FR3076684A1 - PINEAPPLE PLANT RELEASE HARVESTER AND WORKING METHOD THEREOF - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a harvester (R) for suckers of pineapple plants (P), characterized in that it comprises a chassis (100) provided with wheels, towed or self-propelled, said chassis (100) being equipped on its part before a cutting module (200) ensuring the cutting of the plant (P) and the evacuation of the plant (P) cut to a sorting module, preparation and selection of rejects. The invention also relates to a harvesting method. Applications: pineapple culture.

Description

HARVESTER OF RELEASES OF PINEAPPLE PLANTS AND ITS WORKING METHOD

FIELD OF APPLICATION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of pineapple cultivation and in particular to adaptations allowing the harvesting of suckers in the best conditions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

The pineapple is planted using the suckers produced by the plant.

This planting is therefore done by vegetative propagation such as cuttings. To do this, the suckers produced by healthy plants are selected.

Weight, size and sanitary condition are selection criteria. Indeed, it is important that the suckers replanted on a plot have the same weight in order to guarantee a homogeneous growth of the plants, a same stage of development at the time of flower induction and a production of fruit of uniform size. The position of the rejection on the plant and its shape are also criteria.

The cultivator's experience is therefore particularly important in selecting the said suckers. Such a selection allows for example to select the shoots known to be the most productive and / or to better manage its production taking into account their weight and planting dates.

The collection of rejects is today a manual operation followed by a stage of preparation of selected rejections and destruction / recovery of non-selected rejections. We understand that these operations take a long time. They can also be delicate because the plants can have serrated leaves such as those of plants of the variety known as the Victoria pineapple.

In addition, for the reuse of the plot, it is necessary to uproot the plants and / or destroy the aerial vegetative part, and / or destroy the bulbs or root systems present in the soil.

In addition, if the previous plantation was the subject of a plastic mulch film, the used film must be removed.

The cultivation of pineapples is today a crop still requiring many long and costly manual operations. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

On the basis of this fact, the applicant carried out research aimed at mechanizing the harvesting of suckers.

In addition, another object of this research is to mechanize other operations following the collection of rejects.

This research led to the design and production of a pineapple plant reject harvester remarkable in that it comprises a chassis fitted with wheels, towed or self-propelled, said chassis being equipped on its front part with a cutting module ensuring the cutting of the plant as well as the evacuation of the cut plant towards a sorting, preparation and selection of rejects module.

This harvester makes it possible to mechanize operations carried out until today manually. She moves around the plantation and cuts the plants coming into contact with her using her cutting blade. It cuts the entire plant and deports sorting (between suckers and the rest of the plant), preparation and selection, to an operation carried out in a dedicated module.

According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, said cutting module implements a band saw blade arranged horizontally. The use of a band saw blade cutting mode is also particularly advantageous because of the fibrous nature of the plant to be cut. Indeed, a conventional alternative cutting mode would abut and get stuck against the plant fibers.

In addition, by arranging the blade horizontally, that is to say so that so that its longest straight portions are positioned, it is possible to carry out the simultaneous cutting of a plurality of plants.

The use of such a blade nevertheless presents constraints in particular as regards the cutting height both on the low trajectory and the high trajectory of the constraints. Indeed, the driving and guiding of such a blade in a fixed configuration are conventionally carried out by two wheels, which does not make it possible to adjust the spacing between the two rectilinear portions of the blade in motion. However, the cut made must be able to leave the upper part of the plant unscathed.

In order to avoid the use of excessively bulky wheels, according to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, said cutting module comprises a frame supporting four discs for guiding and driving the band saw blade, the position of the discs being adjustable in order to adjust the cutting height and the spacing between the straight horizontal portions as well as the tension of the blade in motion.

In order to recover the results of the cut carried out, said cutting module is equipped with rollers with a substantially vertical axis and driving the cut plants backwards. Although the frame and the cutting module that it supports advance, the stresses of the blade on the plants as well as their bushy nature, are likely to cause the cut plants to fall forward

Said rollers prevent this fall and cause the cut plants backwards. These rollers are fitted with fingers projecting radially

To receive them and direct them towards the sorting module, the harvester comprises, according to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, a drive belt for the cut plants towards said sorting module.

According to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, said sorting module is a platform for receiving cut plants accommodating at least one sorting operator selecting or removing as scrap the different parts of the plants received. The selection of rejects is therefore carried out on the chassis immediately after cutting. Of course, the sorting module can accommodate several operators with a plurality of trays for receiving the selected rejects. According to a preferred but non-limiting embodiment, the platform accommodates four operators.

According to other particularly advantageous characteristics taken in combination or not:

said platform comprises a first module for grinding the unselected parts of the plants,

- the first grinding module evacuates the unselected and ground parts of the plants to the ground.

Other operations can be carried out on rejects even such as trimming consisting in trimming their lower end or asepsis consisting in treating them with phytosanitary products.

The chassis of the harvester of the invention is capable of being fitted with other functional sub-assemblies which will benefit from its movement.

For example, according to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, said chassis supports, at the rear of the cutting module, a first module for digging up the bulb of the cut plant and a second module for grinding the digged bulb. The digging up of the bulbs will lead to the uprooting of the aerial parts of the plant which remained in place during cutting. Digging up bulbs can use the same technologies as digging up potatoes. Likewise, the bulb grinding module or root system is of the spark gap type. Thus, in the same movement and during the same time of use of the sucker harvester, the plot becomes available for the next crop.

In addition, in the case where the pineapple plant crosses a strip of plastic mulching film, said frame supports, according to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, behind the cutting module, a second module for digging up the edges of the mulch plastic film strip. Indeed, the cutting of the aerial part of the plant authorizes the lifting of the plastic film.

In addition, according to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, said chassis supports at the rear of the second module for digging up the edges of the plastic film strip, a module for winding up said plastic film.

It is understood that according to a preferred but nonlimiting embodiment, the harvester brings together all of the functional sub-assemblies described above, namely:

- a module for cutting plants located at the front of the chassis, a module for driving cut plants towards a sorting and selection platform crushing and rejecting the parts of unselected plants on the ground,

- a plastic film digging module located at the rear of the cutting module in the lower part of the chassis between the wheels of this last film and cooperating with a digging winding device, a bulb digging module for plants located at the rear of the film unearthing module and cooperating with a grinding module of said bulbs.

In a single pass the following operations are then carried out:

- collection of rejects,

- selection of rejects,

- asepsis of rejections,

- storage of rejects,

- grinding of unselected organic matter,

- unearthing the plastic film,

- winding of plastic film,

- digging up the bulbs,

- grinding of the bulbs.

The mechanization of operations thus makes it possible to carry them out almost simultaneously.

Another object of the invention relates to the process for harvesting rejects from pineapple plants, which is remarkable in that it comprises the following operations:

- cutting plants,

- conveying cut plants,

- sorting, preparation and selection of rejects, implemented mechanically on the same mobile chassis.

Thus, according to another particularly advantageous characteristic of the invention, the harvesting method is remarkable in that it is implemented by the harvester whose characteristics are described above.

The fundamental concepts of the invention having just been exposed above in their most elementary form, other details and characteristics will emerge more clearly on reading the description which follows and with reference to the appended drawings, giving by way of 'nonlimiting example, an embodiment of a harvester of rejects of pineapple plants according to the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a schematic drawing of a perspective view of an embodiment of a harvester according to the invention during operation;

Figure 2 is a schematic drawing of a side view of the harvester of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a schematic drawing of a top view of the harvester of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a schematic drawing of a front view of the cutting module.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

As illustrated by the drawings of FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the plant harvester referenced R as a whole is shown during operation in the cutting phase of the aerial part of the pineapple plants P passing through a strip of plastic mulching film. F covering a plot of crop field C.

Harvester R advances in field C in the direction of arrow Fl.

It includes a self-propelled vehicle whose chassis 100 rests on four wheels. This chassis is equipped on its front part with a cutting module 200 ensuring the cutting of the plant P as well as the evacuation of the cut plant to a sorting and selection module of the shoots from said plants. The connection between the chassis 100 and the cutting module 200 is not illustrated.

Said cutting module 200 implements a band saw blade 210 arranged so that its longest straight portions are positioned horizontally. The horizontal portion cuts said P plants. As illustrated, the length of the cutting blade allows the cutting of five P plants simultaneously.

As shown in more detail in the drawing of FIG. 4, the cutting module comprises a frame 220 supporting four guide and drive discs 221 of the band saw blade 210, the position of the discs 221 being adjustable in order to adjust the cutting height. These discs 221 are arranged in the same vertical plane and therefore have their respective axes of rotation arranged parallel. Projected on a vertical plane, they are also arranged in a rectangular geometry. It appears in this figure that the use of four discs 221 makes it possible to define a substantial spacing between the two horizontal portions of the blade 210 which avoids cutting the upper ends of the plants. It also appears that the use of four discs avoids significant lateral congestion (in comparison with a conventional guidance by two wheels only). A motor 222 drives the blade 210.

As illustrated, said cutting module 200 is equipped with two rollers 230 with a substantially vertical axis and driving the cut plants P backwards. As illustrated, these rollers 230 are cylinders equipped with radial projections or fingers coming into contact with the plants cut and dragging them backwards.

This rear zone is occupied by the lower end of a drive belt 300 ensuring transport towards the rear and towards the upper part of the chassis 100 housing the sorting module.

As illustrated in more detail in the drawing in FIG. 3, said sorting module is a platform for receiving cut plants welcoming four sorting operators O selecting or evacuating the rejects received as scrap. To do this, the operators O positioned on either side of a sorting table 110 have four storage boxes 120 for the selected rejects. One end of the table 110 receives from the upper end of the carpet 300 the cut planes P to be sorted and selected. The other end adjoins the opening of an evacuation chute 400 orienting towards a grinding module parts of unselected plants. As illustrated, the grinding module evacuates the ground parts of unselected plants to the ground.

As illustrated, said chassis 100 supports in the lower part between its two front and rear wheels other functional modules.

Thus, behind the cutting module 200 and the front wheels, said chassis 100 supports a module for digging up the edges of the strip of plastic mulching film F. Digging up plastic films is a known technology. According to the preferred but nonlimiting mode illustrated, it is implemented in particular by a pair of discoverer coulters which come into the ground to lift and release the two edges of the strip of plastic film F.

As illustrated, said chassis 100 supports, at the rear of the plowshares 5 00 of the module for digging up the edges of the plastic film strip F, a winding module 600 of said released plastic film F.

Another functional module concerns the digging up of the bulbs of the cut P plants which have remained in the ground since the cut is made on the aerial part of the P plant.

As illustrated, the chassis 100 is equipped at the rear of the coulters 5 00 of the film digging module F with a digging module 7 00 of the bulbs of the seedlings of the potato digestion type and a grinding module 800 of the bulbs unearthed of the spark gap type.

It is understood that the picker for rejecting pineapple plants, which has just been described and represented above, has been for the purpose of disclosure rather than limitation. Of course, various arrangements, modifications and improvements could be made to the example above, without however departing from the scope of the invention.

Thus, for example, provision is made for the chassis or the cutting module to be adjustable in inclination in order to adapt to a crop on a plot with a steep slope.

Claims (7)

1. Harvester (R) for rejecting pineapple plants (P), CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT it comprises a chassis (100) fitted with wheels, towed or self-propelled, said chassis (100) being fitted on its 5 front part of a cutting module (200) ensuring the cutting of the plant (P) as well as the evacuation of the cut plant (P) to a sorting, preparation and selection of rejects module. 2. Harvester (R) according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT said cutting module (200) implements a saw blade 10 ribbon (210) arranged horizontally. 3. Harvester (R) according to claim 2, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT said cutting module (200) comprises a frame (220) supporting four discs (221) for guiding and driving the band saw blade (210 ), the position of the discs (221) being 15 adjustable. 4. Harvester (R) according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT said cutting module (200) is equipped with rollers (230) with substantially vertical axis and driving back the cut plants (P). 5. Harvester (R) according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT that it includes a drive belt (300) of plants (P) cut towards said sorting module. 6. Harvester (R) according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT said sorting module is a platform for receiving 25 cut plants welcoming at least one sorting operator (0) selecting or removing as scrap the different parts of the plants (P) received. 7. Harvester (R) according to claim 6, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT said platform comprises a first grinding module 30 (400) of the unselected parts of the plants (P). 8. Harvester (R) according to claim 7, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT the first grinding module (400) evacuates to the ground the unselected and ground parts of the plants (P). 9. Harvester (R) according to claim 1, CHARACTERIZED BY THE 35 FACT THAT said chassis (100) supports, at the rear of the cutting module (200), a first module for digging up (700) the bulb of the plant (P) cut and a second module for grinding (800) the bulb. 10. Harvester (R) according to claim 1 wherein the pineapple plant (P) passes through a strip of plastic mulching film (F), CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT said frame (100) supports the rear of the cutting module (200), a second digging module 5 (500) from the edges of the strip of plastic mulching film (F). 11. Harvester (R) according to claim 10, CHARACTERIZED BY THE FACT THAT said chassis (100) supports at the rear of the second digging module (500) edges of the plastic film strip (F), a module winding (600) of said plastic film (F). 10 12. Method of harvesting rejects from pineapple plants (P), CHARACTERIZED IN THAT it includes the following operations: - cutting plants (P), - conveying cut plants (P), - sorting, preparation and selection of rejects, ‘15 implemented mechanically on the same mobile chassis. 13. Method according to claim 12 implemented by the harvester (R) according to any one of claims 1 to 11.