Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01D—HARVESTING; MOWING
  • A01D46/00—Picking of fruits, vegetables, hops, or the like; Devices for shaking trees or shrubs
  • A01D46/26—Devices for shaking trees or shrubs; Fruit catching devices to be used therewith
  • A01D46/264—Devices for beating or vibrating the foliage; Fruit catching devices to be used therewith

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a shaking machine for pendulous fruit such as olives, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, coffee and the like.
• the shaking machine according to the present invention is intended for use in the industrial harvesting of pendulous fruit, in particular of olives, to which the following description specifically refers, without thereby limiting the scope of the invention.
• the industrial harvesting of olives is carried out by spreading sheets at the base of the plants or inserting mechanical umbrellas around the trunk and using shaking machines to detach the olives from the branches so that they fall, under the effect of gravity, onto the sheets or the umbrellas.
• trunk shaker machines two types are most commonly used: trunk shaker machines and so-called mechanical harvesters.
• Trunk shaker machines comprise a mechanical gripper which, connected and secured to the trunk of the plant by a mechanical arm, violently shakes the entire plant, including the roots, so that the oscillations induced on the branches cause the olives to fall.
• violently shaking the entire plant may result in harmful lesions to the lymphatic fibres of the trunk and the roots, particularly if the plant is old and/or if the ground is hard or full of stones.
• Mechanical harvesters comprise a shaker in the form of an oscillating brush (in this case the term oscillation referring to a periodic phenomenon which occurs with very low frequency and relatively high amplitude) , having a plurality of flexible radial teeth.
• the brush is supported by a mechanical arm and activated to perform an alternating angular rotation about its own axis by several dozen degrees .
• the brush is inserted between the foliage of the plants and its alternating rotation gives the teeth a "beating" motion which detaches not just the olives but also a large quantity of leaves and branches, as well as throwing many olives beyond the collection sheets.
• many olives are damaged as they are beaten by the teeth, which as indicated above have a relatively high oscillating amplitude.
• the aim of the present invention is to provide a shaking machine for pendulous fruit which is effective even in the case of small fruit, and which, at the same time, can handle the plants delicately.
• the present invention provides a shaking machine for pendulous fruit with the characteristics described in one or more of the claims herein.
• Figure 1 is a schematic view of a portion of a shaking machine made in accordance with the present invention
• Figure 2 is a section of a detail illustrated in Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a cross-section according to line III - III illustrated in Figure 2 ;
• Figure 4 is a cross-section according to line IV - IV illustrated in Figure 2;
• Figure 5 is a cross-section according to line V - V illustrated in Figure 2;
• Figures 6a - 6f are views of a detail illustrated in Figure 4 at respective moments of operation;
• Figure 7 is a view of a first alternative embodiment of the detail illustrated in Figure 2;
• Figures 8 and 9 are cross-sections corresponding to those of Figure 4 and, respectively, Figure 5, of a second alternative embodiment of the detail illustrated in Figure 2;
• Figures 10 and 11 are cross-sections corresponding to those of Figure 4 and, respectively, Figure 5, of a third alternative embodiment of the detail illustrated in Figure 2.
• the numeral 1 denotes as a whole a shaking machine for pendulous fruit such as olives, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, coffee and the like.
• the machine 1 comprises an articulated lifting unit 2, supported by an agricultural vehicle (not illustrated) , of the machine 1 at its first end 3 in such a way that it can rotate about a vertical axis 4.
• the articulated lifting unit 2 being of the known type and not forming the subject matter of the present invention, is not described in detail below.
• the articulated lifting unit 2 supports, with its second end 5 that can be angled, a shaker 6 in the form of a vibrating brush, designed to be inserted, angled and activated between the foliage of the fruit plants to comb them and make the fruit fall .
• the shaker 6 comprises a shaft 7 from which there extends a plurality of rods 8, having a predetermined rigidity and fineness ratio.
• the rods 8 are rigidly fixed to the shaft 7 or are made as a single piece with the shaft.
• the rods 8 are distributed symmetrically and evenly about the central longitudinal axis 9 of the shaft 7, in a plurality of rows which are equidistant along the shaft.
• the shaft 7 is rigidly fixed to the outside of an end wall 10 of a substantially cylindrical housing 11 whose central longitudinal axis 12 is aligned with the axis 9.
• Each shaft 14 supports an eccentric mass 16 in a substantially central position and a gear wheel 17 at one axial end.
• the two eccentric masses 16 are identical and are symmetrically arranged and angled relative to the axis 12.
• the two wheels 17, also identical, are connected to a gear wheel 18 supported by an intermediate portion of the shaft 13.
• the shaft 13 projects from an opening in the housing 11 on the opposite side to that of the shaft 7 and is supported, with the insertion of bearings between them, by a cylindrical tubular body 19 , in turn rigidly supported by the above-mentioned end 5 of the articulated lifting unit 2 and supporting a motor 20, preferably hydraulic, which drives the shaft 13.
• the body 19 rigidly supports a flange 21, which is connected to the housing 11 by a clutch 22.
• the clutch 22 is calibrated to prevent the housing 11 and the shaft 7 from being rotated by the shaft 13, and to allow the housing 11 and the shaft 7 to rotate about the respective axes 12 and 9, both clockwise and anti-clockwise, when the rods 8 are subjected to stresses by the resistance of the foliage and/or branches.
• the eccentric masses 16 are synchronised and kept synchronised with one another by the gearing consisting of the gear wheels 17 and 18 so that their rotation about the respective axes 15 creates a torque with a sinusoidal trend on the housing 11.
• the components Ft are null in the configurations in Figures 6a, 6c and 6e, whilst the components Fr are null in the configurations in Figures 6b and 6d.
• the vibration of the rods 8 will cause the foliage and/or the branches with which they make contact to vibrate directly, making the fruit fall.
• the vibration produced in the foliage preferably high frequency (in this case the term vibration referring to a periodic phenomenon which occurs with a very high frequency and relatively small amplitude) , also detaches fruit which is small and difficult to detach due to the strength of the stalk, as is the case with olives, particularly the Caninese and Moraiolo types.
• the free end of the rods 8 which are relatively rigid and integral with the shaft 7, performs a vibrating angular oscillation of several degrees, whilst the shaft 7 rotates idly about its own axis 9.
• the vibration in the foliage is induced in situ, that is to say, from the outside without affecting the load- bearing branches and the trunk.
• the branches are not subjected to bending stresses, since the shaft 7 rolls around them until it meets resistance in the innermost and larger branches which stop it.
• the unit consisting of the assembly comprising the housing 11, the shaft 7 and the rods 8 may be rotated either clockwise or anti-clockwise by a motor 23 controlled by the operator, remaining clutch-controlled so that it stops on the less flexible branches .
• the eccentric masses 16 are identical and are symmetrically arranged and angled relative to the axis 12 , and the gear wheels 17, also identical, are symmetrically connected to the above-mentioned gear wheel 18.
• the gear wheels 17, also identical are symmetrically connected to the above-mentioned gear wheel 18.
• eccentric masses 16 are identical and are symmetrically arranged and angled relative to the axis 12, and the gear wheels 17, also identical, are symmetrically connected to the above-mentioned gear wheel 18.
• the rotation and timing of the eccentric masses 16 is guaranteed by chains, toothed belts or other transmission means equivalent to the gearing described above.
• the gearing described above, the shaft 13 and the motor 20 are absent and the shafts 14 are driven by respective electric motors kept in phase electronically.
• vibration of the shaft 7 and the relative rods 8 may be produced, not mechanically with the vibrating housing 11, but with a vibrating electromagnetic or electropneumatic unit connected to the shaft 7.
• the two eccentric masses 16 symmetrically arranged and angled relative to the axis 12, may be substituted by three masses 16, identical to one another, and arranged at equidistant angles of 120° from one another about the axis 12.

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• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Environmental Sciences (AREA)
• Preparation Of Fruits And Vegetables (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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• 2005
  • 2005-03-31 IT ITBO20050207 patent/ITBO20050207A1/it unknown
  • 2005-05-09 WO PCT/IB2005/001407 patent/WO2006103492A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2005-05-09 AU AU2005329752A patent/AU2005329752A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2005-05-09 EP EP05740447A patent/EP1887850A1/de not_active Withdrawn

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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