JP7702129B2 - tea garden management machine - Google Patents

Description

Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act applied April 8, 2021 [Performance test in tea fields near Takahashi, Kikugawa City, Shizuoka Prefecture]

The present invention relates to a tea plantation management machine that performs management work in tea plantations.

Conventionally, self-propelled riding tea garden management machines that perform management tasks such as fertilizing and pest control in tea gardens are known as working machines that perform tasks while traveling across tea ridges. As equipment for performing fertilizing tasks, such tea garden management machines are equipped with a container for storing fertilizer at the rear side of the machine's travel direction so that it crosses over the tea ridges, and drop ducts are provided at both left and right ends of the container to drop fertilizer onto the furrows, dropping the fertilizer behind the traveling device that travels between the furrows (see Patent Document 1 below).

JP 2002-159211 A

According to the conventional technology mentioned above, the fertilizer falls on the rear side of the traveling gear during fertilization, so the rear end of the entire tea field management machine extends rearward from the rear end of the traveling gear. For this reason, when turning on headland where a wide space is not available, a lifting device is required to lift the fertilization equipment such as containers above the tea ridges so that the rear side of the machine does not come into contact with the tea ridges. This means that the operation of the lifting device is added to the operation when turning, which makes the operation complicated. Also, the installation of the lifting device increases the weight and cost of the machine.

In addition, with the conventional technology described above, the area where fertilizer is applied is limited to the spaces between the rows behind the traveling device, so fertilizer must be applied away from the roots of the tea rows. This makes it difficult to achieve a high fertilization effect.

The present invention has been proposed to address these problems. In other words, the objectives of the present invention are to improve the maneuverability and operability of a tea field management machine that performs fertilization work while reducing the weight and cost of the machine, and to achieve a high fertilization effect by applying fertilizer close to the roots of the tea furrows.

In order to solve such problems, the tea field management machine according to the present invention has the following configuration.
A tea field management machine comprising a body which is positioned so as to straddle tea ridges during operation, a pair of running devices which run between the ridges during operation and support the lower end of the body, a scattering material supplying device supported by the body and having a container for storing scattering material , and a scattering device arranged above the running devices and scattering the scattering material supplied from the container toward the side of the traveling device in the direction of travel, wherein the scattering device has a scattering port located forward of the rear end of the traveling device in the direction of travel, for scattering the scattering material toward the side of the traveling device, and the scattering port scatters the scattering material from a position higher than the ground height of the traveling devices .

With this invention, which has these characteristics, in a tea field management machine that performs fertilization work, by eliminating the lifting device, it is possible to reduce the weight and cost of the machine while improving maneuverability when turning. Also, by providing a spraying device on the inside of the traveling length in the direction of travel, the turning ability of the machine is improved, and a high fertilization effect can be achieved by using a spraying device that sprays the material to the side of the traveling direction.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram (overall perspective view) showing the overall configuration of a tea field management machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram (right side view) showing the overall configuration of a tea field management machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram (rear view) showing the overall configuration of a tea field management machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 1 is an enlarged view of the spraying device ((a) is a perspective view, and (b) is a side view). FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the function of the spraying device.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the same reference numerals in different drawings indicate parts with the same function, and duplicate descriptions in each drawing will be omitted as appropriate.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the tea field management machine 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is a self-propelled riding type work machine that includes a machine body 2 and a traveling device 3, and is positioned so that the machine body 2 straddles the tea furrows, and the traveling device 3 travels between the furrows while performing management work.

The machine body 2 comprises gate-shaped frames 21, 22 arranged at the front and rear of the tea field management machine 1 in the direction of travel, and a floor plate 23 arranged between the gate-shaped frames 21, 22 and fixed across these gate-shaped frames 21, 22. The gate-shaped frames 21, 22 are formed to straddle the tea ridges. A driver's seat 24, a driver's control console 25, and a prime mover box 26 are installed on the upper surface of the floor plate 23. The prime mover box 26 is equipped with a prime mover (engine) and other components (not shown). The prime mover is the drive source for the spraying material supply device 4 and the spraying device 5 (described below), and also the drive source for the hydraulic motor that drives the traveling device 3.

In this embodiment, the traveling device 3 is a crawler type and includes a support frame 30 that supports the machine body 2, and driven wheels 31 and driving wheels 32 are journaled on the support frame 30. The traveling device 3 also includes a crawler 33 that is wrapped around the driven wheels 31 and driving wheels 32. In the illustrated example, a crawler type traveling device 3 is shown, but a wheel type traveling device 3 may also be used. The traveling device 3 is provided with a cover member 34 on which a spraying device, which will be described later, is mounted, and the cover member 34 covers at least the rear upper portion of the crawler 33.

The traveling device 3 is configured to travel, stop, steer, and turn by controlling the rotation and stopping of each crawler 33 using an operating handle 25A provided on the driver's control console 25.

The driver's console 25 is provided with an operating lever 25B that sets the drive state of the spraying device 5, which will be described later. The operating levers 25B are arranged in a pair side by side, assuming, for example, that a device that performs work on both sides of the ridge width direction is installed. In this embodiment, this operating lever 25B operates the spraying device 5, and when a pair is provided, the left and right spraying devices 5 are operated separately, and when a single device is provided, the left and right spraying devices 5 are operated simultaneously.

A scattering material supplying device 4 equipped with a container 40 for storing scattering material (fertilizer) is provided at the rear of the machine body 2. The container 40 is supported by a container support frame 41 provided at the rear side of the machine body 2, and is supported so that almost the entire container 40 fits within the width of the traveling device 3 in the direction of travel, thereby reducing the portion of the rear end of the container 40 that protrudes rearward from the rear end of the traveling device 3.

The container 40 is a vessel for storing scattering materials, and has an opening/closing lid 40F at the top opening, a side panel with at least three inclined surfaces, and a bottom that is open to the transport mechanism 42. Scattering materials are loaded into the container 40 through the top opening 40A, which is opened by opening the opening/closing lid 40F (see Figure 4). The container support frame 41 is provided with a step 43 that can be extended and retracted to allow the loading of scattering materials into the container 40 to be done manually.

The conveying mechanism 42 provided below the container 40 is equipped with a conveying screw 42A that is rotated and driven via an appropriate transmission mechanism from a prime mover disposed in the prime mover box 26 (see FIG. 4). The conveying screw 42A is driven to convey the scattering material in the container 40 to both the left and right sides. The scattering material conveyed by the conveying screw 42A is sent to conveying pipes 42B provided at the left and right ends of the conveying mechanism 42. The conveying pipe 42B is bifurcated, and the upper end of a supply hose 44 is connected to each of the bifurcated pipes. The supply hose 44 supplies the scattering material to the scattering device 5 by passing the scattering material through its interior, and a flexible hose (e.g., a bellows hose) can be used.

The spraying device 5 sprays the spray material supplied from the container 40 via the supply hose 44 at least to the side of the traveling direction of the traveling device 3. The spraying device 5 is arranged on the upper side of the traveling device 3 and is arranged forward of the rear end of the traveling device 3 in the traveling direction.

As shown in FIG. 5, the spraying device 5 is installed on a cover member 34 that covers the upper rear side of the crawler of the traveling device. The spraying device 5 has an outer frame 50 that is open on the left and right sides in the traveling direction of the traveling device 3 and blocks the front and rear in the traveling direction of the traveling device 3. A spraying plate 51 that is driven to rotate around a vertical axis is provided inside the outer frame 50, and the lower end of a supply hose 44 that supplies a spray material onto the spraying plate 51 is connected to the upper part of the outer frame 50.

The outer frame 50 of the spraying device 5 has spray ports 50A on the outside and inside of the machine body 2, and two supply ports 50B are provided on the top surface of the outer frame 50 to which the lower end of the supply hose 44 is connected. In addition, the spraying device 5 has a bottom plate 50C on the rear upper surface of the traveling device 3. In the illustrated example, the bottom plate 50C is fixed on the cover member 34 of the traveling device 3, and the outer frame 50 of the spraying device 5 is attached on top of it, but the bottom plate 50C and the cover member 34 may be integrated, or the bottom plate 50C may be omitted and the cover member 34 may also serve as the bottom plate 50C, and the outer frame 50 may be fixed directly to the cover member 34. By providing the bottom plate 50C, it is possible to prevent the spray material from getting on the traveling device 3 and corroding the traveling device 3.

The spray plate 51 arranged inside the outer frame 50 is rotated by a hydraulic motor 52 attached to the top surface of the outer frame 50. The hydraulic motor 52 is supplied with pressurized oil from a hydraulic pump (not shown) driven by a prime mover arranged inside the prime mover box 26 mentioned above.

The spray plate 51, which rotates around the vertical axis P, has a conical plate surface 51A, and centrifugal blades 51B are provided radially on the plate surface 51A. A sweeping plate 51C is attached to the back surface of the spray plate 51. When a material to be spread is supplied onto the spray plate 51 from the supply port 50B, the material is spread downward to the side of the machine body 2 from the spraying port 50A as the spray plate 51 rotates. In addition, when the material supplied onto the bottom plate 50C falls, the sweeping plate 51C rotates together with the spray plate 51, and the material that has fallen onto the bottom plate 50C is expelled from the spraying port 50A.

With this type of tea garden management machine 1, the spraying device 5 is arranged on the traveling device 3, so that the spraying material can be sprayed from a height h that is higher than the traveling device 3 above ground, as shown in FIG. 6, and the conical spraying disk 51 can spray the spraying material downward from height h. This allows the spraying material to be dispersed and fertilized effectively, even if the distance L from the traveling device 3 to the aboveground exposed part of the tea ridge is long. In addition, because the spraying material is sprayed downward from the spraying port 50A, the spraying material does not end up on the aboveground part of the tea ridge unnecessarily, and the spraying material can be effectively sprayed on the surface of the tea ridge's tree crown.

In addition, with this type of tea field management machine 1, the spraying device 5 is positioned from the rear end of the traveling device 3 to the front, so that the spraying device 5 does not interfere with tea ridges when the traveling device 3 turns, and there is no need to raise and lower the spraying equipment with a lifting device as in the conventional technology. As a result, by eliminating the lifting device, the weight and cost of the machine can be reduced, and furthermore, by eliminating the need to operate the lifting device, operability during turning can be improved.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and the present invention includes design changes and the like that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention. In addition, the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined by reusing each other's technologies, as long as there are no particular contradictions or problems in the purpose and configuration, etc.

1: Tea garden management machine,
2: Aircraft,
21, 22: Gate-shaped frame, 23: Floor board, 24: Driver's seat,
25: driving operation console, 25A: operation handle, 25B: operation lever,
26: engine box,
3: Running gear,
30: support frame, 31: driven wheel, 32: driving wheel,
33: crawler, 34: cover member,
4: Spreading material supply device,
40: container, 40A: opening, 40F: opening/closing lid, 41: container support frame,
42: conveying mechanism, 42A: conveying screw, 42B: carrying pipe,
43: Step, 44: Supply hose,
5: Spraying device, 50: Outer frame, 50A: Spraying port, 50B: Supply port,
50C: bottom plate, 51: spreading plate, 51A: plate surface, 51B: centrifugal blade,
51C: sweep plate, 52: hydraulic motor, P: vertical shaft

Claims (3)

The machine is placed so that it straddles the tea ridges during operation,
A pair of traveling devices that travel between furrows during work and support the lower end of the machine body;
A scattering material supplying device having a container supported on the aircraft body and storing scattering material;
A spraying device is provided above the traveling device and sprays the spray material supplied from the container toward the side of the traveling device in the direction of travel .
This tea field management machine is characterized in that the spraying device has a spraying port for spraying the spraying material toward the side of the traveling device, forward of the rear end of the traveling device in the direction of travel, and the spraying port sprays the spraying material from a position higher than the ground height of the traveling device . The tea garden management machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the spraying device has a bottom plate provided on the rear upper side of the traveling device. The spraying device is a tea field management machine as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the spraying device has an outer frame with the left and right sides in the direction of travel of the traveling device being open as the spraying port , a spraying plate that is rotated around a vertical axis is provided inside the outer frame, and a supply port is provided at the upper part of the outer frame to which the lower end of a supply hose that supplies spray material onto the spraying plate is connected.