Boom folding / developing mechanism and boom sprayer having the same

Abstract

To provide a boom folding / developing mechanism and a boom sprayer having the same which is down-sized while maintaining a boom crash mitigation function when a piston cylinder is extended and shrunk at a constant speed, and which can prevent a generation of scattered spots by protecting a chemical liquid supply hose for supplying chemical liquid.SOLUTION: A boom folding / developing mechanism 3 for folding and developing a boom 2 of a boom sprayer 1 includes: a folding axis support part 31 for axially supporting the boom in a foldable manner is arranged and divided into two in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the boom 2; and a link member 32 arranged in a swinging manner which folds the boom 2 by swinging on a base end side and develops the boom 2 by swinging to a tip end side so as to fit between the two divided folding axis support part 31. Also, the link member 32 is covered and concealed by a first axial support cover 23 and a second axial support cover 24, and a chemical liquid supply hose 5 is provided above a chemical liquid spray nozzle 4.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a boom sprayer for spraying chemical solutions on farm fields and the like, and to a boom folding and unfolding mechanism for folding the boom, and a boom sprayer equipped with the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Boom sprayers are mounted on vehicles such as tractors to spray chemicals on fields. The longer the boom, the larger the area that can be sprayed, making for more efficient spraying. However, a long boom can be a hindrance when moving or storing the device.

[0003] In order to eliminate the above-mentioned disadvantages of such long booms, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-55966 (Patent Document 1) and U.S. Patent No. 4,449,667 (Patent Document 2) propose an invention related to a boom sprayer that can fold the tip of the boom using a telescopic piston cylinder.

[0004] On the other hand, in the inventions described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, when the piston cylinder is extended and retracted at a constant speed, the impact is strong at the moment when the boom is deployed in a straight line when it is deployed from a folded state, and at the moment when the boom is folded when it is folded from an deployed state, which can cause damage to the boom or malfunction, etc. For this reason, when deploying or folding the boom, the operator must carefully operate the piston cylinder, which is a nerve-wracking and cumbersome task.

[0005] In response to this problem, the applicant of the present application has disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2013-116078 a boom sprayer that uses multiple link members to mitigate the impact caused by a collision between the booms when the piston cylinders are extended or retracted at a constant speed (Patent Document 3). Specifically, the distal boom and proximal boom are rotatably connected by a support shaft, and the device includes a first link that is swingably provided below the support shaft on the proximal end of the distal boom, and a second link that is swingably provided below the support shaft on the distal end of the proximal boom, and a mechanism that connects the upper ends of the first link and the upper ends of the second link and swings the connected part toward the distal end of the support shaft to deploy the boom, and swings the connected part toward the proximal end of the support shaft to fold the boom. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 61-55966 [Patent Document 2] U.S. Patent No. 4,449,667 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2013-116078 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, in the invention described in Patent Document 3, each link member, etc. is placed on the outside of the boom, so the mechanism for folding and unfolding is large, which increases the weight and requires reinforcement, resulting in a need for miniaturization.

[0008] Furthermore, the invention described in Patent Document 2 has a problem in that the chemical liquid supply hose that supplies the chemical liquid comes into contact with the link member and is damaged when the device is unfolded or folded.

[0009] Furthermore, in Patent Documents 2 and 3, the chemical supply hose is positioned below the boom with a large slack to prevent it from getting caught between link members or booms. However, when the sprayed chemical falls on the slackened chemical supply hose and drips down the hose, some areas are blocked by the hose and are not sprayed, while other areas drip and a larger amount than expected is sprayed, resulting in what is known as uneven spraying.

[0010] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned needs and problems, and aims to provide a boom folding and unfolding mechanism and a boom sprayer equipped with the same that can be made smaller while maintaining the function of mitigating collisions between booms when the piston cylinder is extended and retracted at a constant speed, protect the chemical supply hose that supplies the chemical solution, and prevent uneven spraying. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The boom folding and unfolding mechanism of the present invention is a boom folding and unfolding mechanism that folds and unfolds the boom of a boom sprayer that sprays chemicals, in order to solve the problem of reducing the size while maintaining the function of mitigating collisions between booms, and the folding shaft support section that supports the boom in a foldable manner is divided into two in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the boom, and a link member that swings toward the base end to fold the boom and swings toward the tip end to unfold the boom is installed so that it can swing between these two divided folding shaft support sections.

[0012] In addition, as one aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the problem of preventing contact between the link member and the chemical solution supply hose, the boom is composed of a tip boom on the tip side of the folding pivot support portion and a base boom on the base side, and the link member is composed of a first link pivotally supported on the base end side of the tip boom and a second link pivotally supported on the tip side of the base boom, and a first pivot support cover that pivotally supports the first link is provided on the tip boom in a position that covers and conceals the first link, and a second pivot support cover that pivotally supports the second link is provided on the base boom in a position that covers and conceals the second link.

[0013] In order to solve the problem of reducing the size while maintaining the function of mitigating collisions between booms, the boom spray of the present invention comprises a boom equipped with the boom folding and unfolding mechanism, a plurality of chemical solution spray nozzles attached to the boom at predetermined intervals, and a chemical solution supply hose that supplies chemical solution to the chemical solution spray nozzles attached to the boom further towards the tip than the boom folding and unfolding mechanism.

[0014] In addition, as one aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the problem of preventing contact between the link member and the chemical supply hose while preventing the occurrence of spray spots, the chemical supply hose may be installed on the side of the boom folding and unfolding mechanism when the boom is in an unfolded state, and above the installation height of the chemical spray nozzle. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, the boom can be made smaller while maintaining its function of mitigating collisions between booms when the piston cylinder is extended and retracted at a constant speed, and the chemical supply hose that supplies the chemical solution can be protected, preventing uneven spraying. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a boom sprayer according to the present invention in a state where the boom is deployed. FIG. [Figure 2]1 is a front view of the boom sprayer of this embodiment, showing the boom deployed. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the boom sprayer of the present embodiment with the boom deployed. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a boom folding / deploying mechanism housed between folding shaft support parts in this embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the boom sprayer of the present embodiment in a state where the boom is folded. [Figure 6] 1 is a front view of the boom sprayer of this embodiment, showing the boom in a folded state. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the boom sprayer of the present embodiment in a state where the boom is folded. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a boom folding and unfolding mechanism and a boom sprayer equipped with the same according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0018] The boom sprayer 1 is a device for spraying chemical solutions on fields, etc., and is configured either integrally with a traveling vehicle (not shown) such as a tractor, or configured as a separate attachment to the traveling vehicle. As shown in Figure 1, the boom sprayer 1 of this embodiment includes a boom 2 equipped with a boom folding and unfolding mechanism 3, a chemical solution spraying nozzle 4 attached to the boom 2, and a chemical solution supply hose 5 that supplies chemical solution to the chemical solution spraying nozzle 4 attached to the boom 2 further distal than the boom folding and unfolding mechanism 3.

[0019] The boom 2 is a long member that is provided with the traveling vehicle as its base end, and in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, it is composed of a tip boom 21 that is located on the tip side of the folding shaft support part 31 of the boom folding and unfolding mechanism 3, and a base boom 22 that is located on the base side of the folding shaft support part 31.

[0020] As shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the distal end boom 21 in this embodiment is formed in a substantially V-shape with an opening at the top in a side view so that the link member 32 of the boom folding and unfolding mechanism 3 can be accommodated therein.

[0021] In this embodiment, first pivot support covers 23 are provided on both side surfaces on the base end side of the tip boom 21. The first pivot support covers 23 are plates that prevent the chemical solution supply hose 5 from coming into contact with and being damaged by the link member 32 of the boom folding and unfolding mechanism 3 when the boom 2 is folded and unfolded, and are provided so as to cover and conceal the first link 321 of the link member 32. The first pivot support covers 23 are also used as supports that pivotally support the lower ends of the first links 321.

[0022] As shown in Figs. 1 and 5, the tip end of the base boom 22, like the tip boom 21, is formed in a substantially V-shape in side view so that the link member 32 of the boom folding and unfolding mechanism 3 can be accommodated therein.

[0023] In addition, in this embodiment, a second pivot support cover 24 is provided on both sides of the tip end of the base boom 22, which, similar to the first pivot support cover 23, covers and conceals the second link 322 of the boom folding and unfolding mechanism 3 and pivotally supports the second link 322.

[0024] The shapes of the tip boom 21 and the base boom 22 are not limited to being approximately V-shaped when viewed from the side, and may be appropriately selected from shapes such as approximately rectangular or approximately trapezoidal when viewed from the side, as long as they can accommodate the link member 32, etc.

[0025] The boom folding and unfolding mechanism 3 is a mechanism for folding and unfolding the boom 2, and in this embodiment has a folding shaft support part 31 that supports the tip boom 21 and the base boom 22 in a foldable manner, a link member 32 that folds and unfolds the boom 2 by swinging, and a piston cylinder 33 that swings the link member 32.

[0026] The folding shaft support section 31 pivotally supports the tip boom 21 and the base boom 22 relative to each other, and is arranged so as to be divided into two in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the boom 2, as shown in Figures 1 and 3. In this embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, the folding shaft support section 31 pivotally supports the tip boom 21 and the base boom 22 in a freely rotatable manner while being divided into two parts, front and rear, at an upper position at the base end of the tip boom 21 and an upper position at the tip side of the base boom 22, which are formed in a substantially V-shape when viewed from the side.

[0027] The link member 32 is a member that folds the boom 2 by swinging toward the base end and unfolds the boom 2 by swinging toward the tip end, and in this embodiment, it also serves to mitigate collisions of the boom 2 when it is folded and unfolded when the piston cylinder 33 is extended and retracted at a constant speed.

[0028] The link member 32 in this embodiment is installed so as to fit between the two divided folding shaft support parts 31, and as shown in Figure 4, is composed of a first link 321 that is pivotally supported on the base end side of the tip boom 21, and a second link 322 that is pivotally supported on the tip end side of the base boom 22. In this way, the link member 32 in this embodiment is installed so as to be swingable so as to fit between the two divided folding shaft support parts 31, rather than on the outside of the boom 2, and therefore the boom folding and unfolding mechanism 3 can be made smaller.

[0029] As shown in Figures 1, 3 and 4, the first link 321 is composed of a pair of elongated plate-like members arranged on both the front and rear sides of the piston cylinder 33, and its lower end is pivotally supported at a position below the folding pivot portion 31 of the first pivot support cover 23 so as to be able to swing freely.

[0030] Furthermore, the upper end of first link 321 is rotatably connected to the tip of piston cylinder 33, and swings integrally with the tip of piston cylinder 33 as piston cylinder 33 expands and contracts. Specifically, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, to place boom 2 in an unfolded state, first link 321 swings so that the coupling position is located further towards the tip than folding shaft support portion 31, and as shown in Figures 5 and 6, to place boom 2 in a folded state, first link 321 swings so that the coupling position is located further towards the base than folding shaft support portion 31.

[0031] The second link 322 is composed of a rod member curved so as to be concave toward the tip side, and its lower end is pivotally supported below the folding pivot support portion 31 on the second pivot support cover 24 provided on both sides of the tip side of the base boom 22 so as to be able to swing freely.

[0032] In addition, the upper end of the second link 322, like the upper end of the first link 321, is rotatably connected to the tip of the piston cylinder 33, and is designed to swing integrally with the tip of the piston cylinder 33 as the piston cylinder 33 extends and retracts.

[0033] In this embodiment, the second link 322 is curved to avoid interference with the reinforcing material 25 provided on the base end boom 22, as shown in Figure 4, but it does not need to be curved if there is no risk of interference.

[0034] The piston cylinder 33 is an actuator with an extension and contraction function, and in this embodiment, its base end side is connected to the base boom 22, and its tip end side is connected to the upper ends of the first link 321 and the second link 322. As a result, the piston cylinder 33 causes the first link 321 and the second link 322 to swing toward the base end when it contracts, and causes the first link 321 and the second link 322 to swing toward the tip end when it expands.

[0035] The chemical solution spraying nozzle 4 is a nozzle for spraying the chemical solution over any desired area, such as a cone or fan shape, to spray the chemical solution over a field.In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, multiple nozzles are attached at predetermined intervals along the lower edges of the tip boom 21 and base boom 22 when the boom 2 is deployed.

[0036] Each chemical spray nozzle 4 is connected to each of the tip boom 21 and the base boom 22 by a chemical supply pipe 41 that supplies the chemical. In addition, a chemical supply pump (not shown) that supplies the chemical via a chemical supply hose 5 is connected to the base end of the chemical supply pipe 41 attached to the base boom 22.

[0037] The chemical supply hose 5 is a flexible hose for supplying chemicals to the chemical spray nozzle 4 attached to the boom 2 on the tip side of the boom folding and unfolding mechanism 3, and in this embodiment, the base end is connected to a chemical supply pump that supplies chemicals, and is arranged along the base boom 22 and the tip boom 21. In addition, as shown in Figure 3, the side of the boom folding and unfolding mechanism 3 is supported by a hose guide 51 that guides it outward, and the chemical supply hose 5 is arranged so as not to come into contact with the first pivot support cover 23 and the second pivot support cover 24.

[0038] In addition, in this embodiment, the chemical supply hose 5 is installed above the mounting height of the chemical spraying nozzle 4 when the boom 2 is deployed, in order to prevent the chemical sprayed from the chemical spraying nozzle 4 from splashing on it.

[0039] Next, the operation of each component of the boom folding and unfolding mechanism 3 and the boom sprayer 1 of this embodiment will be described.

[0040] First, a case where the boom 2 is deployed and a chemical solution is sprayed will be described. At this time, the piston cylinder 33 is extended as shown in Figures 1 to 4, and the first link 321 and the second link 322 are tilted toward the tip. In addition, the connection position between the tip of the piston cylinder 33 and the upper ends of the first link 321 and the second link 322 is located further toward the tip than the folding shaft support part 31.

[0041] The chemical spraying nozzle 4 sprays the chemical liquid supplied by the chemical supply pump downward in a cone or fan shape. In each embodiment, each chemical spraying nozzle 4 is disposed below the boom 2, so that the sprayed chemical liquid does not come into direct contact with the boom 2.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the chemical supply hose 5 is installed above the mounting height of the chemical spraying nozzle 4, so similar to the boom 2, the sprayed chemical does not come into direct contact with the boom 2. Therefore, unlike conventional methods, the spray is not blocked by the hose, and the chemical does not drip down the hose, preventing uneven spraying.

[0043] To change from the unfolded state to the folded state, the piston cylinder 33 is contracted. The second link 322 swings toward the base end around the pivot part of the second pivot support cover 24, as shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 4. Furthermore, since the first link 321 is connected to the upper end of the second link 322, it is pulled toward the base end in accordance with the trajectory of the connecting part, lifting the tip boom 21 connected to the lower end.

[0044] The tip boom 21, raised by the first link 321, rotates around the folding shaft support part 31 as a fulcrum and is folded above the base boom 22. In the folded state, the connection position of the piston cylinder 33, first link 321, and second link 322 is located closer to the base end than the folding shaft support part 31. When the piston cylinder 33 is retracted at a constant speed, the rotation of the tip boom 21 in this embodiment slows down as the link member 32 completes folding, thereby reducing the impact when the tip boom 21 stops.

[0045] Furthermore, the first link 321 and the second link 322 are installed so as to fit between the two divided folding shaft support sections 31, and are covered and concealed by the first shaft support cover 23 and the second shaft support cover 24, so that the tip boom 21 can be rotated from the unfolded state to the folded state without coming into contact with the chemical solution supply hose 5.

[0046] Conversely, to change from the folded state to the deployed state, the piston cylinder 33 is extended. The second link 322 swings toward the tip end around the pivotal support portion of the second pivot support cover 24. The first link 321 is also pushed toward the tip end in accordance with the trajectory of the connection portion with the second link 322, causing the connected tip boom 21 to rotate and spread out. In this embodiment, when the piston cylinder 33 is retracted at a constant speed, the rotation of the tip boom 21 slows as the link member 32 completes deployment, thereby reducing the impact when the tip boom 21 stops.

[0047] Furthermore, the first link 321 and the second link 322 are arranged to fit between the two divided folding shaft support sections 31, and are covered and concealed by the first shaft support cover 23 and the second shaft support cover 24, so that even when unfolded, the tip boom 21 can be rotated from the folded state to the unfolded state without coming into contact with the chemical solution supply hose 5.

[0048] Therefore, in this embodiment, damage due to contact with the boom 2 or link member 32 can be avoided, and the chemical supply hose 5 can be installed on the side of the boom folding and unfolding mechanism 3 and above the installation height of the chemical spraying nozzle 4.

[0049] According to the present embodiment as described above, the following advantageous effects can be achieved. 1. By installing the link member 32 so that it fits between the two divided folding shaft support parts 31, the boom folding and unfolding mechanism 3 can be made smaller while maintaining the function of mitigating collisions between the booms 2. 2. The link member 32 is housed between the two divided folding support portions 31, and the first support cover 23 and the second support cover 24 are provided in positions that cover and conceal the first link 321 and the second link 322, thereby preventing damage to the chemical solution supply hose 5 due to contact with the link member 32. 3. The chemical supply hose 5 can be installed on the side of the boom folding and unfolding mechanism 3 and above the mounting height of the chemical spray nozzle 4, while avoiding damage due to contact with the boom 2 or link member 32. This prevents the chemical sprayed from the chemical spray nozzle 4 from coming into contact with the chemical supply hose 5, preventing uneven spraying.

[0050] The boom folding and unfolding mechanism according to the present invention and the boom sprayer equipped with the same are not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be modified as appropriate. The boom 2 is not limited to being folded in two with the distal boom 21 and the proximal boom 22, but may be folded in three by placing an intermediate boom between the booms, and the boom folding and unfolding mechanism according to the present invention may be used as the mechanism for folding and unfolding the booms between the booms in this case. [Explanation of symbols]

[0051] 1 Boom sprayer 2. Boom 3 Boom folding and deployment mechanism 4 Chemical spray nozzle 5 Chemical supply hose 21 Tip boom 22 Base boom 23 First support cover 24 Second support cover 25 Reinforcement 31 Folding shaft support 32 Link member 321 First Link 322 Second Link 33 Piston Cylinder 41 Chemical supply pipe 51 Hose Guide

Claims

1. A boom folding and unfolding mechanism for folding and unfolding a boom in a boom sprayer that sprays a chemical solution, The boom folding and unfolding mechanism has a folding shaft support section that supports the boom in a foldable manner, which is divided into two in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the boom, and a link member that swings toward the base end to fold the boom and swings toward the tip end to unfold the boom is swingably installed so as to fit between the two divided folding shaft support sections.

2. The boom is composed of a tip boom on the tip side of the folding shaft support part and a base boom on the base end side, the link member is composed of a first link pivotally supported on the base end side of the tip boom and a second link pivotally supported on the tip end side of the base boom, The tip boom is provided with a first pivot support cover that pivotally supports the first link at a position that covers and conceals the first link, 2. The boom folding and unfolding mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a second pivot support cover that pivotally supports the second link is provided on the base boom at a position that covers and conceals the second link.

3. A boom sprayer comprising a boom equipped with the boom folding and unfolding mechanism described in claim 1 or claim 2, a plurality of chemical solution spray nozzles attached to the boom at predetermined intervals, and a chemical solution supply hose that supplies chemical solution to the chemical solution spray nozzles attached to the boom further distal than the boom folding and unfolding mechanism.

4. 4. The boom sprayer according to claim 3, wherein the chemical solution supply hose is installed on a side of the boom folding and unfolding mechanism when the boom is in an unfolded state and above the mounting height of the chemical solution spray nozzle.

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