JP7654536B2 - Soil sampling device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a soil collection device that collects soil from a farm field for soil analysis.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a soil surveying device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is known as a technique for collecting soil.
The soil investigation device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a ground environment investigation device that prevents the collapse of an investigation hole and performs an accurate ground environment investigation. This soil investigation device is equipped with a core sampler that samples soil. When sampling soil, the core sampler is inserted into the investigation hole, and soil collection (sampling) can be realized.

JP 2004-20531 A

The soil survey device of Patent Document 1 collects soil using a bottomed, hollow columnar soil sampling member (core sampler) that is deployed with its opening facing downward. The soil sampling member is pressed or driven into the soil while rotating or not, and the soil is filled into the internal cavity of the bottomed, hollow columnar body, and then the soil is collected by pulling it up.
Here, when the soil sampling member is pressed into the soil, the air present in the internal cavity may interfere with the pressing-in, etc. For this reason, the soil sampling member of Patent Document 1 is pre-formed with a small hole indicated by the symbol 1c. By providing such a small hole, the air in the hollow portion can be dispersed, making it easy to press or drive the soil sampling member into the soil.

However, if the small holes are provided in the soil sampling member, there is a possibility that air may flow back from the outside into the internal cavity through the small holes when the soil sampling member is pulled up. In other words, it is possible that the collected soil may fall due to being pushed by the backflowing air. Therefore, the soil survey device of Patent Document 1 may not be able to reliably collect soil.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a soil sampling device that can reliably collect soil by firmly retaining the soil collected from underground in a sampling tube.

The technical means of the present invention for solving this technical problem is characterized by the following points.
The soil collection device comprises a collection tube, a lifting mechanism which lowers the collection tube to a descended position at a predetermined depth below the soil surface and raises the collection tube to an ascended position above the soil surface, and a pushing shaft which is arranged within the collection tube so as to be able to move up and down, wherein when the collection tube is in the descended position, the pushing shaft descends within the collection tube to compact the soil within the collection tube, and when the collection tube is raised from the descended position to the ascended position, the lifting mechanism raises the pushing shaft together with the collection tube to the ascended position .

The soil collecting device comprises a collection tube, a lifting mechanism for lowering the collection tube to a descended position at a predetermined depth below the soil surface and for lifting the collection tube to an ascended position above the soil surface, a pushing shaft arranged within the collection tube so as to be able to move up and down, a collection can for recovering soil collected in the collection tube, and a scraping member moving horizontally relative to the collection can, the collection can having an opening that opens upward, the pushing shaft descending within the collection tube to push the soil in the collection tube toward the collection can when the collection tube is in the ascended position, and descending within the collection tube to compact the soil in the collection tube when the collection tube is in the descended position , and the scraping member passing above the opening of the collection can after the pushing shaft has pushed out the soil in the collection tube.

The soil collection device comprises a collection can for collecting soil collected in the collection tube, a scraping member that moves horizontally relative to the collection can, and a moving mechanism for moving the collection can horizontally , wherein the collection can has an opening that opens upward, and a partition plate that separates the collection tube from the top and bottom is provided between the raised and lowered positions of the collection tube, and a window is formed in the partition plate to allow the collection tube to pass when the collection tube rises or falls, and the moving mechanism moves the collection can horizontally so that the opening passes under the window, and when the opening passes under the window, the inner edge of the window functions as the scraping member.

The soil collection device has a moving mechanism that is provided below the partition plate and has a throttle member that rotates around a rotation axis facing in the vertical direction, and the throttle member has a plurality of collection cans that are equally spaced around the rotation axis, and the inner edge of the window is positioned on the rotational orbit of the collection cans that rotate around the rotation axis in a plan view.
In the soil collecting device, the scraping member has a blade tip that is inclined with respect to the moving direction of the collection can.

The soil collection device is equipped with an adjustment mechanism that allows the height of the scraping member to be adjusted relative to the opening.

According to the present invention, the soil collected from the ground can be securely retained inside the collection tube, allowing the soil to be collected reliably.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a usage mode of the soil collecting device. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the soil sampler with the sampler tube in the lowered position. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the soil sampler with the sampler tube in a raised position. FIG. 13 illustrates a comparison of extension and retraction of the pushing shaft when the collection tube is in a raised position. FIG. 13 illustrates the extension and retraction of the pushing shaft when the collection tube is in the lowered position. This is a plan view comparing the rotation state of the throttle member and the positional relationship of the scrape member to the collection can in (a) the case where the collection can and the collection tube are aligned vertically, and (b) the case where the collection tube is positioned between adjacent collection cans. 13 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between a throttle member, a collection can, and a scrape member in another embodiment. FIG. FIG. 1A shows soil scraping using a scraping member with a right-angled blade tip, FIG. 1B shows soil scraping using a scraping member with an inclined blade tip, and FIG. 1C shows soil scraping using a scraping member with a height adjustment mechanism. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a procedure for collecting soil in a collection tube. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the procedure for transferring collected soil to a collection can.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Fig. 1 shows a usage state of the soil collection device 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 are schematic side views showing the overall configuration of the soil collection device 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 2 shows a state in which the collection pipe 2 is in a lowered position, in other words, the collection pipe 2 is lowered below the soil surface. Fig. 3 shows a state in which the collection pipe 2 is in an elevated position, in other words, the collection pipe 2 is elevated above the soil surface.

The soil collection device 1 is connected to the rear of a work vehicle 3 such as a tractor so as to be towable, and is towed by the work vehicle 3 to move through a field and collect soil at a predetermined location. In this embodiment, the soil collection device 1 of the present invention will be described using an example in which the work vehicle 3 is a tractor. However, the work vehicle 3 is not limited to a tractor.
The overall configuration of a work vehicle 3 to which a soil collection device 1 is connected will be briefly described with reference to FIG.

The work vehicle 3 (tractor) comprises a body 4 and a traveling device 5. A cabin 6 is mounted on the body 4. A driver's seat is provided inside the cabin 6. A connecting part 7 consisting of a three-point link mechanism is provided at the rear of the body 4. The connecting part 7 allows a working device (implement) to be attached and detached, and allows the working device (implement) to be raised and lowered. The working device (implement) of the present invention is a soil collection device 1.

Although not shown in the figure, the traveling device 5 has traveling bodies on the left and right sides. The traveling device 5 is a device having front wheels 5a and rear wheels 5b. The front wheels 5a may be of a tire type or a crawler type. The rear wheels 5b may also be of a tire type or a crawler type.
The vehicle body 4 is supported on a traveling device 5. A prime mover 8 is mounted on the vehicle body 4. The prime mover 8 is a gasoline engine, a diesel engine, an electric motor, or a hybrid type having a diesel engine and an electric motor. Power generated by the prime mover 8 is transmitted to the drive wheels of the traveling device 5 to operate the traveling device 5, and can also be transmitted to a working device via a PTO shaft.

A three-point link mechanism is used for the connecting part 7 that connects the soil collection device 1 of this embodiment. The three-point link mechanism (connecting part 7) provided at the rear of the vehicle body 4 can be detachably connected to the connecting frame 9 provided at the front of the soil collection device 1. These three-point link mechanisms include a top link 7a and two lower links 7b, and these links 7a, 7b can be swung up and down using a hydraulic actuator. The soil collection device 1 can be raised and lowered relative to the work vehicle 3 by driving (swinging) the three-point link mechanism (connecting part 7).

2 and 3, the soil collecting device 1 includes a collecting tube 2, a lifting mechanism 10, a pushing shaft 11, a collection can 12, a scraping member 13, and a throttle member 14. All of these members are attached to a device body 15.
The device body 15 includes a connecting frame 9. The three-point link mechanism (connecting portion 7) of the work vehicle 3 is attached to the connecting frame 9. By attaching the device body 15 to the work vehicle 3, the collection pipe 2 and other components arranged on the device body 15 can be towed by the work vehicle 3. In other words, the soil collection device 1 can be moved to any position in the field by the work vehicle 3, and soil can be collected at various locations in the field. However, the soil collection device 1 is not limited to a mobile type attached to the work vehicle 3, but may be a stationary type installed at a soil collection location in the field. In the case of a stationary type, a device body 15 without a connecting frame 9 provided in advance can also be used.

In this embodiment, the soil collection apparatus 1 is a mobile type having a connecting frame 9. Therefore, in the following description, unless otherwise specified, the soil collection apparatus 1 is assumed to be a mobile type.
The connecting frame 9 is provided at the rear of the device body 15. The connecting frame 9 is provided along the vertical direction. An upper connecting eye 9u that connects the top link 7a of the three-point link mechanism is formed at the upper part of the connecting frame 9. A plurality (three) of the upper connecting eyes 9u are provided at the upper part of the connecting frame 9 at intervals in the vertical direction. A lower connecting eye 9d that connects the lower link 7b of the three-point link mechanism is formed at the lower part of the connecting frame 9. In the case of this embodiment, the upper connecting eye 9u and the lower connecting eye 9d are formed as holes through which a connecting pin can be inserted, and the connecting pin is inserted into each of the upper connecting eye 9u and the lower connecting eye 9d to connect the soil collecting device 1 and the connecting part 7 of the work vehicle 3.

The soil collection device 1 is provided with a collection tube 2, a lifting mechanism 10, and a push shaft 11 at the front of the device body 15 (before the center in the front-to-rear direction). The soil collection device 1 also has a collection can 12 and a throttle member 14. The soil collection device 1 also has a scraping member 13. Specifically, the device body 15 extends horizontally from the rear (the lower end of the connecting frame 9) to the front. The device body 15 has a crank-shaped cross-sectional shape that bends upward at the midpoint in the front-to-rear direction and bends forward at the end of the upward extension. The device body 15 is provided with the collection tube 2, the lifting mechanism 10, and the push shaft 11 at the front end bent in a crank shape. The device body 15 is also provided with the collection can 12, the scraping member 13, and the throttle member 14 at the midpoint in the front-to-rear direction.

The sampling tube 2 is inserted into the soil from the soil surface to collect soil samples for soil analysis into the hollow tube. In the following explanation, the soil collected in the sampling tube 2 will be referred to as sample soil S, and may be distinguished from other soils in the field.
The collection tube 2 is made of a metal material such as steel and is formed into a tubular shape (cylindrical in the present embodiment) that extends in the vertical direction. The collection tube 2 is a long tube that is long in the vertical direction. Since the lower end of the collection tube 2 penetrates the soil surface and enters the ground, the lower end of the collection tube 2 may be sharpened by grinding in order to reduce resistance when entering the soil. In addition, like the tip of a syringe needle, the lower end of the collection tube 2 may be processed to be inclined with respect to the vertical direction when viewed from the side in order to reduce resistance when entering the soil.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, a restricting member 16 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the lower part of the collection tube 2 to restrict the depth of penetration of the collection tube 2 into the soil. The restricting member 16 is formed in a flange shape and is arranged to surround the collection tube 2 from the outer peripheral side. The lower surface of the restricting member 16 is formed in a flat surface extending along the horizontal direction. The restricting member 16 restricts the penetration of the collection tube 2 into the soil by bringing the flat lower surface 16a into surface contact with the soil surface. Therefore, the length from the lower end of the collection tube 2 to the restricting member 16 is the same as the penetration depth of the collection tube 2. In other words, the depth of the soil to be collected can be changed by changing the attachment position of the restricting member 16. For example, when collecting soil 300 mm deep from the soil surface, it is preferable to attach the restricting member 16 at least 300 mm from the lower end of the collection tube 2.

At the upper end of the collection tube 2, a large diameter section 2a is formed, the outer diameter of which is larger than the lower section and the vertical middle section of the collection tube 2. The large diameter section 2a is formed to have a larger inner diameter as well as an outer diameter than the collection tube 2 below the large diameter section 2a. In more detail, a step is formed on both the inner and outer circumferential surfaces between the large diameter section 2a of the collection tube 2 and the collection tube 2 below the large diameter section 2a. Hereinafter, the step formed on the inner circumferential surface of the collection tube 2 is referred to as the inner circumferential step 2b, and the step formed on the outer circumferential surface of the collection tube 2 is referred to as the outer circumferential step 2c.

The inner peripheral step 2b has a horizontal step surface facing upward. The underside of the pushing actuator body 17 (described later) comes into surface contact with the step surface of the inner peripheral step 2b, thereby restricting the downward movement of the pushing actuator body 17. In other words, the inner peripheral step 2b defines the insertion position of the pushing actuator body 17 into the collection tube 2 at the same height as the large diameter portion 2a.
Outer peripheral step 2c has a horizontal step surface facing downward. The step surface of outer peripheral step 2c comes into surface contact with the upper surface of support part 18 of device body 15, which will be described later, thereby restricting downward movement of collection tube 2. In other words, outer peripheral step 2c determines the insertion position of collection tube 2 relative to support part 18 of device body 15 to be at the same height as support part 18.

Next, the lifting mechanism 10 for lifting and lowering the collection tube 2 will be described.
The lifting mechanism 10 is a mechanism that lowers the collection tube 2 to a lowered position at a predetermined depth below the soil surface, and also raises the collection tube 2 to an upper position above the soil surface. In other words, the lifting mechanism 10 raises and lowers the collection tube 2 between the upper and lower positions.
As shown in Fig. 2, the lowered position is a position where the bottom end of the sampling tube 2 is a depth D below the soil surface. The depth D that defines the lowered position varies depending on the type of crop to be cultivated in the soil and the components to be analyzed in the soil, but in the case of this embodiment, the depth D is 100 mm to 600 mm. For example, in the case of field soil for cultivating general leafy vegetables, the depth D may be as shallow as 100 mm to 300 mm. However, in the case of cultivated soil for fruit trees whose roots grow deep, the depth D is set to a deep value of 300 mm to 600 mm.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the collection tube 2 is in the raised position, the lower end of the collection tube 2 is located a height H above the soil surface. The height H that defines the raised position is set higher than the installation height of the scraping member 13, described below, so as not to physically interfere with the scraping member 13. In the case of this embodiment, the scraping member 13 is installed at an installation height of 150 mm above the soil surface. Therefore, the height H that defines the above-mentioned raised position is set to 200 mm or more, which is slightly higher than 150 mm, in consideration of safety. There is no upper limit to the height H. However, if the height H is made too large, it takes time and effort to raise and lower the collection tube 2, which is inefficient. Therefore, the height H is set to 500 mm or less.

Specifically, the lifting mechanism 10 has an actuator 19 , a first support arm unit 20 , and a second support arm unit 21 .
As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the actuator 19 is disposed along the vertical direction and extends and contracts in the vertical direction by an electric or hydraulic actuator such as an electric motor or a hydraulic actuator. The actuator 19 of this embodiment has an actuator body 22 at its lower part when viewed relatively. An extension rod 23 is disposed at the upper part of the actuator body 22 so as to be extendable and contractible upward from the actuator body 22. The actuator 19 is supported by two members, a first support arm portion 20 at its upper part and a second support arm portion 21 at its lower part.

The first support arm section 20 is a plate member that bends in a crank shape from the upper front portion to the lower rear portion. The front end of the first support arm section 20 is connected to the upper end of the extendable rod 23. The rear end of the first support arm section 20 is connected to the large diameter section 2a of the collection tube 2. In other words, the first support arm section 20 supports the large diameter section 2a of the collection tube 2 against the upper end of the extendable rod 23.

The second support arm portion 21 is a plate member that bends in a crank shape from the lower front to the upper rear. The front end of the second support arm portion 21 is connected to the lower end of the actuator body 22. The rear end of the second support arm portion 21 is connected to the support portion 18 of the device body 15. In other words, the second support arm portion 21 fixes the lower end of the actuator body 22 to the support portion 18 of the device body 15 so that it does not move.

The second support arm portion 21 is connected to the lower end of the actuator body 22 and to the support portion 18 of the device body 15 .
Therefore, when the actuator 19 extends, the telescopic rod 23 extends upward from the actuator body 22. At this time, the lower end of the actuator body 22 does not move because it is connected to the support part 18 of the device body 15 by the second support arm part 21. Therefore, the telescopic rod 23 extends upward from the fixed actuator body 22. Then, the large diameter part 2a supported at the upper end of the telescopic rod 23 by the first support arm part 20 also moves upward, and the collection tube 2 is pulled upward.

When the actuator 19 is retracted, the extendable rod 23 moves downward relative to the fixed actuator body 22, so that the collection tube 2 is pulled downward.
Support part 18 is a cylindrical part that supports collection tube 2, and is formed at the front end of device body 15. The inner diameter of support part 18 is larger than the outer diameter of collection tube 2 below large diameter portion 2a. Therefore, collection tube 2 below large diameter portion 2a can be inserted into support part 18 from the inner periphery. Furthermore, the inner diameter of support part 18 is smaller than the outer diameter of large diameter portion 2a. Therefore, when collection tube 2 is inserted into the inner periphery of support part 18 from above, the step surface of outer periphery step 2c formed at the lower end of large diameter portion 2a comes into surface contact with support part 18 from above. In this way, downward movement of collection tube 2 relative to support part 18 is restricted, and collection tube 2 is supported by support part 18.

In the above example, the actuator 19 is configured to contract to move the telescopic rod 23 downward, thereby pulling the collection tube 2 downward. However, the actuator 19 may be configured to extend to move the telescopic rod 23 downward.
Next, the pushing shaft 11 and the pushing actuator 24 that moves the pushing shaft 11 in the up and down direction will be described.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the pushing shaft 11 is a rod-shaped member arranged in the collection tube 2 so as to be able to move up and down, and has the function of pushing down the soil taken into the collection tube 2. In this embodiment, the pushing shaft 11 has a first shaft 11a arranged below the pushing actuator 24, and a second shaft 11b arranged further below the first shaft 11a. Note that, although this embodiment shows an example in which the two shafts 11a and 11b are connected in the longitudinal direction, the pushing shaft 11 may be a single shaft that is connected seamlessly from top to bottom.

Specifically, the outer diameter of pushing shaft 11 is larger than the inner diameter of collection tube 2 located below inner peripheral step 2b (large diameter portion 2a). This allows pushing shaft 11 to move vertically inside collection tube 2.
Pushing actuator 24 is inserted from above into large diameter portion 2a of collection tube 2. The outer diameter of pushing actuator 24 is smaller than the inner diameter of large diameter portion 2a of collection tube 2 and larger than the inner diameter of collection tube 2 located below large diameter portion 2a. Therefore, when pushing actuator 24 is inserted from above into large diameter portion 2a, the lower surface of pushing actuator 24 comes into surface contact with the step surface of inner peripheral step 2b formed in large diameter portion 2a. Then, with pushing actuator 24 supported by inner peripheral step 2b, it becomes possible to vertically extend or retract only pushing shaft 11 within collection tube 2.

The pushing actuator 24 may be fixed to the large diameter portion 2a by screwing or fastening. For example, a threaded portion that can be screwed into the outer circumferential surface of the pushing actuator 24 and the inner circumferential surface of the large diameter portion 2a may be formed. In this way, the pushing actuator 24 can be fixed to the inside of the large diameter portion 2a by screwing. Also, if a fastener or the like is provided that penetrates the large diameter portion 2a and reaches the outer circumferential surface of the pushing actuator 24 while the pushing actuator 24 is inserted inside the large diameter portion 2a, the pushing actuator 24 can be fixed to the inside of the large diameter portion 2a by the fastener or the like.

The pushing actuator 24 may be an electric or hydraulic actuator, such as an electric motor or a hydraulic actuator, that expands and contracts the pushing shaft 11 in the vertical direction.
The above-mentioned pushing shaft 11 has the following two functions.
One of the functions is to compact the collected soil sample S. That is, when the collection tube 2 is in the lowered position, the pushing shaft 11 moves down inside the collection tube 2 to compact the soil inside the collection tube 2. Specifically, as shown in the second left diagram in FIG. 9, when the collection tube 2 is in the lowered position, the lower end of the collection tube 2 is located below the soil surface GL, and the soil S is inside the collection tube 2. Even when the collection tube 2 moves down, the lower end 11c of the pushing shaft 11 (second shaft 11b) is located above the lower end of the collection tube 2 before the pushing shaft 11 compresses the soil sample S. As a result, a space 32 for accommodating the soil S is formed between the lower end 11c of the pushing shaft 11 and the lower end of the collection tube 2. That is, when the pushing shaft 11 is lowered to a predetermined position, the space surrounded by the inner wall of the sampling tube 2 and the lower end 11c of the pushing shaft 11 becomes the space 32 for containing the soil S. The soil S is then contained in this space 32.

Next, the pushing shaft 11 is further lowered from the predetermined position to compact the sample soil S. At this time, the lower end 11c of the pushing shaft 11 moves downward within the space 32 to push the sample soil S from above. The lower part of the sample soil S in the collection tube 2 is surrounded by the lower layer soil, and the sides are surrounded by the tube wall of the collection tube 2. Therefore, when the sample soil S in the collection tube 2 is pushed downward with the lower end of the pushing shaft 11, the movement of the sample soil S is restricted in all directions, so the sample soil S is compressed within the space 32. Then, the compressed sample soil S is firmly compacted (fixed) against the inner surface of the collection tube 2 within the space 32. The sample soil S compacted within the collection tube 2 is less likely to fall than if it were not compacted. Therefore, it is possible to pull up or move the collection tube 2 from the ground without dropping the collected sample soil S.

In order to reliably achieve the function of compacting the sample soil S described above, it is preferable that the lower end 11c of the pushing shaft 11 be formed into an approximately flat surface so as to be able to sufficiently compress the sample soil S in the space 32.
Another function is to peel off the sample soil S compacted in the collection tube 2. When the collection tube 2 is in the raised position, the pushing shaft 11 descends in the collection tube 2 to push the soil in the collection tube 2 toward the collection can 12. Specifically, the pushing shaft 11 pushes the sample soil S compacted in the collection tube 2, peeling off the sample soil S from the inner peripheral surface of the collection tube 2 and promoting the dropping of the sample soil S from the collection tube 2. When the sample soil S is dropped from the collection tube 2, the lower end 11c of the pushing shaft 11 descends to the height of the lower end of the collection tube 2, as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 10. In this way, when the sample soil S is peeled off, the lower end 11c of the pushing shaft 11 is lowered to the height of the lower end of the collection tube 2 or lower when the pushing shaft 11 is in the lowest position. As a result, there is no space 32 between the lower end 11c of the pushing shaft 11 and the lower end of the sampling tube 2, so that the compacted soil sample S can be dropped reliably into the sampling tube 2.

More specifically, when the collection tube 2 is pulled upward, the pushing shaft 11 is retracted in advance to the pushing actuator 24 side (see the right diagram in FIG. 5). That is, when the above-mentioned lifting mechanism 10 raises the collection tube 2 from the lowered position to the raised position, it raises the pushing shaft 11 together with the collection tube 2 to the raised position. Then, with the collection tube 2 positioned above the collection can 12, the pushing shaft 11 is extended downward again from the pushing actuator 24 (see the left diagram in FIG. 5). Then, the lower end of the pushing shaft 11 extended downward comes into contact with the soil sample S in the collection tube 2, and the soil sample S can be peeled off in the collection tube 2 using the pushing force (pushing force) of the pushing actuator 24, facilitating its fall. This method of forcibly peeling off the soil sample S using the pushing force of the pushing actuator 24 is particularly advantageous when the soil sample S is firmly attached to the collection tube 2, such as clayey soil. In this way, the sample soil S will not remain in the sampling tube 2, making it possible to reliably collect the soil.

By providing the soil collection device 1 with the collection tube 2, lifting mechanism 10, and pushing shaft 11 described above, the sample soil S is collected in the collection can 12 quickly and efficiently. Therefore, it is preferable that the collection can 12 is also loaded efficiently so as to be able to adequately respond to the operations of the collection tube 2, lifting mechanism 10, and pushing shaft 11. Therefore, the soil collection device 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a loading mechanism that quickly loads the collection can 12 for collecting the sample soil S.

As shown in FIG. 6, the loading mechanism for the collection cans 12 includes a plurality of collection cans 12 and a throttle member 14 that moves only one of the plurality of collection cans 12 along the movement axis of the collection tube 2.
The collection cans 12 are all cylindrical members with a bottom and have the same shape. Each collection can 12 has an opening 12a that opens upward. A ring-shaped flange portion 12b is formed on the collection can 12 so as to surround the periphery of the opening 12a. By providing the flange portion 12b around the periphery of the opening 12a, the sample soil S that falls off the opening 12a can be received by the flange portion 12b and collected in the collection can 12, thereby improving the efficiency of collecting the sample soil S into the collection can 12.

The opening 12a of the collection can 12 is formed with a diameter equal to or slightly larger than that of the collection tube 2, so that the sample soil S in the collection tube 2 can be collected without spilling. The volume of the collection can 12 is smaller than the amount of sample soil S collected in the collection tube 2. This is because the soil used for soil analysis among the sample soil S collected in the collection tube 2 is limited to that present at a predetermined depth from the soil surface (for example, 100 mm or deeper as described above). If soil analysis is performed using surface soil, accurate analysis may be difficult due to humus and foreign matter, so it is generally preferable to collect soil at a predetermined depth (for example, 100 mm or deeper) from the ground surface as sample soil S in the collection can 12. Therefore, the collection can 12 of this embodiment is not designed to collect all of the sample soil S collected in the collection tube 2. For example, the collection can 12 of this embodiment is capable of collecting soil at a predetermined depth (for example, 100 mm or deeper). However, even if an attempt is made to collect soil (surface soil) shallower than a predetermined depth (e.g., 100 mm), the collection can 12 is filled with previously collected soil. Therefore, soil shallower than the predetermined depth (e.g., 100 mm) spills out of the can and is not collected in the can. To enable selective collection of such soil (collection of only soil deeper than the predetermined depth), the collection can 12 of this embodiment is set to a volume that fills the can with sample soil S excluding the surface soil.

As shown in FIG. 2 etc., the throttle member 14 is disposed midway in the front-rear direction of the device body 15. As shown in FIG. 6, the throttle member 14 is a flat plate member that is disposed horizontally and has a gear shape in a plan view. On the outer periphery of the throttle member 14, convex edge portions 14a that protrude in the outer periphery direction away from the center and concave edge portions 14b that are concave toward the center are formed alternately in the circumferential direction. There are multiple convex edge portions 14a and concave edge portions 14b (10 in this embodiment) and they are disposed alternately in the circumferential direction. A collection can 12 is disposed at the tip of each of the convex edge portions 14a.

A rotary shaft 14c is formed at the center of the throttle member 14 with its axis oriented in the vertical direction. A rotary motor 26 is provided on the rotary shaft 14c of the throttle member 14, which rotates the rotary shaft 14c around an axis oriented in the vertical direction via a worm gear. Therefore, when the rotary motor 26 rotates, the rotational driving force of the rotary motor 26 is transmitted to the rotary shaft 14c via the worm gear, and the rotary shaft 14c rotates around the axis oriented in the vertical direction. In conjunction with the rotation of the rotary shaft 14c, the throttle member 14 also rotates around the axis of the rotary shaft 14c (see arrow TD in FIG. 6).

In the throttle member 14 described above, the distance from the axis of the rotating shaft 14c to the tip of the convex edge portion 14a is equal for each of the convex edge portions 14a. In other words, the distance from the axis of the rotating shaft 14c to the collection cans 12 is equal for all of the collection cans 12. Therefore, when the throttle member 14 rotates, all of the collection cans 12 move on the same rotational trajectory R centered on the rotational shaft 14c of the throttle member 14. As shown by the two-dot chain line in Figures 6(a) and (b), this rotational trajectory R is a circular trajectory centered on the axis of the rotating shaft 14c and passes through the centers of the multiple collection cans 12.

One soil transfer position T from the collection tube 2 to the collection canister 12 is provided on the rotation track R. The soil transfer position T is located at the intersection of the movement axis (vertical axis) of the collection tube 2 and the rotation track R. In other words, by rotating the throttle member 14, it becomes possible to sequentially move (load) the multiple collection canisters 12 one by one to the soil transfer position T along the rotation track R.
For example, Figure 6(a) shows a positional relationship in which the collection tube 2 is located above (directly above) the collection canister 12, which is disposed on the outer periphery of the throttle member 14. In other words, in Figure 6(a), the collection canister 12 and the collection tube 2 are lined up in the vertical direction. Because the collection tube 2 is located above (directly above) the collection canister 12, when the soil sample S collected in the collection tube 2 is dropped downward, the dropped soil is collected in the collection canister 12.

Once the soil has been collected in the collection canister 12, the throttle member 14 is further rotated around the vertical axis. In the case of this embodiment, the collection canisters 12 are arranged at 36° intervals based on the axis of the rotating shaft 14c, so the throttle member 14 is further rotated 18°. This changes the position of the collection canister 12, which was located at the soil transfer position T, to the position shown in Figure 6(b).

Figure 6(b) shows the positional relationship in which the collection tube 2 is located between adjacent collection canisters 12 in a plan view. In other words, in Figure 6(b), the collection tube 2 is located between adjacent collection canisters 12 in a plan view. As described above, the collection canister 12 is disposed at the tip of the convex edge 14a, but the concave edge 14b between the convex edge 14a is formed in an arc-like recess toward the center of the rotation shaft 14c of the throttle member 14. Therefore, in the position shown in Figure 6(b), the throttle member 14 does not physically interfere with the collection tube 2, and the collection tube 2 can be freely moved up and down.

The scraping member 13 moves horizontally relative to the collection can 12. This relative movement includes a case where the scraping member 13 is fixed and the collection can 12 moves, and a case where the collection can 12 is fixed and the scraping member 13 moves. The embodiment described below is the former case.
The scraping member 13 is a plate member that is fixed so as not to move to the device body 15. In the case of this embodiment, as shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b), the scraping member 13 is a rectangular plate member.

The scrape member 13 is positioned so that its lower edge faces horizontally and is located slightly above the opening 12a of the collection can 12. The scrape member 13 is also attached at a position that crosses the rotational orbit R. Therefore, when the throttle member 14 rotates around the axis of the rotation shaft 14c, the collection can 12 moves on the rotational orbit R and passes slightly below the lower edge of the scrape member 13.

As shown in the lower circle in FIG. 6(a), after the pushing shaft 11 pushes out the soil in the collection tube 2, excess sample soil S is piled up (pile up) above the opening 12a of the collection can 12. In this state, the throttle member 14 rotates to move the collection can 12. Then, as shown in the lower circle in FIG. 6(b), the collection can 12 passes slightly below the lower edge of the scrape member 13. At this time, when viewed from the collection can 12, the lower edge of the scrape member 13 passes horizontally slightly above the opening 12a. Then, the scrape member 13 passing horizontally scrapes off the sample soil S that has accumulated above the opening 12a.

In other words, in the soil collection device 1 of this embodiment, the scraping member 13 moves horizontally relative to the collection can 12. At this time, the scraping member 13 passes above the opening 12a of the collection can 12 after the pushing shaft 11 pushes out the soil in the collection tube 2. This allows the scraping member 13 to remove excess sample soil S above (protruding from) the top end of the collection can 12.

The scrape member 13 is attached at a height such that the lower edge of the scrape member 13 is located slightly above the opening 12a of the collection can 12. In other words, when the throttle member 14 rotates around the axis of the rotating shaft 14c, the collection can 12 also rotates together with the throttle member 14. At this time, if the scrape member 13 is installed at a height where it moves horizontally relative to the rotating collection can 12 slightly above, the scrape member 13 scrapes off the sample soil S located above the opening of the collection can 12. The soil scraped off by the scrape member 13 is soil that was located near the surface in the field before collection. Therefore, the sample soil S collected in the collection can 12 is reliably free of humus and foreign matter that are abundant near the surface, making it possible to collect a sample that is optimal for soil analysis.

In the above-described example, the scraping member 13 is a rectangular plate member arranged on the device body 15 with its lower edge facing horizontally, but a member other than a plate member can also be used as the scraping member 13.
7(a), for example, a partition plate 28 is provided between the raised and lowered positions of collection tube 2 to separate the upper and lower positions. In the illustrated example, this partition plate 28 is the bottom plate of device body 15. Next, a window 29 is formed in partition plate 28 (bottom plate of device body 15) to allow collection tube 2 to pass in the vertical direction. Then, a movement mechanism 30 is provided to move collection can 12 horizontally so that opening 12a of collection can 12 passes under window 29.

The above-mentioned moving mechanism 30 may use a throttle member 14 that uses rotation to move the collection can 12 to the soil transfer position T. However, the moving mechanism 30 for the collection can 12 is not limited to the above-mentioned throttle member 14, and the movement of the collection can 12 does not have to use rotation. For example, a moving mechanism 30 that moves the collection can 12 horizontally in a straight line relative to the soil transfer position T may be used. A moving mechanism 30 that moves the collection tube 2 itself relative to the collection can 12 may also be used. In other words, the moving mechanism 30 for the collection can 12 may be any mechanism that can move the collection can 12 horizontally relative to the collection tube 2.

Even when the above-mentioned moving mechanism 30 is used, when the opening 12a of the collection canister 12 passes under the window 29, the inner edge 29a of the window 29 functions as the scraping member 13 to remove excess sample soil S above the top end of the collection canister 12. In this case, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the inner edge 29a of the window 29 is positioned on the rotational orbit R of the collection canister 12 rotating around the rotational axis 14c in a plan view (so as to cross the rotational orbit R), and functions as the scraping member 13.

In other words, as shown in FIG. 7, the soil collection device 1 may be provided with a movement mechanism 30 that moves the collection can 12 horizontally, and a partition plate 28 that separates the collection tube 2 from the top and bottom between the raised and lowered positions. In this case, the partition plate 28 is formed with a window 29 that allows the collection tube 2 to pass when it rises or falls. The movement mechanism 30 also moves the collection can 12 horizontally so that the opening 12a passes under the window 29, and when the opening 12a passes under the window 29, the inner edge 29a of the window 29 functions as the scraping member 13.

Also, as shown in Fig. 8(b), the edge of the scraping member 13 on the side that comes into contact with the soil can be cut in an inclined shape (a straight line shape inclined with respect to the vertical direction). In other words, by using a scraping member 13 with an inclined sharp cutting edge 13b shown in Fig. 8(b) instead of the scraping member 13 with a right-angled cutting edge 13a shown in Fig. 8(a) (perpendicular to the vertical direction), the cutting ability of the soil can be improved. As a result, even hard soil can be reliably removed, and accurate soil analysis can be performed using soil that has been precisely determined.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8(c), an adjustment mechanism 31 can be provided that can adjust the height of the scraping member 13 relative to the opening 12a of the collection can 12. For example, if the soil to be collected does not have shape retention, such as sand, making the height of the scraping member 13 too high may cause the pile to collapse as it is scraped off, making it impossible to accurately collect the sample soil S. In such a case, by keeping the height of the scraping member 13 low, the amount of sample soil S collected in the collection can 12 can be accurately adjusted, making it possible to perform more accurate soil analysis.

Next, a soil collecting method using the soil collecting device 1 of this embodiment will be described.
9 shows a state in which the sampling tube 2 is in a raised position above the soil surface (state before soil sampling). When soil is to be sampled from this state, first, the actuator 19 is retracted, and the sampling tube 2 connected to the pushing shaft 11 via the first support arm portion 20 is lowered.

As a result, as shown in the second diagram from the left in Figure 9, the collection tube 2 penetrates the soil surface and enters the soil, and the soil sample S enters the hollow collection tube 2. When the collection tube 2 descends to the lowered position, the soil sample S is collected inside the collection tube 2. At this time, the volume of the soil sample S collected in the collection tube 2 is slightly compressed by the pressure of the collection tube 2, and becomes slightly smaller than the volume of the original soil (the soil before it was collected).

As shown in the second diagram from the right end of Figure 9, the sample soil S collected in the collection tube 2 is further pressed and compacted by the pushing shaft 11. Specifically, the rod-shaped pushing shaft 11 is extended downward from the pushing actuator body 17, and the bottom end of the pushing shaft 11 compresses the sample soil S in the collection tube 2. In this way, the sample soil S is compacted inside the collection tube 2, and the compacted sample soil S is fixed to the inner surface of the collection tube. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the sample soil S from falling even if the collection tube 2 is raised.

As shown in the rightmost diagram of Figure 9, once compression of the soil sample S is complete, the actuator 19 is extended upward, and the collection tube 2 is pulled upward. At this time, as the collection tube 2 is raised from the lowered position to the raised position, the pushing shaft 11 is also raised together with the collection tube 2. In this way, the pushing shaft 11 is pulled above the soil sample S, and it is possible to perform a preliminary operation to forcibly peel the soil sample S from the collection tube 2 using the pushing shaft 11.

The leftmost drawing in Fig. 10 shows the state in which the sampling tube 2 is raised to the upper position and the pushing shaft 11 is retracted (the state before the soil falls). First, the throttle member 14 is rotated about the axis of the rotation shaft 14c, and the collection canister 12 attached to the throttle member 14 is moved to the soil transfer position T directly below the raised sampling tube 2 (see the upper drawing in Fig. 6(a)).
When the collection can 12 has moved to the soil transfer position T, the rotation of the throttle member 14 is temporarily stopped. Then, as shown in the second diagram from the left in Fig. 10, the pushing shaft 11 is lowered again to forcibly peel the soil sample S from the collection tube 2, and the peeled soil sample S is dropped into the collection can 12. At this time, since the volume of the soil sample S is larger than the capacity of the collection can 12, the excess soil sample S on the surface side is not collected in the collection can 12, but is piled up on top of the collection can 12 (see the diagram in the lower circle in Fig. 6(a)).

When the collection of the soil samples S is complete, the throttle member 14 is further rotated around the axis of the rotating shaft 14c. This causes the collection can 12, which has now collected the soil samples S, to move horizontally. The collection can 12, which has now collected the soil samples S, then moves to the scraping member 13. The scraping member 13 is attached so as to cross the rotational path R of the collection can 12 (see FIG. 6). The collection can 12 is also attached so that the opening 12a passes slightly below the lower edge of the scraping member 13. Therefore, when the throttle member 14 is rotated, the scraping member 13 moves horizontally relative to the collection can 12 slightly above the opening 12a, scraping off the excess soil that has piled up in a heap on the opening 12a.

As a result, as shown in the rightmost diagram of Figure 10, the soil piled up above the opening 12a, in other words, the soil located near the surface in the field before sampling, is scraped off. Then, only the sample soil S that does not contain humus or foreign matter can be collected in the collection can 12, and it becomes possible to perform an accurate soil analysis using the sample soil S that is suitable for the soil analysis.
According to the soil collecting device 1 of the above-described embodiment, the following effects can be achieved.

The soil collection device 1 comprises a collection tube 2, a lifting mechanism 10 that lowers the collection tube 2 to a lowered position at a predetermined depth below the soil surface and raises the collection tube 2 to an elevated position above the soil surface, and a pushing shaft 11 that is arranged within the collection tube 2 so as to be movable up and down. When the collection tube 2 is in the lowered position, the pushing shaft 11 descends within the collection tube 2 to compact the soil within the collection tube 2.

According to this configuration, the sample soil S is compressed inside the collection tube 2 by being pressed against the pushing shaft 11. The compressed sample soil S is pressed strongly against the inner circumferential surface of the collection tube 2 and adheres to the inner circumferential surface. The sample soil S adhered to the inner circumferential surface of the collection tube 2 in this way does not easily fall off. Therefore, with the above-mentioned soil collection device 1, the soil collected from underground can be firmly retained inside the collection tube 2, and the soil can be reliably collected.

In the soil collecting device 1, when the lifting mechanism 10 lifts the sampling tube 2 from the lowered position to the raised position, it lifts the pushing shaft 11 together with the sampling tube 2 to the raised position.
According to this configuration, the soil sample S firmly retained in the collection tube 2 can be peeled off and reliably collected in the collection can 12. That is, the collection tube 2 in which the soil sample S has been collected is raised by the lifting mechanism 10 in order to transfer the soil sample S to the collection can 12. The collection tube 2 then rises from the lowered position to the raised position. At this time, the pushing shaft 11 provided in the collection tube 2 is changed from an extended state to a retracted state at the same time as the collection tube 2 rises. In this way, when the soil sample S is transferred to the collection can 12, preparations can be made to peel off the soil sample S in the collection tube 2 using the pushing shaft 11.

The soil collection device 1 comprises a collection can 12 that collects the soil collected in the collection tube 2, and a scraping member 13 that moves horizontally relative to the collection can 12. The collection can 12 has an opening 12a that opens upward, and when the collection tube 2 is in the raised position, the pushing shaft 11 descends within the collection tube 2 to push the soil within the collection tube 2 toward the collection can 12, and the scraping member 13 passes above the opening 12a of the collection can 12 after the pushing shaft 11 has pushed out the soil within the collection tube 2.

According to this configuration, the scraping member 13 passing above the opening 12a of the collection can 12 can scrape off the excess soil piled up in a heap above the opening 12a. In other words, the soil piled up above the opening 12a is nothing other than the soil that was located near the surface in the field before collection. The soil that was located near the surface in the field contains substances that are not suitable for analysis, such as humus and foreign matter. Therefore, by scraping off the excess soil, only the sample soil S that does not contain humus or foreign matter can be collected in the collection can 12. As a result, the above-mentioned soil collection device 1 can perform accurate soil analysis using the sample soil S that is suitable for soil analysis.

The soil collection device 1 is equipped with a movement mechanism 30 that moves the collection can 12 horizontally, and a partition plate 28 that separates the upper and lower parts is provided between the raised and lowered positions of the collection tube 2. The partition plate has a window 29 that allows the collection tube 2 to pass when it rises or falls, and the movement mechanism 30 moves the collection can 12 horizontally so that the opening 12a passes under the window 29, and when the opening 12a passes under the window 29, the inner edge of the window 29 functions as a scraping member 13.

With this configuration, it is possible to scrape off excess soil simply by forming a window 29 in the bottom plate of the device body 15, etc., without the need for a separate scrape member 13. In other words, if a plate member is provided as the scrape member 13, the device configuration becomes complicated. However, if a window 29 is simply formed in the bottom plate of the device body 15, etc., it becomes possible to scrape off excess soil while maintaining a simple device configuration.

The soil collection device 1 has a movement mechanism 30 that is provided below the partition plate 28 and has a throttle member 14 that rotates around a rotation axis 14c that faces in the vertical direction, and the throttle member 14 has multiple collection cans 12 that are equally spaced around the rotation axis 14c, and the inner edge of the window 29 is positioned on the rotational orbit R of the collection cans 12 that rotate around the rotation axis 14c in a plan view.

According to this configuration, the collection can 12 can be moved to the soil transfer position T in a short time and efficiently using the moving mechanism 30 that rotates the throttle member 14. In other words, the soil collection device 1 using the above-mentioned collection tube 2, pushing shaft 11, and lifting mechanism 10 can collect the sample soil S in a short time. In the soil collection device 1 of the present invention, it is also necessary to collect the collected sample soil S in the collection can 12 in a short time in conjunction with the collection of the soil. Therefore, by using the above-mentioned moving mechanism 30, it is possible to perform the operations from collection to recovery of the soil in a short time. In addition, since multiple collection cans 12 can be arranged in a small circular space centered on the rotation axis 14c, the soil collection device 1 can be configured compactly.

In the soil collecting device 1, the scraping member 13 has a blade tip that is inclined with respect to the moving direction of the collection can 12.
According to this configuration, even hard soil can be easily scraped off by the scraping member 13 with an inclined cutting edge. In other words, since the soil can be reliably removed, it is also possible to perform accurate soil analysis using soil that has been precisely measured.

The soil collecting device 1 is provided with an adjustment mechanism 31 capable of adjusting the height of the scraping member 13 relative to the opening 12a.
According to this configuration, by adjusting the height of the scraping member 13 using the adjustment mechanism 31, it is possible to adjust the scraping member 13 to a height that corresponds to the properties of the soil sample S. As a result, the amount of soil sample S collected in the collection can 12 can be precisely adjusted, making it possible to perform more precise soil analysis.

The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered to be illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 soil sampling device 2 sampling pipe 3 work vehicle 10 lifting mechanism 11 pushing shaft 12 collection can 12a opening 13 scraping member 14 throttle member 28 partition plate 29 window 30 moving mechanism 31 adjustment mechanism R rotation track GL soil surface

Claims (6)

A collection tube;
a lifting mechanism that lowers the sampling tube to a lowered position at a predetermined depth from the soil surface and lifts the sampling tube to an elevated position above the soil surface;
A pushing shaft arranged in the collection tube so as to be movable up and down;
Equipped with
the pushing shaft descends within the collection tube when the collection tube is in the lowered position to compact the soil within the collection tube ;
When the lifting mechanism lifts the collection tube from the lowered position to the raised position, the lifting mechanism lifts the pushing shaft to the raised position together with the collection tube.
Soil sampling equipment. A collection tube;
a lifting mechanism that lowers the sampling tube to a lowered position at a predetermined depth from the soil surface and lifts the sampling tube to an elevated position above the soil surface;
A pushing shaft arranged in the collection tube so as to be movable up and down;
a collection canister for collecting the soil collected in the collection tube;
A scraping member that moves relatively in a horizontal direction toward the collection can;
Equipped with
The collection can has an opening that opens upward,
When the collection tube is in the raised position, the pushing shaft moves down within the collection tube to push the soil in the collection tube toward the recovery canister, and when the collection tube is in the lowered position, the pushing shaft moves down within the collection tube to compact the soil in the collection tube;
A soil collecting device in which the scraping member passes above an opening of the collection canister after the pushing shaft pushes out the soil within the collection tube . a collection canister for collecting the soil collected in the collection tube;
A scraping member that moves relatively in a horizontal direction toward the collection can;
a movement mechanism for horizontally moving the collection can,
The collection can has an opening that opens upward,
A partition plate is provided between the raised position and the lowered position of the collection tube to separate the upper and lower portions,
a window is formed in the partition plate to allow the collection tube to pass when the collection tube moves up or down;
the moving mechanism moves the collection can in a horizontal direction so that the opening passes under the window;
2. The soil sampler of claim 1 , wherein an inner edge of the window functions as the scraping member when the opening passes under the window . the moving mechanism has a throttle member that is provided below the partition plate and rotates about a rotation axis that faces in a vertical direction,
The throttle member has a plurality of collection cans disposed at equal intervals around the rotation shaft,
4. The soil collecting device according to claim 3 , wherein an inner edge of the window is disposed on a rotational path of the collection can that rotates around the rotation axis in a plan view. The soil collecting device according to claim 3 or 4 , wherein the scraping member has a blade tip that is inclined with respect to the moving direction of the collection canister. 5. The soil collecting device according to claim 2 , further comprising an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the height of the scraping member relative to the opening.

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