JP7656915B2 - Crop harvester - Google Patents

Description

Application of Article 30 Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act Field owned by Mr. Hirano Haruo (open to the public at the field) April 23, 2021 Field owned by Mr. Sakai Katsunori (open to the public at the field) April 30, 2021 Field owned by Mr. Sakai Katsunori (open to the public at the field) May 3, 2021 Field owned by Mr. Machida Yuji (open to the public at the field) May 8, 2021 Field owned by Mr. Matsuo Muneki (open to the public at the field) May 25, 2021 Field owned by Mr. Araki Shunichi (open to the public at the field) May 28, 2021 Field owned by Mr. Miyazaki Tsutomu (open to the public at the field) June 2, 2021 Field owned by Mr. Hayashida Koichi (open to the public at the field) June 29, 2021

The present invention relates to a crop harvester that digs up crops from furrows using a traveling body and transports them to the ground using a conveyor, where the crops are harvested.

Conventionally, there is known a type of crop harvesting machine that digs up the crops in the ridges while moving a traveling body along the ridges and then carries the excavated crops to the ground by a conveyor. In this type of crop harvesting machine, multiple workers ride on the traveling body and travel together with the crop harvesting machine, sorting the crops carried to the ground by the conveyor from the clods of soil (see, for example, Patent Document 1 below).

Utility Model Registration No. 2582533

However, the task of separating agricultural products from soil clods requires agility, which places a heavy burden on the worker, and the task must be performed by multiple workers, resulting in poor work efficiency.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a crop harvester that can reduce the workload of the operator and improve work efficiency.

The crop harvesting machine of the present invention comprises a running body that runs along the ridges, an output conveyor that carries crops dug up from the ridges together with clods to the ground as the running body runs along the ridges, a chute that receives the crops carried out by the output conveyor down an inclined surface and rolls them, a sorting means that is provided with a gap between it and the inclined surface and guides the crops rolling down the inclined surface with a guide surface so that they fall out the side of the chute, while also allowing the clods rolling down the inclined surface to fall from the lower end of the chute through the gap between it and the inclined surface, thereby separating the crops from the clods, and a clump crushing means that is installed at a position crossing the inclined surface and is pushed down by the crops rolling down the inclined surface to allow the crops to pass, and crushes the clods of soil rolling down the inclined surface if it collides with the sorting means .

Another crop harvesting machine of the present invention comprises a running body that runs along the ridges, an output conveyor that carries crops dug up from the ridges together with soil clods to the ground as the running body runs along the ridges, a chute that receives the crops carried out by the output conveyor on an inclined surface and rolls them thereon, soil lump transporting means that receives and captures the soil clods carried out by the output conveyor with a sheet-like member and transports them in the direction opposite to the direction in which the crops roll down the inclined surface, and soil lump crushing means that is installed at a position crossing the inclined surface and is pushed down by the crops rolling down the inclined surface to allow the crops to pass, and that crushes the soil lump if it collides with a soil lump rolling down the inclined surface .

The present invention can reduce the workload of workers and improve work efficiency.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a crop harvester according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a crop harvester according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sorter, a chute, and a soil lump transport unit provided in a crop harvester according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a side view of a sorter, a chute, and a soil lump transport unit provided in a crop harvester according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a sorter and a soil lump transport unit provided in a crop harvester according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a sorting machine according to a modified embodiment of the present invention together with a chute and a soil lump transport unit.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Figures 1 and 2 show a crop harvester 1 in one embodiment of the present invention. The crop harvester 1 is configured to run along the ridges UN to dig up the crops (e.g. potatoes) in the ridges UN, and includes a running body 11, an output conveyor 12, a chute 13, a soil lump transport section 14, a sorter 15, a wire-shaped member 16, and a storage container 17.

The running body 11 is equipped with left and right crawlers 11C, and the running body 11 can run (self-propelled) along the ridges UN formed in the soil on uneven ground with the left and right crawlers 11C straddling the ridges UN. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the running body 11 is equipped with left and right height adjustment wheels 11H that protrude forward, and is equipped with storage container installation sections 11S on the left and right sides of the rear of the running body 11. The left and right height adjustment wheels 11H can change the position of the axle relative to the running body 11 (the height of the crawlers 11C from the ground contact surface), which makes it possible to change the tilt angle of the running body 11 in the fore-and-aft direction.

The discharge conveyor 12 is provided to extend in the front-rear direction of the running body 11. As shown in FIG. 1, the discharge conveyor 12 extends at an angle from an end (front end) located at the front of the running body 11 toward the rear and upper side of the running body 11, and then extends horizontally backward.

The discharge conveyor 12 is a slat conveyor made up of multiple rod-shaped members or mesh-like plate-shaped members connected together. The discharge conveyor 12 is driven by a conveyor drive motor 12M (Fig. 1) and travels toward the rear and upper side of the running body 11 (arrow A shown in Fig. 1).

In Figures 3 and 4, the chute 13 is provided below and behind the end (rear end) 12E of the discharge conveyor 12. The chute 13 has an inclined surface 13M that slopes downward from the front of the running body 11.

The soil lump transport unit 14 has a sheet-like member 21 that covers the inclined surface 13M of the chute 13, and a running mechanism 22 that runs the sheet-like member 21 in the upward direction of the inclined surface 13M (from the rear lower side to the front upper side of the inclined surface 13M). The running mechanism 22 has a driving roller 22a provided at one end side of the inclined surface 13M (here, the upper end 13J side) and a driven roller 22b located at the other end side of the inclined surface 13M (here, the lower end 13K side), and the sheet-like member 21 is stretched across the driving roller 22a and the driven roller 22b. When the driving roller 22a of the running mechanism 22 rotates, the sheet-like member 21 runs in the upward direction of the inclined surface 13M (arrow B shown in Figures 3 and 4). A pair of plate-like guide parts 23 are provided on the left and right sides of the soil lump transport unit 14 (Figure 3). The sheet-like member 21 is made of a material that is easy to capture the soil clods TK (soil clods TK tend to stick to), such as vinyl or rubber.

Here, in this embodiment, the drive roller 22a of the running mechanism 22 is driven by the rotational power transmitted from the conveyor drive motor 12M, which is the drive source of the discharge conveyor 12. That is, the soil lump conveying section 14 is driven by the drive source (conveyor drive motor 12M) of the discharge conveyor 12. In detail, as shown in FIG. 4, the drive side pulley 12P connected to the shaft of the conveyor drive motor 12M equipped in the discharge conveyor 12 and the driven side pulley 22P connected to the shaft (roller shaft 22J) of the drive roller 22a are connected by a transmission belt 14C, and when the discharge conveyor 12 is driven by the conveyor drive motor 12M, the running mechanism 22 is driven in conjunction with this. In this embodiment, the pulley ratio of the drive side pulley 12P and the driven side pulley 22P is set so that the running speed of the sheet-like member 21 of the soil lump conveying section 14 is faster (about 2 to 3 times faster) than the running speed of the discharge conveyor 12.

In Figures 2 and 3, the sorter 15 is provided on the lower end 13K side of the chute 13. The sorter 15 is generally made of a plate-like member extending in the width direction of the inclined surface 13M, and has left and right inclined portions 15a that extend at an angle relative to the front-to-rear direction of the inclined surface 13M in a plan view (Figure 3). The sorter 15 is supported by left and right support portions 15S arranged on either side of the chute 13 so that a specified gap SK (Figures 3 and 4) is formed between the sorter 15 and the inclined surface 13M.

In FIG. 3, the wire-shaped member 16 is installed at a position that crosses the inclined surface 13M of the chute 13. Specifically, both ends of the wire-shaped member 16 are fixed to a pair of guide parts 23, and the wire-shaped member 16 is installed at a position at a predetermined height from the inclined surface 13M, extending in the width direction of the inclined surface 13M.

In Figures 1 and 2, the storage container 17 is a box-shaped member that opens upward. The storage container 17 is installed in each of the storage container installation sections 11S on the left and right sides of the running body 11.

When the crop harvester 1 harvests crops NS in ridges UN, the running body 11 runs along the ridges UN with the left and right crawlers 11C sandwiching the ridges UN (arrow C shown in Figures 1 and 2). The output conveyor 12 is adjusted so that its front end is positioned slightly above the contact surface of the crawlers 11C, and the output conveyor 12 remains in operation while the running body 11 runs.

When the running body 11 runs along the ridges UN in this state, the front end of the discharge conveyor 12 advances within the ridges UN. As a result, the crops NS in the ridges UN are dug up together with the soil by the front end of the discharge conveyor 12, and then transported above the running body 11 (i.e., out to the ground) by the discharge conveyor 12. At this time, the front end of the discharge conveyor 12 functions as an excavation section 12H that digs up the crops NS in the ridges UN together with the clods of soil TK. The height of the crawlers 11C of the excavation section 12H from the ground surface can be adjusted by changing the height of the axles of the left and right height adjustment wheels 11H and changing the tilt angle of the running body 11 in the fore-and-aft direction.

The crops NS that the discharge conveyor 12 transports above the running body 11 (transported to the ground) fall from the end 12E of the discharge conveyor 12 together with the soil clods TK (including roots, etc., separated from the crops NS) (arrow D shown in Figure 4). The crops NS that fall from the end 12E of the discharge conveyor 12 are received by the inclined surface 13M of the chute 13 located below (directly, the sheet-like portion 21 of the soil clod transport section 14), and roll down the inclined surface 13M toward the lower end 13K of the chute 13 (arrow E shown in Figure 5). In other words, the chute 13 receives the crops NS transported by the discharge conveyor 12 on the inclined surface 13M and rolls them.

As the crop NS rolls down the inclined surface 13M (sheet-like member 21), it pushes down the wire-like member 16 provided along the way, then climbs over it and continues to roll down the inclined surface 13M. It then comes into contact with the guide surfaces 15M, which are the front surfaces of the left and right inclined portions 15a of the sorter 15.

The crop NS that comes into contact with the guide surface 15M of the sorter 15 is guided by the guide surface 15M to the side of the chute 13 (inclined surface 13M) (arrow F shown in Figure 5), and falls from the lateral end of the inclined surface 13M below the chute 13 (arrow G shown in Figures 4 and 5). The crop NS is then stored in the storage container 17 installed in the storage container installation section 11S of the traveling body 11 (Figures 4 and 5).

On the other hand, some of the soil clods TK that fall from the end 12E of the discharge conveyor 12 and are received by the inclined surface 13M (sheet-like member 21) of the chute 13 roll down the inclined surface 13M toward the lower end 13K of the chute 13, just like the crops NS (arrow H in Figure 5). Then, of the soil clods TK rolling down the inclined surface 13M, those with a diameter smaller than the height of the wire-like member 16 (height from the inclined surface 13M) pass directly below the wire-like member 16, while those with a diameter larger than the height of the wire-like member 16 collide with the wire-like member 16 and are crushed into smaller diameter soil clods TK (see the soil clod indicated by the symbol "TK1" in Figure 4), before passing below or above the wire-like member 16.

The soil clods TK that pass under or over the wire-like member 16 reach the position of the guide surface 15M of the sorter 15. Then, soil clods smaller in diameter than the gap SK between the sorter 15 and the inclined surface 13M pass through the gap SK and pass through the sorter 15, while soil clods larger in diameter than the gap SK are crushed by the impact of colliding with the guide surface 15M of the sorter 15, and pass through the gap SK as smaller soil clods TK and pass through the sorter 15. Then, the soil clods further roll down the inclined surface 13M (sheet-like member 21) and fall from the lower end 13K of the chute 13 to the bottom of the chute 13 (arrow J shown in Figures 4 and 5).

In this embodiment, the wire-like member 16 is installed at a position crossing the inclined surface 13M of the chute 13, and is pushed down by the crop NS rolling down the inclined surface 13M to allow the crop NS to pass, and acts as a soil clump crushing means for crushing the soil clump TK when it collides with the soil clump TK rolling down the inclined surface 13M. Also, in this embodiment, the sorter 15 guides the crop NS rolling down the inclined surface 13M with the guide surface 15M and causes it to fall from the side of the chute 13, while the sorter 15 serves as a sorting means for separating the crop NS from the soil clump TK by causing the soil clump TK rolling down the inclined surface 13M to fall from the chute 13 through the gap SK between the inclined surface 13M and the sorter 15 as is or after crushing it with the guide surface 15M.

In addition, another part of the soil clods TK that have fallen from the end 12E of the discharge conveyor 12 and been received by the inclined surface 13M (sheet-like member 21) of the chute 13 is captured by the sheet-like member 21 by adhering to the sheet-like member 21 without rolling down the inclined surface 13M of the chute 13. The soil clods TK thus captured by the sheet-like member 21 are transported to the upper end 13J side of the chute 13 (i.e., in the opposite direction to the direction in which the crops NS roll down the inclined surface 13M) as the sheet-like member 21 travels upwards on the inclined surface 13M, and fall from the upper end 13J of the chute 13 (arrow K shown in Figures 4 and 5). In addition, some of the soil clods TK rolling down the inclined surface 13M of the chute 13 come into contact with the wire-like member 16, thereby being stopped from falling any further. The soil mass TK is then captured by the sheet-like member 21 without being crushed for the most part, and travels upward along the inclined surface 13M, dropping from the upper end 13J of the chute 13.

In other words, in this embodiment, the soil lump transport unit 14 is a soil lump transport means that receives and captures the soil lump TK removed by the discharge conveyor 12 with the sheet-like member 21 and transports it in the opposite direction to the direction in which the agricultural crops NS roll down the inclined surface 13M.

In this way, in the crop harvester 1 of this embodiment, the crop NS dug up from the ridges UN by the traveling body 11 traveling along the ridges UN is carried out to the ground together with the clods of soil TK by the discharge conveyor 12, and then dropped onto the inclined surface 13M of the chute 13. As the crop NS rolls down the inclined surface 13M of the chute 13, it is guided by the sorter 15 and falls from the side of the chute 13, and is stored in the storage container 17. Meanwhile, the clods of soil TK that have fallen onto the inclined surface 13M of the chute 13 pass through the gap SK between the sorter 15 and the inclined surface 13M and fall from the lower end 13K of the chute 13, or are captured by the sheet-like member 21 traveling in the upward direction on the inclined surface 13M and are transported in the opposite direction to the direction in which the crop NS rolls down the inclined surface 13M.

As a result, in the crop harvester 1, the crops NS dug up from the ridges UN together with the clods TK are automatically sorted out from the clods TK, eliminating the need for workers to sort the crops NS from the clods TK (sorting work), which was previously done manually, and reducing the burden on the workers. In addition, the number of workers required to ride on the traveling body 11 can be reduced, improving the work efficiency of the harvesting work of the crops NS. In addition, in this embodiment, as described above, the clod transport unit 14 is driven by the drive source (conveyor drive motor 12M) of the discharge conveyor 12, so the configuration can be simplified compared to when the clod transport unit 14 is driven by a power source different from the discharge conveyor 12, and manufacturing costs can be kept low.

As described above, in the crop harvester 1 of this embodiment, the crops NS dug up from the ridges UN as the traveling body 11 travels are automatically separated from the clods TK by the sorter 15 or the soil lump transport unit 14. Therefore, the worker does not need to perform sorting work to separate the crops NS from the clods TK. Therefore, the crop harvester 1 of this embodiment not only reduces the workload of the worker, but also reduces the number of workers, improving work efficiency.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described so far, the present invention is not limited to the above, and various modifications are possible. For example, in the above embodiment, the sorter 15 is configured with left and right inclined portions 15a, but the sorter 15 can be of any shape as long as it can guide the crops NS rolling down the inclined surface 13M and drop them from the side of the chute 13, while dropping the clods TK rolling down the inclined surface 13M from the lower end 13K of the chute 13 through the gap SK between the inclined surface 13M and the sorter 15. Therefore, for example, the sorter 15 may have only one inclined portion 15a, as in the modified example of FIG. 6.

In addition, the crop harvester 1 in the above-mentioned embodiment is equipped with all three means, namely, the sorting means (sorter 15), the clump crushing means (wire-shaped member 16) and the clump transporting means (clump transporting section 14), but the function of sorting the crops NS from the clumps can be achieved even if only the sorting means, the sorting means and the clump crushing means, the clump transporting means, or the clump transporting means and the clump crushing means are provided. For this reason, the crop harvester 1 does not necessarily have to be equipped with the above three means, and it is sufficient if it is equipped with at least the sorting means (sorter 15) or the clump transporting means (clump transporting section 14).

It can be applied to agricultural harvesting machines that dig up crops together with clods of soil to harvest the crops.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Crop harvester 11 Traveling body 11C Crawler 11H Height adjustable wheel 11S Storage container installation section 12 Discharge conveyor 12M Conveyor drive motor 12E End 12H Digging section 13 Shooter 13M Inclined surface 13J Upper end 13K Lower end 14 Soil lump transport section (soil lump transport means)
15, 15A Sorter (Sorting Means)
16 Wire-shaped member (soil lump crushing means)
17 Storage container 21 Sheet-like member 22 Travel mechanism 22a Drive roller 22b Follower roller 23 Guide portion SK Gap UN Ridge NS Agricultural product

Claims (3)

A traveling body that travels along the ridges;
a discharge conveyor that discharges the agricultural crops dug up from the ridges together with the soil clods to the ground by the traveling body traveling along the ridges;
a chute that receives the agricultural products discharged by the discharge conveyor on an inclined surface and rolls the agricultural products;
a sorting means that is provided with a gap between it and the inclined surface, and that guides the crops rolling down the inclined surface with a guide surface and causes them to fall from the side of the chute, while also allowing the clods of soil rolling down the inclined surface to fall from the lower end of the chute through the gap between the inclined surface and the crops, thereby separating the crops from the clods of soil;
a soil lump crushing means that is installed at a position crossing the inclined surface, and is pushed down by crops rolling down the inclined surface to allow the crops to pass, and crushes soil lumps rolling down the inclined surface when the soil lump collides with the soil lump;
A crop harvester equipped with A traveling body that travels along the ridges;
a discharge conveyor that carries the crops dug up from the ridges together with soil clods to the ground by the traveling body traveling along the ridges;
a chute that receives the agricultural products discharged by the discharge conveyor on an inclined surface and rolls the agricultural products;
a soil lump transport means for receiving and capturing the soil lump discharged by the discharge conveyor with a sheet-like member and transporting the soil lump in a direction opposite to the direction in which the crops roll down the inclined surface;
a soil lump crushing means that is installed at a position crossing the inclined surface, and is pushed down by crops rolling down the inclined surface to allow the crops to pass, and crushes soil lumps rolling down the inclined surface when the soil lump collides with the soil lump;
A crop harvester equipped with 3. The crop harvester according to claim 1 , wherein the traveling body is provided with a container installation section on which a container for accommodating the crops dropped from the chute is installed.

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