Self-propelled berry harvester

Abstract

The application discloses a self-propelled berry harvester, which comprises a vehicle body, two groups of impact mechanisms symmetrically arranged in the vehicle body, a set of conveying mechanisms arranged for each group of impact mechanisms, and a screening mechanism arranged at the tail end of the conveying mechanism; a sensing mechanism is arranged at the front end of the vehicle body; the impact mechanism comprises a rotating shaft arranged along the walking direction of the harvester, a plurality of protrusions are arranged radially on the rotating shaft, and the protrusions intermittently impact the trunk during the rotation of the rotating shaft to shake off the ripe fruits; the impact mechanism is started to move when the sensing mechanism senses that there is a tree in front; and the impact mechanism stops working when the sensing mechanism senses that there is no obstacle in front. The harvester breaks the traditional concept of branch end vibration principle, and vibrates in the direction of the trunk, effectively prevents the interference between the branches and the vibrator, protects the branches from being damaged, and does not affect the harvest of fruits in the next year.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of agricultural machinery, and specifically discloses a self-propelled berry harvester. Background Technology

[0002] Blueberry, raspberry, blackcurrant and other fruit trees are mostly shrubs with thin trunks and many dense fruits. The trees are also close together in the plantation, making manual harvesting slow. In addition, because the fruits are small and dense, manual harvesting often results in some fruits being missed.

[0003] Patent CN115529935A discloses a shrub guiding device for harvesting small berries, and patent CN114342658B discloses an inertial vibration power device for berry harvesting. In both devices, upper and lower guide rods clamp the berry branches, and the vibration of the vibrating device shakes the berries off the shrub branches and collects them. However, the growth of berry branches is disordered, while the installation of the guide rods is regular, and the spacing between adjacent guide rods is fixed. Even if the shrub branches have been pruned and managed, the growth direction of branches on different trunks and the distance between them are different. Therefore, there is often a problem of branches getting tangled in the guide rods, which damages the branches and affects the fruit harvest in the following year.

[0004] Furthermore, existing berry harvesters have a simple structure and only have the function of harvesting. The harvested fruits cannot be sold or processed directly and must be transported to the processing workshop for impurity removal and screening. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention discloses a self-propelled berry harvester. This harvester breaks away from the traditional concept of vibration at the branch end and vibrates in the direction of the trunk, effectively preventing interference between the branches and the vibrator, protecting the branches from damage, and ensuring that the harvest of the following year's fruit is not affected.

[0006] A self-propelled berry harvester includes a vehicle body, on which two sets of impact mechanisms are symmetrically installed. Each set of impact mechanisms is equipped with a conveying mechanism, and a screening mechanism is provided at the end of the conveying mechanism. A sensing mechanism is provided at the front end of the vehicle body.

[0007] The impact mechanism includes a rotating shaft arranged along the direction of travel of the harvester. The rotating shaft has multiple protrusions arranged radially. During the rotation of the rotating shaft, the protrusions intermittently impact the tree trunk, shaking the ripe fruit off.

[0008] The impact mechanism is activated when the sensing mechanism detects a tree in front, and stops working when the sensing mechanism detects no obstacle in front.

[0009] Preferably, the conveying mechanism includes a horizontal conveyor belt and an inclined conveyor belt that are connected to each other. The horizontal conveyor belt is located below and outside the vibration mechanism, and the inclined conveyor belt is located at the end of the horizontal conveyor belt.

[0010] Preferably, the horizontal conveyor belt is connected to the rotating shaft via a gear transmission assembly.

[0011] Preferably, the gear transmission assembly includes a first bevel gear installed at the end of the horizontal conveyor belt's rolling shaft, the first bevel gear being driven by a second bevel gear, the second bevel gear being coaxially connected to a third bevel gear, the third bevel gear being driven by a fourth bevel gear, and the fourth bevel gear being connected to the rotating shaft; through the bevel gear transmission assembly, the rotation of the horizontal conveyor belt along the wheel's forward direction is successfully converted into the rotation of the rotating shaft along both sides of the vehicle body.

[0012] Preferably, baffles are provided on both sides of the horizontal conveyor belt and the inclined conveyor belt.

[0013] Preferably, the screening mechanism includes multiple layers of screen plates installed in a zigzag pattern from top to bottom, with the uppermost screen plate connected to an inclined conveyor belt, and each screen plate having a conveying pipe connected to its lower end.

[0014] Preferably, a fan is provided on one side of the top sieve plate, and a debris collection box is provided on the other side of the top sieve plate, opposite to the fan.

[0015] Preferably, the protrusion on the rotating shaft is detachably connected to the rotating shaft, and the height of the protrusion is adjustable.

[0016] Preferably, a fruit guide plate is provided below the rotating shaft to prevent the fruit from falling to the ground.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0018] This invention employs a symmetrically arranged rotating shaft. The rotation of the shaft causes protrusions on it to impact the tree trunk, causing ripe berries to fall onto a conveyor mechanism. Finally, after being sorted and impurities removed by a screening mechanism, the berries are packaged into fruit boxes of different sizes. This trunk-impact mechanism encloses the entire fruit tree within the vehicle body, eliminating the insertion of branches and effectively protecting the branches from damage, thus ensuring that the fruit set rate and harvest the following year are not affected. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present invention and should not be regarded as a limitation of the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a front view of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Sectional view of AA;

[0022] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 BB section view;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a diagram of the internal structure of the vehicle body of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5 This is an overall structural diagram of the invention;

[0025] In the diagram, 1. Vehicle body, 2. Impact mechanism, 2-1. Rotating shaft, 2-2. Protrusion, 3. Conveying mechanism, 3-1. Horizontal conveyor belt, inclined conveyor belt, 4. Screening mechanism, 4-1. Top sieve plate, 4-2. Middle sieve plate, 4-3. Bottom sieve plate, 5. Gear transmission assembly, 5-1. First bevel gear, 5-2. Second bevel gear, 5-3. Vertical transmission shaft, 5-4. Third bevel gear, 5-5. Fourth bevel gear, 6. Conveying pipe, 7. Fruit guiding plate. Detailed Implementation

[0026] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be implemented in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

[0027] like Figure 1-5As shown, this invention discloses a self-propelled berry harvester, including a vehicle body 1. Wheels, specifically designed for agricultural use, are symmetrically mounted on both sides of the vehicle body. The vehicle body is divided into front and rear sections. A through-slot is formed in the middle of the lower end and front side of the front section to accommodate the trunks of fruit trees; that is, when the vehicle travels in the orchard, fruit trees in the same row are enclosed within the vehicle body. Two sets of impact mechanisms 2 are symmetrically installed on both sides of the through-slot within the vehicle body, with the center line of the vehicle body defined as the inner side. A conveying mechanism 3 is configured on the outer side of each impact mechanism to transport the fruit that falls after being impacted by the impact mechanism 2 to the rear section of the vehicle body. A screening mechanism 4 is provided at the end of the conveying mechanism to remove leaves, branches, and other debris, as well as to screen fruits of different sizes and types. Finally, the berries are conveyed to different fruit boxes via a conveying pipe 6. To achieve self-propelled, unmanned operation, a sensing mechanism is provided at the front end of the vehicle body; and the sensing mechanism is connected to the impact mechanism and screening mechanism via a control system to achieve self-propelled, unmanned harvesting. When the sensing mechanism detects a tree in front, it activates the impact mechanism; when the sensing mechanism detects no obstacle in front, the impact mechanism stops working.

[0028] The impact mechanism 2 includes a rotating shaft 2-1 with its axis aligned with the vehicle's direction of travel, and multiple protrusions 2-2 arranged radially along the shaft. These protrusions are spaced apart axially along the shaft. When the shaft rotates, the protrusions impact the tree trunk at intervals, causing the trunk to sway and the entire tree to shake, resulting in the berries falling under the vibration. The protrusions on the shaft are detachably connected to it, and their height is adjustable. By adjusting the spacing and height of the protrusions, effective impact on tree trunks of different spacings, row spacings, and thicknesses can be achieved.

[0029] The conveying mechanism includes a horizontal conveyor belt 3-1 and an inclined conveyor belt 3-2 connected to each other. Baffles are provided on both sides of the horizontal and inclined conveyor belts to prevent berries from falling. The rolling shaft of the horizontal conveyor belt is connected to the rotating shaft 2-1 in the impact mechanism 2 via a gear transmission assembly 5. Specifically, the gear transmission assembly includes a first bevel gear 5-1 installed at the end of the rolling shaft of the horizontal conveyor belt. The first bevel gear 5-1 is connected to a second bevel gear 5-2. The second bevel gear 5-2 is installed at the lower end of a vertical transmission shaft 5-3. A third bevel gear 5-4 is connected to the upper end of the vertical transmission shaft 5-3. The third bevel gear 5-4 is connected to a fourth bevel gear 5-5, which is connected to the rotating shaft 2-1. Through the bevel gear transmission assembly, the rotation of the horizontal conveyor belt along the direction of wheel travel is successfully converted into rotation of the rotating shaft along both sides of the vehicle body.

[0030] A fruit guide plate 7 is installed below the rotating shaft 2-1 to prevent fruit from falling to the ground. The lower end of the fruit guide plate 7 is connected to the horizontal conveyor belt 3-1, and the upper end of the fruit guide plate is close to the shell of the vehicle body 1 near the through groove. Furthermore, an elastic pad is installed on the outside of the shell where the through groove contacts the vertical rod to prevent scratching the trunk of the fruit tree and affecting its growth.

[0031] The screening mechanism 4 includes multiple layers of screen plates installed in a zigzag pattern from top to bottom. The top screen plate 4-1 has the largest aperture and is connected to the inclined conveyor belt. The apertures of the middle screen plate 4-2 and the bottom screen plate 4-3 decrease one after the other. The lower end of each screen plate is connected to a conveying pipe 6.

[0032] A fan is installed on one side of the top sieve plate 4-1, and a debris collection box is installed on the other side of the top sieve plate, opposite to the fan, to blow away debris such as leaves and branches.

[0033] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A self-propelled berry harvester, characterized in that, The vehicle includes a body in which two sets of impact mechanisms are symmetrically installed. Each impact mechanism is equipped with a conveying mechanism to transport the fruit that falls after the impact mechanism hits the tree trunk to the rear half of the vehicle. The end of the conveying mechanism is equipped with a screening mechanism to remove debris and sort fruits of different sizes and types. The front of the vehicle is equipped with a sensing mechanism, which is connected to the impact mechanism and the screening mechanism through a control system. When the sensing mechanism detects a tree in front, it starts the impact mechanism. When the sensing mechanism detects no obstacle in front, the impact mechanism stops working, realizing self-propelled unmanned harvesting. The impact mechanism includes a rotating shaft arranged along the direction of travel of the harvester. The rotating shaft has multiple protrusions arranged radially and spaced apart along the axial direction of the rotating shaft. During the rotation of the rotating shaft, the protrusions intermittently impact the tree trunk, shaking the ripe fruit off. The conveying mechanism includes a horizontal conveyor belt and an inclined conveyor belt connected to each other. The horizontal conveyor belt is located below and outside the vibration mechanism, and the inclined conveyor belt is located at the end of the horizontal conveyor belt. The rolling shaft of the horizontal conveyor belt is connected to the rotating shaft via a gear transmission assembly. The gear transmission assembly includes a first bevel gear installed at the end of the rolling shaft of the horizontal conveyor belt, a second bevel gear connected to the first bevel gear, the second bevel gear installed at the lower end of the vertical transmission shaft, a third bevel gear connected to the upper end of the vertical transmission shaft, a fourth bevel gear connected to the third bevel gear, and the fourth bevel gear connected to the rotating shaft. Through the bevel gear transmission assembly, the rotation of the horizontal conveyor belt along the direction of wheel travel is successfully converted into the rotation of the rotating shaft along both sides of the vehicle body.

2. The self-propelled berry harvester according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both sides of the horizontal conveyor belt and the inclined conveyor belt are equipped with baffles.

3. The self-propelled berry harvester according to claim 1, characterized in that, The screening mechanism includes multiple layers of screen plates installed in a zigzag pattern from top to bottom. The uppermost screen plate is connected to an inclined conveyor belt, and the lower end of each screen plate is connected to a conveyor pipe.

4. A self-propelled berry harvester according to claim 3, characterized in that, A fan is provided on one side of the uppermost sieve plate, and a debris collection box is provided on the other side of the uppermost sieve plate, opposite to the fan.

5. A self-propelled berry harvester according to claim 1, characterized in that, The protrusion on the rotating shaft is detachably connected to the rotating shaft, and the height of the protrusion is adjustable.

6. A self-propelled berry harvester according to claim 1, characterized in that, A fruit guide plate is installed below the rotating shaft to prevent the fruit from falling to the ground.

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