FR2504351A1 - Hydraulically-operated harvester for tomatoes - has inclined gathering head comprising two contra-rotating discs delivering crop onto roller conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

The tomato harvester has a wheeled chassis (1) supporting an inclined harvesting head (7) which includes a pair of spaced contra-rotating discs (15d). The discs are mounted on diverging flanges and each has an upwardly turned peripheral flange which is at an angle of between 165 and 175 degrees to the plane of the disc. A conveyor (10) made up of transverse bars is mounted on the chassis, with its front end just behind the discs. The conveyor and discs are inclined at an angle of approx. 30 degrees to the horizontal. An endless belt conveyor (17) is mounted behind the first conveyor, to receive the harvested tomatoes from it.

Description

 Self-propelled machine for harvesting tomatoes or other similar vegetables.

 The present invention relates to a self-propelled machine for harvesting tomatoes or other similar vegetables grown in the field.

 The technical sector of the invention is that of the construction of agricultural machines.

 We already know towed or self-propelled agricultural machines that uproot tomato plants. These machines separate the fruit from the plant and from the soil and, after the tomatoes have possibly been sorted manually on tables carried by the machine, the tomatoes, which are intended for a canning plant, are dumped into crates placed on a trailer.

 The object of the invention is to provide an improved and self-propelled machine for harvesting tomatoes or other similar vegetables.

 The machines according to the invention are of the known type comprising a chassis on wheels carrying a head for collecting the fallen fruit and plants and bar conveyors which transport the fruit towards the rear of the machine, which detach the fruit from the plants, and which separate fruits from plants and from the earth. The pickup head has two discs which are rotated in opposite directions to each other in the direction that folds the fruit and plants towards the longitudinal axis of the machine.

 The object of the invention is achieved by means of a machine in which each disc has a peripheral rim raised upwards and has the general shape of a plate.

 The pickup head comprises a first conveyor with bars, the front end of which is engaged under the rear part of said discs and the rear end of which is articulated around a horizontal axis transverse to the machine, which first conveyor has an upper strand which moves from front to back.

The angle of the plane of the first conveyor and the discs with the horizontal plane is between 25 gr and 35 gr and, preferably, around 30 grades
A machine according to the invention comprises a second conveyor with chains and bars whose spacing is greater than the size of the fruit, which second conveyor comprises an upper strand which moves from front to rear and which comprises a first section located under the rear end of the first conveyor, a second vertical section or slightly inclined towards the front from top to bottom, which second section has a height of the order of 30 cm to 50 cm, and a third section slightly rising towards the rear and the machine has shakers that lift the third section and let it fall to detach the fruit from the plants.

 The result of the invention is a new self-propelled machine intended for harvesting tomatoes in the open field at the same time as the plants are being uprooted. Although specially designed for harvesting tomatoes, a machine according to the invention can be used to harvest other vegetables, in particular onions.

 The pick-up head of a machine according to the invention of the court carrying discs in the form of plates which are slightly inclined towards the axis of the machine and which penetrate slightly below the ground surface, has the advantage of picking up all the fruits fallen to the ground without damaging them because the disks engage under the surface crust of earth which is removed at the same time as the fruits. In addition, the bead of soil that forms between the two discs prevents the fruit from falling back on the ground between the discs. The plants are cut close to the ground by the joining discs, so that the soil which is attached to the roots remains in the soil.

 The particular shape of the second conveyor makes it possible first to separate the fruits fallen on the ground on the first section of the upper strand then to separate the ripe fruits from the plants by a vertical drop of the plants and finally to detach the less ripe fruits from the plants by a shaking of the conveyor.

 The chassis of a machine according to the invention is connected to the axles at three points, the articulations of the two front wheels around the vertical pivot axes and the articulation of the rear axle around a longitudinal horizontal axis.

 This three-point suspension and the cylinder which is incorporated in the spindle of a front wheel make it possible to correct the lateral inclination of the chassis and to keep it horizontal, which is important for the operation of the machine.

 The fact that the front and rear axles, or any one of them, can be made to be steered, facilitates the maneuvers for turning this machine having a great length in the open field.

 The following description refers to the appended drawings which represent, without any limiting character, exemplary embodiments of machines according to the invention.

 Figure I is a longitudinal section of a first embodiment of a machine according to the invention.

 Figure 2 is a rear view of the machine according to Figure I pouring the tomatoes on a trailer.

 Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of a second embodiment of a machine according to the invention.

 Figure 4 is a front view of the pickup head.

 Figure 5 is a cross section of one of the plate-shaped discs.

 FIG. 6 is a rear view of FIG. 3.

 Figure 7 is a view of the rear axle.

 Figure 8 is a view of the front axle.

 FIG. 9 is a diagram of the hydraulic circuits making it possible to make the two axles or any of the two axles steerable.

 A machine according to the invention comprises a self-propelled chassis I composed of longitudinal beams Ig, Id and sleepers. This chassis has a great length, of the order of 5 to 6 meters, to allow the conveyors to be accommodated there. The chassis I is carried by two wheelsets 4, a front gear 2 and a rear gear 3. The two wheelsets 2 and 3 can be steered either together or separately.

 The front wheels are driven. The driving wheels are driven by hydraulic motors which are powered by a pump unit, driven by a heat engine and carried by the chassis I which has not been shown for clarity of the drawing.

 A machine according to the invention is intended for plucking tomato planes 5 which are cultivated in the open field and which are planted in pairs of parallel rows, spaced apart from each other by about 30 cm and located on a hillock of earth 6 having a width of the order of I m to 1.20 m, as seen in FIG. 2.

 The wheels 4 of the machine run in the bands located between the stops 6.

 The machines according to the invention comprise a pickup head 7 which is articulated around a transverse horizontal axis 8, so that it can be raised during movement. The head 7 is intended to cut the tomato plants 5, to pick up the fruits 9 which have fallen on the ground and to raise the assembly.

 The pick-up head comprises a first conveyor 10 formed of two flexible, endless chains of reinforced elastomer, between which are placed transverse bars wrapped in a flexible sheath forming a grid. The spacing between bars is less than the size of the fruit, so that the fruits detached from the plant cannot fall between the bars.

 The conveyor chains pass over toothed wheels which are mounted on axis 8 and which are driven by a hydraulic motor IOa.

 The upper strand of the conveyor 8 moves from front to rear at a speed substantially equal to the speed of movement of the machine.

 The pickup head 7 carry the front end, two uprights llg and lld which are located on either side of the conveyor 10 and which form a gantry It supporting two brackets 12g and 12d. Each of these brackets carries a transmission member 13g, 13d driven by a hydraulic motor and driving a shaft 14g, 14d which carries, at the lower end, a disc 15g, 15d.

 Figure 4 is a front view of the pickup head on which we see the gantry II, the bar conveyor 10 driven by a hydraulic motor IOa, and the two rotating assemblies carrying the two discs 15g and 15d.

 The two discs 15d and 15g rotate in opposite directions. The directions of rotation are indicated by arrows in Figure 4. These are the directions which bring the plants towards the axis, so that the discs 15d, 15g act as reel. The two discs 15d, 15g are tangent l one to the other or one of them passes over the other and overlaps it slightly.

 We see in Figure 1 that the shafts 13g, 13d are located in a transverse plane perpendicular to the plane of the conveyor 10, so that the discs 15g and 15d attack the ground with an inclination which is the same as the angle formed by the conveyor with the horizontal.

 The value of this angle a during machine work is an important parameter for proper operation. The angle a is between 25 gr and 35 gr and preferably equal to 30 gr.

 We see in Figure 4 that the axes x xl and y yl of the trees 14d and 14g are not parallel and converge towards each other upward at an angle ss of the order of 10 gr to 20 grades , so that the discs 15d and 15g- are slightly inclined towards each other in cross section.

 The spacing between the two front points of the two discs 15g and 15d is slightly greater than the spacing between the two rows of plants 5 which are represented by crosses in FIG. 4.

 FIG. 5 represents, on a larger scale, a cross section of a disc 15 passing through the axis of a shaft 14. It can be seen in this figure that the discs have the shape of a plate having a raised peripheral edge 15a which forms, with the flat part of the disc, an angle y substantially complementary to the angle a, that is to say an angle of the order of 170 gr and between 165 and 175 gr.

 FIG. 5 shows the relative position of the discs relative to the ground during the harvest. The front parts of the two discs located between the two axes penetrate slightly into the ground, the front edge 15a then being substantially parallel to the surface of the ground.

 Earth enters the discs and forms a bead of earth 16 which remains in the discs thanks to the plate shape of the latter, so that the bead 16 fills the space between the two discs to the point where these are tangent to each other. The bead 16 thus forms a seal between the two discs which prevents fruit fallen on the ground from running under the discs.

 It can be seen in FIG. 1 that the discs 15 are situated slightly above the front end of the conveyor 10 and the fruits and the cut plants pour out onto the conveyor 10 at the rear of the two discs.

 The plants are sliced passing between the two discs. The earth entrained by the discs falls back between the bars of the conveyor 10.

 The chassis carries a second conveyor 17 which is driven by a hydraulic drive head 18. This conveyor is also formed from two flexible endless chains, made of reinforced elastomer, carrying transverse bars wrapped in a flexible sheath. The chains pass over rollers 19 which impose on them a determined path.

 The spacing between bars of the conveyor 17 is greater than the size of the tomatoes which fall between the bars while the plants remain on the conveyor and are ejected at the rear of the machine by the upper strand of the conveyor 17 which moves from the front to back.

 The chassis I carries a third conveyor 20 whose upper strand flows from the quarry forward and which is located below the rear end 8 of the first conveyor. The conveyor 20 is intended to receive the clods of earth which fall from the conveyor 10 and which pass through the bars of the conveyor 17 and to evacuate them forward. The conveyor 20 runs at low speed, so that the detached fruits which fall on the conveyor 20 roll along the latter, without being drawn upstream, hence separation of the fruits and clods of earth.

 The speed and the inclination of the conveyor 20 are adjustable according to the nature of the fruit.

 The frame 1 carries a fourth conveyor 21 with more flexible chains and tighter bars, which is placed under the upper strand of the conveyor 17 and which receives the fruits which pass through the bars of the conveyor 17. The upper strand of the belt 21 moves from the front to the rear and the fruits are poured out at the rear into a transverse conveyor 22 which is for example a trough or scraper conveyor which pours them into the boxes 23 carried by a towed trailer 24 which is moved parallel machine (see Figure 2).

 A fan blows a stream of air over the fruits and leaves falling at the rear end of the conveyor 21 to remove the leaves and other plant waste.

 The upper strand of the conveyor 17 comprises a first section 17a which is parallel to the conveyor 10 and which is located below the rear end of the conveyor 10 to take up the plants and the fruits falling from it.

 It then comprises a section 17b which is substantially vertical or even slightly inclined up and down towards the front. This section 17b has a height of the order of 30 to 50 cm, so that the plants fall vertically, which has the effect of detaching the well ripe fruits without damaging them and they fall on the conveyor 21, the l rear end if located under the conveyor 20 to receive the fruits which roll thereon.

 The chassis 1 carries shakers 25 which are located below a third section 17c, which follows the section 17b and which rises slightly towards the rear. These shakers 25 each comprise a transverse shaft 26 which is rotated by a hydraulic motor and which carries arms 27, for example two diametrically opposite arms, which raise the two flexible chains of the section 17c and then let them fall twice per revolution. This shaking of the section 17c has the effect of detaching all the fruits from the plants. The arms 27 can be replaced by eccentrics.

 Figures 3 and 6 show a longitudinal section and a rear view of an alternative embodiment of a machine according to the invention.

 The chassis 1, the pick-up head 7, the conveyors 17, 20, 21 are identical to those of FIG. 1.

 On the other hand, the machine according to FIG. 3 comprises at the rear a double trough wheel 28 which receives the fruit falling from the conveyor 21 and which raises it towards two manual sorting tables 29g and 29d, formed by conveyor belts of which the upper strand moves from back to front.

 The front ends of the sorting tables 29 pour into the transverse conveyor 22, only the position of which is different.

 FIG. 6 shows the chassis 1, the rear axle 3 which is placed above the chassis and which is connected to the latter by an articulation 30 about a horizontal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the machine . We can see dirty the two rear wheels which are articulated around two vertical axes 31g and 31d and which can be steered.

 We see in Figure 6 the conveyor 21 and the upper strand 17c of the conveyor 17. We see the two sorting tables 29d and 29g which are arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the machine and which penetrate inside the trough wheel 28. The reference 32 represents a conveyor, the upper strand of which moves from front to back and crosses the bucket wheel.

The operators who carry out the sorting place the rejected fruit on this conveyor and the latter rejects it at the rear of the machine. The bucket wheel 28 has two wheels 28a, 28b parallel to each other which are rotated at the same time, in the direction of the arrow (trigonometric direction). Each wheel has, in the upper quarter which is traversed upwards, a partition 33g, 33d which channels the fruit and causes it to fall onto one of the tables 29g and 29d.

 According to an original characteristic of the invention, in order to prevent the tomatoes from being crushed or torn by friction against the partitions 33g or 33d, these consist of conveyor belts which are fixed on two lateral chalnes. Each bucket wheel 28a, 28b carries, on its internal periphery, toothed rings which drive the chains, so that the strand of each belt 33g and 33d, which is applied against the bucket wheel, advances at the same peripheral speed than this one and so there is no relative movement between the tomatoes and the carpets.

 Figure 7 is an enlarged view of the rear of the chassis. We see in this figure that the rear axle 3 is raised relative to the axis of the wheels. The axle 3 is connected to the chassis I by an articulation 30 comprising a longitudinal horizontal axis which can pivot in a fork-shaped yoke 34 fixed to the center of the chassis. The axis 30 is located in the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the machine. The two wheels 4 are mounted on vertical shafts 35g and 35d which are articulated around bearings or rockets 31g and 31d carried by the axle. FIG. 7 shows the steering rod 36 which is actuated by a steering cylinder 37.

 Figure 8 is a front view of the front axle. The front wheels 4 are larger diameter drive wheels than the rear wheels. They can also be directing.

 The hub of each front wheel is mounted on a yoke 60g, 60d which is articulated around a vertical axis 61g, 61d mounted in bearings carried by the chassis 1.

 According to a characteristic of the invention, the axis 61g is integral with a piston 38 which moves in a vertical cylinder 39 placed in the longitudinal member Id. The piston 38 divides the cylinder 39 into two chambers forming a double-acting cylinder.

Either of the cylinder compartments can be supplied with pressurized oil by a valve located at the control station, which allows the 4g wheel to be raised or lowered relative to the chassis to correct the side slope due to- uneven terrain and to keep the chassis 1 and the conveyors in a horizontal plane, which is essential to avoid the accumulation of fruit and plants on one side of the conveyor.

 FIG. 9 is a diagram of the hydraulic circuits which make it possible to steer the machine using either two steering axles in order to reduce the turning radius during the maneuvers to turn the machine at the headland, or a single steering axle which can be the either of the two.

 The reference 40 represents a rotary distributor which is actuated by a steering wheel which makes it possible to direct the machine. Mark 41 represents the hydraulic pump and mark 42 the oil return tank. The distributor 40 makes it possible to send the oil under pressure to one or the other of the two exits 40g or 40d corresponding to a turn to the left or to the right, the oil return then taking place via the other outlet.

 The marks 43a and 43b represent two three-way hydraulic distributors whose drawers are connected by a rod 44 which can occupy two positions A and B which are controlled by a lever 45. In position A, the inputs 46a, 46b of the two valves three channels are connected to outputs 47a, 47b as shown in solid lines. Each output 47a, 47b is connected to a two-way flow divider 49g, 49d.

 Reference 37 represents the steering cylinder for the rear wheels. The reference 50 represents the steering cylinder of the front wheels.

 The two outputs of the flow divider 49g are connected in parallel to the compartments of the cylinders 37 and 50 which rotate the wheels to the left when they receive the oil under pressure and the two outputs of the flow divider 49d are connected in parallel on the compartments of the jacks 37 and 50 which rotate the wheels to the right when they receive the oil under pressure.

 Thus, when the lever 45 is in position A, the two front and rear trains are directing.

 When the lever 45 is placed in position B, the two distributors 43a and 43b establish the connection shown in dotted lines between the inputs 46a, 46b and the outputs 48a, 48b which are connected to the two inputs 51aa 51b of a second group of two three-way distributors 52a, 52b controlled by one another and controlled by a lever 54 which can occupy two positions 1 and 2.

 FIG. 9 shows in solid lines the connections corresponding to position I and in dotted lines, the connections corresponding to position 2 of the lever 54.

 In position 1, the inputs 51a and 51b are connected to the outputs 55a and 55b which are connected to the two compartments of the jack 50 which controls the front axle. Position I of lever 1 therefore makes it possible to select the front axle as the steering axle. Conversely, the position 2 of the lever 54 makes it possible to connect the inputs 51a, 51b to the outputs 56a, 56b, which are themselves connected to the jack 37 and, in this case, it is the rear axle which is the director.

  The foregoing description relates to the application of the machine for harvesting tomatoes in the open field.

 It is specified that this application is not limiting and that, without departing from the scope of the invention, the same machine could be used to harvest other fruits or vegetables, for example onions.

 Compared to known towed machines, a self-propelled machine according to the invention has the advantage of reducing the total overall dimensions in length as a result of the elimination of the tractor.

 In addition, the fact that the machine has two sets of wheels which can both be steered makes it possible to reduce the turning radius, which is important given the long length of the machine.

Claims (11)

 1. Self-propelled machine for harvesting tomatoes of the type comprising a frame (1) on wheels (4) carrying a pick-up head (7) of fallen fruit and plants and convectors with bars (10, 17, 20, 21 , 22), which pick-up head (7) comprises two discs (15g, 15d) which are rotated in opposite directions to each other in the direction which folds the fruits and the plants towards the longitudinal axis of the machine, characterized in that each disc (15g, 15d) has the shape of a plate and has a peripheral rim (15a), raised upwards and making an angle (including) with the plane of the disc between 165 and 175 grades.  2. Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that said pickup head comprises a first conveyor with bars (10) whose front end is engaged under the rear part of said discs and whose rear end is articulated around a horizontal axis (8), transverse to the machine, which conveyor 10 has an upper strand which moves from front to back.  3. Machine according to any one of claims I and 2, characterized in that the angle (a) of the plane of said first conveyor (10) and of the discs (15g, 15d), with the horizontal plane, is between 25 and 35 grades and preferably around 30 grades.  4. Machine according to any one of claims I to 3, characterized in that said discs are mounted at the lower end of two shafts (14g, 14d) driven by a hydraulic motor, which shafts are located in a transverse plane and converge towards each other upwards, forming an angle (ss) between them, of the order of 10 to 20 grades.  5. Machine according to any one of claims I to 4, characterized in that it comprises a second conveyor (17) with rubberized chains carrying transverse bars, the spacing of which is greater than the size of the fruits, which second conveyor comprises an upper strand which moves from front to rear and which comprises a first section (17a) situated under the rear end of the first conveyor (10), a second section (17b) vertical or slightly inclined towards the front going from top to bottom, which second section (17b) has a height of the order of 30 cm to 50 cm, and a third section (17c) slightly rising towards the rear and the machine comprises shakers ( 25) which raise the third section and drop it to detach the fruits from the plants.  6. Machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the rear axle (3) is located above the chassis (1) and is articulated thereto around a horizontal axis (30) placed in the longitudinal plane of symmetry of the machine.  7. Machine according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the vertical axis (37) around which pivots one of the two front wheels carries a piston 38 which is located inside a cylinder 39 forming a double-acting cylinder, one or the other of the two compartments of which is supplied with pressurized oil to correct the lateral slope of the machine.  8. Machine according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it comprises> at the rear, a trough wheel (28) which raises the fruits and makes them fall onto one or two manual sorting tables (29g, 29d) which are located on the chassis of the machine and which move from the rear to the front and the machine further comprises a conveyor (32) parallel to the sorting tables which moves from the front backwards and rejects sorting waste at the rear of the machine.  9. Machine according to claim 8, characterized in that said trough wheel (28) comprises in the upper quarter which is traversed in amount, one or more conveyor belts (33g, 33d) which are pressed against the inner face of the wheel with troughs and which are driven by chains passing over one or more toothed rings fixed to the internal periphery of said trough wheel, so that the internal strand of said belts (33g, 33d) advances at a speed equal to the peripheral speed of said trough wheel.  10. Machine according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it comprises hydraulic means for making the two sets of front and rear steering wheels or for making any of the steering trains.  II. Machine according to claim 10, characterized in that said hydraulic means comprise  - a four-way rotary distributor (40) associated with a steering wheel;  - A first distributor which is composed of two first distributors with three-way drawer (43a, 43b) whose drawers are controlled and whose inputs are connected to the outputs of said rotary distributor (40);  - And a second hydraulic distributor which is made up of two three-way valve distributors (52a, 52b) whose drawers are controlled and one of the outlets (47a, 47b) of each of the first two three-way distributors (43a, 43b) is connected to a flow divider (49g, 9d) having two outputs which are connected in parallel to two steering cylinders (37, 50) of the rear axle and the front axle and the second outlet (48a, 48b) of each of the two first three-way distributors (43a, 43b) is connected to one of the inputs (51a, 51b) of the second distributor.  12. Machine according to claim 5, characterized in that it comprises a third conveyor (20) composed of two flexible chains and transverse bars, the upper strand of which moves from the rear to the front of the machine at an adjustable speed and with an adjustable upward inclination, which third conveyor is located below the first section (17a) of the second conveyor and of the rear end of the first conveyor (10) and above the rear end of the fourth conveyor (21).