JP2003250318A - Method for managing tea field and machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for managing a tea field, by which tea field-managing items such as an applied fertilizer amount and an applied chemical amount can finely automatically be controlled in response to the growth states of tea trees at various places in a tea field to promote the good growth of the tea trees and further eliminate wasteful tea field managements such as wasteful fertilizer application and wasteful chemical application, thereby enabling the realization in the reductions of a total applied fertilizer amount, a total applied chemical amount, and the like, and to provide a machine for managing a tea field. <P>SOLUTION: This machine for managing the tea field, provided with a travel machine frame 2 for traveling on the tea field and an applicator (fertilizer applicator 3) loaded on the travel machine frame 2 is characterized in that the applicator comprises a chemical or fertilizer material tank (fertilizer tank 30) for storing the chemical or fertilizer, application ports, an adjusting valve 36 for adjusting the amount of the chemical or fertilizer material to be applied, a travel position-detecting sensor 32 for detecting the travel position of the travel machine frame 2, and a controller C for selecting a prescribed application amount memorized on the basis of preliminarily observed and judged data at a prescribed position, on the basis of the position information of the travel position-detecting sensor 32, and opening or closing the adjusting valve 36 to give a prescribed application amount, thus automatically controlling the application amount of the chemical or fertilizer material. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for automatically applying fertilizer while traveling in a tea field, and in particular, the amount of fertilizer to be applied is automatically adjusted according to the growing condition of tea trees. A novel tea garden management method and apparatus are provided.

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As a conventional automatic fertilizer applicator, for example, as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-322629, automatic traveling on a rail laid between the ridges is performed by automatically traveling between the ridges. There is a device that automatically sprays fertilizer on the furrows. According to such an apparatus, fertilization work is automatically performed at the same time as tea leaf plucking and the like, and the tea garden management work is made efficient and labor-saving.

By the way, in a tea field, not only in the tea field but also in the same tea ridge, a place where a lot of tea leaves grow in the tea plant,
Although there are places that are not so thick, conventional automatic fertilizer applicators have not been able to finely and automatically set the amount of fertilizer to be applied in accordance with the growing condition of tea plants. In such a work method, the tea plantation management operator may increase the amount of fertilizer in accordance with, for example, a tea plant in a poor growing condition, but spread fertilizer more than necessary to a tea plant in a good growing condition. This is not only a wasteful application of fertilizer, but an excessive application of fertilizer may adversely hinder a good growth condition.

A conventional automatic control device for rail automatic traveling type is also known as a conventional device, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-298905.
However, similar to the above-mentioned automatic fertilizer applicator, the conventional automatic pest control device could not finely and automatically change the spray amount of the chemical agent according to the growing condition of the tea plant. Therefore, the automatic pest controller has the same problem as the automatic fertilizer applicator.Because it is not possible to finely change the amount of chemical spray depending on the degree of damage of pests of tea plants, it is not necessary to spray unnecessary chemicals or excessively spread them. There is a problem that the surrounding environment is polluted by the spraying of the above-mentioned chemicals.

[0005]

[Technical problem to be attempted to develop] The present invention has been made from such a background, and finely adjusts the tea plantation management items such as the amount of the fertilizer and the chemical sprayed according to the growing condition of the tea plant at each place in the tea plantation. Automatically control, promote good growth of tea plant, and there is no tea garden management such as wasteful application of fertilizer or chemicals,
This is an attempt to develop a new tea garden management method and device that can also reduce the total amount of fertilizer application and the total amount of chemical spraying.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] That is, the tea garden management method according to claim 1 is a method in which a spraying machine is mounted on a traveling machine body, and fertilization or control is automatically performed while traveling in the tea garden. Observe the growing condition of tea trees at each place,
It is characterized in that the amount of the fertilizer material sprayed is changed for each place in the tea garden, based on a suitable management condition selected according to the data obtained by the tea garden observation. According to this invention, the application amount of the fertilizer material is finely adjusted according to the growth state of the tea plant for each place in the tea garden, promoting good growth of the tea plant, and without wasting the fertilizer material wastefully, It is possible to reduce the total amount of fertilizer application or the total amount of chemical spraying.

In addition to the requirements of claim 1, the tea garden management method according to claim 2 is characterized in that when the amount of the fertilizer material sprayed is changed according to the growing condition of the tea plant, the chemical fertilizer at each place in the tea garden is changed. The traveling amount detection sensor for detecting the traveling position is mounted on the traveling machine body while preliminarily storing the amount of material sprayed in the storage means, and based on the position information of the traveling position detection sensor, predetermined spraying to the predetermined position stored in advance. The feature is that the amount is selected, and the control valve is opened / closed so that the predetermined amount is applied to automatically control the amount applied. According to this invention, based on the position information of the traveling position detection sensor, a predetermined spray amount for a predetermined position stored in advance is selected,
Since the control valve is opened and closed so as to achieve the predetermined spraying amount and the spraying amount of the medicinal fertilizer material is automatically controlled, the predetermined amount of the medicinal fertilizer material is accurately sprayed to a predetermined position.

Further, in the tea garden management method according to claim 3, in addition to the requirements according to claim 1 or 2, when the medicinal fertilizer material is changed according to the growing condition of the tea tree, the growing condition of the tea tree is set on the traveling machine body. It is characterized in that a growth state detection sensor for measuring the above is provided, and the amount of sprayed medicinal material is automatically controlled based on the measurement value measured by this growth state detection sensor. According to the present invention, the growing state detection sensor is provided, and the spraying amount of the medicinal fertilizer material is automatically controlled based on the detected value. Therefore, the operator visually recognizes the growing state of the tea plant and stores the state in the control device. There is no need for work to do so. In addition, even an inexperienced person can apply an appropriate amount of medicinal fertilizer material.

Furthermore, the tea garden management method according to claim 4 is:
In addition to the requirements according to claim 1, 2 or 3, when changing the amount of chemical fertilizer material sprayed according to the growth state of the tea plant, a speed detection sensor is provided in the traveling machine body to change the traveling speed. It is characterized in that the amount of the fertilizer material sprayed is changed for each place in the tea garden.
According to the present invention, it is possible to finely adjust the spray amount of the medicinal fertilizer material, and it is also possible to omit the mechanism for adjusting the spray amount of the spreader.

Furthermore, the tea garden management method according to claim 5 is:
In addition to the requirements according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, the sprayer is a fertilizer sprayer, and the fertilizer spraying amount can be changed by automatically opening and closing a control valve for fertilizer spraying based on the suitable management condition. It is characterized by automatic control. According to the present invention, the amount of fertilizer applied is finely adjusted according to the growth state of tea plants, promoting good growth of tea plants, and reducing the total amount of fertilizer applied without wasting fertilizer wastefully. Moreover, since the amount of spraying is automatically opened and closed by the control valve, the control can be easily performed.

Furthermore, the tea garden management apparatus according to claim 6 is:
An apparatus for automatically spraying a fertilizer material onto a tea plant, comprising a traveling machine traveling in a tea plant and a sprayer mounted on the traveling machine, wherein the spraying machine is a fertilizer material for storing the fertilizer material. A tank, a spray port located so as to face the tea ridge or the ridge, a control valve for adjusting the amount of the fertilizer material sprayed from the spray port, and a running position detection sensor for detecting the running position of the traveling machine body. Based on the position information of this traveling position detection sensor, select a predetermined spray amount for a predetermined position stored based on the data determined by observation in advance, and open and close the control valve to reach the predetermined spray amount. It is characterized by including a control device for automatically controlling the amount of material sprayed. According to the present invention, based on the position information of the traveling position detection sensor, the predetermined application amount for the predetermined position stored in advance is selected, and the control valve is opened / closed to achieve the predetermined application amount, and the fertilizer material is applied. Since the amount is automatically controlled, the amount of the fertilizer material sprayed is finely adjusted according to the growing condition of the tea plant, promoting good growth of the tea plant and reducing the total fertilizer application amount without wasting fertilizer. it can.

Furthermore, the tea plantation management apparatus according to claim 7 is
In addition to the requirements of claim 6, the medicinal fertilizer material is a liquid, and the medicinal fertilizer material supplied from the medicinal fertilizer material tank is
It is characterized by pumping water to a temporary storage tank located above by a pumping pump, and supplying the fertilizer material stored in this temporary storage tank to the spray nozzle via a supply pipe by natural fall. is there. According to this invention, the spraying utilizes the natural fall of the fertilizer material due to its own weight, and the pump required for spraying is not the high-pressure one for jetting, so a low-pressure small pump is sufficient. be able to. Also, instead of supplying fertilizer directly from the fertilizer material tank to the spray nozzle, the fertilizer material is stored in the temporary storage tank at the top and the fertilizer material is supplied from there to the spray nozzle. Regardless of the amount, a constant amount of medicated fertilizer material is sprayed per hour at a constant pressure.

Further, the tea garden management apparatus according to claim 8 is:
In addition to the requirements of the sixth or seventh aspect, the traveling position detection sensor measures using a rotary encoder. According to the present invention, the traveling position of the tea garden management device can be detected relatively inexpensively and the traveling position can be accurately detected.

Further, the tea plantation management apparatus according to claim 9 is:
In addition to the requirements according to claim 7 or 8, the supply pipe is branched into a plurality of parts, each of which is provided with a control valve having a different flow rate when opened, and a medicated fertilizer is provided by a combination of opening and closing of these control valves. It is characterized by adjusting the amount of material sprayed in multiple stages. According to the present invention, the amount of spraying can be accurately adjusted, and the structure for adjusting the amount of spraying is a simple structure, which can be implemented relatively inexpensively.

Further, in the tea plantation management apparatus according to claim 10, in addition to the requirements according to claim 7, 8 or 9, a nozzle tip whose discharge direction is horizontal is provided at a spray port of the spray nozzle. It is characterized by.
According to this invention, the fertilizer material is sprayed on the roots of tea plants as well as the furrows.

Further, in the tea garden management apparatus according to claim 11, in addition to the requirements according to claim 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10, the traveling machine body is on a traveling rail laid on both sides of the tea ridge. It is characterized in that it automatically travels across the road. According to this invention, the medicinal fertilizer material is automatically sprayed unattended, and it is not necessary to learn a driving technique such as a riding type.

Further, in the tea garden management apparatus according to claim 12, in addition to the requirements according to claim 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 or 11, the sprayer is a fertilizer sprayer, and the medicinal material is It is characterized by being a fertilizer. According to this invention, good growth of tea plants can be promoted, and the total amount of fertilizer applied can be reduced without wasting fertilizer.

Furthermore, a tea plantation management apparatus according to a thirteenth aspect comprises a traveling machine body traveling in the tea plantation and a sprayer mounted on the traveling machine body, and is a chemical fertilizer for controlling or fertilizing tea trees. In the device for automatically spraying materials, the spraying machine is a fertilizer tank for storing chemical fertilizer materials, a spray ridge located so as to face the tea ridges or ridges, and a chemical fertilizer spread from this spray mouth. A control valve for adjusting the amount of the plant, a growth state detection sensor for detecting the growth state of the tea plant, and based on the measurement value of the growth state detection sensor, a predetermined application amount for the predetermined growth state stored in advance is selected, and the adjustment is performed. It is characterized by comprising a control device for automatically controlling the spraying amount of the medicinal fertilizer material by opening and closing the valve.
According to the present invention, the growing state detection sensor is provided, and the spraying amount of the medicinal fertilizer material is automatically controlled based on the detected value. Therefore, the operator visually recognizes the growing state of the tea plant and stores the state in the control device. There is no need for work to do so. In addition, even an inexperienced person can apply an appropriate amount of medicinal fertilizer material.

Further, in the tea plantation management apparatus according to claim 14, in addition to the requirements according to claim 13, the spreader is a fertilizer spreader, and the growth state detection sensor uses a microwave moisture meter to measure tea plant. It is characterized by detecting a leaf layer. According to this invention, the growing condition of the tea plant can be grasped in a non-contact and non-destructive manner, and an appropriate amount of fertilizer can be applied according to the growing condition of the tea plant.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will now be described based on the illustrated embodiments. In the description, first, the configuration of the tea plantation management apparatus will be described, and then the operation mode will be described, and at the same time, the tea plantation management method of the present invention will be described.
In the present embodiment, a fertilizer application apparatus for automatically applying fertilizer will be described as an example, but the present invention can also be implemented by a pest control apparatus for automatic pest control. The term "medicinal fertilizer material" in the claims refers to fertilizer in the case of fertilization work and refers to chemicals in the case of control work.

An apparatus indicated by reference numeral 1 in the drawing is a tea plantation management device according to the present invention, which is a traveling machine body 2 that automatically travels in the tea plantation, and is mounted on the traveling machine body 2 to automatically spread fertilizer. And a fertilizer sprayer 3 for performing. Further, the reference numeral A in the figure is a tea ridge, and a traveling rail R is provided between the ridges.
Has been laid. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a furrow moving carriage 5 is provided on the headland on the starting end side of the running rail R, and the tea garden management device 1 is mounted on the running rail R provided on the furrow moving carriage 5. It is placed and horizontally moved to the adjacent tea ridge A along the horizontal movement rail 4.

The traveling machine body 2 will be described. The traveling machine body 2 is, for example, a rail traveling type vehicle that travels across traveling rails R laid on both sides of the tea ridge A, and is applied to four places below the gate frame 20. It has roller type wheels 21 that roll on the traveling rail R. An auxiliary wheel 22 is provided so as to sandwich the traveling rail R in order to prevent the wheel 21 from being removed. A drive motor M for driving each wheel 21 is provided above the rear wheel 21.

A panel material or the like is stretched on the upper portion of the gate-shaped frame 20, and a generator 23, a battery 24, a control device C for integrally controlling the traveling machine body 2 and the fertilizer sprayer 3, and the like are provided. . Further, an automatic return switch 25 is provided at the lower front end of the gate-shaped frame 20 so as to detect when the trailing end of the traveling rail R is reached and automatically return to travel. On the other hand, at the lower rear end of the gate-shaped frame 20, an auto stop switch 26 is provided for detecting when the vehicle travels back along the traveling rail R and reaches the laterally moving carriage to automatically stop. The traveling machine body 2 may be further provided with a ridge end detection sensor for detecting the front end and the end of the tea ridge A, and the traveling speed may be reduced when the ridge end is approached, so that the traveling mode is performed. As such a sensor, various types of sensors such as an ultrasonic sensor and an infrared sensor can be used.

Next, the fertilizer sprayer 3 will be described. The fertilizer sprayer 3 includes a fertilizer tank 30 that stores liquid fertilizer,
Spray nozzle 3 positioned so as to face the ridge between the tea ridges A
1, a supply pipe system S connecting the spray nozzle 31 and the fertilizer tank 30, a control valve 36 provided in the supply pipe system S for adjusting the flow rate of fertilizer, and a traveling position of the traveling machine body 2 is detected. And a controller C that controls the opening amount of the control valve 36 based on the position information of the traveling position detecting sensor 32.

The fertilizer tanks 30 are provided on the left and right sides of the work cart, and the front and rear leg frames 2 are provided.
It is provided between 0a. This fertilizer tank 30 is the traveling body 2
It has a low center of gravity and is excellent in running stability.

Next, the supply pipe system S will be described. The supply pipe system S is provided with one temporary storage tank 33 provided on each of the left and right of the upper part of the work carriage, and one end is connected to the bottom of the fertilizer tank 30 and the other end is connected to the upper part of the temporary storage tank 33. A pumping pipe 34, a pumping pump 34P provided in the pumping pipe 34, a supply pipe 35 that connects two spray nozzles 31 and two temporary storage tanks 33, which are provided on each of the left and right sides, and a tip of the supply pipe 35. The branch valve 35a, 35b is provided with a control valve 36 provided with two solenoid valves having different opening amounts.

The temporary storage tank 33 is provided with an overflow pipe 33a, the tip of which is the fertilizer tank 3
When the fertilizer is inserted in the tank 0 and exceeds the capacity of the temporary storage tank 33, the fertilizer is returned from the overflow pipe 33a. In principle, the pumping pump 34P supplies fertilizer so as to exceed the capacity of the temporary storage tank 33, and the storage tank always has the upper limit amount.
In addition, the control valve 36 includes two control valves 3 having different opening amounts.
By using No. 6, the application amount can be set in four stages including the fully-closed value. That is, the control valve 3
6 uses a large control valve 36A with a large opening amount and a small control valve 36B with a small opening amount. First, the state where both are opened is the maximum spraying amount (see FIG. 7 (a)).
The state in which A is opened and the small control valve 36B is closed is the next largest spray amount (see FIG. 7 (b)), and the state in which the large control valve 36A is closed and the small control valve 36B is open is a small spray amount. Yes (see FIG. 7 (c)), and with both the large control valve 36A and the small control valve 36B closed, the spray amount becomes 0 (FIG. 7).
(See (d)). In FIG. 7, the control valve 36 and the spray nozzle 3 are shown.
Although the state of switching the spray amount by the operation of the manual valve provided between No. 1 and 1 is also shown, it is of course possible to adjust the spray amount using such a manual valve. is there. Incidentally, the above-mentioned FIG. 7 (a) (b) (c)
In the case of fully automatic control as described in (d), the manual valve remains open.

As another method for adjusting the spray amount, one or a plurality of control valves 36 are opened and closed at very fine intervals, and the control device C determines the ratio of the opening time to the closing time. It is also possible to adjust the spray amount by controlling by. Further, it may be modified to adopt an embodiment in which, for example, one proportional solenoid control valve is used without using a plurality of solenoid valves and the flow rate is continuously controlled in proportion to the electromagnetic force. In addition, in this specification, spraying includes various forms such as spraying, jetting, and spreading in addition to the above-mentioned dropping.

The spray nozzles 31 are provided below the large control valve 36A and the small control valve 36B, respectively. As an example, the spray port faces downward so that fertilizer is sprayed between the ridges. Is set to. Of course, as shown in FIG. 9, the spray nozzle 31 may be provided with a nozzle tip 31a whose discharge direction is horizontal so that the fertilizer is sprayed even toward the root of the tea plant.

The supply pipe 35 system is constructed as described above, and the fertilizer in the fertilizer tank 30 is once pumped up to the temporary storage tank 33 on the upper part of the traveling machine body 2 by the pump pump 34P, and sprayed from the temporary storage tank 33 by natural fall. It is ejected from the nozzle 31.

Next, the traveling position detecting sensor 32 will be described. The traveling position detection sensor 32 is the gate-shaped frame 2
The measurement roller 32B is provided on the lower surface of 0 by an arm 32A so as to be swingable and biased toward the traveling rail R side, and a rotary encoder 32C that measures the number of rotations of the measurement roller 32B. The traveling position detection sensor 32 is configured to detect the traveling position by measuring the number of revolutions of the measuring roller 32B from the starting end of the traveling rail R placed on the laterally moving carriage.

Next, the control device C will be described. As an example, the control device C integrates the automatic control regarding the traveling of the traveling machine body 2 and the automatic control regarding the fertilizer application of the fertilizer applicator 3, and the automatic control circuit regarding the fertilizer application of the fertilizer applicator 3 includes the application of the application. A storage means for the amount of spraying at the place and its location, a means for selecting the preset spraying amount corresponding to the input value from the travel distance detection sensor, and a means for selecting the open / closed state of the control valve 36 for the spraying amount. Have A programmable logic controller is used for the control device C, and the setting value of the spraying place and the spraying amount at the spot can be sequentially changed by the user.

An example of the tea plantation management apparatus of the present invention has the above-described specific form. The operation mode will be described below, and the tea plantation management method of the present invention will also be described. (1) Outline of Fertilization First, the outline of fertilization in a tea field will be described. Fertilization is sequentially performed from the end of a field composed of a plurality of rows of tea ridges A as shown in FIG. . When the fertilizer is applied while advancing one tea ridge A first and reaches the end of the traveling rail R, the auto-return switch 25 comes into contact with the rail stopper Rs at the end of the traveling rail R, the traveling is stopped and the fertilization is terminated, Next, the wheels 21 are rotated in the reverse direction to move backward on the same traveling rail R. It should be noted that it is also preferable to increase the traveling speed during the backward movement. When returning to the side of the laterally moving carriage, the auto stop switch 26 comes into contact with the rail stopper Rs to stop the drive motor M and stop the traveling. In this way, when fertilization of one tea ridge A is completed, the ridge moving carriage 5 is laterally moved to the adjacent tea ridge A while the tea garden management device 1 is placed, and is moved forward on the traveling rail R to be the same as the above. Apply fertilizer to.

(2) Tea garden observation Next, a tea garden management method using the fertilizer sprayer 3 which is a feature of the present invention will be described. First, before performing fertilization work, the tea trees in the tea garden are observed. Specifically, whether or not the tea tree is thick and the amount of tea leaves is large (whether or not the portion where the leaf layer is thick; in FIG. 8, the portion where the leaf layer is thick is indicated by symbol A1, and the portion where the leaf layer is thin is indicated. Observe the symbol A2). Incidentally, in the case of observing a tea plantation for controlling pest control of tea trees, the degree of illness of the tea trees and the adhesion status of the pests should be observed. The "tea plant growth state" described in the claims also includes the degree of disease of the tea plant and the state of attachment of harmful insects.

(3) Setting of Fertilizer Dispersion Amount Based on the data obtained in the tea garden observation, the controller C is made to store the dispersal place and the fertilizer dispersion amount at that location. In this embodiment, for example, the spraying amount is set in four stages manually according to the growing state of the tea tree, but as another method, the growing state measuring sensor described later is used to grow the tea tree. The state may be detected and the fertilizer application amount may be set manually according to the detected growth state, or the application amount may be selected automatically instead of manually. . Furthermore, a configuration mode may be adopted in which the operator manually corrects the mechanically set spray amount.

(4) When the fertilizer spraying tea garden management device 1 travels on the traveling rail R, the traveling position detection sensor 32 detects the rotation speed of the measuring roller 32B and transmits it to the control device C. The control device C calculates the current position of the tea plantation management device 1 from the rotation speed of the measuring roller 32B, selects the preset spraying place and the spread amount of fertilizer at that place, and then the large adjustment valve and the small adjustment valve. An opening / closing command is output to the valve, and an appropriate amount of fertilizer is sprayed from the spraying nozzle 31 according to the growing condition of the tea plant at that location.

[0037]

Other Embodiments The basic embodiment of the present invention is as described above, but various other modifications can be made. That is, in the above-described embodiment, the spraying place and the spraying amount at that place are stored in the control device C in advance. However, the growing condition detecting sensor 37 capable of measuring the growing condition of the tea tree in the tea ridge A is provided in front of the traveling machine body 2. The control valve 36 is immediately controlled by selecting the open / close pattern of the large control valve and the small control valve corresponding to the growing state of the tea tree based on the measured value while measuring the growing state of the tea tree in real time. The fertilizer application amount may be adjusted. A microwave moisture meter can be applied as the growth state detection sensor 37 capable of measuring the growth state of such a tea plant. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, a transmitter 37A and a receiver 37B sandwich the tea ridge A. Thus, it is possible to indirectly measure the amount of tea leaves and the like by measuring the amount of water contained in the tea leaves and the like. In addition, when the leaf layer (thickness of the tea-leaf layer) is examined using a microwave moisture meter in this way, it is possible to mechanically detect the leaf layer without contacting the tea plant. It does not damage the tea plant and it does not hinder driving.

A traveling speed detecting sensor may be provided to change the amount of fertilizer sprayed according to the traveling speed of the traveling machine body 2. In this case, it is possible to spray a fixed amount of fertilizer regardless of the traveling speed. In addition, as such a traveling speed detection sensor, the measuring roller 32B and the rotary encoder 3 as shown in the basic embodiment are used.
It is possible to use 2C. Therefore, also in the basic embodiment, when the traveling speed changes during the fertilizer application, it is possible to change the opening / closing of the control valve 36 according to the speed to apply a predetermined amount.

Further, in the basic embodiment, the rail automatic traveling type traveling body 2 is exemplified, but the traveling type traveling body 2 other than the traveling equipment on which an operator such as a crawler is boarded and driven,
It is also possible to carry out with the radio-controlled traveling machine body 2.

The fertilizer is not limited to one type, but a plurality of types of fertilizers are stored and loaded in a tank, and the fertilizers are selected and sprayed according to the growing condition of the tea plant, or the fertilizers are blended. You may take the embodiment sprayed. In addition to the liquid fertilizer, a solid fertilizer may be used. In this case, for example, the tea garden management device equipped with a fertilizer sprayer equipped with a hopper having a shutter plate at the bottom, which has been disclosed by the present applicant in JP-A-9-322629, can be applied.

As another example of the tea garden management method and apparatus, according to the growing condition of tea trees at each place in the tea garden,
The sprayed amount of the control liquid may be automatically controlled by automatically opening and closing the control valve 36 provided in the chemical supply pipe system S of the control device mounted on the traveling machine body 2.

As a method of adjusting the amount of spraying, it may be adjusted by controlling the traveling speed of the traveling machine body 2. For example, when a large amount of spraying is required, the traveling speed is adjusted to be slower than the standard speed, and when the amount of spraying is reduced, the traveling speed is adjusted to be higher than the standard speed. Of course, the method of adjusting the spray amount by controlling the traveling speed of the traveling machine body 2 is the method of adjusting the spray amount according to the open / close state of the control valve 36 in the fertilizer sprayer 3 of the basic embodiment. , Can be used together.

The tea garden management method and apparatus of the present invention are
In addition to fertilization or control, it is also possible to carry out work such as removing vines that are entangled in tillage or tea plants. As the work for removing the vine, for example, when observing the tea garden, a place where the vine grows and covers the upper surface of the tea ridge is found, the vine growing place is stored in the control device C in advance, and the traveling body 2 reaches that position. At that time, the vine removing means is operated to remove the vine. As such a vine removing means, specifically, a cutting blade such as a hair clipper blade, a circular saw, a chainsaw, etc., which the present applicant has already disclosed in JP 2001-286215 A, or a vine hooking member formed in a hook shape is used. Such vine removing means can be used, for example, mounted on the traveling machine body 2 so as to be able to move up and down, and when the stored vine growing point is reached, the vine removing means is lowered to remove the vine.

[0044]

According to the tea garden management method of claim 1,
Depending on the growing condition of the tea plant at each place in the tea garden, the amount of medicinal fertilizer applied is finely adjusted to promote good growth of the tea plant.
Further, it is possible to realize reduction of the total amount of fertilizer application or the total amount of chemical sprayed without wastefully spraying the fertilizer material.

Further, according to the tea garden management method of the present invention, a predetermined application amount for a predetermined position stored in advance is selected based on the position information of the traveling position detection sensor 32, and the predetermined application amount is adjusted. Since the valve 36 is opened and closed to automatically control the spraying amount of the medicinal fertilizer material, a predetermined amount of fertilizer is accurately applied to a predetermined position.

Furthermore, according to the tea garden management method of the third aspect, the growing state detection sensor 37 is provided, and the spraying amount of the medicinal fertilizer material is automatically controlled based on the detected value, so that the operator can grow the tea plant. It is not necessary to visually check the state and store the state in the control device C. In addition, even an inexperienced person can apply an appropriate amount of medicinal fertilizer material.

Further, according to the tea garden management method of claim 4, a speed detecting sensor is provided on the traveling machine body 2 to change the traveling speed to change the spray amount of the fertilizer material for each place in the tea garden. It is possible to finely adjust the spray amount of the medicinal fertilizer material, and it is also possible to omit the mechanism for adjusting the spray amount of the spreader.

According to the tea garden management method of the fifth aspect, the fertilizer is automatically opened / closed by automatically opening / closing the control valve 36 provided in the fertilizer supply pipe system S according to the growing condition of the tea plant at each place in the tea garden. Since the application amount is automatically controlled, the application amount of fertilizer is finely adjusted according to the growing condition of the tea plant. Therefore, good growth of tea plants can be promoted, and the total amount of fertilizer applied can be reduced without wasting fertilizer. In addition, the supply pipe system S
Since the control valve 36 is automatically opened and closed, the control can be easily performed.

Further, according to the tea plantation management apparatus of the sixth aspect, a predetermined application amount for a predetermined position stored in advance is selected based on the position information of the traveling position detection sensor 32 so that the predetermined application amount is obtained. Since the control valve 36 is opened and closed to automatically control the spray amount of the fertilizer material, the spray amount of the fertilizer material is finely adjusted according to the growing state of the tea plant,
It is possible to promote good growth of tea plants and reduce the total amount of fertilizer applied without wasting the fertilizer.

Furthermore, according to the tea plantation management apparatus of the seventh aspect, fertilization utilizes the natural fall of the medicinal fertilizer material due to its own weight, and a high-pressure pump is not required, so an inexpensive low-pressure small pump is used. I can do it. In addition, the chemical fertilizer material is not directly supplied from the chemical fertilizer material tank (fertilizer tank 30) to the spray nozzle 31, but is temporarily stored in the upper temporary storage pump and the chemical fertilizer material is supplied from there to the spray nozzle 31. Regardless of the remaining amount of medicinal fertilizer material in the material tank, a constant amount of medicinal fertilizer material is constantly sprayed per hour.

Further, according to the tea farm management apparatus of the present invention, since the traveling position detection sensor 32 measures using the rotary encoder 32C, the traveling position of the tea farm management apparatus 1 is detected by comparison. It can be performed at a relatively low cost and the traveling position can be accurately detected.

Further, according to the tea plantation management device of the ninth aspect, the supply pipe 35 is branched into a plurality of parts, and the control valves 36 having different flow rates are provided at the time of opening, so that the control valves 36 are opened and closed. It is possible to adjust the application amount of the medicinal fertilizer material in a plurality of stages by combining the above. In addition, since the amount of spray can be adjusted accurately, and the structure for adjusting the amount of spray is simple, it can be performed at a relatively low cost.

Further, according to the tea plantation management apparatus of the tenth aspect, since the spraying nozzle 31 is provided with the nozzle tip 31a having a horizontal discharge direction, the medicine is applied not only to the furrow but also to the root of the tea plant. Manure materials are sprayed.

Further, according to the tea garden management apparatus of claim 11, the traveling machine body 2 automatically travels across the traveling rails R laid on both sides of the tea ridge A.
Unmanned medicinal fertilizer materials will be automatically sprayed,
There is no need to acquire driving skills like the riding type.

Further, according to the tea plantation management apparatus of the twelfth aspect, the spreader is the fertilizer spreader 3 and the medicinal fertilizer material is fertilizer, so that good growth of tea plants is promoted and waste fertilizer is spread. The total amount of fertilizer applied can be reduced without doing so.

Furthermore, according to the tea plantation management apparatus of the thirteenth aspect, the growing state detection sensor 37 is provided, and the spraying amount of the medicinal fertilizer material is automatically controlled based on the detected value, so that the operator can grow the tea plant. The state is visually checked and the state is controlled by the control device C.
There is no need to memorize in. In addition, even an inexperienced person can apply an appropriate amount of medicinal fertilizer material.

Furthermore, according to the tea plantation management apparatus of the fourteenth aspect, since the growing state detecting sensor 37 detects the leaf layer of the tea tree by using the microwave moisture meter, the leaf layer (the leaves are thick). The thickness of layers can be grasped in a non-contact and non-destructive manner.
You can grasp the growth status of tea trees.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a usage state of an automatic fertilizer application apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the same.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an aspect of fertilization in a tea garden by the automatic fertilizer application apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing a traveling position detection sensor.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a manner of setting four-stage spray amounts by a control valve.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a series of operations of the tea garden management method of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing an embodiment in which a nozzle tip having a spray port facing the root of a tea tree is provided.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an embodiment in which a growth state detection sensor is installed in front of a traveling machine body.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Tea plantation management device 2 traveling aircraft 20 portal frame 20a leg frame 21 wheels 22 auxiliary wheels 23 generator 24 battery 25 Auto return switch 26 Auto stop switch 3 fertilizer spreader 30 fertilizer tank 31 spray nozzle 31a nozzle tip 32 Running position detection sensor 32A arm 32B measuring roller 32C rotary encoder 33 Temporary storage tank 33a overflow pipe 34 Pumping pipe 34P pumping pump 35 supply pipe 35a Branch pipe 35b Branch pipe 36 Control valve 36A Control valve size 36B Control valve small 37 Growth condition detection sensor 37A transmitter 37B receiver 4 Horizontal movement rail 5 ridge movement carriage A tea ridge Place where A1 leaf layer is thick A2 Leaf layer is thin C control device M drive motor R traveling rail Rs rail stopper S supply pipe system

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Takuya Araki             2868-8 Oimachi, Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture Casa Oi             B102 (72) Inventor Genoku Okubo             2-11 Tsukisaka, Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture (72) Inventor, Miyahara English Magazine             2-15-26, Sena Chuo, Shizuoka City, Shizuoka Prefecture (72) Inventor Koji Yamamoto             2-12-1, Doetsu, Shimada City, Shizuoka Prefecture F term (reference) 2B022 AA01 AB20 DA19                 2B052 BA05 BA08 BC01 BC07 BC13                       DA02 DA07 DC02 DC09 DC14                       DD02 DD04 EA03 EA12 EC18                 2B121 AA11 AA20 CB20 CB34 CB35                       CC02 CC03 EA24 EA30 FA04                       FA06 FA11 FA14

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. In a method of mounting a sprayer on a traveling machine body and automatically performing fertilization or control while traveling in a tea garden, observing a growing state of tea trees at each place in the tea garden,
A tea plantation management method, characterized in that the amount of sprayed fertilizer material is changed for each place in the tea plantation based on a suitable management condition selected according to the data obtained by the tea plantation observation. 2. When changing the spray amount of the fertilizer material according to the growing condition of the tea plant, the spray amount of the fertilizer material for each place in the tea garden is stored in advance in the storage means, and the traveling position is set on the traveling machine body. Equipped with a traveling position detection sensor to detect, based on the position information of this traveling position detection sensor, select a predetermined spray amount for the previously stored predetermined position, and open and close the control valve to reach the predetermined spray amount. The tea garden management method according to claim 1, wherein the amount of the fertilizer applied is automatically controlled. 3. When changing the fertilizer material according to the growing state of the tea tree, a traveling state machine is provided with a growing state detecting sensor for measuring the growing state of the tea tree, and a measured value measured by the growing state detecting sensor. 3. The tea garden management method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the amount of the applied fertilizer material is automatically controlled based on the above. 4. When changing the amount of the fertilizer material sprayed according to the growth state of the tea plant, a speed detection sensor is provided in the traveling machine body, and the traveling speed is changed to change the fertilizer for each place in the tea garden. The tea garden management method according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the amount of material sprayed is changed. 5. The fertilizer sprayer is a fertilizer sprayer, and the fertilizer spraying amount is automatically controlled by automatically opening and closing a fertilizer spraying control valve based on the preferable management condition. The tea garden management method described in 2, 3, or 4. 6. An apparatus for automatically spraying tea plant with medicinal fertilizer material, comprising: a traveling machine traveling in a tea plantation; and a spraying machine mounted on the traveling machine. The fertilizer material tank to store, the spray port located so as to face the tea ridge or the ridge, the control valve for adjusting the amount of the chemical fertilizer material sprayed from this spray port, and the traveling position of the traveling machine body are detected. Based on the traveling position detection sensor and the position information of this traveling position detection sensor, a predetermined application amount for a predetermined position stored based on the data determined by observation in advance is selected, and the control valve of the control valve is adjusted so that the predetermined application amount is achieved. A tea plantation management device comprising: a control device that is opened and closed to automatically control the spray amount of the fertilizer material. 7. The chemical fertilizer material is a liquid, and the chemical fertilizer material supplied from the chemical fertilizer material tank is pumped by a pump to a temporary storage tank located above and stored in the temporary storage tank. 7. The tea plantation management device according to claim 6, wherein the medicated fertilizer material is supplied to the spray nozzle via a supply pipe by natural fall. 8. The tea garden management apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the traveling position detection sensor measures using a rotary encoder. 9. The supply pipe is branched into a plurality of parts, each of which is provided with a control valve having a different flow rate when opened, and a combination of opening and closing of these control valves makes it possible to spread the amount of the fertilizer material in a plurality of stages. 9. The tea garden management apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the tea garden management apparatus is adjusted to 10. The tea garden management apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a nozzle tip whose discharge direction is horizontal is provided at a spray port of the spray nozzle. 11. The traveling machine body is adapted to automatically travel across traveling rails laid on both sides of the tea ridge so as to automatically travel. Tea garden management device. 12. The spreader is a fertilizer spreader and the medicinal fertilizer material is fertilizer.
The tea garden management device according to 8, 9, 10 or 11. 13. An apparatus for automatically spraying a fertilizer material for controlling or fertilizing a tea plant, comprising: a traveling machine traveling in a tea garden and a spraying machine mounted on the traveling machine, wherein the spraying is performed. The machine is a fertilizer tank for storing the fertilizer, a spray port located to face the tea ridge or the ridge, a control valve for adjusting the amount of the fertilizer sprayed from the spray port, and a tea plant. Based on the growth state detection sensor that detects the growth state of, and the measured value of this growth state detection sensor, select a predetermined application amount for a predetermined growth state stored in advance, open and close the control valve, and spread medicinal fertilizer materials. A tea plantation management device comprising a control device for automatically controlling the amount. 14. The spreader is a fertilizer spreader, and the growth state detection sensor detects a leaf layer of a tea tree by using a microwave moisture meter.
Tea plant management device described.