GB1591434A

GB1591434A - Device for removing the stalk from a cabbage head and a cabbage-harvesting machine including such a device

Info

Publication number: GB1591434A
Application number: GB331478A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: BLEINROTH H
Current assignee: BLEINROTH H
Priority date: 1977-02-19
Filing date: 1978-01-27
Publication date: 1981-06-24
Also published as: DE2707261A1; FR2380714A1; NL7801465A; FR2380714B3

Description

(54) A DEVICE FOR REMOVING THE STALK FROM A CABBAGE HEAD AND A CABBAGE-HARVESTING MACHINE INCLUDING SUCH A DEVICE (71) I, HEINRICH BLBINROE, a German Citizen, of Landringhausen, 3013 Barsinghausen 7, Federal Republic of Germany, do hereby declare the invention for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me and the method by which it is to be performed to be paritcularly described in and by the following statement:- The present invention relates to a device for removing the stalk from a cabbage in a cabbage-harvesting machine and a cabbageharvesting machine which includes such a device.

Cabbage-harvesting machines are known, for example, from United Kindom Patent Specifications No. 1,401,632, No. 1,402,844 and No. 1,477,214. Said machines comprise a pair of screw-feed augers which are divided into two parts. As seen from above, in the front end part (considered in relation to the direction of travel of the machine which includes the augers) of the two augers. the auger portions are splayed outwardly away from one another whereas, in the rear part or remainder of the two augers, the auger portions are parallel to one another. As seen from the side, the angle of inclination of the screw-feed augers to the ground is relatively small. In use, the pointed leading ends of the outwardly splayed auger portions are placed on or very close to the ground surface and, by virtue of movement of the machine along a row of cabbages and by virtue of said splayed auger portions, each cabbage head lying on the stalk or lying on the ground is guided ono the two parallel auger portions. By virtue of said small angle of inclination to the horizontal, each cabbage head is slowly lifted higher and higher with the result that the stalk of each cabbage tautens and is gradually drawn out of the earth. An endless belt, disposed above the cabbage heads in the vicinity of the parallel auger portions and running in synchronisation therewith, holds the cabbage heads in the desired position in which the: stalk points downwards. In a central or rear zone (again, considered relative to the direction of motion of the machine when in use) of said screw-feed augers, a cutter, e.g. in the form of a band saw or circular saw, is disposed underneath the parallel auger portions and the stalks are sliced off across their respective longitudinal axes by this cutter. Expediently, the height setting for the cutter is so chosen that the the outermost leaves are cut off with the stalk where they join it.

Such cabbage-harvesting machines have proved their worth and furnish a cabbage that is suitable for sale in retail and industrial sectors. However, in the industrial sector, cabbage heads whose stalks have been cut off in the manner described above still have to be bored out in order to remove that part of the stalk still remaining inside the cabbage head before any use can be made of them. Today, this is already being done with boring machines into which the cabbage heads are fed and in which they are securely clamped on conveying devices but this entails a subsequent operation inside the factory during which every individual cabbage head has to be manually placed, aligned and secured to the conveying device. This is a considerable task which has a bearing on the price of the industrial end product. Since the thickness of the stalk naturally varies from one cabbage head to another, borers are used whose diameters are so large that the removal of all the stalk is guaranteed even with stalks of the largest diameter.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a machine which is operable to remove a cabbage stalk in its entirety, i.e. including the part thereof lying inside -the cabbage head, in a single operation on the cabbage-harvesting machine. A subsidiary object is to provide a device which is operable to remove the entire stalk from a cabbage in the field and which could be fitted to an existing cabbageharvesting machine.

The invention starts from the knowledge that each lifted cabbage head is already clamped in a centred position in the respective part of the cabbage harvester for the amputation of the stalk and exploits this clamping to facilitate excision of the parts of the stalk lying inside the cabbage head.

Accordingly, the present invention consists in a device operable to remove the entire stalk from a cabbage head which has just been lifted from the ground by a cabbageharvesting machine and which is still in the machine, said device comprising at least two circular saws which are disposed offset relative to one another on opposite sides of a plane, means for mounting said saws on said machine, and means for connecting each of said saws to a drive for the purpose of rotating each of said circular saws, the mounting means being such that said saws extend obliquely into or are capable of being caused to extend obliquely into the gap between two augers from below in a manner such that said saws, when rotated, will make oblique upwardly extending cuts which intersect on said plane. Preferably, said at least two circular saws are provided in addition to the known cutter which was previously used to cut the depending stalk from the cabbage head; expediently, said circular saws-viewed in the direction in which the cabbage head is conveyed by the screwfeed augers-are disposed in front of the cutter.

The two circular saws, in cutting a wedgeshaped slice out of the cabbage head where the stalk proper projects from the cabbage head, thereby remove the entirely of the stalk from the cabbage head. Even so, it is expedient to leave the known cutter which is disposed at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the stalk in a position rearwardly of the two circular saws because this cuts through the outer leaves of the cabbage head in the vicinity of the point where the stalk was attached, with the result that they drop off the cabbage head during subsequent transport thereof and that a cabbage head that can immediately be processed further is obtained behind the cutter.

Said mounting means may permit the adjustment of each circular saw from an operative position in which said cuts will be made to an inoperative position in which said saws are not only disconnected from said drive but also are so physically separated from one another and from said plane as to be incapable of making said cuts if they were rotated in said inoperative position.

The present invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings which illustrate one embodiment of the invention by way of example and in which: Figure 1 shows a top plan view of the harvesting part of a cabbage-harvesting machine; and Figure 2 shows a section along the line II-II in Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, a frame 1 supported by the cabbage-harvesting machine (not otherwise illustrated) supports screwfeed augers 2. Each auger comprises a front auger portion 2A and a rear auger portion 2B. The front auger portions 2A are operatively connected to the rear auger portions 2B, the auger portions 2A being splayed outwardly so that their pointed tips at their forward ends are further apart than their rearward ends and the auger portions 2B being parallel to one another. The screw-feed augers are inclined upwardly from front to rear at a relatively small angle, and are driven in any suitable manner (not shown). A cutter 3 in the form of a circular saw has its cutting edge disposed forwardly of the rearward end of the auger portions 2B. Mountings 5 with circular saws 4 are pivotally mounted on both sides of the frame 1 and are capable of being locked in each of two positions, one of said positions being an inoperative position (drawn in dotted lines) and the other being an operative position (drawn in full lines).

When each of said saws 4 is in its operative position, a wedge-shaped slice or section 7 which comprises the projecting stalk and the part of the stalk inside the cabbage head is cut out of the cabbage head 6. Since the cabbage head is held firmly between the screw-feed augers on the one hand and a bar-type chain conveyor 8 on the other hand during this operation, the excision of the wedge-shaped slice 7 is carried out to exactly the right depth of penetration into the cabbage head.

The inoperative positions of the circular saws 5 are used when the harvested cabbage heads are destined for sale in the retail trade whereas, the operative positions of the saws 5 are used when the harvested cabbage heads are destined for industrial processing.

Only as much of a complete cabbageharvesting machine has been illustrated and described as is necessary for the invention to be understood. However, the machine could be self-propelled or towed by an agricultural tractor and will include all the necessary drives, cabbage-head elevators and so on and these additional elements could be made in accordance with the Patent Specifications already referred to.

The device according to one aspect of the present invention could be sold as a unit which is attachable to an existing harvesting machine by its owner or may simply consist of a number of separate items which are attachable to such a machine.

WHAT I CLAIM IS:- 1. A device operable to remove the entire stalk from a cabbage head which has just been lifted from the ground by a cabbageharvesting machine and which is still in the

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. the amputation of the stalk and exploits this clamping to facilitate excision of the parts of the stalk lying inside the cabbage head. Accordingly, the present invention consists in a device operable to remove the entire stalk from a cabbage head which has just been lifted from the ground by a cabbageharvesting machine and which is still in the machine, said device comprising at least two circular saws which are disposed offset relative to one another on opposite sides of a plane, means for mounting said saws on said machine, and means for connecting each of said saws to a drive for the purpose of rotating each of said circular saws, the mounting means being such that said saws extend obliquely into or are capable of being caused to extend obliquely into the gap between two augers from below in a manner such that said saws, when rotated, will make oblique upwardly extending cuts which intersect on said plane. Preferably, said at least two circular saws are provided in addition to the known cutter which was previously used to cut the depending stalk from the cabbage head; expediently, said circular saws-viewed in the direction in which the cabbage head is conveyed by the screwfeed augers-are disposed in front of the cutter. The two circular saws, in cutting a wedgeshaped slice out of the cabbage head where the stalk proper projects from the cabbage head, thereby remove the entirely of the stalk from the cabbage head. Even so, it is expedient to leave the known cutter which is disposed at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the stalk in a position rearwardly of the two circular saws because this cuts through the outer leaves of the cabbage head in the vicinity of the point where the stalk was attached, with the result that they drop off the cabbage head during subsequent transport thereof and that a cabbage head that can immediately be processed further is obtained behind the cutter. Said mounting means may permit the adjustment of each circular saw from an operative position in which said cuts will be made to an inoperative position in which said saws are not only disconnected from said drive but also are so physically separated from one another and from said plane as to be incapable of making said cuts if they were rotated in said inoperative position. The present invention will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings which illustrate one embodiment of the invention by way of example and in which: Figure 1 shows a top plan view of the harvesting part of a cabbage-harvesting machine; and Figure 2 shows a section along the line II-II in Figure 1. Referring to the drawings, a frame 1 supported by the cabbage-harvesting machine (not otherwise illustrated) supports screwfeed augers 2. Each auger comprises a front auger portion 2A and a rear auger portion 2B. The front auger portions 2A are operatively connected to the rear auger portions 2B, the auger portions 2A being splayed outwardly so that their pointed tips at their forward ends are further apart than their rearward ends and the auger portions 2B being parallel to one another. The screw-feed augers are inclined upwardly from front to rear at a relatively small angle, and are driven in any suitable manner (not shown). A cutter 3 in the form of a circular saw has its cutting edge disposed forwardly of the rearward end of the auger portions 2B. Mountings 5 with circular saws 4 are pivotally mounted on both sides of the frame 1 and are capable of being locked in each of two positions, one of said positions being an inoperative position (drawn in dotted lines) and the other being an operative position (drawn in full lines). When each of said saws 4 is in its operative position, a wedge-shaped slice or section 7 which comprises the projecting stalk and the part of the stalk inside the cabbage head is cut out of the cabbage head 6. Since the cabbage head is held firmly between the screw-feed augers on the one hand and a bar-type chain conveyor 8 on the other hand during this operation, the excision of the wedge-shaped slice 7 is carried out to exactly the right depth of penetration into the cabbage head. The inoperative positions of the circular saws 5 are used when the harvested cabbage heads are destined for sale in the retail trade whereas, the operative positions of the saws 5 are used when the harvested cabbage heads are destined for industrial processing. Only as much of a complete cabbageharvesting machine has been illustrated and described as is necessary for the invention to be understood. However, the machine could be self-propelled or towed by an agricultural tractor and will include all the necessary drives, cabbage-head elevators and so on and these additional elements could be made in accordance with the Patent Specifications already referred to. The device according to one aspect of the present invention could be sold as a unit which is attachable to an existing harvesting machine by its owner or may simply consist of a number of separate items which are attachable to such a machine. WHAT I CLAIM IS:-

1. A device operable to remove the entire stalk from a cabbage head which has just been lifted from the ground by a cabbageharvesting machine and which is still in the

machine, said device comprising at least two circular saws which are disposed offset relative to one another on opposite sides of a plane, means for mounting said saws on said machine, and means for connecting each of said saws to a drive for the purpose of rotating each of said circular saws, the mounting means being such that said saws extend obliquely into or are capable of being caused to extend obliquely into the gap between two augers from below in a manner such that said saws, when rotated, will make oblique upwardly extending cuts which intersect on said plane.

2. A device as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said mounting means permits the adjustment of each circular saw from an operative position in which said cuts will be made to an inoperative position in which the saws are not only disconnected from said drive but also are so physically separated from one another and from said plane as to be incapable of making said cuts if they were rotated in said inoperative position.

3. A cabbage-harvesting machine which comprises screw-feed augers which are operable to lift cabbage-heads from their respective locations of growth in the ground, said machine including rotatable screw-feed augers which have parallel upwardly inclined auger portions, and a device operable to remove the entire stalk from a cabbage head so lifted, said device comprising at least two circular saws mounted on said machine for rotation about their respective axes of rotation, and means operable to drive each of said saws, the upper part of the blade of each saw extending from below into the space between said auger portions and said saws being so mounted on said machine on opposite sides of a plane which is parallel to and substantially equally spaced from the planes containing the axes of rotation of said auger portions that said saws, when rotated, make oblique upwardly extending cuts which intersect on said plane.

4. A machine as claimed in Claim 3, which further includes an additional cutter disposed adjacent to and below said auger portions, said additional cutter being operable to make a cut in each of the cabbage heads which is substantially parallel to the ground, and said additional cutter being so positioned that the de-stalked cabbage head is conveyed thereto by the rotating augers.

5. A machine as claimed in Claim 3 or Claim 4, wherein each circular saw is so mounted on the machine as to be movable from a first position in which it is operable to make a cut in a cabbage head being conveyed along said augers to a second posl- tion in which it is inoperable to do so.

6. A machine as claimed in Claim 5, wherein each circular saw is disconnected from the drive means in the said second position thereof.

7. A device operable to remove the entire stalk from a cabbage head which has just been lifted from the ground by a cabbageharvesting machine and which is still in the machine, said device being constructed, arranged and operable substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

8. A cabbage-harvesting machine constructed, arranged and operable substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

9. A cabbage-harvesting machine incorporating a device as claimed in any one of Claims 1, 2 and 7.