JPH05111309A - Seedling deflector of transplanting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To feed seedlings to a transplanter at intervals of a prescribed time by equipping a detection belt for sending the seedlings to a seedling-alignment unit with many rollers rotatable in the seedling-conveying direction. CONSTITUTION:A detection belt 50 is equipped with many rollers 50a freely rotatable in the seedling (Pa)-conveying direction and the rollers themselves are rotated to convey seedlings in a state where the seedlings are placed thereon. The closely aligned seedlings are conveyed from a seedling-alignment unit 52 at the speed of the seedling-alignment unit.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

The present invention relates to transplant cultivation of agricultural products,
In a transplanter that uses a seedling with a fixed part such as a paper tube seedling in a paper tube raising container, the fixed part of the seedling is aligned and supplied to the transplanting device at predetermined intervals to be planted in this field Regarding

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A device for aligning a fixed portion of a seedling having a fixed portion such as a paper tube seedling by a large number of freely rotating rollers and supplying it to a transplantation device at predetermined intervals has been first characterized by the present inventors. Proposed as Japanese Patent Application No. 3-56165.

This seedling aligning device is provided with a seedling aligning unit for supplying seedlings to the planting device and a detection belt for delivering seedlings to the seedling aligning unit, and a detector for detecting the presence or absence of seedlings above the detection belt. The speed of the seedling alignment part is linked to the planting speed, the speed of the detection belt is increased or decreased by detecting the seedlings of the detector, the seedlings are delivered to the seedling alignment part and aligned, and the detection belt is conveyed in the direction of conveyance. It was equipped with a large number of freely rotating rollers, and the rollers themselves were rotated to carry seedlings. According to this device, it is possible to align the seedlings transferred to the detection belt by the roller of the detection belt even if the distance between them is wide, and to increase or decrease the speed of the detection belt by detecting the seedlings of the detector to the seedling alignment section. When the seedlings are delivered and aligned, the frequency of increase and decrease in speed is low, and the difference in increase and decrease in speed can be reduced, so that the posture of the seedlings transported is less disturbed.

Further, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 28628/1990 discloses that
An aligned transport conveyor that receives a good-sized paper tube seedling with normal-sized leaves that has been sorted by a seedling sorting and transporting conveyor and transports it toward the seedling planting mechanism; Detecting device provided to detect the rising condition of tube seedlings, good paper on parallel conveying conveyor To reduce the speed of the seedling selecting and conveying conveyor as the detecting device detects the rising condition of tube seedlings A sorting and conveying device based on the above has been proposed. Then, the detection device for detecting the swelling condition of the good paper tube seedlings on the aligned conveyer is composed of a detection belt and a micro switch, and the detection belt is suspended relatively loosely and its lower running part is aligned. It runs parallel to the upper running surface of the string-like belt of the row-carrying conveyor at a required interval, that is, at an interval slightly wider than the diameter of the good paper tube seedling. The detection end of the microswitch is in contact with the inside of the lower traveling portion of the detection belt.

[0005]

In the above-mentioned conventional seedling aligning device, the seedlings are aligned in the horizontal direction by increasing / decreasing the speed of the detection belt and the rollers thereof. In the vertical direction, the seedlings are placed on the rollers of the detection belt and transported, and since the heights are originally uniform, they are brought into close contact with each other and aligned. That is, the vertical alignment of the seedlings depends on the weight of the seedlings, and the seedlings are aligned horizontally only by the downward force.

The fixed part of the paper tube seedling has a hexagonal column shape in the state of the paper tube seedling group, and maintains the shape to some extent even when separated into individual seedlings, and the hexagonal column of the fixed part is detected on the detection belt. They line up closely when they are down. When the seedlings are placed on the detection belt, most of the stable state is that the hexagonal sides are vertical and the hexagonal apexes are horizontal. Therefore, the closely-contacted seedlings come in contact with each other at the hexagonal vertices, and when a strong force is applied in the horizontal direction, the horizontal force generates a vertical component force, which exceeds the weight of the seedling. The seedlings swell when the force goes upwards.

The seedling rows closely arranged on the detection belt are conveyed at a speed at which the seedling aligning section feeds out, the detection belt rotates at a speed higher than that speed, and the speed difference is absorbed by the rotation of the rollers of the detection belt. .. In other words, the seedlings closely arranged on the detection belt are subjected to a horizontal force corresponding to the rotation resistance of the roller of the detection belt, and are trying to be closer to each other. Therefore, when the detection belt is accelerated due to non-detection of seedlings, the rolling resistance of the roller becomes larger, and the seedlings on the seedling alignment portion or the detection belt may be pushed by the succeeding seedlings and rise up. The seedlings raised on the detection belt are delivered to the seedling alignment section as they are, and if the seedlings are raised in the seedling alignment section, the seedlings are clogged and the seedlings cannot be supplied to the planting device, or the seedlings are not clogged as they are. When supplied to the planting device, the spacing between the planted seedlings becomes narrow.

Further, in the above-mentioned conventional sorting and conveying apparatus, the speed of the parallel conveying conveyor is linked to the planting speed, and the speed of the seedling selecting and conveying conveyor is increased or decreased. Then, the detection belt is provided on the parallel conveyance conveyor, and the detection belt is for reliably operating the microswitch as a detection device for detecting the rising state of the good paper tube seedlings on the parallel conveyance conveyor. is there. So
Although it is possible to prevent swelling of seedlings on the parallel conveying conveyor, there is no action of preventing swelling of seedlings on the seedling selecting and conveying conveyor whose speed increases and decreases. Therefore, the seedlings cannot be aligned by closely adhering to the seedling selecting / transporting conveyor, and cannot be aligned if the seedlings transferred to the seedling selecting / transporting conveyor are widely spaced.

The present invention solves the above problems and enables the seedlings transferred to the detection belt to be aligned even if the distance between them is wide, and prevents swelling of the seedlings. The seedling aligning device of the transplanting machine that supplies the seedlings to the plant provides a high-performance and highly efficient transplanting machine, and aims to dramatically expand the transplant cultivation.

[0010]

A seedling aligning device for a transplanting machine according to a first aspect of the present invention is a seedling aligning section 52 for supplying seedling Pa to a planting device.
And a detection belt 50 for delivering the seedling Pa to the seedling alignment section 52, and a detector for detecting the presence or absence of the seedling Pa above the detection belt 50.
51 is provided, the speed of the seedling alignment section 52 is linked to the planting speed, and the speed of the detection belt 50 is increased or decreased by the detection of the seedling Pa of the detector 51 to transfer the seedling Pa to the seedling alignment section 52 for alignment. In the device, the detection belt 50 is provided with a large number of rollers 50a that freely rotate in the conveying direction of the seedling Pa.
The seedling Pa is also circulated by itself and conveyed, and a swelling prevention belt 60 is provided above the seedling alignment section 52 from the detection belt 50, and the swelling prevention belt 60 has a lower traveling portion of the roller 50a of the detection belt 50. An interval slightly wider than the diameter of the seedling Pa is provided above and below the upper running surface so that the seedling Pa on the detection belt 50 does not normally contact the swelling prevention belt 60.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a seedling aligning device for a transplanter,
The moving direction of the lower traveling part of the swelling prevention belt 60 is set to be the same as the moving direction of the seedling Pa, and its speed is set to be almost the same as the transfer speed of the seedling Pa in the seedling aligning part 52, so that the swelling prevention belt 60 tries to rise. It is designed to move at almost the same speed as the seedling Pa contacting the lower running part.

[0012]

[Operation] In the invention of claim 1, the detection belt 50 has a large number of rollers 50a which freely rotate in the conveying direction of the seedlings Pa.
Since the roller 50a itself is also rotated and the seedling Pa is placed and conveyed, in the case of individual seedling Pa, it is conveyed by the rotation of the roller 50a itself and closely detected and aligned from the seedling alignment section 52. The seedling Pa on the belt 50 is not conveyed at the speed of the detection belt 50 by the rotation of the roller 50a, but is conveyed at the speed of the seedling aligning section 52.

Further, since the swelling prevention belt 60 is provided above the detection belt 50 above the seedling aligning section 52, even if the seedlings Pa closely attached to the seedling aligning section 52 are pushed horizontally from the detection belt 50, they rise. The prevention belt 60 prevents rising.

Further, the swelling prevention belt 60 has a lower running portion above and below the upper running surface of the roller 50a of the detection belt 50, and is spaced slightly wider than the diameter of the seedling Pa. Since it does not contact the swelling prevention belt 60, the prevention belt 60 does not prevent the fast movement of the individual seedlings Pa conveyed by the rotation of the roller 50a of the detection belt 50 itself.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the swelling prevention belt is provided.
The moving direction of the lower running part of 60 is the same as the moving direction of the seedling Pa, and its speed is almost the same as the transfer speed of the seedling Pa of the seedling aligning part 52. Since the seedling Pa that has come into contact with the part is moved at almost the same speed, the seedling Pa whose rise is prevented by the rise prevention belt 60 is also conveyed normally.

[0016]

EXAMPLE An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Seedling Pa with a separable shaped part for each seedling Pa
Shows a paper tube seedling P with a paper tube seedling raising container. This paper tube seedling raising container is made of decay-resistant paper, and is a hexagonal column-shaped paper tube that is opened at the top and bottom when unfolded and is orderly bonded with a water-soluble glue. This paper cylinder is filled with cultivating soil, seeded in individual paper cylinders one by one, covered with soil, placed in a nursery to raise seedlings, and after raising for a certain period of time, the seedlings grow to become paper-tube seedlings P.
The water-soluble glue gradually dissolves and disappears due to irrigation, and the paper cylinders gradually bond to each other as the decay progresses.
It is designed to be separably and tidily connected.

However, all the seeds sown for each grain in the individual paper tubes of the paper tube nursery container are not all grown normally and can be transplanted. About 10% of the missing seedlings cannot be transplanted because the seedlings do not grow.

Next, the paper tube seedling P using this paper tube seedling raising container
Was supplied to the transplanter, separated into individual seedlings Pa, the missing strains were removed from the separated seedlings Pa, and the shaped parts of the seedlings Pa of only the non-uniform seedlings were closely aligned and the The seedling aligning device of the transplanting machine, which feeds out the seedlings Pa at predetermined intervals and supplies the seedlings Pa to the planting device, will be described.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a machine frame, and the machine frame 1 constitutes a frame body having a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. And machine frame 1
A horizontal movement mechanism 10 and a vertical movement mechanism 20 are provided above.

The lateral movement mechanism 10 includes a pair of rails 11 provided along the machine frame 1, a pair of lateral movement mechanism frames 12 capable of reciprocating along the rails 11, and below the lateral movement mechanism frame 12. A shaft (16) is provided between a pair of rails (11) in parallel with the rail (11).

The lateral movement mechanism frame 12 is provided on a pair of rails 11, and guide rollers 14 that rotate in the direction of the rails 11 are provided on the lower surfaces of the four sides of the lateral movement mechanism frame 12 corresponding to the rails 11. It is fixed to the lateral movement mechanism frame 12 so as to rotate freely. Further, the shaft 16 is engraved with a cylindrical cam in which the forward groove and the return groove are formed in an endless intersecting shape, meshes with a protrusion (not shown) provided on the lateral movement mechanism frame 12, and the rail 11 of the cylindrical cam. The length in the direction of is slightly longer than the width of the paper tube seedling P, and the rotation of the shaft 16 causes the lateral movement mechanism frame 12 to continuously reciprocate over the width of the paper tube seedling P in the direction of the rail 11. It is like this.

The lateral movement mechanism frame 12 of the lateral movement mechanism 10 is provided with a vertical movement mechanism 20 that moves in a direction orthogonal to the movement direction of the lateral movement mechanism 10. Then, the paper tube seedling P is placed on the belt 25 of the vertical movement mechanism 20 and the horizontal movement mechanism 10 is moved at the moving end of the horizontal movement mechanism 10.
2 is intermittently moved in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction (downward in FIG. 2).

The vertical moving mechanism 20 includes a pulley 2 which is long in the horizontal moving mechanism frame 12 in the moving direction of the horizontal moving mechanism 10 and is parallel to the same height.
2 and 24 are provided, and a belt 25 is stretched between the pulleys 22 and 24. Then, the lateral movement mechanism frame 12 moves laterally to the pulley 22 so that the rotation of the shaft 16 is transmitted only at the movement end thereof, and the seedling row of the paper tube seedlings P at the movement end of the lateral movement mechanism 10. The pulley 22 is rotated so as to move the belt 25 slightly more than one row.

A regulating body frame 2 is provided outside the machine frame 1 in parallel with the rail 11 in the moving direction of the vertical movement mechanism 20, and a regulating body shaft 3 is provided vertically upward from the regulating body frame 2 and A pair of freely rotating seedling regulation belts 5 are hung on the upper end.

The seedling regulation belts 5 are provided on the left and right sides of the lateral movement mechanism 10 so as to be long in the moving direction, and the surface on the side of the paper tube seedlings P is a belt.
It is set at a position substantially the same as the transport end of 25, and an interval between the inner ends of the pair of left and right seedling regulating belts 5 is set so that a pair of separating rotary bodies 31 for separating and feeding the paper tube seedling P can be accommodated. Two belt drive pins are provided in the direction from the side of the pair of lateral movement mechanism frames 12 on the seedling regulation belt 5 side toward the seedling regulation belt 5, and the belt drive pins are provided on the surface of the seedling regulation belt 5 on the paper tube seedling P side. When the lateral movement mechanism 10 reciprocates, the surface of the seedling regulating belt 5 on the paper tube seedling P side reciprocates in the same direction.

Inside the pair of lateral movement mechanism frames 12, on the seedling regulating belt 5 side, a pair of lateral regulation belts contacting the side surfaces of the lateral movement mechanism 10 of the paper tube seedling P in the moving direction to regulate the paper tube seedling P. Provide 28. The lateral regulation belt 28 is wound around a pulley that rotates freely, and rotates so as not to hinder the movement of the paper tube seedling P by the belt 25.

A pair of seedling guides 29 connected to the lateral regulation belt 28 are provided inside the pair of lateral movement mechanism frames 12 on the opposite side of the seedling regulation belt 5 to guide the paper tube seedlings P on the belt 25.

A separating portion frame 30 is provided above the machine frame 1 and between the insides of the pair of seedling regulating belts 5 at the center portion in the moving direction of the vertical moving mechanism 20.

A pair of shafts are provided below the separating frame 30, and a pair of elastic rollers 31 are fitted on the shafts. The roller 31 is a cylindrical sponge body, and the roller 31 is positioned so as to come into contact with the upper and lower sides of the paper tube seedling P placed on the belt 25, and the facing surfaces of the pair of rollers 31 are narrower than the paper tube diameter of the seedling Pa. The pair of rollers 31 are rotated at the same speed in the direction in which the surfaces facing each other move away from the paper tube seedling P, and the peripheral speed thereof is about 5 times the moving speed of the lateral moving mechanism 10.

Then, a roller that rotates the side surface of the paper tube seedling P.
The seedlings Pa are separated into individual seedlings Pa by sequentially contacting the seedlings 31, and the separated seedlings Pa are sandwiched by a pair of rollers 31 and fed to the opposite side of the paper tube seedlings P in a standing state.

From the opposite side of the roller 31 to the paper tube seedling P, outwardly,
A pair of rollers 31 is provided by a shaft provided below the separating portion frame 41.
A pair of belts 32 connected from the above is provided. The belt 32 is a flat belt with a sponge attached to the surface thereof, receives the individual seedlings Pa separated and fed from the roller 31, and sandwiches the middle portion of the paper tube to project the seedlings Pa to transfer the paper tube. Feed to the opposite side of the seedling P.

A pair of flat belts 33 are provided by a shaft provided below the separating portion frame 30 in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance end of the belt 32. The flat belt 33 receives the individual seedlings Pa fed from the conveying end of the belt 32, sandwiches the upper portion of the paper tube and conveys and feeds it.

A pair of detectors 34 and 35 are provided in the vicinity of the pair of belts 32 on the left and right sides orthogonal to the conveying direction of the pair of belts 32. The pair of detectors 34 and 35 are photoelectric switches that can detect the presence or absence of seedling Pa without contact, and the seedling Pa is detected when the optical axis between the pair of detectors 34 and 35 is blocked by the seedling Pa. When the detectors 34 and 35 do not detect the seedling Pa, an alarm device provided at an appropriate place near the worker gives an alarm.

A sorting and aligning section frame 41 is provided below the machine frame 1. A pair of deflection disks 42 made of an elastic material is provided above one side of the sorting / alignment section frame 41 and below the conveying end of the pair of flat belts 33, and the pair of deflection disks 42 are parallel to each other with a predetermined interval in parallel with the center of the circle as an axis. And is rotated about the axis of movement of the vertical movement mechanism 20. Also, from the upper end of the pair of turning disks 42 to 1/4 of the side end.
Around the outer circumference, a pair of turning disks
A restriction body is provided to prevent 42 from spreading outward, and the vicinity of the outer peripheries of the pair of turning disks 42 between them is set to be narrower than the paper tube diameter of the seedling Pa.

The pair of turning discs 42 receives the seedling Pa fed from the conveying ends of the pair of flat belts 33, sandwiches the lower part of the paper cylinder and conveys it by changing the direction by 90 degrees, and moves downward from the side ends. Pull out in an inverted position.

A pair of flat belts 43 are provided below the side edges of the pair of turning disks 42 by a shaft provided from the sorting and aligning section frame 41. The pair of flat belts 43 are arranged at an interval narrower than the diameter of the paper tube of the seedling Pa, and the pair of flat belts 43 are rotated so that the surfaces facing each other move downward. Then, the pair of flat belts 43 receives the seedling Pa fed from the conveying ends of the pair of turning disks 42, sandwiches the intermediate portion of the paper tube and conveys it, and feeds it downward.

Wide flat belts 44 and 45 are provided at the same height by a shaft provided from the sorting and aligning portion frame 41 in the horizontal direction from below the conveyance end of the pair of flat belts 43. The flat belt 45 is closer to the sorting and aligning part frame 41 than the flat belt 44, and the flat belt 45 is longer than the flat belt 44. Further, a flat belt 46 at the same end of conveyance as the end of conveyance of the flat belt 45 is provided. Flat belt 46
Is a position on the extension line of the flat belt 44, and a space between the transport end of the flat belt 44 and the transport start end of the flat belt 46 is opened at a predetermined interval so that the flat belts 44, 45, 46 have their upper surfaces Rotate at the same speed to move horizontally.

The flat belts 44 and 45 are a pair of flat belts.
Receives the seedling Pa fed from the end of conveyance of 43 and flat belt
44 is placed on the upper portion of the paper tube and conveyed, flat belt 45 is placed on the lower part of the paper tube and conveyed, flat belt 46 is placed on the upper part of the paper tube and conveyed, and the flat belts 45 and 46 are horizontally conveyed from the end. Get out in the direction.

A leaf receiving belt frame 47 is provided on the side of the flat belts 44, 46 opposite to the sorting and aligning portion frame 41, and a leaf which is a flat belt is provided by a shaft provided in the direction of the sorting and aligning portion frame 41 from the leaf receiving belt frame 47. A receiving belt 48 and a leaf pressing belt 49 are provided. The height of the upper surface of the leaf receiving belt 48 is substantially the same as that of the flat belts 44 and 46, the conveyance start end is substantially the same position as the conveyance start end of the flat belt 44, and the conveyance end is substantially the same position as the conveyance start end of the flat belt 46. .. The leaf pressing belt 49 is provided on the leaf receiving belt 48, and the upper surface of the leaf receiving belt 48 and the lower surface of the leaf pressing belt 49 are brought into contact with each other. The conveyance end is almost at the same position, and the conveyance end is an intermediate position between the conveyance start end and the conveyance end of the flat belt 46.

The leaf receiving belt 48 has flat belts 44, 4 on its upper surface.
The leaf pressing belt 49 is rotated so as to move in the same direction as the upper surfaces of the belts 5, 46, and the lower surface thereof is rotated so that its lower surface moves in the same direction, and the speed thereof is substantially the same as the speed of the flat belts 44, 45, 46. Then, the leaf portion of the seedling Pa is sandwiched between the leaf receiving belt 48 and the leaf pressing belt 49 and conveyed in the same direction as the flat belts 44, 45, 46.

Here, a good seedling Pa with leaves is a flat belt.
In the space between the transport end of 44 and the transport end of the flat belt 46,
The lower part of the paper tube is placed on the flat belt 45, and the leaf portion is sandwiched between the leaf receiving belt 48 and the leaf pressing belt 49 and conveyed. However, the missing seedling Pa without leaves, because the leaves are not sandwiched between the leaf receiving belt 48 and the leaf retainer belt 49, because the bottom of the paper tube is simply placed on the flat belt 45, The flat belt 44 falls from a space between the end of conveyance and the end of conveyance of the flat belt 46, and is removed to the outside of the system. As a result, a good seedling Pa with leaves and a missing seedling Pa without leaves are selected.

A detection belt 50 is provided horizontally from the conveyance ends of the flat belts 45 and 46 by a shaft provided from the sorting and aligning section frame 41. The detection belt 50 is rotated so that its upper surface advances in the same direction as the upper surfaces of the flat belts 44, 45, 46, and the seedling Pa is conveyed on the upper surface. The detection belt 50 is provided with a large number of rollers 50a that freely rotate in the conveying direction of the seedling Pa. Roller 50a
Is set to be slightly shorter than the length of the paper cylinder, and a plurality of large-diameter portions and small-diameter portions are alternately provided in the longitudinal direction of the roller 50.
Insert the large diameter part of a so that it is not in contact with the large diameter part.
Then, the middle part of the paper tube of each seedling Pa passed on the upper surface of the detection belt 50 is placed on the large diameter part of the roller 50a and conveyed.
The detection belt 50 is fed out horizontally from the end of conveyance.

A hole is formed in the center of the roller 50a in the longitudinal direction, and a pin 50b longer than the roller 50a is formed in the hole.
Through two pins 50b adjacent to both ends of the roller 50a.
A two-hole link plate 50c is provided through each pin 50b. As a result, many rollers 50a are linked plates
It is connected like an endless belt by 50c. Further, the roller 50a freely rotates about the pin 50b.

When the shaft of the detection belt 50 rotates, the pin 50b, the link plate 50c and the roller 50a rotate together. The detection belt 50 is rotated so that its upper surface advances in the direction of the integration belt 11, and the middle portion of the paper tube Pa of each seedling Pa transferred to the upper surface of the detection belt 50 is placed on the large diameter portion of the roller 50a. Transport.

A detector 51 is provided above the central portion of the detection belt 50 from the sorting and aligning portion frame 41, and the detector 51 detects the presence or absence of the paper tube of the seedling Pa on the detection belt 50. The detector 51 is a photoelectric switch, which can detect the presence or absence of the paper tube of the seedling Pa without contact, and transmits the detection by an electric signal.

From the left and right of the conveyance end of the detection belt 50 to the center direction substantially horizontally, by the shaft provided from the sorting and aligning part frame 41,
A pair of aligning belts 52 are provided as seedling aligning portions which are flat belts having a narrow width. The pair of aligning belts 52 are rotated so that their upper surfaces move in the same direction as the upper surfaces of the detection belts 50, and the seedlings Pa are conveyed on their upper surfaces. Then, the upper and lower parts of the paper tube of each seedling Pa delivered on the upper surface of the alignment belt 52 are placed and conveyed, and are fed out horizontally from the conveyance end of the alignment belt 52.

A sponge roller 53 is provided above the conveyance end of the alignment belt 52 by being fitted to the tip of the shaft provided from the sorting and aligning section frame 41. Sponge roller
Reference numeral 53 denotes a cylindrical sponge body, which is rotated so that its lower circumference advances in the same direction as the upper surface of the alignment belt 52, and its speed is almost the same as that of the alignment belt 52. The distance to the lower circumference is smaller than the diameter of the paper cylinder of the seedling Pa. Then, the paper tube of the seedling Pa is sandwiched between the terminal end of the alignment belt 52 and the sponge roller 53, and the seedling Pa pushed by the detection belt 50 is regulated and fed out.

A pulley 61 fitted on a pair of shafts provided from a sorting and aligning part frame 41 above the seedling aligning part 52 from the detection belt 50,
A swelling prevention belt 60, which is a flat belt, is provided around 62. The swelling prevention belt 60 has its lower running portion parallel to the upper running surface of the roller 50a of the detection belt 50.
Leave a space slightly wider than the diameter of the seedling Pa above and below. Then, normally, the seedling Pa on the detection belt 50 is prevented from coming into contact with the swelling prevention belt 60. The start end of the swelling prevention belt 60 is immediately after the optical axis of the detector 51, and the end thereof is immediately before the sponge roller 53. The width of the swelling prevention belt 60 is made slightly narrower than the width of the detection belt 50, and the center thereof is aligned with the center of the detection belt 50.

The moving direction of the lower traveling portion of the swelling prevention belt 60 is set to be the same as the moving direction of the seedlings Pa, and its speed is set to be substantially the same as the transfer speed of the seedlings Pa in the seedling aligning section 52. And
The lower traveling portion of the swelling prevention belt 60 moves at about the same speed as the seedling Pa that is in contact with the swelling prevention belt 60 in an attempt to rise.

A pair of vertical conveyor belts 54 are provided below the conveyor end of the stacking belt 52 from below and below from the bottom surface thereof by a shaft provided from the sorting and aligning section frame 41 and a lower shaft (not shown). The pair of vertical conveyor belts 54 is arranged at an interval narrower than the diameter of the paper cylinder of the seedling Pa, and the pair of vertical conveyor belts 54 is rotated such that the surfaces facing each other move downward. Then, a pair of vertical conveyor belts 54
Receives the seedling Pa fed out from the conveyance end of the stacking belt 52 and the sponge roller 53, sandwiches the middle portion of the paper tube and conveys it, and feeds it out downward.

In the alignment by the detector 51, the speed from the alignment belt 52 and the sponge roller 53 is constant in conjunction with the planting speed regardless of the detection of the seedling Pa of the detector 51, while the lateral movement mechanism is used. The moving speed of 10 or the moving speed of the vertical moving mechanism 20 to the speed of the detection belt 50 increases or decreases in conjunction with the detection of the seedling Pa of the detector 51. To increase or decrease the speed, drive power is provided with two systems for acceleration and deceleration, an electromagnetic clutch is provided on the drive path for acceleration, and a freewheel is provided on the drive path for deceleration. The electromagnetic clutch is connected and disconnected by the detection signal of 51.

An off-delay timer is provided for the detection signal of the paper cylinder of the detector 51, and the individual seedlings Pa with a certain interval are provided.
The detection signal for a short time such as the detection of the paper cylinder is ignored, and the electromagnetic clutch is connected to continue the acceleration. When the paper cylinder that is closely aligned from the alignment belt 52 to the bottom of the detector 51 reaches and the paper cylinder remains below the detector 51 for more than the set time of the off-delay timer, the electromagnetic clutch is disengaged and decelerated.

At the time of deceleration, the number of seedlings Pa separated by the pair of rollers 31 is slightly smaller than the number of seedlings Pa delivered from the detection belt 50 per unit time, and the seedlings Pa delivered to the alignment belt 52 are delivered. Set the seedling Pa speed so that it increases a little. When speeding up, the seedlings transferred to the alignment belt 52
The speed at which Pa is higher than the seedling Pa that is delivered is set.

During deceleration, the detection belt 50 and the supply belt 40
The speeds of the belts and the points beyond it become slower as a whole, but at the lowest conveying speed, the traveling speed of the roller 50a of the detection belt 50 is made higher than the speed of the alignment belt 52. Even if the speed is increased, the seedling Pa on the detection belt 50, which is in close contact with and aligned with the alignment belt 52, is not conveyed at the speed of the detection belt 50 but is conveyed at the speed of the alignment belt 52 by the free rotation of the roller 50a. It Further, since the individual seedlings Pa on the detection belt 50 are conveyed by the circulation of the roller 50a itself, the individual seedlings Pa are brought into close contact with the alignment belt 52 and gradually brought into close contact with the aligned seedlings Pa.

When deceleration continues and the seedling Pa on the detection belt 50 decreases and the paper cylinder disappears under the detector 51, the speed is increased.
The detection belt is closely aligned from the alignment belt 52 to the bottom of the detector 51 by freely rotating the rollers of the detection belt 50.
The seedling Pa on the 50 is not conveyed at the speed of the detection belt 50, but is conveyed at the speed of being paid out from the alignment belt 52 and the sponge roller 53. Further, since the individual seedlings Pa that are separated on the detection belt 50 are conveyed by the circulation of the rollers themselves,
The seedlings Pa with an interval are gradually brought into close contact with the seedlings Pa that are closely aligned.

The detection signal of the paper cylinder Pa of the detector 51 is provided with a delay timer, and the detection signal for a short time such as the detection of the paper cylinder Pa in the speed-up state is ignored and the electromagnetic clutch is connected to increase. Keep going fast. When the paper cylinder Pa that is closely aligned from the alignment belt 52 reaches under the detector 51, and the paper cylinder Pa remains below the detector 51 for more than the set time of the delay timer, the electromagnetic clutch is disengaged and decelerated.

Paper cylinder Pa closely aligned from the alignment belt 52
Are aligned from the bottom of the detector 51 to the alignment belt 52 side when decelerating, and pass under the detector 51 when accelerating. The length of the line that passes through becomes longer, and the time from acceleration to deceleration and from deceleration to acceleration increases. In other words, if the delay timer is set to an appropriate length corresponding to the planting speed, the frequency of acceleration / deceleration can be reduced. In the embodiment, the set time of the delay timer is set to 1 to 2 seconds.

Next, the operation will be described.

The horizontal movement mechanism frame 12 of the horizontal movement mechanism 10 has its predetermined moving end, and the paper tube seedling P is moved vertically on the horizontal movement mechanism 10.
It is placed on a belt 25 as 20 and is fed to a position where a row of separated seedlings Pa at the front end of the paper tube seedling P contacts the seedling regulation belt 5 and contacts a pair of rollers 31. When the transplanting machine advances, the shaft 16 and the like rotate by an appropriate means, and when the lateral movement mechanism frame 12 moves laterally, the paper tube seedling P moves laterally and rolls.
31 and belt 32 rotate.

By the lateral movement of the lateral movement mechanism frame 12, the front row of separated seedlings of the paper tube seedlings P moves and sequentially contacts the front end of the roller 31. At this time, the seedlings Pa to be separated are sandwiched between the next row of seedlings and the roller 31 and rolled, and are moved at a speed higher than the moving speed of the paper tube seedlings P while rolling, so that the seedlings are sequentially separated. The seedlings Pa are separated into individual seedlings Pa without any difficulty by stripping the connection part between the next seedling Pa and the subsequent seedling row.

When the separation of the front row of the paper tube seedlings P to be separated is completed and the lateral movement mechanism frame 12 reaches the moving end, the paper tube seedlings P are vertically moved by the belt 25 by one row. Then, the lateral movement mechanism frame 12 laterally moves the paper tube seedlings P in the opposite direction, and the separation of the next row is started. In addition, the seedling row from which the paper tube seedlings P are separated is regulated by the seedling regulation belt 5,
The mutual relationship between the separated seedling row and the pair of rollers 31 is correctly maintained and separated reliably. Further, the belt 25 also intermittently moves the paper tube seedlings P at the moving end on the opposite side of the lateral movement mechanism frame 12 and is continuously separated into individual seedlings Pa.

The seedlings Pa separated by the rollers 31 are sandwiched between the pair of rollers 31 and fed out, so that the pair of rollers 31
The seedling Pa that is picked up and fed out by is immediately picked up by the pair of belts 32 and is fed further away.
Detectors 34 and 35 provided near the pair of belts 32 detect the presence or absence of seedling Pa transferred to the pair of belts 32, and give an alarm when the detectors 34 and 35 do not detect seedling Pa for a predetermined time.

The seedling Pa fed from the pair of belts 32 is
A pair of flat belts 33, a pair of turning disks 42 and a pair of flat belts
It is conveyed by 43 and delivered to flat belts 44 and 45.

The seedlings Pa delivered to the flat belts 44, 45 are removed by the flat belts 44, 45, 46, the leaf receiving belt 48, and the leaf pressing belt 49 to remove the missing seedlings Pa, resulting in an uneven seedling row. Is passed to the detection belt 50. Then, the seedling Pa transferred to the detection belt 50 is the roller 50a of the detection belt 50 or the detector.
51 and acceleration / deceleration mechanism and alignment belt controlled by the signal
52 and the sponge roller 53 align the paper cylinders so that they are in close contact with each other and deliver them to the pair of vertical transport belts 54.

At this time, the detection belt 50 is provided with a large number of rollers 50a that freely rotate in the conveying direction of the seedlings Pa, and the rollers 50a themselves also rotate to carry the seedlings Pa and convey them. In the case of, the detection belt 50 is conveyed by the rotation of the roller 50a itself, and is closely aligned from the alignment belt 52.
Since the upper seedling Pa is not conveyed at the speed of the detection belt 50 by the rotation of the roller 50a but is conveyed at the speed of the alignment belt 52, a large number of seedlings Pa can be aligned on the detection belt 50. Even if the spacing between the seedlings Pa delivered to is large, the seedlings Pa do not disappear until the next seedling Pa arrives, so the seedlings Pa can be aligned on the alignment belt 52.

Further, a swelling prevention belt 60 is provided above the alignment belt 52 from the detection belt 50, and the swelling prevention belt 60 is pushed even if the seedlings Pa that are closely attached to the alignment belt 52 are pushed horizontally from the detection belt 50. As a result, swelling is prevented, so that seedlings Pa can be supplied to the planting device at predetermined intervals.

In addition, the swelling prevention belt 60 has a lower running portion above and below the upper running surface of the roller 50a of the detection belt 50, which is slightly wider than the diameter of the seedling Pa. Does not contact the swelling prevention belt 60.Since the swelling prevention belt 60 does not hinder the rapid movement of the individual seedlings Pa conveyed by the rotation of the roller 50a of the detection belt 50, the swelling prevention belt 60 should be separated from the detection belt 50. The individual seedlings Pa that are present can pass without contacting the swelling prevention belt 60, and can be brought into close contact with the seedlings Pa that are in close contact with and aligned with the alignment belt 52.

Further, the moving direction of the lower running portion of the swelling prevention belt 60 is set to be the same as the moving direction of the seedlings Pa, and its speed is almost the same as the transfer speed of the seedlings Pa of the aligning belt 52, so that the swelling is attempted to rise. The seedling Pa contacting the lower traveling part of the prevention belt 60 is moved at almost the same speed as the seedling Pa, and the seedling Pa whose rise is prevented by the rise prevention belt 60 is also conveyed normally. The seedling Pa can be supplied to the device.

The seedling Pa delivered to the pair of vertical conveyor belts 54
Are transported at a predetermined distance and are fed to an appropriate planting device and planted on the field.

In the above examples, the seedling Pa having a shaped portion is shown as a paper-tube seedling using a paper-tube raising seedling container. However, the solidified soil itself or the seedling-growing medium itself forms the shaped portion. It may be made of an inorganic fiber or a polymer compound, may be separably connected to individual seedlings Pa, or may be already separated into individual seedlings Pa.

Further, although one belt is shown as the swelling prevention belt 60, it may be provided in a plurality of rows.
A large number may be provided in the advancing direction of the seedlings Pa, or a belt and a roller may be combined.

Further, the seedling arranging portion is shown by using the aligning belt 52 and the sponge roller 53, but the seedling arranging portion may supply the seedling Pa to the planting device in conjunction with the planting speed, and rotate a pair. It may be a roller, a star wheel, or a restricting member that moves intermittently.

[0074]

According to the invention of claim 1, the detection belt is provided with a large number of rollers that freely rotate in the conveying direction of the seedlings, and the rollers themselves also rotate to carry and convey the seedlings.
In the case of individual seedlings, it is transported by the rotation of the roller itself,
Since the seedlings on the detection belt that are in close contact with and aligned with the seedling alignment section are transported at the speed of the seedling alignment section, a large number of seedlings can be aligned on the detection belt and the spacing between the seedlings transferred to the detection belt. Even if the seedlings are wide open, the seedlings do not disappear until the next seedling arrives, so the seedlings can be reliably aligned in the seedling alignment section.

Further, a swelling prevention belt is provided above the detection belt above the seedling arranging portion, and swelling is prevented by the swelling prevention belt even if the seedlings closely attached to the seedling arranging portion are pushed horizontally from the detection belt. Therefore, seedlings can be supplied to the planting device at predetermined intervals.

Further, in the swelling prevention belt, the lower running portion is spaced a little wider than the diameter of the seedling above and below the upper running surface of the roller of the detection belt, and normally the seedling on the detection belt comes into contact with the swelling prevention belt. Since the swelling prevention belt does not prevent fast movement of seedlings conveyed by the rotation of the detection belt roller itself, individual separated seedlings on the detection belt can pass without contacting the swelling prevention belt. , It is possible to make close contact with the aligned seedlings by catching up with the aligned seedlings.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the moving direction of the lower running portion of the swelling prevention belt is set to be the same as the moving direction of the seedlings, and its speed is substantially the same as the transfer speed of the seedlings in the seedling aligning section. The seedlings are moved at about the same speed as the seedlings that contact the lower running part of the swelling prevention belt, and seedlings that are prevented from swelling by the swelling prevention belt are also conveyed normally. Can supply seedlings to the device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of a seedling alignment device of a transplanter.

FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a side view thereof.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of a main part of FIG.

5 is a partially enlarged view of the main part of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of a main part of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of FIG.

8 is an operation diagram of FIG. 7. FIG.

FIG. 9 is a partially enlarged plan view of a detection belt.

FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged front view of the detection belt.

[Explanation of sign]

 50 Detection belt 50a Roller 51 Detector 52 Seedling alignment part 60 Swelling prevention belt Pa Seedling

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A seedling aligning section for supplying seedlings to the planting device, a detection belt for delivering seedlings to the seedling aligning section, and a detector for detecting the presence or absence of seedlings provided above the detection belt. The speed of the part is linked to the planting speed, and in the seedling alignment device that increases and decreases the speed of the detection belt by detecting the seedlings of the detector and transfers the seedlings to the seedling alignment part for alignment, the detection belt has the direction of conveyance of the seedlings. A large number of freely rotating rollers are installed, and the rollers themselves also rotate to carry seedlings and convey them, and a swelling prevention belt is provided above the seedling alignment section from the detection belt. Is a seedling aligning device for transplanters that has a distance slightly wider than the diameter of the seedling above and below the upper running surface of the roller of the detection belt so that the seedling on the detection belt does not normally contact the swelling prevention belt. 2. The moving direction of the lower traveling part of the swelling prevention belt is set to be the same as the moving direction of the seedlings, and its speed is almost the same as the transfer speed of the seedlings in the seedling aligning part so that the swelling prevention belt is set to rise. The seedling aligning device for a transplanter according to claim 1, wherein the seedling aligning device is configured to move at substantially the same speed as the seedling contacting the lower traveling portion.