Seedling mat filling device and seedling mat filling method

Abstract

To address the problem that conventionally a portion of a seedling mat where a load is concentrated is easily torn and damaged, a portion pushed by a protrusion is damaged, and reliability of transfer is reduced.SOLUTION: A seedling mat filling device comprises: mat transfer means 10, for transferring a seedling mat M in an upright standing state with one of left and right side surfaces 5 facing downward, provided on a transfer table 1 having a transfer means 7 for transferring a seedling container A; a mat supply and placement table 12, placed with the seedling mat M to be supplied to the mat transfer means 10 in an upright standing state with side surface 5 facing downward, provided above a transfer path of the seedling containers A of the transfer table 6 and on a side of the mat transfer means 10; a guide member 38, for guiding the seedling mat M transferred by the mat transfer means 10, provided on the downstream side of the transfer direction of the mat transfer means 10; and a forced guiding guide 11, for guiding the seedling mat M so as to forcible fall toward the seedling container A being transferred, provided on the upper front side of the guide member 38.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a seedling mat filling device and a seedling mat filling method. [Background technology]

[0002] A method has been known in the past in which a seedling mat made of materials such as rock wool is fitted into a seedling container instead of bed soil, and rice seeds (seedlings) are sown in this seedling mat and then raised (see Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, a transfer table for transporting seedling containers is provided with a protrusion for transporting the seedling containers, and an upright surface for transporting the seedling mat is provided on the top of the protrusion.The protrusion pushes the seedling containers to transport them, and the upright surface directly abuts against the end surface of the seedling mat located above the seedling containers, so that the seedling mat is automatically filled while being transported together with the seedling containers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-176633 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned known example, seedling mats are stacked vertically in a seedling mat hopper, and the upright surface of the protrusion is abutted only against the rear surface of the lowest seedling mat of the stacked seedling mats, and the seedling mats are pushed out in the same direction as the movement of the seedling box, starting from the bottom.As a result, in order to support the weight of the stacked seedling mats, the parts of the seedling mat M where the load is concentrated are prone to tearing and breaking.Similarly, since the rear end surface of the lowest seedling mat from the stack is pushed with the protrusion to transport it, the part pushed by the protrusion can be damaged, which creates the problem of reducing the reliability of transport. In other words, seedling raising mats made by Japan Rockwool Co., Ltd., which are made from rock wool, have excellent seedling raising conditions, but these seedling raising mats are very fragile and easily collapse and break when a load greater than their own weight is applied.As a result, it is not possible to support stacked seedling raising mats from below, nor is it possible to transport the bottommost mat by pushing its rear end surface with a protrusion, making it impossible to mechanize automatic supply. The present application provides an automatic filling and installation system for seedling containers that prevents damage or breakage to the seedling mats by devising a method for transporting the seedling mats, and furthermore, it is designed to force the seedling mats to lie sideways in the seedling containers so that they can be filled reliably. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] Claim 1 describes a seedling mat filling device in which a mat transfer means 10 is provided on one of a pair of left and right transfer frames 16 of a transfer table 1 having a transfer means 7 for transferring seedling containers A, the mat transfer means 10 transferring the seedling mat M in an upright position with either the left or right side 5 facing downwards, a mat supply and placement table 12 is provided above the transfer path for seedling containers A on the transfer table 6 and to the side of the mat transfer means 10 on which seedling mats M to be supplied to the mat transfer means 10 are placed in an upright position with their side 5 facing downwards, a guide member 38 is provided on the downstream side of the transfer direction of the mat transfer means 10 to guide the seedling mat M transferred by the mat transfer means 10, and a forced guide guide 11 is provided on the front upper part of the guide member 38 to guide the seedling mat M so that it forcibly falls toward the seedling container A being transferred. Claim 2 is a seedling mat filling device in which the forced guide guide 11 is formed by an axial rod member, and the rear part of the forced guide guide 11 is attached to a predetermined position on the front upper side of the guide member 38 so that it can be freely moved in the forward and backward directions. Claim 3 is a seedling mat filling device in which the forced guide guide 11 is curved toward the center between the left and right transport frames 16 of the transport table 6 as it approaches the front when viewed from the top, and is curved so that it becomes lower as it approaches the front when viewed from the side. Claim 4 is a seedling mat filling device in which a seedling container supply section 18 having a supply space capable of supplying at least one seedling container A is provided on the upstream side of the mat supply loading table 12 provided on the transfer table 6 in the direction in which the seedling container A is transported. Claim 5 is a seedling mat filling device in which the guide member 38 is composed of an outer plate 39 and a lower guide plate portion 40, the lower guide plate portion 40 is fixedly attached to the transfer frame 16, and a standing plate portion 41 is provided on part or all of the inner end side of the lower guide plate portion 40 by standing upward, and a mat guide groove 42 is formed between the outer plate 39 and the standing plate portion 41 to guide the seedling mat M transferred by the mat transfer means 10. A sixth aspect of the present invention provides a seedling raising mat filling device in which the upper end of the upright plate portion 41 is inclined so as to become higher toward the front side in a side view. Claim 7 is a seedling mat filling device in which a dam plate 50 is provided at a height position above the transport path of the seedling container A on the transport table 6 in front of the forced guide guide 11, but at a height position that does not contact the seedling container A, and abuts against the front surface 3 of the seedling mat M resting on the upper surface of the front wall 51 of the seedling container A. This is what we have decided. Claim 8 provides a seedling mat filling device in which the blocking plate 50 is inclined so that it is higher at the rear side in the transport direction of the seedling container A and becomes lower towards the front side. Claim 9 provides a seedling mat filling device in which a push-in roller 65 for pushing the seedling mat M in the seedling container A from above is provided on the downstream side of the blocking plate 50 in the transport direction. Claim 10 provides that a seedling container supply section 18 having a supply space for supplying at least one seedling container A is provided on the upstream side of the mat supply and placement table 12 provided on the transfer table 6 in the direction of transfer of the seedling container A, and the transfer means 7 located downstream of the end of the seedling container supply section 18 in the direction of transfer of the seedling container A has a plurality of transfer rollers 55 arranged in the direction of transfer of the seedling container A, and the transfer rollers 55 have at least a pair of left and right rubber rollers 56 fixedly attached to a rotation shaft 57, and of the rubber rollers 56 attached to the rotation shaft 57, the diameter of the rubber roller 56A on the mat transfer means 10 side is made larger than the diameter of the rubber roller 56B on the opposite side of the mat transfer means 10, and the transfer frame 16 on the opposite side of the mat transfer means 10 is provided with a seedling container A. guidance guide 59 The seedling mat filling device is installed. The eleventh aspect of the present invention provides a seedling mat filling device in which a vibration device 60 for vibrating the seedling container A up and down is provided on the transfer table 6 on the side of the guide member 38. Claim 12 describes a seedling mat filling method in which a seedling container A is transported in a horizontal position by the transport means 7 of the transport table 6, and in synchronization with the transport of the seedling container A, a seedling mat M placed in a vertically upright position with its side 5 facing downwards on the mat supply and loading table 12 is transported in the vertically upright position by the mat transport means 10, the seedling mat M being transported by the mat transport means 10 is supported by a guide member 38, and when the rear of the seedling mat M passes the front of the mat transport means 10, the forced guide guide 11 provided on the guide member 38 forces the seedling mat M to fall sideways toward the transport path L of the transport table 6, causing it to fit into the seedling container A and fill it. Claim 13 relates to a seedling mat filling method in which, when the seedling mat M is transported faster than the transport speed of the seedling container A and forcibly fallen sideways toward the transport path L of the transport table 6 by the forced guide guide 11, the front end of the seedling mat M protrudes forward a predetermined length from the front end of the seedling container A, and the protruding front end of the seedling mat M is blocked from transport by a blocking plate 50 provided above the transport path of the seedling container A on the transport table 6, thereby fitting it into the seedling container A. Claim 14 is a seedling mat filling method in which transport is blocked by a blocking plate 50 to fit the seedling mat M into the seedling container A, and then the seedling mat M is pushed from above into the seedling container A by a pushing roller 65 to fill and fit it. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] In the invention of claim 1, a mat transfer means 10 for transferring the seedling raising mat M in a vertically upright position with either the left or right side surface 5 downward is provided on one of the pair of transfer frames 16 on the left and right of the transfer table 1 having the transfer means 7 for transferring the seedling raising container A, and a mat supply and placement table 12 for placing the seedling raising mat M to be supplied to the mat transfer means 10 in a vertically upright position with the side surface 5 downward is provided on the side of the mat transfer means 10 above the transfer path of the seedling raising container A on the transfer table 6. A guide member 38 is provided to guide the seedling mat M, and a forced guide inductor 11 is provided at the front upper part of the guide member 38 to guide the seedling mat M so that it forcibly falls toward the seedling raising container A being transported.The seedling raising mat M in an upright position is transported by the mat transport means 10, and the transported seedling raising mat M is supported by the guide member 38.When the rear end of the seedling raising mat M passes the regulating plate 14 of the mat supply loading table 12, the forced guide inductor 11 forces it to fall onto the seedling raising container A being transported and fit into it, allowing the seedling raising mat M to be filled into the seedling raising container A. That is, the forced guide guide 11 makes the timing at which the seedling raising mat M starts to fall sideways constant, thereby improving the reliability of fitting the seedling raising mat M into the seedling raising container A. In this case, each seedling raising mat M is placed on the mat supply and placement table 12 in an upright position with the side surface 5 facing downwards, so that each seedling raising mat M does not support the weight of other seedling raising mats M, and can be supplied to the mat transport means 10 while preventing breakage. Furthermore, the seedling raising mat M is transported in a vertically standing state with the side surface 5 facing downwards, so that the resistance to transport can be reduced, the seedling raising mat M can be reliably filled into the seedling raising container A while preventing damage to the seedling raising mat M, and the filling work of the seedling raising mat M can be mechanized simply and reliably. In the invention of claim 2, the forced guide guide 11 is formed by an axial rod member, and the rear part of the forced guide guide 11 is attached to a predetermined position on the front upper side of the guide member 38 so that it can be freely moved in the forward and backward directions.Therefore, by moving the position of the forced guide guide 11 forward and backward, the timing at which the seedling raising mat M falls sideways can be adjusted, ensuring a secure fit into the seedling raising container A and improving the accuracy of the filling operation. In the invention of claim 3, the forced guide guide 11 is curved so that it is positioned in the center between the left and right transport frames 16 of the transport table 6 as it approaches the front in a plan view, and is curved so that it becomes lower as it approaches the front in a side view.Therefore, the seedling raising mat M is guided from the front of the seedling raising mat M from an upright position to a sideways position by the forced guide guide 11, allowing it to be smoothly fitted into the seedling raising container A. In the invention of claim 4, a seedling container supply section 18 having a supply space capable of supplying at least one seedling container A is provided on the upstream side of the mat supply loading table 12 provided on the transfer table 6 in the direction of transport of the seedling container A, thereby facilitating the supply of seedling containers A to the transfer table 6 and the filling of seedling mats M into the seedling containers A. In the invention of claim 5, the guide member 38 is composed of an outer plate 39 and a lower guide plate portion 40, the lower guide plate portion 40 is fixedly attached to the transfer frame 16, and a standing plate portion 41 is provided on part or all of the inner end of the lower guide plate portion 40 by standing upward, and a mat guide groove 42 is formed between the outer plate 39 and the standing plate portion 41 to guide the seedling raising mat M transferred by the mat transfer means 10. Therefore, the standing plate portion 41 of the guide member 38 maintains the seedling raising mat M in an upright state until the forced guide guide 11 forcibly topples the seedling raising mat M sideways, making the timing of the seedling raising mat M toppling sideways constant and improving the reliability of the seedling raising mat M fitting into the seedling raising container A. In the invention of claim 6, the upper end of the standing plate portion 41 is inclined so that it becomes higher toward the front when viewed from the side, so that the standing plate portion 41 of the guide member 38 can reliably maintain the seedling mat M in an upright state. In the invention of claim 7, a blocking plate 50 is provided at a height position above the transport path of the seedling container A on the transport table 6 in front of the vibration device 60, but not in contact with the seedling container A, so that the blocking plate 50 abuts against the front surface 3 of the seedling mat M placed on the top surface of the front wall 51 of the seedling container A. The mat transport means 10 transports the seedling mat M slightly faster than the transport speed of the seedling container A by the transport means 7 of the transport table 6, and the seedling mat M can be tilted in a position where its front end protrudes a few centimeters to the front of the seedling container A. As a result, by blocking the front end of the seedling mat M that has been transported ahead with the blocking plate 50, the front and rear ends of the seedling mat M and the inner surfaces of the front and rear walls of the seedling container A can be reliably positioned in the front-to-rear direction, and the seedling mat M can be reliably fitted into the seedling container A. In the invention of claim 8, the damming plate 50 is inclined so that it is higher at the rear side in the transport direction of the seedling container A and becomes lower as it approaches the front side.Therefore, when the protruding end of the seedling mat M protruding forward from the front end of the seedling container A abuts the damming plate 50, it is prevented from turning over or sinking, and the seedling mat M can be securely fitted into the seedling container A. In the invention of claim 9, a pushing roller 65 is provided on the downstream side of the damming plate 50 in the transport direction to push the seedling mat M in the seedling container A from above, so that the bottom of the seedling mat M is in close contact with the bottom of the seedling container A, thereby improving the subsequent seedling cultivation of the rice seeds. In the invention of claim 10, a seedling container supply section 18 having a supply space capable of supplying at least one seedling container A is provided on the upstream side of the mat supply and placement table 12 provided on the transfer table 6 in the direction of transport of the seedling container A, thereby facilitating the work of supplying the seedling container A to the transfer table 6. In addition, the transport means 7, which is located downstream in the transport direction from the end of the seedling container supply section 18, has a plurality of transport rollers 55 arranged in the transport direction of A, and the transport rollers 55 have at least a pair of left and right rubber rollers 56 fixedly attached to a rotating shaft 57, and of the rubber rollers 56 attached to the rotating shaft 57, the diameter of the rubber roller 56A on the mat transport means 10 side is made larger than the diameter of the rubber roller 56B on the opposite side of the mat transport means 10, and the transport frame 16 on the opposite side of the mat transport means 10 is guidance guide59 By making the diameter of the left rubber roller 56A larger than the diameter of the right rubber roller 56B, the seedling raising box being transported on the transport table 6 can be guided to move toward the right side of the transport table 6, so that the seedling raising container A is always transported to a predetermined position on the right side by the transport means 7, and the transport position of the seedling raising container A when the seedling raising mat M falls into the guide member 38 is kept constant, improving the reliability of fitting the seedling raising mat M to the seedling raising container A. In the invention of claim 11, a vibration device 60 is provided on the transport table 6 next to the guide member 38 to vibrate the seedling container A up and down, thereby enabling the seedling mat M to be fitted and filled into the seedling container A in a ready and reliable manner. In the invention of claim 12, the seedling raising container A is transported in a horizontal position by the transport means 7 of the transport table 6, and in synchronization with the transport of this seedling raising container A, the seedling raising mat M, which is placed in a vertically upright position with its side 5 facing down on the mat supply and loading table 12, is transported in the vertically upright position by the mat transport means 10, and the seedling raising mat M being transported by the mat transport means 10 is supported by a guide member 38, and when the rear of the seedling raising mat M passes the front of the mat transport means 10, the forced guide guide 11 provided on the guide member 38 forces the seedling raising mat M to fall sideways toward the transport path L of the transport table 6, so that it fits into the seedling raising container A and is filled.Therefore, the forced guide guide 11 makes the timing at which the seedling raising mat M starts to fall sideways consistent, improving the reliability of fitting the seedling raising mat M into the seedling raising container A. In the invention of claim 13, when the seedling mat M is transported faster than the transport speed of the seedling raising container A and is forcibly laid down toward the transport path L of the transport table 6 by the forced guide guide 11, the front end of the seedling mat M protrudes forward by a predetermined length from the front end of the seedling raising container A, and the protruding front end of the seedling raising mat M is stopped from moving by the blocking plate 50 provided above the transport path L of the seedling raising container A on the transport table 6 and is fitted into the seedling raising container A, so that the mat transport means 10 is set so that the seedling mat M does not move toward the transport table 6. The seedling raising mat M is transported at a speed slightly faster than the transport speed of the seedling raising container A by the transport means 7 of 6, and can be tilted in a position where the front end of the seedling raising mat M always protrudes a few centimeters to the front of the seedling raising container A.As a result, by blocking the front end of the seedling raising mat M that has been transported in advance with the blocking plate 50, the front and rear ends of the seedling raising mat M and the inner surfaces of the front and rear walls of the seedling raising container A can be reliably positioned in the front and rear directions, and the seedling raising mat M can be reliably fitted into the seedling raising container A. In the invention of claim 14, the transport is blocked by the blocking plate 50 and the seedling mat M is fitted into the seedling container A, and then the pushing roller 65 pushes the seedling mat M into the seedling container A from above to fill and fit it in, so that the bottom of the seedling mat M is in close contact with the bottom of the seedling container A, which ensures good seedling growth of the rice seeds thereafter. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a seedling container and a seedling mat. [Figure 2] Plan view of the seedling mat filling device. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. [Figure 8] 1A and 1B are side and rear views of the same. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] 3A and 3B are side and front views of the same. [Figure 11] The same front view. [Figure 12] FIG. [Figure 13] 10A and 10B are side and rear views of the forced guide guide in operation; [Figure 14] FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. [Figure 16] Side view of the dam plate. [Figure 17] An explanatory diagram of the appropriate inclination angle of the dam plate. [Figure 18] FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. [Figure 20] 10A and 10B are plan and side views of another embodiment of a vibration device. [Figure 21] FIG. [Figure 22] FIG. [Figure 23] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the push roller. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The present invention relates to a seedling mat filling method for mechanizing the filling of seedling mats M into seedling containers A, and one embodiment thereof will be described with reference to the drawings. Conventional seedling mats M are used as a substitute for bed soil for sowing and raising rice seeds, and are made from materials known as "rock wool," which is made by melting blast furnace slag and rocks as the main raw materials in an electric furnace at a high temperature of 1500 to 1600°C, or by allowing the molten slag, which has been kept at a similar high temperature after coming out of the blast furnace, to flow out from the bottom of the furnace and blown away using centrifugal force, etc., to form artificial mineral fibers into a fibrous form. Products made by Japan Rock Wool Co., Ltd. are suitable. The seedling mat M is very fragile, and if a load is applied to a part of the mat, the loaded part will tear and break. Conventionally, the seedling mat M has been manually filled into a seedling container A made of a synthetic resin with a certain rigidity and formed into a drawer shape, and the seedling container A is then fed into a known sowing device to perform the sowing work.

[0009] The seedling mat M is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape thinner than the depth of the seedling container A, and is configured with an upper surface 1, a lower surface 2, a front surface 3, a rear surface 4, and left and right side surfaces 5 (Fig. 1). <Filling method> The present invention mechanizes the filling of seedling raising mats M into seedling raising containers A, and one method for doing so will be described below. In explaining the present invention, in order to facilitate understanding, the seedling raising container A is configured to be transported forward, and directions such as front / back, left / right, up / down, etc. are explained based on the transport direction (transport path) of the seedling raising container A, but this does not limit the configuration of the present invention.

[0010] The seedling raising container A is transported in a horizontal state by the transport means 7 of the transport stand 6, and in synchronization with the transport of the seedling raising container A, the seedling raising mat M in a vertically standing state with its side surface 5 facing downward is transported by the mat transport means 10 above the transport path L of the seedling raising container A with either the right or left side facing forward, and at a predetermined position the seedling raising mat M is made to fall sideways onto the transport path side of the seedling raising container A by the forced guide guide 11 and is fitted and supplied to the seedling raising container A.

[0011] In other words, multiple seedling raising mats M are placed on the inclined loading plate 13 of the mat supply and loading table 12, and only one of the multiple mats is transported synchronously with the seedling raising container A by the mat transporting means 10.When the mat transporting means 10 moves the seedling raising mat M forward by the distance of one seedling mat, it detaches from this seedling raising mat M.The seedling raising mat M that has detached from the mat transporting means 10 is guided by the forced guide guide 11 and falls onto the seedling raising container A being transported, and fits into it.When the preceding seedling raising mat M has detached from the mat transporting means 10, the mat transporting means 10 begins transporting the subsequent seedling raising mat M, and this is repeated to automatically fill the seedling raising container A with the seedling raising mats M.

[0012] Specifically, the mat supply and placement table 12 on which multiple seedling raising mats M are placed has a regulating plate 14 that stands upright on the front side of the inclined placement plate 13 on which the seedling raising mats M are placed in the transport direction of the seedling raising container A, and a passage 15 through which only one seedling raising mat M can pass is provided between the regulating plate 14 and the mat transfer means 10 (Figures 4, 6, and 12).When only one of the multiple seedling raising mats M moves forward while sandwiched between the mat transfer means 10 and the regulating plate 14, and the rear end of the seedling raising mat M passes the passage 15, the forced guide guide 11 guides the center of gravity of the upright seedling raising mat M to fall sideways toward the center of the left and right sides of the transport path L of the seedling raising container A, and engages it.

[0013] The transport platform 6 transports the seedling container A horizontally and has a pair of transport frames 16 on the left and right that are long in the transport direction of the seedling container A, and is used by placing it on the floor with support legs 17 provided at predetermined positions (Figure 3). At the start end of the transfer table 6, there is provided a seedling container supply section 18 having a supply space capable of supplying at least one seedling container A (Figs. 2 and 3). In the transfer table 6 of this embodiment, the seedling container supply section 18 is configured with a supply space capable of supplying one seedling container A, but a known automatic seedling container supply device that supplies stacked seedling containers one by one in order may also be provided.

[0014] The mat transport means 10 is provided on the front side of the seedling container supply section 18 of the transport table 6 in the transport direction, for transporting the seedling mats M in an upright position with the side surface 5 facing downwards (Figs. 2 and 3). The mat transport means 10 is provided with a pair of front and rear rotating rollers 20 that rotate on vertical axes, and an endless mat transport belt 21 is wound around the front and rear rotating rollers 20 (Fig. 4). The mat transport belt 21 is driven by the rotating rollers 20, which are rotated by a mat transport motor 22. The mat transport belt 21 is provided with a pair of transport protrusions 23, which come into contact with the rear surface 4 of the upright seedling raising mat M to move the seedling raising mat M forward.

[0015] In this case, if the transporting protrusion 23 is configured to contact more than half of the area of ​​the rear surface 4 of the seedling raising mat M, damage to the seedling raising mat M can be prevented, which is preferable (Fig. 5). The mat transfer means 10 only needs to have the rotating rollers 20 and the mat transfer belt 21, and other configurations are optional, but a connecting rod 33B is provided at the top of a pair of front and rear support columns 33A whose lower parts are detachably attached to the transfer frame 16, and the upper part of the rotation shaft of the rotating rollers 20 is supported by the connecting rod 33B. In addition, the rotation shaft of the rotating roller 20 on the rear side of Figure 5 is mounted on a mounting plate 33C, which is movable back and forth relative to the connecting rod 33B, making it possible to adjust the tension of the mat transfer belt 21.

[0016] The mat supply and placement table 12 on which the seedling raising mat M is placed in advance is provided on the side of the mat transfer means 10 of the transfer table 6 (Fig. 2). The mat supply and placement table 12 is configured with an inclined placement plate 13 having a predetermined width in a direction intersecting the transfer direction of the seedling raising container A. The inclined placement plate 13 is inclined so that one side in the left or right direction relative to the transfer direction of the seedling raising container A is higher and the other side gradually becomes lower. In this embodiment, the right side is inclined higher and the left side is inclined lower. The seedling raising mats M are configured so that a plurality of mats can be placed on the mat supply and placement table 12 in an upright position and horizontally.

[0017] That is, a plurality of seedling raising mats M are placed in an upright state with the side surface 5 of the seedling raising mat M facing downwards and in contact with the upper surface of the inclined placing plate 13 of the mat supplying and placing table 12 . A regulating plate 14 is provided at the front edge of the inclined loading plate 13 of the mat supply and loading table 12 to regulate the forward movement of the group of seedling mats M on the inclined loading plate 13 other than the seedling mat M being transported by the mat transport means 10 (Figs. 2, 4, 6). The regulating plate 14 is erected in a substantially vertical position relative to the inclined loading plate 13, and a gap the size of one seedling mat is provided between the left edge of the regulating plate 14 and the mat transport belt 21 of the mat transport means 10, and this gap forms a passage 15 for the seedling mat M.

[0018] The seedling raising mats M are arranged in a vertical position in the left-right direction on the inclined placing plate 13 of the mat supplying placing stand 12 with the side surface 5 facing downward, and the seedling raising mats arranged on the inclined placing plate 13 of the mat supplying placing stand 12 are slid and moved on the inclined placing plate 13 toward the mat transferring means 10 by the weight of the moving member 24. The mat supplying and placing table 12 is provided with a moving member 24 that moves the seedling mats M arranged on the inclined placing plate 13 of the mat supplying and placing table 12 toward the mat transferring means 10 (Fig. 2). As shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the moving member 24 has a support member 26 on the right side of the contact plate 25, which contacts the side (upper surface 1) of the seedling mat M in an upright state, at the front-to-rear center position, and the support member 26 is axially mounted at the front-to-rear middle portion of a roller shaft 28 on which rollers 27 are arranged in the front-to-rear direction so as to be free to rotate only.

[0019] A guide roller 29 is mounted on the support member 26 on the right side of the roller 27 so as to be rotatable only. The moving member 24 rotates the roller 27 and guide roller 29 under the weight (own weight) of the moving member 24 itself, and moves toward the mat transfer means 10, whereby the abutment plate 25 of the moving member 24 moves the group of seedling mats M on the inclined loading plate 13 toward the mat transfer means 10. In other words, by moving the moving member 24 under its own weight, excessive resistance to movement of the seedling mat M is not imposed, preventing breakage and damage, which is preferable, but this does not prevent the provision of an appropriate biasing means. A guide rod 30 protruding downward is provided on the bottom surface of the support member 26 of the moving member 24, and a guide groove 31 into which the guide rod 30 engages is provided at the midpoint between the front and rear of the inclined loading plate 13 of the mat supply and loading table 12 (Figs. 2 and 6).

[0020] The guide rod 30 is inserted into the guide groove 31 from above, thereby guiding the moving member 24 as it moves on the inclined surface of the inclined placement plate 13 of the mat supply placement table 12 toward the mat transfer means 10 . In addition, an engagement hole 32 is provided on the inclined loading plate 13 to the right of the inner end surface of the guide groove 31 on the opposite side of the mat transport means 10, and the movement of the moving member 24 can be stopped by inserting the guide rod 30 into the engagement hole 32 (Figure 6). Therefore, if the position of the engagement hole 32 is formed to the right of the group of seedling mats M pre-placed on 25 described below, when the guide groove 31 is engaged with the engagement hole 32 and the movable member 24 is placed on standby, the movable member 24 can be prevented from getting in the way when supplying seedling mats from the mat auxiliary supply section 34 to the mat supply and placement table 12.

[0021] An auxiliary mat supply section 34 is provided on the upstream side of the mat supply platform 12 in the transport direction of the seedling containers A, where a group of seedling mats M to be supplied to the mat supply platform 12 can be placed in advance (Fig. 2). The auxiliary mat supply section 34 is provided on the transport platform 6 so that the upper surface of an inclined plate 35, which is inclined at the same angle as the inclined platform plate 13 of the mat supply platform 12, is approximately flush with or lower than the upper surface of the inclined platform plate 13 of the mat supply platform 12. Therefore, the seedling raising mats are arranged vertically in advance on the mat auxiliary supply section 34, and when the group of seedling raising mats M on the inclined loading plate 13 of the mat supply loading table 12 runs out, the group of seedling raising mats can be immediately replenished by sliding them out of the mat auxiliary supply section 34.

[0022] In this case, the inclined plate 35 of the mat auxiliary supply unit 34 and the inclined loading plate 13 of the mat supply loading table 12 may be made the same height or lower, but if the inclined plate 35 of the mat auxiliary supply unit 34 is at least made slightly higher in step than the inclined loading plate 13 of the mat supply loading table 12, the seedling raising mats can be slid from the inclined plate 35 to the inclined loading plate 13 without getting caught at the joint between the inclined plate 35 of the mat auxiliary supply unit 34 and the inclined loading plate 13 of the mat supply loading table 12. A plate vibrating unit 36 ​​is provided at a predetermined position on the underside of the inclined loading plate 13 of the mat supply and loading table 12 (Figure 6). The plate vibrating unit 36 ​​vibrates the inclined loading plate 13 to facilitate the movement of the seedling mats on the inclined loading plate 13 to the mat transport means 10.

[0023] In this case, a vibration-isolating member 64 is interposed between the vibration-side stay 13A fixedly attached to the inclined support plate 13 and the fixed-side stay 13B provided on the transfer frame 16 side of the transfer table 6, so that the vibration of the inclined support plate 13 is not transmitted to other transfer tables 6 (Figure 6). The transfer frame 16 of the transfer table 6 in front of the mat transfer means 10 and the moving member 24 is provided with a guide member 38 for guiding the transfer of the seedling raising mat M being transferred by the mat transfer means 10 (Fig. 2). The guide member 38 is configured to have at least an outer plate 39 and a lower guide plate portion 40.

[0024] Therefore, the seedling raising mat M on the inclined loading plate 13 of the mat supply loading table 12 is supported by the regulating plate 14 and moves forward, but at this time, if the seedling raising mat M located in front of the regulating plate 14 falls to the left side (outside) of the transfer frame 16 on the opposite side of the transfer path L, with the transfer frame 16 as the boundary, it will no longer be able to fit into the seedling raising container A, so the side (lower surface 2) of the upright seedling raising mat M will slide against the guide member 38 to guide its movement. Therefore, the rear portion of the guide member 38 is brought close to the front movement path of the transporting protrusion 23 in a plan view within a range that does not interfere with the front movement path of the transporting protrusion 23 of the mat transporting means 10.

[0025] The guide member 38 is also expected to have the effect of preventing the seedling raising mat M being transported by the mat transport means 10 from falling outside the transport table 6. A forced guide guide 11 is provided on the front upper part of the guide member 38 to guide the seedling raising mat M so that it forcibly falls toward the seedling raising container A during transportation (Figs. 9 to 15). The forced guide guide 11 is formed by an axial rod member, and the rear end of the forced guide guide 11 is attached to a predetermined position on the front upper part of the guide member 38 so as to be freely movable in the front and rear directions. An insertion tube 11A into which the rear part of the forced guide guide 11 can be inserted is fixedly provided on the guide member 38, and the front-rear position and angle of the forced guide guide 11 are fixed with a fixing screw 11B (FIG. 11).

[0026] The forced guide guide 11 is curved so as to be positioned in the center between the left and right transfer frames 16 of the transfer table 6 as it approaches the front in a plan view, and is curved so as to become lower as it approaches the front in a side view. Therefore, the seedling mat pushed out from the mat supply and placement table 12 by the mat transfer means 10 is transferred in an upright state, and when it comes into contact with the forced guide guide 11, the front part of the seedling mat M is forced by the curved forced guide guide 11 toward the center position of the left and right transfer frames 16 of the transfer table 6, so that the transfer table 6 can be collapsed onto the seedling container A being transferred and fitted into it.

[0027] In other words, normally, the seedling raising mat M is supported and transported by the regulating plate 14 of the inclined loading plate 13 and the mat transport belt 21 of the mat transport means 10, and when the rear end of the seedling raising mat M passes through the passage 15, the seedling raising mat M is released from the support of the regulating plate 14 and the transport of the mat transport means 10 and is allowed to fall onto the seedling raising container A being transported and fit into it, but by providing the forced guide guide 11, the seedling raising mat M can be more reliably transported to the position where the forced guide guide 11 is provided before it begins to fall, making it easier to position the seedling raising mat M in the forward / backward direction relative to the seedling raising container A (setting the falling timing).

[0028] In this case, the guide member 38 is configured to have at least an outer plate 39 and a lower guide plate portion 40, and an upright plate portion 41 facing the outer plate 39 is provided on the inside of the lower guide plate portion 40. Therefore, the seedling mat M pushed by the transport protrusion 23 of the mat transport means 10 moves forward through the passage 15 between the mat transport belt plate 21 of the mat transport means 10 and the regulating plate 14 of the mat supply and loading table 12, and the lower part of the seedling mat M moving forward is guided while being clamped between the outer plate 39 and the upright plate portion 41 of the guide member 38.

[0029] The upper end of the standing plate portion 41 is inclined so that it becomes higher toward the front when viewed from the side, preventing the seedling raising mat M from falling toward the transport path L until the rear end of the seedling raising mat M during movement passes the passage 15, and once the rear end of the seedling raising mat M passes the restricting plate 14, the seedling raising mat M falls toward the seedling raising container A being transported by the transport table 6 due to its own weight and fits into it. As a result, the timing at which the seedling raising mat M falls can be synchronized with the seedling raising container A by the forced guide guide 11 and the standing plate portion 41 of the guide member 38, and the front-to-back positioning of the seedling raising mat M relative to the seedling raising container A can be reliably achieved.

[0030] The upright plate portion 41 is formed separately from the outer plate 39 and is attached to the transfer frame 16 by bolts 41A so that the vertical height position can be freely adjusted (FIG. 6). The upright plate portion 41 has an upper end integrally provided with a guide inclined portion 41B that projects toward the transport path L side. That is, the guide inclined portion 41B and the standing plate portion 41 are formed by bending a single plate member into an inverted V shape when viewed from the front, and the guide inclined portion 41B and the standing plate portion 41 have rounded curved surfaces 41C at their upper ends (FIG. 11). Therefore, the curved surface 41C prevents damage to the seedling raising mat M when it falls over during transportation.

[0031] In addition, a mat guide groove 42 is formed between the outer surface of the standing plate portion 41 and the inner surface of the outer plate 39 to guide the seedling raising mat M transported by the mat transport means 10. Next, the relationship between the transfer of the seedling raising container A by the transfer means 7 of the transfer table 6 and the transfer of the seedling raising mat M by the mat transfer means 10 will be described. First, the transport speed of the seedling raising mat M by the mat transport means 10 is set to be faster than the transport speed of the seedling raising container A by the transport means 7. Therefore, the seedling mat M always falls toward the seedling container A at the end of the guide member 38, and the seedling mat M can be fitted securely into the seedling container A.

[0032] In other words, if the transport speed of the seedling mat M is slower than that of the seedling container A, the seedling mat M cannot catch up with the seedling container A being transported and will not fit into it, but if the seedling mat M is transported faster than the seedling container A, the time lag caused by the faster transport will allow the seedling mat M to fall into the seedling container A, improving the reliability of the seedling mat M fitting into the seedling container A. Next, the seedling raising container A is fed to the transfer table 6 manually or by an automatic feeder, and the fed seedling raising container A always moves forward toward the end of the transfer table 6.

[0033] Meanwhile, the seedling raising mat M is moved forward by the mat transport means 10, but the mat guide groove 42 of the guide member 38 is blocked before the preceding seedling raising mat M falls over, and the following seedling raising mat M cannot be transported, so the transport of the seedling raising mat M is intermittent. Therefore, in order to synchronize the transfer of the seedling raising mat M with the transfer of the seedling raising container A, a synchronization start switch 45 is provided (FIG. 14). When the front end of the seedling raising container A contacts the synchronization start switch 45, the mat transfer motor 22 of the mat transfer means 10 drives the mat transfer belt plate 21 to start transferring the seedling raising mat M.

[0034] A transfer stop switch 46 is provided at a predetermined position at the end of the forward movement path of the transfer protrusion 23 of the mat transfer means 10, and when the transfer protrusion 23 abuts against the transfer stop switch 46, the driving of the mat transfer motor 22 is stopped.

[0035] In this case, as mentioned above, the mat transfer motor 22 is always driven to transfer the seedling raising containers A, but when the last seedling raising container A has been transferred, in a configuration in which the mat transfer motor 22 is driven by detecting only the synchronization start switch 45 alone, even when the rear wall of the last seedling raising container A contacts the synchronization start switch 45, the mat transfer motor 22 of the mat transfer means 10 is driven to start transferring the seedling mat M even though the subsequent seedling raising container A is not being transferred.However, a transfer confirmation switch 47 is provided one box of seedling raising containers A behind the synchronization start switch 45, and when the synchronization start switch 45 and the transfer confirmation switch 47 are turned on simultaneously, current is applied to the mat transfer motor 22 to start transferring the seedling mat M, and even if the rear end of the last seedling raising container A contacts the synchronization start switch 45, if the synchronization start switch 45 alone detects that the subsequent seedling raising container A is not being transferred, and no current is applied to the mat transfer motor 22.

[0036] That is, a transfer confirmation switch 47 is provided at a predetermined position behind the mat transfer means 10, and a synchronization start sensor / synchronization start switch 45 is provided at a predetermined position one box of seedling containers A ahead of the transfer confirmation switch 47, and when both the transfer confirmation switch 47 and the synchronization start switch 45 come into contact with the seedling container A being transferred on the transfer table 6, the mat transfer motor 22 is operated to start transferring the seedling mat M. A blocking plate 50 is provided above the transport path for the seedling container A on the downstream side of the forced guide guide 11 in the transport direction of the seedling container A, so as not to come into contact with the seedling container A but to abut against the front surface 3 of the seedling mat M placed on the upper surface of the front wall 51 of the seedling container A (Fig. 3). The blocking plate 50 is provided above the transport path for the seedling container A on the transport table 6, inclined relative to the upper surface of the seedling container A so that the rear side in the transport direction is higher and becomes lower as it approaches the front side (Fig. 16).

[0037] Therefore, the seedling raising mat M that has fallen down from the guide member 38 is fitted into the seedling raising container A. In other words, the mat transfer means 10 transfers the seedling mat M slightly faster than the transfer speed of the seedling container A by the transfer means 7 of the transfer table 6, and always tilts the seedling mat M in a position so that the front end of the seedling mat M protrudes a few centimeters to the front of the seedling container A, and by blocking the front end of this seedling mat M that has been transferred in advance with the blocking plate 50, the front and rear ends of the seedling mat M are securely fitted into the seedling container A. In other words, by blocking the seedling mat M with the blocking plate 50, the seedling mat M and the seedling container A are reliably aligned in the front and rear directions and fitted together.

[0038] The inclination angle of the damming plate 50 is arbitrary, but if the inclination angle of the damming plate 50 is steep, almost upright, the seedling mat M will not fall completely but will turn up, and excessive transport force will be applied to the turned up part, causing it to break (Figure 17). On the other hand, if the inclination angle of the damming plate 50 is too gentle, the seedling mat M will be pushed downward into the seedling container A when it passes under the damming plate 50, and the front end of the seedling mat M will not fit inside the seedling container A. Therefore, it is preferable to configure the blocking plate 50 so that its height can be freely adjusted to an attachment plate 52 provided on the transfer frame 16 of the transfer table 6, as this ensures that the seedling mat M fits securely into the seedling container A.

[0039] The transfer table 6 is provided with the optional seedling container transfer means 7 for transferring the seedling containers A, and the transfer means 7 is composed of a pair of transfer belts 53 on the left and right at the seedling container supply section 18 of the transfer table 6 (Fig. 2). The transport means 7, which is located downstream in the transport direction from the end of the seedling container supply section 18, is configured by arranging multiple transport rollers 55 in the transport direction of the seedling containers A, as shown in Figure 18. The transport rollers 55 are configured by at least a pair of left and right rubber rollers 56 fixedly attached to a rotating shaft 57. Of the rubber rollers 56 attached to the rotating shaft 57, the diameter of rubber roller 56A on the mat transport means 10 side (left side) is made larger than the diameter of rubber roller 56B on the opposite side of the mat transport means 10 (right side).

[0040] By making the diameter of the left rubber roller 56A larger than that of the right rubber roller 56B, the seedling raising boxes being transported on the transport table 6 are guided to move toward the right side of the transport table 6. Therefore, a positioning guide rotation axis 57 for A can be provided on the transfer frame 16 on the side (right side) where the mat transfer means 10 is not provided, so that the seedling raising container A is always transferred to a predetermined position on the right side by the transfer means 7, and the transfer position of the seedling raising container A when the seedling raising mat M falls down from the guide member 38 is kept constant, thereby improving the reliability of the fitting of the seedling raising mat M to the seedling raising container A.

[0041] In other words, when the seedling raising container A passes beside the guide member 38, the seedling raising container A is moved to the right side of the transfer table 6 by the action of the rubber roller 56A and the rubber roller 56, thereby improving the reliability of the fitting of the seedling raising container A. For this reason, a guide 59 for guiding the transport of the seedling raising container A is provided in an upright position on the transport frame 16 on the opposite side of the mat transport means 10, and the guide 59 is positioned inside the inner surface of the transport frame 16 to move the seedling raising container A to a predetermined position and ensure that the seedling raising mat M falls over.

[0042] The seedling container transfer means 7 of the transfer table 6 is configured to be driven by a seedling container transfer motor 58, and although the seedling container transfer motor 58 is not shown in the figure, a transmission gear is provided on the rotating shaft 57 within the transfer frame 16 on the side where the mat transfer means 10 is provided, and a chain is wound around each gear, and the drive of the seedling container transfer motor 58 is transmitted to this chain to drive the transfer means 7. The transport belt 53 of the seedling container supply section 18 is driven in synchronization with the driving rotation of the transport rollers 55 by transmitting the driving rotation.

[0043] A vibration device 60 for vibrating the seedling-raising container A up and down is provided on the transport table 6 beside the guide member 38 (FIG. 19). Therefore, by vibrating the seedling raising container A up and down during transportation by the transporting means 7, the seedling raising mat M can be fitted securely into the seedling raising container A. The vibration device 60 can be configured as desired, and in this embodiment, it is linked to the power of the seedling container transfer motor 58 that rotates the transfer rollers 55 of the transfer table 6, and the rotational motion of the seedling container transfer motor 58 is converted into vertical motion via a link mechanism L to move the vertical moving body 61 up and down, thereby applying vibration by hitting the underside of the seedling container A from below up. The seedling mat M placed on the seedling container A is fitted into the seedling container A by the vibration of the vibration device 60.

[0044] The configuration of the link mechanism L is arbitrary, with 62 being a rotating body driven and rotated by a vibration motor 60A, and 63 being a rod attached at an eccentric position away from the center of the rotating body 62, with the front end of the rod 63 connected to one end of an inverted L-shaped vertical moving body 61, and the reciprocating movement of the rod 63 converts the inverted L-shaped vertical moving body 61 into vertical movement, thereby vibrating the seedling container A up and down. FIG. 20 shows another embodiment of the vibration device 60, in which the vertical moving body 61 is replaced by an angular rotating body 61A, and the corners of the rotating body 61A come into contact with the bottom surface of the seedling raising container A to vibrate it up and down.

[0045] A push-in roller 65 is provided on the downstream side of the blocking plate 50 in the transport direction to push the seedling raising mat M in the seedling raising container A from above (FIG. 19). Therefore, the bottom surface of the seedling raising mat M is in close contact with the bottom surface of the seedling raising container A, which allows the seed rice to be raised well thereafter. The push-in roller 65 has its rotation shaft 66 mounted on a vertical moving body 67, and the vertical moving body 67 is attached to the transfer frame 16 of the transfer table 6 so that its height can be adjusted freely by a height adjustment shaft 68, and the vertical moving body 67 is attached so that it can be moved freely upward relative to the height adjustment shaft 68. A spring (not shown) for constantly urging the push roller 65 downward is provided on the outer periphery of the height adjustment shaft 68. The vertical moving body 67 is rotatably attached to a mounting base 74 by a mounting shaft 73.

[0046] Therefore, the push-in roller 65 is positioned at a standby position at a predetermined height by the height adjustment shaft 68, and when the seedling raising container A transported on the transfer table 6 abuts against the underside of the push-in roller 65, the push-in roller 65 is first pushed up, and when the front wall of the seedling raising container A passes below the push-in roller 65, it descends due to the elasticity of a spring (not shown), pressing the seedling raising mat M against the bottom surface of the seedling raising container A. Furthermore, when the rear wall of the seedling container A reaches below the pushing roller 65, it pushes up the pushing roller 65 in the same way as the front wall, passes below the pushing roller 65, and the seedling container A is transported on the transfer table 6 to the seedling container recovery point.

[0047] In addition, when the upper adjustment dial 70 of the height adjustment shaft 68 is rotated in one direction, the pushing roller 65 is raised, and when it is rotated in the other direction, the pushing roller 65 is lowered, adjusting the height to the top surface height of the seedling mat M to be used. FIG. 23 shows another embodiment of the push roller 65, which is configured with large diameter portions 77 and small diameter portions 78 alternating in the axial direction.

[0048] (Operation of the embodiment) The present invention has the above-mentioned configuration, and in the conventional method of sowing seeds by supplying bed soil to seedling containers, the seedling containers become heavy and the transportation and seedling raising work is difficult, so as a substitute for bed soil, a seedling raising mat M called "rock wool" made of artificial mineral fiber is used, but some seedling raising mat M is very fragile, and when a load is applied to one part of the mat-like shape, the loaded part can tear and break, so the seedling containers have to be filled with the mat by hand.

[0049] Furthermore, although there are some systems that mechanize the filling process of seedling raising mats M, they are limited to seedling raising mats M that have rigidity equivalent to that of seedling containers. In the present invention, the seedling raising container A is transported in a horizontal position by the transport means 7 of the transport table 6, and in synchronization with the transport of the seedling raising container A, the seedling raising mat M, which is placed upright with its side 5 facing downwards, is run side by side with the upper part of either the left or right side of the transport path L of the seedling raising container A facing forward, and when the seedling raising mat M passes the mat supply loading stand 12 for the seedling raising mat M to be supplied to the mat transport means 10, the seedling raising mat M is tilted sideways onto the transport path L side of the seedling raising container A and fitted into the seedling raising container A.

[0050] In other words, multiple seedling raising mats M are placed on the inclined loading plate 13 of the mat supply and loading table 12, and only one of the multiple mats is transported synchronously with the seedling raising container A by the mat transporting means 10.The mat transporting means 10 moves the seedling raising mat M forward by one mat, and the forced guide guide 11 causes the seedling raising mat M to fall onto the seedling raising container A being transported and fit into it.When the preceding seedling raising mat M is detached from the mat transporting means 10, the mat transporting means 10 begins transporting the succeeding seedling raising mat M, and this is repeated to automatically fill the seedling raising mats M into the seedling raising container A.

[0051] The transport table 6 has a pair of transport frames 16 on the left and right that are long in the transport direction of the seedling raising container A, and at the starting end of the transport table 6 is provided a seedling raising container supply section 18 that has a supply space that can supply at least one seedling raising container A, so that the seedling raising containers A are supplied one by one to the transport table 6 manually or by an automatic seedling container supply device. The seedling raising containers A supplied to the transport table 6 are constantly transported forward to the end of the transport table 6.

[0052] When the seedling raising container A is transported by the transport means 7 of the transport table 6, it comes into contact with the synchronization start switch 45, driving the mat transport motor 22 of the mat transport means 10, and the seedling raising mat M moves forward as the mat transport means 10 is driven.When the rear end of the preceding seedling raising mat M passes the regulating plate 14 of the mat supply and loading table 12, the preceding seedling raising mat M is forced to fall sideways toward the seedling raising container A by the forced guide guide 11 and fits into it.

[0053] On the other hand, when the rear end of the preceding seedling raising mat M passes the regulating plate 14 of the mat supply and placement table 12, one of the transport protrusions 23 of the mat transport means 10 contacts the transport stop switch 46, stopping the mat transport motor 22, and when the other transport protrusion 23 abuts against the rear surface 4 of the following seedling raising mat M, the driving of the mat transport motor 22 is stopped, and when the next seedling raising container A is transported by the transport means 7 of the transport table 6, the synchronization start switch 45 drives the mat transport motor 22 to start transporting the following seedling raising mat M, and the following seedling raising mat M is tilted sideways by the forced guide guide 11 toward the seedling raising container A and fitted in, and this is repeated to complete the work of filling the seedling raising container A with seedling raising mats M.

[0054] A seedling raising mat M supply and placement table 12 on which seedling raising mats M are placed in advance is provided on the side of the mat transfer means 10 of the transfer table 6, and the mat supply and placement table 12 has an inclined placement plate 13 with a predetermined width in a direction perpendicular to the transfer direction of the seedling container A, and the inclined placement plate 13 is inclined low on the mat transfer means 10 side and high on the side opposite to the mat transfer means 10 side, so that multiple seedling raising mats M can be placed in advance on the mat supply and placement table 12 in an upright position with the side 5 facing downwards, making it easy to transfer the seedling raising mats M.

[0055] A regulating plate 14 for regulating the forward movement of the group of seedling mats M on the sloping loading plate 13 is provided at the front edge of the inclined loading plate 13 of the mat supply and loading table 12, so that the transport protrusion 23 of the mat transport means 10 can transport only one seedling mat M in sequence and fit it into the seedling container A. In other words, the left edge of the regulating plate 14 has a gap the size of one seedling mat between it and the mat transfer belt plate 21 of the mat transfer means 10, and this gap is formed into a seedling mat M passage 15, so that only one seedling mat M of the group of seedling mats M on the inclined loading plate 13 is always transferred by the mat transfer means 10.

[0056] A moving member 24 is provided on the inclined loading plate 13 of the mat supply loading table 12 to move a group of seedling raising mats lined up toward the mat transferring means 10, so that the contact plate mat auxiliary supply part 34 of the moving member 24 is brought into contact with the upper surface 1 of the right seedling raising mat M of the group of seedling raising mats M, and the moving member 24 constantly moves the group of seedling raising mats M toward the mat transferring means 10. That is, the group of seedling mats M on the inclined placing plate 13 is slidably moved toward the mat transporting means 10 by the inclination of the inclined placing plate 13 and the weight of the moving member 24 itself.

[0057] Therefore, the group of seedling mats M can be moved toward the mat transport means 10 without being subjected to any load other than the weight of the moving member 24 itself, so the seedling mats M can be moved and supplied without causing any breakage or damage. A guide rod 30 protruding downward is provided on the bottom surface of the support member 26 of the movable member 24, and a guide groove 31 into which the guide rod 30 engages is provided at the midpoint between the front and rear of the inclined loading plate 13 of the mat supply loading table 12.Therefore, the movable member 24 moves in a straight line due to the action of the guide rod 30 and the guide groove 31, and the group of seedling mats M can be reliably moved toward the mat transporting means 10.

[0058] In addition, an engagement hole 32 is provided on the inclined loading plate 13 to the right of the inner end surface of the guide groove 31 on the opposite side of the mat transport means 10, so that the movement of the moving member 24 can be stopped by inserting the guide rod 30 into the engagement hole 32, making it easier to supply a group of seedling mats M to the mat supply loading table 12. An auxiliary mat supply section 34 is provided on the upstream side of the mat supply and placement table 12 in the direction of transport of the seedling container A, where a group of seedling mats M to be supplied to the mat supply and placement table 12 can be placed in advance.If a group of seedling mats M is placed in advance on the auxiliary mat supply section 34, the group of seedling mats M can be instantly replenished by sliding it from the auxiliary mat supply section 34 to the inclined placement plate 13 of the mat supply and placement table 12.

[0059] A plate vibrating section 36 is provided at a predetermined position on the underside of the inclined loading plate 13 of the mat supply loading table 12, so that when the seedling mat M is placed on the inclined loading plate 13 and the filling operation is started, the plate vibrating section 36 vibrates the inclined loading plate 13. Therefore, the seedling raising mat group on the inclined placing plate 13 can be moved smoothly to the mat transporting means 10.

[0060] The transfer frame 16 of the transfer table 6 in front of the mat transfer means 10 and the moving member 24 is provided with a guide member 38 to prevent the seedling raising mat M being transferred by the mat transfer means 10 from falling.Therefore, the seedling raising mat M on the inclined loading plate 13 of the mat supply loading table 12 is supported by the regulating plate 14 and moves forward, but at this time, the seedling raising mat M located in front of the regulating plate 14 can be prevented from falling to the left side of the transfer frame 16, which is opposite the transfer path L, with the transfer frame 16 as the boundary.

[0061] The transport speed of the seedling mat M by the mat transport means 10 is set to be faster than the transport speed of the seedling container A by the transport means 7, so that the seedling mat M always falls toward the seedling container A by the guide members 38 on the sides of the seedling container A during transport, and the seedling mat M can be reliably fitted into the seedling container A.

[0062] In other words, if the transport speed of the seedling mat M is slower than that of the seedling container A, the seedling mat M cannot catch up with the seedling container A being transported and will not fit into it, but if the seedling mat M is transported faster than the seedling container A, the time lag caused by the faster transport will allow the seedling mat M to fall into the seedling container A, improving the reliability of the seedling mat M fitting into the seedling container A.

[0063] In addition, a transfer stop switch 46 is provided at a predetermined position at the end of the forward movement path of the transfer protrusion 23 of the mat transfer means 10, which stops the driving of the mat transfer motor 22 when the transfer protrusion 23 abuts against it.Therefore, when the last seedling container A is transferred just before the end of the filling work, in a configuration in which the mat transfer motor 22 is driven by detecting only the synchronization start switch 45, even when the rear wall of the last seedling container A contacts the synchronization start switch 45, the mat transfer motor 22 of the mat transfer means 10 will be driven to start the transfer of the seedling mat M even though the subsequent seedling container A is not being transferred.

[0064] However, a transport confirmation switch 47 is provided one box of seedling containers A behind the synchronization start switch 45, and when the synchronization start switch 45 and the transport confirmation switch 47 are turned on at approximately the same time, current is applied to the mat transport motor 22.Therefore, even if the rear end of the last seedling container A abuts the synchronization start switch 45, if the synchronization start switch 45 detects it alone, it will determine that there is no transport of the subsequent seedling containers A, and will not apply current to the mat transport motor 22, preventing the start of unnecessary transport of seedling mats M.

[0065] Above the transport path for the seedling container A on the transfer table 6 in front of the vibration device 60, a damming plate (pressure suppression guide) damming plate 50 is provided, which does not come into contact with the seedling container A but abuts the front surface 3 of the seedling mat M resting on the upper surface of the front wall 51 of the seedling container A.The damming plate 50 is inclined above the transport path for the seedling container A on the transfer table 6, with the rear side higher in the transport direction and becoming lower as it approaches the front side, so that the seedling mat M that has fallen over from the guide member 38 fits into the seedling container A.

[0066] In other words, the mat transfer means 10 transfers the seedling mat M slightly faster than the transfer speed of the seedling container A by the transfer means 7 of the transfer table 6, and always tilts the seedling mat M in a position so that the front end of the seedling mat M protrudes a few centimeters to the front of the seedling container A, and by blocking the front end of this seedling mat M that has been transferred in advance with the blocking plate 50, the front and rear ends of the seedling mat M are securely fitted into the seedling container A.

[0067] In other words, by blocking the seedling mat M with the blocking plate 50, the seedling mat M and the seedling container A are reliably aligned in the front and rear directions and fitted together. The inclination angle of the blocking plate 50 is set to an angle that stops only the transport while keeping the seedling mat M in a horizontal state, so that the seedling mat M that the blocking plate 50 abuts against is prevented from being turned up, and also, the seedling mat M is prevented from being pushed downward into the seedling container A when passing the lower end of the blocking plate 50, and the seedling mat M is properly fitted into the seedling container A.

[0068] The transfer table 6 is provided with a seedling container transfer means 7 for transferring the seedling containers A, and the transfer means 7 is composed of a pair of transfer belts 53 on the left and right at the seedling container supply section 18 of the transfer table 6. The transfer means 7, which is located downstream in the transfer direction from the end of the seedling container supply section 18, is composed of a plurality of transfer rollers 55 arranged in the transfer direction of the seedling containers A, so that when seedling containers A are supplied at the seedling container supply section 18, the supplied seedling containers A are transferred by the transfer belts 53 and transferred onto the transfer rollers 55, and are then transferred by the transfer rollers 55.

[0069] The transport roller 55 is composed of at least a pair of left and right rubber rollers 56 fixedly attached to a rotating shaft 57, and of the rubber rollers 56 attached to the rotating shaft 57, the diameter of the rubber roller 56A on the mat transport means 10 side (left side) is made larger than the diameter of the rubber roller 56B on the opposite side of the mat transport means 10 (right side).By making the diameter of the left rubber roller 56A larger than the diameter of the right rubber roller 56B, the seedling trays being transported on the transport table 6 are guided to move toward the right side of the transport table 6.

[0070] Therefore, a positioning guide rotation axis 57 for A can be provided on the transfer frame 16 on the side (right side) where the mat transfer means 10 is not provided, so that the seedling raising container A is always transferred to a predetermined position on the right side by the transfer means 7, and the transfer position of the seedling raising container A when the seedling raising mat M falls down from the guide member 38 is kept constant, thereby improving the reliability of the fitting of the seedling raising mat M to the seedling raising container A.

[0071] In other words, when the seedling raising container A passes beside the guide member 38, the seedling raising container A is moved to the right side of the transfer table 6 by the action of the rubber rollers 56A and 56, thereby improving the reliability of the fitting of the seedling raising container A (Figure 18). A vibration device 60 for vibrating the seedling raising container A up and down is provided on the transfer table 6 on the side of the guide member 38, so that the seedling raising mat M can be securely fitted into the seedling raising container A by vibrating the seedling raising container A up and down during transportation by the transfer means 7.

[0072] The vibration device 60 converts the rotational motion of the vibration motor 60A into vertical motion via a link mechanism L to move the vertical moving body 61 up and down, and applies vibration by hitting the underside of the seedling raising container A from bottom to top, so that the seedling raising mat M placed on the seedling raising container A is fitted into the seedling raising container A by the vibration of the vibration device 60. In another embodiment of the vibration device 60 of FIG. 20, an angular rotor 61A rotates instead of the vertical moving body 61, so that the corners of the rotor 61A come into contact with the bottom surface of the seedling raising container A to vibrate it up and down.

[0073] A push-in roller 65 for pushing the seedling mat M in the seedling container A from above is provided on the downstream side of the damming board 50 in the transport direction, so that the bottom of the seedling mat M comes into close contact with the bottom of the seedling container A, thereby making the subsequent seedling raising of the rice seeds good. The pushing roller 65 has its rotating shaft 66 mounted on a vertical moving body 67, and the vertical moving body 67 is attached to the transfer frame 16 of the transfer table 6 so that its height can be adjusted freely by a height adjustment shaft 68. The vertical moving body 67 is also attached so that it can move freely upward relative to the height adjustment shaft 68. A spring (not shown) is provided on the outer periphery of the height adjustment shaft 68 to constantly urge the pushing roller 65 downward, and the vertical moving body 67 is attached so that it can rotate freely to the mounting table 74 by a mounting shaft 73. Therefore, the pushing roller 65 is positioned in a standby position at a predetermined height by the height adjustment shaft 68, and when the seedling raising container A transported on the transfer table 6 abuts against the underside of the pushing roller 65, the pushing roller 65 is temporarily pushed up, and when the front wall of the seedling raising container A passes below the pushing roller 65, it descends due to the elasticity of the spring (not shown), pressing the seedling raising mat M against the bottom of the seedling raising container A.

[0074] Furthermore, when the rear wall of the seedling container A reaches below the pushing roller 65, it pushes up the pushing roller 65 in the same way as the front wall, passes below the pushing roller 65, and the seedling container A is transported on the transfer table 6 to the seedling container recovery point. In addition, when the upper adjustment dial 70 of the height adjustment shaft 68 is rotated in one direction, the pushing roller 65 is raised, and when it is rotated in the other direction, the pushing roller 65 is lowered, adjusting the height to the top surface height of the seedling mat M to be used. FIG. 23 shows another embodiment of the push roller 65, which is configured with large diameter portions 77 and small diameter portions 78 alternating in the axial direction.

[0075] A forced guide guide 11 is provided on the front upper part of the guide member 38 to guide the seedling mat M so that it forcibly falls toward the seedling container A being transported.The seedling mat M in an upright position is transported by the mat transport means 10, and the transported seedling mat M is supported by the guide member 38.When the rear end of the seedling mat M passes the regulating plate 14 of the mat supply and loading table 12, the forced guide guide 11 forces the seedling mat M to fall onto the seedling container A being transported and fit into it, allowing the seedling container A to be filled with the seedling mat M.

[0076] In addition, the forced guide guide 11 is formed from an axial rod member, and the rear part of the forced guide guide 11 is attached to a predetermined position on the front upper side of the guide member 38 so that it can be moved freely in the forward and backward directions.Therefore, by moving the position of the forced guide guide 11 forward and backward, the timing at which the seedling raising mat M falls sideways can be adjusted, ensuring a secure fit into the seedling raising container A and improving the accuracy of the filling operation.

[0077] In addition, the forced guide guide 11 is curved so that it is positioned in the center between the left and right transfer frames 16 of the transfer table 6 as it approaches the front when viewed in a plane, and is curved so that it becomes lower as it approaches the front when viewed from the side.Therefore, the seedling mat pushed out from the mat supply and loading table 12 by the mat transfer means 10 is transported in an upright state, and when it comes into contact with the forced guide guide 11, the front portion of the seedling mat M is forced by the curved forced guide guide 11 toward the center position between the left and right transfer frames 16 of the transfer table 6, causing the transfer table 6 to fall onto the seedling container A being transported and fit into it.

[0078] In other words, normally, the seedling raising mat M is supported and transported by the regulating plate 14 of the inclined loading plate 13 and the mat transport belt plate 21 of the mat transport means 10, and when the rear end of the seedling raising mat M passes through the passage 15, the seedling raising mat M is released from the support of the regulating plate 14 and the transport of the mat transport means 10 and is allowed to fall onto the seedling raising container A being transported and fit into it, but by providing the forced guide guide 11, the seedling raising mat M can be more reliably transported to the position where the forced guide guide 11 is provided before it begins to fall, making it easier to position the seedling raising mat M in the forward / backward direction to fall relative to the seedling raising container A.

[0079] In this case, at least the lower guide plate portion 40 of the guide member 38 is fixedly attached to the transfer frame 16. A part of the inner end of the lower guide plate portion 40 is raised upward to form an upright plate portion 41, and a mat guide groove 42 is formed between the outer plate 39 and the upright plate portion 41 to guide the seedling mat M transferred by the mat transfer means 10. The upper end of the standing plate portion 41 is inclined so as to become higher toward the front in a side view.

[0080] Therefore, the seedling mat M pushed by the push-in roller 65 of the mat transfer means 10 moves forward through the passage 15 between the mat transfer belt plate 21 of the mat transfer means 10 and the regulating plate 14 of the mat supply and loading table 12, and the lower part of the seedling mat M moving forward is guided while being clamped between the outer plate 39 and the standing plate portion 41 of the guide member 38. The upper end of the standing plate portion 41 is inclined so as to become higher toward the front in a side view, thereby preventing the seedling raising mat M from falling toward the seedling raising container A until the rear end of the seedling raising mat M during movement passes through the passage 15, and when the rear end of the seedling raising mat M passes the restricting plate 14, the seedling raising mat M falls toward the seedling raising container A being moved by the transport table 6 due to its own weight and fits into it.

[0081] As a result, the timing at which the seedling raising mat M falls can be synchronized with the seedling raising container A by the forced guide guide 11 and the standing plate portion 41 of the guide member 38, and the front-to-back positioning of the seedling raising mat M relative to the seedling raising container A can be reliably achieved. [Explanation of symbols]

[0082] 1...upper surface, 2...lower surface 2, 3...front surface, 4...rear surface, 5...side surface, 6...transfer table, 7...transfer means, 10...mat transfer means, 11...forced guide guide, 12...mat supply and placement table, 13...inclined placement plate 3, 13A...vibrating side stay, 13B...fixed side stay, 14...regulating plate, 15...passageway, 16...transfer frame, 17...support leg, 18...seedling container supply section, 20...rotating roller, 21...mat transfer belt plate, 22...mat transfer motor, 23...transfer protrusion, 24...moving member, 26...support member, 27...roller, 28...roller shaft, 29...guide roller, 30...guide rod, 31...guide groove, 32...engagement hole, 33A...support column, 33AB...connecting rod, 33C...mounting plate, 34...mat auxiliary supply section, 35...inclined plate, 36...plate Vibration unit, 38...guide member, 39...outer plate, 40...lower guide plate portion, 41...standing plate portion, 42...mat guide groove, 45...synchronization start switch, 46...transport stop switch, 47...transport confirmation switch, 50...damming plate, 51...front wall, 53...transport belt, 55...transport roller, 56...rubber roller, 57...rotating shaft, 58...seedling container transport motor, 59...guiding guide, 60...vibration device, 60A...vibration motor, 61...up and down moving body, 62...rotating body, 63...rod, 64...vibration-damming member, 65...push roller, 66...rotating shaft, 67...up and down moving body, 68...height adjustment shaft, 70...adjustment dial, 73...mounting shaft, 74...mounting base, 77...large diameter portion, 78...small diameter portion, A...seedling container, M...seedling mat.

Claims

1. A seedling raising mat filling device is provided with a mat transfer means 10 on one of a pair of left and right transfer frames 16 of a transfer table 1 having a transfer means 7 for transferring seedling containers A, the mat transfer means 10 transferring seedling mats M in an upright position with either the left or right side 5 facing downwards, a mat supply and loading table 12 on which seedling mats M to be supplied to the mat transfer means 10 are placed in an upright position with their side 5 facing downwards, a guide member 38 for guiding the seedling mats M transferred by the mat transfer means 10 is provided on the downstream side of the transfer direction of the mat transfer means 10, and a forced guide guide 11 for forcibly guiding the seedling mats M toward the seedling containers A being transferred is provided on the front upper part of the guide member 38.

2. 2. The seedling mat filling device according to claim 1, wherein the forced guide guide 11 is formed by an axial rod member, and the rear part of the forced guide guide 11 is attached to a predetermined position on the front upper side of the guide member 38 so as to be freely movable in the front and rear directions.

3. In claim 1 or claim 2, the forced guide guide 11 is curved toward the center between the left and right transfer frames 16 of the transfer table 6 as it approaches the front when viewed in a plane, and is curved so that it becomes lower as it approaches the front when viewed from the side.

4. In claims 1 to 3, the seedling mat filling device has a seedling container supply section 18 on the upstream side of the mat supply loading table 12 provided on the transfer table 6 in the direction of transport of the seedling container A, which has a supply space capable of supplying at least one seedling container A.

5. In claims 1 to 4, the guide member 38 is composed of an outer plate 39 and a lower guide plate portion 40, the lower guide plate portion 40 is fixedly attached to the transfer frame 16, and a standing plate portion 41 is provided on part or all of the inner end side of the lower guide plate portion 40 by standing upward, and a mat guide groove 42 is formed between the outer plate 39 and the standing plate portion 41 to guide the seedling mat M transferred by the mat transfer means 10, in this seedling mat filling device.

6. 6. The seedling mat filling device according to claim 5, wherein the upper end of the upright plate portion 41 is inclined so as to become higher toward the front in a side view.

7. In claims 1 to 6, a seedling mat filling device is provided with a dam plate 50 that abuts against the front surface 3 of the seedling mat M resting on the upper surface of the front wall 51 of the seedling container A, at a height position above the transport path of the seedling container A on the transport table 6 in front of the forced guide guide 11, but at a height position that does not contact the seedling container A.

8. 8. The seedling mat filling device according to claim 7, wherein the blocking plate is inclined so that the rear side in the transport direction of the seedling containers A is higher and the front side becomes lower.

9. In the seedling mat filling device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, a push-in roller 65 for pushing the seedling mat M in the seedling container A from above is provided on the downstream side of the blocking plate 50 in the transport direction.

10. In claims 1 to 9, a seedling container supply section 18 having a supply space large enough to supply at least one seedling container A is provided on the upstream side of the mat supply loading table 12 provided on the transfer table 6 in the direction of transfer of the seedling container A, and the transfer means 7, which is downstream of the end of the seedling container supply section 18 in the direction of transfer of the seedling container A, has a plurality of transfer rollers 55 arranged in the direction of transfer of the seedling container A, and the transfer rollers 55 have at least a pair of left and right rubber rollers 56 fixedly attached to a rotating shaft 57, and of the rubber rollers 56 attached to the rotating shaft 57, the diameter of the rubber roller 56A on the mat transfer means 10 side is larger than the diameter of the rubber roller 56B on the opposite side of the mat transfer means 10, and a guide 59 for the seedling container A is provided on the transfer frame 16 on the opposite side of the mat transfer means 10.

11. A seedling mat filling device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein a vibration device 60 for vibrating the seedling container A up and down is provided on the transfer table 6 on the side of the guide member 38.

12. A seedling raising container A is transported in a horizontal position by the transport means 7 of the transport table 6, and in synchronization with the transport of this seedling raising container A, a seedling raising mat M placed in a vertically upright position with its side 5 facing downwards on a mat supply and loading table 12 is transported in the vertically upright position by the mat transport means 10, the seedling raising mat M being transported by the mat transport means 10 is supported by a guide member 38, and when the rear of the seedling raising mat M passes the front of the mat transport means 10, the forced guide guide 11 provided on the guide member 38 forces the seedling raising mat M to fall sideways toward the transport path L of the transport table 6, thereby fitting it into the seedling raising container A and filling it.

13. In claim 12, when the seedling mat M is transported faster than the transport speed of the seedling container A and forcibly tilted sideways toward the transport path L of the transport table 6 by the forced guide guide 11, the front end of the seedling mat M protrudes forward a predetermined length from the front end of the seedling container A, and the protruding front end of the seedling mat M is blocked from transport by a blocking plate 50 provided above the transport path of the seedling container A on the transport table 6, and is fitted into the seedling container A.

14. In claim 12 or claim 13, a seedling mat filling method is provided in which the transport is blocked by a blocking plate 50 to fit the seedling mat M into the seedling container A, and then the seedling mat M is pushed from above into the seedling container A by a pushing roller 65 to fill and fit it.

Images