AU2001268831B2 - Grape harvesting collection system - Google Patents

Description

PCT/AU01/00791 Received 08 November 2002 1 GRAPE HARVESTING COLLECTION SYSTEM The present invention relates to a grape harvesting collection system that is used with mechanical harvesters. In particular it relates to the grape collection plates that collect the harvested grapes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Mechanical harvesting of fruit is well known and involves a harvester physically shaking or beating the trees or vines with sufficient force and frequency so that fruit is caused to fall. The fruit falls onto a collection system is then directed into conveyors of buckets to be transported to a storage bin.

Wing closure collection systems are known and include biased wing elements that are pivotally mounted on rails and are spring loaded to open as a vine trunk passes through closure system, but to effect a closure as the vine has passed. Thus the operation of the closure system allow the vines to pass through the harvester whilst the biasing system ensures that the area around the wine provides a surface for the fruit to be collected and prevented from falling to the ground.

This area of the harvester is an important part and failure to perform this job properly may result in large fruit losses.

The wing closure collection system does not, however easily adapt to the situation where the fruit is either very low to the ground or where the vines are not aligned in their row. Under those circumstances, the wing closure collection system does result in large gaps through which harvested fruit may fall to the ground, resulting in losses.

It is an object of the present invention to provide for a collection system that improves on the efficiency of existing collection system or at least provides the public with a useful alternative.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore in one aspect of the invention there is proposed a grape harvesting collection system for use with harvesters of the type that straddle a longitudinal row of vines wherein at least some of the vines are off-axis to the longitudinal axis of said row, said harvester including two generally parallel mounting rails defining a working area there AMENDED 8HEET IPEA-iA PCT/AU0 100791 Received 08 November 2002 2 between; a plurality of arms having an inner and an outer end pivotably attached at said inner end to the mounting rails in a staggered arrangement and biased so as to extend inwardly and rearwardly into said working area; each said arm supporting at an outer end a generally circular disc, adjacent discs substantially overlapping each other when in the biased position; wherein engagement of a disc with the fruit tree or vine causes it to pivot outwardly to allow said tree or vine to pass therethrough, the discs overlapping each other when in a biased position so that the edge of an overlapping disc supported by one of the rails is adjacent the centres of adjoining overlapped discs supported by the other rail so that when pivoted outwardly from the biased position due to an off-axis vine located anywhere in said working area the discs remain in a generally overlapping arrangement to prevent most of the fruit harvested from falling between the discs.

Preferably at least some of said discs are of a diameter slightly smaller than the length of the arm.

Preferably said disc are rotatably mounted on said arm and whereby contact of the outer edge of said disc with said vine causes the disc to frictionally engage said vine and to rotate as the collection system moves relative to said vine. This minimises any damage to the vine trunk, Advantageously each said disc is rotatably attached to its respective arm at its geometric centre.

Preferably said discs are angularly inclined to the longitudinal direction of said rails.

This assists in ensuring that harvested fruit falls away from the centre of the collecting area.

In preference the discs are tilted at a horizontal angle of some 20 degrees to the mounting rail.

Preferably the discs are of a diameter at least equal to the distance between said mounting rails.

In preference each disc includes a softer outer edge perimeter. This assists in minimising damage to the vine trunk.

AMENDED 8HEET PEiN~TAU PCT/AU01/00791 Received 08 November 2002 3 Preferably at least some of said disc are rotatably driven. If not all discs are driven than those that will collect the bulk of the fruit are more likely to be driven.

In preference the discs are rotatably driven by the use of a hydraulic motor.

In preference the discs are rotatably driven by the use of a flexible gear drive.

Preferably each said disc includes a conical member at the centre of its upper surface.

Preferably said arms are biased by a spring arrangement.

Preferably the discs are manufacture from a high density polyethylene material.

Preferably the discs are some 12 mm in thickness.

To assist in minimising frictional contact between overlapping discs, the discs include a peripheral skirt at its outer edge. The skirt extends downwardly and will thus be in contact with the upper surface of the adjoining disc when they overlap.

Preferably the skirt is some 5 mm in thickness.

In a further form of the invention there is proposed a fruit or grape harvesting collection system for use with harvesters of the type that straddle a longitudinal row of fruit trees or vines wherein at least some of said trees or vines are off-axis to the longitudinal axis of said row, said harvester including two generally parallel mounting rails defining a working area there between; a plurality of arms pivotably attached at an inner end to the mounting rails in a staggered arrangement and biased so as to extend inwardly and rearwardly into said working area; each said arm rotatably supporting at an outer end a generally circilar plate, wherein engagement of a plate with the fruit tree or vine causes it to pivot outwardly to allow said tree or vine to pass therethrough, wherein the plates overlap each other when in a biased position so that the edge of an overlapping plate supported by one of the rails is adjacent the centres of adjoining overlapped plates supported by the other rail so that when pivoted outwardly from the biased position due to an off-axis vine located anywhere in said working area the plates remain in a generally overlapping arrangement to prevent most of the fruit harvested from falling between the plates.

AMENDED SNEET I FE 'AV- PCT/AU01/0079 1 3A Received 08 November 2002 It is to be understood that whereas reference throughout the specification has been made in relation to the harvesting of grapes, the present invention may equally well be used to harvest other types of fruit. The collection system would then simply straddle fruit trees or other bushes rather than vines. It would be obvious to the person skilled in the art that the dimensions of the various parts may need to be changed. However the general concept of how the collection system works would remain the same with generally circular collection plates that are pivotably mounted on biased arms and where in some circumstance the plates may be rotatably driven.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several implementations of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the advantages and principles of the invention. In the drawings, Figurel is a perspective view of a currently known grape harvesting wing closure system; Figure 2 is a top view of the existing grape harvesting system prior to a vine entering the working area; Figure 3 is a collection system of FIGS. 1 and 2 when the vine of a fruit being picked is substantially within the working area; Figure 4 is a perspective view of a collection system according to the present invention; Figure 5 is a perspective view of the present invention shown when used to collect grapes; AMENDED SHEET IPENAU WO 02/01936 PCT/AU01/00791 Figures 6a-d are top views of a fruit collection system according to the present invention through a vine passing through said collection system in four snapshots; Figure 7 is a top view showing the arrangement of the arms and supporting systems of the collection system according to the present invention; Figure 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of the collection system as per the present invention; Figure 9 is a partial perspective view of a single arm and single plate according to the present invention; Figure 10 is a partial perspective view of a plate of the present application that is mechanically rotated; Figure 11 is a partial perspective view illustrating belt-driven rotation of the plates; Figure 12 is a partial perspective view illustrating the flexible drive rotation of the plates; and Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view of a plate illustrating the outer lip.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings.

Although the description includes exemplary embodiments, other embodiments are possible, and changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and the following description to refer to the same and like parts. In the following description it is to be understood that reference to discs or to plates refers to the same part.

In general, mechanical grape harvesters include beaters that shake the fruit form vines. The shaken fruit is collected on a collection system and conveyed, generally using buckets, to a storage area. As shown in Figures 1 to 3 currently known grape collection systems used in such mechanical harvesters include a pair of generally parallel mounting rails 12 spaced at a distance sufficiently apart that a row of vines can pass therein-between. Wings 14 are pivotally attached at pivot point 16 to the mounting rails in a staggered arrangement so that adjacent wings partially overlap on top of each other. The wings are also rotationally biased so that they extend inwardly into the area defined in between the mounting rails at an angle so that in the biased state the tips of the wings from one mounting rail overlap those extending from the other. In their resting configuration, the net effect is that the wings provide WO 02/01936 PCT/AU01/00791 a closed surface area. Support rails 18 located inwardly from the mounting rail provide for additional support for the wings. The wings also extend somewhat upwardly to ensure that any collected fruit moves under gravity down the wings to be collected into buckets or the like.

When used in a grape harvester, the wings extend in the rearward direction. Thus as seen in Figures 2 and 3 when the harvester moves in direction 20 and encounters vine 22, the wings that contact the vine swing progressively rearwardly until the outer edges of the wings in contact with the vine have been sufficiently pivoted to enable a vine to pass through the system. This is quite an effective system but problems do arise especially when the vines in a row are not linearly aligned with each other. As can be seen in Figure 3 if the vine 22 is not centrally located between the mounting rails, as the wings pivot rearwardly, a gap 24 results and through which shaken fruit may fall. This is a loss, which it is obvious to wish to minimise or even reduce.

According to the present invention and as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5, the collection system 10 includes a pair of generally parallel mounting rails 12 to which are pivotally mounted in a staggered arrangement a plurality of biased arms 26. The inner ends of the arms are pivotally attached to the mounting rail, with the arm's outer ends extending inwardly and rearwardly into the space defined between said rails. Mounted on the outer end of the arms are generally circular plates 28.

The length of the arms and the size of the plates are dependant on the spacing between the mounting rails. They are chosen so that when the arms are in their biased position, the plates overlap the mounting rails and each other so as to provide a complete cover over the space between the rails. So as to provide additional support for the plates, a support member 30 extends on the outer side of each rail. In fact, the overlap is much greater in that a plate will cover a substantial surface of the adjacent plate with the outer edge 32 of one plate extending nearly towards the centre 34 of the adjacent plate. The plates also extend somewhat upwardly to provide a sufficient slope for the fruit to move downwards. The person skilled in the art will be able to determine the ideal geometry of the plates and the spacing between the rails. Typically the plates are of the order of 40 to 60 centimetres in diameter, whilst the spacing between the mounting rails is the same as the spacing in harvesters using conventional collection winged type systems.

As fruit 36 is being harvested, the movement of the vine 22 through the collection system causes the plates to be pivoted rearwardly and outwardly allowing enough space for the vine WO 02/01936 PCT/AU01/00791 to pass through. Since the plates overlap to a significant degree and due to their circular construction even where the vine is not central to the space between the mounting rails, only a small gap appears in the surface defined by the plates thereby ensuring that most fruit that is being harvested falls onto the plates to be thereafter collected by conventional means.

Thus, the fruit lands on the plates and moves towards conveyor buckets 38 that transport the fruit to a collection bin (not shown).

To minimise any damage to the trunks of the vines, and to further assist in the collection of the fallen fruit, the plates are rotatable around their central axis. This feature means that the plates do not have to be sloped in an upward direction for the fruit to move or fall towards the buckets. The fact that the plates are rotatable means that even if the plates were substantially horizontal the rotation results in the fruit to be rotated towards the buckets. The rotation of the plates not only ensures that fruit that has landed on any part of the plates is ultimately fed into the buckets it also ensures that as a vine 22 contacts edge 32 of a plate, the plate rotates over it, rather than dragging across it and potentially damaging the vine.

This is an important preferred feature for some vines are quite old, even hundreds of years, and damage during mechanical harvesting is one reason why some people still prefer laborious and expensive hand harvesting. As the plates rotate further the fruit is eventually deposited into buckets 38.

The passage of the collection system around one vine is shown in step like format in Figures 6(a) to I is to be understood that in use, more than one vine would be passing through the collection system at any one time, that is, the length of the collection system is greater than the space between adjacent vines. Thus the person skilled in the art will appreciate that the present arrangement of the plates and their circular construction ensures that even if an off-centred vine 20 passes through the collection systems as it is being moved in a direction 40, any gap 24 is minimised and thus the amount of fruit that is being lost is reduced. Figure 6(a) shows a vine as it is about to enter the collection system. As it is off-axis, it pivotably pushes the first circular plate 42 outwardly in direction or arc 44. As it passes further through the system (Figure 6(b) and the vine progressively pushes other plates out of the way, for example, the second plate 46 in an arc 48 followed by third plate 50 also in arc 44.

One can appreciate that the plates are arranged in a staggered arrangement, that is, the next plate in line of the system is supported from the alternate mounting rail.

When the vine has passed a plate (that is, the collection system has moved forward), the plate moves back inwardly to close any gap, such as the first plate 42 moving inwardly in WO 02/01936 PCT/AU01/00791 direction 52. This is in clear contrast to the wing collection system whereby when the wing plates encounter an off-axis vine, a large gap is caused to occur. A further advantage of the present system is that since the plates are rotatably mounted on arms that are pivotally mounted on the rails, the relative height and slope of the plates to the rails does not have to be as significant as the wing closure system thereby enabling the present invention to be used on fruits which extend much lower, that is, closer to the ground.

The present invention thus provides for a number of circular plates whose dimension and size are such that in a non-harvesting operation the plates substantially overlap with each other. For the purposes of making the system fit existing harvesting systems, it is generally preferable to make the very first plate 42 of a generally smaller size so as to ensure that it does not protrude beyond the longitudinal direction of the mounting rails.

A further advantage of the present invention is that as the plates rotate and pivot with respect to the mounting rails, the bottom surface of the preceding plate slides across the top surface of the next plate and thereby causes any collected fruit to be further urged towards the collecting buckets 32. Obviously, geometrically one can see that there will be a central portion of each plate that will not be engaged by the preceding plate and for that reason, a conical attachment 54 may be positioned in the area so that any fruit which falls on the centre of each plate is caused to fall away from the centre.

A more detailed arrangement of the plates is illustrated in Figure. The biasing of the arms may be achieved by a spring 56. In the resting or biased position, the area in between the rails is substantially covered by overlapping plates. It is also to be understood that the tension in the spring 56 may be adjustable, as well as the rotational force required to rotate the plates and length of the arms and the size of the plates. Obviously particular applications may require particular geometric configurations. Thus, some vine rows may require that the space in between the mounting rails be far greater than currently illustrated. It is to be understood that all of these are adjustable, that is the tensioning of the spring, as well as the force necessary to rotate the plates with respect to the arms.

To further assist in grape harvesting the plates may also be tiltable with respect to the horizontal plane. This may be useful in a situation where one may not wish the plates to rotate and the fruit collected to simply fall under gravity. One preferred embodiment of operation, as illustrated in Figure 8, is for the plates to tilt backwardly to assist in the collection of the harvested fruit, thereby resulting in any of the grapes being gravitationally acted upon and so as to bias them towards the collection bins.

WO 02/01936 PCT/AU01/00791 As illustrated in Figure 9, the plates are fixed to the arms by the use of conventional mechanical means including nut 58, washer 60 on top of a plate, and washer 62 and O-ring 64 underneath the plate that engage projection 66 passing through and aperture 67 in plate 28 and extending from the arm 26. The inner end of the arm, that is the end that is adjacent the mounting rail, includes a projection 68 that engages the mounting rail via an aperture in support 72 and a rod 74 that engages spring 56 through block 76 so as to bias the plate, the arm held in place by the use of various nuts and washers 78.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that in this configuration as the arm 26 if forced to rotates around the pivot point, the rod acts against the spring so that when the rotatable force is removed, the arm moves back into its biased position.

When a vine passes through the collection, and the plate and thus the arm is caused to pivot the block 76 ensures that the inner end of the arm to which the plate is attached does not directly abut against the mounting rail but leaves a small gap thereby preventing any damage.

The plates may be rotatable using different drives. Some of these may include and external belt or chain drive, an internal belt or chain drive, direction friction to the discs, the use of flexible drives or using a main worm shaft driving wheel and right angle gear boxes. Figures to 12 illustrate some of these alternate ways in which the plates may be rotatably driven.

In Figure 10 there is illustrated the use of a hydraulic motor contained within the outer end of the arm 26 that is provided hydraulic fluid via tubes Alternatively and as illustrated in Figure 11, the mechanical rotation of the plates may be achieved as a result of a series of belts and pulleys. Thus belt 82 rotates shaft 84 to which is attached pulley 86 that drives a second belt 88 that drives a shaft 90 via pulley 92, plate 28 fixedly attached to said shaft. Shaft 84 includes a further pulley 94 that drives belt 96 that drives shaft 84 of an adjoining plate and so on.

One of the difficulties of the hydraulic motor is the expense of fitting it to each and every plate. As to the use of belts, one difficulty that may be encounters in harvesting some fruits like grapes is that the juice will quickly and easily flow to the belts making it harder for any rotation motion and potentially causing slippage etc.

An alternate embodiment as shown in Figure 12 is to drive the plates using a flexible drive with a 90 degree end. Thus a flexible drive 98 is used to drive individual drives 100 through WO 02/01936 PCT/AU01/00791 gear boxes 102, the ends of the drives 100 powering the plates through right angled end 104.

In cases where there is expected to be a lot of juice or moisture, it may be desirable to limit the frictional contact between the plates. Accordingly, as illustrated in Figures 13 and 14 the plates 26 may be fitted with an underside lip 106 of a sufficient height to ensure that the plates are only in contact through the lip. A typical size or height of the lip may be some mm and which would minimise cohesion between the plates.

Further, the outer edge of the plates may include a softer material that would assist in minimising any damage to the vines.

In summary, one can see that the present invention teaches a collection system that overcomes the problems of maximising falling fruit during harvesting. The collection system allows harvesting of grapes low to the ground (about 200 mm height). It minimises fruit losses, and negates the need for exact aligning of the collection system with the vine trunks and the trellis that may not always be aligned. It also enables one to vary the transfer belt speed to match the crop yield.

A typical collection system includes some 15 plates mounted on individual central bearings, which allow free rotation of the discs about their centre. Each plate is some 550 mm diameter. Further preferred embodiments include tilting the plates and mechanically driving them to increase the efficiency of the harvesting. Each disc and bearing is mounted on a spring loaded arm. Closure of the discs around a trunk or post is achieved through the geometry of the arms in relation to the discs.

The plates may be driven at a speed such that there is no relative speed difference between the outer edge of the disc and the trunk or trellis post.

The overall height of the collection system is around 160 mm. The height is made up of the base frame (pivot mount and return spring) being some 50 mm, the pivoting arm some mm, the rotating disc and clearance some 15 mm and the angling of the top disc to overlap with lower discs some 45 mm.

The current design allows the large lateral travel of the discs with the arms rotating over the supporting frame.

WO 02/01936 PCT/AU01/00791 The discs may be manufactured from High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). This material has a low coefficient, high impact resistance, high surface release properties and is suitable for contact with food products. A polypropylene material may be considered to gain a higher resistance to scratching. This material is also thermo formable that would allow for changing of the disc to form a lip around the underside of the outer edge as discussed above. The discs are typically some 12 mm in thickness.

The discs are mounted on cantilevers bearings fitted into the arms. Since some of the bearings may seize, the bearings may be the self-lubricating type or they may be moved out of the juice environment. One alternate method is to include the bearings into the disc and the top hat centre arrangement.

Self-driven discs are obviously a preferred feature since the discs would then not rub against the vine. To increase the torque provided by the vine trunk to the disc, the spring pressure may be increased in conjunction with an increase in the surface are of the disc in contrast to the trunk. A further improvement is to use a softer deforming material around the outer perimeter of the disc. Ideally the outer perimeter would be about a 50 mm wide compressible layer around the extremity. A suitable solution would be to use an extruded Santoprene bag (section) that was'welded to the polypropylene disc. Santoprene is a plastic with properties similar to rubber for flexibility.

Further advantages and improvements may very well be made to the present invention without deviating from its scope.

For example the underside of each plat may have a spiral configuration to aid in moving the fruit away from the plates or discs.

Similarly, only some of the plates may need to be mechanically rotatably driven. Thus one skilled in the art may appreciate that only those plates that are expected to collect the bulk of the fruit may need to be rotated as the other plates will rotate only due to the frictional engagement of the plates and the vine trunks.

The plates may also be made to be of a more domed shaped configuration rather than being relatively flat.

Although the invention has been shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope and spirit of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed WO 02/01936 PCT/AU01100791 herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus.

Claims (18)

1. A grape harvesting collection system for use with harvesters of the type that straddle a longitudinal row of vines wherein at least some of the vines are off- axis to the longitudinal axis of said row, said harvester including two generally parallel mounting rails defining a working area there between; a plurality of arms having an inner and an outer end pivotably attached at said inner end to the mounting rails in a staggered arrangement and biased so as to extend inwardly and rearwardly into said working area; each said arm supporting at an outer end a generally circular disc, adjacent discs substantially overlapping each other when in the biased position; wherein engagement of a disc with the fruit tree or vine causes it to pivot outwardly to allow said tree or vine to pass therethrough, the discs overlapping each other when in a biased position so that the edge of an overlapping disc supported by one of the rails is adjacent the centres of adjoining overlapped discs supported by the other rail so that when pivoted outwardly from the biased position due to an off-axis vine located anywhere in said working area the discs remain in a generally overlapping arrangement to prevent most of the fruit harvested from falling between the discs.

2. A grape harvesting system as in claim 1 wherein at least some of said discs are of a diameter slightly smaller than the length of the arm.

3. A grape harvesting collection system as in any one of the above claims wherein said disc are rotatably mounted on said arm and whereby contact of the outer edge of said disc with said vine causes the disc to frictionally engage said vine and to rotate as the collection system moves relative to said vine.

4. A grape harvesting collection system as in any one of the above claims wherein each said disc is rotatably attached to its respective arm at its geometric centre.

A grape harvesting collection system as in any one of the above claims wherein said discs are angularly inclined to the longitudinal direction of said rails.

6. A grape harvesting collection system as in any one of the above claims wherein said discs are tilted at a horizontal angle of some 20 degrees to the mounting rail. AMiDiED SHEET IPE4/AU PCT/AU01/00791 Received 08 November 2002 13

7. A grape harvesting collection system as in any one of the above claims wherein said discs are of a diameter at least equal to the distance between said mounting rails.

8. A grape harvesting collection system as in any one of the above claims wherein each disc includes a softer outer edge perimeter.

9. A grape harvesting collection system as in any one claims 2 to 8 wherein at least some of said discs are rotatably driven.

A grape harvesting collection system as claim 9 wherein said discs.are rotatably driven by the use of a hydraulic motor.

11. A grape harvesting collection system as in claim 9 wherein said discs are rotatably driven by the use of a flexible gear drive.

12. A grape harvesting collection system as in any one of the above claims wherein each said disc includes a conical member at the centre of its upper surface.

13. A grape harvesting collection system as in any one of the above claims wherein said arms are biased by a spring arrangement.

14. A grape harvesting collection system as in any one of the above claims wherein said discs are composed of a high density polyethylene material.

A grape harvesting collection system as in any one of the above claims wherein said discs are some 12 mm in thickness.

16. A grape harvesting collection system as in any one of the above claims wherein each said disc includes a peripheral downwardly extending skirt at its outer edge,

17. A grape harvesting collection system as in any claim 16 wherein said skirt is some 5 mm in thickness.

18. A fruit or grape harvesting collection system for use with harvesters of the type that straddle a longitudinal row of fruit trees or vines wherein at least some of said trees or vines are off-axis to the longitudinal axis of said row, said harvester including two generally parallel mounting rails defining a working area there between; AMENDED SHEET (P S W t- A,«M f /T*V PCT/AUT01/00791 13A Received 08 November 2002 a plurality of arms pivotably attached at an inner end to the mounting rails in a staggered arrangement and biased so as to extend inwardly and rearwardly into said working area; each said arm rotatably supporting at an outer end a generally circular plate, wherein engagement of a plate with the fruit tree or vine causes it to pivot outwardly to allow said tree or vine to pass therethrough, wherein the plates overlap each other when in a biased position so that the edge of an overlapping plate supported by one of the rails is adjacent the centres of adjoining overlapped plates supported by the other rail so that when pivoted outwardly from the biased position due to an off-axis vine located anywhere in said working area the plates remain in a generally overlapping arrangement to prevent most of the fruit harvested from falling between the plates. Dated this 8th day of November 2002 Scott Lance Degenhardt and Karl Schmidt By their Patent Attorneys LESICAR PERRIN sne-