Work vehicles

Abstract

To provide a working vehicle for cultivation equipment that can select an appropriate cultivation bed to enter a working passage thereof to work, in a mobile working vehicle running in a plant cultivation facility.SOLUTION: The present invention provided with each working passage 9 between a plurality of cultivation beds 5 and a moving passage 4 leading to each working passage 9 at the end of the cultivation bed 5; a working passage entry position detection sensor 33 for detecting the entry position to the working passage 9 while moving on the moving passage 4 is provided; in a working vehicle configured to stop a running vehicle body 21 when the working passage entry position is detected during running on the moving passage 4, obstacle detection sensors 36, 36 for detecting an obstacle in the working passage 9 from the entry position of the working passage are provided; and when an obstacle Q is detected in the working passage 9 by the obstacle detection sensors 36, 36, it moves to detect the next working passage entry position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a work vehicle such as a transport vehicle that transports storage buckets for storing harvested crops in a plant cultivation facility. [Background technology]

[0002] In a plant cultivation facility, an automatic harvesting robot automatically travels along a harvesting lane between multiple parallel cultivation beds, picking fruit and vegetables grown in the cultivation beds. The robot is equipped with a container presence sensor that detects storage containers for harvesting fruit and vegetables that are placed in advance in the harvesting lane between the cultivation beds, and the robot selects a harvesting lane between cultivation beds where the container presence sensor detects an empty storage container, and travels through it to perform the harvesting work (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-69333 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] According to Patent Document 1, there is an advantage in that harvesting can be performed by simply selecting a lane between cultivation beds on which storage containers are placed, but it cannot deal with objects or obstacles other than empty storage containers.

[0005] In view of the above, the present invention provides a work vehicle for a cultivation facility that can select an appropriate cultivation bed and enter its work passage to work thereon, for work other than harvesting. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve this problem, The first invention is a facility having work passages (9) between a plurality of cultivation beds (5) and moving passages (4) leading to the work passages (9) at the ends of the cultivation beds (5), and is provided with work passage entry position detection sensors (33L, 33R) that detect an entry position into the work passages (9) while moving along the moving passages (4), and is configured to stop the traveling vehicle body (21) when the work passage entry position is detected while traveling along the moving passages (4), and is provided with obstacle detection sensors (36, 36) that detect an obstacle (Q) in the work passage (9) from the work passage entry position, and when the obstacle detection sensors (36, 36) detect an obstacle (Q) in the work passage (9), the work vehicle moves to detect the next work passage entry position, The traveling vehicle body (21) is provided with raceways (20b) that run on a pair of left and right rails (13L, 13R) arranged in each working passage (9) and wheels (20a) that run on the moving passage (4), and the working passage entry position detection sensors (33L, 33R) are provided in pairs on the left and right and are configured to detect the rails (13L, 13R) from the side of the traveling vehicle body (21) that faces the rails (13L, 13R), As the traveling vehicle body (21) moves laterally along the moving path (4), the preceding work path entry position detection sensor (33R) detects the leading rail (13L) of the pair and outputs the detection output to the control device (C). As the traveling vehicle body (21) continues moving laterally, when the leading work path entry position detection sensor (33R) passes the other trailing rail (13R), the detection output is output to the control device (C). The control device (C) is configured to determine that the traveling vehicle body (21) has reached the entrance of the predetermined working passage (9) on the condition that the trailing working passage entry position detection sensor (33L) has not detected the preceding rail (13L), The obstacle sensors (36, 36) are located at the middle of the pair of left and right work passage entry position detection sensors (33L, 33R) in the left-right direction, This work vehicle is characterized in that the distance between the pair of left and right work passage entry position detection sensors (33L, 33R) is set at a position wider than the distance between the pair of left and right rails (13L, 13R). In the second aspect of the present invention, the work passage entry position detection sensors (33L, 33R) are configured to detect a downwardly forward direction, and the obstacle detection sensors (36, 36) are configured to detect a forward direction, The obstacle detection sensors (36, 36) also have the function of detecting whether the work vehicle has passed the ends (13t) of the rails (13L, 13R) or not, and determining whether the work vehicle is on the transfer passage (4) side or the work passage (9) side; when they detect entry from the transfer passage (4) into the work passage (9) and determine that the front wheels of the track wheels (20b) are on the pair of rails (13L, 13R), they change the speed of the front and rear wheels to make the work vehicle travel faster, or they set the front wheels free and make the work vehicle travel mainly with the rear wheels propelling the work vehicle; this is the first work vehicle of the present invention. The third aspect of the present invention is a sensor support rod (35) extending left and right in front of the traveling body (21), and provided with work passage entry position detection sensors (33L, 33R) on both the left and right sides of the rod (35), The work vehicle according to the second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that obstacle detection sensors (36, 36) are provided in the center of the sensor support rod (35). First invention related to the present invention The work vehicle is provided with each work passage 9 between a plurality of cultivation beds 5 and a moving passage 4 leading to each work passage 9 at the end of the cultivation bed 5, and is provided with a work passage entry position detection sensor 33 that detects the entry position to the work passage 9 while moving along the moving passage 4, and is configured to stop the traveling vehicle body 21 when the work passage entry position is detected while traveling along the moving passage 4, and is provided with obstacle detection sensors 36, 36 that detect obstacles in the work passage 9 from the work passage entry position, and when the obstacle detection sensors 36, 36 detect an obstacle Q in the work passage 9, it moves to detect the next work passage entry position.

[0007] Second invention related to the present invention teeth, First invention related to the present invention In this configuration, the traveling vehicle body 21 is provided with track wheels 20b that run on a pair of left and right rails 13 arranged on each work passage 9, and wheels 20a that run on the moving passage 4, and the work passage entry position detection sensor 33 is configured to detect the rails 13 on the side of the traveling vehicle body 21 facing the rails 13.

[0008] Third invention related to the present invention teeth, Second invention related to the present invention In the above, the work passage entry position detection sensor 33 is configured to detect in a downward forward direction, and the obstacle detection sensors 36, 36 are configured to be able to detect in front. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, by configuring the work passage 9 to be able to detect the presence or absence of an obstacle, when the presence of an obstacle Q is detected, work in that work passage 9 is not performed and the work passage 9 is moved to the next work passage 9, thereby enabling the work passage 9 to be moved to quickly. First invention related to the present invention According to the above, by configuring the work passage 9 to be able to detect whether or not there is an obstacle in the work passage 9, if the presence of an obstacle Q is detected, work will not be performed in that work passage 9 and the robot will head to the next work passage 9, allowing the robot to move to the next work passage 9 quickly.

[0010] Second invention related to the present invention According to First invention related to the present inventionIn addition to the above effect, the working passage entry position detection sensor 33 detects the rail 13 on the side of the traveling vehicle body 21 facing the rail 13, thereby improving detection accuracy.

[0011] Third invention related to the present invention teeth, Second invention related to the present invention In addition to the above effect, the traveling rail 13 and the obstacle Q can be easily detected separately. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a plant cultivation facility according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1A is a side view of a harvesting vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a plan view of the harvesting vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a side view showing an example of harvesting operation according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the stacking of buckets according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 1 is a side view showing a travel means and its surroundings of a work vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are plan views showing the state in which the working passage entry position is detected in the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an obstacle detection state in a working passage according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] 10A to 10C are plan views showing different obstacle detection states in the working passage according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] 5A to 5D are plan views showing the operation of the wheel rotating means and the movement state of the work vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 1A and 1B are plan views showing a turning state of a work vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] 1 is a plan view showing a detection state of a side obstacle detection sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 12]1A is a plan view showing an installation state of an obstacle detection sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a side view thereof. [Figure 13] 5A to 5C are plan views showing different examples of the working passage entry position detection sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] A greenhouse facility according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

[0014] First, a greenhouse facility according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to FIGS.

[0015] FIG. 1 shows an example of a cultivation facility. This cultivation facility includes a greenhouse cultivation room 1, where the temperature, humidity, and other indoor environmental conditions are controlled using heaters, humidifiers, and the like, and a shipping room 2 adjacent to the cultivation room 1. A main passageway 4 is provided in the center of the cultivation room 1, allowing passage for workers, mobile work vehicles (work trolleys) 3, pest control vehicles, and the like. This main passageway 4 is a concrete passageway with a concrete road surface. On either side of the main passageway 4, a cultivation space 6 for cultivating crops is formed, with multiple rows of cultivation beds 5, which serve as cultivation units. The cultivation beds 5 are cultivation beds made of rock wool, which serves as a culture medium, and nutrient solution is supplied to each cultivation bed 5 from a nutrient solution supplying device 7 in the shipping room 2.

[0016] In addition, entrances 8 to the cultivation rooms 1, each equipped with an opening / closing door, are provided on both ends of the main passage 4, and one of the entrances 8 allows access to the adjacent shipping room 2. The other entrance 8 allows access from outside the cultivation facility. The mobile work vehicle 3 can be moved from the main passage 4 to a sub-passage 9 between each cultivation bed 5, and various tasks can be performed on the plants being cultivated while moving the mobile work vehicle 3 along the cultivation beds 5 on the sub-passage 9. The sub-passage 9 is a passage formed in the front-to-back direction between the left and right sides of each cultivation bed 5. The mobile work vehicle 3 runs on rails 13 on the left and right heating pipes laid on the sub-passage 9 that heat the entire greenhouse.

[0017] The shipping room 2 is equipped with the aforementioned nutrient solution supplying device 7 and a sorting device 10 that sorts harvested produce (fruit), such as tomatoes, by weight, size, or grade. The sorting device 10 serves as a pre-treatment device for processing cultivated crops before shipping. The sorting device 10 includes a sorting conveyor 11 that transports and sorts the harvested produce, and harvested produce storage sections 12 for each class located on both sides of the sorting conveyor 11. The sorting conveyor 11 supplies the harvested produce to each harvested produce storage section 12, where it is sorted into each class. The sorting conveyor 11 is bent in an L-shape in plan view. Each harvested produce storage section 12 is provided with a storage box for storing the harvested produce, and the harvested produce is shipped in each storage box.

[0018] A guide wire 15 is installed above the cultivation bed 5 along the cultivation rows. The cultivated plants of the plant P are guided by a guide string 17, which hangs from the guide wire 15 via a guide hook 16. The guide hook 16 is suspended from the guide wire 15, and the guide string 17 is wound around the guide wire 15 and appropriately unwound to hang downward, as is well known. After the plant grows to a predetermined height (near the guide hook 16), the guide string 17 is unwound from the guide hook 16 and gradually shifted in the direction of the arrangement of the multiple cultivated plants, i.e., along the length of the cultivation bed 5, to lower the plant height and continue cultivation. Therefore, for example, when cultivating a tomato f, the tomato stem c will extend from the cultivation bed 5 along the guide string 17 (Figure 3).

[0019] The mobile work vehicle 3 is a harvesting work vehicle, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. A traveling body 21 (hereinafter also referred to as working body 21) is supported for travel by front, rear, left and right traveling wheels 20 (hereinafter also referred to as traveling device 20) and is equipped with a harvesting arm 22, and clamping lift mechanisms 25, 26 that stack and unstack harvest storage buckets A, A... in multiple stages in upper and lower storage spaces 23, 24 formed in the traveling body 21. The harvesting arm 22 and upper and lower clamping lift mechanisms 25, 26 are operated by a control device C (hereinafter also referred to as control means C) that receives setting signals and input signals from various sensors such as an imaging device (not shown), and are processed and output command signals to operate actuators such as control motors, thereby automatically carrying out fruit harvesting and fruit storage in bucket A.

[0020] The buckets A are stacked in the lower storage space 24 of the upper and lower storage spaces 23, 24, and in this state, tomatoes f harvested by the harvesting arm 22 are sequentially supplied to the uppermost bucket A (Fig. 4(a)). When the uppermost bucket A is full, the lower clamping lift mechanism 26 lifts the lowermost bucket A, i.e., all buckets A, A... are raised (Fig. 4(b)). Then, when the uppermost bucket A rises to the standby position of the upper clamping lift mechanism 25, this upper clamping lift mechanism 25 engages and raises the uppermost bucket A, so that the uppermost bucket A, which has now contained the tomatoes, waits in the upper storage space 23 (Fig. 4(c)).

[0021] Next, the harvesting arm 22 supplies the empty bucket A, which is now at the top of the lower storage space 24, with the harvested tomatoes f until it is full. Then, the bucket A supported by the upper clamping lift mechanism 25 is lowered and placed on top of the full bucket A (Fig. 1(d)). The lower clamping lift mechanism 26 then raises all the buckets A, A, ..., and the second-highest full bucket A is raised while supported by the upper clamping lift mechanism 25 (Fig. 1(e)). In this way, the buckets A that become full one after another are stacked and transferred to the upper storage space 23. When the bottommost bucket A supported by the lower clamping lift mechanism 26 is filled with harvested tomatoes f (Fig. 1(f)), harvesting is complete. The bucket A supported by the upper clamping lift mechanism 25 is then stacked on top of this bottommost bucket A (Fig. 1(g)), and all the upper buckets A are lowered (Fig. 1(h)). The multi-stage bucket A containing the harvested tomatoes f is then moved to the lower storage space 24. The bucket A waiting in this lower storage space 24 is moved to the outside of the traveling vehicle body 21 by opening the bottom or by conveyor transport means as appropriate.

[0022] 3, support base 27 of harvesting arm 22 is configured to be movable in the front-to-rear direction of traveling body 21 along guide rails 28 provided along the boundary between upper and lower storage spaces 23, 24. Therefore, if all buckets A, A... are positioned in lower storage space 24, harvesting arm 22 can be moved forward along guide rails 28, allowing tomatoes f growing on stems c approaching building wall 29 to be harvested. Since there are not many harvested tomatoes f, they can be stored in the uppermost bucket A, which has remaining storage space.

[0023] Next, the greenhouse equipment according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference mainly to FIGS.

[0024] First, we will explain the traveling mechanism and its peripheral configuration of the mobile work vehicle 3. Each pair of traveling wheels 20 on the front, rear, left, and right sides consists of a large-diameter rubber wheel 20a supported on a wheel axle 30 and a small-diameter track ring 20b supported coaxially, and each wheel axle 30 is driven by a traveling drive motor 31. Therefore, the rubber wheels 20a allow the vehicle to travel along the main passage 4 (hereinafter also referred to as the travel route 4, travel passage 4, or work passage 4) within the cultivation room 1, and the track rings 20b allow the vehicle to travel along the rails 13 of the sub-passage 9 (hereinafter also referred to as the work passage 9). Each wheel axle 30 is equipped with a wheel turning mechanism M, which allows the wheel axle 30 to rotate around its vertical axis. The rubber wheels 20a and raceways 20b can be adjusted to an angle of 0° or 90° while the traveling body 21 remains fixed. For example, at an angle of 0°, the rubber wheels 20a travel along the travel path 4, and when the angle is changed to 90°, the raceways 20b travel along the rails 13 and through the work passage 9. This eliminates the need to change the direction of the traveling body 21. A specific example of the wheel turning mechanism M provided on each of the front, rear, left, and right traveling devices 20 is a motor shaft attached to the vertical axis, with the wheel axle 30 connected to the lower end and a reversible turning drive motor attached to the upper end. The wheel axle 30 rotates around its vertical axis as the turning drive motor rotates forward and backward, simultaneously rotating the rubber wheels 20a and raceways 20b.

[0025] Next, we will explain the control for determining the entry position of the work passage 9 in the mobile work vehicle 3 when traveling through the transfer passage 4. In order to circulate hot water on the two parallel rails 13L, 13R, end portions 13t formed in a roughly U-shape are arranged in multiple rows, and the control device C inputs detection information from the work passage entry position detection sensor 33 and determines whether or not the entry position has been reached based on the detection of this work passage entry position detection sensor 33. The rail end portions 13t are provided at the start end of each work passage 9.

[0026] A sensor arm 34 is provided protruding forward of the traveling vehicle body 21, and a pair of left and right working passage entry position detection sensors 33L, 33R in the form of laser sensors are provided on a sensor support rod 35 connecting the left and right sensor arms 34L, 34R. When the traveling vehicle body 21 advances sideways along the moving passage 4, the working passage entry position detection sensors 33L, 33R on the front and rear sides of the traveling passage determine whether the entry position has been reached based on whether or not they detect a rail 13. As the traveling vehicle body 21 advances sideways along the moving passage 4, the preceding working passage entry position detection sensor 33R (the right sensor in the illustrated example) detects one of the pair of rails 13L and outputs its detection output to the control device C (FIG. 6(A)). As the traveling vehicle body 21 continues to advance sideways, the working passage entry position detection sensor 33R passes the other rail 13R, and the detection output is output to the control device C. At the same time, if the work passage entry position detection sensor 33L, which is proceeding (following) at a later time, does not detect the rail 13L (same figure (B)), the control device C is configured to determine that the traveling vehicle body 21 has reached the entrance of the specified work passage 9.

[0027] When the control device C determines that the traveling vehicle body 21 has reached the adjacent work passage 9, it controls the traveling drive motor 31 to stop. At the same time, it controls the wheel turning means M to change its angle. When the traveling drive motor 31 is started again, the traveling vehicle body 21 moves along the pair of rails 13L, 13R, with the back side of the work passage 9 as the forward direction of travel. Then, when an approach position detection sensor (not shown) detects that the traveling vehicle body 21 has approached the building wall 29, the traveling vehicle body 21 is controlled to stop, the traveling drive motor 31 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the traveling vehicle body 21 moves in the backward direction of travel and returns to the transfer passage 4 again.

[0028] The vehicle then moves to the adjacent work passage 9 to continue work, but the control means C returns the wheel turning means M to an angle of 0 degrees and drives the travel drive motor 31 again to move the work vehicle body 21 along the transfer passage 4, and the work passage entry position detection sensor 33 detects the entry position of the next work passage 9, thereby repeating the movement.

[0029] A pair of obstacle detection sensors 36, 36 are provided close to each other in the center of the sensor support rod 35. These obstacle detection sensors 36, 36 detect the presence or absence of an obstacle Q in the direction of irradiation based on the detection output of laser light emitted toward the floor surface, and the control device C can detect this. In other words, when the working passage entry position detection sensors 33L, 33R determine that the traveling vehicle body 21 has reached the entrance to the predetermined working passage 9, the presence or absence of an obstacle Q in the predetermined working passage 9 is determined based on the detection information signal input from the obstacle detection sensors 36, 36.

[0030] Therefore, when the obstacle detection sensors 36, 36 do not detect an obstacle Q in the predetermined work passage 9, entry is permitted (arrow a in FIG. 7), and when the obstacle detection sensors 36, 36 detect an obstacle Q (a work cart in the illustrated example) in the predetermined work passage 9, the control means C prohibits entry into the work passage 9, causes the traveling vehicle body 21 to travel sideways through the movement passage 4 (arrow b in FIG. 7), and causes the vehicle to detect the entrance to the next work passage 9. In this way, by adopting a configuration that can detect the presence or absence of an obstacle in the work passage 9, when the presence of an obstacle Q is detected, work is not performed in that work passage 9 and the vehicle heads to the next work passage 9, allowing the vehicle to quickly move to the next work passage 9. Furthermore, if an object such as an empty container is placed in advance in a work passage 9 where no work is scheduled to be performed, it can be regarded as an obstacle Q and work can be prevented from being performed in that work passage 9 (FIG. 8).

[0031] The work passage entry position detection sensors 33L, 33R that detect the pair of rails 13L, 13R are equipped to detect in the downward forward direction, and the obstacle detection sensors 36, 36 are equipped to detect in front. Therefore, it is possible to easily detect the traveling rails 13L, 13R and the obstacle Q separately.

[0032] The obstacle detection sensors 36, 36 are also configured to have the function of detecting whether the work vehicle has passed over the end 13t of the rail 13, and determining whether it is on the transfer passage 4 side or the work passage 9 side. For example, when it is detected that the work vehicle has entered the work passage 9 from the transfer passage 4, that is, when it is determined that the front wheels of the track wheels 20b are on the pair of rails 13L, 13R, the speed of the front and rear wheels is changed to make the front wheels faster, or the front wheels are left free to make the rear wheels the main propulsion driving state, thereby enabling smooth travel even when changing over to a rail.

[0033] Figure 9 shows the wheels of this work vehicle as it moves back and forth from the work aisle 4 to the transfer aisle 4, and the operation of the wheel turning means M is controlled in a timely manner. Specifically, the vehicle travels along the work aisle 9 on its track wheels 20b, stops when it reaches the transfer aisle 4 (Figure 9(A)), turns (Figure 9(B)), and then starts traveling along the transfer aisle 4 (Figure 9(D)). With this configuration, if the wheels are turned all at once, the vehicle body may move due to the load or resistance between the wheels and the floor, but this can be reduced by making the movement short. Furthermore, to determine the correct vehicle direction after the turning operation in Figure 9(B), the turning accuracy can be improved by inputting detection information from the work aisle entry position detection sensor 33, as shown in Figure 9(C), to check the degree of inclination and instruct the necessary turning correction.

[0034] Furthermore, instead of the wheel turning means M, the work vehicle may be configured to turn, and the turning state may be determined by an image capturing camera 37 mounted at an appropriate position on the traveling body 21 (Fig. 10). That is, after leaving the rail 13 onto the passageway 4, the traveling body 21 turns and changes direction, and during this time, measurements are taken by the camera 37 continuously, and the turning is determined based on the captured images. For example, when the image capturing state of the target plant is in Fig. 10(A), it is determined that the turning is in progress, and when it becomes Fig. 10(B), it is determined that the turning is complete.

[0035] Incidentally, side obstacle detection sensors 38 are provided on the sides of the traveling vehicle body 21 to detect the wall surface W at the end of the travel path 4 and prevent unexpected contact accidents (Fig. 11). These side obstacle detection sensors 38 are, for example, ultrasonic wave emitting sensors, and three sensors, a front obstacle sensor 38f, a middle obstacle sensor 38c, and a rear obstacle sensor 38r, are provided at the front, middle, and rear positions on the side of the vehicle body, and are of a known configuration that can detect the presence or absence of an obstacle V or a wall surface W and its distance from the traveling vehicle body 21 by receiving reflections of ultrasonic waves emitted from obstacles on the side of the traveling vehicle body 21 or from the wall surface of a building.

[0036] Therefore, the traveling vehicle body 21 can safely proceed along the moving passage 4 until it detects the wall surface W, and can enter the predetermined working passage 9. When the wall surface W or the obstacle V is detected, an alarm is issued and the traveling part is stopped to restrict the traveling along the moving passage 4.

[0037] 12 and 13 show alternative configurations of the obstacle detection sensors 36, 36 that can determine whether the work vehicle is on the moving path 4 side or the working path 9 side. In FIG. 12, the obstacle detection sensors 36', 36' are placed at a high position and configured to be able to detect the presence or absence of a cultivation bed 5, and when the cultivation bed 5 is detected, it can be determined that the work vehicle has reached the rail 13.

[0038] Next, guide rolls 41L, 41R are mounted on a sensor support rod 40 at the front of the traveling vehicle body 21. The arms 42L, 42R supporting the guide rolls 41L, 41R are pivotally mounted around a vertical axis and are normally held facing forward by a biasing means (not shown). When the work passage entry position detection sensor 33 detects the work passage entry position (FIG. 13(A)), and the guide rolls 41L, 41R enter the rail 13, the left and right guide rolls 41L, 41R are spread apart. By detecting the rotation of the arms 42L, 42R with a detection means such as a potentiometer, it can be determined that the guide rolls 41L, 41R have approached the rail 13 on the work passage 9 and that the raceway ring 20b has reached the rail 13 (FIG. 13(B)). By incorporating a rotary encoder into the guide rolls 41L, 41R, the travel distance and position can be calculated based on the contact rotation with the rail 13. This allows for confirmation of normal travel (FIG. 13(C)). [Explanation of symbols]

[0039] 4. Walkway 5. Cultivation beds 9 Work passage 13 Rail 20a wheels 20b Raceway ring 21 Running vehicle 33 Work passage entry position detection sensor 36 Obstacle detection sensor Q Obstacle

Claims

1. In a facility having work passages (9) between a plurality of cultivation beds (5) and moving passages (4) leading to each work passage (9) at the ends of the cultivation beds (5), work passage entry position detection sensors (33L, 33R) are provided to detect the entry position to the work passage (9) while moving along the moving passage (4), and the traveling vehicle body (21) is configured to stop when the work passage entry position is detected while traveling along the moving passage (4), and obstacle detection sensors (36, 36) are provided to detect an obstacle (Q) in the work passage (9) from the work passage entry position, and when an obstacle (Q) is detected in the work passage (9) by the obstacle detection sensors (36, 36), the work vehicle moves to detect the next work passage entry position, The traveling vehicle body (21) is provided with raceways (20b) that run on a pair of left and right rails (13L, 13R) arranged in each working passage (9) and wheels (20a) that run on the moving passage (4), and the working passage entry position detection sensors (33L, 33R) are provided in pairs on the left and right and are configured to detect the rails (13L, 13R) from the side of the traveling vehicle body (21) that faces the rails (13L, 13R), As the traveling vehicle body (21) advances laterally along the travel path (4), the preceding work path entry position detection sensor (33R) detects the leading rail (13L) of the pair and outputs the detection output to the control device (C), and as the traveling vehicle body (21) continues to advance laterally, when the leading work path entry position detection sensor (33R) passes the other trailing rail (13R), the detection output is output to the control device (C), The control device (C) is configured to determine that the traveling vehicle body (21) has reached the entrance of the predetermined working passage (9) on the condition that the trailing working passage entry position detection sensor (33L) has not detected the preceding rail (13L), The obstacle sensors (36, 36) are located at the middle in the left-right direction between the pair of left and right work passage entry position detection sensors (33L, 33R), A work vehicle characterized in that the distance between a pair of left and right work passage entry position detection sensors (33L, 33R) is set at a position wider than the distance between the pair of left and right rails (13L, 13R).

2. The work passage entry position detection sensors (33L, 33R) are configured to detect the forward downward direction, and the obstacle detection sensors (36, 36) are configured to be able to detect the front, The obstacle detection sensors (36, 36) also have the function of detecting whether the work vehicle has passed over the ends (13t) of the rails (13L, 13R) and determining whether the work vehicle is on the transfer passage (4) side or the work passage (9) side, and when they detect entry from the transfer passage (4) into the work passage (9) and determine that the front wheels of the track wheels (20b) are on the pair of rails (13L, 13R), they change the speed of the front and rear wheels to make the work vehicle run faster, or they set the front wheels free and make the work vehicle run mainly with the rear wheels propelling the work vehicle.

3. A work passage entry position detection sensor (33L, 33R) is provided on each of the left and right sides of a sensor support rod (35) extending left and right in front of the traveling body (21), 3. A work vehicle according to claim 2, wherein obstacle detection sensors (36, 36) are provided in the center of the sensor support rod (35).

Images