JP3439464B2 - Lotus digger - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a machine for injecting pressurized water into a lotus root field to dig out lotus root buried in the ground.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Lotus root is buried in the ground at a depth of about 50 cm. Therefore, it takes a lot of time to dig it by hand. This work is also extremely hard work. Furthermore, it takes a considerable skill to dig up the lotus root buried in the deep ground without damaging it with a hoe. This causes the cost of lotus root to increase. As a device for digging lotus roots easily and efficiently, a digging machine for injecting high pressure water into lotus root fields has been developed. This excavator, for example, jets a large amount of pressurized water from a nozzle from top to bottom. The sprayed water separates from the soil without damaging the lotus root. The lotus root separated from the soil moves to the surface of the water and can be dug very efficiently.

The state in which this digging machine sprays water on a lotus root field is shown in the plan view of FIG. The excavator in this figure has a nozzle 2
The traveling carriage 1 is moved forward while reciprocating in the horizontal plane. The nozzle 2 sprays the pressurized water onto the lotus root field from the top to the bottom along the locus shown by the arrow. The nozzle 2 is reciprocated in a horizontal plane with the tip inserted 2 to 10 cm below the water surface in order to efficiently excavate the dust particles.

[0004]

When the traveling carriage travels on the lotus root field in a horizontal posture, the nozzle moves at a set level and is reciprocated in a horizontal plane. However,
In fact, lotus root fields are not always horizontal. Therefore, the traveling carriage may tilt left and right. When the traveling carriage leans to the left and right, the nozzles connected to the traveling carriage also stop reciprocating in a completely horizontal plane. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the nozzle 2 connected to the tilted traveling carriage 1 reciprocates. In this figure, when the nozzle 2 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow A, the nozzle 2 gradually penetrates deep into the ground.
The reciprocating resistance of the nozzle 2 that penetrates deeply becomes extremely large, and the nozzle 2 may be deformed or damaged. In addition, the reciprocating mechanism for reciprocating the nozzle 2 and the arm may be damaged. Conversely, arrow B
When the nozzle 2 moves in the direction indicated by, the nozzle 2 separates from the water surface of the lotus field, and it becomes impossible to dig the lotus efficiently.

In order to prevent this adverse effect, the traveling carriage is devised to move in a horizontal position as much as possible. For example, a mechanism that provides large floats on both sides of the traveling carriage or a mechanism that provides caterpillar (registered trademark) on both sides of the traveling carriage is used. However, even with this structure, the traveling carriage cannot be held horizontally in all the lotus root fields. Therefore, the above-mentioned adverse effects cannot be eliminated.

The present invention was developed for the purpose of solving this drawback. An important object of the present invention is to provide a lotus root excavator that can effectively prevent damage to a nozzle or a reciprocating motion mechanism even when a traveling carriage moving in a lotus root field is tilted, and can efficiently excavate lotus root. To do.

[0007]

A lotus root digging machine according to the present invention comprises a traveling carriage 1 for traveling in a lotus root field, and a drive mechanism mounted on the traveling carriage 1 for allowing the traveling carriage 1 to travel by itself.
A nozzle 2 that is mounted on the traveling carriage 1 so as to reciprocate in a horizontal plane and injects water from the tip into a lotus root field, and a reciprocating mechanism 3 that reciprocates the nozzle 2 in the horizontal plane. The reciprocating mechanism 3 includes an up-and-down mechanism 4 for moving the nozzle tip 2A up and down, and a level sensor 5 at the tip of the nozzle 2. The reciprocating mechanism 3 is
The level sensor 5 detects the vertical position of the nozzle tip 2A, and the vertical mechanism 4 controls the vertical position of the nozzle tip 2A within a set range by a signal from the level sensor 5.

The level sensor 5 may be a liquid level sensor for detecting the water surface of the lotus root field. The reciprocating mechanism 3 detects the highest rising position and the lowest descending position with the level sensor 5, and when the nozzle 2 reciprocates in the horizontal plane and descends to the lowest descending position, the up-and-down mechanism 4 raises the nozzle 2 and the nozzle 2 Up and down mechanism 4 when is raised to the highest position
Can descend the nozzle 2 and control the vertical position of the nozzle tip 2A within a set range. Further, the level sensor 5 includes a protective cylinder 21 having a plurality of through-holes 22 spaced apart from each other in the axial direction, and an electrode 2 housed in the protective cylinder 21.
3, the level sensor 5 can be connected to the nozzle 2 so that the protective cylinder 21 is parallel to the tip of the nozzle 2.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the embodiments described below exemplify a digging machine for a lotus root for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the digging machine for a lotus root is not specified by the present invention.

Further, in this specification, in order to make the claims easy to understand, the numbers corresponding to the members shown in the embodiments are referred to as "the claims column" and "to solve the problems". It is added to the members shown in "Means column". However, the members shown in the claims are not limited to the members of the embodiment.

The lotus root excavator shown in the side view of FIG. 3 and the front view of FIG. 4 has a traveling carriage 1 for traveling in a lotus root field, and a drive mechanism mounted on the traveling carriage 1 for allowing the traveling carriage 1 to travel by itself. And a nozzle 2 which is mounted on the traveling carriage 1 so as to reciprocate in a horizontal plane and sprays water from the tip to the lotus root field.
And a reciprocating mechanism 3 for reciprocating the nozzle 2 in a horizontal plane.

The traveling vehicle 1 has caterpillars (registered trademark) 6 on both sides. The traveling vehicle 1 drives a caterpillar (registered trademark) 6 to travel on a lotus field of soft soil. The drive mechanism includes an engine, a clutch, and a speed change mechanism. The clutch connects the Caterpillar® 6 on both sides separately and independently to the engine. When both clutches are engaged, the traveling carriage 1 moves forward, and when one caterpillar (registered trademark) 6 is engaged with the engine,
The traveling carriage 1 moves forward while bending with the driven caterpillar (registered trademark) 6 as the outside. When both clutches are released, the traveling carriage 1 stops. The speed change mechanism switches between forward and backward movement of the traveling carriage 1.

The excavator moves the nozzle 2 back and forth in a horizontal plane while slowly advancing with a caterpillar (registered trademark) 6. Further, the traveling carriage 1 is stopped when the nozzle 2 is moving left and right in the horizontal plane, and the traveling carriage 1 is moved by a certain distance when the nozzle 2 is moving to the left and right ends. The excavator that moves the traveling carriage 1 in this state can efficiently excavate all the lotus roots by moving the nozzles 2 in a horizontal plane at regular intervals. The traveling carriage 1 is moved and stopped by engaging and disengaging the clutch. At this time, the engine is continuously operated.

The nozzle 2 is a metal pipe whose rear end is connected to the traveling carriage 1. The nozzle 2 in the figure is formed by bending a metal pipe downward from the horizontal direction. The nozzle 2 has a rear end connected to the reciprocating mechanism 3, and is rotated by a predetermined angle in a horizontal plane to reciprocate. The nozzle 2 is reciprocally moved with the tip end thereof being shallowly inserted into the lotus root field. The nozzle 2 that reciprocates at this position comes into contact with the earth and sand of the lotus root field and receives resistance. Therefore, the nozzle 2 is made of a metal pipe that does not deform due to the resistance of contacting the lotus field.

The tip of the nozzle 2 is narrowed down. This is because the pressurized water is vigorously jetted toward the soil of the lotus root field. The nozzle 2 in the drawing jets the pressurized water in a posture in which it is inclined slightly forward. The inner diameter of the nozzle tip 2A is, for example, about 28 mmφ. This nozzle 2 is 1.2 to 1.3
800 to 100 per minute by supplying pressurized water of kg / cm ^2.
Spray 0 liters of water. The nozzle 2 can have a large inner diameter to increase the amount of water sprayed. Moreover, the injection speed can be increased by making the inner diameter thin. The inner diameter of the nozzle 2 is set to, for example, 15 to 35 mmφ so that the amount of water to be jetted and the jetting speed have optimum values for digging the lotus root.

Since the nozzle 2 reciprocates in the horizontal plane, a flexible hose 7 is connected to the rear end. Hose 7
Is connected to a pressurized water pump (not shown) via the nozzle, and the pressurized water supplied from the pressurized water pump is jetted from the tip. The pressurized water pump is mounted on the traveling vehicle 1 or installed separately from the traveling vehicle 1. The pressurized water pump draws in water from the lotus root field, pressurizes it, and supplies it to the nozzle 2. On the supply side of the pressurized water pump, a filter is connected so as not to inhale soil from the lotus field.

The reciprocating mechanism 3 comprises a rotary base 8 connecting the rear ends of the nozzles 2 and a reversing rotary mechanism 9 for reciprocating the rotary base 8 at a predetermined angle. The turntable 8 is
It is connected to the upper end of the vertical rotation shaft 10. Vertical rotation axis 10
Supports the turntable 8 so as to turn in a horizontal plane. The vertical rotating shaft 10 is rotatably mounted on the frame of the traveling carriage 1 via a bearing 11. The reversing and rotating mechanism 9 of the reciprocating mechanism 3 shown in FIGS.
0, and a telescopic cylinder 14 that is connected to the tip of the protruding connecting portion 13 that is connected to 0 in the radial direction.
With. The reversing and rotating mechanism 9 is used in the telescopic cylinder 1.
The protruding connecting portion 13 is driven by the telescopic rod 4 to rotate the vertical rotation shaft 10. However, the excavator of the present invention does not specify the reversal rotation mechanism in the above structure. The reversal rotation mechanism may be a deceleration reversal motor. The deceleration reversing motor can be reversed every time it rotates by a predetermined angle to rotate the vertical rotation shaft within a predetermined angle range.

Further, the reciprocating mechanism 3 shown in the figure comprises an up-and-down mechanism 4 for vertically moving the nozzle tip 2A. The up-and-down mechanism 4 includes a tilting cylinder 15 that is connected to a turntable 8.
And a drive circuit 16 for expanding and contracting the tilting cylinder 15.
Equipped with. The lower end of the tilting cylinder 15 is the vertical rotary shaft 1.
It is connected so that it can be tilted to 0. The turntable 8 is tilted by a tilting cylinder 15. The rotary table 8 is connected to the upper end of the vertical rotary shaft 10 via a rotary pin 17 so as to be tiltable. The lifting mechanism 4 includes a tilting cylinder 15
The rod of is pushed out and the tip of the nozzle 2 is raised. When the tilting cylinder 15 contracts, the tip of the nozzle 2 descends.

The tilting cylinder 15 is a hydraulic cylinder. However, the tilt cylinder can also be an air cylinder. Since the hydraulic cylinder has no cushioning property like air, the nozzle 2 can be stopped at an accurate position. Figure 7
Shows a drive circuit 16 of the tilting cylinder 15. The drive circuit 16 is a pressure source 1 that drives the tilting cylinder 15.
8 and a switching valve 19 connected between the pressure source 18 and the tilting cylinder 15. The pressurizing source 18 is a hydraulic pump that supplies a hydraulic pressure to be pressurized in the case of a hydraulic cylinder, and is a compressor in the case of an air cylinder. Switching valve 19
Are switched by the control circuit 20, and the tilting cylinder 1
Stretch 5 The switching valve 19 has a push-up position for extending the tilt cylinder 15, a lowering position for contracting the tilt cylinder 15, and a stop position for not expanding or contracting the tilt cylinder 15.
One of them is connected to the pressure source 18, and the tilting cylinder 15 is expanded and contracted when the other is opened. Control circuit 2
0 is a signal input from the level sensor 5, and the switching valve 1
Switch 9

The level sensor 5 is fixed to the tip of the nozzle 2. The level sensor 5 detects the vertical position of the nozzle tip 2A. With the signal from the level sensor 5, the up-and-down mechanism 4 controls the up-and-down position of the nozzle tip 2A within a set range. The level sensor 5 detects that the nozzle tip 2A has risen to the maximum rising position, and the nozzle tip 2A
Detects that the vehicle has descended to the lowest descent position. The level sensor 5 outputs a lower level signal when the nozzle tip 2A is lowered to the lowest descent position, and outputs an upper level signal when the nozzle tip 2A is raised to the highest raised position.

The lowest descent position is set to a position where the nozzle tip 2A can be moved laterally smoothly in the soil of the lotus root field, for example, a water depth of 30 mm. However, the lowest descent position can be a water depth of 15 to 100 mm, preferably 20 to 50 mm. The highest ascending position is set to a vertical position at which the lotus root can be efficiently excavated by the pressurized water jetted from the nozzle 2, for example, a water depth of 25 mm. However, the highest rising position can be set below the water surface by 3 to 30 mm higher than the lowest descending position. Also, the highest rising position is
It is also possible to set the nozzle tip 2A to a position slightly elevated above the surface of the lotus root field. This is because even if the nozzle tip 2A slightly rises above the water surface, the lotus root can be dug out with the water pressure injected from the nozzle 2. However,
In order to dig efficiently, it is good to set the highest rising position below the surface of the lotus field.

The level sensor 5 is a liquid level sensor for detecting the water surface of the lotus root field. The liquid level sensor can accurately detect the water surface position at low cost. However, as the level sensor 5, all sensors that can detect the vertical position of the nozzle tip 2A can be used. For example, the level sensor
A sensor that detects the water surface or the ground of the lotus root field by irradiating the water surface or the ground of the lotus root field with laser from the air can also be used. This level sensor is fixed to the tip of the nozzle located above the water surface.

FIG. 8 shows an exploded view of the level sensor 5, which is a liquid level sensor. In the level sensor 5 in this figure, an electrode 23 is arranged inside a protective cylinder 21. The protection cylinder 21 is a hard pipe made of metal or synthetic resin and having a lower end opened, and has a plurality of through holes 22 opened axially apart from each other. The protective cylinder 21 is, for example, a hard synthetic resin pipe having an outer diameter of 60 mm and a length of 400 mm. The through holes 22 have an inner diameter of 10 mm and are opened at both sides of the protective cylinder 21 at a pitch of 50 mm. The electrode 23 is formed on the inner surface of the upper end of the protective cylinder 21.
Is provided with a female screw for fixing.

The electrodes 23 are first, second and third metal rods. The upper ends of the three metal rods are fixed to the insulator 24. The insulator 24 fixes the three metal rods so as not to short-circuit. The insulator 24 is the protective cylinder 2
The three metal rods inserted in 1 are arranged so as not to contact the inside of the protective cylinder 21. The insulator 24 is the protective cylinder 2
A male screw to be screwed into the female screw of No. 1 is provided, and this is screwed in and connected to the protective cylinder 21. 1st, 2nd, 3rd
The total length of the metal rod is 400mm and 375m in order.
m and 370 mm. Longest first metal rod 23A
Is located on the same plane as the tip of the protective cylinder 21.
As the level sensor 5 descends, the first sensor
The tip of the metal rod 23A, the second metal rod 23B, and the third metal rod 23C are brought into contact with the water surface of the lotus root field in this order.

The level sensor 5 detects the highest rising position when the second metal rod 23B stops contacting the water surface from the state where both the first metal rod 23A and the second metal rod 23B contact the water surface. Output an "upper level signal". Further, when the third metal rod 23C comes into contact with the water surface from the state where both the first metal rod 23A and the second metal rod 23B come into contact with the water surface, the level sensor 5 detects the lowest descent position and Low level signal "
Is output. Whether the tip of each metal rod comes into contact with the water surface of the lotus field is determined by detecting conduction between the metal rods.

The traveling carriage 1 tilts left and right, and the nozzle tip 2
When moving A, if the tip 2A of the nozzle descends below the lowest descent position, the level sensor 5 outputs a "lower level signal".
Is output. In this state, the control circuit 20 switches the switching valve 19 from the stop position to the push-up position by the "lower level signal" input from the level sensor 5, extends the rod of the tilt cylinder 15 and extends the nozzle tip 2A. To raise. After that, the switching valve 19 is held in the push-up position until the "lower level signal" is not input to the control circuit 20. When the nozzle tip 2A rises and the level sensor 5 stops outputting the "lower level signal", the control circuit 20 switches the switching valve 19 from the push-up position to the stop position. In this state, the nozzle tip 2A does not rise. After that, when a "lower level signal" is further input from the level sensor 5, this operation is repeated to control the vertical position of the nozzle tip 2A within the set range.

The traveling carriage 1 tilts to the left and right, and the nozzle tip 2
When A is moved, the nozzle tip 2A may gradually rise and become higher than the maximum raised position. In this state, the level sensor 5 outputs an "upper level signal". In this state, the control circuit 20 switches the switching valve 19 from the stop position to the lowering position by the "upper level signal" input from the level sensor 5, and the tilting cylinder 1 is moved.
5 is contracted to lower the nozzle tip 2A. After that, the switching valve 19 is held in the lowered position until the “upper level signal” is not input to the control circuit 20. Nozzle tip 2A
And the level sensor 5 stops outputting the "upper level signal", the control circuit 20 switches the switching valve 19 from the lowered position to the stopped position. In this state, the nozzle tip 2A does not descend. After that, when an "upper level signal" is further input from the level sensor 5, this operation is repeated to control the vertical position of the nozzle tip 2A within the set range.

The above digging machine digs out lotus root by performing the following operations. (1) With the traveling carriage 1 stopped, the reciprocating mechanism 3 moves the nozzle 2 from one of the left and right to the other. (2) When the nozzle 2 moves left and right with the vertical position of the nozzle tip 2A as the setting range, the level sensor 5 does not output the upper level signal and the lower level signal. Therefore, the control circuit 20 does not move the nozzle tip 2A up and down with the switching valve 19 at the stop position. (3) When moving the nozzle 2 from side to side,
When A comes down to the lowest descent position over the upper and lower set ranges, the level sensor 5 outputs a lower level signal. In this state, the control circuit 20 causes the switching valve 19
Is switched from the stop position to the push-up position. The switching valve 19 switched to the push-up position extends the tilt cylinder 15 and raises the nozzle tip 2A. When the nozzle tip 2A rises and enters the set range, the level sensor 5 stops outputting the lower level signal. When the lower level signal is no longer input, the control circuit 20 switches the switching valve 19 from the push-up position to the stop position to stop the rise of the nozzle tip 2A. After that, when the nozzle 2 is further moved to the left and right to come down from the lowest descent position again, the above operation is repeated to control the nozzle tip 2A within the set range. (4) Contrary to (3), when the nozzle 2 is moved left and right, if the tip 2A of the nozzle exceeds the upper and lower setting range and rises to the maximum rising position, the level sensor 5 outputs an upper level signal. To do. In this state, the control circuit 2
0 switches the switching valve 19 from the stopped position to the lowered position. The switching valve 19 switched to the lowered position contracts the tilting cylinder 15 and lowers the nozzle tip 2A.
When the tip 2A of the nozzle descends and enters the set range, the level sensor 5 stops outputting the upper level signal. Control circuit 2
When 0, the upper level signal is not input, the switching valve 19
The nozzle tip 2A
Stop the descent of. After that, when the nozzle 2 is further moved to the right and left and again rises from the maximum rising position, the above operation is repeated and the nozzle tip 2A is controlled within the set range.

The up-and-down mechanism 4 detects the lower level signal and the upper level signal of the level sensor 5, raises the nozzle tip 2A by the lower level signal, and stops the raising by the upper level signal. Further, the nozzle tip 2A is lowered by the upper level signal, and the lowering is stopped by the lower level signal. However,
The up-down mechanism 4 receives the signal from the level sensor 5 and the nozzle tip 2
It is possible to use all the mechanisms that can control the vertical position of A within the setting range, and that are already used or will be developed.

[0030]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION The lotus root digging machine of the present invention effectively prevents damage to the nozzle and reciprocating mechanism even when the traveling carriage moving in the lotus root field is tilted, and further efficiently digs lotus root. There is a feature that can be taken. That is, the lotus root digging machine of the present invention is provided with a vertical mechanism for vertically moving the tip of the nozzle reciprocating in a horizontal plane, and a level sensor is provided at the tip of the nozzle. This is because the vertical position of the tip is detected and the vertical position of the nozzle tip is controlled within the set range.
In the digging machine with this structure, even if the traveling carriage is tilted, this is detected by the level sensor, and the vertical mechanism controls the vertical position of the nozzle tip within the set range by the signal of the level sensor. It is possible to maintain the state of reciprocating movement in the horizontal plane of the set range. Therefore, even if the traveling vehicle is inclined, the tip of the nozzle is prevented from penetrating deep into the ground, and the nozzle and the reciprocating mechanism can be effectively prevented from being damaged. On the contrary, since the tip of the nozzle is surely prevented from separating from the water surface of the lotus root field, the lotus root can be dug efficiently.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a conventional lotus root digging machine injecting water into a lotus root field.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a state in which a conventional lotus digging machine is tilted.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the lotus mining machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the lotus root mining machine shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of a reversing rotation mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an example of a reverse rotation mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a schematic circuit diagram of a vertical mechanism.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of a level sensor.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Traveling vehicle 2 ... Nozzle 2A ... Nozzle tip 3 ... Reciprocating mechanism 4 ... Vertical mechanism 5 ... Level sensor 6 ... Caterpillar 7 ... Hose 8 ... Rotating base 9 ... Inversion rotating mechanism 10 ... Vertical rotating shaft 11 ... Bearing 13 ... projection connecting portion 14 ... expanding cylinder 15 ... tilting cylinder 16 ... driving circuit 17 ... rotating pin 18 ... pressurizing source 19 ... switching valve 20 ... control circuit 21 ... protective cylinder 22 ... through hole 23 ... electrode 23A ... first metal Rod 2
3B ... 2nd metal rod 23C ... 3rd metal rod 24 ... Insulator

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A traveling carriage (1) for traveling in a lotus root field,
A drive mechanism that is mounted on this traveling carriage (1) to drive the traveling carriage (1) by itself, and a nozzle that is mounted on the traveling carriage (1) so as to reciprocate in a horizontal plane and sprays water from the tip to the lotus root field. (2) and a reciprocating mechanism (3) that reciprocates the nozzle (2) in a horizontal plane, a reciprocating mechanism (3) moves the nozzle tip (2A) up and down. A level sensor (5) is provided at the tip of the nozzle (2) as well as a vertical movement mechanism (4) for
Therefore, the vertical position of the nozzle tip (2A) is detected, and the vertical mechanism (4) controls the vertical position of the nozzle tip (2A) within the set range by the signal of the level sensor (5). A lotus root mining machine. 2. The lotus mining machine according to claim 1, wherein the level sensor (5) is a liquid level sensor for detecting the water surface of the lotus root field. 3. When the level sensor (5) detects the highest rising position and the lowest descending position and the nozzle (2) reciprocates in the horizontal plane and descends to the lowest descending position, the up-down mechanism (4) causes the nozzle (2) to move. ) And the nozzle (2) rises to the maximum lift position, the up-down mechanism (4) lowers the nozzle (2) and the nozzle tip (2
The root digging machine according to claim 1, wherein the vertical position of (A) is controlled within a set range. 4. A protective cylinder (21) in which a level sensor (5) has a plurality of through holes (22) spaced apart in the axial direction, and an electrode (23) housed in the protective cylinder (21). ) And a protective tube (21)
The root mining machine according to claim 1, wherein the level sensor (5) is connected to the nozzle (2) so that the nozzle is parallel to the tip of the nozzle (2).