JP2012249615A - Rice planting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rice planting machine, which allows real-time acquisition of a soil condition or planting depth.SOLUTION: The rice planting machine includes: a soil reaction detection device 27; a planting unit provided with a planting claw 22; and a control unit calculating a planting depth of seedling based on an output from the soil reaction detection device 27. The soil reaction detection device 27 detects a soil reaction caused in the planting claw 22. The detection device 27 further includes a probe 29 disposed in the vicinity of the planting claw 22 and a load cell 28. The probe 29 is a bar-like member disposed in parallel to the longitudinal direction of the planting claw 22, one end side thereof being turned in the same direction of the front end of the planting claw 22, and the other end side being in contact with a load detecting surface of the load cell 28.

Description

  The present invention mainly relates to a configuration for accurately controlling the planting depth of a seedling by a rice transplanter.

  In the rice transplanter, the structure which raises / lowers a planting part up and down is known (for example, patent document 1).

  One of the purposes of vertically controlling the planting part is to keep the seedling planting depth constant. That is, the distance between the ground and the planting part constantly varies depending on the unevenness of the ground, the pitching / rolling behavior of the vehicle body, and the like. Therefore, if the position of the planting part is fixed, the planting depth of seedlings varies, so that not only clean planting is possible, but also problems such as floating seedlings may occur. In order to prevent this, the planting depth of the seedling is kept constant by controlling the planting part up and down by following the ground.

  As disclosed in Patent Document 1, the conventional rice transplanter controls the raising and lowering of the planting unit based on the rocking angle of the float included in the planting unit.

JP 2008-212059 A

  By the way, the depth at which seedlings are planted by the planting part is affected by the field conditions (for example, soil hardness). However, the conventional structure which raises / lowers a planting part based on a float rocking angle like patent document 1 cannot respond to the change of field conditions. For this reason, when it was going to obtain desired planting depth with the conventional rice transplanter, the operator needed to adjust the setting finely according to soil conditions. However, the adjustment work requires experience and intuition, and there are many cases where seedlings cannot be planted at a desired planting depth.

  Therefore, it is considered suitable if various control parameters and the like can be automatically adjusted according to soil conditions. However, in the conventional rice transplanter, since the state of the soil cannot be detected in real time while the vehicle is traveling, automatic adjustment according to the soil condition is difficult or impossible.

  Measuring devices such as cone penetrometers are known as devices that detect the state of the soil, but this requires humans to read the scales and also requires some time for measurement. It cannot be used in real time for lifting control. Furthermore, this cone penetrometer is not suitable for measuring the condition of relatively soft soil such as paddy fields.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the above situation, The main objective is to provide the rice transplanter which can acquire soil conditions and a planting depth in real time.

Means and effects for solving the problems

  The problems to be solved by the present invention are as described above. Next, means for solving the problems and the effects thereof will be described.

  According to the viewpoint of this invention, the rice transplanter of the following structures is provided. That is, this rice transplanter has a soil reaction force detection device that detects a reaction force that the planting unit receives from the ground. The soil reaction force detection device includes an entry body, a rotation phase detection unit, and a reaction force detection unit. When the plunging body is rotationally driven, the tip of the piercing body draws a predetermined loop-shaped locus and pierces the ground. The rotational phase detector detects a rotational phase of the rush body. The reaction force detection unit detects a soil reaction force, which is a reaction force that the entry body receives from the ground.

  In this way, the soil reaction force can be detected by causing the entry body to enter the ground and detecting the reaction force. In addition, the soil reaction force generated at a certain point can be detected by the structure in which the tip of the rushing body is plunged into the ground, so the soil reaction force can be detected with higher accuracy than the structure that contacts the soil over a large area like a float. be able to. Further, by acquiring the rotational phase of the rushing body, the timing at which the rushing body receives a reaction force from the ground can be obtained.

  The rice transplanter is preferably configured as follows. In other words, the rice transplanter includes a probe as the entry body disposed in the vicinity of a planting claw included in the planting unit, and a load cell as the reaction force detection unit. The probe is a rod-like member arranged in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the planting claw, and one end side thereof faces in the same direction as the tip of the planting claw, and the other end side is a load detection surface of the load cell. It is in contact.

  By configuring the soil reaction force detection device in this way, the probe rotates with the planting claw and collides with the ground at the same timing as the planting claw, so the soil that is close to the reaction force that the planting claw actually receives from the soil Reaction force can be obtained. Moreover, since the probe or the like is separated from the planting claw, planting by the planting claw is not affected.

  Said rice transplanter can also be comprised as follows. That is, the entry body is a planting claw included in the planting unit. The reaction force detection unit is configured as a stress detection device attached to the planting claw.

  Thereby, the soil reaction force which a planting nail receives from soil can be detected.

  Said rice transplanter WHEREIN: It is preferable that the said soil reaction force detection apparatus is arrange | positioned in the left-right direction center part vicinity of the said planting part.

  Thereby, the detection value of the soil reaction force detection device is not easily affected by rolling.

  Said rice transplanter WHEREIN: You may arrange | position the said soil reaction force detection apparatus in the left-right direction both ends vicinity of the said planting part.

  Thereby, the right-and-left inclination amount of the planting part by rolling is detectable based on the detection value of a soil reaction force detection apparatus.

  The rice transplanter preferably includes a calculating unit that calculates the seedling planting depth based on the soil reaction force and the rotational phase of the plunging body.

  That is, the depth at which the seedling is planted can be estimated from the soil reaction force generated in the protrusion and the generation timing thereof.

  In the rice transplanter, the calculation unit preferably acquires at least one of information on soil adhesive force, soil hardness, impurities in the soil, and seedlings based on the soil reaction force.

  Thus, various information regarding the state of the soil can be acquired based on the soil reaction force. In addition, if the soil reaction force detection device is configured to detect the reaction force from the seedling mat, the state of the seedling can also be detected.

  In said rice transplanter, when the said calculation part acquires or calculates various information based on the said soil reaction force, it is preferable to correct | amend according to a vehicle speed and the planting stock number.

  That is, the detected value of the soil reaction force also changes depending on the driving speed of the planting nail. Therefore, by correcting the soil reaction force in consideration of the vehicle speed and the number of planted stocks, it is possible to acquire accurate information based on the soil reaction force.

  The rice transplanter is preferably configured as follows. That is, this rice transplanter includes an inclination sensor that detects the pitching angle of the vehicle body. The said calculation part correct | amends the said planting depth according to the pitching angle acquired with the said inclination sensor.

  Thereby, the planting depth can be calculated with higher accuracy.

The side view which shows the whole structure of the rice transplanter which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The top view of a rice transplanter. The side view which shows the rotation locus | trajectory of a planting nail | claw. The top view of a soil reaction force detection apparatus. (A) The graph which shows the example of the output waveform of a soil reaction force detection apparatus. (B) The graph which shows the signal which a rotation phase detection part and a bottom dead center detection part figure output. The side view which shows the mode of the planting nail | claw vicinity of the rice transplanter which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The top view of the rice transplanter of 2nd Embodiment. (A) The graph which shows the example of the output waveform of the soil reaction force detection apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. (B) The graph which shows the signal which the rotation phase detection part according to 2nd Embodiment outputs.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of a riding type rice transplanter 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The rice transplanter 1 includes a vehicle body 2 and a planting unit 3 disposed behind the vehicle body 2.

  The vehicle body 2 includes a pair of left and right front wheels 4 and a pair of left and right rear wheels 5. Further, the vehicle body 2 includes a driver seat 6 between the front wheel 4 and the rear wheel 5 in the front-rear direction. In the vicinity of the driver seat 6, a steering handle 7 for performing a steering operation of the vehicle body 2, a shift pedal 8 for adjusting the traveling speed of the vehicle body 2, and other various operating tools are arranged.

  The vehicle body 2 includes a control unit (not shown). A control part consists of microcontrollers, for example, and is constituted so that each composition of rice transplanter 1 may be controlled based on signals, such as a sensor with which each part of rice transplanter 1 was equipped.

  Further, around the driver's seat 6, an unillustrated planting depth adjusting lever (planting depth setting tool) for setting the planting depth of the seedling is disposed. The operator can set the seedling planting depth by operating the planting depth adjusting lever. Further, a position switch (setting detection unit) capable of detecting the operation position of the planting depth adjustment lever is provided in the vicinity of the planting depth adjustment lever. The operation position of the planting depth adjustment lever detected by the position switch is output to the control unit. In the following description, the planting depth of the seedling set by the operator is called a target planting depth.

  In the vehicle body 2, an engine 10 is disposed below the driver seat 6, and a mission case 11 is disposed in front of the engine 10. On the other hand, on the rear side of the vehicle body 2, a lifting link mechanism 12 for attaching the planting unit 3, a PTO shaft 13 for outputting the driving force of the engine 10 to the planting unit 3, and driving the planting unit 3 up and down. The elevating cylinder 14 is arranged.

  The planting unit 3 includes a planting center case 15, a planting bevel case 24, and a seedling stage 17.

  A drive shaft (not shown) is disposed in the planting center case 15, and the drive force from the PTO shaft 13 is input to the drive shaft. As shown in FIG. 2, the rice transplanter of this embodiment has three planting bevel cases 24. The planting bevel case 24 is disposed along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and is arranged side by side in the lateral direction of the vehicle body. A drive shaft (not shown) is disposed in each planting bevel case 24, and a driving force from the planting center case 15 is input.

  The planting units 20 are attached to the left and right of each planting bevel case 24, respectively. Therefore, the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment is configured as a six-row planting rice transplanter having six planting units 20. Each planting unit 20 is configured as a rotary planting device provided with two planting claws 22 in a rotating case 21. The driving force input to the planting bevel case 24 rotates the rotary case 21.

  Since the configuration of the rotary planting device is well known, detailed description will be omitted, but by rotating the rotary case 21, the tip of the planting claw 22 draws a loop-like locus as shown in FIG. However, it is configured to be driven up and down. When the tip of the planting claw 22 moves from top to bottom, one seedling 26 is scraped off from the lower end of a seedling mat 25 placed on a seedling platform 17 described later, and the root of the seedling 26 is collected. It is configured to move downward while being held and to be implanted in the ground.

  In the present specification, the distance from the bottom dead center of the tip of the planting claw 22 to the ground (the distance that the tip of the planting claw 22 enters the ground) is the “planting depth” in the sense of the depth of planting seedlings Call it.

  The seedling stage 17 is disposed above the planting bevel case 24. The seedling stage 17 is supported on a guide rail (not shown) so as to be slidable in the left-right direction of the vehicle body. And the planting part 3 is provided with the horizontal feed mechanism of the omission of illustration which reciprocates the seedling mounting stand 17 right and left within the range of the left-right width of a seedling mat. Thereby, the seedling mat placed on the seedling placing stand 17 can be moved relative to the planting unit 20 from side to side. In addition, the seedling mount 17 includes a seedling feeding belt (vertical feeding mechanism) that intermittently feeds the seedling mat downward (that is, toward the planting unit 20 side). With the above configuration, by appropriately interlocking the horizontal feed mechanism and the vertical feed mechanism, seedlings can be sequentially supplied to each planting unit 20 and planted continuously.

  The lifting link mechanism 12 is connected to the planting center case 15. The elevating link mechanism 12 has a parallel link structure including a top link 18, a lower link 19, and the like. By driving the elevating cylinder 14 connected to the lower link 19, the planting center case 15 is moved up and down. It is comprised so that raising / lowering drive is possible (Thereby, the planting part 3 whole can be raised / lowered up and down).

  The driving of the elevating cylinder 14 is controlled by the control unit. A control part drives the raising / lowering cylinder 14, controls the planting part 3 to follow the unevenness | corrugation of the ground, and raises / lowers up and down so that a seedling can be planted with the target planting depth set by the operator.

  As mentioned above, since the conventional rice transplanter controlled the planting part 3 up and down based on the rocking angle of the float, it was easily affected by soil conditions and it was difficult to keep the planting depth constant. . Therefore, the rice transplanter 1 of the present embodiment includes a soil reaction force detection device 27 that measures the reaction force (soil reaction force) that the planting claws 22 receive from the soil, and based on this soil reaction force, the planting unit 3 It is comprised so that raising / lowering control may be carried out. Details will be described below.

  As disclosed in Patent Document 1, the conventional rice transplanter has a float that swings in contact with the soil surface, and the swing angle of the float is detected by a float sensor. However, since the float is only in contact with the surface of the ground, the state of the soil surface (unevenness, etc.) can be inferred from the output of the float sensor, but the state of the soil cannot be detected. .

  Further, since the float swings in response to the force from the soil, it can be considered that the output of the float sensor indicates the reaction force received from the soil in a sense. However, since the float is configured to come into contact with the ground over a certain area, the reaction force that the float receives from the soil is dispersed, and accurate detection cannot be performed.

  As described above, the conventional rice transplanter cannot accurately detect the soil reaction force.

  Therefore, the soil reaction force detection device included in the rice transplanter of the present embodiment is composed of a rush body that rushes its tip into the soil, and a reaction force detection unit that detects a reaction force that the rush body receives from the soil. . By making the rush into the ground and detecting the reaction force, not only the soil surface but also the state inside the soil can be detected. In addition, since the soil reaction force generated at a certain point (tip of the plunging body) can be detected by the structure in which the tip of the rushing body is plunged into the ground, it is more accurate than the structure that contacts the soil over a large area like a float. Soil reaction force can be detected.

  However, the soil reaction force can only be detected once only by the entry of the entry body into the ground. In addition, in a state where the rushing body is left in the ground, the rushing body is dragged on the ground when the rice transplanter is driven.

  Therefore, the inventors of the present invention have completed the present invention by configuring such that the tip of the plunging body enters a ground by drawing a predetermined loop-like trajectory by rotationally driving the plunging body.

  That is, when the tip of the rushing body is driven to rotate while drawing a loop-shaped locus, the tip rushes into the ground many times, so that the soil reaction force can be detected each time. Furthermore, by appropriately setting the trajectory, the entry body is not dragged on the ground even when the rice transplanter is driven.

  According to the soil reaction force detection device configured as described above, the soil reaction force can be accurately acquired in real time while the rice transplanter is running. Furthermore, since the timing which received the soil reaction force can be detected by providing the phase detection part which detects the rotation phase of the rushing body driven to rotate, the state of the soil can be detected.

  Next, the soil reaction force detection device 27 of the present embodiment embodying the above idea will be described. The soil reaction force detection device 27 includes a load cell 28 and a probe 29 that are disposed in the vicinity of the planting claw 22 and rotate integrally with the planting claw 22.

  The load cell (reaction force detection unit) 28 is a known configuration that detects a load applied to the load detection surface and outputs a detection signal corresponding to the load. The detection signal of the load cell 28 is output to the control unit. As described above, since the soil reaction force detection device 27 rotates together with the planting claw, a signal from the load cell 28 to the control unit is output via the slip ring.

  The probe (entry body) 29 is a rod-shaped member and is arranged so that its longitudinal direction is substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the planting claw 22. Further, the tip of the probe 29 faces the same direction as the planting claw 22 and is arranged so that the height from the ground is substantially the same as the tip of the planting claw 22. Since the probe 29 is arranged in this way, when the rotary case 21 is driven to rotate, the tip of the probe 29 and the tip of the planting claw 22 simultaneously move on substantially the same loop-shaped locus. The other end of the probe 29 is in contact with the load detection surface of the load cell 28. With this configuration, when a force is applied to the tip of the probe 29, the force is detected by the load cell 28, and the detection result is output to the control unit.

  In the soil reaction force detection device 27 configured as described above, the probe 29 is inserted into the ground almost simultaneously with the planting claw 22. Therefore, the load cell 28 detects substantially the same load as the reaction force (soil reaction force) that the planting claw 22 receives from the soil. In this way, the soil reaction force detection device 27 can detect the reaction force (soil reaction force) that the planting claw 22 receives from the soil.

  Further, the soil reaction force detection device 27 of the present embodiment is provided as a separate body from the planting claws 22. Therefore, the planting operation by the planting claws 22 is not likely to be inhibited by the soil reaction force detection device 27.

  The soil reaction force detection device 27 includes a rotation phase detection unit that detects the rotation phase of the probe 29 (that is, the rotation phase of the planting claw 22). Specifically, the drive shaft in the planting bevel case 24 is provided with a rotation phase detector (not shown) for detecting the rotation phase of the drive shaft. The result detected by the rotational phase detector is output to the controller. Thereby, the control part can acquire the rotation phase of the planting claw 22.

  The rotational phase detector may be, for example, an absolute rotary encoder, but an inexpensive pickup sensor is used in this embodiment. However, since the pickup sensor only outputs a pulse signal corresponding to the rotational speed, the rotational phase of the planting claw 22 cannot be accurately detected only by the output of the pickup sensor. Therefore, in the rice transplanter 1 of the present embodiment, a bottom dead center detection unit that detects the bottom dead center of the planting claw 22 is provided on the drive shaft in the planting bevel case 24. The bottom dead center detection unit is configured to output a pulse signal to the control unit when the tip of the planting claw 22 reaches the bottom dead center.

  Next, calculation of the planting depth based on the detection result of the soil reaction force detection device 27 will be described.

  When the planting claw 22 is rotationally driven while drawing a loop-like locus as shown in FIG. 3, a detection waveform as shown in the graph of FIG. 5A is output from the soil reaction force detection device 27. That is, first, when the planting claw 22 scrapes off the seedling 26 from the seedling mat 25, the impact is detected as a reaction force. Next, the planting claw 22 holding the scraped seedlings moves downward, and the tip of the planting claw 22 collides with the ground. At this time, since the planting claw 22 receives a reaction force from the ground, the detection waveform output from the soil reaction force detection device 27 rises, and the soil reaction force increases until the planting claw 22 reaches the bottom dead center. When the planting claw 22 passes the bottom dead center, the detected soil reaction force starts to decrease. The planting claws 22 that have planted the seedlings 26 on the ground are pulled out from the ground. At this time, a pulling force (negative reaction force) is detected by the adhesive force of the ground.

  The control unit calculates the planting depth of the seedling based on the detection waveform of the soil reaction force output by the soil reaction force detection device 27 and the rotation phase of the planting claws 22. That is, the control unit refers to the outputs of the rotational phase detection unit and the bottom dead center detection unit, and acquires the rotational phase of the planting claw 22 at the rising timing of the soil reaction force. That is, as shown in FIG. 5B, the control unit starts from when the soil reaction force rises (when the tip of the planting claw 22 collides with the ground) until the bottom dead center detection unit outputs a pulse ( The number of pulses output by the rotational phase detector (pickup sensor) during the period until the tip of the planting claw 22 reaches the bottom dead center is counted.

  Thereby, the phase difference Δθ between the point where the tip of the planting claw 22 collides with the ground and the bottom dead center can be acquired. Since the movement locus of the tip of the planting claw 22 is known, the depth (planting depth) at which the seedling is planted on the ground by the planting claw 22 can be calculated based on the phase difference Δθ. As described above, the control unit calculates a planting depth value based on the detected soil reaction force. Thus, since the control part is calculating the planting depth value based on a soil reaction force and a rotation phase, it can be said that the said control part is a calculation part.

  And a control part performs raising / lowering control based on the calculated planting depth value. That is, when the planting depth value calculated by the control unit is smaller than the target planting depth value set by the operator (when planting is too shallow), the control unit drives the elevating cylinder to Lower. On the other hand, when the planting depth value calculated by the control unit is larger than the target planting depth value (when planting is too deep), the control unit drives the elevating cylinder to raise the planting unit 3. The above control can be realized by PID control or the like.

  With the above control, the planting part can be moved up and down so that the planting depth is constant regardless of the soil conditions. In addition, since the conventional rice transplanter did not have the means to measure a planting depth value, the above control cannot be performed. Since the rice transplanter of this embodiment can measure a planting depth value based on a soil reaction force, the above control is possible. Since the planting part is controlled to move up and down based on the actually measured planting depth value, the planting depth value can be controlled to be constant even if the soil conditions (such as soil hardness) change. Therefore, unlike the conventional rice transplanter, it is not necessary for the operator to finely adjust the setting according to the soil conditions.

  Next, a method for correcting the planting depth value calculated by the control unit will be described.

  That is, in actual planting work, the body of the rice transplanter 1 always repeats the pitching behavior. Since the detection value of the soil reaction force detection device 27 is affected by the pitching behavior, an accurate planting value cannot be obtained unless correction according to the pitching angle is performed. For example, when the vehicle body heads up (the vehicle body is in a front-up state), the planting claws 22 located at the rear of the machine body move in a direction to be pushed into the ground. Therefore, the actual seedling planting depth may be deeper than the planting depth value calculated based on the soil reaction force.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the tilt sensor 31 for detecting the pitch angle is provided in the vicinity of the center in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. The pitch angle detected by the tilt sensor 31 is input to the control unit. Since the positional relationship between the inclination sensor 31 and the planting claw 22 is known, the amount of movement of the planting claw 22 due to the vehicle body pitching can be calculated based on the pitch angle detected by the inclination sensor 31. Therefore, the control unit corrects the planting depth value calculated based on the soil reaction force based on the pitch angle of the vehicle body detected by the tilt sensor 31 and the positional relationship between the tilt sensor 31 and the planting claw 22. Thereby, an accurate planting depth value can be obtained irrespective of pitching.

  In addition to pitching, there is rolling as a behavior of the vehicle body that affects the detection of the planting depth value. As shown in FIG. 2, in the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment, the soil reaction force detection device 27 is provided in the planting claw 22 near the center in the left-right direction of the vehicle body. That is, the planting claw 22 at the center in the left-right direction of the vehicle body is difficult to move up and down even when the vehicle body exhibits a rolling behavior. Therefore, by arranging the soil reaction force detection device 27 as described above, the planting depth value calculated by the control unit is less affected by rolling. Therefore, in the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment, the calculated planting depth value does not need to be corrected for rolling.

  Moreover, when the planting claw 22 moves quickly, planting of the seedling tends to be shallow. Therefore, when the planting claw 22 moves quickly, the depth at which the seedling is actually planted is likely to be shallower than the planting depth value calculated based on the soil reaction force. Here, the higher the vehicle speed is set, the faster the planting claw 22 is driven. Moreover, the planting nail | claw 22 must be driven earlier, so that the planting stock number (the frequency | count of planting a seedling per predetermined distance) is set many.

  Therefore, the control unit corrects the planting depth value calculated based on the soil reaction force to be shallow when the vehicle speed is high or the number of planted stocks is set large. Thereby, a stable planting depth measurement result can be obtained regardless of conditions such as the vehicle speed and the number of planted stocks.

  As mentioned above, although the structure which calculates the planting depth based on a soil reaction force was demonstrated, in addition to this, the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment is comprised so that it may acquire additional information further based on a soil reaction force. ing.

  For example, in the rice transplanter 1 of the present embodiment, the control unit is configured to calculate the soil hardness based on the soil reaction force. That is, the harder the soil, the greater the force that the planting claw 22 receives from the soil. Accordingly, the soil hardness can be calculated based on the magnitude of the soil reaction force when the planting claw 22 collides with the soil. Further, when the soil is hard, the waveform of the soil reaction force output by the soil reaction force detection device 27 rises rapidly, and when the soil is soft, the waveform of the soil reaction force rises gently. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the control unit is configured to calculate the soil hardness based on the magnitude of the soil reaction force and the rate of change of the soil reaction force. Thereby, a more accurate calculation result can be obtained.

  Further, the control unit is configured to detect contaminants in the soil (for example, a lump of stone) based on the detected change in the soil reaction force. That is, when there is no contaminant in the soil, the output waveform output by the soil reaction force detection device 27 is as shown in FIG. However, if there are contaminants in the soil, a unique waveform is shown such that the soil reaction force suddenly increases in the middle of this output waveform. Therefore, the control unit is configured to detect impurities in the soil when the soil reaction force suddenly increases in the middle based on the rate of change of the detection waveform of the soil reaction force detection device 27. .

  Further, as described above, when the planting claw 22 is pulled out from the ground, a negative reaction force is generated due to the adhesive force of the soil (soil adhesive force). Therefore, the control unit is configured to calculate the soil adhesive force based on the soil reaction force when the planting claw 22 is pulled out of the ground.

  As described above, the reaction force is also detected when the planting claw 22 scrapes off the seedling. The magnitude of the reaction force at this time varies depending on the state of the seedling (the hardness of the seedling mat, the drying of the seedling mat, etc.). Therefore, the control unit is configured to estimate the state of the seedling mat based on the magnitude of the reaction force detected by the soil reaction force detection device 27 when the seedling is scraped off. Thus, the soil reaction force detection device 27 can also be used to detect a force other than the force that the planting claw receives from the soil (in the above example, the force received from the seedling mat).

  In addition, when calculating information such as soil hardness, presence / absence of impurities in the soil, soil adhesive strength, seedling mat state, etc., the control unit determines the soil reaction force according to the vehicle speed or the number of planted stocks. Is configured to correct. That is, as the planting claw 22 moves faster, the momentum of the planting claw 22 increases, so that the reaction force that the planting claw 22 receives from the ground also increases. Therefore, when the vehicle speed is set early or when the number of planted stocks is set large, the control unit corrects the soil reaction force detected by the soil reaction force detection device 27 to be small, and then the above soil. It is configured to calculate information such as hardness, presence / absence of impurities in the soil, adhesion of soil, and state of the seedling mat. Thereby, accurate information can be acquired irrespective of conditions, such as a vehicle speed and the number of planting stocks.

  As described above, according to the soil reaction force detection device 27 according to the present invention, in addition to the seedling planting depth value, soil hardness, presence / absence of impurities in the soil, soil adhesion, seedling mat state, and the like are detected. be able to. These are information that could not be obtained in real time while the rice transplanter was traveling. According to the configuration of the present invention, the information can be acquired every time the planting claw 22 rotates.

  Information acquired as described above (soil hardness, presence / absence of impurities in the soil, adhesion of soil, state of seedling mat, etc.) can be used, for example, for raising / lowering control of the planting unit 3. Moreover, the rice transplanter 1 is provided with the display part for displaying the information acquired as mentioned above. Thereby, since the operator can refer in real time to the various information which the control part calculated, it can perform planting work appropriately.

  As described above, the soil reaction force detection device 27 of the present embodiment includes a rush body, a rotation phase detection unit, and a reaction force detection unit. When the plunging body is rotationally driven, the tip of the piercing body draws a predetermined loop-shaped locus and pierces the ground. The rotational phase detector detects a rotational phase of the rush body. The reaction force detection unit detects a reaction force that the rush body receives from the ground.

  In this way, the soil reaction force can be detected by causing the entry body to enter the ground and detecting the reaction force. In addition, the soil reaction force generated at a certain point can be detected by the structure in which the tip of the rushing body is plunged into the ground, so the soil reaction force can be detected with higher accuracy than the structure that contacts the soil over a large area like a float. be able to. Further, by acquiring the rotational phase of the rushing body, the timing at which the rushing body receives a reaction force from the ground can be obtained.

  Moreover, the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment is provided with the probe 29 as a piercing body arrange | positioned in the vicinity of the planting claw 22, and the load cell 28 as a reaction force detection part. The probe 29 is a rod-like member arranged in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the planting claw 22, and one end side thereof faces the same direction as the tip of the planting claw 22, and the other end side is a load detection surface of the load cell 28. Abut.

  By configuring the soil reaction force detection device 27 in this way, the probe 29 rotates together with the planting claw 22 and collides with the ground at the same timing as the planting claw 22, so that the planting claw 22 actually receives from the soil. A soil reaction force close to the reaction force can be obtained. In addition, since the probe or the like is separated from the planting claw 22, planting by the planting claw 22 is not affected.

  Moreover, the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment is provided with the control part which calculates the planting depth of a seedling based on the soil reaction force and the rotation phase of the planting nail | claw 22.

  That is, the depth at which the seedling is planted can be estimated from the soil reaction force generated in the protrusion and the generation timing thereof.

  Moreover, in the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment, the soil reaction force detection apparatus 27 is arrange | positioned in the left-right direction center part vicinity of the planting part 3. FIG.

  Thereby, the detection value of the soil reaction force detection device 27 is not easily affected by rolling.

  Moreover, in the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment, the control part calculates the planting depth of the seedling from the rising timing of the soil reaction force and the rotation phase of the planting claws.

  Thereby, the planting depth of a seedling can be acquired in real time.

  Moreover, in the rice transplanter of this embodiment, the control part calculates the planting depth of the seedling from the rising timing of the soil reaction force and the bottom dead center position of the planting claw 22.

  Thus, the planting depth can be calculated based on the timing of the bottom dead center.

  Moreover, in the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment, the control part is calculating the soil hardness based on the soil reaction force.

  Thus, the soil hardness can be calculated based on the soil reaction force.

  Moreover, in the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment, the control part is calculating the soil hardness from the magnitude | size and change rate of the soil reaction force at the time of soil insertion of the planting nail | claw 22.

  Thereby, soil hardness can be acquired more accurately.

  Moreover, in the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment, the control part is detecting the impurities in the soil based on the soil reaction force.

  In this way, impurities can be detected based on the soil reaction force.

  Moreover, in the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment, the control part is detecting the contamination based on the rate of change in the soil reaction force when the planting claws 22 are inserted into the soil.

  Thereby, it is possible to detect impurities in the soil with high accuracy.

  Moreover, in the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment, the control part is calculating soil adhesive force based on the output of the soil reaction force detection apparatus 27 when the planting nail | claw 22 is extracted from soil.

  Thereby, soil adhesive force can be acquired in real time.

  Moreover, in the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment, the control part has acquired the information regarding the said seedling based on the detected value which the soil reaction force detection apparatus 27 outputs, when the planting nail 22 scrapes off a seedling.

  Thus, the soil reaction force detection device 27 can also be used to measure the reaction force that the planting claw 22 receives from the seedling. Based on the obtained reaction force, information such as the hardness of the seedling and the dryness of the seedling can be acquired.

  Moreover, in the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment, the control part is performing the correction | amendment according to a vehicle speed and the number of planting stocks, when acquiring or calculating various information based on a soil reaction force.

  That is, the detected value of the soil reaction force also changes depending on the driving speed of the planting claw 22 and the like. Therefore, by correcting the soil reaction force in consideration of the vehicle speed and the number of planted stocks, it is possible to acquire accurate information based on the soil reaction force.

  Moreover, in the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment, when a vehicle speed is set early, or when many planting stocks are set, the control part is correcting so that the calculated planting depth may become shallow.

  In other words, if the vehicle speed is set faster or if the number of planted stocks is set higher, the calculated planting depth will be deeper than the actual value. The result can be obtained.

  Moreover, the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment is provided with the inclination sensor 31 which detects the pitching angle of a vehicle body. The control unit corrects the planting depth according to the pitching angle acquired by the inclination sensor 31.

  Thereby, the planting depth can be calculated with higher accuracy.

  Moreover, the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment is provided with the planting depth adjustment lever for an operator to set the planting depth of a seedling. A control part performs raising / lowering control of a planting part based on the difference between the planting depth set by the operator and the planting depth calculated based on the soil reaction force.

  That is, since the conventional rice transplanter has no means for detecting the planting depth, the planting depth cannot be accurately controlled. In this respect, since the rice transplanter of the present invention can detect the planting depth, the configuration as described above can accurately realize the planting depth intended by the operator.

  Moreover, the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment is provided with the position switch which detects the operation amount of the planting depth adjustment lever.

  Thereby, the target planting depth set by the operator can be acquired and used for control.

  Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the same or similar components as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the rice transplanter of this embodiment, the soil reaction force detection device is configured as a strain gauge (stress detection device) 271. As shown in FIG. 6, the strain gauge 271 is directly attached to the planting claw 22. The strain gauge 271 can detect the stress generated in the planting claw 22 due to the reaction force received from the ground. That is, the soil reaction force received from the ground by the planting claw 22 can be detected by the strain gauge 271. Since the strain gauge is small and light, there is little risk of hindering the planting operation by the planting claws 22. In addition, in the case of the soil reaction force detection apparatus of this structure, it can grasp | ascertain the planting nail | claw 22 as a rush body and a strain gauge as a reaction force detection part.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, the soil reaction force detection apparatus 271 is provided in the planting nail | claw 22 of the vehicle body left-right direction both ends, as shown in FIG. According to this, when the planting part 3 shows rolling behavior, the soil reaction force detected by the left and right soil reaction force detection devices 271 is different. Therefore, the control unit is configured to calculate the rolling angle (left-right tilt amount) of the planting unit 3 based on the soil reaction force detected by the left and right soil reaction force detection devices 271. Thus, the detection result of the soil reaction force detection device 271 can be used for calculating the rolling angle.

  Moreover, in the said 1st Embodiment, in order to calculate | require the rotation phase of the planting nail | claw 22 correctly, the bottom dead center detection part was provided. The rotation phase of the planting claw 22 is determined based on the reaction force output from the detection device 27. That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the control unit according to the present embodiment detects the reaction force of the soil from the timing of detecting the reaction force when scraping the seedling (when the tip of the planting claw 22 collides with the seedling mat). The number of pulses output by the rotational phase detector (pickup sensor) before the rise timing is measured. Thereby, the phase difference Δθ1 between the point where the tip of the planting claw 22 collides with the seedling mat and the point where the tip of the planting claw 22 collides with the ground can be acquired. On the other hand, the phase difference Δθ2 between the point where the tip of the planting claw 22 collides with the seedling mat and the bottom dead center is known. Therefore, the phase difference between the point where the tip of the planting claw 22 collides with the ground and the bottom dead center can be obtained by Δθ2−Δθ1. Based on the phase difference Δθ2−Δθ1, the depth (planting depth) at which the seedling is planted on the ground by the planting claws 22 can be calculated. As described above, the control unit can calculate the planting depth value based on the soil reaction force without providing the bottom dead center detection unit.

  By the way, in the said 1st Embodiment, the planting depth value was calculated by providing the soil reaction force detection apparatus 27, and it was demonstrated that raising / lowering control was possible based on the said planting depth value. The planting depth value based on the soil reaction force is calculated every time the planting claws 22 plant seedlings. In other words, the planting depth value calculated based on the soil reaction force can be obtained only discretely. Therefore, when performing raising / lowering control of a planting part using a planting depth value like 1st Embodiment, the said raising / lowering control may generate | occur | produce a delay.

  In this regard, the conventional rice transplanter detects the swing angle of the float using a float sensor, and performs lift control based on the swing angle. The float swing angle can be detected continuously. However, as described above, in the lifting control based on the rocking angle of the float, it has been difficult to control the planting depth value to be kept constant.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the planting depth value and the rocking angle of the float are used in a complementary manner, so that control delay can be prevented and the planting depth can be kept constant.

  The rice transplanter of this embodiment is provided with the float 16 and the float sensor 34 in addition to the soil reaction force detection apparatus 271 as shown in FIG. The structures of the float 16 and the float sensor 34 are the same as those of a conventional rice transplanter, but will be described briefly.

  The float 16 is provided below each of the three planting bevel cases 24. The float 16 is arranged so that its lower surface can contact the ground. Thereby, the ground can be leveled and planting can be performed cleanly.

  The float 16 is configured to be rotatable about a swing fulcrum 32. The float 16 is biased downward by the pressing member 33 at a position in front of the swing fulcrum 32. That is, a force is applied so that the front end portion of the float 16 is pressed against the ground. Since it is comprised in this way, the float 16 becomes an attitude | position of front-lowering, so that the planting part 3 leaves | separates from the ground. That is, the angle of the float 16 changes according to the height of the planting part 3 (distance from the ground).

  In a side view, the distance from the bottom surface of the float 16 to the bottom dead center of the planting claw 22 is called a nail protrusion amount. The amount of nail removal is one of the important parameters that affects the planting depth of seedlings. The rice transplanter 1 according to the present embodiment includes a nail amount lever for an operator to adjust the nail amount. By adjusting the protrusion amount lever, the swing fulcrum 32 of the float can be moved up and down. Thereby, the amount of nail protrusion can be changed. Further, the amount of nail protrusion also varies depending on the angle of the float 16. Therefore, the amount of nail protrusion can be adjusted by adjusting the height of the planting part 3.

  At least one of the plurality of floats 16 is provided with a float sensor 34 that detects a swing angle (float angle) of the float 16. The float sensor 34 is configured as a potentiometer, for example. The detection value of the float sensor 34 is output to the control unit.

  The control unit performs elevation control of the planting unit 3 based on the float angle detected by the float sensor 34. That is, when the float 16 has risen forward compared to the target value of the float angle, it means that the planting unit 3 is too high with respect to the ground, and therefore the control unit lowers the planting unit 3. On the other hand, when the float 16 is in a forward downward direction compared to the target value of the float angle, it means that the planting unit 3 is too low with respect to the ground, so the control unit raises the planting unit 3. Let This control is known as described in Patent Document 1 and can be realized by, for example, PID control.

  The up / down control based on the float swing angle described above has also been performed in conventional rice transplanters. However, as described above, raising / lowering control based only on the float swing angle cannot plant seedlings at a desired planting depth. Therefore, in the rice transplanter of the present embodiment, the control unit is configured to change the target value, control gain, and the like of the lifting control based on the planting depth value calculated from the detection result of the soil reaction force detection device 271. .

  That is, when the planting depth value calculated by the control unit is smaller than the target planting depth value set by the operator (when planting is too shallow), the control unit changes the float angle target value to the front rising side. To do. Thereby, since the position of the planting part 3 falls and it comes to be controlled, the amount of nail | claw sticking becomes large and it becomes possible to plant a seedling deeply.

  If seedlings are planted too shallow, there is a risk of floating seedlings. Therefore, when it is determined that planting of the seedling is too shallow, the control unit changes the control gain of the lift control and adjusts the lift control to the sensitive side (for example, increases the differential gain). Thereby, floating seedlings can be prevented.

  On the other hand, when the planting depth value calculated by the control unit is larger than the target planting depth value (when planting is too deep), the control unit changes the float angle target value to the front rising side. Thereby, since the position of the planting part 3 goes up and comes to be controlled, the nail sticking amount is reduced, and the seedling can be planted shallowly.

  If seedlings are deeply planted, there is no risk of floating seedlings. In such a case, from the viewpoint of preventing hunting or the like, it is better not to control the raising and lowering of the planting part very sensitively. Therefore, when it is determined that the planting of the seedling is deep, the control unit changes the control gain of the lifting control and adjusts the lifting control to the insensitive side (for example, decreases the differential gain). Thereby, hunting can be prevented.

  As described above, the rice transplanter 1 of the present embodiment performs the elevation control of the planting unit 3 based on the float angle as in the conventional rice transplanter, but corrects the control parameter and the like with the planting depth value. Thus, seedlings can be planted at a desired planting depth.

  As described above, in the rice transplanter 1 of the present embodiment, the entry body is the planting claw 22, and the reaction force detection unit is configured as the attached strain gauge 271.

  Thereby, the soil reaction force which a planting nail receives from soil can be detected. In addition, since the strain gauge is small and light, even if the reaction force detection device is attached to the planting claw, the impact on planting is small.

  Moreover, in the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment, the soil reaction force detection apparatus 271 is arrange | positioned in the left-right direction both ends vicinity of the planting part 3. FIG.

  Thereby, based on the detected value of the soil reaction force detection apparatus 271, the right-and-left inclination amount of the planting part 3 by rolling can be detected.

  Moreover, in the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment, a control part is a seedling on the basis of the rise timing of a soil reaction force, and the detection value which the soil reaction force detection apparatus 271 outputs when the planting nail 22 scrapes off a seedling. The planting depth is calculated.

  Thus, the planting depth can also be calculated based on the reaction force when scraping off the seedling.

  Moreover, in the rice transplanter 1 of this embodiment, a control part adjusts the parameter for raising / lowering control based on the difference between the target planting depth set by the operator and the planting depth calculated based on the soil reaction force. ing.

  With this configuration, it is possible to automatically adjust the sensitivity, which was conventionally manually adjusted according to the field conditions.

  Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above configuration can be modified as follows.

  The soil reaction force detection device does not necessarily have to be configured to rotate integrally with the planting claw 22. For example, a rotating body that is rotationally driven is provided separately from the planting claw 22, and a rushing body that enters the ground while drawing a predetermined loop-like trajectory is provided by being rotationally driven by the rotating body. The soil reaction force can be detected by detecting the reaction force generated in the rush body. Moreover, if it comprises so that the rotational phase of this rushing body may be detected, the function equivalent to the soil reaction force detection apparatus of the said embodiment is realizable.

  The stress detection device is not limited to the strain gauge, and may be any configuration that can detect the stress generated in the planting claw 22.

  Moreover, the structure which detects a soil reaction force by measuring the torque which generate | occur | produces in the transmission shaft for transmitting rotational driving force to the planting nail | claw 22 may be sufficient as a reaction force detection part. That is, when the planting claw receives a reaction force from the ground, torque is applied to the transmission shaft for transmitting drive to the planting claw. Therefore, the magnitude of the reaction force received from the soil by the planting claw can be determined by looking at the torque fluctuation at a predetermined location of the transmission shaft that transmits the drive to the planting claw. The torque fluctuation can be detected by providing a pickup sensor (or a rotary encoder) on the transmission shaft, for example.

  In the drawing, the soil reaction force detection device is attached to only one of the two planting claws 22 included in the planting unit 20, but the soil reaction force detection device may be attached to both planting claws 22. In this case, since the information on the soil reaction force can be acquired at twice the density, the control can be performed more finely.

  The correction of the planting depth by pitching may use an angular velocity sensor instead of the inclination sensor 31. According to this configuration, in addition to the pitching angle, a measurement value of the angular velocity of pitching can be obtained.

  Further, when correcting the planting depth value according to the pitching angle, it is more preferable to perform correction in consideration of the vehicle speed. That is, since the tilt sensor 31 is configured to detect the tilt with respect to the vertical direction, the pitching angle deviates from an accurate value when the vehicle body is accelerated. Therefore, by correcting the pitching angle detected by the inclination sensor 31 according to the vehicle speed, more accurate measurement can be performed.

  The setting operation tool for setting the target planting depth is not limited to the lever. For example, the target planting depth may be set by a dial-shaped member.

  In the above embodiment, the rotational phase detection unit and the bottom dead center detection unit are arranged in the planting bevel case. However, the rotational phase detection unit and the bottom dead center detection unit are arranged anywhere in the driving transmission path from the driving source to the planting claw. Also good. For example, the rotational phase detector can be arranged in the planting center case.

1 Rice transplanter 3 Planting part 21 Rotating case 22 Planting claw 27 Soil reaction force detection device 28 Load cell 29 Probe

Claims (9)

It has a soil reaction force detection device that detects the reaction force that the planting part receives from the ground,
The soil reaction force detection device,
A rushing body whose tip is pierced into the ground by drawing a predetermined loop-like trajectory by being driven to rotate;
A rotational phase detector for detecting the rotational phase of the rush body;
A reaction force detection unit that detects a soil reaction force that is a reaction force that the rush body receives from the ground;
Rice transplanter characterized by comprising. The rice transplanter according to claim 1,
A probe as the entry body disposed in the vicinity of a planting claw included in the planting unit;
A load cell as the reaction force detector;
With
The probe is a rod-like member arranged in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the planting claw, and one end side thereof faces in the same direction as the tip of the planting claw, and the other end side is a load detection surface of the load cell. Rice transplanter characterized by contact. The rice transplanter according to claim 1,
The entry body is a planting claw provided in the planting part,
The rice planting machine, wherein the reaction force detection unit is configured as a stress detection device attached to the planting claw. A rice transplanter according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The soil reaction force detecting device is disposed in the vicinity of a central portion in the left-right direction of the planting unit. A rice transplanter according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The said soil reaction force detection apparatus is arrange | positioned in the left-right direction both ends vicinity of the said planting part, The rice transplanter characterized by the above-mentioned. A rice transplanter according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A rice transplanter comprising: a calculation unit that calculates a planting depth of a seedling based on the soil reaction force and the rotational phase of the entrant. The rice transplanter according to claim 6,
The said calculating part acquires at least any one among the information regarding soil adhesive force, soil hardness, the impurities in soil, and a seedling based on the said soil reaction force, The rice transplanter characterized by the above-mentioned. The rice transplanter according to claim 6 or 7,
The said calculating part performs correction | amendment according to a vehicle speed and the number of planting stocks, when acquiring or calculating various information based on the said soil reaction force, The rice transplanter characterized by the above-mentioned. A rice transplanter according to any one of claims 6 to 8,
Equipped with a tilt sensor that detects the pitching angle of the car body,
The said calculating part correct | amends the said planting depth according to the pitching angle acquired with the said inclination sensor, The rice transplanter characterized by the above-mentioned.

Images