Agricultural crop gripping device

Abstract

To provide a joint device for an agricultural vehicle which grips crops to a storage unit after the crops have been cut or harvested from a ground surface.SOLUTION: A gripping device for crops includes a main structure assembled to an arm via a slewing ring, and thereby the arm can be rotated, and an end of the arm includes plural clamps which are curved in a tapered form and can effectively reduce mud impurities. The gripping device may be replaced with another agricultural device in order to increase other functions for a work. A user can control a rotation angle, a range of arm extension, an arm height including a gripping mechanism, and opening of the clamp by a hydraulic system. Further, a clamp device for crops may be easily detached from an agricultural vehicle by only using a support pole which removes a latch and a hydraulic pipe after supporting the structure for further agricultural work of the agricultural vehicle.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The mechanical and mechanical engineering fields relate to a gripping device for crops.

Background Art

[0002] The oil palm is one of the important crops in Thailand, ranking fifth after rice, rubber, sugarcane, and cassava, with 87% of the total harvest cultivated in the southern part of Thailand, or having a planted area of 6,688 square kilometers (4.18 million rai), and the remaining 13% distributed in the northern, central, and northeastern parts of Thailand. In recent years, the oil palm has been used in three main areas. The first is consumed either as cooking vegetable oil or as a raw material for many food industries such as confectionery, instant noodles, sweetened condensed milk, cream, and margarine, accounting for 60% of all products. The second is used as a raw material for alternative energy called "biodiesel", accounting for 28% of all products. The third is used as a raw material in many related industries such as soap, detergent, cosmetics, and chemical products.

[0003] Thailand is the world's third-largest producer of oil palm, followed by Indonesia and Malaysia at 3.9%, and is among the vegetable oil producers with sufficient domestic consumption. Statistics on oil palm consumption over the past five years show that the demand for oil palm is increasing at an average annual rate of 4%. Meanwhile, Thailand still faces labor shortages related to oil palm production, contrary to the increasing demand. Specifically, oil palms can be harvested in 3.5-4 years, become more productive at 8-12 years, and then gradually decrease, but can still be bountifully harvested even at 25 years. Conventionally, human laborers are the main component of the harvest. For oil palms in their 8-10 years, laborers can use hoes to pierce the bundles, but for bundles taller than 8-10 years or taller than 4 meters, long sickles can be used to cut down the poles of oil palm bundles, which are then loaded into cargo containers or small trucks / trucks for transport to markets or factories. The weight of a bundle of oil palms ranges from 1 to 60 kg depending on the age of the palms. While they can be transported in cargo containers or small trucks, this is difficult, time-consuming, and can be detrimental to the workers' health. Therefore, there is room to develop equipment to expedite the harvest season, ensuring human labor is available and achieving higher efficiency.

[0004] For example, patent application number PI2010002613, filed on June 7, 2010, and registered on July 15, 2015, Malaysian patent invention MY-154743-A discloses an "AGRICULTURAL TRANSPORTER VEHICLE" with an engine, suitable for rough terrain. This invention includes a mechanical gripper for gripping bundles of oil palms into a container, which can accurately and automatically record the load and is controlled directly from the cabin. However, considering the structure of the invention, the mounting position of the rotary drive and the arm device were not sufficiently strong against heavy loads, affecting durability.

[0005] Application No. 1803000559, filed on March 6, 2018, and registered as Thai Utility Model Registration No. 14193 on August 8, 2018, discloses "a cutting and harvesting a bunch of oil palms without a fallen fruit on the ground," comprising a drive unit supporting the incorporation of drive wheels and auxiliary drive wheels, a bundle cutting and lifting machine incorporated on the upper side of the base, which is vertically expandable and retractable for cutting bundles of oil palms while standing at a high position, and a rear tray which the lifting machine can extend and retract vertically so that the bundles of oil palms can be conveniently poured out for transport when moving them out of the lifting machine, and a gripping device which includes four pedals so that the bundles of oil palms can be positioned on the ground after harvesting, with a gripping angle set to 180 degrees. However, according to the present invention, there are drawbacks in terms of vehicle dimensions and the need for a continuous track suitable for large areas without ridges and valleys. Furthermore, the tracks could potentially damage the soil by digging into the ground and the roots of oil palm trees while the vehicle is moving.

[0006] Accordingly, the inventors have invented a crop gripping device that solves the above-mentioned problems and improves work capacity by designing a connecting device that can be assembled with agricultural vehicles for other uses. The inventors also provide a crop gripping device that includes a main structure, an arm device incorporated into a tapered curved gripping device, and fangs for reducing unwanted impurities. Furthermore, the gripping device may be removed and replaced with other devices, such as branch clamps or small buckets, for the most efficient work. The present invention is completely different from conventional crop gripping devices that are permanently incorporated into vehicles or are difficult and time-consuming to remove, and the gripping device includes lotus-shaped pedal plates that can remove some mud and weeds from the produce. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] The object of the present invention is to develop a joining device for agricultural vehicles used to grasp crops after they have been cut or harvested from the ground and brought to a storage unit for further transport. This device needs to effectively include a structure and removal method that is safe to operate, can be easily adapted to agricultural vehicles, and allows the agricultural vehicle to be used for other tasks. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The gripping device for agricultural products according to the present invention includes a main structure which is the main component for integration into an agricultural vehicle. The arm device is incorporated into the main structure via a swivel ring, which allows the arm to rotate in the left-right direction. The end of the arm is incorporated into a gripping device which includes a plurality of tapered curved clamps that allow for gripping crops and reducing muddy impurities. Furthermore, the gripping device can be removed and replaced with another agricultural device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing a crop gripping device and motion control device 4. [Figure 2] This is a perspective view showing the main structure 1. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view showing the rotary drive device 10. [Figure 4] This is a perspective view showing the arm device 2. [Figure 5] This is a perspective view showing the grip device 3. [Figure 6] This is a two-dimensional top view showing the rotation angle of the arm device 2. [Figure 7] This is a two-dimensional rear view of an agricultural device showing an example of length adjustment for the arm device 2. [Figure 8] This is a perspective view showing the integration of a crop gripping device into an agricultural vehicle. [Figure 9] This is a perspective view showing the removal method using the removal device 5. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] This disclosure can be more fully understood by the following and should not be construed as being limited to the features set forth herein, and the scope of the invention is defined in the claims. As shown in Figure 1, the crop gripping device is a connecting device incorporated into an agricultural vehicle, and includes a main structure 1, which is the main component for incorporation into an agricultural vehicle such as a tractor, and supports the incorporation of an arm device 2 and a grip device 3. The arm device 2 is attached to the main structure 1 via a swivel ring 103 and is rotatable about one angle, and the end of the arm device 2 is incorporated into a grip device 3, which is in the form of a clamp 32 that can grasp and release crops. The crop gripping device according to the present invention can be easily removed by a removal device 5 supported by a main pole 51, and the latch 102 is pulled out and the hydraulic piping is individually removed so that the agricultural vehicle can be used for another purpose.

[0011] As shown in Figure 2, the main structure 1 includes left and right support frames 11, which are support sections and support the assembly of the device. Specifically, the lower ends of the support frames 11 on both the left and right sides are assembled by at least fixing members 12, and each side is a plate for integrating the main structure 1 into the rear wheel frame of the agricultural vehicle. The upper ends of both the left and right support frames 11 are assembled by truss support poles 13, each of which is attached to the roof frame of the agricultural vehicle. The upper ends of both the left and right support frames 11 are also assembled on both the left and right sides, adjacent to the truss support poles 13, and are used to later integrate into the rotary drive unit 10. Connecting members 15 and 16 are incorporated between the left and right support frames 11 and / or between the left and right assembled support members 14, respectively, to support the assembly of hydraulic piping. Furthermore, within the lower region of the rotary drive unit 10, as shown in Figure 8, there is a mount 18 having a rod shape for integration into a connecting member 17. At least one fixing point 171 is provided at each end of the connecting member 17 for integration into the lower link of an agricultural vehicle, and at least one fixing point 172 is provided in the central region of the connecting member for integration into a mount 18.

[0012] As shown in Figure 3, the rotary drive unit 10 is provided with a support frame 101 having a geometric shape, preferably U-shaped, where both ends of the support frame 101 are incorporated into assembled support members 14 on both the left and right sides, respectively, and are securely fixed by latches 102. A swivel ring 103 is provided in the upper region of the support frame 101, where an inner ring and an outer ring are combined with each other via ball bearings, causing the inner ring to rotate circumferentially relative to the outer ring. Furthermore, the upper part of the inner ring is incorporated into a base seat 201 of the arm device 2, which has a spline incorporated in the center. The upper part of the base seat 201 is incorporated into the lower part of the arm structure 20. The lower region of the support frame 101 further provides a drive unit including a bidirectional hydraulic cylinder 105 connected to a shaft 106, which is fitted into a spline 104 for rotationally driving the arm device 2 via the swivel ring 103. Furthermore, the lower region of the hydraulic cylinder 105 also provides a mount 18 for incorporation into a connecting member 17.

[0013] As shown in Figure 4, the arm device 2, which is mounted on the upper part of the main structure 1 via a rotary drive device 10, preferably includes a tall, vertical frame-shaped arm structure 20 incorporated into a base sheet 201 for incorporation into at least one of the arms, which are two arms: a first arm 21 and a second arm 22. That is, the upper end of the arm structure 20 is incorporated into one end of the first arm 21 by a pivot 211, the other end of the first arm 21 is provided with a connecting member 212 for incorporation into one end of the second arm 22 via a connecting member 221 by a pivot 222, and the other end of the second arm 22 is also provided with a connecting member 223 for incorporation into the grip device 3 via a pivot 224.

[0014] Furthermore, the arm device 2 is provided with hydraulic cylinders for controlling the vertical movement and extension / retraction state of at least one pair of arms, most preferably two pairs consisting of a first hydraulic cylinder 23 and a second hydraulic cylinder 24, where one end of the first hydraulic cylinder 23 is incorporated into the lower region of the arm structure 2 by pivot 231, and the other end of the first hydraulic cylinder 23 is incorporated into the end of the first arm 21 via a connecting member 232 by pivot 233 on the side coupled to the arm structure 20. The second hydraulic cylinder 24 is incorporated into the region of the first arm 21 via a connecting member 234 at a pivot 235, with one end of the cylinder incorporated into the region of the first arm 21 at a pivot 235, and the other end of the second hydraulic cylinder 24 incorporated into the end of the second arm 22 via a connecting member 25 at a pivot 251, the connecting member 25 consisting of at least two geometrically shaped sheets joined to each other using a pivot 251, at least one of the sheets incorporated into the connecting member 212 and the other sheet incorporated into the connecting member 221.

[0015] As shown in Figure 5, the gripping device 3 includes a hydraulic cylinder 31, one end of which is incorporated into a second arm 22 via a connecting member 223 at a pivot 224, and the other end of which is incorporated into at least one pair of tapered clamps 32 via a mount 33. At least one mount 34 is incorporated into the hydraulic cylinder 31 to be coupled to one end of a connecting member 35, the other end of which is provided to be incorporated into the upper part of the clamp 32. Furthermore, at least one of the fangs 36 is provided to be incorporated into any area of ​​the inner part of the clamp 32 to grip crops more firmly. Preferably, according to the present invention, there are three pairs of clamps 32, one end of each clamp 32 being incorporated into a mount 33. The mount 34 is also provided to be coupled to all three connecting members 35 so as to be incorporated into the upper end areas of all three pairs of clamps 32, and the lower inner end of the clamps 32 is provided with a total of four fangs 36 per clamp 32.

[0016] Furthermore, the gripping device 3 can be removed and replaced with another agricultural device, such as a branch clamp, a small bucket, or other related agricultural equipment, for greater versatility and convenience of the connecting device.

[0017] Furthermore, the hydraulic piping of the operation control device 4 is provided crossing the lower frame of the agricultural vehicle or the lower frame of the connecting device, and the hydraulic piping of the clamping device for crops is preferably crossed and fixed to the frame of the front blade (not shown), and is coupled to a geometric, vertical rod-shaped support frame 41 as an axis for coupling the hydraulic piping to the lever device 42, as shown in Figure 1, and controls the operation of the rotary drive device 10, the arm device 2, and the grip device 3. The present invention also provides geometric protective plates made of rigid plates and sieve plates that are fitted or divided to protect the hydraulic piping from undesirable materials such as stems penetrating or damaging the hydraulic piping during operation.

[0018] By operating the crop gripping device according to the present invention, the user can operate the lever device 42 to control the movement of the arm device 2. The arm device 2 is coupled to the swivel ring 103 and can rotate horizontally within a range of 0 degrees or more and 180 degrees or less (with respect to the center line at the rear of the agricultural vehicle, as shown in FIG. 6). Most preferably, it rotates horizontally within a range of 0 degrees or more and 110 degrees or less or 0 degrees or more and 220 degrees or less for all operating angles. The user can control the grasping distance by adjusting the appropriate height and angle of the first arm 21 and the second arm 22, which are respectively controlled by the first hydraulic cylinder 23 and the second hydraulic cylinder 24. As shown in FIG. 7, when the desired grasping distance is reached, the user can control the clamp 32 to deploy or grasp the crop. The tapered shape of the clamp 32 effectively reduces contamination by mud or unwanted substances. Therefore, the crop clamping device may be further incorporated into the loading unit for harvesting operations, and the user can grasp the crop or release it into the loading unit to make further transportation preparation more efficient.

[0019] Furthermore, the crop gripping device according to the present invention can be easily removed from the agricultural vehicle by the removal device 5 for using the agricultural vehicle for another purpose. The removal device 5 includes a main pole 51 having a rod shape arranged vertically to balance or strengthen, and further incorporates at least one handling stand 52, and preferably a total of two handling stands 52 are provided. The upper part of the main pole 51 is incorporated into a range adjustment winch device 53 which is a member including a mechanism for adjusting the screw-type height direction length. The other end of the range adjustment winch device 53 is incorporated into a bearing part 54 supported by the lower region of the rotary drive device 10 for supporting the arm device 2.

[0020] The method for removing the crop gripping device, shown in FIG. 9, is a. Extend the clamp 32 and adjust the second arm 22 so that it is substantially perpendicular to the ground, and then place the clamp 32 on the ground; b. Remove the connecting member 17; c. Incorporate the bearing part 54 into the mount 18 located in the lower region of the rotary drive device 10 and firmly fix it with a latch; d. Adjust the height of the bearing part 54 by rotating the manual adjustment device 53 to loosen the attachment point of the latch 102; e. Remove the latch 102; f. Remove the related hydraulic piping device; g. Move the vehicle away from the arm device 2. It includes.

[0021] A method for assembling a crop gripping device for an agricultural vehicle includes: a. Move the vehicle to a proper position where the rotary drive device 10 is ready to be installed; b. Properly connect the related hydraulic piping device; c. Properly adjust the height of the bearing part 54 by rotating the manual adjustment device 53; d. Assemble the latch 102; e. Remove the latch for attaching the bearing part 5 to the mount 18; <000​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​5 Removal device 10 Rotary drive device 11 Support frame 12 Fixing member 13. Support poles for roof trusses 14 Assembled support members 15 Connecting Members 16 Connecting Member 17 Joining members 18 Mount 20 Arm structure 21 First Arm 22 Second Arm 23. First hydraulic cylinder 24. Second hydraulic cylinder 25 Connecting Members 31 Hydraulic cylinder 32 clamps 33 Mount 34 Mount 35 Connecting Member 36 Fang 41 Support frame 42 Lever device 51 Main pole 52 Handling Stand 53 Range-adjustable winch device 54 Bearing section 101 Support Frame 102 Latch 103 Swivel Ring 104 splines 105 Hydraulic Cylinder 106 Shaft 171 Fixed points 172 Fixed points 201 Base Sheet 211 Pivot 212 Connecting Member 221 Connecting Member 222 Pivot 223 Connecting Member 224 Pivot 231 Pivot 232 Connecting Member 233 Pivot 234 Connecting Member 235 Pivot 251 Pivot

Claims

1. In a crop gripping device, which is a connecting device incorporated into an agricultural vehicle, A main structure (1) comprising a rotary drive unit (10) and left and right first support frames (11), wherein the lower region of the first support frame (11) itself is incorporated into a fixing member (12) for incorporation into the agricultural vehicle, the upper region of the first support frame (11) is provided to incorporate a support member (14) which is assembled on both its left and right sides for incorporation into the rotary drive unit (10), a first connecting member (15) is incorporated between the left and right sides of the first support frame (11), and / or a second connecting member (16) is incorporated between the left and right sides of the assembled support member (14), and furthermore, the lower region of the rotary drive unit (10) itself is provided with a first mount (18) for incorporation into a joint member (17), The arm device (2) includes an arm device (20) having a vertical frame shape, which is connected to the upper part of the main structure (1) by the rotary drive device (10), and one end of the arm device (2) is connectable to the grip device (3), and the arm device (2) includes an arm device (20) having a vertical frame shape, The gripping device is characterized in that the rotary drive device (10) includes a U-shaped second support frame (101), both ends of the second support frame (101) are incorporated into the left and right sides of the assembled support member (14) respectively and are securely fixed to a latch (102), the upper region of the second support frame (101) is provided with a swivel ring (103), the upper part of the swivel ring (103) is incorporated into a base seat (201) of the arm device (2) which has a spline (104) in the center, and the upper part of the base seat (201) is incorporated into the lower part of the arm structure (20).

2. In a crop gripping device, which is a connecting device incorporated into an agricultural vehicle, A main structure (1) comprising a rotary drive unit (10) and left and right first support frames (11), wherein the lower region of the first support frame (11) itself is incorporated into a fixing member (12) for incorporation into the agricultural vehicle, the upper region of the first support frame (11) is provided to incorporate a support member (14) which is assembled on both its left and right sides for incorporation into the rotary drive unit (10), a first connecting member (15) is incorporated between the left and right sides of the first support frame (11), and / or a second connecting member (16) is incorporated between the left and right sides of the assembled support member (14), and furthermore, the lower region of the rotary drive unit (10) itself is provided with a first mount (18) for incorporation into a joint member (17), The arm device (2) includes an arm device (20) having a vertical frame shape, which is connected to the upper part of the main structure (1) by the rotary drive device (10), and one end of the arm device (2) is connectable to the grip device (3), and the arm device (2) includes an arm device (20) having a vertical frame shape, The gripping device is characterized in that the rotary drive device (10) includes a second support frame (101) having a U shape, the region below the second support frame (101) is provided with a drive unit including a bidirectional first hydraulic cylinder (105) connected to a shaft (106), the shaft (106) is fitted into a spline (104) to rotatably drive the arm device (2) via a swivel ring (103), and the region below the first hydraulic cylinder (105) is incorporated into the joint member (17).

3. A gripping device for agricultural products according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that a truss support pole (13) for supporting the roof frame of the agricultural vehicle is provided above the first support frame (11), and both the left and right upper ends of the first support frame (11) are incorporated into the truss support pole (13).

4. A gripping device for agricultural products according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the gripping device for agricultural products is removable from the agricultural vehicle using a removal device (5), the removal device (5) includes a main pole (51) having a rod shape arranged vertically, and is further incorporated into at least one handling stand (52), the upper part of the main pole (51) is incorporated into a range adjustment winch device (53) which is a member including a threaded type height length adjustment mechanism, and the other end of the range adjustment winch device (53) is incorporated into a bearing portion (54) held in a region below the rotary drive device (10) in order to hold the arm device (2).

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