A picking apparatus having at least one holder movable in a working direction. The holder has at least one conveying device with a front gathering region. The produce bearing plants come in contact with the conveying device in the front gathering region. The conveying device is operable to gather and transport plants in at least one conveying direction. The conveying direction extend in a straight or substantially straight line and transverse or substantially transverse to the working direction. The picking apparatus also has a picking gap defined behind the conveying device, wherein the plants are guided through the picking gap while separating the produce.

A picking apparatus having at least one holder movable in a working direction. The holder has at least one conveying device with a front gathering region. The produce bearing plants come in contact with the conveying device in the front gathering region. The conveying device is operable to gather and transport plants in at least one conveying direction. The conveying direction extend in a straight or substantially straight line and transverse or substantially transverse to the working direction. The picking apparatus also has a picking gap defined behind the conveying device, wherein the plants are guided through the picking gap while separating the produce.

Harvesting fruits or vegetablescomprises providing a tractor and a plurality of storage bins in a supply location for the fruit or vegetable; deploying the storage bins to a harvesting area using the tractor; providing a harvester; harvesting fruit or vegetable and storing same in the storage bins at the harvesting area; relocating the fruit or vegetable in the filled storage bins with the tractor to a storage location; providing an operation control and management system (OCMS) configured to receive and process data; receiving storage bin location data indicative of a location of the storage bins from the storage bins; receiving harvesting data indicative of at least one harvesting process parameter in the OCMS; and providing tractor control data in the OCMS in response the received process parameter(s). Tractor control data controls an operation mode of the tractor for deploying and/or relocatingthe storage bins. Also a system is disclosed.

Harvesting fruits or vegetablescomprises providing a tractor and a plurality of storage bins in a supply location for the fruit or vegetable; deploying the storage bins to a harvesting area using the tractor; providing a harvester; harvesting fruit or vegetable and storing same in the storage bins at the harvesting area; relocating the fruit or vegetable in the filled storage bins with the tractor to a storage location; providing an operation control and management system (OCMS) configured to receive and process data; receiving storage bin location data indicative of a location of the storage bins from the storage bins; receiving harvesting data indicative of at least one harvesting process parameter in the OCMS; and providing tractor control data in the OCMS in response the received process parameter(s). Tractor control data controls an operation mode of the tractor for deploying and/or relocatingthe storage bins. Also a system is disclosed.

The present invention shows an apparatus for trimming plants, specifically assisting with the process of separating leaves and buds from the stem and branches of the plant. The apparatus is composed by an iris mechanism with blades that adapt to the diameter of the stem, and a feeding mechanism that forces the plant trough the iris. The buds and leaves are by these means separated from the stem due to the shear forces imposed by the blades. All of the waste is collected in the back of the apparatus and separated from the buds and leaves that are ready to be further processed to achieve the state needed for their final application.

Disclosed is a plant stripper for separating buds or fruit from the stems or branches of a plant. In one embodiment, the plant stripper is defined by a housing that contains a face plate, bladed rollers, and motor and gear system for counter turning the rollers. In operation, a plant stem bearing buds or fruit may be provided through a plant hole in the face plate and gripped by the counter turning rollers so that continued counter turning of the rollers pulls the stems or plants through the plant hole of the face plate. Suitably, the plant hole is gauged so that only the stem may pass through the hole but not the buds or fruit whereby the buds or fruit of the plant are stripped from the plant via action of the stem through the plant hole. In one embodiment, the plant stripper features a guide tray for catching stripped buds or fruit and guiding the same to a collection bin.

A self-propelled tree fruit picking machine, of the type which includes a vibrator device which acts on the trunk of a tree detected by a probe device. The picking machine includes two side frames joined by a transverse gantries device, equipped with transporting devices to move the fruit towards peeling devices, and from these towards hoppers. Each gantry includes four successively articulated segments with anchoring devices between adjacent segments, which are extractable to fold the machine by closing together both side frames via the action of cylinders to a minimum width. The machine is further equipped with a control cabin which can be moved inwards to the position of minimum width, and with the transport wheels connected to suspension devices adjustable in height via cylinders.

A harvesting apparatus for a fruit or vegetable product includes a maturity determination device determining a maturity level of the fruit or vegetable product; a harvesting means harvesting the fruit or vegetable product; a power source generating power for driving the harvesting means; and a controller determining whether or not to supply the power to the harvesting means based on a determination result on the maturity level provided by the maturity determination device.

A dual function tree pruner and fruit harvester that uses the same equipment for pruning and for harvesting. The Fruit Tree Pruner and Harvesting Machine features: a Self-Propelled-Vehicle (SPV), computer controlled robotic arms, a Digital Imaging System (DIS), a Radar Ranger System (RRS), Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) Guidance System, Geographic Information System (GIS), a Power Pruner or Power Stem Cutter as appropriate, a fruit vacuum system, a fruit catcher, a fruit handling system, and a fruit bin loader. The operation is automated and the operator monitors and sets parameters. The Fruit Tree Pruner and Harvesting Machine can prune a tree to a predetermined profile. The tree can be shaped per the orchard's requirements. The Fruit Tree Pruner and Harvesting Machine utilizes data obtained during the pruning process to find the fruit, and to remove the fruit while maintaining the fruit quality suitable for the fresh market.

A jujube harvesting apparatus with adjustable suction vector includes: an air duct assembly, where one end of which is arranged with an air duct inlet; a wind power device arranged on one end of the air duct assembly deviating from the air duct inlet and connected to the air duct assembly, where the wind power device is used for generating wind power; an ionization device arranged on the air duct assembly and positioned between the air duct inlet and the wind power device, where the ionization device is used for ionizing air in the air duct assembly to generate plasma; a magnetic field generating device including a first strip-shaped permanent magnet and a second strip-shaped permanent magnet; and a suction vector adjustable device including two moving assemblies, two rotating assemblies, an electromagnetic sensor component, and a control module.