JPH0269105A - Onion harvester - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable sure digging up and harvesting of respective onions by correcting and steering the front wheels based on sensed data of a pair of left and right onion detecting sensors. CONSTITUTION:When a main machine is shifted to either of left and right forward directions, sensing rods of left and right onion detecting sensors 38 are automatically rotated through elastic slide contact plates 42 advancing in slide contact with an onion (a) in the standard detection row and converted into a sensed signal, which is then subjected to A/D conversion through a switching mechanism. The sensed data are inputted to a controller, which calculates average values to compare the left and right average values. If there is a difference in value between the left and the right sensors, a steering angle is determined so as to correct the difference. Furthermore, a value of a ridge adjusting dial is corrected to finally determine the steering angle of the left and right front wheels 22. The corrected value is then inputted to an output isolator and a solenoid valve is operated from an output signal from the isolator. A front wheel steering cylinder 30 is simultaneously operated to expand or contract a piston-rod 31 thereof.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to a self-propelled onion harvesting method that harvests each onion in a plurality of rows of onions in about one time.

(Conventional & Techniques) Conventionally, this type of self-propelled onion harvester 1 has, for example, provided front wheels on the left and right parts of the front end of the main body, provided crawlers on the left and right parts of the rear side of the main body, and A cutting body for digging up each onion in a plurality of rows of onions is provided between the rear parts, and a conveyor device and a grass cutting body for cutting and processing the onion stems and leaves are installed at the rear part of this digging body. It is known to have a configuration in which devices are successively installed and a transverse conveyor is connected to the rear of the foliage processing device.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) Moeki Mizonari's Tamada ζ harvesting machine digs each onion in a plurality of onion rows while running the machine along the plurality of onion rows. , this machine inevitably becomes longer in the longitudinal direction, and due to the weakness of the running zone in the field, there is a strong tendency for the running direction of the left and right front wheels to deviate in the left-right direction. There is a problem in that steering the left and right front wheels requires a lot of effort in order to run stably along the road.

Therefore, the present invention was developed in view of these problems, and allows the machine to follow multiple rows of onions on its own, thereby reducing the burden on the operator by 11%. To provide an onion harvester capable of stably running along a plurality of onion rows and capable of reliably digging and harvesting each of the plurality of onions without damaging the onions on the sides or crushing them by treading pressure. The purpose is to

(Structure of the Invention) (Means for Solving the Problems) The onion harvesting machine according to claim 1 of the present invention has front wheels rotatably pivoted on the left and right sides, and a plurality of strips between the rear portions of the left and right front wheels. In a self-propelled onion harvester equipped with a digging body for digging onions, one of the plurality of onion rows disposed in front of the left and right front wheels is a reference detection row, and each of the reference detection rows is A pair of left and right onion detection sensors that detect the position of onions;
A front wheel steering cylinder that simultaneously steers the left and right front wheels in the same left and right direction, and a pair of left and right onion detection sensors detect deviations in the running direction of the left and right front wheels, and correct the left and right front wheels based on the detected data. The vehicle is equipped with a running direction &+ control device that determines the steering angle and controls the operation of the front wheel steering cylinder so as to correct the steering of the left and right front wheels in the left and right direction.

Moreover, onion yield 17 according to claim 2 of the present invention! The fi machine is the device according to claim 1, wherein the pair of left and right onion detection sensors have detection rods that are vertically provided and can be rotated freely, and the lower ends of the left and right detection rods have arms that are movable up and down. Elastic contact plates are attached to slide on the left and right sides of the onion through the onion, and the left and right elastic contact plates are arranged in a substantially V-shape in plan view with the front sides widened and inclined. It is something.

(Function) In the onion harvesting machine according to claim 1 of the present invention, the left and right pairs of onion detection sensors sequentially sandwich each onion in the reference detection row, and the onions actuate the left and right pair of onion detection sensors. Then, from the detected angle difference, a deviation in the running direction of the left and right front wheels with respect to the plurality of onion rows, that is, a deviation in the position of the body is detected. In addition, the driving direction control device is operated based on the detection data from the pair of left and right onion detection sensors, and this driving direction control device determines the corrected steering angle of the left and right front wheels. The left and right front wheels are correctively steered in the left and right direction by the operation of this front wheel steering cylinder. Therefore, the positional deviation of the machine with respect to the plurality of onion rows is automatically corrected, and the digging body of the machine is installed at the optimum digging position.

Each of the onions in the plurality of onion rows is sequentially dug up by the digging body that moves along the onion rows.

Further, in the single onion collecting device according to claim 2, in the device according to claim 1, the pair of left and right onion detection sensors are such that the onions of the reference detection row are sequentially introduced between the left and right elastic contact plates that are approximately V-shaped in plan view, These left and right elastic contact plates slide against the left and right sides of the onion and are pushed in the left and right directions by the onion, and the respective detection rods are rotated around their axis via the arms, and the rotation angle is output as detected data to the driving direction control i11 insulator. In this case, the left and right elastic sliding contact plates are attached to arms that can move up and down, so the onions are damaged (
It is possible to reliably slide against the left and right sides of the onion without causing any damage, and it is also possible to fully respond to differences in the position and height of the onion.

Furthermore, in the onion harvesting method of claim 3, claim 1 or 2
In this apparatus, when the digging body is placed at the digging position, the positions of the pair of left and right onion detection sensors relative to the initial position of the onion in the standard detection row are defined as detection reference positions. Thereby, the set value is stored in the control device, and the steering angles of the left and right front wheels are corrected and determined based on this set value.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on the accompanying drawings.

In FIG. 1, 1 is a main body frame, and a crawler 2 is provided at the bottom of the main body frame 1, and this crawler 2 is driven by an engine 3 mounted on the front upper part of the main body frame 1. It has become.

Further, a conveyor device 6 is connected to the front side of the main body frame 1 via upper, lower, left and right support arms 4, 5 so as to be freely lowered by a lift mechanism (not shown), and is erected on the left and right sides of the middle part of the main body frame 1. At the rear of the supporting frame 7, a foliage processing device 8 and a lateral conveyor 9 are connected in a row. Moreover, between the upper portions of the left and right support frames 7, a chute body 10 for guiding a large number of onions a carried out from the carrying-out part of the conveyor device 6 to the carrying-in part of the stalk and leaf beating device 8 is tilted backwards. It is provided.

Next, the conveyor device 6 has a conveyor frame 11 supported by the upper, lower, left and right support arms 4.5,
On the front side of the conveyor frame 11, a digging body 12 for digging out onions a in multiple rows of onions and a rear conveyor 13 for conveying the multiple rows of onions a to the rear are installed in a row in front and back with an inclination toward the rear. A lifting conveyor 14 is connected to the rear side of the conveyor frame 11 so as to be inclined rearward and upward, with its inlet part facing the outlet part of the rear transport conveyor 13.
The upper part of the lifting conveyor 14 is disposed so as to face the chute body 10. The rear transport conveyor 13 and the lifting conveyor 14 are operated by the power from the engine 3 via an interlocking medium (not shown).
The figure is meant to be followed clockwise. Further, the conveyor frame 11 has a large number of scraping pieces 15a on the front upper part thereof for scraping the onions a dug by the digging body 12 onto the rear conveyor 13, and also scrapes the onions a on the rear conveyor 13. The scraping competition p15 that is supported and accompanied by each scraping piece 15a is connected to the rear conveyor 1.
3, this scraping conveyor 15 is rotated in the counter-timetable direction in FIG. They are designed to rotate at the same speed.

Further, support arms 16 are provided in parallel to protrude from the front left and right parts of the conveyor frame 11 to the front part, and a connecting frame 17 is fixed between the distal ends of the left and right supporting arms 16. A cylindrical column holder 18 is provided in a protruding manner. Further, the upper part of a cylindrical support 19 is rotatably inserted into the left and right support holders 18, and the front wheel 22 is rotated via a width axis 21 to a wheel holder 20 fixed to the lower end of the left and right support 19. It is mounted on a shaft for free movement. Further, a steering angle detection sensor 46 is attached to the left and right column holders 18 to detect the steering angle of the front wheels 22 through rotation of the column 19. Further, a connecting piece 23 is protruded from the upper rear portion of each of the left and right columns, and an interlocking plate 25 is rotatably supported between the left and right connecting pieces 23 via a support shaft 24. Further, an actuating piece 27 is rotatably supported at the intermediate portion of the interlocking plate 25 via a support shaft 2G.
The - end of this fllJ piece 27 is connected to the connection frame 11.
The operating piece 27 is rotatably supported via a base shaft 29 on a support piece 28 protruding from the middle front part of the front wheel. The cylinder main body 33 of the front wheel steering cylinder 30 is rotatably supported at a shaft 32, and a base end portion of a cylinder body 33 of the front wheel steering cylinder 30 is pivotally mounted on the connection frame 17 via a mounting shaft 34.

Furthermore, a bracket 36 of a mounting arm 35 projecting forward is attached to one side of the connection frame 17 so as to be adjustable in position in the horizontal and vertical directions, and a mounting plate 37 is fixed to the distal end of the mounting arm 35. Also, a pair of left and right onion detection sensors 38 for detecting the position of onion a are attached to the left and right sides of this handle plate 37, and a pair of left and right onion detection sensors 38 are attached to the lower ends of vertical detection rods 39 of the left and right onion detection sensors 38. letter-shaped arm 40
The upper end is pivotally supported on a support 141 so that it can rotate freely in the vertical direction, and a rubber plate or the like long in the front-rear direction contacts the left and right sides of the onion a grown on the lower side of the left and right a1840. The upper part of the elastic contact plate 42 is fixed, and an extension part 43 protrudes forward from the upper end of the left and right arms 40.
A coil spring 45 is stretched between the protrusion pieces 44 on the left and right sides of the moeki-reception board 37. The left and right arms 40 are elastically supported by the left and right coil springs 45 so as to be vertically movable around the support IM 41 at a predetermined set position, and the interval between the elastic contact plates 42 of the left and right arms 40 is adjusted in the traveling direction. The front side is inclined to expand, and the rear side is inclined to contract in diameter, so that it has a substantially ■-shaped shape in plan view. In addition, the inclination angle of either or both of the left and right elastic contact plates 42 can be variably adjusted using the left and right detection rods 39 depending on the cultivation status and digging work status of the onion a. .

Next, a driver's cab 47 whose driving order is rearward and rightward is integrally protruded from one side front part of the main body frame 1, that is, the right front part in the direction of travel, and an operation panel 48 is provided at the front upper part of the driver's cab 47. The operating panel 48 is provided with a front wheel operating lever 49 for manually steering the running direction of the left and right front wheels 22, and a running wheel direction ail control device 50. This running direction control device 5° is 11111711
An input isolator 52 and an output isolator 53 are connected to the device 51, and a switch structure 54 and an A/D converter 55 are also connected to the input isolator 5.
2 is connected to an automatic change-over switch and a hand-operated lever switch, and the output isolator 53 is connected to the chest width steering cylinder 30 via a solenoid valve 56. 54 includes left and right onion detection lensers 38 for detecting the left and right side parts of each onion a, and a sensor 1 for detecting the steering angle of the left and right front wheels 22.
A steering angle detection sensor 46 and a ridge adjustment dial are connected thereto, and the switch start mechanism 54 is connected to the A/D converter 55.

Next, the aforementioned stems and leaves! 2! IPIu equipment N8 is designed to remove grass leaves while transporting onions to the rear.
It is composed of a plurality of groups 60 of a plurality of 5 groups of foliage processing rollers 60, each of which has a pair of foliage processing rollers 61, which are mounted on parallel shafts so as to be rotatable inwardly in opposite directions.

Then, onions are carried into the carrying-in section of the lateral conveyor 9 from the carrying-out end of this foliage processing roller group 60.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be explained.

In a harvesting operation in which 4 or 5 rows of onions (for example, 4 rows of onions a) are harvested simultaneously in one process, if the second row of onions on the left in the direction of movement is set as the reference detection row, the onion should be aligned with the position of this reference detection row. Then, set the position of the mounting arm 35 with respect to the connecting frame 17, and then move the elastic contact plate 42, whose front side of the left and right onion detection sensors 38 of the mounting arm 35 is widened and inclined, to the position of the second reference detection row. Set the first onion a in a position where it will move while holding it from the left and right. Further, the left and right front wheels 22 are oriented so that they face straight in the direction of travel and travel straight.

Next, when the power is turned on, the left and right onion detection sensors 38 are in the setting state and the left and right front wheels 22 are in the setting state.
The steering angle detection sensor 46 is initialized, and
This set value is stored in the II/III device z51. In addition, when the steering angle of the left and right front wheels 22 is set and the ridge adjustment dial is initially set, this setting value is set by the control tll device 51.
is memorized. In addition, when the digging rest 12 of this machine is arranged at the optimum digging position, if a deviation occurs between the reference detection row of the second row of onions a and the positions of the left and right onion detection hinters 38, Rotate the ridge adjustment dial to correct the relative position.

Further, either the automatic changeover switch or the manual changeover switch is selected, and by actuation of the selected changeover switch, an output signal for either automatic travel or manual travel is input to the input isolator 52, and this input signal is input to the input isolator 52. 52 is output to the control device 51 and stored in the control device 51.

Next, when the engine 3 is started, the crawler 2 is driven to advance the machine, and the power from the engine 3 is used to move the tangential conveyor 13 and the lifting conveyor 14.
is rotated clockwise in Figure 1, the scraping conveyor 15 is rotated counterclockwise in Figure 1, and the stalk! The foliage processing rollers 61 of each pair of the processing device 8 are rotated inwardly in opposite directions, and the lateral feed conveyor 9 is further moved outward in the traveling direction. .

As the machine advances, the left and right onion detection sensors 3
8 left and right elastic contact plates 42 facing each other at approximately the same angle of inclination.
The onions a in the second standard detection row move forward while successively sandwiching the left and right parts of the master craftsmen @a in the second row, but at this time, each onion a in the second standard detection row moves in the direction of travel without shifting in the left and right direction. The elastic contact plates 42 of the left and right onion detection sensors 38 move along this reference detection line, and when the machine moves straight, the difference in the inclination angle between the left and right elastic contact plates 42 The left and right elastic contact plates 42 move sequentially in contact with both sides of each onion a without changing, and the left and right front wheels 22 continue to run straight without changing their direction in the left-right direction. In addition, if there is a missing part in each onion a in the second standard detection row, the left and right elastic contact plates 42
Since the angular difference between the two does not change, the left and right one-way detection sensors 38 determine that there is no positional shift of the onion a, and the vehicle continues to move forward, so the left and right front wheels 22 continue to travel straight. In addition, in this case, the left and right elastic contact plates 42 move up and down against the coil spring 55 around the support shaft 41 depending on each onion a in the reference detection row and the ground, responding to changes in the detection position of each onion a, etc. Follow this. In addition, since the left and right contact plates 42 have elasticity, they can respond to differences in height and changes in position of the detection position.

Furthermore, when the left and right front wheels 22 run straight to guide the machine straight, the digging rest 12 sequentially digs up four rows of onions a, and the onions a in each row are brought into contact with each other by the scraping conveyor 15. The soil is sequentially carried onto the side conveyor 13, conveyed rearward by the rear conveyor 13 while shaking off the soil, and sequentially conveyed from the rear carry-out end to the carry-in section of the lifting conveyor 14. Further, each onion a carried into this lifting conveyor 14 is lifted and conveyed rearward and upward, and is then carried into the carrying-in section of the stem vegetable processing device 8 via the chute body 10 from the carrying-out end at the rear upper part. In addition, each onion a carried into this stem vegetable processing device 8 is dispersed between each set of a pair of stem vegetable processing rollers 61fii which are rotated inwardly, and is conveyed rearward to a pair of stem vegetable processing rollers 61fii. Stem vegetables are gradually interposed between the rollers 61 and cut, and after the stems and leaves have been removed, the master vegetables Fa a are sequentially conveyed to the transverse conveyor 9, and conveyed and carried out in the transverse direction by the transverse conveyor 9. In addition, the stem vegetables of each onion a may be arranged downward by the stem vegetable processing device 8 and cut by a cutter at the discharge end, and the means for cutting the stem vegetables may be any method. It's okay.

In this way, the left and right onion detection sensors 38 detect each onion a in the t% detection row of the second row, causing the left and right front wheels 22 to run straight, ensuring that each onion a in the 4 rows is not damaged. It is harvested.

Next, when the machine moves in a left-right direction in the traveling direction with respect to the second reference detection row, the onion detection sensor 38 on the left and right is activated by the onion a in the reference detection row, and the position shift is corrected. Upon detection, the left and right front wheels 22 are steered to automatically correct the running angle, and four rows of master craftsman la are dug and harvested without damage.

That is, as the left and right onion detection sensors 38 move along the second reference detection row and the machine moves, it is selected whether or not to manually correct the steering angles of the left and right front wheels 22. When the automatic operation is selected without selecting the manual operation, if the wood is shifted to either the left or right side in the direction of movement, the elastic ff1lI plate 42 that slides into contact with the onion a of the reference detection row The detection rods 39 of the left and right onion detection sensors 38 are automatically rotated, respectively.
The rotation angle of the left and right detection rods 39 is converted into a detection signal,
This detection signal is input to the A/D converter 55 via the switch jI454 and A/D converted, and this detection data is input to the control device 51. When the machine shifts to either the left or right side in the direction of travel, the rotation angle of the pillar 19 of the left and right front wheels 22 is detected by the steering angle detection sensor 46 of the front wheel 22, and this detection signal is sent to the switch □ The detected data is input to the Δ/D converter 55 via the structure 54 and subjected to Δ/D conversion, and this detection data is input to the control device 451.

In addition, the left and right onion detection sensors 38 are installed in the 111 m device 51.
The detection data detected by the steering angle detection sensor 46 and the detection data detected by the steering angle detection sensor 46 are respectively stored, and the average value of each of the left and right detection data is calculated in the control 211 device 51. Average values are compared.

If this average value is equal to or larger than the value of the onion detection sensor 38 on the left side in the direction of travel than the onion detection sensor 38 on the right side in the direction of travel, the machine will be moved from the right side to the left side, and the onion detection sensor 38 on the left side in the direction of travel will move. If the value of the onion detection sensor 38 on the right side in the direction of travel is too large, the steering angle is determined to correct the machine from the left side to the right side, and the ridge adjustment dial value is further corrected to adjust the steering angle of the left and right front wheels 22. To be finalized.

When this steering angle is determined, the corrected value of the steering angle is input to the output isolator 53, and the output signal from the output isolator 53 causes the solenoid valve 56 to
When 1 is moved, the front wheel steering cylinder 30 is operated at 6, and this screw 1 and rod 31 is the phase of correction IF! If it is 1 early, it will be expanded or contracted by 1. Furthermore, when this screw 1-rod 31 is expanded or contracted, the actuating piece 27 is horizontally rotated about the base shaft 29, and the actuating piece 27 is pivoted in the middle of this f+ +)+ 1'+ 27 via the support sleeve 2G. The interlocking plate 25 is interlocked to one side in the left-right correction direction, and the support 19 is rotated by the interlocking pieces 23 at both ends of the interlock faj plate 25, and the support 19 is rotated to the left and right through the Φ wheel holder 20 of the support 19. The front wheels 22 of the machine are rotated in the correcting direction, the steering angle is automatically corrected, and the left and right front wheels 22 return to the origin setting state (U returns. Therefore, the machine is shifted to the left in the direction of travel. In this case, the steering angles of the left and right front wheels 22 are automatically corrected to the right, and when the machine is off to the right in the direction of travel (IJ), the steering angles of the left and right front wheels 22 are automatically corrected to the left. It will be corrected and run.

Also, during automatic driving in which the running angle of the left and right front wheels 22 is automatically corrected, the manual lever switch is turned on.
When J+ In is performed, the input isolator 52 is activated, and the output signal from the input isolator 52 is stored in the control device 51, so that manual operation using the front wheel operating lever 49 can be prioritized over automatic operation.

In addition, when manual operation is selected when correcting the steering angle of the left and right front wheels 22, it is selected whether or not to operate the front wheel operation lever 49 to the right, and when operation to the right is selected, the left and right front wheels 22 are moved to the right When the left and right front wheels 22 are steered to the left, the left and right front wheels 22 are steered to the left, and the left and right front wheels 22 are steered to the right or to the left by manual operation. Correction run (J is done.

As a result, when the balls la in each row are not cultivated linearly over the entire length at equal intervals, but have curved parts, the steering angles of the left and right front wheels 22 can be partially manually corrected. Onions are dug and harvested without any damage.

Next, in the above embodiment, the elastic contact plates 42 of the left and right onion detection sensors 38 are set to have a substantially V-shape in plan view, and the onion rows planted in four rows are dug and harvested every four rows. For example, onions planted in four rows may be harvested by digging every fifth row.

In this case, when the interval between the first and second rows changes every tj, the digging body 12 of this machine is placed at the optimal digging position, and the second row of onions a is aligned with the standard detection row. Detection of left and right one time! If there is a discrepancy between the positions of J- and -38, either rotate the ridge adjustment dial to correct the relative position, or remove the joint arm 35 from the connecting frame 17.
= J position can be adjusted or set, or one or both of the elastic contact plates 42 in the left and right onion detection sensors 38
Adjust the inclination angle of the second row of onions in advance.
The position of the object can be detected.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, it is possible to reliably detect a deviation in the running direction of the left and right front wheels so that the machine moves along a plurality of rows of onions, and to automatically correct the deviation in steering. This allows the machine to automatically follow the onion n1, and as there is no need to visually steer the left and right front wheels, the operator's loss can be reduced to a large extent.
The onion is stably run along a plurality of rows of onions, and each of the plurality of onions can be reliably dug and harvested without damaging the onions on the side along the front wheel or crushing them under pressure.

Also, due to the elastic action of the left G elastic contact plate, the ball 5. Positional deviation can be detected without damaging the H, and together with the fact that the left and right elastic contact plates are attached to arms that can move up and down, it can adequately deal with differences in the height of the onion. That's a big deal.

Furthermore, the relative position between the initial onion in the reference detection row and the pair of left and right onion detection sensors at the start of digging can be easily set as the detection reference position.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figures show one embodiment of the present invention, in which Fig. 1 is a side view of the onion harvester, Fig. 2 is a plan view in the astronomical direction of the same as above, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the same as A to Δ line part of the above. Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line B to 8 in Fig. 2, Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken from line C to C in Fig. 2, Fig. 6 is a block diagram of the running direction control t1D device, and Fig. 7 is a 70 -Diaert, Figure 8 is a flowchart for determining the front wheel steering angle, Figure 9
The figure is a front wheel manual operation flowchart, Figure 10 (A> is an explanatory diagram of Ki-sama's straight-ahead state, and Figure 10 (B) is an explanation of correcting the steering angle of the left and right front wheels to the right when the machine shifts to the left. figure,
FIG. 10(C) is an explanatory diagram for correcting steering of the left and right front wheels to the left when the machine shifts to the right. 12... Excavation body, 22... Front wheel, 30... Front wheel steering cylinder, 38... Onion detection sensor, 39... Detection rod,
40...Arm, 42...Elastic contact plate, 50...Travel direction control device, a...Onion.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) In a self-propelled onion harvesting machine having left and right front wheels rotatably mounted on a shaft and a digging body for digging up multiple onions between the rear portions of the left and right front wheels, the left and right front wheels a pair of left and right onion detection sensors that are arranged in the front of the plurality of onion rows and detect the position of each onion in the reference detection row with one row of the plurality of onion rows as a reference detection row; A front wheel steering cylinder that steers in the left and right direction and a pair of left and right onion detection sensors detect a deviation in the running direction of the left and right front wheels, and based on this detection data, a corrected steering angle of the left and right front wheels is determined. An onion harvesting machine comprising: a running direction control device that controls the operation of the front wheel steering cylinder to correct left and right front wheels in the left-right direction. (2) The pair of left and right onion detection sensors have detection rods that are installed vertically and can be rotated freely, and the left and right sides of the onion are connected to the lower ends of the left and right detection rods via vertically movable arms. Claim 1 characterized in that an elastic contact plate that slides forward is attached, and the left and right elastic contact plates are disposed in a substantially V-shape in plan view with their front sides expanded and inclined. Onion harvesting machine described. (3) The running direction control device is characterized in that the detection reference position is the relative position between the initial position of the onion in the reference detection row and the position of the pair of left and right onion detection sensors with respect to the onion. 2. The onion harvesting machine described in 2.