A small-sized caterpillar type integrated pepper harvesting device for mountain and hilly land

Abstract

This invention discloses a small tracked integrated chili harvesting device for mountainous and hilly areas, belonging to the field of agricultural machinery. It includes a frame and a tracked walking mechanism. A cutting device is located at the front end of the frame, and a whole-plant conveyor belt is inclined to the left side of the front end of the frame, with its front end connected to the discharge port of the cutting device. A driver's cab is located on the right side of the front end of the frame. A spiral auger double-roll screen fruit-picking component is located in the middle of the frame, with its front inlet receiving the end of the whole-plant conveyor belt and its rear outlet having a stem discharge port. Below this is a chili conveyor belt, with a feeding device and a collection box connected sequentially behind it. A cleaning fan is located behind the feeding device. The engine is located in the lower middle part of the frame, and power distribution is achieved through a two-stage belt pulley reduction and a micro-chain. This equipment adopts a low center of gravity symmetrical layout, integrating cutting, fruit removal, cleaning, conveying, and collection into one unit, specifically designed for chili harvesting operations in mountainous and hilly terrain and planting patterns.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of agricultural machinery technology and relates to a chili harvesting device, particularly a small tracked integrated chili harvesting device suitable for operation in mountainous and hilly areas. Background Technology

[0002] Chili peppers are one of the core economic crops in the mountainous and hilly areas of southwestern my country, such as Guizhou. Due to the terrain, chili pepper cultivation in this region is characterized by fragmented plots, steep slopes, narrow and winding field roads, and a lack of standardized access for agricultural machinery. Existing mature chili pepper harvesters are mostly large, self-propelled machines designed for plains and open fields. Their bulky size, heavy weight, and poor maneuverability prevent them from accessing the fragmented mountain fields. Furthermore, the high ground pressure poses a risk of tipping over when operating on slopes, making them severely incompatible with the dispersed planting patterns in mountainous areas. While existing small chili pepper harvesters can barely enter the fields, they generally suffer from low harvesting efficiency, high fruit damage rates, and high impurity content, limiting their practical effectiveness.

[0003] Currently, chili harvesting in this region still relies heavily on manual labor, resulting in inherent shortcomings such as low efficiency, high labor costs, and high labor intensity. The average daily harvest per person is only 20-30 kg, severely hindering the large-scale development of the chili industry. The existing chili harvesting technology system lacks miniaturized, integrated, and highly adaptable harvesting equipment specifically developed for the mountainous and hilly terrain and planting patterns of Southwest China. This creates a technological gap where large equipment is unusable due to terrain limitations, small machinery is ineffective due to performance shortcomings, and manual harvesting is hampered by efficiency bottlenecks. This severely restricts cost reduction, efficiency improvement, and high-quality sustainable development of the regional chili industry. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a miniaturized, integrated, and highly adaptable chili harvesting device specifically developed for mountainous and hilly terrain and planting patterns. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention proposes a small tracked integrated chili harvesting device for mountainous and hilly areas. The aim is to improve existing chili harvesting equipment by integrating five processes—cutting, fruit removal, cleaning, conveying, and material collection—into one, making it compact and highly flexible, and specifically designed for chili harvesting operations in mountainous and hilly terrains and planting patterns.

[0005] This invention is achieved through the following technical solution: A small tracked integrated chili harvesting device for mountainous and hilly areas includes a frame and a tracked walking mechanism disposed at the bottom of the frame. The tracked walking mechanism ensures the machine's passability and stability on slopes, muddy ground, and uneven terrain. It also includes: A cutting device, located at the front end of the frame, is used to cut the bottom stem of the chili pepper to achieve whole-plant harvesting; The whole plant conveyor belt is inclinedly arranged on the left front end of the frame, and its front end is connected to the discharge port of the cutting device. It is used to transport whole pepper plants harvested by the cutting device, and its conveying direction is consistent with the walking direction of the track walking mechanism. The cab is located at the front right of the frame and integrates a one-stop control system for driving and operation. The cutting device is located in the unobstructed field of vision directly in front of the cab, making it easy for workers to observe. The spiral auger double roller screen fruit picking component is located in the middle of the frame and behind the whole plant conveyor belt and the driver's cab. Its front inlet receives the end outlet of the whole plant conveyor belt and is used to separate the fruit and stem of the whole pepper plant, allowing the pepper fruit to pass through the screen holes on the bottom side wall. The rear outlet of the spiral auger double roller screen fruit picking component is connected to a stem discharge outlet for discharging the stem, pepper leaves and coarse impurities obliquely to the rear of the frame. A chili conveyor belt is horizontally arranged on the frame and located directly below the spiral auger double-roll screen fruit picking component, used to receive and transport chili fruits falling from the bottom of the spiral auger double-roll screen fruit picking component; The collection box is an open-top box structure, which is set on the frame and located behind the chili conveyor belt, and is used to collect chili fruits; A feeding device is provided on the frame and located between the chili conveyor belt and the collection box. Its front end receives the rear discharge port of the chili conveyor belt and is used to lift the chili fruits and unload them into the collection box. A cleaning fan, mounted on the frame and located behind the chili conveyor belt, directs its airflow upwards towards the chili conveyor belt. It blows away chili leaves and light impurities from the chili fruits falling onto the conveyor belt from the bottom of the spiral auger double-roll screen picking component, further separating the chili fruits from the leaves and impurities, thus reducing the impurity content of the chili fruits falling onto the conveyor belt. The power system includes an engine installed at the center of gravity of the lower part of the frame and a power transmission mechanism disposed between the engine and the tracked walking mechanism, the cutting device, the whole plant conveyor belt, the spiral auger double-roll screen picking component, the chili conveyor belt, the feeding device, and the cleaning blower. The power transmission mechanism adopts a two-stage belt pulley reduction, micro-chain distribution, and cab control system power transmission and control mode to realize the on-demand distribution of power to the tracked walking mechanism and various working functional components, and all control actions can be completed in the cab.

[0006] Furthermore, the tracked walking mechanism includes anti-slip and wear-resistant rubber tracks with a textured anti-slip structure on the surface, which can greatly improve the friction with uneven ground and prevent slipping on slopes and muddy conditions.

[0007] Furthermore, the cutting device includes a hopper, a reciprocating cutting mechanism with moving and fixed blades disposed at the front end of the hopper, and a rotatable spiral auger drum disposed inside the hopper. The hopper is mounted on the frame, and a hopper outlet is provided at the end of the rear side wall of the hopper near the whole-plant conveyor belt. The reciprocating cutting mechanism with moving and fixed blades can quickly cut the bottom stems of the chili peppers without damaging the fruit. As the hopper moves forward with the frame, the harvested whole chili pepper plants enter the hopper and are conveyed to the hopper outlet by the spiral auger drum, and then enter the whole-plant conveyor belt for whole-plant transport.

[0008] Furthermore, the frame includes a liftable cutting bracket located at the front end, and the cutting device is mounted on the liftable cutting bracket. The liftable cutting bracket is used to adjust the height of the cutting device off the ground to adapt to chili plants of different heights in mountainous and hilly areas.

[0009] Furthermore, the spiral auger double-roller fruit-picking component includes an inner screen roller, an outer screen roller disposed outside the inner screen roller, and spiral auger blades disposed inside the inner screen roller; both the inner and outer screen rollers are rotatably mounted on the frame and are connected to the engine via the power transmission mechanism, allowing them to rotate on the frame. Both the inner and outer screen rollers are circular woven mesh structures, with sieve holes on the sidewalls of the rollers allowing only pepper fruits to pass through, while stems and coarse impurities cannot pass through; the spiral auger blades are rotatably mounted on the frame and are connected to the engine via the power transmission mechanism. The power transmission mechanism connects the spiral auger blades, allowing them to rotate relative to the inner and outer screen drums within the inner screen drum. After the entire chili plant enters the spiral auger double-roll screen fruit-picking component, the rotation of the inner and outer screen drums, along with the pushing action of the spiral auger blades, causes the chili plant to experience friction, compression, and rubbing against the inner wall of the inner screen drum. As a result, the chili fruit gradually separates from the stem, and the separated chili fruit falls into the outer screen drum. The rotating outer screen drum performs a secondary screening and cleaning, allowing chili fruit with a lower impurity content to fall from the sieve holes at the bottom of the outer screen drum onto the chili conveyor belt.

[0010] Furthermore, soft rubber fruit-removing teeth are fixed on the inner wall of the inner screen drum and the spiral auger blades. When rotating, they gently pull the pepper stems to separate the pepper fruits from the stems, avoiding hard contact that could damage the pepper fruits and meeting the commercial requirements of fresh peppers in mountainous and hilly areas.

[0011] Furthermore, an arc-shaped protective cover is provided on the outer side of the outer screen roller to prevent the pepper fruits from splashing out during the fruit removal process. This prevents the pepper fruits from slipping out from the side of the outer screen roller, but instead restricts them to fall from below and onto the pepper conveyor belt located below the spiral auger double-roll screen fruit-picking component, ensuring that all falling pepper fruits are caught and no ones spill.

[0012] Furthermore, the power transmission mechanism includes a main pulley, a transfer case, a miniature chain, and a multi-stage belt drive mechanism. The main pulley is mounted on the output shaft of the engine and is connected to the transfer case, dividing the engine power into two paths. The transfer case is connected to the drive wheel of the tracked walking mechanism via a miniature chain drive, thereby using one path of power to drive the tracked walking mechanism. The cutting device, the whole plant conveyor belt, the spiral auger double-roll screen fruit picking component, the chili conveyor belt, the feeding device, and the cleaning fan are connected to the transfer case via a multi-stage pulley drive mechanism, using the other path of power to drive each functional component.

[0013] Furthermore, the feeding device is an inclined belt elevator, the bottom end of which receives the rear outlet of the chili conveyor belt, and the top outlet is located above the collection box. After lifting the chili fruit, it unloads it into the collection box.

[0014] A method for harvesting chili peppers in mountainous and hilly areas, using the aforementioned small tracked integrated chili pepper harvesting equipment, includes the following steps: S1. Cab Control and Track Movement: The operator enters the cab and completes the entire adjustment process in the cab according to the slope of the field, the height of the chili plants and the spacing of the planting rows. The operator adjusts the ground clearance of the cutting device, starts the engine, and adjusts the track movement speed and the rotation speed of each working component through the control system. The operator controls the track movement mechanism through the dual joysticks of the control system in the cab to control the whole machine to move in a straight line along the chili planting rows. The unobstructed view in the cab allows the operator to observe the working status of the cutting device in front in real time and adjust the walking direction in a timely manner. S2. Whole plant cutting and conveying: The anti-lodging baffle ensures that the whole chili plant remains upright. The moving and fixed blade reciprocating cutting mechanism of the cutting device quickly cuts off the bottom stem of the chili. The cut whole chili plant enters the hopper and is pushed from the hopper outlet into the whole plant conveyor belt under the pushing action of the spiral auger drum. The whole plant conveyor belt and the crawler belt travel at the same speed, and the whole chili plant is smoothly conveyed to the spiral auger double roller screen fruit picking component. S3. Flexible Fruit Removal: After the entire chili plant enters the inner screen drum, the rotating auger blades push the entire chili plant. The inner wall of the inner screen drum and the soft rubber fruit removal teeth on the auger blades gently pull the chili fruit stalks, achieving efficient separation of the chili fruit from the stem. The separated chili fruit falls into the outer screen drum through the screen holes on the side wall of the inner screen drum. The stems and coarse impurities screened out in the inner screen drum move towards the discharge port at the end of the inner screen drum under the push of the auger blades. The rotating outer screen drum performs secondary screening and cleaning, and the chili fruit falls from the bottom screen holes of the outer screen drum onto the chili conveyor belt below. S4. Chili fruit conveying and collection: The chili conveyor belt smoothly transports the chili fruits that fall on it to the feeding device. After being lifted by the feeding device, the chili fruits fall into the collection box for temporary storage. S5. Stalk discharge: The stalks and coarse impurities screened out in the inner screen drum enter the stalk discharge outlet from the discharge port at the end of the inner screen drum. The impurities and short stalks screened out in the outer screen drum enter the stalk discharge outlet from the discharge port at the end of the outer screen drum. The stalk discharge outlet discharges the impurities obliquely to the rear of the frame. S6. Chili Leaf Cleaning: As the chili fruits fall from the bottom of the spiral double-roll screen picking component to the chili conveyor belt, the cleaning fan blows air upwards towards the chili conveyor belt to blow away the chili leaves and light impurities mixed in with the chili fruits that have fallen onto the chili conveyor belt, further separating the chili fruits from the chili leaves and light impurities, and reducing the impurity content in the chili fruits that fall onto the chili conveyor belt.

[0015] As can be seen from the above technical solution, the small tracked integrated chili harvesting equipment for mountainous and hilly areas provided by the present invention has undergone a miniaturized, integrated, and highly flexible structural design and technical optimization, specifically tailored to the terrain characteristics, planting patterns, and operational needs of mountainous and hilly areas in southwestern China, such as Guizhou. The beneficial effects are as follows: (1) Suitable for picking operations in mountainous and hilly areas: The present invention adopts a low center of gravity symmetrical layout to improve the stability of slope operation. The spiral auger double roller screen picking component, engine and other heavy components are arranged in the lower part of the frame so that the center of gravity of the whole machine coincides with the grounding center of the track, thus avoiding the risk of tipping over from the structure. (2) Realize the whole process of mechanized operation and greatly improve the efficiency of chili harvesting in mountainous areas: This invention integrates the five processes of chili harvesting, namely cutting, fruit removal, cleaning, conveying and collecting, into a small piece of equipment, realizing the whole process of chili harvesting in mountainous and hilly areas, replacing the traditional manual multi-step operation mode, and the equipment can be operated by a single person, which greatly reduces the labor cost of chili harvesting in mountainous and hilly areas and solves the core problems of agricultural labor shortage and low harvesting efficiency in this region; (3) Optimize the fruit removal structure design to ensure the marketability of fresh chili peppers in mountainous areas: The present invention adopts a small fruit removal structure of "spiral auger + soft rubber fruit removal teeth + screen roller", which solves the technical problems of incomplete fruit removal and high chili pepper damage rate of existing fruit removal equipment. At the same time, anti-falling baffles are set at the cutting point to avoid contact between chili pepper fruits and the ground, further ensuring the integrity and marketability of fresh chili peppers in mountainous and hilly areas. (4) Efficient cleaning and impurity removal, reducing subsequent manual processes: The cleaning fan and feeding device equipped in this invention are linked to efficiently separate the chili leaves and other impurities mixed in the chili fruit, eliminating the need for subsequent manual secondary cleaning; (5) Simple structure and easy maintenance, suitable for promotion in mountainous rural areas: All functional components of this invention adopt standardized and simplified design, without complex precision parts, low manufacturing cost of equipment, and convenient maintenance and repair in the later stage. Farmers can complete simple fault diagnosis and parts replacement by themselves, which solves the technical problems of complex maintenance, high repair cost and unsuitability for promotion in rural areas of existing large agricultural machinery. It has the technical foundation and realistic conditions for large-scale promotion in mountainous and hilly areas in southwestern Guizhou and other regions. Attached Figure Description

[0016] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. In all the drawings, similar elements or parts are generally identified by similar reference numerals. In the drawings, the elements or parts are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the tracked walking mechanism.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the cutting device.

[0020] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the fruit-picking component of the spiral auger double-roll screen.

[0021] The components in the diagram are as follows: 1. Cutting device; 1.1. Hopper; 1.2. Moving and fixed blade reciprocating cutting mechanism; 1.3. Spiral auger drum; 1.4. Hopper outlet; 2. Driver's cab; 3. Spiral auger double-roll screen fruit picking component; 3.1. Inner screen drum; 3.2. Outer screen drum; 3.3. Spiral auger blades; 4. Stem discharge outlet; 5. Cleaning fan; 6. Collection box; 7. Feeding device; 8. Tracked walking mechanism; 9. Chili conveyor belt; 10. Whole plant conveyor belt; 11. Frame; 12. Power system. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The embodiments of the technical solution of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are merely illustrative of the technical solution of the present invention and are therefore intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0023] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "front", "rear", "left", "right", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0024] Example 1 A small, tracked, integrated chili harvesting device for mountainous and hilly areas, such as Figure 1 As shown, it mainly consists of a frame 11, a crawler walking mechanism 8, a cutting device 1, a whole plant conveyor belt 10, a driver's cab 2, a spiral auger double roller screen fruit picking component 3, a chili conveyor belt 9, a collection box 6, a feeding device 7, a cleaning fan 5, and a power system 12.

[0025] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the tracked walking mechanism 8 is located at the bottom of the frame 11. The frame 11 is formed by welding high-strength thin-walled square tubes, which ensures structural strength while achieving both lightweight design and center of gravity stability. The tracked walking mechanism 8 ensures the passability and stability of the machine on slopes, muddy ground, and uneven terrain. The tracked walking mechanism 8 includes a non-slip and wear-resistant rubber track with a textured anti-slip structure on its surface, which can greatly improve the friction with uneven ground and prevent slipping on slopes and muddy conditions; the tracked walking mechanism 8 adopts a single-drive dual-control design, powered by engine chain transmission, and the left and right tracks can be independently adjusted in speed to achieve flexible turning on the spot; In this embodiment, the track is 35cm wide, has a ground contact length of 150cm, and a turning radius of ≤80cm, which can meet the small-range turning needs of finely broken fields and solve the technical problem that existing large harvesters are too big to enter finely broken fields and narrow passages.

[0026] like Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the cutting device 1 is located at the front end of the frame 11 and is used to cut the bottom stem of the chili pepper to achieve whole-plant harvesting; Specifically, the cutting device 1 includes a hopper 1.1, a reciprocating cutting mechanism 1.2 with a moving and fixed blade disposed at the front end of the hopper 1.1, and a rotatable spiral auger drum 1.3 disposed inside the hopper 1.1. The hopper 1.1 is mounted on the frame 11, and a hopper outlet 1.4 is provided at one end of the rear side wall of the hopper 1.1 near the whole plant conveyor belt 10. The reciprocating cutting mechanism 1.2 with a moving and fixed blade includes a fixed blade and a moving blade. The fixed blade is fixed on the hopper 1.1, and the moving blade is disposed on the hopper 1.1. The eccentric wheel drives the reciprocating linear motion, and the cutting frequency can be adjusted by the control system in the cab 2. It can quickly cut the bottom stem of the chili pepper without damaging the fruit. When the hopper 1.1 moves forward with the frame 11, the harvested whole chili pepper plants enter the hopper 1.1 and are conveyed to the hopper outlet 1.4 by the spiral auger drum 1.3, and then enter the whole plant conveyor belt 10 for whole plant conveying. Specifically, the cutting blade is made of arc-shaped wear-resistant manganese steel and the blade is detachable for easy replacement and sharpening in mountainous fields. The front end of the hopper 1.1 is equipped with a small arc-shaped anti-tipping baffle made of lightweight engineering plastic. This prevents the chili plants from falling to the ground after being cut, thus avoiding damage to the fruit. The distance between the baffle and the blade of the cutting device 1 can be finely adjusted to accommodate chili stems of different thicknesses. The surface of the baffle is also smoothed to prevent weeds from getting tangled.

[0027] In this embodiment, the cutting height of the cutting device 1 is adjustable. The frame 11 includes a liftable cutting bracket located at the front end. The cutting device 1 is mounted on the liftable cutting bracket. The liftable cutting bracket is used to adjust the height of the cutting device 1 off the ground to adapt to chili plants of different heights in mountainous and hilly areas. The liftable cutting bracket is electrically connected to the control system in the cab 2. The liftable cutting bracket can be adjusted through the control system in the cab 2 without the need for manual operation, which improves the ease of operation. Specifically, the cutting device 1 has a ground clearance adjustment range of 30~80cm and an operating width of 60~80cm, which is precisely matched with the row spacing of chili pepper planting in mountainous areas.

[0028] like Figure 1As shown, the whole-plant conveyor belt 10 is inclinedly positioned on the left front end of the frame 11, and its front end is connected to the discharge port of the cutting device 1. It is used to transport whole chili plants harvested by the cutting device 1, and its conveying direction is consistent with the walking direction of the crawler walking mechanism 8. The whole-plant conveyor belt 10 is made of lightweight rubber to prevent the whole chili plants from slipping during the conveying process. The surface of the whole-plant conveyor belt 10 is treated with an anti-stick coating to prevent the chili fruits from sticking together. The main drive wheel of the whole-plant conveyor belt 10 is linked with the spiral auger drum 1.3 of the cutting device 1, and the conveying speed is synchronized with the cutting speed and the crawler walking speed to achieve a seamless connection between "cutting and conveying". A small splash guard is installed above the whole-plant conveyor belt 10 to prevent soil and weeds from being brought into the conveying system with the plants during mountain operations, ensuring smooth conveying. In addition, the tilt angle of the whole plant conveyor belt 10 can be manually adjusted within a certain range through its hinge point on the frame 11 to adapt to the tilt angle requirements when working on different slopes, ensuring that the whole chili plant is smoothly transported to the spiral auger double roller screen fruit picking component 3 behind, without accumulation or jamming. In this embodiment, the whole plant conveyor belt 10 is a small inclined anti-slip conveyor belt with an adjustable inclination angle of 15°~30°, a belt width of 50cm, and a belt length of 100cm.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, the cab 2 is located on the front right side of the frame 11, and integrates a one-stop control system for driving and operation. In this embodiment, the cab 2 is a lightweight, enclosed, small operating cabin with a length, width, and height of 80cm, 70cm, and 120cm, respectively. The size is suitable for single-person operation. It adopts a tempered glass viewing window with no obstruction in front and to the left. The cutting device 1 is located in the unobstructed field of vision directly in front of the cab 2, allowing the operator to clearly observe the working status of the cutting device 1.

[0030] like Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, the spiral auger double-roller screen fruit-picking component 3 is located in the middle of the frame 11 and behind the whole-plant conveyor belt 10 and the cab 2. Its front inlet receives the end outlet of the whole-plant conveyor belt 10, which is used to separate the fruit from the stem of the whole pepper plant and allows the pepper fruit to pass through the screen holes on the bottom side wall. The rear outlet of the spiral auger double-roller screen fruit-picking component 3 is connected to a stem discharge outlet 4 for discharging stems, pepper leaves and coarse impurities obliquely to the rear of the frame 11. The guide length of the stem discharge outlet 4 is 50cm. Specifically, the center of gravity of the spiral auger double-roller screen fruit-picking component 3 coincides with the grounding center of the crawler walking mechanism 8, which avoids the risk of the whole machine tipping over structurally. Specifically, the spiral auger double-roller screen fruit-picking component 3 includes an inner screen roller 3.1, an outer screen roller 3.2 disposed outside the inner screen roller 3.1, and spiral auger blades 3.3 disposed inside the inner screen roller 3.1. Both the inner screen roller 3.1 and the outer screen roller 3.2 are rotatably mounted on the frame 11 and are connected to the engine via a power transmission mechanism, allowing them to rotate on the frame 11. Both the inner screen roller 3.1 and the outer screen roller 3.2 are circular woven mesh structures with sieve apertures of 3-5 cm. The sieve apertures on the sidewalls of the rollers only allow pepper fruits to pass through, while stems and coarse impurities cannot. The spiral auger blades 3.3 are rotatably mounted on the frame 11 and are connected to the engine via the power transmission mechanism, allowing the spiral auger blades 3.3 to rotate relative to the inner screen roller 3.1 and the outer screen roller 3.2 within the inner screen roller 3.1. The entire pepper plant... After entering the spiral auger double-roller screen fruit-picking component 3, under the rotation of the inner screen roller 3.1 and the outer screen roller 3.2, and the pushing action of the spiral auger blades 3.3, the pepper plants are subjected to friction, compression, and rubbing against the inner wall of the inner screen roller 3.1, causing the pepper fruits to gradually separate from the stems. The separated pepper fruits fall into the outer screen roller 3.2, while the stems and coarse impurities screened out in the inner screen roller 3.1 are pushed towards the inner screen roller 3 by the spiral auger blades 3.3. The inner screen roller 3.1 moves at the end of the discharge port, and the rotating outer screen roller 3.2 performs secondary screening and cleaning. The pepper fruits fall from the bottom screen holes of the outer screen roller 3.2 onto the pepper conveyor belt 9 below. The rotating outer screen roller 3.2 can perform secondary screening and cleaning, allowing pepper fruits with a lower impurity content to fall from the lower screen holes of the outer screen roller 3.2 onto the pepper conveyor belt 9. The discharge ports at the end of the inner screen roller 3.1 and the outer screen roller 3.2 are connected to the stem discharge port 4. Specifically, the inner screen roller 3.1 and the outer screen roller 3.2 are made of stainless steel, which is wear-resistant, corrosion-resistant and not easy to clog, and the spiral auger blades 3.3 are made of lightweight aluminum alloy. The inner wall of the inner screen roller 3.1 and the spiral auger blades 3.3 are both fixed with soft rubber fruit-removing teeth. Made of elastic and wear-resistant rubber, these teeth gently pull the pepper stems during rotation, separating the peppers from the stems and avoiding damage caused by hard contact. This design is suitable for the commercial requirements of fresh peppers in mountainous and hilly areas. The fruit-removing teeth are snap-on and can be replaced individually, reducing maintenance costs. The outer screen roller 3.2 has an arc-shaped protective cover on its outer side to prevent peppers from splashing out during the fruit-removing process. This prevents the peppers from slipping out from the side of the outer screen roller 3.2, instead confining them to fall from below onto the pepper conveyor belt 9 located below the spiral auger double-roll screen fruit-removing component 3, ensuring that all falling peppers are caught and no peppers spill.

[0031] In this embodiment, the inner screen roller 3.1 has a diameter of 60cm and a length of 100cm, and the outer screen roller 3.2 has a diameter of 80cm and a length of 80cm. The rotation speed of the inner screen roller 3.1 and the outer screen roller 3.2 is 30~50r / min, which can be precisely adjusted by the control system in the cab 2. The low-speed rotation design further reduces the risk of damage to the pepper fruits. The rotation speed of the spiral auger blades 3.3 is 250~350r / min.

[0032] like Figure 1 As shown, the chili conveyor belt 9 is horizontally arranged on the frame 11 and located directly below the spiral auger double roller screen fruit picking component 3, and is used to receive and transport chili fruits falling from the bottom of the spiral auger double roller screen fruit picking component 3. Specifically, the chili conveyor belt 9 is a horizontal leak-proof conveyor belt. The belt body is made of smooth and soft rubber material to avoid scratching the outer skin of the chili peppers. The chili conveyor belt 9 is installed close to the bottom of the outer screen roller 3.2 to receive the chili peppers falling from the screen holes. The conveying speed is matched with the fruit removal speed of the spiral auger double roller screen fruit picking component 3 and can be adjusted by the control system of the cab 2 to prevent the chili peppers from accumulating on the chili conveyor belt 9. The chili conveyor belt 9 is provided with leak-proof edges on both sides to ensure that the chili peppers do not spill. In this embodiment, the chili conveyor belt 9 has a width of 45cm, a length of 120cm, and a conveying speed of 0.3~0.5 m / s.

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, the collection box 6 is a lightweight engineering plastic box with an open top and a simple unloading valve at the bottom, with a volume of 20~25L. It is set on the frame 11 and located behind the chili conveyor belt 9. It is used to collect chili fruits. The collection box 6 is a pull-out type and has a handle on the outside for easy transportation in mountainous fields. The feeding device 7 is mounted on the frame 11 and located between the chili conveyor belt 9 and the collection box 6. Its front end receives the rear discharge port of the chili conveyor belt 9 and is used to lift the chili fruits and unload them into the collection box 6. Specifically, the feeding device 7 is an inclined belt elevator. The bottom end of the belt elevator receives the rear outlet of the chili conveyor belt 9, and its top outlet is located above the collection box 6. After lifting the chili fruit, it unloads it into the collection box 6. The belt elevator has raised small anti-leakage edges on both sides of the belt to prevent the chili peppers from falling during the lifting process. It is adapted to the height requirements of tracked equipment when operating on slopes. The main drive wheel of the belt elevator is linked with the main drive wheel of the chili pepper conveyor belt 9 to achieve speed synchronization and eliminate material jamming and leakage problems. The belt elevator is 45cm wide and 1.0m long.

[0034] like Figure 1 As shown, the cleaning fan 5 is mounted on the frame 11 and located behind the chili conveyor belt 9. Its air outlet direction is towards the top of the chili conveyor belt 9. It is used to blow away chili leaves and light impurities from the chili fruits that fall from the bottom of the spiral double-roll screen picking component 3 onto the chili conveyor belt 9, so as to further separate the chili fruits from the chili leaves and light impurities and reduce the impurity content in the chili fruits falling onto the chili conveyor belt 9. The cleaning fan 5 has a power of 120~180W and a wind speed of 0.5~2.0m / s.

[0035] The power system 12 includes an engine installed at the lower center of gravity of the frame 11 and a power transmission mechanism disposed between the engine and the tracked walking mechanism 8, the cutting device 1, the whole plant conveyor belt 10, the spiral auger double roller screen picking component 3, the chili conveyor belt 9, the feeding device 7 and the cleaning blower 5. The power transmission mechanism adopts a two-stage belt pulley reduction, micro chain splitting and the power transmission and control mode of the cab 2 control system, so as to realize the on-demand distribution of power to the tracked walking mechanism 8 and each working functional component, and all control actions can be completed in the cab 2. Specifically, the power transmission mechanism includes a main pulley, a transfer case, a miniature chain, and a multi-stage belt drive mechanism. The main pulley is mounted on the output shaft of the engine and is connected to the transfer case, dividing the engine power into two paths. The transfer case is connected to the drive wheel of the tracked walking mechanism 8 via a miniature chain drive, thereby using one path of power to drive the tracked walking mechanism 8. The cutting device 1, the whole plant conveyor belt 10, the spiral auger double-roll screen fruit picking component 3, the chili conveyor belt 9, the feeding device 7, and the cleaning fan 5 are connected to the transfer case via a multi-stage pulley drive mechanism, using the other path of power to drive each functional component. Specifically, all power transmission components are equipped with dustproof and weed-proof covers, which can effectively prevent soil and weeds from entangled in the field, ensuring stable, reliable, and durable power transmission.

[0036] In this embodiment, the overall dimensions of the integrated chili harvesting equipment are: length 2.6m~3.2m, width 0.7m~1.05m, and height 1.5m~1.8m, achieving a miniaturized design that perfectly adapts to the operating scenarios in mountainous and hilly areas. This harvesting equipment integrates the five processes of chili harvesting—cutting, threshing, cleaning, conveying, and collecting—into a single small machine, realizing full-process mechanization of chili harvesting in mountainous and hilly areas. It replaces the traditional multi-step manual operation mode, and the equipment can be operated by a single person. The field operation efficiency can reach 100~150kg / h, which is 5~7 times higher than the efficiency of manual harvesting in Guizhou. This significantly reduces the labor cost of chili harvesting in mountainous and hilly areas and solves the core problems of agricultural labor shortage and low harvesting efficiency in this region.

[0037] Example 2 A method for harvesting chili peppers in mountainous and hilly areas, using the small tracked integrated chili pepper harvester described in Example 1, includes the following steps: S1. Cab 2 Control and Track Movement: The operator enters the cab 2 and completes the entire adjustment process in the cab 2 according to the slope of the field, the height of the chili plants and the spacing of the planting rows. The operator adjusts the ground clearance of the cutting device 1, starts the engine, and adjusts the track movement speed and the rotation speed of each working component through the control system. In the cab 2, the operator controls the track movement mechanism 8 through the dual joysticks of the control system to control the whole machine to move in a straight line along the chili planting rows. The unobstructed view of the cab 2 allows the operator to observe the working status of the cutting device 1 in front in real time and adjust the walking direction in a timely manner. S2. Whole plant cutting and conveying: The anti-lodging baffle ensures that the whole chili plant remains upright. The moving and fixed blade reciprocating cutting mechanism 1.2 of the cutting device 1 quickly cuts off the bottom stem of the chili. The cut whole chili plant enters the hopper 1.1 and is pushed from the hopper outlet 1.4 into the whole plant conveyor belt 10 under the pushing action of the spiral auger drum 1.3. The whole plant conveyor belt 10 is transported in sync with the crawler belt, and the whole chili plant is smoothly transported to the spiral auger double roller screen fruit picking component 3. S3. Flexible Fruit Removal: After the entire chili plant enters the inner screen drum 3.1, the rotating auger blades 3.3 push the entire chili plant. The inner wall of the inner screen drum 3.1 and the soft rubber fruit removal teeth on the auger blades 3.3 gently pull the chili fruit stalks, achieving efficient separation of the chili fruit from the stem. The separated chili fruit falls through the sieve holes on the side wall of the inner screen drum 3.1 into the outer screen drum 3.2. The stems and coarse impurities screened out in the inner screen drum 3.1 move towards the discharge port at the end of the inner screen drum 3.1 under the push of the auger blades 3.3. The rotating outer screen drum 3.2 performs secondary screening and cleaning. The chili fruit falls from the bottom sieve holes of the outer screen drum 3.2 onto the chili conveyor belt 9 below. S4. Chili fruit conveying and collection: The chili conveyor belt 9 smoothly conveys the chili fruits that fall on it to the feeding device 7. After being lifted by the feeding device 7, the chili fruits fall into the collection box 6 for temporary storage. S5, Stalk discharge: The stalks and coarse impurities screened out by the inner screen drum 3.1 enter the stalk discharge outlet 4 from the discharge port at the end of the inner screen drum 3.1. The impurities and short stalks screened out by the outer screen drum 3.2 enter the stalk discharge outlet 4 from the discharge port at the end of the outer screen drum 3.2. The stalk discharge outlet 4 discharges the impurities obliquely to the rear of the frame 11. S6. Chili Leaf Cleaning: As the chili fruits fall from the bottom of the spiral double-roller screen picking component 3 onto the chili conveyor belt 9, the cleaning fan 5 blows air upwards onto the chili conveyor belt 9, blowing away the chili leaves and light impurities mixed in with the chili fruits that have fallen onto the chili conveyor belt 9, further separating the chili fruits from the chili leaves and light impurities, and reducing the impurity content in the chili fruits that fall onto the chili conveyor belt 9.

[0038] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and they should all be covered within the scope of the claims and specification of the present invention.

Claims

1. A small tracked integrated chili harvesting device for mountainous and hilly areas, comprising a frame (11) and a tracked walking mechanism (8) disposed at the bottom of the frame (11), characterized in that, Also includes: A cutting device (1) is provided at the front end of the frame (11) and is used to cut the bottom stem of the chili pepper to achieve whole plant harvesting; Whole plant conveyor belt (10), the whole plant conveyor belt (10) is inclined and set on the left side of the front end of the frame (11), and its front end is connected to the discharge port of the cutting device (1) for conveying whole pepper plants harvested by the cutting device (1). The cab (2) is located on the front right side of the frame (11) and integrates a one-stop control system for driving and operation. Spiral auger double roller screen fruit picking component (3), the spiral auger double roller screen fruit picking component (3) is located in the middle of the frame (11) and behind the whole plant conveyor belt (10) and the cab (2), its front end inlet receives the end outlet of the whole plant conveyor belt (10), used to separate the fruit of the whole pepper plant from the stem and allow the pepper fruit to pass through the screen holes on the bottom side wall; Chili conveyor belt (9), which is horizontally arranged on the frame (11) and located directly below the spiral auger double roller screen fruit picking component (3), is used to receive and transport chili fruits falling from the bottom of the spiral auger double roller screen fruit picking component (3). The collection box (6) is a box structure with an open top. It is set on the frame (11) and located behind the chili conveyor belt (9) for collecting chili fruits. Feeding device (7) is set on the frame (11) and located between the chili conveyor belt (9) and the collection box (6). Its front end receives the rear outlet of the chili conveyor belt (9) and is used to lift the chili fruit and unload it into the collection box (6). Cleaning blower (5), the cleaning blower (5) is set on the frame (11) and located behind the chili conveyor belt (9), and its air outlet direction is towards the top of the chili conveyor belt (9), used to blow away the chili leaves and light impurities in the chili fruits that have fallen on the chili conveyor belt (9); as well as The power system (12) includes an engine installed at the lower center of gravity of the frame (11) and a power transmission mechanism disposed between the engine and the track walking mechanism (8), the cutting device (1), the whole plant conveyor belt (10), the spiral auger double roller screen fruit picking component (3), the chili conveyor belt (9), the feeding device (7) and the cleaning blower (5).

2. The small tracked integrated chili harvesting equipment for mountainous and hilly areas according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tracked walking mechanism (8) includes a non-slip and wear-resistant rubber track with a textured anti-slip structure on its surface.

3. The small tracked integrated chili harvesting equipment for mountainous and hilly areas according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cutting device (1) includes a hopper (1.1), a moving and fixed blade reciprocating cutting mechanism (1.2) disposed at the front end of the hopper (1.1), and a rotatable spiral auger drum (1.3) disposed inside the hopper (1.1). The hopper (1.1) is mounted on the frame (11), and a hopper outlet (1.4) is provided at one end of the rear side wall of the hopper (1.1) near the whole plant conveyor belt (10).

4. The small tracked integrated chili harvesting equipment for mountainous and hilly areas according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The frame (11) includes a liftable cutting bracket at the front end, and the cutting device (1) is mounted on the liftable cutting bracket. The liftable cutting bracket is used to adjust the height of the cutting device (1) from the ground.

5. The small tracked integrated chili harvesting equipment for mountainous and hilly areas according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spiral auger double roller screen fruit picking component (3) includes an inner screen roller (3.1), an outer screen roller (3.2) disposed outside the inner screen roller (3.1), and spiral auger blades (3.3) disposed inside the inner screen roller (3.1). The inner screen roller (3.1) and the outer screen roller (3.2) are rotatably mounted on the frame (11) and are connected to the engine through the power transmission mechanism. The spiral auger blades (3.3) are rotatably mounted on the frame (11) and are connected to the engine through the power transmission mechanism.

6. The small tracked integrated chili harvesting equipment for mountainous and hilly areas according to claim 5, characterized in that: The inner wall of the inner screen drum (3.1) and the spiral auger blades (3.3) are both fixed with soft rubber fruit-removing teeth.

7. The small tracked integrated chili harvesting equipment for mountainous and hilly areas according to claim 1, characterized in that: An arc-shaped protective cover is provided on the outer side of the outer screen roller (3.2).

8. The small tracked integrated chili harvesting equipment for mountainous and hilly areas according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power transmission mechanism includes a main pulley, a transfer case, a micro chain, and a multi-stage belt drive mechanism. The main pulley is mounted on the output shaft of the engine and is connected to the transfer case. The transfer case is connected to the drive wheel of the tracked walking mechanism (8) via a micro chain drive mechanism. The cutting device (1), the whole plant conveyor belt (10), the spiral auger double roller screen fruit picking component (3), the chili conveyor belt (9), the feeding device (7), and the cleaning fan (5) are connected to the transfer case via a multi-stage pulley drive mechanism.

9. The small tracked integrated chili harvesting equipment for mountainous and hilly areas according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding device (7) is an inclined belt elevator. The bottom end of the belt elevator receives the rear outlet of the chili conveyor belt (9), and its top outlet is located above the collection box (6).

10. A method for harvesting chili peppers in mountainous and hilly areas, using the small tracked integrated chili pepper harvester as described in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that... Includes the following steps: S1. Cab (2) Control and Track Movement: The operator enters the cab (2), and according to the slope of the field, the height of the chili plants and the spacing of the planting rows, completes the entire process of debugging in the cab (2), adjusts the ground clearance of the cutting device (1), starts the engine, and adjusts the track movement speed and the rotation speed of each working component through the control system. In the cab (2), the operator controls the track movement mechanism (8) through the double rocker of the control system to control the whole machine to move in a straight line along the chili planting rows. The unobstructed view of the cab (2) allows the operator to observe the working status of the cutting device (1) in front in real time and adjust the walking direction in a timely manner. S2. Whole plant cutting and conveying: The moving and fixed blade reciprocating cutting mechanism (1.2) of the cutting device (1) quickly cuts off the bottom stem of the chili pepper. The whole chili pepper plant after cutting enters the hopper (1.1) and is pushed from the hopper outlet (1.4) into the whole plant conveyor belt (10) under the pushing action of the spiral auger drum (1.3). The whole chili pepper plant is conveyed smoothly to the spiral auger double roller screen fruit picking component (3). S3, Flexible Fruit Removal: After the whole chili plant enters the inner screen drum (3.1), the rotating spiral auger blades (3.3) push the whole chili plant, and the soft rubber fruit removal teeth gently pull the chili stalk to separate the chili fruit from the stem. The separated chili fruit falls into the outer screen drum (3.2) through the sieve holes on the side wall of the inner screen drum (3.1). The stems and coarse impurities screened out in the inner screen drum (3.1) move towards the discharge port at the end of the inner screen drum (3.1) under the push of the spiral auger blades (3.3). The rotating outer screen drum (3.2) performs secondary screening and cleaning. The chili fruit falls from the bottom sieve holes of the outer screen drum (3.2) onto the chili conveyor belt (9) below. S4. Chili fruit conveying and collection: The chili conveyor belt (9) smoothly transports the chili fruits that fall on it to the feeding device (7). After being lifted by the feeding device (7), the chili fruits fall into the collection box (6) for temporary storage. S5, Stalk discharge: The stalks and coarse impurities screened out in the inner screen drum (3.1) enter the stalk discharge outlet (4) from the discharge port at the end of the inner screen drum (3.1), and the impurities and short stalks screened out in the outer screen drum (3.2) enter the stalk discharge outlet (4) from the discharge port at the end of the outer screen drum (3.2). The stalk discharge outlet (4) discharges the impurities obliquely to the rear of the frame (11). S6. Chili Leaf Cleaning: As the chili fruits fall from the bottom of the spiral double-roller screen picking component (3) to the chili conveyor belt (9), the cleaning fan (5) blows air upwards towards the chili conveyor belt (9) to blow away the chili leaves and light impurities mixed in with the chili fruits that have fallen onto the chili conveyor belt (9).

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