Agricultural material ejection device

Abstract

Provided is an agricultural material ejection device capable of effectively operating without trouble such as crushing or clogging of the agricultural material while enabling intense ejection of the agricultural materials. This agricultural material ejection device includes: a storage unit where an agricultural material is stored; a delivery unit that delivers the agricultural material stored in the storage unit; and an ejection mechanism that ejects the agricultural material delivered by the delivery unit from an ejection port 9 to a target location. The ejection mechanism includes: a gas compression unit 18 that compresses a gas; and a gas guide section 20 that extends from the gas compression unit 18, has the ejection port 9 formed at a tip thereof, guides the agricultural material to the ejection port 9 while maintaining the pressure of the gas compressed by the gas compression unit 18, and ejects the agricultural material from the ejection port 9 toward the target location.

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, such as seeds and fertilizer, to a delivery location.

[0002] A conventional seed drill, which is an example of an agricultural material ejection device, is configured as follows: It includes a tank for storing seeds, which are 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 cylindrical guide body that extends vertically and guides the seeds delivered by the delivery mechanism to the shooter unit. The shooter unit includes a rotor that has multiple blades extending radially and is driven to rotate at high speed, and is configured so that the seeds that are delivered by the delivery mechanism and fall downward through the inside of the guide body are ejected downward by the blades of the rotor (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] International Publication No. WO2021-182108

[0004] In the above-described conventional configuration, the blades must be used to forcefully eject agricultural materials downward, requiring the rotor to rotate at high speed. However, since the agricultural materials fall freely relative to the rotor rotating at high speed, they do not necessarily enter the upstream side of the blades in the direction of rotation. For example, the agricultural materials may become caught between the tip of the blades and the inner surface of the cylindrical guide. In such a situation, the blades may press the agricultural materials against the inner surface of the guide with such force that the agricultural materials may be crushed or may become jammed due to the agricultural materials being caught.

[0005] Therefore, there was a demand for an agricultural material injection device that could eject agricultural materials with force, without causing problems such as crushing or clogging of the agricultural materials, and that could smoothly supply the agricultural materials to the destination.

[0006] The characteristic configuration of the agricultural material injection device of the present invention is that it 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, and an injection mechanism that injects the agricultural material delivered by the delivery section from an injection port to the supply location, and the injection mechanism is equipped with a gas compression section that compresses gas, and a gas guide section that extends from the gas compression section and has the injection port formed at its tip, and that guides the gas compressed in the gas compression section to the injection port while maintaining the pressure of the gas, and then injects the agricultural material from the injection port toward the supply location.

[0007] According to the present invention, a gas such as air is compressed in the gas compression section, and the compressed gas is guided to the ejection port via the gas guide section and injected from the ejection port toward a supply destination such as a farm field. The gas guide section guides the compressed gas to the ejection port while maintaining its pressure, so that the gas is forcefully ejected outward from the ejection port while maintaining its pressure. As a result, agricultural materials can be forcefully injected toward the supply destination. Moreover, because the agricultural materials are forcefully ejected from the ejection port even when the gas guide section is formed long so that the ejection port is as close as possible to the supply destination, it is possible to supply agricultural materials such as seeds in a state where they are properly embedded in the soil of the farm field, for example.

[0008] By using gas that is sprayed in this manner, even if the work is carried out while suspended and supported by an aircraft, it is possible to move the materials through the air in as straight a line as possible and supply them to the target location, without being affected by outside winds, and the agricultural materials are only acted upon by compressed gas, so they do not collide with objects moving at high speed, and the agricultural materials do not get caught between objects.

[0009] Therefore, agricultural materials can be ejected with force, without the inconvenience of the agricultural materials being crushed or becoming clogged and unable to operate, and it is possible to supply agricultural materials to the destination in an efficient manner.

[0010] In the present invention, the gas compression section is provided with a cylinder tube, a piston that slides within the cylinder tube, a gas supply / exhaust means that can be switched between a supply state in which gas is supplied to the internal space of the cylinder tube and an open state in which the internal space is opened to the outside, and a discharge section that discharges the gas that has been supplied to the internal space and compressed to the outside of the cylinder tube as the piston moves, and it is preferable that the gas guide section is provided in a state that communicates with the discharge section and is composed of a tubular guide member that is smaller than the internal diameter of the cylinder tube and has an internal diameter that allows the agricultural material to pass through.

[0011] According to this configuration, when gas is supplied to the internal space of the cylinder tube by the gas supply / discharge means while the piston is stopped, the gas is compressed in the internal space. Then, as the piston moves with the gas compressed in the internal space, the compressed gas is discharged through the discharge section. The discharged gas is guided to the injection port while maintaining its compressed state through a cylindrical guide member that is smaller than the inner diameter of the cylinder tube. This configuration allows for a simple configuration in which the gas is injected by compressing the gas and moving the piston.

[0012] In the present invention, it is preferable that the guide member be replaceable with another guide member having a different guide length from the gas compression section to the injection port.

[0013] According to this configuration, work can be performed by replacing the guide members with different guide lengths depending on the work situation, etc. For example, if the field is hard and it is better to drive the agricultural materials with a strong force, using a short guide member increases the ejection speed of the agricultural materials when they are ejected from the ejection port, making it possible to embed the agricultural materials appropriately into the soil. On the other hand, if the field is soft, if the driving force is too strong, the agricultural materials may be embedded deeply in the soil and may not grow well. In such cases, using a long guide member reduces the ejection speed of the agricultural materials when they are ejected from the ejection port, preventing them from being embedded too easily.

[0014] In the present invention, it is preferable that the gas supply / discharge means is capable of changing and adjusting the internal pressure of the gas supplied to the internal space of the cylinder tube.

[0015] According to this configuration, by changing the internal pressure of the gas compressed in the internal space of the cylinder tube, it is possible to change the ejection speed of the agricultural material when it is ejected from the ejection port without changing or adjusting the length of the gas guide section. Furthermore, when the length of the gas guide section is changed, the adjustment range of the ejection speed can be widened.

[0016] In the present invention, it is preferable that the gas supply / discharge means includes a compressor capable of changing and adjusting gas pressure.

[0017] According to this configuration, the gas pressure is changed and adjusted using a compressor. The compressor uses a drive source, such as an electric motor, whose rotation speed is easily adjustable, so that the gas pressure can be adjusted with high precision.

[0018] In the present invention, it is preferable that the cylinder tube is provided with a first gas chamber located on one side of the piston in the sliding direction and a second gas chamber located on the other side of the piston in the sliding direction, a rod is provided on one side of the piston in the sliding direction and extends along the sliding direction, the discharge portion is provided at one end of the cylinder tube in the sliding direction, and the rod is switchable between a closed state in which it closes the discharge portion and an open state in which it opens the discharge portion to discharge gas as the piston moves, when the gas supply and discharge means is switched to the supply state, the rod is in the closed state, and gas is supplied to the first gas chamber and the second gas chamber and compressed, and when the gas supply and discharge means is switched to the open state, the rod is switched to the open state, and the gas compressed in the first gas chamber is discharged from the discharge portion to the outside of the cylinder tube.

[0019] According to this configuration, when the gas supply / discharge means is switched to the supply state, the rod is closed, and gas is supplied to the first gas chamber and the second gas chamber and compressed. Thereafter, when the gas supply / discharge means is switched to the open state, the rod is opened, and the gas compressed in the first gas chamber is discharged from the discharge portion. With this configuration, the configuration of the injection mechanism can be simplified by effectively utilizing the rod provided on the piston.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a front view showing the work system. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the work 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 plan view of the temporary holding part. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the attached state of the temporary holding part. FIG. 8 is a side view of the seeding device in a state where another guide member is attached.

[0021] 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."

[0022] 1 and 2 show a work system for supplying agricultural materials to a field. The work system includes a work unit A equipped with multiple seeding 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.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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 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.

[0025] 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 A. Although the example shows a case in which there are four connectors C, the number is not limited to four and may be changed.

[0026] The sowing device 1 can deliver seeds, 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.

[0027] Although not shown, the aircraft B is equipped with a well-known satellite positioning device and a 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 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.

[0028] 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.

[0029] 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.

[0030] 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).

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] The injection mechanism 10 in the embodiment of the present disclosure is equipped with a gas compression section 18 that compresses gas, and a gas guide section 20 that extends from the gas compression section 18 and has an injection port 9 formed at its tip, and that guides the gas compressed in the gas compression section 18 to the injection port 9 while maintaining the pressure of the gas, and then injects the seeds N from the injection port 9 toward the field W.

[0034] The gas compression section 18 is provided with a cylinder tube 21, a piston 22 that slides within the cylinder tube 21, a gas supply / discharge means 23, and a discharge section 24. The gas supply / discharge 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 open to the outside. The discharge section 24 discharges the gas that has been supplied to the internal space and compressed to the outside of the cylinder tube 21 as the piston 22 moves.

[0035] The gas guide section 20 is provided in a state of communicating with the discharge section 24 and is composed of a cylindrical guide member 25. The guide member 25 has an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the cylinder tube 21 and large enough for the seeds N to pass through.

[0036] 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.

[0037] 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.

[0038] 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.

[0039] 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.

[0040] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the gas supply / exhaust means 23 includes a compressor 32 as a gas supply source, a first switching valve 33, a check valve 34, a second switching valve 35, and a quick discharge valve 36.

[0041] 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.

[0042] 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.

[0043] 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.

[0044] 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.

[0045] 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.

[0046] 3 and 4, a guide member 25 constituting the gas guide portion 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 discharge portion 24. Gas discharged from the discharge portion 24 is discharged downward through the guide member 25.

[0047] 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.

[0048] 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.

[0049] 8, it is possible to replace the guide member 25 with another guide member having a different guide length from the gas compression section 18 to the injection port 9 depending on the working situation. The guide member 25 may be configured to be replaceable with three or more types having different guide lengths depending on the working situation.

[0050] By varying the guide lengths of the guide members 25 in this way, as shown in Figure 3, using a guide member 25 with a short guide length L1 increases the injection speed of the seeds N when they are injected from the injection port 9. Therefore, when the field W is relatively hard and it is better to hammer the seeds in with a strong force, a short guide member 25 is used. When the field W is relatively soft, if the driving force is too strong, the seeds N may be buried too deeply in the soil. Therefore, in such a case, as shown in Figure 8, using a guide member 25 with a long guide length L2 reduces the injection speed of the seeds N when they are injected from the injection port 9, thereby preventing them from penetrating too deeply into the field W.

[0051] It is also possible to change the speed at which the seeds N are ejected from the ejection port 9 by changing the pressure of the gas generated by the compressor 32 without changing the guiding length of the guide member 25. The guide member 25 may have the same inner diameter over the entire length, or the inner diameter may gradually change so that it becomes smaller as it approaches the ejection port 9. By making the diameter smaller toward the tip in this way, it is possible to further increase the ejection speed of the gas, i.e., the ejection speed of the seeds N.

[0052] The supply unit 17 is connected to the guide member 25 at a vertically intermediate portion thereof, and the seeds N fed from the feeding unit 8 are supplied through the supply unit 17 into the guide member 25. The supplied seeds N are ejected toward the field W by gas forcefully ejected from the discharge unit 24.

[0053] [Temporary holding section] The guide member 25 functions as a gas passing section KT through which the gas compressed from the gas compression section 18 toward the injection port 9 passes. The guide member 25 is provided with a temporary holding section 42 capable of temporarily holding the seeds N midway through the gas passing section KT. The temporary holding section 42 is capable of temporarily holding the seeds N fed from the feeding section 8, and allows the seeds N to be injected by the compressed gas toward the field W as a supply destination.

[0054] 6 and 7, the temporary holding portion 42 is made of a circular plate-shaped soft material such as rubber, has a holding force capable of receiving the seeds N, and includes a passage portion 43 through which the seeds N can pass by the application of a pressing force from compressed gas. Arm portions 44, which are flared outward and wider toward the outside, are provided around the passage portion 43 and are arranged in the circumferential direction, with the outer peripheral side of the multiple arm portions 44 connected in series and the passage portion 43 side formed in a cantilever shape so as to be elastically deformable.

[0055] In other words, the temporary holding portion 42 has an insertion hole 45 formed in the center of a circular rubber plate, the insertion hole 45 having a diameter smaller than that of the seed N. A plurality of notches 46 are formed extending radially from the insertion hole 45 to a portion midway in the radial direction, and a plurality of arm portions 44 are formed by a plurality of regions sandwiched between the notches 46. A configuration in which the arm portions 44 extend to the center and no insertion hole 45 is formed may also be used.

[0056] 3 and 7, the temporary holding portion 42 has a larger diameter than the guide member 25 and is held in a sandwiched state between upper and lower holding plates 47a, 47b. The guide member 25 is divided into upper and lower portions midway, with the upper holding plate 47a integrally connected to the outer periphery of the lower end of the upper guide member 25a and the lower holding plate 47b integrally connected to the outer periphery of the upper end of the lower guide member 25b. With the temporary holding portion 42 sandwiched between the upper holding plate 47a and the lower holding plate 47b, the upper holding plate 47a and the lower holding plate 47b are fastened and fixed with a plurality of bolts.

[0057] By providing such a temporary holding section 42 midway along the path, the seeds N delivered from the delivery section 8 are temporarily received and held in this temporary holding section 42. When compressed gas is then ejected from the gas compression section 18, the pressure of the gas causes the arm section 44 of the temporary holding section 42 to deform, and the seeds N are forcefully ejected toward the field W.

[0058] [Operation of Injection Mechanism] Next, the operation of the injection mechanism 10 will be described.

[0059] 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 through the second gas supply part 40.

[0060] 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.

[0061] 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.

[0062] 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 .

[0063] 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.

[0064] 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.

[0065] [Other Embodiments] (1) A guide member 25 having a fixed guide length may be fixed to the cylinder tube 21. In this case, the injection speed of the seeds N injected from the injection port 9 may be changed by changing the pressure of the gas generated by the compressor.

[0066] (2) Instead of the compressor 32, the gas supply source may be configured as follows. For example, various configurations can be employed, such as a configuration in which a liquid substance that vaporizes easily is stored in a tank, and the liquid vaporizes from the internal space of the tank via an on-off valve, and the gas that expands rapidly is ejected from a discharge portion via the on-off valve, or a configuration in which a piston is slid using an actuator to increase the pressure in the internal space of a cylinder tube.

[0067] (3) The gas compression unit 18 may be configured to supply gas from the gas supply source 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.

[0068] (4) The agricultural materials to be sprayed are not limited to seeds N, and fertilizers, chemicals, etc. may also be sprayed.

[0069] (5) 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 an unmanned flying vehicle, but may also be one piloted by a person.

[0070] 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.

[0071] 7 Storage section 8 Delivery section 9 Injection port 10 Injection mechanism 18 Gas compression section 20 Gas guide section 21 Cylinder tube 22 Piston 23 Gas supply / exhaust means 24 Exhaust section 25 Guide member 26 First gas chamber 27 Second gas chamber 28 Rod B Flying object

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, the agricultural material injection device comprising: a storage unit that stores the agricultural materials; a feeding unit that feeds out the agricultural materials stored in the storage unit; and an injection mechanism that injects the agricultural materials fed out by the feeding unit from an injection port to the supply location, the injection mechanism including a gas compression unit that compresses gas, and a gas guide unit that extends from the gas compression unit, has the injection port formed at a tip end thereof, and guides the gas compressed by the gas compression unit to the injection port while maintaining the pressure of the gas, and injects the agricultural materials from the injection port toward the supply location.

2. The agricultural material injection device according to claim 1, wherein the gas compression unit includes a cylinder tube, a piston that slides inside the cylinder tube, gas supply / discharge means that can be switched between a supply state in which gas is supplied to an internal space of the cylinder tube and an open state in which the internal space is opened to the outside, and a discharge unit that discharges the gas supplied to and compressed in the internal space to the outside of the cylinder tube as the piston moves, the gas guide unit is provided in a state of being communicated with the discharge unit, and is configured by a cylindrical guide member having an inner diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the cylinder tube and through which the agricultural materials can pass.

3. The agricultural material injection device according to claim 2, wherein the guide member is replaceable with another guide member having a different guide length from the gas compression unit to the injection port.

4. The agricultural material injection device according to claim 2, wherein the gas supply / discharge means can change and adjust the internal pressure of the gas supplied to the internal space of the cylinder tube.

5. The agricultural material injection device according to claim 4, wherein the gas supply / discharge means includes a compressor capable of changing and adjusting gas pressure.

6. Inside the cylinder tube, there are provided a first gas chamber located on one side in the sliding direction with respect to the piston and a second gas chamber located on the other side in the sliding direction with respect to the piston. A rod extending along the sliding direction is provided on one side in the sliding direction of the piston. The discharge portion is provided at one end in the sliding direction of the cylinder tube. Along with the movement of the piston, it can be switched between a closed state where the rod closes the discharge portion and an open state where the rod opens the discharge portion to allow gas to be discharged. When the gas supply / discharge means switches to the supply state, the rod becomes in the closed state, and gas is supplied to the first gas chamber and the second gas chamber to compress the gas. When the gas supply / discharge means switches to the open state, the rod switches to the open state, and the gas compressed in the first gas chamber is discharged from the discharge portion to the outside of the cylinder tube. The agricultural material injection device according to claim 2.

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