JP2598727B2 - Seedling control body in separation device for aligned seedlings - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to transplantation and cultivation of agricultural products.
The present invention relates to a separating device for separating individual seedlings from the aligned seedlings in a transplanter or the like that uses aligned seedlings such as a paper tube seedling by a paper tube seedling container that is separably connected to individual seedlings.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A separation apparatus for automatically separating individual seedlings from a pair of rotating bodies that alternately advance and retreat in accordance with the transfer of a vertical moving mechanism from an aligned seedling such as a paper tube seedling is disclosed by the present inventors. It was proposed as Japanese Patent Application No. 2-412059. The seedling regulating bodies of this separation device are provided on the left and right sides of the rotating body to regulate the position of the aligned seedlings in the vertical movement direction, and are alternately advanced and retracted in accordance with the advance and retreat of the rotating body.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-12312, a seedling table is placed on which a root-entry seedling is placed and reciprocates right and left, and the seedling table slides down to the lower end of the slope. A seedling receiving device comprising a receiving plate for receiving the rear surface of the seedling and a seedling receiving belt which receives the end face of the seedling and rotates in conjunction with the left and right movement of the seedling mounting table is provided. Seedling splitting port where the transplanting nail of the seedling intervenes from the upper part, the seedling receiving belt is provided separately on the left and right sides of the seedling splitting port, and the transplanting nail intervenes between the opposing end surfaces of the seedling splitting port to transfer the seedling. There has been proposed a seedling separation device that separates the seedlings.

[0004]

In the above-described prior art separating apparatus for controlling seedlings, which alternately advances and retreats in accordance with the advance and retreat of the rotating body of the separation device, the seedling restricting body is moved in accordance with the transfer of the aligned seedlings by the vertical movement mechanism. It was difficult to move back and forth. That is, if the seedling regulating body is retracted prior to the transfer of the aligned seedlings by the vertical movement mechanism, a gap is opened between the aligned seedlings and the seedling regulating body, and the seedling on the end face of the aligned seedlings may be disturbed. Also, if the seedling regulating body is retracted after the transfer of the aligned seedlings by the vertical movement mechanism, the seedling regulation body will impede the transfer of the vertical movement mechanism, preventing normal transfer.

[0005] In the case of separation using the above-mentioned transplanted nails, it is not possible to normally separate individual seedlings from aligned seedlings such as paper tube seedlings.

The present invention solves the above problems,
Provide a high-performance and high-efficiency transplanter, etc., with a separation device that reliably regulates the seedlings that are separated on the side of the aligned seedlings and separates them into individual seedlings continuously. The purpose is to:

[0007]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a seedling restricting body in the apparatus for separating aligned seedlings, wherein the aligned seedlings P which are connected to the individual seedlings Pa so as to be separable are moved to form a pair of rotating bodies 31.
In the apparatus for separating the seedlings Pa into individual seedlings Pa, a horizontal moving mechanism 10 is provided for supplying the seedlings Pa separated from each other by placing the aligned seedlings P thereon and reciprocating, and the rotating bodies 31 The seedlings Pa are separated into individual seedlings Pa from the side surface, and a vertical movement mechanism 20 is provided on the horizontal movement mechanism 10 for moving the aligned seedlings P at the moving end of the horizontal movement mechanism 10 and intermittently moving them vertically. Reference numeral 20 denotes a moving end of the horizontal moving mechanism 10, which is vertically moved slightly more than one row of the seedling rows of the aligned seedlings P, and a pair of right and left rotators 31 for regulating the position of the aligned seedlings P in the vertical movement direction. A seedling regulating belt 5 is provided, and the surface of the seedling regulating belt 5 on the side of the aligned seedlings P moves in the same direction in response to the movement of the lateral moving mechanism 10.

The seedling regulating body in the apparatus for separating seedlings according to the second aspect of the present invention comprises an elastic body 6 having a thickness equal to or more than one row of the row of aligned seedlings P on the surface of the seedling regulating belt 5 corresponding to the aligned seedlings P. Is provided according to claim 1.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the vertical moving mechanism 20 moves vertically at the moving end of the horizontal moving mechanism 10 a little more than one row of the row of aligned seedlings P. Since a pair of seedling regulating belts 5 for regulating the position of the aligned seedlings P in the vertical movement direction are provided, the aligned seedlings P are likely to be transported by the vertical movement mechanism 20 for more than one row of the seedling row. By contacting the regulating belt 5, only one row of the seedling row is transferred by sliding between the aligned seedlings P and the vertical moving mechanism 20. Further, since the surface of the seedling regulating belt 5 on the side of the aligned seedlings P moves in the same direction in response to the movement of the horizontal moving mechanism 10, even if the aligned seedlings P are pressed against the seedling regulating belt 5 by the vertical moving mechanism 20, The separated seedling row P1 on the side of the aligned seedlings P and the seedling regulating belt 5 with which it is in contact move integrally.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the elastic body 6 having a thickness equal to or more than one row of the seedling row of the aligned seedlings P is provided on the surface corresponding to the aligned seedlings P of the seedling regulating belt 5, the vertical moving mechanism 20 is aligned. Seedling P
The movement of the aligned seedlings P is restricted to one row of the seedling row by the deformation of the elastic body 6 even if it moves a little more than one row of the seedling row.
The separated seedling row P1 is held by a large deformation of the elastic body 6, and the next seedling row P2 after the separated seedling row P1 is held by a small deformation of the elastic body 6.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

As the aligned seedlings P that are separably and orderly connected to the individual seedlings Pa, a paper tube seedling by a paper tube raising container is shown. This paper tube nursery container is a container in which a hexagonal column-shaped paper tube which is open at the top and bottom is opened and then is laminated with water-soluble glue in an orderly manner. When seedlings are sown by cultivating the seedlings in this paper cylinder, the seedlings grow and become aligned seedlings P of the paper cylinder seedlings. However, at the time of transplantation, an appropriate connection strength is maintained. The aligned seedlings P of the paper tube seedlings form a rectangle in plan view, and the paper tubes are arranged in a line along the long side thereof.

Next, a separation device for separating the aligned seedlings P into individual seedlings Pa will be described.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a machine frame, and the machine frame 1 is composed of a square pipe long and parallel to the long side direction of the aligned seedlings P and a pair of short square pipes connecting both ends thereof. It forms a frame. The horizontal moving mechanism 10 is mounted on the machine frame 1.
And a vertical movement mechanism 20.

The lateral moving mechanism 10 includes a pair of rails 11 provided along a long square pipe of the machine casing 1, a pair of lateral moving mechanism frames 12 that can reciprocate along the rails 11, and a lateral moving mechanism frame. 12
And a shaft 16 provided between the pair of rails 11 and in parallel with the rails 11.

The lateral movement mechanism frame 12 is provided on a pair of rails 11, and guide rollers 14 which rotate in the longitudinal direction of the rail 11 are provided on four lower surfaces of the lateral movement mechanism frame 12 corresponding to the rails 11. Is locked to the lateral movement mechanism frame 12 so as to be freely rotated by a pin fitted through the center thereof. The shaft 16 is engraved with a cylindrical cam having a forward groove and a return groove formed endlessly crosswise, which are known in rice transplanters and the like, and meshes with a not-shown projection provided on the lateral movement mechanism frame 12, and 16
By rotating, the lateral movement mechanism frame 12 reciprocates continuously in the longitudinal direction of the rail 11.

The horizontal moving mechanism frame 12 of the horizontal moving mechanism 10 is provided with a vertical moving mechanism 20 that moves in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the horizontal moving mechanism 10. Then, the aligned seedlings P are placed on the belt 25 of the vertical moving mechanism 20, and the horizontal moving mechanism 10 is moved at the moving end of the horizontal moving mechanism 10.
Is intermittently moved in a direction (downward direction in FIG. 1) orthogonal to the moving direction of.

The vertical moving mechanism 20 has shafts 21 and 23 in the horizontal moving mechanism frame 12 which are long in the moving direction of the horizontal moving mechanism 10 and are parallel at the same height.
And pulleys 22 and 24 are fitted on the shafts 21 and 23, respectively, and a belt 25 is stretched between the pulleys 22 and 24. Then, the lateral moving mechanism frame 12 moves to the pulley 22 in the lateral direction, so that the rotation of the shaft 16 is transmitted only at the moving end thereof, and the seedling row of the aligned seedlings P is moved at the moving end of the lateral moving mechanism 10. The shaft 21 is rotated so as to move the belt 25 slightly more than one line.

An elongated rectangular pipe regulating body frame 2 is provided outside the machine frame 1 in the moving direction of the vertical moving mechanism 20 in parallel with the rail 11.
Four regulating body shafts 3 are provided vertically upward from the regulating body frame 2, and freely rotating pulleys 4 are respectively fitted to upper ends of the regulating body shafts 3, and a pair of seedling regulating belts 5 are stretched over the pulleys 4.

The seedling regulating belt 5 is long in the moving direction of the lateral moving mechanism 10 and is provided on the left and right sides thereof.
The lower end of the seedling regulating belt 5 is slightly higher than the upper surface of the belt 25, and the upper end is slightly lower than the upper surface of the aligned seedlings P. A guide plate (not shown) is provided on the rear surface of the seedling regulating belt 5 on the side of the aligned seedlings P so that the seedling regulating belt 5 does not bend even when pressed by the aligned seedlings P.
The back side is made slippery to slide on the guide plate surface. A space is provided between the inner ends of the pair of left and right seedling regulating belts 5 for accommodating the pair of rotating bodies 31 that separate and feed the aligned seedlings P.

A pair of belt drive frames 26 are provided above the pair of lateral movement mechanism frames 12 at the ends of the seedling control belt 5 side, and two upper and lower belt drive pins 27 are provided from the belt drive frame 26 in the direction of the seedling control belt 5. Provide. The belt driving pin 27 passes through a hole provided on the surface of the seedling regulating belt 5 on the side of the aligned seedlings P, and the lateral movement mechanism 10
Reciprocates, the surface on the aligned seedling P side of the seedling regulating belt 5 reciprocates in the same direction via the belt drive pin 27.

A narrow elastic body 6 is provided on the upper surface and lower end of the seedling regulating belt 5. The elastic body 6 has a thickness of at least one row of the seedling row of the aligned seedlings P, is elastic enough to be almost crushed by the aligned seedlings P moved by the belt 25, and has a sponge shape. The elastic body 6 does not need to be provided on the entire circumference of the surface of the seedling regulating belt 5, and may be provided only on at least the surface corresponding to the aligned seedlings P.

A pair of lateral regulating belts 28 for restricting the aligned seedlings P in contact with the side surfaces of the laterally moving mechanism 10 of the aligned seedlings P in the moving direction are provided inside the pair of lateral moving mechanism frames 12 on the side of the seedling regulating belt 5. Provide. The lateral regulation belt 28 is stretched around a freely rotating pulley, and circulates so as not to hinder the movement of the aligned seedlings P by the belt 25.

A pair of seedling guides 29 are provided inside the pair of lateral movement mechanism frames 12 on the opposite side of the seedling regulating belt 5 to guide the aligned seedlings P on the belt 25.

A separating unit frame 30 is provided outside the machine frame 1 above the center in the moving direction of the vertical moving mechanism 20, and a pair of shafts are provided below the separating unit frame 30. An elastic roller 31 is fitted and provided. The rollers 31 are cylindrical sponge bodies, and the rollers 31 are located at positions where they contact the upper and lower sides of the aligned seedlings P placed on the belt 25, and the pair of rollers 31 is narrower than the paper cylinder diameter of each individual seedling Pa. The roller 31 is rotated at the same speed in the direction in which the opposing surfaces of the rollers 31 move away from the aligned seedlings P, and the peripheral speed thereof is about three times the moving speed of the lateral moving mechanism 10.

Further, the roller 31 on the side farther from the roller 31 on the side where the aligned seedlings P approach by the lateral moving mechanism 10 is positioned slightly closer to the aligned seedlings P, and the roller 31 on the side farther away.
Is positioned a little further from the aligned seedling P than the surface of the elastic body 6 of the seedling regulating belt 5 on the aligned seedling P side. The roller 31 on the side approaching the seedling Pa to be separated first comes into contact with the seedling Pa from which the aligned seedlings P are separated, and then the roller 31 on the side moving away from the seedling Pa. Then, the side surfaces of the aligned seedlings P are sequentially contacted with a pair of rotating rollers 31 to be continuously separated into individual seedlings Pa, and the separated individual seedlings Pa are sandwiched between the rollers 31 to form the aligned seedlings P. Pull out while standing upright on the other side.

Further, the roller 31 moves forward and backward at the moving end of the horizontal moving mechanism 10 because the horizontal moving mechanism frame 12 moves in the horizontal direction and the moving direction of the aligned seedlings P changes at the moving end. That is, the aligned seedlings P are moving rightward in FIG.
The left roller 31 has retreated and the right roller 31 has advanced, but in FIG. 6, the aligned seedlings P have moved to the left, the right roller 31 has retreated, and the left roller 31 has advanced. I have. In addition, the advance and retreat of this roller 31
At the moving end of the lateral movement mechanism 10, the actuator moves forward and backward by an operating rod (not shown) provided from the lateral movement mechanism frame 12.

A pair of flat belts 32 are provided outwardly from the opposite side of the aligned seedlings P of the rollers 31 by a shaft provided below the separation frame 30. The flat belt 32 receives the individual seedlings Pa separated and fed from the rollers 31, transports the seedlings Pa across the middle part of the paper cylinder, and feeds them to the opposite side of the aligned seedlings P.

A pair of flat belts 33 are provided at right angles to the conveying end of the flat belt 32 by a shaft provided below the separation frame 30.
Is provided. The flat belt 33 receives the individual seedlings Pa fed from the transport end of the flat belt 32, and transports and feeds the seedlings Pa across the upper part of the paper cylinder.

Next, the operation will be described.

The horizontal moving mechanism frame 12 of the horizontal moving mechanism 10 has a predetermined moving end, and the aligned seedlings P are moved vertically on the horizontal moving mechanism 10.
The seedling row P1 at the front end of the aligned seedling P is crushed on the elastic body 6 of the seedling regulating belt 5 and fed to a position where it comes into contact with the retreated roller 31.

When the shaft 16 and the like are rotated by appropriate means and the horizontal moving mechanism frame 12 is moved in the horizontal direction, the aligned seedlings P are moved in the horizontal direction, and the rollers 31 and the flat belt 32 are rotated.

At this time, the separated seedling row P1 is held by a large deformation of the elastic body 6, and the surface of the aligned seedling P side of the seedling regulating belt 5 is laterally moved by the movement of the belt drive pin 27 of the lateral movement mechanism frame 12. It moves in the same direction corresponding to the movement of the mechanism frame 12. Therefore, even if the seedling row P1 separated by the belt 25 is pressed against the seedling regulating belt 5, the separated seedling row P1 and the elastic body 6 of the seedling regulating belt 5 with which it is in contact move integrally. The separated seedling row P1 is not separated or frayed by friction with the seedling regulating body.

By the lateral movement of the lateral moving mechanism frame 12, the separated seedling row P1 in the front row of the aligned seedlings P comes into contact with the front end of the roller 31 which has been successively retreated. At this time, the rotation direction of the retreated roller 31 is the same as the rotation direction of the aligned seedlings P, which is normal to the moving direction of the aligned seedlings P, and the peripheral speed thereof is higher than the moving speed of the aligned seedlings P. The seedling Pa is separated from the next seedling Pa, which is sequentially separated by being rolled while being sandwiched between the next seedling row P2 and the roller 31 and being moved at a speed higher than the moving speed of the aligned seedlings P while rolling. Then, the connection with the next seedling row P2 is peeled off and separated into individual seedlings Pa without difficulty.

The seedling Pa separated and fed by the retreated roller 31 contacts the subsequently advanced roller 31, and the advanced roller 31 rotates in the opposite direction to the retreated roller 31. It is fed out between the rollers 31. In addition, the separated seedlings Pa that are not separated by the retreated roller 31 are separated and fed by the advanced roller 31.

At this time, when the separated seedlings P1 of the aligned seedlings P are separated and fed out by the pair of rollers 31, the seedlings are in a retracted shape, and the next seedling row P2 of the separated seedlings P1 is formed. It is held by the small deformation of the elastic body 6 of the seedling regulating belt 5 different from the seedling regulating belt 5 corresponding to the seedling row P1 to be exposed and separated. Since the moving mechanism frame 12 moves in the same direction in response to the movement of the moving mechanism frame 12, even if the next seedling row P2 is not pressed against the seedling regulating belt 5, the next seedling row P2 and the seedling regulating belt 5 that is in contact therewith.
The elastic body 6 moves integrally, so that the next seedling row P2 does not fall down or be separated by friction with the seedling regulating body.

Then, the seedlings Pa fed out by being sandwiched by the pair of rollers 31 are immediately sandwiched by the flat belts 32 and 33 and fed out further.

When the separation of all the seedling rows P1 to be separated from the front row of the aligned seedlings P is completed and the horizontal moving mechanism frame 12 reaches the moving end, the aligned seedlings P are vertically moved by the belt 25 by one row of the seedling row. At the same time, the rollers 31 advance and retreat and change roles, and the horizontal moving mechanism frame 12 laterally moves the aligned seedlings P in a direction opposite to that before, and separation of the next row is started.

At this time, the aligned seedlings P try to be transported by the belt 25 more than one row of the seedling row, but the newly separated seedling row P1 contacts the elastic body 6 of the seedling regulating belt 5 and Since the body 6 does not deform more than the predetermined amount, only one row of the seedling row is transferred by sliding between the bottom surface of the aligned seedlings P and the belt 25. Therefore, the separated seedling row P1 is regulated by the elastic body 6 of the seedling regulating belt 5, and the mutual relationship between the separated seedling row P1 and the pair of rollers 31 is properly maintained and separated.

Further, the belt 25 similarly intermittently moves the aligned seedlings P at the moving end on the opposite side of the lateral moving mechanism frame 12, and is continuously separated into individual seedlings Pa.

In the above embodiment, a paper tube seedling in a paper tube nursery container is shown as the aligned seedlings P, but the soil itself is hardened in a predetermined shape, or the inorganic fiber or the high-growth medium to which the seedling culture medium itself is orderly connected. Even those based on molecular compounds may be used as long as they are orderly and separably connected to individual seedlings Pa.

Although the lateral movement mechanism 10 is described as reciprocating by a cylindrical cam, the lateral movement mechanism 10 may be any mechanism that can reciprocate, and may be a motor or a cylinder.

Although the vertical movement mechanism 20 is described as being constituted by the belt 25 that moves intermittently, the vertical movement mechanism 20 may be any mechanism that intermittently moves with the aligned seedlings P placed thereon. May be moved, or the container on which the aligned seedlings P are placed may be moved.

Although the sponge-like elastic body 6 of the seedling regulating belt 5 is shown, the elastic body 6 may be any elastic body that can be pushed by the aligned seedlings P and crushed.

Although the sponge roller 31 is used as the pair of rotating bodies, the pair of rotating bodies may be a pneumatic rubber roller or an elastic body provided on the surface of a belt. In that case, in order to increase the contact resistance with the aligned seedlings P, irregularities may be provided on the surface of the rotating body.

Also, an example has been shown in which the aligned seedlings P are moved laterally from the standing state and separated, but the aligned seedlings P may be in an oblique state. In this case, the vertical moving mechanism 20 moves the aligned seedlings P diagonally downward.
Should be moved.

[0047]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the vertical moving mechanism vertically moves at a moving end of the horizontal moving mechanism a little more than one row of the row of aligned seedlings, and aligns the left and right sides of the pair of rotating bodies. Since a pair of seedling regulating belts for regulating the position of the seedlings in the vertical movement direction are provided, the aligned seedlings are likely to be transported by the vertical movement mechanism for more than one row of the seedling rows, but the separated seedling rows are transferred to the seedling regulating belt. In contact, only one row of the row of seedlings is transferred by sliding between the aligned seedlings and the vertical movement mechanism. Therefore, the aligned seedlings are regulated by the seedling regulating belt, and even if there is some error in the movement of the vertical movement mechanism, the mutual relationship between the aligned seedlings and the pair of rotating bodies is properly maintained and separated.

Further, the surface of the seedling regulating belt on the side of the aligned seedlings moves in the same direction in response to the movement of the horizontal moving mechanism. Even if the aligned seedlings are pressed against the seedling regulating belt by the vertical moving mechanism, the aligned seedlings and the Since the seedling regulating belt that is in contact with the seedling regulating belt moves integrally, the seedling that is separated from the pair of rotating bodies is reliably supplied without the aligned seedlings being separated or frayed by friction with the seedling regulating belt.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, an elastic body having a thickness of at least one row of the row of aligned seedlings is provided on the surface corresponding to the aligned seedlings of the seedling regulating belt. Even when pressed against the regulating belt, the aligned seedlings are held by the large deformation of the elastic body, and the aligned seedlings and the elastic body of the seedling regulating belt with which they are in contact move together, so that the aligned seedlings rub against the seedling regulating belt. The seedlings are more reliably supplied to the pair of rotating bodies without being separated or frayed.

Further, since the row of aligned seedlings is separated and fed out and the next row of exposed seedlings is held by small deformation of the elastic body, even if the next row of seedlings is not pressed against the seedling regulating belt, Since the next seedling row and the elastic body of the seedling regulating belt that is in contact with it move together, the next seedling row does not fall down or be separated by friction with the seedling regulating belt.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing one embodiment of a seedling regulating body in an apparatus for separating aligned seedlings.

FIG. 2 is a front view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a side view thereof.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an operation state of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view showing an operation state in which a part of FIG. 1 is cut away.

FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view showing another operation state in which a part of FIG. 1 is cut away.

FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 3 with a part cut away.

9 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 2 with a part cut away.

FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 4;

[Description of sign]

 5 Seedling control belt 6 Elastic body 10 Lateral moving mechanism 20 Vertical moving mechanism 31 Roller as rotating body P Aligned seedling Pa Pa seedling

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. An apparatus for moving aligned seedlings which are separably and separably connected to individual seedlings and separating them into individual seedlings by a pair of rotating bodies, wherein the aligned seedlings are placed and reciprocated to separate them into a pair of rotating bodies. A horizontal moving mechanism for supplying the seedlings to be supplied is provided, the rotating body is separated into individual seedlings from the side of the aligned seedlings, and the aligned seedlings are placed on the horizontal moving mechanism at the moving end of the horizontal moving mechanism and intermittently in the vertical direction. A vertical movement mechanism is provided to move the seedlings slightly more than one row of aligned seedlings at the moving end of the horizontal movement mechanism. A seedling regulating body in an apparatus for separating seedlings, comprising a pair of seedling regulating belts for regulating the position in the direction, wherein the surface of the seedling regulating belt on the aligned seedling side moves in the same direction in response to the movement of the lateral movement mechanism. 2. The seedling regulator according to claim 1, wherein an elastic body having a thickness of at least one row of the row of aligned seedlings is provided on a surface of the seedling regulating belt corresponding to the aligned seedlings.