GB2102375A

GB2102375A - Improved harvesting apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2102375A
Application number: GB08121426A
Authority: GB
Inventors: John Curtis Green
Original assignee: HASSY HORTICULTURAL DEV
Current assignee: HASSY HORTICULTURAL DEV
Priority date: 1981-07-11
Filing date: 1981-07-11
Publication date: 1983-02-02

Abstract

An improved handling and collection system for harvested vegetables in which an in-line elevating conveyor 18 raises harvested vegetables from a level 12 at which they have been raised by a harvesting device to a second higher level 24, a container into which the harvested vegetables are delivered from the conveyor, at least the front wall of the container being lower than the second level of the in-line conveyor, baffle means 28 attached to the upper end of the in-line conveyor to break the fall of the produce leaving the conveyor, the baffle means rising as produce accumulates in the container and a movable floor within the container to incrementally move the delivered crop in a rearward direction so that as vegetables build up they are moved towards the rear to accommodate the incoming flow of vegetables. The conveyor and container may be on separate vehicles or may be on a single integral vehicle which may be towed or self-propelled. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Improved harvesting apparatus Field of Invention This invention concerns harvesting apparatus and in particular apparatus for handling vegetables after they have been lifted from the ground during a harvesting operation. The invention is particularly applicable to root vegetables but is not limited to such vegetables and can be applied to the harvesting of any vegetables.

Background to the Invention It is known to harvest vegetables by trailing a harvesting apparatus behind a tractor or like vehicle and after the vegetables have been lifted from their growing position, either below or at ground level to elevate the harvested vegetables via a laterally extending conveyor into a container such as a trailer drawn by a second tractor or like vehicle which is driven in a parallel line to the first tractor and at substantially the same speeds so that the harvested crop is discharged in the trailed container. When the container is full the second tractor accelerates away so as to transfer the harvested vegetables to a processing plant or storage facility such as a barn or the like on the farm and its place may conveniently be taken by a third tractor trailing an empty container.Where no such third tractor is available the first tractor has to stop and await the next vegetable collecting container to arrive.

It is well recognised that every handling operation of harvested vegetables can result in damage to the vegetables concerned particularly in the form of bruising and like and every time that the vegetables are forced to change direction or drop from a height onto a waiting platform or onto a heap of vegetables which is accumulating, for example, in the trailed container, damage can occur.

With this in mind it is an object of the present invention to provide an alternative and improved system for the handling and collection of harvested vegetables to be used in association with any known harvesting device.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a complete harvesting system which incorporates an improved handling and collecting system in accordance with the invention and also incorporates a harvesting device for lifting the crop.

It is another object of the invention to provide apparatus of the type described which is more readily adapted to travel over soft ground and the like so as to cause minimal damage to the ground having regard to the heavy loads which have to be carried particularly after the crop has been harvested.

Summary of the Invention According to one aspect of the present invention an improved handling and collection system for harvested vegetables comprises 1) an in-line elevating conveyor adapted to elevate harvested vegetables from the level at which they have been raised by a harvesting device to a second higher level, 2) a container located to the rear of the in-line conveyor having front and back side walls defining a region to which the harvested crop can be delivered from the conveyor, at least the front wall of the region being lower than the second level of the in-line conveyor, 3) baffle means attached to the upper end of the in-line conveyor breaks the fall of the first produce into the container to direct the movement of the produce after they leave the conveyor, which baffle rises as produce accumulates in the container until there is a small clearance between heap and conveyor to reduce damage in transfer.

4) a movable floor within the container which is adapted to incremently move in a rearward direction so that as vegetables build up at the forward end of the container they are moved towards the rear so as to accommodate the incoming flow of vegetables, and 5) a proximity switch mounted on the conveyor for signalling when further space is required to cause the conveyor to move and thereby evenly fill the container from the front to the rear.

Preferably means is provided for inhibiting the continued movement of the floor in the rearward direction when the rearmost end of the first pile of vegetables to be loaded into the container reached the rear end wall of the container. Preferably load cells in the container signal when a maximum acceptable weight for subsequent transport by road has been achieved.

Conveniently and preferably the baffle is a movable baffle which rises and falls with the general level of vegetables in the container so that the vegetables at no time are subjected to free-fall from the conveyor but simply slide from the conveyor onto the baffle and down the baffle onto the awaiting crop at a controlled speed dependent on the angle of the baffle surface. To this end the baffle may be secured to a pair of pivoted arms themselves pivoted either to the conveyor or to the container walls.

The container may be on a separate trailer which is adapted to be towed by a harvesting apparatus on which the elevator is mounted.

In another arrangement the elevator is mounted at the front end of the container and the combined elevator and container are adapted to be towed behind the harvesing apparatus.

In a further embodiment of the invention the harvesting apparatus is mounted at the front end of the vehicle bearing the container and the elevator is mounted between the harvesting apparatus and the container positioned on the vehicle. The overall vehicle being adapted to be towed behind a tractor or like vehicle or being selfpropelled and including a driving position and motive power means.

According to a particular preferred feature of the invention the vehicle carrying the container whether it is towed or self-propelled is a tracked vehicle so that the soil pressure is reduced to the minimum.

Alternatively the vehicle carrying the container is supported on many wheels differential!5 steered, to follow in line.

Accordingly to another aspect of the invention a method of handling harvested vegetables comprises the steps of a) dislodging the vegetables from the soil in which they are growing, b) elevating the dislodged vegetables in line with the direction of travel of the harvesting device but in a direction opposite to the forward direction of the harvesting device, c) discharging the elevated vegetables into an in line container located behind the harvesting device, d) deflecting the direction of movement of the discharging vegetables by changing the direction of movement thereof through an angle of between 900 and 1 800 and causing the changed direction vegetables to accumulate at the forward end of the said container, and e) moving rearwardly the flooring of the container on which the vegetables are accumulated and after progressively raising the baffle means used to deflect the discharging vegetables so that the height through which the vegetables have to drop during the initial build-up of vegetables in the front of the container.

Convenientiy the movement of the flooring of the container is effected by means of a running conveyor which extends across the width of the vehicle and is set to move in a rearward direction relative to the forward direction of the container.

According to another feature of the invention, a method of harvesting comprises i) driving in a forward direction of a vehicle having a harvesting device mounted at the front end thereof, ii) causing vegetables dislodged by the harvesting device to be elevated rearwardly and in line with the direction of movement of the vehicle but in a direction opposite to the forward direction thereof.

iii) discharging the elevated vegetables into the forward end of a container forming a rear section of the vehicle, iv) deflecting and discharging vegetables through an angle between 900 and 1800 so as to cause the vegetables to build up only at the forward end of the container, and v) rearwardly moving the floor of the container during loading so as to slowly move the heap of vegetables in a rearward direction so that the latter do not build up to greater than a designed level within the container.

After the container has been filled or the crop has been harvested the vehicle can be driven to a conveneint loading/unloading site where the vegetables can be removed or the container can be removed in toto and placed on a road vehicle.

The flooring conveyor within the container can be used to unload the container so as to avoid the need to tumble the vegetables by tipping the container.

Where the container is removed in toto and empty one can be hitched onto the vehicle so as to improve the usage factor of the harvesting device and associated drive and controls.

Preferably the vehicle and/or container are carried by tracks as opposed by ordinary wheels to reduce the tendency for the structure to sink into soft soil.

The invention is a particular application in a system of harvesting which involves the driving of one or more vehicles around a field to be harvested and the deposition of the harvested crop in containers at a loading/unloading station ready to be lifted onto one or more road vehicles for transportation to a farm or vegetable processing plant. In such a system the vegetable carrying container is preferably detachable from the vehicle or from the tractor harvester combination.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side view of the first embodiment of the invention, and Figure 2 is a side view of the second embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description of the Drawings In Figure 1 a tractor 10 has a harvesting attachment generally designated 12 mounted on the three-point linkage 14 at the rear of the tractor. The latter includes an upwardly directed discharge chute 16 for feeding the lower end of an elevating conveyor 1 8. The harvesting attachment may alternatively be towed. Towed by the tractor is a tracked vehicle 20 having caterpillar tracks 22 to prevent the latter from digging into soft land. Detail of the towing connecting between the tractor and the vehicle is not shown. Suffice to say that the towing connection must clear the harvesting attachment and the discharge chute 1 6 and elevating conveyor 1 8.

The conveyor 1 8 extends not only upwardly but also rearwardly at 24 so as to overly the front end of the container section 26 of the tracked vehicle 20. Beyond the end of the rearwardly extend section 24 of the conveyor is a curved baffle 28 which s attached by pivoting arms designated in dotted outline at 30 to the conveyor or by a mounting (not shown) to the sides of the container 26 so as to be capable of swinging in an upwardly and downwardly direction depending on the level of the harvested crop within the container 26.

The build-up of the harvested crop within the container 26 is most conveniently achieved by providing a rearwardly moving flooring to the container 26 as by means of a conveyor and by discharging the vegetables onto the forward end of the conveyor and continually moving the conveyor in a rearward direction during loading, so the vegetables can be made to build up in the manner shown in dotted outline at 32.

By providing a sensing mechanism which may in fact be a plate or bar attached to the rear of the baffle 28 or a more sophisticated arrangement, so the baffle is adjusted to the correct height consistent with the height of the vegetables stacked within the container and in this way the vegetables discharging off the end of the conveyor section 24 only have to fall through a minimum distance.

The movement of the floor in the container 26 may be controlled from the tractor cab or may be automatically controlled in response to forward movement of the vehicle or a combination of both may be employed.

Although in Figure 1 the harvesting attachment is described as being attached to the rear of the tractor 10, it need not necessarily be so and the invention envisages the mounting of the harvesting device 1 2 both on the rear of the tractor, on an intermediate trailed unit located between the tractor and the main collecting unit 20 and thirdly at the forward end of the container vehicle 20.

Figure 2 of the drawings shows a later development of the invention in which the need for a tractor is dispensed with.

To this end an overall harvesting and collecting vehicle is provided comprising a chassis mounted on tracks 34 having at the forward end on one side a cab containing the driving position and a motor 38 for providing the motive power. To the side of che cab and motor but also on the front of the vehicle is a harvesting attachment 40 feeding an elevating conveyor 42 the upper end of which discharges into a large rectangular container 44 detachably carried at the rear of the vehicle.Attached to the upper end of the conveyor is a baffle 46 to deflect discharging vegetables through an angle in excess of 900 but less than 1 800 so that the vegetables are caused to effectively roll down the baffle into the container so as to build up in a controlled manner therein with minimal drop between the end of the conveyor and the top of the accumulating pile of vegetables within the container.

As previously described in relation to Figure 1, the baffle 46 rides up with the increasing level of vegetables within the container.

Although not shown, the floor of the container 44 is formed from a conveyor so as to permit the accumulating vegetables within the container to be moved in a rearward direction relative to the movement of the vehicle so that the accumulation of vegetables is maintained at a substantially constant height once the initial build-up has occurred so that the baffle 46 is normally maintained at a high position relative to the container 44 and the vegetables discharged through the minimum possible distance between the upper end of the conveyor 42 and the accumulation of vegetables shown in dotted outline at 48 within the container.

Claims

1. A handling and collection system for harvested vegetables comprising 1) an in-line elevating conveyor adapted to elevate harvested vegetables from the level at which they have been raised by a harvesting device to a second higher level, 2) a container located to the rear of the in-line conveyor having front and back and side walls defining a region into which the harvested crop can be delivered from the conveyor, at least the front wall of the region being lower than the second level of the in-line conveyor, 3) baffle means attached to the upper end of the in-line conveyor to break the fall of the produce first falling into the container and to direct movement of the produce after it leaves the conveyor, which baffle rises as produce accumulates in the container until there is a small clearance between heap and conveyor to reduce damage in transit, 4) a movable floor within the container which is adapted to incrementally move in a rearward direction as vegetables build up at the forward end of the container so that the latter are moved rearwards so as to accomodate the incoming flow of vegetables, and 5) a proximity switch on the conveyor for signalling when further space is required to cause the conveyor which comprises the movable floor, to move and thereby evenly fill the container from the front to the rear.

2. A handling and collection system as claimed in claim 1 in which means is provided for inhibiting the continued movement of the floor conveyor in the rearward direction when the rearmost end of the first pile of vegetables to be loaded into the container reaches the rear end wall of the container.

3. A system as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which load cells are provided in the container to signal when a maximum acceptable weight for subsequent transport by road has been achieved.

4. A system as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the baffle is removable and rises and falls with the general level of the vegetables in the containers so that the vegetables at no time are subjected to free fall from the conveyor but simply slide from the conveyor onto the baffle and down the baffle onto the awaiting crop at a controlled speed dependent on the angle of the baffle surface.

5. A system as claimed in the preceding claim in which the baffle is secured to a pair of pivotal arms themselves pivoted either to the conveyor or to the container walls.

6. A system as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the container is mounted on a separate trailer which is adapted to be towed by a harvesting apparatus on which the elevator is mounted.

7. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the elevator is mounted at the front end of the container and the combined elevator and container adapted to be towed behind harvesting apparatus.

8. A system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the harvesting apparatus is mounted at the front end of the vehicle bearing the container and the elevator is mounted between the harvesting apparatus and the container positioned on the vehicle.

9. A system as claimed in the preceding claim in which the overall vehicle is adapted to be towed behind a tractor or like vehicle or is adapted to be self-propelled and includes a driving position and motor for power means.

10. A system as claimed in any of the preceding claims wherein the vehicle carrying the container is a tracked vehicle so that soil pressure is reduced to a minimum.

11. A system as claimed in claim 1 in which the vehicle carrying the container is supported on many wheels which are differentially steered to follow in-line.

12. A method of handling harvested vegetables comprising the steps of 1) dislodging the vegetables from the soil in which they are growing, 2) elevating the dislodged vegetables in line with the direction of tavel of the harvesting device but in a direction opposite to the forward direction of the harvesting device, 3) discharging the elevated vegetables into an inline container located behind the harvesting device, 4) deflecting the direction of movement of the discharging vegetables by changing the direction thereof through an angle of between 900 and 1800 and causing the changed direction vegetables to accumulate at the forward end of the container, and 5) moving rearwardly the flooring of the container on which the vegetables are accumulated and progressively raising the baffle means to deflect the discharging vegetables as the heap of vegetables grows in the container.

13. A method as claimed in the preceding claim in which the flooring of the container is at least in part comprised of a conveyor and the movement of the flooring in a rearward direction is achieved by moving the conveyor in a rearward direction relative to the forward direction of the container.

14. A method of harvesting comprising the steps 1) driving in a forward direction a vehicle having a harvesting device mounted at the front end thereof, 2) causing vegetables dislodged by the harvesting device to be elevated rearwardly and in line with the direction of movement of the vehicle but in a direction opposite to the forward direction thereof, 3) discharging the elevated vegetables into the forward end of a container forming a rear section of the vehicle 4) deflecting the discharging vegetables through an angle between 900 and 1800 so as to cause the vegetables to build up only at the forward end of the container and 5) rearwardly moving the floor of the container during loading so as to slowly move the heap of vegetables in a rearward direction so that the latter do not build up to a greater than desired level within the container.

15. A method of unloading a container filled in accordance with the method of the preceding claim comprising the step of moving the flooring of the conveyor in a direction to unload the vegetables so as to avoid the need to tumble the vegetables by tipping the container.

1 6. A handling and collection system for harvesting vegetables constructed arranged and adapted to operate substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

1 7. Methods of harvesting and or collecting harvested vegetables substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.