Binding and cutting device for a holding means, the use thereof together with a vine-tying device, and method for mechanically tying vines in row crops

Abstract

The invention relates to a binding and cutting device for a holding means (11) in the form of a cord, a wire or the like, at least two of which holding means at a time are deployed along a plant row of a row crop (10), in particular for use together with a vine-tying device (40), wherein the binding and cutting device (12) comprises a mechanical assembly for automatically binding the holding means (11) at least once, and wherein the binding and cutting device (12) comprises an assembly for automatically severing the holding means (11).

Description

[0001]12-01-2024-38279301—HauPtgost-0014 PCT / DE2023 / 000162 Clemens Trier Patent CLE0014PWO Connecting and separating device for a holding means, its use together with a leaf stapling device, and method for mechanical leaf stapling in row crops. The invention relates to a connecting and separating device for a holding means, in particular one or more ropes or wires, for use together with a leaf stapling device, a leaf stapling device for leaf stapling in row crops, a system for mechanical leaf stapling in row crops, the use of the connecting and separating device, and a method for mechanical leaf stapling in row crops according to the preamble of the independent claims. State of the art: In the context of leaf processing in row crops such as vineyards, it is known to connect the strongly growing side shoots of a plant row during the plant growth phase by means of an inclined conveyor (screws, belts...).) on both sides of the row of plants at the same time and convey them to the row of plants. The plants are not usually cut in the process. After being lifted and conveyed to the row of plants, the shoots are then fixed to the canopy (row of plants) on both sides of the row of plants using holding devices carried on board, usually ropes, cords or wires, at an adjustable height. In many cases, the holding devices are also connected at certain intervals through the canopy, for example with clamps. In vineyards, this process, known as canopy stapling, is usually carried out twice in one growth phase. Hau 12-01-2024-36279301-HauPtPost-001S PCT / DE2023 / 000162 Clemens 2 trierpatent CLE0014PWO When stapling leaves, the holding devices are intended to be held at a certain pre-tension in the longitudinal direction.To do this, the holding devices (ropes, wires) are first manually connected at the beginning of the row of plants and held by a starting post. At the end of the row, the holding devices are also manually connected and held at an end post in order to permanently maintain the achieved fixation of the shoots or the foliage attachment under pre-tension. At the beginning of the row of plants, the holding devices must therefore be connected to one another on the right and left side of the row before the foliage attachment begins and held at the starting post. Since the holding devices are carried by a machine in the form of a foliage attachment device, the holding devices must then be connected to one another again at the end of each row and held at the end post. In addition, the applied holding devices must be separated from the machine or the foliage attachment device there. These processes are repeated for each row of plants.Connecting the holding devices at the beginning of the row, connecting the holding devices at the end of the row, and then separating the deployed holding devices from the machine are currently done manually. Tensioning the twine during tacking, which was previously done manually and at best with machine support, works as follows and is therefore time-consuming and rather dangerous: - Using a tacking device, insert the rope or other holding device into the system via the initial knot. - Stopping shortly before the end of the row: The driver stops and activates a twine brake on the machine. The twine brake is an electronic holding device that clamps the twine using two jaws. - Slowly advance by approximately 1 to 2 meters, which tensions the drawn-in twine.- Just behind the end post, viewed in the direction of travel, the driver places a special gripping pliers on the two twine ends and releases the twine brake. The gripping pliers hold the pre-tensioned twine at the end post in the system – behind the gripping pliers, there is no tension on the soon-to-be-free ends. - Disconnect the holding devices. - Form a new initial knot. - Form the end knot of the row being worked and remove the gripping pliers, after which the final knot snaps onto the end post. A leaf stapler as described above and the plant processing method performed with it are described, for example, in WO 2022 / 156861 A1. Furthermore, the method performed with a running stapler according to WO 2022 / 156861 A1 can be seen in the video currently published online at https: / / www.youtube.com / watch?v=LM8W0wJtUZU.There you can see in particular how the rope stretched by the machine between the posts at the beginning and end of the row crop is initially inserted by hand at the first post and at the end held by hand at the last post and then severed. Reference is also made to DE 199 46 582 A1, from which a leaf stapler is also known. 12-01-2024-36279301-HauPtPost-0017 PCT / DE2023 / 000162 Clemens Trier Patent CLE0014PWO Summary and advantages of the invention The invention relates to a connecting and separating device for a holding means according to claim 1, a leaf stapling device according to claim 1, a system for mechanical leaf stapling in row crops according to the claim 1, a use of a connecting and separating device according to the claim 1, and a method for mechanical leaf stapling in row crops according to the preamble of claim 9. Advantageous developments of the invention are the subject of the respective subclaims.The invention has the primary advantage that leaf stapling in row crops can be carried out more quickly than before, and that the working method is more ergonomic and work safety is less critical. The connecting and separating device for the holding means made of rope, wire or the like, which can be extended at least twice along a row of plants in a row crop, in particular for use together with the above-mentioned leaf stapling device, has a mechanical assembly for at least simply automatically connecting the holding means. The connecting and separating device further has an assembly for automatically severing the holding means. According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, it additionally has a knotting device. According to a further advantageous embodiment, the connecting and separating device has a tensioning device for the holding means.12-01-2024-36279301-HauPtPast-0018 PCT / DE2023 / 000162 Clemens Trier Patent CLE0014PWO According to a further advantageous embodiment, the connecting and separating device has a clamping device for the holding means. According to a further advantageous embodiment, one of these embodiments is designed for automatically connecting the holding means while under tension, behind an end post of the row crop, as seen in the direction of travel along the row of plants.The method according to the invention for mechanical foliage stapling in row crops has the steps of: - connecting and / or fastening a holding means made of rope, wire or the like, which can be tensioned at least twice and is held by an alignment element at the beginning of a row of the row crop; - guiding the holding means along both sides of the row of the row crop and indirectly stapling the foliage of the plants in this row by means of a foliage stapling device; - connecting and / or fastening the holding means at the end of the row of the row crop, held by a further alignment element; wherein the connecting and / or fastening of the holding means to an alignment element closing a row and the severing of the holding means takes place automatically behind the alignment element in a mechanical assembly attached to a vehicle.According to an advantageous embodiment of the method, the step of automatically severing the holding means takes place after the step of automatically connecting and / or fastening the holding means to / on the alignment element at the end of the row of the row crop or 12-01-2024-3S279301-HauptPost-0019 PCT / DE2023 / 000162 Clemens Trier Patent CLE0014PWO during the connecting and / or fastening. It also represents a solution according to the invention if the step of automatically severing the holding means takes place before the step of automatically connecting and / or fastening the holding means to / on the alignment element at the end of the row of the row crop. According to a further advantageous embodiment of the method, the automatic connecting and / or fastening of the holding means at the end of the row of the row crop comprises the automatic knotting or otherwise connecting of the holding means.According to a further advantageous embodiment of the method, the mechanical work step of automatically connecting and / or fastening the holding means to / on the alignment element at the end of the row of the row crop comprises automatically tensioning the holding means up to a desired tension value and / or by a desired travel distance, preferably by 3 cm to m. Drawings The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the drawings and the following description of preferred exemplary embodiments. Fig. shows a plan view from above of a system according to the invention with a tractor which has a leaf stapling device as an attachment and a connecting and separating device for a holding means as a further attachment. Hau 12-01-2024-36279301-HauPiPost-0020 PCT / DE2023 / 000162 Clemens trierpatent CLE0014PWO Fig. shows a detailed view of the connecting and separating device from the side in section, as used in Fig. or Fig. 3. Fig.3 shows a side view of a system according to the invention with a tractor which carries a leaf stapling device as an attachment and a connecting and separating device for a holding means as a further attachment. The connecting and separating device is located in the dashed rectangle in FIG. 1 and is shown in further detail in FIG. 2. Description of preferred embodiments of the invention The embodiment according to FIG. 1 shows a plan view from above of a row crop 10, preferably vines arranged in a row, at the end and beginning of which there is an alignment element 20, which is preferably designed as a post, stake or pole and is positioned approximately centrally to the longitudinal direction of the row crop 10. Preferably, such alignment elements 20 are also distributed at certain intervals between the beginning and the end of the row crop 10.Furthermore, a vehicle 30 is shown, in particular a tractor, which travels along the row crop 10 and carries a foliage stapling device 40 as an attachment, as described in WO 2022 / 156861 A1. With the aid of the foliage stapling device 40, a holding means 11 is tensioned between the alignment element 20 at the beginning of the row crop 10 and the alignment element 20 at the end of the row crop 10 in order to tack the foliage of the crop in the desired manner, ie to press shoots with the foliage upwards and together and to fasten them in the region of the middle of the longitudinal direction of the row crop 10. The holding means 11 is preferably one or more ropes, but it can also be a wire, a strand, a cord, an elastic band, a belt or another means for holding the shoots.Preferably, the holding means 11 is designed as a pair or more ropes, wires, bands, or belts that run along the two opposite longitudinal sides of the row crop 10 and are held on the alignment element 20 at the beginning of the row crop 10 and on the alignment element 20 at the end of the row crop 10 and are stretched between them, so that the shoots of the crop with the foliage are pressed along the longitudinal direction towards the center. According to the invention, a connecting and separating device 12 is further provided for the holding means 11 for use together with the foliage stapling device 40 or as part of the foliage stapling device 40, wherein the connecting and separating device 12 has an assembly for automatically connecting the holding means 11 to a first alignment element 20 at the beginning of the row crop 10, wherein the connecting and separating device 12 has an assembly for automatically knotting or otherwise connecting the holding means 11.In the illustrated, preferred embodiment, the connecting and separating device 11 has an assembly for automatically connecting the respective holding means of the two row sides to one another under a certain tension. Under such an excessive tension, no knot could be reliably achieved manually or with conventional means. It is advantageous here that the device can create a knot as close to the post as possible in the smallest possible space, thus achieving minimal overtension and thus a favorable material selection for the holding means. In a particularly advantageous embodiment, an automatic severing of the holding means is provided immediately behind the second alignment element at the end of the row crop.The 12-01-2024-38278301-HauPtPast-0022 PCT / DE2023 / 000162 Clemens Trier Patent CLE0014PWO connecting and separating device thus ensures the automatic connecting, for example, of a pair of ropes in front of the starting post of the row crop, the automatic connecting of the pair of ropes after the end post of the row crop under tension, and the automatic cutting of the ropes there. The connection of the holding means 11 is preferably a knotting, i.e., for example, two or more ropes are automatically knotted together and thus held together at the starting post, then guided and tensioned between the starting and end post with the running stapling device 40, and after the end post, automatically knotted together again under tension and then cut there, before the vehicle 30 with the leaf stapling device 40 moves to the next row of the row crop 10. As an alternative to knotting the holding means 11, other connection methods can also be used.Thus, the holding means 11 could also be connected by welding plastic ropes together, by twisting wires together, by connecting them together using a clamp, a band or clip, by tying them off with a wire or in some other way. However, knotting is preferred. As shown in the figure, the connecting and separating device 12 is designed as an attachment to the vehicle 30 and has one or more guiding and clamping devices 13 for guiding, clamping and tensioning the holding means 11. Furthermore, the connecting and separating device 12 has a commercially available knotter 14 for knotting two ropes as the holding means 11. Machines for knotting ropes are known and commercially available. They are used in agriculture, for example for knotting ropes in the production of straw bales, see DE 30 23 203.A device for automatically knotting ropes is also known from CN 107164879 A. Figure 2 shows a detailed view of the connecting and separating device 12, as can also be used in Figure 1. In addition to the guided holding means 11, the knotter 14 and a guiding and clamping device 13 for the holding means 11 can be seen. The knotter 14 knots the pair of ropes used as the holding means 11, while the guiding and clamping device 13 guides it and keeps it under tension during knotting and / or pulls it under tension beforehand. The holding means 11 held on the end post is then automatically cut off or severed by a knife or other cutting or separating device, with the other holding means 11 not held by the end post being held simultaneously by the guiding and clamping device 13 so that it can then be held by the next starting post.The entire work process relating to fastening, tensioning, and cutting the holding means 11 thus takes place automatically and without human intervention. Figure 3 shows the embodiment according to the figure in a side view in order to clarify the position of the connecting and separating device 12. The connecting and separating device 12 can, as an add-on part, basically be flexibly mounted at various positions on the vehicle 30. It is therefore neither tied to a specific type of running stitching device 40 nor to a specific vehicle 30 and can therefore be flexibly retrofitted. Hau 12-01-2024-36279301-HauPtPast-0024 PCT / DE2023 / 000162 Clemens 11 trierpatent CLE0014PWO The processing of row crops 10 can be carried out in one or more rows. For this purpose, if necessary, several leaf stapling devices 40 can be provided and connected to the vehicle 30, and several connecting and separating devices 12 can also be provided accordingly.In summary, the method according to the invention, according to one exemplary embodiment, thus comprises the following steps: The holding means 11 is inserted into the connecting and separating device 12. The guiding and clamping device 13 is closed. The guiding and clamping device 13 maintains the tension of the holding means 11 in the row during connecting and separating. The holding means 11 is connected, preferably knotted, in the connecting and separating device 12 and separated, preferably cut off. The guiding and clamping device 13 is opened. As a result, the holding means 11 is placed against the end post of the plant row under the desired pretension, and the foliage wall is fixed. The connection created by the holding means 11 then also serves as the starting connection for the next plant row. When moving into the next plant row, this connection is pulled out of the connecting and separating device 12 and rests against the starting post or the guy wire.The leaf stapling process then begins again until the connecting and separating process is repeated at the end of the row. 12-01-2024-38279301-H uP Past- 002S PCT / DE2023 / 000162 Clemens 12 trierpatent CLE0014PWO List of reference symbols 10 Row crop 11 Holding means (rope, wire, cord, 12 Connecting and separating device 13 Guiding and clamping device 14 Knotter 20 Alignment element (post, stake, rod, 30 Vehicle, tractor 40 Leaf stapling device.

Claims

12-01-2024-38278301-HauPtPost-0027 PCT / DE2023 / 000162 Clemens 13 trierpatent CLE0014PWO Patent claims Connecting and separating device for a holding means (11) made of rope, wires or the like, which can be extended at least twice along a row of plants in a row crop (10), in particular for use together with a leaf stapling device (40), wherein the connecting and separating device (12) has a mechanical assembly for at least simply automatically connecting the holding means (11), and wherein the connecting and separating device (11) has an assembly for automatically severing the holding means (11).

2. The connecting and separating device according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a knotting device.

3. The connecting and separating device according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the connecting and separating device (12) has a clamping device for the holding means (11).The connecting and separating device according to at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the connecting and separating device (12) has a clamping device for the holding means (11). The connecting and separating device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is configured for automatically connecting the holding means (11) while tensioning it, behind an end post of the row crop (10), as seen in the direction of travel along the row of plants. Hau 12-01-2024-38279301-HauPtPast-0028 PCT / DE2023 / 000162 Clemens 14 trierpatent CLE0014PWO Leaf stapling device for stapling leaves in row crops, wherein the leaf stapling device (40) has a connecting and separating device (11) according to at least one of the preceding claims. System for mechanical leaf stapling in row crops with a vehicle (30), in particular a tractor, which carries a running stapling device (40) and a connecting and separating device (11) according to at least one of the preceding claims. Use of a connecting and separating device according to at least one of the preceding claims to 5, a leaf stapling device according to claim or a system according to claim in mechanical leaf stapling in row crops.A method for mechanical foliage stapling in row crops, comprising the steps of: connecting and / or fastening a holding means (11) made of rope, wire, or the like, which can be tensioned at least twice and is held by an alignment element (20) at the beginning of a row of the row crop (10); guiding the holding means (11) along both sides of the row of the row crop (10) and indirectly stapling the foliage of the plants in this row by means of a foliage stapling device (40); connecting and / or fastening the holding means (11) at the end of the row of the row crop (10), held by a further alignment element (20), characterized in that the connecting and / or fastening of the holding means (11) to the alignment element (20) concluding a row and the severing of the holding means (11) takes place automatically behind the alignment element (20) in a mechanical assembly attached to a vehicle. Hau 12-01-2024-36278301-HauPtPast-0029 PCT / DE2023 / 000162 Clemens 15 trierpatent CLE0014PWO 10. Method according to claim, characterized in that the step of automatically severing the holding means (11) takes place after the step of automatically connecting and / or fastening the holding means (11) to / on the alignment element (20) at the end of the row of the row crop (11), or during the connecting and / or fastening or wherein the step of automatically severing the holding means (11) takes place before the step of automatically connecting and / or fastening the holding means (11) to / on the alignment element (20) at the end of the row of the row crop (11).

11. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the automatic connection and / or fastening of the holding means (11) at the end of the row of the row crop (11) comprises the automatic knotting or otherwise connecting of the holding means (11).Method according to at least one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the mechanical working step of automatically connecting and / or fastening the holding means (11) to / on the alignment element (20) at the end of the row of the row culture (11) comprises automatically tensioning the holding means (11) up to a desired tension value and / or by a desired travel distance, preferably by cm to m.

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