JP3312054B2 - Automatic seedling feeder - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for automatically supplying spare seedlings to a seedling mount of a transplanting work vehicle for transplanting seedlings such as paddy rice into a field.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a rice transplanter, which is a typical example of a transplanting vehicle, research has been conducted on loading as many seedlings as possible on a vehicle body and automatically supplying the seedlings to a seedling planting mechanism to improve work efficiency. As an example, Japanese Patent Application No. 3-37102 filed earlier (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-278006).
Has proposed a system capable of efficiently supplying seedlings from a ridge or a farm road to a rice transplanter.

[0003]

The above system comprises a seedling supply vehicle and an automatic supply device for receiving spare seedlings from the seedling supply vehicle and automatically supplying the spare seedlings received on the seedling mounting table. It can supply seedlings efficiently. In the automatic supply device, a carrier supplied by a crane disposed at an upper portion of the device is distributed to each storage compartment, and an empty carrier is transferred to a stock compartment next to the storage compartment. By using the roller-type traversing conveyor provided, empty carriers accumulated in the stock section are returned to the seedling supply truck etc. by a crane,
The loading and unloading functions are shared between the crane and the traverse conveyor so that they can operate efficiently. From a different point of view, however, by equipping both a crane and a traverse conveyor laid over the entire width of the device, the device seems to be larger and there is room for improvement. An object of the present invention is to reduce the size of the apparatus by omitting a crane and making effective use of a traverse conveyor.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a method for storing empty seedlings in a plurality of stages in which a carrier containing spare seedlings is stacked and stored in a lateral position. And an empty carrier stock section for storing the carrier, and a transverse feed conveyor capable of transporting the carrier in the forward and reverse directions across the seedling storage section and the empty carrier stock section. The replenishment carrier is configured to be able to be transferred to a position below the seedling storage part by the forward rotation operation of the lateral feed conveyor, and a stopper for stopping the replenishment carrier is provided below the seedling storage part, and the stopper is stopped by the stopper. Lifting supply means for lifting the supply carrier on the transverse conveyor, and endless rotation for locking the supply carrier lifted by the lifting supply means with claws and discharging the supply carrier to the seedling storage section. And a transport means for supplying the seedlings to the seedling mounting table and emptying the carrier from the lower end position of the seedling storage part to a position below the empty carrier stock part by the horizontal conveyor. Along with
An endless rotating lifting / transporting means for locking the empty carrier on the lateral feed conveyor with a locking claw to lift and transport the empty carrier to the empty carrier stock portion, and is fed out below the empty carrier stock portion. The empty carrier is configured to be able to be discharged to the outside by the reversing operation of the traverse conveyor, and the mounting interval of the plurality of locking claws in the lifting transfer means is set shorter than the mounting interval of the plurality of claws of the lifting means. And
In order to constitute a lifting transmission system in which a plurality of the lifting means are driven by a single actuator, each lifting means is provided with a lifting clutch for interrupting an input from the actuator. .

[0005]

In other words, the lateral feed conveyor can be driven not only in the transport direction of the empty carrier but also in the carrier loading direction, and the endless rotation type lifting means and the replenishment carrier can be moved up to the working range of the lifting means. Stacking and transporting by means of hoisting and replenishing means, and endless rotating type lifting and transferring means for locking and transporting empty carriers to the empty carrier stock section, thereby providing a carrier carrying function by using a crane without using a crane. Is now possible. The replenishment carrier introduced at one end of the traverse conveyor is conveyed to the seedling storage unit by the forward rotation of the traverse conveyor, stopped by the stopper, and the stopped replenishment carrier is lifted to the working range by the replenishment supply means. The lifted supply carrier is locked by the lifting means and lifted and transported to the seedling storage section. The carrier that has been emptied by supplying the spare seedlings to the seedling holder is transported to a position below the empty carrier stock section by operating the horizontal feed conveyor, and is lifted by the endlessly rotating lifting and transferring means, and the empty carrier stock section is lifted. Put in. The replenishment carrier supplied to one end of the traversing conveyor is sequentially transported to a predetermined storage section, and the storing operation is performed by the lifting supply means and the lifting means provided in the storage section. In other words, in each storage compartment, storage work can be performed simultaneously on the supplied supply carrier,
Parallel and continuous work is possible in a plurality of storage compartments, and the work efficiency is significantly different from crane work in which only one replenishment carrier can be suspended and only discontinuous work can be performed. On the other hand, when the empty carrier once stored in the empty carrier stock section is to be discharged out of the machine, the empty carrier is fed out by the lifting / transporting means and returned on the traverse conveyor, and the traverse conveyor is rotated in the reverse direction to empty the one end of the conveyor. The carrier can be moved and discharged out of the machine. As described above, in the endless rotation type lifting transfer means provided in the empty carrier stock portion, the locking claw is not fixed but is attached to the endless rotation body and moves. In addition, there is no need for a lifter that pushes up to the operating range of the locking claw. Since the mounting interval of the plurality of locking claws in the lifting transfer means is set shorter than the mounting interval of the plurality of claws of the lifting means, empty carriers can be stored in the empty carrier stock portion at short intervals, You can stock many empty carriers in a given space. In contrast, in each storage compartment,
Since the spacing between the claws of the lifting means is increased, the spacing between the supply carriers locked by the claws can be increased, so that the seedlings stored in the supply carrier contact the bottom surface of the upper supply carrier. Can be suppressed and seedlings are less likely to be damaged. Since a clutch is provided for each lifting means, a single actuator such as an electric motor can drive and stop a plurality of lifting means. In this regard, the size and power saving of the apparatus can be reduced. Will be possible.

[0006]

Accordingly, the reciprocating feed conveyor disposed below the seedling storage portion and the empty carrier stock portion is operated in the normal and reverse directions, thereby introducing the supply carrier from the outside and discharging the empty carrier to the outside. Both functions previously carried out by the crane can be performed by the traversing conveyor, which was used only to transport the empty carrier after supplying the seedlings to the seedling mounting table to the empty carrier stock unit. As a result, the crane located at the upper part of the apparatus can be omitted, and the size of the entire apparatus can be reduced. In addition, in the empty carrier stock section where it is desired to obtain a storage state with a high degree of accumulation, such that the intervals between the hooks such as the endlessly rotating claw type lifting means provided in the seedling storage section and the empty carrier stock section are increased. In the seedling storage area where the seedlings are held in the carrier, the spacing is large so as to avoid damage due to contact with the upper supply carrier of the seedlings. The storage form corresponding to the difference in state could be achieved. As a result, by eliminating the crane at the top of the device obtained by reexamining the functional structure of the mechanisms and adopting a storage mode corresponding to the state of the carrier, it is possible to reduce the size and weight, and at the same time, the transmission structure in the lifting means And an automatic seedling supply device capable of reducing the size and weight of the seedlings.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 9 shows a rice transplanter in which spare seedlings are supplied from a seedling supply vehicle (not shown). In this rice transplanter, a plurality of (six in this embodiment) seedling planting apparatus 2 having a plurality of plantings (in this embodiment, 6) are vertically movable via a link mechanism 8 at the rear of a self-propelled body 1 of a four-wheel drive type that is automatically or wirelessly operated. And an automatic seedling supply device D is mounted above the front wheel 3 and the rear wheel 4. The seedling planting device 2 mounts six rows of seedlings W grown in a mat shape on a seedling stage 5 that reciprocates and moves laterally with a constant stroke, and a rotary-type planting mechanism 6 from the lower end of the seedling stage 5. 1
A plant having a general structure is used in which seedlings are cut out of each plant and planted in a field scene leveled by a leveling float 7. The seedling automatic supply device D is provided with a function of stacking and storing a plurality of spare seedlings for each row in multiple stages, and automatically supplying the spare seedlings per row with the consumption of the seedling mounting table 5. ,explain in detail.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, a pair of front and rear guide rails 9, 9 are provided on the upper part of the self-propelled vehicle body 1, and a storage frame 10 is mounted along the guide rails 9, 9 so as to be movable left and right. Have been. The storage frame 10 is divided into eight sections A and B on the left and right sides, and is provided with a seedling storage section k including six sections A excluding both ends, and two sections B at both ends are empty. A carrier stock part is formed. The configuration in the section A will be described. Seedling storage section k in section A
Has a pair of front and rear pawl chains 11, 1 which are driven synchronously.
2 are provided so as to be rotatable up and down, and as shown in FIG.
The mat-shaped spare seedlings W accommodated in the box-shaped carrier 13 are received and supported on the a and 12a at intervals vertically. Here, the chains 11 and 12 with claws are referred to as endlessly rotating lifting means. In addition to the lifting means, a lifting supply means C for lifting the carrier 13 to the range of action of the lifting means is provided. The lifting supply means C is provided for each storage section A, and is constituted by a lifter capable of lifting and moving the supply carrier 13 to the range of action of the chain 12 with claws.

[0009] As shown in FIG.
And a flat inner frame 13b with side walls pivotally connected to the inside thereof via a fulcrum pin 14 so as to swing freely.
Seedling W is mounted and supported on 3b. Stainless steel inner frame 1
3b, a plurality of convex vertical grooves 13c are formed in parallel to make it easy to slide when the seedlings are discharged by inclining it, and a reduction hole 13d for reducing the weight is formed in the outer frame 13a made of an aluminum alloy. Many are formed. The lower end of the claw chain 12 on the rear side of the section A is set at a position higher than the bottom of the section A, and an opening 15 through which the carrier 13 can pass rearward is formed below the lower end of the section A. . Also, storage frame 1
In the front of the bottom of 0, an extruding member 16 is provided for each strip so as to be able to move back and forth in parallel by a rodless cylinder RC, and only the carrier 13 lowered to the bottom of the storage frame 10 is pushed by the extruding member 16 to open. It is constituted so that it may be sent backward from 15. Behind each opening 15,
Guide member 18 for placing and guiding the extruded carrier 13
Is provided for each article.

[0010] As shown in FIG.
A seedling supply frame 19 that can swing up and down in a balance manner is provided over the entire width of the seedling mounting table. The seedling supply frame 19 can be driven and oscillated by a hydraulic cylinder 17 and can be driven to switch between a seedling supply attitude that is continuous in the inclination direction of the seedling mounting table 5 and a seedling receiving attitude along the guide member 18. Incidentally, reference numeral 20 shown in FIG. 6 denotes a movable guide for correcting a lateral displacement of the carrier 13 sent rearward via the guide member 18.

The carrier 13 sent onto the seedling supply frame 19 is fixed on the seedling supply frame 19 by lock claws 21 acting on the outer frame 13a from outside, and the seedling supply frame 19 is tilted to the seedling supply posture. Then, the fixed pusher 22 relatively abuts against the inner frame 13b of the carrier 13 from below, and the rear end of the inner frame 13b is raised above the outer frame 13a. W is supplied to the seedling mounting table 5 by sliding. Further, a link mechanism R is provided for moving a locking piece 23 described later upward with the extension of the hydraulic cylinder 17 and moving the same.
3 so as not to hinder the upward movement.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG.
Is provided with a hook-shaped locking piece 23 which can be engaged with and disengaged from the carrier 13 and which can swing around the fulcrum Z, and a stopper 35 thereof, and an operation piece 36 is provided upright from the storage frame 10. That is, when the pushing member 16 moves rearward, the contact with the action piece 36 is released, the locking piece 23 swings downward by its own weight and engages with the carrier 13, and the pushing member 16 returns to the front. At this time, when the empty carrier 13 is locked and retracted into the storage frame 10 to be conveyed, the locking piece 23 comes into contact with the action piece 36 again to return to the release position positioned by the stopper 35, and Is automatically disengaged. The rodless cylinder RC has a top-to-bottom structure in which a mount portion 40, which is a portion that moves in the front-rear direction, projects downward and supports the extrusion frame 16f via a mounting plate 37. This eliminates the possibility that water, sand, dust and the like will adhere to the slide portion of the rodless cylinder RC.

As shown in FIG. 6, a roller conveyor (corresponding to a lateral feed conveyor) 24 for laterally transporting the carrier 13 is provided at the bottom of the storage frame 10, and the empty carrier 13 brought back by the pushing member 16 is left. Alternatively, the sheet is transported to the rightmost section B, that is, the empty carrier stock section B. FIG.
As shown in the figure, a chain 25 as an endless rotating belt for lifting and transporting the carrier 13 is provided in the empty carrier stock section B.
Are arranged so that the pair of front and rear chains 25, 25 can be operated in synchronism with each other, and the chains 25, 25 are fixed to the carrier 25 on the roller conveyor 24 so as to be lifted and received. The lifting transfer means F is configured by attaching a plurality of locking claws 26 at intervals, and is configured such that the empty carriers 13 can be sequentially stacked and collected from below. As described above, the mounting interval of the plurality of locking claws 26 in the chain 25 as the lifting transfer means is set shorter than the mounting interval of the plurality of claws of the chain with hooks 11 and 12 as the lifting means. The storage frame 10
Are moved laterally by a hydraulic cylinder (not shown) so as to move laterally in synchronization with the lateral movement of the seedling mounting table 5, and the left and right sides of the storage frame 10 and both ends of the starting point shaft 27 of the seedling supply frame 19. Are connected by a connecting arm 28 that can expand and contract and tilt up, down, left and right.

The above is the configuration relating to the supply of seedlings to the seedling placing table 5 by the automatic seedling placing apparatus D. When the consumption of the seedlings is detected by the detecting means provided for each row of the seedling placing stand 5,
The carrier 13 is sent out from the corresponding section A of the storage frame 10, and after being transferred to the seedling supply frame 19, only the seedling is sent to a predetermined strip of the seedling mounting table 5, and the empty carrier 13 is moved to the left and right empty carrier stock sections B. Stacked and collected. These series of operations are automatically performed during the seedling planting operation, and when the spare seedlings stored in the seedling storage section k are exhausted, the rice transplanter is waiting in the ridge to receive seedling supply (not shown). Move near the car and replenish the seedlings. Next, a traverse conveyor 24 for transferring the replenished carriers 13 to a position below each storage section A, and a lifting supply for stacking and transferring the replenishment carriers 13 on the traverse conveyor 24 to each storage section A from below. Means C will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the horizontal conveyor 24 drives the empty carrier 13 in the direction of discharging (or carrying in), that is, the driving rotation in the direction of the arrow (a), and the replenishment carrier 1
It is configured to be capable of both driving and rotating in the direction of loading (or discharging) 3, that is, in the direction of the arrow (b). Then, for each storage section A, the lifter C capable of lifting and moving the replenishment carrier 13 to the range of action of the chain 12 with claws thereafter.
And a stopper 29 for positioning the replenishment carrier 13 laterally fed by the horizontal conveyor 24 at a position below each storage section A. Stopper 29
Can be switched between a stop operation position lowered by the solenoid 30 and a retreat position raised. As shown in FIG. 8, a cylindrical gear 24g is formed at the end of each roller 24. A toothed timing belt 38 is wound around the cylindrical gear 24g adjacent to each other, and the cylindrical gear 24 at the end is wound.
This is a structure in which a drive gear 39 driven by an electric motor and a cylindrical gear 24g at the end are belt-driven. The front and rear chains 11 and 12 are driven downward in the direction of arrow (c) to supply the carrier 13 to the seedling mounting table 5 and the supply carrier 1 is moved.
3 is configured to be switchable between ascending drive in the direction of the arrow (d) to store and store.

Referring to the transmission system (lifting transmission system) G of the lifting means, as shown in FIG. 1, the drive shafts 31 of the front and rear hook chains 11 and 12 are connected to a single electric motor (corresponding to an actuator) 32. , And the input pulleys 33 and the respective drive shafts 31 are interlocked via an electromagnetic clutch (corresponding to a lifting / lowering clutch) 34. That is, when the electric motor 32 is driven, the driving and stopping of each of the lifting means is performed by the on / off operation of the electromagnetic clutch 34. The electric motor 32 rotates forward when the carrier is carried in, and When replenishing the carrier, it is driven to rotate in the reverse direction.

Thus, the supply carrier 13 is supplied from the outside,
First, it is supplied onto the roller conveyor 24 in the empty carrier stock section B, and the roller conveyor 24 is driven and rotated in the direction of the arrow (b) to be laterally transported toward the center of the vehicle body, and the stopper 29 is lowered to obtain a desired storage compartment. A is located below A. Next, the lifter C is driven to raise the carrier to the lifting range of the chains 11 and 12, and the chains 13 and 12 are driven in the direction of arrow (d) to move the carrier 13 from below. Move up by one box. By repeating this series of operations, the supply carrier 13 is filled in all the storage sections A. After the seedlings are supplied to the seedling table 5 below each storage section A and the carrier 13 becomes empty, the roller conveyor 24 is driven and rotated in the direction of the arrow (a), and the stock portion B at the lateral end of the vehicle body is rotated.
To the side.

In the claims, reference numerals are provided for convenience of comparison with the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in the attached drawings.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a rear view of a lower portion of a storage compartment showing a replenishing means.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the lower part of a storage compartment showing a replenishing means.

FIG. 3 is a side view of an empty carrier stock unit.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a main part showing a seedling supply operation state to a seedling mounting table.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a main part showing a carrier retraction structure using a delivery member.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of an automatic supply device.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the carrier.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a driving structure of a roller.

FIG. 9 is an overall side view of the rice transplanter.

[Explanation of symbols]

 5 Seedling stand 13 Carrier 24 Lateral feed conveyor 29 Stopper k Seedling storage B Empty carrier stock C Lifting and replenishing means F Lifting and transferring means

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-4-278006 (JP, A) JP-A-1-291728 (JP, A) JP-A-4-352974 (JP, A) JP-A-4-352974 300 330 (JP, A) Jpn. 4-92997 (JP, U) (58) Fields surveyed (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A01C 11/00-11/02 303

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A carrier (1) for accommodating spare seedlings for each row.
An empty carrier stock section (B) for storing an empty carrier (13) is provided at a lateral position of the seedling storage section (k) for storing the 3) in a plurality of stages, and the seedling storage section. (K) and an empty carrier stock section (B), a transverse feed conveyor (24) capable of transporting the carrier (13) in the forward and reverse directions is provided, and a replenishment carrier (13) supplied from the outside is provided. A stopper () configured to be able to be transported to a position below the seedling storage part (k) by a forward rotation operation of the lateral feed conveyor (24), and to stop a supply carrier (13) at a position below the seedling storage part (k). 29), and the stopper (2)
Lifting supply means (C) for lifting the supply carrier (13) on the traverse conveyor (24) stopped in 9);
The supply carrier (1) lifted by the lifting supply means (C)
And 3) an endless rotating lifting means for locking the nail with the claws (11a) and (12a) and lifting the seedling into the seedling storage part (k). The empty carrier (13) can be transported from the lower end position of the seedling storage part (k) to a position below the empty carrier stock part (B) by the lateral feed conveyor (24), and The empty carrier (1) on the traverse conveyor (24)
3) an endless rotating lifting and transferring means (F) for lifting and transferring the empty carrier stock (B) to the empty carrier stock (B) by locking the locking carrier with the locking claw (26); The empty carrier (13) fed out to the outside can be discharged to the outside by the reversing operation of the traverse conveyor (24), and the plurality of locking claws (2) in the lifting and transferring means (F) are configured.
6) The mounting interval of the plurality of claws (11
a) and (12a) are set to be shorter than the mounting interval, and a lifting transmission system (G) that drives a plurality of the lifting means by a single actuator (32) is provided. An automatic seedling supply device including an elevating clutch (34) for interrupting an input from the actuator (32).