Vegetable harvester

Abstract

To provide a vegetable harvester for arranging vegetables harvested from a field on a field surface, capable of suppressing disorder of arrangement of the vegetables on the field surface, and capable of improving workability of vegetable picking-up work performed as post-process work.SOLUTION: A vegetable harvester for pulling out and harvesting onions 2 from soil includes: a traveling machine body; a conveying device provided on the traveling machine body and holding a foliage portion 2b of the onion 2 to pull out and convey the onions 2 from the soil; a cutting device for cutting the foliage portion 2b during conveyance of the onion 2 by the conveying device; and an alignment roller 150 provided on a conveyance terminal end side of the conveying device and touching and acting on the onion 2 to guide the onion 2 toward one side; wherein the alignment roller 150 includes: a cylindrical portion 401 provided on the conveying device side; and a conical trapezoid portion 402 whose outer diameter gradually increases from the conveying device side toward the opposite side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 12

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vegetable harvester for harvesting bulb vegetables such as onions, garlic, and lily bulbs, and root vegetables such as carrots. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a known vegetable harvesting machine for harvesting vegetables such as onions involves pulling out and transporting vegetables grown in a field while clamping the stems and leaves extending above ground from the soil, cutting off unnecessary parts such as the stems and leaves during transport, and aligning the main vegetable body in a predetermined position continuously on the top surface (ridge surface) of a ridge formed in the field.

[0003] The vegetables (vegetable bodies) aligned on the ridge surface by this type of vegetable harvester are picked up by a picking device called a picker or the like as a post-processing operation. The picking device is a walk-behind device that includes, for example, a raking device with a rotating body for raking, such as a raking blade, a transport device that transports the raked vegetables, and a platform for a container that stores the transported vegetables. The picking device is operated by a worker walking in the field, and moves along the ridges to pick up and transport vegetables from the ridge surface and store them in a container.

[0004] Some vegetable harvesters as described above are equipped with guide rollers near an alignment device for aligning the vegetables conveyed by the conveying device on the ridge surface (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The guide rollers are arranged on the terminal side of the conveying device and come into contact with the vegetables being aligned on the ridge surface to guide the vegetables to a predetermined location on the ridge surface (for example, the center of the ridge surface in the width direction). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-169632 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1 has the following problems. In the vegetable harvester described above, vegetables pulled from the ridges are transported with their stems and leaves clamped, and reach the alignment device. The clamping position of the stems and leaves by the transport device, i.e., the length from the vegetable body to the clamped position of the stems and leaves, can vary depending on the clamping position of the stems and leaves when the vegetables are pulled from the ridges. The clamping position of the stems and leaves when the vegetables are pulled from the ridges is affected by the degree to which the stems and leaves fall on the ridges, etc.

[0007] In a vegetable transport mode in which the stems and leaves are clamped and suspended by a transport device, if the distance from the vegetable body to the clamped position of the stems and leaves is relatively long, the position of the vegetable body may shift relative to the guide rollers, preventing the guide rollers from fully guiding the vegetables. In such cases, the position of the vegetables that fall onto the ridge surface may shift significantly, or the vegetables may fall from the ridge surface into the ridge furrows (the furrows between adjacent furrows). This disruption in the alignment of the vegetables on the ridge surface can hinder the picking operation of the picking device described above.

[0008] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a vegetable harvester that aligns vegetables harvested from a field on a field surface, which can prevent the vegetables from becoming misaligned on the field surface and improve the workability of the vegetable picking work that is carried out as a subsequent process. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The vegetable harvesting machine of the present invention is a vegetable harvesting machine for pulling out and harvesting vegetables from the soil, and comprises a traveling body, a conveying device attached to the traveling body that clamps the stems and leaves of the vegetables to pull them out of the soil and transport them, a cutting device that cuts the stems and leaves of the vegetables while they are being transported by the conveying device, and a guide member attached to the transport end of the conveying device that comes into contact with the vegetables to guide them to one side, and the guide member has a first acting portion attached to the conveying device side, and a second acting portion attached to the opposite side of the first acting portion from the conveying device side, and having a truncated conical shape with an outer diameter that gradually increases from the conveying device side to the opposite side.

[0010] The vegetable harvesting machine of the present invention is a vegetable harvesting machine for pulling out and harvesting vegetables from the soil, and comprises a traveling body, a conveying device attached to the traveling body that clamps the stems and leaves of the vegetables to pull them out of the soil and convey them, a cutting device that cuts the stems and leaves of the vegetables while they are being conveyed by the conveying device, and a guide member attached to the conveying end of the conveying device that comes into contact with the vegetables to guide them to one side, the guide member having a first acting portion attached to the conveying device side, and a second acting portion attached to the opposite side of the first acting portion from the conveying device side and having a larger outer diameter than the first acting portion.

[0011] The vegetable harvesting machine of the present invention is a vegetable harvesting machine for pulling out and harvesting vegetables from the soil, and comprises a traveling body, a conveying device attached to the traveling body that clamps the stems and leaves of the vegetables to pull them out of the soil and transport them, a cutting device that cuts the stems and leaves of the vegetables while they are being transported by the conveying device, and a guide member attached to the transport end of the conveying device that comes into contact with the vegetables to guide them to one side, the guide member having a truncated cone shape with an outer diameter that gradually increases from the conveying device side to the opposite side of the conveying device.

[0012] A vegetable harvester according to another aspect of the present invention is the vegetable harvester described above, wherein the guide member is provided so as to be rotationally driven together with an endless rotating body that constitutes the conveying device.

[0013] A vegetable harvester according to another aspect of the present invention is the vegetable harvester described above, wherein the guide member is provided coaxially with a rotating body around which the endless rotating body is wound.

[0014] A vegetable harvesting machine according to another aspect of the present invention is the vegetable harvesting machine described above, wherein at least the portion of the guide member that forms the contact surface with the vegetables is made of a flexible material. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, in a vegetable harvesting machine that aligns vegetables harvested from a field on a field surface, it is possible to suppress the disruption of the alignment of vegetables on the field surface, thereby improving the workability of the vegetable picking work that is carried out as a subsequent process. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a left side view of a vegetable harvester according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 2] 1 is a plan view of a vegetable harvester according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a front view of a vegetable harvester according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a left side view showing a harvesting unit of a vegetable harvester according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 5] 1 is a diagram showing a power transmission configuration in a vegetable harvester according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a plan view showing a lower conveying device, a stem and leaf cutting device, and a harvested product releasing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a rear view showing a lower conveying device and a harvest product discharge device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8]FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view showing a plucking and conveying device and a stem and leaf releasing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the rear part of the plucking and conveying device and the stem and leaf releasing device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view showing an alignment roller and its surrounding structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the alignment roller according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a rear view showing how the onions act on the alignment roller according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a comparative example of the alignment roller according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a first modified example of the alignment roller according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a second modified example of the alignment roller according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a third modified example of the alignment roller according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 17] 1 is a rear perspective view showing the configuration of an excavation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 18] 1 is a left side view showing the configuration of the front part of an excavation device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 19] 1 is a plan cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the front left part of an excavation device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 20] 1 is a partially exploded perspective view showing the configuration of a shaft support part in an excavation device according to one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] The present invention aims to improve the guiding performance of a guide member in a vegetable harvester that aligns vegetables harvested from a farm field on a farm surface (row surface) by devising a configuration of a guide member that comes into contact with the vegetables and guides them to a predetermined location on the farm surface. An embodiment of the present invention will be described below.

[0018] In the embodiments of the present invention described below, an onion harvester that harvests onions, a type of bulb vegetable, will be used as an example of the vegetable harvester according to the present invention. However, the vegetable harvester according to the present invention can also be used as a vegetable harvester that harvests vegetables other than onions.

[0019] As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the vegetable harvester 1 according to this embodiment is an onion harvester that harvests onions 2 from soil by pulling the onions 2 planted in a farm field out of the soil. In the farm field, the onions 2 are planted continuously in rows along a straight line. In the following description, the left side (lower side in Figure 2) and the right side (upper side in Figure 2) when facing the front of the vegetable harvester 1 will be referred to as the left side and right side of the vegetable harvester 1, respectively.

[0020] The vegetable harvester 1 pulls out onions 2 planted in the soil while clamping the stems and leaves 2b extending above ground from the bulb 2a, which is the bulb part, and transports the onions 2 upward and rearward while maintaining the hanging position with the stems and leaves 2b clamped, cutting the stems and leaves 2b to separate them from the bulb 2a during transport, and lining up the remaining bulbs 2a in the field. The stems and leaves 2b separated from the bulb 2a are discharged from a predetermined location in the vegetable harvester 1 and dropped into the field.

[0021] The vegetable harvester 1 is a self-propelled harvester that performs harvesting work by continuously pulling out and transporting multiple rows of onions 2 and lining them up in the field while traveling along the line in which the onions 2 are planted. The vegetable harvester 1 of this embodiment has a two-row configuration that simultaneously pulls out and transports two rows of onions 2 and aligns them. The vegetable harvester 1 selects onions 2 with a certain length of stem and leaf portion 2b remaining on the head portion 2a as the vegetable main body portion as the portion to be aligned in the field, i.e., the portion to be harvested.

[0022] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the vegetable harvester 1 harvests four rows of onions 2, each consisting of two rows planted in two sets of two rows with a specified row spacing, in the following manner, for example. That is, after harvesting (aligning on the ridges 300) the two rows of onions 2 on the left side of the direction of movement of the machine along the ridges 300 (the right side in Figure 3), the machine reverses its direction of movement and harvests the remaining two rows of onions 2. For the two rows of onions 2 to be harvested simultaneously, the vegetable harvester 1 aligns the onions 2 in the center of each of the two rows on the left and right on the ridge surface 301, which is the top surface of the ridges 300. Therefore, after the vegetable harvester 1 has performed the harvesting operation, two rows of onions 2 are aligned on each of the left and right sides of the ridge surface 301 of the ridge 300, two rows of onions 2 are aligned on each of the left and right sides.

[0023] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the vegetable harvester 1 includes a traveling body 3, a driving unit 4 for driving and operating the vegetable harvester 1, and a harvesting unit 5 for harvesting onions 2.

[0024] The traveling machine body 3 includes a pair of left and right drive wheels 11 provided as the rear wheels of the machine body and gauge wheels 12 provided as the front wheels of the machine body, and is movably supported by these wheels. A driving unit 4 and a harvesting unit 5 are provided on the traveling machine body 3. The traveling machine body 3 has a machine body frame 7 made up of pipe-shaped members, plate-shaped members, etc.

[0025] The left and right drive wheels 11 are driven to rotate by power transmitted from an engine 10 provided in the vegetable harvester 1. The engine 10 is mounted at the rear of the traveling body 3. On the left side of the engine 10, a transmission 13 is provided in a case with a built-in transmission mechanism that is interlocked with the output shaft of the engine 10. The transmission 13 appropriately changes the speed of the power from the engine 10 and transmits it to the left and right drive wheels 11.

[0026] At the rear of the transmission 13, a traveling drive shaft 15 extends to both the left and right with its axial direction being the left-right direction (see Figure 5). The left and right extending portions of the traveling drive shaft 15 are housed in cylindrical axle cases 16 that extend to the left and right from the case of the transmission 13. The rotational power of the traveling drive shaft 15 is transmitted to an axle 19 that supports the drive wheels 11 by a chain transmission mechanism 18 housed in a chain case 17 connected to each axle case 16. The right axle case 16 extends to the right so as to be asymmetrical with respect to the left axle case 16, and the right drive wheel 11 is located further to the right from the main body of the traveling machine body 3 than the left drive wheel 11.

[0027] The gauge wheel 12 is provided at approximately the same position as the left drive wheel 11 in the left-right direction, and is disposed in front of the left drive wheel 11. The gauge wheel 12 is provided so as to be able to rise and fall relative to the machine frame 7. The driver's unit 4 is provided with a lifting operation handle 20 for raising and lowering the gauge wheel 12.

[0028] During onion 2 harvesting work, the vegetable harvester 1 travels with the left and right drive wheels 11 and gauge wheels 12 positioned in the furrows 302 on both sides of a ridge 300 in which four rows of onions 2 are planted. In other words, the vegetable harvester 1 travels with the right drive wheel 11 positioned in the furrow 302 on the right side of the ridge 300, and the left drive wheel 11 and gauge wheel 12 positioned in the furrow 302 on the left side of the ridge 300, relative to the ridge 300 that is the target of harvesting work.

[0029] Therefore, the treads of the left and right drive wheels 11 are sized according to the width of the ridge 300. The support structure and power transmission structure of the right drive wheel 11 are configured to be expandable and contractible in the left-right direction, allowing the position of the right drive wheel 11 to be adjusted in the left-right direction. By adjusting the left-right position of the right drive wheel 11, the treads of the left and right drive wheels 11 are adjusted according to the width of the ridge 300, etc. Note that the ridge furrows 302 are valleys between adjacent ridges 300. By way of example only, the height of the ridge 300, i.e., the depth of the ridge furrows 302, is, for example, 100 to 200 mm. The treads of the left and right drive wheels 11 are, for example, approximately 1100 to 1500 mm.

[0030] The driver's unit 4 is configured to allow the driver (operator) of the vegetable harvester 1 to perform various operations such as traveling and harvesting of the vegetable harvester 1. The driver's unit 4 is provided on the upper rear side of the traveling body 3. The driver's unit 4 is provided with a steering handle 21 that is roughly U-shaped in plan view with the front side open. The steering handle 21 is made up of a pipe-like member with a predetermined bent or curved shape, and is provided above the engine 10 and transmission 13.

[0031] In the driving section 4, various operating tools are arranged around the control handle 21 and in its vicinity, such as a main speed change lever 22 for changing the running speed of the running body 3, a work clutch lever 23 for switching the power on and off to the harvesting work section 5, and a forward / reverse lever 24.

[0032] The harvesting unit 5 has a grass dividing device 31, a raking device 32, a transporting device 33, a digging device 34, a stem and leaf cutting device 35, a stem and leaf releasing device 36, and a harvested product releasing device 37. These devices are supported by the machine frame 7 that constitutes the traveling machine body 3, and are driven by power transmitted from the engine 10. Each device that constitutes the harvesting unit 5 will now be described.

[0033] The grass dividing device 31 is provided on the front side of the traveling body 3, and is a device for dividing the stems and leaves 2b of two rows (two rows) of onions 2 into left and right parts and for raising the fallen stems and leaves 2b. The grass dividing device 31 has a vertical raising device 40, which is a grass raising device provided in three rows for a two-row configuration.

[0034] The vertical raising devices 40 act to raise upward the stems and leaves 2b of the onions 2 planted in the ridges 300. The three rows of vertical raising devices 40 raise upward the stems and leaves 2b of the onions 2 lying lodged on the ridges 300, dividing them and guiding them to the raking device 32.

[0035] The vertical lifting device 40 has a longitudinal grass dividing case 41 and multiple tines 42 protruding from the grass dividing case 41. The grass dividing case 41 has a roughly plate-like outer shape with its thickness in the left-right direction, is linear in the front-to-back direction in a plan view, and is inclined with its longitudinal direction sloping upward toward the rear in a side view. The tines 42 protrude from the periphery of the grass dividing case 41. The multiple tines 42 are fixed at a predetermined interval to chains 44 (see Figure 5) wound around front and rear sprockets 43a, 43b at both longitudinal ends of the grass dividing case 41, with the left-to-right direction as the rotation axis. The vertical lifting device 40 lifts the stems and leaves 2b of the onions 2 using the multiple rotating tines 42.

[0036] Of the three vertical raising devices 40, the two vertical raising devices 40 on the center and right side have a grass dividing board 45 attached to the tip (lower end) of the grass dividing case 41. The grass dividing board 45 passes between the rows and divides the stem and leaf parts 2b of the onions 2 row by row. The grass dividing board 45 is a plate-like part that has a pointed shape in side view, is fixed to the lower end of the grass dividing case 41 by bolts or the like, and protrudes downward and forward from the lower end of the grass dividing case 41. In side view, the inclination angle of the grass dividing board 45 with respect to the horizontal plane is smaller than the inclination angle of the grass dividing case 41.

[0037] Of the three vertical lifting devices 40, an auxiliary grass dividing device 50 is provided for the left-hand vertical lifting device 40. The auxiliary grass dividing device 50 has a longitudinal auxiliary grass dividing case 51 and an auxiliary grass dividing belt 52 with multiple protrusions 52a protruding from the auxiliary grass dividing case 51. The auxiliary grass dividing device 50 is approximately half the length of the vertical lifting device 40, and the rear of the auxiliary grass dividing case 51 is fixed and supported to the left side of the lower part of the grass dividing case 41 of the left-hand vertical lifting device 40 via an auxiliary grass dividing stay 53, which is a support member, and extends in approximately the same direction as the protruding direction of the grass dividing board 45 in a side view. The auxiliary grass dividing device 50 is inclined from the top to the bottom in a direction from the left side of the machine body to the right side of the machine body in a front view, so that the front end of the auxiliary grass dividing case 51 is positioned in approximately the same position as the left-hand vertical lifting device 40 in the left-right direction.

[0038] The auxiliary grass dividing belt 52 has multiple protrusions 52a protruding from the periphery of the auxiliary grass dividing case 51. The auxiliary grass dividing belt 52 is an endless belt wound around front and rear pulleys 54a, 54b (see Figure 5) provided at both longitudinal ends of the auxiliary grass dividing case 51. The multiple protrusions 52a are provided at predetermined intervals on the auxiliary grass dividing belt 52.

[0039] The auxiliary weeding device 50 lifts the stems and leaves 2b of the onions 2 using multiple protrusions 52a on the rotating auxiliary weeding belt 52. A roller 55 that abuts against the ridge 300 is rotatably supported on the lower left side of the front end of the auxiliary weeding case 51. The auxiliary weeding device 50 assists in weeding the stems and leaves 2b of the onions 2 row by row as it passes between the rows. The auxiliary weeding device 50 guides the stems and leaves 2b that have fallen onto the left-hand slope of the ridge 300 or in the furrow 302 to the left-hand vertical lifting device 40 before they are trampled down by the gauge wheel 12.

[0040] The sweeping device 32 has a pair of left and right sweeping belt units 60. The left and right sweeping belt units 60 are provided behind the three rows of vertical lifting devices 40. The sweeping device 32 sweeps in the stems and leaves 2b of the onions 2 from the front side of the machine body using the left and right sweeping belt units 60 and delivers them to the conveying device 33, thereby assisting the conveying device 33 in pulling out the onions 2.

[0041] The take-in belt unit 60 has a longitudinal cover frame 61 and a take-in belt 62 formed with multiple protrusions 62a protruding from the cover frame 61. The take-in belt unit 60 is inclined with its longitudinal direction tilted upward toward the rear in a side view, and is parallel or approximately parallel to the vertical lifting device 40. The take-in belt unit 60 has approximately the same length as the vertical lifting device 40 in the longitudinal direction along the inclined direction in a side view.

[0042] The pick-up belt 62 has multiple protrusions 62a protruding from the periphery of the cover frame 61. The pick-up belt 62 is an endless belt wound around front and rear pulleys 64a, 64b (see FIG. 5) provided at both longitudinal ends of the cover frame 61. The multiple protrusions 62a are provided on the pick-up belt 62 at predetermined intervals.

[0043] The pick-up belt unit 60 is arranged so that the direction perpendicular to the tilt direction in a side view is the direction of the rotation axes of the front and rear pulleys 64a, 64b. The cover frame 61 includes a cover plate 61a that covers the front and rear pulleys 64a, 64b and the belt main body portion of the pick-up belt 62 from above. The cover plate 61a is arranged so that the plate thickness direction is the direction of the rotation axes of the front and rear pulleys 64a, 64b.

[0044] The sweeping device 32, by the action of the sweeping belts 62 of the left and right sweeping belt units 60, sweeps the stems and leaves 2b of two onions 2 introduced between adjacent vertical lifting devices 40 to the rear side of the central vertical lifting device 40 and guides them to the conveying device 33, thereby assisting the conveying device 33 in pulling out the stems and leaves 2b.

[0045] The conveying device 33 is provided on the traveling body 3 and is a device that grips the stems and leaves 2b of the onions 2, pulls out the onions 2 from the soil, and conveys them. The conveying device 33 has a pulling-out conveying device 38 and a lower conveying device 39 provided below the pulling-out conveying device 38.

[0046] The pulling-out and conveying device 38 is a device that pulls out two onions 2 from the soil at the front of the device and conveys them upward and rearward while holding the stems and leaves 2b of the two pulled onions 2. The pulling-out and conveying device 38 is provided behind the raking device 32, and pulls out the onions 2 while holding the stems and leaves 2b raked in by the raking device 32 and conveying the stems and leaves 2b upward and rearward (diagonally upward and rearward), and conveys the onions 2 in an upright position upward and rearward.

[0047] The drawing and conveying device 38 is provided in an inclined manner from a position rearward and upward below the sweeping device 32. In a side view, the angle of inclination of the drawing and conveying device 38 relative to the horizontal direction is smaller than the angle of inclination of the sweeping device 32, and is, for example, about 40°. The drawing and conveying device 38 is provided in an elongated manner so that the linear conveying direction in a plan view is aligned with the front-rear direction.

[0048] The pulling and conveying device 38 has a configuration in which a pair of endless rotating pulling and conveying belts 71 are wound around a drive pulley 72, which is a driving wheel provided at the rear side, which is the downstream side of the conveying, and a driven pulley 73, which is a driven wheel provided at the front side, which is the upstream side of the conveying (see Figure 5). That is, the pulling and conveying device 38 is a belt conveying device equipped with a pair of left and right belt clamping bodies 70 in which the pulling and conveying belts 71 are wound around the drive pulley 72 and the driven pulley 73, and is configured to clamp and convey the stems and leaves 2b between the left and right belt clamping bodies 70.

[0049] The pulling-out conveying device 38 has a pair of pulling-out conveying belts 71 at its front end, which sandwich the stems and leaves 2b between opposing surfaces, and the onions 2 are pulled out of the soil by the rotating movement of the pulling-out conveying belts 71. The pair of pulling-out conveying belts 71 rotate in a direction that moves the opposing side in the conveying direction by the rotational driving force of the driving pulleys 72. The driving pulleys 72 and the driven pulleys 73 have their rotation axes directed perpendicular to the inclination of the pulling-out conveying device 38 in a side view of the machine body. A cover plate 77 is provided on the upper surface of each belt sandwiching body 70, covering part of the pulling-out conveying belts 71. The cover plate 77 has a cover plate main body 77a that is linear in the extension direction of the pulling-out conveying belts 71 in a side view.

[0050] Two rows of onions 2 pulled out by the pulling-out conveying device 38 are conveyed upward and rearward in a suspended position with the stems and leaves 2b held between a pair of pulling-out conveying belts 71. The pulling-out conveying device 38 extends in the front-rear direction from a position immediately behind the gauge wheel 12 to a position midway between the front and rear of the drive wheel 11.

[0051] 5, the drive pulley 72 of each belt clamping body 70 is fixed to a conveying input shaft 75 that rotates upon receiving power from the engine 10, and is driven to rotate integrally with the conveying input shaft 75. The conveying input shaft 75 extends obliquely upward and forward from the rear end of the belt clamping body 70, and is housed within a cylindrical conveying input shaft case 76 that is aligned along the axial direction of the conveying input shaft 75.

[0052] The lower conveying device 39 is provided below the front-rear intermediate portion of the pulling-out conveying device 38. The lower conveying device 39 functions as a positioning device (shoulder aligning device) for aligning the height positions of the head portions 2a of two rows of onions 2 being conveyed by the pulling-out conveying device 38.

[0053] The lower conveying device 39 uses the upper portions of the heads 2a of the onions 2 as shoulders to align the height of the shoulders of the onions 2 being conveyed below the pulling-out conveying device 38. The lower conveying device 39 is provided along an inclined plane (approximately horizontal plane) that slopes upward at the rear in a side view, which is gentler than the inclination of the pulling-out conveying device 38. The inclination angle of the lower conveying device 39 with respect to the horizontal is, for example, about 5°.

[0054] The lower conveying device 39 has a pair of left and right endless rotating bodies, that is, left and right lower conveying belts 81. The left and right lower conveying belts 81 position and hold the stems and leaves 2b (more specifically, the necks, which are the bases of the stems and leaves 2b) of the onions 2 being conveyed by the pulling-out and conveying device 38 between them, and rotate in directions that move the opposing side in the conveying direction of the onions 2.

[0055] The lower conveying device 39 has a configuration in which a pair of left and right lower conveying belts 81 are wound around a drive pulley 82, which is a driving wheel provided at the front side, which is the upstream side of the conveying direction, and a driven pulley 83, which is a driven wheel provided at the rear side, which is the downstream side of the conveying direction. That is, the lower conveying device 39 has a pair of left and right lower belt conveyors 80, in which the lower conveying belts 81 are wound around the drive pulley 82 and the driven pulley 83, and is configured to position the stems and leaves 2b between the left and right lower belt conveyors 80 (to clamp the necks).

[0056] The opposing portions of the pair of lower conveyor belts 81 form a movement path for the stem and leaf portions 2b, and are rotated by the rotation of the drive pulley 82 in a direction that moves the opposing sides in the conveying direction of the stem and leaf portions 2b. The drive pulley 82 and the driven pulley 83 have a rotation axis direction that is perpendicular to the inclination of the lower conveyor device 39 when viewed from the side of the machine body. The distance between the opposing surfaces of the pair of lower conveyor belts 81 is set narrower than the width of the shoulder of the head portion 2a of a typical onion 2.

[0057] The lower conveying device 39 has the front end portions of the lower belt conveyors 80 positioned immediately behind the upper end portions of the driven pulleys 73 located at the front end portions of the belt clamping bodies 70 of the pulling-out conveying device 38. Due to the difference in the inclination angle between the lower conveying device 39 and the pulling-out conveying device 38, the lower conveying device 39 and the pulling-out conveying device 38 form a roughly "V" shape in side view, and the vertical distance between the lower conveying device 39 and the pulling-out conveying device 38 gradually increases from the front to the rear.

[0058] 5, each lower belt conveying body 80 of the lower conveying device 39 receives rotational power from the belt clamping body 70 via a chain transmission mechanism 85, thereby rotating a drive pulley 82. The chain transmission mechanism 85 has a drive sprocket 87 and a driven sprocket 88 fixed to a first lower conveying shaft 86 that supports the driven pulley 73, and a chain 89 wound around these sprockets. The first lower conveying shaft 86 is parallel to the conveying input shaft 75 and extends upward from the driven pulley 73.

[0059] 5, the rotational power of the driven sprocket 88 is transmitted to the drive pulley 82 via a second lower conveying shaft 90 that supports the driven sprocket 88 and a third lower conveying shaft 91 that supports the drive pulley 82. The second lower conveying shaft 90 and the third lower conveying shaft 91 are interlocked via a connecting part 92 made of a transmission member such as a gear fixed to each of these shafts.

[0060] The chain transmission mechanism 85 is provided above the front of each belt clamping body 70 of the pulling-out conveying device 38 and is housed in a chain case 93 (see Figure 4). As shown in Figure 5, the rotational power of each chain transmission mechanism 85 is taken off by a sweeping drive sprocket 94 and used to drive the sweeping belt unit 60. The sweeping drive sprocket 94, together with a drive sprocket 87 and a driven sprocket 88, receives a chain 89 wound around it, and is fixed to the lower end of a first sweeping drive shaft 95, which is an axis parallel to the first lower conveying shaft 86. The first sweeping drive shaft 95 is connected via a universal joint 97 to a second sweeping drive shaft 96, which supports the rear pulley 64b of the sweeping belt unit 60.

[0061] As described above, each of the suction belt units 60 of the suction device 32 and each of the lower belt conveying bodies 80 of the lower conveying device 39 are configured to receive the rotational power of each of the belt clamping bodies 70 via the chain transmission mechanism 85 and to drive together with the extraction conveying device 38.

[0062] The lower conveying device 39 positions the stem and leaf portions 2b of the onions 2 conveyed by the pulling-out conveying device 38 between the pair of lower conveying belts 81, and uses the pair of lower conveying belts 81 to press down the shoulders of the head portions 2a of the onions 2, thereby aligning the height positions of the head portions 2a at a predetermined height. That is, the lower conveying device 39 positions the head portions 2a below the pair of lower conveying belts 81, which are disposed at a gentle incline relative to the pulling-out conveying belts 71 of the pulling-out conveying device 38, and as the onions 2 are conveyed by the pulling-out conveying device 38, the pair of lower conveying belts 81 come into contact with both shoulders of the head portions 2a to stop the onions 2 from moving upward during conveyance, thereby aligning the height positions of the onions 2 as they are threshed together with the pulling-out conveying device 38.

[0063] The digging device 34 is provided below and behind the raking device 32. The digging device 34 is a so-called subsoiler, and is a device that penetrates under the onions 2 to break up the soil so that the onions 2 can be easily pulled out by the pulling and conveying device 38.

[0064] The excavation device 34 has a pair of left and right excavation blades 101, which are bent plate-like members that are roughly L-shaped when viewed from the front, blade support arms 102 that support each of the excavation blades 101, a subsoiler frame 103 that supports the blade support arms 102, and a drive arm 104 that drives the excavation blades 101 and the blade support arms 102. The excavation blades 101, blade support arms 102, subsoiler frame 103, and drive arm 104 are configured symmetrically or approximately symmetrically in the harvesting unit 5.

[0065] The excavation blade 101 is provided below the sweeping device 32 and below the front end of the extraction and conveyance device 38. The excavation blade 101 has a generally "L" shaped portion, with a vertical blade portion 101a with the left-right direction being the plate thickness direction, and horizontal blade portions 101b bent inwardly to the left and right from the lower end of the vertical blade portion 101a. The left and right excavation blades 101 are provided so that the tips of the horizontal blade portions 101b butt against each other (see FIG. 3).

[0066] The blade support arm 102 is a longitudinal member with its longitudinal direction extending approximately vertically, and its lower end is connected to the upper end of the vertical blade portion 101a of the digging blade 101. The blade support arm 102 is supported on a subsoiler frame 103 by a pivot support portion 105 with its axial direction extending left and right so as to be rotatable integrally with the digging blade 101. The subsoiler frame 103 is provided in a fixed state relative to a transport frame 111 (see Figure 4) that constitutes the transport device 33.

[0067] The digging blade 101 is provided so as to swing back and forth upon receiving rotational power from a working unit input shaft 100 (see Figures 4 and 5) disposed with its axial direction extending left and right at a position behind the rear of the extraction and transport device 38 in the harvesting working unit 5. The working unit input shaft 100 rotates upon receiving power from the engine 10.

[0068] The drive arm 104 has an arm main body 104a formed from a rod-like (pipe-like) member having a predetermined bent shape, and is provided with the arm main body 104a extending substantially in the front-to-rear direction. The rear end of the drive arm 104 is connected to and supported by the working unit input shaft 100 via an eccentric shaft support 112. The eccentric shaft support 112 is a part that forms an eccentric mechanism for the working unit input shaft 100, and is provided on both the left and right ends of the working unit input shaft 100.

[0069] The eccentric shaft support portion 112 has a configuration in which the end of the working unit input shaft 100 is supported via a bearing 112b and an eccentric boss 112c in a cylindrical or ring-shaped support tube portion 112a provided on the rear side of the arm main body portion 104a of the drive arm 104 (see FIG. 4). The eccentric boss 112c is provided inside the bearing 112b and is fixed to the end of the working unit input shaft 100 with the axis of the working unit input shaft 100 positioned eccentrically with respect to the support tube portion 112a and the bearing 112b, which are arranged coaxially with each other.

[0070] The front end of the drive arm 104 is rotatably supported by a pivot support 113 with its axis extending in the left-right direction relative to the upper end of the blade support arm 102 (see FIG. 4). The drive arm 104 has a front pivot support 114 on the front side of the arm main body 104a as a support part for the blade support arm 102.

[0071] The front pivot support portion 114 is made up of a pair of left and right support plate portions 114a (see FIG. 17). The support plate portions 114a are rectangular plate-shaped portions whose longitudinal direction is the extension direction of the arm main body portion 104a. The left and right support plate portions 114a are fixed to the arm main body portion 104a by welding or the like while sandwiching the front end portion of the arm main body portion 104a from both the left and right sides, and together with the arm main body portion 104a, form an integrated arm portion.

[0072] The front support portion 114 positions the upper end of the blade support arm 102, which is supported by the support portion 113, between the left and right support plates 114a. A support pin 115 is provided as a support shaft in the support portion 113 to support the blade support arm 102 relative to the front support portion 114 (see Figures 17 and 18). The support pin 115 passes through the upper end of the blade support arm 102 and the left and right support plates 114a, and is fixed to the left and right support plates 114a by welding or the like. The support pin 115 rotatably supports the upper end of the blade support arm 102 via a bearing member (not shown), such as a bushing.

[0073] In the digging device 34 configured as described above, the rotational power of the working unit input shaft 100 is transmitted as back-and-forth reciprocating motion (vibration) of the drive arm 104 via the eccentric shaft support portion 112. As the drive arm 104 reciprocates back and forth, the blade support arm 102 and the digging blade 101 rotate back and forth around the shaft support portion 105, that is, they swing (vibrate) back and forth. As a result, as the vegetable harvester 1 moves forward, the digging device 34 inserts the digging blade 101, which swings back and forth, into the soil and positions it below the head portion 2a of the onion 2, cutting the roots while softening the soil and digging up two rows.

[0074] The stem and leaf cutting device 35 is an example of a cutting device that cuts the stem and leaf portions 2b of the onions 2 while the onions 2 are being conveyed by the conveying device 33. The stem and leaf cutting device 35 is provided between the pulling and conveying device 38 and the lower conveying device 39. More specifically, the stem and leaf cutting device 35 is provided above the middle portion between the front and rear of the lower conveying device 39. The stem and leaf cutting device 35 cuts the stem and leaf portions 2b of the onions 2 being pinched and conveyed by the pulling and conveying device 38 and the lower conveying device 39 at the stem and leaf portion 2b, and separates most of the stem and leaf portions 2b from the head portion 2a side. The stem and leaf cutting device 35 cuts the stem and leaf portions 2b of the onions 2 that have been aligned (the height of the shoulder portions has been aligned) by the lower conveying device 39 so that a substantially uniform length of the stem and leaf portions 2b remains on the head portion 2a side.

[0075] The stem and leaf cutting device 35 has a disk-shaped rotary blade 120. The rotary blade 120 has a rotation shaft 121 located at its center, the axial direction of which is parallel to the rotation axes of the drive pulley 82 and driven pulley 83 of the lower conveying device 39, and is provided directly above the front-to-rear intermediate portions of the left and right lower belt conveying bodies 80 (see Figure 6).

[0076] 6 and 7, the left and right lower belt conveying bodies 80 each have a cover frame 130. The cover frame 130 has an upper surface portion 131 that covers the lower conveying belt 81 from above, and side surfaces 132 that cover the lower conveying belt 81 from the left and right outer sides, and these surfaces form a right-angled curved surface portion.

[0077] In the cover frame 130, the upper surface portion 131 is located directly above the lower conveyor belts 81 in the extension direction of the lower conveyor belts 81 in a side view, and covers almost the entire lower conveyor belts 81 from above except for the front end portions. The side surface portions 132 are located on the left and right outer sides of each lower conveyor belt 81, and cover the intermediate portions of the lower conveyor belts 81 in the extension direction from the left and right outer sides.

[0078] The rotary blade 120 is arranged parallel to the upper surface portions 131 of the left and right cover frames 130 and is located directly above the upper surface portions 131. In a plan view of the lower conveyor device 39, the rotary blade 120 has its rotation shaft 121 positioned to the right of a gap 122 between the opposing surfaces of the left and right lower conveyor belts 81, which serves as a passage for the stems and leaves 2b (see FIG. 6). As a result, most of the rotary blade 120 is positioned above the right lower belt conveyor 80, and its left end is positioned to the left of the gap 122, with its left portion covering the gap 122 from above. In other words, the rotary blade 120 is arranged so that a portion of it overlaps the path of movement of the stems and leaves 2b between the left and right lower belt conveyors 80 in a plan view. The rotary blade 120 is arranged so that its position in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 121, i.e., its height, can be adjusted by a height adjustment mechanism (not shown). By adjusting the height position of the rotary blade 120, the cutting position of the stem and leaf part 2b is adjusted.

[0079] The rotating shaft 121 is fixed to the rotary blade 120 and extends upward from the rotary blade 120, and rotates upon receiving power from the engine 10. The rotating shaft 121 receives rotational power from a cutter drive shaft 125 via a bevel gear 123 fixed to the rotating shaft 121 and a drive-side bevel gear 124. The cutter drive shaft 125 is disposed horizontally on the right side of the rotating shaft 121 with its axial direction extending in the left-right direction, and the bevel gear 124 is fixed to its left end. The rotating shaft 121, bevel gears 123 and 124, and cutter drive shaft 125 are housed in a cylindrical cutter drive case 126.

[0080] The onions 2, which are moving diagonally upward and rearward due to the conveying action of the pulling-out conveying device 38, are stopped from moving upward by the lower conveying device 39 and positioned in the up-down direction, and then guided to the position of the rotary blade 120. The stems and leaves 2b, which are held by the pair of belt holding bodies 70 and the pair of lower belt conveying bodies 80, reach the rotary blade 120 and are cut by the rotating rotary blade 120.

[0081] The stem and leaf parts 2b cut off from the head part 2a by the rotary blade 120 are released by the stem and leaf release device 36. On the other hand, the head part 2a having the remaining stem and leaf parts 2c (see Figure 12), which are the stem and leaf parts 2b remaining after being cut by the rotary blade 120, is released onto the ridge 300 by the harvest release device 37.

[0082] The stem and leaf releasing device 36 is a device that guides the stem and leaf portions 2b cut by the rotary blade 120 while releasing them in a predetermined direction, and is provided at the conveying end of the pulling and conveying device 38. The stem and leaf releasing device 36 has a pair of upper and lower first and second release guide bodies 141 and 142, an auxiliary guide body 143 provided above these release guide bodies, and a pair of upper and lower release foils 144. The stem and leaf releasing device 36 is provided mainly at the rear end of the left belt clamping body 70 out of the left and right belt clamping bodies 70 that make up the pulling and conveying device 38.

[0083] The first release guide body 141 is made of a rod-shaped spring member having a predetermined curved shape. The first release guide body 141 has an arc-shaped curved shape that follows the outer shape of the drive pulley 72 located at the rear end of the left belt clamping body 70. The first release guide body 141 is provided below the drive pulley 72 so that most of it is aligned with a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the conveyance input shaft 75 that supports the drive pulley 72.

[0084] The upper and lower first release guide bodies 141 extend from a position below the drive pulley 72 of the left belt clamping body 70, passing behind a gap 140 (see FIG. 9) between the opposing surfaces of the left and right pull-out conveyor belts 71, which serves as a passage for the stems and leaves 2b, to the underside of the right belt clamping body 70, and are fixed at their base ends 141a to the left side of a front-to-rear extension frame 145 constituting the right belt clamping body 70 by a fastener such as a bolt 146 (see FIG. 8) at a position in front of and below the drive pulley 72 of the right belt clamping body 70. The front-to-rear extension frame 145 is a frame portion formed by a rectangular pillar-shaped member, and is provided below the pull-out conveyor belt 71 in the left-to-right center of the belt clamping body 70, extending linearly along the front-to-rear direction in a plan view.

[0085] The first release guide body 141 wraps around from its fixed portion relative to the front-rear extension frame 145 to the left side along the engagement portion (rear arc-shaped portion) with the drive pulley 72 of the left belt clamping body 70, has an arc shape that follows the outer shape of the drive pulley 72, and has its tip facing outward in the left and right directions (left side). That is, when viewed in the axial direction of the conveying input shaft 75, the first release guide body 141 wraps around from its fixed portion relative to the front-rear extension frame 145, which is the base end side, between the left and right drive pulleys 72, 72, wraps around to the rear side of the belt clamping body 70 so as to follow the circumferential shape of the left drive pulley 72, and has its tip 141b positioned below the left side of the rear part of the drive pulley 72, and faces leftward.

[0086] The first release guide body 141 is located on the outer periphery of the pull-out conveyor belt 71 so as to surround the rear end of the left belt clamping body 70 from the outside when viewed in the axial direction of the conveyor input shaft 75. The upper and lower first release guide bodies 141 have the same curved shape so as to overlap when viewed in the axial direction of the conveyor input shaft 75, and are supported in a fixed state at positions spaced a predetermined distance apart in the axial direction of the conveyor input shaft 75, and are arranged parallel to each other.

[0087] The second release guide body 142 is composed of a rod-shaped spring member having a predetermined curved shape, similar to the first release guide body 141. The second release guide body 142 has an arc-shaped curved shape that follows the outer shape of the drive pulley 72 of the left belt clamping body 70. The second release guide body 142 is located near the inner periphery of the upper of the upper and lower first release guide bodies 141, and is located at approximately the same height in the axial direction of the conveying input shaft 75. The second release guide body 142 is provided below the drive pulley 72 so that most of it is aligned along a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the conveying input shaft 75.

[0088] The second release guide body 142 extends forward from a position below the drive pulley 72 of the left belt clamping body 70 toward the lower and inner periphery of the pull-out conveying belt 71 of the left belt clamping body 70, and has its base end 142a fixedly supported by a fastener such as a bolt to the right side surface of a front-to-rear extending frame 147 (see FIG. 8) that constitutes the left belt clamping body 70 at a position in front of and below the drive pulley 72 of the left belt clamping body 70. The front-to-rear extending frame 147 is a frame portion made up of a quadrangular prism-shaped member, and is provided in a position below the pull-out conveying belt 71 in the left-to-right central part of the belt clamping body 70, and extends linearly in the front-to-rear direction in a plan view.

[0089] The second release guide body 142 wraps around to the left from its fixed portion relative to the front-to-rear extension frame 147 along the engagement portion with the drive pulley 72 of the left belt clamping body 70, and forms an arc shape to fit the outer shape of the drive pulley 72, with its tip end 142b extending linearly diagonally forward and left. The tip end 142b of the second release guide body 142 extends further than the tip end 141b of the first release guide body 141 and is positioned outside the pull-out conveyor belt 71. When viewed in the axial direction of the conveyance input shaft 75, the second release guide body 142 is positioned below the pull-out conveyor belt 71 so as to overlap the curved portion of the pull-out conveyor belt 71.

[0090] The upper and lower first release guide bodies 141 and second release guide bodies 142 form a guide passage at the rear of the gap 140 between the left and right pulling-out conveying belts 71 that receives the stem and leaf portions 2b that are clamped between the left and right pulling-out conveying belts 71 and conveyed rearward, and guides them along the rear end of the left pulling-out conveying belt 71.

[0091] The auxiliary guide body 143 is composed of a rod-shaped member having a predetermined curved shape, similar to the first release guide body 141, etc. The auxiliary guide body 143 has an arc-shaped curved shape that follows the outer shape of the drive pulley 72 of the left belt clamping body 70. The auxiliary guide body 143 is located at a height near the top of the pull-out conveyor belt 71 in the axial direction of the conveyor input shaft 75.

[0092] The auxiliary guide body 143 has substantially the same shape as the first release guide body 141 overall, and its arc-shaped portion along the drive pulley 72 is located near the outer periphery of the first release guide body 141 when viewed in the axial direction of the conveying input shaft 75. The auxiliary guide body 143 is located directly above the cover plate main body 77a of the cover plate 77 of the belt clamping body 70 in the axial direction of the conveying input shaft 75, and is provided along a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the conveying input shaft 75. The auxiliary guide body 143 is provided with its base end 143a, which is its right end, fixed to the left and right inner portions of the rear part of the cover plate main body 77a of the right belt clamping body 70 by fasteners such as bolts 148.

[0093] The auxiliary guide body 143 provides a guide action for the portion of the stem and leaf portion 2b that is clamped between the left and right pulling-out conveying belts 71 and that is above the pulling-out conveying belts 71, thereby assisting the guide action of the first release guide body 141 and the second release guide body 142 on the stem and leaf portion 2b.

[0094] The pair of release wheels 144 are provided below the left belt clamping body 70, above and below both sides of the upper first release guide body 141 in the axial direction of the conveying input shaft 75. More specifically, with respect to the axial position of the conveying input shaft 75, the upper release wheel 144 is provided at a position between the drive pulley 72 and the upper first release guide body 141 and second release guide body 142, and the lower release wheel 144 is provided at a position between the upper and lower first release guide bodies 141. The upper and lower release wheels 144 are arranged and supported coaxially with the conveying input shaft 75 of the left belt clamping body 70, and are arranged to rotate integrally (in the same direction) with the drive pulley 72 of the left belt clamping body 70.

[0095] The release foil 144 has a plurality of protrusions 144a that protrude radially outward as parts that act on the stems and leaves 2b, and has a so-called star wheel shape. The release foil 144 is arranged so that the tips of the plurality of protrusions 144a protrude outward from the arc-shaped parts of the first release guide body 141 and the second release guide body 142.

[0096] With the stem and leaf release device 36 configured as described above, the stem and leaf portions 2b cut by the rotary blade 120 of the stem and leaf cutting device 35 and clamped in the plucking and conveying device 38 are guided to a position on the inner periphery of the upper and lower first release guide bodies 141 and the outer periphery of the upper and lower second release guide bodies 142 by the guiding action of the upper and lower first release guide bodies 141 and the second release guide bodies 142 and the auxiliary guide body 143. The stem and leaf portions 2b guided between the upper and lower first release guide bodies 141 and the second release guide bodies 142 move along the curved shapes of the first release guide bodies 141 and the second release guide bodies 142 due to the action of the release foil 144 and are released outward to the left from between the two release guide bodies and the release foil 144 (see arrow A1 in Figure 9). The released stem and leaf portions 2b fall between the harvesting unit 5 and the left drive wheel 11 onto the left slope of the ridge 300.

[0097] The harvested product discharge device 37 is provided behind the lower conveying device 39. The harvested product discharge device 37 has an aligning conveying device 151, a star wheel 152, and an aligning roller 150 as a guide roller.

[0098] The aligning and conveying device 151 has an alignment belt 161 which is an endless rotating body, and is configured so that the alignment belt 161 is wound around a drive pulley 162 which is a drive wheel provided on the front side (upper side) which is the upstream side of conveyance, and a driven pulley 163 which is a driven wheel provided on the rear side (lower side) which is the downstream side of conveyance. In other words, the aligning and conveying device 151 is configured as a belt conveying body in which the alignment belt 161 is wound around the drive pulley 162 and the driven pulley 163.

[0099] The alignment belt 161 is a protruding belt having a plurality of triangular protrusions 161a provided at predetermined intervals. The alignment conveying device 151 has a longitudinal cover frame 154 whose longitudinal direction is the extension direction of the alignment conveying device 151, and a drive pulley 162 and a driven pulley 163 are journaled on one end side and the other end side of the cover frame 154, respectively.

[0100] The aligning and conveying device 151 extends diagonally downward and rearward to the left from the rear of the left and right lower belt conveyors 80 of the lower conveying device 39 so as to act on the onions 2 conveyed by the lower conveying device 39. The aligning and conveying device 151 has an upper end, which is the conveying start end, located above and between the rear ends of the left and right lower belt conveyors 80, and a lower end, which is the conveying end end, located diagonally downward and rearward of the driven pulley 83 of the lower belt conveyor 80 in a side view. The aligning and conveying device 151 is arranged so that the drive pulley 162 and driven pulley 163 are aligned generally along a vertical plane.

[0101] The aligning and conveying device 151 is provided in an inclined manner with its longitudinal direction inclined downward toward the rear in a side view. Furthermore, the aligning and conveying device 151 is provided in an inclined manner with its upper side positioned to the right and its lower side positioned to the left in a vertical direction in a rear view. The aligning and conveying device 151 is provided so that the axial direction of the drive pulley 162 and the drive pulley 162 is inclined downward to the right in a rear view. In a side view, the inclination angle of the extension direction of the aligning and conveying device 151 with respect to the vertical direction is, for example, about 40°. Furthermore, in a rear view, the inclination angle of the extension direction of the aligning and conveying device 151 with respect to the vertical direction is, for example, about 15°.

[0102] 6, the left and right lower belt conveyors 80 are arranged so that the rear end of the left lower belt conveyor 80 is located further rearward than the rear end of the right lower belt conveyor 80, for example, by approximately the dimension of the radius of the driven pulley 83, and the lengths of the lower conveyor belts 81 are made different from each other. In a plan view, the aligning and conveying device 151 has a drive pulley 162 located at the upper end of the aligning and conveying device 151 to the right of the rear end of the left lower belt conveyor 80 that protrudes rearward relative to the right lower belt conveyor 80.

[0103] The drive pulley 162 of the aligning and conveying device 151 is fixed to an aligning device drive shaft 165 that extends to the right from the drive pulley 162. The aligning device drive shaft 165 is driven to rotate by the transmission of rotational power from the driven pulley 83 of the right-side lower belt conveyor 80 via a first transmission shaft 166 and a second transmission shaft 167 (see FIG. 5).

[0104] The first transmission shaft 166 is fixed to the driven pulley 83 and extends upward from the driven pulley 83. The rotational power of the first transmission shaft 166 is transmitted to the second transmission shaft 167 via a bevel gear 168 fixed to the upper end of the first transmission shaft 166 and a bevel gear 169 fixed to the front end of the second transmission shaft 167. The upper end of the first transmission shaft 166 is located in front of the right end of the alignment device drive shaft 165 in the direction of the downward tilt of the lower belt conveyor 80, and the second transmission shaft 167 is disposed along the downward tilt of the lower belt conveyor 80. The rotational power of the second transmission shaft 167 is transmitted to the alignment device drive shaft 165 via a bevel gear 171 fixed to the rear end of the second transmission shaft 167 and a bevel gear 172 fixed to the right end of the alignment device drive shaft 165.

[0105] The first transmission shaft 166, the bevel gears 168 and 169, the second transmission shaft 167, the bevel gears 171 and 172, and the alignment device drive shaft 165 are housed in an alignment belt transmission case 175. The alignment belt transmission case 175 houses the first transmission shaft 166, the second transmission shaft 167, and the alignment device drive shaft 165, and has a shape formed by joining three cylindrical sections that are aligned along the axial direction of each shaft.

[0106] The star wheel 152 is disposed above the driven pulley 83 of the left lower belt conveyor 80, and is fixed to a portion of a driven pulley shaft 176, which is a support shaft for the driven pulley 83 and is fixed to the driven pulley 83, extending upward from the driven pulley 83. The star wheel 152 is supported coaxially with the driven pulley 83 by the driven pulley shaft 176, and is arranged to rotate integrally with (in the same direction as) the driven pulley 83.

[0107] The star wheel 152 has multiple protrusions 152a that protrude radially outward as parts that act on the stems and leaves 2b. When viewed in the axial direction of the driven pulley shaft 176, the star wheel 152 is arranged so that the tips of the multiple protrusions 152a are positioned slightly outside the engagement part of the lower conveyor belt 81 with the driven pulley 83.

[0108] The alignment roller 150 is an example of a guide member that is provided at the end of the conveyance path of the conveying device 33 and that comes into contact with the onions 2 to guide the onions 2 to one side (the right side). The alignment roller 150 is disposed below the driven pulley 83 of the left lower belt conveyor 80, and is fixed to the portion of the driven pulley shaft 176 that extends downward from the driven pulley 83.

[0109] The alignment roller 150 is supported coaxially with the driven pulley 83 by the driven pulley shaft 176 and is arranged to rotate integrally (in the same direction) with the driven pulley 83. The alignment roller 150 is rotatably supported by the driven pulley shaft 176, thereby constituting a biasing device that biases the onions 2 to one side. The alignment roller 150 has approximately the same outer diameter as the driven pulley 83.

[0110] The harvest discharge device 37 is provided with three upper guide rods: a pair of lower guide rods 177 provided below the lower conveyor belt 81, and a pair of first upper guide rods 178 and one second guide rod 179 provided above the lower conveyor belt 81. All of these guide rods are made of rod-shaped members having a predetermined curved shape.

[0111] The two lower guide rods 177 are arranged parallel to each other at a predetermined interval in the horizontal direction so that they overlap substantially the entirety when viewed from the side. The front end of the lower guide rod 177 is located in the middle between the front and rear of the left lower belt conveyor 80, and the rear (lower) end is located just in front of the driven pulley 163 of the aligning and conveying device 151.

[0112] Each lower guide rod 177 has a linear front inclined portion 177a that follows the downward forward slope of the lower conveying belt 81 when viewed from the side, and a linear rear inclined portion 177b that is bent obliquely downward from the rear side of the front inclined portion 177a along the slope of the alignment conveying device 151 to form an obtuse angle (see Figure 7).

[0113] The front ends of the two lower guide rods 177 are fixed by welding or the like to a lower mounting bracket 181 provided on the left side of the middle section between the front and rear of the left lower belt conveying body 80. The lower mounting bracket 181 is a bent plate-like member having a substantially L-shape, and is fixed to the cover frame 130 by bolts 182 or the like. The lower mounting bracket 181 has a hanging support plate portion 181a, whose thickness direction is in the left-right direction, located on the inner circumferential side of the lower conveying belt 81 as a fixing portion for the lower guide rods 177.

[0114] The two lower guide rods 177 are disposed diagonally rearward to the right from their fixed portions relative to the support plate portion 181a toward the rear ends between the left and right lower conveyor belts 81, and are provided so as to pass through a position on the upper right side of the alignment roller 150 and align their rear inclined portions 177b along the front side (lower side) of the lower part of the alignment belt 161. The two lower guide rods 177 are provided so as to position the tips of the protrusions 161a of the alignment belt 161 between their respective rear inclined portions 177b.

[0115] The two first upper guide rods 178 are arranged parallel to each other at a predetermined distance in the axial direction of the driven pulley shaft 176 so that they overlap each other when viewed in the axial direction of the driven pulley shaft 176. The front end of the first upper guide rod 178 is located in front of the left side portion of the star wheel 152, and the rear end is located near the rear end of the star wheel 152.

[0116] The two first upper guide rods 178 position the star wheel 152 between them. The upper first upper guide rod 178 is located near the top of the star wheel 152, and the lower first upper guide rod 178 is located near the bottom of the star wheel 152.

[0117] The front ends of the two first upper guide rods 178 are fixed by welding or the like to an upper mounting bracket 183 provided on the rear part of the upper surface part 131 of the left cover frame 130. The upper mounting bracket 183 is a bent plate-like member that is roughly L-shaped, and is fixed to the cover frame 130 by bolts 184 or the like, and has a support plate part 183a that stands upright and has a plate thickness direction in the left-right direction as a fixing part for the first upper guide rods 178.

[0118] The two first upper guide rods 178 are arranged diagonally rearward to the right from their fixed portions relative to the support plate portion 183a toward the right side of the star wheel 152, and are curved along the circumferential direction of the star wheel 152, and are arranged in a straight line diagonally rearward to the left from the rear end position of the star wheel 152.

[0119] The second guide rod 179 is provided in approximately the same range in the front-to-rear direction as the two first upper guide rods 178. The second guide rod 179 is provided with its front end fixed to the left portion at the rear of the top surface portion 131 of the right cover frame 130 by welding or the like.

[0120] The second guide rod 179 is disposed from its fixed portion to the cover frame 130 diagonally rearward and leftward so as to be substantially symmetrical to the front portion of the first upper guide rod 178 in a plan view, passes over the gap 122 and is disposed above the star wheel 152, with its rear end portion being a straight portion that faces diagonally rearward and leftward. The rear portion of the second guide rod 179 is positioned at substantially the same height as the upper first upper guide rod 178, and is positioned behind the upper first upper guide rod 178 (on the outer periphery of the star wheel 152).

[0121] With the harvest release device 37 having the above-described configuration, the onions 2 that reach the rear end of the lower conveying device 39 are conveyed while being pinched at the remaining stems and leaves 2c by the lower guide rod 177 and upper guide rods (178, 179) and the alignment belt 161, and during this conveying process are subjected to the locking and conveying action of the star wheel 152, and are also subjected to the guiding action of the alignment roller 150 at the head portion 2a. Here, the remaining stems and leaves 2c move around along the arc of the outer periphery of the star wheel 152 and rearward to the left, while the head portion 2a comes into contact with the outer periphery of the alignment roller 150 and is guided rearward, so that the onions 2 are laid on their side with the remaining stems and leaves 2c on the left side (the head portion 2a on the right side).

[0122] The onions 2 are pressed from above by the alignment belt 161 at the heads 2a, and are pinched between the alignment belt 161 and the rear inclined portions 177b of the two lower guide rods 177, and are transported diagonally downward toward the rear. During this transport, the heads 2a are guided to the right by the alignment roller 150 while being suspended by the remaining stems and leaves 2c.

[0123] When the head portion 2a reaches the end of the alignment and conveying device 151, the onion 2 assumes a generally horizontal position with the bending of the neck portion of the remaining stem and leaf portion 2c relaxed, and is released in that position and falls onto the ridge surface 301.

[0124] The power transmission configuration in the vegetable harvester 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 5. As shown in Fig. 5, the rotational power of the engine 10 is transmitted to the transmission 13 via a transmission member. The rotational power input to the transmission 13 is transmitted to the traveling drive shaft 15 of the transmission 13 by the transmission mechanism of the transmission 13, and is then transmitted to the axles 19 supporting the drive wheels 11 via left and right chain transmission mechanisms 18.

[0125] Meanwhile, the rotational power of the transmission 13 is transmitted from an output shaft 190 protruding forward from the case of the transmission 13 to the working unit input shaft 100 via bevel gears 191 and 192. The rotational power of the working unit input shaft 100 is transmitted as power to swing the digging blade 101 back and forth via the left and right eccentric shaft supports 112. The rotational power of the working unit input shaft 100 is also transmitted to an upper conveying drive shaft 195 via a worm gear 193 and a worm wheel 194.

[0126] The rotational power of the upper conveying drive shaft 195 is transmitted to the left and right conveying input shafts 75 by a chain transmission mechanism 197 including sprockets fixed to the left and right conveying input shafts 75. The rotational power of each conveying input shaft 75 is transmitted to the belt clamping body 70, the pick-up belt unit 60, and the lower belt conveying body 80 as described above.

[0127] Furthermore, the rotational power of the working unit input shaft 100 is transmitted to a first grass dividing drive shaft 200 at the right end of the working unit input shaft 100 via bevel gears 201, 202. The first grass dividing drive shaft 200 extends in the front-to-rear direction in a plan view, and extends forward from the right end of the working unit input shaft 100. The first grass dividing drive shaft 200 is housed in a cylindrical grass dividing drive shaft case 205 (see Figure 2).

[0128] The rotational power of the first grass dividing drive shaft 200 is transmitted via bevel gears 206, 207 to a second grass dividing drive shaft 208, which is arranged with its axis running in the left-right direction of the machine body. The rear sprocket 43b of each vertical lifting device 40 is fixedly attached to the second grass dividing drive shaft 208. The rotational power of the front sprocket 43a of the left vertical lifting device 40 is transmitted to the rear pulley 54b of the auxiliary grass dividing device 50 by a transmission shaft 209 having a connecting structure such as a joint, and is used to drive the auxiliary grass dividing device 50.

[0129] The rotational power of the first cutting drive shaft 200 is transmitted via bevel gears 202, 210 to a first cutter transmission shaft 211, which is arranged coaxially to the right of the working unit input shaft 100. The rotational power of the first cutter transmission shaft 211 is transmitted via a chain transmission mechanism 212 to a second cutter transmission shaft 213. A torque limiter 214 is provided on the second cutter transmission shaft 213. The chain transmission mechanism 212 is housed in a cutter chain case 215, which extends in the front-to-rear direction in a plan view (see FIG. 2).

[0130] The rotational power of the second cutter transmission shaft 213 is transmitted to the cutter drive shaft 125 by a joint shaft 217 that is interlocked with the second cutter transmission shaft 213 and the cutter drive shaft 125 via a joint 216 (see FIG. 6). The joint shaft 217 is provided in a cylindrical shaft case 218.

[0131] The operation of the vegetable harvester 1 configured as described above will now be described. The vegetable harvester 1 harvests two rows of onions 2 while moving the machine body forward along the row planting line in the ridges 300. When the vegetable harvester 1 is used to harvest onions 2, the machine body is operated by the operator operating the driving unit 4.

[0132] As the vegetable harvester 1 moves forward, it uses the weeding board 45, vertical raising device 40, and auxiliary weeding device 50 to lift upward the stems and leaves 2b of the onions 2 that have fallen in the field, thereby weeding them, and transfers the stems and leaves 2b to the raking device 32. Two rows of stems and leaves 2b are gathered to the center by the raking device 32 and guided to the conveying device 33. When transferring the stems and leaves 2b to the raking device 32, the vegetable harvester 1 loosens the soil below the onions 2 using the digging device 34.

[0133] In the conveying device 33, the pulling and conveying device 38 takes in the stems and leaves 2b at its tip, and then pinches the stems and leaves 2b between the left and right pulling and conveying belts 71 to pull the onions 2 out of the field and convey them upward and rearward. The onions 2 conveyed by the pulling and conveying device 38 are aligned by the lower conveying device 39, and then cut by the stem and leaf cutting device 35, where part of the stems and leaves 2b are cut off from the heads 2a. Here, the stems and leaves 2b are cut at a fixed height by the rotary blade 120 while being pulled by the locking action of the lower conveying device 39.

[0134] The stems and leaves 2b separated from the heads 2a are released to the left side of the machine by the stem and leaf release device 36 at the end of the conveying path of the pulling and conveying device 38 and fall into the field. Meanwhile, the heads 2a are handed over from the lower conveying device 39 to the harvest release device 37, which guides them as they are conveyed, gradually changing from a hanging position to a horizontal position, and they fall onto the furrow surface 301 in that position.

[0135] The above-mentioned operation is continuously performed on the onions 2 planted in rows as the machine advances, and the harvested onions 2 are lined up in a horizontal position on ridge surface 301, which is the wake of the machine as it advances along ridge 300. The onions 2 lined up on ridge surface 301 are picked up by a picker or the like in a post-processing operation and stored in a container or the like.

[0136] In the vegetable harvester 1 according to this embodiment, the configuration of the alignment roller 150 and its surroundings will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 10 to 12. FIG.

[0137] 10, the alignment roller 150 is supported by a driven pulley shaft 176 of the left-side lower belt conveyor 80. The driven pulley shaft 176 has a pulley shaft 221, which is a shaft member forming a shaft main body that supports the driven pulley 83 and the star wheel 152, and an extension shaft 222, which is a shaft member forming an extension portion downward from the shaft main body. The upper end of the extension shaft 222 is formed as a male threaded portion 222a, which is a reduced diameter portion, and is connected to the pulley shaft 221 by threading the male threaded portion 222a into a screw hole 221a formed in the central shaft portion at the lower end of the pulley shaft 221, thereby constituting the integral driven pulley shaft 176 together with the pulley shaft 221.

[0138] The driven pulley shaft 176 is rotatably supported at a predetermined position on the lower belt conveying body 80 by supporting the pulley shaft 221 portion on a shaft support cylinder 223 fixed to the upper surface portion 131 of the cover frame 130 via upper and lower bearings 224. The shaft support cylinder 223 is a cylindrical member that is open on both axial ends, and is disposed coaxially with the pulley shaft 221 with the pulley shaft 221 passing through it. The shaft support cylinder 223 is fixed to the upper surface portion 131 by welding or the like with the upper end portion passing through the upper surface portion 131.

[0139] The upper side of the upper bearing 224 is engaged with a stepped surface 221b formed on the pulley shaft 221, and is also engaged with the inner peripheral surface of the shaft support cylinder 223 by a retaining ring 225. The lower side of the lower bearing 224 comes into contact with the upper end surface 83a of the shaft through portion of the driven pulley 83, and is also engaged with the inner peripheral surface of the shaft support cylinder 223 by a retaining ring 226. A cylindrical spacer 227, through which the pulley shaft 221 passes, is interposed between the upper and lower bearings 224.

[0140] On driven pulley shaft 176, driven pulley 83 is provided at the axial middle portion of pulley shaft 221. Driven pulley 83 is positioned axially relative to pulley shaft 221 and is prevented from rotating relative to it by a key 228. Key 228 fits into key grooves 83c, 221c formed on the inner periphery of driven pulley 83 and the outer periphery of pulley shaft 221, respectively. A retaining ring 229 that locks driven pulley 83 is fitted onto pulley shaft 221 at a position below driven pulley 83.

[0141] The star wheel 152 is fixed to the pulley shaft 221 by bolts 233 at the upper end of the driven pulley shaft 176, sandwiched between a support cylinder 231 and a fixing plate 232. The support cylinder 231 has a cylindrical outer shape that is open on the bottom, and is provided so that the position of the central axis of the outer shape coincides with the axis of the driven pulley shaft 176. The support cylinder 231 has an outer circumferential surface portion 234 that forms a cylindrical peripheral wall portion, and an upper surface portion 235 that is a flat, disk-shaped portion.

[0142] The support cylinder 231 has a central portion of the upper surface 235 through which the reduced diameter portion 221d formed at the upper end of the pulley shaft 221 passes, and is engaged with an annular stepped surface 221e from which the reduced diameter portion 221d protrudes. The star wheel 152 is supported on the support cylinder 231 with the upper surface of the upper surface 235 serving as a support surface, and the reduced diameter portion 221d passing through the central portion.

[0143] The star wheel 152 is positioned relative to the upper surface 235 of the support cylinder 231 by receiving a plurality of locking pins 236 that protrude upward from the upper surface of the upper surface 235. Holes 152b into which the locking pins 236 are inserted are formed in the star wheel 152 at positions corresponding to the arrangement of the plurality of locking pins 236. The locking pins 236 have a flange 236a at their lower ends, and are provided in a state in which they penetrate the upper surface 235 from bottom to top and are fixed to the upper surface 235 by welding or the like. The locking pins 236 are provided, for example, at three locations at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction around the central axis of the support cylinder 231.

[0144] The fixing plate 232 is located above the star wheel 152 and is fixed to the pulley shaft 221 by a bolt 233. The bolt 233 passes through the center of the fixing plate 232 and is threaded into a screw hole 221f formed in the upper end of the pulley shaft 221. The fastening action of the bolt 233 fastens the support cylinder 231, which is locked to the pulley shaft 221, the star wheel 152, and the fixing plate 232 to the pulley shaft 221 in a co-fastened state.

[0145] As shown in Figures 7, 10 to 12, the alignment roller 150 has a cylindrical portion 401 as a first acting portion provided on the conveying device 33 side (lower conveying device 39 side), and a truncated cone portion 402 as a second acting portion provided on the opposite side of the cylindrical portion 401 from the conveying device 33 side.

[0146] Here, in alignment roller 150, the conveying device 33 side is the upper side in the axial direction of driven pulley shaft 176 of left lower belt conveyor 80, and the side opposite to conveying device 33 is the lower side in the axial direction of driven pulley shaft 176. In other words, cylindrical portion 401 forms the upper part of alignment roller 150, and truncated cone portion 402 forms the part of alignment roller 150 below cylindrical portion 401. Alignment roller 150 has a roughly rotating body shape in which two shaped portions, cylindrical portion 401 and truncated cone portion 402, are combined one above the other.

[0147] The cylindrical portion 401 will now be described. As shown in Fig. 10, the cylindrical portion 401 has an upper roller body 410 as a member forming its main body. The upper roller body 410 has a rotating body shape with a substantially cylindrical outer shape that is open on the bottom, and is provided so that the position of the central axis of the outer shape coincides with the axis of the driven pulley shaft 176.

[0148] The upper roller body 410 has a cylindrical surface portion 411 that forms a cylindrical peripheral wall portion, and an upper surface portion 412 that is a flat, disk-shaped portion. The upper roller body 410 has an outer diameter that is larger than the dimension (height) in the central axis direction, and has a slightly flattened cylindrical shape. The outer dimension of the upper roller body 410 is approximately the same as (slightly smaller than) the outer diameter of the driven pulley 83. The upper roller body 410 is a member made of metal, such as a cast metal. The material of the upper roller body 410 is not particularly limited, and it may be a member made of resin, for example.

[0149] Upper roller body 410 has a substantially cylindrical boss portion 413 provided in the center of upper surface portion 412 as a support portion for driven pulley shaft 176. Boss portion 413 is a cylindrical protrusion that projects downward from upper surface portion 412. Upper roller body 410 is positioned axially with respect to the lower end of pulley shaft 221 and is provided by key 415 to prevent relative rotation. Key 415 fits into key grooves 413g, 221g formed on the inner peripheral side of boss portion 413 and the outer peripheral side of the lower end of pulley shaft 221, respectively.

[0150] In the upper roller body 410, the connecting portion between the pulley shaft 221 and the extension shaft 222 is positioned within a through-hole 413a formed by the inner circumferential surface of the boss portion 413, and the driven pulley shaft 176 passes through the through-hole 413a. The lower end of the pulley shaft 221 is a reduced-diameter portion 221h forming a stepped surface 221j, and the upper roller body 410 is locked to the pulley shaft 221 with the upper surface of the center side of the boss portion 413 in contact with the stepped surface 221j. In addition, a ring-shaped locking member 416 is provided on the lower side of the upper roller body 410 and attached to the extension shaft 222. The locking member 416 forms a flange-shaped expanded diameter portion around the base end of the male thread portion 222a, and its upper surface serves as a support surface that comes into contact with the lower surface of the boss portion 413.

[0151] A collar 417, which is a cylindrical member that is open on both the top and bottom sides, is fixed to the upper side of the upper roller body 410. The collar 417 is provided so that the position of the central axis of its outer shape coincides with the axis of the driven pulley shaft 176. The collar 417 is fixed to the upper surface portion 412 of the upper roller body 410 by welding or the like, with an annular protrusion 412a formed in the center of the upper surface portion 412 of the upper roller body 410 fitted inside the lower end portion. The collar 417 is provided so as to cover the portion of the pulley shaft 221 between the driven pulley 83 and the upper roller body 410.

[0152] A cover 420 is provided on the outer periphery of the upper roller 410 as a protective part for covering the upper roller 410 and preventing damage to the onions 2. The cover 420 is made of a material that is relatively soft compared to metals and the like. The cover 420 is made of an elastic member formed from an elastic material such as various rubbers, including polyethylene rubber, chloroprene rubber, and natural rubber, or sponge.

[0153] The covering portion 420 is provided by surrounding the entire circumference of the upper roller body 410 from the outer periphery with a band-shaped member having a width substantially equal to the vertical dimension of the outer periphery surface 411a and a substantially constant thickness overall. In this embodiment, the covering portion 420 is provided so as to cover the entire outer periphery surface 411a of the cylindrical surface portion 411 of the upper roller body 410. The outer periphery surface 411a is formed as a cylindrical surface. The band-shaped member forming the covering portion 420 is fixed to the upper roller body 410 by being attached to the outer periphery surface 411a of the upper roller body 410 with an adhesive or the like, and forms the cylindrical portion 401 integral with the upper roller body 410 as the covering portion 420. The cylindrical portion 401 may be configured without the covering portion 420 by forming the upper roller body 410 itself from a relatively soft material such as rubber or sponge.

[0154] Furthermore, in order to prevent the onions 2 from being damaged, a protective member 425 is provided below the driven pulley 83. The protective member 425 is an annular member having a substantially uniform thickness, and is provided so as to cover the outer peripheral portion of the lower surface 83b of the pulley body 83X of the driven pulley 83. The protective member 425 is fixed to the pulley body 83X by adhering it to the peripheral portion of the lower surface 83b of the pulley body 83X with an adhesive or the like, and together with the pulley body 83X, forms an integral driven pulley 83. The protective member 425 is an elastic member made of an elastic material such as rubber or sponge, similar to the member forming the covering portion 420 of the cylindrical portion 401. A protective member 425 is also provided on the driven pulley 83 of the right-side lower belt conveyor 80 (see FIG. 12).

[0155] The truncated cone portion 402 will now be described. The truncated cone portion 402 has a truncated cone shape with an outer diameter that gradually increases from the side approaching the conveying device 33, i.e., the upper side in the axial direction of the driven pulley shaft 176, to the side away from the conveying device 33, i.e., the lower side in the axial direction of the driven pulley shaft 176. As shown in FIG. 10 , the truncated cone portion 402 has a truncated cone-shaped roller body 430 as a member that forms its main body. The truncated cone-shaped roller body 430 has a truncated cone shape, and is arranged so that the position of the central axis of its outer shape coincides with the axis of the driven pulley shaft 176.

[0156] The truncated cone-shaped roller body 430 is a substantially solid member overall, and has a top surface 431 and a bottom surface 432, both of which are circular, and an outer peripheral surface, which is a side surface 433. The top surface 431 and the bottom surface 432 are both perpendicular to the axial direction of the driven pulley shaft 176.

[0157] The diameter of the top surface 431 of the truncated conical roller body 430 is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the driven pulley 83. More specifically, the covering portion 420 of the driven pulley 83 protrudes slightly radially outward from the top surface 431 of the truncated conical roller body 430. The diameter of the bottom surface 432 of the truncated conical roller body 430 is larger than the outer diameter of the driven pulley 83 and smaller than the outer diameter of the star wheel 152. In a side view of the truncated conical roller body 430, the inclination angle α1 that the side surface 433 makes with respect to the vertical direction (the central axial direction of the truncated conical roller body 430) is, for example, approximately 10 to 20 degrees (see FIG. 10 ). The magnitude of the inclination angle α1 is not particularly limited.

[0158] The truncated conical roller body 430 is formed from an elastic material (a material that is relatively soft compared to metal, etc.), such as rubber or a relatively hard sponge. The material of the truncated conical roller body 430 is not particularly limited, and it may be a member made of metal or resin, for example. However, from the viewpoint of preventing damage to the onions 2, it is preferable that the truncated conical roller body 430 is a member made of a material such as rubber or sponge.

[0159] The vertical dimension of the truncated cone-shaped roller body 430 of the truncated cone portion 402 is longer than the vertical dimension of the upper roller body 410 of the cylindrical portion 401. In this embodiment, the vertical dimension of the truncated cone-shaped roller body 430 is approximately twice the vertical dimension of the upper roller body 410. The vertical dimension of the upper roller body 410 is approximately the same as the vertical dimension of the pulley body 83X of the driven pulley 83.

[0160] The truncated conical roller body 430 has the extension shaft 222 passing through its central shaft portion, and is fixed by bolts 442 while being sandwiched between the upper roller body 410 and a roller fixing plate 441 provided on the underside of the truncated conical roller body 430. The central shaft portion of the truncated conical roller body 430 is formed with an axial hole portion 430a through which the extension shaft 222 passes.

[0161] The roller fixing plate 441 is a disk-shaped member with a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the bottom surface 432 of the truncated conical roller body 430, and is disposed concentrically with the truncated conical roller body 430 (see FIG. 11). The roller fixing plate 441 is provided with a plurality of locking pins 443 to be inserted into the truncated conical roller body 430 as a positioning configuration with respect to the truncated conical roller body 430. The locking pins 443 protrude linearly upward from the roller fixing plate 441. The locking pins 443 have a flange 443a at their lower ends, and are fixed to the roller fixing plate 441 by welding or the like, with the locking pins 443 penetrating the roller fixing plate 441 from the bottom to the top.

[0162] Holes 430b, into which locking pins 443 are inserted, are formed in the truncated conical roller body 430 at positions corresponding to the arrangement of the multiple locking pins 443. Holes 430b are linear openings having a diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of locking pins 443, and are formed to open toward bottom surface 432. Locking pins 443 are provided at three locations at equal angular intervals in the circumferential direction around the central axis of the truncated conical roller body 430 (see FIG. 11).

[0163] The roller fixing plate 441 is located below the bottom surface 432 of the truncated conical roller body 430, and is fixed to the extension shaft 222 by a bolt 442. The bolt 442 passes through the center of the roller fixing plate 441 and is threaded into a screw hole 222b formed in the lower end of the extension shaft 222. By the fastening action of the bolt 442, the truncated conical roller body 430, whose upper surface 431 is in contact with the upper roller body 410, is sandwiched between the upper roller body 410 and the roller fixing plate 441, and is fixed in a state in which it is subjected to a compressive action in the vertical direction.

[0164] In the configuration having the cylindrical portion 401 and the truncated cone portion 402 as described above, a space 445 is formed between the upper roller body 410 and the truncated cone-shaped roller body 430 (see FIG. 10). The space 445 is the space inside the upper roller body 410, and is a spatial portion surrounded mainly by the inner circumferential surface 411b of the cylindrical surface portion 411 of the upper roller body 410 and the lower surface 412b of the upper surface portion 412, and the upper surface 431 of the truncated cone-shaped roller body 430.

[0165] Drainage holes 430c are formed in the truncated conical roller body 430 for the space portion 445. The drainage holes 430c are linear through-holes formed in the vertical direction so as to open toward the top surface 431 and the bottom surface 432, respectively, and connect the space portion 445 to the outside. By having the drainage holes 430c in the truncated conical roller body 430, water, mud, soil, etc. that have seeped into the space portion 445 from between the upper roller body 410 and the truncated conical roller body 430 can be drained to the outside by gravity, and accumulation of water, etc. in the space portion 445 can be suppressed.

[0166] In the aligning roller 150 having the above-described configuration, the contact surfaces that come into contact with the onions 2 are such that the outer peripheral surface 420a of the covering portion 420 in the cylindrical portion 401 is the upper contact surface, which is the first acting surface, and the side surface 433 of the truncated conical roller body 430 in the truncated conical portion 402 is the lower contact surface, which is the second acting surface. In other words, the aligning roller 150 guides the onions 2 conveyed by the conveying device 33 so that they move to the right side by bringing the outer peripheral surface 420a of the covering portion 420 and the side surface 433 of the truncated conical roller body 430 into contact with the onion heads 2a, etc., as guiding acting surfaces.

[0167] According to the vegetable harvesting machine 1 of this embodiment having the above-described configuration, when the onions 2 harvested from the field are aligned on the ridge surface 301, it is possible to prevent the alignment of the onions 2 on the ridge surface 301 from becoming disordered, thereby improving the workability of the subsequent process of picking up the onions 2 from the ridge surface 301.

[0168] We will now explain the effects of the vegetable harvester 1. In explaining the effects of the vegetable harvester 1, we will assume an alignment roller 150X having only a cylindrical portion 401 (a configuration without a truncated cone portion 402) as shown in FIG. 13 as a comparative example of the alignment roller 150 according to this embodiment.

[0169] In the vegetable harvester 1, the clamping position of the stems and leaves 2b by the left and right belt clamping bodies 70 of the pulling and conveying device 38, i.e., the length from the head 2a to the clamped position of the stems and leaves 2b, varies depending on factors such as the degree to which the stems and leaves 2b fall on the ridges 300. Regarding the clamping operation of the stems and leaves 2b by the left and right belt clamping bodies 70, if the length from the head 2a to the clamped position of the stems and leaves 2b is relatively long, i.e., if there is a delay in digging at the conveying entrance between the front ends of the left and right belt clamping bodies 70, the remaining stems and leaves 2c will be long at the conveying end of the lower conveying device 39. In other words, the hanging length of the remaining stems and leaves 2c from the clamped position by the left and right lower belt conveying bodies 80 will be long.

[0170] In such a case, as shown in Fig. 13, in a conveying mode in which the remaining stems and leaves 2c (stems and leaves 2b) of the onions 2 are clamped and conveyed in a hanging state by the left and right lower belt conveyors 80, the alignment roller 150X of the comparative example may cause the heads 2a to be shifted downward relative to the alignment roller 150X, and the alignment roller 150X may not be able to provide a sufficient guiding effect for the onions 2. Specifically, this is as follows.

[0171] That is, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 13, when the length of the remaining stems and leaves 2c is relatively short (for example, 40 to 70 mm), the onions 2, whose remaining stems and leaves 2c are clamped by the left and right lower belt conveyors 80, have their heads 2a in contact with the alignment rollers 150X and are guided by the alignment rollers 150X. On the other hand, when the remaining stems and leaves 2c are relatively long (for example, 100 to 130 mm), the heads 2a are positioned entirely below the alignment rollers 150X, which may not act properly on the onions 2. In such cases, the onions 2 may fall onto the ridge surface 301 at a significantly different position, or the onions 2 may fall from the ridge surface 301 into the furrow 302 (see Figure 3).

[0172] 12, the aligning roller 150 according to this embodiment has a cylindrical portion 401 and a truncated cone portion 402, and therefore, even when the remaining stems and leaves 2c at the conveying end of the lower conveying device 39 are relatively long, that is, even when onions 2 are not dug up properly, the aligning roller 150 can still guide them. That is, even when the heads 2a are displaced below the cylindrical portion 401, the truncated cone portion 402 can be brought into contact with the heads 2a, and the aligning roller 150 can guide the onions 2 to the right as they fall from the conveying end of the lower conveying device 39.

[0173] Therefore, with the alignment roller 150 of this embodiment, when the remaining stems and leaves 2c at the conveying end of the lower conveying device 39 are relatively short, the cylindrical portion 401 can guide the onions 2, and when the remaining stems and leaves 2c at the conveying end of the lower conveying device 39 are relatively long, the truncated cone portion 402 can guide the onions 2. In this way, with the alignment roller 150 of this embodiment, the range of lengths of the remaining stems and leaves 2c over which the guiding action of the alignment roller 150 can be obtained can be widened. This makes it possible to accommodate variations in the clamping positions of the stems and leaves 2b by the left and right belt clamping bodies 70 of the pulling and conveying device 38.

[0174] The height (vertical position) of the alignment roller 150 is set so that the alignment roller 150 can provide a guiding effect corresponding to the range of delayed digging that may occur in the pulling-out and conveying device 38. The height of the alignment roller 150 is also set so that it does not come into contact with, or is unlikely to come into contact with, the onions 2 lying on the ridge surface 301 when the machine turns, etc. In the alignment roller 150 according to this embodiment, the truncated cone portion 402 is formed from an elastic material such as sponge, and therefore damage to the onions 2 can be reduced even if it comes into contact with the onions 2 on the ridge surface 301.

[0175] Furthermore, on the side of the alignment roller 150 closer to the lower conveying device 39 (upper side), the cylindrical portion 401, which has a comparatively small diameter, acts on the onions 2, thereby making it possible to relatively reduce the pushing action to the right. This makes it possible to prevent the balls 2a from coming into contact with the lower conveying belt 81 or driven pulley 83 of the right lower belt conveyor 80, which is located on the right side, which is the side guided by the cylindrical portion 401, or from being pinched between the alignment roller 150 and the lower conveying belt 81, etc., and being damaged. As described above, the protective member 425 is provided on the driven pulley 83, thereby protecting the onions 2.

[0176] Furthermore, in the alignment roller 150, the truncated cone portion 402 has a truncated cone shape due to the truncated cone-shaped roller body 430, and therefore the roller diameter gradually increases as it moves downward away from the lower conveying device 39, thereby achieving a pushing action according to the size of the onions in the onion portion 2a. This makes it possible to shift the falling position of the onions 2 to one side (right side) that is closer to the center in the width direction of the ridge surface 301.

[0177] The outer diameter of the truncated cone-shaped roller body 430 is set to a size that prevents the ball portion 2a, guided by the truncated cone-shaped roller body 430, from interfering with parts such as the driven pulley 83 of the right-side lower belt conveyor 80, even if the onion 2 has a relatively large ball portion 2a. This reduces damage to the onions 2.

[0178] Furthermore, the mounting position of the alignment roller 150 is set so that a mating part that positions the onions 2 between it and the alignment roller 150 is moving, so that clogging of the onions 2 does not occur even when the heads 2a are unexpectedly large or when two onions 2 are transported at the same time. In other words, the alignment roller 150 is mounted at a position where the mating part that will sandwich the heads 2a together with the alignment roller 150 and cause clogging when the heads 2a are unexpectedly large, for example, is a part that provides a feeding function, such as the lower conveyor belt 81. This not only reduces damage to the onions 2, but also prevents clogging of the onions 2, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0179] As described above, the aligning roller 150 according to this embodiment can guide the onions 2 regardless of the length of the remaining stems and leaves 2c, thereby preventing the onions 2 placed on the ridge surface 301 from shifting significantly or the onions 2 from falling from the ridge surface 301 into the ridge furrow 302. This allows the onions 2 to be lined up neatly on the ridge surface 301, and improves the workability of the picking-up operation using the picking device. Furthermore, because fewer onions 2 fall into the ridge furrow 302, the time required to pick up the onions 2 can be reduced when picking up the onions 2 that have fallen into the ridge furrow 302. When this operation is not performed (for example, when a picker is used), harvest loss of onions 2 can be reduced.

[0180] Furthermore, the alignment roller 150 according to this embodiment can be realized by adding a truncated cone portion 402 to an existing configuration having only a cylindrical portion 401, such as the alignment roller 150X of the comparative example shown in Fig. 13. Specifically, the truncated cone portion 402 can be additionally provided by, for example, providing an extension shaft 222 to the pulley shaft 221 supporting the upper roller body 410 and attaching a truncated cone-shaped roller body 430 to the extension shaft 222. In other words, with the alignment roller 150, the truncated cone portion 402 can be provided as an option to the upper roller body 410 depending on the type of onions 2 to be harvested, the harvesting mode (the length of the remaining stems and leaves 2c), etc., making it possible to utilize an existing configuration.

[0181] The alignment rollers 150 are also arranged to rotate together with the lower conveyor belts 81 that constitute the lower conveyor device 39 of the conveyor device 33. With this configuration, the alignment rollers 150 are driven together with the lower conveyor device 39, providing a high level of guiding effect for the onions 2. Furthermore, the feed speeds of the onions 2 can be synchronized between the lower conveyor device 39 and the alignment rollers 150, preventing damage to the onions 2. Furthermore, the mechanism for driving the alignment rollers 150 can be simplified.

[0182] In particular, in this embodiment, the alignment roller 150, which rotates together with the lower conveyor belt 81, is provided coaxially with the driven pulley 83, which is a rotating body around which the lower conveyor belt 81 is wound. In other words, the alignment roller 150 is provided in a state supported by the driven pulley shaft 176, which axially supports the driven pulley 83 around which the lower conveyor belt 81 is wound. With this configuration, it is possible to simplify the structure for rotating the alignment roller 150 without providing a separate transmission mechanism for transmitting power to the alignment roller 150.

[0183] Furthermore, at least the portion of the alignment roller 150 that forms the contact surface with the onions 2 is made of a flexible material. In this embodiment, the portion of the cylindrical portion 401 of the alignment roller 150 that forms the contact surface with the onions 2 is a covering portion 420 that is a rubber portion or the like provided on the outer periphery of the upper roller body 410. Furthermore, the portion of the truncated cone portion 402 of the alignment roller 150 that forms the contact surface with the onions 2 is a truncated cone-shaped roller body 430 that is made of a relatively soft material such as sponge. This configuration makes it possible to prevent the head portions 2a of the onions 2 that come into contact with the alignment roller 150 from being damaged.

[0184] [Modification of Alignment Roller] A modification of the alignment roller 150 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0185] (First Modification) 14, alignment roller 150A of the first modified example has a cylindrical portion 401 as a first acting portion provided on the conveying device 33 side (above the axial direction of driven pulley shaft 176), and a large-diameter cylindrical portion 502 as a second acting portion provided on the opposite side of cylindrical portion 401 from the conveying device 33 side (below the axial direction of driven pulley shaft 176). Large-diameter cylindrical portion 502 has a larger outer diameter than cylindrical portion 401. In other words, compared to alignment roller 150 described above, alignment roller 150A of the first modified example has large-diameter cylindrical portion 502 instead of truncated cone portion 402, and is configured as a two-stage roller in which cylindrical portion 401 is a small-diameter portion and large-diameter cylindrical portion 502 is a large-diameter portion.

[0186] Large-diameter cylindrical portion 502 has a cylindrical outer shape similar to cylindrical portion 401, but has an outer diameter larger than that of cylindrical portion 401. Furthermore, large-diameter cylindrical portion 502 has a dimension in the axial direction (vertical direction) of driven pulley shaft 176 that is slightly larger than that of cylindrical portion 401. Large-diameter cylindrical portion 502 has a cylindrical roller body 530 as a member that forms its main body. Cylindrical roller body 530 has a cylindrical shape, and is provided so that the position of the central axis of its outer shape coincides with the axis of driven pulley shaft 176.

[0187] Cylindrical roller body 530 is a substantially solid member overall, and has upper surface 531 and lower surface 532, both of which are circular, and outer circumferential surface 533, which is a cylindrical surface. Upper surface 531 and lower surface 532 are both perpendicular to the axial direction of driven pulley shaft 176. Since the outer diameter of cylindrical roller body 530 is larger than that of upper roller body 410, the peripheral edge of upper surface 531 is exposed.

[0188] The outer diameter of cylindrical roller body 530, i.e., the diameter of upper surface 531 and lower surface 532, is larger than the outer diameter of driven pulley 83 and smaller than the outer diameter of star wheel 152. Like the truncated conical roller body 430 described above, cylindrical roller body 530 is made of an elastic material such as rubber or a relatively hard sponge.

[0189] The mounting structure of cylindrical roller body 530 to driven pulley shaft 176 is similar to that of truncated cone roller body 430, so the same symbols and names are used and the description will be omitted. In cylindrical roller body 530, drain holes 530c for space portion 445 are formed so as to open onto both upper surface 531 and lower surface 532.

[0190] In aligning roller 150A having the above-described configuration, with regard to the contact surfaces that come into contact with onions 2, outer peripheral surface 420a of covering portion 420 in cylindrical portion 401 serves as an upper contact surface that is a first acting surface, and outer peripheral surface 533 of cylindrical roller body 530 in large-diameter cylindrical portion 502 serves as a lower contact surface that is a second acting surface. In other words, aligning roller 150A guides onions 2 conveyed by conveying device 33 by bringing outer peripheral surface 420a of covering portion 420 and outer peripheral surface 533 of cylindrical roller body 530 into contact with onion heads 2a, etc., thereby guiding onions 2 to the right side.

[0191] The configuration of the first modified example described above can achieve the same effects as the configuration including the alignment roller 150. With the alignment roller 150A, even if the position of the head portion 2a is shifted below the cylindrical portion 401, the large-diameter cylindrical portion 502 can be brought into contact with the head portion 2a (see FIG. 14), and the alignment roller 150A can guide the onions 2 to the right as they fall from the conveyance terminal end of the lower conveyor device 39. Therefore, with the alignment roller 150A, the guiding action of the onions 2 can be obtained regardless of the length of the remaining stems and leaves 2c, which prevents the alignment of the onions 2 on the ridge surface 301 from becoming distorted and improves the workability of picking up the onions 2, which is performed as a subsequent process.

[0192] Furthermore, on the side of the alignment roller 150A closer to the lower conveying device 39, the relatively small-diameter cylindrical portion 401 acts on the onions 2, making it possible to relatively reduce the pushing action to the right and suppress damage to the head portion 2a caused by contact with the right-side driven pulley 83. On the other hand, on the side farther from the lower conveying device 39, the relatively large-diameter cylindrical portion 502 acts on the onions 2, making it possible to obtain a sufficient pushing action on the head portion 2a and shift the falling position of the onions 2 to one side (the right side) that is closer to the center in the width direction of the ridge surface 301.

[0193] Similarly to the above-described alignment roller 150, the alignment roller 150A of the first modified example can be realized by adding a large-diameter cylindrical portion 502 to an existing configuration having only the cylindrical portion 401. In other words, with the alignment roller 150 and the alignment roller 150A of the first modified example, it becomes possible to selectively provide either the truncated cone-shaped roller body 430 or the cylindrical roller body 530 as an option for the upper roller body 410 depending on the type of onions 2 to be harvested, the harvesting mode (the length of the remaining stem and leaf portions 2c), etc.

[0194] (Second Modification) 15, alignment roller 150B of the second modified example has a truncated cone shape overall with an outer diameter that gradually increases from the top to the bottom in the axial direction of driven pulley shaft 176. That is, compared to alignment roller 150 described above, alignment roller 150B of the second modified example has a configuration in which cylindrical portion 401 is omitted and the truncated cone shape of truncated cone portion 402 extends upward to the portion corresponding to cylindrical portion 401.

[0195] The alignment roller 150B has, as a member forming its main body, a truncated conical roller body 630. The truncated conical roller body 630 has a truncated conical shape, and is provided so that the position of the central axis of the outer shape coincides with the axis of the driven pulley shaft 176.

[0196] The truncated cone-shaped roller body 630 is a substantially solid member overall, and has a top surface 631 and a bottom surface 632, both of which are circular, and a side surface 633, which is an outer circumferential surface. The top surface 631 and the bottom surface 632 are both perpendicular to the axial direction of the driven pulley shaft 176.

[0197] The diameter of the top surface 631 of the truncated conical roller body 630 is smaller than the outer diameter of the driven pulley 83, and the diameter of the bottom surface 632 is larger than the outer diameter of the driven pulley 83 and smaller than the outer diameter of the star wheel 152. Similarly to the truncated conical roller body 430 described above, the truncated conical roller body 630 is formed from an elastic material such as rubber or a relatively hard sponge. The vertical dimension of the truncated conical roller body 630 is approximately the same as the vertical dimension of the alignment roller 150 described above.

[0198] The mounting structure of the frusto-conical roller body 630 to the driven pulley shaft 176 is similar to that of the frusto-conical roller body 430, so the same reference numerals and names are used and a description thereof will be omitted. The frusto-conical roller body 630 has the driven pulley shaft 176 passing through its central shaft, and is fixed by bolts 442 while being sandwiched between a collar 417 and a roller fixing plate 441 provided on the underside of the frusto-conical roller body 630. The collar 417 is fixed to the driven pulley shaft 176 via a fixing member (not shown).

[0199] In the alignment roller 150B having the above-described configuration, the side surface 633 of the truncated cone-shaped roller body 630 serves as a contact surface that comes into contact with the onions 2. That is, the alignment roller 150B guides the onions 2 conveyed by the conveying device 33 so that the onions 2 are shifted to the right side by bringing the side surface 633 of the truncated cone-shaped roller body 630 into contact with the head portions 2a and the like as a guiding surface.

[0200] The configuration of the second modified example described above can achieve the same effects as the configuration including the aligning roller 150. That is, the aligning roller 150B can guide the onions 2 regardless of the length of the remaining stems and leaves 2c, thereby preventing the alignment of the onions 2 on the ridge surface 301 from becoming distorted and improving the workability of picking up the onions 2, which is performed as a subsequent process.

[0201] Furthermore, in the alignment roller 150B, the side closer to the lower conveying device 39 (upper side) has a relatively small diameter that acts on the onions 2, making it possible to relatively reduce the pushing action to the right and suppress damage to the ball portion 2a from contacting the right-side driven pulley 83, etc. In addition, in the alignment roller 150B having a truncated cone shape, the roller diameter gradually increases as it moves downward away from the lower conveying device 39, so that a pushing action according to the size of the ball portion 2a can be obtained, and it is possible to shift the falling position of the onions 2 to one side (right side) that is closer to the center in the width direction of the ridge surface 301.

[0202] (Third Modification) 16, similar to alignment roller 150B of the second modification, alignment roller 150C of the third modification has a truncated conical shape overall, with the outer diameter gradually increasing from the upper side to the lower side in the axial direction of driven pulley shaft 176. Compared to alignment roller 150, alignment roller 150C of the third modification has a configuration in which truncated conical portion 402 is omitted and the basic structure of cylindrical portion 401 has an overall truncated conical shape.

[0203] The alignment roller 150C has a truncated cone-shaped roller body 710 as a member forming its main body. The truncated cone-shaped roller body 710 has a rotating body shape with an outer shape that is roughly a truncated cone with an open bottom, and is provided so that the position of the central axis of the outer shape coincides with the axis of the driven pulley shaft 176.

[0204] The truncated conical roller body 710 has a side surface portion 711 that forms the peripheral wall of the truncated cone shape, and an upper surface portion 712 that is a flat, disk-shaped portion. The truncated conical roller body 710 (alignment roller 150C) has an outer diameter at its upper end that is smaller than the outer diameter of driven pulley 83, and an outer diameter at its lower end that is larger than the outer diameter of driven pulley 83 and smaller than the outer diameter of star wheel 152. The truncated conical roller body 710 has a vertical dimension that is approximately the same as the vertical dimension of the alignment roller 150 described above. The truncated conical roller body 710 is a metal member, for example, a casting. The material of the truncated conical roller body 710 is not particularly limited, and it may be a resin member, for example.

[0205] The truncated conical roller body 710 has a boss portion 713 similar to the boss portion 413 of the upper roller body 410 in the center of the upper surface portion 712 as a support portion for the driven pulley shaft 176. Similar to the upper roller body 410, the truncated conical roller body 710 is positioned axially with respect to the lower end of the pulley shaft 221 and is provided by a key 715 to prevent relative rotation. The key 715 fits into key grooves formed on the inner peripheral side of the boss portion 713 and on the outer peripheral side of the lower end of the pulley shaft 221.

[0206] The truncated conical roller body 710 is fixed to the pulley shaft 221 by a bolt 718, with the reduced diameter portion 221h of the pulley shaft 221 inserted into the boss portion 713. The bolt 718 is threaded into the threaded hole 221a of the pulley shaft 221. A ring member 716 is interposed between the boss portion 713 and the bolt 718 on the underside thereof. The threaded portion of the bolt 718 passes through the ring member 716, and the ring member 716 is clamped and fixed between the boss portion 713 and the head of the bolt 718 by the fastening action of the bolt 718.

[0207] In the configuration of the third modified example, driven pulley shaft 176 does not have extension shaft 222 and is composed only of pulley shaft 221. The locking structure of truncated conical roller body 710 relative to pulley shaft 221 and the attachment structure of collar 417 relative to truncated conical roller body 710 are similar to the respective structures in alignment roller 150 shown in Fig. 10 etc., and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0208] A covering portion 720 is provided on the outer periphery of the truncated conical roller body 710 as a protective portion for covering the truncated conical roller body 710 and preventing damage to the onions 2. Similar to the covering portion 420 shown in Fig. 10 etc., the covering portion 720 is made of a material (e.g. rubber) that is relatively soft compared to metal etc.

[0209] Covering portion 720 is provided by surrounding the entire circumference of truncated conical roller body 710 from the outer periphery with a sheet-like member that has the developed shape of outer periphery 711a of side portion 711 of truncated conical roller body 710 and has a substantially constant thickness overall. In this embodiment, covering portion 720 is provided so as to cover the entire outer periphery 711a. The sheet-like member that forms covering portion 720 is fixed to truncated conical roller body 710 by being attached to outer periphery 711a of truncated conical roller body 710 with an adhesive or the like, and forms, as covering portion 720, an integral alignment roller 150C together with truncated conical roller body 710.

[0210] In the aligning roller 150C having the above-described configuration, the outer peripheral surface 720a of the covering portion 720 serves as a contact surface that comes into contact with the onions 2. That is, the aligning roller 150C guides the onions 2 conveyed by the conveying device 33 so as to move the onions 2 to the right side by bringing the outer peripheral surface 720a of the covering portion 720 into contact with the head portions 2a and the like, as a guiding surface.

[0211] According to the configuration of the third modified example as described above, it is possible to obtain the same effects as in the configuration of the second modified example that includes the alignment roller 150B.

[0212] [Configuration of excavation equipment] The details of the configuration of the excavation device 34 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 17 to 20. Figure 19 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in Figure 18 .

[0213] As described above, the excavation device 34 has a pair of left and right excavation blades 101 and blade support arms 102, a subsoiler frame 103 that supports these on the machine body, and a drive arm 104 that drives the excavation blades 101. Each of the excavation blades 101 and blade support arms 102 is rotatably supported by a pivot support 105 on the subsoiler frame 103.

[0214] In the following description, the integral rotating body including the digging blade 101 and blade support arm 102 will be referred to as the "subsoiler rotating body 800." In other words, the rotational power of the working unit input shaft 100 (see FIG. 5) is transmitted via the eccentric shaft support portion 112 as a reciprocating motion (vibration) in the front-to-rear direction of the drive arm 104, causing the subsoiler rotating body 800 to swing (vibrate) back and forth around the shaft support portion 105. A subsoiler support shaft 801, whose axial direction is in the left-to-right direction, is provided in the shaft support portion 105 as a support shaft for the subsoiler rotating body 800 relative to the subsoiler frame 103.

[0215] In the digging device 34, the digging depth (hereinafter simply referred to as "digging depth") by the digging device 34, i.e., the vertical height of the digging blade 101 relative to the subsoiler frame 103, may be changed depending on, for example, the height of the ridges 300, the planting depth of the onions 2, and the size of the heads 2a. Therefore, as a configuration for adjusting the height position of the subsoiler rotating body 800 relative to the subsoiler frame 103, a configuration (hereinafter referred to as the "conventional configuration") is assumed in which the subsoiler rotating body 800 is provided with a plurality of support holes for passing the subsoiler support shaft 801 therethrough. In the conventional configuration, the position of the subsoiler support shaft 801 on the subsoiler frame 103 is fixed, and the subsoiler rotating body 800 is provided with a plurality of support holes at intervals in the vertical direction for passing the subsoiler support shaft 801 therethrough.

[0216] In the conventional configuration, when the digging depth is changed, the pivotal support position of subsoiler rotating body 800 on the subsoiler frame 103 side is fixed, so the pivotal support position on the subsoiler rotating body 800 side changes. As a result, the distance from subsoiler support shaft 801 to the cutting edge of digging blade 101 changes. This conventional configuration has the following problems.

[0217] With the conventional configuration, when the digging depth is changed, the distance from the subsoiler support shaft 801 to the cutting edge changes, which changes the stroke of vibration of the subsoiler rotating body 800 (digging blade 101). In other words, for the subsoiler rotating body 800, the ratio (arm ratio) of the distance from the support position by the subsoiler support shaft 801 to the support position by the support pin 115 to the distance from the support position by the subsoiler support shaft 801 to the cutting edge of the digging blade 101 changes. Furthermore, the angle of the cutting edge of the digging blade 101 also changes due to its relationship with the support position by the drive arm 104, etc.

[0218] If the vibration stroke or cutting edge angle of the digging blade 101 changes, there is a problem that the digging performance (digging performance) will not be constant depending on the conditions. Also, there may be a problem that the vibration stroke of the digging blade 101 becomes larger than necessary.

[0219] Therefore, the excavation device 34 according to this embodiment is configured so that the pivotal support position of the subsoiler rotating body 800 in the subsoiler frame 103 can be adjusted.

[0220] As shown in Figures 17 to 20, subsoiler frame 103 has, as its main body, a subsoiler support plate 810. Subsoiler support plate 810 is composed of a substantially rectangular plate-shaped member with its thickness direction in the left-right direction and its longitudinal direction in the front-to-rear direction. A pivot support portion 105 for supporting subsoiler rotating body 800 is provided in the middle of subsoiler support plate 810 in the longitudinal direction.

[0221] As described above, the rear portion of the subsoiler support plate 810 is fixed to the transport frame 111 (see FIG. 4) that constitutes the transport device 33. The subsoiler support plate 810 is fixed to the transport frame 111 at multiple points (four points) with bolts 811.

[0222] A support arm 812 is provided on the front side of the subsoiler support plate 810 to support the subsoiler support plate 810 on the grass dividing shaft case part 116 (see Figure 2) provided in the grass dividing device 31. The grass dividing shaft case part 116 is a cylindrical case part that supports the rear end of the grass dividing case 41 of the three-row vertical lifting device 40 and extends in the left-right direction, and houses a second grass dividing drive shaft 208 (see Figure 5) with its axial direction in the left-right direction.

[0223] The support arm 812 has an arm main body 812a formed from a rod-shaped (pipe-shaped) member having a predetermined bent shape, and its lower end is fixed to the front edge of the subsoiler support plate 810 by welding or the like, and extends upward from the subsoiler support plate 810. A clamp support part 813, which is a support part for the grass dividing shaft case part 116, is provided at the upper end of the support arm 812.

[0224] The clamp support portion 813 has a lower clamping plate portion 813a fixed by welding or the like to the upper end of the arm main body portion 812a, and an upper clamping plate portion 813b that forms a pair with the lower clamping plate portion 813a, and these clamping plate portions clamp the left and right ends of the grass dividing shaft case portion 116. The lower clamping plate portion 813a and the upper clamping plate portion 813b are curved plate-like portions that have shapes that are symmetrical from top to bottom, and each clamping plate portion has a roughly hat-shaped curved shape with mating surfaces on both the front and back sides.

[0225] The lower clamping plate 813a and the upper clamping plate 813b are fastened together with a bolt 814 passing through the overlapping front and rear mating surfaces while clamping the end of the grass dividing shaft case 116 between them. The bolt 814 is threaded into a nut 813c provided on the underside of the mating surface of the lower clamping plate 813a. In this way, the front side of the subsoiler support plate 810 is supported by the support arm 812 on the end of the grass dividing shaft case 116.

[0226] In the subsoiler frame 103, support brackets 815, which are integral with the subsoiler support plate 810, are provided at the locations where the pivot support members 105 are located. The support brackets 815 are provided on the left and right outer sides of the subsoiler support plate 810 and have a front surface 815a and a rear surface 815b that face each other in the front-to-rear direction, and a side surface 815c that faces the subsoiler support plate 810. These surfaces form a curved plate-like portion that is generally U-shaped with the left and right inner sides open in plan view. The support brackets 815, together with the front-to-rear intermediate portions of the subsoiler support plate 810, form a generally rectangular space 817 that is open at the top and bottom in plan view. The support brackets 815 are provided by fixing a U-shaped curved plate-like member to the subsoiler support plate 810 by welding or the like.

[0227] The blade support arm 102 is provided with its upper portion positioned between the subsoiler support plate 810 and the support bracket portion 815, and extends vertically through the space 817. The blade support arm 102 has an upper plate portion 821 that forms the upper portion of the blade support arm 102 and is the portion that receives connection to the drive arm 104, an intermediate bracket portion 822 that forms the vertical intermediate portion of the blade support arm 102, and a blade support portion 823 that forms the lower portion of the blade support arm 102 and is the portion that receives attachment of the excavation blade 101. The upper plate portion 821 and the intermediate bracket portion 822 of the blade support arm 102 are positioned on the left and right outer sides of the subsoiler support plate 810.

[0228] The upper plate portion 821 is a generally rectangular plate-shaped portion with its thickness direction in the left-right direction and its longitudinal direction in the up-down direction. A front pivot support portion 114 of the drive arm 104 is rotatably connected and supported by a support pin 115 to the upper end of the upper plate portion 821. A support cylinder portion 824 is provided at the lower portion of the upper plate portion 821. The support cylinder portion 824 is a cylindrical portion with its central axis directed in the left-right direction, and is provided integrally with the upper plate portion 821 such that it penetrates the lower portion of the upper plate portion 821 and has most of its part protruding outward in the left-right direction from the upper plate portion 821.

[0229] The intermediate bracket portion 822 has a front surface 822a, a rear surface 822b, and left and right outer side surface portions 822c. These surface portions form a generally U-shaped curved plate with the left and right inner surfaces open in a plan view, and are columnar portions extending along the longitudinal direction of the upper plate portion 821. The left and right inner surfaces of the upper portion of the intermediate bracket portion 822 are closed by the lower portion of the upper plate portion 821. The intermediate bracket portion 822 and the upper plate portion 821 are fixed to each other by welding or the like. The intermediate bracket portion 822 also has arc-shaped notches at the upper end of the side surface portions 822c, which receive the lower portions of the left and right outer end portions of the support cylinder portion 824. The support cylinder portion 824 is fixed to the side surface portions 822c by welding or the like.

[0230] Blade support portion 823 is a curved plate-like portion having inclined surface portion 823a, which is an inclined surface portion that slopes downward from the left and right outer sides to the left and right inner sides from the underside of intermediate bracket portion 822, and blade support surface portion 823b provided below inclined surface portion 823a. Blade support portion 823 is disposed below subsoiler support plate 810 from the top to the bottom by inclined surface portion 823a, from the left and right outer sides to the left and right inner sides, and blade support surface portion 823b is positioned below and inward of subsoiler support plate 810.

[0231] The blade support surface portion 823b is a portion whose thickness direction is in the left-right direction, and receives the fixed upper end portion of the vertical blade portion 101a of the digging blade 101. The digging blade 101 has its upper end portion overlapped with the blade support surface portion 823b from the left and right outer sides, and is fixed to the blade support surface portion 823b at two locations, front and back, by bolts 825 and nuts 826. The bolts 825 pass through the upper end portion of the digging blade 101 and the blade support surface portion 823b from the left and right outer sides, and are screwed into the nuts 826. The blade support surface portion 823b has holes 823c formed therein, through which the bolts 825 pass.

[0232] The digging blade 101 is provided so that its position can be adjusted in the front-to-rear direction relative to the blade support surface 823b. In this embodiment, three sets of two holes 823c, which correspond to the spacing of two front and rear bolt holes formed at the upper end of the digging blade 101, are formed in the blade support surface 823b at six locations in total, shifted forward and backward. In other words, the attachment position of the digging blade 101 relative to the blade support portion 823 can be adjusted in three stages from the front to the rear. The illustrated example shows the digging blade 101 attached to the rearmost position of the three stages.

[0233] The pivot support portion 105 will now be described. The subsoiler support shaft 801, which supports the blade support arm 102 at the pivot support portion 105, penetrates from the left-right inner side to the left-right outer side through the subsoiler support plate 810, the support cylinder portion 824, the side surface portion 815c of the support bracket portion 815, and the outer mounting plate 830, with the left-right outer ends protruding from the outer mounting plate 830.

[0234] As shown in FIG. 19 , inner mounting plates 835 are provided at the left and right inner (base end) ends of the subsoiler support shaft 801. The inner mounting plates 835 are rectangular plate-shaped members whose longitudinal direction coincides with the longitudinal direction of the subsoiler support plate 810, and are fixed to the subsoiler support shaft 801 by welding or the like, with the base end of the subsoiler support shaft 801 passing through the center of the inner mounting plate 835 in the longitudinal direction. The inner mounting plate 835 is fixed to the subsoiler support plate 810 by two bolts 836 that pass through both longitudinal ends of the inner mounting plate 835, overlapping the inner left and right sides of the subsoiler support plate 810. The bolts 836 pass through holes 835a formed in the inner mounting plates 835 and are threaded into screw holes 840 formed in the subsoiler support plate 810.

[0235] The outer mounting plate 830, through which the tip of the resoiler support shaft 801 passes, is a rectangular plate-shaped member whose longitudinal direction is the same as the inner mounting plate 835 and whose longitudinal center is the tip of the resoiler support shaft 801. The outer mounting plate 830 is fixed to the support bracket 815 by two bolts 831 that pass through both longitudinal ends of the outer mounting plate 830, overlapping the left and right outer sides of the side surface 815c of the support bracket 815. The bolts 831 pass through holes 830a formed in the outer mounting plate 830 and are threaded into screw holes 845 formed in the side surface 815c. The screw holes 845 of the support bracket 815 are formed at the same height as the screw holes 840 formed in the resoiler support plate 810 with respect to the inner mounting plate 835.

[0236] The tip end portion of subsoiler support shaft 801 is male threaded portion 801a (see Figure 19), and nut 850 is threadedly engaged with the tip end of subsoiler support shaft 801 protruding from outer mounting plate 830. Large and small washers 851 are interposed between nut 850 and outer mounting plate 830. In this way, subsoiler support shaft 801 is provided as a fixed shaft that cannot rotate relative to subsoiler frame 103 and cannot move in the axial direction.

[0237] The subsoiler rotating body 800 supports the support cylinder portion 824 of the blade support arm 102 on this subsoiler support shaft 801 via two bearings 855 arranged adjacently on the left and right (see Figure 19). Collars 853, which are cylindrical members through which the subsoiler support shaft 801 passes, are interposed between the outer left and right bearings 855 and the side surface portion 815c. Note that the middle portion of the subsoiler support shaft 801, onto which the two bearings 855 are fitted, is a reduced diameter portion relative to the base end portion, and the tip end portion, on which a threaded portion is formed, is a reduced diameter portion relative to the middle portion.

[0238] By means of the pivot support portion 105 having the above-described configuration, the subsoiler rotating body 800 is rotatably supported via bearing 855 on the subsoiler support shaft 801, which is fixedly provided to the subsoiler frame 103. The support structure including the subsoiler support shaft 801 forming the pivot support portion 105 is provided so that its position can be adjusted relative to the subsoiler frame 103 in order to adjust the digging depth in the excavation device 34.

[0239] As a structure for adjusting the position of subsoiler support shaft 801, multiple mounting positions are provided above and below for outer mounting plate 830 and inner mounting plate 835 for supporting and fixing subsoiler support shaft 801 to subsoiler frame 103. In other words, multiple fixing positions are provided above and below for fixing the support structure including subsoiler support shaft 801 and outer mounting plate 830 and inner mounting plate 835, through which both ends of subsoiler support shaft 801 pass, to subsoiler frame 103.

[0240] Specifically, outer mounting plate 830 has screw holes 845 formed at multiple vertically shifted positions on side surface portion 815c, into which bolts 831 for fixing outer mounting plate 830 to support bracket portion 815 are threaded. In this embodiment, screw holes 845 corresponding to each bolt 831 are formed at four vertically spaced locations spaced a predetermined distance apart. Additionally, side surface portion 815c has elongated holes 856 formed therethrough as holes through which the tip end portion of subsoiler support shaft 801 passes, allowing movement of the tip end portion of subsoiler support shaft 801 as the mounting position of outer mounting plate 830 is changed.

[0241] The inner mounting plate 835 has threaded holes 840 into which bolts 836 for fixing the inner mounting plate 835 to the subsoiler support plate 810 are threaded, and these threaded holes 840 are formed at multiple vertically offset positions on the subsoiler support plate 810 in a manner similar to the threaded holes 845 for the outer mounting plate 830. In this embodiment, the threaded holes 840 corresponding to each bolt 836 are formed at four positions vertically spaced a predetermined distance apart. Additionally, the subsoiler support plate 810 is formed with an elongated hole 857 as a hole portion through which the base end portion of the subsoiler support shaft 801 passes, allowing movement of the base end portion of the subsoiler support shaft 801 as the mounting position of the inner mounting plate 835 is changed.

[0242] As described above, the excavation device 34 is configured to have a plurality of mounting positions (support positions) for the subsoiler support shaft 801 on the subsoiler frame 103 side as a configuration for adjusting the height position of the subsoiler rotating body 800 relative to the subsoiler frame 103. In other words, the subsoiler support shaft 801 is movable up and down on the subsoiler frame 103. In this embodiment, the mounting position of the subsoiler support shaft 801 relative to the subsoiler frame 103 can be adjusted up and down in four steps. In the illustrated example, the subsoiler support shaft 801 is shown positioned at the second-highest height position out of the four steps. In FIG. 19, the state in which the subsoiler support shaft 801 is positioned at the lowest height position is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

[0243] In the above configuration, the height of the resoiler rotating body 800 relative to the resoiler frame 103 is adjusted as follows. By removing the bolts 831 that secure the outer mounting plate 830 and the bolts 836 that secure the inner mounting plate 835 and loosening the nuts 850, the resoiler support shaft 801 becomes movable relative to the resoiler frame 103. In other words, the resoiler rotating body 800 becomes movable relative to the resoiler frame 103. In this state, the resoiler support shaft 801 is moved along the elongated holes 856 and 857 to the desired height position. Then, the outer mounting plate 830 and the inner mounting plate 835 are fixed to the resoiler frame 103 with the bolts 831 and 836, respectively, and the nuts 850 are tightened, thereby fixing the resoiler support shaft 801 to the resoiler frame 103.

[0244] With regard to the configuration for adjusting the height of subsoiler support shaft 801 in subsoiler frame 103, the path of movement of subsoiler support shaft 801 accompanying height adjustment follows straight line L1 that is tilted backward (see FIG. 18). That is, in side view as shown in FIG. 18, the path of movement of subsoiler support shaft 801 (see straight line L1) accompanying height adjustment relative to subsoiler frame 103 is tilted in a backward direction relative to the direction perpendicular to the extension direction of subsoiler support plate 810 (see straight line L0), which is slightly tilted forward.

[0245] Therefore, the multiple (four) screw holes 845, 840 for fixing the outer mounting plate 830 and the inner mounting plate 835 are arranged at predetermined intervals along a line parallel to the straight line L1 in a side view so that the outer mounting plate 830 and the inner mounting plate 835 can move in parallel as the height position of the subsoiler support shaft 801 is adjusted. In addition, the elongated holes 856, 857 through which the subsoiler support shaft 801 passes are also formed so that their longitudinal directions are aligned with the straight line L1.

[0246] In this embodiment, the angle θ1 that the line L1 makes with the line L0 in a side view is about 15 to 20°. Also, the angle that the line L1 makes with the up-down direction (vertical direction) in a side view is about 10 to 15°. Note that these angle sizes are merely examples and do not limit the configuration.

[0247] 19, in the excavation device 34 according to this embodiment, the excavation blade 101 has a shape that forms a sweepback angle β1 in a plan view. That is, the excavation blade 101 has a substantially rectangular outer shape with the side blade portion 101b extending along a predetermined straight line M1 in a plan view. In a plan view, the angle that the straight line M1 along the extension direction of the side blade portion 101b makes with the left-right direction M0 is the sweepback angle β1.

[0248] In this embodiment, the magnitude of the sweep back angle β1 is approximately 15 to 20°. Note that the magnitude of the sweep back angle β1 is merely an example and does not limit the configuration. Furthermore, while only the left-side digging blade 101 is shown in Figure 19, the right-side digging blade 101 is configured symmetrically to the left-side digging blade 101 and has the same sweep back angle β1 as the left-side digging blade 101.

[0249] In the excavation device 34 according to this embodiment having the above-described configuration, the subsoiler support shaft 801 is attached at multiple locations on the subsoiler frame 103, which makes it possible to move the rotation fulcrum of the subsoiler rotating body 800 on the subsoiler frame 103 side. This makes it possible to keep the vibration stroke of the subsoiler rotating body 800 constant when adjusting the height of the excavation blade 101 without changing the distance from the subsoiler support shaft 801 to the cutting edge. This allows for stable excavation and vibration performance.

[0250] The excavation device 34 is configured so that the path of movement associated with adjusting the height of the subsoiler support shaft 801 relative to the subsoiler frame 103 follows a straight line L1 that is tilted backward. This configuration makes it possible to suppress changes in the digging depth, which is adjusted depending on the height of the ridge 300, and in the angle of the cutting edge of the excavation blade 101.

[0251] In the vegetable harvester 1, the height of the harvesting unit 5 is adjusted depending on the height of the ridges 300, etc., so that the height of the conveying entrance between the front ends of the left and right belt clamping bodies 70 relative to the ridge surface 301 is constant. The height of the harvesting unit 5 is adjusted by adjusting the height of the gauge wheels 12 (see FIG. 1), which are mounted so as to be able to rise and fall relative to the machine frame 7. If the height of the gauge wheels 12 changes while the left and right drive wheels 11 are on the ground, the tilt state of the machine body in the fore-and-aft direction changes.

[0252] In adjusting the height of the harvesting unit 5, which changes the inclination of the machine body in the fore-and-aft direction, when the height of the subsoiler rotating body 800 (digging blade 101) relative to the subsoiler frame 103 is adjusted, for example, if the path of movement accompanying the height adjustment of the subsoiler support shaft 801 is along the straight line L0 (see FIG. 18), the angle of the cutting edge of the digging blade 101 is likely to change as the inclination of the machine body in the fore-and-aft direction changes. In other words, the angle of the cutting edge of the digging blade 101 is easily affected by changes in the inclination of the machine body in the fore-and-aft direction.

[0253] Therefore, by configuring the movement path accompanying height adjustment of subsoiler support shaft 801 to follow backward-inclined straight line L1, changes in the forward-backward tilt of the machine body can be offset by adjusting the height of subsoiler support shaft 801, making the cutting edge angle of digging blade 101 less susceptible to changes in the forward-backward tilt of the machine body. This makes it possible to prevent changes in the digging depth and the cutting edge angle of digging blade 101 due to ridge height, effectively stabilizing digging performance and vibration performance.

[0254] Furthermore, with regard to the shape of the left and right digging blades 101, the digging blades 101 are given a sweepback angle β1 in plan view (see FIG. 19). With this configuration, it is possible to reduce stagnation of the roots of the onions 2, improving digging performance. Furthermore, since the digging blades 101 have a sweepback angle β1, they can act to move the two rows of onions 2 toward the left and right center, which reduces diagonal pulling (pulling diagonally from the left and right outer sides to the inside) when digging up two rows at the same time, improving digging performance.

[0255] Furthermore, the digging blade 101 is attached to the blade support arm 102 so that its position can be adjusted in the front and rear directions. With this configuration, the digging (digging up) timing and the amplitude of the up-and-down direction of the digging blade 101 can be changed depending on the attachment position of the digging blade 101. As a result, for example, by attaching the digging blade 101 to the front, the digging timing can be made earlier and the amplitude of the up-and-down direction of the digging blade 101 can be increased, making it possible to break up the soil and cut the roots of onions 2 with strong roots.

[0256] The vegetable harvester according to the present invention described above using the embodiments is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various aspects can be adopted within the scope of the spirit of the present invention.

[0257] The present technology can be configured as follows: The configurations described below can be selected and combined as desired.

[0258] (1) A vegetable harvester for harvesting vegetables by pulling them out of the soil, A running body and A conveying device provided on the traveling machine body, which clamps the stems and leaves of vegetables to pull them out of the soil and convey them; a cutting device that cuts stems and leaves of vegetables while the vegetables are being transported by the transport device; A guide member is provided at the conveying end side of the conveying device and guides the vegetables to one side by contacting the vegetables, The guide member has a first action portion provided on the conveying device side, and a second action portion provided on the opposite side of the conveying device side with respect to the first action portion and having a truncated cone shape whose outer diameter gradually increases from the conveying device side to the opposite side. A vegetable harvester characterized by: (2) A vegetable harvester for harvesting vegetables by pulling them out of the soil, A running body and A conveying device provided on the traveling machine body, which clamps the stems and leaves of vegetables to pull them out of the soil and convey them; a cutting device that cuts stems and leaves of vegetables while the vegetables are being transported by the transport device; A guide member is provided at the conveying end side of the conveying device and guides the vegetables to one side by contacting the vegetables, The guide member has a first acting portion provided on the conveying device side, and a second acting portion provided on the opposite side of the first acting portion from the conveying device side and having an outer diameter larger than that of the first acting portion. A vegetable harvester characterized by: (3) A vegetable harvester for harvesting vegetables by pulling them out of the soil, A running body and A conveying device provided on the traveling machine body, which clamps the stems and leaves of vegetables to pull them out of the soil and convey them; a cutting device that cuts stems and leaves of vegetables while the vegetables are being transported by the transport device; A guide member is provided at the conveying end side of the conveying device and guides the vegetables to one side by contacting the vegetables, The guide member has a truncated cone shape whose outer diameter gradually increases from the conveying device side to the opposite side of the conveying device. A vegetable harvester characterized by: (4) The guide member is provided so as to be rotated together with an endless rotating body that constitutes the conveying device. The vegetable harvester according to any one of (1) to (3) above, characterized in that: (5) The guide member is provided coaxially with a rotating body around which the endless rotating body is wound. The vegetable harvester according to (4) above, characterized in that (6) At least a portion of the guide member that forms a contact surface with the vegetables is made of a flexible material. The vegetable harvester according to any one of (1) to (5) above, characterized in that: [Explanation of symbols]

[0259] 1. Vegetable harvester 2 Onion (vegetable) 2a Tamabe 2b Stem and leaf part 2c Remaining stem and leaf parts 3 Running body 33 Conveyor equipment 35 Stem and leaf cutting device 38 Extraction and conveyance device 39 Lower conveying device 81 Lower conveyor belt (endless rotating body) 83 Driven pulley (rotating body) 150 Alignment roller (guide member) 150A Alignment roller (guide member) 150B Alignment roller (guide member) 150C Alignment roller (guide member) 176 Driven pulley shaft 401 Cylindrical part (first action part) 402 Circular cone part (second working part) 420 Covering part 502 Large diameter cylindrical part (second acting part)

Claims

1. A vegetable harvester for harvesting vegetables by pulling them out of the soil, A running body and A conveying device provided on the traveling machine body, which clamps the stems and leaves of vegetables to pull them out of the soil and convey them; a cutting device that cuts stems and leaves of vegetables while the vegetables are being transported by the transport device; A guide member is provided at the conveying end side of the conveying device and guides the vegetables to one side by contacting the vegetables, The guide member has a first acting portion provided on the conveying device side, and a second acting portion provided on the opposite side of the conveying device side with respect to the first acting portion and having a truncated cone shape whose outer diameter gradually increases from the conveying device side to the opposite side. A vegetable harvester characterized by:

2. A vegetable harvester for harvesting vegetables by pulling them out of the soil, A running body and A conveying device provided on the traveling machine body, which clamps the stems and leaves of vegetables to pull them out of the soil and convey them; a cutting device that cuts stems and leaves of vegetables while the vegetables are being transported by the transport device; A guide member is provided at the conveying end side of the conveying device and guides the vegetables to one side by contacting the vegetables, The guide member has a first acting portion provided on the conveying device side, and a second acting portion provided on the opposite side of the first acting portion from the conveying device side and having an outer diameter larger than that of the first acting portion. A vegetable harvester characterized by:

3. A vegetable harvester for harvesting vegetables by pulling them out of the soil, A running body and A conveying device provided on the traveling machine body, which clamps the stems and leaves of vegetables to pull them out of the soil and convey them; a cutting device that cuts stems and leaves of vegetables while the vegetables are being transported by the transport device; A guide member is provided at the conveying end side of the conveying device and guides the vegetables to one side by contacting the vegetables, The guide member has a truncated cone shape whose outer diameter gradually increases from the conveying device side to the opposite side of the conveying device. A vegetable harvester characterized by:

4. The guide member is provided so as to be rotated together with an endless rotating body that constitutes the conveying device. The vegetable harvester according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The guide member is provided coaxially with a rotating body around which the endless rotating body is wound.

5. The vegetable harvester according to claim 4.

6. At least a portion of the guide member that forms a contact surface with the vegetables is made of a flexible material.

2. The vegetable harvester according to claim 1.

Images