INTER-ROW MACHINE

Abstract

An inter-row machine, of the type used to work laterally to the travel path of the tractor by which it is towed or pushed, during the treatment of the land in espalier orchards or vineyards, having one or two working units, each preceded by a probe element which actuates, at each obstacle to be avoided, a known (hydraulic, pneumatic or electric) device for movement transversely to the travel path and to the row. The encounter of each probe with the obstacle to be avoided causes the rotation of the tool of the corresponding working unit—so that the translation of the latter, which is transverse to the travel path of the tractor, is directly proportional to the angular displacement performed by the tool and reported by an electromagnetic sensor to the electronic controller of the machine.

Claims

1. An inter-row machine configured to work laterally to a travel path of a tractor by which it is towed or pushed, during the working of the land in vineyards or espalier orchards, the machine comprising: one or two working units, each preceded by a probe element which actuates, at each obstacle to be avoided, a hydraulic, pneumatic or electric device for movements transversely to a row and to a travel path of the tractor, wherein an encounter of the probe with an obstacle of the row causes an intervention of a hydraulic distribution unit and of a jack to force the blade or other tool of the working unit to rotate about its own axis to avoid the encountered obstacle.

2. The inter-row machine according to claim 1, wherein angular displacement performed by each tool is detected by an electromagnetic sensor and transmitted to an electronic controller so that said electronic controller acts on a plurality of hydraulic jacks provided for a linear movement of transverse telescopic bars that bear the working units to be arranged at a correct distance from the respective rows.

3. The inter-row machine according to claim 2, wherein the electronic controller that acts on the hydraulic jacks of the telescopic bars in relation to angular displacements reported by the electromagnetic sensors of the two working units is programmed to act when the reported angular displacements are only those that arrive from a single electromagnetic sensor, to confirm that the working unit of the other electromagnetic sensor needs to be moved closer to the row on which it must work.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] This aim and other advantages that will become more apparent hereinafter are achieved by providing an inter-row machine as claimed in the independent claim.

[0009] Further characteristics and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent hereinafter by the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the present disclosure, illustrated, by way of non-limiting example, in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0010] FIGS. 1 and 2 show two moments of operation of the inter-row machine A according to the disclosure, seen from above and while, towed by a tractor M, it is traveling forward while acting with its working units B and C between the plants of the rows D and E; and

[0011] FIG. 3 is instead an enlarged-scale top view of one of the two working units of FIGS. 1 and 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] As a preliminary consideration, it is appropriate to specify that it differs from all known inter-row machines especially in that the retraction of the working units B and C from the rows D and E toward the transit region of the tractor M and of the machine A occurs only after the rotation of the respective blades 4 (FIG. 3) or of other tools and is directly proportional to the rotation angle traced by each one of said blades 4 during the encounter of the probe 1 with a plant or other obstacle present in the row.

[0013] In particular, FIG. 1 shows the normal operating configuration of the two working units B and C that belong to the machine A and are shown here with the probe 1 and the blade 4 that protrude between the plants of the rows D and E on which to work, while a dashed line graphically indicates the maximum angular displacement provided for said blades 4.

[0014] Observing in detail the working unit of FIG. 3, it can be understood that the rotation imposed on the probe 1 by the encounter with an obstacle of the row can cause the support 2 to rotate about the rotation pivot 3 of the blade 4.

[0015] The lever 2′, by protruding from the rotating support 2, acts on the hydraulic distribution unit 5, which sends oil to the jack 6 to force the blade 4 to rotate about the pivot 3 until it avoids the obstacle encountered by the probe 1.

[0016] In the meantime, the angular displacement performed by the tool 4 by rotating about its own axis is detected by an electromagnetic sensor of a known type and is transmitted to an electronic controller so that it acts accordingly on the hydraulic jacks provided for the linear movement of the transverse telescopic bars 10 and 20 that bear the working units B and C to be positioned at the correct distance from the respective rows D and E.

[0017] Furthermore, in situations such as the one shown in FIG. 2, i.e., when one of the two working units is too close to the plants of its own row while the other one has no contact with the plants between which it should work, the electronic controller, in addition to acting on the hydraulic jack of the telescopic bar 20 so that it displaces sufficiently the working unit C from the plants of the row E, also acts on the hydraulic jack of the telescopic bar 10 so that it correctly arranges the working unit B adjacent to the plants of the row D.

[0018] This occurs because the electronic controller of the inter-row machine according to the disclosure is programmed to act on the hydraulic jacks of the telescopic bars 10 and 20 in relation to the angular movements reported by the electromagnetic sensors of the two working units B and C, as well as when the reported angular movements are only those that arrive from a single electromagnetic sensor of the machine, since this is confirmation that one of the two working units needs to be moved closer to the row on which it must work.

[0019] It is obvious that the disclosure thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims.