Agricultural material supply device in agricultural machine

Abstract

Provided is an agricultural material supply device in an agricultural machine, the device being capable of reducing labor of supplying agricultural materials to an operation portion of the agricultural machine.　An agricultural material supply device (2) that supplies an agricultural material (3) to an operation portion (18) of an agricultural machine (1) comprises: a placement portion (29) that is fixedly supported by a machine body (5) of the agricultural machine (1) and on which an agricultural material (3) conveyed and supplied by a flight body (31) is placed; and a supply portion (30) that receives the agricultural material (3) from the placement portion (29) and supplies the agricultural material (3) to the work portion (18). The placement portion (29) has an adjustment body (34) that adjusts the position of the agricultural material (3) on the placement portion (29) in the machine body width direction (K1) of the agricultural machine (1), and a delivery body (35) for pushing out the agricultural material (3) on the placement portion (29) to the supply portion (30).

Description

Agricultural material supply device for agricultural machinery

[0001] The present invention relates to an agricultural material supplying device for an agricultural machine, for example, a seedling supplying device for a rice transplanter.

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, an agricultural machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known.

[0003] The agricultural machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a rice transplanter with a seedling planting device, which is the working part of the agricultural machine, provided at the rear of the machine body. The seedling planting device extracts a predetermined number of seedlings from a mat of seedlings, which is agricultural material, and plants them in a field.

[0004] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-158130

[0005] In the case of agricultural machinery, there is a demand for reducing the labor required to supply agricultural materials to the working section of the machinery.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an agricultural material supplying device for an agricultural machine that can reduce the labor required to supply agricultural materials to a working unit of the agricultural machine.

[0007] An agricultural material supplying device for agricultural machinery according to one embodiment of the present invention is an agricultural material supplying device that supplies agricultural materials to a working section of the agricultural machinery, and is equipped with a loading section that is fixedly supported on the body of the agricultural machinery and on which the agricultural materials transported and supplied by an aircraft are placed, and a supplying section that receives the agricultural materials from the loading section and supplies them to the working section.

[0008] The loading section may have an adjustment body that adjusts the position of the agricultural material on the loading section in the width direction of the body of the agricultural machine, and a sending body that pushes the agricultural material on the loading section toward the supply section.

[0009] The working unit may be a material supply unit to which the agricultural materials are supplied, and has a plurality of material supply units arranged in a line in the width direction of the machine body, and the supply unit has a receiving member that receives the agricultural materials pushed out by the sending body, and the receiving member is freely movable in the width direction of the machine body and is configured to send out the agricultural materials to any one of the plurality of material supply units.

[0010] The receiving member may be capable of changing its position between a receiving position for receiving the agricultural material from the storage section and an inclined position that slopes forward as it moves upward, and may be configured to change the agricultural material received from the storage section from the receiving position to the inclined position and send it out to the material supply section.

[0011] The supply section has a relay mechanism that relays the movement of the agricultural material from the receiving member in the inclined position to the working section, and the relay mechanism may have a plurality of chute sections arranged corresponding to the plurality of material supply sections, and may have a plurality of chute sections that slide the agricultural material sent out from the receiving member down to the corresponding material supply section.

[0012] The receiving member can be freely moved back and forth between a receiving position where it receives the agricultural material from the storage section and a retracted position where it is moved further rearward than the receiving position, and the relay mechanism may have a positioning section where the receiving member is positioned in the retracted position to align the receiving member with any one of the multiple chute sections.

[0013] The supply section may have an engaging section that moves together with the receiving member, and the positioning section may include a plurality of engaging sections arranged to correspond to the plurality of chute sections, and may include a plurality of engaging sections into which the engaging section selectively engages when the receiving member is positioned in the retracted position.

[0014] An agricultural material supply device in an agricultural machine may include a support frame attached to the body of the machine, a first movable table supported on the support frame so as to be freely movable in the width direction of the body, and a second movable table supported on the first movable table so as to be freely movable in the forward and backward directions, and the receiving member may be supported on the second movable table so as to be freely changeable in position between the receiving position and the inclined position.

[0015] According to the agricultural material supply device in the above-mentioned agricultural machinery, it is equipped with a loading section on which agricultural materials transported and supplied by an aircraft are placed, and a supply section that receives the agricultural materials from the loading section and supplies them to the working section, thereby reducing the effort required to supply agricultural materials to the working section.

[0016] 1 is a side view of a rice transplanter equipped with a seedling supplying device. FIG. 1 is a side view of the machine body. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the seedling loading table and the seedling supplying device. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the seedling supplying device. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the placing unit and the receiving member. FIG. 5 is a side view of the placing unit and the receiving member. FIG. 6 is a front view of the flying body and the placing unit. FIG. 7 is a plan view showing an example of driving the adjustment body and the send-out body with an actuator. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the support frame, the first movable carriage, the second movable carriage and the receiving member. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the first movable carriage seen from above. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the first movable carriage and the second movable carriage seen from below. FIG. 11 is a front view of the receiving member, the first movable carriage and the second movable carriage etc. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the second movable carriage seen from above. FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view of the receiving member, the first movable carriage and the second movable carriage in an inclined position. FIG. 14 is a side cross-sectional view showing the receiving member in a horizontal position positioned at the rear of the range of movement in the front-to-rear direction. FIG. 15 is a side cross-sectional view showing the receiving member in a horizontal position positioned at the front of the range of movement in the front-to-rear direction. FIG. 16 is a plan view of the state in which the fitting portion is fitted into the fitted portion. FIG. 17 is a plan view of the state in which the fitting portion has been released from the fitted portion. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a relay mechanism. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a receiving member and a chute section. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a chute section and a fitted section. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a lower part of the chute section. FIG. 5 is a front view showing an example in which movement of the receiving member in the width direction of the machine body is performed by an actuator. FIG. 6 is a side view showing an example in which movement of the receiving member in the front-rear direction is performed by an actuator. FIG. 7 is a side view showing an example in which lifting and lowering of the receiving member is performed by an actuator.

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate.

[0018] 1 is a side view showing the overall configuration of an agricultural machine (farm machine) 1 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, a rice transplanter is exemplified as the agricultural machine 1. The agricultural machine 1 according to this embodiment is not limited to a rice transplanter. For example, the agricultural machine 1 may be a vegetable transplanter, a fertilizer applicator, a seed sower, a chemical applicator, a sprayer, or the like.

[0019] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, the following description will be given assuming that the agricultural machine 1 is a rice transplanter. The agricultural material supply device will be described as a seedling supply device 2. The working section of the agricultural machine 1 will be described as a seedling planting device 18. The agricultural material will be described as mat seedlings 3. The material supply section will be described as a seedling placement section 24.

[0020] 1 is a side view of a rice transplanter 1 equipped with a seedling supply device 2 that supplies mat seedlings 3 to a seedling planting device 18 (seedling loading table (material loading table) 4). The rice transplanter 1 is a transplanting machine that cuts a predetermined number of seedlings from the mat seedlings 3 placed on the seedling loading table 4 and plants the cut seedlings in a farm field (paddy field).

[0021] The mat seedlings 3 are mat-shaped seedlings grown by sowing rice seeds in a seedbed (such as culture soil or a seedling mat) laid at the bottom of a seedling box, covering the seedlings with soil, and watering the seedlings. The mat seedlings 3 are formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view.

[0022] In this embodiment, the direction of arrow A1 in FIG. 1 will be described as the forward direction (forward of the machine body), the direction of arrow A2 in FIG. 1 as the rearward direction (rear of the machine body), and the direction of arrow A3 in FIG. 1 as the front-to-rear direction (forward-to-rear direction of the machine body). The front side of FIG. 1 will be described as the left side, and the back side of FIG. 1 as the right side. The horizontal direction, which is perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction A3, will be described as the machine body width direction (see arrow K1 in FIG. 3). The direction from the center of the width direction of the rice transplanter 1 toward the right or left side will be described as the machine body width direction outward. In other words, the machine body outward is the direction away from the center of the width direction of the machine body in the machine body width direction K1. The direction opposite to the machine body outward will be described as the machine body inward. In other words, the machine body width direction inward is the direction approaching the center of the width direction of the machine body in the machine body width direction K1.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1 , the rice transplanter 1 has a vehicle body 5. As shown in FIG. 2 , the vehicle body 5 has a front prime mover (engine, electric motor, etc.) 6, a transmission case 7 disposed behind the prime mover 6 and to which power from the prime mover 6 is transmitted, a front frame 8 extending forward from the transmission case 7 and supporting the prime mover 6, front-wheel drive cases 9 provided on both the left and right sides of the transmission case 7, a vehicle frame 10 disposed behind the transmission case 7, and a rear-wheel drive case 12 disposed below the rear of the vehicle frame 10 and connected to the vehicle frame 10 via a connecting mechanism 11. Front wheels 13 are supported at the left and right ends of the front-wheel drive case 9 so as to be steerable and rotatable. Rear wheels 14 are supported at the left and right ends of the rear-wheel drive case 12 so as to be rotatable. Thus, the vehicle body 5 is supported for travel by the left and right front wheels 13 and the left and right rear wheels 14.

[0024] The rice transplanter 1 may be manually driven, automatically driven (automatically operated), or autonomously driven. When manually driven, an operator sits in the driver's seat 15 and steers the vehicle using a steering wheel 16. When autonomously driven, the rice transplanter 1 is equipped with a positioning unit that receives radio waves from Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellites to calculate its own vehicle position. A driving route is then set for the rice transplanter 1, and the rice transplanter 1 automatically drives based on its own vehicle position. Automatic driving is also possible by detecting a straight-line direction using a direction sensor (e.g., an inertial measurement unit (IMU), a geomagnetic sensor, etc.) and detecting an end point using a ridge detection sensor (e.g., Lidar). When autonomously driven, the rice transplanter 1 includes, for example, an imaging device (e.g., a camera) that acquires information about the surroundings of the vehicle body 5 and a control device that controls the vehicle body 5 to autonomously drive based on the information acquired by the imaging device. The rice transplanter 1 may also be unmanned, without an operator on board. In this case, the driver's seat 15 and the steering wheel 16 can be omitted.

[0025] In the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment, a spare seedling loading table 17 for loading spare mat seedlings 3 is provided, but this is not necessary.

[0026] As shown in Figure 1, a seedling planting device 18 is provided at the rear of the machine body 5. The seedling planting device 18 is connected to the machine body 5 via a link mechanism 19 and a connector 20 so that it can be raised and lowered. The seedling planting device 18 is also driven by a hydraulic cylinder 21 so that it can be raised and lowered.

[0027] As shown in Figure 1, the seedling planting device 18 has a seedling tray 4 on which mat seedlings 3 are placed, a planting mechanism 22 that cuts a predetermined number of seedlings from the mat seedlings 3 placed on the seedling tray 4 and plants them in a field (paddy field), and a float 23 that performs ground leveling of the field. As shown in Figure 1, the seedling tray 4 is provided in an inclined shape that transitions forward as it goes upward (a slope that rises in front).

[0028] As shown in FIG. 3 , the seedling loading tray 4 has multiple seedling loading sections 24 on which the mat seedlings 3 are placed. The multiple seedling loading sections 24 are arranged side by side in the width direction K1 of the machine body. The number of seedling loading sections 24 corresponds to the number of rows to be planted. The rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment is an eight-row planting rice transplanter 1 having eight seedling loading sections 24. Partition guides 25 are provided on both sides of the seedling loading sections 24 in the width direction K1 of the machine body. The mat seedlings 3 are placed on each seedling loading section 24 with the long side 3a of the mat seedlings 3 aligned with the inclination direction of the seedling loading tray 4 and the short side 3b of the mat seedlings 3 aligned with the width direction K1 of the machine body. Two mat seedlings 3 can be placed on each seedling loading section 24 side by side in the inclination direction of the seedling loading tray 4. A vertical feed mechanism 26 having a vertical feed belt is provided below each seedling loading section 24. The mat seedlings 3 on the seedling placing section 24 can be fed vertically downward along the seedling placing section 24 by a vertical feeding mechanism 26.

[0029] As shown in Figure 1, the seedling tray 4 is supported on the connecting body 20 so as to be movable in the width direction K1 of the machine body by an upper guide portion 27A and a lower guide portion 27B provided on the connecting body 20. The seedling tray 4 is also driven by a lateral feed mechanism 84 (see Figure 3) provided on the connecting body 20 so as to be movable back and forth in the width direction K1 of the machine body.

[0030] Furthermore, the support structure that supports the seedling carrying tray 4 so that it can be moved in the width direction K1 of the machine body relative to the connecting body 20 is not limited to the structure including the upper guide portion 27A and the lower guide portion 28B described above, and may be any structure that can support the seedling carrying tray 4 so that it can be moved in the width direction K1 of the machine body.

[0031] The planting mechanisms 22 are arranged at intervals in the width direction K1 of the rice transplanter body, in a number corresponding to the number of rows to be planted. In this embodiment, since the rice transplanter 1 plants eight rows, eight planting mechanisms 22 are provided corresponding to the number of seedling loading units 24. The planting mechanisms 22 are supported by the connecting body 20. Therefore, the planting mechanisms 22 move relative to the seedling loading table 4. In other words, the seedling loading table 4 moves in the width direction K1 of the rice transplanter body relative to the planting mechanisms 22. The planting mechanisms 22 pick up and plant a predetermined number of seedlings from the lower end of the mat seedlings 3 placed on the seedling loading table 4 (seedling loading unit 24), which moves back and forth in the width direction K1 of the rice transplanter body. More specifically, the planting mechanism 22 rotates around an axis extending in the width direction K1 of the rice transplanter body, picks up a predetermined number of seedlings from the lower end of the mat seedlings 3 placed on the seedling loading unit 24, and plants them in the field. Then, while the seedling carrying tray 4 is moving in one direction of the machine body width direction K1, the planting mechanism 22 cuts off a horizontal row of seedlings at the bottom end of the mat seedlings 3. Once the horizontal row of seedlings at the bottom end of the mat seedlings 3 has been cut off, the mat seedlings 3 are fed vertically by the vertical feed mechanism 26 by a distance equivalent to the cut horizontal row, and the seedling carrying tray 4 moves in the other direction of the machine body width direction K1 (the opposite direction from the one direction), and the same planting operation as described above is performed. In other words, the seedling carrying tray 4 is driven back and forth in the machine body width direction K1 by the width of the mat seedlings 3, and the mat seedlings 3 are fed vertically each time the seedling carrying tray 4 reaches the end of its reciprocating movement.

[0032] The vertical feed mechanism 26 , the horizontal feed mechanism 84 and the planting mechanism 22 are driven by power from the prime mover 6 .

[0033] As shown in Figures 1 and 4, the seedling supply device 2 that supplies mat seedlings 3 to the seedling tray 4 has a support frame 28, a placement unit 29, and a supply unit 30. As shown in Figure 2, the support frame 28 is fixedly attached to the aircraft body 5. As shown in Figure 7, the placement unit 29 is a portion on which mat seedlings 3 transported and supplied by an aircraft 31 (see Figure 7) are placed. In other words, the placement unit 29 is a portion for receiving mat seedlings 3 transported by the aircraft 31. The aircraft 31 is, for example, an aircraft known as a drone or a multicopter. The aircraft 31 may be an unmanned aircraft or a manned aircraft. The supply unit 30 is a portion that receives mat seedlings 3 from the placement unit 29 and supplies them to the seedling tray 4.

[0034] Each part of the seedling supplying device 2 will be described in detail below.

[0035] First, the support frame 28 will be described.

[0036] 9, the support frame 28 is formed from rod material such as pipe material or solid rod material, and has a first rod portion 28a and a second rod portion 28b. In this embodiment, the first rod portion 28a and the second rod portion 28b are formed by connecting front and rear pipe materials, but the front and rear pipe materials that make up the first rod portion 28a and the second rod portion 28b may be formed as a single unit.

[0037] As shown in Figure 9, the first and second rod portions 28a and 28b extend in the fore-and-aft direction A3 and are spaced apart in the fuselage width direction K1. The support frame 28 includes a third rod portion 28c extending downward from the rear end of the first rod portion 28a and a fourth rod portion 28d extending inward (to the right) in the fuselage width direction from the lower end of the third rod portion 28c. The right end of the fourth rod portion 28d is fixedly attached to the fuselage frame 10 with a bolt or the like (see Figure 2). The support frame 28 also includes a fifth rod portion 28e extending downward from the rear end of the second rod portion 28b and a sixth rod portion 28f extending inward (to the left) in the fuselage width direction from the lower end of the fifth rod portion 28e. The left end of the sixth rod portion 28f is fixedly attached to the vehicle frame 10 with a bolt or the like (see FIG. 2). The support frame 28 also has a seventh rod portion 28g extending downward from the front end of the first rod portion 28a, an eighth rod portion 28h extending inward (to the right) in the vehicle width direction from the lower end of the seventh rod portion 28g, and a ninth rod portion 28i extending rearward from the right end of the eighth rod portion 28h. The rear end of the ninth rod portion 28i is fixedly attached to the vehicle frame 10 with a bolt or the like (see FIG. 2). The support frame 28 also has a tenth rod portion 28j extending downward from the front end of the second rod portion 28b, an eleventh rod portion 28k extending inward (leftward) in the fuselage width direction from the lower end of the tenth rod portion 28j, and a twelfth rod portion 28m extending rearward from the left end of the eleventh rod portion 28k. The rear end of the twelfth rod portion 28m is fixedly attached to the fuselage frame 10 with bolts or the like (see FIG. 2).

[0038] Next, the placement portion 29 will be described.

[0039] 1 , the mounting portion 29 is fixedly supported by the machine body 5. In this embodiment, the mounting portion 29 is fixed to a bracket member 32 attached to the seventh rod portion 28 g of the support frame 28. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is sufficient that the mounting portion 29 is fixedly supported by the machine body 5.

[0040] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the placement unit 29 includes a placement unit main body 33, an adjustment body 34, and a sending body 35. The placement unit main body 33 is formed of a plate material and includes a main plate portion 33a with a vertically facing surface and a side plate portion 33b extending upward from one end (right end) of the main plate portion 33a in the body width direction K1. The mat seedlings 3 transported by the flying object 31 are placed on the main plate portion 33a by the flying object 31. When supplying the mat seedlings 3 from the flying object 31 to the main plate portion 33a (placement unit 29), for example, the mat seedlings 3 may be dropped from the flying object 31 and placed on the main plate portion 33a. However, this is not limited to this, and the mat seedlings 3 may be placed on the main plate portion 33a after the flying object 31 lands on the main plate portion 33a (placement unit 29).

[0041] The mat seedlings 3 are placed on the main board 33a with their long sides 3a aligned with the front-to-rear direction A3 and their short sides 3b aligned with the vehicle width direction K1. The size of the main board 33a takes into consideration the possibility of misalignment when the mat seedlings 3 are dropped from the flying vehicle 31 onto the main board 33a. For example, the size of the main board 33a is designed to allow for approximately 100 mm of clearance on all sides of the mat seedlings 3 when the mat seedlings 3 are placed in the center of the main board 33a. When the flying vehicle 31 lands on the mounting section 29 (mounting section main body 33), the mounting section main body 33 is designed to be large enough for the flying vehicle 31 to land (the mounting section 29 is designed to be sized to fit the flying vehicle 31 being used).

[0042] When the mat seedlings 3 are placed on the placement section 29 by the flying object 31, the rice transplanter 1 and the flying object 31 may each be equipped with a communication unit, and the flying object 31 may be able to grasp the position of the placement section 29 through communication. In addition, when an operator is on board the rice transplanter 1, the flying object 31 holding the mat seedlings 3 may fly around the rice transplanter 1, and the operator may press a switch or the like to place the mat seedlings 3 on the placement section 29 via the flying object 31.

[0043] Furthermore, the timing for supplying the mat seedlings 3 by the flying object 31 can be, for example, when a seedling cut sensor mounted on the rice transplanter 1 detects that mat seedlings 3 should be supplied to the seedling loading table 4. The seedling cut sensor is provided in each seedling loading section 24 of the seedling loading table 4 and detects whether the remaining number of mat seedlings 3 placed on the seedling loading section 24 and to be cut by the planting mechanism 22 has fallen below a predetermined number. Note that the seedling cut sensor is not limited to a contact sensor and can have any configuration as long as it can detect the remaining number of mat seedlings 3 placed on the seedling loading section 24. Furthermore, a detection device composed of a camera and an image diagnostic device may be used to detect whether the remaining number of mat seedlings 3 has fallen below a predetermined number. In this case, the camera photographs the mat seedlings 3 placed on the seedling loading section 24, and the image diagnostic device analyzes the image of the mat seedlings 3 photographed by the camera, thereby detecting the remaining number of mat seedlings 3 placed (planted) on the seedling loading section 24.

[0044] Furthermore, as a simpler method for detecting that the remaining number of seedlings in the mat seedlings 3 has fallen below a predetermined level, it is possible to simply detect whether or not the seedlings in the mat seedlings 3 are present within a specific area of ​​the seedling placement unit 24. By analyzing images to determine that there are no seedlings within the specific area, it may be possible to determine that the remaining number of seedlings is below a certain level and requires replenishment.

[0045] The remaining amount of mat seedlings 3 on the seedling placing section 24 varies depending on the conditions of the field for each seedling placing section 24. Therefore, the timing for supplying (replenishing) mat seedlings 3 differs for each seedling placing section 24.

[0046] The adjuster 34 is disposed on the upper surface of the main plate 33a (on the upper surface of the main plate 33a or slightly above the main plate 33a). The adjuster 34 is also disposed on the opposite side of the main plate 33a from the side plate 33b in the width direction K1 of the machine body (on the left side of the main plate 33a). The adjuster 34 is formed, for example, with a length spanning the front-to-rear direction A3 of the main plate 33a. This is not a limitation, and the adjuster 34 only needs to be formed with a length that allows it to push the mat seedlings 3 on the mounting section main body 33 in the width direction K1 of the machine body. The adjuster 34 is freely movable on the upper surface of the main plate 33a in the width direction K1 of the machine body. By moving the adjuster 34 toward the side plate 33b in the width direction K1 of the machine body, the mat seedlings 3 on the placement section 29 (placement section main body 33) can be adjusted to a fixed position in the width direction K1 of the machine body (for example, a position where the mat seedlings 3 abut against the side plate 33b). When supplying the mat seedlings 3 to the placement section 29, the adjuster 34 is moved to the left end of the main plate 33a.

[0047] The sender 35 is disposed on the upper surface of the main plate 33a (on the upper surface of the main plate 33a or slightly above the main plate 33a). The sender 35 is disposed in front of the main plate 33a. The sender 35 is formed to a length that allows it to push the mat seedlings 3 on the mounting unit main body 33 backward. The sender 35 is formed to a length that corresponds to, for example, the short side 3b of the mat seedlings 3. The sender 35 is movable in the front-to-rear direction A3 on the upper surface of the main plate 33a. By moving the sender 35 backward, the mat seedlings 3 on the mounting unit 29 (mounting unit main body 33) can be pushed to the supply unit 30. By moving the sender 35 backward, the mat seedlings 3 can also be adjusted to a predetermined position (see the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5 ) before being pushed to the supply unit 30. When supplying the mat seedlings 3 to the placement section 29, the sending body 35 is moved to the front end of the main plate section 33a.

[0048] 5, the adjustment body 34 and the sending body 35 are provided with gripping members 34A, 35A that are held by an operator. The operator can grip the gripping member 34A to move the adjustment body 34, and manually adjust the position of the mat seedlings 3 on the placement unit main body 33. The operator can also grip the gripping member 35A to move the sending unit 35, and manually adjust the position of the mat seedlings 3 on the placement unit main body 33 and push them out to the supply unit 30.

[0049] In the above embodiment, the adjustment body 34 and the delivery body 35 are manually moved by an operator. However, this is not limited to this. The adjustment body 34 and the delivery body 35 may be moved by an actuator. As shown in FIG. 8, for example, the actuator may be drive cylinders 36, 37, such as electric or air cylinders. The adjustment body 34 and the delivery body 35 may also be moved by a drive mechanism comprising a ball screw and a motor (actuator). A ball screw is a mechanical component having a threaded shaft on the outer periphery of a rod member, a nut body threaded onto the threaded shaft, and a ball inserted between the threaded shaft and the nut body. The delivery body 35 may also be a belt conveyor. In short, the delivery body 35 may be configured to deliver the mat seedlings 3 on the placement section 29 to the receiving member 42. In addition, when the sending body 35 is configured as a belt conveyor, the protrusion shape of the belt conveyor is not stud-shaped but horizontal linear protrusions extending in the width direction of the machine body so that the mat seedlings 3 can be moved in the width direction K1 of the machine body by the adjustment body 34 on the placing section 29. Furthermore, it is preferable that the placing section 29 (placement section main body 33) is in a state where the mat seedlings 3 can easily slide. Furthermore, the placing section main body 33 may be configured as multiple rollers. When the placing section main body 33 is configured as multiple rollers, the rollers can be arranged in the width direction K1 of the machine body, rotatable about axes extending in the front-rear direction A3, or the rollers can be arranged in the front-rear direction A3, rotatable about axes extending in the width direction K1 of the machine body.

[0050] In this embodiment, the loading section 29 that receives the mat seedlings 3 from the flying object 31 is fixedly supported on the body 5, so the control of the flying object 31 relative to the loading section 29 only requires control of the height direction and the traveling direction of the rice transplanter 1.

[0051] Next, the supply unit 30 will be described.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 4, the supply unit 30 includes a first rail mechanism 38 , a first moving carriage 39 , a second rail mechanism 40 , a second moving carriage 41 , a receiving member 42 , and a relay mechanism 43 .

[0053] As shown in Figure 9, the first rail mechanism 38 has a pair of front and rear rail members (first rail members) 38A, 38B. The pair of front and rear first rail members 38A, 38B are formed from rod material. The pair of front and rear first rail members 38A, 38B are arranged extending in the machine body width direction K1 and spaced apart in the front-rear direction A3. Stay members 44 are attached to both longitudinal end portions of each of the first rail members 38A, 38B. Each stay member 44 is attached to a mounting base 45 fixed to the first rod portion 28a and the second rod portion 28b.

[0054] 9 to 12, the first movable carriage 39 is supported so as to be movable in the width direction K1 of the machine body by the first rail mechanism 38. In other words, the first rail mechanism 38 supports the first movable carriage 39 so as to be movable in the width direction K1 of the machine body.

[0055] As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 , the first movable carriage 39 is formed of a rectangular plate material elongated in the front-rear direction A3 and disposed so that the plate surface faces up and down. A plurality of slide members 46 are disposed on the underside of the first movable carriage 39. Each slide member 46 is fixed to the first movable carriage 39 with a bolt or the like. The plurality of slide members 46 include a pair of left and right slide members 46 movably fitted to the front first rail member 38A in the machine body width direction K1, and a pair of left and right slide members 46 movably fitted to the rear first rail member 38B in the machine body width direction K1. The first movable carriage 39 moves in the machine body width direction K1 as each slide member 46 moves along the first rail members 38A, 38B. That is, the first movable carriage 39 is supported on the support frame 28 via the first rail mechanism 38 so as to be movably supported in the machine body width direction K1.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 10 , the second rail mechanism 40 includes a pair of left and right rail members (second rail members) 40A, 40B. The pair of left and right second rail members 40A, 40B are formed of rod material. The pair of left and right second rail members 40A, 40B are arranged extending in the front-to-rear direction A3 and spaced apart in the machine body width direction K1. Specifically, the second rail member 40A is arranged above the left portion of the first movable carriage 39, and the second rail member 40B is arranged above the right portion of the first movable carriage 39. Stay members 47 are attached to both ends of each second rail member 40A, 40B in the longitudinal direction (front-to-rear direction A3). Each stay member 47 is located at the front end and rear end of the upper surface of the first movable carriage 39 and is attached to the first movable carriage 39.

[0057] 15 and 16 , the second movable carriage 41 is supported by the second rail mechanism 40 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction A3. In other words, the second rail mechanism 40 supports the second movable carriage 41 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction A3.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 13 , the second movable carriage 41 includes a first component 48, a second component 49, and a fitting portion 50. As shown in FIG. 12 , the first component 48 is disposed above the first movable carriage 39. The first component 48 protrudes to the left and right beyond the first movable carriage 39. The first component 48 is formed of a plate material and includes a bottom wall 48a whose plate surface faces up and down, and a pair of left and right side walls 48b, 48c extending upward from the left and right ends of the bottom wall 48a. As shown in FIG. 13 , a notch 51 is formed in the rear portion of the bottom wall 48a, extending from the left to right portions of the bottom wall 48a. A plurality of slide members 52 are disposed on the underside of the first component 48. Each slide member 52 is fixed to the first component 48 by a bolt or the like. 10 , the plurality of slide members 52 include a pair of front and rear slide members 52 fitted to the left second rail member 40A so as to be movable in the front-rear direction A3, and a pair of front and rear slide members 52 fitted to the right second rail member 40B so as to be movable in the machine body width direction K1. The first structure 48 (second movable carriage 41) moves in the front-rear direction A3 as each slide member 52 moves in the front-rear direction A3 along the second rail members 40A, 40B. That is, the second movable carriage 41 is supported on the first movable carriage 39 via the second rail mechanism 40 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction A3.

[0059] As shown in Figures 12 and 13, the second component 49 is disposed above the center of the first component 48 in the aircraft width direction K1. The second component 49 is formed to a length extending from the front end to the rear end of the first component 48. The second component 49 is formed of a plate material and has a bottom wall 49a whose plate surface faces the up-down direction, and a pair of left and right side walls 49b, 49c extending upward from the left and right ends of the bottom wall 49a. As shown in Figures 14 and 15, the bottom wall 49a has extensions 49d that protrude rearward beyond the left and right side walls 49b, 49c.

[0060] As shown in FIG. 13 , rod members 53 are provided at the front and rear of the second movable carriage 41. The rod members 53 extend in the machine body width direction K1 and are provided between the left and right side walls 48b, 48c of the first component 48. The rod members 53 also penetrate the left and right side walls 49b, 49c of the second component 49. Ends of the rod members 53 are attached to the left and right side walls 48b, 48c of the first component 48 with bolts or the like. This supports the second component 49 on the first component 48. Restricting tubes 54 fitted to the outside of the rod members 53 are provided between the left side wall 48b of the first component 48 and the left side wall 49b of the second component 49, and between the right side wall 48c of the first component 48 and the right side wall 49c of the second component 49. Each regulating cylinder 54 regulates movement of the second construct 49 relative to the first construct 48 in the body width direction K1 (the second construct 49 is positioned relative to the first construct 48 in the body width direction K1).

[0061] As shown in Fig. 11 , the fitting portion 50 is fixed to the lower rear surface of the second structure 49 (bottom wall 49a). As shown in Fig. 17 , the fitting portion 50 is a member that fits into a fitted portion 55 of the relay mechanism 43. Fig. 17 shows a state in which the fitting portion 50 is fitted into the fitted portion 55 when the second moving carriage 41 is moved to the rear of its range of movement in the front-rear direction A3. By moving the second moving carriage 41 to the front of its range of movement in the front-rear direction A3 relative to the first moving carriage 39, the fitting portion 50 disengages (moves away) from the fitted portion 55, as shown in Fig. 18 .

[0062] As shown in Figures 17 and 18, the fitting portion 50 is formed from a plate material. The fitting portion 50 has a pair of left and right side walls 50a, 50b spaced apart in the aircraft width direction K1, and a front wall 50c connecting the front ends of the left and right side walls 50a, 50b. The fitting portion 50 is formed to be open rearward. The distance between the front portions of the left and right side walls 50a, 50b of the fitting portion 50 gradually narrows toward the front. The middle portions of the left and right side walls 50a, 50b in the fore-and-aft direction A3 are formed parallel to each other. The distance between the rear portions of the left and right side walls 50a, 50b gradually widens toward the rear. The front wall 50c is formed in a curved (arcuate) shape that convex forward.

[0063] 11, the fitting portion 50 is provided at a position corresponding to the notch portion 51. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 14, the fitting portion 50 protrudes downward from the bottom wall 48a of the first component 48.

[0064] Now, regarding the mating portion 55, as shown in Figures 17 and 18, the mating portion 55 has a pair of left and right side walls 55a, 55b and a front wall 55c connecting the front ends of the left and right side walls 55a, 55b. The mating portion 55 is formed to be open at the rear. The distance between the front portions of the left and right side walls 55a, 55b gradually narrows toward the front. The rear portions of the left and right side walls 55a, 55b are formed parallel to each other. The front wall 55c is formed to be curved (arcuate) and convex forward.

[0065] The receiving member 42 receives the mat seedlings 3 pushed out of the mounting body 33 by the sending body 35 (see Figures 5 and 6). As shown in Figures 4, 14, 15, 16, and 20, the receiving member 42 is formed of a plate material and has a bottom wall 42a, a pair of left and right side walls 42b and 42c rising from the left and right ends of the bottom wall 42a, and a front wall 42d rising from the front end of the bottom wall 42a. The receiving member 42 has a rectangular shape that is elongated in a direction along the plate surface of the bottom wall 42a and perpendicular to the opposing direction of the left and right side walls 42b and 42c. As shown in Figures 14 and 15, the receiving member 42 is open on the side opposite the front wall 42d in the longitudinal direction. The bottom wall 42a of the receiving member 42 has an extension 42e that protrudes longitudinally beyond the left and right side walls 42b, 42c on the opposite side of the front wall 42d in the longitudinal direction of the bottom wall 42a. The receiving member 42 also has a handle 56 that an operator can grasp. The handle 56 is fixed to the front wall 42d. An operator can grasp the handle 56 to operate the receiving member 42.

[0066] As shown in FIG. 13 , a pair of left and right mounting stays 57 are fixed to the underside of the bottom wall 42a of the receiving member 42, opposite the longitudinal front wall 42d. A pair of left and right bracket members 58 are fixed to the extension 49d of the bottom wall 49a of the second component 49. The left and right mounting stays 57 are pivotally supported by the bracket members 58 on the same side in the left-right direction (machine width direction K1) via support shafts 59. The support shafts 59 have an axis extending in the machine width direction K1. Therefore, the receiving member 42 is supported by the second component 49 (second movable carriage 41) via the support shafts 59 so as to be rotatable about the axis extending in the machine width direction K1. Because the receiving member 42 is attached to the second component 49, it is movable in the front-rear direction A3 together with the second movable carriage 41. Furthermore, the receiving member 42 is movable in the machine width direction K1 together with the first movable carriage 39. In other words, the receiving member 42 is movable in the front-rear direction A3 and the width direction K1 of the aircraft body.

[0067] Furthermore, the receiving member 42 can be rotated around the axis of the support shaft 59 to change its position between an inclined position P1 shown in FIG. 14 and a horizontal position P2 shown in FIG. 15. The inclined position P1 is an inclined position (a tilted position with the front rising) that shifts forward as it moves upward. The horizontal position P2 is an position in which the bottom wall 42a of the receiving member 42 is approximately horizontal. In the horizontal position P2, the bottom wall 42a of the receiving member 42 abuts against the upper ends of the side walls 49b, 49c of the second structure 49. The horizontal position P2 is a receiving position in which the mat seedlings 3 can be received from the mounting portion 29 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). Therefore, the receiving member 42 can be changed between the receiving position P2 in which the mat seedlings 3 are received from the mounting portion 29 and the inclined position P1, which shifts forward as it moves upward.

[0068] It should be noted that, when the receiving member 42 is in the inclined position P1, a stopper may be provided to restrict the movement of the receiving member 42 in the direction of rotating it upward from the inclined position P1.

[0069] Figure 15 shows the state in which the receiving member 42 in the horizontal position P2 has been moved to the rear of the range of movement in the front-to-back direction A3, where the engaging portion 50 is engaged with the engaged portion 55 as described above. Figure 16 shows the state in which the receiving member 42 in the horizontal position P2 has been moved to the front of the range of movement in the front-to-back direction A3. By placing the receiving member 42 in the horizontal position (receiving position) P2, moving the receiving member 42 to the front of the range of movement in the front-to-back direction A3 and positioning it behind the placing portion 29, it becomes possible to receive the mat seedlings 3 from the placing portion 29. In other words, the position in which the receiving member 42 is located at the front of the range of movement and behind the placing portion 29 is the receiving position X1, where the receiving member 42 receives the mat seedlings 3 from the placing portion 29 (see Figures 5 and 6).

[0070] The position shown in Figure 15 is the retracted position X2, where the receiving member 42 is moved rearward from the receiving position X1. Therefore, the receiving member 42 is movable in the front-rear direction A3 between the receiving position X1, where it receives the mat seedlings 3 from the placement unit 29, and the retracted position X2, where it is moved rearward from the receiving position X1. At the retracted position X2, the mat seedlings 3 on the receiving member 42 can be mated with the mat-receiving portion 55. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 14, by placing the receiving member 42 in an inclined position P1 at the retracted position X2, the mat seedlings 3 on the receiving member 42 can be sent to the seedling placement table 4 (seedling placement unit 24). As shown in Figure 14, the extension 42e of the bottom wall 42a of the receiving member 42 overlaps the upper portion of the bottom wall 62a of the upper member 62 of the chute unit 60 (described later) in the vertical direction (as viewed from above). This ensures reliable transfer of the mat seedlings 3 from the receiving member 42 to the chute unit 60.

[0071] As shown in Fig. 1, the relay mechanism 43 is disposed between the receiving member 42 and the seedling loading tray 4, and relays the movement of the mat seedlings 3 from the receiving member 42 in the inclined position P1 to the seedling loading tray 4 (seedling loading section 24). As shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 19, the relay mechanism 43 has a plurality of chute sections 60 and a positioning section 61.

[0072] As shown in Fig. 1, the plurality of chute sections 60 are arranged above the seedling loading tray 4. As shown in Fig. 3, the plurality of chute sections 60 are arranged corresponding to the plurality of seedling loading sections 24. Specifically, one chute section 60 is arranged corresponding to one seedling loading section 24. In this embodiment, eight chute sections 60 are provided corresponding to the eight seedling loading sections 24.

[0073] As shown in Figures 1 and 20, the chute section 60 is inclined upward (upward) and is provided at a slope corresponding to the inclination angle of the seedling tray 4. As shown in Figure 20, the chute section 60 is formed of plate material. The chute section 60 has an upper member 62 and a lower member 63. The upper member 62 has a rectangular bottom wall 62a that is long in the inclination direction and a pair of left and right side walls 62b, 62c that extend upward from the left and right ends of the bottom wall 62a. The upper member 62 is open upward and downward in the inclination direction. The lower member 63 has a rectangular bottom wall 63a that is long in the inclination direction and a pair of left and right side walls 63b, 63c that extend upward from the left and right ends of the bottom wall 63a. The lower member 63 is also open upward and downward in the inclination direction. The lower part of the upper member 62 is overlapped on the upper part of the lower member 63 so that the upper member 62 can move relative to the lower member 63 along the inclined direction. In other words, the chute section 60 is extendable and retractable in the longitudinal direction (length adjustable).

[0074] As shown in Figure 21, a pair of left and right vertical plates (referred to as first vertical plates) 64 are fixed to the front surface of the upper member 62. The first vertical plates 64 are fixed to the left and right portions of the front surface of the bottom wall 62a of the upper member 62. The left and right first vertical plates 64 are formed as long, strip-like plates that are long in the up-down direction along the bottom wall 62a. The left and right first vertical plates 64 have upper protrusions 64a that protrude upward from the bottom wall 62a and lower protrusions 64b that protrude downward from the bottom wall 62a. The left and right first vertical plates 64 are connected at their upper portions by a connecting plate 65. The connecting plate 65 is fixed to the bottom wall 62a.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 21 , a pair of left and right vertical plates (referred to as second vertical plates) 66 are fixed to the front surface of the lower member 63. The second vertical plates 66 are fixed to the left and right portions of the front surface of the bottom wall 63a of the lower member 63. The left and right second vertical plates 66 are formed as long strips extending vertically along the bottom wall 63a. The left and right second vertical plates 66 have long grooves 67 formed along their longitudinal directions. The lower protrusion 64b of the left first vertical plate 64 is connected to the upper portion of the left second vertical plate 66 via a pair of upper and lower pins 68. The lower protrusion 64b of the right first vertical plate 64 is connected to the upper portion of the right second vertical plate 66 via a pair of upper and lower pins 68. The pins 68 are movable along the long grooves 67. Therefore, as the chute section 60 expands and contracts in the longitudinal direction, the pins 68 move along the long grooves 67.

[0076] As shown in Figure 22, a mounting bracket 69 is provided at the bottom of each chute section 60 (each lower member 63). The mounting bracket 69 has a first section 69a that connects to the lower end of the left second vertical plate member 66, a second section 69b that connects to the lower end of the right second vertical plate member 66, and a third section 69c that connects the lower ends of the first section 69a and the second section 69b. The mounting bracket 69 is fixed via bolts or the like to a fixing member 70 attached to the top of the seedling tray 4. Therefore, each chute section 60 moves back and forth together with the seedling tray 4 in the machine body width direction K1.

[0077] 19 , the positioning portion 61 is made up of a plurality of fitted portions 55. The fitted portions 55 are arranged corresponding to the plurality of chute portions 60. More specifically, one fitted portion 55 is arranged corresponding to one chute portion 60. In this embodiment, eight fitted portions 55 are provided corresponding to the eight chute portions 60.

[0078] 21 , the rear portion of the left side wall 55a of the fitting portion 55 is connected to the upper protrusion 64a of the left first vertical plate 64. The rear portion of the right side wall 55b of the fitting portion 55 is connected to the upper protrusion 64a of the right first vertical plate 64. Therefore, the fitting portion 55 moves back and forth together with the chute portion 60 and the seedling loading tray 4 in the machine body width direction K1.

[0079] As shown in Figure 19, the supply unit 30 has a pair of front and rear guide rods 71. The front and rear guide rods 71 ​​extend in the machine body width direction K1. The front and rear guide rods 71 ​​penetrate the side walls 55a, 55b of the fitted portion 55. The left ends of the front and rear guide rods 71 ​​are fixed to a mounting stay 72A, and the right ends of the front and rear guide rods 71 ​​are fixed to a mounting stay 72B. The mounting stay 72A is attached to a fixed base 73A fixed to the first rod portion 28a (see Figure 4), and the mounting stay 72B is attached to a fixed base 73B fixed to the second rod portion 28b (see Figure 9).

[0080] Each fitted portion 55 is movable in the width direction K1 of the machine body along the pair of guide rods 71. That is, each fitted portion 55 is supported by the support frame 28 via the pair of guide rods 71 ​​so as to be movable in the width direction K1 of the machine body.

[0081] In the seedling supply device 2, when it is detected that the remaining number of mat seedlings 3 on the seedling loading section 24 has fallen below a predetermined level, the mat seedlings 3 are transported by the flying body 31 and placed on the loading section 29 via the flying body 31. When the mat seedlings 3 are placed on the loading section 29, the adjustment body 34 corrects any positional deviation of the mat seedlings 3 in the width direction K1 of the machine body, and the sending body 35 corrects any positional deviation of the mat seedlings 3 in the front-rear direction A3.

[0082] Next, the mat seedlings 3 are pushed by the sender 35 toward the receiving member 42 in the receiving position P2, which has been previously positioned at the receiving position X1, and the mat seedlings 3 are moved to the receiving member 42.

[0083] It is not necessary to correct the positional deviation of the mat seedlings 3 on the placing section 29 in the front-to-rear direction A3, and the mat seedlings 3 may be pushed out by the sending body 35 after correcting the positional deviation of the mat seedlings 3 in the machine body width direction K1 with the adjusting body 34. Also, after correcting the positional deviation of the mat seedlings 3 on the placing section 29, the receiving member 42 in the receiving attitude P2 may be positioned at the receiving position X1.

[0084] Next, the receiving member 42 that has received the mat seedlings 3 is moved in the width direction K1 of the machine body, and the receiving member 42 is positioned in front of the engaging portion 55 and chute portion 60 corresponding to the seedling loading portion 24 to which the mat seedlings 3 should be supplied (replenished).

[0085] Next, the receiving member 42 is moved rearward to the retracted position X2. Then, the engaging portion 50 engages with the mating portion 55, and the receiving member 42 is positioned. As a result, the receiving member 42 moves in the machine width direction K1 together with the seedling loading tray 4 and the relay mechanism 43 (the mating portion 55, the chute portion 60).

[0086] Thereafter, the receiving member 42 is set to the inclined position P1, and the mat seedlings 3 are sent out from the receiving member 42 to the chute section 60. The sent mat seedlings 3 slide down the chute section 60 and are supplied to the seedling loading section 24 to which the mat seedlings 3 should be supplied.

[0087] As described above, the receiving member 42 is movable in the machine body width direction K1 and sends out the mat seedlings 3 to one of the plurality of seedling loading sections 24. The relay mechanism 43 also has a positioning section 61 that positions the receiving member 42 at the retracted position X2 to align the receiving member 42 with one of the plurality of chute sections 60. The positioning section 61 includes a plurality of mating sections 55 that are arranged corresponding to the plurality of chute sections 60 and into which the mating sections 50 are selectively mated when the receiving member 42 is positioned at the retracted position X2.

[0088] In the above embodiment, the mat seedlings 3 are supplied from the receiving member 42 to the seedling loading section 24 via the chute section 60, but this is not limited to this, and the mat seedlings 3 may be configured to be sent directly from the receiving member 42 to the seedling loading section 24 (without going through the chute section 60).

[0089] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the mat seedlings 3 are sent from the receiving member 42 to the seedling loading section 24 by placing the receiving member 42 in an inclined position P1 and sliding the mat seedlings 3 down, but this is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 5 , a feeding mechanism (e.g., a belt conveyor) 74 may be provided on the receiving member 42, and the mat seedlings 3 may be sent from the receiving member 42 to the seedling loading section 24 by this feeding mechanism 74. In this case, the mat seedlings 3 can be sent to the seedling loading section 24 with the receiving member 42 in a horizontal position P2 (receiving position). Note that in this case, the mat seedlings 3 may also be sent with the receiving member 42 in an inclined position P1.

[0090] In the above embodiment, the movement of the receiving member 42 in the width direction K1 of the machine body, the movement of the receiving member 42 in the front-rear direction A3, and the movement of the receiving member 42 between the horizontal position P2 and the inclined position P1 are performed manually, but this is not limitative. The movement of the receiving member 42 in the width direction K1 of the machine body, the movement of the receiving member 42 in the front-rear direction A3, and the movement of the receiving member 42 between the horizontal position P2 and the inclined position P1 may also be configured to be performed by an actuator.

[0091] 23 to 25 show examples in which the movement of the receiving member 42 can be performed by an actuator. Note that Figures 23 to 25 show only one example, and the present invention is not limited to the structures shown in Figures 23 to 25.

[0092] FIG. 23 shows a transfer device 77 in which the receiving member 42 can be moved in the machine body width direction K1 by an actuator 75. The transfer device 77 shown in FIG. 23 includes a motor 75A that can be rotated forward and backward as the actuator 75, a screw shaft 78, and a nut body 79. The motor 75A is fixedly attached to the support frame 28, and the screw shaft 78 has an axis extending in the machine body width direction K1 and is driven to rotate about the axis by the power of the motor 75A. The nut body 79 is attached to the first moving carriage 39 and threadedly fitted onto the screw shaft 78. In this transfer device 77, the nut body 79 moves in the machine body width direction K1 by rotating the motor 75A forward and backward to rotate the screw shaft 78 about the axis. As the nut body 79 moves in the machine body width direction K1, the first moving carriage 39 moves in the machine body width direction K1 together with the nut body 79. As a result, the receiving member 42 moves in the machine body width direction K1.

[0093] FIG. 24 shows a transfer device 80 in which the receiving member 42 can be moved in the front-to-rear direction A3 by an actuator 75. The transfer device 80 shown in FIG. 24 includes a reversible motor 75B as the actuator 75, a threaded shaft 81 formed by a rod member with a threaded outer periphery, and a nut body 82. The threaded shaft 81 has an axis extending in the front-to-rear direction A3 and is driven to rotate about the axis by the power of the motor 75B. The nut body 82 is attached to the second moving carriage 41 and threadedly fitted onto the threaded shaft 81. In this transfer device 80, the nut body 82 moves in the front-to-rear direction A3 by rotating the motor 75B forward or backward to rotate the threaded shaft 81 about the axis. As the nut body 82 moves in the front-to-rear direction A3, the second moving carriage 41 moves in the front-to-rear direction A3 together with the nut body 82. This causes the receiving member 42 to move in the front-to-rear direction A3.

[0094] In the transfer device 77 and the transfer device 80, the screw shafts 78, 81 and the nut bodies 79, 82 may form a ball screw.

[0095] 25 shows a drive device 83 in which the actuator 75 can move the receiving member 42 between the horizontal position P2 and the inclined position P1. The drive device 83 shown in FIG. 25 employs an extendable drive cylinder 75C, such as an electric cylinder or an air cylinder, as the actuator 75. The bottom side of the drive cylinder 75C is pivotally supported on the second movable carriage 41, and the tip end of the piston rod of the drive cylinder 75C is pivotally supported on the receiving member 42. In this drive device 83, extending or retracting the drive cylinder 75C rotates the receiving member 42 about the support shaft 59 to move up and down. However, the present invention is not limited to this structure.

[0096] By using actuators to move the adjustment body 34 and the sending body 35 in the loading section 29, move the receiving member 42 in the width direction K1 of the aircraft, move the receiving member 42 in the front-to-back direction A3, and move the receiving member 42 between the horizontal position P2 and the inclined position P1, the movement of the mat seedlings 3 can be automatically performed from the time the mat seedlings 3 are supplied to the loading section 29 by the flying body 31 until the time the mat seedlings 3 are supplied to the seedling loading section 24.

[0097] A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides an agricultural material supplying device 2 for an agricultural machine 1 described in the following items: (Item 1) An agricultural material supplying device (seedling supplying device 2) for supplying agricultural materials (mat seedlings 3) to a working section (seedling planting device 18) of an agricultural machine (rice transplanter 1), the agricultural material supplying device 2 for an agricultural machine 1 including: a placing section that is fixedly supported on a body 5 of the agricultural machine (rice transplanter 1) and on which the agricultural materials (mat seedlings 3) transported and supplied by an aircraft 31 are placed; and a supplying section 30 that receives the agricultural materials (mat seedlings 3) from the placing section 29 and supplies them to the working section (seedling planting device 18).

[0098] The agricultural material supply device 2 in the agricultural machine 1 relating to this item 1 is equipped with a loading section 29 on which agricultural materials (mat seedlings 3) transported and supplied by an aircraft 31 are placed, and a supply section 30 that receives the agricultural materials (mat seedlings 3) from this loading section 29 and supplies them to the working section (seedling planting device 18), thereby reducing the effort required to supply agricultural materials (mat seedlings 3) to the working section (seedling planting device 18).

[0099] (Item 2) The loading section 29 has an adjustment body 34 that adjusts the position of the agricultural material (mat seedlings 3) on the loading section 29 in the width direction K1 of the agricultural machine (rice transplanter 1), and a sending body 35 that pushes the agricultural material (mat seedlings 3) on the loading section 29 to the supply section 30.

[0100] According to the agricultural material supply device 2 in the agricultural machine 1 relating to this item 2, the position of the agricultural material (mat seedlings 3) on the loading section 29 can be adjusted to a predetermined position and sent to the supply section 30.

[0101] (Item 3) The working unit (seedling planting device 18) has a material supply unit (seedling loading unit 24) to which the agricultural material (mat seedlings 3) is supplied, and has a plurality of material supply units (seedling loading units 24) arranged side by side in the width direction K1 of the machine body, and the supply unit 30 has a receiving member 42 that receives the agricultural material (mat seedlings 3) pushed out by the sending body 35, and the receiving member 42 is freely movable in the width direction K1 of the machine body, and sends out the agricultural material (mat seedlings 3) to any one of the plurality of material supply units (seedling loading units 24).

[0102] According to the agricultural material supply device 2 in the agricultural machine 1 relating to this item 3, agricultural material (mat seedlings 3) can be supplied to the material supply section (seedling loading section 24) where agricultural material (mat seedlings 3) should be replenished.

[0103] (Item 4) The receiving member 42 is capable of changing its position between a receiving position P2 in which it receives the agricultural material (mat seedlings 3) from the storage section 29 and an inclined position P1 in which it slopes forward as it moves upward, and the agricultural material (mat seedlings 3) received from the storage section 29 is changed from the receiving position P2 to the inclined position P1 and sent out to the material supply section (seedling loading section 24), in the agricultural machine 1 described in Item 3.

[0104] According to the agricultural material supplying device 2 in the agricultural machine 1 relating to this item 4, the agricultural material (mat seedlings 3) can be smoothly sent out from the receiving member 42.

[0105] (Item 5) The supply unit 30 has a relay mechanism 43 that relays the movement of the agricultural material (mat seedlings 3) from the receiving member 42 in the inclined position P1 to the working unit (seedling planting device 18), and the relay mechanism 43 has a plurality of chute sections 60 arranged corresponding to the plurality of material supply units (seedling loading units 24), and has a plurality of chute sections 60 that slide the agricultural material (mat seedlings 3) sent out from the receiving member 42 down to the corresponding material supply units (seedling loading units 24). This agricultural material supply device 2 in the agricultural machine 1 described in Item 4.

[0106] According to the agricultural material supply device 2 in the agricultural machine 1 relating to this item 5, the agricultural material (mat seedlings 3) sent out from the receiving member 42 can be smoothly relayed to the material supply section (seedling loading section 24).

[0107] (Item 6) The receiving member 42 is movable in the forward and backward directions A3 between a receiving position X1, which is a position where the receiving member 42 receives the agricultural material (mat seedlings 3) from the storage section 29, and a retracted position X2, which is a position moved further rearward than the receiving position X1, and the relay mechanism 43 has a positioning section 61 where the receiving member 42 is positioned at the retracted position X2 so as to align the receiving member 42 with any one of the plurality of chute sections 60.

[0108] According to the agricultural material supply device 2 in the agricultural machine 1 relating to this item 6, the positioning section 61 can align the receiving member 42 with any one of the multiple chute sections 60.

[0109] (Item 7) The agricultural material supply device 2 in the agricultural machine 1 described in Item 6, wherein the supply section 30 has an engaging section 50 that moves together with the receiving member 42, and the positioning section 61 includes a plurality of engaging sections 55 that are arranged corresponding to the plurality of chute sections 60, and the engaging section 50 selectively engages with the plurality of engaging sections 55 when the receiving member 42 is positioned at the retracted position X2.

[0110] According to the agricultural material supply device 2 in the agricultural machine 1 relating to item 7, the positioning of the receiving member 42 can be performed reliably.

[0111] (Item 8) An agricultural material supplying device 2 in an agricultural machine 1 described in any one of items 4 to 7, comprising: a support frame 28 attached to the machine body 5; a first movable carriage 39 supported on the support frame 28 so as to be freely movable in the machine body width direction K1; and a second movable carriage 41 supported on the first movable carriage 39 so as to be freely movable in the front-to-rear direction A3, wherein the receiving member 42 is supported on the second movable carriage 41 so as to be freely changeable in position between the receiving position P2 and the inclined position P1.

[0112] According to the agricultural material supply device 2 in the agricultural machine 1 relating to item 8, it is possible to move the receiving member 42 in the machine body width direction K1 and the front-rear direction A3.

[0113] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the embodiment disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative in all respects and not restrictive.

[0114] For example, the agricultural material supply device that supplies agricultural materials to the working section of the agricultural machine of the above-mentioned embodiment can be used in other agricultural machines (vegetable transplanters, fertilizer applicators, seed sowing machines, pesticide applicators, sprayers, etc.).

[0115] When this embodiment is applied to a fertilizer applicator, fertilizer, which is an agricultural material, is loaded onto the aircraft 31, and the fertilizer is supplied to the loading section 29 via the aircraft 31. The fertilizer supplied to the loading section 29 is then supplied to the fertilizer applicator, which is the working section of the fertilizer applicator, via the supply section 30.

[0116] In addition, in the case of a vegetable transplanter, seedling trays (agricultural materials) in which seedlings are grown are supplied to the loading section 29 by the flying object 31, and the seedling trays are supplied to the seedling planting device (working section) of the vegetable transplanter via the supply section 30.

[0117] In the case of a seed drill, seeds (agricultural materials) are supplied to the loading section 29 by the flying object 31, and the seeds are supplied to the seeding device (working section) of the seed drill via the supply section 30.

[0118] In addition, in the case of a pesticide applicator, the pesticide (agricultural material) is supplied to the loading section 29 by the flying object 31, and the pesticide is supplied to the pesticide applicator device (working section) of the pesticide applicator via the supply section 30.

[0119] In addition, in the case of a sprayer, the spray material (fertilizer, pesticide, etc.) to be sprayed is supplied to the mounting section 29 by the flying object 31, and the spray material is supplied to the spraying device (working section) of the sprayer via the supply section 30.

[0120] It should be noted that other agricultural machines to which this embodiment can be applied are not limited to the above-mentioned agricultural machines.

[0121] That is, the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and it is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0122] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Agricultural machine (rice transplanter) 2 Agricultural material supply device (seedling supply device) 3 Agricultural material (mat seedlings) 5 Machine body 18 Working section (seedling planting device) 24 Material supply section (seedling loading section) 28 Support frame 29 Placement section 30 Supply section 31 Flying body 34 Adjustment body 35 Sending body 39 First moving carriage 41 Second moving carriage 42 Receiving member 43 Relay mechanism 50 Engaging section 55 Engaged section 60 Chute section 61 Positioning section A3 Forward / backward direction K1 Machine body width direction P1 Inclined position P2 Receiving position X1 Receiving position X2 Retracted position

Claims

1. An agricultural material supplying device for an agricultural machine that supplies agricultural materials to a working section, comprising: a loading section that is fixedly supported on the body of the agricultural machine and on which the agricultural materials transported and supplied by an aircraft are placed; and a supplying section that receives the agricultural materials from the loading section and supplies them to the working section.

2. An agricultural material supplying device for an agricultural machine as described in claim 1, wherein the loading section has an adjustment body that adjusts the position of the agricultural material on the loading section in the width direction of the body of the agricultural machine, and a sending body that pushes the agricultural material on the loading section to the supplying section.

3. An agricultural material supplying device for an agricultural machine as described in claim 2, wherein the working unit is a material supplying unit to which the agricultural materials are supplied and has a plurality of material supplying units arranged in a line in the width direction of the machine body, the supplying unit has a receiving member that receives the agricultural material pushed out by the sending body, the receiving member is freely movable in the width direction of the machine body, and sends out the agricultural material to any one of the plurality of material supplying units.

4. An agricultural material supplying device for agricultural machinery as described in claim 3, wherein the receiving member is capable of changing its position between a receiving position for receiving the agricultural material from the storage section and an inclined position which inclines forward as it moves upward, and the agricultural material received from the storage section is changed from the receiving position to the inclined position and sent out to the material supplying section.

5. An agricultural material supplying device for agricultural machinery as described in claim 4, wherein the supplying section has a relay mechanism that relays the movement of the agricultural material from the receiving member in the inclined position to the working section, and the relay mechanism has a plurality of chute sections arranged corresponding to the plurality of material supplying sections, and the plurality of chute sections slide the agricultural material sent out from the receiving member down to the corresponding material supplying sections.

6. An agricultural material supplying device for agricultural machinery as described in claim 5, wherein the receiving member is freely movable in the forward and backward directions between a receiving position where it receives the agricultural material from the placement section, and a retracted position where it is moved rearward from the receiving position, and the relay mechanism has a positioning section where the receiving member is positioned in the retracted position so as to align the receiving member with any one of the multiple chute sections.

7. An agricultural material supplying device in an agricultural machine as described in claim 6, wherein the supply section has an engaging section which moves together with the receiving member, and the positioning section includes a plurality of engaged sections arranged corresponding to the plurality of chute sections, the engaging section selectively engaging with the engaging section when the receiving member is positioned in the retracted position.

8. An agricultural material supplying device for an agricultural machine as described in any one of claims 4 to 7, comprising: a support frame attached to the body; a first movable stage supported on the support frame so as to be freely movable in the width direction of the body; and a second movable stage supported on the first movable stage so as to be freely movable in the front-to-rear direction, wherein the receiving member is supported on the second movable stage so as to be freely changeable in position between the receiving posture and the inclined posture.

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