Agricultural material ejection device

Abstract

An agricultural material ejection device has been desired that can supply an agricultural material at a predetermined interval, even when adopting a configuration that enables ejection of the agricultural material toward a supply target position in a state in which no problems, such as crushing and clogging of the agricultural material, is caused. This agricultural material ejection device comprises: a storage portion that stores an agricultural material; a delivery portion that delivers the agricultural material stored in the storage portion; an ejection mechanism that ejects the agricultural material delivered by the delivery portion from an ejection port toward a supply target position; and a control unit that controls the operation of the ejection mechanism. The ejection mechanism comprises an ejection unit UT having a plurality of ejection ports 9 in different positions along the traveling direction of a flight body. The control unit controls the operation of the ejection mechanism such that, after the agricultural material is ejected from the plurality of ejection ports 9 in the ejection unit UT, the agricultural material is ejected by the ejection unit UT when the ejection unit UT has moved to a position corresponding to the next material supply position.

Description

Agricultural material injection device

[0001] The present invention relates to an agricultural material ejection device that is suspended and supported by an aircraft and that delivers granular agricultural materials to a delivery location.

[0002] A conventional seed drill, an example of an agricultural material injection device, is configured as follows: It includes a tank for storing seeds, an example of agricultural material, a delivery mechanism that delivers the seeds from the bottom of the tank, a shooter unit that shoots the delivered seeds into a field, and a vertically extending cylindrical guide body that guides the seeds delivered by the delivery mechanism to the shooter unit. The shooter unit includes a rotor that has multiple radially extending blades and is driven to rotate at high speed. The seeds delivered by the delivery mechanism and falling downward through the guide body are ejected downward by the blades of the rotor. Furthermore, multiple guide bodies are arranged side by side, and the seeds are ejected downward at multiple locations (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] International Publication No. WO2021-182108

[0004] In the conventional configuration, the agricultural materials must be forcefully ejected downward by the blades rotating at high speed, resulting in continuous ejection. As a result, it is difficult to supply the agricultural materials at a predetermined interval. In addition, there is a risk that the agricultural materials may become trapped between the blades and the inner surface of the guide body, resulting in crushing or clogging.

[0005] In order to avoid the problems of crushing or clogging of agricultural materials as described above and to be able to forcefully inject agricultural materials toward the destination, it is conceivable to use a configuration in which the agricultural materials are injected using compressed gas, for example. However, this configuration has the disadvantage that it takes time to compress the gas between one injection operation and the next injection operation, and it takes time to reach a state where injection is possible.

[0006] Therefore, there was a demand for an agricultural material injection device that could supply agricultural materials at predetermined intervals, even when adopting a configuration that could inject agricultural materials to the supply location without any problems such as crushing or clogging of the agricultural materials.

[0007] The characteristic configuration of the agricultural material supply device of the present invention is an agricultural material injection device that is suspended and supported by an aircraft and supplies granular agricultural material to a supply location, and is equipped with a storage section that stores the agricultural material, a delivery section that delivers the agricultural material stored in the storage section, an injection mechanism that ejects the agricultural material delivered by the delivery section from an injection port to the supply location, and a control section that controls the operation of the injection mechanism, wherein the injection mechanism is equipped with an injection unit having a plurality of injection ports positioned at different positions along the direction of travel of the aircraft, and the control section controls the operation of the injection mechanism so that the injection unit ejects the agricultural material from the plurality of injection ports, and then, when the aircraft moves to a location corresponding to the next material supply location, causes the injection unit to eject the agricultural material.

[0008] According to the present invention, the injection unit provided in the injection mechanism has multiple injection ports at different positions along the direction of travel of the flying object, so that when the injection mechanism executes an injection operation, agricultural materials are injected all at once from the multiple injection ports at different positions along the direction of travel of the flying object. In other words, multiple injections of agricultural materials can be performed along the direction of travel. As a result, preparations can be made to make the flying object ready for the next injection operation before it moves to the position where it is to be injected next.

[0009] Therefore, it has become possible to provide an agricultural material injection device that can supply agricultural materials at predetermined intervals, even when a configuration is adopted that does not cause problems such as crushing or clogging of agricultural materials, such as a configuration in which agricultural materials are injected using compressed gas, and that can forcefully inject agricultural materials toward the supply destination.

[0010] In the present invention, it is preferable that the ejection unit is provided with the plurality of ejection ports at different positions along a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the flying object.

[0011] According to this configuration, multiple ejection ports are provided at different positions along the direction of travel of the flying body, and also at different positions along an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the direction of travel, so that a larger number of agricultural materials can be ejected at one time, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0012] In the present invention, it is preferable that the injection unit is configured to be replaceable with another injection unit having a different arrangement pattern of the plurality of injection ports.

[0013] According to this configuration, it is possible to switch to an appropriate ejection port arrangement pattern depending on differences in the type of agricultural material or differences in the working conditions, such as differences in the external shape of the field as the supply location.

[0014] In the present invention, it is preferable that the control unit controls the operation of the injection mechanism in a manner that the agricultural material is injected from a preset injection port among the plurality of injection ports.

[0015] With this configuration, rather than uniformly injecting agricultural materials into the fields that are the supply destinations, it is possible to perform appropriate work according to the situation, such as injecting agricultural materials appropriately into areas where agricultural materials should be supplied and not supplying agricultural materials to areas where they should not be supplied.

[0016] In the present invention, it is preferable that the control unit be able to change and set a combination of the ejection ports from which the agricultural material is ejected, among the plurality of ejection ports.

[0017] According to this configuration, when the type of agricultural material is different or when the supply location to be worked on is different, the combination of ejection ports can be changed to an appropriate one depending on the work situation.

[0018] In the present invention, it is preferable that the injection mechanism comprises a gas compression section that compresses gas and a gas ejection section that ejects the compressed gas to the outside, and is configured to eject the agricultural material by the gas ejected from the gas ejection section.

[0019] According to this configuration, the injection mechanism compresses the gas supplied by the gas supply unit and ejects the compressed gas from the gas ejection unit, thereby injecting the agricultural materials toward the target location. The ejected gas can be used to supply the agricultural materials to the target location. The agricultural materials are only acted upon by the compressed gas, and do not collide with objects moving at high speed, so the agricultural materials do not get caught between objects.

[0020] In the present invention, it is preferable that the gas compression section includes a cylinder tube and a piston that slides within the cylinder tube, and the gas ejection section ejects compressed gas supplied to the internal space of the cylinder tube to the outside of the cylinder tube.

[0021] According to this configuration, gas is supplied to the internal space of the cylinder tube and compressed while the piston is stopped. Then, as the piston moves, the compressed gas is ejected downward from the gas ejection part. The ejected gas injects agricultural materials into the target area. This configuration can be achieved with a simple structure in which the gas is compressed and ejected by the movement of the piston.

[0022] 1 is a front view showing the working system; FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the working system; FIG. 3 is a side view of the seeding device; FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the injection mechanism; FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the injection mechanism; FIG. 6 is a control block diagram; FIG. 7 is a plan view showing an arrangement pattern of the injection ports of the injection unit; FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the injection unit; FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the injection unit; FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the injection unit.

[0023] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the direction of the arrow FR shown in Fig. 2 will be referred to as "front," the direction of the arrow BK will be referred to as "rear," the direction of the arrow LH shown in Figs. 1 and 2 will be referred to as "left," and the direction of the arrow RH will be referred to as "right." The direction of the arrow UP shown in Fig. 1 will be referred to as "up," and the direction of the arrow DW will be referred to as "down."

[0024] 1 and 2 show a work system for supplying seeds as agricultural materials to a field. The work system includes a work unit A equipped with multiple seed sowing devices 1 as an example of an agricultural material injection device according to the present invention, an unmanned aerial vehicle B known as a drone, and multiple connecting bodies C that suspend and support the work unit A from the aerial vehicle B. The aerial vehicle B is configured to be able to fly independently. The aerial vehicle B has a main body 4, multiple propellers 5, and multiple arms 6.

[0025] Although the number of propellers 5 and arms 6 is not particularly limited, in this embodiment, there are four propellers 5 and four arms 6. The four arms 6 extend from the main body 4 to the left front, right front, left rear, and right rear, respectively.

[0026] Each propeller 5 is driven by the driving force of an electric motor (not shown). Driving each propeller 5 enables flying vehicle B. That is, by driving each propeller 5, flying vehicle B can move in any direction, up and down, forward and backward, and left and right, while floating in the air. Driving each propeller 5 enables flying vehicle B to fly while stationary.

[0027] The seeding device 1 is suspended and supported by the main body 4 via a plurality of connectors C (e.g., wires). A plurality of seeding devices 1 are provided, spaced apart in the left-right direction, and are assembled together to form the working unit 2. Although the example shows a case in which there are four connectors C, the number is not limited to four and may be changed.

[0028] The sowing device 1 can deliver seeds N, which are an example of agricultural materials, to a field by shooting them. Although not described in detail, the flight state of the flying object B is managed so that the sowing device 1 moves along the path to sow seeds. At this time, the flying object B may repeat a movement operation and a position stop operation, and sowing work may be performed while the flying object B is stopped in position. Sowing work may also be performed while the flying object B moves continuously.

[0029] Although not shown, the aircraft B is equipped with a well-known satellite positioning device and a flight control unit that controls the drive of each propeller 5 to control the movement of the aircraft B. The satellite positioning device receives GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signals from artificial satellites and generates positioning data indicating the position of the aircraft B based on the received signals. GNSS can be GPS, QZSS, Galileo, GLONASS, BeiDou, or the like. The flight control unit controls the drive of each propeller 5 so that the aircraft B moves along a predetermined work route based on the measurement results of the satellite positioning device and preset map data of the field.

[0030] Next, we will explain the configuration of the seeding device 1. As shown in Figure 3, the seeding device 1 includes a hopper 7 as a storage unit for storing seeds N, a delivery unit 8 for delivering the seeds N stored in the hopper 7, and an injection mechanism 10 for injecting the seeds N delivered by the delivery unit 8 from an injection port 9 into a field W as a supply location.

[0031] The hopper 7 has a storage space surrounded by side walls. An opening is formed at the top of the storage space, and a large number of seeds N can be added. After the seeds N are added, the opening is closed with a removable lid 13. The bottom of the hopper 7 is provided with a flow-down guide section 11 that tapers downward. The seeds N can be discharged downward from the bottom of the flow-down guide section 11, and a delivery roller 14 is provided at the discharge point.

[0032] The delivery roller 14 is supported rotatably around a left-right axis X1. Recesses 16 into which seeds N can fit are formed on the outer periphery of the delivery roller 14. Multiple recesses 16 are formed at regular intervals around the circumferential direction. The delivery roller 14 is formed with a narrow width along the rotation axis so that one or several seeds N can fit into each recess 16. The delivery roller 14 is driven to rotate around the axis X1 by an electric motor (not shown).

[0033] As the delivery roller 14 rotates, the seeds N that have entered the recess 16 are discharged downward. A cylindrical supply section 17 that guides the seeds N discharged from the delivery roller 14 is provided at the bottom of the hopper 7.

[0034] An ejection mechanism 10 is provided on the side of the feeding section 8, and the seeds N fed from the feeding section 8 are ejected by the ejection mechanism 10 and supplied vigorously toward the field W.

[0035] The sowing device in an embodiment of the present disclosure is equipped with a compressor 32 as a gas supply unit that supplies gas, an injection mechanism 10 that injects seeds N into a field W by spraying the gas supplied and compressed by the compressor 32, and a sowing control unit H as a control unit that controls the operation of the compressor 32 and the injection mechanism 10.

[0036] [Injection Mechanism] The injection mechanism 10 includes a cylinder tube 21 extending in the vertical direction, a piston 22 that slides within the cylinder tube 21, a gas ejection section 20 that ejects compressed gas supplied to the internal space of the cylinder tube 21 downward from the bottom of the cylinder tube 21 as the piston 22 moves, and a gas supply / exhaust means 23 that can be switched between a supply state in which gas is supplied to the internal space of the cylinder tube 21 and an open state in which the internal space is opened to the outside.

[0037] The gas supply / exhaust means 23 is switchable between a supply state in which gas is supplied to the internal space of the cylinder tube 21 and an open state in which the internal space is opened to the outside. The gas supplied to the internal space and compressed is discharged to the outside of the cylinder tube 21 from a discharge portion 24 formed at the bottom of the cylinder tube 21 as the piston 22 moves.

[0038] The gas ejection part 20 is provided in a state in which it is in communication with the discharge part 24, and is composed of a cylindrical guide member 25. The guide member 25 has an inner diameter that is smaller than the inner diameter of the cylinder tube 21 and that allows the seeds N to pass through.

[0039] The injection mechanism 10 will be described in detail. As shown in Figure 4, the injection mechanism 10 includes a cylinder tube 21 and a piston 22 that slides within the cylinder tube 21. The cylinder tube 21 includes an internal space that includes a first gas chamber 26 and a second gas chamber 27. The first gas chamber 26 is located on one side of the piston 22 in the sliding direction. The second gas chamber 27 is located on the other side of the piston 22 in the sliding direction.

[0040] A rod 28 extending along the sliding direction is provided on one side of the piston 22 in the sliding direction, and a discharge portion 24 is provided at one end of the cylinder tube 21 in the sliding direction. The discharge portion 24 is configured by forming an opening in one sealing block body 29 that is inserted along the sliding direction. The end of the rod 28 on one side in the sliding direction can be inserted into the opening of the discharge portion 24.

[0041] When one end of the rod 28 in the sliding direction is inserted into the opening of the discharge portion 24, the discharge portion 24 is closed (the state shown in FIG. 4 ). When the rod 28 slides to the other side in the sliding direction, the rod 28 comes out of the opening and opens the discharge portion 24. That is, as the piston 22 moves, the rod 28 can be switched between a closed state in which the rod 28 closes the discharge portion 24 and an open state in which the rod 28 opens the discharge portion 24 and allows gas to be ejected.

[0042] A gas supply / exhaust means 23 is provided which can be switched between a supply state in which gas is supplied to each of the first gas chamber 26 and the second gas chamber 27 of the cylinder tube 21, and an open state in which the first gas chamber 26 and the second gas chamber 27 are open to the outside.

[0043] 4, the gas supply / discharge means 23 includes a first switching valve 33, a check valve 34, a second switching valve 35, and a quick discharge valve 36. The gas supply / discharge means 23 switches the supply state of gas from the compressor 32.

[0044] The first switching valve 33 is switchable between a supply state in which gas is output from the compressor 32 to the first gas chamber 26 and a stop state in which the output is stopped. The second switching valve 35 is switchable between a supply state in which gas is output from the compressor 32 to the second gas chamber 27 and a stop state in which the output is stopped. When the second switching valve 35 is switched to the supply state, the quick discharge valve 36 allows gas to be supplied to the second gas chamber 27. When the second switching valve 35 is switched to the stop state, the check valve 34 prevents backflow toward the second switching valve 35, and the quick discharge valve 36 is switched to a state in which the second gas chamber 27 is suddenly opened to the outside.

[0045] The quick discharge valve 36 has a well-known configuration and includes an inlet portion 36a to which gas is supplied from the second switching valve 35, and a discharge portion 36b through which gas is discharged from the second gas chamber 27. The quick discharge valve 36 also includes a silencer 36c (see FIG. 5) that suppresses discharge noise when gas is discharged from the second gas chamber 27.

[0046] When the rod 28 is in the closed state, the gas supply / discharge means 23 can supply gas to the first gas chamber 26 and the second gas chamber 27. When gas is supplied to the first gas chamber 26 and the second gas chamber 27, the gas is compressed in each of the first gas chamber 26 and the second gas chamber 27, and the internal pressure increases. At this time, the rod 28 is maintained in the closed state due to the difference in the area of ​​the pressure acting surface of the piston 22. Then, when the gas supply / discharge means 23 thereafter switches from the supply state to the open state, the compressed gas inside the second gas chamber 27 is released, the rod 28 switches to the open state, and the compressed gas is discharged from the discharge portion 24.

[0047] A central sealing block 37 is provided midway in the sliding direction of the cylinder tube 21. The central sealing block 37 is hollow to allow the rod 28 to pass through. The piston 22 is slidable between the central sealing block 37 and the other sealing block 38.

[0048] The cylinder tube 21 is provided with a first air supply section 39 and a second air supply section 40. Gas is supplied to the first air supply section 39 from the first selector valve 33. Gas is supplied to the second air supply section 40 from the second selector valve 35 via the quick exhaust valve 36. The first air supply section 39 is provided in the central sealing block 37. The second air supply section 40 is provided in the other sealing block 38.

[0049] A control device 45 is provided that controls the operation of the compressor 32, the first selector valve 33, and the second selector valve 35. The control device 45 has a microcomputer and is configured to execute various operations in the form of a control program. The control device 45 is configured to control the operation of the compressor 32, the first selector valve 33, and the second selector valve 35 according to a preset control program. Therefore, the first selector valve 33, the second selector valve 35, and the control device 45 constitute a seeding control unit H that serves as a control unit that controls the operation of the compressor 32 and the injection mechanism 10.

[0050] 3 and 4, a guide member 25 constituting the gas ejection section 20 is provided on one outer side in the sliding direction of the cylinder tube 21. The guide member 25 is connected to communicate with the opening of the ejection section 24. The gas ejected from the ejection section 24 is guided downward through the guide member 25 and ejected from the injection port 9 at the tip.

[0051] When the rod 28 is switched to the open state with the gas compressed in the internal space of the cylinder tube 21, the gas in the internal space does not suddenly expand at the discharge part 24, but is guided to the injection port 9 through the inside of the guide member 25 while maintaining a high pressure. The gas passing through the inside of the guide member 25 can eject the seeds N forcefully downward.

[0052] The guide member 25 is detachably attached to the discharge portion 24 of the cylinder tube 21. As shown in Figure 4, a flange portion 25A is provided on the outer periphery of the upper end of the guide member 25, and this flange portion 25A is bolted to the end of the cylinder tube 21. The guide member 25 can be removed from the cylinder tube 21 by releasing the bolt connection.

[0053] The supply unit 17 is connected to the guide member 25 midway in the vertical direction to form the seed supply unit 41. The seeds N fed from the feed unit 8 are fed into the guide member 25 through the supply unit 17. The fed seeds N are ejected toward the field W by gas forcefully ejected from the discharge unit 24.

[0054] [Operation of Injection Mechanism] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the injection mechanism 10. These operations are controlled by the control device 45 in accordance with a preset control program.

[0055] 5(a), both the first gas chamber 26 and the second gas chamber 27 are open. When the second switching valve 35 is switched to the supply state, gas is supplied to the second gas chamber 27 of the cylinder tube 21.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 5B, when gas is supplied to the second gas chamber 27, the piston 22 slides to one side in the sliding direction, and the rod 28 switches to a closed state in which it closes the discharge portion 24.

[0057] 5(c), when the supply of gas to the second gas chamber 27 continues and the supply of gas to the first gas chamber 26 begins, the internal pressure of each of the first gas chamber 26 and the second gas chamber 27 increases due to the compression of the gas. This state corresponds to the supply state of the gas supply / discharge means 23. At this time, the rod 28 is maintained in a closed state. That is, because the area of ​​the pressure acting surface of the piston 22 on the second gas chamber 27 side is larger than the area of ​​the pressure acting surface on the first gas chamber 26 side, the piston 22 is pushed toward the first gas chamber 26 side, and the rod 28 is maintained in a closed state.

[0058] As shown in FIG. 5( d ), when the first switching valve 33 is switched to the stopped state, the compressed gas stored in the second gas chamber 27 is discharged to the outside through the quick discharge valve 36 .

[0059] 5(e), as the internal pressure of the second gas chamber 27 decreases, the piston 22 moves to the other side in the sliding direction (toward the second gas chamber 27) due to the pressure difference between the first gas chamber 26 and the second gas chamber 27, and the rod 28 opens. This operation corresponds to the gas supply / discharge means 23 switching to the open state.

[0060] As a result, the discharge section 24 is opened, and the compressed gas held in the first gas chamber 26 is forcefully discharged from the discharge section 24. Then, the gas forcefully discharged from the discharge section 24 is guided to the injection port 9 via the guide member 25, and the seeds N fed from the feeding section 8 are injected toward the field W.

[0061] [Launch Unit] In the agricultural material launching device according to this embodiment, the launching mechanism 10 is provided with a launching unit UT having a plurality of launch ports 9 at different positions along the traveling direction of the flying object B. The sowing control unit H controls the operation of the launching mechanism 10 so that after the launching unit UT has launched seeds N through the plurality of launch ports 9, the launching unit UT launches seeds N when the flying object B moves to a location corresponding to the next material supply location. The launching unit UT is also provided with a plurality of launch ports 9 at different positions along a direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the flying object B.

[0062] 7 and 8, the injection unit UT is provided with eight injection parts 46, each of which has a cylinder tube 21 and a gas ejection part 20 integrally connected thereto, at different positions along the traveling direction of the flying object B, and two injection parts 46, each of which has a different position along the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the flying object B. Therefore, in this embodiment, a total of 16 injection parts 46 are provided, and an injection port 9 is formed at the lower end of each injection part 46.

[0063] The 16 injection units 46 are fixedly supported by a support frame 47. Each injection unit 46 can individually inject seeds N into the field W using compressed gas as described above. The seeding control unit H controls the operation of the first switching valve 33 and the second switching valve 35 of the gas supply / exhaust means 23 so that all 16 injection units 46 inject seeds N simultaneously.

[0064] The sowing control unit H is also configured to be able to communicate information with a flight control unit provided in the flying vehicle B. After the sowing control unit H has caused the injection unit UT to inject seeds N from the multiple injection ports 9, when the flying vehicle B moves to a location corresponding to the next material supply location, the sowing control unit H controls the operation of the first switching valve 33 and the second switching valve 35 of the gas supply / exhaust means 23 so that the injection unit UT will inject seeds N.

[0065] As shown in Figure 9, after the current ejection operation is performed, when the flying object B moves along the direction of travel by the length of the ejection unit UT, it is determined that it has moved to the location corresponding to the next material supply location, and the next ejection operation is performed. Then, such an ejection operation is repeatedly performed.

[0066] Even if a certain time is required for the gas compression operation, the gas compression operation can be performed before moving to the location corresponding to the next material supply location. As a result, there is no need to waste time waiting for the injection operation until the time required for the gas compression operation has passed, and sowing work can be carried out efficiently.

[0067] [Other Embodiments] (1) The launch unit UT may be configured to be replaceable with another launch unit UT having a different arrangement pattern of the multiple launch ports 9 (launching sections 46). For example, as shown in Figure 10, the launch unit UT may be configured to include two launching sections 46 at different positions along the direction of travel of the aircraft B, and eight launching sections 46 at different positions along the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the aircraft B. Furthermore, the number of launching sections 46 is not limited to the number shown in the example, as long as multiple launching sections 46 are provided along the direction of travel of the aircraft B. The number along the direction of travel of the aircraft B may be three or more, and the number along the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the aircraft B may be one or two or more.

[0068] (2) The sowing control unit H may be configured to control the operation of the injection mechanism 10 so that seeds N (agricultural materials) are injected through a preset injection port 9 among the multiple injection ports 9. For example, as shown in Fig. 11, if there are areas in a field W to which agricultural materials are desired to be supplied and areas to which agricultural materials should not be supplied, the operation may be controlled so that only the injection units 46 among the multiple injection units 46 corresponding to the areas to which agricultural materials are desired to be supplied are activated, and the injection units 46 corresponding to the areas to which agricultural materials should not be supplied are not activated.

[0069] (3) The sowing control unit H may be configured to be able to change the combination of the ejection ports 9 from which the seeds N (agricultural materials) are ejected among the multiple ejection ports 9. For example, the number of ejection ports 46 along the traveling direction of the flying object B and the number of ejection ports 46 along the orthogonal direction perpendicular to the traveling direction may be changed to different arrangement patterns corresponding to different fields W, and the sowing control unit H may be configured to eject the seeds N (agricultural materials) in a state corresponding to the field W in accordance with preset setting conditions.

[0070] (4) The gas compression unit 18 may be configured to supply gas from the gas supply source (compressor 32) only to the second gas chamber 27, and include a backflow prevention unit that moves gas in only one direction from the second gas chamber 27 to the first gas chamber 26, thereby compressing gas not only in the second gas chamber 27 but also in the first gas chamber 26. In this case, the configuration can be simplified.

[0071] (5) The agricultural materials to be sprayed are not limited to seeds N, and fertilizers, chemicals, etc. may also be sprayed.

[0072] (6) The flying vehicle B may be a drive system in which the propeller is driven by an internal combustion engine, or may be a parallel hybrid drive system in which the propeller is driven by both an electric motor and an internal combustion engine. It may also be a series hybrid drive system in which a generator is driven by an internal combustion engine and the generated electricity drives an electric motor. The flying vehicle is not limited to being unmanned, and may also be piloted by a person.

[0073] The present invention can be applied to an agricultural material injection device that is suspended and supported by a flying object and supplies granular agricultural materials to a target location.

[0074] 7 Hopper (storage section) 8 Delivery section 9 Injection port 10 Injection mechanism 18 Gas compression section 20 Gas ejection section 21 Cylinder tube 22 Piston H Seeding control section (control section) UT Injection unit

Claims

1. An agricultural material injection device that is suspended and supported by a flying object and supplies granular agricultural materials to a supply location, comprising: a storage unit that stores the agricultural materials; a feeding unit that feeds out the agricultural materials stored in the storage unit; an injection mechanism that injects the agricultural materials fed out by the feeding unit from an injection port to the supply location; and a control unit that controls the operation of the injection mechanism, wherein the injection mechanism is provided with an injection unit having a plurality of injection ports with different positions along the traveling direction of the flying object, and the control unit controls the operation of the injection mechanism so that after injecting the agricultural materials from the plurality of injection ports in the injection unit, when moving to a location corresponding to the next material supply location, the agricultural materials are injected by the injection unit.

2. The agricultural material injection device according to claim 1, wherein the injection unit is provided with the plurality of injection ports in a state where their positions are different along an orthogonal direction perpendicular to the traveling direction of the flying object.

3. The agricultural material injection device according to claim 2, wherein the injection unit is configured to be replaceable with another injection unit having a different arrangement pattern of the plurality of injection ports.

4. The agricultural material injection device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit controls the operation of the injection mechanism in a form of injecting the agricultural materials through a preset injection port among the plurality of injection ports.

5. The agricultural material injection device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit can change and set the combination of the injection ports for injecting the agricultural materials among the plurality of injection ports.

6. The agricultural material injection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the injection mechanism includes a gas compression unit that compresses gas and a gas ejection unit that ejects the compressed gas to the outside, and is configured to inject the agricultural materials by the gas ejected from the gas ejection unit.

7. The agricultural material injection device according to claim 6, wherein the gas compression unit is provided with a cylinder tube and a piston that slides inside the cylinder tube, and the gas ejection unit ejects the gas supplied and compressed into the internal space of the cylinder tube to the outside of the cylinder tube.

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