A berry harvester provides flexible cushioned elements and surfaces to limit bruising of the fruit harvested. A chassis defines a picking tunnel that passes over rows of plants. A picking system removes fruit from the plants as the harvester moves along the rows. A catching system configured to receive fruit removed from the plants. The catching system includes resilient catch assemblies on each side of the picking tunnel, each of the catch assemblies at least partially overlapping adjacent catch assemblies. Each of the catch assemblies has an upper surface oriented orthogonally to horizontal and flex upon impact by falling fruit.

A method for operating a permanently excited synchronous motor of a hand-held working device includes the steps of: sensorlessly determining a position variable representative of a position of a rotor of the synchronous motor at a standstill; determining a direction variable for a continuous rotation of the rotor from standstill in a direction on the basis of the determined position variable such that an absolute value of an attainable torque that can be generated by the synchronous motor during its sensorless actuation for the rotation in the direction is greater than an absolute value of a breakaway torque limit of the working device; and sensorlessly actuating the synchronous motor on the basis of the determined direction variable for the rotation in the direction.

A harvester having a frame, an agitating system and a product gathering system. The frame has a central portion configured to receive and pass plants therethrough. The agitating system is positioned within the central portion that has a first side agitating assembly further comprising an axle with an axis of rotation and a plural of axial wands extending axially outwardly therefrom in a spaced apart configuration. The axle has a first end which is both above and outboard of the second end and the axle is angled relative to a vertical plane bisecting the frame body from front to back thereof. The axial wands can be agitated. The product gathering system includes an outer guide wall positioned below the rotary agitator assembly. The outer guide wall is angled relative to a vertical plane bisecting the frame body from front to back thereof.

The harvesting robot is used to pick fruits from trees. It has at least two parallel extending, and vertically offset, rows of harvesting rods which are kept in their rear region in a holder, and can be pushed collectively into a tree with their free front ends. With their front ends, they can be pivoted. In each pivoted state, they can be withdrawn collectively from the tree with their support while removing the fruits between the harvesting rods from the two rows of harvesting rods. The individual harvesting rods are mounted in their rear region in the holder so as to be elastically moveable by means of spring force. Once all the harvesting rods have collectively been withdrawn with the harvested fruits in between, all of the harvesting rods are pushed forward again by the force of the acting spring forces and are thus returned to their original positions.

A scale and a fruit collector with connected rows of scales is provided. The rows of scales extending between an intake and an outlet of the collector parallel to a median axis of the collector, scales including respectively a succession of scales with overlap, mounted as pivots on a support with a return to a resting position, each scale presenting a longitudinal median scale axis extending from the proximal to distal end of the scale and forming, in the resting position, an acute angle of aperture with the median axis, relative to the collector intake, and in which each scale presents a capability to pivot relative to the support, between the resting position and at least one bent-back position towards the outlet of the collector, reducing the angle of aperture. At least one hindrance limits an amplitude of divergent displacement, respectively between two successive scales of a row of scales.

An Integrated dual-use machine is for harvesting and treating fruit on trees, in order to harvest the fruit when in season and treat the fruit on the tree with phytosanitary products. The machine includes a moveable structure, intended to shelter the fruit trees. The moveable structure includes a collection unit for the fruit that has been brought down, and is supported on one or two traction vehicles. The vehicles include at least one device for projecting and orienting air currents, at least one infrared camera, at least one collection belt, at least one load container, at least one conveyor belt that connects the collection belt to a load trailer, and a traction system that actuates tractor treads.

A berry harvester includes a chassis, a berry removal system, a berry delivery system, an inspection station and a container filling station. The container filling station includes a berry delivery apparatus that conveys berries to containers on a container support. A container weighing system includes a container fill indicator generating a weighing signal. A processor is in communication with the weighing system and incorporates a filter for cancelling vibrations from the weighing signal. A method uses the container weighing system and the processor to indicate when a container is filled to contain a desired amount of berries and automatically reset when the filled container is removed.

An agricultural mechanical harvesting system useable with machines, in which it improves the performance of standard harvesting machines which controls and reduces the damages of the fruit to be harvested, mainly produced by falling gravitationally and striking the surface receiver on machines. The agricultural mechanical harvesting system controls and reduces the rate of fall of fruits harvested by mechanical harvesting machines, thereby increasing the yields of conventional machines and solving the problems of loss in the quality of harvested fruit.

A berry harvesting assembly includes a first shaker assembly that is rotatably driven by a first drive shaft and a second shaker assembly that is rotatably driven by a second drive shaft. The first shaker assembly and the second shaker assembly define a picking pathway therebetween. Each shaker assembly includes a plurality of vertically-aligned sub-assemblies. Each sub-assembly of the plurality of vertically-aligned sub-assemblies is configured to rotate independently from one another about a respective drive shaft of the first drive shaft and the second drive shafter. Each shaker assembly further includes a counterweight assembly that is operably coupled to the respective drive shaft to provide an adjustable vibration frequency across the plurality of vertically-aligned sub-assemblies. The adjustable vibration frequency is applied independent of a rotational speed of the plurality of vertically-aligned sub-assemblies.

A fruit harvesting machine that works continuously, meaning without stopping to unload the fruit, as the fruit can be unloaded automatically upon detection of a transfer vehicle, by means of hoppers (34) with ejection conveyor belts (35) which are activated only when the transfer vehicle is detected, including an extendable and sliding skid (38), which prevents a large part of the vibrating energy from being absorbed by the suspension and wheels of the vehicle, with a four-wheel drive, a movable cabin and total control of the machine from inside the cabin.