JP2008067691A - Tree-climbing device assuring reduction in labor and security of pruning worker - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tree-climbing device enabling a pruning worker to safely and efficiently carry out tree pruning work in a laborsaving manner. <P>SOLUTION: The tree-climbing device functions as follows: an object tree to climb 2 is clamped between a driving unit 5 and a drawing unit 6 of the tree-climbing device; and a pruning worker 4 rides a gondola 8 and operates a moving switch box 10 to rise, stop and come down. The tree-climbing device is transferred by an electric generator 11 attached to the tree-climbing device or an electric generator 12 placed on the ground as power sources. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  It is related to the principle structure of a power-driven climbing device to nurture high-quality trees by freeing the tree pruning work, which is one of the forestry business, from heavy labor and danger.

In the conventional work, a pruning worker has to bring a work tool, climb a tree, and get down. Therefore, there were various problems.
(1) Since climbing trees and falling trees rise to a high place against gravity, an operator needs energy to lift his / her weight, which is a physical burden.
(2) Since it rises to a high place where branches exist, there is always a risk of falling.
(3) In the pruning work, both feet stand on the branches and ladders to support their weight, and one hand holds the trunk and branches to prevent falling. For this reason, only the remaining one hand can be used for the pruning work, and the work efficiency does not increase. In addition, it is difficult to use a power tool with high work efficiency such as a chain saw, and it is difficult to perform pruning work with high efficiency.
For these reasons, pruning work was avoided and the number of young workers decreased, that is, the lack of successor to the forestry business. If the future of forestry is estimated in the long term, the deforestation of the forest will lead to a decrease in carbon dioxide purification and a decrease in the water retention capacity of the forest, leading to frequent occurrence of natural disasters such as floods. Eventually, it will become impossible to stop global warming on a global scale, and the survival of the Earth that has nurtured life will be jeopardized.
The above problems triggered the invention of the climbing apparatus.

  Unlike the work on the ground, the pruning work described above was a heavy labor and a dangerous work.

  Therefore, a method for performing a pruning operation with a robot has been put into practical use and is still in use. However, the superiority or inferiority of pruning is an important factor that determines the commercial value of the wood. The finished state of the pruning portion is preferably cut by humans while confirming with eyes, and this is the reason why manual pruning work is required.

  If you climb to a high altitude without any effort and can prun in the same safe state as work on the ground, the most severe work elements in forest management will be mitigated.

  The present invention seeks to solve the problems of such conventional pruning operations.

  In order to achieve the solution of the above problems, the present invention provides a climbing apparatus for riding a pruning operator and climbing a tree by power.

  This is a structure in which three types of wheel mechanisms are arranged at positions where the circumference of the tree is roughly divided into three equal parts to sandwich the tree.

  Of the three types of wheel mechanism units, the second type is a drive unit that is driven to rotate by an electric motor and has a role of generating a propulsive force for climbing trees. The drive unit is equipped with a slip-prevention device to prevent the climbing device from slipping off.

  Of the three types of wheel mechanism, the remaining one is not driven and the wheel rotates freely according to the operation of the climbing tree, but is pressed against the center of the tree by the force of the spring, ensuring the climbing device A drawing unit that is held by trees.

  The pulling unit is attached to the drive unit by a pulling frame, but has a movable structure so that it can be selected and fixed at an appropriate position according to the thickness of the tree.

  The drive unit rotates the tire with the supplied electric power in normal operation, but when the supply of electric power is cut off, the motor is used as a generator, and the regenerative electric power is consumed by a resistor to enable the descent due to its own weight.

The energy source uses the electric power generated by the gasoline engine generator, and the following two methods are selected.
(1) A method of supplying power by attaching a generator directly to a climbing device.
(2) A method of supplying power by placing the power supply cable on the ground and extending the power supply cable.

  The climbing device is equipped with a gondola that supports the operator's feet and waist, enabling safe pruning work.

  The present invention is a climbing apparatus in which a pruning worker can climb to a desired height, work, and descend by simply getting on the climbing apparatus and pressing a driving button (up or down).

  By firmly fixing both legs and waist of the pruning operator in the gondola of the climbing device, the upper body can move freely. As a result, it is possible to concentrate on pruning work using both hands.

  In this way, the pruning work has been forced to be a heavy work and a dangerous work so far, but the pruning work can be performed with a minimum of labor and with high productivity by using the climbing device.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

[FIG. 1] shows an outline of the climbing apparatus. 2 is a tree to be climbed. Trees are sandwiched between 5 drive units (2 sets) and 6 draw units. When the tree to be climbed is thick as shown in 3, the attracting unit moves back to the 9 position and responds. The 4 pruning operator gets on the 8 gondola and operates the 10 operation switch boxes to ascend, stop, and descend.
There are many places where it is difficult to enter the forest for the work, such as the degree of slope and the density of trees. In order to reduce the labor required to carry the climbing equipment as much as possible, the installation method of the generator, which is the power source, can be selected from the following two according to the forest conditions. (1) A method of attaching to a climbing device as in 11. (2) A method of supplying power with a cable placed on the ground like 12 and 12A. As a result, it is possible to move in the forest where the foot is unstable with the weight of the transported goods being adjusted.

FIG. 2 shows details of the (wheel mechanism) drive unit. There are two types of drive units, and the device arrangement is symmetrical. Fourteen drive unit frames are provided with two 15 motors and 13 tires. 16 motor-side sprockets and 20 brake wheels are attached to the shaft of the motor.
Seventeen tire side sprockets are attached to the tire. The rotational force of the electric motor is transmitted to the tire side in 19 chains. At this time, 18 idle sprockets (2) are responsible for adjusting the chain winding angle and tension.

[Fig. 3] explains the motor brake. Since the rotational force of the motor is connected to the tire by a chain, braking the motor is equivalent to braking the tire. 21 band brakes are wound around 20 brake wheels by 23 tension springs. For this reason, the brake wheel cannot rotate. There are two ways to loosen the brake.
(Part 1) Normally, 24 solenoids are energized, 26 thrusts are generated in the brake loosening direction, and the spring force is overcome and the brake loosening state 29 is achieved.
(Part 2) In the event of a power failure, the 27 manual release levers are pushed in the 26 brake release direction to overcome the spring force and enter the brake release state 29.

[FIG. 4] shows the basic structure of the anti-skid device. The drive unit is equipped with 30 overspeed detection devices and 31 restraining blades.

In FIG. 5, when moving in the ascending direction 32, the 33 blade moves forward by its own weight of the blade-related mechanism and gently touches the tree skin as in 34, and ascends while sliding. The reason why the blade is taken out when it rises is that when there is a risk of sliding down, the time loss is zero, and the blade is quickly digged into the tree to restrain the gondola to the tree.

In FIG. 6, when moving in the downward direction as in 36, the blade moves backward as in 35 and descends away from the tree.

In FIG. 7, when the descending speed exceeds the set value as indicated by 37, the 30 speed excess detecting device is activated to advance 33 blades. The blade that has advanced breaks through the bark and bites into the tree as in 38 to stop sliding down.

FIG. 8 shows the structure of the overspeed detection device. The rotation of the 39 speed detection wheels is increased by the 40 speed increaser and is connected to the 42 weight rotating plate. Two 45 weights are attached to the rotating plate via 43 weight holding pins. The two weights are moved toward the center of rotation by 44 tension springs.
When the climbing device moves up and down, the rotation of the speed detection wheel 39 is transmitted to the 40 speed increaser and the 42 weight rotating plate, and 45 weights rotate. When the number of rotations exceeds a predetermined value, the weight that has been moved inward by the tension spring 44 overcomes the force of the spring and spreads outward like 46 by centrifugal force.
As a result, the weight is caught by the inner claw type outer ring as indicated by 48, and the outer ring is rotated as indicated by 49.
Note that the speed at which the overspeed detecting device operates can be adjusted by changing the strength of the tension spring 44.

FIG. 9 shows a structure in which 31 restraining blades are actuated when 30 overspeed detecting devices are actuated. When the overspeed detection device is activated, 51 connecting rods are pulled, and 50 blade turning arms are rotated. The arm is connected to 31 constraining blades and rotates in the direction of the tree as indicated by 56.

[Fig. 10] (Wheel mechanism) The mechanism by which the pulling unit generates a pressing force against the tree will be described. In this figure, although two sets of drive units located on the opposite side of the tree are omitted, the pulling unit frame 57 has one set of tire holding mechanisms on the top and bottom.
The tire 13 is held by 58 swing arms. The swing arm can rotate around 59 arm pivot center pins. The upper and lower swing arms are tensioned by 60 tension springs. For this reason, force acts in the direction in which the tire is pressed down in the tree direction.
In the climbing apparatus, the center of gravity is biased to one side of the tree due to the weight of the climbing apparatus and the weight of the pruning operator, so that the upper part of the attracting unit requires a greater attracting force. Therefore, in the upper and lower mechanisms, the upper wheel side arm lengths 63 (L1) and 64 (L2) are changed, and the upper part can obtain a larger pulling force with the same spring tension.

[Fig. 11] explains the movement of the upper and lower tires of the pulling unit to follow the change in thickness and irregularities of the tree during climbing so that the wheels of the drive unit can catch the tree firmly. . Since the tire 13 is fixed to the drive unit frame 14 on the drive unit side, the attraction unit side must cope with the change. Reference numeral 65 denotes a portion where the tree is thick overall, 66 is a portion where the tree is thin overall, and 67 is a portion where the lower portion of the tree is narrower than the upper portion.
As will be described later with reference to [FIG. 12] to [FIG. 15], the 60 tension spring is removed until the climbing device is set on the tree, and the spring is set after the pulling unit is set on the tree. To do. The reason is to generate a pulling force after completing the adjustment to cope with the thickness of the tree described in the next section.

[FIG. 12] explains the setup method of the climbing device. First, 68 drive units are brought into contact with two trees to be climbed. Next, 69 drawing units are brought into contact with the trees.

[FIG. 13] explains the connecting method of the drive unit and the attraction unit. On the drive unit side, 70 connecting female pipes are provided, and 71 fixing holes are formed. There are 72 connection male pipes on the drawing unit side, and a number of adjustment holes are formed in the connection male pipe at regular intervals, as in 73. Thereby, the position of the drawing unit can be adjusted with respect to the thickness of the tree.

[FIG. 14] explains the fixing method of the connecting female pipe and the connecting male pipe. After inserting the male pipe into the female pipe, insert 74 fixing pins, and attach 75 retaining brackets for safety.

In FIG. 15, 60 tension springs are set for the combined drive unit and pulling unit. After completing the above setup, 4 pruning operators board.

[FIG. 16] explains a method for lowering the dead weight when the power of the climbing apparatus is interrupted due to a trouble and normal descent cannot be performed. 82 is an engine generator.
A coil of 78 electromagnetic contactors is connected to each drive unit 84, and if there is power from the generator, 77 DC motors are connected to 83 motor drive control circuits. When the power supply from the generator stops, the electromagnetic contactor is connected to the 81 variable resistor. In the case of falling by its own weight, when the tire in contact with the tree rotates, the electric power generated by the DC motor 77 is converted into heat by the variable resistor 81. Therefore, the rotation speed of the electric motor is limited, and it is possible to return to the ground at a slow speed.

[FIG. 17] summarizes the operation status and device operation status as a list.

[FIG. 18] explains a method of retreating the blade of the anti-skid device.
(1) During normal lowering, 85 solenoids are energized and attracted, and the blades are retracted as in 35.
(2) At the time of a power failure, the blade manual retraction lever of 87 is moved in the direction of 88, and the blade is retreated as indicated by 35.

  The top view and elevation of a climbing apparatus showing an embodiment of the present invention   Explanatory drawing of the same (wheel mechanism) drive unit   Structural diagram of the motor shaft band brake   Structural diagram of the anti-skid device   State of anti-skid device during the ascent   State of anti-skid device when descending   Operation status of anti-skid device when the descent speed is exceeded   Structure of overspeed detector   Structure and operating status of the slip prevention device   Structure of the pulling unit (wheel mechanism)   Explanation of followability to thickness changes and surface irregularities of the same tree   Procedure for setting the drive unit, gondola, and draw unit on the target tree   Adjustment structure of the connecting part   Fixing method of the connecting part   An elevating device is set on the same tree and a pruning operator boarded   The regenerative braking circuit for dropping the climbing device and the pruning worker under its own weight in the event of a power failure   Status of operation of the climbing equipment and status of equipment operation   Method for retracting the blade of the anti-skid device

Claims (9)

  In order to realize that the tree pruning workers can be lifted up to a high place where they prun and are returned to the ground without requiring a lot of effort, they will use a power-driven climbing device. provide.   Providing a climbing device that allows pruning workers to concentrate on pruning work using both hands, free from the "grabbing action" to prevent falling from the tree, and is highly safe and productive.   A gondola structure that enables the use of power tools with high work efficiency, such as a chain saw, by holding the lower body (both legs and waist) of the pruning worker to stabilize the body and allowing the upper body to move freely.   The structure of the wheel mechanism that touches the surface of the peeled bark and moves up, stops, and descends without slipping.   When the climbing device descends beyond the normal operating speed due to equipment failure or other causes, the overspeed detector is activated, and the anti-skid device grips the tree, avoiding the risk of slipping.   The thickness of the tree varies depending on the individual, depending on the age, soil, and sunshine conditions, but it is adjusted according to the difference in thickness and is an adjustment structure for widening the scope of climbing trees from thick to thin.   A structure of a pulling device that grips a tree by accurately following the change in the thickness of the trunk that changes during climbing for each individual climbing object.   A structure in which the climbing device is lowered at low speed by gravity so that it can return safely to the ground when descent in normal operation becomes impossible due to a generator stop or the like.   The power generator can be installed in two ways: (1) Attaching to the climbing device (2) Powering with a cable on the ground. Structure.

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