JPH04360623A - Flower-picking apparatus for tulip - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automate the flower-picking of bloomed flower in the cultivation of tulip bulb and prevent the viral infection liable to occur in the flower-picking process. CONSTITUTION:A flower is picked off with a rotary cutter 1 having a mobile blade 4 on a stationary blade 6. The stationary blade 6 is provided with an electric heater as a heat source 7 to burn and sterilize the stem sap attached to the stationary lade 6.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tulip flower thinning device for use in cultivating tulip bulbs, in which it is necessary to cut the flowers after blooming.

0002

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventionally, there was no technique for removing flowers using equipment, and the process was generally done manually.

0003

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] The time for removing tulips differs depending on the region, but since it coincides with the time for rice planting and is done by hand, it is generally about 1 per 10 ares.
It took six hours, and the work of cutting the flowers was a huge burden.

[0004] We conducted research and development to mechanize the above-mentioned work, and conducted an experiment in which flowers were removed using a rotary cutter. Although the flowers could be easily cut, the sap from the stems adhered to the blade when the flowers were removed. However, if the sap of a plant infected with a viral disease happens to come into contact with the plant, it can infect other plants during subsequent flower removal, leading to destruction.

[0005] The present invention has been developed to solve the above problems and to efficiently cut out the virus while reliably preventing virus infection to other strains.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The solution according to the present invention is to provide a movable blade facing above a fixed blade so as to be able to pivot in the vertical direction, and to attach a heat generating source to the fixed blade.

Furthermore, as a means of automation, an arm is pivotally attached to a chassis that is self-propelled by drive wheels so that its tip can be adjusted up and down, and a plurality of plate-shaped movable blades are provided at the tip of the arm between both flanges. A rotary cutter is installed along the circumference, a heat source is attached to a plate-shaped fixed blade opposite to the movable blade of the rotary cutter, and a screw is provided behind the rotary cutter to send out the picked flowers laterally. It is equipped with a conveyor.

[0008]

[Function] As mentioned above, the fixed blade comes into contact with the stems that are to be removed one after another, but since this fixed blade is heated,
Experiments have demonstrated that if the heating temperature is 200°C to 300°C, the heat immediately kills bacteria attached to the blade, preventing infection with other strains. On the other hand, the movable blade presses against the flower and flower head and does not come into contact with the stem remaining after cutting, so there is no need to heat the movable blade to sterilize it.

Furthermore, since the cut flowers can be discharged or collected from the field using a screw conveyor, virus infection from the cut flowers can also be prevented.

0010

[Embodiment] To explain the present invention in detail, a rotary cutter 1 is shown in FIGS. Movable blades 4 are installed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and a fixed blade 6 is provided at the tip of the bottom plate 5 that covers between both flanges 3, 3, and a heat generation source 7 by an electric heater is provided over the entire length of the fixed blade 6. Further, a fork 8 is provided protruding from the fixed blade 6, and a pocket 9 is provided continuously on the bottom plate 5 to cover the rear part between both flanges 3, 3, and a screw conveyor 10 is installed in the pocket 9. is provided parallel to the support shaft 2, and a discharge port 11 is opened on the side surface. The fork 8 is formed of a rod, and the base side of the horizontal straight part is branched to the left and right, bent diagonally downward, and further expanded horizontally and into a wide end. It is a projecting structure.

When the rotary cutter 1 moves forward while rotating, the tulip stem is guided by the horizontal part of the tip of the fork 8, and the leaf tip is guided by the inclined bending part and bent downward. Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the flower is pushed backwards by the movable blade 4, and as soon as the movable blade 4 passes over the fixed blade 6, the flower head is cut off. It is to be discharged from a side discharge port 11. Therefore, it is necessary to cut only the flower head.

The above rotary cutter 1 is installed on a working vehicle 12.
Figure 5 shows an example of a configuration in which flowers are automatically removed when installed in a
It is shown in The work vehicle 12 has a drive wheel 14 at the rear of a chassis 13, casters 15 at the front,
It is designed to be sent along both ditches in the field. An arm 16 is pivotally attached to the upper part of the chassis 13 so that its front part can swing up and down, and a lifting means 17 using a hydraulic jack provided on the chassis 13 is connected to the middle part of the arm 16. 16 is provided so that the tip can be adjusted up and down. The rotary cutter 1 is installed at the tip of the arm 16, and a belt conveyor 1 is installed to receive the flowers sent out from the side discharge port 11 and convey them to the rear upper part.
8.

The working vehicle 12 is driven by an engine 19, and its drive transmission system is shown in FIG. are provided in parallel and connected to the drive wheels 14 via a central pulley 22 and a clutch 24 that switches between forward and backward movement. The rotary cutter 1 and the screw conveyor 10 are connected through a reverse rotation means 25 using gears from a pulley 21 closer to the engine 19 side. Further, a belt conveyor 18 is connected to this series of pulleys 21.

The lift means 1 is attached to the pulley 23 at the other end.
Specifically, the elevating means 17 drives a hydraulic cylinder 27 by switching a switching valve (not shown) and operating a pump 26, and converts the rotational movement of the pulley 23 into vertical movement. It operates through a commonly known motion conversion mechanism 28. It should be noted that the lifting means 17 is driven according to the height of the stem, and is therefore carried out only before the flower thinning operation, so the lifting means 17 is stopped during flower thinning. Therefore, a tension wheel 29 is installed on a belt hung on a pulley 23 so as to be movable up and down by remote control, and the tension wheel 29 is operated only when adjusting the rotary cutter 1 up and down to transmit power to the elevating means 17. It has become. At this time, the switching valve is also opened and closed by remote control at the same time. Further, power to the heat generating source 7 is provided by a generator 30. This generator 30 may be connected to be driven by the engine 19, but since this type of machine is only activated once a year, it is recommended to use a generator with an engine so that it can be used for other purposes when it is not in use. It is advantageous to attach the machine removably.

[0015] The flowers conveyed by the belt conveyor 18 are
As shown in FIG. 5, a cart 31 towed by the working vehicle 12
It is designed to be stored in a bag (not shown) placed on the holder.

[0016]

[Effects of the Invention] According to the tulip flower thinning device according to the present invention, a movable blade is rotatably provided on a fixed blade.
When removing flowers, the stem comes into direct contact with the fixed blade, but this fixed blade has a heat source attached to it, so even if the stem sap adheres to the fixed blade when the flower head is cut with both blades, it will not heat up. It is instantly sterilized and prevents infection with other strains.

[0017] Furthermore, if a screw conveyor is provided behind the rotary cutter, the cut flowers will be pushed out to the side and discharged outside the field, thereby preventing virus infection from the cut flowers. It is something.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a rotary cutter of a tulip thinning device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is also an enlarged sectional view.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which leaves are prevented from being rolled up by a fork before the plant is guided to the rotary cutter.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the flower head being cut with a rotary cutter.

FIG. 5 is a side view schematically showing a working vehicle equipped with a tulip thinning device according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing each drive system of the work vehicle.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Rotary cutter 3 Flange 4 Movable blade 6 Fixed blade 7 Heat source 8 Fork 10 Screw conveyor 12 Work vehicle 14 Drive wheel 16 Arm 17 Lifting means 18 Belt conveyor 19 Engine 24 Clutch 30 Generator

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A movable blade (4) is provided above and opposite to the fixed blade (6) so as to be able to pivot in the vertical direction, and a heat generating source (7) is attached to the fixed blade (6). A device for thinning tulips. 2. An arm (16) is pivotally mounted to a chassis (13) that is self-propelled by drive wheels (14) so that its tip can be adjusted up and down, and both flanges (3) are attached to the tip of the arm (16). ) A rotary cutter (1) is provided with a plurality of plate-shaped movable blades (4) installed along the circumferential direction between the rotary cutter (1), and a plate-shaped movable blade (4) opposite to the movable blade (4) of the rotary cutter (1) is provided. A device for thinning tulips, characterized in that a heat source (7) is attached to a fixed blade (6), and a screw conveyor (10) is provided behind the rotary cutter (1) to send picked flowers out laterally. . 3. The tulip thinning device according to claim 1, wherein the heat source (7) is an electric heater.