JP2002034320A - Vegetable harvester - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To carry out plucking in a good state by bringing a plucking device for plucking vegetables cultivated in a farm to be always in a grounded state. SOLUTION: In a vegetable harvester which lifts up and down a pre-treatment equipment including a plucking device for plucking vegetables cultivated in a farm, a conveying device for conveying vegetables plucked by the plucking device backward and the like by actuator installed between the pre-treatment equipment and the machine body ranging a rising position at which the plucking device leaves the ground and a descending position at which the plucking device reaches the ground, the pre-treatment apparatus is forced upward together with the actuator by an elastic body to reduce its weight and the grounded state of the plucking device in the descending state of the pre-treating apparatus is ensured.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vegetable harvesting machine that harvests vegetables running short in height.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, vegetables cultivated in a field are pulled out by a pulling-out device, and are transported to an upper rear portion of a machine by performing preparation processing such as removing unnecessary portions while being transported by a transporting device. 2. Description of the Related Art Vegetable harvesters have been put to practical use that are conveyed to the side of the machine body by a lateral conveyance device that moves in the lateral direction of the machine body at the rear end and housed in a container provided here. Vegetables to be harvested with such a harvester include head vegetables such as cabbage and Chinese cabbage, and rhizome vegetables such as carrot and radish or onion and garlic (Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-79912, 79).
No. 913).

[0003] Due to the short height of these vegetables, the pulling device acting on them must be set at ground level. However, since the body is pitched according to the unevenness of the field, the pulling device rises or sinks accordingly. When the pulling device rises, a pulling (harvesting) failure occurs, and when the drawing device sinks on the ground, a running trouble or breakage occurs. In particular, when the above-described configuration is adopted, the pulling-out device tends to be drawn to the ground side and settle down due to the pulling-out reaction force and the weight of the vegetables being transported. Furthermore, since the harvested vegetables transported by the transport device must be delivered to the horizontal transport device at the rear of the machine, the transport end cannot be so high, and in addition, the harvested vegetables can be smoothly transported to the horizontal transport device while preparing and processing. For this purpose, the transfer inclination cannot be made too steep.

[0004] For this reason, the transport device becomes very long, and a pulling device provided in front of the transport device has a form protruding from the front end of the body. Therefore, the sinking due to the pitching or the like of the airframe is further amplified in the pulling device, which further promotes the above-mentioned problem. On the other hand, when the harvester is driven to perform non-harvesting, traveling is hindered with the pulling device lowered. For this reason, the pulling-out device and the transporting device are separated from the machine as a pre-processing device, and an actuator such as a hydraulic cylinder is interposed between the machine and the machine, and can be rotated around a horizontal support shaft provided on the machine by expansion and contraction. Like that. Therefore, at the time of harvesting, the pretreatment device is lowered during harvesting to ground the drawing device, so that it is not affected by the unevenness of the field.

[0005]

However, since the weight of the pretreatment device is too large, the pretreatment device cannot follow the ups and downs of the ground, and may sink into the ground and be damaged. For this reason,
The pretreatment device is urged upward by a spring or a gas spring to reduce the weight of the pretreatment device so as to improve the followability. However, a hydraulic cylinder or the like is interposed between the pre-processing device and the machine body. Maintaining the pre-processing device at a specific height stops it midway or at the end. Even if the oil supply / discharge is made free, free expansion and contraction is hindered. Therefore, if the pretreatment device is directly pushed up, the non-stretchability of the hydraulic cylinder becomes an obstacle to the followability. The present invention solves such a problem,
By energizing the spring with each hydraulic cylinder,
The followability of the preprocessing device is ensured.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention relates to a method for extracting vegetables grown in a field, including a transporting device for transporting the vegetables extracted by the extracting device to the rear of the machine. In a vegetable harvesting machine in which a pulling device is raised and lowered around a support shaft provided on the body by an actuator interposed between the body and the body, between a rising position separated from the ground and a lowered position contacting the ground, an elastic body is used. There is provided a vegetable harvesting machine characterized in that the pretreatment device is urged to the ascending side together with the actuator to reduce the weight of the pretreatment device and to secure the grounding state of the drawing device when the pretreatment device is lowered.

In the present invention, since the pretreatment device is urged upward by the elastic body together with the actuator, the actuator acts like a rigid link, and the actuator follows the follow-up operation of the pretreatment device by the elastic body. Non-stretching when stopping is not an obstacle. Therefore, the pulling-out device constituting the tip of the pretreatment device is maintained in the ground contact state with reduced weight, and follows the ups and downs on the ground to ensure a good pulling-out. The weight to be reduced can be freely set by appropriately adjusting the strength of the elastic body.

As a mode of urging the pretreatment device upward together with the actuator, the actuator is rotatable around the fulcrum pin, and the actuator is urged by the elastic body toward the pretreatment device around the fulcrum pin. do it. In this case, if the force of the elastic body can be adjusted remotely, the weight reduction of the pretreatment device can be adjusted even during operation. Further, if a load sensor for detecting the weight is attached to the pretreatment device and the output of the load sensor is used to automatically adjust the force of the elastic body, automatic control becomes possible.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, taking a harvester for harvesting cabbage (head vegetables) as an example. 1 is a side view of a vegetable harvester (hereinafter, a harvester) showing an example of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view, FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main part, FIG. 4 is a partial side view of a main part, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 shows a self-propelled body 2 equipped with a traveling device 1 composed of a crawler.
One side of one side (in this example, the left side in the traveling direction), a pulling-out device 4 for pulling out the root 3a of the bulbous vegetable 3 from the front, a root-portion transporting device 5 for pinching and transporting the root 3a, A sliding guide device 6 is provided for guiding while sliding the lower surface of the portion 3b.

The drawing device 4 is composed of a pair of left and right rotating bodies (petal-shaped foils 7 in the drawing) whose opposite surfaces rotate rearward in a forward-downward inclined plane. The tip of the petal-shaped foil 7 is rubbed against the ground. It is inserted into the lower surface of the bulbous part 3b, scooped up, and the stem root part 3a is pulled out. The petal-shaped wheel 7 of this embodiment has a transmission system 8 such as a worm for driving the support shaft incorporated in a case 8a and connected to a transmission cylinder 9, and the transmission cylinder 9 includes a pulling device 4 and the like. A spring 11 urges the frame 10a of the comprehensive pretreatment device 10 toward the other side so as to be able to escape outward. Therefore, when the petal-shaped foil 7 bites a stone or the like, each escapes outward and passes through it.

The pedicle root conveying device 5 is a device for pinching the pedicle root 3a pulled out by the pulling device 4 and conveying the pedicle root 3a upward.
Similarly, it comprises a pair of pinching chains 12 whose opposing surfaces rotate rearward in the front downward inclined plane. In this case, the starting end of the clamping chain 12 is provided at a position retracted from the case 8a, but is partially overlapped with the petal-shaped foil 7 to ensure the accuracy of takeover. However, its starting end floats at a considerable distance from the ground, so that even if the petal-shaped foil 7 slightly dives into the ground, it does not sink itself.

By the way, since the petal-shaped foil 7 constituting the pulling device 4 is inclined forward and downward, the head vegetable 3 is also tilted forward while being pulled out, and the stem root portion 3a is 12 is stuck in a stable posture substantially perpendicular to the rotation surface. In addition, the pinching chain 12 is hung around the front and rear sprockets 13 and 14 to be rotated (the rear sprocket 14 is on the driving side).

Further, a chain tension 1 is provided on a portion on the opposite side of the clamping chain 12 to press this portion toward the other party.
The chain tension 15 is made movable forward and backward, and is urged by a spring 16 toward the other party. Therefore, even when the pinching chain 12 has caught foreign matter, it can be retracted and breakage can be prevented. In addition, chain tension 15
It is interrupted while going to the rear sprocket 14,
The biting stones are dropped during this time.

A sliding guide device 6 is provided above the strangulation chain 12 so that the stem root 3a of the head tuber 3 is inserted between the roots 3a and the lower surface of the head head 3b while sliding. The sliding guide device 6 according to the present embodiment includes a pair of left and right relatively wide rubbing plates 17 whose cross sections starting from around the rear end of the petal-shaped foil 7 and continuing to the vicinity of the end of the pinching chain 12 are convexly curved upward. Consists of As a result, the bulbous vegetables 3 pulled out by the pulling-out device 4 are conveyed upward and backward while the stems 3a are pinched by the pinching chain 12 and the lower surface of the heads 3b is rubbed and rubbed by the plate 17. .

At this time, the rubbing plate 17 and the clamping chain 12
Since the vertical spacing between and is gradually expanded rearward,
While being conveyed, the stem root portion 3a is pulled downward relative to the pinching chain 12, and the head portion 3b
Is pressed against the rubbing plate 17 to ensure that the posture is maintained. If the posture is reliably maintained, no transport error or the like occurs, and even when cutting the stem root 3a, an accurate position can be reliably cut. As a mode of gradually increasing the vertical distance between the rubbing plate 17 and the clamping chain 12, the inclination of the sliding guide device 6 is set to be larger than that of the pedicle root transport device 5, and conversely, the stalk root transport device 5 May be made smaller than that of the sliding guide device 6.

In the vicinity of the rear end of the shoot root transfer device 5, a cutting device 18 for cutting the shoot root 3a conveyed as described above is provided. The cutting device 18 of the present embodiment is composed of a disc cutter 19 forcibly driven and a disc blade 20 rotatably provided side by side with the disc cutter 19. The base and the demon leaf 3c spreading around the bulbous portion 3b are cut off. Note that the rotation plane of the disc cutter 20 is set substantially parallel to the rotation plane of the shoot root conveying device 5, and the shoot root 3a at this time is pulled downward by the pinching chain 12, so that the root is securely. Be cut off.

The petal-shaped foil 7 above the shoot root conveying device 5
A transport device 21 that transports the head portion from around the rear to the rear of the body 2 is provided. The conveying device 21 is for holding the head portion 3b of the head vegetable 3 pulled out by the pulling device 4 and conveying the head portion 3b to the rear of the machine body 2, and is substantially parallel to the stem root conveying device 5 on the pre-processing frame 10. It comprises a pair of sandwiching belts 22 whose opposing sides rotate rearward in a slanting plane inclined downward.

In this case, the holding belt 22 is provided with a head portion 3b.
Rollers 2 made of elastic material that does not damage
3, 24 (the rear roller 24 is on the drive side) and rotates. Note that both belts 22 are in rolling contact with a number of rollers 25 for direction control and tension. In this case as well, the opposite side (inside) of one (left) sandwiching belt 22 is outside. To escape to. This is to provide a strong pinching force regardless of the size of the head 3b.

Specifically, a specific roller 25 is
6, which can be turned around a pin 27 provided on the pre-processing frame 10, and which is stretched by a spring 28. In addition, the start end and the rear end of the holding belt 22 have an octagonal shape in plan view, both ends of which are open, so that the head portion 3b can be smoothly taken in and released. However, before the cutting device 18 is reached, the figure-eighth is already closed, and the holding belt 22 is holding the ball-shaped portion 3b.

As described above, the head vegetable 3 is pulled out by the pulling-out device 4, the root portion 3a is pinched by the root-portion conveying device 5, and the lower surface of the head portion 3b is guided by the sliding guide device 6,
In addition, while the side surface of the bulbous portion 3b is conveyed while being pinched by the conveying device 21, the root portion 3a is cut by the cutting device 18 during this time. The head vegetable 3 from which the root portion 3a has been cut is conveyed to the rear while the head portion 3b is pinched by the conveying device 21, and the head portion 3b that has fallen therefrom is attached to the body 2 below the rear end of the conveying device 21. Is provided to the side of the side.

The above-described drawing device 4, pedicle root conveying device 5, cutting device 18, conveying device 21 and the like are configured as a pre-processing device 10. The pre-processing device 10 is a support provided near the rear of the machine body 2. It is attached to the body 2 by a shaft 31 so as to be rotatable in a vertical plane. Pretreatment device 10
Is lifted and lowered by an actuator (a hydraulic cylinder in this example) 32 interposed between the machine body 2 and
As described above, the petal-shaped foil 7 constituting the drawing device 4 is lowered until the petal-shaped foil 7 comes into contact with the ground. In this case, to prevent the petal-shaped foil 7 from sinking into the ground,
A sliding grounding body 33 that slides on the ground is provided on the rear side.

However, since the ground has undulations and the body 2 pitches in accordance with the undulations, it is not guaranteed that the pulling device 4 maintains the ground contact state. Further, the pulling device 4 tends to sink to the ground due to the pulling reaction force and the weight of the transported vegetables. Therefore, according to the present invention, a link 35 that is rotatable around a fulcrum pin 34 attached to the body 2 is provided.
An elastic body (a coil spring in this example) 36 is stretched between the upper end of the hydraulic cylinder 32 and the body 2, and the lower end is pivotally connected to the rear end of the hydraulic cylinder 32 by a pin 37. However,
In this case, even when the hydraulic cylinder 32 is extended to raise the pre-processing device 10, the hydraulic cylinder 32 itself cannot retreat and the pre-processing device 10 cannot be raised. The cross member 38 of the body 2 to be contacted when the vehicle retreats is arranged.

When the pre-processing device 10 is lowered, the hydraulic cylinder 32 is shortened to the stroke end. During this time, when the pull-out device 4 is in contact with the ground, the spring 36 works and the hydraulic cylinder 32 is advanced from the cross member 38. State. Accordingly, the pretreatment device 10 is grounded while being reduced in weight by the spring 36. At the same time, even if the extraction device 4 moves up and down in accordance with the ups and downs of the ground, the spring 36 absorbs this, so that the extraction device 4 follows the ground while maintaining the ground contact state. This is not affected at all even if the hydraulic cylinder 32 is stopped halfway or at the end and its elasticity is sealed off.

The hydraulic cylinder 32 used here may be of any type as long as it can achieve the above movement, but a single-acting type that supplies and discharges pressure oil only to its positive pressure chamber is sufficient. FIG. 7 is a side view of the main part showing the elevating state of the pretreatment device 10,
When the pretreatment device 10 is lowered, the escape of the pressure oil in the positive pressure chamber is kept free, so that the pressure oil naturally escapes by the weight of the pretreatment device 10 and the hydraulic cylinder 32 contracts. Then, when the pretreatment device 10 comes into contact with the ground, the spring 36 starts to work, and the hydraulic cylinder 32 is advanced around the cylinder pin 34 and separated from the cross member 38, so that the piston comes into contact with the rear wall of the positive pressure chamber at the stroke end. Be in a state and balance.

Therefore, when the pretreatment device 10 is about to descend, the hydraulic cylinder 32 becomes a kind of rigid link due to the stroke end state, and the spring 36
Oppose the force of On the other hand, when the pretreatment device 10 attempts to ascend, the hydraulic cylinder 32 (piston) itself moves freely (without resistance) to the extension side,
There is no problem because this involves the weight of the pretreatment device 10. In this case, if a multi-stage telescopic cylinder is employed as the hydraulic cylinder 32, a large stroke can be obtained even if the cylinder length is short.

The extent to which the weight of the pretreatment device 10 is reduced depends on the weight and length of the pretreatment device 10 and the degree of ups and downs of the ground. However, if the pretreatment device 10 is too light, floating frequently occurs, and the spring 36 having a high spring constant has a high spring constant. A certain amount of weight is required because the amplitude increases and the return time increases depending on the characteristics. In this regard, it is considered that the ground contact load of the pretreatment device 10 is appropriately about 10 kg. This behavior is improved if a gas spring 39 or the like having a low spring constant and damping property is arranged in parallel with the hydraulic cylinder 32 and is mounted between the pretreatment device 10 and the body 2.

It is preferable that the degree of weight reduction of the pretreatment device 10 can be changed. For this reason, in this example, the spring 3
An electric cylinder 40 and the like are interposed between the machine body 6 and the machine body 2 so that the length of the spring 36 can be changed by expanding and contracting the electric cylinder 40. Specifically, the operator observes the followability of the pre-processing device 10 in relation to the ground, and if the followability seems to be slow, the electric cylinder 40 is extended at the cockpit to increase the force of the spring 36. If the weight is further reduced and it is too sharp, the force of the spring 36 is reduced to increase the weight.

The above control can be performed automatically. That is, the load sensor 4 that detects the weight is
1, the output of the load sensor 41 may be fed back to the electric cylinder 40. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of this control. The output (adjustable) from the load sensor 41 is compared with a predetermined reference value, and if they match, the state is maintained. , The process of strengthening the spring 36 and weakening it if it is small is continued until it matches the reference value.

There are various types of load sensors 41 that achieve this purpose. For example, the following types may be used. That is, a detection rod 42 is attached to the above-described sliding grounding body 33, and the boss 4
3 is resiliently moved downward by a spring 44 and inserted vertically movably. Then, a potentiometer 45 or the like is incorporated in the boss 43 to extract the upper and lower levels of the detection rod 42 as an electric signal, and the controller compares the signal with a reference value to control the electric cylinder 40. Note that the vertical level of the detection rod 42 at this time, that is, the detection value of the load sensor 41 may be displayed on a meter provided in the cockpit or the like.

The head portion 3b transported by the transport device 21 is
As described above, the sheet is sent to the side of the body 2 by the horizontal transport device 29. In this case, a chute 46 is obliquely provided between the end of the transport device 21 and the horizontal transport device 21. The transported head portion 3b rolls on rollers 47 provided on the chute 46 and is sent to the horizontal transport device 29. The horizontal conveying device 29 is constituted by a belt conveyor 48, and a projection 49 is provided on the surface of the belt conveyor 48.
Are projected to prevent stagnation of the head 3b and the oniha 3c. The end of the horizontal transport device 29 is set slightly outside the outer end of the machine frame, and a table 50 is provided below the lower side, and the container 51 composed of a box or a basket is placed below the horizontal transport device 29. The head portion 3b released from the transport device 29 is
Fall into When the container 51 is full of the head 3b, the operator replaces it.

The lateral transport device 29 is driven via a clutch from a PTO shaft provided at the rear of the body 2.
This clutch is operated by operating a clutch lever 53 provided at the upper end of the rear cover 52. The rear cover 52 is tilted to the left or right to disconnect the side clutch on the side constituting the steering device of the body 2 for a certain period of time (thus, the traveling angle is changed by a certain angle). A lever 54 is also provided. Furthermore, this rear cover 5
2 is also provided with a main clutch button 55 capable of connecting and disconnecting a main clutch for disconnecting power to the traveling system and the working system.
The operator gets off the fuselage 2 and the belt conveyor 48
This is intended for a so-called one-person operation for performing the finishing operation of the upper head portion 3b.

In addition, when working in this part, it is difficult to know whether or not the harvesting streak is located at the center of the petal-shaped foil 7, so that the pre-processing frame 10 is straddled with the drawing device 4 or the like. A mounting tool 57 is extended from an arched frame 56 provided and a mirror 58 is mounted. Thus, the operator operates the steering lever 54 while watching the mirror 58 to adjust the traveling direction of the body 2.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, the pretreatment device is urged to the ascending side together with the actuator by the elastic body. Therefore, when the actuator is stopped on the way to reduce the weight of the pretreatment device by the elastic body. Non-stretching is not an obstacle. Therefore, the pulling-out device constituting the tip of the pretreatment device is maintained in the ground contact state with reduced weight, and follows the ups and downs on the ground to ensure a good pulling-out. In this case, if the force of the elastic body can be adjusted remotely, the weight reduction of the pretreatment device can be adjusted even during operation. Further, if a load sensor for detecting the weight is attached to the pretreatment device and the force of the elastic body is automatically adjusted based on the output of the load sensor, the adjustment can be performed unattended.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a vegetable harvester showing an example of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a vegetable harvester showing an example of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the transportation around the vegetable harvesting machine showing an example of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the transportation around the vegetable harvesting machine showing an example of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a partial plan view showing the transportation around the vegetable harvesting machine showing an example of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a partial side view of a main part of the vegetable harvester showing an example of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of automatic control showing an example of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Body 4 Pulling-out device 10 Pre-processing device 12 Transport device 31 Support shaft 32 Actuator 33 Sliding grounding body 34 Support pin 36 Elastic body 39 Gas spring 41 Load sensor

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hiroshi Tobe 428 Enami, Onami, Okayama, Japan ) Inventor Masashi Hachiya 428 Enami, Okayama City, Okayama Pref.

Claims (10)

[Claims] An actuator provided between a body and a pretreatment device including a drawing device for drawing vegetables grown in a field, a transfer device for transferring the vegetables drawn by the drawing device to the rear of the machine, and the like. In a vegetable harvesting machine in which a pulling device is raised and lowered around a supporting shaft provided on the machine body between a rising position separated from the ground and a lowering position contacting the ground, an elastic body urges the pretreatment device together with the actuator to a rising side together with an actuator. A vegetable harvester characterized by securing the grounding state of a drawing device when a pretreatment device descends while reducing the weight. 2. An actuator provided between a body and a pre-treatment device including a drawing device for drawing vegetables grown in a field, a conveying device for conveying the vegetables extracted by the drawing device to the rear of the body, and the like. In a vegetable harvesting machine in which a pulling device is lifted and lowered around a support shaft provided on the machine body between a rising position away from the ground and a lowering position where it comes into contact with the ground, the actuator is rotatable around a fulcrum pin, and an elastic body is used. A vegetable harvester characterized in that an actuator is urged toward a pre-processing device side around a fulcrum pin to reduce the weight of the pre-processing device and to secure the grounding state of the pull-out device when descending. 3. A pre-treatment device including a pull-out device for pulling vegetables cultivated in a field, a transport device for transporting vegetables extracted by the pull-out device to the rear of the body, and the like. In a vegetable harvester in which a pulling device moves up and down around a support shaft provided on the body between a rising position separated from the ground and a lowering position contacting the ground, the actuator is rotatable about a fulcrum pin, and the force is reduced. The actuator is urged toward the pre-processing device with the fulcrum pin as the center by means of an elastic body that can be adjusted by remote control, so that the weight of the pre-processing device can be reduced and the pull-out device can be grounded when descending. And vegetable harvester. 4. An actuator interposed between a body and a pretreatment device including a drawing device for drawing vegetables grown in a field, a conveying device for conveying the vegetables extracted by the drawing device to the rear of the body, and the like. In a vegetable harvester in which a pulling device moves up and down around a support shaft provided on the body between a rising position separated from the ground and a lowering position contacting the ground, the actuator is rotatable about a fulcrum pin, and the force is reduced. An elastic body that can be automatically adjusted urges the actuator toward the pre-processing device around the fulcrum pin to adjust the reduction of the weight of the pre-processing device while ensuring the grounding state of the pull-out device when descending. A load sensor that detects the weight is attached to the processing device, and the output of this load sensor automatically adjusts the force of the elastic body to achieve the set reduced weight. Characterized vegetable harvester. 5. The load sensor is a sliding grounding body provided in the pre-processing device and moving up and down relatively to the machine body in accordance with the weight of the pre-processing device. 5. The vegetable harvester according to claim 4, wherein the vegetable is detected by displacement. 6. The vegetable harvester according to claim 1, wherein the actuator is constituted by a hydraulic cylinder. 7. The vegetable harvester according to claim 6, wherein the hydraulic cylinder comprises a single-acting cylinder that freely moves to the extension side after reaching the stroke end on the contraction side. 8. The vegetable harvester according to claim 6, wherein the hydraulic cylinder comprises a telescopic cylinder. 9. The vegetable harvester according to claim 1, wherein the elastic body is constituted by a coil spring. 10. A gas spring is stretched between the pretreatment device and the machine body in parallel with the hydraulic cylinder.
Any vegetable harvester.