JP7493240B2 - Harvesting method and working machine using the harvesting method - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a harvesting method and a harvesting machine using the harvesting method. More specifically, it relates to a method for harvesting crops buried underground and a harvesting machine for crops buried underground.

When crops such as yams, which are buried underground and are long and easily damaged, are dug up from the ground and harvested, it is desirable to harvest them without causing external injuries such as scratches or dents, or without breaking the crops.
Since injuries and breakage of long crops such as yams significantly reduce their commercial value, the utmost care must be taken when harvesting them. Patent Document 1 describes an invention that digs up such crops from the ground and an apparatus that uses this method.
The device described in Patent Document 1 is a yam digging device that excavates both sides of a yam and uses a digging blade body with an upwardly inclined rear portion to successively lift the yam together with the cultivation soil and move it rearward.

JP 2014-212786 A

However, in the device described in Patent Document 1, after the yam, which is the crop, is raised together with the soil, the worker must manually pull the crop out of the soil, which requires a lot of labor. In addition, when pulling the crop out of the soil, the worker must hold the crop with an appropriate amount of force and pull it up in the right direction. Therefore, the worker must be skilled in pulling out the crop, which creates the problem of limited manpower available for pulling out the crop.
In addition, when an operator uses the device described in Patent Document 1 to pull up crops, the operator must be positioned on the ground behind the digging blade or above the digging blade, which requires the operator to lift the crops and bend down, resulting in a problem of great physical effort.
The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a harvesting method etc. that allows crops to be easily dug up.

The present invention relates to
a digging step of digging up the crop buried in the ground from below as the harvester advances so that at least an upper portion of the crop is above the ground surface;
an extraction step of attaching a string-like extraction means to the crops and pulling up the extraction means to extract the crops from the ground;
A harvesting method comprising:
relates to.

The present invention further comprises:
A harvesting method comprising: successively lifting the crops with a pulling means;
relates to.

The present invention further comprises:
a pulling out step of providing the pulling means made of the string with a crop fixing part that can be shrunk to the crop to narrow it , attaching the crop fixing part to the crop, and pulling up the pulling means made of the string to pull out the crop from the ground;
A harvesting method comprising:
relates to.

The present invention further comprises:
a pulling out step of providing a ring-shaped body that can be shrunk to the crop as a crop fixing part on the pulling means consisting of the string-shaped body, and pulling out the crop from the ground by shrinking the crop with the ring-shaped body and pulling up the string-shaped body;
A harvesting method comprising:
relates to.

The present invention further comprises:
a vibration step of vibrating the crop while digging the crop upward;
A harvesting method comprising:
relates to.

The present invention further comprises:
The extraction step is performed after the digging step.
A harvesting method,
relates to.

The present invention relates to
a digging means for digging up the crops buried in the ground from below while the digging machine advances so that at least the upper part of the crops is above the ground surface;
and a pulling means formed of a string-like body,
a harvester, characterized in that the extraction means can be attached to the plant, and the plant can be extracted from the ground by pulling up the extraction means ;
relates to.

The present invention further comprises:
A harvester characterized in that a base is provided continuously on a lane in which a pulling means made of a string-like body is provided at an incline so that the position becomes higher toward the rear of the harvester;
relates to.

The present invention further comprises:
a harvester, characterized in that the pulling means is provided with a plant fixing part on the string-like body that can be attached to the plant;
relates to.

The present invention further comprises:
A harvester characterized in that the plant fixing part is made of an annular body that can be attached to the plant by shrinking and narrowing it.
relates to.

The present invention further comprises:
a vibration means provided on the digging means and capable of vibrating the crop while digging the crop upward;
A harvester comprising:
relates to.

The present invention further comprises:
The extraction means is located on the rear side of the digging means in the traveling direction.
A harvester characterized by:
relates to.

The present invention further comprises:
The angle of the support supporting the extraction means with respect to the ground surface is equal to or greater than the angle of the inclined surface of the digging means with respect to the ground surface.
A harvester characterized by:
relates to.

This invention provides a harvesting method and harvester that makes it easy to dig up crops.

1 is a front view of a working machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the left in the traveling direction. 1 is a plan view of a working machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention, the traveling direction being the left side of the drawing. 1 is a side view of a working machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the rear side in the traveling direction. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing how a crop fixing part made of an annular body of a working machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention is attached to a crop and how it is removed. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing how a crop fixing part made of an annular body of a working machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention is attached to a crop and how it is removed. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing how a crop fixing part made of an annular body of a working machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention is attached to a crop and how it is removed. FIG. 13 is a front view of a working machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the left in the traveling direction, the traveling direction being the left side of the drawing. 13 is a plan view of a working machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention, showing modified examples of the support body and the string-like body.

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG.
1 to 3 are front, side and plan views showing the external appearance of a first harvester 14, which is a root vegetable digger of the present invention, in a working position.
A three-point link mechanism, which is a lifting link, is provided at the rear of a tractor (not shown) which is a traveling work vehicle, and is connected to a mounting part at the front of the first harvester 14, which is a root vegetable digger of the present invention, so that the first harvester 14 can be lifted and lowered, and is driven by power output from the tractor. In the explanation of this embodiment, the left side shown in Figure 1 will be explained as the front side in the traveling direction.

1 is a machine frame provided for the first harvester 14. The machine frame 1 is formed with plate-like bodies facing each other on the left and right. At the front end of the machine frame 1, a round bar-shaped frame is fixed between the plate-like bodies and has lower link pins 1f at the left and right ends to connect and fix the plate-like bodies, and furthermore, a bracket 1b is protruded upward from the rear end of the machine frame 1. The machine frame 1 constitutes the main frame of the first harvester 14, which is a root vegetable digger.

A mast frame 1a is provided at the front of the machine frame 1. The mast frame 1a is made of a plate-like body and is connected to the machine frame 1 in a state where the left and right sides face each other. The base part, which is the lower end of the mast frame 1a, is held by a rotating shaft 1c near a round bar-shaped frame of the machine frame 1 on which the lower link pin 1f is provided so as to be rotatable back and forth, and a top link pin 1e is provided horizontally in the left and right direction at the front of the upper tip of the mast frame 1a. The rear of the mast frame 1a is connected to one end of a hydraulic cylinder 1d, and the other end of the hydraulic cylinder 1d is connected to a bracket 1b provided at the rear of the machine frame 1.
The top link pin 1e and the lower link pin 1f provided on the machine frame 1 are used to attach the machine frame 1 to a three-point link mechanism that is a lifting link for the tractor. By extending and retracting the hydraulic cylinder 1d, the machine frame 1 can be rotated up and down around the rotating shaft 1c. When the hydraulic cylinder 1d is contracted, the excavation part 2 rotates backward and rises, and is in a moving state.

The excavation section 2 and beam 1g extend downward from the machine frame 1, with one pair on the left and one on the right. The excavation section 2 is located in front of the beam 1g, and excavates the soil on the left and right sides of the crop A, which is a root vegetable such as yam, to be dug up. The lower end of the beam 1g is equipped with a digging means 3, which will be described later.

The excavation unit 2 is provided facing downward on the machine frame 1. When the first harvester, which is a root vegetable digger, is in a digging operation state, the excavation unit 2 is positioned in the soil and excavates the soil on the left and right sides of the crop A, which is a root vegetable such as yam, to be dug up, making it easier to pull out the crop A. The excavation unit 2 comprises a boom 2a and an excavation chain 20 wound around it.
The excavation chain 20 is composed of a roller chain 2e and a plurality of excavation blades 2f attached to its outer periphery. The excavation chain 20 is wound in a triangular shape in side view around a drive sprocket 2b provided at the base of the boom 2a on the machine frame 1 side, a tension sprocket 2c provided at the other end, and an idler sprocket 2d provided to protrude forward from the middle part of the boom 2a.

The booms 2a face each other on the left and right in the direction of travel, and each has its upper end fixed to the machine frame 1. An excavation chain 20 is provided on each of the opposing booms 2a, and during digging work, the crop A, which is a root vegetable such as yam to be dug up, is positioned between the opposing booms 2a, and the stretched excavation chain 20 is driven up and down to push aside and loosen the soil on the left and right sides of the crop A to be dug up. The tip of the boom 2a is extendable in the length direction, allowing the tension of the excavation chain 20 to be adjusted.
Behind the excavation chain 20 of the excavation section 2, beams 1g are provided extending downward from the machine frame 1 in close proximity to the excavation chain 20, facing each other on the left and right, and are provided in a position overlapping with the rear of the excavation chain 20 in the rear view shown in Figure 3. The lower end of the beam 1g is extended to the vicinity of the lower end of the excavation chain 20. The beam 1g is a vertically long strip-like plate, and its upper part is fixed to the machine frame 1 with its plate thickness edge facing the direction of travel. The positional relationship between the boom 2a and the beam 1g is fixed.

The lower end of the beam 1g is fitted with digging means 3. The digging means 3 includes a belt conveyor 3a and a vibration means 4.
The belt conveyor 3a is the main body of the digging means 3, and is equipped with a blade portion 3d at the front portion which slopes upward toward the rear, and the upper surface of the blade portion 3d extends rearward from the rear end portion of the blade portion 3d and has an inclined surface which slopes upward from the front to the rear with respect to the ground surface L.
The vibration means 4 is provided at the rear end of the belt conveyor 3a and acts to extend the inclined surface having a flat portion approximately the same as the width of the belt conveyor 3a.

The digging means 3 is provided between the beams 1g positioned on the left and right, and is attached by fixing the vicinity of the blade portion 3d to the beams 1g. During digging work, the digging means 3 passes under the crop A, which is a root vegetable such as yam to be dug up, and places the soil around the inner crop A, which has been excavated by the excavation section 2 and softened on the left and right sides, and the crop A on the inclined surface of the belt conveyor 3a, and moves it, lifting the crop A upward.
As the digging means 3 advances, it digs up the crop A buried in the ground from below so that at least the upper part of the crop A is above the ground surface L.
In this embodiment, the inclined surface which is the digging means main body of the digging means 3 is a belt conveyor, but the inclined surface may be fixed by a plate material such as a resin material.

The blade portion 3d is made of steel plate and is set to have approximately the same width as the belt conveyor 3a. It is located in front of the belt conveyor 3a and cuts the soil below the crops A as the tractor moves forward.
The belt conveyor 3a is wound around a driving roller (not shown) on the rear side and a support roller (not shown) on the front side, and transports soil above the belt conveyor 3a to the rear side. The driving roller (not shown) of the belt conveyor 3a is driven to rotate by a hydraulic motor (not shown) provided in the digging means 3, and the inclined surface on the upper surface of the belt conveyor 3a is driven to move from the front side to the rear side. The driving roller (not shown) of the belt conveyor 3a and the support roller (not shown) that supports the conveyor belt are rotatably held by conveyor side plates 3f that are erected on the left and right sides of the belt conveyor 3a.

The vibration means 4 is provided behind the driving roller (not shown) at the rear end of the belt conveyor 3a, and acts to extend the inclined surface of the belt conveyor 3a, with a flat surface approximately the same width as the belt conveyor 3a. The vibration means 4 is supported by a vibration means support bracket 4f that is mounted across the left and right rear parts of the conveyor side plates 3f, allowing it to swing left and right. A vibration boss 4g, which is a pipe-shaped boss parallel to the direction of travel, is provided at approximately the center of the vibration means support bracket 4f, and a vibration central shaft 4a is inserted into the vibration boss 4g, allowing the vibration means 4 to be attached so that it can vibrate left and right.

A motor (not shown) is fixed to the vibration means holding bracket 4f at a position to the side of the vibration boss 4g, and a circular plate-shaped vibration cam (not shown) is fixed to the output shaft of the motor (not shown) that is provided facing backward parallel to the direction of travel. When the motor (not shown) rotates, the vibration cam (not shown) rotates eccentrically up and down and left and right. On the other hand, the vibration means 4 is provided with guide frames (not shown) that are rectangular when viewed from the rear and close to the top and bottom of the vibration cam (not shown) so as to surround the vibration cam (not shown), and when the vibration cam (not shown) rotates eccentrically up and down, the guide frames (not shown) are moved up and down, and the vibration means 4 vibrates around the vibration central axis 4a.

The vibration means 4 is provided on the digging means 3. The vibration means 4 can impart vibration to the crop A during the process of digging up the crop A upward.
The vibration means 4 vibrates up and down in the left and right direction, so that the soil lifted up together with the crop A by the slope of the belt conveyor 3a gradually escapes downward from the left and right ends, preventing the soil that reaches the rear end of the vibration means 4 from suddenly collapsing. Also, the upper part of the lifted soil is collapsed by vibration to expose the head of the crop A, making it easier to grasp, thereby reducing the risk of pulling out errors.
The vibration means 4 shakes off the soil adhering to the crop A that has been dug up upward, and the amount of soil adhering to the dug-up crop A is reduced, thereby reducing the load lifted by the string-like body 11 and the load on the string-like body 11 and the support body 9.

The motor (not shown) is provided so that its mounting position in the left-right direction relative to the vibration means holding bracket 4f can be changed. In this embodiment, three mounting bolt holes for the motor (not shown) are provided at the same pitch in the left-right direction, so that the motor (not shown) can be mounted at two positions in the left-right direction.
When the vibration means 4 is attached closer to the vibration central axis 4a, the vibration angle of the vibration means 4 becomes larger, and when the vibration means 4 is attached farther away, the vibration angle becomes smaller. A vibration angle that matches the soil conditions in which the root vegetable crop A is grown can be selected. Normally, when the soil is not easily crumbled, a large vibration angle is used, and when the soil is easily crumbled, a small vibration angle is used. The motor (not shown) may be a motor driven by hydraulic pressure or the like. Also, although the vibration means 4 has been described as being capable of freely vibrating in the vertical direction at both the left and right ends in the traveling direction, the same effect can be obtained even if only the front and rear ends or the rear end side are attached so as to be freely vibrated in the vertical direction.

The vibration means 4 can be attached by changing the angle of the flat part up or down relative to the inclined surface of the belt conveyor 3a, and the bolt attachment hole of the vibration means holding bracket 4f on the conveyor side plate 3f is an elongated hole, so that the angle can be changed and fixed.

8 denotes the soil-breaking means. The soil-breaking means 8 is provided on the rear side of the upper part at the midpoint between the left and right beams 1g. The soil-breaking means 8 is intended to expose the upper end of the root vegetable crop A by clearing the soil to the left and right from the root vegetable crop A and soil that have been raised by the digging means 3. The soil-breaking means 8 is made up of multiple round, bar-shaped clearing rods arranged in a straight line at intervals in the direction of travel, and the upper part vibrates at the center with the lower part vibrating in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel to clear the soil.

The state shown in Figure 1 shows the posture during digging work, and in this embodiment, the digging means 3 is located at a depth of about 1.2 m underground. When the excavator is moved by a tractor, the hydraulic cylinder 1d is contracted, and the machine frame 1 rotates counterclockwise around the rotating shaft 1c from the state shown in Figure 1. As a result, the lower part of the excavation unit 2 fixed to the machine frame 1 and the digging means 3 rotate and rise.
Furthermore, when the three-point link mechanism, which is the lifting link of the tractor, is raised, the lower part of the excavation section 2 and the digging means 3 are positioned above ground level and can be moved by the tractor or the like.

The drive section of the belt conveyor 3a of the digging means 3 in this embodiment will be described. A hydraulic motor (not shown) is provided in the center of the left and right conveyor side plates 3f of the digging means 3 to drive the belt conveyor 3a. Two drive rollers (not shown) are provided on the left and right sides to drive the belt conveyor 3a located at the rear end of the belt conveyor 3a, and a gear case is provided in the middle to which the hydraulic motor (not shown) is attached, and when the hydraulic motor (not shown) is driven, the belt conveyor 3a is driven.

An input gear case 5b is provided in the center of the machine frame 1, into which power from the tractor is input. An input shaft 5c protrudes forward from the front of the input gear case 5b, and the tractor's PTO shaft (not shown) and the input shaft 5c are connected by a universal joint or the like to input power from the tractor. Output shafts protrude from the input gear case 5b on the left and right in a direction perpendicular to the input shaft 5c, and a drive sprocket 2b is fixed to each of them. The excavation chain 20 of the excavation section 2 is wound around the drive sprocket 2b, and the excavation chain 20 is driven by the power input to the input shaft 5c.

A hydraulic pump 5a is provided on the upper part of the input gear case 5b, and a roller chain is wound around a sprocket fixed to the input shaft 5c and a sprocket fixed to the input shaft of the hydraulic pump 5a, thereby driving the hydraulic pump 5a.
The hydraulic pressure generated by the hydraulic pump 5a is sent through piping to a hydraulic motor (not shown) of the digging means 3 to drive the hydraulic motor (not shown). When the hydraulic motor (not shown) is driven, a drive roller (not shown) of the belt conveyor 3a of the digging means 3 rotates, and the belt conveyor 3a operates. An output section that drives the soil collapsing means 8 is provided behind the input gear case 5b, and drives the soil collapsing means 8. A hydraulic cylinder 1d that rotates the machine frame 1 is provided with a valve on the tractor side and is operated by the hydraulic pressure on the tractor side.

A support body 9 is disposed in a straight line from the rear end portion 1h of the machine frame to the rear of the first harvester 14. The support body 9 is disposed at an incline so that the position of the support body 9 becomes higher as it goes rearward.
The support 9 is required to be able to move the ring-shaped crop fixing part 12 upward when the crop A is pulled upward. For example, as shown in the first embodiment, the other end of the string-shaped body 11 serving as the pulling means may be made movable diagonally upward and rearward, so that the ring-shaped body moves upward to pull out the crop.

The angle of the support 9 to which the lane 10 is attached with respect to the ground surface L is set to be equal to or greater than the inclined surface of the digging means 3. In this way, the string-like body 11, which is the pulling means suspended from the lane 10 attached to the support 9, reaches the rear end of the digging means 3 and pulls out the crops from the soil, or when it reaches the rear end of the digging means 3, the crops A can be pulled up from this rear end without falling.
Alternatively, the other end of the string-like body 11 may be movable horizontally to the rear, and the shortening means 16 may be configured to shorten the string-like body 11 by winding up both ends thereof, so that the crop fixing part 12, which is a ring-shaped body, moves upward to pull out the crop.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a lane. In the first embodiment, the lane 10 is a rectangle with arc-shaped corners, as shown in the plan view of FIG. 2. The lane 10 is attached to the support 9, which supports the lane 10. Therefore, the lane 10 is positioned higher the further rearward it goes. The lane 10 is not limited to the shape shown in the first embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the string-like body 11 is positioned above the digging means 3, has a section that can move parallel to the traveling direction of the first harvester 14, and if this section can reach rearward of the rear end of the digging means 3, the crop A can be pulled out upward.
The lane 10 supports the other end of a string-like body 11 which is a pulling means.

The lane 10 allows a suspended pulling means, a string 11, to move around the circumference of the lane 10.
The string-like bodies 11 are hung continuously at equal intervals toward the rear side in the moving direction of the digging means 3. When a crop is attached to the string-like bodies 11 and the first harvester 14 moves forward, the crop A is pulled to the ground and the string-like bodies 11 move relatively backward along the lane 10.
The lane 10 may be driven by a motor to rotate the string-like body 11, which is the pulling means, along the circumference of the lane 10. Alternatively, it may be driven by the same driving source as the driving source of the excavation chain 20 of the excavation unit 2.
The lane 10 on which the string-like body 11 moves in a circular motion is provided so that at least a portion of it is located above the middle portion of the digging means 3 in the direction of travel, as shown in the plan view of Fig. 2. The string-like body 11 moving in a circular motion on the lane 10 can be located above the crop A. The lane 10 is driven so that the string-like body 11 located above the crop A moves at the same relative speed to the ground surface L and the crop A in the plan view.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a string-like body serving as the pulling means. The string-like body 11 serving as the pulling means has a flat cross section and is made of woven fibers made of metal wire, resin thread, plastic thread, etc. to increase flexibility. The string-like body 11 serving as the pulling means is attached at its base to the lane 10 and is hung at equal intervals on the rear side of the digging means 3 in the traveling direction, providing a continuous structure.
The tip of the string-like body 11, which is the pulling-out means, can be attached to the crop A. The string-like body 11 is attached to a crop, and the crop A can be pulled out from the ground by pulling up the string-like body 11 attached to the crop A.
A string-like body 11 , which is a pulling means suspended from a lane 10 attached to the support 9 , is indirectly supported by the support 9 .

A plant fastening part constituting a part of the extracting means is designated at 12. In this embodiment, the plant fastening part 12 is made of an annular body that can be attached to the plant A by being narrowed.
The crop fastening part 12 is provided at the tip of the string-like body 11 which is the pulling means. In this embodiment, the pulling means is composed of the string-like body 11 and the crop fastening part 12 which is a ring-shaped body.
The crop fixing part 12 made of a ring is positioned above the crop A, the ring is narrowed, and the other end of the pulling means made of a string-like body 11 is pulled up, so that the crop A and the ring-like body can be pulled up together. When the other end of the string-like body is pulled up, the crop can also be pulled up at the same time.

In the first embodiment of the invention, the string-like body 11 is configured so that one end is wound into a ring to form the ring-like body 12, and the ring-like body 12 narrows when pulled towards the other end of the string-like body. When the ring-like body 12 is positioned above crop A and the other end of the string-like body 11 is pulled up, the ring-like body above crop A narrows, and crop A and string-like body 11 become one. Therefore, when the other end of the string-like body 11 is pulled up, crop A can also be pulled upward at the same time.

The crop fastening part 12, which is a ring-shaped body shown in the embodiment, may have any configuration as long as it can form a ring-shaped body that can be tightened around one end of the string-shaped body 11. For example, a ring-shaped body may be provided on the scissors part as in clothes scissors, and the diameter of the ring-shaped body may be freely expanded or contracted. The ring-shaped body 12 is not limited to being string-shaped.
The worker only has to fasten or attach the crop fixing part 12, which is a ring-shaped body of the string-like body 11, to the upper part of the crop, and there is no need to tie or bind the string-like body 11.

When the crop fixing part 12, which is a ring-shaped body, is formed at the end of the string-shaped body 11 as in the embodiment, even if the ring-shaped body 12 is larger than the crop, it is easy to make the ring-shaped body 12 adhere closely to the crop by pulling the other end side of the string-shaped body 11 to narrow the ring-shaped body 12. Therefore, when the other end of the string-shaped body 11 is pulled up, the ring-shaped body 12 does not slip out from the top of the crop A.

The crop fixing part 12, which is a ring-shaped body, can be flexibly bent and has a flat cross section, so it can be tightly attached to the crop A and the contact area between the ring-shaped body 12 and the crop A can be made large. Therefore, when the string-shaped body 11 is pulled upward, the ring-shaped body 12 does not locally press against the crop A and does not damage the crop A. In addition, because the contact area with the crop A is large, it is possible to create an appropriate frictional force with the crop A when pulling it up. The crop A can be stably suspended by the string-shaped body 11 without damaging the upper part of the crop A, not to mention the weight of the crop A, even if soil adheres to the crop A.

It is preferable that the other end of the string-like body 11 is located as far above the ground as possible. Even when the other end of the string-like body 11 is not directly above the crop A and the ring-shaped crop fixing part 12 is pulled up together with the string-like body 11, force is unlikely to be applied in the lateral direction to the crop A, which can prevent it from breaking.

The other end of the string-like body 11 is configured to be positioned above the crop A to be pulled out. As the digging-up means 3 progresses during the digging-up process shown in Figure 1 etc., the other end of the string-like body 11 is configured to move backward together with the crop A, which retreats relatively from the digging-up means 3. In other words, the ring-like body attached to the crop A can also move together with the crop A. This allows the other end of the string-like body 11 to be positioned as high above the crop A as possible, allowing the crop A to be pulled out without applying lateral force to the crop A.

The following describes a method for performing digging operations using the first harvester, which is a root vegetable digger for yams and other vegetables according to an embodiment of the present invention. The lower link pins 1f provided on the front left and right sides of the machine frame 1 are connected to the lower links of the tractor's three-point linkage, and the top link pin 1e located on the front side of the mast frame 1a provided on the front upper part of the machine frame 1 is connected to the top link of the tractor's three-point linkage, thereby mounting the digger on the tractor. A power transmission shaft such as a universal joint is connected to the tractor's PTO shaft and the input shaft 5c of the input gear case 5b, enabling power to be input from the tractor.

The tractor is positioned astride the furrows on which the crop A, such as yam, to be dug up is planted, i.e., the crop A is positioned in the center of the left and right excavation chains 20 of the excavation unit 2, and the excavation unit 2 and the belt conveyor 3a of the digging means 3 are driven. Then, by operating a valve on the tractor side to extend the hydraulic cylinder 1d, the machine frame 1 rotates clockwise as shown in Figure 1, and the excavation unit 2 and digging means 3 fixed to it penetrate into the ground. Once the front blade 3d of the digging means 3 is positioned below the desired crop A to be dug up, the tractor is moved forward to begin digging work.

As the tractor moves forward, the excavation section 2 excavates the left and right sides of the crop A to loosen and soften the soil, and the soil located inside the left and right excavation chains 20 is placed on the inclined surface of the belt conveyor 3a of the digging means 3 located behind it and moves backward together with the crop A.
As the crop A moves, the crop A and soil are lifted upward along the inclined surface of the belt conveyor 3a. When the lifted soil moves to the vibration means 4 at the rear end of the digging means 3, some of the soil around the crop A flows into the space below the vibration means 4 and below the digging means 3. The vibration of the vibration means 4 causes the soil around the crop A to collapse from above, and the upper tip of the crop A becomes exposed above the ground surface L, which is the field surface.
In the present embodiment, the excavation section 2 is provided in front of the digging means 3, but the present invention can be practiced even if the excavator is not necessarily provided with the excavation section 2.

1i is an excavation wall surface. The excavation wall surface 1i is formed on the left and right outer sides in the advancing direction of the excavation section 2 after the excavation section 2 passes through. The excavation wall surface 1i and the soil on the left and right outer sides of the excavation wall surface 1i with respect to the excavation section 2 are in a hard compacted state, and will not collapse after the excavation section 2 and the digging means 3 pass through.
The soil S after digging is lifted up by the digging means 3, and then falls from the rear end of the vibration means 4 between the digging wall surfaces 1i.

As the first harvester 14 advances, it digs up the crop A buried in the ground from below so that at least the upper part of the crop A is above the ground surface L.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the crop fixing parts 12, which are ring-shaped bodies provided on the string-like body 11, are brought close to the crops A, and as shown in FIG. 5, the crop fixing parts 12 are sequentially attached to the crops A.
Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the string-like body 11 is pulled up, whereby the crop A is successively hoisted by the string-like body 11, and the crop A is pulled out from the ground.
The string-like body 11 attached to the crop A at the crop fixing part 12 is successively pulled up to pull out the crop A from the ground.

A ring-shaped body 12 capable of being successively attached to the crop A to pinch (bud) is attached to the string-shaped body 11, the crop A is pinched by the ring-shaped body 12 and the string-shaped body 11 is pulled up, the crop A is successively pulled out from the ground, and the crop A is successively lifted up.
Since the lane 10 is positioned higher toward the rear, the crop A is pulled out from the ground as the string-like body 11, which is the pulling means attached to the lane 10, is moved rearward.
When the string-like body 11 reaches the rear end of the lane 10, the crop A is removed from the crop fixing part 12, goes around the lane 10, and moves again above the digging means 3. In addition, since a plurality of string-like bodies 11 are provided on the lane 10 and go around the lane 10 in sequence, the crop A can be continuously pulled out as the first harvester 14 advances.

During or after the digging-up process in which the crop A is dug up upward, a vibration process is carried out in which vibrations are applied to the crop A and the soil around the crop A. The vibration process collapses the soil above the lifted crop A, making it possible to expose more of the upper part of the crop A than when only the digging-up process is carried out.
The pulling-out step is carried out after the digging-up step. After the digging-up step is completed, the upper part of the crop A is raised higher than the ground surface L, so that the crop fixing part 12, which is an annular body, can be easily attached to the crop A in the pulling-out step.

7 and 8 show a second embodiment.
In the second embodiment, as shown in Fig. 8, there is a first harvester 14 and a second harvester 15 on the rear side of the first harvester 14. The second harvester 15 is a cart capable of carrying crops that have been dug up and harvested, and travels alongside the first harvester 14, which is a working machine that digs up the crops. As shown in Fig. 8, the support body 9 and the lane 10 are provided on the second harvester 15 and protrude toward the second harvester 15 in an L-shape in plan view.
In the second embodiment, the second harvester 15 has a support column 13 oriented vertically. The support column 13 supports the end of the support body 9 on the second harvester 15 side.

In the second embodiment, the support 9 is located behind the first harvester 14 and is arranged in an L-shape in the horizontal direction. The lane 10 in the second embodiment is annular about which the string-like body 11 can go, and is bent in an L-shape with one end parallel to the traveling direction in a plan view. The lane 10 is attached below the support 9 along the support 9. The other end of the string-like body 11 is attached below the lane 10. At least a portion of the lane 10 is located above the digging means 3 and has a section that can move parallel to the traveling direction of the first harvester 14, so that the string-like body 11 can move horizontally to the rear.

This section is also provided so as to reach behind the rear end of the digging means 3 of the first harvester 14. A shortening means 16 is provided on the other end side of the string-like body 11. The entire length of the string-like body 11 is shortened by winding up both ends of the string-like body 11 with the shortening means 16, and the ring-shaped body 12 located on one end side of the string-like body 11 moves upward to pull out the crop A. The pulled-out crop A moves along the lane 10 together with the string-like body 11 toward the second harvester 15. When the crop A reaches above the second harvester 15, it is removed from the string-like body 11 and the ring-shaped crop fixing part 12, and placed on or stored on the second harvester 15.

The support 9 is only required to be able to move the crop fixing part 12, which is a ring-shaped body, upward when the crop A is pulled upward. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 illustrating the first embodiment, the other end of the pulling means, which is the string-shaped body 11, may be able to move diagonally upward toward the rear, so that the ring-shaped body 12 moves upward to pull out the crop. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8 for the second embodiment, the other end of the string-shaped body 11 may be able to move horizontally toward the rear, and both ends of the string-shaped body 11 may be shortened, such as by being wound up, by the shortening means 16, so that the ring-shaped body 12 moves upward to pull out the crop. In the second embodiment, the string-shaped body 11 is wound up while the support 9 is held horizontal. As a modified example, the support may be as illustrated in the first embodiment.

The support that supports the other end of the string-like body may be provided on a first harvester having a digging means, or on a second harvester that accompanies the first harvester (not shown). When provided on a second harvester (second embodiment), the first harvester and the second harvester may be combined into one harvester (group).

1 Machine frame 1a Mast frame 1b Bracket 1c Rotating shaft 1d Hydraulic cylinder 1e Top link pin 1f Lower link pin 1g Beam 1h Machine frame rear end 1i Excavation wall surface 2 Excavation section 20 Excavation chain 2a Boom 2b Drive sprocket 2c Tension sprocket 2d Idler sprocket 2e Roller chain 2f Excavation blade 3 Digging means 3a Belt conveyor 3d Blade section 3f Conveyor side plate 4 Vibration means 4a Vibration central axis 4f Vibration means holding bracket 4g Vibration boss 5a Hydraulic pump 5b Input gear case 5c Input shaft 7 Excavation section cover 7a Side guard 7b Rear guard 8 Soil breaking means 9 Support body 10 Lane 11 String-like body (pulling means)
12 Crop fixing part (ring, extraction means)
13 Support 14 First harvester 15 Second harvester 16 Shortening means A Crop L Ground surface S Soil after digging

Claims (13)

a digging step of digging up the crop buried in the ground from below as the harvester advances so that at least an upper portion of the crop is above the ground surface;
an extraction step of attaching a string-like extraction means to the crops and pulling up the extraction means to extract the crops from the ground;
A harvesting method comprising: The harvesting method according to claim 1, characterized in that the crops are successively lifted by a pulling means. a pulling out step of providing the pulling means made of the string with a crop fixing part that can be shrunk to the crop to narrow it, attaching the crop fixing part to the crop, and pulling up the pulling means made of the string to pull out the crop from the ground;
The method of harvesting according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises: a pulling out step of providing a ring-shaped body that can be shrunk to the crop as a crop fixing part to the pulling means consisting of the string-shaped body, and pulling out the crop from the ground by shrinking the crop with the ring-shaped body and pulling up the string-shaped body;
4. The method of claim 1, 2 or 3, further comprising: a vibration step of vibrating the crop while digging the crop upward;
5. The method of claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, further comprising: The extraction step is performed after the digging step.
6. A harvesting method according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5. a digging means for digging up the crops buried in the ground from below while the digging machine advances so that at least the upper part of the crops is above the ground surface;
and a pulling means formed of a string-like body,
The harvester is characterized in that the extraction means can be attached to the plant, and the plant can be extracted from the ground by pulling up the extraction means . The harvester according to claim 7, characterized in that the base is provided continuously with the lane in which the string-shaped pulling means is inclined so that the position becomes higher toward the rear of the harvester. The harvester according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the pulling means is provided with a crop fixing part on the string-like body that can be attached to the crop. The harvester according to claim 9, characterized in that the crop fixing part is made of a ring-shaped body that can be attached to the crop by shrinking and narrowing it. a vibration means provided on the digging means and capable of vibrating the crop while digging the crop upward;
11. A harvester according to any one of claims 7, 8, 9 or 10, characterized in that it comprises The extraction means is located on the rear side of the digging means in the traveling direction.
Harvesting machine according to any one of claims 7, 8, 9, 10 or 11. The angle of the support supporting the extraction means with respect to the ground surface is equal to or greater than the angle of the inclined surface of the digging means with respect to the ground surface.
Harvesting machine according to any one of claims 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12.

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