FR2573611A1 - Automatic grape harvesting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The harvester has a sloping collecting surface (12) on one side of the plant row, with the fruit dropping into a collecting duct (10). The other side of the plant has a flexible slope (13) to guide the dropped fruit over onto the first collecting surface. The fruit is removed from the plants by a remote device knocking the stems. The harvester is towed behind a tractor and has guides to feed the plant row between the flexible lipped collecting surfaces.

Description

The present invention relates to harvesting machines, of the towed or carried type, and it relates, more particularly, to one of the constituent elements of such machines
To facilitate the harvest and reduce the staff and the duration of the vine harvesting operations, it has been recommended to use harvesting machines involving a threshing or shaking device causing the berries to detach.

The recovery of loose bays is carried out on collection plans directing these bays to lateral conveyors associated with recovery systems or elevators.

 Grape harvesting machines, of the towed or carried type, are generally adapted to the rear of a towing vehicle designed to travel between the rows of planes or vines, while the machine itself spans such a row.

 There are machines with a collection plan divided into two half-planes distributing the detached bays to two lateral conveyors. Such a technique is satisfactory but has the drawback of leading to an expensive structure in comparison with the harvesting machines of the towed type.

 There are also towed machines comprising only one collection plane which is inclined transversely towards a single lateral conveyor.

 Such a solution has a lower cost price than the previous solution and also allows, by the type of construction chosen, to confer greater qualities of transverse stability to the coupling to be driven, in particular on sloping ground. In fact, in such a case, it is usual to move the lateral conveyor of the inner carriage relative to the offset of the towing vehicle.

 If such a solution appears particularly satisfactory, the experiments which have been carried out have shown that it has a major drawback, if not prohibitive.

 To satisfy the requirement of constituting a collection plan inclined transversely, it is necessary to involve two half-planes, one being qualified as low associated with the conveyor, and the other being qualified as high in s' extending so as to partially cover the low half-plane. These two half-plans must, necessarily, open to allow passage to each vine stock encountered.

 The techniques for constructing such half-planes based on scales have the consequence of delimiting, on either side of each overlapped foot, openings corresponding to the displacement and erasure of the scales stressed by the foot. Thus, the detached bays and falling in the upper part of the high half-plane are biased in transverse sliding down towards the low half-plane and, for some of them, pass through the holes instead of being collected by the conveyor lateral.

 Tests carried out with such machines have shown that a significant proportion of loose berries are lost, with no possibility of recovery.

 This is the reason why harvesting machines of this type have not known actual continuous marketing.

 The present invention aims to remedy this drawback by proposing improvements to harvesting machines of the towed type, with a single collection plane inclined transversely towards a single conveyor.

 The object of the invention relates, more particularly, to improvements made to the collection plan, in order to reduce, or even eliminate, the risks of loss of detached bays by reducing to the smallest possible area the passage openings delimited in the plan. of collection by the scrolling of each foot, whether the latter is rectilinear in nature or offset in one direction or the other with respect to the general alignment of a row of feet.

 Another object of the invention is to propose, for the structure of the collection plan, a simple, robust and effective embodiment, the various constituent elements of which are, moreover, easily accessible to facilitate maintenance and possible troubleshooting.

To achieve the above goals, the harvesting machine according to the invention is characterized in that the collection plan comprises
- a low collector half-plan, adjacent to the tank
and made up of plates mounted door-to-door
false on a support parallel to the longitudi axis
nal by flexible ribs around an axis
fictitious perpendicular to their planes
- a collector half-plane said high, constituted by
a flexible sheet, elastically deformable,
wavy, offset upwards from
low half-plane, partially covering the pla
ques of the low half plan and cantilever mounted
on a support and vibrating set
tion, articulated on the machine frame for
extend parallel to the longitudinal axis.

 Various other characteristics will emerge from the description given below with reference to the appended drawings which show, by way of nonlimiting examples, embodiments of the subject of the invention.

 Fig. 1 is a plan view, schematically showing a harvesting machine of the type of that of the invention.

 Fig. 2 is a partial cross section, taken on larger scales along the line Il-Il of FIG. 1.

 Fig. 3 is a partially perspective, partially arra-cubic view, illustrating one of the constituent elements of the machine.

 Fig. 4 is a perspective of one of the constituent elements of the assembly according to FIG. 3.

 FIG. 5 is an alternative embodiment of the constituent element following FIG. 4.

 Figs. 6 to 13 are schematic plan views highlighting, on a smaller scale, the operating characteristics of the object of the invention.

 Fig. 1 shows, in top view, a harvesting machine I of the towed type, - that is to say comprising only one axle 2 of two carrying wheels and means 3 for coupling to a tractor 4.

 In this type of coupling, the machine I generally has means 5 for guiding with respect to a line of advance, such as 6, formed by the alignment of the vines 7 to be harvested and that the machine spans.

 In this type of coupling, the tractor 4 normally travels between two rows of vines 7 and the means 5 for guiding and aligning the machine I relative to the line of advance 6 are provided to ensure the supply , for example a double-acting hydraulic cylinder 8, interposed between the coupling and traction means 3 and the chassis of the machine.

 As is known, such a machine also has a system 9 for threshing or shaking the vegetation of the feet 7 which are thus subjected to an alternating movement in the direction of the arrow fl, so as to cause the detachment of the kiss or grape.

 Machines of this type have a longitudinal tank 10 extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the machine and responsible for recovering the loose berries to convey them to a recovery system. The delivery of the detached berries to the conveyor 10 is ensured by means of a reception and collection plan 11 (FIG. 2), extending below the threshing or shaking device 9 with a transverse inclination downwards towards the tank 10.

 The object of the invention relates, precisely, to the structure of such a collection plan there, in order to avoid or reduce to the minimum value the loss of loose berries during the progressior.

machine along line 6.

 According to the invention, the collection plane II is constituted by a low half-plane 12 and by a high half-plane 13 extending over the entire length of the machine, on either side of the longitudinal plane P of this last.

 The bottom half-plane 12 is constituted by inclined plates mounted articulated on a longitudinal support 15 extending parallel to the tank 10. The support 15 can be fixed on the chassis 16 of the machine or, on the contrary, be attached directly to the tray 10.

 According to a preferred construction illustrated in FIG. 3, the half-plane 12 is made up of a plurality of plates 14 partially overlapping one another. Each plate 14 is mounted in cantilever on the support 15 by means 17 giving it the possibility of articulation with elastic return around a fictitious axis 18, perpendicular to the plane of the plate 14. The means 17 is, for example, constituted by a rib 19 in the form of a longitudinal square edge, presented by the plate and one of the end parts of which is separated from the plate 14 is curved to form a square 20. folding of the bracket 20 is centered on the axis 18 and the possibility of displacement in the direction of the arrow f2 is conferred by elastic deformation of the foot of the rib 19 formed by the folding zone between the latter and the bracket 20 .

 Preferably, each plate 14 is made of a suitable elastomeric material and, for example, of polyurethane.

 The mounting of each plate 14 is carried out in such a way that a part, such as 14e extends above the tank 10, so as to form a longitudinal overflow edge forcing the detached bays to slide naturally by gravity to necessarily fall, in tray 10.

 Fig. 2 shows that the mounting of the half-plane 12 is carried out in such a way that the plates 14 define by their succession a continuous plane extending over the entire length of the chassis 16.

 As is conceivable, during the advancement of the machine in the direction of arrow f3, relative to a row 7 of vines, the relative movement of each foot tends to push each of the plates 14 in the direction of the arrow f2, by constraining the foot of the rib 19, the elastic reaction of which returns the plate to its original position as soon as the foot 7 passes.

 The top half-plane 13 is mounted by a support assembly 21 - on the chassis 16, so as to extend parallel, superimposed and with partial overlap, relative to the half-plane 12.

The half-plane 13 preferably has a transverse inclination identical to that of the half-plane 12.

 The high half-plane 13 comprises support means 22 adapted on the assembly 21 and intended to support a flexible sheet 23, elastically deformable, corrugated, forming part of the high half-plane 13. The support means 22 are, for example , constituted by at least one profile, in particular of the angle type, comprising parts 24 for fixing the sheet 23. The parts 24 are also used for fixing independent ribs 25 which extend parallel to each other in door-to-door false in a transverse direction perpendicular to the plane P under the sheet 23 to support the latter over its entire width. The spacing between the ribs 25 is chosen so as to give the required corrugation to the sheet 23.

The ribs 25 and the sheet 23 are made of elastically deformable material and, for example, of polyurethane of constant thickness. Preferably, the modulus of elasticity of the material of the ribs 25 is less than that of the sheet 23. FIG. 3 shows that the parts 24 are provided so that the ribs 25 are inclined relative to the vertical.

 The ribs 25 have a length slightly greater than the width of the sheet 23, which is intended to extend with, at least, partial overlapping above the plates 14 of the lower half-plane 12.

 The support 22 is connected by a flexible cloth 26 to the corresponding wall 27 of the chassis 56, so as to represent an extension of the half-plane 13 thus presenting a surface continuity with respect to the wall 27.

 The constitution of the collection plane 11 by means of a half-plane 12, of the type with plates or eseamotable scales, and a high half-plane 13, formed by a flexible sheet, makes it possible to reduce, or even eliminate, the angular openings 29 and 30 delimited upstream and downstream of a foot 7 engaged through the collection plane il (fig. 6). Indeed, as appears from the comparison with FIG. 7, the engagement of a foot 7 has the effect of elastically repelling the different successive plates 14 and also of rolling up the sheet 23 which locally forms in contact with the foot 7 a rolled up or folded up 28 allowing to surround more closely the foot 7 and reduce, therefore, the angular openings, such as 29 and 30. The function of the upturn 28 is also to locally contain the detached crop, as illustrated in phantom in FIG. 2> and to prevent it from passing through and getting lost through the openings 29 and 30 when it slides by gravity towards the low half-plane 12.

 To facilitate the transfer of the berries detached from the top half-plane 13 to the bottom half-plane 12, provision is made, according to the invention, for the support assembly 21 to assume an additional function of vibrating the top half-plane 13 in a transverse direction shown diagrammatically by the arrow f4 of FIG. 2. To this end, the support and vibration assembly 21 includes a rigid structure 31 responsible for carrying the means 22. This rigid support structure, shown in more detail in FIG. 4, comprises a bar 32 extending parallel to the plane P and mounted by transverse fittings 33, of the square or bent lever type, on bearings 34 of the chassis 16 by means of articulation axes 35 of horizontal direction. The fertmres 33 support the means 22 supporting the upper half-plane 13. The bar 32 is rellated, by a level 36, with a shaft 37 urged in alternating rotation in the direction of the arrow f5 by an unrepresented power unit. The alternating rotation of the shaft 37 according to arrow Q generates an alternating pivoting of the rigid structure 31 in the direction of the plug f6 and subjects the upper half-plane 13 to a vibration in the direction of the arrow f4, contributing to causing the sliding of the berries re glued and collected from the top half-plane 13 in the direction of the half-plane 12 and of the latter as far as the lateral conveyor 10.

 So as to be able to optionally adjust the inclination of the top half-plane 13, provision is made to mount the means 22 on the ends of the fittings 33 by means of pins 38 which can be blocked by any suitable system, such as nuts.

 If the means implemented, as described above to constitute the collection plan there, make it possible to respond to the problem posed in the case where the vines 7 are presented in a regular alignment 6 by being themselves rectilinear according to a vertical direction, it is necessary, necessarily, to provide means making it possible to guarantee the mime partial envelopment by the sheet 23 of each foot 7, whatever the shape of the latter or its offset in one direction or another with respect to the alignment 6, as is generally frequently the case in practice.

 In this regard, according to the invention, provision is made to produce the means 22 in the form of an articulated structure capable of being subjected to local elastic displacements, of general direction transverse to the longitudinal axis or to the plane P.

 According to an embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the articulated structure constituting the means 22 is formed by n segments of beams 39 interconnected, one after the other, by two articulation links 40 of elastic return and mounted on the support structure 31 by two pivots extremes 41, also with elastic return. The segments 39 are, for example, of the angle type and carry the parts 24 for fixing the sheet 23 and the ribs 25. Each connection 40 comprises a fitting 42 carried by the end of a segment 39 and extending in the direction of tube 32.

The fitting 42 comprises an end portion 43 which is bent, assembled by a counter-plate 44 to a blade 45 of deformable material elastically arranged on edge and assembled at the corresponding end of the following segment 39. The blade 45 is designed to work on elastic deformation by buckling.

 Each link 40 is supported on a guide 46 extending from the tube 32. Each guide 46 may include a first stop 47 opposing an extreme transverse offset of the articulated structure 22 capable of leading to a dissociation of support between the link 40 and the guide 46 and a second stop 48, preferably adjustable, limiting the local transverse displacement travel of the link 40 in the direction of arrow f7.

 Each pivot 41 is constituted by an elastic return articulation, of the type comprising that of an elastomeric fur made integral with two concentric rings, one of which is carried by the end of the class end segment 39 and the other of which is threaded and angularly immobilized on an axis 49 rising from a yoke 50 mounted by the pin 38 on the rigid supporting structure 31.

 The pivots 41 are mounted on the axes 49, so that, in their state of stability without prestressing, they maintain the articulated structure 22 in a position of maximum transverse extension relative to the tube 31, for example determined by the cooperation of the connections 40 with the stops 47 and in which, according to FIG. 6, the sheet 23 covers, by its middle part, approximately the entire width of the bottom half-plane 12.

 The articulated structure 22 is also associated with a feeler guide 51, for example constituted by a bar 52 carried by blades 53 placed on edge, made of an elastically deformable material for working in buckling. The blades 53 are fixed to hangers 54 extending downwards from the connections 40. The length of the blades 53 is chosen so that the feeler guide 51 extends parallel and recessed from the free longitudinal edge of the sheet 23 Fig. 2 shows that the lines 54 are made so that the blades 53 extend substantially horizontally.

According to a constructive arrangement, the articulated structure 22 is preferably made so that the two end segments 39 have a divergence from the plane
P, so as to define the corresponding parts of the sheet 23 of the edges of convergent and divergent orientation for a foot 7 in consideration of the direction of movement according to the arrow f3 of FIG. 3. The feeler guide 51 is provided, for the same purpose, to include two end portions 55 of the same orientation.

 Fig. 5 shows an alternative embodiment according to which the articulated structure 22 is constituted by segments 56 and 57 in the form of chain links which are carried by links 40, each comprising a rigid vertical support 58 rising from a blade 59 placed on edge and extending from the beam or the tube 31. The blade 59 is made of an elastically deformable material to work in buckling like the blades 45 and 53. Each blade 59 extends beyond the support 58 and supports segments 60 and 61, also in the form of chain links, constituting the feeler guide 51.

 The articulated structure, of the above type, makes it possible to maintain for each foot the partial winding of the sheet 23, so as to make it form the upturn 28, whatever the shape of this foot or the offset in one direction or in the other with respect to a theoretical alignment along line 6. Indeed, assuming that a foot 7 is presented being offset to the right with respect to line 6, we see, in fig, 8 that its relative penetration through the collection plane 11 produces the raising of the free edge of the sheet 23 which forms the upturn 28, while, simultaneously, the plates 14 concerned of the low half-plane gradually fade. This operating phase continues until the end portion 55 of the feeler 51 comes into contact with the foot 7. In this state, illustrated in FIG. 9, the progression of the machine in the direction of arrow f subjects the guide 51 to a component directed substantially transversely, which urges the structure 22 in the same direction. The first link 40 is thus pushed back with elastic deformation of the blade 45 in the direction of the tube 32, which has the effect of causing the sheet 23 to turn up the upturn 28 surrounding the foot 7 as closely as possible. The local transverse displacement of the first and second segment 39 has no influence on the third segment 29 which still occupies the original position while being held by the elastic return pivot 41.

 When the foot protrudes relatively, by the progression of the machine in the direction of the arrow f ,, substantially the median zone of the central segment 39, the reaction to the elastic deformation imposed on the anterior joint 41, brings back the anterior segment and the link 40 in the original position, while, simultaneously, this foot constrained, via the feeler guide 51, the posterior elastic joint 41 producing the erasure by pivoting of the posterior segment 39, as illustrated by the fig. 10.

 Examination of figs. 8 to 10 makes it possible to note that the transverse displacement of the articulated segments 39 contributes to keeping in contact the upturned 28 of the sheet 23 with the foot 7 which is also permanently surrounded all along its path through the collection plane 11 .

 The almost total overlap of the bottom half-plane 12 by the central part of the sheet 23 makes it possible to obtain the same result in the event of an offset to the left of the foot 7, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7.

 It is understood that the operation of the machine knows a limit of transverse offset to the left of the feet 7, because this limit is determined by the physical presence of the conveyor 10. On the other hand, it must be considered that an offset of the foot 7 to the right could be greater than the transverse displacement measurement of the articulated structure 22 in the direction of the arrow f7, limited by the contact between the connections 40 and the stops 48.

 Such a case is illustrated by FIGS. li to 13 showing that the foot 7 is then, in such a case, brought into contact with the anterior end portion 55 of the guide 51, until the stress imposed by the latter requests the articulated structure 22 and brings the front link 40 into contact with the stop 48. In such a case, the stress exerted by the foot on the guide 51 causes the latter to retreat by buckling deformation of the front blade 53. This deformation allows the erasure of the guide 51 and avoids constraining, injuring or mutilating the foot 7 FIG. 12 shows that, according to the progression of the latter through the collection plane 11, the blades 53 are deformed in buckling - and return the articulated structure to its original position, as soon as the applied stress ceases. In this state, illustrated by figs.

12 and 13, the sheet 23 behaves, as said previously, by forming a return 28 surrounding the foot 7 as close as possible to limit, or even eliminate, the openings 29 and 30.

 To achieve this result, the blades 53 have a higher buckling resistance than that of the blades 45.

 The invention is not limited to the examples described and shown, since various modifications can be made without departing from its scope.

Claims (12)

CLAIMS:  the longitudinal axis.  of the machine to extend parallel to  vibrating, articulated on the chassis (16)  overhang on a set (21) of support and  the plates of the bottom half-plane and door mounted  port in the middle half low, partially overlap  wavy, upwardly offset  by a flexible sheet (23), elastically deformable  - a collector half-plane (13) said high, consisting  circular to their plan,  flexible around a fictitious axis (18) perpendicular  linked to the longitudinal axis by ribs (19)  cantilever tees on a parallel support (15)  tray (iiO) and consisting of plates (14) my  - a collector half-plane (12) said low, adjoining the  characterized in that the collection plan (11) comprises  I - Harvesting machine of the towed or carried type, comprising a device (9) for shaking or threshing disposed above a collection plane (II) inclined in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the machine and descending with respect to a longitudinal tank (10) for receiving and conveying the berries to a recovery elevator,  2 - Grape harvesting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper edge of the top half-plane (13) is connected to the chassis by a flexible sheet (26).  3 - Grape harvesting machine according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the upper half-plane (13) is formed by a flexible sheet (23) elastically deformable, wavy, supported by ribs (25) formed by flexible blades extending at an angle from the support and vibrating assembly.  4 - Grape harvesting machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the assembly (213 for supporting and vibrating comprises a rigid support structure (31) mounted articulated on the chassis (16) along a horizontal pivot axis (35 ), connected to a member (37) for alternately pivoting drive and carrying means (22) for supporting the high half-plane (13).  5 - Grape harvesting machine according to claim 4, characterized in that the means (22) for supporting the high half-plane are formed in the form of an articulated structure capable of being subjected to local elastic displacements, of general direction transverse to the longitudinal axis, said structure being associated with a feeler guide (51) extending under the flexible sheet (23) and set back from the free longitudinal edge of the latter.  6 - Grape harvesting machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the articulated structure (22) is composed of segments (39) hinged together and relative to the carrying structure with the interposition of elastic return members (40-41) .  7 - Grape harvesting machine according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the articulated structure (22) comprises a feeler guide (51) carried by the structure by suspension means (54) and elastic return (53) having a resistance to deformation greater than that of the elastic return members (40) associated with the constituent changes of the articulated structure.  8 - Grape harvesting machine according to one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that the articulated structure (22) comprises two end segments (39) diverging from the longitudinal axis as well as a feeler guide (51) of which the terminal parts (55) also diverge in the same direction.  9 - Machine according to one of claims 6 or 7, characterized in that the members (45) and means (53) of elastic return are constituted by plates or blades of elastomer.  10 - Machine according to claim 5, characterized in that the elastic displacements, of transverse direction of the articulated structure, are limited by stops (48) carried by the support structure (31).  11 - Machine according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the means (22) for supporting the high half-plane (13) are mounted on the support structure (31) by means (38) for adjusting the transverse inclination of the half-plane.  12 - Grape harvesting machine according to claim 7, characterized in that the means (53) for suspension and elastic return of the feeler guide are designed to determine a transverse recoil plane of the latter substantially parallel to the horizontal.