Fruit movement device for vegetables and fruits

Abstract

To automate movement of fruits which has conventionally been performed manually.SOLUTION: A fruit movement device M for vegetables and fruits cultivated by cultivation without a post includes a guide section 7. The guide section 7 is positioned in front of a traveling ground body B, provided so as to be inclined from front to back, and guides fruits located on a route of the traveling ground body B to positions offset from the route of the traveling ground body B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fruit-moving device for fruit vegetables grown without supports. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a device for harvesting fruits of fruit vegetables grown without supports, such as that described in Patent Document 1, has been put to practical use. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2022-34254 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When fruit vegetables such as pumpkins are grown without poles, the vines can grow to neighboring rows, causing the fruit to grow in the furrows. In such cases, there is a problem that the fruit can be crushed by a tractor or harvesting machine when it is driven over. Therefore, before harvesting with a harvesting machine, workers are forced to walk along the furrows and move the fruit from the furrows onto the furrows. An object of the present invention is to automate the movement of fruit, which has conventionally been done manually. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention solves the problems by adopting the following measures. A fruit-moving device for fruit vegetables grown without supports, comprising a guide section located in front of the traveling ground body and obliquely installed from the front to the rear, for guiding fruit on the path of the traveling ground body to a position offset from the path of the traveling ground body. Effect of the Invention

[0006] By using the present invention before harvesting, it is possible to eliminate the need to manually move fruits, thereby enabling efficient harvesting. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fruit moving device M equipped with a vine cutting device 2. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2(A) is a plan view of the vine cutting device, and FIG. 2(B) is a front view of the vine cutting device. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a side view of the vine cutting device 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals in different drawings indicate parts having the same function, and duplicated descriptions in each drawing will be omitted as appropriate. In this specification, right and left refer to right and left as viewed from the seat of the tractor T. In addition, front and rear refer to the direction of travel of the tractor T during work, with the direction of travel being defined as forward. In this specification, the tires of the tractor T are referred to as the traveling ground contact body B. The traveling ground contact body B is a general term for members required for traveling, such as crawlers and sleds. When there is a pair of traveling ground contact bodies B, one on the left and one on the right, the space between the pair of traveling ground contact bodies B is called the inside. When referring to the outside of the traveling ground contact body B, the side away from the tractor T becomes the outside, since the space between the pair of traveling ground contact bodies B is called the inside.

[0009] (Example)

[0010] The fruit moving device M of the embodiment is an example in which a vine cutting device 2 and a guide unit 7 are combined. The embodiment shows one example of the fruit moving device M, and the present invention may be a fruit moving device M equipped with a guide unit 7 alone, or a fruit moving device M in combination with a guide unit 7 and a harvester. (Mounting mechanism for vine-cutting device)

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a fruit moving device M equipped with a vine cutting device 2. The vine cutting device 2 of the embodiment is attached to a connecting part 1 provided at the front of a tractor T. The connecting part 1 is composed of a mounting link 11 and a horizontal machine frame 13. The horizontal machine frame 13 is attached to the front of the mounting link 11. A lifting cylinder 12 provided on the mounting link 11 extends and retracts the mounting link 11 to lift and lower the horizontal machine frame 13.

[0012] The horizontal machine frame 13 is a shaped member having a hollow portion. The open ends at both ends of the horizontal machine frame 13 accommodate one end of a smaller shaped member in the hollow portion, allowing the smaller shaped member to expand and contract. The left-right width adjustment section 131 is formed by combining the smaller shaped member with the horizontal machine frame 13. The vine cutting device 2 is attached to the other end of the smaller shaped member. In this way, the horizontal machine frame 13 has the left-right width adjustment section 131 that can adjust the left-right width, and the distance between the pair of vine cutting devices 2 can be adjusted to an appropriate width.

[0013] (Relationship between the fruit in the furrow and the ground on which the crop is driven) Fruit vegetables grown without supports, such as pumpkins, send out vines in all directions and bear fruit (pumpkins) all over the place. Some of the numerous fruits (pumpkins) that have borne fruit may also bear fruit within the furrow UB. If there are fruits (pumpkins) in the furrow UB, the fruits (pumpkins) in the furrow UB will be crushed by the traveling ground-contact body B as it travels.

[0014] (Vine cutting device) In the embodiment, the vine cutting devices 2 are provided in a pair, one on the left and one on the right of the horizontal machine frame 13, and are attached to the mounting link 11 via the horizontal machine frame 13. The pair of vine cutting devices 2 is adjusted by using the left and right width adjustment parts 131 to a width slightly narrower than the width of the ridge U. The vines that extend beyond the ridge U to the ridge furrow UB are cut by the vine cutting device 2. The vine cutting device 2 is a device used for harvesting, which cuts tangled vines that get in the way of harvesting and helps harvest and move the fruit (pumpkin).

[0015] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of each part of the vine cutting device 2, where FIG. 2(A) is a plan view and FIG. 2(B) is a front view. The vine cutting device 2 is broadly composed of a machine frame section 3, a cutting section 4, and a vine guide 6, and each section is arranged in this order.

[0016] (Vine Guide) The vine guide 6 is attached to the front of the vine cutting device 2, and is a member that is inclined so as to lift the vine from the front to the rear to make it easier to cut. The vine guide 6 in the embodiment is a rod-shaped member, and the leading end 61 of the vine guide 6 picks up the vines near the ground surface onto the vine guide 6 and lifts and sends them towards the cutting device 41 (rotary blade). The vine guide 6 may be a plate-shaped member with an acute triangular leading end 61, and various structural shapes may be adopted as long as the vines can be placed on the vine guide 6 and guided to the cutting section 4. The vine guide 6 is supported by a first sled body 64, which functions so that the tip of the vine guide 6 follows the field surface. The leading edge 61 of the vine guide 6, coupled with the action of the first sled body 64, is maintained in an appropriate position relative to the field surface (top surface of ridge U) so as not to pierce the field, and picks up the vines.

[0017] (cutting device) The cutting section 4 is disposed behind the vine guide 6. The cutting section 4 is equipped with a cutting device 41 (rotary blade) having a horizontal rotation shaft. A protective frame 43 is attached around the cutting device 41. The second sled body 46 is attached to the lower part of the cutting section 4, and closes the bottom surface of the cutting section 4. The second sled body 46 is grounded in the field to prevent the entire vine cutting device 2 from sinking excessively into the ground. The first sled body 64 and the second sled body 46 together determine the height of the vine cutting device 2 from the ground surface, and by being grounded, the height of the rotation axis of the cutting device 41 (rotary blade) from the ground surface is kept constant. Although the specific structure will not be described, the second sled body 46 in the embodiment is height adjustable, and the height of the cutting section 4 relative to the ground surface can be changed. In addition, the first sled body 64 is set so that the tip is supported on a shaft and the rear can move up and down, and the height of the vine guide 6 can be changed.

[0018] (Side cover) With the furrow UB side of the cutting section 4 considered as the outside and the center side of the ridge U as the inside, as can be seen from Figure 2, the left and right sides of the cutting section 4 are covered by an inner cover 45B and an outer cover 45A. The outer cover 45A is a side cover 45 that covers the surface facing the furrow UB. The inner cover 45B is a side cover 45 that covers the surface facing the center of the ridge U. After being cut, the vines are guided by the side covers 45 and pushed to the left and right.

[0019] The side cover 45 has two functions. First, the role of the side covers 45 is to prevent vines crawling on the ground surface from entering the cutting section 4 to prevent problems such as entanglement in the cutting device 41. Secondly, the role of the side covers 45 is to move the fruit (pumpkin).

[0020] (Outer cover) The outer cover 45A serves to push the fruit (pumpkin) toward the furrow UB. In cooperation with the outer guide portion 7A, which will be described later, the outer cover 45A moves the fruit (pumpkin) out of the path of the traveling ground-contact body B. The fruit (pumpkin) may be moved from the furrow UB to the adjacent furrow U.

[0021] (Inner cover) The inner cover 45B serves to push the fruit (pumpkin) toward the center of the ridge U. The inner cover 45B cooperates with the inner guide portion 7B described below to gather the fruit (pumpkin) toward the center of the ridge U, thereby improving the efficiency of harvesting work when the fruit (pumpkin) is harvested later using a fruit harvesting device.

[0022] (Machine frame) The machine frame 3 shown in FIG. 2 supports the cutting unit 4, and the connection portion 47 functions to connect the machine frame 3 and the cutting unit 4.

[0023] (Guide part) FIG. 3 is a side view of the vine cutting device 2. With the furrow UB side of guide section 7 defined as the outside and the center side of ridge U defined as the inside, the left and right sides of frame section 3 are covered with outer guide section 7A and inner guide section 7B. Guide section 7 acts to prevent vines and the like from getting inside frame section 3 and impeding its movement. In addition, the tip 71 of the guide part 7 is arranged so as to overlap with the side cover 45 in a side view. The tip 71 of the guide part 7 is arranged inside the outer side cover 45A and is in a position that cannot be seen. When the vine cutting device 2 is viewed from the side, the tip 71 of the guide part 7 is arranged in a position forward of the rear end 451 of the side cover 45.

[0024] Because of this positional relationship, when the guide portion 7 is the outer guide portion 7A, the fruit (pumpkin) guided by the outer cover 45A is smoothly transferred to the outer guide portion 7A and guided out of the path of the traveling ground body B. Depending on the width of the furrow UB and the width of the traveling ground support B, the fruit (pumpkin) may be guided to the adjacent furrow U, or it may be guided to a position within the furrow UB where it will not be trampled by the traveling ground support B.

[0025] When the guide portion 7 is the inner guide portion 7B, the fruit (pumpkin) guided by the inner cover 45B is passed on to the inner guide portion 7B and guided toward the center of the furrow U.

[0026] The guide unit 7 of the embodiment is attached to the vine cutting device 2, so the movement of the fruit (pumpkin) is smooth. As the vine is cut by the cutting device 41, the vine also moves together with the fruit (pumpkin) while being guided by the side cover 45 and the guide unit 7.

[0027] The guide portion 7 may be made of various materials and have various shapes as long as it can guide the fruit (pumpkin). The guide portion 7 in the embodiment has a structure in which pipes are arranged vertically. Moreover, the surface of the guide portion 7 is preferably smooth so as not to damage the fruit (pumpkin).

[0028] In the embodiment, the guide unit 7 is attached to the vine cutting device 2. The present invention also includes a fruit moving device M to which the guide unit 7 is attached alone. In addition, the embodiment has been described using a farm field with ridges U as an example, but the present invention can also be applied to a farm field without ridges U.

[0029] The specific configuration is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the present invention includes design changes and the like that do not depart from the gist of the present invention.

[0030] Furthermore, the various aspects described above can be combined by utilizing each other's technologies, so long as there are no particular contradictions or problems in their purpose, configuration, or the like. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 1 Connecting part 11 Installation link 12 Lifting cylinder 13 Horizontal machine frame 131 Left and right width adjustment section 2 Vine-Cutting Device 3 Machine frame 4 Cut section 41 Cutting device (rotary blade) 43 Protective Frame 45 Side cover 45A Outer cover 45B Inner cover 451 Rear end 46 Second sled 47 Connection 6 Vine Guide 61 cutting edge 64 First sled T Tractor 7 Guide section 7A Outer guide part 7B Inner guide part 71 Tip B Traveling ground body M Fruit moving device U ridge UB furrow

Claims

1. A fruit moving device for fruit vegetables grown without supports, A guide portion is provided. This fruit moving device is characterized in that the guide section is located in front of the traveling ground body, is obliquely installed from the front to the rear, and guides fruit on the path of the traveling ground body to a position offset from the path of the traveling ground body.

2. The fruit moving device described in claim 1, characterized in that the guide portions are provided in a pair on the left and right sides, and when the side between one running ground body and the other running ground body is considered to be the inner side, they guide the fruit to a position shifted to the inside of each running ground body, or to a position shifted to the outside of each running ground body.

3. In addition, it is equipped with a vine cutting device, The vine cutting device lifts the vines of fruit vegetables with a vine guide and cuts the vines with a cutting section located behind the vine guide, and has a side cover. The side covers are obliquely provided from the front to the rear, 3. The fruit moving device according to claim 1, wherein the tip of the guide portion is arranged to overlap the rear end of the side cover in a side view, and is arranged on the vine guide side relative to the rear end of the side cover.

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