JP2022109380A - harvester - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a harvester capable of selectively harvesting harvests.SOLUTION: A harvester (1) includes: a vehicle body (2); a detection part (72) arranged in the body (2) and detecting harvests; a gripping device (33) arranged in the body (2) and griping harvests; and a control part (71) for determining whether harvests can be harvested or not based on a detection result of the detection part (72), and controlling the gripping device (33) when harvests can be harvested so as to cause the gripping device (33) to grip harvests.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a harvester for harvesting vegetables from fields.

Regarding a harvester for harvesting root vegetables such as carrots and radishes, the technique described in Patent Document 1 below is conventionally known.

In Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2005-333917), a harvested product harvested in a harvesting section (5) of a vegetable harvester (1) is sent to a sorting belt (6b) at the rear of the harvesting section (5). , in the sorting section (6), the operator or an auxiliary operator manually sorts out the defective crops on the sorting belt (6b), and the unremoved harvested material is placed in the storage section at the downstream end of the sorting belt (6b). The configuration of being housed in the housing bag (B) of (7) is described.

JP-A-2005-333917

(Problem of conventional technology)
In the technique described in Patent Literature 1, the harvested products are harvested all at once and then sorted, but small ones that are unsuitable for harvesting are also harvested all at once. Harvesting even small crops increases the number of defective or non-standard crops that are discarded. There is also fear.

A technical object of the present invention is to provide a harvester capable of selectively harvesting crops.

In order to solve the technical problem, the invention according to claim 1,
a vehicle body;
a detection unit that is arranged on the vehicle body and detects harvested products;
a gripping device that is disposed on the vehicle body and grips the harvested product;
a cutting unit arranged on the vehicle body for cutting the stems and roots of the harvest;
Based on the detection result of the detection unit, it is determined whether or not the crop can be harvested. a control unit for gripping and controlling the cutting unit to cut the stems and roots of the harvest;
It is a harvester characterized by comprising

The invention according to claim 2,
the gripping device movable between a gripping position capable of gripping the harvested material and a retracted position retracted from the harvested material;
a cutting unit for cutting the stems and roots of the harvested material, the cutting unit being movable between a cutting position at which the stems and roots of the harvested material can be cut and a retracted position at which the harvested material is retracted; ,
moving the gripping device to the gripping position and moving the cutting unit to the cutting position when the harvested material can be harvested; and moving the gripping device to the retracted position when the harvested material is unsuitable for harvesting. and the control unit for moving the cutting unit to the retracted position;
A harvester according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a

The invention according to claim 3,
a conveying device for conveying the harvested material processed by the cutting unit toward the storage unit, the conveying device being movable in the left-right direction integrally with the cutting unit;
3. A harvester according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises:

The invention according to claim 4,
the gripping device configured to be movable in the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the front-rear direction;
4. The harvester according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by comprising:

The invention according to claim 5,
comprising the gripping device capable of gripping at least a portion of the lower part of the harvested material;
The gripping device pulls out the roots of the harvested material from the field by moving upward while gripping the harvested material.
The harvester according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that:

According to the first aspect of the invention, it is possible to provide a harvester capable of selectively harvesting crops.
According to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the effect of claim 1, when the crop can be harvested, the crop can be harvested by gripping it with the gripping device.
According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effect of claim 2, the positional relationship between the cutting unit and the conveying device is suppressed, and the roots and stems of the harvested material sent to the conveying device are cut. A bad state is suppressed.
According to the invention of claim 4, in addition to the effects of any one of claims 1 to 3, the gripping device can be moved to any position according to the position of the harvested material.
According to the fifth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of any one of the first to fourth aspects, the harvested product can be harvested by holding and lifting the harvested product.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the harvester of the present invention. 2A and 2B are explanatory diagrams of a main part of the gripping device according to the embodiment, FIG. 2A being a side view and FIG. 2B being a view from below. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a cutting device and a conveying device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the positional relationship among the gripping device, the cutting device and the conveying device in the embodiment. 5A and 5B are explanatory views of the main part of the harvester according to the embodiment, FIG. 5A is an explanatory view of the main part as seen from the side, and FIG. 5B is an enlarged view of the position adjustment part. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing each function provided in the control section of the embodiment.

Next, specific examples of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.
It should be noted that in the following explanation using the drawings, illustration of members other than those necessary for the explanation is omitted as appropriate for ease of understanding.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of the harvester of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, a harvester 1 of the invention has a vehicle body 2 .
The vehicle body 2 has a front frame 3 at the front end, a rear frame 4 at the rear end, and a pair of left and right horizontal frames 6 , 6 connecting between the front frame 3 and the rear frame 4 . Left and right ends of the front frame 3 are supported by front vertical frames 7, 7 extending downward. Left and right ends of the rear frame 4 are supported by rear vertical frames 8, 8 extending downward. The lower ends of the front vertical frames 7, 7 and the lower ends of the rear vertical frames 8, 8 are connected by a pair of left and right lower frames 9, 9 extending in the front-rear direction.

The rear vertical frames 8 , 8 of the embodiment have upper ends that extend upward from the front vertical frames 7 , 7 and protrude upward from the rear frame 4 . The upper ends of the front vertical frames 7 and 7 and the upper ends of the rear vertical frames 8 and 8 are connected by a pair of left and right upper frames 11 and 11 . The upper frames 11, 11 are arranged to incline upward toward the rear.
A pair of left and right front wheels 12 , 12 are rotatably supported at the lower ends of the front vertical frames 7 , 7 . A pair of left and right rear wheels 13 , 13 are rotatably supported at the lower ends of the rear vertical frames 8 , 8 . In the harvester 1 of the embodiment, the front wheels 12, 12 are driven by a motor (not shown), but the rear wheels 13, 13 may be driven. Alternatively, the wheels 12 and 13 may not be driven, and the robot may be pushed by the operator's hand to travel.

(Description of gripping device)
In FIG. 1, a slide rail 21 is arranged inside the horizontal frames 6,6. A slide frame 22 extending in the left-right direction is supported between the slide rails 21 . The slide frame 22 is supported so as to be movable in the front-rear direction along the slide rails 21 . The slide frame 22 moves between a forward harvesting position and a rearward delivery position in accordance with the operation of an actuator (not shown).
A slider 23 is arranged below the slide frame 22 . The slider 23 is supported movably in the left-right direction along the slide frame 22 . The slider 23 also moves laterally along the slide frame 22 in accordance with the operation of an actuator (not shown).

A downwardly extending cylindrical elevating frame 24 is supported on the lower side of the slider 23 so as to be vertically movable. The lifting frame 24 is formed with a rack (not shown) having teeth along the vertical direction, and a pinion gear (not shown) supported by the slider 23 is engaged with the teeth of the rack. Therefore, the rack moves vertically as the pinion gear rotates, and the lifting frame 24 moves between the lower harvesting position and the upper retracting position. Since the mechanism of the pinion rack is conventionally known, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In addition, the structure for moving each part is not limited to the illustrated actuators and pinion racks, and may be a lifting mechanism using a ball spline, a hydraulic cylinder, an air cylinder, etc., or a step motor, etc. It can be changed to various known configurations.

2A and 2B are explanatory diagrams of a main part of the gripping device according to the embodiment, FIG. 2A being a side view and FIG. 2B being a view from below.
A clamping arm 26 as an example of a clamping portion (gripping portion) is arranged at the lower end of the lifting frame 24 . The pinching arm 26 has a left arm portion 27 and a right arm portion 28 . The left arm portion 27 and the right arm portion 28 have bulging portions 27a and 28a that bulge outward at their lower portions, and bottom walls 27b and 28b are formed at their lower ends.
Semicircular cutouts 27c and 28c corresponding to the roots of the harvested crop are formed in the center of the inner ends of the bottom walls 27b and 28b in the front-rear direction. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2(B), the two cutouts 27c and 28c face each other to form a substantially circular hole.
Sponges 27d and 28d, which are examples of protection portions, are arranged on the inner surfaces of the left arm portion 27 and the right arm portion 28, respectively. The sponges 27d and 28d are members (buffer members) for protecting the harvested material inside the bulging portions 27a and 28a when the harvested material is accommodated therein.

In FIG. 2A, the left arm portion 27 and the right arm portion 28 are rotatably supported at the lower end of the lifting frame 24 at the upper end portion about the rotating shaft 29 .
A pair of front and rear springs 31 are mounted between the left arm portion 27 and the right arm portion 28 at a position below the rotating shaft 29 . The spring 31 exerts an elastic force in a direction in which the lower ends of the left arm portion 27 and the right arm portion 28 approach each other.
An operating wire 32 is supported at the upper ends of the left arm portion 27 and the right arm portion 28 , that is, at a position above the rotating shaft 29 . The end of the actuation wire 32 is connected to the left arm 27 , and the actuation wire 32 passes through the upper end of the right arm 28 . An actuator (not shown) is connected to the actuating wire 32. When the actuating wire 32 is pulled, the distance between the upper ends of the left arm 27 and the right arm 28 narrows, and a force is applied to open the lower ends. Therefore, when the operating wire 32 is not pulled, the elastic force of the spring 31 causes the clamping arm 26 to move to the clamping position (gripping position) indicated by the solid line in FIG. When the operating wire 32 is pulled with a strong force, the clamping arm 26 moves to the open position indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 2(A).

A grasping device 33 of the embodiment is configured by members assigned with the reference numerals 21 to 32. As shown in FIG. Therefore, in the gripping device 33 of the embodiment, the clamping arm 26 can move in the front-rear direction along the slide rail 21 , can move in the left-right direction along the slide frame 22 , and can move up and down with the lift frame 24 . It is also possible to move in both directions.
For example, it is possible to configure the lift frame 24 in a cylindrical shape so that the clamping arm 26 can rotate around the lift frame 24 as a rotation axis. When the holding arm 26 is rotatable, the holding arm 26 can be rotated so that the left arm part 27 and the right arm part 28 spread in the direction in which harvesting is easy according to the posture of the harvested product and the state of the leaves growing. At this time, it is desirable to provide a sensor for detecting the rotational position of the clamping arm 26 . It is desirable to provide a plurality of sensors. For example, it is desirable to arrange the rotational positions at positions such as 0 degrees, 45 degrees, 90 degrees, and 135 degrees with respect to the reference.

(Description of cutting device and conveying device)
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a cutting device and a conveying device according to the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the positional relationship among the gripping device, the cutting device and the conveying device in the embodiment.
In FIG. 1, a cutting device 41 is arranged on the right rear portion of the vehicle body 2 . 1 and 3, the cutting device 41 has a pair of right and left disc-shaped cutting portions 41a and 41b having blades formed on the outer periphery thereof. Drive from a motor 54, which will be described later, is transmitted to the cutting portions 41a and 41b via a rod 42. As shown in FIG. Therefore, when the motor 54 is driven, as shown in FIG. 4, when the bottom walls 27b, 28b of the clamping arm 26 pass above and near the cutting portions 41a, 41b, the harvested leaves hanging down from the notches 27c, 28c. The root portion of the object is cut by the outer peripheral blades of the cutting portions 41a and 41b.
In FIG. 1, below the cutting device 41, there is disposed a discharge gutter 43 that slopes downward toward the outside in the left-right direction. The roots cut by the cutting parts 41a and 41b fall on the upper surface of the discharge gutter 43 and are discharged to the outside of the harvester 1 (field) along the slope of the discharge gutter 43.

A rear conveying device 51 as an example of a first conveying device is arranged behind the cutting device 41 . The rear transport device 51 has an endless transport conveyor 52 . The transport conveyor 52 has left and right chains 52a and cylindrical sponge bars 52b connecting the chains 52a. A plurality of sponge bars 52b are arranged along the rotation direction of the chain 52a. Crosspieces 52c are supported on the sponge bar 52b at predetermined intervals. The crosspiece 52c of the embodiment is formed in a shape in which unevenness is repeated along the left-right direction. Note that the sponge bar 52b and the crosspiece 52c are preferably made of sponge (foam material), rubber, or the like, which is an example of an elastic body, in order to prevent damage to the harvested material.

The transport conveyor 52 is rotatably supported by gears 53, 53 at both front and rear ends. The transport conveyor 52 of the embodiment rotates when the drive is transmitted from the motor 54 to the gear 53 on the rear side.
A pair of left and right fall prevention guides 55 extending in the front-rear direction is arranged above the transport conveyor 52 . The fall prevention guide 55 prevents the harvested material on the conveyer 52 from falling from the left and right.

In this embodiment, the motor 54 is shared between the cutting device 41 and the rear transport device 51 . Therefore, the cutting device 41 and the rearward conveying device 51 have an integral structure, and the cutting device 41 and the rearward conveying device 51 can be integrally attached to and removed from the vehicle body 2 like a unit. be.

5A and 5B are explanatory diagrams of the essential parts of the harvester according to the embodiment, FIG. 5A is an explanatory diagram of the essential parts as seen from the side, and FIG. 5B is an enlarged view of the position adjusting part.
In FIGS. 1 and 5, a lift unit 56 as an example of a second transport device is arranged behind the rear transport device 51 . Inside the lift unit 56, a lift 57 as an example of an up-and-down transfer section is accommodated. 1, the lift 57 has a right lift 57a and a left lift 57b, and the right lift 57a and the left lift 57b are configured in the same manner as the transport conveyor 52. As shown in FIG. In the embodiment, the right lift 57a and the left lift 57b have drive gears arranged on the upper side, but they can also be arranged on the lower side. The crosspieces 58 of the right lift 57a and the left lift 57b are arranged to face each other, and the right lift 57a and the left lift 57b rotate synchronously and in conjunction with each other. Therefore, when the right lift 57a and the left lift 57b rotate while the bottom surface of the harvested product is supported by the upper surfaces of the pair of crosspieces 58 facing each other, the harvested product is sent upward.
The rear transport device 51 and the lift 57 constitute transport devices 51 and 57 for transporting the harvested material to the storage section 60 .

In FIG. 5A, above the lift unit 56, an upper guide 59 inclined forward and obliquely upward is supported by the rear vertical frames 8,8. Therefore, the harvested material lifted by the lift 57 is guided forward by the upper guide 59 .
A housing portion 60 is arranged in front of the upper guide 59 . The housing portion 60 has an internal space surrounded by a side wall 60a whose lower end is supported by the front frame 3 and the upper frames 11, 11 and which extends upward, and a bottom wall 60b which inclines rearward and obliquely upward along the upper frame 11. It is composed of Therefore, the harvested material lifted by the lift 57 is stored in the storage section 60 . At this time, the bottom wall 60b is tilted obliquely downward toward the front, and the harvested material is fed forward and stored while sliding along the bottom wall 60b. The upper part of the container 60 is open so that the operator can freely take out the harvested material from the container 60 .

In FIG. 5, the housing of the lift unit 56 is rotatably supported by the vehicle body 2 around a rotating shaft 61 at the lower end. In FIG. 5, the lift unit 56 is provided with a handle 56a that can be gripped by the operator to steer the harvester 1. As shown in FIG. A lock unit 62 as an example of a position adjusting section is supported on the left outer side of the lift unit 56 . The lock unit 62 has a fixed sheet metal plate 63 and a lock pin 64 that passes through the sheet metal plate 63 and is movable in the left-right direction. The lock pin 64 is constantly receiving a force directed inward in the left-right direction by a spring 66 .
Corresponding to the sheet metal plate 63 , a rearwardly extending partial arc plate 67 is supported on the upper portions of the rear vertical frames 8 , 8 . A plurality of lock holes 68 are formed in the plate 67 at intervals. Each lock hole 68 is configured so that the lock pin 64 can pass therethrough. Therefore, when the lock pin 64 is manually pulled outward by the operator, the lock pin 64 is removed from the lock hole 68 and the lift unit 56 becomes rotatable about the rotation shaft 61 . When the operator releases the lock pin 64 , the force of the spring 66 moves the lock pin 64 in the direction in which it fits into the lock hole 68 . When the lock pin 64 is fitted into the lock hole 68, the rotation of the lift unit 56 is restricted (locked).

Therefore, when the operator takes the harvester 1 into and out of a field, carries it into and out of a transportation vehicle, and carries it into and out of a warehouse, it is possible to operate the harvester 1 by gripping the handle 56a. By operating the lock pin 64, the operating position of the handle 56a can be adjusted. In particular, when climbing over a step or turning, there is a case where it is desired to lift the front wheels 12 of the body 2 of the harvester 1 by putting the weight on the handle 56a. , it is possible to make it easier to put weight on.
Note that a foot plate 69 is installed on the rear vertical frames 8, 8 below the lift unit 56 so that the weight can be applied more easily.

If the lift unit 57 is operated while the lift unit 56 is rotated backward, an accident may occur. , the lift 57 is not operated, or the power of the harvester 1 is turned off.

In FIG. 1, a control unit 71 is arranged on the left rear portion of the vehicle body 2 . A communication unit, a control circuit, and the like are accommodated inside the control unit 71 .
A camera unit 72 is installed at the front end of the vehicle body 2 so as to photograph the lower part (field). The camera unit 72, which is an example of a detection unit, includes not only a camera, which is an imaging member, but also a distance sensor that measures the distance to the ground and harvested crops.

(Description of the control unit of the embodiment)
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing each function provided in the control section of the embodiment.
In FIG. 6, the control unit 71 has an input/output interface I/O for inputting/outputting signals with the outside. The control unit 71 also has a ROM (read only memory) in which programs and information for performing necessary processing are stored. The control unit 71 also has a RAM (random access memory) for temporarily storing necessary data. The control unit 71 also has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that performs processing according to a program stored in a ROM or the like. Therefore, the control unit 71 is configured by a so-called microcomputer (an example of a computer device), and can realize various functions by executing programs stored in a ROM or the like.

(Function of control unit)
The control unit 71 performs processing according to input signals from signal output elements such as a tablet terminal (an example of an information processing device and an input device) capable of wireless communication with the control unit 71, a camera unit 72, and other sensors (not shown). and outputs control signals to each control element such as the motor 54 and the actuator. That is, the control section 71 has the following functions.

The harvest discriminating means C<b>1 discriminates the harvest based on the imaging result of the camera unit 72 . The crop discriminating means C1 of the embodiment discriminates whether or not the harvest is suitable for harvesting. Specifically, image analysis is performed on the photographed image of the harvest, and whether or not the size and the state of the head of the harvest reach the pre-registered size and the state of the head are determined by the image analysis. The crop discriminating means C1 of the embodiment also discriminates the position (horizontal, front and rear, height) of the harvest.

The gripping device control means C2 controls the gripping device 33 to harvest the crop. The control means C2 of the gripping device of the embodiment moves the clamping arm 26 so as to horizontally align it with the position of the harvested material determined by the harvested material determination means C1 as being suitable for harvesting. Then, the actuating wire 32 of the holding arm 26 is actuated to open the left arm portion 27 and the right arm portion 28 . Then, when the position of the clamping arm 26 in the longitudinal direction moves to a position corresponding to the position of the harvested material as the vehicle body 2 moves, the clamping arm 26 is lowered. When it moves to a position (grasping position) where the harvested material enters between the left arm 27 and the right arm 28, the actuating wire 32 is loosened to force the left arm 27 and the right arm 28 to close. At this time, the bottom walls 27b and 28b of the left arm portion 27 and the right arm portion 28 support (hold) the lower part of the harvested material, but the cutouts 27c and 28c do not support the harvested material. , roots and stems hang down. In other words, a lower portion of the harvested product is supported.

Next, by raising the clamping arm 26, the crop is pulled out of the field. After passing above the cutting device 41 , the holding arm 26 is moved above the rear conveying device 51 . Then, the actuating wire 32 is actuated at a position above the rear transport device 51 to open the left arm 27 and the right arm 28 to drop the harvest onto the transport conveyor 52 . Further, the control means C2 of the gripping device according to the embodiment moves the gripping arm 26 to a predetermined retracted position in front of and above the cutting device 41 before starting work or when it is determined that the harvested material is not suitable for harvesting. evacuate and wait.
Note that the retracted position is not limited to this position. For example, at the end of the work, by moving the clamping arm 26 to the rear position of the vehicle body 2, the position of the center of gravity of the harvester 1 as a whole is brought closer to the rear side where the handle 56a is located, making the harvester 1 easier to maneuver. It is also possible to

The cutting device control means C3 controls the cutting device 41 to cut the roots and the like of the harvest. The control means C3 of the cutting device of the embodiment starts operating when the harvesting work is started, and stops operating when the harvesting work is finished. The cutting device 41 may be operated only when the clamping arm 26 grips the harvested material and sends it toward the rear conveying device 51, and may be stopped otherwise. In this case, if the driving source of the cutting device 41 and the driving source of the rear transport device 51 are shared by the motor 54, the transport of the rear transport device 51 will stop if the cutting device 41 is to be stopped. It is desirable that the drive source for the cutting device 41 and the drive source for the rear transport device 51 are separate drive sources.

The control means C4 of the conveying device controls the rear conveying device 51 and the lift 57 to convey the harvest toward the storage section 60. FIG. The control means C4 of the conveying apparatus of the embodiment starts operating when the harvesting work is started, and stops operating when the harvesting work is finished. It is also possible to operate the rear transport device 51 and the lift 57 only when the clamping arm 26 grips the harvested material and sends it toward the rear transport device 51 .

(Action of Embodiment)
In the harvesting machine 1 of the embodiment having the above configuration, it is determined whether or not the harvested product is suitable for harvesting based on the result of imaging by the camera unit 72. is harvested at pinching arm 26 . Therefore, the harvester 1 of the embodiment can selectively harvest crops. This eliminates the need for manual sorting work by the operator, saves time and effort, and prevents immature crops from being harvested before maturity and discarded.

In the embodiment, the harvester 1 for leafy vegetables such as Chinese cabbage, cabbage, and lettuce was mainly illustrated, but the harvester 1 is not limited to this. It is also possible to incorporate the camera unit 72 and the control section 71 into a harvester for root vegetables such as radishes and carrots so as to selectively harvest vegetables suitable for harvesting.

1... harvester,
2 car body,
33 ... gripping device,
41... Cutting part,
51, 57... Conveying device,
71 ... control unit,
72... Detector.

Claims (5)

a vehicle body;
a detection unit that is arranged on the vehicle body and detects harvested products;
a gripping device that is disposed on the vehicle body and grips the harvested product;
a cutting unit arranged on the vehicle body for cutting the stems and roots of the harvest;
Based on the detection result of the detection unit, it is determined whether or not the crop can be harvested. a control unit for gripping and controlling the cutting unit to cut the stems and roots of the harvest;
A harvester comprising: the gripping device movable between a gripping position capable of gripping the harvested material and a retracted position retracted from the harvested material;
a cutting unit for cutting the stems and roots of the harvested material, the cutting unit being movable between a cutting position at which the stems and roots of the harvested material can be cut and a retracted position at which the harvested material is retracted; ,
When the harvested material can be harvested, the gripping device is moved to the gripping position and the cutting unit is moved to the cutting position, and when the harvested material is unsuitable for harvesting, the gripping device is moved to the retracted position. and the control unit for moving the cutting unit to the retracted position;
A harvester according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises: a conveying device for conveying the harvested material processed by the cutting unit toward the storage unit, the conveying device being movable in the left-right direction integrally with the cutting unit;
3. Harvesting machine according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises: the gripping device configured to be movable in the vertical direction, the horizontal direction, and the front-rear direction;
4. The harvester according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized by comprising: comprising the gripping device capable of gripping at least a portion of the lower part of the harvested material;
The gripping device pulls out the roots of the harvested material from the field by moving upward while gripping the harvested material.
The harvester according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that:

Images