Fruit picker for fruit trees

Abstract

The invention discloses a fruit picker for fruit trees. The fruit picker comprises a rod body, a picking head, a flexible pipe and an elastic structure. The picking head is arranged at the upper end of the rod body; the upper end of the flexible pipe is connected with the picking head, the flexible pipe is provided with a fruit dropping channel, and a fruit inlet is formed in the upper end of the fruit dropping channel; the elastic structure is arranged at the fruit inlet of the flexible pipe, the elastic structure is provided with a fruit body passing hole, the elastic structure can elastically deform to enlarge or reduce the size of the fruit body passing hole, and the fruit body passing hole is communicated with the upper end of the fruit falling channel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of fruit picking devices, in particular to a fruit picking device for fruit trees. Background Art

[0002] When picking fruits from fruit trees, a fruit picker is needed. Some existing fruit pickers include a rod body, a picking head and a flexible tube. The picking head is installed at the upper end of the rod body, and the upper end of the flexible tube is connected to the picking head. There is a fruit drop channel in the flexible tube. When the user holds the rod body to pick the fruits at high altitude, the picking head is used to disconnect the connection between the fruit and the branch, and then the fruit falls to the collection point through the fruit drop channel of the flexible tube. However, the picking head will collide with the branches and leaves of the fruit tree when moving in the air, sometimes causing the branches and leaves to enter the fruit drop channel, which can easily lead to blockage of the fruit drop channel. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present invention provides a fruit picking device for fruit trees, which can reduce the risk of clogging of the fruit falling channel.

[0004] The fruit picking device according to the embodiment of the present invention comprises a rod body, a picking head, a flexible tube and an elastic structure. The picking head is arranged at the upper end of the rod body; the upper end of the flexible tube is connected to the picking head, the flexible tube is provided with a fruit drop channel, and the upper end of the fruit drop channel is provided with a fruit entrance; the elastic structure is arranged at the fruit entrance of the flexible tube, the elastic structure has a fruit body passage hole, the elastic structure can be elastically deformed to expand or reduce the size of the fruit body passage hole, and the fruit body passage hole is connected to the upper end of the fruit drop channel.

[0005] The fruit picking device for fruit trees according to the embodiments of the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: when the picking head picks the fruit, the density of the fruit is relatively high and the volume of the fruit is relatively small, so that when the fruit contacts the elastic structure, the size of the fruit body passage hole can be expanded, so that the fruit can smoothly enter the fruit falling channel through the fruit entrance; the branches and leaves that fall accidentally have a relatively low density and a relatively large size, and will be blocked by the elastic structure, making it difficult for the branches and leaves to enter the fruit falling channel, avoiding the branches and leaves from being trapped and blocked in the fruit falling channel, thereby reducing the risk of clogging the fruit falling channel.

[0006] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the elastic structure includes two first elastic strips and two second elastic strips, the two first elastic strips are parallel to each other, the two second elastic strips are parallel to each other, the first elastic strip and the second elastic strip are perpendicular to each other, and the two first elastic strips and the two second elastic strips enclose the fruit body passing hole.

[0007] According to some embodiments of the present invention, any first elastic strip is connected to two second elastic strips in a region other than the two ends, and any second elastic strip is connected to two first elastic strips in a region other than the two ends.

[0008] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the first elastic strip and the second elastic strip are spaced apart, and the projection of the two first elastic strips along the central axis of the fruit falling channel intersects with the projection of the two second elastic strips along the central axis of the fruit falling channel.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the picking head is provided with a receiving hole, at least two hooks are provided around the hole opening of the receiving hole, two adjacent hooks are arranged at intervals, and the upper end of the fruit falling channel is connected to the receiving hole.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the hook member and the elastic structure are disposed on two sides of a central axis of the accommodating hole.

[0011] According to some embodiments of the present invention, a default portion is provided on a side of the picking head close to the flexible tube, and the default portion is located above the periphery of the orifice of the accommodating hole.

[0012] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the flexible tube is alternately provided with first diameter segments and second diameter segments along the length direction, and the second diameter segment is provided with an elastic ring, which makes the diameter of the second diameter segment smaller than the diameter of the first diameter segment.

[0013] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the diameter of the fruit falling channel in the first diameter section is A, and the diameter of the fruit falling channel in the second diameter section is B, satisfying 0.7A≤B≤0.9A.

[0014] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the tube wall of the flexible tube is a mesh structure.

[0015] Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be given in part in the following description and in part will be obvious from the following description, or will be learned through practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and easily understood from the description of the embodiments in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of a fruit tree fruit picking device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 For the embodiment of the present invention Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view in the AA direction;

[0019] Figure 3 For the embodiment of the present invention Figure 1 A cross-sectional schematic diagram in the BB direction;

[0020] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the lower end of the fruit picking device for fruit trees according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Reference numerals:

[0022] Rod body 100;

[0023] The picking head 200, the receiving hole 210, the hook member 220, and the default part 230;

[0024] Flexible tube 300, fruit falling channel 301, first diameter section 310, second diameter section 320, flexible sheet 330, reserved sheet 340;

[0025] Elastic structure 400, fruit body through hole 401, first elastic strip 410, second elastic strip 420;

[0026] Elastic ring 500;

[0027] The clamping assembly 600 includes a first clamping strip 610 , a second clamping strip 620 , and a threaded fastener 630 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0029] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that descriptions involving orientation, such as orientation or positional relationship indicated as up, down, etc., are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0030] In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means more than two. If there is a description of "first" or "second", it is only used for the purpose of distinguishing technical features, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0031] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined, terms such as setting, installing, connecting, etc. should be understood in a broad sense, and technicians in the relevant technical field can reasonably determine the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific content of the technical solution.

[0032] Reference Figures 1 to 4 , a fruit picking device for fruit trees according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprises a rod body 100, a picking head 200, a flexible tube 300 and an elastic structure 400. The picking head 200 is arranged at the upper end of the rod body 100; the upper end of the flexible tube 300 is connected to the picking head 200, the flexible tube 300 is provided with a fruit drop channel 301, and the upper end of the fruit drop channel 301 is provided with a fruit entrance; the elastic structure 400 is arranged at the fruit entrance of the flexible tube 300, the elastic structure 400 has a fruit body through hole 401, the elastic structure 400 can be elastically deformed to expand or reduce the size of the fruit body through hole 401, and the fruit body through hole 401 is connected to the upper end of the fruit drop channel 301.

[0033] When the picking head 200 picks the fruit, the density of the fruit is relatively high and the volume of the fruit is relatively small, so that when the fruit contacts the elastic structure 400, it can expand the size of the fruit body passage hole 401, so that the fruit can smoothly enter the fruit falling channel 301 through the fruit entrance; the branches and leaves that fall accidentally have a relatively low density and a relatively large size, and will be blocked by the elastic structure 400, making it difficult for the branches and leaves to enter the fruit falling channel 301, avoiding the branches and leaves from being trapped and blocked in the fruit falling channel 301, thereby reducing the risk of clogging the fruit falling channel 301.

[0034] In the embodiment, the elastic structure 400 includes two first elastic strips 410 and two second elastic strips 420, the two first elastic strips 410 are parallel to each other, the two second elastic strips 420 are parallel to each other, the first elastic strip 410 and the second elastic strip 420 are perpendicular to each other, and the two first elastic strips 410 and the two second elastic strips 420 enclose a fruit body through hole 401. A quadrilateral fruit body through hole 401 is enclosed by the two first elastic strips 410 and the two second elastic strips 420. Since the first elastic strips 410 and the second elastic strips 420 are both independently elastic, the fruit is picked by the picking head 200. When the fruit contacts the first elastic strips 410 and the second elastic strips 420, each of the first elastic strips 410 and the second elastic strips 420 can be appropriately deformed to different degrees according to the shape and pressure of the fruit to adapt to the non-spherical fruit passing through the fruit body through hole 401, so that the non-spherical fruit can also pass through the fruit body through hole 401 of the elastic structure 400 and enter the fruit drop channel 301. It should be understood that when a non-spherical fruit contacts the elastic structure 400, even between two first elastic strips 410, it is possible that the contact force of one of the first elastic strips 410 is smaller and the contact force of the other first elastic strip 410 is larger. At this time, the two first elastic strips 410 can independently undergo appropriate deformation to adapt to the non-spherical fruit shape.

[0035] In some embodiments, any first elastic strip 410 is connected to two second elastic strips 420 in the area other than the two ends, and any second elastic strip 420 is connected to two first elastic strips 410 in the area other than the two ends. This makes the elastic deformation between the first elastic strip 410 and the second elastic strip 420 linked, that is, for example, the elastic deformation of a first elastic strip 410 will involve the second elastic strip 420, and the elastic deformation of a second elastic strip 420 will also involve the first elastic strip 410, so that the elastic modulus of the elastic structure 400 is relatively large, reducing the risk of a first elastic strip 410 or a second elastic strip 420 being broken by excessive force. In this case, the fruit picker is suitable for fruits with relatively high density.

[0036] In other embodiments, the first elastic strip 410 and the second elastic strip 420 are spaced apart from each other, and the projection of the two first elastic strips 410 along the central axis of the fruit falling channel 301 intersects with the projection of the two second elastic strips 420 along the central axis of the fruit falling channel 301, so that the first elastic strip 410 and the second elastic strip 420 are not in direct contact. At this time, the elastic modulus of the elastic structure 400 is relatively small, and the first elastic strip 410 and the second elastic strip 420 can independently undergo large deformation to adapt to the shape of the fruit. At this time, the fruit tree picker is suitable for fruits with relatively low density.

[0037] Specifically, the first elastic strip 410 and the second elastic strip 420 can both be strip-shaped rubber bands, which are simple in structure and easy to implement. It is conceivable that in other embodiments, the first elastic strip 410 and the second elastic strip 420 can also have other structures, such as using slender strip springs or other ropes with high elasticity.

[0038] Specifically, both ends of the first elastic strip 410 and both ends of the second elastic strip 420 are connected to the upper end surface of the flexible tube 300. It is conceivable that in other embodiments, both ends of the first elastic strip 410 and both ends of the second elastic strip 420 can also be connected to the picking head 200.

[0039] It is conceivable that in other embodiments, the elastic structure 400 can also be other structures, for example, the elastic structure 400 is a thin film tube, one end of the thin film tube has a larger diameter and is connected to the upper end of the flexible tube 300, and the other end of the thin film tube is connected to a circular rubber band, so that the diameter of the other end of the thin film tube is reduced, forming a funnel shape. When the fruit contacts the elastic structure 400, it can move along the thin film tube and stretch the circular rubber band, and then the fruit enters the fruit falling channel 301, while the branches and leaves have a lower density and a larger volume, and the circular rubber band cannot be stretched, preventing the branches and leaves from entering the fruit falling channel 301.

[0040] In the embodiment, the picking head 200 is provided with a receiving hole 210, and seven hooks 220 are provided around the opening of the receiving hole 210, and two adjacent hooks 220 are arranged at intervals, and the upper end of the fruit falling channel 301 is connected with the receiving hole 210. When the fruit picking device for fruit trees is in use, the user holds the rod body 100, aligns the fruit into the receiving hole 210, and makes the hooks 220 be located above the fruit. At this time, the branches connected to the fruit pass through the gaps between the hooks 220. Then the user presses down the fruit picking device, and uses the hooks 220 to pull the fruit and the branches apart. At this time, the fruit can enter the upper end of the fruit falling channel 301 through the receiving hole 210 under the action of gravity, and finally fall along the fruit falling channel 301 to the collection place. The above-mentioned picking head 200 has a simple structure and is relatively convenient to use.

[0041] Specifically, two, three, four or other numbers of hook members 220 may be provided on the picking head 200, and those skilled in the art may configure the hook members 220 according to actual needs.

[0042] It is understandable that in other embodiments, the picking head 200 may also be other types of existing picking heads 200, such as an electric scissor-type picking head 200, which directly cuts the fruit from the branch so that the fruit can fall into the fruit entrance of the flexible tube 300.

[0043] In the embodiment, the hook member 220 and the elastic structure 400 are disposed on both sides of the central axis of the receiving hole 210. When the fruit picker is in use, the hook member 220 is located above the receiving hole 210, and the elastic structure 400 is located below the receiving hole 210. After the hook member 220 pulls off the fruit, the fruit can directly fall on the elastic structure 400 under the action of gravity, and enter the fruit drop channel 301 through the fruit body clearance hole, which is relatively convenient and smooth to use.

[0044] In the embodiment, a default position part 230 is provided on one side of the picking head 200 close to the flexible tube 300, and the default position part 230 is located above the periphery of the opening of the receiving hole 210. The default position part 230 is provided so that the fruit can be more easily aligned into the receiving hole 210, and the use is more convenient.

[0045] In the embodiment, the flexible tube 300 is alternately provided with a first diameter section 310 and a second diameter section 320 along the length direction, and the second diameter section 320 is provided with an elastic ring 500, and the elastic ring 500 makes the diameter of the second diameter section 320 smaller than the diameter of the first diameter section 310. The first diameter section 310 and the second diameter section 320 are provided, so that when the fruit falls along the fruit falling channel 301, when the fruit passes through the second diameter section 320, the elastic ring 500 can be adaptively elastically deformed, and the diameter of the second diameter section 320 is enlarged to a certain extent. At this time, the friction between the second diameter section 320 and the fruit increases, so that the fruit can be decelerated to a certain extent when passing through the second diameter section 320, so as to avoid the fruit moving too fast along the fruit falling channel 301, resulting in a risk of bruising the fruit due to a large impact at the collection point after leaving the fruit falling channel 301, thereby reducing the impact on the fruit quality when picking the fruit with a fruit picker.

[0046] Specifically, the elastic ring 500 may be, for example, an annular rubber band, an annular spring or other annular elastic plastic parts, and those skilled in the art may configure the ring 500 according to actual needs.

[0047] In the embodiment, the diameter of the fruit falling channel 301 in the first diameter section 310 is A, and the diameter of the fruit falling channel 301 in the second diameter section 320 is B, which satisfies 0.7A≤B≤0.9A. The size of the second diameter section 320 is relatively moderate, which can provide appropriate friction to the fruit, avoiding the risk that the size of the second diameter section 320 is too small under normal conditions, and the resistance to the fruit is too large, so that the fruit cannot pass through the second diameter section 320.

[0048] Specifically, the flexible tube 300 is alternately provided with a plurality of first diameter sections 310 and second diameter sections 320, such as two, three or more, along the length direction, and performs a plurality of decelerations to prevent the fruit from falling too fast.

[0049] In the embodiment, the tube wall of the flexible tube 300 is a mesh structure, so that the weight of the flexible tube 300 is relatively light, the burden on the user is reduced, and the risk of water accumulation in the flexible tube 300 is reduced.

[0050] When a small amount of branches and leaves still accidentally pass through the fruit body through hole 401 and enter the fruit falling channel 301 to cause blockage, it is difficult for the conventional flexible tube 300 to remove the blocked branches and leaves in the fruit falling channel 301, so the following improvements are made:

[0051] In the embodiment, a clamping assembly 600 is further included, and the flexible tube 300 includes a flexible sheet portion 330 , which is arranged in a ring shape, and both ends of the flexible sheet portion 330 are closed to form a fruit falling channel 301 , and the closed areas at both ends of the flexible sheet portion 330 are detachably clamped on the clamping assembly 600 .

[0052] The flexible sheet portion 330 is arranged in a ring shape, and the two ends are closed to form a fruit falling channel 301, and the closed part of the flexible sheet portion 330 is detachably clamped by the clamping assembly 600. When branches and leaves are blocked in the fruit falling channel 301, the clamping assembly 600 can be loosened to unfold the flexible sheet portion 330, and the blocked branches and leaves can be removed. Then, the two ends of the flexible sheet portion 330 can be closed again, and the clamping assembly 600 can be used to clamp the closed area, so that the branches and leaves blocked in the fruit falling channel 301 can be cleared, and the method for clearing the blocked branches and leaves is relatively simple.

[0053] In the embodiment, the clamping assembly 600 includes a first clamping strip 610, a second clamping strip 620 and a threaded fastener 630. The first clamping strip 610 and the second clamping strip 620 are both arranged along the length direction of the flexible tube 300. The first clamping strip 610 and the second clamping strip 620 clamp the closing area at both ends of the flexible sheet 330. The threaded fastener 630 locks and fixes the positions of the first clamping strip 610 and the second clamping strip 620. The first clamping strip 610 is connected to the rod body 100. The first clamping strip 610 and the second clamping strip 620 are arranged along the length direction of the flexible tube 300, and the first clamping strip 610 and the second clamping strip 620 are locked by the threaded fastener 630, so that the closing area of ​​the flexible sheet 330 can be clamped and fixed relatively simply along the length direction of the flexible tube 300, the clamping is relatively complete, and the clamping effect is relatively firm. When it is necessary to loosen the clamping assembly 600, just loosen the threaded fastener 630.

[0054] Specifically, the threaded fastener 630 is a bolt and nut pair, and it is relatively simple to lock the first clamp 610 and the second clamp 620. It is conceivable that in other embodiments, the threaded fastener 630 can also be a screw, which is inserted into the first clamp 610 and threadedly connected to the second clamp 620.

[0055] It is conceivable that in other embodiments, the clamping assembly 600 may also be other structures. For example, the clamping assembly 600 includes a plurality of elastic clips arranged at intervals along the length direction of the rod body 100, and the elastic clips are provided on the rod body 100. All the elastic clips sequentially clamp the closing area of ​​the flexible sheet portion 330 so that the flexible sheet portion 330 can remain closed to form a relatively firm fruit falling channel 301.

[0056] In the embodiment, two reserved sheets 340 are further included, and the two reserved sheets 340 are connected to the two ends of the flexible sheet 330 in a one-to-one correspondence. The two reserved sheets 340 and the flexible sheet 330 are an integrated structure, so that the diameter of the fruit drop channel 301 can be adjusted. By arranging the reserved sheets 340 at both ends of the flexible sheet 330, when it is necessary to pick large-volume fruits, part of the reserved sheets 340 can be switched to the flexible sheet 330 by loosening the clamping assembly 600, and then the two ends of the flexible sheet 330 are closed again to form a larger diameter fruit drop channel 301, so that the fruit tree fruit picker has better versatility.

[0057] Specifically, the flexible tube 300 is actually formed by closing a mesh body, the reserved sheet 340 is the portion that does not participate in forming the inner wall of the fruit falling channel 301 after the mesh body is closed, and the flexible sheet 330 is the portion that participates in forming the interior of the fruit falling channel 301 after the mesh body is closed.

[0058] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "illustrative embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0059] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A fruit picking device for fruit trees, characterized in that: include: Rod body (100); A picking head (200) is arranged at the upper end of the rod body (100); A flexible tube (300), the upper end of which is connected to the picking head (200), the flexible tube (300) is provided with a fruit falling channel (301), and the upper end of the fruit falling channel (301) is provided with a fruit entrance; An elastic structure (400) is arranged at the fruit entrance of the flexible tube (300), the elastic structure (400) has a fruit body passage hole (401), the elastic structure (400) can be elastically deformed to expand or reduce the size of the fruit body passage hole (401), and the fruit body passage hole (401) is connected to the upper end of the fruit falling channel (301).

2. The fruit picking device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The elastic structure (400) comprises two first elastic strips (410) and two second elastic strips (420), the two first elastic strips (410) are parallel to each other, the two second elastic strips (420) are parallel to each other, the first elastic strip (410) and the second elastic strip (420) are perpendicular to each other, and the two first elastic strips (410) and the two second elastic strips (420) enclose the fruit body through hole (401).

3. The fruit picking device according to claim 2, characterized in that: Any of the first elastic strips (410) is connected to two of the second elastic strips (420) in an area other than the two ends, and any of the second elastic strips (420) is connected to two of the first elastic strips (410) in an area other than the two ends.

4. The fruit picking device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first elastic strip (410) and the second elastic strip (420) are arranged at intervals, and the projections of the two first elastic strips (410) along the central axis of the fruit falling channel (301) intersect with the projections of the two second elastic strips (420) along the central axis of the fruit falling channel (301).

5. The fruit picking device for fruit trees according to claim 1, characterized in that: The picking head (200) is provided with a receiving hole (210), and at least two hooks (220) are provided around the opening of the receiving hole (210), and two adjacent hooks (220) are arranged at intervals, and the upper end of the fruit falling channel (301) is connected to the receiving hole (210).

6. The fruit picking device for fruit trees according to claim 5, characterized in that: The hook member (220) and the elastic structure (400) are disposed on both sides of the central axis of the accommodating hole (210).

7. The fruit picking device for fruit trees according to claim 5, characterized in that: A default position part (230) is provided on one side of the picking head (200) close to the flexible tube (300), and the default position part (230) is located above the periphery of the opening of the accommodating hole (210).

8. The fruit picking device for fruit trees according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible tube (300) is alternately provided with a first diameter section (310) and a second diameter section (320) along the length direction; the second diameter section (320) is provided with an elastic ring (500); the elastic ring (500) makes the diameter of the second diameter section (320) smaller than the diameter of the first diameter section (310).

9. The fruit picking device for fruit trees according to claim 8, characterized in that: The diameter of the fruit falling channel (301) in the first diameter section (310) is A, and the diameter of the fruit falling channel (301) in the second diameter section (320) is B, satisfying 0.7A≤B≤0.9A.

10. The fruit picking device for fruit trees according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tube wall of the flexible tube (300) is a mesh structure.

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