IL171969A - Flower crop harvester - Google Patents

Description

171969 p'Ji I 453494 π~\κ Flower crop harvester State of Israel, Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Organization Volcani Center The Inventors: ZION, Boaz C. 163278 FLOWER CROP HARVESTER FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to crop harvesting, in particular to a method for flower harvesting and a crop harvester vehicle therefor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Mechanical harvesting devices for food crops have existed for well over a century with both the combine harvester and the mechanical reaper being granted patents in the year 1834.

More recently, harvesters have been designed and manufactured for non-comestible crops such as flowers in order to increase harvesting efficiency in a profitable and competitive market.

Harvesters developed for flower crops must be adapted to handle delicate commodities. Flowers are purchased, amongst other things, for their aesthetic qualities and therefore measures must be taken to minimize damage caused during the harvesting period in order to keep their quality high as aesthetically pleasing, perishable products and to maximize their shelf life.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention there is provided a flower harvester fitted for harvesting substantially long stemmed flowers with minimal damage to the flower and its stem during harvesting thereof.

According to the invention there is provided a crop harvester comprising: a frame having a front end and rear end; a conveyer belt assembly, mounted on said frame, having a conveyor belt entrance and exit and at least an upper pair of conversely rotating conveyor belts extending between the entrance and exit; the pair of belts, having a gap therebetween, each comprising an outer layer belt being soft, undulated and adapted to convey crops in a selected orientation; an alignment member, mounted frame's front end, for directing the crops into the conveyor belt entrance; - a stem cutter, mounted on said frame, disposed below the conveyor belt assembly between the conveyor belt entrance and exit; a tilting member, integrally formed with or mounted on said frame, disposed below the conveyor belt exit; and a collection bed, engaging or integrally formed with the frame, disposed adjacent to said tilting member, adapted for collection of crops.

According to some particular embodiments of the invention, one or more of the following features may be applied to the harvester subject of the present invention: • The alignment member has a v-like shaped bar arrangement or a w-like shaped bar arrangement; • The conveyer belt assembly comprises at least a lower pair of conversely rotating conveyer belts, mounted on the frame, disposed underneath the upper pair, aligned in the same direction and driven by a common drive shaft; • The velocity of the outer layer end of said conveyor belt, facing the gap, is adapted to be approximately the same magnitude or a slightly greater magnitude, and the opposite direction to the velocity of the harvester, allowing the crops being conveyed to be substantially stationary with respect to the ground; • Said conveyor belts are chain conveyor belts with an undulated, soft and/or flexible outer layer; and • The gap between adjoining conveyer belts is adjustable so as to fit for different flowers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In order to understand the invention and to see how it may be carried out in practice, an embodiment will now be described, by way of a non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a motorized crop harvester in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a top view of the motorized crop harvester in Fig. 1 ; 01632785U6-01 Fig. 3 is an enlarged top view of a conveyor belt portion in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 4 is a top view of crops and a crop harvester according to another embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS With reference to Fig. 1, there is shown a motorized crop harvester 10 adapted for harvesting stalk crops grown in rows and, in this example, is calibrated for flower crops (not shown).

The harvester 10 has a motor (not shown) for self propulsion, and a frame 12 comprising a front end 13 and a rear end 14.

An alignment member 16 is mounted on the frame's front end 13. The alignment member 16 shown is a plurality of bars forming a W-like shape, however, it may be made of plates or alternatively it may be in another configuration such as a V-like shape.

A conveyor belt assembly 18 is mounted on the frame 12, adjacent to the alignment member 16, extending from the frame's front end 13 to its rear end 14. The conveyor belt assembly 18 comprises at least an upper pair of conversely rotating conveyor belts 20, to be described in further detail below in connection to Fig. 3.

The conveyor belt assembly 18 may further comprise a lower pair of conversely rotating conveyor belts 22, mounted on the frame 12, disposed underneath the upper pair 20. The upper pair 20 and lower pair 22 are dimensionally similar, aligned in the same direction, and may be driven by a common drive shaft 23.

The conveyor belts may comprise of an outer layer 24 made of a soft and/or flexible material.

The conveyor belts may be adjusted to be at a predetermined height above the ground so as to grip and support the stem part of the flower crop rather than the bud.

A stem cutter 26 can be seen, mounted on the frame 12, disposed below the conveyor belt assembly 18. The stem cutter may be adjusted to be at a predetermined height above the ground so as to cut the stem part of the flower crop.

In Fig. 2, the positioning of the alignment member 16 is shown more clearly as is the parallel nature of the upper pair of belts 20. The conveyor belt entrance 21 is the - position where the converging pairs of conveyor belts first grip and support the crops (not shown) and propels them in the direction of the frame's rear end 14.

This view better displays the stem cutter 26 as extending further than the width of the conveyor belt assembly 18 so as to reach the stalks of the crops that are not disposed directly beneath the conveyor belts.

A collection bed 34 that, in this example, may be substantially flat is integrally formed with the frame's rear end 14.

The crops (not shown) conveyed by the conveyor belt assembly 18 are tilted when they impact a tilting member, in this example an edge 32, located on the frame's rear end 14 underneath the conveyor belt exit 25. Only a lower portion of the crops are impacted causing them to rotate and gently fall onto the bed 34 in an orderly fashion.

The harvester 10 may comprise guide bars 27 integrally formed with the frame 12. The guide bars 27 are disposed higher than the collection bed 34 and are parallel to the length of the conveyor belts, extending from before the conveyor belt exit 25 to protrude over at least a portion of the collection bed. The guide bars 27 restrict the side movement of the flowers after they have exited the conveyor belt assembly 18 causing them to fall onto the collection bed in an orderly manner.

In Fig. 3, an enlarged top view of a pair of conversely rotating belts shows the shape of the undulating outer layer 24 and a chain inner layer 30 driving the outer layer.

Arrows indicating the continued path of each belt have been added. The rotation of the belts has been described above as converse, meaning that one belt in the pair rotates in the clockwise direction and the alternate belt rotates in the counterclockwise direction such that the direction of the belts are converging near the conveyor belt entrance 21 and diverging near the exit 25. The arrows can be seen to be converging conveyor belt entrance 21 and diverging at the other side. An adjustable gap 28, is shown between the outer layers 24 in which the crops (not shown) are supported in an upright orientation until they are deposited onto the collecting bed.

Referring now to Fig. 4, a towed harvester 50 according to another embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. In Fig. 3 parts identical to those in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals.

Flower crops 40 are illustrated on the ground in front of the alignment member 16. 01632785U6-01 The towed harvester 50 is attached to a trailer 42 via a frame portion and has, for example, two compartments 44 for orderly storage of the crops 40. It should be appreciated that although the trailer is positioned behind the towed harvester 50 in this embodiment, it could be positioned differently in another embodiment, for example at the side of the towed harvester 50, and may also be motorized.

The towed harvester 50 is not motorized and is driven by a motor vehicle 36 that is attached to the frame 12. The motor vehicle may travel in between crop rows or above a crop row while towing the harvester through the row it harvests.

In operation the towed harvester 50 is towed by the motor vehicle 36 towards the flower crops 40. As the flower crops 40 contact the alignment member 16 they are gently aligned into at least one row, each row being directed into the conveyor belt entrance 21.

At the entrance 21 the flower crops 40 are supported in their upright orientation in the gap 28 between the outer layers 24 of the upper and lower pairs of conversely rotating conveyor belts, respectively numbered 20 and 22.

As a result of the outer layer 24 being undulating soft and/or flexible material, and because the gap's 28 width is according to this embodiment adjusted to be slightly smaller than the width of the stem thickness the flower crops can be supported and transported by the conveyor belt assembly 18 without substantial or any damage to the flower crops. However, it should be appreciated that the width of the gap may be adjusted differently for various flower crops, for example, flower crops with leaves along their stems may require the gap to be larger than the stem diameter.

The conveyor belt assembly 18 may convey the flower crops 40 in the upright orientation at a velocity of approximately the same magnitude but opposite direction to the velocity of the towed harvester 50. However, it can be appreciated that the magnitude of velocity of the conveyer belt assembly 18 may be slightly higher than that of the towed harvester 50 causing the crops to have more momentum when they impact the stem cutter 26, thereby enhancing cutting efficiency.

The flower crops 40 are severed from the ground by the stem cutter 26, at a selected height, whilst being supported by the conveyor belt assembly 18. After being cut the flower crops 40 continue to be conveyed by the conveyor belt assembly 18 into the edge 32 tilting them as they exit the conveyor belt assembly 18 causing the flower crops 40 to rotate and fall gently through the guide bars 27, which restrict their 01632785U 6-01 sideways motion causing them to be deposited onto the collection bed 34 in an orderly fashion.

The flower crops 40 may be transported to the trailer 44 manually by laborers or they may be transported mechanically (not shown), for example, by means of a further conveyor belt.

Claims (21)

CLAIMS:

1. A crop harvester comprising: a frame having a front end and rear end; a conveyer belt assembly, mounted on said frame, having a conveyor belt entrande' and exit" and at least an upper pair of conversely rotating conveyor belts extending between the entrance and exit; the pair of belts, having a gap therebetween,' each comprising an outer layer belt being soft, undulated and adapted to convey crops in a selected orientation; an alignment member, mounted frame's front end, for directing the crops into the conveyor belt entrance; a stem cutter, mounted on said frame, disposed below the c'onveyor belt assembly between the conveyor belt entrance and exit; a tilting member, integrally formed with or mounted on said frame, disposed below the conveyor belt exit; and a collection bed, engaging or integrally formed with the frame, disposed adjacent to said tilting member, adapted for collection of crops.

2. The crop harvester of claim 1, wherein said harvester is motorized.

3. The crop harvester of claim 1 ,· wherein said harvester is adapted to be driven by a motor vehicle disposed at the front or side or rear of said harvester.

4. The crop harvester of claim 1, wherein said alignment member comprises a w-like shaped bar arrangement.

5. The crop harvester of claim 1, wherein said alignment member comprises a v-like shaped bar arrangement.

6. The crop harvester of claim 1, wherein said alignment member comprises plates or bars.

7. The crop harvester of claim 1, wherein said conveyor belt assembly further comprises at least a lower pair of conversely rotating conveyor belts, mounted on the frame, disposed underneath the upper pair, aligned in the same direction, and driven by a common drive shaft.

8. The crop harvester of claim 1, wherein said conveyor belt assembly is adapted to convey the crops in an upright orientation. 01632785U6-01

9. The crop harvester of claim 1, wherein the velocity of the outer layer end of said conveyor belt, facing the gap, is adapted to be approximately the same magnitude or a slightly greater magnitude, and the opposite direction to the velocity of the harvester, allowing the crops being conveyed to be substantially stationary with respect to the ground.

10. The crop harvester of claim 1, wherein said conveyor belts are chain conveyor belts with an undulated, soft and/or flexible outer layer.

11. The crop harvester of claim 1, wherein said the gap between said pair of conveyor belts is adapted to support a chosen flower stem without causing damage thereto.

12. The crop harvester of claim 1, wherein said tilting member is disposed at a height sufficient to impact a lower end of said crops exiting said conveyor belt assembly.

13. The crop harvester of claim 1 , further comprising guide bars integrally formed with the frame, disposed higher than the collection bed and parallel with the conveyor belts, extending from the conveyor belt exit 25 to above at least a portion of the collection bed, for restricting sideways motion or rotation of the crops as they are released from the conveyor belt exit.

14. The crop harvester of claim 1, further comprising a non-motorized trailer, attached to the harvester.

15. The crop harvester of claim 1, further comprising a motorized trailer, attached to the harvester.

16. The crop harvester of claim 14 or 15, wherein the crops are transported mechanically from the collection bed to the trailer.

17. The crop harvester of claim 14 or 15, wherein the crops are transported manually from the collection bed to the trailer.

18. The crop harvester of claim 1, wherein the width of said gap is adjustable. 01632785U6-01

19. A method for harvesting flowers, comprising a harvester described in claim 1, by which crops are directed into said pair of conversely rotating conveyor belts which support them in their uncut upright orientation during and after they are severed, and subsequently conveying them to a collection bed, in which they are deposited by being propelled by the conveyor belt assembly into a tilting member causing them to rotate and fall in an orderly fashion, onto said collection bed.

20. A method for harvesting flowers, substantially as described herein with reference to the attached figures.

21. A crop harvester, substantially as described herein with reference to the attached figures. For the Applicants, COHN AND PARTNERS 01632785M 6-01