Potato digging and harvesting machines and methods in wet clay soil

Abstract

This invention discloses a potato harvester and method for digging and harvesting in sticky, wet soil. The harvester includes a frame, on which a digging shovel, a soil-screening and lifting mechanism, and a collection box are mounted. The soil-screening and lifting mechanism has a front-low, rear-high layout and includes two sets of chains, as well as a transverse section placed between the two sets of chains. Each transverse section includes two support shaft ends, with multiple rods arranged in a circumferential array between the two support shaft ends. Each support shaft end is connected to a link on the chain on its side, and the support shaft end can rotate relative to the chain link it is connected to. A gear is fixed to one of the support shaft ends corresponding to each transverse section. The soil-screening and lifting mechanism also includes a fixing plate fixed relative to the frame, located outside one set of chains, and the outer periphery of the fixing plate has a ring of teeth, with the gear meshing with several teeth on the fixing plate. This invention can effectively clean the sticky, wet soil on the surface of potatoes during harvesting, while ensuring continuous operation and avoiding frequent cleaning.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of potato harvesting machinery technology, and in particular to a potato digging and harvesting machine and method for wet clay soil. Background Technology

[0002] As one of the world's most important food crops, the mechanized harvesting of potatoes plays an irreplaceable role in improving agricultural production efficiency, reducing labor costs, ensuring the quality of agricultural products, and promoting the modernization of agriculture. High-efficiency potato harvesters can significantly increase operating speed and achieve rapid conversion from the field to the market, which is of great significance to increasing farmers' income.

[0003] In the prior art, patent CN101107903A discloses a typical potato harvester, which includes a digging shovel and a chain mechanism that is lower in the front and higher in the back. The digging shovel scoops the potatoes out of the soil, and the potato-soil mixture is conveyed sequentially by the chain mechanism, while the soil in the potato-soil mixture is screened out. This kind of machine is suitable for harvesting in relatively dry soil environments. However, if there is continuous heavy rain that makes the soil sticky and wet, the soil adheres to the surface of the potatoes and is extremely difficult to remove. Moreover, the sticky and wet soil has poor fluidity and will block the potatoes between the digging shovel and the soil. Obviously, the aforementioned prior art machine is difficult to operate under such conditions.

[0004] In the prior art, patent CN110367555A provides a blower-type cleaning device for harvesting potatoes in agriculture. It cleans the surface of potatoes by using a cleaning roller with bristles, a sponge, and an air blowing mechanism. However, with this structure, for potatoes with a lot of sticky and wet soil adhering to them, the cleaning roller will quickly become full of sticky and wet soil, resulting in a decrease in cleaning ability. The sponge will also quickly become full of soil, making it difficult to maintain the cleaning effect. Frequent shutdowns for maintenance are required, resulting in poor work continuity. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Purpose of the invention: In order to overcome the shortcomings of the existing technology, the present invention provides a potato digging and harvesting machine and method under sticky soil that can effectively clean the sticky and wet soil on the surface of potatoes during the harvesting process, while ensuring the continuity of operation and avoiding frequent cleaning.

[0006] Technical solution: To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a potato digging and harvesting machine for wet clay soil, which includes a frame on which a digging shovel, a soil screening and lifting mechanism, and a collection box are mounted; the soil screening and lifting mechanism has a front-low and rear-high layout, and includes two sets of chains, as well as a transverse part placed between the two sets of chains.

[0007] Each of the transverse portions includes two support shaft ends, with a plurality of bars arranged in a circumferential array between the two support shaft ends; each support shaft end is respectively connected to a link on the chain on its side, and the support shaft end is rotatable relative to the link to which it is connected;

[0008] Each of the transverse sections has a gear fixed to one of the support shaft ends; the soil screening and lifting mechanism also includes a fixing plate fixed relative to the frame, the fixing plate being located outside one of the sets of chains, and the outer periphery of the fixing plate having a ring of teeth, the gear meshing with a plurality of the teeth on the fixing plate.

[0009] During the potato harvesting process, the horizontal section of the upper half of the chain is in operation, while the horizontal section of the lower half is idle. The rotation of the horizontal section of the lower half allows for thorough soil shaking, expelling the sticky, wet soil from the interior. Preferably, the center of the circumferential array of rods in the horizontal section does not coincide with the axis of the support shaft. This promotes the rotation of the potatoes within the soil-lifting mechanism, ensuring thorough scraping of the sticky, wet soil from their surface.

[0010] Furthermore, the connection point between the digging shovel and the soil screening and lifting mechanism has an auxiliary wheel that assists the potato soil mixture to enter the front end of the soil screening and lifting mechanism, and the auxiliary wheel can rotate actively relative to the frame.

[0011] Specifically, the auxiliary wheel is equipped with multiple sets of rods arranged in a circular array; a first comb tooth is fixed to the rear side of the digging shovel, and a second comb tooth is fixed to the front end of the soil screening and lifting mechanism; the toothed rods in the first comb tooth extend vertically backward, and the toothed rods in the second comb tooth are arranged with the front higher than the rear; when the auxiliary wheel rotates, the rods on it can pass over the first and second comb teeth, so that the rods can lift the potato-soil mixture on the first comb tooth and put it onto the second comb tooth.

[0012] By incorporating auxiliary wheels, the poorly flowing potato-soil mixture can be guided to the soil conveying mechanism, preventing it from accumulating in front of the machine and causing it to pile up. The aforementioned first comb tooth section, second comb tooth section, and rod assembly work together to transfer the potato-soil mixture, which can break up clumps of wet, sticky soil to a certain extent, facilitating subsequent screening.

[0013] Furthermore, there are multiple digging shovels, all of which are mounted on a horizontal frame, both ends of which are fixed to the machine frame. The first comb teeth are fixed to the rear side of the horizontal frame.

[0014] Furthermore, a clamping wheel mechanism is installed on the rear side inside the soil screening and lifting mechanism. The clamping wheel mechanism includes two clamping wheels that abut against each other and rotate in opposite directions at the same speed. When the chain is running, each of the horizontally placed parts passes through the clamping wheel mechanism in sequence. The soil screening and lifting mechanism also has an auger mechanism with a V-shaped groove placed at the bottom of the V-shaped groove inside.

[0015] By incorporating a clamping wheel mechanism, each transverse section carries a high probability of having any exposed elongated impurities clamped by the clamping wheels as it passes through. This allows the elongated impurities to be extracted from the transverse section, preventing them from becoming trapped and causing soil buildup. The impurities extracted by the clamping wheel mechanism are discharged from the other side and fall into a V-shaped groove, where they are then conveyed by the auger mechanism and discharged from the side of the machine.

[0016] Furthermore, a support seat is fixed on each link of the chain, and the end of the support shaft is rotatably connected relative to the support seat.

[0017] A method for digging and harvesting potatoes in moist clay soil, based on the aforementioned potato digging and harvesting machine for moist clay soil; the method includes:

[0018] The frame moves through the potato field under the traction of a tractor;

[0019] During the movement of the frame, the sprockets corresponding to the chain rotate actively, causing all the transverse parts of the soil screening and lifting mechanism to rotate actively; the sprockets corresponding to the chain can be connected to drive components such as motors and hydraulic motors, or they can be connected to the PTO output shaft of the tractor through a transmission mechanism.

[0020] The end of the digging shovel goes deep into the soil to dig out the potatoes. As the frame moves forward, the mixture of potatoes and soil is dug out and reaches the front end of the soil screening and conveying mechanism. The soil screening and conveying mechanism cleans the mixture of potatoes and soil, removing the sticky and wet soil, while conveying the potatoes backward and upward until they are put into the collection box.

[0021] Beneficial effects: The potato digging and harvesting machine and method for wet clay soil of the present invention have the following beneficial effects:

[0022] (1) By setting gears and fixing plates, the chain can make the transverse part rotate actively relative to the chain links. In addition, by setting the transverse part as a hollow structure containing multiple bars, the soil and other impurities in the potato soil mixture dug up by the digging shovel are fully scraped off by the actively rotating bars on the soil lifting mechanism, which can effectively remove the sticky and wet soil adhering to the surface of the potato. Since the transverse part is a hollow structure, the soil that enters it will leak out from the other side, which is not easy to clog and will not affect continuous use.

[0023] (2) By setting auxiliary wheels, the poorly fluid potato-soil mixture can be helped to reach the soil screening and conveying mechanism, preventing the potato-soil mixture from accumulating in front of the machine and causing it to accumulate more and more.

[0024] (3) By setting up a clamping wheel mechanism, when each horizontal part passes through the clamping wheel mechanism, the exposed long strip impurities it carries are likely to be clamped by the clamping wheel. In this way, the long strip impurities can be extracted from the horizontal part, preventing the long strip impurities from being placed in the horizontal part and causing soil to easily accumulate in the horizontal part. Attached Figure Description

[0025] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of a potato harvester for digging and harvesting in wet clay soil;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the combination of the chain and the transverse section;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the working structure between the fixed plate and the soil conveying mechanism.

[0028] Figure 4 Diagram showing the connection structure between the excavator shovel and the soil lifting mechanism;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the combination of the soil lifting mechanism and the anti-roll-off mechanism in the preferred embodiment.

[0030] In the diagram: 1-digging shovel; 2-soil lifting mechanism; 21-chain; 22-horizontal section; 22a-support shaft end; 22b-bar; 23-gear; 3-fixed plate; 31-tooth section; 4-auxiliary wheel; 41-bar group; 5-first comb tooth section; 6-second comb tooth section; 7-horizontal frame; 8-clamping wheel mechanism; 81-clamping wheel; 91-V-groove; 92-auger mechanism; 10-frame; 20-collection box. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] like Figure 1 The potato digging and harvesting machine shown includes a frame 10, on which a digging shovel 1, a soil screening and lifting mechanism 2 and a collection box 20 are installed; the soil screening and lifting mechanism 2 has a front-low and rear-high layout, and includes two sets of chains 21, and also includes a transverse part 22 placed between the two sets of chains 21.

[0033] like Figure 2 As shown, each of the transverse portions 22 includes two support shaft ends 22a, and a plurality of rods 22b arranged in a circumferential array between the two support shaft ends 22a; each support shaft end 22a is connected to a link on the chain 21 on its side, and the support shaft end 22a is rotatable relative to the link to which it is connected.

[0034] Each of the transverse portions 22 has a gear 23 fixed to one of the support shaft ends 22a; the soil screening and lifting mechanism 2 also includes a fixing plate 3 fixed relative to the frame 10, the fixing plate 3 being located outside one set of chains 21, such as Figure 3 As shown, the outer periphery of the fixing plate 3 has a ring of teeth 31, and the gear 23 meshes with a plurality of the teeth 31 on the fixing plate 3.

[0035] With the above structure, by setting gear 23 and fixing plate 3, the operation of chain 21 can enable the horizontal part 22 to rotate actively relative to the chain link. In addition, by setting the horizontal part 22 as a hollow structure containing multiple bars 22b, the soil and other impurities in the potato soil mixture dug up by digging shovel 1 are fully scraped off by the actively rotating bars 22b on the soil lifting mechanism 2, which can effectively remove the sticky and wet soil adhering to the surface of the potato. Since the horizontal part 22 is a hollow structure, the soil that enters it will leak out from the other side, which is not easy to cause soil blockage and will not affect continuous use.

[0036] During the potato harvesting process, the horizontal section 22 located on the upper half of the chain 21 is in operation, while the horizontal section 22 located on the lower half of the chain 21 is idle. The rotation of the horizontal section 22 on the lower half of the chain allows for thorough soil shaking, expelling the sticky, wet soil from the interior. Preferably, the center of the circumferential array of the rods 22b in the horizontal section 22 does not coincide with the axis of the support shaft end 22a. This promotes the rotation of the potatoes in the soil-lifting mechanism 2, effectively scraping away the sticky, wet soil from their surface.

[0037] Preferably, the connection position between the digging shovel 1 and the soil screening and lifting mechanism 2 has an auxiliary wheel 4 to assist the potato soil mixture in entering the front end of the soil screening and lifting mechanism 2, and the auxiliary wheel 4 can rotate actively relative to the frame 10.

[0038] Specifically, such as Figure 4 As shown, the auxiliary wheel 4 is equipped with multiple sets of rods 41 arranged in a circular array; the rear side of the digging shovel 1 is fixed with a first comb tooth 5, and the front end of the soil lifting mechanism 2 is fixed with a second comb tooth 6; the tooth rods in the first comb tooth 5 extend vertically backward, and the tooth rods in the second comb tooth 6 are arranged with the front higher than the rear; when the auxiliary wheel 4 rotates, the rods 41 on it can pass over the first comb tooth 5 and the second comb tooth 6, so that the rods 41 can lift the potato soil mixture on the first comb tooth 5 and put it onto the second comb tooth 6.

[0039] By setting up auxiliary wheels 4, the poorly flowing potato-soil mixture can be helped to reach the soil conveying mechanism 2, preventing the potato-soil mixture from accumulating in front of the machine and causing it to accumulate more and more. The first comb tooth 5, the second comb tooth 6, and the rod assembly 41 work together to transfer the potato-soil mixture, which can break up the wet, clump-like soil to a certain extent, making it easier to remove in subsequent screening.

[0040] Preferably, there are multiple digging shovels 1, all of which are mounted on a horizontal frame 7, with both ends of the horizontal frame 7 fixed to the machine frame 10. The first comb tooth 5 is fixed to the rear side of the horizontal frame 7.

[0041] Preferably, such as Figure 1 As shown, a clamping wheel mechanism 8 is installed on the rear side inside the soil screening and lifting mechanism 2. The clamping wheel mechanism 8 includes two clamping wheels 81 that abut against each other and rotate in opposite directions at the same speed. When the chain 21 is running, each of the horizontal parts 22 passes through the clamping wheel mechanism 8 in sequence. The soil screening and lifting mechanism 2 also has an auger mechanism 92 with a V-shaped groove 91 placed at the bottom of the V-shaped groove 91.

[0042] By setting up the clamping wheel mechanism 8, each horizontal section 22 has a high probability of having its exposed elongated impurities clamped by the clamping wheels 81 when it passes through the clamping wheel mechanism 8. In this way, the elongated impurities can be extracted from the horizontal section 22, preventing them from being trapped inside the horizontal section 22 and causing soil to easily accumulate. The impurities extracted by the clamping wheel mechanism 8 are discharged from the other side and fall into the V-shaped groove 91, and are then conveyed by the auger mechanism 92 and discharged from the side of the machine.

[0043] Preferably, a support seat is fixed on the link of the chain 21, and the support shaft end 22a is rotatably connected relative to the support seat.

[0044] Preferably, such as Figure 5 As shown, the frame 10 is also equipped with an anti-roll-off mechanism 30 positioned above the soil screening and lifting mechanism 2. The anti-roll-off mechanism 30 includes a circulation unit 301 and partitions 302 equidistantly fixed to the circulation unit 301. The lower half of the circulation unit 301 is parallel to the upper half of the chain 21, and both are inclined with the front lower than the back. In this way, the partitions 302 divide the potato-soil mixture conveyed on the soil screening and lifting mechanism 2 into multiple segments, which can prevent the potatoes from rolling downhill.

[0045] A method for digging and harvesting potatoes in moist clay soil, based on the aforementioned potato digging and harvesting machine for moist clay soil; the method includes:

[0046] The frame 10 moves in the potato field under the traction of a tractor;

[0047] During the movement of the frame 10, the sprocket corresponding to the chain 21 rotates actively, causing all the transverse parts 22 included in the soil screening and lifting mechanism 2 to rotate actively; the sprocket corresponding to the chain 21 can be connected to drive components such as motors and hydraulic motors, or it can be connected to the PTO output shaft of the tractor through a transmission mechanism.

[0048] The end of the digging shovel 1 goes deep into the soil to dig out the potatoes. As the frame 10 moves forward, the mixture of potatoes and soil is dug out and reaches the front end of the soil screening and lifting mechanism 2. The soil screening and lifting mechanism 2 cleans the mixture of potatoes and soil, removing the sticky and wet soil, while conveying the potatoes backward and upward until the potatoes are put into the collection box 20.

[0049] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the present invention. These improvements and modifications should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A potato harvester for digging and harvesting in wet clay soil, comprising a frame (10), on which a digging shovel (1), a soil-lifting mechanism (2), and a collection box (20) are mounted; the soil-lifting mechanism (2) is arranged with a lower front and a higher rear, comprising two sets of chains (21), and a transverse section (22) placed between the two sets of chains (21); characterized in that: Each of the transverse portions (22) includes two support shaft ends (22a), with a plurality of bars (22b) arranged in a circumferential array between the two support shaft ends (22a); each support shaft end (22a) is connected to a link on the chain (21) on its side, and the support shaft end (22a) is rotatable relative to the link to which it is connected; Each of the transverse portions (22) has a gear (23) fixed on one of the support shaft ends (22a); the soil lifting mechanism (2) also includes a fixing plate (3) fixed relative to the frame (10), the fixing plate (3) being located outside one of the sets of chains (21), and the periphery of the fixing plate (3) having a ring of teeth (31), the gear (23) meshing with a plurality of the teeth (31) on the fixing plate (3); The rear side of the soil lifting mechanism (2) is equipped with a clamping wheel mechanism (8). The clamping wheel mechanism (8) includes two clamping wheels (81) that abut against each other. The two clamping wheels (81) rotate in opposite directions at the same speed. When the chain (21) is running, each of the horizontal parts (22) passes through the clamping wheel mechanism (8) in sequence.

2. The potato digging and harvesting machine for wet clay soil according to claim 1, characterized in that, The connection position between the digging shovel (1) and the soil screening and lifting mechanism (2) has an auxiliary wheel (4) that assists the potato soil mixture to enter the front end of the soil screening and lifting mechanism (2). The auxiliary wheel (4) can rotate actively relative to the frame (10).

3. The potato digging and harvesting machine for wet clay soil according to claim 1, characterized in that, There are multiple digging shovels (1), all of which are mounted on a horizontal frame (7), and both ends of the horizontal frame (7) are fixed to the machine frame (10).

4. The potato digging and harvesting machine for wet clay soil according to claim 1, characterized in that, The chain (21) has a support seat fixed on its links, and the support shaft end (22a) is rotatably connected relative to the support seat.

5. A method for digging and harvesting potatoes in moist clay soil, based on the potato digging and harvesting machine for moist clay soil as described in any one of claims 1-4; characterized in that, The methods include: The frame (10) moves in the potato field under the traction of a tractor; During the movement of the frame (10), the sprockets corresponding to the chain (21) actively rotate, causing all the horizontal parts (22) included in the soil lifting mechanism (2) to actively rotate. The end of the digging shovel (1) goes deep into the soil and digs out the potatoes. As the frame (10) moves forward, the mixture of potatoes and soil is dug out and reaches the front end of the soil screening and lifting mechanism (2). The soil screening and lifting mechanism (2) cleans the mixture of potatoes and soil, removes the sticky and wet soil, and conveys the potatoes backward and upward until the potatoes are put into the collection box (20).

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