JPH09290925A - Nursery box stacking device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Problem] Raising seedling raising boxes that are transported one by one at the stacking unit, and when a predetermined number of seedling raising boxes are stacked, the seedling raising boxes are configured to be sent out from the stacking unit. (EN) In a box stacking device, a predetermined number of seedling raising boxes can be delivered without any trouble without slipping. SOLUTION: A first rotating body 13 capable of supporting a seedling raising box, freely rotatable and having an outer peripheral portion made of an elastic material, and a rigid second rotating body 14 supporting a seedling raising box and being rotatable, are provided. It is configured such that the seedling raising boxes are stacked at the positions of the two rotating bodies 13 and 14, and the first rotating body 13 is rotationally driven while the second rotating body 14 supports most of the weight of the seedling growing boxes stacked in a predetermined number. As a result, a seedling raising box stacked in a predetermined number is sent out.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention sequentially stacks seedling-growing boxes conveyed one by one from a lower side, and when a predetermined number of seedling-growing boxes are stacked, the seedling-growing boxes are lowered and sent out. The present invention relates to a seedling raising box stacking device configured as described above.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art One example of the above-mentioned seedling raising box stacking device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-301634.
In this seedling raising box stacking device, when one seedling raising box (1 in FIG. 3 and FIG. 9 of the publication) is conveyed to the position of an elevator (18 in FIG. 3 and FIG. 9 of the publication), As shown in FIGS. 9 to 10 of the publication, the raising box raises the seedling raising box, and the support section (see FIGS.
12) of 13 is lifted while being piled up from the lower side to the seedling raising box, and at the same time, the supporting portion is separated from the operating position supporting the seedling raising box to the non-acting position, and then shown in FIG. Thus, the support part is again switched to the operating position, and the seedling raising boxes are stacked and supported on the support part.

When a predetermined number of seedling raising boxes are stacked and supported by the supporting portion by repeating the above-mentioned operation, the elevating table is raised and the supporting portion is switched to the non-acting position to raise the predetermined number of seedling raising seedlings. The box is supported by the lifting table, and the lifting table descends, and a predetermined number of seedling-growing boxes are sent out from the position of the lifting table and placed on a cart or the like.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned seedling raising box stacking device, a roller (6 in FIGS. 3, 7, and 11 of the above publication) which is rotationally driven by a motor or the like is provided at the position of the lifting table, and the lifting and lowering is performed. A rotary roller is used to draw the nursery boxes to the position of the table and to feed the nursery boxes stacked in a predetermined number from the position of the elevating table. In this case, since a large weight of seedling raising boxes stacked in a predetermined number will be sent out by the roller, slip will occur between the roller and the seedling raising box, and the seedling raising boxes stacked in a predetermined number will be moved up and down. In some cases, it may not be possible to send it out from the position of the table. An object of the present invention is to enable a nursery box stacking device to send a predetermined number of nursery boxes stacked from a position of an elevating table without trouble.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

[I] According to the feature of claim 1, when a predetermined number of seedling-growing boxes are stacked by the elevating table and the supporting portion and the elevating table supporting the seedling-growing boxes stacked in a predetermined number descends to the lowered position, The stacked seedling raising boxes are supported by the first rotating body and the second rotating body. Since the outer circumference of the first rotating body is made of elastic material (rubber, soft resin, etc.), the contact area between the outer circumference of the first rotating body (made of elastic material) and the seedling raising boxes stacked in a predetermined number is sufficient. A frictional force is generated, and by rotating the first rotating body, a predetermined number of seedling-growing boxes can be sent to the second transport mechanism without slipping.

In this case, if the weight of the seedling raising boxes stacked in a predetermined number is too large, the outer peripheral portion (made of elastic material) of the first rotating body may be elastically deformed more than necessary. According to the feature of claim 1, in addition to the first rotating body described above, a rigid second rotating body is provided, and the weight of the seedling raising boxes stacked in a predetermined number is also supported by the second rotating body. The outer peripheral portion of the body will not be elastically deformed more than necessary, and there will be no hindrance to the feeding of a predetermined number of seedling raising boxes stacked by the first rotating body.

In contrast to the feature of claim 1, a rotating body in which an elastic material such as rubber is wound around the outer circumference of a metal roller is also conceivable, but a seedling raising box stacked in a predetermined number with such a rotating body. If the weight of the seedling raising boxes stacked in a predetermined number is large, the elastic material on the outer periphery of the rotating body is completely crushed, and the seedling raising boxes stacked in a predetermined number appear to rotate. It will be supported only by the metal rollers on the body. Therefore, the elastic deformation of the peripheral portion more than necessary may hinder the delivery of a predetermined number of the nursery boxes. On the other hand, as in the feature of claim 1, by separately providing the first rotating body having the outer peripheral portion made of the elastic material and the second rotating body having the rigid body,
Since the seedling raising boxes stacked in a predetermined number do not descend beyond the position of the second rotating body, elastic deformation of the outer peripheral portion of the first rotating body can be suppressed by the second rotating body. As a result, as described above, there is no problem in sending out the seedling raising boxes stacked in a predetermined number by the first rotating body.

[II] According to the feature of the second aspect, similar to the case of the first aspect, it has the "action" described in the preceding item [I], and in addition to this, has the following "action". ing. When the seedling raising boxes are sequentially fed from the first transport mechanism to the positions of the first and second rotating bodies of the stacking unit and the seedling raising boxes are stacked, the positioning roller comes in contact with the seedling raising box and rotates to remove the seedling raising box. Without a predetermined position (first and second
Since it is guided to the position of the rotator, the nursery boxes are stacked without displacement when the nursery boxes are stacked in the stacking portion (the positions of the first and second rotators).

In this case, since the positioning roller guides the seedling raising box to the predetermined position (positions of the first and second rotating bodies) while rotating, it moves to the predetermined position (position of the first and second rotating bodies) of the seedling raising box. The positioning roller does not resist the feeding of the. Since the positioning roller is formed in the shape of a thin cone on the upper side, when the seedling raising box is sent from the first transport mechanism to a predetermined position (positions of the first and second rotating bodies), the seedling raising box rides on the positioning roller. Even in such a state, the seedling raising box descends along the conical surface by the rotation of the positioning roller and is guided to a predetermined position (positions of the first and second rotating bodies).

[III] According to the characteristics of claim 3, as in the case of claim 1 or 2, it has the "action" described in the above [I] or [II], and in addition to this, It has the "action". When stacking nursery boxes at the stacking section, the eccentric cam is driven to rotate to raise and lower the stacking platform, and the stacking support section is switched between the working position and the non-working position accordingly. Depending on the case, the nursery boxes may be configured to be stacked. With this configuration, when the rotation angle of the eccentric cam reaches a predetermined angle, it is necessary to appropriately switch the support portion between the working position and the non-working position without delay (or too early).

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the plurality of sensors detect that the rotation angle of the eccentric cam reaches each of the plurality of predetermined angles, the plurality of sensors are provided in one support frame. Be prepared for. Accordingly, compared to a configuration in which each of the plurality of sensors is supported by a different support frame and the positional relationship between the plurality of sensors is set to a predetermined relationship, the mutual positional relationship among the plurality of sensors is common. Since it is possible to accurately set the predetermined relationship by the one support frame, it is possible to accurately detect that the rotation angle of the eccentric cam reaches each of the plurality of predetermined angles by the plurality of sensors.

[IV] According to the characteristics of claim 4, as in the case of claim 3, the "action" described in the above [III] is provided, and in addition to this, the following "action" is provided. ing. When configuring the stacking lift to be moved up and down by an eccentric cam, connect the lift to the lift and
In some cases, an eccentric cam is brought into contact with the lower part of the elevating part to elevate and lower the elevating table via the elevating part.

According to the feature of claim 4, since the first and second guide bodies provided in the elevating part are in contact with the pair of guide surfaces of different guide members, the elevating part moves without inclining. You will be guided in the direction. In this case, since the guide member is formed in a tubular shape and the pair of guide surfaces and the pair of guide surfaces different from this are in a state of being connected to each other (a state in which the positions are mutually regulated), the position of each guide surface Will not be displaced.

[0014]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(1) FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show the whole of the seedling raising box stacking device, which is a roller-type first transport mechanism 1, a stacking unit 2, a roller-type second transport mechanism 3, and a transfer unit 19.
Are arranged in a straight line. 1st and 2nd conveyance mechanism 1,
3, the rollers 1a, 3a are configured to be freely rotationally driven and stopped by a motor (not shown), and the seedling raising box 17 after the seeding process and the irrigation process is completed by the first transport mechanism 1 as shown in FIGS. 2 is conveyed to the stacking unit 2 from the right side of the drawing.

(2) Next, the stacking section 2 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the eccentric cam 5 driven to rotate by the motor 4 and the rectangular tubular guide member 6 are provided.
An elevating part 7 supported in a vertically reciprocating manner inside is provided, and an elevating table 8 is fixed to an upper end of the elevating part 7.
The roller 7c at the lower end of the elevating part 7 is placed on the eccentric cam 5, and the eccentric cam 5 is rotationally driven by the motor 4, whereby the elevating part 7 and the elevating table 8 are operated to elevate.

As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 7, the elevating part 7 is arranged in the cylindrical guide member 6, and the eight first guide rollers 7 a provided in the elevating part 7 are arranged in the guide member 6. In contact with the pair of opposing guide surfaces 6a, and the four second guide rollers 7b provided in the elevating part 7 are provided in the guide member 6 on the pair of opposing guide surfaces 6b different from the guide surface 6a. I am in contact. As a result, the elevating part 7 is supported and guided by the guide member 6 so as not to incline to the front and rear and to the left and right.

As shown in FIGS.
A large number of metal support rods 9 are fixed along the direction of the first and second transport mechanisms 1 and 3, and an auxiliary base 10 is fixed to the front and rear sides of the support rod 9, and The rod 10a provided on the lower part is provided with the lifting unit 7 and the lifting platform 8.
Is attached to the lower side (the side of the eccentric cam 5).

Four drive shafts 12 are rotatably driven by a motor (not shown) between the lifting table 8 and the auxiliary table 10.
Are arranged, and four first rollers 13 are fixed to each of the drive shafts 12 so as to be positioned between the support rods 9, and two second rollers 14 are fixed to both ends of each of the drive shafts 12. Has been done. The first roller 13 is made of hard rubber,
Concavities and convexities are formed on the outer peripheral portion like a thick spur gear, the second roller 14 is made of metal, and the concavo-convex portion is not formed on the outer peripheral portion.
Is set to a larger diameter. In the lowered position of the lifting table 8 shown in FIG. 3, it is set so that the support rod 9 of the lifting table 8 is located below the upper end of the second roller 14 (the second roller 14 is attached to the drive shaft 12). It may be supported on the drive shaft 12 so as to be freely rotatable without being fixed).

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a pair of laterally long support plates 18 are arranged above the lifting platform 8 and act on the nursery box 17 to support the nursery box 17, and At a non-acting position away from the nursery box 17, a support plate 18 is configured so as to be slidable in the left-right direction on the paper surface of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the inlet of the stacking unit 2 (see FIG.
A pair of right and left positioning rollers 15 having a thin conical shape on the upper side and having free rotation around the vertical axis P1 are disposed on the right side of the drawing. At the exit of the stacking unit 2 (on the left side of the paper in FIG. 5),
A pair of pin-shaped stoppers 16 that can be freely moved in and out are arranged. As shown in FIG. 1, the first and second transport mechanisms 1,
3. The stacking unit 2 is provided with an optical first presence / absence sensor 21, a second presence / absence sensor 22, a third presence / absence sensor 23, and a fourth presence / absence sensor 24 for detecting the presence / absence of the seedling raising box 17.

(3) Next, the transfer section 19 connected to the end of the second transport mechanism 3 will be described. 1, 2, 8
As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of rails 20 are arranged in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the second transport mechanism 3, and a support carriage 25 provided with wheels 25 a is connected to the end portion of the second transport mechanism 3. It is configured to be capable of reciprocating along the rail 20 over a working position and a non-working position separated in the lateral direction (rightward on the paper surface of FIG. 8) intersecting the carrying direction of the second carrying mechanism 3.

At the working position of the support carriage 25, the optical sensor 31 is fixed to the fixed portion on the opposite side of the end portion of the second transport mechanism 3, and at the working position, the non-working position side (see FIG. 8).
The right side of the drawing) and the reflector 32 on the fixed part facing the opposite side.
Has been fixed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 1, the detection light L1 from the light emitting portion of the optical sensor 31 reaches the reflection plate 32 so as to diagonally cross the upper surface of the support carriage 25 at the work position, and the detection light reflected by the reflection plate 32 is detected. L1 is received by the light receiving portion of the optical sensor 31 so as to cross the upper surface of the support cart 25 at the work position obliquely.

An elevating part 26 is provided below the transfer part 19, and a pair of carrier chains 28 rotatably driven by a motor 27 of the elevating part 26 is provided on the upper part of the elevating part 26 to support the carrier chain 28. The elevating part 26 and the transport chain 28 are configured to be vertically movable over a feeding position located above the carriage 25 and a retracted position where the transport chain 28 descends to a position where the support carriage 25 can move along the rail 20. Has been done.

A hydraulic cylinder (not shown) is provided which extends when the operating oil is supplied to lift and raise the elevating part 26. A pump (not shown) for supplying the operating oil to the hydraulic cylinder, a pump Foot-operated pedal (not shown) that operates the hydraulic cylinder, an operating valve (not shown) that can be switched between a rising position for supplying hydraulic oil from the pump to the hydraulic cylinder and a descending position for discharging hydraulic oil from the hydraulic cylinder. ) Is provided.

As a result, by repeatedly depressing the operation pedal while switching the operation valve to the raised position, the lifting portion 26 and the transport chain 28 can be moved up to the feeding position, and the operation valve is moved to the lowered position. By switching the operation to, the lifting unit 26 and the transport chain 28
Can be lowered to the retracted position. In this case, as will be described later, the elevating unit 26 and the transport chain 2 are supported in a state where the transport chain 28 supports the seedling raising box 17 stacked in a predetermined number.
A relief valve (not shown) is provided which opens when the pressure of the hydraulic oil in the hydraulic cylinder rises above the pressure required to keep 8 from moving down from the feed position.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a limit switch (not shown) for detecting that the raising / lowering unit 26 and the transport chain 28 are being raised to the feeding position is provided. A display lamp 29 is provided which lights up when the transport chain 28 is operated to move up to the feeding position based on the detection of the limit switch. As shown in FIG. 8, a support truck 25 is provided along the rail 20.
When moving the
There is provided a pair of magnets 30 for holding the magnets at the work position connected to the end portion of the second transport mechanism 3.

(4) Next, the seedling raising boxes 17 that have undergone the seeding treatment and the watering treatment are conveyed to the stacking section 2 by the first conveying mechanism 1, and the seedling raising boxes 17 are stacked in the stacking section 2 from the lower side to a predetermined number N1. The flow up to that will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 12 (a), when the seedling raising box 17 for which the seeding process and the watering process have been completed is sent to the first transport mechanism 1 and the first presence / absence sensor 21 detects the seedling raising box 17 (step S1). When the seedling raising box 17 is sent to the position of the lifting table 8 of the stacking unit 2 by the first transport mechanism 1 (step S2) and the seedling raising box 17 is detected by the second presence / absence sensor 22 (step S3), first and The second rollers 13 and 14 are rotationally driven at a low speed (lower than the transport speed of the first transport mechanism 1) (step S4),
The seedling raising box 17 is drawn into the position of the lift 8 while being decelerated.

The seedling raising box 17 drawn into the position of the lift 8 is detected by the third presence / absence sensor 23 (step S
5) Then, the stopper 16 which is operated to the projecting position is brought into contact with the stopper 16 to stop, and the first and second rollers 13 and 14 are also stopped (step S6). In this case, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the inlet of the stacking unit 2 (on the right side of the plane of FIG. 5)
In addition, since a pair of left and right positioning rollers 15 having a thin conical shape on the upper side and freely rotating around the vertical axis P1 are arranged,
The seedling raising box 17 is drawn into the position of the lifting table 8 with the position in the left-right direction being determined.

Next, as shown in FIG.
Is started and the seedling raising box 17 is lifted by the lifting platform 8 (step S7), and the support plate 18 projecting to the working position is retracted to the non-working position (step S8), so that the support plate 18 The seedling raising box 17 supported by the elevating table 8 hits the seedling raising box 17 already stacked and supported from the lower side, and the raising and lowering table 8 raises the seedling raising box 17 while being stacked from the lower side. Thus, the third
By the detection of the seedling raising box 17 by the presence / absence sensor 23, the raising of the seedling raising box 17 by the lift 8 and the retreat operation of the support plate 18 to the non-acting position, three operations are performed,
When one raising seedling box 17 is supported by the lift 8 and the support plate 18, it is counted (count number N of raising seedling boxes 17) (step S9).

Next, as shown in FIG. 12C, the support plate 18
Is operated to project to the working position (step S11), the elevating table 8 starts to be moved down (step S12), and the stacked seedling raising boxes 17 are supported by the support plate 18,
As shown in FIG. 12D, the lift 8 stops at the lowered position (step S13), and the process returns to step S1. By repeating the above operations, the seedling raising boxes 17 are stacked, and the number of stacked seedling raising boxes 17 is counted as the count number N.

(5) A structure in which the support plate 18 is moved in and out of the working position and the non-working position in accordance with the lifting operation of the lifting platform 8 as described above will be described. As shown in FIGS. 13, 14 and 4, the eccentric cam 5 for raising and lowering the lift 8 is fixed to the output shaft 4a of the motor 4, and the first detection plate 3 is attached to the output shaft 4a.
3 is fixed, and the second detection plate 34 is attached to the first detection plate 33.
The third detection plate 35 is fixed. The first proximity sensor 37 and the second proximity sensor 38 are vertically aligned and fixed to one fixed support frame 36.

The state shown in FIG. 13 is the first proximity sensor 3
7 is a state in which the first detection plate 33 is detected, and is a state in which the lifting platform 8 is stopped at the lowered position as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. In this state, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, when the seedling raising box 17 is fed from the first transport mechanism 1 to the position of the lift table 8 and detected by the third presence / absence sensor 23, the motor 4 causes the eccentric cam 5 to move as shown in FIGS. The counterclockwise rotation of the paper starts, and the lifting operation of the lifting platform 8 is started.

Next, the second detection plate 34 is attached to the second proximity sensor 3
When the position 8 is detected, the second proximity sensor 38
12B, the support plate 18 at the working position is retracted to the non-working position, and the raising / lowering table 8 lifts the seedling raising boxes 17 while stacking them from the lower side. When the eccentric cam 5 further rotates counterclockwise in FIGS. 3 and 13 and the third detection plate 35 reaches the position of the second proximity sensor 38 and is detected, the second proximity sensor 3
Based on the detection of 8, the supporting plate 18 in the non-acting position is projected to the operating position as shown in FIG. 12C, and the stacked seedling raising boxes 17 are supported by the supporting plate 18. When the eccentric cam 5 further rotates counterclockwise on the paper surface of FIGS. 3 and 13 and the first detection plate 33 reaches the position of the first proximity sensor 37 and is detected, the detection of the first proximity sensor 37 is performed. Based on this, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lifting platform 8 stops at the lowered position.

(6) Next, in the stacking section 2, a predetermined number N1 of the seedling raising boxes 17 are stacked from the lower side, and a flow until the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in the predetermined number N1 are sent out from the stacking section 2 will be described. This will be described with reference to FIGS. Third presence / absence sensor 2 shown in FIG.
Detection of seedling raising box 17 by 3 and raising seedling box 18 by lifting platform 8
When the count number N of the seedling raising boxes 17 reaches a predetermined number N1 (for example, 30) by the three operations of lifting the seedlings and retracting the support plate 18 to the non-acting position (step S1).
0), the projecting operation of the supporting plate 18 to the operating position is not performed, and the elevating table 8 is started to be descended with the elevating table 8 supporting the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 (step (S14), the lift 8 stops at the lowered position (see FIGS. 3 and 4) (step S15).

In this state, as shown in FIG. 15A, if there is nothing in the second transport mechanism 3 (the fourth presence / absence sensor 2).
4 non-detection state) (step S16), stopper 16
Is operated to the retracted position (step S17), and the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 by the first and second rollers 13 and 14 are transferred from the stacking unit 2 to the second transport mechanism 3.
Is started to be sent out to (step S18). In this case, the first and second rollers 13 and 14 are rotationally driven at a higher speed than in the state of step S4, and the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 are quickly sent from the stacking unit 2 to the second transport mechanism 3. Be done.

As described above, when the elevating table 8 supporting the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 stops at the lowered position (see FIGS. 3 and 4), the second presence / absence sensor 22 switches to the detection state. When the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 are sent to the second transport mechanism 3, the second presence / absence sensor 22 is switched to the non-detection state.
Based on the switching of the presence / absence sensor 22 to the non-detection state, the count number N is set to zero (step S19,
S20).

When the predetermined number N1 of seedling raising boxes 17 are sent out from the stacking section 2 to the second conveying mechanism 3 as described above, the next raising seedling box 17 after the seeding process and the irrigation process is first conveyed. When it has been sent to the mechanism 1 (detection state of the first presence / absence sensor 21) (step 21), first the first transport mechanism 1 is stopped and the seedling raising box 17 stands by in the first transport mechanism 1 (step S22). .

Next, when the set time T2 has elapsed in the standby state (steps S23 and S24) and the third presence / absence sensor 23 is in the non-detection state (the predetermined number N1 of the seedling raising boxes 17 are stacked in the stacking section 2). Completely sent from)
(Step S25), the stopper 16 is operated to the projecting position (step S26), the process proceeds to step S2, the seedling raising box 17 is sent to the position of the elevating table 8, and the stacking unit 2 as described in (5) above. The next stacking of the nursery boxes 17 is started at.

(7) Next, the flow until the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 are sent from the stacking section 2 to the second transport mechanism 3 and the transfer section 19 will be described with reference to FIG.
0 and FIG. 11 will be described. As shown in FIG. 15A, in a state where the second transport mechanism 3 is empty (non-detection state of the fourth presence / absence sensor 24) (step S16), a predetermined number N1 of nursery boxes 17 are stacked.
When it is sent from the second transfer mechanism 3 from the transfer section 19
When there is nothing on the support carriage 25 located at the work position (state in which the detection light L1 of the optical sensor 31 is not blocked) (step S27), the predetermined number N1 of the seedling raising boxes 17 are transferred by the second transfer. It is started to be sent out from the mechanism 3 to the support carriage 25 of the transfer section 19 (step S28).

As described above, when the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 start to be fed to the support carriage 25 to some extent, the corners of the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 are illuminated as shown in FIG. Since the detection light L1 of the sensor 31 is blocked, the transport chain 28 at the feeding position is at a low speed (lower than the transport speed of the second transport mechanism 3) based on the non-detection state of the detection light L1 (step S29). Then, the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 are rotationally driven (step S30) and transferred to the support cart 25 while being decelerated at a low speed.

As described above, when the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 are transferred to the supporting carriage 25, the supporting carriage 25 is moved along the rail 20 in the lateral direction (rightward on the paper surface of FIG. 8). It is moved to a distant non-working position (on the side opposite to the reflection plate 32), carried to a germination chamber (not shown), and the next new supporting carriage 25 is installed at the working position of the transfer section 19.

Next, as shown in FIG. 15B, when the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 are sent from the stacking section 2 to the second transport mechanism 3, they are located at the working position of the transfer section 19. When the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 by the previous operation are supported on the supporting carriage 25 (the non-detection state in which the detection light L1 of the optical sensor 31 is blocked) (step S27), the second conveyance The mechanism 3 is stopped, and the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 stand by in the second transport mechanism 3 (step S31). When the supporting carriage 25 supporting the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 is moved to the non-working position and the next new supporting carriage 25 is installed at the working position of the transfer section 19, the second transport mechanism 3 operates. Seedling raising box 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 waiting
However, it is transferred to the support carriage 25 in the same manner as steps S28, S29 and S30 described above.

Next, when the elevating table 8 supporting the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 is lowered and stopped at the lowered position (see FIGS. 3 and 4) (step S1).
5), as shown in FIG. 15C, when the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 by the previous operation still remain in the second transport mechanism 3 (detection state of the fourth presence / absence sensor 24) ( Step S16), the first and second rollers 13,
14 is not rotationally driven, and the lift 8 supporting the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 stands by at the lowered position of the stacking unit 2 (step S31).

The predetermined number N1 remaining in the second transport mechanism 3
The seedling raising boxes 17 stacked on top of each other are transferred from the second transport mechanism 3 to the support carriage 25 of the transfer section 19 (non-detection state of the fourth presence / absence sensor 24) (step S32), and the set time T1 is reached from that point. Is passed (step S3
3, S34) and the process proceeds to step S18, and the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 by the first and second rollers 13 and 14 are sent from the stacking unit 2 to the second transport mechanism 3.

[First Embodiment of the Invention] FIGS. 1 and 2
Instead of the transfer unit 19 shown in FIG. 3, a forklift type transfer mechanism 39 as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17 may be provided at the terminal end of the second transport mechanism 3. FIG. 16 and FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the transfer mechanism 39 includes a main frame 42 having wheels 41, a support base 43 movably up and down, and a support roller 44 and a motor 45 for rotating the support roller 44. It is configured.

A pair of rails 40 are arranged in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the second transport mechanism 3, and the transfer mechanism 3
Reference numeral 9 indicates a working position where the support base 43 is connected to the end portion of the second transport mechanism 3 and a non-work position which is separated in the lateral direction (vertical direction in FIG. 17) intersecting the transport direction of the second transport mechanism 3. It is reciprocally movable along the rail 40. A pair of rails 46 are arranged so as to cross the upper side of the rails 40 in the non-working position, and a germination cart 47 having caster wheels 47a and movable along the rails 46 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 17, an optical sensor 49 is fixed to a fixing portion 48 facing the opposite end of the second transport mechanism 3 at the working position of the support base 43, and is opposite to the non-working position side. Side 4 (the lower side of the paper surface of FIG. 17) facing the side
The reflection plate 50 is fixed to the region 3. This allows
The detection light L2 from the light emitting portion of the optical sensor 49 reaches the reflection plate 50 so as to cross the upper surface of the support base 43 at the work position obliquely, and the detection light L2 reflected by the reflection plate 50 is the support base 43 at the work position. The light is received by the light receiving portion of the optical sensor 49 so as to diagonally cross the upper surface of the.

With the above construction, the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 are transferred to the second transfer mechanism 3 while the support base 43 of the transfer mechanism 39 is located at the working position.
When it is started to be sent from the support stand 43 to the optical support 4 by the corners of the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1.
Since the detection light L2 of 9 is blocked and enters the non-detection state, the support roller 44 of the support base 43 is rotationally driven at a low speed (lower than the transfer speed of the second transfer mechanism 3) based on this.
The seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 are transferred to the support base 43 while being decelerated at a low speed.

As described above, when the seedling-growing boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 are transferred to the support base 43, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8A, the transfer mechanism 39 is moved along the rail 40 to a non-working position separated in the lateral direction (vertical direction of the paper surface of FIG. 17) (on the side opposite to the reflection plate 50) and supported. The pedestal 43 is put into the germination trolley 47, and the support pedestal 43 is lowered as shown in FIG. 18B, and the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 are transferred to the germination trolley 47. Next, as shown in FIG. 18C, the transfer mechanism 39 is moved to the work position, and the support base 43 is lifted to the same height as the second transport mechanism 3.

As shown in FIG. 17, since the fixed portion 48 is provided with the optical sensor 49 and the support base 43 is provided with the reflection plate 50, the transfer mechanism 39 is moved to the working position as shown in FIG. If the support base 43 is not lifted to the same height as the second transport mechanism 3 at this time, the detection light L2 of the optical sensor 49 is reflected by the reflection plate due to the height difference between the optical sensor 49 and the reflection plate 50. Without reaching 50, the detection light L2 is not detected. As a result, when the transfer mechanism 39 is moved to the work position as shown in FIG. 18C, the support base 43 must be positioned at the same height as the second transport mechanism 3 (detection by the optical sensor 49). It is determined that the operation of raising the support base 43 has been forgotten, and the alarm buzzer (not shown) is activated.

The germination cart 47 is constructed so as to be able to support four sets of seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1, and two sets of seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 are supported on the front side of the germination cart 47. Then, the germination cart 47 is moved rightward on the paper surface of FIG. 17 along the rail 46 so that a predetermined number N1 of seedling raising boxes 1 are stacked behind the germination cart 47.
Two sets of 7 are supported.

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the rail 4
A support frame 51 is vertically fixed to the end portion of 0, and an engagement member 52 is supported so as to be vertically swingable around a horizontal axis P2 at the upper end of the support frame 51. As a result, when the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 are supported on the front side of the germination cart 47, the engaging member 52 is engaged with one end of the fixed frame 47b on the front side of the germination cart 47 to move the germination cart 47. Hold in this position. Next, when the germination cart 47 is moved rightward on the paper surface of FIG. 17 along the rail 46 to support the seedling raising boxes 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 on the rear side of the germination cart 47, The engaging member 52 is engaged with one end of the fixed frame 47c on the side to hold the germination cart 47 at this position.

[Second Embodiment of the Invention] FIGS. 1 and 2
In the stacking section 2 and the first and second transport mechanisms 1, 3
Although they are independently configured, the stacking portion 2 may be formed at the terminal end portion of the first transport mechanism 1 or the stacking portion 2 may be formed at the start end portion of the second transport mechanism 3. In place of the first roller 13 integrally formed of hard rubber, a hard rubber having a sufficient thickness is wound around the outer peripheral portion of a metal roller to form a first roller.
The roller 13 may be structured. The second roller 14 made of metal may be made of a hard resin (a material having sufficient strength to support the seedling raising box 17 stacked in a predetermined number N1 and not elastically deformed to a large extent). The outer peripheral surface of the second roller 14 may be roughened, or a thin non-slip member may be attached to the outer peripheral surface of the metal second roller 14.

[0053]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, in the seedling raising box stacking device, the seedling raising boxes stacked in a predetermined number by the first and second rotating bodies are located at the positions of the first and second rotating bodies (the position of the lifting platform). ), It was possible to send out without any trouble without slipping, and it was possible to improve the processing performance of the seedling raising box stacking device.

According to the feature of the second aspect, the "effect of the invention" of the first aspect is provided as in the case of the first aspect. According to the feature of claim 2, when the seedling raising boxes are stacked by sequentially feeding the seedling raising boxes to the positions of the first and second rotating bodies of the stacking unit from the first transport mechanism, the seedling raising boxes are lifted by the conical positioning rollers. However, regardless of this, the seedling raising box can be guided to a predetermined position (positions of the first and second rotating bodies) without being removed, and the seedling raising boxes can be stacked without deviation, Since the nursery box can be easily treated, the processing performance of the nursery box stacking device can be improved.

According to the feature of claim 3, claim 1 or 2
Similar to the above case, the “effect of the invention” of the above-mentioned claim 1 or 2
It has. According to the feature of claim 3, the seedling raising box is configured to be stacked by the raising and lowering operation of the lift table by the rotation drive of the eccentric cam, and the switching operation of the supporting portion to the operating position and the non-operating position. In the device, it becomes possible to accurately detect that the rotation angle of the eccentric cam has reached each of a plurality of predetermined angles, by using a plurality of sensors.
Because the switching operation of the support part to the working position and the non-working position accompanying the lifting operation of the lift table can be performed accurately, and the switching operation of the support part to the working position and the non-working position is not performed accurately. It is possible to prevent poor stacking of the nursery boxes.

According to the feature of the fourth aspect, the "effect of the invention" of the third aspect is provided as in the case of the third aspect. According to the feature of claim 4, in the seedling raising box stacking device configured to raise and lower the elevating table by the eccentric cam and the elevating part, the elevating part can be guided in the moving direction without tilting. It is possible to prevent the defective raising of the seedling raising boxes from occurring due to the poor lifting of the lifting platform due to the tilting of the lifting unit with respect to the moving direction.

[Brief description of drawings]

[Figure 1] Overall plan view of the seedling box stacking device

[Figure 2] Overall side view of the seedling raising box stacking device

[Fig. 3] Vertical side view near the lift.

[Figure 4] Front view in vertical section near the lift

[Fig. 5] Plan view of the vicinity of the lifting platform

FIG. 6 is a vertical cross-sectional front view of the vicinity of the positioning roller on the lifting platform.

FIG. 7 is a horizontal cross-sectional plan view of the elevating part of the elevating table.

FIG. 8 is a plan view near the transfer section.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the first half of the flow of control from stacking to transfer of nursery boxes.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the middle half of the flow of control from stacking of nursery boxes to transfer.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the latter half of the flow of control from stacking to transfer of nursery boxes.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a flow of stacking the nursery boxes in the stacking section.

FIG. 13 is a side view of the vicinity of the motor in the lifting platform.

FIG. 14 is a vertical sectional front view of the vicinity of the motor and the eccentric cam on the lift table.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a flow from a stacking section to a transferring section of a seedling raising box stacked in a predetermined number.

FIG. 16 is a front view of the transfer mechanism and the germination trolley in the first another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 17 is a plan view of the vicinity of the transfer mechanism and the germination carriage in the first alternative embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a flow of transferring a seedling-growing box stacked in a predetermined number to a germination cart in the first alternative embodiment of the invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 1st conveyance mechanism 3 2nd conveyance mechanism 4 Motor 5 Eccentric cam 6 Guide member 6a, 6b Guide surface of a guide member 7 Lifting part 7a 1st guide body of lifting part 7b 2nd guide body of lifting part 8 Lifting stand 13 1st rotary body 14 2nd rotary body 15 Positioning roller 17 Nursery box 18 Support part 36 Frame 37,38 Sensor N1 Predetermined number P1 Vertical axis

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Retsu Fujioka 64 Ishizukita-machi, Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture Kubota Sakai Plant (72) Inventor, Etsuro Chinen 2-21-10 Nishi, Hanyu City, Saitama Prefecture Kaneko Agricultural Machinery Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Takeo Ando, 2-21-10 Nishi, Hanyu-shi, Saitama Prefecture Kaneko Agricultural Machinery Co., Ltd. (72) Tetsumi Oishi, 2-21-10 Nishi, Hanyu-shi, Saitama Prefecture Kaneko Agricultural Machinery Co., Ltd.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A first transport mechanism and a second transport mechanism for transporting a nursery box.
A transport mechanism, which can support the seedling raising box from the first transport mechanism, can be rotationally driven, and has a first rotating body whose outer peripheral portion is made of an elastic material, and which can rotate by supporting the seedling raising box from the first transport mechanism. A second rotating body that is a rigid body, and is moved up and down over a lowering position below the first and second rotating bodies and a lifting position above the first and second rotating bodies, An elevating table for vertically moving the seedling raising box at the positions of the first and second rotating bodies; and an operation position above the elevating table, which engages with the seedling raising box lifted by the elevating table to support the seedling raising box,
And a support part that is operated to be switched to a non-acting position away from the seedling raising box, and raises the seedling raising box that has reached the position of the first and second rotating bodies by the elevating table and is already supported by the support portion. Repeating the operation of lifting while raising the seedling raising box from the bottom, stacking and supporting the seedling raising box on the support part, when a predetermined number of seedling raising boxes are stacked and supported by the support part,
A seedling raising structure configured such that a predetermined number of seedling raising boxes are placed on the first and second rotating bodies from the supporting portion by the elevating table and delivered to the second transport mechanism by the first rotating body. Box stacking device. 2. The positioning roller, wherein at the positions of the first and second rotating bodies, there is provided a positioning roller that contacts the lateral side of the seedling raising box while rotating around the longitudinal axis to determine the position of the seedling raising box. The seedling raising box stacking device according to claim 1, wherein the upper side is formed into a thin conical shape. 3. An elevating unit that is connected to the elevating table and is supported so as to be reciprocally movable in the up-and-down direction, and an elevating mechanism that moves up and down the elevating table between the lifting position and the descending position.
It is configured to include an eccentric cam that contacts the lower part of the elevating part and a motor that rotationally drives the eccentric cam, and that the rotation angle of the eccentric cam has reached each of a plurality of predetermined angles. The nursery box stacking device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of sensors for detection are provided on one support frame. 4. A first guide body, which comprises a tubular guide member that covers the outside of the elevating part and extends along the moving direction of the elevating part, and abuts on a pair of opposing guide surfaces of the guide member. 4. The seedling raising box stacking device according to claim 3, wherein the raising / lowering unit includes a second guide body that is provided in the raising / lowering unit and is in contact with a pair of opposing guide surfaces different from the guide surface in the guide member.