JP3742150B2 - Vibrating fruit harvester - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vibrating fruit harvester that harvests cherries, particularly in an orchard.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, as a method for harvesting fruits such as cherries, a method in which an operator manually harvests fruits using a ladder or the like has been considered. However, since this method is very inefficient and dangerous, recently, an apparatus for harvesting these fruits from the ground has been developed.
[0003]
As an apparatus as described above, a hook having a U-shape or the like is provided at the distal end portion of a long hook, and a power source for vibrating the hook is provided. Then, the hook is hooked on the branch of the fruit tree, the power source is driven to vibrate the straw, and the fruit branch is shaken off by shaking the branch of the fruit tree.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the case of the vibration device (shaker) as described above, the hook is simply hooked on the branch during the work. For this reason, there is a problem that, when vibrated, the hook hits the branch and damages the fruit tree.
In addition, hooks must be selected to some extent in accordance with the thickness of the branches of the fruit tree, which leads to a problem that reduces workability.
Furthermore, since the hook is only hooked, vibrations are not properly transmitted to the branches, resulting in a problem that the fruit cannot be shaken off properly.
[0005]
The present invention has been devised to solve these problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a vibrating fruit harvester that can shake off fruits that are fruit trees in a simple and inexpensive configuration.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve this object, a vibratory fruit harvesting machine according to the present invention is provided with a long operating rod, a movable shaft slidably disposed within the operating rod, and a tip of the movable shaft. An openable / closable clamp mechanism for sandwiching the branches of the fruit tree, an open / close handle for opening and closing the clamp mechanism and fixing the opening of the clamp by a ratchet mechanism, and a drive source for vibrating the movable shaft in the full length direction. It is characterized by comprising.
[0007]
The clamp mechanism includes a left clamp and a right clamp, the left and right clamps are formed in a curved shape so as to be opposed to each other, and the apex of the curved portion is on the axis of the movable shaft. It is comprised so that it may be located.
[0008]
Further, the drive source is characterized in that a backpack-type engine and a mission provided at the base end of the rod are connected by a flexible hose.
[0009]
[Action]
With the above configuration, in the vibrating fruit harvesting machine of the present invention, the branch is first clamped by operating the opening / closing handle in accordance with the thickness of the branch of the fruit tree. The open / close handle is fixed by the ratchet mechanism, and the open / close clamp is held in a clamped state. Next, the engine power is transmitted to the movable shaft, the movable shaft is vibrated, the branch is shaken, and the fruit is shaken off.
[0010]
At this time, since the clamp is formed in a curved shape, the branch can be firmly clamped around the clamp regardless of the thickness of the branch, and the apex of the curved portion is positioned on the axis of the movable shaft. Since it is comprised, the center part of a branch can always be located on the axis line of the said movable shaft, and a vibration can be correctly transmitted to a branch.
In addition, since the opening / closing handle is fixed by the ratchet mechanism, the operator can operate by holding only the operating rod without operating the operator while holding the handle, thereby reducing the labor of the operator.
[0011]
【Example】
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 shows a vibrating fruit harvester 1 according to the present invention. The vibrating fruit harvester 1 is provided with a long operation rod 2 and a slide inside the operation rod 2. The movable shaft 3, the open / close clamp mechanism 4 provided at the tip of the movable shaft 3 to sandwich the branch of the fruit tree, the clamp mechanism 4 is opened / closed, and the opening degree of the clamp 4 is fixed by the ratchet mechanism 5. An opening / closing handle 6 is provided.
[0012]
The operation rod 2 is made of a relatively light material such as aluminum and is formed in a long cylindrical shape. In addition, the movable shaft 3 is disposed at least over the entire length inside the operation rod 2 and is configured to be slidable in the length direction with respect to the operation rod 2. Further, the operating rod 2 is provided with a grip 21 gripped by an operator, and the grip 21 is formed of an elastic member such as rubber or resin so as to absorb vibrations of the operating rod 21 and the like. It has become.
[0013]
A mission 7 is provided at the base end of the operating rod 2 and the movable shaft 3. As shown in FIG. 2, the transmission 7 is equipped with a rotating shaft 71 through which the rotational power from the engine 8 is transmitted through a flexible hose 81. The rotating shaft 71 is connected to the machine frame by a bearing 71a. It is rotatably arranged. A worm gear 72 is connected to the rotating shaft 71 and meshes with a worm wheel gear 74 connected to the crank wheel 73. In addition, one end portion of the crank rod 75 is rotatably connected to the vicinity of the outer periphery of the crank wheel 73, and the other end portion of the crank rod 75 is rotatable to the base end portion of the movable shaft 3. It is connected to.
[0014]
In the mission 7 configured as described above, the rotation shaft 71 rotates and the worm gear 72 rotates by receiving power from the engine 8. Then, due to the characteristics of the worm gear, the rotational speed of the worm gear is reduced and the motive power is transmitted to the worm wheel gear so that the crank wheel 73 rotates. As the crank wheel 73 rotates, the crank rod 75 rotates. At this time, one end of the crank rod 75 is rotatably connected to the crank wheel 73, and the other end of the crank rod 75 is connected to the movable shaft. Since the crank rod 75 is crank-moved, the rotational motion of the crank wheel 73 is converted into linear motion. As a result, the movable shaft 3 moves linearly.
[0015]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the openable clamp mechanism 4 includes a first bracket 41, a second bracket 42, a left clamp 43, a right clamp 44, and a clamp support member 45. .
The first bracket 41 is formed of a metal plate having a certain degree of rigidity, and has holes 41a that are formed in a plurality of places in a circular shape in consideration of light weight and rigidity. One end of the first bracket 41 is connected to the tip of the movable shaft 3, and the first bracket 41 vibrates when the movable shaft 3 moves linearly.
[0016]
The second bracket 42 has a required height in the vicinity of the tip of the first bracket 41 and is connected by bolts 42a and 42a, and a long hole 42b is formed in the vertical direction in the figure. Has been.
The left clamp 43 and the right clamp 44 are formed so as to be curved with respect to each other, and are arranged so that the apex of the curved portion is located on the axis of the movable shaft 3 as shown in the figure. . Further, the left clamp 43 and the right clamp 44 are provided with elastic bodies 43a, 44a such as rubber materials inside thereof.
Therefore, when a branch is clamped by the left clamp 43 and the right clamp 44, the branch can be clamped so as not to be damaged by the entire curved portion, and the center of the branch is positioned on the axis of the movable shaft 3. Become. As a result, vibration can be properly transmitted to the branches of the fruit tree.
[0017]
The left clamp 43 and the right clamp 44 intersect with each other and are connected to the first bracket 41 by a connecting bolt 46 so that the left clamp 43 and the right clamp 44 can rotate freely. Clamp support members 45 and 45 are rotatably connected to the end portions, respectively, and the clamp support members 45 and 45 are rotatable with respect to each other by a slide pin 47 that moves along the long hole 42b. It is connected.
[0018]
The slide pin 47 is connected to a wire 9 to be described later, and the slide pin 47 is always urged downward by a spring 48.
For this reason, as shown in FIG. 3, the slide pin 47 is normally positioned below in the long hole 42b, and the clamp 4 is in an open state.
As shown in FIG. 4, when the wire 9 is pulled, the slide pin 47 slides upward against the elastic force of the spring 48, and the clamp 45 is closed at the same time.
[0019]
As shown in FIG. 5, a handle fixing bracket 61 is fixed to the operation rod 2. An opening / closing handle 6 for opening / closing the clamp 4 is rotatably connected to the handle fixing bracket 61.
The opening / closing handle 6 is provided with a tote portion 62 on which an operator catches a hand, and the other end of the wire 9 whose one end is connected to the slide pin 47 of the clamp mechanism 4 is connected to the opening / closing handle 6. It is connected. Further, a ratchet blade 51 is formed around a part of the opening / closing handle 6. The handle fixing bracket 61 is provided with a ratchet claw 52 that meshes with the ratchet blade 51 so as to be rotatable. Although not shown here, the opening / closing handle 6 is biased in the clamp opening direction by a spring or the like, and the ratchet pawl 52 is also biased by a spring or the like in a direction in which the pawl engages with the ratchet blade 51.
[0020]
With the opening / closing handle 6 configured in this manner, when the operator pulls the totte portion 62 toward the operating rod 2, the wire 9 is pulled and the clamp 4 is closed. At this time, since the ratchet pawl 52 is engaged with the ratchet blade formed on the opening / closing handle 6, the handle 6 is fixed and the opening / closing degree of the clamp 4 is also fixed.
[0021]
Next, the operation of the vibratory fruit harvester 1 according to the present invention will be described.
First, the operator firmly holds the branches of the fruit tree to be harvested with the clamp mechanism 4 by operating the opening / closing handle 6. At this time, since the ratchet pawl 52 meshes with the ratchet blade formed on the opening / closing handle 6, the handle 6 is fixed and the opening / closing degree of the clamp mechanism 4 is also fixed. Further, since the left and right clamps 43 and 44 are formed in a curved shape, the branch can be firmly clamped around the clamps 43 and 44 regardless of the thickness of the branch, and the apex of the curved portion is the movable shaft 3. Therefore, the center part of the branch can always be positioned on the axis of the movable shaft 3 and vibration can be accurately transmitted to the branch.
Next, the operator operates the throttle 82 of the engine 8 to vibrate the movable shaft 3. At this time, in the transmission 7, the speed is reduced to an appropriate rotational speed by the worm gear, and the vibration frequency is set to an appropriate value.
Since the clamp mechanism 4 is fixed by the ratchet mechanism 5, the operator performs the harvesting operation with the operation rod with both hands.
[0022]
Note that the engine 8 described above may be of the back type on the back of the operator, or may be of the ground type that is placed on the ground.
[0023]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the vibratory fruit harvesting machine of the present invention, the branch can be accurately clamped by the open / close clamp by operating the open / close handle according to the thickness of the branch of the fruit tree. Since the open / close handle can be fixed by the ratchet mechanism and the open / close clamp can be held, the labor of the operator can be reduced.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall explanatory view of a vibrating fruit harvester according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the structure of a mission.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a clamp structure.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a clamp structure.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a handle portion.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vibrating fruit harvesting machine 2 Operating rod 21 Grip 3 Movable shaft 4 Clamp 41 1st bracket 42 2nd bracket 43 Left clamp 44 Right clamp 45 Clamp support material 46 Connection bolt 47 Slide pin 48 Spring 5 Ratchet mechanism 51 Ratchet blade 52 Ratchet Claw 6 Opening / closing handle 61 Handle fixing bracket 62 Totte 7 Mission 71 Rotating shaft 72 Worm gear 73 Crank wheel 74 Warm wheel gear 75 Crank rod 8 Engine 81 Flexible hose 82 Throttle 9 Wire

Claims (2)

A long operating rod, a movable shaft slidably disposed inside the operating rod, an openable / closable clamping mechanism that is provided at a distal end portion of the movable shaft and sandwiches a branch of a fruit tree, and the clamping mechanism An opening / closing handle that fixes the opening of the clamp by a ratchet mechanism, and a drive source that vibrates the movable shaft in the full length direction ,
The clamp mechanism includes a left clamp and a right clamp, the left and right clamps are formed in a curved shape with respect to each other, and the apex of the curved portion is positioned on the axis of the movable shaft. This is a vibratory fruit harvesting machine. The drive source is an engine and the vibration-type fruit harvesting machine according to claim 1, wherein a formed by connecting the mission provided in the proximal end of the movable shaft by a flexible hose.

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