses the seating detection sensor 195 is provided slightly behind the front support member 509 of the seat support plate 506 .

[0132] A rotating support pin 508 provided on a seat support arm 507 at the rear of the seat support plate 506 is inserted into a seat position adjustment long hole 502 of a seat position adjustment plate 503 provided on the seat mounting frame 501, and is adjusted back and forth along the arc-shaped seat position adjustment long hole 502 to engage and be held in one of three position adjustment holding recesses 504.

[0133] Therefore, when the pivot support pin 508 is engaged with the frontmost position adjustment retaining recess 504, the work seat 46 is adjusted to its forwardmost position, away from the front straight portion 28 in the circular movement path of the seedling container 22 of the seedling supplying device 43, making it suitable for a tall worker to sit on the work seat 46 and supply seedlings to the seedling container 22 of the seedling supplying device 43.

[0134] Furthermore, when the rotating support pin 508 is engaged with the rearmost position adjustment holding recess 504, the work seat 46 is adjusted to the rearmost position, close to the front straight portion 28 of the circular movement path of the seedling container 22 of the seedling supplying device 43, which is suitable for a short worker to sit on the work seat 46 and supply seedlings to the seedling container 22 of the seedling supplying device 43. Furthermore, since the rotating support pin 508 is engaged and held in the position adjustment holding recess 504 at the rearmost lowest position, in which the seat position adjustment slot 502 is in the shape of an arc that becomes lower toward the rear, the work seat 46 becomes lower, and it is very easy for a short worker to supply seedlings to the seedling container 22.

[0135] In addition, when the rotating support pin 508 is engaged with the intermediate position adjustment retaining recess 504, the work seat 46 is adjusted to a position intermediate in the front-to-rear direction, which is suitable for a worker of average height to sit on the work seat 46 and supply seedlings to the seedling container 22 of the seedling supplying device 43.

[0136] Since the seat position adjustment slot 502 of the seat mounting frame 501 is arc-shaped, even if the worker remains seated on the work seat 46, the rear of the work seat 46 can be lifted slightly to remove the rotation support pin 508 from the position adjustment holding recess 504, and the work seat 46 can be easily slid forward and backward along the arc at the top of the seat position adjustment slot 502, thereby facilitating the forward and backward movement adjustment of the work seat 46.

[0137] Furthermore, regardless of which position adjustment holding recess 504 the rotation support pin 508 is engaged with, the backrest side of the front of the work seat 46 can be rotated toward the rear of the machine body around the rotation support pin 508 as the center of rotation, and the posture can be changed to a stowed state at a low stowed position. Therefore, when loading the machine onto a truck or storing it in a barn, the height of the machine can be lowered, and loading and storability are good. Also, when opening the fuel tank lid 511 located below and near the work seat 46 to supply fuel to the fuel tank, if the posture is changed to the stowed state, the fuel supply operation can be easily performed.

[0138] When the worker sits on the work seat 46, the worker's weight compresses the front support member 509 made of cushion rubber, and the pressing member 510 passes through the through hole 505 of the seat mounting frame 501 and presses the seating detection sensor 195, turning it ON, and detecting that the worker is sitting on the seat.

[0139] In particular, since the pivot support pin 508, which serves as the pivot point for the work seat 46, is located at the rear end of the work seat 46, even if the worker sits near the rear end of the work seat 46 to supply seedlings to the seedling container 22 of the seedling supply device 43, the front side of the work seat 46 is less likely to rise up, and the seating detection sensor 195 can reliably detect the worker's seating.

[0140] Here, we will explain the automatic ridge end stopping function that stops the engine 41 and the transplanter 10 when the transplanter 10 reaches the end of the ridge while the transplanter 10 is traveling along the ridge and the operator is sitting in the work seat 46 with his back to the direction of travel and transplanting seedlings.

[0141] When the transplanter 10 is traveling along the ridges and the operator is seated in the work seat 46 with his back to the direction of travel and performing seedling transplanting work in normal conditions, the first engine switch 407, the second engine switch 408, the seating detection sensor 195, the ridge end detection switch 186 and the left and right excessive tilt sensors 194, 194 in the electrical circuit diagram of the engine 41 in Figure 12 are all turned ON, and the engine 41 is running.

[0142] Then, as the transplanter 10 continues to move forward while performing transplanting work and reaches the end of the ridge, and the ridge contact ground roller 184 of the ridge end sensor 182 no longer comes into contact with the ridge surface, the sensor arm 183 rotates downward due to the force of the ground contact spring 185 and the weight of the sensor arm 183 and the ridge contact ground roller 184, so that the ridge end detection switch 186 is no longer pressed and turns OFF, the engine 41 stops, and the transplanter 10 stops.

[0143] In particular, since the pivot support pin 508, which serves as the pivot point for the work seat 46, is located at the rear end of the work seat 46, the front side of the work seat 46 is less likely to rise up even if the worker sits near the rear end of the work seat 46 to supply seedlings to the seedling container 22 of the seedling supply device 43, the seating detection sensor 195 can reliably detect the worker's seating, preventing a situation in which the seating detection sensor 195 turns off, stopping the engine 41 and the transplanter 10, even when the worker is seated on the work seat 46 and performing seedling transplanting work in normal conditions.

[0144] Spare seedling frames 50 capable of accommodating seedlings to be supplied to the seedling supply device 43 are provided on both the left and right sides of the work seat 46 and above the rear wheel axle 12 of the rear wheel 44 when viewed from the side of the machine body.

[0145] When transplanting seedlings into a field, water may be supplied to the vicinity of the planted seedlings, taking into consideration the soil quality of the field, the surrounding water environment, or the weather conditions before the work, so-called irrigation work may be performed.

[0146] In the transplanter of this embodiment, a water tank holder 601 for carrying a water tank 600 is provided on each of the left and right travel transmission cases 38, 38.

[0147] The irrigation water stored in the water tank 600 is pumped up by an irrigation pump installed at the bottom of the traveling body 40 near the center of the front and rear of the body, and discharged to the positions where the planting hoppers 20a, 20b plant seedlings. The irrigation pumps are arranged according to the number of planting hoppers 20a, 20b, and are arranged on the left and right sides with a gap between them, with the left and right center of the traveling body 40 as the base.

[0148] Next, the scraper mechanism 700 for removing soil adhering to the left and right planting hoppers 20a, 20b will be described.

[0149] The scraper mechanism 700 is a mechanism having a scraper 701 attached to the soil cover pressing wheel 37, which removes soil adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the lowering and rising planting hopper 20a (20b).

[0150] Since the scraper 701 is attached to the soil cover pressing wheel 37 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, there is no need to adjust the scraper 701 in conjunction with the row spacing adjustment operation.

[0151] As shown in Figures 18 and 19, the scraper 701 has two scraper plates 702 arranged side by side in the left-right direction of the vehicle body, scraper plate arms 703 respectively attached to the two scraper plates 702, a scraper plate arm mounting base 704 to which the two scraper plate arms 703 are attached so as to be rotatable in the left-right direction of the vehicle body, and a pulling biasing spring that biases the two scraper plate arms 703 so that the two scraper plates 702 are pulled together.

[0152] That is, scraper plate arm mounting base 704 is attached to the rear of the front end of suppression arm 370. The front end of scraper plate arm 703 for mounting scraper plate 702 formed using a rubber plate or the like is pivotally supported on pivot shaft 705 on scraper plate arm mounting base 704.

[0153] The scraper plate arm mounting base 704 is attached to the suppression arm 370 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction, and is biased by a lift bias spring so that the rear end of the scraper plate 702 is lifted.

[0154] That is, although the height of the scraper plate arm 703 is not very large, the scraper plate arm 703 is in a rear-upward inclined position in which the rear side of the attachment portion of the scraper plate 702 rises backward at an acute angle. Therefore, the scraper plate 702 is rotated in the left-right direction of the vehicle body while being tilted downward, so that the planting hopper 20a (20b) lowered while drawing an arc smoothly enters the portion between the two scraper plates 702 in the normal direction of the plate surface.

[0155] The two scraper plates 702 come into contact with the outer periphery of the planting hopper 20a (20b) over a long range in the vertical direction, and can reliably remove soil adhering to the outer periphery of the planting hopper 20a (20b), while ensuring planting accuracy by not interfering with the planting hopper 20a (20b). In addition, by removing the soil adhering to the outer periphery of the planting hopper 20a (20b), it is possible to prevent the planting hopper 20a (20b) from being unable to penetrate sufficiently into the soil, resulting in shallow planting depth.

[0156] When the planting hopper 20a (20b) is raised and separated from the scraper plate 702, the scraper plate arm mounting base 704 is urged upward by the lifting urging spring, realizing the rearward upward tilt posture of the scraper plate arm 703. Therefore, the entire scraper 701 rotates upward, so that the planted seedlings are not knocked over by contact with the scraper 701. Furthermore, since there is sufficient time for the raised planting hopper 20a (20b) to slide against the scraper plate 702, the soil adhering to the outer circumferential surface of the planting hopper 20a (20b) is more reliably removed.

[0157] The left scraper plate arm 703 is attached to the left edge of the left scraper plate 702 and the right scraper plate arm 703 is attached to the right edge of the right scraper plate 702.

[0158] The left and right scraper plates 702, 702 are each formed with a slit 706 extending outward from the edge at the front-rear central portion.

[0159] Semicircular cutouts 707, 707 are formed in front and behind the slits 706 of the left and right scraper plates 702, 702, so that the scraper plate 702 can be flexibly bent along the outer circumferential surface of the planting hopper 20a (20b) as it descends and ascends. The cutouts 707, 707 extend from the side where the left and right scraper plates 702 face each other toward the opposite side, so that the end portions of the scraper plate 702 deform to fit along the outer circumferential surface of the planting hopper 20a (20b), ensuring the removal of soil.

[0160] When the planting hopper 20a (20b) descends on the planting trajectory, it penetrates from above into the semicircular cutouts 707 in the front of the left and right scraper plates 702, 702, and when it rises, it exits from the semicircular cutouts 707 in the rear of the left and right scraper plates 702, 702.

[0161] The left and right scraper plate arms 703, 703 are inclined inwardly toward the rear so that their rear ends are positioned more inward than their front ends.

[0162] Therefore, at the rear of the left and right scraper plate arms 703, 703, the length by which the left and right scraper plates 702, 702 protrude from the inner edges of the left and right scraper plate arms 703, 703 is shortened, and when the planting hopper 20a (20b) comes out of the semicircular cutout portion 707 at the rear of the left and right scraper plates 702, 702, the range over which the left and right scraper plates 702, 702 are turned over is reduced and the elasticity is strong, so that soil adhering to the outer surface of the planting hopper 20a (20b) is reliably removed.

[0163] In addition, the left and right scraper plate arms 703, 703 have an inclined shape that is positioned more inward toward the rear so that the rear end is positioned more inward than the front end. Therefore, when the planting hopper 20a (20b) moves rearward while rising from the planting position, the inclined portions act as a guide and the left and right scraper plate arms 703, 703 open smoothly without getting caught.

[0164] In addition, the stopper piece 375 that regulates the lowering position of the suppression arm 370 of the soil suppression wheel 37 to which the scraper 701 is attached is located outside the scraper 701, but the left and right scraper plate arms 703, 703 have an inclined shape that is positioned more inward toward the rear so that the rear end is positioned more inward than the front end, thereby preventing interference with the stopper piece 375.

[0165] The stopper piece 375 has a recess 376 along the outer circumferential surface of the suppression arm 370 on the upper surface of the tip portion that receives the suppression arm 370, which reduces rattling when receiving the suppression arm 370. In addition, the lower surface of the tip portion of the stopper piece 375 has an inclined chamfer 376, so that even if the tip portion of the stopper piece 375 interferes with the scraper plate arm 703, the chamfer 376 allows the scraper plate arm 703 to escape.

[0166] As shown in Figure 20, a slit 710 is provided in the cutout portion 707 of the scraper plate 702, and when the outer peripheral surface of the planting hopper 20a (20b) comes into contact with the cutout portion 707, the scraper plate 702 deforms to reliably remove the soil adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the planting hopper 20a (20b).

[0167] The scraper plate 702 is formed by welding (or gluing) rubber to the cloth, and is installed so that the cloth side is facing down and the rubber side is facing up when it is assembled into the machine. Therefore, when the planting hopper 20a (20b) comes out of the semicircular cutouts 707 at the rear of the left and right scraper plates 702, 702, the left and right scraper plates 702, 702 are less likely to turn up, and even if they do turn up, they return to their original position, ensuring the removal of soil adhering to the outer periphery up to the tip of the planting hopper 20a (20b).

[0168] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 21, if an extension portion 703a extending inward is provided at the rear end of the left and right scraper plate arms 703, 703 to support the vicinity of the cutout portion 707 at the rear of the scraper plate 702, the left and right scraper plates 702, 702 can be prevented from curling up when the planting hopper 20a (20b) comes out of the cutout portion 707 at the rear of the left and right scraper plates 702, 702, and soil adhering to the outer surface up to the tip of the planting hopper 20a (20b) can be reliably removed.

[0169] The mounting structure of the soil-covering wheels 37 on the traveling vehicle body 40 will be described with reference to Figs.

[0170] A suppression shaft 801 is inserted into a soil suppression wheel mounting frame 800 provided at the rear of the running body 40, and support pipes 376, 376 provided at the base of the suppression arms 370, 370 of the left and right soil suppression wheels 37, 37 are externally supported on the suppression shaft 801 in a freely rotatable manner.

[0171] A base arm 802, the base of which is fixed by welding to the soil cover wheel mounting frame 800, is provided with an attachment hole 803.

[0172] The mounting arm 804 fixed to the suppression arm 370 of one of the soil cover suppression wheels 37 has a left mounting hole 805 and a right mounting hole 806 with a width L of the row-to-row adjustment length in the left-right direction.

[0173] 22 and 23, the mounting hole 803 of the base arm 802 and the right mounting hole 806 of the mounting arm 804 are aligned and both arms 802, 804 are fixed with bolts. At this time, a wide gap is provided between the end of the support pipe 376 of one of the soil cover suppression wheels 37 and the end of the soil cover suppression wheel mounting frame 800.

[0174] In the wide gap, a washer 810 is brought into contact with the end of the soil suppression wheel mounting frame 800, and a split pin 812 is inserted into a through hole 811 provided in the suppression shaft 801 to secure it in place. The split pin 812 prevents the suppression shaft 801 from slipping out in the left / right direction.

[0175] The end of the support pipe 376 of the other soil suppression wheel 37 and the end of the soil suppression wheel mounting frame 800 are in contact with each other.

[0176] The state shown in Figures 22 and 23 is the position of the left and right soil-covering wheels 37, 37 with wide row spacing.

[0177] When narrowing the row spacing, the support pipe 376 of one of the soil cover suppression wheels 37 is moved closer to the soil cover suppression wheel mounting frame 800, the mounting hole 803 of the base arm 802 is aligned with the left mounting hole 805 of the mounting arm 804, and both arms 802, 804 are fixed with bolts to narrow the spacing between the left and right soil cover suppression wheels 37, 37.

[0178] <Other embodiments> (1) FIG. 13 shows another embodiment in which a rotation support pin 508 serving as a rotation fulcrum for the work seat 46 is attached to the seat mounting frame 501.

[0179] That is, a rotation support pin 508 which serves as a rotation fulcrum for the work seat 46 is provided at the rear end of a seat support plate 506 at the bottom of the work seat 46, and the rear end of a slide plate 521 having a long hole 520 in the front-rear direction is pivotally supported on the rotation support pin 508.

[0180] The slide plate 521 has a support piece 523 formed integrally with it at its rear end facing upward, and a rotation support pin 508 is inserted into a through hole 524 formed in the support piece 523, so that the seat support plate 506 is rotatably mounted on the rear end of the seat support plate 506 by the rotation support pin 508. The rear end of the work seat 46 and the rear end of the seat support plate 506 are at approximately the same position, and the seat support plate 506 does not protrude rearward from the rear end of the work seat 46.

[0181] The slide plate 521 is provided with a long hole 520 in the front-rear direction, and the long hole 520 is provided with three position adjustment holding recesses 504 facing upward.

[0182] A positioning pin 525 extending in the left-right direction of the aircraft is provided at the rear of the seat mounting frame 501 at the upper rear end, and a posture maintaining pin 526 extending in the left-right direction of the aircraft is provided below and forward of the positioning pin 525.

[0183] The positioning pin 525 and the attitude maintaining pin 526 are inserted through the long hole 520. When the positioning pin 525 is engaged with any of the position adjustment holding recesses 504, the attitude maintaining pin 526 is positioned in the long hole 520 that is outside the position adjustment holding recess 504 and has a narrow vertical width.

[0184] Therefore, when the positioning pin 525 is engaged with the rearmost position adjustment holding recess 504 of the slide plate 521, the work seat 46 is adjusted to the forwardmost position, away from the front straight portion 28 in the circular movement path of the seedling container 22 of the seedling supplying device 43, making it suitable for a tall worker to sit on the work seat 46 and supply seedlings to the seedling container 22 of the seedling supplying device 43. At this time, the posture holding pin 526 is located in the elongated hole 520 with a narrow vertical width outside the position adjustment holding recess 504, preventing the work seat 46 from wobbling and preventing erroneous detection by the seating detection sensor 195.

[0185] Furthermore, when the positioning pin 525 is engaged with the frontmost position adjustment holding recess 504, the work seat 46 is adjusted to the rearmost position, close to the front straight portion 28 of the circular movement path of the seedling container 22 of the seedling supplying device 43, which is suitable for a short worker to sit on the work seat 46 and supply seedlings to the seedling container 22 of the seedling supplying device 43. At this time, the posture holding pin 526 is located in the elongated hole 520 with a narrow vertical width outside the position adjustment holding recess 504, so that rattling of the work seat 46 and erroneous detection by the seating detection sensor 195 can be prevented.

[0186] Furthermore, when the positioning pin 525 is engaged with the intermediate position adjustment holding recess 504, the work seat 46 is adjusted to a position intermediate in the front-to-rear direction, which is suitable for a worker of average height to sit on the work seat 46 and supply seedlings to the seedling container 22 of the seedling supply device 43. At this time, since the posture holding pin 526 is located in the elongated hole 520 with a narrow vertical width outside the position adjustment holding recess 504, rattling of the work seat 46 can be prevented, and erroneous detection by the seating detection sensor 195 can be prevented.

[0187] Furthermore, no matter which position adjustment retaining recess 504 the positioning pin 525 is engaged with to adjust the front-to-rear position of the work seat 46, the support members of the work seat 46 (seat mounting frame 501 and slide plate 521) do not protrude rearward from the rear end of the work seat 46, so they do not get in the way when transplanting seedlings, improving workability.

[0188] (2) FIGS. 14 and 15 show another embodiment in which the seating detection sensor 195 and a second seating detection sensor 550 are provided on the seat frame 500. In the embodiment shown in FIG.

[0189] That is, the seat frame 500 is composed of a vertical seat frame 500a whose base is fixed to the traveling vehicle body 40, and a mounting frame 500b to which a seat mounting frame 501 is mounted.

[0190] A through hole 551 is formed in the upper part of the vertical seat frame 500a. The lower part of the mounting frame 500b is fitted into the through hole 551.

[0191] A second seating detection sensor 550 is provided at the bottom of the through hole 551. A convex rib 552 is formed on the mounting frame 500b, and a compression spring 553 is provided between the convex rib 552 and the upper end surface of the vertical seat frame 500a.

[0192] Therefore, when no operator is seated on the work seat 46, the upward biasing force of the compression spring 553 keeps the mounting frame 500b in an upper position, and the lower end of the mounting frame 500b is located above and away from the second seating detection sensor 550, so that the second seating detection sensor 550 is OFF.

[0193] When an operator is seated on the work seat 46, the operator's weight moves the mounting frame 500b downward against the upward biasing force of the compression spring 553, and the lower end of the mounting frame 500b presses the second seating detection sensor 550, turning the second seating detection sensor 550 ON.

[0194] When the transplanter 10 is traveling along the ridges and the operator is seated in the work seat 46 with his back to the direction of travel and performing seedling transplanting work in normal conditions, the first engine switch 407, the second engine switch 408, the seating detection sensor 195, the second seating detection sensor 550, the ridge end detection switch 186 and the left and right excessive tilt sensors 194, 194 in the electrical circuit diagram of the engine 41 in Figure 15 are all turned ON and the engine 41 is running.

[0195] Then, as the transplanter 10 continues to move forward while performing transplanting work and reaches the end of the ridge, and the ridge contact ground roller 184 of the ridge end sensor 182 no longer comes into contact with the ridge surface, the sensor arm 183 rotates downward due to the force of the ground contact spring 185 and the weight of the sensor arm 183 and the ridge contact ground roller 184, so that the ridge end detection switch 186 is no longer pressed and turns OFF, the engine 41 stops, and the transplanter 10 stops.

[0196] In particular, since the seating detection sensor 195 and the second seating detection sensor 550 are arranged in parallel as shown in the electrical circuit diagram of the engine 41, even if the seating detection sensor 195 turns OFF due to a change in the worker's seating posture, the second seating detection sensor 550 is ON, so that a situation will not occur in which the engine 41 and transplanter 10 will stop while the worker is seated in the work seat 46 and performing seedling transplanting work in normal conditions.

[0197] That is, if either the seating detection sensor 195 or the second seating detection sensor 550 is ON, the seating of the operator is detected, so that the seating of the operator can be reliably detected.

[0198] (3) FIG. 16 shows another embodiment in which a second seating detection sensor 550 is provided.

[0199] That is, a vertical long hole 560 is provided in the seat mounting frame 501 , and a second seating detection sensor 550 is provided below the long hole 560 .

[0200] A seat fixing plate 562 having three seat front / rear adjustment holes 561 arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction is provided on the underside of the front part of the seat support plate 506 of the work seat 46.

[0201] A compression spring 563 is provided between the seat support plate 506 and the seat mounting frame 501 .

[0202] The work seat 46 is rotatably mounted by inserting a rotation support pin 508 into an elongated hole 560 of the seat mounting frame 501 and one of three seat front-rear adjustment holes 561 of a seat fixing plate 562 .

[0203] When the pivot support pin 508 is inserted through the long hole 560 of the seat mounting frame 501 and the rearmost seat front / rear adjustment hole 561 of the seat fixing plate 562 so as to be rotatably mounted, the work seat 46, when adjusted to its forward-most position, is away from the front straight portion 28 of the circular movement path of the seedling container 22 of the seedling supplying device 43, making it suitable for a tall worker to sit on the work seat 46 and supply seedlings to the seedling container 22 of the seedling supplying device 43.

[0204] In addition, when the pivot support pin 508 is inserted through the long hole 560 of the seat mounting frame 501 and the frontmost seat front / rear adjustment hole 561 of the seat fixing plate 562 so as to be freely rotatable, the work seat 46, when adjusted to its rearmost position, is close to the front straight portion 28 of the circular movement path of the seedling storage body 22 of the seedling supplying device 43, which is suitable for a short worker to sit on the work seat 46 and supply seedlings to the seedling storage body 22 of the seedling supplying device 43.

[0205] In addition, when the pivot support pin 508 is inserted through the long hole 560 of the seat mounting frame 501 and the seat front-to-rear adjustment hole 561 located midway between the seat mounting frame 501 and the seat fixing plate 562 in the fore-to-aft direction, the work seat 46 is adjusted to a position midway in the fore-to-aft direction, which is suitable for a worker of average height to sit on the work seat 46 and supply seedlings to the seedling container 22 of the seedling supplying device 43.

[0206] When no worker is seated on the work seat 46, the upward biasing force of the compression spring 563 keeps the work seat 46 in an upper position, the pivot support pin 508 is at the upper end position of the long hole 560 of the seat mounting frame 501, the lower edge of the seat fixing plate 562 is at an upper position away from the second seating detection sensor 550, and the second seating detection sensor 550 is OFF.

[0207] When an operator is seated on the work seat 46, the operator's weight moves the work seat 46 downward against the upward biasing force of the compression spring 563, the rotation support pin 508 is located at the lower end position of the long hole 560 of the seat mounting frame 501, and the second seating detection sensor 550 is pressed by the lower edge of the seat fixing plate 562 and turns ON.

[0208] Therefore, similarly to the previous item (2), the seating detection sensor 195 and the second seating detection sensor 550 are arranged in parallel as shown in the electrical circuit diagram of the engine 41 in FIG. 15, so that if either the seating detection sensor 195 or the second seating detection sensor 550 is ON, it detects the operator's seating, thereby making it possible to reliably detect the operator's seating.

[0209] (4) FIG. 24 shows another embodiment of the water tank holder 601 for carrying the water tank 600.

[0210] That is, the upper part of the support metal fitting 900 is fixed to the outer end face of the side step 118 with bolts, and the water tank holder 601 is fixed to the support metal fitting 900 with bolts.

[0211] The support bracket 900 is formed with an attachment plate 901 that is L-shaped when viewed from the front, with two attachment holes 902 provided on the vertical surface and two attachment holes 903 provided on the horizontal surface extending outward from the fuselage.

[0212] Water tank holder 601 is constructed as a frame, and has two mounting holes 905 on the vertical surface of U-shaped frame 904 at the midpoint between the front and rear, and two mounting holes 906 on the horizontal surface.

[0213] Two mounting holes 902 on the vertical surface of L-shaped mounting plate 901 of support bracket 900 and two mounting holes 905 on the vertical surface of U-shaped frame 904 of water tank holder 601 are aligned and fixed with bolts, and two mounting holes 903 on the horizontal surface of L-shaped mounting plate 901 of support bracket 900 and two mounting holes 906 on the horizontal surface of U-shaped frame 904 of water tank holder 601 are aligned and fixed with bolts to assemble water tank holder 601. Note that water tank holder 601 on the opposite side in the left-right direction of the aircraft is assembled in the same manner, symmetrically.

[0214] In particular, the mounting position of the water tank holder 601 on the running body 40 is set such that the rear end of the water tank holder 601 is positioned forward and away from the support pipes 376, 376 provided at the base of the suppression arms 370, 370 of the left and right soil suppression wheels 37, 37 which are rotatably mounted on the suppression shaft 801 inserted and supported in the soil suppression wheel mounting frame 800.

[0215] Therefore, when the support pipes 376, 376 provided at the bases of the suppression arms 370, 370 of the left and right soil suppression wheels 37, 37 are pulled outward to the left and right from the suppression shaft 801, the water tank holder 601 does not get in the way, making maintenance of the machine easier. [Explanation of symbols]

[0216] 40 Running vehicle 42 Planting equipment 46 Work seat 195 Seated detection sensor 500 seat frame 501 Seat mounting frame 502 Seat position adjustment slot 504 Position adjustment holding recess 506 Seat support member 508 Rotation support pin 510 Pressing member 520 long hole 521 Slide Plate 525 pin 526 Posture-Maintaining Pin 550 Second seating detection sensor

Claims

1. The present transplanter is provided with a planting device (42) and a work seat (46) on which an operator sits facing the planting device (42) on a traveling vehicle body (40), the work seat (46) is freely rotatable around a rotation support pin (508) in the left-right direction of the machine body provided at a lower end of a seat support member (506) on the planting device (42) side as a rotation fulcrum, and a seating detection sensor (195) for detecting that an operator is seated on the work seat (46) is provided at a position farther away from the planting device (42) than the rotation support pin (508), a positioning pin (525) is provided on the planting device (42) side of a seat frame (500) having a base fixed to the planting device (40), a slide plate (521) extending in a direction away from the planting device (42) is pivotally supported on the rotating support pin (508), and a long hole (520) in the front-rear direction having a plurality of position adjustment holding recesses (504) is provided in the slide plate (521), and a positioning pin (525) is placed in the long hole (520) and held in the plurality of position adjustment holding recesses (504) to adjust the front-rear position of the work seat (46); This transplanter is characterized in that a posture maintaining pin (526) is provided on a seat frame (500) at a position farther from the planting device (42) than the positioning pin (525) and at a different vertical position from the positioning pin (525), and when the positioning pin (525) is engaged with any of the position adjustment holding recesses (504), the posture maintaining pin (526) is located in a long hole (520) with a narrow vertical width outside the position adjustment holding recess (504).

2. A traveling vehicle body (40) is provided with a planting device (42) and a work seat (46) on which an operator sits facing the planting device (42), the work seat (46) is made rotatable around a rotation support pin (508) in the left-right direction of the machine body provided at a lower end of the seat support member (506) on the planting device (42) side as a rotation fulcrum, and a seating inspection is performed to detect whether an operator is seated on the work seat (46) at a position farther from the planting device (42) than the rotation support pin (508). The transplanter is provided with a sensor (195), and a seat frame (500) having a base fixed to a traveling vehicle body (40) is provided on the planting device (42) side with a seat position adjustment slot (502) having a plurality of position adjustment holding recesses (504) in the front-rear direction, and a pivot support pin (508) of the work seat (46) is placed in the seat position adjustment slot (502) and held in the plurality of position adjustment holding recesses (504), thereby adjusting the front-rear position of the work seat (46). This transplanter is characterized in that when a worker sits on the work seat (46), a seat frame (500) is contracted, a second seating detection sensor (550) is provided for detecting the contraction of the seat frame (500) to detect the worker's seating, and when at least one of the seating detection sensor (195) and the second seating detection sensor (550) detects the worker's seating, it is determined that the worker is seated.

3. The present invention relates to a transplanter having a traveling vehicle body (40) provided with a planting device (42) and a work seat (46) on which an operator sits facing the planting device (42), the work seat (46) being rotatable around a rotation support pin (508) in the left-right direction of the machine body provided at a lower end of a seat support member (506) on the planting device (42) side as a rotation fulcrum, and a seating detection sensor (195) for detecting that an operator is seated on the work seat (46) at a position farther away from the planting device (42) than the rotation support pin (508). a positioning pin (525) is provided on the planting device (42) side of a seat frame (500) having a base fixed to the planting device (40), a slide plate (521) extending in a direction away from the planting device (42) is pivotally supported on the rotating support pin (508), and a long hole (520) in the front-rear direction having a plurality of position adjustment holding recesses (504) is provided in the slide plate (521), and a positioning pin (525) is placed in the long hole (520) and held in the plurality of position adjustment holding recesses (504) to adjust the front-rear position of the work seat (46); This transplanter is characterized in that when a worker sits on the work seat (46), a seat frame (500) is contracted, a second seating detection sensor (550) is provided for detecting the contraction of the seat frame (500) to detect the worker's seating, and when at least one of the seating detection sensor (195) and the second seating detection sensor (550) detects the worker's seating, it is determined that the worker is seated.

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