WO2001017331A1

WO2001017331A1 - Method and apparatus for bunching flowers

Info

Publication number: WO2001017331A1
Application number: PCT/NL2000/000625
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert Gabriel Maria Lansbergen; Marinus De Vos
Original assignee: Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno
Priority date: 1999-09-06
Filing date: 2000-09-06
Publication date: 2001-03-15
Also published as: NL1012981C2; WO2001017331B1

Abstract

In a method for automatically making bouquets, the bunching of flowers, optionally with branches and/or ornamental additions, takes place with the stems and/or stalks engaged at the lower end. In particular, bunching takes place with the flowers, optionally with branches and/or ornamental additions, hanging down. An apparatus for making bouquets is provided, for the last-mentioned case, with at least one conveying unit (1) for feeding flowers engaged while hanging down, and any likewise engaged branches and/or ornamental additions, to a bunching device (2) connected thereto, for combining same with the flowers and any branches and/or ornamental additions hanging down, and binding the obtained bunches to form bouquets.

Description

Title: Method and apparatus for bunching flowers.

This invention relates primarily to a method for automatically making bouquets. Such bouquets can comprise both flowers, and branches, such as ferns, or ornamental additions, such as flags. 'Flower' is herein understood to mean both the flower proper or the bud of the flower, and the whole of the flower proper or bud together with the stem and leaves and, if applicable, the bulb. In what sense the term 'flower' is to be taken will be clearly apparent from the context in which the expression 'flower' is used.

Until well over ten years ago, bunching of flowers was done manually. In the eighties, however, it was endeavored to automate this operation. Thus, Dutch patent application 90.00099 discloses an apparatus for bundling or bunching cut flowers, more particularly roses, in which the cut flowers hanging in circular slots are moved to and into a central opening and the stems or stalks hanging down from the slots are gathered by a gripping member, whereafter the bundle or bunch formed is moved downwards to be discharged to a binder to bind the stems or stalks together. The flowers, sorted according to length, are brought into the slots using a receiving disc in which the flowers are placed by hand. A disadvantage of this is that this manner of working" cannot be used when a flower or bud has a shape such that it cannot be suspended by it. Accordingly, the known method is unsuitable for most flowers and specifically tailored to roses.

To obviate this disadvantage and to provide a method which is useful for making bouquets with all kinds of flowers, the method for automatically making bouquets is characterized, according to the invention, in that the bunching of flowers, optionally with branches and/or ornamental additions, takes place with the stems and/or stalks engaged at the lower end.

A further disadvantage of the known method is that in particular the depending leaves of the flowers are easily damaged during bunching. It is therefore preferred that, in accordance with the invention, bunching takes place with the flowers, optionally with branches and/or ornamental additions, hanging down.

From Dutch patent application 86.02544 the conveyance of flowers with the flowers hanging down is known per se. To that end, the conveying apparatus is provided with retaining means for engaging the lower portion of the stems. The flowers are manually introduced and conveyed by the conveying apparatus to the place where they are packaged. The chance of damage to the flowers is thereby strongly reduced, while the original quality of the flowers can be maintained. However, the flowers are not bunched here.

A particularly fine appearance can be given to bouquets when the flowers, with optional branches and/or ornamental additions, are bunched in sheaf form by turning the stems and/or stalks. A corn-sheaved bunch can moreover be put directly in a vase; the flowers do not need to be arranged anymore.

A further embellishment of the appearance of the bouquets is obtained when the height of the individual flowers and any branches and/or ornamental additions in the bouquet is set prior to bunching. In particular, it is possible that the flowers, during conveyance in vertical condition to the place where bunching takes place, are aligned so as to be disposed substantially in a horizontal plane.

Since the stems of flowers and branches may be curved or bent to some extent, it is favorable when during conveyance the curvature of the stems is determined and during bunching the flowers and any branches are included in the bunch with the curved stems turned, for instance inwards or outwards, in a predetermined manner. This measure can also contribute to the embellishment of the bunches obtained.

To obtain a further embellishment of the bouquets, it is possible with the aid of a detector to determine and register parameters that can be of importance for sorting the flowers to be included in the bouquets, such as stem length and/or stem curvature, flower height, injuries, ripeness, and the like, whereafter, on the basis of these parameters the flowers, sorted accordingly, are bunched.

The method such as it has been described so far is suitable in particular for cut flowers. However, when the method is to be applied to bulbous plants, in particular tulips, it is of importance that the flowers be conveyed to the place where bunching takes place after they have first been debulbed.

Although debulbing can take place in a known manner, as described, for instance, in Dutch patent specification 175580, it is preferred that both debulbing and conveyance be carried out with the flowers hanging down. In other words, both for cut flowers and for bulbous plants, such as tulips, the entire path of conveyance and bunching, or debulbing, conveyance and bunching, is traversed with the flowers hanging down, so that damage is minimized and the quality of the flowers is hardly or not at all reduced. The flowers are preferably entered in the conveyance path or in the debulbing path while hanging down. Incidentally, debulbing and conveyance with the flowers hanging down can take place independently, that is, without bunching also taking place with the flowers hanging down. It is also possible that the flowers are introduced into the conveying unit, or, for instance in the case of tulips, into the debulbing path, while lying horizontally, and subsequently, optionally after debulbing, are brought into vertical condition to be subsequently conveyed further and bunched in this vertical condition. In the above-mentioned Dutch patent specification 175580, debulbing takes place while the flowers are disposed on a substantially horizontal surface. When this manner of debulbing is used in the method for making bouquets according to the invention, the flowers, after being engaged, would have to be turned through 90° to bring them into the downwardly hanging position. In that case, it is better to turn the debulbing device through 90°. The invention relates not only to a method, but also to an apparatus for making bouquets. According to the invention, this apparatus comprises at least one conveying unit for feeding flowers engaged while hanging down and any similarly engaged branches and/or ornamental additions, to one or more bunching devices connected thereto for combining same, with the flowers and any branches and/or ornamental additions hanging down, and binding the obtained bunches to form bouquets.

In further elaboration, the conveying unit comprises a first pressure belt pair by which the flowers, hanging down and clamped therebetween, can be fed to an engagement unit, which engagement unit is provided with an endless conveyor having attached thereto a number of gripping members to take over the flowers supplied by the first pressure belt pair and pass them through a detector for determining and registering parameters that can be of importance for the arrangement and/or sorting of the flowers to be included in the bouquets, such as stem length and/or stem curvature, flower height, injuries, ripeness, and the like, as well as a second pressure belt pair by means of which, in cooperation with the gripping members and under the control of the detector, the flowers can be fed in the desired position to a bunching device. To enable the stems, since they have a different length, to be engaged at a particular height, which is dependent on the desired height of the flowers in the bouquet, the flowers need to be temporarily retained by the second pressure belt pair to be re-engaged by the gripping members, but now at the proper height. To that end, in a specific embodiment, the engagement unit is provided with a first control element arranged above the second pressure belt pair, and each of the gripping members comprises an unlocking element which, during the time that the unlocking element cooperates with said control element, keeps the jaws of the gripping member open, during which time the respective flowers are retained by the second pressure belt pair, while outside this time the jaws of the gripping members are kept closed under spring pressure. To enable the stems to be re-engaged at the proper height, each of the gripping members is mounted in the engagement unit so as to be movable in height direction, and the engagement unit is provided with a second control element arranged before and above the second pressure belt pair and being under the control of the detector, and each of the gripping members comprises a guide element which, in cooperation with said second control element, causes the respective gripping member during a movement thereof in the conveying direction to move upwards before the flower retained thereby is taken over by the second pressure belt pair. Further, the engagement unit is then provided with a guide edge which, in the direction of movement of the gripping members, is placed behind the second control element, to move the gripping members downwards along the stems of the respective flowers, while these flowers are retained by the second pressure belt pair and are conveyed further.

Preferably, above the second pressure belt pair a cutting member is arranged for cutting off stems projecting too far upwards.

To enable further conveyance of the stems that are curved or bent, with the bend oriented in a particular direction, to the bunching device, each of the gripping members is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis, and the engagement unit comprises a third and fourth control element, respectively arranged before and above, and behind and above the second pressure belt pair, and being under the control of the detector, and each of the gripping members comprises a disc-shaped element which, in cooperation with the third control element, is capable of rotating a respective gripping member through a particular angle, in which rotated position the gripping member takes over a respective flower from the second pressure belt pair again, whereupon, through a further cooperation of the disc-shaped element with the fourth control element, the gripping member is rotated into its original position again. From the conveying unit, the flowers, insofar as on the basis of the detection results they are to be bunched, are to be taken over by a bunching device to be combined into a bunch therein. To that end, this bunching device is provided with grippers to enable the flowers supplied by the conveying unit to be taken over, and a transfer mechanism to move the stems towards each other.

Although it is possible to construct the transfer mechanism as an umbrella construction, in which the grippers are on the one hand hinged to a substantially vertical pin and on the other by way of a sleeve movable along the pin and a hinging connecting element arranged between each of the grippers and the sleeve, while through movement of the sleeve along the pin the grippers are moved towards the pin to a greater or lesser extent, whereby the stems are therefore engaged from above, and the flowers are moved towards each other by folding this umbrella construction, it is preferred for constructional reasons when the transfer mechanism is provided with a first control disc, rotatable about a substantially vertical pin, having slots extending in at least the radial direction, and with at least one carrying disc, rotatable relative to this control disc about the same pin, to which the grippers are connected rotatably about a substantially vertical pin, while the grippers are provided with a cam which is reciprocable in a corresponding slot in the control disc upon rotation of the carrying disc.

This embodiment moreover provides the possibility of taking measures in a relatively simple manner for bunching flowers in sheaf form. To enable the stems under the disc to be moved more towards each other, the grippers may be built up from several gripper parts movable relative to each other. This effect can also be achieved when the ends of the grippers are operative at different heights. A more compact bouquet may further be obtained when one or more gripper parts is or are rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis and a second control disc is present, which is provided with slots for steering the ends of the grippers towards each other upon rotation of the carrying disc relative to the second control disc; the flowers can then be moved towards each other even more closely.

To enable the flowers to be taken over from the gripping members in the conveying unit into the bunching device, or to enable a bunch of flowers to be taken over from the bunching device to a binding machine to enable the bunch to be bound together, the bunching device comprises a control element to enable the jaws of the gripper to be opened, while the jaws close under spring pressure.

To enable the flowers to be bunched in sheaf form, the stems need to be moved towards each other in an inclined position. It is also possible, however, to supply the flowers to the bunching device with their stems already in an inclined position. This last could be realized, for instance, by tilting the entire bunching device a little or by engaging the flowers while hanging obliquely downwards when they are being taken over from the conveying unit.

To render the apparatus suitable for use with bulbous plants, in particular tulips, there can be connected to the conveying unit a debulbing device for debulbing bulbous plants, with the flowers hanging down. In a simple manner, the debulbing device can then be arranged above the first pressure belt pair.

For the purpose of offset removal, that is, removal of offshoots which are still present after debulbing, in the last-mentioned application, a third pressure belt pair is present between the first pressure belt pair and the detector, the engagement unit is provided with a rotary mechanism to enable rotation of the individual gripping members through a fixed angle, in particular through 90°, as well as with a fifth control element, arranged above the third pressure belt pair, and each of the gripping members comprises an unlocking element which, during the time that this unlocking element cooperates with the fifth control element, keeps the jaws of the gripping member open, during which time the respective flowers are retained by the third pressure belt pair, while outside this time the jaws of the gripping members are kept closed under spring pressure. To enable rotation of the grippers through said fixed angle, each of the gripping members is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis, the engagement unit is provided with a sixth control element arranged above, and a seventh control element arranged above and behind, the second pressure belt pair, and each of the gripping members comprises a disc-shaped element which, in cooperation with the sixth control element, can rotate a respective gripping member through said fixed angle, in which rotated position the gripping member takes over a respective flower from the third pressure belt pair again, whereafter, through a further cooperation of the disc-shaped element with the seventh control element, the gripping member is rotated into its original position again.

Before the first pressure belt pair, an endless conveyor chain is present, in which the flowers hang with the bulbs up at a discrete relative distance and, insofar as tulips are concerned, after they have been taken over by the first pressure belt pair, are conveyed to the debulbing device. Because the flowers are presented by hand in an irregular manner, at least one feeding unit with an acceleration mechanism is present to lead flowers, hung therein by hand, to the conveyor chain. Naturally, a plurality of feeding units may be present, in particular for making composite bouquets, for increasing the capacity of the input, or for supplying branches or ornamental additions.

The invention will now be further elucidated with reference to the accompanying drawing. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, suitable for bunching tulips;

Fig. 2A, 2B shows a top plan view of the apparatus represented in Fig. 1; Fig. 3A, 3B shows a front view of the apparatus represented in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 shows a feeding unit for feeding flowers hanging with the bulbs up to the endless chain;

Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of a gripping member, as used in the apparatus according to Figs. 1-3;

Fig. 6 shows a side elevation of the gripping member in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 shows an enlarged representation of a part of the apparatus according to Figs. 1-3, with the first and third pressure belt pair and the gripping member according to Fig. 5; Fig. 8 shows an enlarged representation of a part of the apparatus according to Figs. 1-3 with the second pressure belt pair and the gripping member according to Fig. 5 with associated control means;

Fig. 9 shows an enlarged side elevation of the gripping member according to Fig. 5 and a part of the associated control means before the second pressure belt pair;

Fig. 10 shows a perspective view of two bunching devices in a first embodiment, connected to the conveying unit;

Fig. 11 shows a side elevation of the bunching devices in Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 shows a bottom view of the bunching devices in Fig. 10; Fig. 13 shows an enlarged representation of a detail of the transfer mechanism in the bunching device in Fig. 10;

Fig. 14 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of a bunching device in umbrella construction;

Figs. 15A, 15B shows two diagrams that illustrate the operation of the bunching device in Fig. 14; and

Fig. 16 represents a perspective view of a corn-sheaved bunch of tulips.

Figs. 2A, 2B and 3A, 3B are two views of the same apparatus represented in two parts. In the following, for convenience, reference will be made to Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. In the drawings, further, equal parts are indicated by the same reference numerals. The apparatus will be described in relation to the formation of bouquets of tulips, without incorporating further branches and ornamental additions therein.

The apparatus represented in Fig. 1 is built up from a conveying unit 1, to which is connected a bunching unit 2 with two bunching devices 3 and 4. The tulips, suspended by their bulbs, with the flower down, are fed to the conveying unit via an endless chain 5, which is represented only partly in Figs. 1-3. This endless chain circulates in a horizontal plane and comprises V-shaped links 6 in which the tulips, with bulbs up, can be fed to the conveying unit 1 at mutually equal distances. Laterally of the chain 5 a feeding unit 7 with an acceleration mechanism is present, in which the tulips supplied in an irregular manner, and for instance by hand, hanging with the bulb up, are supplied to the chain 5 while being stepwise accelerated, such that they can be taken over by the chain 5 in a regular manner. Of course, a plurality of such feeding units 7 may be present. The feeding unit 7 is represented in more detail in Fig. 4. The unit comprises two sliding rods 8 and 9, between which the tulips slide down, hanging with the bulbs up, and a plurality - three in the present embodiment - of disc pairs 10, 11 and 12 which are driven with a mutual acceleration, and between which the tulips are passed with an acceleration to be fed in the direction of the chain 5, where they are taken over by the V-shaped links 6. Instead of V-shaped links 6, slotted links or different links or even grippers can be used. The last path between the disc pair 12 and the links 6 is traversed between two belts 13. Above this last path, a rotary brush element 14 is present to facilitate the transfer of the tulips from between the belts 13 to the V-shaped links 6.

At the end of the chain 5 proximal to the conveying unit 1, the tulips are taken over by a first pressure belt pair 15 between which the tulips, with the bulbs up, are taken hold of by their stems, at a point relatively closely under the bulb. Through the rotary movement which these pressure belts make, the stems seized between them are led further into the conveying unit 1. Arranged above the pressure belt pair 15 is a debulbing device 16. In this exemplary embodiment, this debulbing device is substantially equal to that described in Dutch patent specification 175580, with the understanding that it is arranged while rotated through 90° to enable the tulips to be debulbed with the flowers hanging down.

The debulbed tulips are carried along further by the first pressure belt pair 15 until they are engaged adjacent the end of this pressure belt pair by gripping members 17. These gripping members are depicted in more detail in Figs. 5-8. The gripping members 17 are attached to an endless conveyor 18 which forms part of an engagement unit 19 in the conveying unit 1. The endless conveyor 18 consists of two identically circulating endless conveying elements 19 and 20, arranged above each other, which have been passed about discs 21 and 22, respectively. The gripping members 17 are mounted at the top and further down on the conveying elements 20 and 19, respectively. In Figs. 1-3, for the sake of clarity, only two gripping members are depicted, viz. above and beyond the first pressure belt pair 15 and farther in the direction of travel of the endless conveyor 18; it will be clear, however, that a large number of these gripping members 17 are mounted on the conveying elements 19 and 20.

After the tulips have been debulbed in the debulbing device 16, the tulips could be gripped, by the stems thereof, by the gripping members 17 and be guided further through the conveying unit 1. It may happen, however, that offshoots of the bulbs, so-called offsets, after debulbing and gripping of the stems by the gripping members 17, remain stuck between the ends of the gripping members. This problem is solved by rotating the gripping members 17 through 90°, after the stems have been taken over from the pressure belt pair 15, and subsequently having the gripped stems taken over by a (third) pressure belt pair 23, whereafter the gripping members 17 are rotated yet further through 90° and thereby assume their original position to eventually take over the stems from the second pressure belt pair 23 again, so that the gripped tulips can further traverse the conveying unit 1.

A gripping member 17 is represented in more detail in Figs. 5-8. This gripping member is provided with two carriers 24 and 25 by means of which the gripper proper is fixed between the conveying elements 19 and 20. The gripping member 17 has jaws 26 which are normally kept closed under spring pressure. A lever 27 is present which is rotatable about a pin 28. This lever 27 engages a disc 29 which rests on the upper ends of the jaws 26. When the lever 27 is moved in the direction of the arrow P, the disc 29 is pushed down along a pin 30 and the two jaw parts are moved apart. The jaws close under the influence of a spring (not shown). In other words, by depressing the end 31 of the lever 27, the jaws 26 are opened; as soon as this end is released, the jaws 26 close under spring pressure. Mounted on the end of the pin 30 is a disc 32. By rotating this disc, the jaws 26 are rotated. In addition, the entire gripping member proper is movable in vertical direction along the carriers 24 and 25.

The engagement unit 19 is provided with a rotary mechanism, which is formed by the disc 32 of the gripping members and a (sixth) control element 33, fixedly arranged above the pressure belt pair 23, which control element 33 is built up from a plate 35 pivotable about a pivot pin 34, and an operating element (not shown), such as a pneumatic cylinder, to enable rotation of the plate 35 about the pivot pin 34. When a gripping member 17 moves in its direction of movement along the control element 33 and this is rotated in the direction of the path of the gripping member, the disc 32 will engage the plate 35 of the control element 33 and thereby effect a rotation of the gripping member 17. Through a proper setting of the time during which the plate 35 is swung in the direction of the path, the gripping member 17 can be rotated through 90°. Obliquely opposite the control element 34 on the other side of the path of the gripping members 17, a (seventh) control element 36 is arranged. This control element is built up in the same manner as the control element 33. When a gripping member 17 passes the control element 36 and this is activated, the gripping member is rotated further through about 90° again and will thereby enter a position corresponding to the position originally assumed. Directly before the control element 33, in the direction of the path, above the third pressure belt pair 23, a (fifth) control element 37 is arranged. This fifth control element is formed by a plate, and as soon as the end 31 of the lever 27 of the gripping member 17 comes into contact with this plate, this end is depressed and the jaws 26 are opened. As soon as the gripping member has passed the control element 37, the jaws will close under spring pressure.

When, after debulbing, offsets are situated between the stems and the belts of the pressure belt pair 15, then, as soon as a gripping member has taken over a stem and any offsets from the pressure belt pair 15, the offsets not held by the jaws will fall down. To remove the offsets that are still being retained by that time, the stem with offsets is taken over by the pressure belt pair 23, whereafter the jaws 26 open and are rotated in the open position through 90° and, directly after that, closed again, so that the stem with offsets is gripped while rotated through 90°. When the gripping member then comes clear of the pressure belt pair 23, the offsets then still present fall down and the gripping member 17 is rotated further through 90°, so that it resumes its original position.

After any offsets have been removed, the flowers, held in the gripping members 17, are passed through a detector for determining and registering parameters that can be of importance for arranging and/or sorting the flowers to be included in the bouquets, such as stem length and/or stem curvature, flower height, injuries, ripeness, and the like.

In the section of the conveying unit 1 located behind the detector 38, there are situated the constructional elements by means of which the height at which the flowers are included in a bouquet is set, as well as the position of the curved stems therein, in particular a (second) pressure belt pair 39 and (first, second, third and fourth) control elements 40, 41, 42 and 43, respectively, and various guide edges and guide elements, which control elements and guide elements and guide edges are part of the engagement unit 19.

In connection with the curvature of the stems, the flowers retained in the gripping members 17 are to be taken over in rotated position by the pressure belt pair 39 and, after the gripping members have been rotated into their starting position again, are to be taken over by the gripping members from the pressure belt pair 39. The angle through which a flower (stem) is to be turned is determined in the detector 38. The control element

42 present for rotating a gripping member 17, as well as the control element

43 present for further rotating the gripping member 17 into the starting position, are under the control of the detector 38. Both control elements 42 and 43 are formed by a number of plates 44, hingeable about hinge pins, which can be individually swung in the direction of the path of the gripping member 17 by means of operating elements (not shown), such as pneumatic cylinders, which are under the control of the detector 38. As a result of the disc 32 of the gripping member engaging the plates 44 swung towards the path, the gripping member is rotated. The duration of the contact of the gripping members with the plates determines the angle through which the gripping member 17 is rotated by the plates. By swinging one or more plates

44 to the path for a certain time, the magnitude of the angle through which the gripping member 17 is eventually rotated, is determined. To enable setting the height of the flowers in a bouquet, a control element 41 and a fixedly arranged guide edge 45 are present. The control element 41 is built up again from a number of plates 46, hinged about hinge pins, which can be individually swung in the direction of the path of the gripping member 17 by means of operating elements (not shown), such as pneumatic cylinders, which are under the control of the detector 38. The plates 46 are provided with guide edges 47 extending obliquely upwards in the direction of travel of the gripping member 17. The guide edges 47 can cooperate with guide elements 48, such as guide rollers or guide plates, on the gripping members. By swinging several plates 46 simultaneously towards the path and by setting the time that a gripping member is in contact with a plate, the height over which the gripping member 17 is displaced is determined. At a desired rise of, for instance, 10%, and when four plates are present, a contact with only one plate will be sufficient, viz. for four-tenths of the time that the gripping member could remain in contact with this plate.

When a gripping member 17 with a flower engaged by the stem thereof leaves the detector 38, with the aid of the control element 42 the gripping member 17 is first rotated through a desired angle, then brought to the desired height by means of the control element 41, whereafter the flower, brought to the proper height, is taken over by the pressure belt pair 39. By means of the control element 40 the jaws 26 of the gripping member are then opened, whereafter the gripping member 17 moves down over the guide edge 45 while being advanced in the direction of conveyance. The gripping member 17 with opened jaws 26 then moves down along the stem of the flower. In a lower position, the gripping member is first rotated into its original position by means of the control element 43, whereafter the flower, in the desired position and at the desired height, is taken over by the gripping member 17 from the pressure belt pair 39. In this position and at this height, the flower can be fed to a bunching device. As it is possible that a flower does not need to be taken over at a different height, but does have too long a stem, a cutting member (not shown) can be arranged above the pressure belt pair 39. To lift the flower to it, there is present before the pressure belt pair 39 a further control element 49, of the same type as the control element 41, but containing only a single plate for a defined upward movement of the gripping member 17 with flower. The stem can thereby be cut off in the desired manner.

In Figs. 10-13, the bunching unit 2 from Figs. 1-3 is represented in more detail. In this embodiment, the bunching unit 2 consists of two bunching devices 3 and 4, mounted on a frame 50, which is fixedly connected with the frame of the conveying unit 1. Since the two bunching devices are identical, it is sufficient to describe only one of them in more detail. The choice of the bunching device by which a flower supplied in a gripping member is to be taken over can be determined in the detector 38. The bunching device 3 comprises grippers 51 to enable the flowers supplied by the conveying unit 1 to be taken over, as well as a transfer mechanism 52 to enable the stems to be moved towards each other for forming a bouquet. The transfer mechanism comprises a pair of control discs 53 and 54 and a pair of carrying discs 55 and 56, which discs are all centered around the same axis.

The upper control disc 53 is provided with slits 67 extending in at least the radial direction. The grippers 51 are rotatably fixed between the carrying discs 55, 56 and comprise at the upper end an arm 57 having at the end a cam 58 which is reciprocable in a corresponding slot 67 in the control disc 53 upon rotation of the carrying discs 55, 56 relative to the control disc 53. For clarity, only one slot 67 is depicted; it will be clear, however, that at least as many slots are to be present as there are flowers to be included in the bouquet to be made.

The grippers 51 are built up from several gripper parts 68-71, movable relative to each other, to enable the stems under the disc 54 to be moved more towards the center. In the embodiment represented, the gripper part 68 is moreover rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis 58 to enable the stems to be moved obliquely towards each other and thereby enabling a corn-sheaved bouquet to be made. The second control disc 54 is provided with slots 59 to enable control of the rotation of the gripper 51 about the horizontal axis 58. Here too, for clarity, only one slot 59 is depicted.

The gripper end is formed by the gripper parts 71 and 72. These parts form the two halves of the jaws with which the stems are gripped. The gripper part 71 is fixedly connected with the gripper part 70, while the gripper part 72 is arranged so as to be pivotable relative to this gripper part 70. To that end, there extends through the gripper part 70 a pin 73 fixedly connected with the gripper part 72, which pin 73 is provided at the upper end with a lifting arm 74. The bunching device further comprises a control element 60 which, in contact with a fixedly arranged arm (not shown) rotates the gripper part 72, so that the jaws of the grippers 51 are opened, while these jaws close under spring pressure. Further, the ends of the grippers 51 can be operative at different heights to enable the stems under the disc to be moved more towards the center, for instance by choosing the length of the gripper parts 59 to be different.

In Fig. 14 another embodiment of a bunching device according to the invention is represented. The transfer mechanism 61 in this embodiment is formed by an umbrella construction, whereby the grippers 62, on one side, through connecting elements 63, are pivotally connected with a substantially vertical pin 64 and on the other side, via a sleeve 65 movable along the pin 64 and a hinging connecting element 66 arranged between each of the grippers 62 and the sleeve 65, while through movement of the sleeve 65 along the pin 64, the grippers 62 are moved to a greater or lesser extent towards the pin 64. The movement mechanism of a gripper 62 with respect to the pin 64 is depicted in more detail in Figs. 15A and 15B.

By taking over the flowers in the proper position from the conveying unit 1 into the bunching device, a corn-sheaved bouquet as depicted in Fig. 16 can be obtained.

The invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiment described here with reference to the drawings, but encompasses all kinds of modifications thereof, naturally insofar as they fall within the scope of protection of the appended claims. In particular, it should be pointed out that it is possible to make the first pressure belt pair of twisted design in order for the flowers, located in a horizontal plane, supplied to the debulbing device, to be led further through the debulbing device and to the bunching devices in vertical orientation yet.

Claims

1. A method for automatically making bouquets, characterized in that the bunching of flowers, optionally with branches and/or ornamental additions, takes place with the stems and/or stalks engaged at the lower end.

2. A method according to claim 1, characterized in that bunching takes place with the flowers, optionally with branches and/or ornamental additions, hanging down.

3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the flowers with optionally branches and/or ornamental addtions are bunched in sheaf form by turning the stems and/or stalks.

4. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the height of the individual flowers and any branches and/or ornamental additions in the bouquet is set prior to bunching.

5. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the flowers, during conveyance in vertical condition to the place where bunching takes place, are aligned located substantially in a horizontal plane.

6. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that during conveyance the curvature of the stems is determined and during bunching the flowers and the optional branches are included in the bunch with the curved stems turned in a predetermined manner.

7. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that by means of a detector, parameters that may be of importance for the sorting of the flowers to be included in the bouquets, such as stem length, and/or stem curvature, flower height, injuries, ripeness, and the like, are determined and registered, whereafter on the ground of these parameters, the flowers, accordingly sorted, are bunched.

8. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the flowers are conveyed to the place where bunching takes place after they have first been debulbed.

9. A method according to claim 8, characterized in that debulbing and 5 conveyance occur with the flowers hanging down.

10. A method for automatically making bouquets of bulbous plants, in particular tulips, characterized in that debulbing and conveyance occur with the flowers hanging down.

11. An apparatus for making bouquets, comprising at least one conveying 0 unit (1) for feeding flowers engaged while hanging down and any likewise engaged branches and/or ornamental additions, to one or more bunching devices (3, 4) connected thereto for combining same with the flowers and any branches and/or ornamental additions hanging down, and binding the obtained bunches to form bouquets. 5

12. An apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that the conveying unit (1) comprises a first pressure belt pair (15) by which the flowers, hanging down and clamped therebetween, can be fed to an engagement unit (19), which engagement unit (19) is provided with an endless conveyor (18) having attached thereto a number of gripping 0 members (17) to take over the flowers supplied by the first pressure belt pair (15) and passing them through a detector (38) for determining and registering parameters that can be of importance for the arrangement and/or sorting of the flowers to be included in the bouquets, such as stem length and/or stem curvature, flower height, injuries, ripeness, and the like, 5 as well as a second pressure belt pair (39) by means of which, in cooperation with the gripping members (17) and under the control of the detector (38), the flowers can be fed in the desired position to a bunching device (3, 4).

13. An apparatus according to claim 12, characterized in that the engagement unit (19) is provided with a first control element (40) arranged C before and above the second pressure belt pair (39), and each of the gripping members (17) comprises an unlocking element (27-31) which, during the time that this unlocking element (27-31) cooperates with said control element (40), keeps the jaws (26) of the gripping member (17) open, during which time the respective flowers are retained by the second pressure belt pair (39), while outside this time the jaws (26) of the gripping members (17) are kept closed under spring pressure.

14. An apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that each of the gripping members (17) is mounted in the engagement unit (19) so as to be movable in height direction, and that the engagement unit (19) is provided with a second control element (41) arranged above the second pressure belt pair (39) and being under the control of the detector (38), and each of the gripping members (17) comprises a guide element (48) which, in cooperation with said second control element (41), causes the respective gripping member (17) during a movement thereof in the conveying direction to move upwards before the flower retained thereby is taken over by the second pressure belt pair (39).

15. An apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that the engagement unit (19) is provided with a guide edge (45) which, in the direction of movement of the gripping members (17), is placed behind the second control element (41), to move the gripping members (17) downwards along the stems of the respective flowers, while these flowers are retained by the second pressure belt pair (39) and are conveyed further.

16. An apparatus according to claim 15, characterized in that above the second pressure belt pair (39) a cutting element is arranged for cutting off stems projecting upwards too far.

17. An apparatus according to any one of claims 13-16, characterized in that each of the gripping members (17) is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis, that the engagement unit (19) is provided with a third (42) and fourth (43) control element, respectively arranged before and above, and behind and above the second pressure belt pair (39), and being under the control of the detector (38), and each of the gripping members (17) comprises a disc-shaped element (32) which, in cooperation with the third control element (42), is capable of rotating a respective gripping member (17) through a particular angle, in which rotated position the gripping member (17) takes over a respective flower from the second pressure belt pair (39) again, whereafter, through a further cooperation of the discshaped element (32) with the fourth control element (43), the gripping member (17) is rotated into its original position again.

18. An apparatus according to any one of claims 11-17, characterized in that the bunching device (3, 4) is provided with grippers (51, 62) to enable the flowers supplied by the conveying unit (1) to be taken over and a transfer mechanism (52, 61) to move the stems towards each other.

19. An apparatus according to claim 18, characterized in that the transfer mechanism (61) is formed by an umbrella construction, in which the grippers (62) on one side are pivotally connected with a substantially vertical pin (64) and on the other by way of a sleeve (65) movable along the pin (64) and a hinging connecting element (66) arranged between each of the grippers (62) and the sleeve (65), while through movement of the sleeve (65) along the pin (64) the grippers (62) are moved towards the pin (64) to a greater or lesser extent.

20. An apparatus according to claim 18, characterized in that the transfer mechanism (52) is provided with a first control disc (53), rotatable about a substantially vertical axis, having slots (67) extending in at least the radial direction, and with at least one carrying disc (55, 56), rotatable relative to this control disc (53) about the same axis, to which the grippers are connected rotatably about a substantially vertical axis, while the grippers (51) are provided with a cam (58) which is reciprocable in a corresponding slot (67) in the control disc (53) upon rotation of carrying disc (55, 56) relative to the first control disc (53).

21. An apparatus according to claim 20, characterized in that the grippers (51) are built up from a plurality of gripper parts (59-72) movable relative to each other, to enable moving the stems under the disc more towards the center. 5

22. An apparatus according to any one of claims 21, characterized in that one or more gripper parts is or are rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis (58) to enable moving the stems obliquely towards each other, and that a second control disc (54) is present, which is provided with slots (59) for steering the ends of the grippers (51) towards each other upon 0 rotation of the carrying disc (55, 56) relative to the second control disc (54).

23. An apparatus according to claim 22, characterized in that the bunching device (3) is provided with control means (60, 73, 74) to enable the jaws (71, 72) of the gripper (51) to be opened, while these jaws (71, 72) close under spring pressure. 5

24. An apparatus according to any one of claims 18-23, characterized in that the ends of the grippers (51) are operative at a different height to enable moving the stems under the disc more towards the center.

25. An apparatus according to any one of claims 11-24, characterized in that there is connected to the conveying unit (1) a debulbing device (16) for 0 debulbing bulbous plants with the flowers hanging down.

26. An apparatus according to claim 25, characterized in that the debulbing device (16) is arranged above the first pressure belt pair (15).

27. An apparatus according to claim 26 together with claim 12, characterized in that between the first pressure belt pair (15) and the 5 detector (38) a third pressure belt (23) is present, that the engagement unit (19) is provided with a rotary mechanism (32, 33, 36) to enable rotation of the individual gripping members through a fixed angle, in particular through 90°, as well as with a fifth control element (37) arranged above the third pressure belt pair (23), and that each of the gripping members (17) C comprises an unlocking element (27-31) which, during the time that this unlocking element (27-31) cooperates with the fifth control element (37), keeps the jaws (26) of the gripping member (17) open, during which time the respective flowers are retained by the third pressure belt pair (23), while outside this time the jaws (26) of the gripping members (17) are kept closed under spring pressure.

28. An apparatus according to claim 27, characterized in that each of the gripping members (17) is rotatable about a substantially vertical axis, that the engagement unit (19) is provided with a sixth (33) control element arranged above, and a seventh (36) control element arranged above and behind, the third pressure belt pair (23), and that each of the gripping members (17) comprises a disc-shaped element (32) which, in cooperation with the sixth control element (33), can rotate a respective gripping member (17) through said fixed angle, in which rotated position the gripping member (17) takes over a respective flower from the third pressure belt pair (23) again, whereafter, through a further cooperation of the disc-shaped element (32) with the seventh control element (36), the gripping member (17) is rotated into its original position again.

29. An apparatus according to any one of claims 24-28, characterized in that an endless conveyor chain (5) is present, in which the flowers with the bulbs up hang at a discrete relative distance and, after they have been taken over by the first pressure belt pair (15), are conveyed to the debulbing device (16).

30. An apparatus according to any one of claims 11-29, characterized in that at least one feeding unit (7) with an acceleration mechanism is present to lead flowers hung therein by hand, to the conveyor chain (5).