JP7663234B2 - Kelp rod lifting device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a kelp rod lifting device for lifting kelp rods used in harvesting natural kelp.

Natural kelp attaches to stones and rocks in the sea with its attachment organs, allowing it to grow without being washed away even in stormy weather. One method for harvesting natural kelp is twisted kelp fishing. In twisted kelp fishing, kelp poles are used. A kelp pole is a tool made of FRP or wood, with a Y-, V-, or T-shaped harvesting section (kelp winding section) at one end and a handle (grip) at the other end. In fishing, the kelp pole is lowered to the seabed from the fishing boat, and the worker turns the handle to rotate the kelp pole to wrap the kelp around the harvesting section, and then the kelp pole is pulled up. The kelp pole with the kelp wrapped around it is heavy, and because the kelp's attachment organs are firmly attached to the stones and rocks, pulling up the kelp pole is very hard work.

For example, Patent Document 1 has proposed a device for facilitating the task of pulling up kelp rods. This device is equipped with a rotating drum with a roughly V-shaped lifting groove, the surface of which is made of rubber. The kelp rod can be pulled up by fitting it into the lifting groove and rotating the rotating drum. By devising the shape of the roughly V-shaped lifting groove, the kelp rod inside the groove rotates around its own center line that runs along the length of the rod while being pulled up, so the harvested kelp can be entangled with the kelp rod and pulled up without falling off.

JP 10-42656 A

At the time the device described in Patent Document 1 was proposed, there was an abundance of high-quality natural kelp in the shallow waters of Hokkaido, in particular. For this reason, the harvesting method was to use a box sleigh to target high-quality kelp in the shallow waters from a boat, wrap each piece of kelp around a kelp pole, twist it off with a hook or something similar, and then pull up the kelp pole.

However, nowadays, because the amount of high-quality natural kelp in shallow waters has drastically decreased, fishing in waters with a depth of around 10m is common. In such waters, a long kelp pole is lowered to a depth where it is difficult to see from the boat, and the pole is rotated on the boat until multiple pieces of kelp are wrapped around it and then pulled up. In this case, it is impossible to tear off or twist off the attachment organelles of the kelp just by rotating the long kelp pole with multiple pieces of kelp wrapped around it, so the attachment organelles are removed by pulling the kelp pole up.

For example, the device described in Patent Document 1, which uses the rotational force of a V-shaped groove to pull up a kelp rod that is clamped in the groove, was proposed for use in the former harvesting method, which is carried out in shallow waters. With the current harvesting method, which requires a large force to pull up the kelp rod due to its large weight, there is a risk that the kelp rod will slip inside the pulling groove and become impossible to pull up.

The present invention is proposed to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a kelp rod pulling device that can reliably pull up a kelp rod even when a large force is required to pull up the kelp rod.

The present invention provides a kelp rod lifting device that lifts up a kelp rod for harvesting natural kelp. The kelp lifting device includes a rod clamp capable of gripping a kelp rod, a rigging connected to the rod clamp, and a lifting section that pulls up the rod clamp by pulling the rigging. The rod clamp is configured to grip the kelp rod when tension is applied to the rigging, and not grip the kelp rod when tension is not applied to the rigging.

In one embodiment, the rod clamp may have a first gripping portion and a second gripping portion. The first gripping portion has a first surface that can contact the kelp rod. The second gripping portion has a second surface that presses the kelp rod against the first surface when tension is applied to the rigging, and does not press the kelp rod against the first surface when tension is not applied to the rigging. The rod clamp is preferably configured such that the frictional force generated between the first surface and the second surface and the kelp rod by the second surface pressing the kelp rod against the first surface increases as the tension applied to the rigging increases. At least one of the first surface and the second surface preferably has one or more grooves extending in a direction transverse to the length of the kelp rod for the purpose of effectively generating a frictional force. In one embodiment, the second gripping portion preferably further has a third surface that does not press the kelp rod against the first surface regardless of whether tension is applied to the rigging.

In one embodiment, the second gripping portion has a length that is parallel to the kelp pole and is preferably bent toward the side opposite the kelp pole, and the second surface is preferably disposed at a portion of the bent portion that corresponds to the handle side of the kelp pole. The rigging is preferably connected to the pole clamp so as to pull the portion of the kelp pole that corresponds to the kelp winding part side of the kelp pole with respect to the bent portion when tension is applied.

In one embodiment, the rod clamp preferably further comprises an opening through which the space between the first gripping portion and the second gripping portion can be accessed. The opening preferably has a flexible door that bends toward the space when the kelp rod is moved from the outside of the opening toward the internal space, and bends in the opposite direction to the space when the kelp rod is moved from the space toward the outside of the opening.

1 shows the overall configuration of a kelp rod pulling-up device according to one embodiment of the present invention and its usage state. 1A and 1B show a rod clamp constituting a kelp rod pulling-up device according to one embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 1A is an external perspective view, and FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation and action when inserting and removing a kelp rod into and from a rod clamp. FIG. 5A to 5C are schematic diagrams for explaining the operation and function of the rod clamp.

Below, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[Structure of the kelp rod lifting device]
1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a kelp rod hauling device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention and its usage state. The kelp rod hauling device 1, which hauls up a kelp rod for harvesting natural kelp, is equipped with a rod clamp 10 that can grip a rod PP of a kelp rod P. One end of a rope (rigging) 30 is connected to the rod clamp 10. The other end of the rope 30 is typically connected to a hauling unit 50 installed on a fishing boat S, and the rope 30 is pulled by the hauling unit 50, thereby hauling up the rod clamp 10.

The rod clamp 10 can grip the rod PP of the kelp rod P when tension is applied to the rope 30 by the rope being pulled by the lifting section 50. The kelp rod lifting device 1 is configured so that the greater the amount of kelp K wound around the kelp winding section PM of the kelp rod P and the greater the force required to pull the kelp K attachment device off the rocks and stones and lift the kelp rod P, the greater the tension applied to the rope 30, and the greater the gripping force with which the rod clamp 10 grips the rod PP. The kelp rod lifting device 1 is also configured so that when tension is not applied to the rope 30, it can fall into the sea by its own weight without gripping the rod PP.

(Rod clamp)
Figure 2 shows the rod clamp 10 that constitutes the kelp rod pulling device 1. Figure 2(a) is a perspective view showing the appearance of the rod clamp 10, and Figure 2(b) is an exploded assembly view showing the internal structure of the rod clamp 10.

The rod clamp 10 has a fixed gripping part (first gripping part) 12 and a movable gripping part (second gripping part) 14 that are positioned opposite each other so that they can cooperate to grip the rod PP of the kelp rod P. The rod PP of the kelp rod P is usually an FRP pipe with a diameter of 35 mm to 40 mm, but is not limited to this and may be a wooden rod-shaped body with a diameter that is thinner or thicker than 35 mm to 40 mm. The rod clamp 10 is configured so that such a rod PP can be securely gripped by the fixed gripping part 12 and the movable gripping part 14.

The fixed gripping part 12 is composed of a rubber plate having multiple protrusions 12a and multiple grooves 12b. The multiple protrusions 12a of the fixed gripping part 12 form a gripping surface (first surface) 12a that can come into contact with the rod PP. When the rod PP is pressed against the gripping surface 12a, a frictional force is generated between the gripping surface 12a and the rod PP.

The multiple grooves 12b are preferably provided so as to extend in a direction transverse to the length of the rod PP. The number of grooves 12b is preferably multiple, but is not limited as long as it can effectively generate friction with the rod PP. The material of the gripping surface 12a is not limited to rubber, and can be any material that generates an appropriate friction with the rod PP and can securely hold the rod PP without slipping. The length and width of the fixed gripping part 12 are not particularly limited as long as it can cooperate with the gripping surface 14a of the movable gripping part 14 to securely grip the rod PP.

The fixed grip 12 is attached to the first case 11. The first case 11 constitutes part of the housing of the rod clamp 10, and is formed by combining a rear wall panel 11a, a fixed grip attachment plate 11b to which the fixed grip 12 is attached, and a fixed door 11c so that the cross section is approximately L-shaped. The fixed grip 12 is attached to the inner surface of the fixed grip attachment plate 11b.

The rear wall plate 11a is provided with a support pin hole 11d through which one end of a support pin 16 is inserted into a support pipe 14e of the movable gripping part 14 described below. It is preferable that a handle (not shown), for example, is attached to the outer surface of the rear wall plate 11a so that an operator can easily hold the rod clamp 10.

The movable gripping part 14 is composed of a rubber plate having multiple protrusions 14a, 14b and multiple grooves 14c. The multiple protrusions 14a of the movable gripping part 14 form a gripping surface (second surface) 14a that can come into contact with the rod PP. When the gripping surface 14a is pressed against the rod PP, a frictional force is generated between the gripping surface 14a and the rod PP. The multiple protrusions 14b form a non-gripping surface (third surface) 14b that does not have the function of gripping the rod PP.

The grooves 14c are preferably provided so as to extend in a direction transverse to the length of the rod PP. The number of grooves 14c is preferably multiple, but is not limited as long as it can effectively generate friction with the rod PP at least in the part where the gripping surface 14a is provided. The material of the gripping surface 14a is not limited to rubber, and can be any material that generates an appropriate friction between the rod PP and the gripping surface 14a and can hold the rod PP securely without slipping. The non-grip surface 14b does not have the function of gripping the rod PP, so it does not need to be made of a material that generates friction between the rod PP and the non-grip surface 14b, but is preferably made of a material that does not damage the rod PP when it comes into contact with the rod PP. The length and width of the gripping surface 141a are not particularly limited as long as it can cooperate with the gripping surface 12a of the fixed gripping part 12 to grip the rod PP securely.

The rubber plate of the movable gripping part 14 (i.e., gripping surface 14a, non-gripping surface 14b, and groove 14c) is attached to a support plate 14d. The support plate 14d has a length that matches the rod PP, and is bent in the approximate middle of its length toward the opposite side to the side where the gripping surface 14a, non-gripping surface 14b, and groove 14c are attached (i.e., the side that faces the rod PP when the rod clamp 10 is attached to the rod PP). This middle part is called the bent portion 14d1. The bending angle of the bent portion 14d1 of the support plate 14d is not limited, but various experiments have shown that a bending angle of about 10° is preferable.

The gripping surface 14a is located on the upper side of the support plate 14d relative to the bent portion 14d1 (the side that corresponds to the direction of the handle PH of the kelp rod P when the rod clamp 10 is attached to the rod PP). The non-gripping surface 14b is located on the lower side of the support plate 14d relative to the bent portion 14d1 (the side that corresponds to the direction of the kelp winding part PM of the kelp rod P when the rod clamp 10 is attached to the rod PP).

In the movable gripping part 14, a support pipe 14e extending in the width direction of the support plate 14d is provided at a position on the non-gripping surface 14b side of the bent portion 14d1, more preferably at a position close to the lower end of the support plate 14d. A support pin 16 is inserted into the support pipe 14e. One end of the inserted support pin 16 is inserted into the support pin hole 11d of the first case 11, and the other end is inserted into the support pin hole 17e of the second case 17 described below, so that the movable gripping part 14 is supported inside the rod clamp 10.

The rod clamp 10 further has an arm 15, one end 15a of which is connected to the movable gripping part 14 and the other end 15b is connected to the rope 30. One end 15a of the arm 15 is erected on the back surface of the support plate 14d, on the non-gripping surface 14b side of the bent part 14d1. The arm 15 is inserted into a long hole 17d provided in the second case 17.

Here, the second case 17 has a fixed plate 17a connected to the rear wall plate 11a of the first case 11, an arm insertion plate 17b having a long hole 17d through which the arm 15 is inserted, and a door mounting plate 17c to which a rubber plate door 18 described below is attached. The fixed plate 17a and the arm insertion plate 17b are arranged so that their respective faces form a right angle to each other, and the arm insertion plate 17b and the door mounting plate 17c are arranged so that their respective faces form a right angle to each other. The arm insertion plate 17b has a width that roughly corresponds to the width of the movable gripping part 14.

By inserting the support pin 16 through the support pin hole 11d of the first case 11 and the support pin hole 17e of the second case 17 and fixing the fixed plate 17a to the rear wall plate 11a of the first case 11, the movable gripper 14 operates to rotate around the support pipe 14e as a fulcrum while being supported inside the rod clamp 10. The operation and function of the movable gripper 14 will be described later.

A rod storage space 20 capable of storing a rod PP is provided between the gripping surface 12a of the fixed gripping part 12 and the gripping surface 14a and non-gripping surface 14b of the movable gripping part 14. The rod clamp 10 can be attached to the kelp rod P by inserting the rod PP into the rod storage space 20. It is preferable that the distance between the gripping surface 12a and the gripping surface 14a is approximately equal to the diameter of the rod PP when the two are approximately parallel. The distance between the gripping surface 12a and the non-gripping surface 14b is greater than the diameter of the rod PP when the two are approximately parallel.

The rod clamp 10 further has an opening 21 through which the rod storage space 20 can be accessed. The opening 21 is located between the edge of the fixed door 11c of the first case 11 and the edge of the door mounting plate 17c of the second case 17. It is preferable that a flexible door 18a is provided in the opening 21. For example, a bendable rubber door can be used as the flexible door 18a.

The door 18a is configured as a part of the door element 18, and is provided so as to protrude from the edge of the base 18b that configures the door element 18 toward the opening 21. The base 18b may or may not be a flexible member. In FIG. 2, two doors 18a are provided, but this is not limited thereto, and the number of doors may be one or three or more. The distance between the edge of the fixed door 11c of the first case 11 and the edge of the door mounting plate 17c of the second case 17 is set to be wider than the diameter of the pole PP, and the distance between the edge of the door 18a and the edge of the fixed door 11c of the first case 11 is set to be narrower than the diameter of the pole PP. The door element 18 has a support pin hole 18c in the base 18b through which the support pin 16 is inserted.

The door member 18 is attached by placing the door retaining plate 19 on the base 18b and sandwiching it between the door mounting plate 17c of the second case 17 and the door retaining plate 19. The door retaining plate 19 has a support pin hole 19c through which the support pin 16 is inserted.

(Rope and winding drum)
A rope 30 is connected to the other end 15b of the arm 15 of the rod clamp 10, and the rope 30 is further connected to a lifting unit 50 arranged on the fishing boat S. The length of the rope 30 is not particularly limited and may be appropriately selected according to the length of the kelp rod P. Instead of the rope 30, a rigging tool having a strength capable of withstanding the weight of the rod clamp 10 gripping the kelp rod P when pulled by the lifting unit 50, such as a chain or metal wire, may be used as needed.

The lifting unit 50 is not particularly limited as long as it can lift the rod clamp 10 gripping the kelp rod P by pulling the rope 30 connected to the rod clamp 10. For example, a winding drum with a winding part for the rope 30 attached to the rotating shaft of a motor can be used as the lifting unit 50. It is preferable that the lifting unit 50 has, for example, a clutch so that the power can be transmitted or cut as desired between the part that pulls the rope 30 and the power source. It is further preferable that the lifting unit 50 is configured so that the rope 30 can be freely pulled out by being pulled by the weight of the rod clamp 10 when the power transmission between the part that pulls the rope 30 and the power source is cut by the clutch.

[How to use the kelp rod lifting device]
Next, a method for pulling up the kelp rod P using the kelp rod pulling-up device 1 will be described together with the operation and action of the rod clamp 10. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation and action when the rod PP of the kelp rod P is inserted into and removed from the rod clamp 10. Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation and action of the rod clamp 10 gripping the kelp rod P.

When harvesting natural kelp K, first, a kelp pole P is lowered to the seabed from a fishing boat S, and an operator turns the handle PH of the kelp pole P to rotate the kelp pole P, winding the kelp K around the kelp winding part PM. In recent years, there has been a dramatic decline in high-quality natural kelp K in shallow waters, so fishing is generally done in waters with a depth of about 10m. In such waters, a long kelp pole P is lowered to a depth that is difficult to see from the fishing boat S, and the kelp pole P is rotated on board to wind multiple pieces of kelp K at the same time.

When multiple pieces of kelp K are wrapped around the kelp rod P, it becomes difficult to rotate the kelp rod P, so at this stage the rod PP of the kelp rod P is set upright and the rod clamp 10 is attached to any position on the rod PP. Figure 3 shows the operation of the rod clamp 10 when the rod PP is inserted and removed from the rod storage space 20 of the rod clamp 10.

When attaching the rod clamp 10 to the rod PP, the rod PP is pressed against the door 18a of the rod clamp 10 (Fig. 3(a)). When the rod PP is pressed against the door 18a, the door 18a bends toward the rod storage space 20 between the fixed gripping part 12 and the movable gripping part 14 (Fig. 3(b)). When the rod PP is further pushed in through the opening 21, the rod PP fits completely into the rod storage space 20, and the door 18a returns to its original position (Fig. 3(c)). At this time, the door 18a prevents the rod PP from coming off the rod clamp 10. When removing the rod clamp 10 from the rod PP, the rod PP is pulled out from the rod storage space 20 through the opening 21, and the door 18a bends outward, allowing the rod PP to be easily removed (Fig. 3(d)).

When the rod clamp 10 is attached to the rod PP (as shown in FIG. 3(c)), no tension is applied to the rope 30, and the arm 15 is not pulled by the rope 30. Therefore, the movable gripping part 14 is in the state shown in FIG. 4(a), that is, the non-gripping surface 14b faces the rod PP at a position roughly parallel to the rod PP, and the gripping surface 14a faces the rod PP so that the distance from the rod PP gradually increases toward the upper end. In this state, neither the gripping surface 14a nor the non-gripping surface 14b is pressed against the rod PP, and the rod PP is not pressed against the gripping surface 12a. Therefore, in the state shown in FIG. 4(a), no frictional force is generated between the gripping surface 12a, gripping surface 14a, and non-gripping surface 14b and the rod PP, and the rod clamp 10 does not grip the rod PP.

When the rod clamp 10 is released after installation, the rod clamp 10 no longer grips the rod PP and will fall into the sea under its own weight while still holding the rod PP in the rod storage space 20. If the rope 30 is connected to a lifting section 50 that has a clutch, the clutch can be released so that the rope 30 is pulled out from the lifting section 50 as the rod clamp 10 falls.

When the rod clamp 10 falls to a length of the rope 30 that is predetermined according to the length of the kelp rod P, the rope 30 is pulled in the direction of arrow A, tension is applied, the arm 15 is pulled, and the movable gripping part 14 of the rod clamp 10 changes its position. That is, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the movable gripping part 14 rotates around the position of the support pipe 14e as a fulcrum, and moves to a position where the gripping surface 14a presses against the rod PP. The rod PP is pressed against the gripping surface 12a of the fixed gripping part 12 by the gripping surface 14a, so that the rod PP is gripped by the gripping surface 12a of the fixed gripping part 12 and the gripping surface 14a of the movable gripping part 14. At this time, the gripping force is generated only by the weight of the rod clamp 10, so the rod PP is lightly gripped by the rod clamp 10.

Next, the clutch of the lifting unit 50 is connected and the rope 30 is wound up. When the winding of the rope 30 begins, the kelp pole P is gradually lifted up, and the tension on the rope 30 gradually increases as it is lifted up. As the tension on the rope 30 increases, the force that rotates the movable gripping unit 14 around the support pipe 16e as a fulcrum increases, and the force with which the gripping surface 14a of the movable gripping unit 14 presses the pole PP of the kelp pole P against the gripping surface 12a of the fixed gripping unit 12 increases. As a result, the frictional force generated between the gripping surface 12a and the pole PP and the gripping surface 14a gradually increases, and the gripping force of the pole clamp 10 increases. Therefore, the pole PP is securely gripped by the pole clamp 10 without slipping, and the attachment apparatus of the kelp K can be pulled off from the rocks and stones.

When the kelp K attachment organs are torn off from the rocks and stones, the kelp rod P held by the rod clamp 10 becomes lighter, and the kelp rod P can then be pulled up by hand. When tension is no longer applied to the rope 30, the movable gripping part 14 rotates in a direction in which the gripping surface 14a moves away from the rod PP, and no frictional force is generated between the gripping surface 12a, gripping surface 14a, and non-gripping surface 14b and the rod PP, i.e., the state shown in Figure 4(a), is reached, and the rod clamp 10 can be easily removed from the rod PP.

1 Kelp rod lifting device 10 Rod clamp 11 First case 11a Rear wall plate 11b Fixed grip portion attachment plate 11c Fixed door 11d Support pin hole 12 Fixed grip portion (first grip portion)
12a gripping surface (first surface)
12b Groove 14 Movable gripping portion (second gripping portion)
14a gripping surface (second surface)
14b Non-gripping surface (third surface)
Reference Signs List 14c Groove 14d Support plate 14d1 Bent portion 14e Support pipe 15 Arm 15a, 15b End 16 Support pin 17 Second case 17a Fixing plate 17b Arm insertion plate 17c Door mounting plate 17d Long hole 17e Support pin hole 18 Door member 18a Flexible door 18b Base 18c Support pin hole 19 Door retaining plate 19c Support pin hole 20 Pole storage space 21 Opening 30 Rope (rigging)
50. Lifting section

S Fishing boat P Kelp rod PH Handle PP Rod PM Kelp winding part Kelp

Claims (5)

A kelp rod lifting device for lifting a kelp rod for harvesting natural kelp,
A rod clamp capable of holding a kelp rod;
a rigging device connected to the rod clamp;
a lifting unit that lifts the rod clamp by pulling the rigging,
The rod clamp is
A first gripping portion having a first surface that can contact the kelp pole;
A second gripping portion having a second surface that presses the kelp pole against the first surface when tension is applied to the rigging and does not press the kelp pole against the first surface when tension is not applied to the rigging,
The second gripping portion has a length along the kelp pole and is bent toward the opposite side to the side facing the kelp pole, and the second surface is disposed in a portion of the bent portion corresponding to the handle side of the kelp pole,
The rigging is connected to the rod clamp so as to pull the portion of the kelp rod corresponding to the kelp winding portion side relative to the bent portion when tension is applied.
Kelp rod hoisting device. The frictional force generated between the first and second surfaces and the kelp pole by the second surface pressing the kelp pole against the first surface increases as the tension applied to the rigging increases.
The kelp rod lifting device according to claim 1 . The kelp rod pulling device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the second gripping portion further has a third surface that does not press the kelp rod against the first surface regardless of the presence or absence of tension on the rigging. At least one of the first surface and the second surface has one or more grooves extending transversely to the length of the kelp pole;
The kelp rod lifting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The rod clamp further includes an opening through which a space between the first gripping portion and the second gripping portion can be accessed,
The opening is provided with a flexible door that bends toward the space when the kelp rod is moved from the outside of the opening toward the space, and bends in the opposite direction to the space when the kelp rod is moved from the space toward the outside of the opening.
The kelp rod lifting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 .

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