Abstract
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.
Claims
1. A picking apparatus comprising: at least one holder movable in a working direction, the holder having at least one conveying device with a front gathering region, the conveying device comprising a cutting screw conveyor rotatable about a screw axis, wherein produce bearing plants come in contact with the cutting screw conveyor in the front gathering region, the cutting screw conveyor being operable to gather and transport plants along the screw axis of the cutting screw conveyor in the front gathering region in at least one conveying direction; a picking gap defined behind the cutting screw conveyor in the working direction, wherein the plants are guided by the cutting screw conveyor along the screw axis through the picking gap while separating the produce; and the screw axis of the cutting screw conveyor is oriented transversely or approximately transversely to the working direction; wherein the conveying direction extends in the direction of the screw axis, and the conveying direction is substantially parallel to the screw axis.
2. An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the picking gap has a longitudinal axis that is oriented transverse or approximately transverse to the working direction and parallel or approximately parallel to the ground.
3. An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the holder further comprises a plurality of blades, and the conveying device guiding and cutting the plants against at least one of the blades.
4. An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conveying device transports the plants in a direction parallel or approximately parallel to the ground.
5. An apparatus of claim 1, wherein the screw axis of the cutting screw conveyor is oriented parallel or approximately parallel to the ground.
6. An apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a drive to operate the cutting screw conveyor in an upwardly rotating manner as viewed from the front of the apparatus.
7. An apparatus of claim 3, wherein the blades are curved and at least partially engage around the cutting screw conveyor.
8. An apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of guide elements fastened to the holder at a transverse spacing from one another in the working direction, said guide elements being arranged in front of the conveying device, extending upwardly and their upper regions being inclined, curved or angled in the conveying direction.
9. An apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one auxiliary transport apparatus provided by the holder, wherein the at least one auxiliary transport apparatus gathers and transports the plants above the conveying device.
10. An apparatus of claim 9, wherein the auxiliary transport apparatus comprises a chain conveyor.
11. An apparatus of claim 9, wherein the plants are gathered from the conveying device by the auxiliary transport apparatus and are guided through the picking gap.
12. A method for harvesting produce bearing plants, comprising: providing at least one conveying device with a front gathering region, the conveying device further comprising a cutting screw conveyor rotating about a screw axis and a picking gap behind the cutting screw conveyor in a working direction; moving the conveying device in the working direction relative to the plants such that the plants come in contact with the cutting screw conveyor in the front gathering region; gathering and transporting the plants in an at least one conveying direction using the cutting screw conveyor; and guiding the plants by the cutting screw conveyor along the screw axis through the picking gap and subjecting the plants to a picking process to separate the produce from the plants; wherein the screw axis of the cutting screw conveyor is oriented transverse or substantially transverse to the working direction, and the conveying direction extends in the direction of the screw axis.
13. A method of claim 12, further comprising: providing a plurality of curved blades; and cutting the plants by the cooperation of the cutting screw conveyor and the plurality of curved blades, the cutting step being before the plants are subjected to the picking process.
14. A picking apparatus comprising: at least one holder movable in a working direction, the holder having at least one conveying device with a front gathering region, wherein produce bearing plants come in contact with the conveying device in the front gathering region, the conveying device being operable to gather and transport plants in at least one conveying direction; the holder further comprising a plurality of curved blades, the conveying device guiding and cutting the plants against at least one of the curved blades; a picking gap defined behind the conveying device, wherein the plants are guided through the picking gap while separating the produce; and a cutting screw conveyor supported at the holder, the plurality of curved blades at least partially engaging around the cutting screw conveyor, the cutting screw conveyor being rotatable about a screw axis oriented transversely or approximately transversely to the working direction; wherein the conveying direction extends in the direction of the screw axis.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) The invention will be described in the following with reference to preferred embodiments and to the drawing.
(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective representation of a harvester vehicle with a picking attachment;
(3) FIG. 2 is another perspective representation of the harvesting vehicle of FIG. 1;
(4) FIG. 3 is a detailed view of a portion of the harvesting vehicle of FIG. 2, marked by A;
(5) FIG. 4 is a perspective representation of one of the picking apparatus of FIG. 3 in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention;
(6) FIG. 5 is a plan view of the picking apparatus of FIG. 4;
(7) FIG. 6 is a front view of the picking apparatus of FIG. 4;
(8) FIG. 7 is a sectional view through the picking apparatus of FIG. 4 along the line B-B of FIG. 6;
(9) FIG. 8 is a perspective representation of the picking attachment of FIG. 1 in a transport position;
(10) FIG. 9 is a detailed view of a portion of the picking attachment of FIG. 8, marked by C;
(11) FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a picking apparatus in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention;
(12) FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a picking apparatus in accordance with a third embodiment of the invention;
(13) FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a picking apparatus in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the invention;
(14) FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a picking apparatus in accordance with a fifth embodiment of the invention;
(15) FIG. 14 is a sectional view through the cutting screw conveyor along the line D-D of FIG. 6 in accordance with a modification of the first embodiment;
(16) FIG. 15 is a sectional front view of a cutting screw conveyor of a picking apparatus in accordance with a sixth embodiment of the invention;
(17) FIG. 16 is a view of the section which can be seen in FIG. 15 in the direction of the arrow J;
(18) FIG. 17 is a sectional view of the cutting screw conveyor along the line K-K of FIG. 16;
(19) FIG. 18 is a partial representation of a picking apparatus in accordance with a seventh embodiment of the invention in a plan view; and
(20) FIG. 19 is a schematic plan view of a picking apparatus in accordance with the invention and of a plurality of plant rows.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(21) FIGS. 1 and 2 provide perspective views of a picking arrangement in the form of a picking attachment 1 which is fastened to the front of a harvesting vehicle 2. The picking attachment 1 picks plant product 3 which is seated on elongate stalks 4 of plants 5 which are anchored in the ground 7 by roots 64. Non-limiting examples of produce/plant product may include fruit, seed head such as corn cob, sunflower capitulum/inflorescence etc. The stalks 4 each have a pronounced longitudinal direction 59 which extends upward from the ground 7. The picking attachment 1 is moved along the ground 7 in a working direction 6 by the harvesting vehicle 2 so that the plants 5 come into contact with a conveying unit 8 of the picking attachment 1 and are gathered by the conveying unit 8. The working direction 6 may be the forward direction of travel of the harvesting vehicle 2. The picking attachment 1 consists of a carrier construction 9 to which a trough 10 is fastened in which a transverse screw conveyor 11 is arranged. The transverse screw conveyor 11 is rotatably supported about an axis 12 extending transversely to the working direction 6 and is parallel to the ground 7. The transverse screw conveyor 11 transports plant product 3 introduced into the trough 10 from both sides toward the center of the trough 10 where the plant product 3 is transferred to a sloped conveyor 13 of the harvesting vehicle 2 which supplies the plant product 3 to an inner space 14 of the harvesting vehicle 2. The picking attachment 1 has a plurality of divider tips 15 which are each associated with a section or segment 16 of the picking attachment 1. In accordance with this non-limiting embodiment, the picking attachment 1 has eight sections 16 and eight divider tips 15. The sections 16 each form a picking apparatus of a first embodiment of the invention and are arranged next to one another in a transverse direction 17 extending transversely to the working direction 6 and in parallel with the ground 7. The picking apparatus 16 may be of identical or substantially identical design. The transverse direction 17 extends in the transverse vehicle direction of the harvesting vehicle 2.
(22) An enlarged view of the detail marked A in FIG. 2 is shown in FIG. 3, with each of the picking apparatus 16 having a conveying device 18. The conveying devices 18 may each comprise a cutting screw conveyor 19 and together form the conveying unit 8.
(23) FIGS. 4 to 7 show different views of one of the picking apparatus 16, with FIG. 4 showing a perspective view of this picking apparatus 16. The picking apparatus 16 comprises a holder 20 which is fastened to the carrying construction 9 and at which the associated cutting screw conveyor 19 is rotatably supported about a screw axis 21. The cutting screw conveyor 19 is rotated about the screw axis 21 in the direction of the arrow 23 by a drive 22 so that the cutting screw conveyor 19 rotates upwardly viewed from the front. The drive 22 is provided in the harvesting vehicle 2 of this embodiment and is schematically indicated in FIG. 2. The cutting screw conveyor 19 has radial projections 24 at its outer periphery which serve the raising of plants standing at an incline or lying. A plurality of blades 25 are furthermore fastened to the holder 20 along the screw axis 21, said blades being curved and partially engaging around the cutting screw conveyor 19. Plants 5 gathered by the cutting screw conveyor 19 are guided toward the blades 25 in the transverse direction 17 by means of the cutting screw conveyor 19 so that the stalks 4 of the plants 5 are cut by the cutting screw conveyor 19 with the blades 25. The conveying direction 26 of the cutting screw conveyor 19 coincides with the transverse direction 17. The cut off plants 5 are then transported further in the conveying direction 26 by the cutting screw conveyor 19 up to a transfer region 27 in which the cut off plants 5 are transported into a rear region of the picking apparatus 16.
(24) To prevent the cut off plants 5 from falling out to the front, a plurality of guide elements 28 are provided which are arranged at a spacing from one another along the screw axis 21, which extend upwardly and which are curved or angled in the conveying direction 26. The guide elements 28 are fastened to the holder 3 and are arranged in front of the screw axis 21 of the cutting screw conveyor 19 and/or in front of the cutting screw conveyor 19. Passage openings 71 are provided between the guide elements 28 (see FIG. 5), through which passage openings the plants 5 can enter into the space between the guide elements 28 and the cutting screw conveyor 19. Each of the guide elements 28 has a lower section 72 extending upwardly and an upper region 73 which extends in the direction of the screw axis 21, which is disposed higher than it and which is angled with respect to the lower section 72 in the conveying direction 26. The passage openings 71 are provided between the upper sections 73 of the guide elements 28. A guide 74 prevents the cut off plants 5 from falling forward and extends along the screw axis 21. The guide 74 is arranged in front of the screw axis 21 and is disposed higher than it is thus formed by the guide elements 28, in particular by the upper sections 73 of the guide elements 28. The cut off plants 5 are guided between the guide 74 and the cutting screw conveyor 19, with the guide 74 holding the cut off plants 5 in contact with the cutting screw conveyor 19. In accordance with this embodiment, the guide elements 28 are formed as extensions of the blades 25, with the lower sections 72 merging into the blades 25.
(25) The cut off plants 5 are transported in the conveying direction 26 by an auxiliary transport apparatus 29 which is here configured as a chain conveyor and has a plurality of fingers 31 arranged at a spacing from one another at a revolving chain 30. The auxiliary transport apparatus 29 is likewise driven by the drive 22.
(26) The screw channel 61 of the cutting screw conveyor 19 is coiled such that, on a rotation of the cutting screw conveyor 19 about the screw axis 21 in the direction of the arrow 23, the plants 5 are transported in the conveying direction 26. However, at the end of the screw channel 61 in the transport direction 26, the cutting screw conveyor 19 has at least one oppositely coiled auger flight 32 so that the plants 5 are raised at this auger flight 32 and are supplied to the transfer region 27. The auxiliary transport apparatus 29 furthermore assists a transport of the plants 5 to the rear in the transfer region 27.
(27) A plan view of the picking apparatus 16 can be seen from FIG. 5, wherein two picking plates 33 are fastened to the holder 20 in the rear region of the picking apparatus 16 and bound a picking gap 34 which is disposed between them, which is elongate and extends in the transverse direction 17 and whose longitudinal direction 58 extends in parallel with or approximately in parallel with the screw axis 21. Two picking rollers 35 and 36 are arranged beneath the picking gap 34 (see FIG. 7) and are each supported at the holder 20 rotatable about an axis of rotation 37 and 38 respectively extending in the transverse direction 17. The ends of the picking rollers 35 and 36 facing the transfer region 27 are provided with worm windings 39 and 40 respectively so that the plants 5 transported to the rear in the transfer region 27 are drawn in by the worm windings 39 and 40 against the conveying direction 26 and are supplied to the picking gap 34. The plants are further transported along the picking gap 34 against the conveying direction 26 and takes place by the picking rollers 35, 36 and/or by the auxiliary transport apparatus 29. At the same time, the plants 5 are drawn downwardly, i.e. in the direction of the arrow 41 (see FIG. 7), through the picking gap 34 by means of the picking rollers 36 and 36, with the plant product 3 being scraped off the plants 5 at the margins of the picking plates 33 at the picking gap side since the stalks 4 admittedly pass through the picking gap 34, but not the plant product 3. The separated plant product 3 then slides to the rear along a sloped plate 42 provided at the holder 20 into the trough 10 and is there supplied by means of the transverse screw conveyor 11 to the sloped conveyor 13.
(28) The gathering region 65 of the cutting screw conveyor 19 is indicated in FIG. 5, said gathering region extending over or almost over the total width of the cutting screw conveyor 19.
(29) A front view of the picking apparatus 16 can be seen from FIG. 6, with a cutting angle being shown between the screw channel 61 and the cutting edges 60 of the blades 25.
(30) FIG. 7 shows a sectional view of the picking apparatus 16 along the line B-B of FIG. 6, with it being able to be recognized that the picking rollers 35 and 36 are each provided with radial projections 43 by means of which the stalks 4 of the plants 5 are gripped and are drawn downwardly through the picking gap 34. Blade disks 44, which are rotated about an axis of rotation 46 extending in the transverse direction 17, are arranged beneath the picking rollers 35 and 36. The plants and/or their stalks are cut and/or split open by means of the blade disks 44 while they are drawn through the picking gap 34. The blade disks 45 and the picking rollers 35 and 36 are rotated about their respective axis of rotation by the drive 22.
(31) A perspective view of the picking attachment 1 in a folded-together state into which the picking attachment 1 can be changed for transport purposes can be seen in FIG. 8. The harvesting vehicle 2 with the picking attachment 1 can thus e.g. drive on public roads on which a maximum vehicle width may not be exceeded. An enlarged representation of the detail of FIG. 8 marked by C can be seen in FIG. 9, wherein hinges 46 are provided at the picking attachment 1 (see also FIG. 2) so that the two outer sections 16 of each side can be folded over onto the middle sections 16.
(32) Other embodiments of the picking apparatus of the invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 18, with the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment being used for similar or identical features. Furthermore, only differences from the first embodiment are emphasized in the descriptions of the other embodiments so that reference is made to the description of the first embodiment for the further description of the other embodiments.
(33) A picking apparatus 16 of a second embodiment of the invention can be seen in FIG. 10, wherein, in contrast to the first embodiment, additional divider tips 47 are fastened to the holder 20 which assist a raising of plants standing at an incline. The radial projections 34 provided at the cutting screw conveyor 19 of the first embodiment can thus be dispensed with.
(34) A perspective view of a picking apparatus 16 of a third embodiment of the invention can be seen in FIG. 11, with the conveying device 18 being formed by a gripping cutter 48. The gripping cutter 48 is configured as a chain conveyor at whose chain a plurality of grippers 49 are provided which are arranged at a spacing from one another and which each have a cutting edge 50. The grippers 49 grip the stalks of the plants and transport them in a transverse direction 17, with the cutting edges 50 cooperating with blades 51 fastened to the holder 20 for cutting the stalks. The cut off plants are then supplied to the transfer region 27 by the grippers 49 and the fingers 31, with the conveying direction 26 of the gripping cutter 48 coinciding with the transverse direction 17. The plants are then supplied to the rear to the picking gap 34 by the grippers 49 and the fingers 31.
(35) A perspective view of a picking apparatus 16 of a fourth embodiment of the invention can be seen in FIG. 12, wherein the laterally outwardly disposed divider tip is configured as a conical screw 52. The screw 52 is supported at the holder 20 rotatable about an axis of rotation 53 and is driven by the drive 22 so that the conical screw 52 rotates about the axis of rotation 53. The conical screw 52 raises the lying plants and is also called a down corn lifter. Apart from this, the fourth embodiment corresponds to the second embodiment.
(36) A picking apparatus 16 of a fifth embodiment of the invention can be seen in FIG. 13, wherein the auxiliary transport apparatus 29 is formed by a plurality of screw conveyors 54, 55. The screw conveyors 54 and 55 are each supported at the holder 20 rotatable about an axis of rotation 56 and 57 respectively. The screw conveyors 54 and 55 are driven by the drive 22 and thus rotate about their axes of rotation 56 and 57 respectively. The screw conveyor 54 assists the conveying device 18 formed by the cutting screw conveyor 19, whereas the screw conveyor 55 transports the plants seated in the picking gap in the longitudinal direction of the picking gap and indeed in a direction opposite to the conveying direction 26 of the conveying device 18.
(37) A sectional view through the cutting screw conveyor 19 along the line D-D of FIG. 6 can be seen in FIG. 14, which illustrates a modification of the first embodiment. In contrast to the first embodiment, the blades 25 are resilient and have a greater curvature about the screw axis 21 in the relaxed state than a jacket surface 66, in particular a notional jacket surface, of the cutting screw conveyor 19. The spacing R1 between the screw axis 21 and the free ends of the relaxed blades 25 is thus smaller than the spacing R between the screw axis 21 and the outer margin of the screw channel 61 which lies on the jacket surface 66 whose radius corresponds to the spacing R. This has the consequence that each of the blades 25 is elastically deformed in the direction of the arrow 67 which extends approximately radially with respect to the screw axis 21 when the screw channel 61 sweeps over the inner surface 68 of the respective blade 25 facing the cutting screw conveyor 19 due to the rotation of the screw cutting conveyor 19. After the inner surface 68 has been swept over by the screw channel 61, the respective blade 25 returns back to the position, as shown in FIG. 14, due to its elasticity. The radial projections 24 are omitted in this modification, but can be present. The same applies accordingly to the guide elements 28.
(38) A sectional front view of a cutting screw conveyor 19 of a picking apparatus of a sixth embodiment of the invention can be seen in FIG. 15, with FIG. 16 showing a side view of the section shown in FIG. 15 in the direction of the arrow J. FIG. 17 further shows a sectional view of the cutting screw conveyor 19 along the line K-K shown in FIG. 16. In accordance with the sixth embodiment, the blades 25 are each fastened to the holder 20 only shown schematically by a leaf spring 69, with the blades 25 being tensioned against the cutting screw conveyor 19 by the leaf springs 69.
(39) The blades 25 furthermore each comprise a carrying part 70 and a cutting edge 60 which projects from the carrying part 70 in the direction of the screw axis 21. The cutting edges 69 are angled in the direction toward the screw axis 21 with respect to the carrying parts 70 so that the cutting edges 60 each include a clearance angle with a jacket surface 66, in particular a notional jacket surface, of the cutting screw conveyor 19. Such a clearance angle can also be provided in the other embodiments.
(40) Only one of the blades is admittedly shown in FIGS. 15 to 17; however, corresponding views result for the other blades.
(41) A schematic and only partial representation of a picking apparatus 16 of a seventh embodiment of the invention can be seen in a plan view of FIG. 18, with additional divider tips 47 being fastened to the holder 20. The seventh embodiment is thus based on the second embodiment. Unlike the second embodiment, the divider tips 47 each comprise a directing device 75 at their rear regions, by these directing devices the plants 5 can be directed toward the cutting screw conveyor 19 and/or into the screw 19 (i.e. between its auger flights). Each directing device 75 lies on a straight line 76 which extends at an angle to the screw axis 21, said angle here being at approximately 55 (the angle in FIG. 18 is drawn between the straight lines 76 and a straight line 78 in parallel with the screw axis 21). In the seventh embodiment, the directing devices 75 are each formed by a marginal region of the respective divider tip 47 at the rear in the working direction 6 and at the rear in the conveying direction 26. A plant 5 arranged in the region of one of the directing devices 75 can thus be gathered by the screw 19 as soon as it moves into the gathering region of the screw 19 and can be directed along the respective directing device 75 toward the screw axis 21, after which the plant 5 is transported further in the conveying direction 26 by the screw 19, which is indicated by the dashed arrow 77. Apart from this, the seventh embodiment matches or substantially matches the second embodiment.
(42) A schematic plan view of a picking apparatus 16 of this invention and of a plurality of plant rows 62, which extend in the direction 63, can be seen in FIG. 19. The picking apparatus 16 of the invention may be configured in accordance with any of the embodiments, to orient the working direction 6 transversely or obliquely to the direction 63 of the plant rows 62 so that the plants 5 can be harvested in a row-independent manner.
REFERENCE NUMERAL LIST
(43) 1 picking attachment
(44) 2 harvesting vehicle
(45) 3 plant product
(46) 4 stalks
(47) 5 plant
(48) 6 working direction
(49) 7 ground
(50) 8 conveying unit
(51) 9 carrying construction
(52) 10 trough
(53) 11 transverse screw conveyor
(54) 12 axis of rotation of the transverse screw conveyor
(55) 13 sloped conveyor
(56) 14 inner space
(57) 15 divider tip
(58) 16 segment, picking apparatus
(59) 17 transverse direction
(60) 18 conveying device
(61) 19 cutting screw conveyor
(62) 20 holder
(63) 21 screw axis
(64) 22 drive
(65) 23 direction of rotation of the cutting screw conveyor
(66) 24 radial projection at the cutting screw conveyor
(67) 25 blade
(68) 26 conveying direction
(69) 27 transfer region
(70) 28 guide element
(71) 29 auxiliary transport apparatus
(72) 30 chain
(73) 31 finger
(74) 32 auger flight, oppositely coiled
(75) 33 picking plate
(76) 34 picking gap
(77) 35 picking roller
(78) 36 picking roller
(79) 37 axis of rotation of the picking roller
(80) 38 axis of rotation of the picking roller
(81) 39 worm winding of the picking roller
(82) 40 worm winding of the picking roller
(83) 41 downward direction
(84) 42 oblique plate
(85) 43 radial projection
(86) 44 blade disk
(87) 45 axis of rotation of the blade disk
(88) 46 hinge
(89) 47 additional divider tip
(90) 48 gripping cutter
(91) 49 gripper
(92) 50 cutting edge
(93) 51 blade
(94) 52 conical screw
(95) 53 axis of rotation of the conical screw
(96) 54 screw conveyor
(97) 55 screw conveyor
(98) 56 axis of rotation
(99) 57 axis of rotation
(100) 58 longitudinal axis of the picking gap
(101) 59 longitudinal axis of the stalk
(102) 60 cutting edge
(103) 61 screw channel
(104) 62 plant row
(105) 63 direction of the plant rows
(106) 64 root of the plant
(107) 65 gathering region of the conveying device
(108) 66 notional jacket surface of the cutting screw conveyor
(109) 67 direction of elastic deformation
(110) 68 inner surface of the blade
(111) 69 leaf spring
(112) 70 carrying part of the blade
(113) 71 passage opening between two guide elements
(114) 72 lower section of the guide element
(115) 73 upper section of the guide element
(116) 74 guide
(117) 75 directing device
(118) 76 straight line
(119) 77 arrow
(120) 78 straight line, in parallel with the screw axis
(121) cutting angle
(122) clearance angle
(123) angle
(124) R spacing/radius
(125) R1 spacing
