Wild vegetable bundling device

Abstract

To provide a vegetable binding device applicable to various field states, and allowing binding of a vegetable in short time and with a low defective fraction.SOLUTION: A vegetable binding device 100 binds a vegetable planted in a field in a state that outer leaves thereof are pulled up and covered. The vegetable binding device has: a body part 1 having at least a vehicle width larger than a ridge width and including a frame 2 in a shape of straddling the vegetable and wheels (front wheels 4 and rear wheels 5) traveling the vegetable binding device 100; an outer leaves pull-up mechanism 20 for making a pair of abutting parts 40 held by an arm 21 abut on a side face lower part of the vegetable and forming the vegetable in a covered state by the outer leaves by rotating upward; and a binding mechanism 30 pulling out a binding string from a reel 31 in a state of the vegetable covered by the outer leaves and performing binding by winding the binding string around an upper part of the vegetable, and has a guide member 10 covering a part of an inner side of the front wheels 4 from a front side of at least the front wheels 4 out of the wheels, and guides the outer leaves of the vegetable to a direction of the outer leaves pull-up mechanism 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vegetable bundling device that bundles vegetables such as Chinese cabbages by pulling up and covering the outer leaves that spread outside the vegetables and then bundling them with a bundling string.

Background Art

[0002] Vegetables that have leaves overlapping one by one while curling and form a spherical shape, such as Chinese cabbages, cabbages, and lettuces, are called heading vegetables. Among heading vegetables, especially for winter Chinese cabbages, in order to prevent freezing damage or frost damage to the heading part, a method of pulling up the head and tying up the outer leaves with a string has been traditionally carried out from autumn to winter (around November to December). This is to prevent the leaves from rotting due to frost or the like entering from the head of the Chinese cabbage. In addition, Chinese cabbages exposed to cold air in a tied state have their internal starch converted into sugar, increasing their sweetness and at the same time being able to be stored in the field while maintaining freshness. Tying up has great advantages in both taste and shipment quantity adjustment. Also, among non-heading vegetables, there is cauliflower, which is tied up with leaves because direct sunlight on the flower buds causes deterioration in quality and color.

[0003] Regarding Chinese cabbages, conventional manual tying takes about 15 seconds per one, and since about 3000 to 4000 Chinese cabbages are planted per are, tying up one are takes several days. The tying work of Chinese cabbages is in a bad posture with knees and waist bent for a long time, which is a great burden on farmers both physically and timewise. In recent years, the aging rate of farmers has also been increasing, and in some regions, due to the burden of tying work, farmers may give up cultivating vegetables (Chinese cabbages), leading to a decrease in cultivating farmers.

[0004] In response to such conventional problems, the applicants have previously proposed in Patent Document 1 a vegetable bundling device that can bundle vegetables at an appropriate position without the string loosening, in a short time, and with a low defect rate.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] Patent Document 1 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-145562 Summary of the Invention Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] After that, the applicant of this application has further improved the practical application of the vegetable bundling device described in Patent Document 1. For example, there are problems such as the outer leaves of Chinese cabbages that have spread too much being caught by the front wheels of the vegetable bundling device and the ridges having different heights by farmers.

[0007] The present invention has been proposed in view of such a conventional situation, and an object thereof is to provide a vegetable bundling device that can adapt to various field conditions and can bundle vegetables in a short time with a low defect rate. Means for Solving the Problems

[0008] One aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is a vegetable bundling device that bundles vegetables in a state where the outer leaves of the vegetables planted in the field are pulled up and covered, and at least has a vehicle body width equal to or greater than the ridge width, and has a frame in a shape that straddles the vegetables and a main body part provided with wheels for running the device. When the vegetables reach a predetermined position, a pair of contact parts held by an arm are brought into contact with the lower part of the side surface of the vegetables and further rotated upward to cover the vegetables with the outer leaves. An outer leaf pulling-up mechanism, and a bundling mechanism that pulls out a bundling string from a reel and winds it around the upper part of the vegetables to bundle the vegetables in a state where the vegetables are covered with the outer leaves. Among the wheels, at least a part of the inside of the front wheels is covered from the front of the front wheels, and a guide member that guides the outer leaves of the vegetables in the direction of the outer leaf pulling-up mechanism is provided Moreover, auxiliary wheels are provided on the front end side of the guide member. .

[0009] According to one aspect of the present invention, by having a guide member, it is possible to prevent the outer leaves of the vegetables that have spread to the outside of the ridge from being caught by the wheels of the vegetable bundling device, and it is possible to surely guide the outer leaves of the vegetables toward the outer leaf pulling-up mechanism. Therefore, vegetables can be bundled in a short time with a low defect rate.

[0011] Also, By doing so, it is possible to respond to various field conditions, and it is also possible to prevent the guide member from contacting the ground or the inclined surface when moving on a wavy road or an inclined surface.

[0012] Further, in one aspect of the present invention, it may be provided with a height adjustment mechanism that enables the height of the portion connecting the outer leaf lifting mechanism and the bundling mechanism to the main body to be changed in the height direction.

[0013] By doing so, even when the ridge heights are different in the field, it is possible to set an appropriate height according to the situation, and it is possible to bundle vegetables in a short time with a low defect rate.

[0014] Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the outer leaf lifting mechanism and the bundling mechanism are connected to the main body through a movable mechanism, and it is possible to adjust the position of the outer leaf lifting mechanism in the left-right direction according to the deviation of the force due to the displacement of the outer leaf lifting mechanism by the movable mechanism.

[0015] By doing so, even when the vegetables in the field grow deviating from the straight line to the left and right, or when the left and right positions vary due to manual planting, it is possible to bundle them corresponding to the left-right variation.

[0016] Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the movable mechanism may be composed of four springs.

[0017] By doing so, it is possible to respond to the left-right variation with a simpler configuration.

[0018] Further, in one aspect of the present invention, it may be provided with a pressing member that contacts the outer leaves of the vegetables above the outlet of the binding string of the bundling mechanism.

[0019] By doing so, it is possible to bundle the outer leaves at the tip (head) of the vegetables in a bundled state.

[0020] Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the contact portion may be composed of a spring coil and a plurality of spherical guide rollers having the spring coil as an axis, and both ends of the contact portion may be connected to the arm by bearings.

[0021] By doing so, each guide roller can rotate independently while fitting the outer peripheral shape of the vegetable. Therefore, it can be evenly lifted without damaging the outer leaves and regardless of the size of the Chinese cabbage, so that the vegetables can be bundled in a short time with a low defect rate. Further, by making the guide roller spherical, it is possible to prevent the string from getting caught on the guide roller when binding the binding string to the vegetable.

[0022] Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the spherical guide roller may be dividable into two or more parts and may be formed such that the diameter of the through hole increases as going from the center of the sphere toward the spherical surface side.

[0023] By doing so, the guide roller having the spring coil as an axis becomes excellent in mobility at various angles with respect to the axis, contacts along the shape of the vegetable, and even when there are depressions in the overlapping parts of the outer leaves, etc., the guide roller can enter the depression, so that the outer leaves can be surely lifted.

[0024] Further, in one aspect of the present invention, an auxiliary member that contacts the outer leaves of the vegetable may be provided on the arm above the guide roller.

[0025] By doing so, it is possible to reduce the load when lifting the outer leaves of the vegetable with the guide roller and to prevent the leaves from breaking by receiving the outer leaves.

Advantages of the Invention

[0026] As described above, according to the present invention, it can adapt to various field conditions and can bundle vegetables in a short time with a low defect rate.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0027]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

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Figure 5

Figure 6

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0028] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below do not unduly limit the content of the present invention described in the claims, and not all of the configurations described in these embodiments are essential as the solution means of the present invention.

[0029] In the following, the improvements of the present invention will be mainly described with respect to the previously filed vegetable bundling device (Patent Document 1). In this specification, the mechanism of the vegetable bundling device in parts not specifically described is the same as the mechanism of the head vegetable bundling working machine described in Patent Document 1 mentioned above. In the vegetable bundling device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the height direction positioning mechanism described in Patent Document 1 is not essential. Further, in the following description, mainly the example of bundling the heads of Chinese cabbages planted in the field will be given. Of course, the vegetables are not limited to Chinese cabbages, and the present invention is also applicable to other head vegetables and vegetables such as cauliflower described above.

[0030] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of a vegetable bundling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. One aspect of the present invention is a vegetable bundling device 100 that bundles vegetables in a state where the outer leaves of the vegetables planted in the field are pulled up and covered. The vegetable bundling device 100 includes at least a main body part 1 having a vehicle body width equal to or greater than the ridge width and wheels (front wheels 4 and rear wheels 5) for running the device 100, and a frame 2 having a shape that straddles the vegetables. When the vegetables reach a predetermined position, a pair of contact parts 40 held by an arm 21 are brought into contact with the lower side of the vegetables, and the vegetables are further rotated upward to cover the vegetables with the outer leaves. The outer leaf pulling-up mechanism 20 includes a bundling mechanism 30 that pulls out a bundling string from a reel 31 and wraps it around the upper part of the vegetables to bundle them in a state where the vegetables are covered with the outer leaves. Among the wheels, at least a part inside the front wheels 4 is covered from the front of the front wheels 4, and a guide member 10 for guiding the outer leaves of the vegetables in the direction of the outer leaf pulling-up mechanism 20 is provided.

[0031] First, the operation of the vegetable bundling device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described. In one aspect of the present invention, the vehicle body width, that is, the width between the front wheels 4 of the vegetable bundling device 100 and the width between the rear wheels 5 are designed to be equal to or greater than the width of the ridges on which the vegetables are planted or the width of the rows of the planted vegetables. Alternatively, the width between the front wheels 4 and the width between the rear wheels 5 may be adjustable by the frame 2 of the main body part 1. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the frame 2 forming the main body part of the vegetable bundling device 100 is configured to have a space through which the vegetables can pass at the lower center.

[0032] In this way, the vegetable bundling device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention travels across the rows of vegetables on the ridge. The travel of the vegetable bundling device 100 may be, for example, pushed manually with the handle 6, or the power of the generator 7 may be used to drive the front wheels 4 and / or the rear wheels 5.

[0033] When the vegetable bundling device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is made to travel and the vegetables reach a predetermined position under the vegetable bundling device 100, the travel of the vegetable bundling device 100 is stopped, and the operator operates, for example, the bundling position adjustment lever 23 provided on the vegetable bundling device 100 and operates a drive button (not shown). Thereby, the outer leaf lifting mechanism 20 and the bundling mechanism 30 provided on both side surfaces of the vegetable bundling device 100 are driven.

[0034] FIG. 2(A) is a front view (viewed from the traveling direction side) showing the outer leaf lifting mechanism 20 in the vegetable bundling device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2(B) is a schematic view showing a state in which the contact portion in one aspect of the present invention is in contact with the outer leaf of the vegetable. As shown in FIG. 2, the outer leaf lifting mechanism 20 includes a pair of contact portions 40 held by the arm 21. The features of the contact portion 40 in the present invention will be described later. The outer leaf lifting mechanism 20 uses, for example, the electricity of the generator 7 as a drive source.

[0035] When the outer leaf lifting mechanism 20 is driven, as an example, the arm 21 portion rotates via the rod 22. Along with this operation, the contact portion 40 held at the tip of the arm 21 comes into contact with the lower side surface of the vegetable 50 on the ridge 51 and moves toward the head (upper part) of the vegetable 50 as it is, so that the outer leaf 52 of the vegetable 50 can be lifted to the head (upper part).

[0036] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a binding mechanism in a vegetable bundling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the binding mechanism 30, the binding string 32 pulled out from the reel 31 is inserted into the binding arm 34 through the guide 33 and the like, and is pulled out from the outlet 35 of the binding arm 34. In this state, for example, the binding arm 34 is rotated along the head of the vegetable 50 by the binding motor 36, and the head of the vegetable 50 is wound and bound by the binding string 32 coming out from the outlet 35. The binding arm 34 rotates on the vegetable 50 about one or two turns, for example, to wind and bind the binding string 32. Note that the binding string 32 of the reel 31 can generally be a string with a length of about 1000 m, and in some cases, it can be used up to 3000 m.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3, the reel 31 is preferably used in a vertical state. This is because when the reel is used in a state where it is laid horizontally, for some reason, when the binding string loosens, the binding string will hang downward under the reel, which is likely to cause problems such as the binding string getting entangled. If the reel 31 is installed vertically as shown in FIG. 3, even if the binding string 32 loosens, it will not be deflected in the side direction of the reel 31, so problems such as the binding string 32 getting entangled can be prevented. Also, in the binding mechanism 30, a rotational force (back tension) in the direction opposite to the direction in which the binding string 32 is consumed can be constantly applied to the reel 31 by the back tension motor 37, and the binding string 32 may be configured to be pulled out against this rotational force.

[0038] Although not shown in FIG. 3, when the head of the vegetable 50 is bound by the binding mechanism 30, the outer leaves 52 of the vegetable 50 are pulled up by the outer leaf pulling-up mechanism 20, and the contact portion 40 is in a state of contacting the vegetable 50. The contact portion 40 is held at a position lower than the outlet 35 of the binding arm 34.

[0039] Thus, in the vegetable bundling device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, (1) The main body 1 is moved so that the vegetable 50 comes to a predetermined position. (2) The outer leaf lifting mechanism 20 lifts the outer leaves 52 of the vegetable 50. (3) The binding mechanism 30 binds the binding string 32 to the head of the vegetable 50. Repeat the operation.

[0040] At this time, in the vegetable binding device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, it is not necessary to cut the binding string 32, and it is possible to move as it is and continuously bind the heads of the vegetables 50. Therefore, in the vegetable binding device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 4, it is possible to continuously bind a plurality of vegetables 50 planted in a row of ridges 51 with a single string.

[0041] Next, the characteristic improvement points of the vegetable binding device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0042] The first improvement point of the vegetable binding device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is that a guide member 10 is provided that covers at least a part inside the front wheels from the front of the front wheels and guides the outer leaves of the vegetables in the direction of the outer leaf lifting mechanism 20.

[0043] Among vegetables such as Chinese cabbages, there are some whose outer leaves spread greatly outward from the ridges. In this case, there is a risk that the outer leaves will be caught by the front wheels of the vegetable binding device, and it may not be possible to neatly gather and bind the outer leaves.

[0044] Therefore, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, a guide member 10 is provided that covers from the front to the side of the front wheels 4. By doing so, the outer leaves 52 of the vegetables 50 that protrude greatly outward from the ridges can be pushed aside by the guide member 10 without being caught by the front wheels 4 and can proceed. Further, since the outer leaves 52 of the vegetables 50 are guided in the direction of the outer leaf lifting mechanism 20 along the inside of the guide member 10, it is possible to surely lift and bind the outer leaves 52 of the vegetables 50.

[0045] As an example, as shown in FIG. 1, the guide member 10 fixes a substantially U-shaped or substantially V-shaped member to the front wheel 4 of the vegetable bundling device. The material is not particularly limited, and those made of metal or plastic can be adopted. The guide member 10 can maintain its center, for example, by inserting a bearing into the axis 11 of the front wheel 4 and fixing it. It is desirable to provide a plurality of fixing positions on the guide member 10 so that the guide member 10 can be set to a height suitable for separating the outer leaves of the vegetables, or to be rotatable with respect to the axis 11 of the front wheel 4.

[0046] Also, in one aspect of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, a configuration can be adopted in which an auxiliary wheel 15 is provided on the front end side of the guide member 10. The auxiliary wheel 15 is installed on the front end side of the guide member 10, for example, by providing an auxiliary axle 16. At this time, the guide member 10 is configured to be rotatable with respect to the axis 11 of the front wheel 4.

[0047] FIG. 5(A) is a schematic diagram showing the movement of the auxiliary wheel and the guide member when the front wheel passes through a wavy road in one aspect of the present invention, and FIG. 5(B) is a schematic diagram showing the movement of the auxiliary wheel and the guide member when the front wheel passes through an inclined surface (slope) in one aspect of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5(A), for example, even when passing through a wavy field road, the guide member 10 provided on the front wheel 4 moves up and down following the movement of the auxiliary wheel 15 provided on the guide member 10, so that it is possible to prevent the guide member 10 from contacting the ground and being damaged. Also, as shown in FIG. 5(B), even when passing through an inclined surface (slope), the guide member 10 rotates upward and lifts following the movement of the auxiliary wheel 15, so that it is possible to prevent the guide member 10 from contacting the inclined surface (slope) and being damaged.

[0048] The second improvement of the vegetable bundling device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is that it has a height adjustment mechanism 60 that enables the height of the part connecting the outer leaf lifting mechanism 20 and the bundling mechanism 30 to the main body 1 to be changed in the height direction.

[0049] As described above, the height of the ridges where the vegetables are planted varies depending on the farmer, and it was necessary to set the outer leaf lifting mechanism 20 according to the height of the ridges and the vegetables.

[0050] Therefore, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, a height adjustment mechanism 60 is provided that enables the height of the connection portions of the outer leaf lifting mechanism 20 and the bundling mechanism 30 to the main body 1 to be changed in the height direction. That is, the outer leaf lifting mechanism 20 and the bundling mechanism 30 are connected to the main body 1 of the vegetable bundling device 100 via the height adjustment mechanism 60. As an example, as shown in FIG. 2(A), the base portion 25 of the outer leaf lifting mechanism 20 and the bundling mechanism 30 are integrated, and the base portion 25 is connected to the height adjustment mechanism 60. And, as shown in FIG. 1, the height adjustment mechanism 60 is connected to the main body 1. The height adjustment mechanism 60 may be connected to the main body 1 by screwing, for example, and by continuously having grooves for screwing, it may be possible to fix at any height. Alternatively, a plurality of engaging grooves may be provided in the height adjustment mechanism 60, and the outer leaf lifting mechanism 20 and the bundling mechanism 30 may be fixed by engaging them at appropriate positions therein. In this way, the height may be easily changed manually, or alternatively, a device that can change the height by an electric operation may be installed.

[0051] Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the outer leaf lifting mechanism 20 is connected to the main body 1 via a movable mechanism, so that the bundling position of the vegetables 50 in the left-right direction can be adjusted. For example, as the movable mechanism, the main body 1 and the outer leaf lifting mechanism 20 are fixed by a spring or the like, and when the outer leaf lifting mechanism 20 is moved left and right by operating a bundling position adjustment lever 23 whose left-right direction of the bundling position can be adjusted, the positions of the outer leaf lifting mechanism 20 and the bundling mechanism 30 can be adjusted so as to be directly above the vegetables 50 with respect to the deviation of the vegetables 50 from the straight line of the ridge 51.

[0052] The movable mechanism is composed of, for example, four springs 24. As shown in Fig. 2(A), the four springs 24 are connected to four locations, namely the front, rear, left, and right of the frame member of the outer leaf lifting mechanism 20. By doing so, even when a force is applied in the left - right direction due to the displacement of the position of the vegetables, automatic centering can be performed by the spring 24 (movable mechanism). It is preferable to install the springs in a shape where the distance between them becomes narrower towards the bottom (inverted 'V' shape) as it makes centering easier.

[0053] The third improvement point of the vegetable bundling device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is that a pressing member 65 that abuts against the outer leaf 52 of the vegetable 50 is provided above the lead - out port 35 of the binding string 32 of the binding mechanism 30.

[0054] The normal bundling position is at a height of 5 - 15 cm from the tip (head) of the vegetable. For this reason, the contact portion 40 by the outer leaf lifting mechanism 20 cannot be raised above the bundling position (because the vegetable would be bundled together with the contact portion 40). Therefore, when the tip of the vegetable spreads outward, there is a possibility that it cannot be bundled properly.

[0055] Therefore, in the present invention, as shown in Fig. 3, a pressing member 65 that abuts against the outer leaf 52 of the vegetable 50 is provided above the lead - out port 35 of the binding string 32 of the binding mechanism 30. By doing so, the binding string 32 can be wound while pressing the tip (head) of the vegetable with the pressing member 65, so that the outer leaves at the tip (head) of the vegetable can be bundled in a gathered state.

[0056] The material of the pressing member 65, such as plastic or metal, is not particularly limited, but it is preferably one with little friction against the outer leaf of the vegetable. Since the pressing member 65 rotates around the vegetable while being in contact with the tip (head) of the vegetable, it is preferably shaped such that, for example, the tip portion curves outward so as not to get caught on the outer leaf of the vegetable.

[0057] Next, FIG. 6(A) is a schematic view showing the contact portion in the vegetable bundling device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6(B) is a perspective view showing an example of the guide roller, and FIG. 6(C) is a view showing a cross section when the guide roller is divided into two.

[0058] The fourth improvement of the vegetable bundling device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is that the guide roller 42 is spherical. As shown in FIG. 6(A), the contact portion 40 with the vegetable 50 is composed of a spring coil 41 and a plurality of spherical guide rollers 42 having the spring coil 41 as an axis, and both ends of the contact portion 40 are connected to the arm 21 by bearings 43.

[0059] In the vegetable bundling device according to the prior Patent Document 1, a columnar guide roller with a concave center was used. In this case, occasionally, when bundling, the binding string might contact the vegetable and get caught on the guide roller that was pulled up.

[0060] Therefore, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6(B), the guide roller 42 is spherical. By doing so, even if the binding string 32 happens to get caught on the guide roller 42 during bundling, the binding string 32 can easily slip off the surface of the spherical guide roller 42, thus preventing the binding string 32 from getting entangled with the guide roller 42.

[0061] The contact portion 40 has a plurality of spherical guide rollers 42 attached to the spring coil 41. Each guide roller 42 is attached to the spring coil 41 with an appropriate looseness around the axis, so that each can rotate independently while fitting to the outer peripheral shape of the vegetable 50. Thereby, the outer leaves 52 of the vegetable 50 can be pulled up to an ideal position. The sizes of the plurality of spherical guide rollers 42 are not particularly limited and may all be the same size. Alternatively, the one in the center of the contact portion 40 may be the smallest, and the sizes may gradually increase towards both ends of the contact portion 40.

[0062] The number of guide rollers can be appropriately adjusted according to the size of the vegetables. For example, about 5 to 7 guide rollers can be attached to the abutting portion 40 on one side. Further, in one aspect of the present invention, the guide roller 42 may be dividable into two or more parts. As an example, as shown in FIG. 6(B), a cutting line 45 for separating the guide roller 42 may be provided, and the guide roller 42 can be divided into two parts, namely, guide rollers 42A and 42B. These can be fastened, for example, by a screw 46. With such a configuration, the spherical guide roller 42 can be easily replaced without removing the spring coil 41 from the arm 21.

[0063] Further, in one aspect of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 6(C), the diameter D of the through-hole may be formed so as to increase as going from the center C of the sphere to the spherical surface side S. By doing so, the movable range of the spring coil 41 with respect to the spherical guide roller 42 increases, and the guide roller 42 with the spring coil 41 as the axis has excellent movability. Therefore, the abutting portion 40 abuts more along the shape of the vegetable 50, and the outer leaves can be surely lifted up.

[0064] Further, in one aspect of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2(A), an auxiliary member 55 that abuts against the outer leaves 52 of the vegetable 50 may be provided on the arm 21 above the guide roller 42. For the auxiliary member 55, for example, a plate-shaped member or a rod-shaped member can be used. By providing such an auxiliary member 55, when the guide roller 42 lifts the outer leaves 52 of the vegetable 50, as shown in FIG. 2(B), the auxiliary member 55 also abuts against the outer leaves 52 of the vegetable 50. Therefore, the load on the guide roller 42 can be reduced, and it is possible to receive the outer leaves 52 and prevent the leaves from breaking.

[0065] As described above, according to the vegetable bundling device according to one embodiment of the present invention, the vegetables can be bundled at an appropriate position, the string does not loosen, and the vegetables can be bundled in a short time of within 6 seconds per vegetable and with a low defect rate of 1% or less. Further, this makes it possible to reduce the burden on Chinese cabbage farmers who tend to be aging and perform efficient work.

[0066] Although an embodiment of the present invention and each example have been described in detail as above, those skilled in the art will easily understand that many modifications that do not substantially depart from the novel matters and effects of the present invention are possible. Therefore, all such modified examples are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

[0067] For example, in the specification or drawings, a term that has been described at least once together with a broader or synonymous different term can be replaced with that different term anywhere in the specification or drawings. Also, the configuration of the vegetable bundling device is not limited to that described in an embodiment of the present invention and each example, and various modified implementations are possible.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0068] 1 Main body part, 2 Frame, 4 Front wheel, 5 Rear wheel, 6 Handle, 7 Generator, 10 Guide member, 11 Axis, 15 Auxiliary wheel, 16 Auxiliary axle, 20 Outer leaf lifting mechanism, 21 Arm, 22 Rod, 23 Binding position adjustment lever, 24 Spring, 25 Base part, 30 Binding mechanism, 31 Reel, 32 Binding string, 33 Guide, 34 Binding arm, 35 Outlet, 36 Binding motor, 37 Back tension motor, 40 Contact part, 41 Spring coil, 42 Guide roller, 43 Bearing, 45 Cutting line, 46 Screw, 50 Vegetable, 51 Ridge, 52 Outer leaf, 55 Auxiliary member, 60 Height adjustment mechanism, 65 Pressing member, 100 Vegetable bundling device, C Center of the spherical guide roller, S Spherical surface side of the spherical guide roller, D Diameter of the through hole

Claims

1. A vegetable bundling device that bundles the outer leaves of vegetables planted in a field in a state where the outer leaves are pulled up and covered, comprising: At least, A main body portion having a vehicle body width equal to or greater than the ridge width, a frame shaped to straddle the vegetables, and wheels for driving the device; An outer leaf lifting mechanism that, when the vegetables reach a predetermined position, brings a pair of contact portions held by an arm into contact with the lower side of the side surface of the vegetables and further rotates them upward to cover the vegetables with the outer leaves; A bundling mechanism that pulls out a bundling string from a reel and wraps it around the upper part of the vegetables to bundle them in a state where the vegetables are covered with the outer leaves Comprising, Among the wheels, at least a part inside the front wheel is covered from the front of the front wheel, and a guide member that guides the outer leaves of the vegetables in the direction of the outer leaf lifting mechanism; A vegetable bundling device characterized in that an auxiliary wheel is provided on the front end side of the guide member.

2. The vegetable bundling device according to claim 1, further comprising a height adjustment mechanism that enables the height of the connection portions of the outer leaf lifting mechanism and the bundling mechanism to the main body portion to be changed in the height direction.

3. The outer leaf lifting mechanism and the bundling mechanism are connected to the main body portion via a movable mechanism, and the position of the outer leaf lifting mechanism in the left-right direction can be adjusted according to the bias of the force due to the displacement of the outer leaf lifting mechanism by the movable mechanism. The vegetable bundling device according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The vegetable bundling device according to claim 3, wherein the movable mechanism is composed of four springs.

5. The vegetable bundling device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a pressing member that contacts the outer leaves of the vegetables above the outlet of the bundling string of the bundling mechanism.

6. The contact portion is composed of a spring coil and a plurality of spherical guide rollers centered on the spring coil, and both ends of the contact portion are connected to the arm by bearings. The vegetable bundling device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The vegetable bundling device according to claim 6, wherein the spherical guide roller is divisible into two or more parts and is formed such that the diameter of the through hole increases as it goes from the center of the sphere to the spherical surface side.

8. The vegetable bundling device according to claim 6 or claim 7, characterized in that an auxiliary member that abuts against the outer leaves of the vegetables is provided on the arm above the guide roller.

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