PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tea leaf plucking machine capable of easily carrying out housing operation of a housing device without botheration.SOLUTION: In a tea leaf plucking machine 1, a reaping device 40 for reaping branches and leaves of tea trees, a convey duct 31 for conveying the branches and leaves of tea trees reaped by the reaping device 40 and a housing device 50 for housing the branches and leaves conveyed by the convey duct 31 are provided to a traveling vehicle body 10 traveling across tea tree ridges. The housing device 50 has an upper plate 54 and a lower plate 57 with one end rotatably connected to the rear part of the traveling vehicle body 10 and the other end side freely rotatable in the vertical direction, and a housing drum part 61 connected between the upper plate 54 and the lower plate 57, and a space part 68 able to house the branches and leaves of tea trees is formed in a region surrounded with the upper plate 54, the lower plate 57 and the housing drum part 61. The housing drum part 61 is freely deformable with air conveyed together with the branches and leaves of tea trees by the convey duct 31 and deforms by the rotation of the upper plate 54 and the lower plate 57.COPYRIGHT: (C)2014,JPO&INPIT【課題】収容装置の格納作業が煩わしくなく容易に行うことができる茶葉摘採機を提供する。【解決手段】茶葉摘採機1は、茶樹畝を跨いで走行する走行車体10に、茶樹の枝葉を刈り取る刈取装置40と、刈取装置40により刈り取られた茶樹の枝葉を搬送する搬送ダクト31と、搬送ダクト31により搬送された茶樹の枝葉を収容する収容装置50とが設けられる。収容装置50は、一端部が走行車体10の後部に回動自在に接続されて他端側が上下方向に回動自在な上板54及び下板57と、上板54及び下板57間に接続された収容胴部61とを有し、上板54、下板57、収容胴部61によって囲まれる領域内に茶樹の枝葉を収容可能な空間部68を形成する。収容胴部61は、搬送ダクト31により茶樹の枝葉とともに搬送される空気を通して変形自在であり、上板54及び下板57の回動によって変形する。【選択図】 図3
