JPH08205623A - Seedling supplying apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To enable a rapid supplying operation of an apparatus for automatically carrying out seedling supply to a rice transplanter. CONSTITUTION: This seedling supplying apparatus is obtained by freely movably providing a take out mechanism C for taking out a seedling-containing carrier A of a shelf-like housing part B and placing the carrier A onto a lateral feed mechanism D, in the transfer direction of the seedling-containing carrier to the lateral feed mechanism D, constituting the lateral feed mechanism D freely movably in the vertical direction of the shelf-like housing part B, providing a conveyer mechanism F for feeding the seedling-containing carrier A from the lateral feed mechanism D to the rice transplanter, and is provided with a controller for moving the lateral feed mechanism D in the vertical direction, moving the take out mechanism C in the lateral direction, taking out the seedling-containing carrier A of the shelf-like housing part B, moving the lateral feed mechanism D in the vertical direction to the level of the conveyer mechanism F and delivering the seedling-containing carrier A from the lateral feed mechanism D to the conveyer F.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a seedling replenishing device, and more particularly to a technique for replenishing seedlings from a position such as a ridge to a seedling transplanter such as a rice transplanter.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Taking a rice transplanter as an example of a seedling transplanter,
There is a machine equipped with a storage section for spare seedlings to be supplied to the seedling platform, and a conveyor system such as a belt type is provided to supply the seedlings from this position such as ridges to the storage section for spare seedlings. Seedling supply devices are also being considered.

[0003]

Considering a seedling replenishing device for replenishing seedlings to a seedling transplanter via a conveyor as described above, this kind of seedling replenishing device is intended to improve the handleability of seedlings. It is also considered to store seedlings in a tray-shaped carrier or the like. Further, the conveyor mechanism enables the continuous transfer of seedlings and enables high-efficiency transfer, while the seedling supply device requires a dedicated mechanism for feeding seedlings to the conveyor mechanism. . However, while this type of seedling replenishing device requires a configuration in which as many seedlings as possible are stored in a small space and the thus-stored seedlings are quickly taken out and sent to the conveyor mechanism, conventionally, an appropriate technique has been used. Did not exist.

An object of the present invention is to store as many seedlings as possible and to reasonably construct a device that can quickly take out the seedlings and efficiently deliver them to the seedling transplanter.

[0005]

A feature of the present invention (claim 1) is to provide a shelf-shaped storage unit for storing carriers containing seedlings in a plurality of stages in a vertical direction and a plurality of rows in a horizontal direction. A transverse feed mechanism capable of moving the seedling-containing carrier in a region across the entire width in the lateral direction of the rack-shaped storage section at a position adjacent to, and the rack-shaped storage section with respect to the horizontal feeding mechanism. Equipped with a take-out mechanism that removes the seedling-containing carrier from the seedling and puts it on the transverse feed mechanism along the transfer direction of the seedling-containing carrier
Further, a seedling supply device is provided with a conveyor mechanism for feeding the seedling-containing carrier from the lateral feed mechanism to the seedling transplanter, and the seedling-containing carrier is stored when the seedling-containing carrier is taken out from the shelf-shaped storage section. Positioning control that moves the horizontal feed mechanism vertically to a level that allows the seedling-containing carriers to be stored in a row, and positioning mechanism that horizontally moves the takeout mechanism to the row where the seedling-containing carriers are stored. Control to perform take-out control of placing the seedling carrier in the horizontal feed mechanism and level setting control of moving the horizontal feed mechanism in the vertical direction to the level of the conveyor mechanism so that the seedling-containing carrier is transferred from the horizontal feed mechanism to the conveyor mechanism. The means and the effects thereof are as follows.

[0006]

According to the above feature (claim 1), when the seedlings are sent out from the device, the transverse feeding mechanism is positioned at the level of the seedling-containing carrier to be taken out by moving the seedlings in the longitudinal direction with respect to the shelf-like storage unit. Positioning control is performed to position the take-out mechanism in the row of seedling-containing carriers to be taken out by the movement along the feed direction of the transverse feed mechanism, and then take-out control for taking out the seedling-containing carrier and placing it on the transverse feed mechanism by the take-out mechanism. After carrying out the lateral feeding mechanism with the seedling-containing carrier in the horizontal direction, the conveyor mechanism sends the seedling-containing carrier by performing the level control to move the lateral feeding mechanism in the vertical direction to the level of the conveyor mechanism. Become.

That is, in this apparatus, the carriers containing the seedlings are stored in a state in which the seedlings are aligned in the horizontal and vertical directions with respect to the shelf-like storage portion, so that the space can be utilized without waste and the number of carriers stored can be increased. Moreover, since the seedling-containing carrier taken out by the take-out mechanism is placed on the lateral feeding mechanism and sent in the direction of the conveyor mechanism, for example, in the structure of taking out the seedling-containing carrier and sending it to the conveyor mechanism like a robot hand. Compared with the above-mentioned one, while the taken-out seedling-containing carrier is fed by the lateral feed mechanism, the taking-out mechanism is operated to allow the next seedling-containing carrier to be taken out.

According to the second aspect, it is possible to store a plurality of seedling-containing carriers in the seedling placing portion, and when the seedling-containing carrier is taken out from the seedling placing portion, the seedling containing carrier is brought into contact with the carrier. As a result of the carrier with seedlings sliding on the side of the seedling removing part by its own weight, it is possible to take out a plurality of carriers with seedlings from the same takeout position. That is, when increasing the size of the shelf-shaped storage unit in the vertical direction or the horizontal direction to increase the number of stored seedling-containing carriers, a gap is required for each carrier in order to avoid interference. Though
With this configuration, since the seedling-containing carriers can be stored in contact with each other, it is possible to increase the number of seedling-containing carriers to be stored without significantly increasing the size.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, when the seedling-containing carrier stored in the shelf-shaped storage section is taken out, the engaging piece of the take-out mechanism engages with the end of the carrier from below and lifts the carrier. The pulling-out mechanism takes out the seedling-containing carrier together with the engaging piece and places it on the lateral feeding mechanism. That is, since the removal is performed by engagement, for example, a mechanism for performing a complicated operation such as gripping a carrier is not required,
Further, since this take-out can be performed with such an arrangement that the end of the carrier is exposed to the take-out side, the carrier can be placed in a state of approaching the shelf-like storage portion in the vertical and horizontal directions. It is possible to increase the number of carriers with seedlings to be stored in the shape storage unit.

[0010]

Therefore, many seedlings can be stored and
A device for promptly removing the seedlings and efficiently sending them to the seedling transplanter was reasonably constructed (Claim 1).
Particularly, when the seedling placing portion of the shelf-shaped storage portion is formed in an inclined posture, it is possible to increase the number of seedlings to be stored while suppressing an increase in the size of the shelf-shaped storage portion (claim 2), and by engaging the carriers. In the case of taking out, the complication of the mechanism for taking out is solved, and at the same time, the number of seedlings to be stored can be increased while suppressing the increase in the size of the shelf-shaped storage section (claim 3).

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a shelf-shaped storage section B for holding the seedling-containing carrier A in a shelf shape, a take-out mechanism C for taking out the seedling-containing carrier A from the shelf-shaped storage section B, and a take-out mechanism C for taking out the seedling-containing carrier A. A belt-conveyor-type lateral feed mechanism D that horizontally feeds the seedling-containing carrier A, and a turntable E that receives the seedling-containing carrier A from the lateral feed mechanism D;
A retractable conveyor mechanism F that receives and sends the seedling-containing carrier A from the turntable E, and an empty carrier A that is received from the seedling transplanter via the conveyor mechanism F.
And a stacking mechanism G that collects and stacks the seedlings. This seedling supply device is installed on the bed of the truck 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, the carrier A is configured such that a plate-shaped inner frame 3 is fitted into a tray-shaped outer frame 2 and a mat-shaped seedling W is housed therein, and the bottom surface of the outer frame 2 is The opening 2A is formed, and a plurality of ridges 3A having a posture along the moving direction of the seedling W are formed on the upper surface of the inner frame 3 so as to promote the sliding of the seedling W.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the shelf-like storage portion B is shown.
Has a plurality of 7 vertical rows of seedling placement portions Ba that are inclined with respect to the frame body 4 so that the seedling removal side is lower, and 6 rows of multiple rows in the horizontal direction (the front-back direction of the track 1). The seedling placing portion Ba is provided with a guide rail 5 that comes into contact with the side surface of the seedling-containing carrier A, a plurality of rollers 6 that comes into contact with the bottom surface, and a stopper piece 7 that comes into contact with the end portion on the seedling take-out side, and an auxiliary placing table. By switching 8 to the overhanging posture, the size of the carrier A in the sliding direction is increased so that the two seedling-containing carriers A can be accommodated in the sliding direction while being in contact with each other.

The lateral feed mechanism D comprises a pair of conveyor belts 10 driven by a first electric motor M1 with respect to an elevating frame 9 which is movable in the longitudinal direction of the frame body 4 of the shelf-like storage section B. Has been done. A drive shaft 11 having a length across the entire width of the frame body 4 in a horizontal posture with respect to the upper position of the shelf body B on the seedling take-out side of the frame body 4 is provided, and sprockets 12 provided at both ends of the drive shaft 11, 12 and the lower sprocket 13, 13 around the chain 14, 1
4, the end of the elevating frame 9 is connected to the drive shaft 1.
1. A chain 17 is wound around a sprocket 15 at an intermediate position of 1 and a sprocket 16 below, and further engaged with a pinion gear 18 that integrally rotates with the sprocket 16 below and a rack gear 19 that expands and contracts by the first hydraulic cylinder LC1. The lateral feed mechanism D is configured to be movable up and down by driving the first hydraulic cylinder LC1. A proximity sensor S that detects that the seedling-containing carrier A has reached this position is provided at the transport end of the lateral feed mechanism D, and the level of the take-out mechanism C is measured from the rotation amount at the end of the drive shaft 11. It is provided with an encoder T that operates.

As shown in FIG. 6, the seedling take-out mechanism C is supported by the elevating frame 9 so as to be movable along the feeding direction of the lateral feeding mechanism D, and the moving direction of the moving frame 20. It is provided with a take-out frame 22 which is movable by the operation of the rodless first air cylinder AC1 in a horizontal posture orthogonal to each other, and an engagement piece 23 which is engaged by the operation of the second air cylinder AC2. Pin 2 at the end of piston 24 of second air cylinder AC2
An elongated hole 22A for guiding 5 is formed in the take-out frame 22, and the engaging piece 23 is provided at a swing end of a first swing member 27 which is swingably supported by the take-out frame 22 around a support shaft 26.
Is swingably attached to the support shaft 26 of the first swing member 27.
A support member 28 for determining the posture of the engaging piece 23 is provided at the position of, and the pin 25 of the piston 24 is inserted into the long hole 27A of the first swinging member 27. Further, a second swing member 29, which swings by contact with the pin 25 when the piston 24 of the second air cylinder AC2 contracts, is swingably supported around the shaft 30 on the take-out frame 22. And, the swing end of the second swing member 29 and the engaging piece 23 are connected by a link 31.

As shown in FIG. 4, an endless chain 33 is wound around sprockets 32, 32 supported at both ends of the transverse feed mechanism D in the feed direction, and the movable frame 20 is attached to the endless chain 33, , Sprocket 32
The take-out mechanism C is configured to be movable by driving the second electric motor M2 for driving the. The lifting frame 9 is provided with an encoder (not shown) that measures the position of the take-out mechanism C in the column direction from the amount of rotation of the sprocket 32.

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the turntable E is provided at the upper end position of a columnar frame 34 which is rotatable around a longitudinal axis Y by the operation of a hydraulic actuator (not shown). The turntable E includes a pull-in mechanism Ea that pulls in the seedling-containing carrier A sent to the transport end of the lateral feed mechanism D, and a carry-out conveyor Eb that sends out the seedling-containing carrier A drawn in by the pull-in mechanism Ea to a conveyor mechanism F. The carry-in conveyor Ec is disposed below the carry-out conveyor Eb and receives the empty carrier A from the conveyor mechanism F.
a is the third air cylinder AC in a posture along the retracting direction
3 is provided with a retractable frame 36 which is movable, and both ends of the frame 36 are provided with pawls 37, 37 for locking the longitudinal end of the carrier A so as to be swingable around a shaft 38. 36 is provided with a proximity sensor S for detecting the proximity of the carrier A, and these claws 3
Rod 39 for interlocking 7, 37 and claws 37, 37
A fourth air cylinder AC4 for opening and closing is provided. The carry-out conveyor Eb has a plurality of roller conveyors 41 driven by the power from the third electric motor M3 transmitted through the timing belt 40.
Is also transmitted via the same timing belt 40
It has a plurality of roller conveyors 41 driven by the power from the electric motor M4, and further has a stopper 42 for preventing the empty carrier A which has reached the transport end from moving. This stopper 42 is driven by the fifth air cylinder AC5. It is configured to be freely switchable between a posture that prevents the empty carrier A from moving and a retracted posture that allows the empty carrier A to move toward the stacking mechanism G side.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the conveyor mechanism F is a base end member 43 provided on the support frame 34.
To the first arm F1 so as to be swingable around the lateral axis X
The second arm F with respect to the first arm F1.
Each of the second and third arms F3 is freely expandable / contractible by a sliding operation, and a fourth arm F4 having a relatively short dimension is provided at the tip of the third arm F3.
A second hydraulic cylinder LC2 that integrally rotates the conveyor mechanism F around the vertical axis Y, and a third hydraulic cylinder LC that swings and lifts the entire arm with respect to the base member 43 around the horizontal axis X. It is equipped with LC3.

Further, the first, second and third arms F1, F2,
Each of the F3s is provided with a belt type upper conveyor 44 and a belt type lower conveyor 45, the fourth arm F4 is provided with only the upper conveyor 44, and a hydraulic actuator (not shown) for expanding and contracting each of them, and An encoder (not shown) for measuring the amount of expansion and contraction is provided, and a hollow (not shown) connecting member 46 is further provided at the tip of the third arm F3.

As shown in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, the stacking mechanism G has a frame member 47, and a feeding portion Ga for feeding the empty carrier A into the space surrounded by the frame member 47 and the fed empty carrier. A
And a sending-out part Gc for sending out the empty carriers A in the stacked state to a space formed below the shelf-like storage part B, and the sending-in part Ga is a fifth electric motor M5. A pair of chuck claws 51 that can be opened and closed so as to chuck the vertical wall portion of the empty carrier A with respect to the endless rotation chain 50 wound around the drive sprocket 48 and the driven sprocket 49, respectively. A guide 52 for holding and guiding 51 in a closed state, and a sixth air cylinder AC6 for forcibly opening the chuck claw 51 when the empty carrier A reaches the stacking position. The stacking portion Gb has a sixth
It has a lifting table 54 that is lifted and lowered by a ball screw 53 driven by an electric motor M6, and a guide rail 55 that guides the lifting table 54. Sending part G
c is a pusher 56 that pushes out the empty carriers A stacked in four stages on the lifting table 54 at once, a guide 57 that contacts and guides the bottom of the empty carriers A, and a seventh air cylinder that drives the pushers 56. AC7 and.

A proximity sensor S for detecting the fact that the empty carrier A has been sent to the stacking position from the position of the chuck claw 51 is arranged at the transporting end position of the transporting path of the empty carrier A of the stacking mechanism G, and the lifting table is provided. A rotary encoder T that measures the amount of rotation of the ball screw 53 that drives the motor is provided above the sixth electric motor M6.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a fertilizer tank 61 for storing fertilizer is mounted on the bed of a truck 1 equipped with a seedling replenishing device, and a hose wound in a reel shape so as to feed fertilizer from the fertilizer tank 61. 62 and an air tank 63 for storing compressed air for sending fertilizer in the hose. The tip of the hose 62 communicates with the hollow path inside the connecting member 46. In addition, fertilizer tank 6
A pipe 64 for taking out fertilizer is provided on the bottom surface of No. 1, and an introduction portion (not shown) into which compressed air from the air tank 63 is sent is formed at an intermediate position of the pipe 64 to cause a flow of compressed air. The fertilizer in the fertilizer tank 61 is sent to the hose 62 by the ejector effect.

Further, a control box 66 having a control device 65 for controlling the seedling replenishing device is provided on the bed of the truck 1, and this control device has an input system for signals from the proximity sensor S, the encoder T and the like. Is formed, the electric motors M1 to M6, the air cylinders AC1 to AC7,
An output system of signals for controlling the hydraulic cylinders LC1 to LC3, the hydraulic actuator and the like is formed. The control device 65 also has a system for controlling the supply of fertilizer.

The seedling replenishing device described above is for replenishing seedlings and fertilizers to the rice transplanter as a seedling transplanter. During seedling replenishment, the control device 65 controls the take-out mechanism C and the lateral feed mechanism D. It is configured to automatically take out the seedling-containing carrier A from the shelf storage B by controlling, and then to automatically supply the seedling-containing carrier A to the rice transplanter by controlling the turntable E and the conveyor mechanism F. The details of the control operation will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 1, the rice transplanter is driven by a rear end portion of a traveling machine body 68 having front and rear traveling wheels 67, which can be freely moved up and down, a seedling stand 69, a planting mechanism 70, and fertilizer application. Fertilizer application mechanism 7 having a hopper 71A for storing fertilizer
The seedling planting device having each one is connected, and the traveling machine body 6
A preliminary seedling storage section J is arranged on the central upper surface of 8, and an automatic seedling supply device K is arranged at the rear position and a seedling supply section L is arranged at the front position of the auxiliary seedling storage section J for automatic or wireless control. . This rice transplanter is configured to store the seedling-containing carrier A in the spare seedling storage portion J, and if the seedlings on the seedling placement table 69 are insufficient during the work, the automatic seedling feeder K stores the spare seedlings. The carrier A containing the seedlings of the part J is taken out, only the mat-like seedlings W are sent to the seedling placing table 69, and the empty carrier A from which the seedlings are taken out is automatically returned to the original position of the spare seedling storage part J. It is configured.

When the seedlings in the spare seedling storage section J of the rice transplanter are reduced and the seedlings are supplied, as shown in FIG. 1, the front portion of the traveling machine body 68 is provided with a seedling supply device at a position close to the ridges. The vehicle is stopped toward the side, and first, the connection member 46 of the conveyor mechanism F is connected to the seedling supply unit L. At the time of this connection, an optical sensor (not shown) provided at the tip of the conveyor mechanism F is used for the seedling replenishment section L.
A light source (not shown) provided for the second hydraulic cylinder LC2 is captured, and a turning operation by the second hydraulic cylinder LC2 and an up-and-down operation by the operation of the third hydraulic cylinder LC3 are performed with the light source as a target to connect them at appropriate relative positions. Also, at the time of this connection, the fourth conveyor F
4 is made to stand by at the back position, the connection member 46 is exposed, and when the connection is completed, the fourth conveyor F4 is moved forward to form a conveyance path.

Next, positioning control is performed in which the transverse feed mechanism D is moved up and down to the level of the seedling-containing carrier A to be taken out at the portion of the shelf-like storage section B, and the taking-out mechanism C is moved to the row of the seedling-containing carriers A to be taken out. After that, the take-out mechanism C is operated to perform take-out control for taking out the seedling-containing carrier A. At the time of this take-out, as shown in FIG. 6A, the take-out frame 22 is moved to the side of the shelf-shaped storage section B by the operation of the first air cylinder AC1, and the second air cylinder AC2 is actuated. At the beginning of the operation, as shown in FIG. 6B, the locking piece 23 moves in the substantially horizontal direction in the direction of the carrier A, and thereafter, is displaced upward and the end formed by projecting on the outer frame 2 of the carrier A. At the same time that the locking piece 23 is engaged with the portion 2B, the end portion of the carrier A is lifted up to the level of overcoming the stopper piece 7 of the seedling placing portion Ba, and after this operation is completed, the first air cylinder AC1 is restored and operated. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6C, the seedling-containing carrier A is pulled out, and further, the engagement piece 23 is disengaged by the restoring operation of the second air cylinder AC2, so that the seedling-containing carrier A is laterally fed. D conveyor It becomes to be placed on the belt 10. A take-out section is constituted by a system for taking out the seedling-containing carrier A together with the engaging piece 23.

Next, the first electric motor M1 is driven to drive the conveyor belt 10 of the lateral feed mechanism D to feed the seedling-containing carrier A toward the turntable E, and at the same time, the horizontal feed mechanism D is moved up and down to convey the conveyor. Level setting control is performed to match the level of the belt 10 with the level of the carry-out conveyor Eb of the turntable E (the level that matches the level of the conveyor mechanism F). In addition, during the operation of feeding the seedling-containing carrier A by the horizontal feeding mechanism D as described above, or prior to the feeding operation, the turntable E is rotated around the longitudinal axis Y (FIG. 9A). As shown in FIG. 3, the retracting frame 36 is moved to the side of the lateral feed mechanism D in a state where the carrier A for receiving seedlings is set in the posture and the claw 37 of the retracting mechanism Ea is set in the open position. Then, when the proximity sensor S of the lateral feed mechanism D detects the seedling-containing carrier A, the conveyor belt 10 is temporarily stopped, and thereafter, the conveyor belt 10 is driven to drive the proximity sensor S of the drawing frame 36.
When the carrier A containing seedlings is detected, the fourth air cylinder A
By driving C4, as shown in FIG.
7 is engaged and the conveyor belt 10 is stopped. After that, as shown in FIG. 9C, the seedling-containing carrier A is drawn into the carry-out conveyor Eb together with the draw-in frame 36 by the operation of the third air cylinder AC3, and the nail 37
Open up. When the feeding direction of the carry-out conveyor Eb and the feeding direction of the conveyor mechanism F coincide with each other at the time of pulling in, the seedling-containing carrier A is sent to the conveyor mechanism F by driving the carry-out conveyor Eb. Further, when the feeding direction of the carry-out conveyor Eb is different from the feeding direction of the upper conveyor 44 of the conveyor mechanism F when the carrier A containing seedlings is drawn in, the carry-out conveyor Eb is rotated by rotating the turntable E around the longitudinal axis Y. After making the feeding direction of the same as the feeding direction of the conveyor mechanism F,
The seedling-containing carrier A is sent to the conveyor mechanism F by driving the carry-out conveyor Eb. It is being sent to J.

Simultaneously with this seedling replenishment, the empty carrier A in the spare seedling storage section J is controlled to be sent to the seedling replenishing device side by the lower conveyor 45 of the conveyor mechanism F. This control will be described in detail below.

When the empty carrier A is sent by the lower conveyor 45 of the conveyor mechanism F, the turntable E is set to the receiving posture by the rotation around the longitudinal axis Y, and the carry-in conveyor Ec sets the empty carrier A to the stopper 42. Send it to the position where it touches. Next, when the empty carrier A reaches this position, as shown in FIG. 12, the endless rotation chain 50 is driven and the chuck claws 51 of the stacking mechanism G chuck A the vertical wall of the empty carrier A. At the same time, the stopper 42 is retracted to feed the empty carrier A to the stacking position. When reaching this position, the proximity sensor detects the chuck claw 51, the sixth air cylinder AC6 forcibly opens the chuck claw 51, and the empty carrier A drops onto the elevating table 54. After this drop supply, the elevating table 64 descends by the thickness of the carrier A. When four empty carriers are stacked by this drop supply, after lowering the lifting table 54 to the lowermost end,
By the operation of the pusher 56, the four empty carriers A in the stacked state are sent all at once into the space below the shelf-shaped storage section B. It should be noted that four empty carriers A in a stacked state are continuously fed into this space, and the worker artificially takes out the empty carriers A from this space.

Further, at the time of replenishing the seedlings, fertilizer from the fertilizer tank 61 provided on the bed of the truck 1 is sent into the hose 62 by compressed air, and the hopper of the fertilizer application mechanism 70 of the rice transplanter is passed through the inside of the connecting member 46. 70A is automatically replenished (control operation is not described in detail).

As described above, according to the present invention, the carrier A containing the seedlings is stored in the rack-shaped storage portion B in a state where the seedlings are aligned in the horizontal and vertical directions.
In addition, since the seedling-containing carrier A taken out by the take-out mechanism C is placed on the lateral feeding mechanism D and sent to the conveyor mechanism F, the taken-out seedling-containing carrier A can be fed laterally. While feeding by the feeding mechanism D, the take-out mechanism C is operated to enable taking-out of the next seedling-containing carrier A, and since the seedling-containing carrier A can be stored in a contact state, the size is greatly increased. It is possible to increase the number of the seedling-containing carriers A to be stored and to take them out by engaging them. Therefore, this taking-out can be performed with such an arrangement that the end of the carrier A is exposed to the taking-out side. On the other hand, the carriers A can be arranged in a state of approaching each other in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, and the number of the seedling-containing carriers A stored in the shelf-shaped storage section B can be increased.

[Other Embodiments] In addition to the above embodiments, the present invention
For example, when the seedling-containing carrier A in the seedling placing portion Ba of the shelf-shaped storage portion B is taken out by the take-out mechanism C, all of the plurality of seedling-containing carriers A placed in the seedling placing portion Ba are continuously fed. It is possible to set the control operation so as to take out and place a plurality of seedling-containing carriers A on the lateral feed mechanism D.
After all of the plurality of seedling-containing carriers A placed on the seedling placement portion Ba in this manner are continuously taken out, the next seedling placement portion Ba
It is possible to set the take-out sequence so that all of the seedling-containing carriers A placed on the seedlings are taken out.
After taking out only one of the seedling-containing carriers A placed on the taking-out side, taking out the seedling-containing carrier A of the next seedling placing part Ba and taking out all the seedling-containing carriers A on the taking-out side, Seedling placement section Ba where the carrier A containing seedlings is taken out
It is possible to set the control sequence so that the seedling-containing carrier A is taken out.

Further, in the present invention, the seedlings stored in the carrier A may be independent one by one like pot seedlings, and the seedling transplanter may be for transplanting seedlings other than rice. . Further, it is possible to configure so that three or more carriers can be placed on the seedling placing portion, and it is also possible to artificially set the order of taking out the seedling-containing carriers from the shelf-like storage portion. is there.

It should be noted that although reference numerals are given in the claims for convenience of comparison with the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the configurations of the accompanying drawings by the entry.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view when the tip of the conveyor mechanism is connected to a rice transplanter supply unit.

[Fig. 2] Plan view of the seedling supply device mounted on a truck

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a carrier.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a shelf-shaped storage unit, a lateral feed mechanism, and a take-out mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the seedling placement section of the shelf-shaped storage section

FIG. 6A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the take-out mechanism immediately before the take-out operation, and FIG. 6B is a vertical cross-sectional view of the take-out mechanism at the start of the take-out operation.

FIG. 7: Side view of turntable

FIG. 8A is a plan view of the retracting frame with the claws opened. FIG. 8B is a plan view of the retracting frame with the claws closed.

FIG. 9A is a plan view of the turntable in a state where the retracting frame is on standby. FIG. 9B is a plan view of the turntable in a state where the claws are engaged with the carrier. C) is a state in which the carrier is retracted. Top view of turntable

FIG. 10 is a side view of the conveyor mechanism.

FIG. 11 is a vertical sectional view of the conveyor mechanism.

FIG. 12 is a front view of a stacking mechanism.

FIG. 13 is a side view of the lower portion of the stacking mechanism showing the operation of feeding the carrier.

[Explanation of symbols]

 23 Engaging piece 65 Control means A Carrier with seedling B Shelf-like storage part Ba Seedling placement part C Extraction mechanism D Lateral feeding mechanism F Conveyor mechanism

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A shelf-shaped storage section (B) for storing seedling-containing carriers (A) in a plurality of rows in a vertical direction and in a plurality of rows in a horizontal direction,
The seedling-containing carrier (A) is provided in a region adjacent to the shelf-shaped storage section (B) over the entire width of the shelf-shaped storage section (B) in the lateral direction.
Is provided with a lateral feed mechanism (D) capable of moving the vertical movement, and a rack-shaped storage section (B) is provided for the lateral feed mechanism (D).
Take out the seedling carrier (A) from the side feed mechanism (D)
The take-out mechanism (C) to be placed on the machine is movably provided along the carrier transfer direction with seedlings, and the conveyor mechanism (F) for feeding the carrier (A) with seedlings from the lateral feed mechanism (D) to the seedling transplanter. The seedling replenishing device is configured to include a seedling supply device, and when the seedling-containing carrier (A) is taken out from the shelf-shaped storage section (B), it is vertically traversed vertically to a level at which the seedling-containing carrier (A) is stored. Move (D), and
Positioning control for moving the take-out mechanism (C) laterally to the row in which the seedling-containing carrier (A) is stored, and at this position, the seedling-containing carrier (A) is taken out from the shelf-like storage section (B) and fed laterally. The take-out control to be placed on the mechanism (D) and the lateral feed mechanism (F) up to the level of the conveyor mechanism (F) so that the seedling-containing carrier (A) is transferred from the lateral feed mechanism (D) to the conveyor mechanism (F). A seedling supply device comprising a control means (65) for performing level setting control for moving D) in the vertical direction. 2. The shelf-shaped storage section (B) is inclined in such a manner that the level becomes higher toward the side opposite to the seedling take-out section, and a plurality of seedlings are inserted along the sliding direction of the seedling-containing carrier (A) due to this inclination. The seedling placing portion (Ba) having a size capable of placing the carriers (A) in contact with each other is provided.
Seedling supply device described. 3. An engaging piece (23) for performing an operation of engaging the pick-up mechanism (C) with the end of the seedling-containing carrier (A) housed in the shelf-like housing (B) from below and lifting it. When,
The seedling replenishing device according to claim 1, further comprising: a take-out portion for taking out the seedling-containing carrier (A) engaged with the engagement piece (23) together with the engagement piece (23).