Harvesting kit, buffer for harvested produce, and method for harvesting produce.

Abstract

When placing harvested produce into the harvesting container, it is possible to minimize the impact on the produce and prevent damage to it. [Solution] The harvesting set 10 comprises a harvesting container 20 for holding multiple harvested produce items 5, and multiple buffer bodies 30 housed within the harvesting container 20. The specific gravity of the buffer bodies 30 is 0.01 or higher, and may be 0.8 or lower. The diameter of the buffer bodies 30 may be 3 mm to 10 mm. The buffer bodies 30 may be made of a material softer than the harvested produce items 5 placed in the harvesting container 20. The proportion of the multiple buffer bodies 30 in the storage space 25 within the harvesting container 20 may be 30% to 60%.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a harvesting set, a buffer for harvested products, and a method for harvesting harvested products.

Background Art

[0002] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a harvesting basket used for harvesting fruits. This harvesting basket is provided with a covering cover that integrally covers the inner surface of the container part and the outer surface of the container part of the harvesting basket. The covering cover is made of, for example, cloth.

[0003] According to the above-mentioned harvesting basket, when harvesting expensive fruits, the fruits are put into the harvesting basket. At this time, the fruits are placed on the covering cover inside the harvesting basket. Therefore, it is possible to make it difficult for the fruits to be damaged during harvesting.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, when harvesting a plurality of fruits using the harvesting basket disclosed in Patent Document 1, there is a risk that the fruits may collide with each other or the fruits may collide with the inner wall of the harvesting basket, resulting in damage to the fruits inside the harvesting basket.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of this point, and its object is to provide a harvesting set, a buffer for harvested products, and a method for harvesting harvested products that can make it difficult for the harvested products to be impacted and damaged when the harvested products are put into the harvesting container.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The harvesting set according to the present invention comprises a harvesting container for holding multiple harvested items, and multiple buffers housed within the harvesting container. With this harvesting set, when harvested items are placed in the harvesting container during harvesting, the buffers absorb the impact on the harvested items. Furthermore, since buffers are placed between the harvested items within the harvesting container, the harvested items are less likely to collide with each other. Therefore, the harvested items are less likely to be damaged during harvesting.

[0008] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the specific gravity of the buffer is 0.8 or less. Alternatively, the specific gravity of the buffer is 0.01 or more. According to the above embodiment, harvested produce can be easily submerged between adjacent buffers while the buffers are less likely to be blown away by wind or other forces.

[0009] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cross-sectional shape of the buffer is circular. According to this embodiment, the buffer moves easily within the harvesting container. Therefore, multiple buffers can be easily dispersed within the harvesting container. Consequently, multiple buffers can be uniformly arranged within the harvesting container.

[0010] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the diameter of the buffer is 3 mm to 10 mm. Furthermore, the maximum diameter of the buffer is smaller than the harvested product to be placed in the harvesting container. According to the above embodiment, by setting the diameter of the buffer as described above, the buffer moves easily within the harvesting container when the harvested product is placed in the harvesting container, thereby improving work efficiency during harvesting and making it easier to insert the buffer between the harvested products within the harvesting container.

[0011] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the buffer is made of a material softer than the harvested product placed in the harvesting container. According to this embodiment, the impact on the harvested product when it is placed in the harvesting container can be easily absorbed.

[0012] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the proportion of the buffers in the storage space within the harvesting container is 30% to 80%. According to this embodiment, more harvested produce can be placed in the harvesting container while absorbing the impact on the harvested produce when it is placed in the harvesting container.

[0013] The buffer for harvested produce according to the present invention is a buffer for harvested produce that is housed in a harvesting container that holds multiple harvested produce. The buffer for harvested produce has a specific gravity of 0.8 or less and a diameter of 3 mm to 10 mm. With the above-described buffer for harvested produce, by housing multiple buffers in the harvesting container, when harvested produce is placed in the harvesting container during harvesting, the impact on the harvested produce is absorbed by the buffers. In addition, since the buffers are placed between the harvested produce within the harvesting container, the harvested produce is less likely to collide with each other. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the likelihood of damage to the harvested produce during harvesting.

[0014] The harvesting method according to the present invention comprises a storage step, a loading step, and a vibration step. In the storage step, multiple buffers are placed in a harvesting container that can hold multiple harvests. In the loading step, the harvests are placed into the harvesting container with the multiple buffers inside. In the vibration step, the harvesting container with the harvests inside is vibrated. According to the above harvesting method, the harvesting container is vibrated with multiple buffers and multiple harvests inside. This vibration makes it easier for the harvests to get between the buffers inside the harvesting container. Therefore, the harvests are less likely to collide with each other inside the harvesting container, and thus less likely to be damaged.

[0015] According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the vibration step involves vibrating the harvesting container, in which the harvested material is placed, in a direction perpendicular to the direction of gravity. According to this embodiment, compared to, for example, vibrating the harvesting container in the direction of gravity, it is possible to make it easier for the harvested material to penetrate between the buffers.

[0016] According to another preferred aspect of the present invention, in the charging step, the harvested product is thrown into the harvesting container. According to the above aspect, even when the harvested product is thrown into the harvesting container, the impact on the harvested product can be absorbed by the buffer body.

Effects of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a harvesting set, a buffer body for harvested products, and a method for harvesting harvested products, which make it difficult to impart an impact to the harvested products and difficult to damage the harvested products when putting the harvested products into the harvesting container.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018] [Figure 1] It is a perspective view showing a harvesting container of a harvesting set according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a cross-sectional view showing a harvesting container of a harvesting set according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a flowchart showing a method for harvesting harvested products. [Figure 4] It is a cross-sectional view showing a harvesting container of a harvesting set according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] It is a cross-sectional view showing a harvesting container of a harvesting set according to an embodiment.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described here is of course not intended to particularly limit the present invention. In the following drawings, members and parts having the same function are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a harvesting container 20 of a harvesting set 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view (specifically, a longitudinal cross-sectional view) of the harvesting container 20 of the harvesting set 10. In FIG. 2, a state in which a plurality of buffer bodies 30 and a plurality of harvested items 5 are accommodated in the harvesting container 20 is shown. The harvesting set 10 according to the present embodiment is used when harvesting the harvested items 5 shown in FIG. 2. The harvested item 5 here is a fruit. The fruit here refers to what is obtained by the development or change of the ovary of the flower of a seed plant. Here, the fruit is edible, for example, it refers to those having pulp among seed plants. The fruit may be a fruit or a vegetable as long as it has pulp. The harvested item 5 refers to something relatively high in moisture. The harvested item 5 may be something that grows on a tree or something that can be picked by hand. The shape of the harvested item 5 is not particularly limited, for example, it is substantially spherical. The harvested item 5 may be a fruit as a fruit, for example, citrus fruits. Citrus fruits include, for example, oranges, oranges, grapefruit, acid citrus fruits (lemons, sudachi, kabosu, etc.), pummelos, hybrid citrus fruits, etc. In the present embodiment, the harvested item 5 is a lemon. However, the harvested item 5 is not limited to citrus fruits such as lemons, and may be a fruit such as a peach, an apple, or a persimmon, or a vegetable relatively high in moisture such as a tomato or an eggplant. In the present embodiment, the harvested item 5 harvested using the harvesting set 10 is of a so-called high-quality or premium variety. In other words, the harvested item 5 is of a variety that is not mass-produced. The harvested item 5 is, for example, relatively expensive.

[0021] In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the harvesting set 10 includes a harvesting container 20 and a plurality of buffer bodies 30. The harvesting container 20 is for putting a plurality of harvested items 5 harvested. For example, the harvesting container 20 is a container into which the harvested item 5 is thrown by the harvester when the harvester harvests the harvested item 5.

[0022] The type and shape of the harvesting container 20 are not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the harvesting container 20 is a basket. The harvesting container 20 is a so-called round basket. As shown in Figure 1, the shape of the harvesting container 20 is a bottomed cylindrical shape with an opening at the top. However, the harvesting container 20 may be a so-called square basket. The harvesting container 20 is sized to be easily carried by the harvester. For example, if the harvesting container 20 is a round basket as in this embodiment, it is a harvesting container 20 with a diameter of approximately 25cm to 40cm, a height of approximately 20cm to 30cm, and a capacity of approximately 8L to 21L. For example, multiple sizes of harvesting containers 20 (e.g., three sizes of large, medium, and small with different diameters or heights) may be prepared in advance and selected by the harvester according to the amount of harvested produce 5. In this embodiment, the harvesting container 20 is made of resin. However, the material used to form the harvesting container 20 is not particularly limited.

[0023] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, the harvesting container 20 has a bottom 21, side portions 22, and an opening 23. The bottom 21 constitutes the bottom of the harvesting container 20. The bottom 21 is, for example, circular in shape. The side portions 22 extend upward from the bottom 21. Here, the side portions 22 are connected to the circumferential end of the bottom 21 and rise up from that circumferential end. The side portions 22 may extend vertically, or they may extend so as to incline outward as they go upward. The side portions 22 are, for example, cylindrical in shape. In this embodiment, the harvesting container 20 has a storage space 25 inside. Multiple harvested items 5 are stored in this storage space 25. In this embodiment, the space enclosed by the bottom 21 and the side portions 22 becomes the storage space 25. Also, as in this embodiment, if the harvesting container 20 is a basket, multiple through holes (not shown) may be formed in the bottom 21 or the side portions 22. The shape of the multiple through holes is not particularly limited and can be, for example, rectangular.

[0024] As shown in Figure 2, the opening 23 is provided at the upper end of the side portion 22. The opening 23 is located above the bottom portion 21. The opening 23 opens upward. Here, a vertically penetrating accommodating hole 24 is formed in the opening 23. This accommodating hole 24 opens upward. The accommodating hole 24 communicates with the accommodating space 25.

[0025] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 1, the harvesting container 20 has a gripping portion 26. The gripping portion 26 is the part that the harvester grips with their hand. The gripping portion 26 is provided at the upper end of the harvesting container 20, for example, at the opening 23. In this embodiment, the gripping portion 26 is formed of string. However, the material used to form the gripping portion 26 is not particularly limited. Also, the gripping portion 26 is not limited to a string shape. The gripping portion 26 may be omitted.

[0026] As shown in Figure 2, the buffer body 30 is housed inside the harvesting container 20. For example, before harvesting, before the harvested produce 5 is placed in the harvesting container 20, multiple buffer bodies 30 are housed inside the harvesting container 20. Here, the multiple buffer bodies 30 are housed in the storage space 25 of the harvesting container 20. The buffer body 30 is intended to absorb the impact on the harvested produce 5 when it is placed in the harvesting container 20. Therefore, the buffer body 30 is made of a material that is softer than the harvested produce 5 placed in the harvesting container 20. However, the material used to form the buffer body 30 is not particularly limited as long as it is softer than the harvested produce 5 and can absorb the impact on the harvested produce 5. In this embodiment, the buffer body 30 is made of resin. The material used to form the buffer body 30 is a soft material, such as polyester elastomer, foamed PS (Polystyrene), foamed PLA (Poly-lactic acid), or EVA (Ethylene-vinyl acetate). Furthermore, if, for example, the harvested product 5 is a citrus fruit such as a lemon or mandarin orange, using a styrene-based material as the buffer material 30 is undesirable from the standpoint that limonene contained in citrus fruits easily dissolves the material.

[0027] The proportion of the multiple buffers 30 to be contained in the harvesting container 20 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the proportion of the multiple buffers 30 to the containment space 25 in the harvesting container 20 (hereinafter also simply referred to as the proportion of buffers 30 to the harvesting container 20) is 30% to 80%, preferably 40% to 60%. If the proportion of buffers 30 to the harvesting container 20 is less than 30%, it will be difficult to secure enough buffers 30 to adequately absorb the impact on the harvested produce 5. Also, if the proportion of buffers 30 to the harvesting container 20 is greater than 80%, it will be difficult to secure enough harvested produce 5 to be contained in the harvesting container 20.

[0028] The shape of the buffer 30 is not particularly limited. In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the buffer 30 is circular, for example, a perfect circle. However, the cross-sectional shape of the buffer 30 may be elliptical. The buffer 30 is spherical.

[0029] In this embodiment, the diameter of the buffer body 30 is 3 mm to 10 mm, preferably 4 mm to 8 mm. If the harvested product 5 is lemons, and the diameter of the buffer body 30 is less than 3 mm, when the harvested product 5 is placed in the harvesting container 20, the harvested product 5 may sink rapidly into the container 20. As a result, the harvested product 5 may be more likely to collide with other harvested products 5. On the other hand, if the harvested product 5 is lemons, and the diameter of the buffer body 30 is larger than 10 mm, the harvested product 5 may tend to accumulate at the bottom of the harvesting container 20, making it easier for the harvested products 5 to collide with each other. In this embodiment, the buffer body 30 is smaller than the harvested product 5. For example, the maximum diameter of the buffer body 30 is smaller than the harvested product 5 placed in the harvesting container 20. For example, multiple buffer bodies 30 housed in the harvesting container 20 may have different diameters. Similarly, multiple harvested products 5 placed in the harvesting container 20 may have different diameters (for example, the major diameter in the case of lemons). The maximum diameter of the buffer body 30 referred to here is the largest diameter among the multiple buffer bodies 30 contained in the harvesting container 20. The maximum diameter of the harvested fruit 5 is the largest diameter (e.g., major axis) among the multiple harvested fruit 5 placed in the harvesting container 20. In this case, when the harvested fruit 5 is a lemon, the diameter of the buffer body 30 is smaller than the major axis of the harvested fruit 5 and also smaller than the minor axis of the harvested fruit 5. For example, the diameter of the buffer body 30 is about 10% to 20% of the minor axis of the harvested fruit 5. By setting the size relationship between the buffer body 30 and the harvested fruit 5 as described above, it is thought that the harvested fruit 5 can easily fit into the gaps in the buffer body 30, making it easier to distribute multiple harvested fruit 5 within the harvesting container 20. Note that Figures 2, 4, and 5 are schematic diagrams, and the buffer body 30 is made larger than it actually is relative to the harvested fruit 5 for ease of viewing. In reality, the size relationship between the buffer body 30 and the harvested product 5 may be as described above (for example, the diameter of the buffer body 30 may be about 10% to 20% of the minor diameter of the harvested product 5).

[0030] In this embodiment, the specific gravity of the buffer 30 is 0.8 or less, preferably 0.6 or less. Furthermore, the specific gravity of the buffer 30 is 0.01 or more, preferably 0.1 or more, and particularly preferably 0.2 or more. For example, if the buffer 30 is formed from foamed PLA, the specific gravity of the buffer 30 may be around 0.015. The specific gravity of the harvested product 5 (e.g., lemons) is around 0.8. Therefore, the specific gravity of the buffer 30 is less than or equal to the specific gravity of the harvested product 5 placed in the harvesting container 20. However, the specific gravity of the buffer 30 may be less than the specific gravity of the harvested product 5 placed in the harvesting container 20.

[0031] The configuration of the harvesting set 10 according to this embodiment has been described above. Next, the method for harvesting the harvested product 5 will be described. Figure 3 is a flowchart of the method for harvesting the harvested product 5. As shown in Figure 3, the method for harvesting the harvested product 5 includes a receiving step S101, a feeding step S102, and a vibration step S103.

[0032] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view (more specifically, a longitudinal cross-sectional view) of the harvesting container 20 of the harvesting set 10. Figure 4 shows the harvesting container 20 before multiple harvested items 5 are placed inside. In the storage process S101 of Figure 3, multiple buffer bodies 30 are placed inside the harvesting container 20, which is intended to hold multiple harvested items 5. Here, as shown in Figure 4, the multiple buffer bodies 30 are placed inside the harvesting container 20 when there are no harvested items 5 inside. In this embodiment, in the storage process S101, multiple buffer bodies 30 are placed into the storage space 25 through the storage hole 24 from the opening 23 of the harvesting container 20. Here, it is preferable to place multiple buffer bodies 30 in the harvesting container 20 so that the ratio of buffer bodies 30 to the storage space 25 is approximately 30% to 60%.

[0033] Next, the input process S102 shown in Figure 3 is performed. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view (more specifically, a longitudinal cross-sectional view) of the harvesting container 20 of the harvesting set 10. In Figure 5, a state in which multiple harvested items 5 (in this case, two harvested items 5) are placed in the harvesting container 20 is shown, and a state in which one harvested item 5 is placed in the harvesting container 20. In the input process S102 of Figure 3, the harvested items 5 are placed in the harvesting container 20 as shown in Figure 5. Here, multiple harvested items 5 are placed in the harvesting container 20, which contains multiple buffer bodies 30 in the containment process S101. This input process S102 is a process performed when a harvester harvests the harvested items 5. For example, the harvester picks the harvested items 5 that have grown on the tree. The harvester places the picked harvested items 5 into the harvesting container 20. At this time, the harvester may throw the harvested items 5 into the harvesting container 20. At this time, the harvested items 5 are placed into the containment space 25 through the opening 23 of the harvesting container 20 and the containment hole 24. In the input process S102, as shown in Figure 5, the harvested produce 5 placed in the harvest container 20 may be positioned on top of the buffer 30 or between multiple buffer 30, and thus placed on top of the harvest container 20.

[0034] Next, the vibration process S103 shown in Figure 3 is performed. In the vibration process S103, the harvest container 20 is vibrated. Here, the harvest container 20 in which the harvested product 5 was placed in the input process S102 is vibrated. When the harvest container 20 is vibrated, multiple buffers 30 are contained inside the harvest container 20 along with the harvested product 5. When the harvested product 5 was placed in the harvest container 20 in the input process S102, the harvested product 5 may be positioned at the top of the harvest container 20 and not sunk to the bottom of the harvest container 20. Therefore, in this embodiment, in the vibration process S103, the harvest container 20 in which the harvested product 5 is placed is vibrated. As a result, as shown in Figure 2, the harvested product 5 is sunk in between the multiple buffers 30. In addition, by vibrating the harvest container 20, multiple harvested products 5 can be dispersed within the containment space 25. In this embodiment, the harvest container 20 in which the harvested product 5 is placed is vibrated in a direction D1 (see Figure 5) that intersects with the direction of gravity. This direction D1 is, for example, the horizontal direction. That is, in this embodiment, the harvesting container 20 is vibrated horizontally (in other words, sideways). However, the harvesting container 20 containing the harvested product 5 may also be vibrated in the direction of gravity, i.e., vertically, or obliquely to the direction of gravity.

[0035] The method for vibrating the harvest container 20 containing the harvested produce 5 is not particularly limited. Here, the harvester vibrates the harvest container 20 by manually shaking it. However, the harvest container 20 may be vibrated automatically using a vibration device on which the harvest container 20 is placed. For example, the harvest container 20 may be vibrated when the harvester moves the harvest container 20, causing it to shake. For example, the harvest container 20 may be vibrated by driving a vehicle such as a truck with the harvest container 20 on it.

[0036] The input process S102 and the vibration process S103 shown in Figure 3 may be performed alternately and repeatedly. For example, in the input process S102, after a predetermined number of harvested items 5 have been placed in the harvesting container 20, the vibration process S103 may be performed. After the vibration process S103, the input process S102 may be performed again to add a predetermined number of harvested items 5 to the harvesting container 20, and then the vibration process S103 may be performed again.

[0037] Next, evaluation tests were conducted to assess the buffer material. In this embodiment, the tests were performed on Examples 1 to 6. In Examples 1 to 6, a round basket with a diameter of 340 mm, a height of 280 mm, and a capacity of 17 L was used as the harvesting container. In Examples 1 to 6, lemons were used as the harvested product to be placed in the harvesting container. The lemons placed in the harvesting container had a major diameter of 4 cm to 7 cm and a specific gravity of 0.8 to 1.1.

[0038] <Example 1> In Example 1, multiple spherical buffers were prepared as buffers, each made of foamed PS with a diameter of 4 mm to 5 mm and a specific gravity of 0.1 or less.

[0039] <Example 2> In Example 2, multiple spherical buffers were prepared as buffers, each made of foamed PS with a diameter of 6 mm to 8 mm and a specific gravity of 0.1 or less.

[0040] <Example 3> In Example 3, multiple spherical buffers were prepared as buffers, each made of foamed PLA with a diameter of 6 mm to 8 mm and a specific gravity of 0.05 to 0.2.

[0041] <Example 4> In Example 4, multiple spherical buffers were prepared as buffers, each made of foamed PS with a diameter of 1 mm and a specific gravity of 0.1 or less.

[0042] <Example 5> In Example 5, multiple spherical buffers were prepared as buffers, each made of foamed PS with a diameter of 15 mm and a specific gravity of 0.1 or less.

[0043] <Example 6> In Example 6, multiple spherical buffers were prepared as buffers, each made of styrene elastomer with a diameter of 5 mm and a specific gravity of 0.89.

[0044] In Examples 1 to 6, multiple buffers were placed in the harvesting container until the buffers comprised 50% of the total volume of the container. Then, for Examples 1 to 6, the first step was to place one lemon into the harvesting container containing the buffers, followed by the vibration step, in which the harvesting container was vibrated horizontally for approximately 2 to 3 seconds. This process of placing one lemon into the container and the vibration step was repeated alternately until there were 10 lemons in the container. In Example 6, however, the lemon did not sink as described later, so the evaluation test was terminated before placing 10 lemons in the harvesting container.

[0045] Next, sensory evaluations were conducted for Examples 1 to 6. The evaluation items were sinking, gaps, and buffering effect. "Sinking" is an item that evaluates whether the lemons sank sufficiently by getting between multiple buffers in the harvesting container. "Gaps" is an item that evaluates whether the gaps between the multiple buffers and the multiple lemons in the harvesting container are large or not. "Buffering effect" is an item that evaluates whether the lemons were subjected to impact in the harvesting container. Sinking, gaps, and buffering effect in Examples 1 to 6 were evaluated visually. The results of the sensory evaluations for Examples 1 to 6 are shown in Table 1 below.

[0046] [Table 1]

[0047] In Table 1, the evaluation results for "sinking" are as follows: "○" indicates that the lemon sank sufficiently, "×" indicates that the lemon did not sink, and "△" indicates that the lemon sank only slightly. In the evaluation results for "gaps," "○" indicates that the gaps between multiple buffers and multiple lemons were small, "×" indicates that the gaps were large, and "△" indicates that the gaps were neither small nor large, but somewhere in between. In the evaluation results for "buffering effect," "○" indicates that a buffering effect was obtained when the lemons did not directly touch the bottom of the harvesting container and did not collide with each other, "×" indicates that no buffering effect was obtained when the lemons directly touched the bottom of the harvesting container or collided with each other, and "△" indicates that a slight buffering effect was obtained. Notably, in the sensory evaluation in Table 1, there were no examples of "△" for sinking, gaps, or buffering effect.

[0048] As shown in Table 1, the results for each item of the sensory evaluation were good in Examples 1 to 3. That is, in Examples 1 to 3, the lemons sank sufficiently, the buffer material filled the space between the lemons, and the lemons did not touch the bottom of the harvesting container or collide with each other. Therefore, in Examples 1 to 3, the impact on the lemons was absorbed by the buffer material. On the other hand, in Example 4, because the diameter of the buffer material was small at 1 mm, the lemons sank too quickly and sometimes collided with each other. Therefore, in Example 4, a good result was not obtained for the buffering effect. In Example 5, because the diameter of the buffer material was large at 15 mm, there was a large gap, and the lemons sank too much and touched the bottom of the harvesting container. Therefore, in Example 5, a good result was not obtained for the gap and buffering results. In Example 6, because the specific gravity of the buffer material was 0.89, the lemons did not sink, and sometimes collided with each other. Therefore, in Example 6, a good result was not obtained for sinking and buffering results. From the above, it was found that by making the specific gravity of the buffer material less than that of the lemon, for example, by making the specific gravity of the buffer material 0.8 or less, it is possible to make it easier to absorb the impact on the lemon. Furthermore, it was found that by making the diameter of the buffer material about 3 mm to 10 mm, preferably about 4 mm to 8 mm, and making the diameter of the buffer material smaller than the major axis of the lemon, it is possible to make it easier to absorb the impact on the lemon.

[0049] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, the harvesting set 10 comprises a harvesting container 20 for holding multiple harvested produce items 5, and multiple buffers 30 housed within the harvesting container 20. Here, when the harvested produce items 5 are placed in the harvesting container 20 during harvesting, the buffers 30 absorb the impact on the produce items 5. Furthermore, since the buffers 30 are placed between the produce items 5 within the harvesting container 20, the produce items 5 are less likely to collide with each other. Therefore, the produce items 5 are less likely to be damaged during harvesting.

[0050] In this embodiment, the specific gravity of the buffer 30 is 0.8 or less. The specific gravity of the buffer 30 is 0.01 or more. Furthermore, the specific gravity of the buffer 30 is less than the specific gravity of the harvested product 5 placed in the harvesting container 20. By setting the specific gravity of the buffer 30 in this way, it is possible to make it easier for the harvested product 5 to sink relative to the buffer 30 between adjacent buffer 30s, while making it difficult for the buffer 30 to be blown away by wind or other forces.

[0051] In this embodiment, the diameter of the buffer body 30 is 3 mm to 10 mm. Furthermore, the maximum diameter of the buffer body 30 is smaller than that of the harvested produce 5 to be placed in the harvesting container 20. By setting the diameter of the buffer body 30 as described above, the buffer body 30 can easily move within the harvesting container 20 when the harvested produce 5 is placed in the harvesting container 20, thereby improving work efficiency during harvesting and making it easier to insert the buffer body 30 between the harvested produce 5 within the harvesting container 20.

[0052] In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the buffer body 30 is circular. This makes it easy for the buffer body 30 to move within the harvesting container 20. Therefore, multiple buffer bodies 30 can be easily arranged separately within the harvesting container 20. Consequently, multiple buffer bodies 30 can be uniformly arranged within the harvesting container 20.

[0053] In this embodiment, the buffer 30 is made of a material softer than the harvested produce 5 placed in the harvesting container 20. This makes it easier to absorb the impact on the harvested produce 5 when it is placed in the harvesting container 20.

[0054] In this embodiment, the proportion of the multiple buffers 30 in the storage space 25 within the harvesting container 20 is 30% to 80%. This allows for the absorption of the impact on the harvested produce 5 when it is placed in the harvesting container 20, while also allowing more harvested produce 5 to be placed in the harvesting container 20.

[0055] In this embodiment, the harvesting method for the harvested produce 5 includes a storage step S101, a loading step S102, and a vibration step S103, as shown in Figure 3. In the storage step S101, as shown in Figure 4, multiple buffers 30 are placed inside a harvesting container 20 that can hold multiple harvested produce 5. In the loading step S102, as shown in Figure 5, the harvested produce 5 is placed inside the harvesting container 20 with the multiple buffers 30 inside. In the vibration step S103, the harvesting container 20 with the harvested produce 5 inside is vibrated. This causes the harvesting container 20 to vibrate with the multiple buffers 30 and multiple harvested produce 5 inside. This vibration makes it easier for the harvested produce 5 to get between the buffers 30 inside the harvesting container 20, as shown in Figure 2. Therefore, the harvested produce 5 is less likely to collide with each other inside the harvesting container 20, and thus less likely to be damaged.

[0056] In this embodiment, during the vibration process S103, the harvesting container 20 containing the harvested produce 5 is vibrated in a direction D1 (see Figure 5) that is perpendicular to the direction of gravity. This makes it easier for the harvested produce 5 to penetrate between the buffers 30 compared to, for example, the case where the harvesting container 20 is vibrated in the direction of gravity.

[0057] In this embodiment, in the input step S102, the harvested produce 5 is thrown into the harvesting container 20. Even when the harvested produce 5 is thrown into the harvesting container 20 in this way, the shock absorber 30 can absorb the impact on the harvested produce 5. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0058] 5. Harvested products 10 Harvest Sets 20 harvesting containers 21 Bottom 22 Side 23 Opening 24 Intake holes 25 Containment space 30 Buffer S101 Accommodation Process S102 Feeding process S103 Vibration Engineering

Claims

1. A harvesting container for holding multiple harvested items, Multiple buffer bodies contained within the harvesting container, A harvesting set equipped with these features.

2. The harvesting set according to claim 1, wherein the specific gravity of the buffer is 0.8 or less.

3. The harvesting set according to claim 2, wherein the specific gravity of the buffer is 0.01 or more.

4. The harvesting set according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the buffer is circular.

5. The harvesting set according to claim 1, wherein the diameter of the buffer is 3 mm to 10 mm.

6. The harvesting set according to claim 1, wherein the buffer has a maximum diameter smaller than the harvested product placed in the harvesting container.

7. The harvesting set according to claim 1, wherein the buffer is made of a material softer than the harvested product placed in the harvesting container.

8. The harvesting set according to claim 1, wherein the proportion of the multiple buffers in the storage space within the harvesting container is 30% to 80%.

9. A buffer for harvested produce, which is placed in a harvesting container that holds multiple harvested produce items, The specific gravity is 0.8 or less. A buffer material for harvested crops, with a diameter of 3 mm to 10 mm.

10. A storage process involves placing multiple buffers inside a harvesting container that can hold multiple harvested items, A step of placing the harvested product into the harvest container, which contains a plurality of the buffer bodies, A vibration step in which the harvesting container containing the harvested product is vibrated, A method of harvesting crops that includes this.

11. The method for harvesting produce according to claim 10, wherein the vibration step involves vibrating the harvesting container, in which the harvested produce is placed, in a direction intersecting the direction of gravity.

12. The method for harvesting harvested material according to claim 10, wherein in the input step, the harvested material is thrown into the harvesting container.

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