A fruit harvester

Abstract

This application relates to the field of fruit harvesting equipment technology, specifically disclosing a fruit harvester, including a tracked power platform and a fruit harvesting mechanism installed at the front end of the tracked power platform. The fruit harvesting mechanism includes a harvesting frame, and a fruit-removing mechanism and a fruit-collecting mechanism installed on the harvesting frame. The fruit-removing mechanism includes fruit-removing teeth inserted between branches and a vibration mechanism for vibrating the fruit-removing teeth. The fruit-collecting mechanism is located below the fruit-removing mechanism. The purpose of this patent is to solve the problem that existing fruit harvesting mechanisms cannot guarantee that all tree trunks are clamped, and the method of shaking the tree trunk to remove the fruit is ineffective, thus failing to achieve efficient harvesting of prickly pear fruit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of fruit harvesting equipment technology, and in particular to a fruit harvester. Background Technology

[0002] The prickly pear, also known as the thorny pineapple, prickly plum, or wood pear, belongs to the genus Rosa in the family Rosaceae. It grows on sunny slopes, in valleys, along roadsides, and in thickets at altitudes of 500–2500 meters. Rich in Vitamin C, it has high nutritional value and numerous health benefits. However, because the prickly pear is a Rosaceae plant, harvesting it by hand is extremely difficult, as it easily results in injuries from the thorns. This leads to the fruit's outer surface being densely covered with thorns, resulting in low harvesting efficiency and failing to meet the large-scale harvesting needs of the prickly pear industry.

[0003] To improve harvesting efficiency, mechanized fruit harvesting equipment is used. Existing harvesting machines mainly use clamping devices in the picking mechanism to hold the prickly pear tree trunk, and then vibrate the clamping devices by a vibrator to shake the prickly pear tree and shake off the ripe fruit. Although this mechanism improves harvesting efficiency, prickly pear is a shrub and usually has multiple trunks. The clamping devices cannot guarantee that all trunks are held, and the fruit is firmly attached to the branches and is not easy to fall off. Therefore, the method of shaking the tree trunk to remove the fruit is not very effective and cannot achieve efficient harvesting of prickly pear fruit. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, the technical problem solved by this invention is to provide a fruit harvester that solves the problem that existing fruit harvesting mechanisms cannot guarantee that all tree trunks are clamped, and the method of shaking the tree trunks to remove the fruit is ineffective, thus failing to achieve efficient harvesting of prickly pear fruit.

[0005] To solve the above problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is: a fruit harvester, including a tracked power platform and a fruit harvesting mechanism installed at the front end of the tracked power platform. The fruit harvesting mechanism includes a harvesting frame, a fruit stripping mechanism and a fruit collection mechanism installed on the harvesting frame. The fruit stripping mechanism includes fruit stripping teeth inserted between branches and a vibration mechanism for vibrating the fruit stripping teeth. The fruit collection mechanism is located below the fruit stripping mechanism.

[0006] The beneficial effects of this solution are as follows: by inserting the fruit-removing mechanism between the branches, the vibration mechanism drives the fruit-removing teeth to vibrate, thereby vibrating the branches of the tree canopy and causing the fruit on the branches to shake off. Since the vibration targets the upper branches of the fruit tree without shaking the trunk, it will not loosen the soil around the roots of the fruit tree. This achieves rapid fruit removal without affecting the growth of the fruit tree. At the same time, the fruit-removing teeth can be inserted into branches with abundant fruit for targeted harvesting, enabling harvesting of fruit trees with different levels of abundance.

[0007] Furthermore, the vibration mechanism includes a vibrating frame, a crank, a swing arm, a slider, and a connecting rod. A motor is connected to the rotation center of the crank and is rotatably connected to the vibrating frame. The two ends of the swing arm are rotatably connected to the crank and the slider, respectively. The slider is slidably connected to the vibrating frame. The two ends of the connecting rod are rotatably connected to the fruit-removing teeth and the slider, respectively, with one end of the fruit-removing teeth rotatably connected to the vibrating frame. The swing arm reciprocates under the rotation of the crank, and the slider reciprocates linearly in the y-direction within the vibrating frame. The angle between the two connecting rods changes periodically under the action of the slider, resulting in a large reciprocating oscillation of the fruit-removing teeth in the x-direction, thereby achieving rapid fruit removal from the fruit trees.

[0008] Furthermore, the harvesting frame includes a main frame and a secondary frame. The main frame is mounted on a tracked power platform, and the secondary frame is rotatably connected to the main frame. A rotating telescopic cylinder is rotatably connected between the secondary frame and the main frame, and the fruit-removing mechanism is mounted on the secondary frame. By controlling the extension and retraction of the rotating telescopic cylinder, the rotation angle of the secondary frame can be controlled, allowing for harvesting of prickly pear trees with different fruiting locations and varying degrees of lushness.

[0009] Furthermore, the fruit-removing mechanism is mounted on a connecting plate, which is slidably connected to the sub-frame, and a support lifting cylinder connects the connecting plate and the sub-frame. The entire connecting plate and the fruit-removing mechanism on the connecting plate can move up and down along the uprights of the sub-frame under the drive of the support lifting cylinder, thereby harvesting fruit trees at different heights and harvesting fruit at different heights on the same fruit tree.

[0010] Furthermore, a main lifting cylinder is connected between the main frame and the tracked transmission platform. Since prickly pear cultivation is generally located in mountainous areas with uneven terrain, the main lifting cylinder is used to raise and lower the main frame to adapt to different terrains, thereby enabling the harvesting of prickly pears in various topographical conditions.

[0011] Furthermore, the connecting plate is H-shaped, and one end of the support lifting cylinder is detachably fixed to the middle of the H-shaped connecting plate. Using an H-shaped connecting plate allows for distributed installation of the fruit-removing mechanism, facilitates the installation of the support lifting cylinder, saves connecting plate material, and reduces the weight of the machinery.

[0012] Furthermore, the connecting plate is provided with multiple fruit-removing mechanisms at intervals. By setting multiple fruit-removing mechanisms, the fruit-removing teeth can be inserted into different positions in the tree canopy, thereby achieving fruit removal from branches at different positions in one operation and ensuring fruit removal efficiency.

[0013] Furthermore, two auxiliary frames are symmetrically connected and rotate along the vertical centerline of the main frame. These symmetrically arranged auxiliary frames allow for harvesting of fruit from both sides of the fruit trees via fruit-removing mechanisms, increasing the harvesting area and improving harvesting efficiency.

[0014] Furthermore, the fruit-collecting mechanism includes a fruit-receiving box, a conveyor, and a collection box. The fruit-receiving box is located below the fruit-removing mechanism. The conveyor is inclined vertically, with one end positioned above the fruit-receiving box and the other end above the collection box. The collection box is detachably fixed to a tracked power platform. The fruit-receiving box has a slot for engaging with the tree trunk, and its bottom is inclined towards the conveyor. Due to the inclined bottom of the fruit-receiving box, the fruit gathers towards the lower end of the conveyor. Driven by the conveyor's lifting plate, the fruit moves along the conveyor belt to the top of the collection box. The lifting plate flips as the conveyor belt moves, thus placing the fruit into the collection box.

[0015] Furthermore, the vibration mechanism controls the oscillation frequency of the fruit-removing teeth to be 40-65 Hz, preferably 50 Hz. A suitable vibration frequency ensures the fruit drop rate, reduces motor power consumption, and is less likely to damage the fruit. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall device of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a fruit harvesting facility.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the fruit-removing mechanism.

[0019] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the fruit collection organization. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The following detailed description illustrates the specific implementation method:

[0021] The reference numerals in the accompanying drawings include: tracked power platform 1, tracked chassis 11, platform frame 12, main frame 2, main lifting cylinder 21, rotating telescopic cylinder 22, frame frame 23, triangular frame 24, auxiliary frame 3, connecting plate 31, fruit removal mechanism 32, comb teeth 321, connecting plate 322, crank 323, swing arm 324, slider 325, vibrating frame 326, connecting rod 327, support plate lifting cylinder 33, conveyor 4, conveyor belt 41, lifting plate 42, fruit receiving box 43, rubber 44, leak-proof box 45.

[0022] Example 1 is as attached. Figure 1 As shown: A fruit harvester includes a tracked power platform and a fruit harvesting mechanism installed at the front end of the tracked power platform; the tracked power platform includes a tracked chassis 11 and a platform frame 12 installed on the tracked chassis; the fruit harvesting mechanism includes a harvesting frame, a fruit stripping mechanism 32 and a fruit collecting mechanism installed on the harvesting frame; the harvesting frame is installed at the front end of the platform frame 12; the fruit stripping mechanism 32 includes fruit stripping teeth inserted between branches and a vibration mechanism for vibrating the fruit stripping teeth; the fruit collecting mechanism is located below the fruit stripping mechanism 32.

[0023] like Figure 3 As shown, the fruit-removing teeth include a connecting plate 322 arranged laterally and comb teeth 321 fixed to the connecting plate longitudinally at intervals. The comb teeth 321 are made of plastic and integrally molded with the connecting plate. Using plastic for molding is easy and can reduce the weight of the fruit-removing mechanism 32. The upper end of the connecting plate is an arc-shaped surface, and the comb teeth 321 are distributed at intervals along the arc of the arc-shaped surface. The vibration mechanism includes a vibrating frame 326, a crank 323, a swing rod 324, a slider 325, and a connecting rod 327. The crank 323 is connected to a motor at its rotation center and is rotatably connected to the vibrating frame 326. The two ends of the swing rod 324 are hinged to the lower ends of the crank 323 and the slider 325, respectively. The slider 325 is slidably connected to the vibrating frame 326. The two ends of the connecting rod 327 are hinged to one end of the fruit-removing tooth connecting plate 322 and the upper end of the slider 325, respectively. The other end of the connecting plate 322 is hinged to the vibrating frame 326. The vibrating frame 326 is bolted to the harvesting frame. Two fruit-removing teeth and two connecting rods 327 are symmetrically provided along the center line of the sliding direction of slider 325.

[0024] The crank 323 is driven by a motor. In this embodiment, an eccentric bearing is used as the crank 323. The rocker arm 324 reciprocates under the rotation of the crank 323. The slider 325 reciprocates linearly in the y-direction within the vibrating frame 326. The angle between the two connecting rods 327 changes periodically under the action of the slider 325, thereby causing the comb teeth 321 to have a large reciprocating oscillation in the x-direction. The oscillation frequency is 40-65 Hz, preferably 50 Hz.

[0025] like Figure 4 As shown, the fruit-collecting mechanism includes a fruit-receiving box 43, a conveyor 4, and a collection box. The fruit-receiving box 43 is located below the fruit-removing mechanism 32. The conveyor 4 is inclined vertically, with one end of the conveyor 4 located above the fruit-receiving box 43 and the other end above the collection box. The conveyor 4 uses a conveyor belt, and a lifting plate 42 is fixed to the conveying surface of the conveyor belt. The lifting plate 42 is used to lift the fruit in the fruit-receiving box 43 into the collection box along the conveyor belt's conveying direction. The collection box is detachably fixed to the platform frame 12, and can be connected by snap-fit, bolts, or other methods. The fruit-receiving box 43 has a slot for snapping with the tree trunk, and the slot is V-shaped and tapers inward. The bottom of the fruit-receiving box 43 is inclined towards the conveyor 4. A rubber 11 is bolted into the slot to prevent the fruit from falling out of the slot. The bottom plate of the fruit receiving box is inclined towards the conveyor, and the bottom plate of the fruit receiving box has a fruit unloading port for the lifting plate to pass through. A leak-proof box 45 is bolted below the fruit unloading port, and the leak-proof box 45 is located below the lower end of the conveyor. The leak-proof box 45 is used to receive the fruit, and at the same time, it cooperates with the fruit unloading port to leave space for the operation of the conveyor and prevents interference with the bottom plate of the fruit receiving box.

[0026] The conveyor has inclined plates on both sides, with the same tilt angle as the conveyor and located on the same horizontal plane. A baffle is bolted to the side of the inclined plate away from the conveyor along the normal direction of the inclined plate. The lower ends of both the baffle and the inclined plate are fixed to the fruit and bolted. A secondary rod groove is longitudinally cut into the inclined plate, and the groove penetrates the baffle. Rubber is also connected to the secondary rod groove; this rubber design prevents interference with the rotation of the secondary rod while also preventing the fruit from slipping out of the groove and onto the outside of the equipment.

[0027] In use, a tracked power platform drives the fruit harvesting mechanism to move towards the fruit tree. The slots at the bottom of the fruit receiving box 43 engage with multiple trunks of the prickly pear tree, allowing the fruit receiving box 43 to extend into the bottom of the tree canopy. The comb teeth 321 of the fruit removal mechanism 32 insert between the branches of the canopy. Activating the vibration mechanism causes the comb teeth 321 to swing back and forth, thus vibrating and dropping the fruit into the fruit receiving box 43. Due to the inclined bottom of the fruit receiving box 43, the fruit gathers towards the lower end of the conveyor 4. Driven by the lifting plate 42 of the conveyor 4, the fruit is moved along the conveyor belt to the top of the collection box. The lifting plate 42 rotates as it moves with the conveyor belt, thus dropping the fruit into the collection box. Using this device, the harvesting time for one tree is less than 2 minutes, the fruit removal rate for fruits with a maturity of ≥70% is ≥80%, and the fruit damage rate is ≤10%.

[0028] Example 2 is basically as follows Figure 2 As shown, the parts that are the same as in Embodiment 1 will not be repeated. The difference is that the harvesting frame includes a main frame 2 and a secondary frame 3. The main frame 2 is installed at the front end of the platform frame 12 of the tracked power platform. The main frame 2 includes a frame 23 and a triangular support 24 arranged in the vertical direction. The frame 23 and the triangular support 24 are welded together. The collection box is located inside the frame 23, and the fruit receiving box 43 is bolted to the lower end of the triangular support.

[0029] The auxiliary frame 3 is rotatably connected to the main frame 2 via a pin, and a rotating telescopic cylinder 22 is rotatably connected between the auxiliary frame 3 and the main frame 2. The fruit harvesting mechanism is bolted to the main frame 2, and there are two auxiliary frames 3 symmetrically connected to the main frame 2 along its vertical centerline. By controlling the extension and retraction of the rotating telescopic cylinder 22, the rotation angle of the auxiliary frame 3 can be controlled, allowing the auxiliary frame 3 to rotate within a range of 0-120° around the pin's rotation center. This allows for harvesting of prickly pear trees at different fruiting locations and with varying degrees of vigor.

[0030] The fruit-removing mechanism 32 is mounted on the connecting plate 31, which is slidably connected to the sub-frame 3. A support lifting cylinder is connected between the connecting plate 31 and the sub-frame 3. The connecting plate 31 is H-shaped, and one end of the support lifting cylinder is bolted to the middle horizontal section of the H-shaped connecting plate 31. Multiple fruit-removing mechanisms 32 are spaced apart on the connecting plate 31. Taking a single connecting plate 31 with 6 fruit-removing mechanisms 32 as an example, 3 fruit-removing mechanisms 32 are arranged in a group and spaced apart in the vertical direction, for a total of two groups. The two groups of fruit-removing mechanisms 32 are respectively arranged on the two vertical sections of the H-shaped connecting plate 31. One connecting plate 31 is set on each of the two sub-frames 3, and 6 fruit-removing mechanisms 32 are set on each connecting plate 31, for a total of 12 fruit-removing mechanisms 32. By setting multiple fruit-removing mechanisms 32, the fruit-removing teeth can be inserted into different positions of the tree canopy, thereby enabling the fruit to be removed from different tree branches at one time, ensuring fruit-removing efficiency; the entire connecting plate 31 and the fruit-removing mechanisms 32 on the connecting plate 31 can move up and down along the uprights of the auxiliary frame 3 under the drive of the support lifting cylinder, thereby harvesting fruit trees at different heights.

[0031] A main lifting cylinder 21 connects the main frame 2 to the tracked transmission platform. Two main lifting cylinders 21 are provided, with their upper ends connected to the flange of the main frame 2 and their lower ends connected to the flange of the platform frame 12. The main lifting cylinder 21, the rotating telescopic cylinder 22, and the support lifting cylinder are all hydraulic cylinders. Since prickly pear cultivation is generally located in mountainous areas with uneven terrain, the main lifting cylinder 21 is used to raise and lower the main frame 2 to adapt to different terrains, thus enabling the harvesting of prickly pear fruit in various topographical conditions.

[0032] The connecting plate 322 and the comb teeth 321 are fixedly connected by bolts. There are two comb teeth 321, which are respectively connected to the upper and lower surfaces of the connecting plate 322. Two fruit-removing teeth and two connecting rods 327 are symmetrically arranged along the center line of the sliding direction of the slider 325, so one fruit-removing mechanism 32 has four comb teeth 321. By setting a double layer of comb teeth 321, the contact area between the comb teeth 321 and the branches of the fruit tree is increased, thereby increasing the vibration area when the vibration mechanism vibrates, thus improving the fruit drop rate.

[0033] The above descriptions are merely embodiments of the present invention, and common knowledge regarding specific structures and characteristics is not elaborated upon here. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and improvements without departing from the structure of the present invention, and these should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention. These modifications and improvements will not affect the effectiveness of the present invention or the practicality of the patent. The scope of protection claimed in this application should be determined by the content of its claims, and the specific embodiments described in the specification can be used to interpret the content of the claims.

Claims

1. A tree fruit harvester characterised in that: The application relates to a fruit picking mechanism, which comprises a caterpillar power platform and a fruit picking mechanism installed at the front end of the caterpillar power platform, wherein the fruit picking mechanism comprises a picking frame, a fruit removing mechanism and a fruit collecting mechanism, the fruit removing mechanism comprises fruit removing teeth inserted between tree branches and a vibration mechanism for vibrating the fruit removing teeth, and the fruit collecting mechanism is arranged below the fruit removing mechanism. The picking frame comprises a main frame and a sub-frame, the main frame is installed on the caterpillar power platform, the sub-frame is rotationally connected with the main frame, a rotation telescopic cylinder is rotationally connected between the sub-frame and the main frame, the fruit removing mechanism is installed on the sub-frame, the rotation telescopic cylinder is controlled to be telescopically extended or retracted, so that the sub-frame is rotationally controlled to rotate around a vertical axis, and the sub-frame is symmetrically rotationally connected with two main frames along a vertical center line of the main frame. The fruit removing mechanism is installed on a connecting plate, the connecting plate is slidably connected with the sub-frame, a support lifting cylinder is connected between the connecting plate and the sub-frame, and a plurality of fruit removing mechanisms are arranged on the connecting plate in a spaced mode. The fruit collecting mechanism comprises a fruit receiving box, a conveying machine and a collecting box, the fruit receiving box is arranged below the fruit removing mechanism, the conveying machine is arranged in a slanting mode along a vertical direction, one end of the conveying machine is arranged in the fruit receiving box, the other end of the conveying machine is arranged above the collecting box, the collecting box is detachably fixed on the caterpillar power platform, the fruit receiving box is provided with a clamping groove for clamping a tree trunk, and the bottom of the fruit receiving box is inclined to the conveying machine.

2. A fruit harvester according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vibration mechanism comprises a vibration frame, a crank, a swing rod, a sliding block and a connecting rod, the crank is rotationally connected with a motor and the vibration frame, the swing rod is rotationally connected with the crank and the sliding block at two ends, the sliding block is slidably connected with the vibration frame, and the connecting rod is rotationally connected with the fruit removing teeth and the sliding block at two ends, and one end of the fruit removing teeth is rotationally connected with the vibration frame.

3. A fruit harvester according to claim 1, characterized in that: A main lifting cylinder is connected between the main frame and the caterpillar power platform.

4. A fruit harvester according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting plate is in an H shape, and one end of the support lifting cylinder is detachably fixed in the middle of the H-shaped connecting plate.

5. A fruit harvester according to claim 1, characterized in that: The swing frequency of the fruit removing teeth controlled by the vibration mechanism is 40-65HZ.

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