Folding Boom Sprayer

Abstract

To provide a foldable boom sprayer that prevents the horizontal movement of the vehicle due to turning or hitch adjustment during chemical spraying from being directly transmitted to the side boom. [Solution] A folding boom sprayer 1 has a center boom 2 fixed to the rear of the vehicle, side booms 3 pivotally supported on the left and right sides of the center boom 2, and a pair of left and right opening / closing cylinders 5 that rotate the side booms 3 on an axis to extend and fold the side booms 3. A cylinder connecting swing member 4 is provided at approximately the center position of the left and right sides of the center boom 2, pivotally supported so as to be able to swing in the left and right direction, and the base ends of the pair of left and right opening / closing cylinders 5 are connected to the tip side of the cylinder connecting swing member 4.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a folding boom sprayer having a center boom and side booms extending to the left and right of the center boom, and the side booms can be folded at the proximal end side.

Background Art

[0002] A boom sprayer is for spraying a chemical solution or the like in a field, and is configured as an attachment mounted on a traveling vehicle such as a tractor or a towing vehicle, or as a dedicated spraying vehicle integrated with the traveling vehicle.

[0003] The longer the length of the side booms extending to the left and right with respect to the vehicle, the greater the advantage that a chemical solution can be sprayed over a wider area for a boom sprayer. On the other hand, when the side booms are lengthened, there are disadvantages such as a decrease in maneuverability during movement without chemical solution spraying or a need for a large storage space.

[0004] In response to such disadvantages, boom sprayers that can fold the side booms during movement or storage have been proposed so far. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2021-69303 proposes a boom sprayer that can fold the left and right side booms backward with respect to a center boom fixed in front of a traveling vehicle (Patent Document 1). Further, the applicant of the present application has developed and disclosed an invention related to a boom sprayer that can fold the left and right side booms in two folds and further fold the side booms with respect to the center boom in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2013-116078 (Patent Document 2).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

[0006] Incidentally, with conventional boom sprayers, when the vehicle moves horizontally due to slewing operations or adjustments to the hitch angle during chemical spraying, this horizontal movement is directly transmitted to the boom sprayer, causing it to move as a single unit. In this case, if the side boom is long, the displacement of the boom tip becomes large, which can lead to areas that are not sprayed (spray spots) or collisions with obstacles. Until now, operators have been trying to minimize the displacement of the boom tip by adjusting the angle of the side boom or reducing the vehicle speed, but this has been a significant burden on the operator.

[0007] The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a foldable boom sprayer that can prevent the horizontal movement of the vehicle due to turning or hitch adjustment during chemical spraying from being directly transmitted to the side boom. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The folding boom sprayer according to the present invention solves the problem of preventing the horizontal movement of the vehicle from being directly transmitted to the side booms. It comprises a center boom fixed to the rear of the vehicle, side booms pivotally supported on the left and right sides of the center boom, and a pair of left and right opening / closing cylinders that rotate the side booms on an axis to extend and fold them. A cylinder connecting swinging member is provided at approximately the center position of the left and right sides of the center boom, pivotally supported so as to be able to swing in the left and right directions, and the base ends of the pair of left and right opening / closing cylinders are connected to the tip side of the cylinder connecting swinging member.

[0009] Furthermore, in one aspect of the present invention, in order to solve the problem of absorbing the swaying of the side boom and stabilizing the position of the side boom, a pair of left and right cushion members made of an elastic material may be provided between the left and right sides of the cylinder connecting swing member and the center boom. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, horizontal movement of the vehicle due to turning or hitch adjustment during chemical spraying can be prevented from being directly transmitted to the side boom. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the folding boom sprayer according to the present invention installed on a towing vehicle. [Figure 2] This is a plan view showing the folding boom sprayer of this embodiment. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing the vicinity of the center boom in the folding boom sprayer of this embodiment. [Figure 4] This is an enlarged perspective view showing the oscillating member for cylinder connection in this embodiment. [Figure 5] This is a plan view showing the oscillating member and cushioning member for cylinder connection in this embodiment. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view showing the cushioning member in this embodiment. [Figure 7] This is an aerial photograph showing the folding boom sprayer of this embodiment mounted on a towing vehicle and traveling through a field. [Figure 8] This embodiment is an aerial photograph showing the towing vehicle moving horizontally to the left, such as during a left turn. [Figure 9] In this embodiment, (a) a folding boom sprayer and (b) an enlarged plan view of the foldable boom sprayer and its cylinder connecting swing member, showing the foldable boom sprayer in a state where the towing vehicle has moved horizontally to the left side, such as by turning left. [Figure 10]This is an aerial photograph showing the state where the towing vehicle has horizontally moved to the right during a right turn or the like in this embodiment. [Figure 11] In this embodiment, it is an enlarged plan view of (a) a folding boom sprayer and (b) its rocking member for cylinder connection, showing the folding boom sprayer in a state where the towing vehicle has horizontally moved to the right during a right turn or the like.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a folding boom sprayer according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] The folding boom sprayer 1 of this embodiment is a boom equipped with a mechanism for spraying a chemical solution or the like. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, it has a center boom 2, side booms 3 extending left and right from this center boom 2, a rocking member 4 for cylinder connection pivotally supported on the center boom 2, an opening and closing cylinder 5 connecting this rocking member 4 for cylinder connection and the side boom 3, and a cushion member 6 provided between the rocking member 4 for cylinder connection and the center boom 2. Hereinafter, each component will be described in detail.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the center boom 2 is arranged in the center and connects the side booms 3 to both left and right ends thereof. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, it has a main frame 21 formed in a long shape along the left - right direction, and rotating shafts 22 for pivotally supporting the side booms 3 at both left and right ends of this main frame 21. Also, at substantially the center position in the left - right direction of the main frame 21, a rocking shaft 23 for pivotally supporting the rocking member 4 for cylinder connection is provided so as to penetrate in a substantially vertical direction.

[0015] This center boom 2 is fixed to the rear of the vehicle. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, it is installed behind the towing vehicle T. [[ID=​Note that the vehicle that fixes the center boom 2 is not limited to the towing vehicle T, and it may be appropriately selected from vehicles capable of traveling in a field such as a tractor.

[0017] The side boom 3 is a boom provided with a mechanism for spraying a chemical solution or the like. It can be deployed when spraying the chemical solution, and can be folded when moving or storing without spraying the chemical solution. In this embodiment, it is pivotally supported by a pivot shaft 22 provided at both left and right end portions of the center boom 2.

[0018] Also, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the side boom 3 includes a swing arm 31 on the proximal end side. This swing arm 31 is an arm that connects to the opening and closing cylinder 5, and extends rearward and toward the center direction from the installation position of the pivot shaft 22 at the proximal end portion of the side boom 3. That is, in this embodiment, by swinging this swing arm 31 with the opening and closing cylinder 5, the side boom 3 is configured to rotate about the pivot shaft 22 and perform deployment and folding operations.

[0019] Note that the direction in which the swing arm 31 extends is not particularly limited, and it may be appropriately selected from directions in which the side boom 3 can be deployed and folded by the expansion and contraction of the opening and closing cylinder 5.

[0020] The swing member 4 for cylinder connection is for preventing the horizontal movement of the vehicle from being directly transmitted to the side boom 3. As shown in FIG. 3, it is pivotally supported in the left-right direction by a pivot shaft 23 provided at a substantially central position in the left-right direction of the main frame 21.

[0021] The swing member 4 for cylinder connection in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, has a shaft support portion 41 pivotally supported by the pivot shaft 23, a connection portion 42 extending from the shaft support portion 41 to the distal end side, and cushion receiving portions 43 extending obliquely forward from both left and right sides of the shaft support portion 41.

[0022] The pivot support portion 41 is the part that is pivotally supported by the pivot shaft 23, and is formed in a roughly U-shape in side view, including two upper and lower plates, and is positioned so as to sandwich the upper and lower plates between the upper and lower ends of the main frame 21 and is pivotally supported at the upper and lower ends of the pivot shaft 23.

[0023] The connecting portion 42 is the part that connects the opening / closing cylinder 5, and is composed of two upper and lower plates that extend approximately horizontally backward from the shaft support portion 41, and the base end of the opening / closing cylinder 5 is positioned between these upper and lower plates for connection. In addition, as shown in Figure 5, connecting holes 44 for connecting the opening / closing cylinder 5 are opened at two locations on the left and right sides of the tip side of each plate. In this embodiment, the upper plate is composed of a single plate that is common with the upper plate of the shaft support 41.

[0024] Furthermore, the connecting portion 42 is not limited to being composed of two plates, one above the other. Any configuration that allows connection to the base end of the opening / closing cylinder 5 may be selected from a single plate or a configuration other than plates.

[0025] The cushion receiving portion 43 is a part for receiving the cushion member 6 provided between it and the center boom 2, and is formed on both the left and right sides of the pivot support portion 41. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, it is bent diagonally outward and downward to form a roughly V-shape in plan view.

[0026] The opening / closing cylinder 5 is a drive means for deploying and folding the side boom 3, and in this embodiment, it is composed of a hydraulic cylinder that can extend and retract by hydraulic pressure.

[0027] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the opening and closing cylinders 5 are arranged symmetrically from the cylinder connecting oscillating member 4, with their base ends connected to the connecting portion 42 of the cylinder connecting oscillating member 4, and their respective tip ends connected to the tip sides of the left and right oscillating arms 31.

[0028] In this embodiment, when the opening / closing cylinder 5 is retracted and both left and right side booms 3 are fully deployed, the cylinder connecting swing member 4 is set to a neutral position where it is not swinging to either the left or right (the center line of the cylinder connecting swing member 4 is perpendicular to the main frame 21).

[0029] The cushion member 6 absorbs the swaying of the side boom 3, stabilizes the position of the side boom 3, and absorbs the difference in rotational amount between the center boom 2 and the cylinder connecting oscillating member 4 when the vehicle moves horizontally due to turning or pitch adjustment. It is made of an elastic material that can be deformed with a small force. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 6, the cushion member 6 consists of a hollow or solid, substantially cylindrical rubber cushion portion 61 and a fixing bolt portion 62 provided on the base end side of the cushion portion 61.

[0030] As shown in Figure 5, the cushion member 6 is positioned between the left and right sides of the cylinder connecting oscillating member 4 and the center boom 2. In this embodiment, the cushion member 6 is fastened and fixed to the cushion mounting base 63 provided on the main frame 21 on both the left and right sides of the cylinder connecting oscillating member 4 by fixing bolts 62.

[0031] The cushion mounting base 63 is formed in a roughly right-angled triangular shape in plan view, and as shown in Figure 5, when the cylinder connecting oscillating member 4 is in the neutral position, the mounting surface on which the cushion member 6 is installed is parallel to the cushion receiving portion 43.

[0032] Next, the operation of each component in the folding boom sprayer 1 of this embodiment will be described.

[0033] As shown in Figure 7, the spraying of chemicals and other substances is performed with the side booms 3 extended to the left and right. When the towing vehicle T accelerates or decelerates, an inertial force acts on the left and right side booms 3, causing them to rotate forward or backward. At this time, although the cylinder connecting oscillating member 4 is provided to swing freely, each of the left and right side booms 3 is connected to the cylinder connecting oscillating member 4 via the opening and closing cylinders 5, so a nearly equal force is applied in the left and right directions.

[0034] Therefore, the folding boom sprayer 1 can accelerate or decelerate without changing the angle of the side boom 3 relative to the direction of travel. In addition, even if the side boom 3 sways, the forces on the left and right sides cancel each other out, so the swaying can be suppressed quickly.

[0035] Next, we will explain the case where the towing vehicle T moves horizontally to the left due to rotation or pitch adjustment, as shown in Figures 8 and 9. In this case, since the center boom 2 is fixed to the towing vehicle T, it rotates to the right at the same angle as the rotation of the towing vehicle T.

[0036] On the other hand, the side boom 3 attempts to maintain the same angle relative to the direction of travel due to inertial force. In this embodiment, since the cylinder connecting oscillating member 4 is provided to swing freely, it is possible for it to move differently from the center boom 2, and as shown in Figure 9(b), the cylinder connecting oscillating member 4 swings to the left in response to the inertial force related to the side boom 3. As a result, the side boom 3 can maintain the angle it was at before the turn without being affected by the movement of the towing vehicle T.

[0037] At this time, the left cushion member 6 is pressed by the cushion receiving portion 43 of the cylinder connecting oscillating member 4, but since the cushion portion 61 deforms with only a small force, it does not hinder the oscillation of the cylinder connecting oscillating member 4, and can absorb the difference in rotational amount between the center boom 2 and the cylinder connecting oscillating member 4, as well as the swaying of the side boom 3.

[0038] Next, as shown in Figures 10 and 11, when the towing vehicle T moves horizontally to the right due to slewing or pitch adjustment, the center boom 2, being fixed to the towing vehicle T, rotates to the right by the same angle as the slewing angle of the towing vehicle T.

[0039] In response, the cylinder connecting oscillating member 4 receives the inertial force related to the side boom 3 and oscillates to the right, as shown in Figure 11(b). As a result, the side boom 3 can maintain its pre-rotation angle without being affected by the movement of the towing vehicle T, just as it does when turning to the right.

[0040] Furthermore, the cushion member 6 on the right side deforms so as not to hinder the swinging of the cylinder connecting swing member 4, and can absorb the difference in rotational amount between the center boom 2 and the cylinder connecting swing member 4, as well as the swing of the side boom 3.

[0041] According to this embodiment described above, the following effects can be achieved. 1. By connecting the opening and closing cylinder 5, which deploys and folds the side boom 3, to a pivotable cylinder connecting pivoting member 4, the horizontal movement of the vehicle due to turning or hitch adjustment during chemical spraying is not directly transmitted to the side boom 3. As a result, the side boom 3 maintains its angle before turning, and the displacement of the tip side can be reduced. 2. Since the left and right side booms 3 are connected to a single cylinder connecting oscillating member 4 via an opening / closing cylinder 5, the inertial force and swaying forces acting on the side booms 3 cancel each other out by the cylinder connecting oscillating member 4, thereby maintaining the angle of the side booms 3 and quickly suppressing swaying. 3. The cushion members 6, provided between the left and right sides of the cylinder connecting oscillating member 4 and the center boom 2, deform to prevent the horizontal movement of the vehicle from being directly transmitted to the side booms 3, while absorbing the difference in rotational amount between the center boom 2 and the cylinder connecting oscillating member 4, as well as the swaying of the side booms 3, thereby stabilizing the position of the side booms 3.

[0042] It should be noted that the folding boom sprayer according to the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and can be modified as appropriate. For example, the cushion receiving portion 43 is not limited to being formed in a substantially V-shape in plan view, but may be formed as appropriate depending on the arrangement of the cushion member 6. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1. Folding Boom Sprayer 2 Center Boom 3 Side Booms 4. Swivel member for cylinder connection 5. Opening / closing cylinder 6. Cushioning material T-Towing Vehicle 21 Mainframe 22 pivot axes 23. Oscillating axis 31. Swivel Arm 41 Axis branch 42 Connecting part 43 Cushion receiving part 44 Connection hole 61 Cushion part 62 Bolt section 63 Cushion mounting stand

Claims

1. A folding boom sprayer having a center boom fixed to the rear of the vehicle, side booms pivotally supported on the left and right sides of the center boom, and a pair of left and right opening / closing cylinders that rotate the side booms on an axis to extend and fold the side booms, A pivoting member for connecting a cylinder is provided at approximately the center position of the aforementioned center boom, which is pivotally supported so as to be able to swing in the left-right direction. The folding boom sprayer, wherein the base ends of a pair of left and right opening / closing cylinders are connected to the tip side of the cylinder connecting swing member.

2. A folding boom sprayer according to claim 1, wherein a pair of left and right cushion members made of an elastic material are provided between the left and right sides of the oscillating member for connecting the cylinder and the center boom.

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