WO2006056634A1

WO2006056634A1 - Vibrator device for fruit trees

Info

Publication number: WO2006056634A1
Application number: PCT/ES2005/000629
Authority: WO
Inventors: Luis CAÑONES JUAREZ
Original assignee: Canones Juarez Luis
Priority date: 2004-11-18
Filing date: 2005-11-18
Publication date: 2006-06-01
Also published as: ES1058893U; ES1058893Y

Abstract

The invention relates to a vibrator device for fruit trees, which is designed to cause the fruit to fall from trees (5). The inventive device consists of a suspended head (1) comprising a vibrator mechanism (3) and a jaw mechanism (2), whereby the suspended head (1) hangs from a metal structure (22) that is connected to a tractor vehicle by means of an elastic cable (20). The aforementioned jaw mechanism (2) comprises an inner support ring (12) which is coupled around the vibrator mechanism (3) and a clamp (27) which opens and closes in order to adapt to the thickness of the branches (4) and which is actuated by at least one oil-hydraulic cylinder (15). In this way, the branch (4) to be struck is fixed between the lower ends (23) of the clamp (27) and the inner support ring (12). The vibration is produced by the rotation of an eccentric element (6) of the vibrator mechanism (3), actuated by an oil-hydraulic motor (8).

Description

VIBRATING EQUIPMENT FOR FRUIT TREES TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention, as expressed in the statement of this specification, belongs to the field of devices and equipment to provide vibration to fruit trees, intended to cause the fall of the fruits by said vibration, and more particularly intended to cause the fall of olive olives.

STATE OF THE PRIOR ART OF THE INVENTION In the agricultural sector, there are a variety of methods and devices to cause the fall of tree fruits for later harvesting, and more specifically in the case of olive trees and olives harvesting, where very varied systems are used, ranging from the traditional manual vareo of the olive trees through elongated rods, to more complex mechanical systems.

In the case of traditional manual vareo there is the disadvantage that a lot of time is invested and it is a very monotonous and tired task for the worker. In addition, through this system, trees can be damaged, as many branches are broken, which the following year will not bear fruit, negatively affecting production. There are other systems to perform this work, such as small vibrating equipment that transports and manipulates an operator. These systems are faster than traditional manual vareo, but have the same inconvenience of breaking branches with the consequent decrease in productivity in the following season. In addition, these works involve a great physical effort for the operator who transports and manipulates the vibrating equipment.

There are also more robust vibrating equipment that is associated with a tractor vehicle, and that apply a

SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) vibration to the complete set of the tree tied to it by its trunk. This system is faster than the previous ones, and the great physical effort that the operator must make is eliminated, but it continues to present the problem of deterioration of the tree, and in this case not only of its branches, since when acting on the whole set , it can damage the roots, and the tree can even dry out.

Therefore, a vibrating device that solves all the problems presented by the equipment and systems existing in the state of the art was desirable.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention aims to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art mentioned in the previous sections by means of a vibrating equipment for fruit trees, essentially applied to olive trees, comprising at least one hanging head, which comprises a vibrating mechanism and a mechanism of claw to be tied to the branches to be watered from the trees, said head hanging from a metal structure associated to a tractor vehicle.

The vibrating equipment can be transported in any type of agricultural machine, provided that it has hydraulic lifting or steering systems, or others of an industrial type; taking advantage of the same hydraulic system for its operation. The weight of the vibrator is between 30 and 50 kg, so it can be moved with any equipment.

This vareo system is fast and clean, apart from not causing any damage to the tree, its roots, or the smaller branches, avoiding the breakage of branches as with manual vareo or other mechanized systems of the state of The technique.

The vibration is applied essentially to the most robust branches of the tree to make the fruits fall by gravity, although it is also possible to apply

SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) that vibration to the trunk when the tree is relatively small.

In the vibrating equipment for fruit trees, damping means are arranged between the hanging head and the metal structure.

The advantage that these damping means provide is that of absorbing the impact of the vibrations produced by the mechanism when performing the shaking action of the trees, and thus avoiding the transmission of said vibrations to the towing vehicle. In this way, a cleaner and more effective vibration is achieved on the branches, and only on these, and on the other hand, the deterioration of the machinery by the produced vibrations is avoided. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the damping means consist of an elastic cable attached to the metal structure and from which the head hangs.

The claw mechanism that clings to the branches comprises an inner support ring coupled around the housing of the vibrating mechanism, and a clamp. This clamp comprises two arcuate bodies articulated at two diametrically opposed inner support ring fixation points. The arched bodies have a lower and upper end. The upper ends of the two arcuate bodies are associated by at least one oleohydraulic cylinder. In this way, the opening and / or closing of the clamp is carried out by the joint movement of the two arcuate bodies, which is achieved by means of the oleohydraulic cylinder and the articulation of the arcuate bodies to the inner support ring, thus allowing the distance to be varied between the lower ends to adapt to the thickness of the branches, so that the branches are fixed between said lower ends of the branches

SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) arched bodies of the clamp and the inner support ring.

In another embodiment of the invention, there are two hydraulic cylinders associated with the upper ends of the bodies arcuate and an ^'outgoing fixed inner support ring, so instead of a single hydraulic cylinder opening and / or closing Clamp is performed by independent movement of the two arched bodies. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the metal structure to which the hanging head is associated comprises a telescopic element, from which the elastic cable hangs as a damping means. The advantage of this embodiment is to be able to conveniently position the head on branches located at different heights, without the need to modify the length of the cable from which the head hangs, or make changes to the fixed structure, which would involve much more time.

In a preferred embodiment of the claw mechanism, the lower ends of the arched bodies of the clamp, as well as the inner support ring, comprise elastic elements that prevent possible damage to the branches of the tree produced by the mechanism in the grip of these, to while absorbing part of the vibration produced so that it is not so violent and can damage the branches.

In another embodiment, the vibrating equipment for fruit trees incorporates more than one hanging head, to be able to vibrate several branches, either simultaneously, or separately. The advantage of this embodiment is the elimination of downtime in the vareo caused by the need for changes of the head's tie in the different branches.

In any of the embodiments of the invention, the vibrating mechanism comprises an eccentric element.

SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) attached to an axis, and produces the necessary vibrations for the vareo of the tree by means of the rotation of said eccentric element caused by the rotation of the axis thanks

^• to an oleohydraulic motor arranged in the towing vehicle.

Next, to facilitate a better understanding of this specification, and as an integral part thereof, some figures representing the object of the invention are attached. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Figure 1 shows a schematic view of the vibrating equipment of the invention applied to a tree.

Figure 2 shows an elevation view of the hanging head of the vibrating equipment of the invention. Figure 3 shows a front view of the hanging head of the vibrating equipment of the invention.

Figure 4 schematically shows a first embodiment of the claw mechanism of the invention.

Figure 5 schematically shows a second embodiment of the claw mechanism of the invention.

Figure 6 schematically shows a third embodiment of the claw mechanism of the invention. In these figures numerical references appear denoting the following elements:

1. Hanging head

2. Claw mechanism

3. Vibrating mechanism

4. Branches 5. Trees

6. Eccentric element of the vibrating mechanism

7. Shaft of the vibrating mechanism

8. Oil hydraulic motor

9. End caps of the vibrating mechanism 10. Housing of the vibrating mechanism

SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) 11. Bearings

12. Inner support ring

13. Arched bodies

14. Diametrically opposed fixing points 15. First oil-hydraulic cylinder

16. Elastic elements

17. Third elastic element

18. Anchoring means, hooks, rings

19. Second cable 20. Damping means, elastic cable 21. Telescopic element 22. Metal structure

23. Lower end

24. Upper end 25. Outgoing

26. Second oil hydraulic cylinder

27. Caliper

28. Cylinder heads

EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION Figure 1 schematically shows an embodiment of the invention. The vibrating equipment for fruit trees comprises at least one hanging head 1 as a pendulum, said hanging head 1 comprising a vibrating mechanism 3 and a claw mechanism 2 for gripping the different branches 4 of the trees 5 from a position above the tree tops 5. The hanging head 1 hangs on a metal structure 22 associated with a towing vehicle, at its front, or at its rear. This vareo system is comfortable, fast and clean, apart from not causing any damage to the tree 5, its roots, or the smaller branches 4, avoiding the breakage of branches 5 as happens with the manual vareo or other mechanized systems of the state of the art.

SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) Between the hanging head 1 and the metal structure 22 associated with the tractor there are damping means 20. The function of these damping means is the absorption of the impact of the vibrations produced by the vibrating equipment during its operation, thus achieving a clean vibration and effective on the branches 4 of the trees 5, and also eliminating the transmission of vibrations to the different elements of the towing vehicle, thus avoiding the possible deterioration that these would cause.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the damping means 20 consist of an elastic cable 20 associated with the metal structure 22 and from which the hanging head 1 hangs, although said damping means 20 can be realized in other ways, such as elements elastic in different ways, springs, etc. The advantage of using an elastic cable 20 is the simplicity and low cost with which the desired damping objectives are achieved. In said preferred embodiment of the invention, the elastic cable 20 is connected by one of its ends, obviously to the metal structure 22, and at its other end to a second cable 19, which comprises two divergent ends that are anchored in two means. anchor 18, such as hooks or rings 18 of the hanging head 1. Figures 1 and 2 show the elastic cable 20 and the second cable 19 anchored to the hooks or rings 18 of said hanging head 1.

As can be seen in Figure 2, the vibrating mechanism 3 comprises an eccentric element 6 integral with an axis 7 connected to an oleohydraulic motor 8 fixed in one of the end caps 9 of a hollow cylindrical housing 10, the axis 7 being coupled to the end caps 9 by means of bearings 11 or similar elements. In this way, the vibration is achieved with the

SUBSTITUTE SHEET (RULE 26) rotation of the eccentric element 6 caused by the rotation of the shaft 7 driven by the oleohydraulic motor 8.

As seen in Figures 2 and 3, the claw mechanism 2 comprises an inner support ring 12 concentrically coupled around the housing 10 of the vibrating mechanism 3, and a clamp 27 which is formed by two arcuate bodies 13 articulating at two points diametrically opposed fasteners 14 of the inner support ring 12, and at least one oleohydraulic cylinder 15. The two arcuate bodies 13 have a free lower end 23 and an upper end 24, and the upper ends 24 of the two arched bodies 13 of the clamps 27 are associated with each other by at least said oleohydraulic cylinder 15. In this way, the opening and / or closing of the clamp 27 is carried out by the joint movement of the two arcuate bodies 13, due to the fact that the operation of the oleohydraulic cylinder 15 causes the upper ends 24 to approach or move away from each other, and as said arcuate bodies 13 are articulated at the two diametrically opposite fixing points Position 14 of the inner support ring 12, the lower ends 23 will move away or closer together. With this movement, the claw mechanism 2 is adapted to the thickness of the branches 4 to be waved, so that said branches 4 are fixed between said lower ends 23 of the clamp 27 and the inner support ring 12.

The advantage of this embodiment of the claw mechanism 2 is a greater adaptability to the different thicknesses of the different branches 4 to be waved, and faster, since only the oleohydraulic cylinder 15 needs to be operated to adapt the clamp 27 to the different sizes of the branches. Additionally, given the configuration of the claw mechanism 2, a firm and smooth grip is achieved while protecting the branches 4

SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) of possible damages, thus avoiding the deterioration of said branches 4 that occurs with the use of other state-of-the-art mechanisms with stronger and more aggressive grips. As seen in Figure 5, in an alternative embodiment of the claw mechanism 2, the inner support ring 12 comprises in its upper part a projection 25 to which the oleohydraulic cylinder 15 is fixed by its central part. In this embodiment the oleohydraulic cylinder 15 comprises two cylinder heads 28, each of them at one end of the oleohydraulic cylinder 15, and each fixed to the upper end 24 of each of the arcuate bodies 13. This is achieved the opening and / or closing of the clamp 27 by the independent movement of each of the arcuate bodies 13 thanks to the action of the two cylinder heads 28 and the articulation of the arcuate bodies 13 at the two diametrically opposite fixing points 14 of the inner support ring 12, thus allowing the distance between the lower ends 23 to be adapted to adapt to the thickness of the branches 4, so that the branches 4 to be fixed are fixed between said lower ends 23 of the clamp 27 and said support ring interior 12. The advantage of this embodiment is a greater adaptability of the claw mechanism 2 to the thickness of the branch 4 to be waved and greater accuracy, thanks to the movement independent of the two arched bodies 13.

Figure 6 shows another alternative embodiment of the claw mechanism 2 in which the opening and / or closing of the clamp 27 is achieved by an independent movement of the arcuate bodies 13. In this case, the clamp 27 comprises a second oleohydraulic cylinder 26 following the first oleohydraulic cylinder 15, and both oleohydraulic cylinders 15,26 are anchored by

SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) one of its ends to a projection 25 existing in the inner support ring 12, and at the other end to the upper ends 24 of each of the arcuate bodies 13. In this way the opening and / or closing of the clamp 27 is achieved. by independent movement of each of the arcuate bodies 13 thanks to the action of the first oleohydraulic cylinder 15 and the second oleohydraulic cylinder 26, and the articulation of the arcuate bodies 13 at the two diametrically opposite fixing points 14 of the inner support ring 12 , thus allowing to vary the distance between the lower ends 23 to adapt to the thickness of the branches 4, so that the branches 4 to be waved are fixed between said lower ends 23 of the clamp 27 and said inner support ring 12.

To achieve greater protection of the branches 4 to be waved, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the lower ends 23 of the arcuate bodies 13 of the clamp 27 comprise elastic elements (16), and the inner support ring 12 comprises a third elastic element 17 in its lower part, such that the branches 4 to be waved are fixed between said third elastic element 17 of the inner support ring 12 and the elastic elements 16 of the lower ends 23 of the arcuate bodies 13 of the clamp 27. Said elastic elements 16, 17 are made of materials such as rubber, rubber, etc., and can be seen in Figure 3.

As seen in Figure 1, in order to achieve greater reach and accessibility to all branches 4, which are at different heights, in a preferred embodiment of the invention the metal structure 22 associated with the towing vehicle comprises a telescopic element 21 in which the damping means 20 are arranged, such as for example the

SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) elastic cable 20. In this way, the hanging head 1 can be precisely positioned in the required vertical direction corresponding to the branches 4 to be waved. The

• Advantage of this telescopic element 21 is the ease and speed to place the hanging head 1 at different heights without modifying the length of the elastic cable 20 or the metal structure 22, which would take much more time and work.

In another embodiment, the vibrating equipment for fruit trees incorporates more than one hanging head, to be able to vibrate several branches, either simultaneously, or each of them following the following. The advantage of this embodiment is the elimination of downtime in the vareo caused by the need for changes of the head's tie in the different branches.

SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26)

Claims

1. Vibrating equipment for fruit trees intended to cause the fruit to fall through vibration comprising at least one hanging head (1) as a pendulum, said hanging head (1) comprising a vibrating mechanism (3) comprising a housing ( 10) in a cylindrical shape, and a claw mechanism (2) for gripping the branches (4) of the trees (5) from a position above the tops of said trees (5), said hanging head (1) hanging from a metal structure (22) associated with a tractor vehicle, characterized in that a damping means (20) are arranged between the hanging head (1) and the metal structure (22), and the claw mechanism (2) comprises a support ring interior (12) concentrically coupled around the housing (10) of the vibrating mechanism (3), and a clamp (27) which comprises two arcuate bodies

(13) which articulate in two diametrically opposed fixing points (14) of said inner support ring (12), and at least a first oleohydraulic cylinder (15), said arcuate bodies (13) comprising a free lower end (23) and an upper end (24), said upper ends (24) being associated with each other by at least said first oleohydraulic cylinder (15), such that the opening and / or closing of the clamp (27) is carried out by the joint movement of the two arcuate bodies (13) achieved by means of the first oleohydraulic cylinder (15) together with the tilting of the two arcuate bodies (13) around the two diametrically opposite fixing points (14) of the inner support ring (12), thus allowing to vary the distance between the lower ends (23) to adapt to the thickness of the branches (4), so that the branches (4) to be waved are fixed between said lower ends (23) of

SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) Ia clip (27) and said inner support ring (12).

2. Vibrating equipment for fruit trees according to claim 1, characterized in that the damping means (20) consist of an elastic cable (20) connected by one of its ends to the metal structure (22) and at the other end to a second cable

(19), said second cable (19) comprising two divergent ends that are anchored in two anchoring means (18) located in the hanging head (1).

3. Vibrating equipment for fruit trees according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the metal structure (22) associated with the towing vehicle comprises a telescopic element (21) in which the damping means (20) of which hangs are arranged. the head (1), all in order to be able to precisely place said hanging head (1) in the corresponding vertical direction required with the branches (4) to be waved.

4. Vibrating equipment for fruit trees according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the lower ends (23) of the arcuate bodies (13) of the clamp (27) comprise elastic elements (16).

5. Vibrating equipment for fruit trees according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the inner support ring (12) comprises a third elastic element (17) in its lower part, such that the branches (4) to be waved are fixed between said third elastic element (17) and the lower ends (23) of the arcuate bodies (13) of the clamp (27).

SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26)

6. Vibrating equipment for fruit trees according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the inner support ring (12) comprises in its upper part a projection (25) and the first oleohydraulic cylinder (15) of the clamp (27) is fixed on its central part to said projection (25), said oleohydraulic cylinder comprising two cylinder heads (28), each arranged at one end of said first oleohydraulic cylinder (15) and fixed to each of the upper ends (24 ) of the two arched bodies (13) of the clamp (27), such that the opening and / or closing of the clamp (27) is carried out by the independent movement of the arcuate bodies (13) achieved by means of the two cylinder heads (28) together with the tilting of the two arcuate bodies (13) around the two diametrically opposite fixing points (14) of the inner support ring (12), thus allowing to vary the distance between the extr lower emos (23) to adapt to the thickness of the branches (4), so that the branches (4) to be waved are fixed between said lower ends (23) of the clamp (27) and said inner support ring (12 ).

7. Vibrating equipment for fruit trees according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the clamp (27) comprises a second oleohydraulic cylinder (26) following the first oleohydraulic cylinder (15), and the inner support ring (12) it comprises in its upper part a projection (25) disposed between the first oleohydraulic cylinder (15) and the second oleohydraulic cylinder (26), one of the ends of the first oleohydraulic cylinder (15) being connected to the upper end (24) of one of the arched bodies (13) and the

SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26) another end of the first oleohydraulic cylinder (15) fixed to the projection (25), and one of the ends of the second oleohydraulic cylinder (26) being attached to the upper end (24) of the other arcuate body (13) and the other end of the second cylinder oleohydraulic (26) fixed to the projection (26), in such a way that the opening and / or closing of the clamp (27) is carried out by means of the independent movement of the two arcuate bodies (13) achieved by means of the first oleohydraulic cylinder (15 ) and the second oleohydraulic cylinder (26) together with the tilting of the two arched bodies (13) around the two diametrically opposite fixing points (14) of the inner support ring (12), thus allowing the distance between the lower ends to be varied (23) to adapt to the thickness of the branches (4), so that the branches (4) to be waved are fixed between said lower ends (23) of the clamp (27) and said inner support ring (12).

8. Vibrating equipment for fruit trees according to any one of the preceding claims characterized in that the cylindrical hollow housing (10) of the vibrating mechanism (3) comprises two end caps (9), being fixed on the outer face of one of them a oleohydraulic motor (8), and the vibrating mechanism (3) additionally comprises a shaft (7) disposed inside said housing (10), coupled by means of bearings (11) to the two end caps (9), and connected to the motor oleohydraulic (8), the axis (7) comprising an eccentric element (6) that rotates in solidarity with said axis (7), such that the desired vibration is produced by the rotation of said eccentric element (6) caused by the rotation of the shaft (7) driven by the oleohydraulic motor (8).

SUBSTITUTE SHEETS (RULE 26)