Self-propelled picking vehicle for pineapples based on scraper transportation

A self-propelled picking vehicle for pineapples based on scraper transportation is provided and includes a baseplate, a driving mechanism, and a propelling mechanism. The driving mechanism is disposed on the baseplate, the propelling mechanism is disposed at a lower end of the baseplate, and the driving mechanism is connected to the propelling mechanism. A front end of the horizontal chain conveyor is provided with a cutting plate. The cutting plate is provided with two disk blades, outer sides of the two disk blades are provided with dividers, and a fruit protector is disposed between the two disk blades. A fruit picking mechanism is disposed on an upper end of the fruit protector. The entire process has achieved automated pineapple picking, efficiency of picking and transportation is improved, and labor intensity of fruit farmers is greatly reduced.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to the technical field of agricultural picking, and particularly to a self-propelled picking vehicle for pineapples based on scraper transportation.

BACKGROUND

Pineapple, as a famous tropical fruit, is currently grown in about 70 regions and countries, accounting for approximately 5% of the world's total fruit production annually. Pineapple is one of the main fruits in the tropical fruit trade. Currently, except for a few orchards equipped with semi-mechanized auxiliary devices, manual harvesting is the main method. The cost of labor required for the entire picking operation in the short-term accounts for 40% of the total pineapple production cost. Pineapple farmers hope to change the current situation through mechanized management. The seasonality of the pineapple picking is strong, with only a peak harvest period of about half a month. The pineapple farmers need to pick tens of thousands of plants in a very short period, which makes the picking task extremely heavy. At present, for pineapple picking in China, except for a few areas equipped with the mechanized picking devices or the semi-mechanized auxiliary equipment, the rest of the operation methods are mainly manual harvesting. The development of corresponding pineapple picking machinery and equipment is of great significance in alleviating the shortage of labor resources, reducing the intensity of fruit farming operations, and improving the efficiency of pineapple picking and transportation.

In the related art, a Chinese patent with publication No. CN113728794B discloses a pineapple picking vehicle and a picking method. The pineapple picking vehicle includes a whole vehicle frame, a lifting mechanism, a picking mechanism, a displacement sensor, a V-shaped slot, an arc-shaped push plate, a transport mechanism, a sorting mechanism, a ball screw and a pull plate. The whole vehicle frame is movably supported on the ground, and the whole vehicle frame includes a blade collecting plate for collecting pineapple leaves and a collecting device for collecting pineapple. The lifting mechanism is raised and lowered in the whole vehicle frame based on the height of the pineapple. The picking mechanism is disposed in the whole vehicle frame to pick. The displacement sensor is disposed in the whole vehicle frame and forms a detection device for detecting the position of the pineapple with a sliding table. The V-shaped slot is disposed on a lifting platform to fix the root of the pineapple. The arc-shaped push plate is fixedly connected to a slider, and as the slider slides, the arc-shaped push plate applies torque to the pineapple to break the pineapple. The transport mechanism is disposed in the whole vehicle frame to transport the picked pineapples. The sorting mechanism is disposed in the whole vehicle frame to sort the pineapples transported by the transport mechanism. Two ends of the ball screw are supported on the whole vehicle frame through bearing seats. The pull plate is fixed at an end of a parallel four-bar linkage mechanism to divide the pineapples left and right into the collection device.

The above-mentioned Chinese patent mainly relies on the pull plate for picking, and the stalks and tail leaves of the picked pineapples still remain and need to be further processed. Therefore, the related art needs to be further improved.

SUMMARY

The disclosure is provided to address the technical issues raised in the background. Therefore, a self-propelled picking vehicle for pineapples based on a scraper transportation is needed to achieve the cutting work of stalks and tail leaves of the pineapples during picking pineapples.

To solve the technical issues, the disclosure provides a self-propelled picking vehicle for pineapples based on a scraper transportation, and the technical proposals are as follows.

The self-propelled picking vehicle for pineapples based on scraper transportation includes a baseplate, a driving mechanism, and a propelling mechanism. The driving mechanism is disposed on the baseplate, the propelling mechanism is disposed at a lower end of the baseplate, and the driving mechanism is connected to the propelling mechanism. A front end of the horizontal chain conveyor is provided with a cutting plate. The cutting plate is provided with two disk blades, outer sides of the two disk blades are provided with dividers, and a fruit protector is disposed between the two disk blades. A fruit picking mechanism is disposed on an upper end of the fruit protector.

In an embodiment, the fruit picking mechanism includes a first support, a second support, a rotating shaft, fruit picking plates and a power unit. The rotating shaft is rotatably fixed by the first support and the second support, and an end of the rotating shaft is connected to an output end of the power unit. The fruit picking plates are coaxially connected to the rotating shaft.

In an embodiment, the power unit includes a first belt pulley, a second belt pulley, a transmission belt and a fruit picking motor. The first belt pulley is coaxially connected to the rotating shaft, the first belt pulley is connected to the second belt pulley through the transmission belt, and an output end of the fruit picking motor is coaxially connected to the second belt pulley.

In an embodiment, the fruit picking plates are I-shaped picking plates, and materials of the fruit picking plates are non-rigid rubber products with certain stress.

In an embodiment, the two disk blades are driven to rotate by a cutting motor disposed on the cutting plate.

In an embodiment, a vertical rotating and lifting chain conveyor is disposed at a rear of the baseplate, and the horizontal chain conveyor is configured to convey picked pineapples to the vertical rotating and lifting chain conveyor.

In an embodiment, the horizontal chain conveyor and the cutting plate located in the front end of the horizontal chain conveyor are connected to the baseplate through a first hydraulic cylinder. The cutting plate disposed at the front end of the horizontal chain conveyor is adjusted through the first hydraulic cylinders to adapt to different cutting heights.

In an embodiment, impetus of the vertical rotating and lifting chain conveyor is distributed through a driving mechanism and transmitted using chain transmission. Chain conveyor scrapers are sandwich composite materials, a middle of each of the chain conveyor scrapers is a steel plate capable of providing a supporting force, an outside of each of chain conveyor scrapers is wrapped by a rubber flexible material to reduce mechanical contact with fruits and damage to the fruits.

In an embodiment, the horizontal chain conveyor and the vertical rotating and lifting chain conveyor have relatively independent transmission to rotate independently, and a height difference is provided between a tail end of the horizontal chain conveyor and the vertical rotating and lifting chain conveyor, and the height difference is in a range of 10-12 centimeters (cm) to ensure that the fruits fall without damage.

The beneficial effects of the disclosure are as follows.

The disclosure provides a self-propelled picking vehicle for pineapples based on scraper transportation. The propelling mechanism is driven by the driving mechanism to run, and the dividers is configured to separate adjacent intersecting blades. The fruit picking mechanism pulls leaves of the pineapple inside a range of two side of each divider towards the fruit protector, and uses the two disk blades to rotate to cut stalks and tail leaves of the pineapple, then the fruit picking mechanism pulls the leaves cut from the pineapple back towards the direction of the horizontal chain conveyor to achieve the transportation of the pineapple. The entire process has achieved automated pineapple picking, improving the efficiency of pineapple picking and transportation, and greatly reducing the labor intensity of fruit farmers.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the disclosure will be illustrated below by way of particular specific examples, and those skilled in the art can easily understand the other advantages and effects of the disclosure from the content disclosed herein. The disclosure can also be implemented or applied through different specific embodiments, and the details in the specification can be amended or modified based on different perspectives and applications without deviating from the spirit of the disclosure. It should be noted that, without conflict, the following embodiments and their features can be combined with each other.

In the description of the disclosure, unless otherwise specified, “multiple” means two or more, the terms such as “up”, “down”, “left”, “right”, “inside”, “outside”, “front end”, “rear end”, “head” and “tail” indicate orientation or positional relationships based on the orientational or positional relationships shown in the attached drawings, only for the convenience of describing the disclosure and simplifying the description, and not to indicate or imply that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, it cannot be understood as a limitation on the disclosure. In addition, the terms such as “first”, “second” and “third are only used to describe the purpose and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

In the description of the disclosure, it should be noted that unless otherwise specified and limited, the terms “connected to” and “connection” should be broadly understood, for example, they can be fixed connections, detachable connections, or integrated connection, can be mechanical connections or electrical connections, and can be direct connections or indirect connections through intermediate media. For those skilled in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the disclosure can be understood in specific situations.

Specific embodiments of the disclosure are described in further detail below in combination with the attached drawings and embodiments.

Specifically, a self-propelled picking vehicle for pineapples based on scraper transportation is provided. As shown inFIG.1andFIG.2, the self-propelled picking vehicle for pineapples based on scraper transportation includes a baseplate1, a driving mechanism2, and a propelling mechanism3. The driving mechanism2is disposed on the baseplate1, the propelling mechanism3is disposed at a lower end of the baseplate1, and the driving mechanism2is connected to the propelling mechanism3. A horizontal chain conveyor4which can be raised and lowered is disposed below the baseplate1, a cutting plate6is disposed above a front end of the horizontal chain conveyor4. The cutting plate6is provided with two disk blades7, outer sides of the two disk blades are provided with dividers16, and a fruit protector8is disposed between the two disk blades7. A fruit picking mechanism9is disposed at an upper end of the fruit protector8.

It should be noted that the propelling mechanism3can be a wheeled type or a track type. As shown inFIG.1, the propelling mechanism3is the wheeled type, that is, several tires are disposed on two sides of the baseplate1, which are driven by the driving mechanism2to achieve propelling. The driving mechanism2selects engine drive mechanism and can use four-wheel drive, front-wheel drive, or rear-wheel drive. The core driving component of the driving mechanism2is the engine, and the torque of the engine is transmitted to two or one propelling component through transmission components to achieve the propelling of the pineapple picking vehicle. The specific structure can refer to the driving structure of existing wheeled machinery, such as the driving structure of rollers, bulldozers, etc., and the embodiment is not specifically limited here.

In the specific embodiment, during the propelling of the picking vehicle for pineapples, the fruit picking mechanism9rotates to pull the pineapples, then the pineapples are transported to the fruit protector8, which makes the two disk blades to rotate, thereby cutting stalks and tail leaves of the pineapples on the fruit protector8. Then the fruit picking mechanism9continues to rotate the pineapples, further pulling the pineapples from the fruit protector8to the horizontal chain conveyor4. When the pineapples move on the fruit protector8, the pineapples will be cut by the two disk blades7to ensure the cutting of the stalks and tail leaves of the pineapples, avoiding subsequent leaf removal treatment and improving picking efficiency. The horizontal chain conveyor4further transports the pineapples to the rear end of the picking vehicle for pineapples, realizing the transportation of the pineapples. The entire process realizes the automation of pineapple picking, improves the efficiency of pineapple picking and transportation, and greatly reduces the labor intensity of fruit farmers.

In a specific embodiment, the two disk blades7is driven to rotate by the cutting motor15disposed on the cutting plate6.

In an embodiment, the specific structure of the fruit picking mechanism is shown inFIG.3. The fruit picking mechanism9includes a first support901, a second support902, a rotating shaft903, fruit picking plates904and a power unit905. The rotating shaft903is rotatably fixed by the first support901and the second support902, and an end of the rotating shaft903is connected to an output end of the power unit905. The fruit picking plates904are coaxially connected to the rotating shaft903.

The specific working principle of the fruit picking mechanism9is as follows. The rotating shaft903is driven by the power unit905to rotate, thereby making the fruit picking plates904to rotate. The picked pineapples are moved onto the fruit protector8through the rotation of the fruit picking plates904, and then further moved from the protector8towards the horizontal chain conveyor4. The first support901and the second support902are installation components, which can be disposed on the frame of the horizontal chain conveyor4during working.

In an embodiment, as shown inFIG.3, the power unit905includes a first belt pulley9051, a second belt pulley9052, a transmission belt9053and a fruit picking motor9054. The first belt pulley9051is coaxially connected to the rotating shaft903, the first belt pulley9051is connected to the second belt pulley9052through the transmission belt9053, and an output end of the fruit picking motor9054is coaxially connected to the second belt pulley9052.

The specific driving structure of the power unit905is described above. In the embodiment, the rotating shaft903is driven through belts, and the power unit905is provided with an independent fruit picking motor9054to adjust the rotation speed of the fruit picking plates904, thereby adapting to the propelling speed of the picking vehicle for pineapples. For example, when the propelling speed of the picking vehicle for pineapples increases, the rotation speed of the fruit picking plates904can be adjusted appropriately.

In an embodiment, the fruit picking plates904are I-shaped picking plates, and materials of the fruit picking plates904are non-rigid rubber products with certain stress.

In an embodiment, the two disk blades7are driven to rotate by a hydraulic motor (i.e., a cutting motor15) disposed on the cutting plate6.

In an embodiment, the horizontal chain conveyor4and the cutting plate6located in the front end of the horizontal chain conveyor4are connected to the baseplate1through a first hydraulic cylinder10. The cutting plate6disposed at the front end of the horizontal chain conveyor4is adjusted through the first hydraulic cylinder10to adapt to different cutting heights.

Specifically, two hydraulic cylinders of the first hydraulic cylinder10and a second hydraulic cylinder11can be disposed independently to adjust. As shown inFIG.4, the first hydraulic cylinder10is disposed to adjust the height of the horizontal chain conveyor4, and the second hydraulic cylinder11is disposed to adjust the height of the cutting plate6. As shown inFIG.5, the cutting plate6can be disposed on the frame of the horizontal chain conveyor4, and the height of the horizontal chain conveyor4can be adjusted through the first hydraulic cylinder10to simultaneously adjust the heights of the horizontal chain conveyor4and the cutting plate6, in order to achieve the purpose of height adjustment.

In an embodiment, a vertical rotating and lifting chain conveyor5is disposed at a rear of the baseplate1, and the horizontal chain conveyor4is configured to convey picked pineapples to the vertical rotating and lifting chain conveyor5. The picked pineapples are lifted to the upper part by the vertical rotating and lifting chain conveyor5, and then concentrated in the cargo box for centralized sorting, in order to achieve automatic collection of the pineapples after picking and improve the efficiency of the pineapple picking and collection.

In an embodiment, the specific structure of the vertical rotating and lifting chain conveyor5is shown inFIGS.6-8. Impetus of the vertical rotating and lifting chain conveyor5is distributed through the driving mechanism2and transmitted using chain transmission. Chain conveyor scrapers12are sandwich composite materials, a middle of each of the chain conveyor scrapers12is a steel plate13capable of providing a supporting force, and an outside of each of the chain conveyor scrapers12is wrapped by a rubber flexible material14to reduce mechanical contact with fruits and damage to the fruits. Each of the chain conveyor scrapers12is covered with a flexible rubber product (i.e., the rubber flexible material14) to protect the fruits.

In an embodiment, the horizontal chain conveyor4and the vertical rotating and lifting chain conveyor5have relatively independent transmission to rotate independently. As shown inFIG.1, there is a certain height difference between a tail end of the horizontal chain conveyor4and the vertical rotating and lifting chain conveyor5, and the height difference is in a range of 10-12 centimeters (cm) to ensure that the fruits fall without damage.

In actual use, the cut pineapples fall into the vertical rotating and lifting chain conveyor5through horizontal chain conveyor4. During the lifting process of the vertical rotating and lifting chain conveyor5, the chain conveyor scrapers12can effectively protect the pineapples while assisting in the upward transportation of the pineapples, so as to facilitate centralized collection of the pineapples. The overall automation level is high, the labor intensity of fruit farmers is reduced, and the harvesting efficiency of pineapples is improved.

The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the disclosure and not to limit it. Those skilled in the art can also make various changes and variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Therefore, all equivalent technical solutions also belong to the scope of the disclosure, and the scope of patent protection of the disclosure should be limited by the claims.