Seedling conveying device

Abstract

To constantly stably deliver seedlings to a cutter regardless of a thickness of the seedlings, when delivering seedlings, etc. in one direction for cutting parts of seedlings of vegetables, etc. or of nursery stocks, or useless stalks.SOLUTION: A conveying device 1 comprises two annular materials 3 and 3 supported by a frame 2 so as to freely circulate along one direction of the frame 2 and disposed in parallel, rotating bodies 41 and 42 holding the two annular materials 3 respectively so as to freely circulate, placing a distance in one direction of the frame 2 and rotatably supported around support shafts 43 and 43, and a drive device 6 rotating one rotating bodies 41 and 41 around the support shafts 43 and 43 at a same rotation speed and circulating the two annular materials 3 and 3. The two annular materials 3 and 3 are parallel to each other to form a line-symmetric linear movement section 3A, and container materials 81 and 81 shaped by dividing a container 8 and supporting the seedlings 10 are connected to positions of simultaneously moving the linear movement section 3A of the two annular materials 3 in the same direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention mainly relates to a seedling conveying device that is used to cut the roots of seedlings such as vegetables, or the roots or a part of the useless stems of seedlings, and sends out the seedlings including the seedlings in one direction.

Background Art

[0002] For example, when removing the roots and stems of seedlings (hereinafter referred to as seedlings) with roots such as vegetables for the purpose of shipping, in order to cut the roots mechanically or regularly, it is necessary to send the seedlings from one end in the long side direction of the frame or the like to the cutter mounted at the middle part or the end part (see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] Sending (conveying) the seedlings in the long side direction of the frame or the like means linearly moving the seedlings along the long side direction of the frame or the like. As a method of linearly moving the seedlings while gripping (holding) them, there is a method of directing the width direction of the belt that grips the seedlings in pairs in the vertical direction, arranging the thickness direction of the belt in parallel with the width direction of the frame, and sandwiching the seedlings in the thickness direction of the belt (Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in the method of gripping the seedlings from both sides in the thickness direction on the parallel belts, if a state where a tension equal to or greater than a certain level is not constantly applied to the belts, there is a possibility of dropping the seedlings. Also, it may be necessary to adjust the distance between the belts according to the size (thickness) of the seedlings, and regardless of the size of the seedlings, there is a lack of certainty in always stably feeding the seedlings to the cutter.

[0006] In view of the above background, the present invention proposes a seedling conveying device capable of always stably feeding seedlings to a cutter regardless of the size of the seedlings when the purpose is to cut roots or the like.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The seedling conveying device according to claim 1 is supported on a frame in a state where the support shaft faces in the vertical direction or a direction close to the vertical direction, and is supported so as to be freely circulatable along one direction of the frame, and two annular members arranged in parallel in the other direction orthogonal to the one direction; At least two pairs of rotators that rotatably support each of the two annular members in a stretched state, are spaced apart in the one direction of the frame, and are supported on the frame so as to be rotatable about the support shaft; A driving device that rotates one of the paired rotators of each of the two annular members at the same rotational speed about the support shaft and circulates the two annular members; The two annular members are parallel to each other along the one direction of the frame and have a linearly moving section that is line-symmetric in the other direction; A container material for supporting seedlings, which is in the shape of a divided three-dimensional container, is connected to a position where the linear moving sections of the two annular members move simultaneously in the same direction. It is a constituent requirement that this container material is combined with the three-dimensional container when moving along the linear moving sections of the respective annular members.

[0008] The phrase "in a state where the support shaft faces the vertical direction or a direction close to the vertical direction" means that when the trajectory along which the annular material circulates is regarded as a line, the plane containing the line is within the horizontal plane or within a plane inclined with respect to the horizontal plane. The "plane inclined with respect to the horizontal plane" refers to a plane closer to the horizontal plane than the vertical plane.

[0009] The frame is a framework that supports the conveying device. Basically, it is formed in a three-dimensional shape from a vertical frame facing the vertical direction or the like and a horizontal frame facing the horizontal direction or two directions close to the horizontal direction. However, the form of the frame itself is not limited. The annular material can circulate freely along one of the two directions such as the long side direction among the two directions such as the horizontal direction, and is supported by two or more pairs of rotating bodies.

[0010] "Circulation" means that a closed-shaped annular material moves in any direction along a closed line (ring). As shown in Fig. 1-(a) and Fig. 2, the two annular materials 3, 3 are arranged in parallel in a direction orthogonal to one direction such as the short side direction of the frame 2 and are arranged in pairs. By arranging the annular materials 3, 3 in parallel, the two annular materials 3, 3 convey the seedlings 10 in one direction of the frame 2 in pairs as shown in Fig. 6-(a). The annular material 3 is a chain, a belt, or the like.

[0011] In Fig. 1-(a), as shown by the arrows in the figure, the seedlings 10 are conveyed from the left side to the right side of the annular materials 3, 3. In Fig. 1-(a), when the container materials 81, 81 separated in units of each annular material 3 move (advance) at the left side position and are combined to form a closed shape or a shape close to a closed shape of the container 8, or when they have formed the container 8, the seedlings 10 are stored in the container 8 and the seedlings 10 are conveyed until they are separated from each other at the right side position.

[0012] The two annular materials 3 are spaced apart in one direction of the frame 2 and are held in a stretched state so as to be rotatably supported around the support shaft 43 by at least two pairs of rotating bodies 41, 42 supported by the frame 2. The rotating bodies 41, 42 are sprockets, pulleys, etc. according to the form of the annular material 3. Among the rotating bodies 41, 42 paired in units of the annular material 3, one of the rotating bodies 41 is rotated around the support shaft 43 by a driving device 6 as a driving wheel.

[0013] The phrase "rotating one of the rotators about the support shaft" in claim 1 means that one of the rotators 41 rotates around the support shaft 43 and may rotate together with the rotation of the support shaft 43. The "at least" in "at least in pairs of two or more" means that for each annular member 3, in addition to the rotators 41 and 42, an idler (driven wheel) that functions as a tensioner 5 may be arranged on the inner circumference of the annular member 3.

[0014] The phrase "inside the paired rotators" in claim 1 means "inside the paired rotators for each annular member". The drive device 6 may be arranged one for each of the rotators 41 of one of the annular members 3, or may be arranged one for the two annular members 3, 3 in order to interlock the circulation of both annular members 3, 3 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and rotate the rotators 41, 41 of one of the two annular members 3, 3 simultaneously.

[0015] When one drive device 6 is installed for the two annular members 3, 3, one of the rotators 41 of both annular members 3, 3 will be either the rotator 41 located on the front side in the moving direction when the annular member 3 moves in the linear movement section 3A or the rotator 42 located on the rear side, and either of these rotators 41 will be the drive wheel. When one drive device 6 is installed for each of the rotators 41 (42) of each annular member 3, the rotator 41 (42) that becomes the drive wheel will also be either the rotator 41 located on the front side in the moving direction or the rotator 42 located on the rear side. In that case, two drive devices 6 are installed on the frame 2.

[0016] When one drive device 6 is installed on the frame 2, the rotations of the support shafts 43, 43 of both rotators 41, 41 that become the drive wheels of both annular members 3, 3 are interlocked, or both rotators 4, 41 are rotated interlockingly around the respective support shafts 43. The rotator 41 may also be arranged around a bearing interposed around the support shaft 43.

[0017] When the support shaft 43 is rotated, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a driving device 6 such as a motor is directly or indirectly connected to the support shaft 43 of either one of the rotors 41, or the rotating shaft (driving shaft 61) of the driving device 6 also serves as the support shaft 43 of one of the rotors 41. In these cases, an interlocking device 7 such as a mechanism composed of other annular members or a combination of gears, or a power transmission device using a universal joint is installed between the support shafts 43, 43 of both rotors 41, 41, so that both rotors 41, 41 may be interlocked. Any specific mechanism for simultaneously rotating (interlocking) both rotors 41, 41 is not questioned.

[0018] The two annular members 3, 3 arranged in parallel in the other direction (such as the short side direction) of the frame 2 are parallel to each other at least in the linear movement section 3A and are arranged symmetrically with respect to a parallel straight line (Claim 1). In the linear movement section 3A, as shown in FIG. 1-(a), container members 81, 81 having a three-dimensional shape divided into two parts or a shape close to being divided into two parts, which are connected (fixed) to the same position of each annular member 3, are combined so as to face each other by butting against each other in the direction of line symmetry, etc., and it is necessary to move while maintaining the state of constituting the three-dimensional container 8.

[0019] The "same position of each annular member" is a position (portion) that is line-symmetrical with respect to each other when both annular members 3, 3 move in the linear movement section 3A. This same position moves from the rear side to the front side of the linear movement section 3A in the advancing direction at the same time (at the same speed) while maintaining the line-symmetrical state, as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1-(a).

[0020] The container member 81 is connected to and supported by the annular member 3 so as to have stability such that no change occurs in the posture connected to the annular member 3 when the annular member 3 circulates between the paired rotors 41, 42. The "connected posture" means that, as shown in FIG. 5-(b), when the container member 81 moves from the rear side in the advancing direction through the linear movement section 3A and faces and is combined with the container member 81 connected to the annular member 3 located on the parallel side, the form of the three-dimensional container 8 as a whole is not lost.

[0021] When each container member 81 connected to the parallel annular members 3, 3 moves simultaneously in the same direction within the linear movement section 3A, and they face each other to form the three-dimensional container 8, as long as the size of the container 8 is such that the seedling 10 can be accommodated therein, regardless of the size (thickness) of the seedling 10, it becomes possible to always move the seedling 10 stably through the linear movement section 3A. "Simultaneously" means linear movement (motion) at the same speed, and "the same direction" means from one end side to the other end side of the linear movement section 3A. When installing the cutter 91 on the frame 2 as shown in FIG. 1, the cutter 91 is installed at any position from one end side to the other end side of the linear movement section 3A, or at a position beyond the linear movement section 3A.

[0022] When cutting a part of the root 10a or a part of the stem 10b, which is a part of the seedling 10, as shown in FIG. 6, in order to ensure that the cutter 91 hits the cutting position of the seedling 10 accurately, an opening 8a is formed below the container 8 as shown in FIGS. 1-(a), (b), and (d). However, when the paired container members 81, 81 are butted against each other, if a gap is formed between the lower ends of both container members 81, 81 and this gap functions as the opening 8a, it is not always necessary to form the opening 8a in the container member 81.

[0023] When the container 8 has the opening 8a below, when the seedling 10 with the root 10a is accommodated in the container 8, a part of the root 10a or the stem 10b including the root 10a to be cut by the cutter 91 protrudes downward from the opening 8a as shown in FIG. 6-(a), and this protruding part is cut by the cutter 91. The opening 8a only needs to be formed when the two container members 81, 81 are combined to form the container 8, and it only needs to be formed in at least one of the container members 81. The two paired container members 81, 81 do not necessarily have to be of the same shape. The cut root 10a and stem 10b fall into the recovery material 11 etc. shown in FIG. 1-(b).

[0024] Two annular members 3, 3 are parallel to each other and have a linearly symmetric linear movement section 3A. When the container member 81 connected to the positions where the linear movement sections 3A of the two annular members 3 move simultaneously in the same direction moves in the linear movement section 3A, it is combined with the three-dimensional container 8, so that the seedlings 10 can be held so as to be wrapped from both sides in the direction in which the annular members 3, 3 are arranged in parallel, and the stability in the state of holding the seedlings 10 is improved. As a result, the instability in holding as in the case of gripping with belts arranged in parallel is eliminated, and regardless of the size of the seedlings 10, it is always possible to stably feed the seedlings 10 to the cutter 91.

[0025] Further, when the container 8 or the container member 81 has the opening 8a, since the root 10a and a part of the root 10a and the stem 10b can be projected from the lower opening 8a of the container 8 when the container members 81, 81 are combined, within the range that fits into the volume of the container 8 itself, regardless of the size of the seedlings 10, it is possible to store the seedlings 10 in the container 8.

[0026] The conveying device 1 of the present invention is mainly used for the purpose of cutting unnecessary roots 10a and a part of the stem 10b of the seedlings 10 as described above, but is not necessarily limited to this purpose, and may be used for the purpose of packaging the seedlings 10 with roots 10a and stems 10b, or the seedlings 10 from which any of these have been removed.

[0027] For example, when the rotating body 41 is arranged near the front end in the moving direction of the linear movement section 3A of the two annular members 3, 3, since the annular member 3 directly transfers from the linear movement section 3A to the rotating body 41 on the front side in the moving direction, the separation of the paired container members 81, 81 occurs suddenly, so that it is not possible to lower the seedlings 10 from the container 8 while taking time, and there is a possibility of damaging the dropped seedlings 10.

[0028] Therefore, as shown in Fig. 5-(a), from the linear movement sections 3A of the two annular members 3, 3, the section that shifts toward the rotating body 41 located closer to the front side in the moving direction of the annular member 3 (front-side buffer section 3B) is inclined with respect to the linear movement section 3A in a direction of moving away from each other in front of the rotating body 41 on the front side in the moving direction (Claim 2). When the container members 81, 81 tend to separate from each other, it becomes possible to separate the two container members 81, 81 gradually instead of abruptly.

[0029] As the two container members 81, 81 gradually separate, according to the size of the seedling 10 with leaves, it is possible to reduce the falling speed of the seedling 10 or lower the absolute height when the seedling 10 finally falls freely. Therefore, damage to the fallen seedling 10 can be mitigated. The seedling 10 that has fallen from the separated container members 81, 81 enters into some kind of receiving member.

[0030] Also, for example, if the annular members 81, 81 directly shift from the rotating body 41 on the rear side in the traveling direction to the linear movement section 3A, since the container members 81, 81 in the separated state rapidly form the container 8, it is impossible to take time to store the seedling 10 in the container 8, and there is a possibility that the seedling 10 is stored in the container 8 in an incorrect posture.

[0031] Therefore, as shown in Fig. 5-(b), the section that shifts toward the rotating body 42 located closer to the rear side in the traveling direction of the annular member 3, in front of the linear movement section 3A of the two annular members 3, 3 (rear-side buffer section 3C) is inclined with respect to the linear movement section 3A in a direction of gradually approaching each other from the rotating body 42 on the rear side in the traveling direction to the linear movement section 3A (Claim 3). When the container members 81, 81 face each other and tend to form the container 8, it becomes possible to combine the two container members 81, 81 gradually instead of abruptly.

[0032] As the two container members 81, 81 gradually form the container 8, it is possible to take a little more time for the manual or automatic operation of storing the seedling 10 with roots 10a in the container 8. Therefore, it becomes possible to ensure and carefully perform the operation of storing the seedling 10 in the container 8, and it becomes possible to store the seedling 10 in the container 8 in a correct posture.

[0033] When front buffer sections 3B and rear buffer sections 3C are formed on the front side and the rear side of the moving direction of the linear movement section 3A of the two annular members 3, 3 respectively (Claim 3), the entire stretched state between the two rotating bodies 41, 42 on both sides including the linear movement section 3A of the two parallel annular members 3, 3 can be arranged in a line-symmetric state with respect to a straight line parallel to the direction orthogonal to the parallel direction (one direction of the frame 2).

[0034] When the entire two parallel annular members 3, 3 are arranged in a line-symmetric state, the arrangement of the two rotating bodies 41, 42 and the support shaft 43 of each annular member 3 can be unified, and the arrangement of the drive device 6 for rotating the two rotating bodies 41, 42 can be made easy or simplified.

Advantages of the Invention

[0035] Two annular members are parallel to each other and have line-symmetric linear movement sections. A container member connected to positions where the linear movement sections of the two annular members move simultaneously in the same direction is combined with a three-dimensional container when moving through the linear movement sections, so that the seedlings can be held so as to wrap around the seedlings from both sides in the direction in which the annular members are parallel, and the stability in the state of holding the seedlings is improved. As a result, the instability in holding as in the case of gripping the seedlings with parallel belts is eliminated, and the seedlings can always be stably fed to the cutter regardless of the size of the seedlings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0036]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0037] FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a conveying device 1 including two annular materials 3, 3 such as chains and belts that are supported in parallel in any direction of a frame 2 as a support base in a freely circulating manner, and two rotating bodies 41, 42 such as sprockets and pulleys that each freely hold the two annular materials 3 and are supported in pairs by the frame 2 for each annular material 3. The conveying device 1 further includes a driving device 6 such as a motor that rotates one of the two rotating bodies 41, 42 of each annular material 3 as a driving wheel at the same rotational speed around a support shaft 43 to circulate the two annular materials 3, 3.

[0038] The two annular members 3, 3 are supported on the frame 2 rotatably about the support shafts 43 on both sides in one direction, for example, the long side direction of the frame 2, in a state facing the vertical direction or a direction close to the vertical direction, and are spanned (stretched) between the two rotators 41, 42. The two annular members 3, 3 are arranged in parallel in any other direction, for example, the short side direction of the frame 2, which is a direction orthogonal to the circulating direction.

[0039] Each annular member 3 circulates along one direction of the frame 2 in either direction as it rotates around the support shaft 43 of one of the rotators 41 that becomes the driving wheel among the two rotators 41, 42, or as it rotates simultaneously with the support shaft 43. The other rotator 42 rotates around the support shaft 43 as a driven wheel (idler) as the annular member 3 circulates. Fig. 1-(a) shows the case where the annular members 3, 3 circulate in the direction of the arrow. The locus along which the annular member 3 circulates is in a horizontal plane or in a plane inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, and is not necessarily located in the horizontal plane.

[0040] The support shafts 43 that support the rotators 41, 42 are supported or pivotally supported by the frame 2, and the rotators 41, 42 are rotatably supported around the support shafts 43. For example, when the support shaft 43 is supported by the frame 2, the rotators 41, 42 rotate around the support shaft 43, and when the support shaft 43 is pivotally supported by the frame 2, the rotators 41, 42 rotate together with the rotation of the support shaft 43.

[0041] A tensioner (tension applying member) 5 for maintaining the annular member 3 in a stretched state is arranged at one or a plurality of positions between the rotators 41, 42 supported on both sides in one direction of the frame 2 in the circulating direction of each annular member 3, and is supported by the frame 2. At least two tensioners 5 that form the linear movement section 3A of the annular member 3, as described later, are arranged inside (inscribed in) the closed annular member 3, but other tensioners 5 may be arranged outside (circumscribed).

[0042] The two annular members 3, 3 are parallel to each other along one direction (the long side direction) of the frame 2 and have a linear movement section 3A that is line-symmetrical in the other direction (the short side direction). The two annular members 3, 3 move in the same direction and at the same speed while keeping the linear movement section 3A parallel to each other. In Fig. 1-(a), the directions of circulation of the annular members 3, 3 are indicated by arrows. In Fig. 1-(a), the upper annular member 3 circulates counterclockwise as a whole, and the lower annular member 3 circulates clockwise as a whole.

[0043] By the two annular members 3, 3 moving in the same direction and at the same speed while keeping the linear movement section 3A parallel to each other, the container members 81, 81, which will be described later and are connected to the same positions of the two annular members 3, 3, face each other (are butted) in symmetrical directions (parallel directions), and while the container 8 is being formed, they linearly move from the rear side (upstream side) in the moving direction to the front side (downstream side) of the linear movement section 3A. In order for the container members 81, 81, which are supported by the two annular members 3, 3 and are paired with each other, to always face each other in the linear movement section 3A, the total lengths of the two annular members 3, 3 are equal. However, the sections of the two annular members 3, 3 other than the linear movement section 3A do not necessarily have to have a line-symmetrical shape.

[0044] As shown in Fig. 2, the linear movement section 3A is formed by arranging tensioners 5, 5, which are idlers, at at least two locations on the rear side and the front side in the moving direction of the linear movement section 3A, and adjusting the tangents on the annular member 3 side of the two or more tensioners 5, 5 to be straight. The two or more tensioners 5, 5 that form the linear movement section 3A are arranged inside the annular member 3 and are inscribed in the annular member 3. The linear movement section 3A is the section between the contact portions of the two tensioners 5, 5 located on both sides in the length direction and the annular member 3. Since the tangents on the annular member 3 side of the two or more tensioners 5, 5 of the two annular members 3, 3 are parallel to each other, the linear movement sections 3A, 3A of the two annular members 3, 3 are parallel.

[0045] As described above, the drive device 6 rotates one of the rotating bodies 41 of each annular member 3 as a drive wheel, and this one rotating body 41 (drive wheel) circulates the annular member 3. The other rotating body 42 rotates following the circulation of the annular member 3 accompanying the rotation of the one rotating body 41 as a driven wheel. The drive device 6 may be installed one by one for each rotating body 41 of each annular member 3, but in FIGS. 3 and 4, the drive device 6 is combined with an interlocking device 7 so as to rotate two rotating bodies (drive wheels) 41, 41 located on one side in the direction of the linear movement section 3A of both annular members 3, 3 at the same time.

[0046] The interlocking device 7 illustrated in FIG. 3-(a) includes a rotating body 62 such as a sprocket integrated with the drive shaft 61 of the drive device 6 such as a motor by fitting or the like, and an intermediate rotating body 44 coaxial with one of the rotating bodies 41 as described below. It has an annular member 71 such as a chain stretched between them, the other intermediate rotating body 44 coaxial with this one rotating body 41, and an annular member 72 stretched between the intermediate rotating body 44 coaxial with the rotating body 41 arranged in parallel in the other direction (short side direction) of the frame 2.

[0047] FIG. 3-(a) enlarges the arrangement state of the rotating bodies 41, 41 arranged in parallel in the other direction (short side direction) of the frame 2 shown in FIG. 1-(a), and shows the combination state with the drive device 6 when viewed in a plane. FIG. 3-(b) shows the stretching state of the annular member 72 combined with both rotating bodies 41, 41 via the intermediate rotating body 44 within FIG. 3-(a) as shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 3-(c) shows the stretching state of the annular member 71 from the drive device 6 to the intermediate rotating body 44 that shares the support shaft 43 with the lower rotating body 41 in FIG. 3-(a). The support shaft 43 of the rotating body 41 and the intermediate rotating body 44 located on the lower side in FIG. 3-(a) are the same (coaxial) as shown in FIG. 4, and the rotating body 41 and the intermediate rotating body 44 are arranged at a distance in the axial direction of the support shaft 43.

[0048] Specifically, referring to FIG. 4, an annular member 71 is stretched between a rotating body 62 integrated with the driving device 6 and an intermediate rotating body 44 coaxial with the lower rotating body 41 in FIG. 3(a). An annular member 72 is stretched between the intermediate rotating body 44 with a step (located axially upward) coaxial with the intermediate rotating body 44 and the intermediate rotating body 44 with a step (located axially downward) coaxial with the upper rotating body 41 in FIG. 3(a). The rotation of the intermediate rotating body 44 located axially downward is transmitted to the upper rotating body 41 in FIG. 3(a) that shares the same axis with it, causing the upper rotating body 41 to rotate.

[0049] In the example shown in FIG. 3(a), among the two parallel rotating bodies 41, 41, the upper rotating body 41 rotates counterclockwise as indicated by the arrow, and the lower rotating body 41 rotates clockwise as indicated by the arrow. In order to rotate the two rotating bodies 41, 41 in opposite directions like this, in FIG. 3, the upper rotating body 41 is arranged inside the annular member 72 and inscribed, and the lower rotating body 41 is arranged outside the annular member 72 and circumscribed. Accordingly, in order to keep the annular member 72 in a stretched state, rotating bodies 73, 73 as driven wheels that function as tensioners are arranged on both sides of the lower rotating body 41 on the plane.

[0050] FIGS. 3 and 4 show an example of using two annular members 71, 72, rotating bodies 73, and an intermediate rotating body 44 coaxial with the rotating body 41 as an interlocking device 7 that transmits the rotation by the driving device 6 that rotates one (lower) of the two parallel rotating bodies 41, 41 to the other (upper) rotating body 41. In addition, as the interlocking device 7, as long as it is a mechanism that transmits the rotational motion of the driving device 6 to the two parallel rotating bodies 41, 41, such as a mechanism combining other annular members or bevel gears between the support shafts 43, 43 of the two rotating bodies 41, 41, or a power transmission device using a universal joint, the mechanism (configuration) of the interlocking device 7 is not limited.

[0051] As shown in FIGS. 1-(a) to (c), a container material 81 that supports a seedling 10 for conveyance, which has a three-dimensional shape with an opening 8a for protruding a part of the root 10a or stem 10b of the seedling 10, for example, downward, to a position where two annular members 3, 3 move in the same direction simultaneously in the linear movement section 3A, is connected. However, when the two container materials 81, 81 are combined, an opening 8a does not necessarily have to be formed as long as a gap through which the root 10a or stem 10b can protrude is formed between the end faces of the two container materials 81, 81 that are butted against each other.

[0052] When the container material 81 of each annular member 3 moves in the linear movement section 3A of each annular member 3, it is butted against the other container material 81 that forms a pair as shown in FIG. 5-(b) to form the container 8, and then moves through the linear movement section 3A as it is. After passing through the linear movement section 3A, they separate from each other as shown in FIG. 5-(a). FIGS. 5-(b) and (a) show the states of the container materials 81, 81 when they are combined and when they are separated, respectively, by a two-dot chain line.

[0053] The container material 81 may be connected to the annular member 3 by means such as a string (wire), a pin, a clip, or other means to such an extent that the two container materials 81, 81 can maintain the state of holding the seedling 10 while being combined on the rear side in the moving direction of the linear movement section 3A and conveying the seedling 10 to the front side in the moving direction. The container material 81 is mainly made of plastic or the like, but the material is not limited.

[0054] The container 8 is basically formed in an arbitrary three-dimensional shape such as a bowl shape or a frustum of a cone shape, and the container materials 81, 81 are formed in a shape obtained by dividing the container 8, for example, into two parts (halved) as shown in FIG. 1-(d). However, the container materials 81, 81 do not necessarily have to be completely divided into two parts so that the container 8 in the linear movement section 3A is symmetric with respect to a straight line parallel to the linear movement section 3A. There may be a case where the shape is such that a gap is generated between the end faces of both when the container materials 81, 81 are butted against each other.

[0055] When the two container members 81, 81 are combined on the rear side in the moving direction of the linear movement section 3A, or after being combined, the seedling 10 is inserted into the container 8, and a part of the root 10a or the stem 10b protrudes downward from the opening 8a or the gap as shown in Fig. 6-(a). When the container members 81, 81 are combined and support the seedling 10 when receiving the seedling 10, and the form of the container 8 is maintained, the vibration of the container member 81 itself due to the circulation of the annular member 3 is allowed during the conveyance of the seedling 10 or until the return to the rear side in the moving direction after the conveyance.

[0056] The container members 81, 81 are separated from each other on the front side in the moving direction of the linear movement section 3A as described above, and after passing through the return section 3D parallel to the linear movement section 3A, they are combined with each other on the rear side in the moving direction of the linear movement section 3A to form the container 8. Here, for example, if the rotating body 41 is located at the end of the linear movement section 3A on the front side in the moving direction of the linear movement section 3A, since the container member 81 suddenly switches from linear motion to rotational motion and the separation of the container members 81, 81 occurs suddenly, the seedling 10 will be directly dropped from the height at which the container 8 supports the seedling 10, and there is a possibility of damaging the seedling 10 that has fallen into the receiving member such as a basket at the dropping destination.

[0057] On the other hand, in Fig. 1-(a), as shown in Fig. 5-(a), the section (front buffer section) 3B that transitions from the linear movement section 3A of the two annular members 3, 3 to the side closer to the rotating body 41 located on the front side in the moving direction of the annular member 3 is inclined with respect to the linear movement section 3A in such a direction that the two annular members 3, 3 move away from each other in front of the rotating body 41 on the front side in the moving direction.

[0058] Due to this inclination, when the container members 81, 81 try to separate from each other, the two container members 81, 81 do not separate immediately, but gradually separate so that the distance between the end faces gradually increases as shown by the two-dot chain line in Fig. 5-(a). By the two container members 81, 81 gradually separating, it is possible to reduce the falling speed of the seedling 10 according to the size of the leafy seedling 10, or for the seedling 10 to descend little by little and reduce the descending height when falling, so there is an advantage that the damage to the seedling 10 after falling is alleviated.

[0059] The front buffer section 3B is formed between the tensioner 5 on the front side in the moving direction of the linear movement section 3A and the rotating body 41 located on the front side of the linear movement section 3A. Here, as shown in FIG. 2, by positioning the contact portion between the rotating body 41 and the annular material 3 closer to the above-described return section 3D than the contact portion between the tensioner 5 on the front side in the moving direction of the linear movement section 3A and the annular material 3, the two annular materials 3, 3 are formed to be inclined with respect to the linear movement section 3A in a direction in which they move away from each other in front of the rotating body 41. The front buffer section 3B is the section from the contact portion between the tensioner 5 on the front side of the linear movement section 3A and the annular material 3 to the contact portion between the front rotating body 41 and the annular material 3.

[0060] When the container materials 81, 81 move from the linear movement section 3A to the front buffer section 3B and tend to separate from each other, the end portions on the rear side in the moving direction among the opposing end faces of the annular materials 81, 81 overlap (collide) with each other and tend to be inclined with respect to the linear movement section 3A. However, this overlap is avoided by forming the opposing end faces of the annular materials 81, 81 into a shape in which a gap is formed other than the opening 8a.

[0061] Also, if the annular materials 81, 81 are in a state of directly moving from the rotating body 42 located on the rear side in the traveling direction to the linear movement section 3A, the container material 81 suddenly switches from rotational motion to linear motion, and the container materials 81, 81 rapidly change into the form of the container 8. Therefore, it takes time to store the seedlings 10 in the container 8, and it becomes difficult to accurately store the seedlings 10 in the container 8. The storage of the seedlings 10 in the container 8 is performed manually or automatically.

[0062] On the other hand, in FIG. 1-(a), as shown in FIG. 5-(b), the section (rear buffer section) 3C that moves closer to the rotating body 42 located on the rear side in the traveling direction of the annular material 3 in front of the linear movement section 3A of the two annular materials 3, 3 is gradually inclined with respect to the linear movement section 3A in a direction in which the two annular materials 3, 3 approach each other from the rotating body 42 on the rear side in the traveling direction to the linear movement section 3A.

[0063] Due to this inclination, when the container materials 81, 81 face each other and attempt to form the container 8, the two container materials 81, 81 can be gradually combined, rather than abruptly, as shown by the dashed-dotted line in Fig. 5-(b). As the two container materials 81, 81 gradually form the container 8, it takes a little more time for the manual or automatic operation of storing the seedlings 10 with roots 10a or stems 10b into the container 8. Therefore, the operation of storing the seedlings 10 into the container 8 can be ensured and carried out carefully, enhancing the accuracy of storage.

[0064] The rear buffer section 3C is formed between the tensioner 5 on the rear side of the moving direction of the linear movement section 3A and the rotating body 42 on the rear side of the linear movement section 3A. Here, as shown in Fig. 2, by positioning the contact portion between the rotating body 42 and the annular member 3 closer to the above-mentioned return section 3D than the contact portion between the tensioner 5 on the rear side of the linear movement section 3A and the annular member 3, the two annular members 3, 3 are formed to be inclined with respect to the linear movement section 3A in a direction approaching each other from the rear rotating body 42 to the linear movement section 3A. The rear buffer section 3C is the section from the contact portion between the rotating body 42 on the rear side of the linear movement section 3A and the annular member 3 to the contact portion between the tensioner 5 and the annular member 3.

[0065] When the container materials 81, 81 shift from the rear buffer section 3C to the linear movement section 3A and attempt to be combined with each other, the front ends on the moving direction side among the opposing end faces of the annular members 81, 81 tend to overlap (collide) with respect to the linear movement section 3A. However, this overlap is also avoided by shaping the opposing end faces of the annular members 81, 81 such that a gap is formed in addition to the opening 8a.

[0066] The portion of the seedling 10 with the root 10a or the stem 10b protruding from the opening 8a or the gap of the container 8 is supported by the frame 2 at any position within the linear movement section 3A as shown in Fig. 1-(a), or at a position shifted from the linear movement section 3A to the side of the rotating body 41 (front buffer section 3B), and is cut as shown in Fig. 6-(a) by the cutter 91 of the cutting device 9 shown in Fig. 7. The cutter 91 can cut the root 10a or the stem 10b by simply inclining it at an angle with respect to the direction of the linear movement section 3A according to the moving speed of the container 8 (seedling 10) moving in the linear movement section 3A, the thickness or hardness of the root 10a or the stem 10b to be cut, etc.

[0067] When it is difficult to cut by simply inclining in the direction of the linear movement section 3A, as shown in Fig. 6-(a), by reciprocating the cutter 9 in its axial direction, the root 10a or the stem 10b can be surely cut. As the mechanism for reciprocating the cutter 9, for example, in addition to a mechanism that converts the rotational motion of a disk 94 or a crank that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of a rotating shaft 93 of a driving device 92 such as a motor as shown in Fig. 7 into a linear motion, a solenoid or the like is used.

[0068] The cutting device 9 shown in Fig. 7 includes a driving device 92 fixed to the frame 2, a rod 96 that reciprocates as the pin 95 of the disk 94 (crank) integrated with the rotating shaft 93 of the driving device 92 rotates around the rotating shaft 93, a slider 98 that is connected to the rod 96 and reciprocates while being restricted in the moving direction by guides 97, 97, and a cutter 91 connected to the slider 98. This cutting device 9 is fixed to the frame 2 in a state where the cutter 91 faces the direction intersecting the linear movement section 3A of the annular members 3, 3 as shown in Fig. 1-(a), for example.

[0069] Fig. 6-(a) shows the state when the reciprocating cutter 91 cuts the stem 10b. (b) shows the seedling 10 with the stem 10b and the root 10a, and (c) shows the state when a part below the stem 10b is cut. For the difference in the thickness of the stem 10b according to the type of the seedling 10, it can be dealt with by using container materials 81 with different sizes of the opening 8a, etc., which are connected to both annular members 3, 3.

Description of Symbols

[0070] 1... Conveyor device, 2... Frame, 21... Vertical frame, 22... Horizontal frame, 3... Annular material, 3A... Linear movement section, 3B... Front buffer section, 3C... Rear buffer section, 3D... Return section, 41... Rotating body (drive wheel), 42... Rotating body (driven wheel), 43... Support shaft, 44... Intermediate rotating body, 5... Tensioner, 6... Driving device, 61... Drive shaft, 62... Rotating body, 7... Linkage device, 71... Annular material, 72... Annular material, 73... Rotating body, 8... Container, 8a... Opening, 81... Container material, 9... Cutting device, 91... Cutter, 92... Driving device, 93... Rotating shaft, 94... Disk (crank), 95... Pin, 96... Rod, 97... Guide, 98... Slider, 10... Seedling, 10a... Root, 10b... Stem, 11... Collection material.

Claims

1. Two annular members that are supported on a frame in a state where the support shaft faces in the vertical direction or a direction close to the vertical, are supported so as to be freely circulatable along any one direction of the frame, and are arranged in parallel in the other direction orthogonal to the one direction; At least two pairs of rotators that are each rotatably supported about the support shaft while holding the two annular members in a stretched state in a freely circulatable manner and are spaced apart from each other in the one direction of the frame and supported by the frame; A driving device that rotates one of the paired rotators about the support shaft at the same rotational speed to circulate the two annular members, within the paired rotators of the two annular members; The two annular members are parallel to each other along the one direction of the frame and have linearly moving sections that are line-symmetric in the other direction; A container material for supporting seedlings, which is in the shape of a divided three-dimensional container, is connected to a position where the linearly moving sections of the two annular members move simultaneously in the same direction. The container material is combined with the three-dimensional container when moving along the linearly moving sections of the annular members. A seedling conveying device characterized by this.

2. The seedling conveying device according to claim 1, wherein a section that transitions from the linearly moving sections of the two annular members toward the rotator closer to the front side in the moving direction of the annular members is inclined with respect to the linearly moving sections in a direction away from each other in front of the rotator on the front side in the moving direction.

3. The seedling conveying device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a section that transitions from the linearly moving sections of the two annular members toward the rotator closer to the rear side in the traveling direction of the annular members, in front of the linearly moving sections, is inclined with respect to the linearly moving sections in a direction of approaching each other gradually from the rotator on the rear side in the traveling direction to the linearly moving sections.

Images