JP7704181B2 - Rice transplanter - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a rice transplanter equipped with a planting device having planting claws that accept seedlings.

With conventional rice transplanters, if the machine slipped, the spacing between the plants would become too close together and it was not possible to plant the plants at the intended spacing, making it difficult to manage the amount of seedlings used in each field.

There are also known rice transplanters with a function to keep the spacing between plants uniform (keeping the spacing between plants), in which the rotation speed of the planting tines is controlled according to changes in the actual speed during planting (Patent Document 1).

JP 2019-170344 A

However, even with conventional rice transplanters that control the spacing between plants uniformly, there are problems with the start position at each process being off, immediate response to changes in speed, and field conditions, and when planted seedlings are viewed from the side, in a direction perpendicular to the vehicle's direction of travel, the positions of the plants may not be aligned, resulting in poor sunlight and ventilation and reduced yields.

In addition, because the crops were not aligned horizontally, it was impossible to move the combine harvester horizontally during harvesting, and harvesting had to be done only in the direction the vehicle was moving during planting.

The present invention takes into consideration the problems with conventional rice transplanters and aims to provide a rice transplanter that can be used without problems when harvesting in either the planting direction or the lateral direction perpendicular to the planting direction.

The first aspect of the present invention is
A rice transplanter equipped with a planting device having a planting claw for planting seedlings in a field,
When seedlings are planted along a designated teaching route, each planting position is recorded in the control device,
When planting seedlings on another travel path parallel to the travel path for teaching, the control device causes the planting device to plant the seedlings from each of the recorded planting positions to positions on each of the planting reference lines extending in a direction perpendicular to the travel path for teaching;
The control device controls the rotation speed of the planting claws of the planting device to plant seedlings at positions on each of the planting reference lines,
When planting seedlings on the teaching driving path, the control device uses GNSS to grasp the distance traveled by the vehicle body, and accordingly controls the rotation of the planting claws to maintain a constant spacing between plants, thereby executing a distance-spacing maintenance mode.
The second aspect of the present invention is
a cylindrical seedling harvesting device that supplies the seedlings to a planting device having a planting claw that plants the seedlings in the field;
The seedlings are of the seedling mat type;
The cylindrical seedling harvesting device includes a cylinder, a rail fixed to a central position inside the cylinder,
a plurality of round bars arranged in parallel above the rail inside the cylinder;
The seedling box containing the seedling mat is inserted while being held on the rail inside the cylinder,
Then, the cylinder rotates 180 degrees in the circumferential direction, so that the seedling mat falls from the seedling box and is placed on the multiple round bars,
A seedling holding plate is inserted between the seedling box and the seedling mat,
The cylinder rotates again 180 degrees in the circumferential direction together with the seedling holding plate, so that the seedling mat is placed on the seedling holding plate,
This is a first rice transplanter of the present invention, in which the seedling mat is supplied to the planting device by moving the seedling holding plate on which the seedling mat is placed toward the planting device.
The first invention related to the present invention is
A rice transplanter equipped with a planting device having a planting claw for planting seedlings in a field,
When seedlings are planted along a designated teaching route, each planting position is recorded in the control device,
The control device is a rice transplanter characterized in that when planting seedlings on another travel path parallel to the teaching travel path, the planting device plants the seedlings from each of the recorded planting positions to positions on each planting reference line extending in a direction perpendicular to the teaching travel path.

The second invention related to the present invention is
The control device is a rice transplanter of a first invention related to the present invention , in which seedlings are planted at positions on each of the planting reference lines by controlling the rotational speed of the planting tines of the planting device.

The third invention related to the present invention is
This is a second invention of a rice transplanter related to the present invention, in which, when planting seedlings on the teaching driving path, the control device executes a distance spacing maintenance mode, determining the distance traveled by the vehicle body and controlling the rotation of the planting claws accordingly to maintain a constant spacing between plants.

The fourth invention related to the present invention is
This is a third invention related to the present invention, which is a rice transplanter that, when planting seedlings on the other driving route, can switch between using the planting reference line to perform planting, or instead executing the distance spacing maintaining mode, or executing a non-spacing maintaining mode in which the spacing between the seedlings to be planted is not maintained constant.

The fifth invention related to the present invention is
A straight-line assist function is provided for traveling back and forth in the field,
A travel route for acquiring a reference line for the straight line assist is used as the travel route for teaching,
The rice transplanter of the fourth invention related to the present invention is one in which the planting reference line is perpendicular to the reference line.

The sixth invention related to the present invention is
In a fifth aspect of the rice transplanter related to the present invention, point B, which is the end point for obtaining the reference line, is determined based on the number of rotations of the rear wheels from point A, which is the start point.

The seventh invention related to the present invention is
A fifth invention of a rice transplanter related to the present invention is one in which the determination of point B, which is the end point for obtaining the reference line, is performed on the condition that the difference between the orientation of the vehicle body at point B and the orientation of the vehicle body at point A , which is the start point, is within a predetermined angle.

The eighth invention related to the present invention is
A fifth invention of a rice transplanter related to the present invention is one in which the determination of point B, which is the end point for obtaining the reference line, is conditional on the vehicle speed at point B being equal to or greater than a predetermined vehicle speed and continuing for a predetermined period of time.

The ninth aspect of the present invention is
a cylindrical seedling harvesting device that supplies the seedlings to a planting device having a planting claw that plants the seedlings in the field;
The seedlings are in a seedling mat type,
The cylindrical seedling harvesting device includes a cylinder, a rail fixed to a central position inside the cylinder,
a plurality of round bars arranged in parallel above the rail inside the cylinder;
The seedling box containing the seedling mat is inserted while being held on the rail inside the cylinder,
Then, the cylinder rotates 180 degrees in the circumferential direction, so that the seedling mat falls from the seedling box and is placed on the multiple round bars,
A seedling holding plate is inserted between the seedling box and the seedling mat,
The cylinder rotates again 180 degrees in the circumferential direction together with the seedling holding plate, so that the seedling mat is placed on the seedling holding plate,
This is a rice transplanter of any of the sixth to eighth inventions related to the present invention , in which the seedling mat is supplied to the planting device by moving the seedling holding plate on which the seedling mat is placed toward the planting device.

This invention makes it possible to create a rice transplanter that can be used without problems when harvesting in the planting direction or in a lateral direction perpendicular to the planting direction.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a field in which a rice transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention plants seedlings. Control-related configuration diagram of the rice transplanter A front view of the rice transplanter, focusing on the gear that drives the fertilizer applicator. A perspective view showing the rice transplanter planting seedlings on the edge of the paddy field. A side view of the fertilizer hopper that adjusts the amount of fertilizer applied by the rice transplanter. Diagram of the rice transplanter's display panel showing the amount of fertilizer applied, etc. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cylindrical unit for supplying seedlings to the rice transplanter. (a) and (b) are diagrams showing how the cylindrical unit is used to supply seedlings. (a) and (b) are diagrams showing how the cylindrical unit is used to supply seedlings. (a) and (b) are diagrams showing how the cylindrical unit is used to supply seedlings. FIG. 3 is an overall side view of the cylindrical unit for supplying seedlings. FIG. 3 is a front view of the cylindrical unit for supplying seedlings; FIG. 11 is a schematic front view showing an arrangement of a plurality of the cylindrical units. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the upper end of the seedling tank when seedlings are supplied using the cylindrical unit. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a seedling holding plate used when supplying seedlings using the cylindrical unit. (a) and (b) are perspective views showing a method of using the seedling holding plate. FIG. 11 is a side view showing the relationship between the seedling holding plate and the upper end of the seedling tank. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the relationship between the seedling holding plate and the upper end of the seedling tank. FIG. 11 is a side view showing how seedlings are supplied using the cylindrical unit. FIG. 11 is a side view showing how seedlings are supplied using the cylindrical unit. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which seedlings are supplied using the cylindrical unit. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state in which seedlings are supplied using the cylindrical unit. FIG. 13 is a partial perspective view showing a state in which seedlings are supplied using a plurality of the cylindrical units.

The following describes in detail the embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a field on which a rice transplanter according to an embodiment of the present invention travels. In the following, the forward/backward and left/right directions are defined based on the direction of travel of the rice transplanter.

In Figure 1, 1 is a farm field where seedlings 2 are planted using a four-row rice transplanter.

3 is a travel path for teaching, which in this example is the first travel path L1. Furthermore, this travel path 3 for teaching uses a travel path for obtaining a reference line for straight-line assistance. 2a is the spacing between seedlings 2.

In other words, this is an example in which the rice transplanter is moved in a straight line manually to plant seedlings 2, and then point A, which is the start point, is specified, and point B, which is the end point, is specified, or point B is automatically acquired as described below, and then a reference line SL connecting points A and B is acquired, and this reference line SL is used to assist in moving in a straight line along travel paths L2, L3, L4, etc. in the subsequent processes.

The travel paths L2, L3, L4, etc. for the next process and beyond are parallel to the initial travel path 3.

In this way, when planting the seedlings 2 on the first travel path, each planting position is recorded in the recording unit 4a of the control device 4. This planting position recording records the point where the planting claw 8a touches the field surface.

That is, FIG. 2 is a control configuration diagram of the rice transplanter, in which the control device 4 has a recording unit 4a, controls the speed of the wheels 6 via the traveling HST 5, and also controls the rotation of the planting tines 8a of the planting device 8 via the planting-only HST 7.

Next, when planting seedlings 2 on travel paths L2, L3, L4, etc. in the next process and thereafter, the control device 4 controls the rotation of the planting claws 8a to plant seedlings 2 from each of the planting positions recorded in the recording unit 4a to positions on each of the planting reference lines PL, PL, PL, etc. that extend in a direction perpendicular to the teaching travel path 3.

In other words, before entering the next process, the planting reference lines PL, PL, PL... have already been determined from the respective planting position data recorded in the recording unit 4a. The control device 4 then controls the rotation speed of the planting claws 8a, taking into account the speed of the traveling vehicle body, so as to match the planting positions known in advance, by controlling the rotation of the planting claws 8a. In other words, the rotation speed of the planting claws 8a is slowed down where the planting reference line PL is wide, and the rotation speed of the planting claws 8a is increased where the planting reference line PL is narrow.

When planting seedlings on the travel path 3 for teaching, teaching may be performed while executing a distance spacing maintenance mode in which the control device 4 grasps the distance traveled by the vehicle body and controls the rotation of the planting claws 8a accordingly to maintain a constant spacing between plants. This mode allows the spacing of the planting reference line PL to be more uniform when teaching.

For example, if seedlings 2 are to be planted at intervals of 30 cm, and the rotational position of the planting claw 8a is, for example, at approximately the 10 o'clock position where the seedling was scraped off, 10 cm from the point where the seedlings have traveled 30 cm since the previous planting, the rotational speed of the planting claw 8a is adjusted so that the planting claw 8a just reaches the ground during that 10 cm travel. The travel distance can be determined using known technology such as detecting the rear wheel rotation speed or using GNSS.

In addition, when planting seedlings on the travel routes L2, L3, ... (corresponding to other travel routes of the present invention) for the next process or later, the control device 4 can also switch as follows.

In other words, it may be possible to switch between a mode in which planting is performed at each position using the planting reference line PL as described above, or alternatively, a mode in which the above-mentioned distance spacing is maintained, or a non-spacing maintenance mode in which the spacing between seedlings is not maintained constant.

In addition, the end point B for obtaining the reference line SL during the teaching described above can be determined automatically based on the number of rotations of the rear wheels from the start point A.

This makes it possible to obtain point B even if the vehicle has slipped a certain distance, rather than determining point B based on the absolute distance from point A.

Alternatively, the determination of point B, which is the end point for obtaining the reference line SL, may be made on the condition that the difference between the vehicle body's orientation at point B and the vehicle body's orientation at point A, which is the start point, is within a predetermined angle.

In other words, for example, even if the operator manually specifies point B, if the difference in the vehicle body orientation is significantly biased, point B will not be determined.

Alternatively, the determination of point B, which is the end point for obtaining the reference line SL, may be made on the condition that the vehicle speed at point B continues to be equal to or greater than a predetermined vehicle speed for a predetermined period of time.

In other words, for example, even if point B may be determined if the vehicle has traveled a specified distance or more from point A, if the vehicle speed at point B is too slow and this low speed continues for a specified period of time, point B will not be determined.

In addition to the above, point B can be determined to be a position a predetermined distance from point A. The predetermined distance can be determined not only from the number of rotations of the rear wheels as described above, but also from vehicle speed information from the GNSS, or by integrating the vehicle speed calculated by detecting the rotation of the rear wheels over time. Alternatively, point B can be determined when a predetermined time has passed from point A.

In the above embodiment, the operation of obtaining points A and B for straight-line assist on the driving route for teaching is used, but this is not necessarily limited to this. It is also possible to obtain the planting reference lines PL, PL, etc. by planting without obtaining points A and B.

Since the horizontal spacing between plants is consistent throughout all stages, the amount of seedlings used can be managed with greater precision than before, saving time and money spent on preparation and resulting in cost reduction. In addition, sunlight, ventilation, and the efficiency of weeding work are improved, leading to increased harvests. Workability during harvesting is also improved.

Next, Figure 3 shows the technology for driving the fertilizer applicator. In Figure 3, 10 is the fertilizer drive shaft, 11 is the low reduction ratio transmission path, 12 is the high reduction ratio transmission circuit, 13 is the one-way clutch, 14 is the intermediate shaft, and 15 is the motor.

Here, in a rice transplanter that rotates the fertilizer drive shaft 10 using the driving force of a single motor 15 to apply fertilizer, the reduction ratio is changed by switching between forward and reverse rotation of the motor 15.

This allows the gear ratio to be changed to a larger reduction ratio to ensure torque when the output load increases due to fertilizer clogging, etc.

The input shaft of the motor 15, the fertilizer drive shaft 10, and the intermediate shaft 14 are all arranged in parallel, and two gear arrangements are provided to transmit power from the motor 15 to the fertilizer drive shaft 10. Of the two gear arrangements, the intermediate shaft 14 is used in one of the above to transmit power to the fertilizer drive shaft 10.

This allows the motor 15 to provide two-way output to the fertilizer drive shaft 10.

The number of gear teeth was also adjusted to reduce speed in the gear arrangement that transmits power using the intermediate shaft 14.

This allows the two-way output to be separated into high and low torque.

In addition, a one-way clutch 13 is provided between the gear on the fertilizer drive shaft 10 and the fertilizer drive shaft 10, causing the fertilizer drive shaft 10 to rotate in a fixed direction regardless of the rotation direction of the motor 15.

This allows the power transmission path to be selected while maintaining the rotation direction of the fertilizer drive shaft 10 by switching the rotation direction of the motor 15.

In addition, when the set amount of fertilizer is small or the vehicle speed is slow, the motor is rotated in a direction that uses the low torque transmission path. This makes it possible to narrow the rotation speed range of the motor 15.

Next, we will explain another example of the invention.

As shown in Figure 4, when the sub-speed lever 20 is moved to the planting position while the machine is stopped, the fertilizer clutch is turned on, and the delivery roll rotates to apply fertilizer. The fertilizer application is driven by a motor, so it is not driven by the rear wheels.

Conventionally, if you set the lever to plant at the edge of the headland, you could plant with the machine stopped, but you could not apply fertilizer, so growth was poor only in the areas where planting was done. However, with the above configuration, fertilizer is applied to the areas where planting was done, so growth is uniform.

The fertilizer roll rotates while the lever 20 is held down. The user can freely control the amount of fertilizer applied.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, it is also possible to change the amount of fertilizer applied to the plant according to the set amount of fertilizer, rather than the time that the lever 20 is pushed down. The number of rotations of the fertilizer roll is counted by a rotation sensor 21 and controlled by a motor 22. This allows the same amount of fertilizer to be automatically applied in one location as in another.

Fertilizer is spread only while the lever 20 is tilted, but once a set amount has been spread, it is possible to stop the fertilizer roll from rotating even if the lever is tilted any further. If the device continues to spread fertilizer after detecting that the lever 20 has been tilted once, and it is not possible to cancel this, it can be dangerous if the device cannot be turned off if it is pinched, etc. This improves safety and allows fertilizer to be spread accurately.

If the float is not on the ground, fertilizer will not be spread even if the sub-shift lever 20 is in the planting position. This prevents fertilizer from being spread in the air if it is operated incorrectly, and prevents malfunctions.

You can also choose not to spread fertilizer unless the blower is turned on, even if the plants are planted in the perfect position. This prevents the fertilizer from clogging.

If the blower is OFF and the plants are in the perfect planting position, fertilizer will not be spread and the monitor will warn you to turn the blower ON. This prevents fertilizer clogging.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. Conventionally, when removing seedling mats for auxiliary seedlings from seedling boxes, an operator would hold the seedling box with his or her hand and use a scooping board to remove the seedling mats. This method is cumbersome and has the problem of not being able to be automated, but this invention solves this problem. In this embodiment, the seedlings 33 are seedling mat type.

In Figure 7, 30 is a cylinder whose diameter is equal to or greater than the short side of seedling box 34, whose length is equal to or greater than the long side of seedling box 34, and which is large enough to hold seedling box 34 inside, and which can rotate in the circumferential direction. A semicircular semi-cylindrical member 30a that is slightly smaller than cylinder 30 is attached inside the cylinder, and a rail 31 is provided and fixed near the center of semi-cylindrical member 30a so that the edge of seedling box 34 can fit and hold it at the interval of the short side of seedling box 34.

In addition, a number of round bars 32 are arranged in a comb shape, parallel to the long side of the surface of the seedling box 34 that fits into the rail 31, at a distance of 1 to 2 times the thickness of the seedlings 33 above the bed. The round sides of the semi-cylindrical member 30a are each left open so that the auxiliary seedlings 33, including the leaves of each seedling box 34, can pass through. The cylinder 30 can also rotate in a circumferential direction around its center. These members as a whole are called the unit 300.

This device removes the auxiliary seedlings 33 from the seedling box 34 in the following steps.

(1) Figure 8 (a) is a front view of the cylinder 30, and (b) is a side view. The seedling box 34 containing the auxiliary seedlings 33 is inserted horizontally into the rail 31, and with the comb-shaped round bars 32 on top, the seedling box 34 is inserted all the way into the rail 31 and held within the cylinder. At this time, the auxiliary seedlings 33 are inserted so that the leaves of the auxiliary seedlings 33 are pushed aside between the comb-shaped round bars 32 that extend in the direction in which they are inserted and are lined up horizontally.

(2) As shown in Figures 9(a) and (b), the cylinder 30 is rotated 180°, and the auxiliary seedlings 33 are dropped from the seedling box 34 and are received and held by the comb-shaped round bar 32 located below.

(3) Furthermore, a seedling holding plate 35 for placing seedlings is inserted between the fallen auxiliary seedlings 33 and the seedling box 34 that is still being held, from the opposite direction to the way the auxiliary seedlings 33 were inserted.

(4) As shown in Figures 10(a) and (b), rotate the cylinder 30 together with the seedling holding plate 35 by 180 degrees, and drop and hold the auxiliary seedling 33 on the inserted seedling holding plate 35.

(5) Pull out the inserted seedling holding plate 35 together with the auxiliary seedling 33 placed on it, and remove the seedling.

By configuring it in this way, the unit can perform the task of an operator removing seedlings from seedling boxes 34 using seedling holding plates 35, and if the actions of inserting auxiliary seedlings 33, rotating the unit, and inserting and removing seedling holding plates 35 are automated using electricity or the like, it can be used as part of a system for fully automatic seedling supply in a robotic rice transplanter or the like.

Although the seedlings will be turned upside down, they will not crumble as with rolled seedlings, and even if some of the soil covering the top of the seedlings falls off, this will not cause any problems when planting them. By using this unit to remove the soil that is not held by the seedling's roots, less soil falls when the seedlings are scraped off with the planting rod, and crumbled bed soil from the seedlings is less likely to accumulate on the float below, improving planting performance.

The unit 300 rotates the cylinder to turn the seedlings over and remove them from the seedling box. This unit 300 is mounted on a rice transplanter and used as part of a system for fully automatic seedling supply.

As shown in Figures 11 and 12, the units 300 are used in the same number as the number of planting rows, and are arranged side by side at the top center of the rice transplanter running section 100, with the front and rear positions of each row aligned at the center of the seedling tank 101. In this case, taking into consideration the size of the cylinder that the seedling boxes 34 fit into, if the front and rear positions of each row are aligned with the seedling tank 101, the units 300 of adjacent rows cannot be arranged side by side, so they are arranged with a slight vertical shift between every other row.

In addition, gears 36 are provided on the cylindrical outer periphery of each unit 300, and the gears 36 on the outer periphery of the staggered units 300 are configured to mesh with adjacent units (see Figure 13). Furthermore, since the height of the units 300 shifts up and down for every other row, the position of the upper end 101a of the seedling tank 101 is also shifted by the same amount for every other row (see Figure 14).

By configuring it in this way, when the seedling tank 101 is stopped in the center position, the units 300 for each row are lined up in front and behind each row of the seedling tank 101, and when auxiliary seedlings 33 are put into each unit 300 from the front, seedlings 33 taken out of the seedling box 34 come out from the rear. By separately connecting these units 300 and the seedling tank 101 to each row, it becomes possible to use them as part of a configuration for fully automatic seedling supply.

As shown in FIG. 13, by connecting each unit 300 with a gear 36, all units 300 can be rotated with one drive, allowing for a simple and inexpensive configuration. The rotation direction can be the same 180° regardless of whether it is to the left or right. Note that the rotation drive configuration for all units 300 does not have to be the gear 36, and can be connected by a belt, chain, or the like.

As described above, in the unit 300 that rotates the cylinder 30 to turn over the seedlings 33 and remove them from the seedling box 34, when this unit 300 is mounted on a rice transplanter and configured for fully automatic seedling supply, the seedling holding plate 35 that moves the seedlings 33 from the unit 300 to the seedling tank 101 is configured as follows.

The seedling holding plate 35 is large enough to hold one seedling 33 and can fit into the unit 300. A main shaft 35a is provided at the center of the top, bottom, left and right, extending in the front-back direction, and the seedling holding plate 35 is inserted and held there. As shown in Figures 15, 16 (a) and (b), the seedling holding plate 35 is configured to be slidable back and forth along the main shaft 35a and to rotate around the main shaft 35a as a rotation axis. In addition, two stopper shafts 35b are provided on the left and right so that the seedling holding plate 35 can be held horizontally without rotating relative to the main shaft 35a when it is moved backward, and is configured to be inserted into the seedling holding plate 35 by sliding movement to maintain its position. Furthermore, the main shaft 35a and the left and right stopper shafts 35b are fixed to a vertical rotation shaft stay 35c provided at the rear, and when the seedling holding plate 35 moves to the rearmost position, the vertical rotation shaft stay 35c is used as a rotation axis, and the seedling holding plate 35 can rotate vertically together with each shaft (see Figure 17).

The vertical rotation shaft stay 35c and the seedling holding plate 35 may be provided independently behind the cylindrical seedling harvesting unit 300 (see Figure 17), or may be fixed to the top end of the seedling tank 101 and connected to the planting device 8 (see Figure 18). For seedling supply, the rotation shaft of the cylindrical seedling harvesting unit 300 and the rotation shaft of the seedling holding plate 35 are arranged coaxially.

This configuration allows the seedlings 33 to be moved from the cylindrical seedling removal unit 300 located at the top center of the rice transplanter running section 100 to the planting section seedling tank 101.

The auxiliary seedlings 33 are placed in the cylindrical seedling harvesting unit 300, which is then rotated 180 degrees to drop the seedlings 33 from the seedling box 34, and the seedling holding plate 35 is slid forward along the main shaft 35a and inserted into the cylindrical seedling harvesting unit 300. At this time, the seedling holding plate 35 moves forward from where it is held by the left and right stopper shafts 35b, and when the stopper shafts 35b are released, the front part of the seedling holding plate 35 is inside the cylindrical seedling harvesting unit 300, from which point it is held by the cylindrical seedling harvesting unit 300 and rotates together with it.

Then, the cylindrical seedling removal unit 300 is rotated 180° together with the seedling holding plate 35, and the seedling 33 is placed on the seedling holding plate 35. The seedling holding plate 35 is then slid backwards to remove the seedling 33. Once it has been moved to the rear end, the seedling holding plate 35 is rotated vertically upwards by the vertical rotating shaft stay 35c, and when tilted, the seedling 33 slides off under its own weight and is moved to the seedling tank 101 below.

If the sliding movement of the seedling holding plate 35 back and forth and the vertical rotation movement at the rear end are automated using electricity or other means, it will become a unit that can move the seedlings 33 fully automatically from the cylindrical seedling removal unit 300 to the planting section seedling tank 101, and can be used as part of a configuration for fully automatic seedling supply.

Next, in the unit 300 that rotates the cylinder 30 to turn over the seedlings 33 and remove them from the seedling box 34, a brush 37 is provided at the front of the unit 300, on the auxiliary seedling insertion side (see Figure 19). Here, the position at which the seedling box 34 is inserted into the cylindrical seedling removal unit 300 is configured so that the seedling box 34 is positioned slightly below the center of the unit 300 in the orientation in which the auxiliary seedlings 33 are inserted, rather than aligning the center of the seedling box 34's thickness with the center of the unit 300. In addition, the position of the lower end of the brush 37 is configured to be slightly above the center of the unit 300, away from the back surface of the seedling box 34 that is positioned offset from the center of the unit 300.

In addition, the empty boxes 34 into which the seedlings 33 remaining inside the unit 300 have fallen are returned to the front of the unit 300, on the auxiliary seedling insertion side, for collection when the unit 300 is rotated 180 degrees and turned upside down. The brushes 37 are coarse-toothed with gaps in each section approximately equal to the spacing of the round bars 32 of the seedling holding comb.

With this configuration, as shown in Figures 19 and 21, when the auxiliary seedlings are put in, the coarse brush 37 comes into contact with the leaves of the seedlings 33, and after the brush 37 lightly brushes aside the leaves of the seedlings 33, it enters the round bar 32 of the seedling holding comb part of the unit 300, so that the leaves of the seedlings 33 are smoothly separated and entered, making it difficult to damage the leaves of the seedlings 33. At this time, the lower end of the brush 37 is positioned so that it does not come into contact with the seedlings 33 bed or the seedling box 34.

Furthermore, as shown in Figures 20 and 22, when empty boxes are collected, the backside of the empty box 34, which has been turned upside down 180 degrees, is in a slightly higher position where it comes into contact with the lower end of the brush 37. As a result, when the empty box 34 is pulled back, the tip of the brush 37 comes out while touching the backside of the empty box 34, so that the roots and mud on the backside of the seedling box 34 can be brushed off by the brush 37 while it is collected.

In addition, by configuring the seedling holding plate 35 at the rear of the unit 300 to have a certain degree of thickness (see Figures 19 and 20), and by allowing the front side of the seedling holding plate 35 to come into contact with the rear side of the seedling box 34 in either position when inserting the auxiliary seedlings 33 or removing the empty box 34, the next auxiliary seedling 33 will push out the seedling holding plate 35, moving the previous seedling 33, when performing consecutive seedling supply work. By inserting the seedling holding plate 35 into the unit 300, the empty box 34 will be pushed forward, and the back of the seedling box will be cleaned at the same time, making it convenient to perform consecutive work.

Next, in the unit 300 that rotates the cylinder 30 to turn over the seedlings 33 and remove them from the seedling box 34, the unit 300 is mounted in a staggered arrangement at the top center of the rice transplanter running section 100, and the drive that rotates the cylinder 30 is used to transport the fertilizer bag P to the front top of the mid-fertilizer applicator fertilizer hopper 38 (see Figure 11).

As shown in Figures 11, 12, and 23, it is composed of a fertilizer transport platform 39 large enough to carry a fertilizer bag P, and a fertilizer transport frame 40 that serves as a rail along which the transport platform 39 moves.

First, the fertilizer transport frames 40 are installed horizontally on the left and right above the staggered cylindrical seedling harvesting units 300, parallel to the fertilizer hopper 38. In addition, vertical fertilizer transport frames 40 are installed on either the left or right side of the staggered cylindrical seedling harvesting units 300, and the corners are configured to be large R-shaped so that the fertilizer transport frames 40 are connected to surround the staggered cylindrical seedling harvesting units 300 in an L-shape.

Next, a rope is connected between the fertilizer transport platform 39, which moves along the fertilizer transport frame 40, and the cylindrical seedling harvesting unit 300, which is the furthest from the side of the fertilizer transport frame 40, so that the cylinder 30 rotates and winds the rope around its outer circumference, pulling the fertilizer transport platform 39. Guides are provided at various points on the fertilizer transport frame 40 for the rope 41, which is stretched along the frame in the same way as the fertilizer transport platform 39.

With this configuration, the fertilizer bag P is placed on the fertilizer transport platform 39 at a low position to the side of the rice transplanter running section 100, and then the fertilizer transport platform 39 carrying the fertilizer bag P is raised by rotating the cylindrical seedling removal unit 300. Furthermore, the upper part of the cylindrical seedling removal units 300 arranged in a staggered pattern, which is the upper front part of the mid-fertilizer applicator fertilizer hopper 38, can be moved left and right, and the fertilizer bag P can be moved to the position in front of the fertilizer hopper 38 where fertilizer supply is desired.

In addition, by providing a configuration in which the fertilizer bag P placed on the fertilizer transport platform 39 is automatically tilted so that the fertilizer falls downward and rearward, and by providing a configuration in which the fertilizer hopper lid is automatically opened, it is possible to achieve a configuration in which fertilizer can be replenished fully automatically, and this fertilizer transport unit can be used as part of that.

The present invention is ideal for seedling rice transplanters because it can realize a work device that can be used for harvesting in either the planting direction or the lateral direction perpendicular to the planting direction without any problems.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Field 2 Seedling 2a Interplant spacing 3 Travel route for teaching 4 Control device 4a Memory unit 5 Travel HST
6 Wheels 7 HST for planting nails
8 Planting device 8a Planting claw 10 Fertilizer application drive shaft 11 Low reduction ratio transmission path 12 High reduction ratio transmission circuit 13 One-way clutch 14 Intermediate shaft 15 Motor 20 Sub-speed change lever 21 Rotation sensor 22 Motor 30 Cylinder 30a Semi-cylindrical member 31 Rail 32 Round bar (comb)
33 Seedling 34 Seedling box 35 Seedling holding plate 35a Main shaft 35b Stopper shaft 35c Vertical rotating shaft stay 36 Gear 37 Brush 38 Fertilizer hopper 39 Fertilizer transport platform 40 Fertilizer transport frame 41 Rope 300 Unit L1, L2, L3 ... Travel path P Fertilizer bag PL Planting reference line SL Reference line

Claims (2)

A rice transplanter equipped with a planting device having a planting claw for planting seedlings in a field,
When seedlings are planted along a designated teaching route, each planting position is recorded in the control device,
When planting seedlings on another travel path parallel to the travel path for teaching, the control device causes the planting device to plant the seedlings from each of the recorded planting positions to positions on each of the planting reference lines extending in a direction perpendicular to the travel path for teaching ;
The control device controls the rotation speed of the planting claws of the planting device to plant seedlings at positions on each of the planting reference lines,
When planting seedlings on the teaching driving path, the control device uses GNSS to grasp the distance traveled by the vehicle body, and controls the rotation of the planting claws accordingly to maintain a constant spacing between plants, thereby executing a distance-spacing maintenance mode . a cylindrical seedling harvesting device that supplies the seedlings to a planting device having a planting claw that plants the seedlings in the field;
The seedlings are of the seedling mat type;
The cylindrical seedling harvesting device includes a cylinder, a rail fixed to a central position inside the cylinder,
a plurality of round bars arranged in parallel above the rail inside the cylinder;
The seedling box containing the seedling mat is inserted while being held on the rail inside the cylinder,
Then, the cylinder rotates 180 degrees in the circumferential direction, so that the seedling mat falls from the seedling box and is placed on the multiple round bars,
A seedling holding plate is inserted between the seedling box and the seedling mat,
The cylinder rotates again 180 degrees in the circumferential direction together with the seedling holding plate, so that the seedling mat is placed on the seedling holding plate,
The rice transplanter according to claim 1 , wherein the seedling mat is supplied to the planting device by moving a seedling holding plate on which the seedling mat is placed toward the planting device.