JPS5934287Y2 - power pruning machine - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a power pruning machine, and more particularly to a power pruning machine having a control device that can reliably switch a clutch lever to a lowered position.

In the forestry field, tree trunks are pruned in order to obtain high-quality wood.

Traditionally, such work was done by hand, but recently, due to the shortage of labor, attempts have been made to use automatic machines to perform this work, and power pruning machines have been frequently developed and proposed.

A power pruning machine generally includes a machine frame that is removably placed around the trunk of a tree, a power transmission device that is supported by the frame so as to be able to swing freely toward the trunk, and a power transmission device that applies power to the tree. The pruning machine consists of a crawler belt device for raising and lowering the pruning machine while turning around the trunk, and a power sawing device for cutting the branches of the trunk while ascending along the trunk.

The power transmission device includes a clutch device that transmits rotation in the opposite direction to the crawler belt device in order to raise the pruning machine to a predetermined height and then lower it.

The clutch device is operated by a clutch lever, and switching of the clutch lever from up to down is performed by a rotating cam via a solenoid controlled by a control device.

When the clutch lever is manually set to up, a switch is closed that supplies power to a timer circuit that provides a delay signal for switching from up to down after a predetermined period of time.

The switch forms part of a circuit that supplies power to the solenoid, so that it is opened in the neutral position when the clutch lever is switched from the up position through the neutral position to the down position.

As a result, the power supply to the solenoid is cut off, making it impossible to rotate the rotary cam sufficiently, causing the clutch lever to be stopped at the neutral position, and the pruning machine may not be able to be lowered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a power pruning machine with a control device configured to ensure reliable switching of the clutch lever from raising to lowering.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a power pruning machine equipped with a control device that can lower the power pruning machine from any desired height wirelessly and further has the function of stopping the engine in an emergency. Our goal is to provide the following.

According to the present invention, a machine frame, two pairs of guide wheels supported by the machine frame and touching one side of the tree trunk at a helical angle, and said guide wheels supported by the machine frame and attached to the other side of the tree trunk. A crawler belt device that contacts the wheels at the same helical angle, a power sawing device that is supported by the machine frame and driven by the engine, and a power sawing device that uses power from the engine to move the machine frame up and down in a spiral around the trunk. A drive transmission device that transmits power to the crawler belt device via a forward/reverse switching clutch; a clutch lever that operates the clutch device; and a clutch lever that is placed in a neutral position where power is not transmitted to the crawler belt device and in a neutral position that does not transmit power to the crawler belt device. A locking lever that holds the raised position for transmitting forward rotation for upward movement and a clutch lever for transmitting reverse rotation for downward movement to the crawler belt device to allow movement to the lowered position. , a rotary cam moved by a solenoid supported by a machine frame for releasing the locking lever from the clutch lever, and a device for controlling the operation of the solenoid, the control device controlling the clutch lever. a normally open switch that is closed in the raised position of the clutch lever; a normally closed switch that is opened in the lowered position of the clutch lever; and a normally closed switch that is supplied with power through the normally closed switch and is in a conductive state when the normally open switch is closed. A power pruning machine characterized by having a power supply hold circuit that self-maintains continuity, and a timer circuit that issues a delay signal for driving a solenoid after a predetermined set time after power is supplied through the power supply hold circuit. is provided.

Next, the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a power pruning machine 10 of the present invention.

The pruning machine 10 has a machine frame 11 that is detachably arranged so as to surround the trunk of a tree, and the machine frame 11 has two pairs of guide wheels 1.
2.13 are arranged with a helical angle on one side of the tree trunk, and on the other side of the tree trunk the crawler belt device 14 is also arranged with a helical angle.

These guide wheels 12, 13 and the crawler belt device 14 form a running section for raising and lowering the pruning machine along the trunk.

An engine 15 is attached to the machine frame 11, and the power from the engine 15 is transmitted to the power sawing device 1 attached to the machine frame.
7 and a drive transmission device 18 .

The power sawing device 17 is for cutting branches of a tree one after another when the pruning machine ascends the trunk.

The drive transmission device 18 transmits power from the engine to the crawler belt device 14, and provides the crawler belt device with forward rotation for ascending motion, reverse rotation for descending motion, interruption of power, etc. It contains a crank device inside.

The crank device of the power transmission device 18 is operated by a clutch lever that has three positions: a raised position, a neutral position, and a lowered position.

That is, power rotates the crawler belt device in the forward direction when the clutch lever is in the raised position, is not transmitted when the clutch lever is in the neutral position, and rotates the crawler belt in the reverse direction when the clutch lever is in the lowered position.

The clutch lever 20 is pivotally mounted on a pivot pin 21 provided on the outer casing of the transmission device, and its inner end 22 is connected to the clutch device, but it can be moved upwardly by the action of a spring provided inside the transmission device. is under pressure.

Clutch lever 20 also has a tooth plate 23 with latching teeth between pivot pin 21 and manual operating end 29.

This tooth plate 23 is connected to the locking pawl 2 of a locking lever 25 which is pivotally mounted on a pivot pin 24 which is also provided on the outer casing of the transmission device.
6 is adapted to engage.

The other end 27 of the locking lever 25 is arranged close to the rotating cam 28.

The rotation of the rotating cam 28 contacts the other end 27 of the locking lever 25 and pushes it up, so that the locking pawl 26 is intercepted so as to separate from the tooth plate 23 of the switching lever.

As mentioned above, since the inner end 22 of the clutch lever 20 is pressed upward by the spring action, when the locking pawl 26 is disengaged from the tooth plate 23, the clutch moves from the raised position (or neutral position) to the lowered position. The lever can be switched.

The rotating cam 28 is moved by a solenoid 30, which is in turn moved by a control device 33, which will be described in detail later.
controlled by

Limit switches 31 (corresponding to switch SW3 in FIG. 2) and 32 (corresponding to switch SW2 in FIG. 2) are arranged above and below the clutch lever 20, respectively, and limit switches 31 (corresponding to switch SW3 in FIG. 2) and 32 (corresponding to switch SW2 in FIG. 2) are arranged at positions above and below the clutch lever 20. It opens and closes depending on the raised and lowered positions.

That is, the limit switch 31 is a normally open switch and is engaged by the clutch lever to close its contacts when the clutch lever assumes the raised position, and the limit switch 32 is a normally closed switch and is engaged by the clutch lever when the clutch lever assumes the raised position. When the clutch lever assumes the lowered position, it is engaged by the clutch lever and its contacts are opened.

Thus, when the clutch lever is in the up position, both switches 31, 32 are closed, when in the down position, both switches 31, 32 are open, and when in the neutral position, the switch 31 is open. however, the switch 32 is closed.

Next, referring to FIG. 2, a circuit for controlling the solenoid 30 will be described.

A generator operated by a battery or an engine is arranged, which provides the power source 35 for powering each circuit.

The power supply 35 is connected to the main switch SW1 and the switch SW
2 to the power supply hold circuit 36.

Note that the main switch SW1 can be omitted when a generator is used.

The power supply hold circuit 36 includes an SCR, and the anode A of the SCR is connected to the gate G via a resistor R1 and a switch SW3.

The cathode of the SCR is grounded to the case ground via a resistor R3.

Further, a resistor R2 and a capacitor C are connected in parallel between the gate and cathode.

Additionally, the cathode of the SCR is connected to a timer circuit 37 and solenoid 30 to provide power.

Now switch SW1. SW2. Assuming that SW3 is closed, the current from the power supply passes through the main switch SW1 and switch SW2, reaches the anode of SCH, then flows through resistor R1 and switch SW3 to the gate of SCR, and then through resistor R3 to the outer case ground. flows.

This causes the SCR to conduct and current flows from the anode to the cathode of the SCR.

Therefore, power is supplied to the timer circuit 37 and the solenoid 30 via the power hold circuit.

Since the SCR remains conductive as long as the current value (holding current) between the anode and cathode is equal to or higher than a certain value, the SCR maintains the conductive state even if the switch SW3 is subsequently opened.

Note that SCR is switch SW2 or main switch S.
By opening W1, it is brought into a non-conducting state.

Here, the resistor R3 is used to ensure a holding current, the resistor R2 is used to stabilize the SCR trigger, and the capacitor C is used to absorb noise.

When the timer circuit 37 is activated by power supply,
A delay signal set at any suitable time is generated, and in response to the delay signal, the solenoid is actuated to move the rotary cam 28 and switch the clutch lever from the up position to the down position.

At this time, the clutch lever passes through the neutral position on the way, and the switch SW3 is in the open state, but as mentioned above, since the power supply hold circuit is working, power is continuously supplied to the solenoid 30, so the clutch lever - is reliably switched to the lowered position.

In addition, the power source 35 is connected to a receiver 38 (the first
(not shown in the figure) and is intercepted so as to also serve as a power source for the receiver 38.

The receiver 38 receives a signal sent from a transmitter 39 held by a ground worker and controls the solenoid 30 independently of the timer circuit 37, or intercepts the signal to stop the engine in case of an emergency. has been done.

Stopping the engine is accomplished by an engine emergency stop circuit 40 or other engine stop switch 41 controlled by the receiver.

The engine emergency stop circuit includes an SCR, and current is supplied to the gate of the SCR in response to a signal from the receiver to make the SCR conductive.

Therefore, the current on the next side of the magneto of the engine is short-circuited to the outer casing ground, and the engine is stopped.

Note that the other engine stop switch 41 is outside the scope of the present invention, so its details will be omitted.

Next, the operation of the power pruning machine of the present invention will be explained.

The operator first attaches the pruning machine 10 to the lower end of the trunk, and then sets the clutch lever to the neutral position and turns on the main switch SW1.
Turn on (ON) and start the engine.

Note that if the engine has a built-in generator, this will cause the generator to work.

When the engine is started, the power from the engine is transmitted to the power sawing device 17, making it ready for pruning.

When the clutch lever is in the neutral position, the drive transmission device is in a power cutoff device, so power from the engine is not transmitted to the crawler belt device.

Further, since the switch SW3 is in an open state, the timer circuit 37 is not yet activated.

Next, when the operator sets the clutch lever 20 to the raised position against the action of the spring, the clutch device of the drive transmission device is switched, and power from the engine is applied to the crawler belt device 14 so as to rotate it in the forward direction.

For this reason, the pruning machine 10 cuts the trunk by drawing a spiral trajectory while performing pruning using the power sawing device 17.

At this time, the clutch lever is held in the raised position by being locked to the tooth plate 23 by the locking lever 25.

At the same time, the switch SW3 is closed by setting the clutch lever to the raised position, and at this time, as described above, since the switch SW2 is in the closed state, the SCR of the power supply hold circuit 36 is made conductive. The timer circuit 37 is activated to supply power to the solenoid 30.

Next, when the pruning machine is raised and appropriate pruning is performed, a delay signal set in advance for a predetermined time is given to the solenoid 30 from the timer circuit 37, and the solenoid 30
is activated.

The solenoid 30 moves the rotating cam 28 and locks the locking lever 2.
Push up the other end 27 of 5.

Therefore, the locking pawl 26 of the locking lever 25 is disengaged from the tooth plate 23 of the clutch lever 20, and the clutch lever 20 is switched from the raised position through the neutral position to the lowered position by the action of the spring.

At this time, the switch SW3 is in the open state when the clutch lever 20 is in the neutral position, but as mentioned above, the power hold circuit is activated even in this state.
Power is continuously supplied to the solenoid.

Therefore, the clutch lever can be reliably switched to the lowered position.

By switching the clutch lever, the clutch device of the drive transmission device is switched, and power from the engine is transmitted to the crawler belt device to reversely rotate the crawler belt device.

At the same time, switch SW2 is changed from closed to open,
The power supply to the power hold circuit 36 is stopped.

This is because the power consumption of the solenoid 30 is large, so the purpose is to cut off unnecessary power consumption after the solenoid 30 completes its role.

Note that the operator can use the transmitter to switch the clutch lever to the lower position or stop the engine, independently of the timer circuit, as needed.

The reverse rotation of the crawler belt device causes the pruning machine to descend in a spiral path around the trunk.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the power pruning machine of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a control circuit used in the pruning machine. 10... Power pruning machine, 11... Machine frame, 12.13... Guide wheel, 14...
Crawler belt device, 15...Engine, 17
...Power sawing device, 18... Drive transmission device, 20... Clutch lever 125...
... Locking lever 28 ... Rotating cam, 30 ...
...Solenoid, 31.32...Limit switch, 33...Control device, 30...
Power supply hold circuit, 37... Timer circuit, 3
8...Receiver, 39...Transmitter, 40
...Engine emergency stop circuit.

Claims (3)

[Scope of utility model registration request] (1) A machine frame, two pairs of guide wheels supported by the machine frame and touching one side of the tree trunk at a helical angle, and two pairs of guide wheels supported by the machine frame and attached to the other side of the tree trunk. A crawler belt device that contacts with a similar helical angle, a power sawing device that is supported by the machine frame and driven by the engine, and a power sawing device that uses power from the engine to move the machine frame up and down in a spiral around the trunk. A drive transmission device that transmits power to the belt device via a forward/reverse switching clutch; a clutch lever that operates the clutch device; and a clutch lever that is raised to a neutral position where power is not transmitted to the crawler belt device and to the crawler belt device. a locking lever that holds the raised position for transmitting forward rotation for movement, and a clutch lever for transmitting reverse rotation for downward movement to the crawler belt device, to allow movement to the lowered position; a rotating cam moved by a solenoid supported by a frame for releasing the locking lever from the clutch lever, and a device for controlling the operation of the solenoid, the control device controlling the operation of the clutch lever. A normally open switch that is closed in the raised position and a normally closed switch that is opened when the clutch lever is in the lowered position, and when power is supplied through the normally closed switch and the normally open switch is closed, the normally open switch is in a conductive state and conductive. A power pruning machine comprising: a power supply hold circuit that self-holds the power; and a timer circuit that issues a delay signal to drive the solenoid after a predetermined set time after power is supplied through the power supply hold circuit. (2) Utility model registration Claims In the power pruning machine according to claim 1, the power supply hold circuit includes an SCR,
A power pruning machine characterized in that the anode of the SCH is connected to a power source via a normally closed switch, and a normally open switch is connected between the anode and the gate of the SCR. (3) Utility model registration The power pruning machine according to claim 1, wherein the control device includes a receiver, and the receiver operates a solenoid or stops the engine in accordance with a signal from a transmitter. A power pruning machine characterized by: