Vegetable harvester

Abstract

To address the desire for a vegetable harvester including claws capable of raking up foliage parts without giving in resistance of the foliage parts.SOLUTION: A vegetable harvester comprises a raking device 3 installed in front of a pull-out conveying device and raking up foliage parts of crops in a field. The raking device 3 includes claws 18B, on a working side where the claws rake up the foliage parts, provided along a back part located opposite to a raking direction S out of the claws 18B, made of a material harder than that of a raking belt 18, and including fall regulation members 22 for regulating fall of the claws 18B to the back side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vegetable harvester. [Background technology]

[0002] A known conventional vegetable harvesting machine is the one described in Patent Document 1. The conventional vegetable harvesting machine includes a pulling-out and conveying device (referred to in the document as a "pulling-out and conveying device [2]") that pulls out crops from a field and conveys them rearward, and a raking device (referred to in the document as a "grass-raising device

[21] ") that is erected in front of the pulling-out and conveying device and rakes up the stems and leaves of the crops in the field. The raking device includes a lower wheel that can rotate around a rotation axis extending along the left-right direction of the machine body, an upper wheel that can also rotate around a rotation axis extending along the left-right direction of the machine body, and a raking belt that is wrapped around the lower and upper wheels and acts to rake up the stems and leaves. The raking belt includes a belt body that is wrapped around the lower and upper wheels and multiple claws that are attached to the outer periphery of the belt body and act to rake up the stems and leaves. The multiple claws and the belt body are integrally formed by an elastic member. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-63678 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In conventional vegetable harvesting machines, the claws sometimes cannot pick up the stems and leaves because they are unable to withstand the resistance of the stems and leaves.

[0005] In view of the above situation, there is a demand for a vegetable harvester that can scrape up stems and leaves without the claws succumbing to the resistance of the stems and leaves. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is characterized by comprising an extracting and conveying device that extracts crops from a field and conveys them rearward, and a raking device that is erected in front of the extracting and conveying device and raking up stems and leaves of the crops in the field, the raking device having a lower wheel that can rotate around a rotation axis that extends along the left-right direction of the machine body, an upper wheel that can rotate around a rotation axis that extends along the left-right direction of the machine body, and a raking belt that is wound around the lower wheel and the upper wheel and has a raking action on the stems and leaves, and the raking belt is wound around the lower wheel and the upper wheel The scraping device has a belt body that is wound around the upper wheel and a number of claws that are provided on the outer periphery of the belt body and that scrape up the stems and leaves, and the number of claws and the belt body are formed integrally with each other using an elastic member, and the scraping device is provided on the side where the claws scrape up the stems and leaves, along the back part of the claws that is located on the opposite side to the scraping direction of the claws, and is made of a material harder than the scraping belt, and has a fall prevention member that prevents the claws from falling toward the back part.

[0007] According to this characteristic configuration, even if the claws are forced to fall toward the back due to resistance from the stems and leaves, the falling of the claws toward the back is prevented by the fall-prevention member, so that the claws can scrape up the stems and leaves without succumbing to the resistance of the stems and leaves.

[0008] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the tilt-restricting member is formed of a metal plate that is curved so as to extend over the spine portion and the outer peripheral surface of the belt main body.

[0009] According to this characteristic configuration, even if the claws are resisted by the stems and leaves and tend to fall toward the back, the fall-prevention member is received by the outer circumferential surface of the belt body, thereby reliably preventing the claws from falling toward the back.

[0010] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the tilt-restricting member is fixed only to the claw.

[0011] According to this characteristic configuration, the fall prevention member is not fixed to the belt body. If the fall prevention member were fixed to the belt body, when the portion of the belt body to which the fall prevention member is fixed comes into contact with the lower or upper ring body, the portion of the belt body to which the fall prevention member is fixed would bend along the outer circumferential shape of the lower or upper ring body. This could result in damage, such as the member (e.g., a screw) that secures the fall prevention member to the belt body coming off or the portion of the fall prevention member that is secured to the belt body being bent. However, according to this characteristic configuration, this does not occur because the fall prevention member is not fixed to the belt body.

[0012] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the claw is formed in a shape that protrudes toward the back side and is bent when viewed from the side, and that the tip-prevention member is provided across the tip side portion and the base side portion of the bent portion of the claw.

[0013] According to this characteristic configuration, the tilt-restricting member is formed in a shape that follows the curved shape of the claw, thereby reliably restricting the claw from tilting toward the back side.

[0014] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the tilt-restricting member is fixed to the tip portion and the base portion.

[0015] According to this characteristic configuration, the tip-restriction member is fixed to the claw at multiple points, and the fixing points are located on both sides of the bent portion, thereby making it possible to reliably fix the tip-restriction member to the claw.

[0016] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the scraping device has a displacement restriction member that is provided along the inner peripheral surface of the belt body on the action side and restricts the belt body from being displaced inward.

[0017] Here, when the fall prevention member is received on the outer peripheral surface of the belt body, there is a risk that the belt body will be pushed by the fall prevention member and displaced inward. If the belt body is displaced inward, the claws will fall toward the back. However, with this characteristic configuration, even if the belt body is pushed inward by the fall prevention member, the displacement of the belt body toward the back is restricted by the displacement prevention member. This reliably restricts the claws from falling toward the back.

[0018] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the scraping device is arranged in a position biased to one side of the center of the body of the pulling-out and conveying device in the left-right direction, and that the scraping device has an outer cover that covers the lower part of the return path along which the claws descend from the opposite side of the center in the left-right direction of the body.

[0019] In a configuration in which the claws are reinforced by a tip-prevention member, when the stems and leaves of crops in the field are pulled into the return path, the claws descending along the return path act strongly on the stems and leaves from above, potentially driving the stems and leaves between the raking device and the extracting and conveying device and causing them to become stuck. However, with this characteristic configuration, the lower portion of the return path is covered by an outer cover from the side opposite the center of the extracting and conveying device in the left-right direction of the machine body. This prevents the stems and leaves of crops in the field that are located on the side opposite the center of the extracting and conveying device in the left-right direction from the raking device from being pulled into the return path.

[0020] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the outer cover be formed in a shape that bulges out toward the side opposite the center in the left-right direction of the aircraft body.

[0021] According to this characteristic configuration, the bulging shape of the outer cover ensures a certain amount of space in the left-right direction of the machine body between the stems and leaves of crops in the field located at the edge of the outer cover and the return path, which makes it more difficult for the stems and leaves of crops to be drawn into the return path as described above.

[0022] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the scraping device is arranged at a position biased to one side relative to the center of the body of the pulling-out and conveying device in the left-right direction, and that the scraping device has an inner cover that covers the lower part of the return path along which the claws descend from the center side in the left-right direction of the body.

[0023] In a configuration in which the claws are reinforced by a tip-prevention member, when the stems and leaves of crops in the field are pulled into the return path, the claws descending along the return path act strongly on the stems and leaves from above, potentially driving the stems and leaves between the raking device and the extracting and conveying device and causing them to become clogged. However, with this characteristic configuration, the lower portion of the return path is covered by the inner cover from the left-right center of the extracting and conveying device. This prevents the stems and leaves of crops in the field that are located toward the left-right center of the extracting and conveying device relative to the raking device from being pulled into the return path.

[0024] Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable that the inner cover is formed of a single flat plate-like member spanning from the upper end of the inner cover to the lower end of the inner cover.

[0025] According to this characteristic configuration, the inner cover does not approach the center of the body of the extraction and transport device in the left-right direction, which prevents the inner cover from interfering with the stems and leaves of the crops in the field (the crops to be extracted by the extraction and transport device) that are located at the edge of the inner cover, thereby preventing the stems and leaves from being distorted. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0026] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a left side view showing the carrot harvester. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a left side view showing the claw and the fall-prevention member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0027] An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the direction of arrow F is the "front side of the aircraft body," the direction of arrow B is the "rear side of the aircraft body," the direction of arrow L is the "left side of the aircraft body," and the direction of arrow R is the "right side of the aircraft body."

[0028] [Overall configuration of the carrot harvester] FIG. 1 shows a carrot harvester (corresponding to the "vegetable harvester" according to the present invention). In this embodiment, the crop refers to carrots. This harvester includes a traveling body 1, a driving section 2 on which a driver rides, a raking device 3 that raks up the stems and leaves of the crop in the field, a pulling and conveying device 4 that pulls the crop from the field and conveys it rearward, a cutter 5 that cuts the crop into a main part (the part to be harvested) and other parts (stems and leaves, etc.), a collection section 6 that collects the part to be harvested, and a rear conveying device 7 that conveys the part to be harvested toward the collection section 6.

[0029] The traveling body 1 comprises a crawler traveling device 8 and a body frame 9 supported by the crawler traveling device 8. The driving unit 2 is provided at a location on one side (right side) of the front part of the traveling body 1 in the left-right direction of the body. The extraction and conveying device 4 is provided at a location on the other side (left side) of the front part of the traveling body 1 in the left-right direction of the body. The scraping device 3 is erected in front of the extraction and conveying device 4 in a backward tilted state. The scraping device 3 is supported by the extraction and conveying device 4 via an upper frame 10 and a lower frame 11. The cutter 5 is provided between the rear part of the extraction and conveying device 4 and the rear conveying device 7. The collection unit 6 is provided behind the driving unit 2. The rear conveying device 7 is provided below the rear part of the extraction and conveying device 4 (below the cutter 5) and between the collection unit 6.

[0030] As the traveling machine body 1 moves forward, the stems and leaves of the crops in the field are raked up by the raking device 3, and the crops in the field are pulled out by the extraction and conveying device 4 and conveyed rearward. The crops are then cut into harvested parts and stems and leaves, etc. by the cutter 5, and the harvested parts are supplied to the rear conveying device 7, while the stems and leaves, etc. are discharged from the rear end of the extraction and conveying device 4 and fall into the field. The harvested parts are then conveyed by the rear conveying device 7 to the collection unit 6, where they are sorted by an assistant. Finally, at the collection unit 6, the harvested parts are collected into collection bags (flexible container bags) not shown.

[0031] The extraction and conveying device 4 is provided with a downward tilt toward the front. The extraction and conveying device 4 is configured to be able to swing up and down about a swing axis X1 extending along the left-right direction of the machine body. A hydraulic cylinder 12 for swinging the extraction and conveying device 4 up and down is provided between the extraction and conveying device 4 and the machine body frame 9. The extraction and conveying device 4 is equipped with a soil loosening blade 13 that loosens the soil around the crops in the field, and left and right conveying belts 14 that pull the crops out of the field and transport them rearward. The soil loosening blade 13 vibrates while submerged in the field, loosening the soil around the crops with the soil loosening blade 13, while the left and right conveying belts 14 pull the crops out of the field and transport them rearward.

[0032] [Raking device] As shown in FIG. 2, the scraping device 3 includes a case 15, a lower pulley 16 (corresponding to the "lower wheel" according to the present invention), an upper pulley 17 (corresponding to the "upper wheel" according to the present invention), a scraping belt 18, a displacement restriction member 19, an outer cover 20, an inner cover 21, and a fall restriction member 22. FIG. 2 shows a left side view of the scraping device 3 with the left side portion of the case 15 removed. The lower pulley 16, the upper pulley 17, the scraping belt 18, and the displacement restriction member 19 are provided inside the case 15. The lower pulley 16 is supported at the bottom of the case 15 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis X2 extending along the left-right direction of the machine body. The upper pulley 17 is supported at the top of the case 15 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis X3 extending along the left-right direction of the machine body.

[0033] 2, L1 denotes a line passing through rotation axis X2 and rotation axis X3, D1 denotes the distance between rotation axis X2 and rotation axis X3, C1 denotes the center of distance D1, and S1 denotes the scraping direction. In scraping device 3, the front side of line L1 is called the active side where claws 18B scrape up the stems and leaves, and the back side of line L1 is called the non-active side where claws 18B do not scrape up the stems and leaves.

[0034] The scraping belt 18 comprises a belt body 18A wound around the lower pulley 16 and the upper pulley 17, and a number of claws 18B that scrape up the stems and leaves. The scraping belt 18 is configured to be driven so that the claws 18B rise on the active side and descend on the inactive side. The scraping device 3 is located on the active side and comprises a scraping path R1 along which the claws 18B rise, and a return path R2 on the inactive side along which the claws 18B descend. The numerous claws 18B and the belt body 18A are integrally formed from an elastic member (e.g., rubber).

[0035] The pawl 18B is provided on the outer periphery of the belt main body 18A in a state protruding from the belt main body 18A toward the outer periphery. The pawl 18B is formed in a shape that protrudes toward the back side in a side view and is bent. The back side of the pawl 18B is the part of the pawl 18B that is located on the side opposite to the scraping direction S1 on the action side. The pawl 18B has a tip side portion 18Bb located on the tip side of the bent portion 18Ba, and a base side portion 18Bc located on the base side (toward the belt main body 18A) of the bent portion 18Ba.

[0036] The displacement restriction member 19 restricts the displacement of the belt body 18A toward the inner periphery. The displacement restriction member 19 is provided along the inner periphery of the belt body 18A on the operating side. The displacement restriction member 19 extends above and below the center C1 of the axis-to-axis distance D1. The lower end of the displacement restriction member 19 is located near (directly above) the lower pulley 16. The displacement restriction member 19 is supported by the case 15. Specifically, the displacement restriction member 19 is fixed to the right side of the case 15.

[0037] In Figure 3, the center of the pulling-out and conveying device 4 (left and right conveying belts 14) in the left-right direction of the machine body is indicated by C2. Crops pulled out from the field are conveyed rearward through the center C2. The raking device 3 is located in a position offset to one side (left side) of the center C2.

[0038] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the outer cover 20 covers the return path R2 from the opposite side (left side) of the center C2 in the left-right direction of the machine body. In this embodiment, the outer cover 20 covers the lower part of the return path R2 (the part below the center C1) and the upper part of the return path R2 (the part above the center C1) from the left side. The outer cover 20 is fixed in a state in which it is attached to the left side of the left side of the case 15. The outer cover 20 is formed in a shape that bulges out toward the opposite side (left side) of the center C2 in the left-right direction of the machine body. Specifically, the outer cover 20 is formed in a shape that bulges out toward the left side so that the rear side of the outer cover 20 is separated from the claw 18B on the return path R2 side in a plan view.

[0039] The inner cover 21 covers the return path R2 from the center C2 side (right side) in the left-right direction of the aircraft body. In this embodiment, the inner cover 21 covers the lower part of the return path R2 (the part below the center C1) and the upper part of the return path R2 (the part above the center C1) from the right side. The inner cover 21 is fixed in a state where it is attached to the right side of the case 15 from the right side. The inner cover 21 is made of a single flat plate-like member that spans from the upper end of the inner cover 21 to the lower end of the inner cover 21. In other words, the inner cover 21 is made of a flat plate.

[0040] [Falling prevention member] As shown in FIG. 4, the fall prevention member 22 prevents the claws 18B from falling toward the rear. The fall prevention member 22 is provided along the rear of each of the claws 18B. The fall prevention member 22 is made of a material harder than the scraping belt 18. In this embodiment, the fall prevention member 22 is made of a metal plate. The fall prevention member 22 is formed in a curved shape so as to extend over the rear of the claw 18B and the outer circumferential surface of the belt main body 18A. The fall prevention member 22 is provided over the tip portion 18Bb and the base portion 18Bc of the claw 18B with respect to the bent portion 18Ba. The fall prevention member 22 includes a portion 22a that follows the tip portion 18Bb, a portion 22b that follows the base portion 18Bc, and a portion 22c that follows the belt main body 18A. The tip of the fall-prevention member 22 (portion 22a) does not protrude further toward the outer periphery of the belt main body 18A than the tip of the claw 18B.

[0041] The tilt-restricting member 22 is fixed to the claw 18B with a plurality of (three in this embodiment) screws 23. Specifically, the tilt-restricting member 22 is fixed to the tip portion 18Bb with one screw 23 and to the base portion 18Bc with two screws 23. The tilt-restricting member 22 is fixed only to the claw 18B. In other words, the tilt-restricting member 22 is not fixed to the belt main body 18A.

[0042] [Another embodiment] (1) In the above embodiment, the fall-prevention member 22 is made of a metal plate. However, the fall-prevention member 22 may be made of a material other than metal as long as the material is harder than the scraping belt 18.

[0043] (2) In the above embodiment, the tilt-restricting member 22 is provided across the tip portion 18Bb and the base portion 18Bc of the bent portion 18Ba of the claw 18B. However, the tilt-restricting member 22 does not have to reach the tip portion 18Bb.

[0044] (3) In the above embodiment, the scraping device 3 includes the displacement regulating member 19. However, the scraping device 3 does not necessarily have to include the displacement regulating member 19.

[0045] (4) In the above embodiment, the outer cover 20 covers the lower and upper portions of the return path R2 from the left side. However, the outer cover 20 may cover only the lower portion of the return path R2 from the left side. Alternatively, the scraping device 3 may not be provided with the outer cover 20.

[0046] (5) In the above embodiment, the inner cover 21 covers the lower portion and the upper portion of the return path R2 from the right side. However, the inner cover 21 may cover only the lower portion of the return path R2 from the right side. Alternatively, the scraping device 3 may not be provided with the inner cover 21. [Industrial Applicability]

[0047] The present invention can be used not only for carrot harvesters but also for radish harvesters and onion harvesters. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 3. Raking device 4. Extraction and transport device 16 Lower pulley (lower wheel) 17 Upper pulley (upper wheel) 18 Belt 18A Belt body 18B Claws 18Ba bent part 18Bb Tip side part 18Bc base part 19 Displacement control member 20 Outer cover 21 Inner cover 22 Fall prevention member C2 The center of the body of the extraction transport device in the left-right direction R2 Return route S Raking direction X2 Rotation axis X3 Rotation axis

Claims

1. a pulling and transporting device that pulls out the crops from the field and transports them backward; a raking device that is erected in front of the pulling-out and conveying device and raks up stems and leaves of crops in the field; The scraping device includes a lower wheel body rotatable around a rotation axis extending along the left-right direction of the machine body, an upper wheel body rotatable around a rotation axis extending along the left-right direction of the machine body, and a scraping belt wound around the lower wheel body and the upper wheel body and scraping up the stem and leaf portion, The scraping belt has a belt body that is wound around the lower and upper wheels, and a number of claws that are provided on the outer periphery of the belt body and scrape up the stems and leaves, and the number of claws and the belt body are integrally formed by an elastic member, The scraping device is a vegetable harvester that is arranged along the back of the claw, which is located on the side where the claw scrapes up the stem and leaf portion, opposite the scraping direction, is made of a material harder than the scraping belt, and has a tipping prevention member that prevents the claw from tipping toward the back.

2. 2. The vegetable harvester according to claim 1, wherein the fall-prevention member is formed of a metal plate that is curved so as to extend from the back portion to the outer peripheral surface of the belt body.

3. The vegetable harvester according to claim 2, wherein the fall-prevention member is fixed only to the claws.

4. The claw is formed in a shape that protrudes and bends toward the back side in a side view, The vegetable harvester according to claim 2, wherein the tilt-preventing member is provided across a tip end portion and a base end portion of the bent portion of the claw.

5. The vegetable harvester according to claim 4, wherein the fall-prevention member is fixed to the tip-side portion and the root-side portion.

6. A vegetable harvester as described in claim 1, wherein the scraping device is provided along the inner surface of the belt body on the active side and has a displacement control member that controls the belt body from displacing inward.

7. the scraping device is provided at a position offset to one side with respect to the center of the body of the pulling-out conveying device in the left-right direction, A vegetable harvester as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the scraping device has an outer cover that covers the lower portion of the return path along which the claws descend from the opposite side of the center in the left-right direction of the machine body.

8. The vegetable harvester according to claim 7, wherein the outer cover is formed in a shape that bulges out toward the opposite side from the center in the left-right direction of the machine body.

9. the scraping device is provided at a position offset to one side with respect to the center of the body of the pulling-out conveying device in the left-right direction, A vegetable harvester as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the scraping device has an inner cover that covers the lower part of the return path along which the claws descend from the center side in the left-right direction of the machine body.

10. The vegetable harvester according to claim 9, wherein the inner cover is formed of a single flat plate-like member extending from the upper end of the inner cover to the lower end of the inner cover.

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