DE-102025124018-B3 - Device and method for cultivating an agricultural area with a plurality of rows

DE102025124018B3DE 102025124018 B3DE102025124018 B3DE 102025124018B3DE-102025124018-B3

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (10) and a method for cultivating an agricultural area (N) with a plurality of rows (R) in which plants (P) can be grown. The device (10) has a frame (11) that can be attached to a vehicle and moved in a direction of travel (F) at a speed (VF) along a row (R) of the agricultural area (N). The device (10) comprises at least one support unit (12) attached to the frame (11) with shielding means (14), wherein the shielding means (14) are movable along an endless orbit (15), the orbit (15) having at least a first section (18) and a second section (19). Furthermore, the device (10) comprises at least one drive means (M) for driving the shielding means (14) along the endless orbit (15) such that the shielding means (14) reach a first velocity (VB1) in the first segment (18) of the endless orbit (15). A predetermined area (20) of the agricultural land (N), in which crop cultivation and/or agricultural processes are carried out, can be shielded from an adjacent row (R) of the agricultural land (N) and the plants (P) grown therein by the shielding means (14), which are located in the first segment (18) of the orbit (15) during their movement around the endless orbit (15).

Inventors

Josef Franko

Assignees

LANDHOUZ GMBH

Dates

Publication Date: 20260513
Application Date: 20250621

Claims (19)

Device (10) for cultivating an agricultural area (N) with a plurality of rows (R) in which plants (P) can be cultivated, in particular in the form of row crops, comprising a frame (11) attachable to a vehicle for movement in a direction of travel (F) at a driving speed (VF) along a row (R) of the agricultural area (N), characterized by - at least one support unit (12) attached to the frame (11) with shielding means (14), wherein the shielding means (14) are movable along an endless orbit (15), wherein the orbit (15) has at least a first section (18) and a second section (19), wherein at least the first section (18) runs substantially parallel to the rows (R) of the agricultural land (N), and - at least one drive means (M) serving to drive the shielding means (14) along the endless orbit (15) such that the shielding means (14) in the first section (18) of the endless orbit (15) reach a first speed of movement (VB1), wherein the drive means (M) for driving the shielding means (14) are designed and programmed such that the first speed of movement (VB1) of the shielding means (14) is matched to the travel speed (VF) of the vehicle such that in the first section (18) of the orbit (15) of the shielding means (14) there is essentially zero difference between the travel speed (VF) and the relative speed of the shielding means (14) caused by the first speed of movement (VB1), and wherein a predetermined area (20) of the agricultural land (N), in which crop cultivation and/or agricultural process steps are carried out, can be screened off from an adjacent row (R) of the agricultural land (N) and plants (P) grown therein by the shielding means (14) which are located in the first trum (18) of the orbit (15) during the movement around the endless orbit (15).
Device (10) according Claim 1 , characterized in that the shielding means (14) are guided around deflection rollers (22), preferably that the axes of rotation (D) of these deflection rollers (22) are each arranged substantially vertically.
Device (10) according to Claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that a curved track is provided adjacent to the first section (18) of the orbit (15), within which the shielding means (14) are guided in a sliding manner, such that when the shielding means (14) are driven, as they turn into the first section (18), they are initially positioned adjacent to or resting on the surface of the agricultural land (N), and then, in the course of further movement along the first section (18) of the orbit (15), these shielding means (14) are erected with their edge region, which faces the second section (19), in the direction of the adjacent row (R) of the agricultural land (N).
Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the shielding means (14) are designed in the form of a flexible continuous band, so that when the band is in the first section (18) of the orbit (15) when driven by the drive means (M), it forms a continuous protective barrier for the row (R) of the agricultural land (N) immediately adjacent to it, opposite its predetermined area (20).
Device (10) according to one of the Claims 1 until 3 , characterized in that the shielding means (14) comprise a guide belt (16) and at least one shielding element (17) attached to the guide belt (16), wherein the guide belt (16) can be driven by the drive means (M) and is thus movable along the endless orbit (15) at the first speed of movement (VB1), preferably that the guide belt (16) is designed in the form of an endless belt or in the form of an endless chain.
Device (10) according to Claim 5 , characterized in that a plurality of shielding elements (17) are attached to the guide belt (16), wherein these shielding elements, when they are located within the first section (18) of the orbit (15) during the drive of the guide belt (16), form a protective barrier for the immediately adjacent row (R) of the agricultural area (N) opposite its predetermined area (20), preferably that the shielding elements (17) are attached to the guide belt (16) at equal intervals from each other, further preferably that the shielding elements (17) are attached to the guide belt (16) adjacent to each other in an overlapping manner, such that the shielding elements (17), when they are located in the first section (18) of the orbit (15), form a continuous protective barrier for the immediately adjacent row (R) of the agricultural area (N) opposite its predetermined area (20).
Device (10) according to Claim 5 or 6 , characterized in that at least one shielding element (17) attached to the guide belt (16) and moved along the orbit (15) is designed in a plate-like form or in the form of a mesh structure, preferably that a shielding element (17) is designed as a plate-shaped component made of at least one material from the group consisting of metal, steel, aluminum, rubber and/or, in particular, reinforced plastic, or made of a combination of at least two of these materials.
Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the drive means (M) are equipped with a control and/or regulating device by means of which the first movement speed (VB1) of the shielding means (14) relative to the driving speed The vehicle's speed (VF) is adjustable such that in the first phase (18) of the orbit (15) the difference between the vehicle's speed (VF) and the relative speed of the shielding means (14) caused by the first movement speed (VB1) is essentially zero.
Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least two support units (12) are arranged on the frame (11) side by side and parallel to a row (R) of the agricultural area (N), such that these two support units (12) enclose the predetermined area (20) of the agricultural area (N) between them and the first section (18) of the orbits of the respective support units (12) runs adjacent to a row (R) of the agricultural area (N).
Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that more than two support units (12) are attached to the frame (11), wherein two support units (12) are grouped together as a pair and enclose the predetermined area (20) of the agricultural land (N) between them.
Device (10) according Claim 9 or 10 , characterized in that the support units (12) are adjustably attached to the frame (11) in such a way that the vertical height of the individual support units (12) and thus their distance to the surface of the agricultural land (N) and/or the distance of pairwise assigned support units (12) relative to each other in a direction transverse to the rows (R) of the agricultural land (N) can be variably adjusted.
Device (10) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a soil cultivation device is attached to the frame (11), by means of which mechanical cultivation of the soil of the agricultural area (N), and/or fungal control, and/or weed control by the use of electricity or laser, and/or the application of plant protection products can be carried out in the predetermined area (20) of the agricultural area (N).
A method for cultivating an agricultural area (N) with a plurality of rows (R) in which plants (P) are cultivated, in particular in the form of row crops, comprising the steps of: - providing at least one carrier unit with shielding means (14), wherein the shielding means (14) are moved along an endless orbit (15), the orbit (15) having at least a first section (18) and a second section (19), wherein at least the first section (18) of the orbit (15) is substantially parallel to the rows (R) of the agricultural area (N) and the shielding means (14) reach a first speed (VB1) within the first section (18) as it rotates around the endless orbit, and - moving a vehicle to which the carrier unit is attached in a direction of travel (F) parallel to the rows (R) of the agricultural area (N) at a speed (VF), - controlling and/or regulating the first speed (VB1) of the Shielding means (14) and/or the vehicle's travel speed (VF) such that in the first segment (18) of the orbit (15) of the shielding means (14) there is essentially zero a difference between the travel speed (VF) and the relative speed of the shielding means (14) caused by the first movement speed (VB1), and - Shielding a predetermined area (20) of the agricultural land (N) in which crop production and/or agricultural processes are carried out from an adjacent row (R) of the agricultural land (N) and the plants (P) grown therein by the shielding means (14) which are located in the first segment (18) of the orbit (15) when driven by the propulsion means (M).
Procedure according to Claim 13 , characterized in that the shielding means, when they turn into the first section (18) of the orbit (15) during their movement along the orbit (15), are initially positioned adjacent to or resting on the surface of the agricultural land (N), wherein the shielding means (14) are then erected with their edge region, which faces the second section (19) of the orbit (15), in the direction of the adjacent row (R) during the further movement along the first section (18) of the orbit (15).
Procedure according to Claim 14 , characterized in that a curved track is provided adjacent to the first section (18) of the orbit (15), within which the shielding means (14) are guided in a sliding manner, wherein the curved track is designed such that the shielding means (14) are positioned adjacent to or resting on the surface of the agricultural land (N) when turning into the first section (18) of the orbit (15), wherein the shielding means (14) with their edge be The rich, which is facing the second truncated section (19), is erected in the direction of the row (R).
Procedure according to one of the Claims 13 until 15 , characterized in that at least a part of a plant (P) grown in the row (R), which is located adjacent to the shielding means (14), which, during their movement around the orbit (15) when turning into the first section (18), have initially been positioned adjacent to or resting on the surface of the agricultural area (N), is moved away from the predetermined area (20) of the agricultural area (N) by the erection of the shielding means (14).
Procedure according to Claim 16 , characterized in that an edge region of the shielding means (14), which when turning into the first phase (18) of the orbit directly borders an adjacent row (R) of the agricultural land (N), is jaggedly formed, such that when the shielding means (14) are erected during the further movement along the first phase (18) of the orbit (15) the jagged edge region of the shielding means (14) comes into contact with the surface of the agricultural land (N).
Procedure according to one of the Claims 13 until 17 , characterized in that in the predetermined area (20) of the agricultural area (N) mechanical cultivation of the soil of the agricultural area (N), and/or fungal control, and/or weed control by the use of electricity or laser, and/or the application of plant protection products are carried out.
Procedure according to one of the Claims 13 until 18 , characterized in that this method is combined with a device (10) according to one of the Claims 1 until 12 is carried out.

Description

The invention relates to a device for cultivating an agricultural area with a plurality of rows according to the preamble of claim 1, and a corresponding method for which such a device can be used. According to current technology, it is known to plant and cultivate agricultural land with row crops. This generally requires effective weed control, and therefore appropriate soil preparation. Out of DE 10 2021 113 841 A1 It is known to use tillage implements for mechanical weed control within a row of crops. In this practice, the tillage tools are positioned so that, when engaging the soil, they do not move perpendicular to the direction of travel, but rather at an angle between 90° and 180°. This ensures that, when engaging the soil, the tillage tools perform at least part of their movement in a direction opposite to the tractor's direction of travel. This results in a reduced speed of the tillage tool relative to the ground surface when engaging the soil. The soil cultivation equipment according to DE 10 2021 113 841 A1 In addition to the necessary equipment, it can also be equipped with further tools and equipment that allow soil cultivation even in the rows between two crops. In this case, weed control can be carried out simultaneously between and within the rows of crops. If, according to current technology, field management measures are carried out between the actual crop plants, for example, for weed control, it is advantageous to maximize the available space between the individual rows of crops. One way to achieve this is to push/shift the parts of the crop plants that protrude laterally into an adjacent row, perpendicular to the row's longitudinal direction, back towards their planting points. In row crops, this type of barrier is achieved within a cultivation machine, for example, using fixed plates/caps along the row that keep the protruding leaves out of the spaces between the plants as the machine passes. However, this creates friction between the barrier and the crop plant, which can damage the plant, especially at high speeds. The invention is based on the objective of optimizing the cultivation of agricultural land for the crops grown on it in a plant-friendly manner, particularly with regard to an area between individual rows of crops. This problem is solved by a device having the features of claim 1 and by a method having the features of claim 13. Advantageous embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims. A device according to the present invention serves for cultivating an agricultural area with a plurality of rows in which plants, particularly in the form of row crops, can be grown, comprising a frame attachable to a vehicle for movement in a direction of travel at a speed along a row of the agricultural area. In particular, such a device comprises at least a support unit attached to the frame with shielding means, wherein the shielding means are movable along an endless orbit, the orbit having at least a first section and a second section, wherein at least the first section runs substantially parallel to the rows of the agricultural area, and at least a drive means for driving the shielding means along the endless orbit, wherein, upon actuation of the drive means, the shielding means in the first section of the endless orbit reach a first speed of movement. The drive mechanisms for powering the shielding elements are designed and configured such that the initial speed of the shielding elements is synchronized with the vehicle's speed, resulting in a difference of essentially zero between the vehicle's speed and the relative speed of the shielding elements caused by the initial speed. Furthermore, a predetermined area of agricultural land, where crop production and/or agricultural processes are carried out, can be shielded from an adjacent row of agricultural crops by the shielding elements, which are located in the first phase of the orbit during their movement around the continuous orbit. The usable area and the plants grown therein must be fenced off or protected. Similarly, the present invention also provides a method for cultivating agricultural land with a plurality of rows. Such a method according to the invention is characterized by the following steps: - Providing at least one carrier unit with shielding means, wherein the shielding means are moved along an endless orbit at a speed of motion, the orbit having at least a first wing and a second wing, wherein at least the first wing of the orbit is substantially parallel to the rows of the agricultural land and the shielding means, upon rotation around the endless orbit within the first wing, reach a first speed of motion, and - Moving a vehicle to which the carrier unit is attached in a direction of travel parallel to the rows of the agricultural land at a driving speed, - Controlling and/or regulating the first speed of movement of the shielding means and/or the speed of the vehicle such that in the first phase o