BE1027410A1 - DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PICKING TEXTILE HEMP - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for plucking textile hemp, the method comprising mowing the hemp and wherein the cut stems are held between crossed conveyor belts and then rotated 90 ° from vertical to horizontal, taken over one or more times by other belts , to be deposited in parallel swaths on the field.

Description

; BE2019 / 5685

DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PICKING TEXTILE HEMP

TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to an Apparatus and method for picking textiles,

STATE OF THE ART Hemp is a plant that is grown for fiber yield. Fibers are extracted from the stems. However, the seeds can also be used for industrial applications. Traditional harvesting techniques in which hemp is cut and bundled into separate sheaves are very labor-intensive.In addition, it is just as well that hemp plants can grow to great lengths, Lengths of two, up to four meters and longer are no exception, Hemp bundled into long sheaves is unmanageable , The sheaves risk breaking / folding, with the result that they cannot be processed at a later stage.

26 Hemp is therefore usually cut from its trunk and subsequently chopped, The chopped material is placed in swaths for further drying and rotting, The dried swaths are then picked up by machine and further processed, These methods are very efficient and not very intensive, An important disadvantage, however , is that the fibers are greatly shortened to only a few centimeters. Another possible disadvantage is the loss of seeds. More advanced techniques and machines for net harvesting of textile hemp are known in the art: EP D 941 6495, for example, describes the mowing of upright hemp, Different plant parts (e.g. the leaf-free bottom posts, the top posts with leaves, and the tops with seeds) are kept separate, These plant parts are crushed separately into a disorderly swath, An advantage is that such swaths are slightly lighter The drying is therefore slightly better. DE 100 42 967 describes a similar method in which the hemp is mowed using sets of two cutting discs each, at different heights,

BE2019 / 5685 Furthermore, WO 2001 039 590 describes a further machine for harvesting hemp. The hemp is cut upright via cutting knives at the front, The cut hemp is clamped and carried away according to the direction of travel. This is how the hemp ends up on a transverse needle conveyor. This cuts the hemp in a transverse direction along two circular saws. The hemp is therefore sawn into three pieces. Lower log parts and upper log parts are rotated via slides and placed transversely to the direction of travel. Tops are transported via a conveyor belt. For example, they are poured on top of the stored log parts for better drying.

As a disadvantage, the known techniques and machines do not sufficiently meet the above problems. Often they are also very complex, making them subject to machine failure.

In order to make it possible to obtain long fiber (> 500 mm) in the later processing process, it is necessary to adjust the harvesting method. Currently, hemp is harvested with either a chopper, so that the stems are shortened and randomly oriented. field, either with a mowing machine, but still insufficiently paralleled for mechanical and automated further processing. Apart from the above, machines are also known for harvesting fiber vias. DE 197 44 988, for example, describes: a machine in which the vias is pulled, rotated through 90 °, and then deposited back into a swath. EP 3 272 202 also discloses a self-propelled machine for the harvesting of fiber vias. Fiber flax is usually drawn, for a maximum yield of fiber-containing material. Namely, the fiber flax extends into the root parts. Furthermore, required flax is a fairly short crop, with a maximum length of im to im20.

The object of the invention is an improved method and / or device for harvesting textile hemp. An attempt is made to solve one or more of the above problems. In particular, a maximum performance is sought, with a maximum quality (5.8. Length) of the fibers obtained.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a method according to claim 1, and an Apparatus according to claim 14, for harvesting textile hemp. An important advantage is that the hemp is cut from stem, optionally at different heights, and that the stem parts become parallel. laid down in an ordered swath. This is advantageous for drying, rotation, and further processing, 19 Preferably, the hemp is mown in vertical position {claim 43 and approximately simultaneously {concession 5} at different levels. Optionally, the hemp is ground by means of several, horizontal grinding bars at corresponding cutting heights. Optionally, there are double knife bars.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES Figure 1 shows a possible embodiment of a device according to the present invention, Figures 2A-B illustrate, schematically, the grinding of hemp and the laying down of two windrows, according to two possible embodiments, Figure 3 shows a top view of a mechanism with crossed conveyor belts for parallel gripping and holding of the ground stem parts,

DETAILED DESCRIPTION The invention relates to an apparatus and method for harvesting textile hemp.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used In the description of the invention, including technical and scientific terms, have the meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art In the technical field of the invention, For a better assessment of the description of the invention , the following terms are explicitly explained, “A”, the ”and“ the ”in this document refer to both the singular and the plural unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. For example, “one segment” means sen or more than one segment,

° BE2019 / 5685 The terms “comprise”, “comprising”, “consisting of”, “consisting of”, “provided with”, “giving birth”, “containing”, “comprising”, “comprising”, “Containing”, " implying ”are synonyms and are inclusive or open terms that indicate the presence of what follows, and that do not exclude or prevent the presence of other components, features, elements, members, steps, known from or described in the art. “Swath” can refer to a strip of crops that is returned to the harvesting stage (eg, in the field) when harvested. Crops are, for example, placed in swaths to allow the crops to dry and / or rotting. In a first aspect, the invention a method for harvesting textile hemp, which method comprises mowing the hemp, wherein cut hemp stems are rotated approximately 90 ° from vertical to horizontal, and wherein the hemp stems are laid down substantially transversely and parallel to each other in at least one swing d, BH Preferably, it is a swath with cut / mowed, parallelized hemp stems, An important advantage of the transverse arrangement in swaths Is that natural processes such as drying and rotating take place very efficiently, “Roting” also means that part of the pectin is broken down in the stems, and that the actual fibers can be separated for some of the lignified parts, This is also advantageous for further operations such as turning and picking up the windrows, These operations can now be partly carried out smoothly as with flax ( wells ware with the necessary adjustments to the machines).

An important difference, however, is that flax is traditionally not cut from slam, but rather is pulled, This way, the fibers can also be recovered that run through to the root segments, Flax is also a much shorter crop, Typically swaths of long hemp stems would therefore be difficult to handle especially when using traditional flax machines (for turning, picking up). Because vias are “pulled”, the beak of a flax harvesting machine is usually very heavy. The belts must, among other things, be able to pull the flax out of the ground. Any belts mentioned below for the transport of cut hemp stems are preferably more lightly developed. Rather, it concerns guide belts, LD.v. pull straps,

° BE2019 / 5685 Hemp can grow very high. At the same time, the swath should preferably be narrow enough so that it can be easily turned and picked up. Long stems in wide swaths run the risk of becoming knotted and crumpled. As a result, the quality decreases. Most preferably, the swaths have an individual width that amounts to a maximum of approximately 1m to 1m20. This makes it possible to turn the swaths and / or pick them up with machines, comparable to the machines that are already used at the harvest of flax, The further processing into a hemp fiber can then also be carried out with largely similar machines, which is an enormous advantage, In a further or alternative embodiment, the mowing takes place at one or more levels, In a further or alternative embodiment, the mowed hemp on at least two levels, to form lower and upper stem parts. This leads to shorter stem parts that are more manageable.According to a non-limitative embodiment, at least two grinding bars are provided for this, at two cutting heights, and optionally also a further cutter bar for topping (see below), B preferably, the different grinding heights can be set individually .

In a further or alternative embodiment, the hemp is mown in a vertical position, at the said levels. In a further or alternative embodiment, the hemp is ground approximately simultaneously at said levels. It is therefore a simple and high-performance technique. can also be made compact. In a further or alternative embodiment, the upper stem parts are optionally stripped of corresponding plant tops. It is possible to collect the plant tops separately. The upper stem parts may or may not also include the plant tops. These plant tops are rich in CBD, so it is advantageous that they can be processed separately for medical and paramedical applications, As stated above, an additional cutter bar is optionally provided for this, Optionally one or more cutter bars are available at the top to remove the tops from the hemp to be cut so that the top stem parts are even in length. At the bottom of the device, at least two cutter bars are present to cut the hemp in two lengths.

Incidentally, the mowing can take place just before the engagement of the stem parts between the belts, approximately simultaneously, or just after. The invention is not intended for this purpose.

° BE2019 / 5685 limited. The mowing can be done, for example, via a double knife bar, or via one or more rotary knives. The invention is not limited to any of these, in a further or alternative embodiment the lower and upper stem parts have essentially the same length. Preferably, therefore, there are no shorter and longer stalk parts, Stem parts within one swath therefore have approximately the same width, i.e., it is not the nature of the plant parts (eg, leaf-free lower stiles on the one hand and upper stems with leaves on the other) that determines where the hemp is cut, as in EP O0 941 649, Vesleer, it concerns a largely uniform, and maximized length of the stems within a swath and between the swaths themselves {regardless of how the swaths are formed}. A uniform length facilitates further operations such as turning, picking up and subsequent processing into fibers. It is also important that this uniform length is as long as possible for maximum fiber length. However, the stem parts should not be too long, so that they are still manageable. These considerations are taken into account when determining whether hemp stems are cut into one, two, or more (e.g., three, four, five) stem segments. Preferably, ensure that the maximum length of the stem segments is approximately 80 cm to 140 cm. is, most preferably, 100 cm to 120 cm.

If mowing is done at more than two levels, for example at three levels, it is preferred that all stem segments (lower, upper, intermediate) have substantially the same length.

In a further or alternative embodiment, the lower and upper stem parts are laid per working pass in one or more adjacent swaths. For example, in at least two adjacent swaths.

In a further or alternative embodiment, the lower stem parts are placed in a first swath, in which the upper stem parts are placed in an adjacent swath. In general, the vertical stems can be divided into two or more stem parts, which are combined per level in a swath and which can be the same number of swaths are put back down. In a further or alternative embodiment, the stem parts {eg. the bottom and the top stem parts) of a first sub-strip laid down in a first swath, the stem parts of an adjacent des-strip being laid down in an adjacent swath. A “working pass” must be understood as the total strip that is mowed and deposited in swaths at each pass of the device / machine. This strip is divided into different sub-strips. Reference is made to the non-limiting embodiment of FIG. SA.

In a further or alternative embodiment, the lower and upper stem parts are combined per working pass to form at least two-layer swath. In a further or alternative embodiment, the said stem parts have a length that is less than 1m50, preferably less than 1m40, more preferably less than im30, more preferably smaller than 1m20, 19 In a further or alternative embodiment, the stem parts are held at each level between crossed conveyor belts and / or conveyor chains to be subsequently rotated 90 ° from vertical to horizontal, the stem parts optionally being then or several times are taken over by other tires, belts and / or chains, and are laid out in parallel swaths on the field, Preferably, it involves a net rotation of approximately 90 °, The stalk parts laid down are mainly transverse to the direction of travel, The method according to the first aspect can in summary include the following steps! - Hemp is cut in one or more layers (such as two layers), the stems are held between crossed conveyor belts to rotate 90 ° from vertical to horizontal, optionally taken over by other belts one or more times, and to be laid in parallel swaths on the field, - The machine (for carrying out the method) can be either a self-propelled or a towed or a mounted machine.

- An extra cutter bar can optionally be used to cut off the tops of long hemp, These can fall freely or be collected and transported away, - It is not necessary but desirable that all cutter bars are height adjustable, in order to adjust the cutting height but also the cutting height. length of the cut hens can be adjusted as desired, BH are preferred and or several cutter bars are adjustable in height, However, this is not necessarily the case, - Width of the machine can be designed for one or more swath widths, whereby the concept of the machine can be chosen to form one swath from one horizontal layer of the row width, but also to form a swath from both layers of a shared row width,

© BE2019 / 5685 The machine can further contain additional functions, such as collecting flowers, seeds or leaves, picking stems (to make rotting easier), sliding tables to adjust the swath position, ... In a second aspect the invention relates to a device for harvesting textile hens, the Device comprising: - at least one horizontal mowing means, configured to cut hemp at a predetermined height, and - crossed conveyor belts and / or conveyor chains to clamp and rotate cut hemp stems in parallel, from vertical to horizontal, which Device is further adapted to deposit the hemp stems substantially transversely and mutually parallel in at least one swath, Optionally, the device is specially adapted to carry out the method according to the first aspect of the invention. advantages can thus be retaken. A suitable mowing material is, for example, a dubb However, the invention is not limited thereto. In a further or alternative embodiment, the Device further comprises at least two horizontal mowing means arranged substantially one above the other, and further bands, belts and / or chains for transversing the cut stalk stems. turning, to form a swath, The advantage of the invention is that the device and method comprises both cutting elements (grasses, grains, ...}, and harvesting flax. In parallel swaths, The combination of cutting (flax is pulled out ) and conveyor belts to clamp and thus keep the stems parallel (which is done with flax) Is new and unknown In the state of the art, The application is also completely new for hemp, Combining with on the field at harvesting to cut immediately is not known either.

As with flax, when harvesting, the stems should be windrowed with parallel stems,

° BE2019 / 5685 In this way it can be turned on the field afterwards to optimize the rotation process and be rolled up in parallel to be debossed later in a scutching machine (scraping of fibers and wooden fraction).

The hemp plant grows to more than 2 m high, so it is recommended to cut the stems in half during harvesting (max, * 1200 mm} to allow scutching according to current working methods. Apart from the above, the The invention will be further described on the basis of the following, non-limiting embodiments:

A method of harvesting textile hemp, the method comprising mowing the hemp and wherein the cut stems are optionally held between crossed conveyor belts to then rotate 90 ° from vertical from horizontal, optionally taken over one or more times by other belts , and laid out in parallel swaths on the field,

2. Method according to embodiment 1, in which the mowing takes place on one or more levels,

3. Method according to embodiment 2, wherein at each level the stems are held between crossed conveyor belts to then rotate 90 ° from vertical to horizontal, taken over one or more times by other belts, and laid out in parallel swaths on the field.

4, An apparatus for picking textile hemp comprising crossed conveyor belts for clamping hemp in parallel and optionally one or more grinding beams. Optionally, the embodiments given herein may be further used in combination with one or more of the further or alternative features, as listed throughout description above, In what follows, the invention is described ad, hv, non-limiting figures illustrating the invention, and which are not intended or may be construed to imitate the scope of the invention,

FISURE DESCRIPTION Figure 1 shows a schematic side view of a device 1 for harvesting textile hemp 8. The device minstens comprises at least two horizontal cutter bars 8, for cutting the hemp 9 at two corresponding cutting heights 14, The hemp 8 is cut upright, approximately simultaneously on both levels 24, Lower stem parts 11 and upper stem parts 12 are obtained. A hemp stubble 28 remains on the field. Optionally, the top stem parts 12 are capped, by means! of a further cutter bar 8 "at top height 18. This allows to process any plant tops £ 3 of the hemp $ separately.

Furthermore, the device is also provided per level with crossed conveyor belts 2 to grip and clamp the cut hemp stems 11, 12 (or stem parts 11, 12 - depending on the number of levels) in parallel, and to clamp them from vertical to horizontal &. (= transverse to the figure}, Just d, mv, the said intersection 18, Conveyor belts and tables 7 will then be used to guide cut and cut hemp 9 to the bottom 3 and lay down in preferably parallel swaths 15 As mentioned, one or more cutter bars 8 ° are optionally present at the top to cut off the tops 13 of the hemp ©, so that the top row would be uniform in length. In general, the lower stem parts 11 and the top stem parts 12 (al or not with plant top 13} preferably substantially the same length, At the bottom of the device there are at least two cutter bars & present to cut the hemp 9 in half lengthwise, As can be seen in the figure, the o The lower stem parts 11 and the upper stem parts 12 combine to form a two-layer swath 15. Per working pass {not shown} there may be several such swaths 15, mutually adjacent. Reference is made to figures 2A-B, The whole as shown in figure 1 can be Moreover, form part of a self-propelled or towed unit, on which additional functional elements can be located, Figures ZA-B illustrate, in a schematic manner, the grinding of hemp 9 and the laying down of two windrows 15, according to two possible embodiments.

The hemp $ is cut at two different cutting heights 14, to form lower and upper stem segments 11, 12. This is shown schematically in the front views, top Fig, 2A-B. Subsequently, the ground stem portions 12, 12 are separated in the manner described below. combined into swaths 25, 15 °. This is shown schematically in the top views at the bottom of Fig, 2A-B.

The stem parts 11, 14 extend horizontally & transversely in the swaths 15, 15 °. In Fig, ZA, the working passage 16 is divided into two adjacent sub-strips 17, 177, Lower and upper stem parts 11, 12 of the left sub-strip 17 are placed on top of each other, and thus combined into a left swath 15. Lower and upper stem parts 11, 12 of the right-hand sub-strip 17 ° are also placed on top of each other, and combined to form a right-hand swath 15 °. Optionally, this corresponds to the situation shown in fig. 1, Ringed swaths 15, fogging 15 ° Basically two layers.

In fig. 25, the upper stem parts 12 are combined per working pass 16 to form a left swath 15. The lower stem parts are combined per working pass 16 to form a right swath 15 ". Optionally, the Device 1 provides (sliding) tables for this purpose, which can adjust the position of a swath 15, 15 °. Both windrows 15, 25 ° are, in principle, one layer. Cutting long stems of hemp 9 In at least two stem parts 11, 12 has the important advantage that shorter, and therefore more manageable and / or scrollable lengths can be used, This is advantageous for drying and retting, 18 it is advantageous for further operations such as turning and / or picking up the swaths 15, 15 °. Optionally, the width of a working aisle 16 roughly corresponds to the added height of the lower and top stoneguides 11, 12, or the working aisle 18 is slightly wider.This gives sufficient space to lay the swaths 15, 15 ', Figure 3 shows. a top view of a possible mechanism with crossed conveyor belts 2 for parallel engagement and retention of the cut stem parts. The conveyor belts Z are shown on the left; on the right they have been omitted. The mechanism further provides a plurality of roll bodies 28 for guiding the belts &. At the front, the mowed stem parts are vertically engaged between a roller body 28 and a belt 2. Later, two such belts 2, 2 "are brought against each other. The stem parts are held clamped between them and transported further. Still further on, two pairs of such belts 2, 2 "are brought together. No entire sub-strip 17 of the working passage 18 is combined here. During this transport, the stem parts are mainly held vertically, and mutually parallel, Finally, the belts form another cross 18 (shown at the top), The hemp stems are rotated about 20 °, from vertical to horizontal, Preferably, there are mechanisms provided per level, to engage the cut stem parts per level and can be combined into swaths. The numbered elements in the figures are:

1. Furnishing

2. Conveyor belts / chains 3, Bottom

4. Stem part

5. Vertical

6. Horizontal

7. Conveyor belt or transport table

8. Cutter bar $. Hemp iQ, Hennanstoppel 11, Lower stem part 12, Top stem part 19 13, Plant top 14, Grinding height 15, 2wad 16, Working aisle 17, Deistrook 18, crossing 19, Conveyor belt

20. Roll body

Claims (1)

CONCLUSIONS li. A method of harvesting textile hemp (9), which method comprises grinding the hemp (9), wherein sewn hemp stems (11, 12) are rotated about 90 ° from vertical (5) to horizontal (6), and wherein the hemp stems (11, 12) are deposited substantially transversely and mutually parallel in at least one swath {15}, 2. Method according to claim 1, wherein the mowing takes place at one or more levels, 3. Method according to any one of claims 1-2, wherein the hemp is cut on at least two levels, to form the lower and upper stem elan, Method according to claim 3, wherein the hemp is mowed in a vertical position, at said levels, A method according to any one of claims 3-4, wherein the hemp is cut approximately simultaneously on both levels, A method according to any one of claims 3-5, wherein the top stem parts are optionally stripped of corresponding plant tips. 7. A method according to any one of claims 3-6, wherein the lower and upper stem parts have substantially the same length. 8. Method according to any one of claims 3-7, wherein the lower and upper stem parts are deposited per working pass in at least two adjacent swaths. 3. A method according to claim 8, wherein lower stalk parts are deposited in a first swath, and wherein top stalk parts are deposited in an adjacent swath. A method according to claim 8, wherein per pass the stalk guides of a first sub-strip are laid down in a first swath, and wherein the stem parts of an adjacent sub-strip are laid down in an adjacent swath. 11. A method according to any one of claims 3-10, wherein the lower and upper stem parts are combined per working pass to form an at least two-layer swath. Method according to any one of the preceding claims 3-11, wherein the stem parts mentioned have a length that is less than 1m50. 13. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at each level the stem parts are held between crossed conveyor belts and / or 18 conveyor chains. to then be rotated 90 ° from vertical to horizontal, whereby the stem parts are optionally taken over one or more times by other belts, belts and / or chains, and are placed in parallel swaths on the field. 14. An Apparatus {1} for harvesting textile hemp {9}, the Apparatus (5) comprising: - at least one horizontal mowing means (8) configured to mow hemp {3} at a predetermined height (14), and - crossed conveyor belts and / or conveyor chains (2) to clamp and rotate cut hemp stems (11, 12) in parallel, from vertical (5) to horizontal (6), which device (13 is further adapted to hold the hemp stems (11, 12) to be deposited mainly transversely and mutually parallel in at least one swath (15). Device according to claim 14, which device is configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-13,