GB2334192A - Harvesting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Harvesting apparatus comprises a vehicle which has a platform 13 and at least one arm 23 pivotally attached thereto. The arms are preferably of sufficient length to extend over two rows of crop. Stations 27 are arranged along the arm to support a receptacle 28 while a picker manually picks the crop and fills it up. Once the receptacle 28 is full, it is placed on conveyor 25 and is taken to the platform 13. A worker on the platform then sends an empty receptacle to the picker along conveyor 24. The station may include a load cell to indicate to the picker when the receptacle is full. The height of the platform 13 may be adjustable, and the arms may be vertically or horizontally pivoted thereto to facilitate manoeuvring of the vehicle. Optionally, a chiller may be contained on the platform 13 with ducting extending through the arms 23 to cool the picked crop. The vehicle may be in the form of a trailer or it may be self-propelled.

Description

HARVESTING APPARATUS The present invention relates to apparatus for use in manual harvesting of crops, particularly though not exclusively as grown above ground level.

Crops grown above ground level include soft fruits grown on plants supported on platforms - typically straw bales or steel platforms - and on bushes. in the case of strawberries grown in bags of growing medium, it is advantageous to cover the plants with tunnels of polythene sheeting. Usually a series of tunnels will be provided next door to each other.

Conventionally, whether grown in tunnels or not and on platforms or not, strawberries are picked into punnets, which are loaded into crates and carried back by pickers to a collection point. Typically this is a trailer which is then towed to a grading shed. This is inefficient in terms of the pickers' time, particularly as it can involve them having to walk the full length of a growing tunnel to the trailer with full crates and punnets along rows of strawberry plants which they have already picked. If they have not quite finished a row, they then have to return with empty punnets to the point where they left off picking.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved harvesting apparatus.

According to the invention there is provided apparatus for use in manual harvesting of crops, the apparatus comprising a vehicle equipped with a platform and at least one lateral arm adapted at at least one station to support a picked crop receptacle, the arm having a conveyor means for conveying the receptacle with its crop from the station to the platform and an empty receptacle back from the platform to the station.

Normally, the vehicle will be a trailer; although it can be envisaged that the vehicle be self-propelled. Tractor controls can be provided on the trailer. Again thq trailer will normally have a pair of arms, one extending from one side of the vehicle and the other from the other. ç -.

Preferably the arms will be of sufficient length to extend over two lines of crops, with respective stations arranged at the outside from the trailer of each line. In the preferred embodiment, the platform extends over the crop lines next to it. To pick the crop on the inside of these lines, additional arms and stations may extend behind the trailer.

Where the crops are grown above ground level, the stations are conveniently arranged at the level of the crop, that is to say in the case of apparatus designed for crops grown on platforms at the height of the crnp Whilst it is envisaged that the platform may be at a fixed height, it is advantageous for its height to be adjustable. This facilitates loading and unloading of crop pallets and turning of the trailer at the end of restricted height tunnels. Further, for turning, the arms may be pivotable either vertically or preferably horizontally.

Alternatively, they may be demountable, with the crop receptacle stations also being demountable from the arms.

To help understanding of the invention, a specific embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an end view of a harvesting rig according to the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the rig with certain parts omitted for the sake of clarity.

Referring to the drawings, the crop for which the apparatus is intended is strawberries grown in growing bags 1 on straw bales 2 contained within sheet plastics tubing 3. Four lines of bales and bags are provided within each arch 4 of a plurality of polythene tunnels 5. The arches are supported on poles 6, which are l.5m high and spaced by 6.75m laterally of the arches. The apex of the arch is 3.5m above ground level. The bales are 0.8m high and support the growing bags at this height. The widthwise spacing of the bales is shown to scale in Figure 1.

The rig is based on a trailer 11, which has a chassis 12 on which is mounted a platform 13, via a hydraulically operated scissors lift 14 of conventional type. The lift has hydraulic rams 15 and a stabilisation linkage 16. The platform is wider than the chassis, with side decks 17, pivoted to a central deck section 18. Individual hydraulic rams 19 are provided for folding the side decks up for travel ofthe rig on the road.

The platform is provided with posts 20 and a peripheral fence 21 for the safety of a crew working on it.

Via vertically oriented pivot axes 22, two anns 23 are attached to the side decks of the platform at one end. The pivot arrangement is such that the arms can be swung to lie alongside the side decks. Their use position is swung out sideways, as shown in the drawings. Each has an upper conveyor 24 and a lower conveyor 25.

These may be motorised or they may be ofthe roller type. Depending from each arm is a pair of brackets 26 respectively supporting a pair of carriers 27. These are sized to receive crates 28 containing punnets 29 for strawberries to be picked into. Two similar brackets 30 and carriers 3 1 are connected to the back ofthe platform.

Although not shown, optional features are load cells incorporated in the carriers for weighing the crates and hence detecting when the punnets are full. Also, the platform may be equipped with a chiiler, and cool air from the chiller may be ducted to the stations, represented by each carrier 27,30, and blown over the berries as they are picked into the punnets.

In use, the trailer is drawn at crawling speed down the central wide aisle 7 of the bales. The platform has been preliminarily lifted and the arms have been swung out. The carriers 27 thus pass down the side aisles 8,9 and the carriers 30 pass down the central aisle. With crates containing punnets supported on the carriers, pickers follow the apparatus picking the crop direct into the punnets. When a crate's punnets are full, it is passed onto the platform, by one ofthe conveyors 24,25 in the case ofthe carriers 27. Fresh crates with empty punnets are passed out on the other conveyor.

On the platform, the full crates are graded stacked on pallets and chilled.

At the end of one tunnel, the platform is lowered onto the chassis and the arm swung in. The trailer can then be manoeuvred into the next tunnel and picking recommenced .

The trailer can be used with the anns removed for setting up the growing tunnel and laying out the bales, growing bags and irrigation pipes.

The invention is not intended to be restricted to the details of the above described embodiment. For instance the platform may be equipped with lights for night-time cropping. The hydraulic scissors for the platform may be of the type having horizontally acting actuators which displace pivot points of the scissors. The carriers 27 may be pivotally mounted about their brackets 26, so as to be able to be swung in also.

Claims (14)

1. Apparatus for use in manual harvesting of crops grown in lines into receptacles, the apparatus comprising: a vehicle equipped with: a platform, at least one lateral arm attached to the platform and adapted at at least one station to support a picked crop receptacle in a temporarily fixed position and a conveyor means on the arm for conveying filled receptacles with their picked crops from the station to the platform and empty receptacles back from the platform to the station.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a motor vehicle.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a trailer.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the vehicle has a pair of arms, one extending from one side of the vehicle and the other from the other side.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the arms are of sufficient length to extend over two lines of crops, with respective stations arranged at an outside from the trailer of each line.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the vehicle is sized to fit between two rows of crop and the platform is of a size to extend over the crop lines next to it.

7. Apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein an additional arm, having one or more stations and conveyor(s), extends behind the trailer.

8. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the station(s) are arranged at the level of the crop.

9. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the vehicle includes means for adjusting the height of the platform.

10. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the arms are pivotally connected to the platform, either vertically or horizontal, to facilitate manoeuvring of the vehicle.

11. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the arms are demountable, with the crop receptacle stations also being demountable from the arms.

12. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein each station includes at least one load cell to weigh the picked crop.

13. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the platform includes a chiller and ducting on the arms to duct cool air to the stations to cool the picked crop.

14. Apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 1 and Figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.