Seedling transplanter

Abstract

To provide a seedling transplanter which can reduce the work burden related to the input of seedling mats and improve work efficiency.SOLUTION: A seedling transplanter comprises: a travel vehicle body 2 which is equipped with a steering wheel that is steered by a steering device; a seedling transplanting part which is connected to the rear part of the travel vehicle body 2 for planting seedlings in a farm field; a position information acquisition device which acquires position information; a control unit which detects the steering angle of the steering wheel and drives the steering device on the basis of the detected steering angle and the position information acquired by the position information acquisition device to control the automatic travel of the travel vehicle body 2; and a seedling mat storage part which is provided over the entire upper part of the machine body from the front end to the rear end of the travel vehicle body 2 for storing seedling mats to be supplied to the seedling planting part. The seedling mat storage part includes: a seedling mat extraction mechanism which extracts the seedling mats that have been input from a nursery box; and a seedling mat conveyance mechanism which conveys the seedling mats extracted by the seedling mat extraction mechanism.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a seedling transplanter that performs rice transplanting while traveling in a field.

Background Art

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses a seedling transplanter in which, from above the body of a traveling vehicle body, the space for replenishing work seedling mats such as a driver's seat, seedlings, fertilizers, etc. is omitted, and the body is simplified and slimmed down. In this conventional work vehicle, when an operator inserts a seedling mat through a seedling mat insertion opening provided at the front of the body, the seedling mat is conveyed rearward by a seedling mat conveying mechanism provided inside the body, and is planted in the field by a working section (seedling planting section) at the rear of the body.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, since the seedling mat before being inserted into the body is in a state of being in a seedling raising box, according to the above-mentioned conventional seedling transplanter, when an operator inserts the seedling mat into the seedling mat insertion opening, it is necessary to sequentially take out the seedling mat from the seedling raising box, which is troublesome. In addition, when the seedling mat is inserted into the body, the posture of the seedling mat is disturbed, which may prevent smooth conveyance by the seedling mat conveying mechanism and reduce the working efficiency.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve such problems, reduce the work burden related to seedling mat insertion, and provide a seedling transplanter capable of improving the working efficiency.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, a first invention is a traveling vehicle body having a steering wheel steered by a steering device, a seedling transplanting unit connected to the rear part of the traveling vehicle body for planting seedlings in a field, a position information acquisition device for acquiring position information, a control unit that detects the steering angle of the steering wheel and drives the steering device based on the detected steering angle and the position information acquired by the position information acquisition device to control the automatic traveling of the traveling vehicle body, a seedling mat storage unit provided over the entire upper part of the machine body extending from the front end part to the rear end part of the traveling vehicle body for storing a seedling mat to be fed to the seedling planting unit, The seedling mat storage unit is provided with a seedling mat taking-out mechanism for taking out the seedling mat put into the interior from a seedling box, and a seedling mat conveying mechanism for conveying the seedling mat taken out by the seedling mat taking-out mechanism, and provides a seedling transplanter characterized by this.

[0007] According to the first invention above, since the seedling mat put in is taken out from the seedling box by the seedling mat taking-out mechanism and conveyed by the seedling mat conveying mechanism, the work load related to seedling mat input can be reduced and the work efficiency can be improved.

[0008] A second invention is, in addition to the configuration of the first invention above, the seedling mat taking-out mechanism includes left and right seedling mat lifting rollers, and by rotationally driving the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers, upward rotational frictional forces are applied to both the left and right sides of the seedling mat to lift the seedling mat from the seedling box, and the lifted seedling mat is placed on a separation plate for separating the seedling box and the seedling mat, thereby taking out the seedling mat from the seedling box, which is characterized by this.

[0009] According to the second invention, in addition to the effects of the first invention, when the seedlings N of the seedling mat M come into contact with the seedling mat lifting roller 1, upward rotational friction is applied from both the left and right sides, and the mechanism for lifting the seedling mat M enables the seedlings N to be lifted quickly while preventing damage to the seedlings N. Further, by applying upward rotational frictional force to both the left and right sides of the seedling mat, the posture of the seedling mat can also be adjusted. Furthermore, the separation plate that separates the seedling raising box and the seedling mat enables the seedling mat to be quickly removed from the seedling raising box.

[0010] A third invention, in addition to the configuration of the second invention, is characterized in that the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers are arranged in an upward-sloping posture that slopes upward as it goes toward the rear.

[0011] According to the third invention, in addition to the effects of the second invention, since the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers are arranged in an upward-sloping posture that slopes upward as it goes toward the rear, the seedling mat moving rearward in the conveying direction can be lifted upward well.

[0012] A fourth invention, in addition to the configuration of any one of the first to third inventions, the seedling mat taking-out mechanism includes a seedling raising box conveying roller for conveying the seedling raising box, and the seedling raising box conveying roller is configured to convey the seedling raising box that has been emptied after the seedling mat has been taken out and drop-feed it onto an inclined guide plate that guides the seedling raising box outside the seedling mat storage section.

[0013] According to the fourth invention, in addition to the effects of any one of the first to third inventions, the seedling raising box is drop-fed onto the inclined guide plate and guided outside the seedling mat storage section and returned to the operator. As a result, the emptied seedling raising box can be quickly recovered, and the work efficiency can be improved.

[0014] A fifth invention, in addition to the configuration of the second or third invention, The seedling mat extraction mechanism includes a support arm that supports the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers in a hollow manner, and an electric cylinder that enables the support arm to expand and contract vertically. The height position of the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers can be adjusted by controlling the expansion and contraction of the electric cylinder.

[0015] According to the fifth invention above, in addition to the effects of the second or third invention, it can flexibly respond to the length of the seedlings and improve the working accuracy. That is, it can effectively prevent the mistake of lifting the seedling mat.

[0016] The sixth invention, in addition to the configuration of any of the first to fifth inventions above, is provided with an obstacle detection sensor for detecting surrounding obstacles, and when an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection sensor, it is configured to stop the automatic driving and not accept operations from the outside for a certain period of time.

[0017] According to the sixth invention, in addition to the effects of any of the first to fifth inventions, the safety of the automatic driving of the seedling transplanter can be improved.

Effects of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a seedling transplanter that reduces the work burden related to the input of the seedling mat and improves the work efficiency.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, the seedling transplanter 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail while referring to the drawings. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the traveling direction of the seedling transplanter 1 (the direction indicated by the arrow F in FIG. 1) is taken as the front, the opposite direction as the rear, and when facing forward, the right direction is referred to as the right side and the left direction as the left side. First, the basic configuration of the seedling transplanter 1 will be described below. In the following, the traveling vehicle body of the seedling transplanter 1, or the entire seedling transplanter including the traveling vehicle body and the seedling planting part may be referred to as the machine body.

[0021] <Basic Configuration of Seedling Transplanter> FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of the working state of the seedling transplanter 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram centered on the controller C of the same seedling transplanter 1, and FIG. 3 is a partially cut-away side view of the same seedling transplanter 1.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the seedling transplanter 1 can perform the planting work of the seedlings N while automatically traveling unmanned along a pre-taught working path L in a predetermined field A1.

[0023] The seedling transplanter 1 is configured by connecting a seedling planting unit 3 to the rear part of a traveling vehicle body 2 having front wheels 2a and rear wheels 2b as drive wheels in a vertically movable manner. The front wheels 21 function as steering wheels and are interlocked and connected to a steering mechanism 41 shown in FIG. 2.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 3, the traveling vehicle body 2 includes a power transmission device mounted on a vehicle body frame 16 and including a prime mover and a transmission case, etc., both of which are omitted from the illustration. As the power source, an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine or a gasoline engine may be used, or an electric motor may be used. The generated power is used not only to move the traveling vehicle body 2 forward and backward but also to drive each device of the seedling planting unit 3(2).

[0025] From the transmission case constituting the power transmission device, part of the power transmitted to the front wheels 2a and the rear wheels 2b can be transmitted to the front wheels 2a via the left and right front wheel final cases 17, and the rest can be transmitted to the rear wheels 2b via the left and right rear wheel gear cases 18. Each of the left and right front wheels 2a is connected to the left and right front wheel final cases 17 via an axle 17a, and each of the left and right rear wheels 2b is connected to the rear wheel gear cases 18 via an axle 18a.

[0026] Also, a seedling mat storage portion 10 is provided over the entire upper part of the machine body extending from the front end portion to the rear end portion of the traveling vehicle body 1. Regarding the configuration of this seedling mat storage portion 10, details will be described later. When an operator inputs a seedling mat M into the seedling mat storage portion 10, the seedling mat M is conveyed rearward of the machine body and stored. Then, the seedling mat M stored in the seedling mat storage portion 10 is configured such that the seedlings N are sequentially scraped off by the seedling planting unit 3 and planted in the field A1.

[0027] <Configuration around the controller C> The automatic driving of the seedling transplanter 1 is achieved by the controller C (see Fig. 2), which is a control unit mounted on the traveling vehicle body 2, performing steering control on the automatic steering device 4. That is, based on the position information of itself obtained by the radio wave received from the navigation satellite 300 orbiting in the sky and the steering angle of the front wheels 2a obtained by the steering angle detection device 42, the controller C can automatically drive the seedling transplanter 1.

[0028] The position information of the seedling transplanter 1 is obtained by the receiving antenna 51 provided on the traveling vehicle body 2. As shown in Fig. 2, the receiving antenna 51 constitutes a part of the position information acquisition device 5 such as a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) control device or a GPS (Global Positioning System) control device.

[0029] Incidentally, the seedling transplanter 1 can be driven not only by automatic driving but also by remote operation by the operator. For example, it may be automatically driven from a storage shed or the like until it reaches the field A1, or the operator may remotely operate it to drive on the farm road A2.

[0030] The controller C as the control unit provided in the seedling transplanter 1 includes a processing unit having a CPU (Central Processing Unit) etc., a storage unit such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) and a RAM (Random Access Memory), and further an input / output unit. These are connected to each other and can transfer signals to each other, and a computer program for controlling the seedling transplanter 1 is stored in the storage unit.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2, the controller C is connected to a drive control device 6 that controls a drive system including the traveling of the seedling transplanter 1, a nursery box conveyance motor mt1 that drives a seedling mat extraction mechanism 100 provided in a seedling mat storage unit 10 described later, a seedling mat lifting motor mt2, a seedling mat retracting motor mt3, an electric cylinder 104, a seedling mat conveyance motor 7 that drives a seedling mat conveyance mechanism 200, other various actuators 400, various switches 600 that receive operations from an operator, and a load detection sensor S1.

[0032] Examples of the various actuators 400 include a throttle motor that adjusts the intake air amount of an engine, a trunion drive motor that changes the rotation angle of a trunion of a hydraulic continuously variable transmission, and a planting clutch motor that actuates a planting clutch.

[0033] In addition, the controller C is connected to, for example, a seedling sensor 8 that detects the remaining amount of seedlings N provided in the seedling transplanter 1 and a monitoring camera 9 that images the planting status of the field A1. By visually recognizing the image data captured by the monitoring camera 9, for example, a worker in charge can determine the presence of missing plants or the planting work status. Further, the monitoring camera 9 can appropriately set the installation position according to the purpose of use. Furthermore, various sensors 500 that acquire various information including, for example, an azimuth sensor that detects the orientation of the machine body and an attitude sensor that detects the attitude of the machine body are connected.

[0034] Although omitted in FIG. 2, a remote device carried by an operator and the controller C can be wirelessly connected according to a predetermined wireless communication standard. The remote device can also use a mobile phone or a tablet terminal device.

[0035] As described above, the seedling transplanter 1 includes an automatic steering device 4 controlled by the controller C and a position information acquisition device 5 that acquires position information.

[0036] The automatic steering device 4 includes a steering mechanism 41 driven under the control of a controller C, enabling the automatic steering of the transplanter 1 by the controller C. When, for example, a start switch (not shown) is turned on, the controller 3 starts the automatic driving of the traveling vehicle body 2 via the automatic steering device 4 based on the position information acquired by a position information acquisition device 5 described later.

[0037] The position information acquisition device 5 has a receiving antenna 51 that receives signals from a navigation satellite 300 used in GNSS or GPS, acquires the position information (coordinate information) of the transplanter 1 on the earth, and transmits the acquired position information to the controller C.

[0038] From the position data of the machine body acquired by such a position information acquisition device 5, the controller 3 can also derive the actual speed of the transplanter 10. That is, the actual traveling speed can be sequentially calculated from the amount of movement of the machine body within a certain period of time. Therefore, the controller C can automatically travel while maintaining a speed optimal for the planting operation of the seedlings N. Also, for example, even when the front wheels 21 or the rear wheels 22 slip, the actual vehicle speed of the transplanter 1 can be acquired regardless of the rotation amount of the rear wheels 2b.

[0039] In this way, the transplanter 1 can execute the planting operation of the seedlings N while automatically traveling along a predetermined working path L while the controller C controls the steering mechanism 41 based on the steering angle of the front wheels 11 detected by the steering angle detection device 42 and the acquired position information.

[0040] <Configuration of the seedling mat storage unit 10> The seedling mat storage unit 10 of the transplanter 1 will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 3 is a partially cut-away side view of the transplanter 1, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the transplanter 1. In FIG. 4, for the seedling planting unit 3, the details are omitted and only the outline is shown by an imaginary line.

[0041] As shown in the figure, the seedling mat storage unit 10 according to the present embodiment includes a tank unit 15 that functions as a housing for storing the seedling mat M, a seedling mat extraction mechanism 100 for extracting the seedling mat M put into the tank unit 15 from the seedling raising box M2, and a seedling mat conveyance mechanism 200 for conveying the seedling mat M. The seedling raising box M2 is a rectangular box in plan view on which the seedling mat M is placed.

[0042] The tank unit 15 has a base portion 15a and a dome portion 15b formed on the base portion 15a, and is formed in a hollow shape by the base portion 15a and the dome portion 15b. The base portion 15a is provided with the above-described controller C, and a seedling mat inlet 131 for an operator to put the seedling mat M is formed at the front of the machine body (the forward direction side of the machine body).

[0043] On the other hand, the dome portion 15b is formed in a dome shape so as to rise obliquely from a position slightly rearward of the front portion of the base portion 15a in side view, and a material discharge port 132 is formed at the rear end so as to face the seedling planting portion 2. That is, in the tank unit 15, the seedling mat conveyance mechanism 200 is disposed in a curved wave shape that continuously and gently changes from a concave shape to a convex shape from the relatively lower seedling mat inlet 131 to the relatively upper seedling mat discharge port 132, and is configured to move the seedling mat M upward while conveying it rearward.

[0044] In this way, the seedling mat conveyance mechanism 200 provided inside the tank unit 15 accommodates (stores) a plurality of seedling mats M in which seedlings N for planting in the field 100 are arranged in multiple rows in a placed state, and at an appropriate timing, these accommodated (stored) seedling mats M can be sequentially fed to the seedling mounting table 20 of the seedling planting portion 3.

[0045] In this way, the seedling mat storage unit 10 can easily input the seedling mat M from the outside of the machine body, and the seedling mat conveyance mechanism 200 that conveys the seedling mat M to the seedling planting portion 3 eliminates the need for an operator to ride on the traveling vehicle body 1 and set the seedling mat M on the seedling mounting table 20 of the working portion 2.

[0046] Incidentally, the seedling mat conveying mechanism 200 may be arranged in a plurality of rows corresponding to the number of rows of the seedling transplanter 10. In the illustrated example, the seedling transplanter 10 is a four-row planter, and is configured such that four rows of seedling mats M can be placed on the seedling placing table 20 provided in the seedling transplanting section 3. Accordingly, the seedling mat conveying mechanism 200 is also arranged in four rows in the tank section 15. However, the present invention is not limited to the illustrated example, and for example, it may be configured with six rows corresponding to a six-row planter.

[0047] Also, a disk-shaped mounting seat 15c is formed at the boundary between the tapered portion and the horizontal portion of the front side portion of the dome portion 15b, and the receiving antenna 51 of the position information acquisition device 5 is arranged on such a mounting seat 15c. Thus, since the receiving antenna 51 is arranged in a stable state at a substantially central position of the machine body, highly accurate position information can be stably acquired.

[0048] The seedling mat conveying mechanism 200 is configured by, for example, a motor-driven roller conveyor, and can easily convey a plurality of seedling mats M placed thereon. In this way, by using rollers for conveyance, the seedling mats M can be conveyed in a stable state without the ends or the like being rolled up. The seedling mat conveying mechanism 200 may be configured by a belt conveyor.

[0049] Thus, when an operator inserts the mat seedlings M stored in the seedling raising box M2 from the seedling mat insertion port 131 that opens to the front side of the tank section 15, after the mat seedlings M are taken out from the seedling raising box M2 by the seedling mat taking-out mechanism 100 described later, they are supplied to the seedling mat conveying mechanism 200, and are sequentially sent rearward (toward the back) by the seedling mat conveying mechanism 200, and stop at a position facing the seedling mat discharge port 132 that opens to the rear side of the tank section 15. The tank section 15 of the seedling mat storage section 10 according to the present embodiment and the seedling mat conveying mechanism 200 are each independently supported by a support device (not shown) so as to be vertically movable with respect to the vehicle body frame 16. Therefore, by raising only the tank section 15, maintenance of various mechanisms in the seedling mat storage section 10 can be easily performed.

[0050] Note that the seedling planting part 3 of the seedling transplanter 10 according to this embodiment directly uses the configuration of a well-known seedling planting part. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the seedling planting part 3 includes a seedling planting device 21 provided with a pair of planting claws 22 that take out seedlings N from the seedling stage 20 and transplant them to the field 100 on the lower side of the seedling stage 20, and also includes a float 23 and a rotor 24 for leveling the field 100. Further, the seedling planting part 3 is rotatably connected to the vehicle body frame 16 of the traveling vehicle body 1 by a lifting device 25 having a link mechanism.

[0051] In addition, a seedling sensor 8 (see FIG. 2) is provided on the seedling stage 20 of the seedling planting part 2. Based on the detection signal from the seedling sensor 8, the controller 3 raises the seedling stage 20 and drives the seedling mat conveying mechanism 200 of the seedling tank 13 to send the seedlings N that have become less than the specified amount to the seedling stage 20 for automatic replenishment. Further, in this embodiment, a seedling sensor 8 is also provided in the seedling tank 15 to detect the remaining amount of the seedling mat M in the seedling tank 15. When the remaining amount becomes less than the specified amount, the controller C controls the seedling transplanter 1 to automatically move to the edge of the ridge.

[0052] <Configuration of the seedling mat taking-out mechanism 100> At the entrance portion of the seedling mat insertion port 131 of the seedling mat storage part 10, a seedling mat taking-out mechanism 100 is provided for taking out the seedling mat M from the seedling raising box M2 and supplying it to the seedling mat conveying mechanism 200. Next, the seedling mat taking-out mechanism 100 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 5, the seedling mat taking-out mechanism 100 includes a support plate 110 for supporting the seedling raising box M2, a seedling raising box conveying roller 120 for conveying the seedling raising box M2, a seedling mat lifting part 100X for lifting the seedling mat M, a separating plate 130 for separating the seedling mat M from the seedling raising box M2, a drawing conveyor 140 for drawing the seedling mat M into the seedling mat storage part 10, and an inclined guide plate 150 for guiding the seedling raising box M2 separated from the seedling mat M outside the seedling mat storage part 10.

[0054] The support plate 110 is a rectangular flat plate-shaped support member arranged in front of the seedling mat insertion opening 131 of the seedling mat storage section 10, and is attached and fixed to the front end of the base section 15a. The support plate 210 functions to support the seedling raising box M2 when an operator inserts the seedling mat M into the seedling mat storage section 10. Further, since the support plate 110 is configured to project from the base section 15a, in the initial stage of inserting the seedling mat M, the operator can easily place and insert the seedling raising box M2 on the support plate 110. Further, a plurality of partition plates 110a for partitioning the seedling raising boxes M2 are provided on the support plate 110 corresponding to a plurality of rows. Note that the partition plates 110a are configured to be detachable from the support plate 110, and the left-right interval and the number of mounted ones between the partition plates 110a can be adjusted by selecting the mounting position.

[0055] The seedling raising box conveying roller 120 is provided behind the support plate 110, and is rotatably attached to the base section 15a so that its upper end is at substantially the same height position as the support plate 110. When the seedling conveying motor mt1 (see FIG. 2) is driven, the seedling raising box conveying roller 120 rotates in the direction of the arrow f1 by belt transmission. Thereby, the seedling raising box M2 supported (in other words, placed on) the support plate 110 is configured to be conveyed to the inner side (rear side) of the seedling mat storage section 10. Note that the seedling raising box M2 conveyed to the inner side (rear side) of the seedling mat storage section 10 and having passed over the seedling raising box conveying roller 120 is dropped and supplied to an inclined guide plate 150 described later. Although not shown, a load detection sensor S1 for detecting the load of the seedling raising box M2 is provided on the seedling raising box conveying roller 120. The detection information of the load detection sensor S1 is transmitted to the controller C, whereby the controller C can determine the presence or absence of the seedling raising box M2 on the seedling raising box conveying roller 120.

[0056] The separation plate 130 is a flat plate member rectangular in plan view, and the front end side (tip side) is formed at an acute angle that tapers. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the seedling mat M from being caught at the tip of the separation plate 130 and smoothly separate it. Further, it is disposed at a height position above the seedling raising box conveying roller 120 and provided with a space through which the seedling raising box M2 can pass.

[0057] The drawing-in conveyor 140 rotates an endless belt by driving a seedling mat drawing-in motor mt3 (see FIG. 2), and functions to draw the seedling mat M into the rear seedling mat storage section 10. The seedling mat M drawn into the seedling mat storage section 10 by the drawing-in conveyor 140 is supplied to the seedling mat conveying mechanism 200.

[0058] The inclined guide plate 150 is disposed below the seedling raising box conveying roller 120 and is provided with a downward inclination that slopes downward toward the front. Thus, when receiving the drop supply of the empty seedling raising box M2, the seedling raising box M2 moves so as to slide down the upper surface of the inclined guide plate 150, is guided outside the seedling mat storage section 10, and is returned to the operator.

[0059] <Configuration of the seedling mat lifting portion 100X> FIG. 5 is a left side view of the main part around the seedling mat lifting portion 100X of the seedling mat storage section 10. FIG. 6 is a front view of the main part around the seedling mat lifting portion 100X of the seedling mat storage section 10.

[0060] Next, the seedling mat lifting portion 100X will be described. The seedling mat lifting portion 100X is configured by attaching a pair of left and right seedling mat lifting arms 100B, 100B to a flat mounting plate 100A fixed so as to be bridged inside the base portion 15a. Although not shown, the number of the pair of left and right seedling mat lifting arms 100B, 100B corresponds to the number of rows of the seedling mat conveying mechanism 14 in the tank portion 15. That is, although not shown, in the present embodiment, since the seedling mat conveying mechanism 14 is also arranged in 4 rows in the tank portion 15, four pairs of left and right seedling mat lifting arms 100B, 100B are attached to the mounting plate 100A.

[0061] The seedling mat lifting arm 100B includes, on each of the left and right sides, a seedling mat lifting roller 101 that rotationally contacts and lifts the seedling mat M, a motor box 102 incorporating a seedling mat lifting motor mt2 that rotationally drives the seedling mat lifting roller 101, a support arm 103 that hollowly supports the motor box 102 (and the seedling mat lifting roller 101 via the motor box 102), and an electric cylinder 104 that enables the support arm 103 to expand and contract vertically.

[0062] The left - right interval between the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 is provided to be substantially the same as the left - right width of the seedling mat. As a result, the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 are configured to contact both the left and right sides of the seedling mat M. When the seedling mat lifting motor mt2 is driven, the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 connected to the rotational drive shafts 101a, 101a of the seedling mat lifting motor mt2 rotate synchronously in the direction (rotational direction R1) of lifting the seedling mat M. Thus, when the seedlings N of the seedling mat M come into contact with the seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101, upward rotational friction is applied from both the left and right sides, and the seedling mat M is lifted. By adopting the mechanism of lifting by rotational friction, it is possible to quickly lift the seedlings while preventing damage to the seedlings N. Also, by applying upward rotational frictional forces to both the left and right sides of the seedling mat M, the posture of the seedling mat M can be adjusted.

[0063] The motor box 102 houses the seedling mat lifting motor mt2 and is fixed in a rotatable state to the mounting portion 103a provided at the lower end of the support arm 103 by the fixture 103b. The fixture 104a is, for example, a knob bolt. By loosening the fixture 103b, the motor box 102 can be rotated (in the direction of arrow R2) about the horizontal axis, and by tightening it, the motor box 102 can be configured to be fixed. Thereby, the vertical inclination angles of the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 can be adjusted (in the direction of arrow Y). In the illustrated example, in a side view, the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 are set to be inclined approximately 30 degrees from the horizontal direction (an upward inclination as they go backward), and thereby, the seedling mat M moving backward can be configured to be lifted upward well.

[0064] The upper end mounting portions 103c of the left and right support arms 103, 103 are fixed to the mounting plate 100A in a rotatable state by the fixtures 103d. The fixture 103d is, for example, a knob bolt. By loosening the fixture 103d, the left and right support arms 103, 103 can be rotated (in the direction of arrow R3) about the vertical axis, and by tightening it, the support arms 103, 103 can be configured to be fixed. Thereby, the left and right inclination angles of the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 can be adjusted (in the direction of arrow X). In the illustrated example, the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 are arranged in a parallel posture, but the left and right inclination angles of the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 can be set so that the left and right widths become narrower as they go backward, and the seedlings N can be configured to be lifted closer to the left and right center sides for easier lifting. Also, a plurality of mounting portions (for example, screw holes for mounting) on the mounting plate 100A where the fixture 103d can be mounted may be provided at predetermined left and right intervals, and the mounting positions of the left and right support arms 103, 103 in the left and right directions may be configured to be adjustable. Thereby, it can flexibly cope with the left and right widths and the number of rows of the seedling mat M.

[0065] The left and right support arms 103, 103 are provided with an electric cylinder 104 capable of telescopic control at the middle part thereof, whereby the overall length H of the support arm 103 can be adjusted. As a result, the height positions of the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 can be adjusted and set, and the seedling mat M can be adjusted to a height at which it is easy to lift according to the length of the seedling N. Thereby, it is possible to flexibly respond to the length of the seedling N and improve the working accuracy. That is, it is possible to satisfactorily prevent mistakes in lifting the seedling mat. Here, the expansion and contraction of the electric cylinder 104 is performed by the operator operating various switches 600. However, an imaging device is provided at an appropriate position inside the base portion 15a, and the controller C acquires an imaging image of the seedling N and automatically adjusts the height positions of the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers 101, 101 based on the length of the seedling N calculated by image analysis (for example, adjusts to a position a predetermined distance below the upper end of the seedling). This can reduce the work burden on the operator.

[0066] <Operation of the seedling mat take-out mechanism 100> FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the seedling mat take-out mechanism 100. As shown in FIG. 7, in response to the operator's input of the seedling mat M, the seedling mat take-out mechanism 100 performs an operation of taking out the seedling mat M from the seedling raising box M2 according to the following steps, and supplies the taken-out seedling mat M to the seedling mat conveying mechanism 200.

[0067] (STEP1) First, the operator starts to input the seedling mat M contained in the seedling raising box M2 from the entrance of the seedling mat input port 131. At this time, the operator first places the front end portion of the seedling raising box M2 on the support plate 110, and then performs a pushing operation backward into the seedling mat storage portion 10. At this point, the seedling raising box conveying roller 120, the seedling mat lifting roller 101, and the retracting conveyor 140 are all in a drive stop state.

[0068] (STEP2) Next, when the tip of the seedling raising box M2 reaches the seedling raising box conveying roller 120, the load detection sensor S1 detects the load, and the controller C that has acquired the detection information starts the driving of the seedling raising box conveying roller 120, the seedling mat lifting roller 101, and the retracting conveyor 140. As a result, the seedling raising box M2 starts to be conveyed rearward, and the seedling N comes into contact with the seedling mat lifting roller 101, and the front end portion of the seedling mat M is lifted.

[0069] (STEP3) With the front end portion of the seedling mat M lifted by the seedling mat lifting roller 101, as the seedling raising box conveying roller 120 conveys the seedling raising box M2 rearward, the separation plate 130 enters between the seedling mat M and the seedling raising box M2, and separates the seedling mat M and the seedling raising box M2 as the seedling raising box M2 is conveyed rearward. Here, the controller 3 rotates and drives the seedling mat lifting roller 101 for a predetermined time (for example, 3 seconds), and then stops it. As a result, the lifted seedling mat M is released and placed on the separation plate 130.

[0070] (STEP4) The seedling mat M is pushed by the frame portion of the seedling raising box M2 as the seedling raising box M2 is conveyed rearward by the seedling raising box conveying roller 120, and is further moved rearward and rides onto the separation plate 130. As a result, the seedling mat M moves onto the retracting conveyor 140 and is drawn into the seedling mat storage portion 10 by the retracting conveyor 140.

[0071] (STEP5) The seedling mat M is further conveyed rearward by the retracting conveyor 140 and supplied to the seedling mat conveying mechanism 200. Thereby, the extraction of the seedling mat M from the seedling raising box M2 is completed. At the same time, the seedling raising box M2 is dropped and supplied to the inclined guide plate 150, guided outside the seedling mat storage unit 10, and returned to the operator. Thereby, it is possible to quickly collect the emptied seedling raising box M2. When the load detection sensor S1 no longer detects the load, the controller C stops driving the seedling raising box conveying roller 120. Further, when a predetermined time (for example, 5 seconds) elapses from the stop of driving the seedling raising box conveying roller 120, since the supply of the seedling mat M to the seedling mat conveying mechanism 200 is completed, the driving of the retracting conveyor 140 is also stopped.

[0072] As described above, when the operator inserts the seedling mat M contained in the seedling raising box M2 from the entrance of the seedling mat insertion port 131, the seedling mat M contained in the seedling raising box M2 is taken out by the seedling mat taking-out mechanism 100 and conveyed into the seedling mat storage unit 10. Therefore, the work load related to the insertion of the seedling mat can be reduced and the work efficiency can be improved.

[0073] <Other Embodiments> As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described, but the present invention is not limited only to the above-described embodiments. Needless to say, it can be appropriately changed within the scope of the technical idea.

[0074] FIG. 8 is a left side view of the main part around the seedling mat lifting part 100X of the seedling mat storage unit 10 according to another embodiment. In the above embodiment, the emptied seedling raising box M2 is configured to be returned to the operator by the inclined guide plate 150. However, as shown in FIG. 8, instead of the inclined guide plate 150, a seedling raising box accommodating part 151 capable of accommodating a plurality of emptied seedling raising boxes M2 can be provided below the seedling raising box conveying roller 120. The seedling raising box accommodating part 151 can be configured as a drawer that can be pulled out from the seedling mat storage unit 10, for example.

[0075] <Contact Prevention Processing During Automatic Travel> An obstacle detection sensor that detects obstacles existing around the seedling transplanter 1 and an abnormality detection sensor that detects abnormalities of the machine body, and a three-color lamp that notifies the surrounding of the degree of safety according to the lighting color of the lamp are provided at appropriate positions on the machine body, and the controller C acquires the detection information of the obstacle detection sensor and the abnormality detection sensor, and may be configured to execute a safety improvement process for improving safety during automatic driving.

[0076] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of the safety improvement process. The safety improvement process starts when automatic driving starts, and determines whether an abnormality has occurred during automatic driving based on the detection information of the obstacle detection sensor and the abnormality detection sensor (step S1). An abnormality is, for example, that an operator or other obstacle has been detected within the detection range of the obstacle.

[0077] Subsequently, when an abnormality occurs, the automatic driving is stopped, and after determining which of the first to third groups divided according to the importance of the abnormality the occurred abnormality belongs to (steps S2 to step 4), processing according to each group is performed (steps S5 to 16). That is, the greater the importance of the occurred abnormality (in the illustrated example, the first group, the second group, and the third group in descending order of magnitude), the safety is improved by increasing the confirmation process until the automatic driving is started again. The importance of an abnormality can be determined, for example, that the closer the distance between the machine body and the obstacle, the greater the importance.

[0078] In addition, the controller C is configured to temporarily stop the machine body without accepting an operation from the operator until a certain period of time has elapsed after the obstacle is detected (in other words, ignoring an external input signal such as various switches 600), so that safety can be improved for obstacle avoidance.

[0079] <Battery Arrangement Configuration> In the above-described embodiment, the seedling transplanter 1 has been described as not having a driver's seat, but a simple driver's seat can also be provided on the traveling vehicle body 2. At this time, the seedling planting unit 3 is configured to be driven by an electric motor, a driving battery is disposed under the driver's seat, and is disposed above the bottom surface of the transmission case, and further, it can be configured to be disposed in front of the rear wheel axle. According to such a configuration, in order to improve the wet paddy field traversability, it is possible to improve the battery replaceability while ensuring the lowest ground clearance of the machine body.

[0080] <Improving the working efficiency of the seedling transplanter> The seedling transplanter 1 may be provided with a function that allows an operator to manually select a working route of the transplanter based on data on the occurrence state of weeds in the farming system. Further, a function may be provided that classifies the occurrence status of weeds according to the density of the weeds and automatically selects an area above an arbitrary level as the working route.

Explanation of reference numerals

[0081] 1 Seedling transplanter 2 Traveling vehicle body 3 Seedling planting unit 4 Automatic steering device 5 Position information acquisition device 8 Seedling sensor (remaining amount detection device) 10 Seedling mat storage section 11 Front wheel (steering wheel) 13 Seedling tank (material storage section) 14 Material conveying mechanism 15 Tank section 15a Base section 15b Dome section 15c Mounting seat 20 Seedling mounting table 51 Receiving antenna 100 Seedling mat extraction mechanism 101 Seedling mat lifting roller 110 Support plate 120 Seedling raising box conveying roller 130 Separation plate 140 Pull-in conveyor 150 Inclined guide plate 200 Seedling Mat Conveyor Mechanism 200 131 Material Input Port A1 Field A2 Farm Road C Controller (Control Unit) M Seedling Mat M2 Seedling Raising Box N Seedling

Claims

1. A traveling vehicle body having a steering wheel steered by a steering device, a seedling planting unit connected to the rear part of the traveling vehicle body for planting seedlings in a field, a position information acquisition device for acquiring position information, a control unit that detects the steering angle of the steering wheel and drives the steering device based on the detected steering angle and the position information acquired by the position information acquisition device to control the automatic traveling of the traveling vehicle body, a seedling mat storage unit provided over the entire upper part of the machine body extending from the front end to the rear end of the traveling vehicle body for storing a seedling mat to be fed to the seedling planting unit, the seedling mat storage unit includes a seedling mat taking-out mechanism for taking out the seedling mat put into the interior from a seedling raising box, and a seedling mat conveying mechanism for conveying the seedling mat taken out by the seedling mat taking-out mechanism, the seedling mat taking-out mechanism includes left and right seedling mat lifting rollers, and by rotationally driving the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers, upward rotational frictional forces are applied to both left and right sides of the seedling mat to lift the seedling mat from the seedling raising box, and the lifted seedling mat is placed on a separation plate for separating the seedling raising box and the seedling mat, thereby taking out the seedling mat from the seedling raising box. A seedling transplanter characterized by this.

2. The left and right seedling mat lifting rollers are arranged in an upwardly inclined posture that slopes upward as it goes rearward. The seedling transplanter according to Claim 1, characterized by this.

3. The seedling mat taking-out mechanism includes a seedling raising box conveying roller for conveying the seedling raising box, The seedling raising box conveying roller is configured to convey the seedling raising box that has been emptied after the seedling mat has been taken out and drop-feed it onto an inclined guide plate that guides the seedling raising box outside the seedling mat storage unit. The seedling transplanter according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterized by this.

4. The seedling mat taking-out mechanism includes a support arm that supports the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers in a hollow manner, and an electric cylinder that enables the support arm to expand and contract vertically. By controlling the expansion and contraction of the electric cylinder, the height position of the left and right seedling mat lifting rollers can be adjusted. The seedling transplanter according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterized by this.

5. It includes an obstacle detection sensor for detecting surrounding obstacles, When an obstacle is detected by the obstacle detection sensor, the automatic traveling is stopped and it is configured not to accept operations from the outside for a certain period of time. The seedling transplanter according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterized by this.

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