JP7260508B2 - Seedling supply system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a seedling supply system for a transplanter that plants seedlings in a field.

As disclosed in Patent Literature 1, a rice transplanter performs planting work while traveling in a field. The rice transplanter includes a planting device, a seedling platform, and a spare seedling storage unit. The planting device takes out the seedlings one by one from the mat-like seedlings placed on the seedling platform and plants them in a field. The spare seedling storage unit stores a carrier in which mat-like seedlings are stored. Moreover, some types of rice transplanters perform work travel by automatic travel. Such a rice transplanter calculates a travel route and automatically travels along the travel route based on its own position calculated using a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) or the like.

JP 2019-154394 A

However, even with a rice transplanter capable of automatically traveling, it is necessary to manually take out the mat-like seedlings from the carrier stored in the spare seedling storage section and transport them to the seedling tray. In addition, the mat-like seedlings housed in the carrier may have the roots of the seedlings entangled in the drainage holes of the carrier, and it is necessary to perform a root cutting operation. Therefore, although the work efficiency of the rice transplanter has improved more than before due to automatic running, there are still tasks necessary during the planting work, such as transporting the mat-like seedlings to the seedling tray.

An object of the present invention is to further improve the working efficiency of a rice transplanter.

A seedling supply system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a seedling supply system for supplying mat-like seedlings to the seedling tray of a rice transplanter that cuts out seedlings from a seedling tray on which mat-like seedlings are placed and plants them in a field. A preliminary seedling storage unit mounted on the rice transplanter and directly storing the mat-shaped seedlings composed only of a mat member on which the seedlings are raised; a sensor for detecting the remaining amount of seedlings, and a seedling supply for supplying the mat-like seedlings from the spare seedling storage section to the seedling tray when the sensor detects that the remaining amount of the mat-like seedlings has become equal to or less than a predetermined amount. wherein the preliminary seedling storage unit includes a support and a seedling shelf detachably supported by the support, and the mat member is rice husks formed by combining rice husks with PVA. The mat-like seedling is a molded mat, and the mat-shaped seedling is obtained by directly sowing a plurality of grains of rice seed on the mat member and raising the seedling on the seedling shelf carried out from the support part , and the seedling shelf is A plurality of mat-like seedlings are transported in a directly stored state and supported by the support section .

With such a configuration, the mat-shaped seedlings are stored in the spare seedling storage section without being delivered to the carrier or the like, so there is no need to take out the mat-shaped seedlings from the carrier or dispose of the carrier that is no longer needed. With a simple configuration, mat-like seedlings stored in a spare seedling storage part can be automatically replenished to a seedling tray.

Furthermore, with a simple configuration, the mat-like seedlings can be taken out from the spare seedling storage section and replenished to the seedling tray before the mat-like seedlings on the seedling tray run out, so that the planting work can be performed efficiently. be able to.

Also, the mat-like seedlings can be carried into the rice transplanter in the state of the seedling shelf storing the mat-like seedlings. Therefore, the step of storing the mat-like seedlings in the preliminary seedling storage section is omitted, and the mat-like seedlings can be easily and efficiently stored in the preliminary seedling storage section. As a result, planting work can be performed efficiently.

In addition, it is not necessary to transfer mat-shaped seedlings with raised seedlings to the seedling shelf (preliminary seedling storage section), and the planting work can be performed efficiently.

Sponges, non-woven fabrics, and mats made from rice husks have high shape retention, are easy to grow, and have little environmental load. Therefore, sponges, non-woven fabrics and rice husk molded mats are suitable as mat members for mat-like seedlings. In particular, since the mat-like seedlings have high shape retention, the mat-like seedlings are less likely to lose their shape during transportation without using a carrier, and the mat-like seedlings can be efficiently replenished.

It is a left side view which illustrates a schematic structure of a rice transplanter. It is a perspective view which illustrates the structure of a mat-like seedling. It is a left side view which illustrates the structure of a seedling supply apparatus. It is a perspective view which illustrates the structure which supplies a mat-like seedling to a spare seedling storage part.

An embodiment of the seedling replenishment system will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the direction of arrow U shown in FIG. 1 is upward, the direction of arrow D is downward, the direction of arrow F is forward, and the direction of arrow R is backward. In addition, the left side and the right side indicate the left side (the front side of the page in FIG. 1) and the right side (the side of the page in FIG. 1) when facing forward.

〔overall structure〕
First, a configuration example of a rice transplanter equipped with a seedling supply system will be described with reference to FIG. The rice transplanter includes a planting device 2 , a pair of left and right front wheels 3 , a pair of left and right rear wheels 4 , a spare seedling storage section 10 and a seedling supply device 20 . The planting device 2, the front wheels 3, the rear wheels 4, the spare seedling storage unit 10, and the seedling replenishing device 20 are driven by an engine (not shown) or an electric motor (not shown) mounted on the body, and are mounted on the body frame. backed by 1.

The planting device 2 includes a seedling platform 5 , a planting mechanism 6 and a float 7 . The planting device 2 is supported by the body frame 1 by the link mechanism 8 in a vertically movable state.
The seedling placement table 5 is a base on which the mat-like seedlings 30 are placed side by side in a number corresponding to the number of rows to be planted. The seedling tray 5 is partitioned with a length corresponding to the width of the mat-like seedlings 30 by partition plates (not shown), and the number of partitions corresponding to the number of rows to be planted is arranged in the lateral direction of the machine body. A plurality of mat-like seedlings 30 are placed in each section. Further, the seedling platform 5 is provided with a sensor 21 for detecting the amount of mat-like seedlings 30 placed on the seedling platform 5 for each section. For example, the sensor 21 is a contact sensor provided at a predetermined position in each section. When the mat-like seedlings 30 in a certain section come into contact with the sensor 21, it is found that a predetermined amount or more of the mat-like seedlings 30 are placed in that section.

The number of planting mechanisms 6 corresponding to an arbitrary number of planting rows is provided side by side in correspondence with the section. The planting mechanism 6 rotates about the left-right axis of the machine body, cuts off one seedling 32 (see FIG. 2) from the mat-like seedling 30 placed on the seedling platform 5, and plants it in the field. For example, in the case of a 6-row rice transplanter, the planting mechanism 6 and the seedling tray 5 have six sections. The float 7 levels the field. Moreover, the rice transplanter may be provided with a fertilizing device 9 . The fertilizing device 9 applies the fertilizer drawn out from the fertilizer reservoir to the seedlings 32 (see FIG. 2) planted by each planting mechanism 6 .

The spare seedling storage part 10 preliminarily stores mat-like seedlings 30 for replenishing the seedling tray 5 during planting work. As will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 3, the spare seedling storage unit 10 has a mounting portion (corresponding to a “supporting portion”) 11 supported by the body frame 1, and a plurality of mat-like seedlings 30 are mounted thereon. It is the structure by which the seedling shelf 12 is mounted and supported.

The seedling replenishing device 20 is arranged between the spare seedling storage part 10 and the seedling placing table 5 and conveys the mat-like seedlings 30 stored in the spare seedling storing part 10 to the seedling placing table 5. - 特許庁When the sensor 21 provided in a certain section detects that the number of mat-shaped seedlings 30 placed in that section is less than a predetermined amount, the seedling replenishing device 20 supplies the mat-shaped seedlings stored in the spare seedling storage section 10. The seedlings 30 are taken out, the taken out mat-like seedlings 30 are conveyed, and the mat-like seedlings 30 are automatically replenished to the section of the seedling tray 5.例文帳に追加

As described above, the seedling supply system of the present invention includes the seedling tray 5 , the spare seedling storage unit 10 and the seedling supply device 20 .

[Mat-like seedling]
Next, a configuration example of the mat-like seedling 30 will be described with reference to FIG.

The mat-like seedling 30 is composed of a mat member 31 and a seedling 32. - 特許庁The mat-like seedlings 30 are produced by holding the mat members 31 at predetermined intervals and growing the seedlings 32 from germination until the seedlings 32 grow to a predetermined size. For example, the seedlings 32 are grown on the mat member 31 by hydroponics or the like. Also, the mat-like seedling 30 is raised from germination until the seedling 32 grows to a predetermined size with the mat member 31 stored in the seedling shelf 12 . Moreover, the mat-like seedling 30 is simply provided with the seedling 32 on the mat member 31 and cannot be placed in the carrier.

Here, when the mat-like seedlings 30 are delivered to the carrier as in the conventional art, the seedling replenishing device 20 takes out only the mat-like seedlings 30 from the carrier of the spare seedling storage unit 10 and puts the mat-like seedlings on the seedling placing table 5 . 30 seedlings had to be replenished. Therefore, the configuration of the seedling supply device 20 (seedling supply system) is very complicated.

On the other hand, since only mat-shaped seedlings 30 are stored in the preliminary seedling storage unit 10 without storing carriers, the seedling supply device 20 (seedling supply system) in this embodiment can be realized with a simple configuration.

Moreover, when mat-like seedlings 30 are raised in a carrier as in the conventional method, the roots are entangled in the drainage holes of the carrier. Since the carrier is entwined with roots, the seedling supply device 20 needs to manually cut the roots of the carrier in the spare seedling storage unit 10 in advance.

In the seedling replenishment system of the present embodiment, since the mat-like seedlings 30 are raised without using a carrier, there is no need to perform root cutting work, and seedlings can be replenished efficiently.

Note that the mat member 31 must satisfy various conditions. First, since the mat-like seedlings 30 are transported without being delivered to the carrier, they may be damaged when stored in the spare seedling storage unit 10, when taken out from the spare seedling storage unit 10, or during transportation. Especially the corner part is easy to collapse. Therefore, the mat member 31 is required to have a certain degree of shape retention.

In addition, easiness in growing is required, such as moderate root elongation, retention of moisture and fertilizer, and suppression of rice paddy rising during seedling raising. In addition, since the mat member 31 remains in the field together with the seedlings 32, environmental friendliness such as less environmental load is required.

The mat-like seedling 30 according to the present embodiment uses the mat member 31 that satisfies the above conditions instead of soil. For example, as the mat member 31, a biodegradable plastic foam-molded sponge, a non-woven fabric mixed with pulp, or a rice husk-molded mat made by binding and molding rice husks with PVA (Polyvinyl Alcohol) is used.

As described above, the mat-like seedling 30 according to the present embodiment is produced by raising the seedling 32 not with soil but with the mat member 31 as described above. Therefore, shape retention can be ensured without being housed in a carrier. In addition, the mat-like seedling 30 according to the present embodiment uses the mat member 31 as described above, so that the roots can be appropriately elongated, moisture and fertilizer can be retained, and the rice paddy is suppressed from rising during raising the seedling. This makes it easier to grow. Furthermore, the mat-like seedling 30 according to the present embodiment can reduce the environmental load by using the mat member 31 as described above.

Although the carrier is not used, if the roots of the seedlings 32 protrude greatly from the mat member 31, problems such as entanglement with the seedling shelf 12 may occur. Therefore, a sheet may be provided on the back surface of the mat member 31 . Fertilizer may be applied to the mat-like seedlings 30 while raising the seedlings, or the fertilizer may be applied by mixing with water. Further, fertilization may be performed at the same time as the planting work, but fertilization may be performed on the mat-like seedlings 30 stored in the spare seedling storage section 10 .

[Spare seedling storage]
Next, the configuration of the spare seedling storage section 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

The spare seedling storage section 10 is constructed by placing and supporting a seedling shelf 12 on a mounting section 11 . The seedling shelf 12 is a box-shaped shelf provided with a frame body 13, and is provided with a plurality of bottom plates 14 arranged vertically. Storage areas 15 in which mat-like seedlings 30 are stored one by one are formed side by side in the left-right direction in each space in the seedling shelf 12 partitioned by the bottom plate 14 . With such a configuration, the mat-like seedlings 30 are individually stored in the storage areas 15 on the bottom plate 14 of the spare seedling storage section 10 .

Each storage area 15 is provided with a sensor 16 for detecting the presence or absence of the mat-like seedling 30 . The sensor 16 is a contact sensor and supported by the bottom plate 14 . When the mat-like seedling 30 contacts the sensor 16 , it is detected that the mat-like seedling 30 is stored in the predetermined storage area 15 of the seedling rack 12 .

The side and top surfaces of the seedling rack 12 may be provided with plate materials as necessary, and the front and rear surfaces of the seedling rack 12 are open for loading and unloading mat-like seedlings 30. - 特許庁

[Seedling supply device]
Next, the configuration of the seedling supply device 20 will be described with reference to FIG.

The seedling supply device 20 is supported by a support frame 22 provided between the spare seedling storage section 10 and the seedling placement table 5 . The support frame 22 includes a pair of horizontal frames 22a provided behind the upper end region and the lower end region of the spare seedling storage section 10, respectively, and a vertical frame 22b movable in the horizontal direction along the horizontal frames 22a. The vertical frame 22b is provided from the rear of the upper region of the spare seedling storage part 10 to the rear of the lower region. With such a configuration, the seedling supply device 20 can move to the rear position of all storage areas of the spare seedling storage section 10 .

The seedling replenishing device 20 includes a table 23 , claw bodies 24 , an advancing/retracting mechanism 25 , and an elevating mechanism 26 . The table 23 is a member for placing and holding the mat-like seedling 30 when the mat-like seedling 30 is transported from the spare seedling storage section 10 to the seedling placement table 5 . The posture of the table 23 is changed by the retraction mechanism 25 between a protruding position protruding into the storage area 15 of the spare seedling storage section 10 and a retracted position not protruding toward the spare seedling storage section 10 . In addition, the table 23 is changed in posture by a lifting mechanism 26 between a horizontal posture and an inclined posture that is lowered toward the rear. The claw body 24 is provided in the front end region of the table 23 and swings around the axis extending in the left-right direction of the machine body. The claw body 24 is configured so as to be able to change its posture between a posture that protrudes upward from the table 23 and a posture that does not protrude upward from the table 23 by swinging.

The seedling replenishing device 20 takes out the mat-like seedlings 30 from the spare seedling storage section 10 when the sensor 21 detects that the mat-like seedlings 30 in any section of the seedling loading table 5 are below a predetermined amount. Then, the seedling tray 5 is automatically replenished. Control for automatically replenishing the mat-like seedlings 30 is performed by a control device (not shown). The control device includes a processor such as an ECU mounted on the rice transplanter. Also, such control may be configured by software. In this case, a storage unit (not shown) is provided for storing a program related to control, and the program is executed by a processor such as an ECU.

When the sensor 21 detects that the amount of the mat-like seedlings 30 on the seedling placement table 5 has become equal to or less than a predetermined amount, the seedling supply device 20 first moves the seedling supply device 20 to the rear of the storage area 15 where the mat-like seedlings 30 of the spare seedling storage unit 10 are present. to move the table 23 to. The storage area 15 where the mat-like seedlings 30 are present is detected by the sensor 16 .

Next, the seedling supply device 20 projects the table 23 to the inside of the storage area 15 of the spare seedling storage section 10 by the retraction mechanism 25 . At this time, the table 23 is inserted between the mat-like seedling 30 and the bottom plate 14 , and the table 23 is protruded so that the claws 24 are positioned forward of the mat-like seedling 30 .

Next, the posture of the claws 24 is changed to project upward from the table 23, and the mat-like seedlings 30 are held by the claws 24 from the front.

Next, the posture of the table 23 is changed to the retracted position. As a result, the mat-like seedlings 30 are taken out from the spare seedling storage section 10 . Then, the table 23 is moved to a position immediately before the section of the seedling platform 5 where the mat-like seedlings 30 have reached a predetermined amount or less.

Finally, the posture of the table 23 is changed to the tilted posture. As a result, the mat-like seedlings 30 held on the table 23 are slid down and placed on the predetermined section of the seedling placement table 5 .

In this manner, the seedling replenishing device 20 operates when the number of mat-like seedlings 30 mounted on the seedling tray 5 becomes less than a predetermined amount, and the shortage of seedlings for the planting work is approaching. The mat-like seedlings 30 are taken out from the mat-like seedlings 30, conveyed to the seedling placing table 5, and the mat-like seedlings 30 are replenished to the seedling placing table 5.例文帳に追加As a result, the planting work can be continued without cutting the mat-like seedlings 30 placed on the seedling placement table 5, and the work efficiency is improved. In addition, the lack of the mat-like seedlings 30 can be automatically detected, and the mat-like seedlings 30 can be automatically replenished from the spare seedling storage part 10 without manual work, so there is no need to stop the planting work. , improve work efficiency. Further, since the mat-like seedlings 30 are stored in the spare seedling storage part 10 without using a carrier, there is no need to dispose of unnecessary carriers, and the mat-like seedlings 30 can be automatically replenished with a simple configuration. can be done.

[Seedling loading mechanism]
Next, a seedling loading mechanism (corresponding to a “conveying device”) 35 for loading mat-like seedlings 30 into the spare seedling storage section 10 will be described with reference to FIG. The seedling supply system may include a seedling loading mechanism 35 .

The seedling loading mechanism 35 includes a transport conveyor 36 and a take-out mechanism 37 . The taking-out mechanism 37 takes out the mat-like seedlings 30 from the seedling shelf 12 storing the mat-like seedlings 30 with raised seedlings. The transport conveyor 36 transports the taken out mat-like seedlings 30 to the spare seedling storage section 10 and carries them into the storage area 15 .

For example, the nursery rack 12 is transported to the field by the transport vehicle 38 . The transport vehicle 38 has a seedling loading mechanism 35 . A rice transplanter that needs to carry the mat-like seedlings 30 into the spare seedling storage part 10 is moved to the bank, and the mat-like seedlings 30 are carried in from the seedling shelf 12 of the transport vehicle 38.例文帳に追加At this time, the takeout mechanism 37 takes out the mat-like seedlings 30 from the seedling shelf 12 and transfers the mat-like seedlings 30 to the transport conveyor 36 . The conveyer 36 conveys the received mat-like seedlings 30 to the spare seedling storage unit 10, and carries the mat-like seedlings 30 into the storage area 15 where the mat-like seedlings 30 are not stored.

With such a configuration, the mat-like seedlings 30 can be automatically carried into the spare seedling storage unit 10, and the planting work can be efficiently performed.

In addition, when a rice transplanter is provided with the fertilizer applicator 9, a fertilizer may be supplied via a hose (not shown) from the fertilizer tank 9a which the carrier vehicle 38 carries. In addition, when the rice transplanter is equipped with a chemical spraying device (not shown) such as a herbicide, the chemical may be replenished from the chemical tank 39 mounted on the carrier 38 through a hose (not shown).

[Another embodiment]
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the seedling rack 12 may have any configuration as long as it can store a plurality of mat-like seedlings 30 individually. Also, the seedling replenishing device 20 may have any configuration as long as it can take out the mat-like seedlings 30 from the spare seedling storage unit 10 and replenish the mat-like seedlings 30 to a predetermined section of the seedling loading table 5. can be Moreover, the fertilizer reservoir of the fertilizing device 9 can be provided at an arbitrary position.

(2) In each of the above embodiments, the spare seedling storage section 10 may be detachably supported by the mounting section 11 . In this case, without using the seedling loading mechanism 35 , the seedling shelf 12 with the mat-like seedlings 30 stored therein may be transported to the rice transplanter and placed on the mounting portion 11 . Raising the seedlings 32 to mounting them on the rice transplanter is performed with the mat-like seedlings 30 stored in the seedling shelf 12, thereby eliminating the need to carry the mat-like seedlings 30 into the spare seedling storage part 10 of the rice transplanter. , the need to ensure a high level of shape retention of the mat member 31 is reduced.

(3) In each of the above embodiments, the configuration may be such that the spare seedling storage unit 10 is not provided. For example, if a sufficient amount of mat-like seedlings 30 can be loaded on the seedling platform 5, the spare seedling storage unit 10 is not required. In this case, the mat-like seedlings 30 carried to the field by the carrier 38 are carried directly onto the seedling placement table 5 . For example, the seedling shelf 12 loaded with the mat-like seedlings 30 is transported to the field by the carrier 38, and the mat-like seedlings 30 are carried from the seedling shelf 12 to the seedling tray 5 by an arbitrary seedling loading mechanism.

(4) In each of the above-described embodiments, the mat-like seedlings 30 are not limited to being produced by being raised while stored in the nursery rack 12, but are arranged on the ground in a predetermined place such as a nursery house, or The seedlings 32 may be raised by stacking them on a shelf. When the seedling 32 grows up to a predetermined size in the state of the mat-like seedling 30, the mat-like seedling 30 is stored in the seedling shelf 12.例文帳に追加

(5) In each of the above-described embodiments, the sensor 21 is not limited to a contact sensor, and may have any configuration as long as it can detect the amount of mat-like seedlings 30 placed on the seedling tray 5 . For example, the sensor 21 is composed of a camera and an image diagnostic device. The amount of seedlings 30 can be detected.

(6) In each of the above embodiments, the rice transplanter may travel automatically or may travel manually. When automatically traveling, the rice transplanter is equipped with a positioning unit, receives radio waves from satellites of the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), and calculates the position of the vehicle. A travel route is set for the rice transplanter, and the rice transplanter automatically travels based on the vehicle position. Moreover, automatic driving may be performed by unmanned driving without an operator on board.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to a transplanter such as a rice transplanter that takes out seedlings from mat-like seedlings placed on a seedling stand and plants the seedlings.

5 Seedling table 10 Spare seedling storage part 11 Mounting part (support part)
12 seedling shelf 20 seedling supply device 21 sensor 30 mat-like seedling 31 mat member 32 seedling 35 seedling loading mechanism (conveying device)

Claims (1)

A seedling replenishing system for supplying the mat-like seedlings to the seedling mount of a rice transplanter for cutting seedlings from a seedling mount on which the mat-like seedling is placed and planting them in a field,
a preliminary seedling storage unit that is mounted on the rice transplanter and that directly stores the mat-like seedlings made of only a mat member on which seedlings are raised ;
a sensor provided on the seedling placement table for detecting the remaining amount of the mat-like seedling;
a seedling replenishing device that supplies the mat-like seedlings from the spare seedling storage unit to the seedling placement table when the sensor detects that the remaining amount of the mat-like seedlings has become equal to or less than a predetermined amount,
The spare seedling storage unit
a support;
and a seedling shelf detachably supported by the support,
The mat member is a rice husk molded mat formed by binding and molding rice husk with PVA,
The mat-like seedling is obtained by directly sowing a plurality of grains of seed rice on the mat member and raising the seedling on the seedling shelf carried out from the support part ,
The seedling supply system in which the seedling shelf is transported in a state in which the plurality of mat-like seedlings are directly stored and is supported by the support section .

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