JPH04251029A - Seeding plant - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent continuous descent of a supporting device when the supporting device is lowered in sequence by detecting the drop of a seeding box by means of an optical sensor, in the case when already seeded seeding boxes conveyed on a conveyer, are dropped sequentially onto the supporting device, and piled up, in a seeding plant. CONSTITUTION:An optical sensor 7 incorporating a light emitter 7a and a light receiver 7b arranged opposite to each other is provided in a vertical space between a holding device 5 and a supporting device 6, and a seeding box 2 is judged to have dropped when light from the light emitter 7a to the light receiver 7b is interrupted. When a change of state from the state of light from the light emitter 7a being received by the light receiver 7b to the state of light being interrupted is detected by the sensor, the supporting device is lowered by a predetermined distance based on detection of one-time state change, and stopped at that position.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a seeding plant in which soil and seeds are continuously put into seedling boxes for growing seedlings for planting crops, and the present invention relates to a structure for transporting and processing seeded seedling boxes after seeding. Regarding.

0002

2. Description of the Related Art An example of the above-mentioned seeding plant is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2-171120. In this seeding plant, the sown seedling boxes (1 in the above publication) are transported by a conveyor (12 in the above publication), and the boxes are lifted one by one by a vertical conveyance device (10 in the above publication), and the transfer device (1) According to 16) of the above-mentioned publication, the seedling growing box is transferred from the upper end of the vertical transport device to a holding device (not shown in the above-mentioned publication) above the transport carriage (17) of the above-mentioned publication. Then, the seedling growing boxes are dropped from the holding device and are stacked one after another on the transport vehicle, and the elevator that supports the transport vehicle according to the stacking (18 of the above publication)
) (corresponding to the support device) are lowered sequentially. In this case, an optical non-contact type sensor using infrared rays or laser is placed between the upper and lower parts of the holding device and the supporting device to detect the dropping of the seedling boxes stacked on the transport vehicle and to count the number of seedling boxes. , the elevator is configured to be operated downward by a predetermined amount when this sensor detects a fall of the seedling box.

0003

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] The sensor for counting seedling boxes described above is constructed by arranging a light emitter and a light receiver facing each other, and if a seedling box falls and passes between the light emitter and the light receiver. When the seedling box blocks the light from the light emitter, it is detected that the seedling box has fallen. However, when the seedling box falls onto the seedling box below, the soil inside the box may scatter, and if the scattered soil adheres to the sensor's light emitting device or receiver, this soil will prevent the light from the light emitting device. It becomes blocked. In such a state, it is determined that the seedling boxes are falling continuously without any gaps, so the elevator is continuously lowered without stopping. If the elevator is operated to descend continuously in this way, there is a risk that troubles such as the seedling box falling off the elevator may occur. The present invention aims to prevent troubles caused by foreign matter adhering to the sensor as described above.

0004

[Means for Solving the Problems] The feature of the present invention is that the above-mentioned seeding plant is constructed as follows. In other words, an optical sensor in which a light emitter and a light receiver are arranged facing each other is provided between the upper and lower sides of the holding device and the supporting device.
a first control means that determines that the seedling box has fallen when the light from the emitter to the receiver is blocked; and a state in which the light from the emitter is received by the receiver changes to a state in which the light is blocked. When a state change is detected by the sensor, the second control means lowers the support device by a predetermined amount and stops the support device based on the detection of this one state change.

[0005]

[Operation] With the above-described structure, when the seedling box 2 falls from the holding device, the light from the light emitter 7a to the light receiver 7b is blocked, and the state of the light emitter 7a and the light receiver 7b of the sensor in this case is For example, the state is as shown in FIG. That is, the light for counting is constantly emitted from the light emitter 7a, and the light for counting is received by the light receiver 7b. When the seedling raising box 2 falls and interrupts the counting light, the state changes from the state in which the light receiving signal X1 is being transmitted to the state in which the non-light receiving signal X2 is being transmitted, and when the seedling raising box 2 passes, The state changes from the state in which the non-light receiving signal X2 is being transmitted to the state in which the light receiving signal X1 is being transmitted. Then, based on the change from the state in which the light reception signal X1 is being transmitted to the state in which the non-light reception signal do. In this case, for example, assume that soil scattered from the seedling nursery box 2 adheres to the light receiver 7b and blocks the light for counting. In such a state, as shown in FIG. 1, the state in which the light reception signal X1 is transmitted changes to the state in which the non-light reception signal X2 is transmitted, but this state of the non-light reception signal X2 continues. In this case, the support device 6 is lowered by a predetermined amount and stopped as described above based on the change in the state of the signal, but after this point, the non-light receiving signal X2 is transmitted from the state in which the light receiving signal X1 is being transmitted. Since no change in state occurs, the support device 6 will not be lowered thereafter and will remain in the stopped state.

[0006]

[Effects of the Invention] When an optical sensor is used, if the support device is activated based on the detection of the non-light receiving state as in the conventional structure, the supporting device will continue to descend if the non-light receiving state continues. However, if the support device is activated based on the change in state from the light receiving state to the non-light receiving state as in the present invention, the supporting device will not continue to descend even if the non-light receiving state continues. , troubles caused by continuous lowering of this support device can be prevented.

[0007]

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be explained based on the drawings. FIG. 2 shows the latter half of the seeding plant, in which seedling raising boxes 2 that have been supplied with bed soil, sown, and covered with soil are sent from the left side of the page by the first conveyor 1. Each seedling growing box 2 is successively lifted upward from the end of the first conveyor 1 by the vertical conveyor 3. As shown in FIG. 4, this vertical conveyance device 3 has a pair of chains 3a arranged on the left and right sides of the terminal end of the first conveyor 1, and a large number of support claws 3b are fixed to the chains 3a to drive the chains 3a rotationally. It is configured as follows.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a transfer device 4 is disposed at the upper end of the vertical conveyance device 3. This transfer device 4 has a structure in which three sets of arms 4b are fixed to a rotationally driven rubber belt 4a, and the seedling raising boxes 2 that have reached the upper end of the vertical conveyance device 3 are pushed by the arms 4b and transferred to the holding device 5. exchange.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the holding device 5 is composed of a member having an L-shaped cross section, and the left and right members can be driven to swing left and right. Therefore, when the seedling growing box 2 at the upper end of the vertical conveyance device 3 is sent into the holding device 5 by the transfer device 4, the holding device 5 opens left and right and the holding device 5
The upper seedling growing box 2 is dropped downward.

A support device 6 for receiving the seedling box 2 is arranged below the holding device 5. This support device 6 has a pair of left and right chains 6a that are rotationally driven in the same way as the vertical conveyance device 3, and has a total of four sets of support claws 6b and 6c fixed to two locations on each of both chains 6a. It is composed of As shown in FIG. 2, between the upper and lower sides of the holding device 5 and the supporting device 6, an optical counter 7 (corresponding to an optical sensor) is constructed by disposing a light emitter 7a and a light receiver 7b facing each other. is provided.

Next, the operation of the support device 6 based on the detection by the counter 7 will be explained. When the seedling box 2 falls from the holding device 5, the light from the light emitter 7a to the light receiver 7b is blocked, and in this case, the light emitter 7 of the counter 7
The state of the light receiver 7a and the light receiver 7b is as shown in FIG. That is, the light for counting is constantly emitted from the light emitter 7a, and the light for counting is received by the light receiver 7b. When the seedling raising box 2 falls and interrupts the counting light, the state changes from the state in which the light receiving signal X1 is being transmitted to the state in which the non-light receiving signal X2 is being transmitted, and when the seedling raising box 2 passes, The state changes from the state in which the non-light receiving signal X2 is being transmitted to the state in which the light receiving signal X1 is being transmitted.

Then, based on the change from the state where the light receiving signal X1 is being transmitted to the state where the non-light receiving signal X2 is being transmitted, the count signal Y of the seedling raising box 2 is issued, and the number of fallen seedling raising boxes 2 is counted. It is integrated (corresponding to the first control means). Also, based on the change from the state in which the light reception signal X1 is being transmitted to the state in which the non-light reception signal At the same time, the lowering operation signal is stopped and the support device 6 stops at that position (corresponding to the second control means).

In this case, for example, assume that soil scattered from the seedling growing box 2 adheres to the light receiver 7b and blocks the light for counting. In such a state, as shown in FIG. 1, the light-receiving signal
2 is transmitted, but this non-reception signal X2
The situation will continue. In this case, the support device 6 is lowered by a predetermined amount and stopped as described above based on the change in the state of the signal, but after this point, the non-light receiving signal X2 is transmitted from the state in which the light receiving signal X1 is being transmitted. Since no state change occurs to change the state to the state in which the support device 6 is in the stopped state, no lowering operation signal is issued to the support device 6 after this, and the support device 6 remains in the stopped state.

Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the non-light receiving signal X2
If the alarm is emitted continuously for a predetermined period of time, it is determined that some kind of trouble has occurred, and the first conveyor 1, vertical conveyor 3, etc. are stopped, and the alarm device (
alarm buzzer, alarm lamp, etc.) (not shown) are activated.

When the counter 7 detects that a predetermined number of seedling boxes 2 have been stacked on one of the support claws 6b of the support device 6, the support claw 6b is driven downward, and the support claw 6b moves as shown in FIG. When reaching the position A1 shown, the other support claw 6c comes into contact with the second sensor 10, and based on this, the support claw 6b temporarily stops at the position A1. After that, the support device 6 is driven again, but since the support device 6 does not quickly reach the predetermined driving speed from the stopped state,
The seedling growing box 2 is transferred from the support claw 6b to the front end of the second conveyor 9 at a relatively low speed until a predetermined driving speed is reached.

When the support claw 6b reaches the position where it contacts the first sensor 8, the transfer of the seedling box 2 to the front end of the second conveyor 9 is completed, and the detection by the first sensor 8 This confirms that the transfer of the seedling raising box 2 has been completed. When the support claw 6b reaches the position where it contacts the first sensor 8, the other support claw 6c comes below the holding device 5 and receives the seedling box 2. Next, when a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the support claw 6b came into contact with the first sensor 8, the second transport conveyor 9 is automatically operated to transport the seedling growing box 2 to the right in FIG. 2. .

[Another embodiment] In the above embodiment, the first
The seedling growing boxes 2 from the conveyor 1 were sequentially lifted by the upper and lower conveyor 3 and then dropped onto the support device 6, but the position of the support device 6 was lower than the first conveyor 1, The seedling growing box 2 may be directly dropped onto the support device 6 from the rear end. Further, instead of the second conveyor 9, a conveyance truck as disclosed in the above-mentioned publication may be used.

[0018] Incidentally, although reference numerals are written in the claims section for convenience of comparison with the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the structure shown in the accompanying drawings.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

[Fig. 1] Time chart showing the states of the light emitter and light receiver in the optical counter, the counting of seedling boxes, and the state of the operation signal to the support device

[Figure 2] Side view of the vicinity of the transfer device and support device in the seeding plant

[Figure 3] Front view of the vicinity of the support device, holding device, and second conveyor

[Figure 4] Front view of the vicinity of the first conveyor and vertical conveyor

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Conveyor 2 Seedling box 4 Transfer device 5 Holding device 6 Support device 7 Sensor 7a Sensor light emitter 7b Sensor receiver

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A transfer device (4) for sequentially transferring sown seedling raising boxes (2) from a conveyor (1) to a holding device (5) disposed above a support device (6); When the seedling growing box (2) is transferred from the transfer device (4) to the holding device (5), the seedling growing box (2) is released and the seedling growing box (2) is transferred to the supporting device (6).
), the seeding plant is configured such that the holding device (5) is activated sequentially so that the seeding plant is dropped onto
) is provided between the upper and lower sides of the holding device (5) and the supporting device (6), so that when the light from the light emitter (7a) to the light receiver (7b) is blocked, the seedling box (2) falls. The first thing to judge is
control means, and the light from the light emitter (7a) is transmitted to the light receiver (7a).
b) When the sensor (7) detects a change in state from a state in which light is received to a state in which light is blocked, the support device (6)
) for lowering and stopping the seeding plant by a predetermined amount.