JP2721045B2 - Seeding plant - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a seeding plant in which soil and seeds are continuously placed in a seedling box for growing seedlings for planting crops. Regarding the configuration.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An example of such a seeding plant is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-71026. In this sowing plant, seeded seedling boxes (1 in FIG. 1 of the above publication) are transported by a transport conveyor (5 in FIG. 1 of the above publication), and are moved up and down by a vertical transport device (FIG. 1 of the above publication). 1 in
0), the seedling raising box is sequentially lifted, and the seedling raising box is opened and closed by a transfer device (11 in FIG. 1 of the above publication) from the upper end of the vertical transport device (12 in FIG. 1 of the above publication).
The seedling raising box is dropped from the opening / closing shelf mechanism to the transport trolley (13 in FIG. 1 of the above-mentioned publication) and stacked.

In this case, since it is necessary to count the number of seedling boxes stacked on the transport trolley, the seeding plant disclosed in the above publication has a contact-type sensor (S3 in FIG. 1 in the above publication) in the open / close shelf mechanism. When the seedling box is transferred from the transfer device to the opening / closing shelf mechanism, the seedling box comes into contact with a contact-type sensor and the seedling box is counted.

[0004]

In a sowing plant, the seedling box is often irrigated at the same time as sowing the seedling box. Therefore, when the seedling box is transferred to the opening and closing mechanism, water or mud during irrigation is used. May adhere to the contact-type sensor of the opening and closing shelf mechanism from the seedling raising box, and the attached water or mud may reduce the reliability and durability of the contact-type sensor. Furthermore, since the seedling box is configured to count the seedling boxes by directly contacting the contact sensor of the opening and closing shelf mechanism, the seedling box is repeatedly contacted with the contact sensor. Also, it is conceivable that the reliability and durability of the contact type sensor are reduced. An object of the present invention is to improve the reliability and durability of a configuration for counting seedling boxes in a sowing plant.

[0005]

The feature of the present invention resides in the following configuration in the above-described sowing plant. An optical sensor in which a light emitter and a light receiver are arranged opposite to each other is provided between the upper and lower sides of the holding device and the support device, and when light from the light emitter to the light receiver is cut off, it is determined that the nursery box has dropped. 1 control means, second control means for ignoring even if light is cut off for a predetermined time after the light is cut off by dropping of the seedling box, and a predetermined number of support units based on the detection of the first control means. And third control means for operating the supporting device so that when the seedling boxes are stacked, the seedling box supported by the supporting device is transferred to a predetermined position of another transport device.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the seedling raising box is dropped from the holding device into which the seeded and irrigated seedling raising box is transferred to the supporting device, the light emitting device and the light receiving device are connected to each other. An optical sensor, which is disposed opposite to, is provided between the upper and lower sides of the holding device and the supporting device, and is configured to determine that the seedling box has dropped when light from the light emitter to the light receiver is blocked. .
As a result, the nursery box only blocks light from the light emitter to the light receiver, and does not directly contact the optical sensors (light emitter and light receiver). Does not say that it attaches to the optical sensor from the nursery box.

[II] In the case where an optical sensor in which a light emitting device and a light receiving device are opposed to each other is provided between the holding device and the supporting device as in the first aspect of the present invention, water or water during irrigation is provided. Although it is not said that mud adheres to the optical sensor from the nursery box, water from the watering during the irrigation between the seedling box is dropped and the next seedling box is dropped. Drops may fall from the box. Therefore, if such a condition occurs and the drop passes between the light emitter and the light receiver and interrupts the light even for a moment, the optical sensor will judge that the seedling box has fallen. In some cases, the number is incorrectly counted as more than the actual number.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the light-emitting device and the light-receiving device of the optical sensor are in a state as shown in FIG. 1, for example. When the light from the light emitter is dropped and the light from the light emitter is cut off, signals (X1, X2) indicating that the light from the light emitter is cut off are obtained. Then, when a signal (X1) indicating that one nursery box has fallen and the light from the light emitter has been blocked is obtained,
The seedling box is counted, and for a predetermined time (T) after the next seedling box is counted, even if a signal (X2) indicating that light from the light emitter is cut off is obtained,
This signal (X2) is ignored. In this case, if the time from the dropping of one seedling raising box to the dropping of the next seedling raising box can be estimated, the predetermined time (T) is set slightly shorter than this time, so that the predetermined time is set. After the elapse of (T), the next seedling box falls and is counted, and thereafter, the elapse of the predetermined time (T) and the counting of the seedling boxes are repeated.

[0009]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the seedling box does not come into direct contact with the optical sensor by detecting and counting the seedling boxes falling in the plant. Can be configured to prevent the situation that water and mud during irrigation adhere to the optical sensor from the nursery box, and the reliability and durability of the configuration that counts the nursery box in the seeding plant Could be improved.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, even if something other than the seedling box such as a drop falls during the counting of the seedling box, this can be ignored, and the counting of the seedling box can be ignored. The accuracy of was improved. By counting the nursery boxes with high accuracy in this way, it is easy to perform post-processing after the nursery boxes are transferred from the support device to the transport device.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 shows the latter half of the seeding plant, in which the seedling raising box 2 in which the supply of the floor soil, the seeding, and the soil covering process have been completed is transported from the left side of the paper by the first transport conveyor 1 (corresponding to the transport conveyor). The first conveyor 1 is sequentially lifted upward from the end of the first conveyor 1 by the vertical conveyor 3. As shown in FIG. 4, the vertical transport device 3 includes a first transport conveyor 1
A pair of chains 3a are arranged on the left and right of the end of the chain, a number of support claws 3b are fixed to the chain 3a, and the chain 3a is rotationally driven.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a transfer device 4 is disposed at the upper end of the vertical transport device 3. The transfer device 4 includes three sets of arms 4 on a rubber belt 4a that is driven to rotate.
b is fixed, and the seedling box 2 reaching the upper end of the vertical transport device 3 is pushed by the arm 4b and transferred to the holding device 5.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the holding device 5 is composed of members having an L-shaped cross section, and the left and right members are configured to be swingably driven left and right. Therefore, the transfer device 4
When the seedling raising box 2 at the upper end of the vertical transport device 3 is fed into the holding device 5, the holding device 5 opens left and right, and the seedling raising box 2 of the holding device 5 is dropped downward.

A support device 6 for receiving the seedling raising box 2 is disposed below the holding device 5. Similar to the vertical transport device 3, the support device 6 includes a pair of left and right chains 6a that are rotationally driven, and a pair of right and left chains 6a are fixed to each other. It is configured. As shown in FIG. 2, an optical counter 7 (equivalent to an optical sensor) configured by arranging a light emitting device 7 a and a light receiving device 7 b to face each other is provided between the holding device 5 and the supporting device 6. Have been.

Thus, when the seedling raising box 2 falls from the holding device 5 and blocks the counting light from the light emitting device 7a to the light receiving device 7b, it is determined that the seedling raising box 2 has fallen, and the supporting claws of the support device 6 are supported. 6b is moved down by one box of the seedling raising box 2, and thus the supporting claws 6b of the supporting device 6 are moved.
Nursery box 2 is stacked.

In this case, the state of the light emitting device 7a and the light receiving device 7b of the counter 7 is as shown in FIG. 1, and the light for counting is constantly emitted from the light emitting device 7a. Is received by the light receiver 7b. When the seedling raising box 2 falls or a drop or the like other than the seedling raising box 2 falls and the light for counting is interrupted, non-light receiving signals X1 and X2 having different temporal lengths are transmitted from the light receiver 7b. Is done. It is considered that a relatively long non-light-receiving signal X1 has fallen in the seedling raising box 2 and a relatively short non-light-receiving signal X2 has fallen in something other than the seedling raising box 2.

When the first nursery box 2 falls and a relatively long non-light receiving signal X1 is transmitted, a count signal Y of the nursery box 2 is transmitted, and the nursery box 2 is counted (first control means). Equivalent). Even if the non-light receiving signal X2 is transmitted during a predetermined time T after the count signal Y corresponding to the first seedling raising box 2 is transmitted, the non-light receiving signal X2 is ignored (corresponding to the second control means). ). In this case, the predetermined time T is set slightly shorter than the time from when the holding device 5 drops one seedling raising box 2 to when the next seedling raising box 2 drops. As a result, the second nursery box 2 falls after the predetermined time T has elapsed, and this is counted.
Thereafter, the elapse of the predetermined time T and the counting of the nursery box 2 are repeated.

When the counter 7 detects that a predetermined number of seedling boxes 2 have been stacked on the supporting claws 6b of the supporting device 6, the supporting claws 6b descend as shown in FIG.
When the support claw 6b reaches the position A1 shown in FIG. 3, the other support claw 6c contacts the third sensor 10, and based on this, the support claw 6b temporarily stops at the position A1. Thereafter, when the support device 6 is restarted, since the support device 6 does not rapidly reach the predetermined drive speed from the stopped state, the seedlings are raised from the support claws 6b at a relatively low speed until the support device 6 reaches the predetermined drive speed. Box 2 is a second conveyor 11 (corresponding to a conveyor)
(Corresponding to a predetermined position of the transport device) (corresponding to third control means).

The supporting claw 6b of the supporting device 6 is connected to the first sensor 8
When it reaches the position where it contacts the second conveyor 11
The transfer of the seedling box 2 to the front end of the seedling box 2 is completed, and the detection of the first sensor 8 confirms that the transfer of the seedling box 2 is completed by the control device (not shown). In this case, when the support claw 6b has reached the position where it comes into contact with the first sensor 8, the other support claw 6c is located below the holding device 5 and receives the seedling raising box 2.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a contact-type second sensor 9 for detecting the presence of the seedling raising box 2 is provided at the front end of the second conveyor 11. When the nursery box 2 is transferred to the front end of the second conveyor 11 as described above, the second sensor 9 detects the presence of the nursery box 2 and the second conveyor 11 is driven. 2 is transported to the right of the paper.

[Alternative Embodiment] In the above embodiment, the nursery box 2 from the first conveyor 1 was used.
Are sequentially lifted by the vertical transport device 3 and then the support device 6
However, the position of the support device 6 may be lower than that of the first conveyor 1 so that the seedling raising box 2 is directly dropped on the support device 6 from the rear end of the first conveyor 1. . Instead of the second transport conveyor 11, a transport trolley as described in the above publication may be used.

Incidentally, reference numerals are written in the claims for convenience of comparison with the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the attached drawings by the entry.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state of a light emitter and a light receiver in an optical counter, and a state of counting of a nursery box.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the vicinity of a transfer device and a support device in a seeding plant.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the vicinity of a supporting device, a holding device, and a second conveyor.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the vicinity of a first transport conveyor and a vertical transport device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyor 2 Nursery box 4 Transfer device 5 Holding device 6 Support device 7 Optical sensor 7a Optical sensor light emitter 7b Optical sensor light receiver 11 Transport device T predetermined time

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-63-71026 (JP, A) JP-A-62-145264 (JP, A) Real opening 58-129699 (JP, U)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A transfer device (4) for sequentially transferring seeded and irrigated seedling raising boxes (2) from a conveyor (1) to a holding device (5) arranged above a support device (6). When the nursery box (2) is transferred from the transfer device (4) to the holding device (5), the holding device (5) is released so that the seedling box (2) is released and dropped on the support device (6). Is a seeding plant configured to operate sequentially, comprising: an optical sensor (7) in which a light emitter (7a) and a light receiver (7b) are arranged to face each other; the holding device (5) and the support device (6). A first control means for judging that the seedling box (2) has fallen when light from the light emitting device (7a) to the light receiving device (7b) is shut off, and the seedling box (2). ) Is ignored even if the light is interrupted for a predetermined time (T) after the light is interrupted by the fall of ()). When a predetermined number of seedling boxes (2) are stacked on the support device (6) based on the detection of the second control means and the first control means, the seedling boxes (2) supported by the support device (6) are stacked. ) To another transport device (1
A third control means for operating the support device (6) so as to shift to the predetermined position of 1).