JP7773207B2 - Plant cutting device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a plant cutting device that is primarily used while held by a person and is used to cut stems and other parts of grown vegetables and other plants in order to harvest them.

Personally held plant stem cutting devices typically combine two blades like scissors, and shear the stem by rotating one of the blades around an axis so that the blades cross (see Patent Documents 1 to 3). With this method, the stem is cut at the intersection of the two blades, but unless the stem is fixed, the intersection tends to move toward the tip of the blade as cutting progresses, meaning that the shearing force is not always applied to the stem at a constant position, resulting in low cutting efficiency.

On the other hand, there is a method of cutting stems by moving the blade in parallel (see Patent Document 4). With this method, the blade (transverse blade) moves in parallel with the restrained stem, allowing the blade to bite into the stationary stem (paragraph 0013), which is thought to enable more effective cutting of stems than Patent Documents 1 to 3.

Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 56-12954 (specification, page 2, line 15 to page 7, line 13, Figures 1 to 3) Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-238819 (page 2, lower left column, line 7 to page 4, lower left column, line 9, Figures 1 to 3) JP-A-7-99818 (paragraphs 0007 to 0020, Figures 1 to 4) JP 2001-37330 A (paragraphs 0008 to 0023, Figures 1 to 10)

However, Patent Document 4 describes a method (device) for cutting the stem of the target for grafting while making incisions in the stem, and is not suitable for cutting stems or leaves that have grown to a size suitable for harvesting in a seedling bed, such as when cultivating plants hydroponically.

Specifically, Patent Document 4 does not consider the possibility of reliably cutting the stems of plants that have taken root in a seedbed or the like and whose stems protrude above the top surface of the seedbed or the like near the roots, and harvesting seedlings (saplings) while retaining their commercial value.

"Retaining commercial value" means that the stems are carefully cut at the base, not the leafy parts, and the plants are harvested in a state where the commercial value of the majority of the plant remains intact after the stems are cut. Other harvested products include only the leaves of plants such as baby leaf lettuce, in which case the stems and the rest of the plant are sometimes left in the nursery.

In light of the above background, the present invention proposes a plant cutting device that reliably cuts plant stems primarily near the roots, allowing plants to be harvested without compromising their commercial value.

The plant cutting device of the invention described in claim 1 comprises a pair of flat enveloping materials arranged in parallel at a distance in the width direction and integrally joined to each other, sandwiching the stems or leaves of the plant from both sides in the width direction, and a cutter supported on at least one of the enveloping materials so as to be freely movable back and forth in the length direction of the enveloping material, and cutting the stems or leaves when the enveloping material moves toward the tip end in the length direction,
The constituent elements of the method are that the enclosing material is divided into a main body portion on which the cutter is supported and a tip portion that is continuous with the longitudinal tip of the main body portion and into which the stem or the leaf is inserted, the tip portion is bent or curved toward the surface side of the main body portion relative to the main body portion, and the cutter is positioned on the underside of the main body portion of the enclosing material and in the position of the gap between the pair of enclosing materials .

"A pair of enveloping materials arranged side by side with a distance in the width direction and joined together as an integral unit" refers to a pair of enveloping materials 2, 2 joined together in a state where they are arranged side by side with a distance in the width direction, as shown in Figure 2-(a), to form a single unit, but also includes being joined so that they can be separated. The enveloping materials 2, 2 may be joined directly, or they may be joined indirectly via an intermediate material such as a handle 6 or adjustment material 3, which will be described later.

The two enveloping materials 2, 2 are basically arranged parallel to each other, but they do not necessarily have to be parallel, and the widthwise distance between the parallel enveloping materials 2, 2 may change in the lengthwise direction. "Clamping the stem or leaf from both sides in the widthwise direction" means that the stem 8a or leaf 8c is clamped in the widthwise direction between the enveloping materials 2, 2. The plants 8 are mainly vegetables and fruits, but also include seedlings. "Plate-shaped" basically means a flat plate, but includes cases where the cutter 4 can be moved in a substantially linear direction, such as when it is slightly curved or bent into a polygonal shape.

"A cutter supported for reciprocal movement in the longitudinal direction of the enveloping material" refers to a cutter 4 supported on the enveloping material 2 in a state that allows it to reciprocate along the longitudinal direction of the enveloping material 2 using an electric cylinder, air cylinder, or other telescopic mechanism as shown in Figure 3, including manual reciprocation. When operated manually, the cutter 4 moves reciprocally along a guide member that guides the linear reciprocating motion, with the handle integrated into the cutter 4 held in place and the cutter 4 reciprocating manually together with the handle. Alternatively, only the movement toward the tip 22 can be manually operated, with a coil spring or other spring (biasing member) returning the cutter to its original position.

The telescopic mechanism that reciprocates the cutter 4 can be an electric cylinder as described above, or a mechanism that converts the rotational motion of a disk or crank that is linked to the rotation of a rotating shaft rotated by a drive device such as a motor into linear motion, or a solenoid, etc.

"A cutter that cuts stems or leaves when moving toward the longitudinal tip of the enveloping material" means that the cutter 4 cuts the stems 8a or leaves 8c of the plant 8 when it moves toward the longitudinal tip of the enveloping material 2 (toward the tip portion 22).

However, when the cutter 4 moves from the main body 21 toward the tip 22, the plant 8 is scooped up from the tip 22 of the enveloping material 2 as both enveloping materials 2, 2 are inserted into the plant 8, and then enters the main body 21 from the tip 22. Therefore, the cutter 4 basically cuts the stems 8a and leaves 8c of the plant 8 in the section of the main body 21 of the enveloping material 2. In reality, the stopper 7 functions effectively because it pairs with the cutter 4 to exert a shearing effect mainly when the cutter 4 cuts the stem 8a. The cutter 4 may also cut the stems 8a and leaves 8c (hereinafter also referred to as stems 8a, etc.) in the section of the tip 22.

When the cutter 4 cuts the stems 8a etc., if a stopper 7 is connected to a position near the tip 22 of the main body 21 of one of the parallel enveloping materials 2, 2, which prevents the stems 8a etc. trapped between the parallel enveloping materials 2, 2 from slipping out from between the parallel enveloping materials 2, 2 (claim 2), the stems 8a etc. can be fixed when cut by the cutter 4, improving the cutting efficiency of the stems 8a etc. When the cutter 4 cuts the stems 8a etc., the stopper 7 stops the movement of the stems 8a etc. caused by the movement of the cutter 4 without stopping the cutter 4 during cutting (movement), so the movement speed of the cutter 4 can be applied directly to the stems 8a etc. Because the stopper 7 is connected to the main body 21, the stems 8a etc. are trapped between the parallel enveloping materials 21, 21.

"A stopper that prevents stems or leaves captured between parallel enclosing materials from escaping from between the enclosing materials" refers to the fact that, when the cutter 4 cuts the stem 8a, etc. of the plant 8 that has been captured between the tip portions 22, 22 as the parallel enclosing materials 2, 2 move toward the plant 8, the stem 8a, etc. is guided beyond the stopper 7 into the space between the main portions 21, 21, and the cutter 4 moves to cut the stem 8a, etc., and the stem 8a, etc. is prevented from moving in the direction of the movement of the cutter 4.

For this reason, as shown in Figure 2-(a), the stopper 7 is positioned so as to straddle the enveloping materials 2, 2 (main bodies 21, 21), and is rotatably supported by a support shaft 7a on the main body 21 of one of the enveloping materials 2 in a direction of rotation that guides the stem 8a, etc. from the tip 22 side toward the main body 21 side. The "connected" in claim 2 refers to the stopper 7 being rotatably supported on the main body 21 in this manner. When the stem 8a, etc. rotates in a direction that attempts to slip out from the main body 21 side toward the tip 22 side, the stopper 7 is given a restoring force by a spring or the like, and remains engaged with either part of the main body 21 while straddling both main bodies 21, 21.

As a result of the cutting device 1 moving toward the plant 8, the stem 8a, etc. of the plant 8 moves from between the tips 22, 22 to between the main bodies 21, 21. The stem 8a, etc. remains in contact with the stopper 7, which is biased toward the stem 8a, etc., and rotates the stopper 7 toward the cutter 4 against the restoring force. Once the stem 8a, etc. passes over the stopper 7, the restoring force causes the stopper 7 to return to its original position (home position) and engage with the main body 21, stopping it. The stem 8a, etc. is prevented from moving toward the tip 22 by the stopper 7, which remains stationary.

In particular, if the stopper 7 is arranged (connected) to the upper surface of the main body 21 (claim 3), collision with the cutter 4 is avoided and the cutter 4 is able to effectively cut (shear) the stems 8a, etc. In this case, the stopper 7 and the cutter 4 will shear the stems 8a, etc. at a distance equal to the thickness of the enclosure material 2. For example, if the cutter 4 collides with the stopper 7 while pinching the stems 8a, etc., the cutter 4 will collide with the stopper 7 immediately after cutting the stems 8a, etc., causing the cutter 4 to slow down and come to a standstill, which may result in incomplete cutting of the stems 8a, etc. and is likely to damage the cutter 4.

In contrast, when the stopper 7 and cutter 4 shear the stem 8a, etc., the cutter 4 does not collide with the stopper 7, and therefore the cutter 4 can penetrate the stem 8a, etc. in a direction perpendicular to its axis without reducing its speed, completely cutting the stem 8a, etc. and avoiding damage.

In addition, because the cutter 4 is positioned on the underside of the main body 21 of the enveloping material 2 (claim 1), it is possible to cut the stem 8a at a position close to the root 8b, regardless of whether it is sheared by the stopper 7. As a result, the stem 8a is cut as long as possible, making it possible to cut only the stem 8a without damaging the leaves 8c.

The cutter 4 cuts the stem 8a close to the root 8b, allowing it to cut only the stem 8a without damaging the leaves 8c. This ensures that the portion of the stem 8a closest to the root 8b is cut, and makes it possible to harvest the plant 8 without compromising the commercial value of the plant 8 after the stem 8a has been cut. In cases where the plant 8 is to be shipped as a commercial product with some of the roots 8b still attached, the cutter 4 may also cut the roots 8b. In cases where the leaves 8c, which are part of the plant 8, are to be shipped as baby leaves, only the leaves 8c of the plant 8 are cut.

"The enveloping material is divided into a main body portion on which the cutter is supported and a tip portion that is continuous with the longitudinal tip of the main body portion and into which the stem or leaf is inserted" means that the enveloping material 2 has two portions, a main body portion 21 and a tip portion 22, and by manipulating the enveloping material 2, the stems 8a etc. are inserted between the parallel enveloping materials 2, 2 (tips 22, 22) from the open end between the tips 22, 22, as shown in Figures 4-(a) and (b). As the enveloping materials 2, 2 are pushed toward the stems 8a etc., the stems 8a etc. enter between the parallel enveloping materials 21, 21.

The phrase "the tip portion is bent or curved toward the surface of the main body portion" means that the tip portion 22 is inclined toward the surface of the main body portion 21 so that the tip portion 22 and the main body portion 21 form an obtuse angle when viewed in the width direction of the enclosure material 2. By inclining the tip portion 22 relative to the main body portion 21, the parallel tip portions 22, 22 can be inserted into both sides of the stem 8a, etc. of the plant 8, and the main body portion 21 can be lowered, allowing the tip portion 22 to scoop up the stem 8a, etc. (plant 8) using the principle of leverage, as shown in Figure 4-(c).

When the enveloping material 2 is pushed toward the stems 8a, etc., the stems 8a, etc. enter between the parallel tip portions 22, 22. Then, the main body 21 of the enveloping material 2 is pressed down as a force point, with the bottom surface of the boundary between the main body 21 and the tip portion 22 acting as a fulcrum and the tip portion 22 acting as a point of application, causing the stems 8a, etc. to be lifted from the seedbed 10 in which the plants 8 are planted, or from the hydroponic panel 9, etc. shown in Figure 4, into which the seedbed 10 is placed (inserted). Figure 4 shows an example in which the stems 8a of the plant 8 are growing from the seedbed 10.

In the case of hydroponic cultivation, the seedbed 10 is a sponge-like material such as foamed polyurethane resin, and in the case of soil cultivation, it is soil. When the plant 8 is placed in the hydroponic panel 9 together with the seedbed 10, the plant 8 is either lifted up together with the seedbed 10 through the hole 9a in the hydroponic panel 9, as shown in Figure 4-(c), or only the portion above the stem 8a is lifted up from the seedbed 10, with the portion of the stem 8a protruding above the seedbed 10 being cut off.

In this case, the parallel tips 22, 22 lift the stem 8a from the seedbed 10 or the hydroponic panel 9, making it easier to insert the main body 21 between the stem 8a of the plant 8 and the seedbed 10, as shown in Figure 4-(d). If the plant 8 is inserted into the hydroponic panel 9 together with the seedbed 10 at this time, the stem 8a will penetrate the upper surface of the main body 21, and the seedbed 10 will try to wrap around to the lower surface of the main body 21. When the cutter 4 moves toward the stem 8a in the state shown in Figure 4-(d), the cutter 4 penetrates into a position of the stem 8a closer to the seedbed 10 (closer to the roots 8b), and cuts the stem 8a to separate it from the seedbed 10, as shown in (e). The cutter 4 penetrates between the stem 8a into which the main body 21 is inserted and the seedbed 10, as shown in (e).

When a plant 8 is planted in a seedbed 10 as shown in Figure 4, roots 8b protrude from the underside of the seedbed 10 and stems 8a protrude from the top of the seedbed 10. By cutting the portion of the stem 8a protruding from the top of the seedbed 10 with the cutter 4, the plant 8 is reliably cut at a position close to the roots 8b of the stem 8a, without cutting at the roots 8b. In this case, because the cutter 4 is inserted between the stem 8a and the seedbed 10, the portion of the leaves 8c above the stem 8a is not cut.

To facilitate the operation of pushing up the stem 8a, etc. by pushing down the main body 21 while the tip portions 22, 22 are clamping the stem 8a, etc., it is appropriate to directly or indirectly join the handle 6 integrally to the main body 21, straddling the parallel main body portions 2, 2, on the side of the main body 21 opposite the tip portion 22 in the longitudinal direction, as shown in Figures 1 and 2 (Claim 4).

In this case, the distance from the boundary between the main body 21 and the tip 22, which acts as the fulcrum, to the point of force is greater, so that a smaller force is required to lift the plant 8 (stem 8a) from the seedbed 10. Furthermore, by integrating the handle 6 into the side-by-side main body 2, 2 opposite (on the upper side of) the tip 22, a person does not need to hold the enclosing materials 2, 2 when operating the cutting device 1, thereby improving operability.

In addition, by having the handle 6 straddle both main body portions 2, 2, when adjusting the distance between the main body portions 21, 21 (enveloping materials 2, 2) according to the thickness of the stem 8a of the plant 8, it is possible to simply adjust the widthwise position of the main body portion 21 relative to the handle 6 while each main body portion 21 remains supported by the handle 6. This makes it easier to adjust the distance because there is no need to interpose a spacing adjustment material between the two main body portions 2, 2 as is the case when adjusting the distance between the main body portions 2, 2 directly.

It comprises a pair of parallel enclosing materials and a cutter supported by at least one of them for reciprocal movement. The enclosing material is divided into a main body portion on which the cutter is supported and a tip portion that is continuous with the longitudinal tip of the main body portion. The tip portion is bent toward the surface of the main body portion relative to the main body portion, and the cutter is positioned on the underside of the main body portion. Therefore, when cutting stems, the cutter can reliably cut the part of the stem near the root without damaging the leaves. This allows the stems to be cut effectively without compromising the commercial value of the plant after cutting.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a manufacturing example of a cutting device. 2A is a plan view of the cutting device shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2B is a rear view of FIG. 2A, and FIG. 2C is a side view of FIG. 2A. 2 is a perspective view showing a connection state between a cutter of the cutting device shown in FIG. 1 and a drive device that reciprocates the cutter. FIG. 2A to 2E are perspective views showing a procedure for cutting the stems of plants grown in hydroponics using the cutting device shown in FIG. 1. 2A to 2E are perspective views showing the procedure for cutting the stems of plants grown in soil using the cutting device shown in FIG. 1.

Figures 1 and 2 show an example of a cutting device 1 comprising a pair of flat enveloping materials 2, 2 arranged side by side with a gap in the width direction and integrally joined to each other, and a cutter 4 supported on at least one of the enveloping materials 2, 2 so as to be able to move back and forth in the length direction of the enveloping material 2. The pair of enveloping materials 2, 2 clamp the stems 8a and leaves 8c of the plant 8 from both sides of the enveloping material 2 in the width direction, and the cutter 4 cuts the stems 8a and leaves 8c as it moves toward the tip of the enveloping material 2 in the length direction. Hereinafter, the stems 8a, etc. will be referred to as stems 8a, etc. when they include both the stems 8a and leaves 8c. The enveloping material 2 has appropriate rigidity and strength and is made from metal plate such as steel plate or aluminum alloy plate that is resistant to rust, as well as hard plastic, but the material is not critical.

As shown in Figure 1, the enveloping material 2 is divided into a main body 21 on which the cutter 4 is supported, and a tip 22 that continues from the longitudinal tip of the main body 21 and into which the stem 8a or the like is inserted. As shown in Figure 2-(c), the tip 22 is bent or curved toward the surface of the main body 21, and is inclined so as to form an obtuse angle with the surface of the main body 21 when the enveloping material 2 is viewed in the width direction.

When cutting the stems 8a, the cutter 3 is positioned on the underside of the main body 21 of the enclosure material 2 so as to cut the stems 8a as long as possible and avoid damaging the leaves 8c of the plant 8. In the drawing, side walls 23 are integrally formed on both outer widthwise sides opposite the opposing sides of the enclosure materials 2, 2 to prevent the plants 8 after harvesting and cutting the stems 8a, or the leaves 8c after cutting the leaves 8c, from falling out of the enclosure materials 2, 2. When the leaves 8c are to be shipped as a product (baby leaf), only the leaves 8c are cut.

In the example shown in Figures 1 and 2, two enclosing materials 2, 2 are arranged at a fixed interval in the width direction over the entire length, and an adjusting material 3 is placed between the two enclosing materials 2, 2 on the opposite side (rear side) of the main body 21 from the tip 22. Each enclosing material 2 is joined to the adjusting material 3 using screws 31 or the like, thereby joining the two enclosing materials 2, 2 together. The spacing between the two enclosing materials 2, 2 does not necessarily have to be fixed. The adjusting material 3 and the handle 6 and other components joined to it, described below, are made from metal plate or hard plastic, but the material is not critical.

The method for joining the two enclosure materials 2, 2 is not critical; it is also possible to increase the width of the rear side of each main body portion 2 and directly overlap and join these wide portions to each other. In either case, by forming a long through-hole 3a in the width direction in at least one of the adjustment material 3 or the main body portion 21, as shown in Figure 2-(b), the adjacent enclosure materials 2, 2 can be joined in a manner that allows for free adjustment of the spacing between them. If a wide portion is formed in the main body portion 21, an through-hole will be formed in the wide portion.

When the adjusting material 3 is placed between the enclosing materials 2, 2, a handle 6 for holding and operating the cutting device 1 can be attached to the adjusting material 3 as shown, and the cutter 4 itself and a drive unit 5 acting as an extension device for reciprocating the cutter 4 can also be attached to the adjusting material 3. In particular, the adjusting material 3 is positioned to cover the gap between the enclosing materials 2, 2 for capturing the stems 8a, etc. of the plants 8, which has the advantage that the cutter 4 can be positioned in the gap between the enclosing materials 2, 2 where the stems 8a, etc. enter. In reality, the cutter 4 itself is positioned to straddle the two main body portions 21, 21 as shown in Figure 2-(b), and the section of the cutter 4 located in the gap cuts the stems 8a, etc.

Even without using the adjustment material 3, the handle 6 can be attached so that it straddles both enclosing materials 2, 2 at the same time, in which case the drive unit 5 can also be supported by the handle 6. If the handle 6 is attached to the rear side of the enclosing materials 2, 2, there is no need to hold the enclosing materials 2, 2 when operating the cutting device 1. While holding the handle 6, the stem 8a of the plant 8 can be lifted and the drive unit 5 can be operated to cut the stem 8a, as shown in Figure 4, improving the operability of the drive unit 5 and the cutting device 1.

The mechanism of the drive unit 5 is not critical as long as it can reciprocate the connected cutter 4 in the axial direction of the main body 21. The drive unit 5 in the example shown in Figure 3 comprises a cylinder main body 51, such as an electric or air cylinder, and a rod 52 that extends and retracts axially from the cylinder main body 51, with the cutter 4 connected directly or indirectly to the rod 52. When the rod 52 extends from the cylinder main body 51, the cutter 4 moves toward the tip 22, and when it retracts into the cylinder main body 51, the cutter 4 returns to its original position. In this example, a bracket 53 is connected to the rod 52, and the cutter 4 is directly or indirectly fixedly joined to the bracket 53. The cylinder main body 51 is also connected to a bracket 54 joined to the adjustment member 3 or handle 6 so as to be supported by the adjustment member 3 or handle 6.

The drive unit 5 is located somewhere on the cylinder body 51, or when an operating switch installed on the adjusting member 3 or handle 6 is operated and turned ON, the rod 52 extends at a constant speed, and after the cutter 4 connected to the rod 52 cuts the stem 8a of the plant 8, the rod 52 retracts into the cylinder body 51. Operating the operating switch once causes the cutter 4 to make one reciprocating motion.

To improve the cutting effect of the cutter 4 on stems 8a and the like, it is reasonable to tilt the blade of the cutter 4 by several degrees to several tens of degrees relative to the direction of reciprocation of the cutter 4, so the axial direction of the cutter 4 is tilted relative to the direction of reciprocation. In the drawing, in order to stabilize the cutter 4, whose axial direction is tilted relative to the direction of reciprocation, and to attach it to the bracket 53, the cutter 4 is held (restrained) by a holding member 55 that can hold a section of the base side of the cutter 4, and the holding member 55 is then attached to the bracket 53 with a screw 55c or the like. The angle between the axial direction of the cutter 4 and the direction of reciprocation is preferably 15 to 20 degrees.

As shown in Figure 3, the cutter 4 is directly joined to the holding material 55 with screws 41 or the like. In Figure 3, the cutter 4 is also housed in a groove 55a formed on the cutter 4 side (top surface) of the holding material 55, with a depth equivalent to the thickness of the cutter 4. A pressing member 55b overlapping the surface of the cutter 4 is then joined to the holding material 55, and the cutter 4 is clamped between the holding material 55 and the pressing member 55b, thereby restraining the cutter 4.

When cutting the stem 8a, the cutter 4 is positioned on the underside of the main body 21 of the enclosure material 2 as described above so as to cut the portion of the stem 8a closest to the root 8b. Therefore, the bracket 53 joined to the rod 52 has two parts: an upright portion 53a that connects to the rod 52, as shown in Figure 3, and a horizontal portion 53b that continues from below toward the cutter 4 and is perpendicular to the upright portion 53a. As shown in Figure 2-(c), the upright portion 53a is connected to the rod 52 with the horizontal portion 53b positioned on the underside of both enclosure materials 2, 2.

The position of the horizontal portion 53b relative to the enclosure material 2 (main body 21) can be adjusted by forming the insertion hole 53c, through which the upright portion 53a passes, in a long shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the upright portion 53a, as shown in Figure 3. The distance between the cutter 4 and the back of the main body 21, i.e., the position of the stem 8a to be cut, can be adjusted within the length of this insertion hole 53c.

The bracket 54 that joins the cylinder body 51 to the adjustment material 3 also has two parts: an upright portion 54a that connects to the cylinder body 51, and a horizontal portion 54b that continues from below the upright portion toward the handle 6 and is perpendicular to the upright portion 54a. As shown in Figure 3, the bracket 54 is joined to the adjustment material 3 in a manner that allows the axial position of the cylinder body 51 to be freely adjusted by using a screw 31 or the like in the horizontal portion 54b, which is a long-hole-shaped insertion hole 54c formed parallel to the length of the main body 21.

Also shown in Figure 3, a spacing member 56 is attached to the horizontal portion 53b of the bracket 53 to maintain a gap between it and the back surface of the main body 21. By placing the spacing member 56 between it and the back surface of the main body 21, the cutter 4 is always positioned on the underside of the main body 21, preventing the cutter 4 from coming into contact with the underside of the main body 21 when the rod 52 reciprocates.

If necessary, a stopper 7 is connected to the main body 21 of one of the parallel enveloping materials 2, 2 near the tip 22 to restrain the movement of the stems 8a, etc. and stabilize them when the cutter 4 cuts them, as shown in Figure 2-(a). The stopper 7 is connected to the top surface of the main body 21 to avoid collision with the cutter 4 and to ensure that the cutter 4 completely cuts the stems 8a, etc. at a constant speed. When the cutter 4 cuts the stems 8a, etc. by colliding with the stopper 7, the stopper 7 is connected to the bottom surface of the main body 21.

The stopper 7 guides the stems 8a of the plants 8 that have entered between the enveloping materials 2, 2 from the tip of the tip portion 22 toward the cutter 4 side of the stopper 7, while preventing the plants 8 from moving toward the tip portion 22 once they have been taken in. It is connected to the main body 21 so that it can freely rotate clockwise when viewed from above the cutting device 1, but cannot rotate counterclockwise, so as to prevent the plants 8 from moving toward the tip portion 22. More specifically, the stopper 7 itself is biased counterclockwise in plan view by, for example, a coil spring or the like arranged around the support shaft 7a shown in Figure 2-(a) that supports the stopper 7 on the main body 21, and one part of the stopper 7 engages with the main body 21 in the biasing direction.

When the stem 8a or the like of a plant 8 gets between the parallel main bodies 21, 21, the stem 8a or the like of the plant 8 moves toward the plant 8 as the cutting device 1 moves toward the plant 8, causing the stopper 7, which is biased toward the plant 8, to rotate around the support shaft 7a toward the cutter 4, and climb over the stopper 7. Once the stem 8a or the like has climbed over the stopper 7, the stopper 7 returns to its original position by its restoring force and comes to rest. Because the stopper 7 cannot rotate toward the tip 22 from its resting state, the stem 8a or the like is restricted from moving by the stopper 7 when cut by the cutter 4, and the cutter 4 cuts the stem 8a or the like in a fixed state.

In order to make it easier for the stems 8a etc. to climb over the stopper 7 between the parallel main body portions 21, 21, a gap is provided between the longitudinal tip of the stopper 7 and the surface of the main body portion 21 on that side facing the parallel main body portion 21. In this case, the stems 8a etc. will rotate the stopper 7 and attempt to enter the gap where there is no resistance, making it easier to rotate the stopper 7 and climb over the stopper 7 to enter the cutter 4 side.

The procedure for cutting the stem 8a of a plant 8 grown through hydroponics is explained below with reference to Figures 4-(a) to (e). This example shows the cutting of the stem 8a of a plant 8 that has grown with roots 8b in a seedbed 10 made of a water-impregnated sponge-like material, which has been individually inserted into the holes 9a of a hydroponic panel 9 made of synthetic resin or other material. In this case, the stem 8a of the plant 8 protrudes upward from the top surface of the seedbed 10, and the roots 8b grow from the bottom surface of the seedbed 10. The seedbed 10 is inserted into the hole 9a of the hydroponic panel 9 in an elastically contracted state.

As shown in Figure 4-(a), the cutting device 1 is inserted into the plant 8 so that the stem 8a fits into the gap between the parallel tips 22, 22, and then, as shown in (b), it is moved horizontally, i.e., parallel to the top surface of the hydroponic panel 9, until the stem 8a approaches the main body 21.

When the stem 8a moves relative to the main body 21, the handle 6 is pushed down as shown in (c), causing the bottom surface of the boundary between the tip 22 and the main body 21 to act as a fulcrum, causing the tip 22 to lift the stem 8a from the seedbed 10, or the entire seedbed 10, from the hydroponic panel 9. Because the seedbed 10 is inserted into the hole 9a in a contracted state, when the stem 8a is lifted from the hydroponic panel 9, the seedbed 10 stretches in the thickness direction of the hydroponic panel 9, and the stem 8a moves upward relative to the seedbed 10.

When the stem 8a lifts off the hydroponic panel 9, the cutting device 1 is pushed toward the plant 8 as shown in (d), and the stem 8a is moved between the parallel main bodies 21, 21. The cutting device 1 continues to move toward the plant 8, and when the stem 8a passes the stopper 7, the cutter 4 moves toward the stopper 7 by operating the drive device 5 as shown in (e), cutting the stem 8a. Because the stem 8a has moved upward relative to the seedbed 10, the cutter 4 can cut the portion of the stem 8a closest to the roots 8b.

Figures 5-(a) to (c) show the procedure for cutting the stem 8a of a plant 8 grown in soil. In this case, the method of operating the cutting device 1 is the same as in Figure 4, and the cutting device 1 is inserted into the plant 8 so that the stem 8a fits into the gap between the tips 22, 22, as shown in (a).

When the stem 8a moves from between the tips 22, 22 to between the main body parts 21, 21 as shown in (b), the handle 6 is pushed down to lift the plant 8 out of the soil as shown in (c), and the cutter 4 is then moved toward the stopper 7 to cut the stem 8a.

The cutting device 1 shown in Figures 1 and 2 is generally used while held by a person, but it can also be incorporated into an automatic machine (cutting machine) or used in an automatically controlled manner as part of a (multi-axis) robot (automatic harvesting machine).

1...cutting device,
2: Enveloping material; 21: Main body; 22: Tip; 23: Side wall;
3: Adjusting material, 31: Screw, 3a: Insertion hole,
4...Cutter, 41...Screw,
5...drive device, 51...cylinder body, 52...rod,
53... (cutter) bracket, 53a... standing portion, 53b... horizontal portion, 53c... insertion hole,
54... (cylinder body) bracket, 54a... standing portion, 54b... horizontal portion, 54c... insertion hole,
55: retaining member, 55a: groove, 55b: pressing member, 55c: screw, 56: spacing member,
6...handle,
7: stopper, 7a: support shaft,
8... Plant, 8a... Stem, 8b... Root, 8c... Leaf,
9...hydroponic panel, 9a...hole,
10... Nursery.

Claims (4)

a pair of flat enveloping materials arranged in parallel at a distance in the width direction and integrally joined to each other, sandwiching the stems or leaves of the plant from both sides in the width direction; and a cutter supported on at least one of the enveloping materials so as to be freely movable back and forth in the length direction of the enveloping material, which cuts the stems or leaves when the enveloping material moves toward the tip end in the length direction;
The enveloping material is divided into a main body portion on which the cutter is supported and a tip portion that is continuous with the tip side of the main body portion in the longitudinal direction and into which the stem or leaf is inserted, and the tip portion is bent or curved toward the surface of the main body portion,
A plant cutting device characterized in that the cutter is arranged on the underside of the main body of the enveloping material and in the position of the gap between the pair of enveloping materials . The plant cutting device described in claim 1, characterized in that a stopper is connected to a position near the tip of the main body of one of the parallel enveloping materials to prevent the stem or leaf trapped between the parallel enveloping materials from escaping from between the enveloping materials. The plant cutting device described in claim 2, characterized in that the stopper is located on the upper surface of the main body. A plant cutting device as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a handle is directly or indirectly joined integrally to the main body portions on the opposite side of the tip end in the longitudinal direction of the main body portions, spanning between the adjacent main body portions.