Methods, systems, and devices for treating plants and removing components therefrom

Abstract

Devices, systems, and methods for removing humulus lupulus cones and leaves from humulus lupulus vines include a set of rotating shafts (picking rollers) on which picking fingers are mounted, the set of rotating shafts being located between sets of rotating shafts (gripping rollers) on which paddles are mounted. The gripping drum, which rotates at a different speed than the picking drum, transports and holds the vines, and the picking drum removes cones and leaves from the vines.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 403,205, filed on September 1, 2022, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The disclosed subject matter relates to methods, systems, and apparatus for processing agricultural products, particularly stripping hop cones and leaves from hop vines. Background Art

[0004] Traditional hop harvesting equipment is based on drum or bank pickers. In each case, the vines must be held firmly with chains or hooks to avoid them being pulled into the picking device. The vines pulled out of the chains or hooks are pulled into the picking device as a whole, making it impossible to pick them cleanly, and in the worst case, the vines will entangle around the picking drums or picking banks, forcing the operator to stop the machine and remove the vines. Even when newer crawler harvesters are used to remove side branches from the hop vines, these side branches are fed into fixed picking machines based on drum or bank pickers. These known hop harvesting equipment often damage the cones of the vine, which may affect the quality of the cones for subsequent processing.

[0005] In order to cleanly remove leaves and cones from hop vines, the hop vines must be fed into the machine in a straight orientation. For fixed machines, the base of the hop vines is placed on a hook and the machine pulls the hanging vines in. Mobile harvesters grip the base of the vines by holding the vines firmly with chains running in parallel. Since the vines must be held firmly, a certain portion of the vine will not pass through the picking device, which may result in some cones not being harvested, thereby reducing yield and causing loss of value. Therefore, there remains a need for an effective and economical system to more fully process agricultural products, particularly to strip hop cones and leaves from hop vines. The currently disclosed subject matter meets these and other needs. Summary of the invention

[0006] The objects and advantages of the disclosed subject matter will be set forth in and will become apparent from the following description, and will be understood by practicing the disclosed subject matter. Additional advantages of the disclosed subject matter will be realized and obtained by the means particularly pointed out in the written description and its claims and drawings.

[0007] To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purposes of the disclosed subject matter, as embodied and broadly described, the disclosed subject matter comprises apparatus, systems, and methods for processing produce and stripping hop cones and leaves from hop vines.

[0008] According to one aspect of the disclosed subject matter, a picking module for separating items from vines is disclosed, comprising: a shell; at least a first group of gripping rollers and a second group of gripping rollers disposed in the shell, wherein the first group of gripping rollers and the second group of gripping rollers are configured to rotate at a first speed; at least one group of picking rollers disposed in the shell, wherein the at least one group of picking rollers is disposed between the first group of gripping rollers and the second group of gripping rollers, wherein the group of picking rollers is configured to rotate at a second speed faster than the first speed, wherein at least the first group of gripping rollers is configured to hold the vines, or at least the first and second groups of gripping rollers are configured to hold the vines in a tensioned state, so as to separate the items from the vines with the group of picking rollers.

[0009] According to one aspect of the disclosed subject matter, a system for separating items from vines is disclosed, comprising: a feed system for conveying vines having items thereon; a picking module for receiving the vines from the feed system, the module comprising a shell, at least a first group of gripping rollers and a second group of gripping rollers disposed in the shell, wherein the first group of gripping rollers and the second group of gripping rollers rotate at a first speed, and at least one group of picking rollers disposed in the shell, wherein the at least one group of picking rollers is disposed between the first group of gripping rollers and the second group of gripping rollers, and the group of picking rollers rotates at a second speed faster than the first speed, wherein the first and second groups of gripping rollers and the group of picking rollers are configured to perform at least one of keeping the vines in a tensioned state and separating items from the vines; and a collecting device, the collecting device being configured to receive the items from the vines.

[0010] According to one aspect of the disclosed subject matter, a method for separating items from vines is disclosed, comprising: feeding vines with items thereon into a picking module at a predetermined angle, wherein the picking module comprises a shell, at least a first group of gripping rollers and a second group of gripping rollers disposed in the shell, and at least one group of picking rollers disposed in the shell, wherein the at least one group of picking rollers is disposed between the first group of gripping rollers and the second group of gripping rollers; rotating the first and second groups of gripping rollers at a first speed and rotating the group of picking rollers at a second speed faster than the first speed; keeping the vines in a tensioned state between the first group of gripping rollers and the second group of gripping rollers; and separating the items from the vines using at least one group of picking rollers.

[0011] As further described herein and as shown in Figures 1-8, the disclosed subject matter includes grouped groups, the grouped groups including rotating shaft groups (picking rollers) with picking fingers installed between rotating shaft groups (gripping rollers) with paddles / sheets installed. Since the picking rollers rotate at a different speed than the gripping rollers, the vines are kept in a tensioned state, thereby allowing the picking fingers to remove cones and leaves. In this arrangement, the vines move as a whole through the picking device and do not need to be firmly held by gripping chains or hooks. This enables the vines to be picked completely and cleanly. In addition, it has been found that the vines can be fed first into the bottom or top of the machine, and even partially folded in the middle, which simplifies the process, especially in the case where the vines will be automatically fed into the picking device. It has also been found that the grouping of the picking roller group and the gripping roller group avoids the vines and their side arms from being squeezed together. This avoids the side arms being torn off the vines or the cones being damaged or left on the vines.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter, a rotating shaft group (picking drum) equipped with picking fingers can be located between a rotating shaft group (gripping drum) equipped with paddles, as shown in the figure. The gripping drum, which can rotate at a different speed than the picking drum, transports and holds the vines, from which the picking drums remove cones and leaves.

[0013] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description, as well as the accompanying drawings, are examples and are provided for purposes of illustration and not intended to limit the scope of the disclosed subject matter in any way.

[0014] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, are included to illustrate and provide a further understanding of the apparatus of the disclosed subject matter. Together with the description, the drawings serve to explain the principles of the disclosed subject matter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The subject matter of the present application will be more readily understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0016] Figure 1A is a side view of a picking module arrangement having a series of rotating shafts with paddles mounted thereon followed by rotating shafts with picking fingers mounted thereon, according to an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

[0017] Figure 1B for Figure 1A Exploded view of components of a picking module arrangement according to an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

[0018] Figure 2 for Figure 1A A top view of a device according to an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

[0019] Figure 3A is a detailed top view of a single gripping roller with a paddle mounted thereon according to an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter, and Figure 3B It is a side view of the gripping roller.

[0020] Figure 4A is a detailed top view of a single picking drum with fingers mounted thereon according to an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter, and Figure 4B It is a side view of the picking drum.

[0021] Figure 4C is a side view of a picking drum according to an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

[0022] Figure 5 Flowcharts of systems and methods of the disclosed subject matter according to embodiments of the disclosed subject matter.

[0023] Figure 6 is a side view of a picking module arrangement having a series of rotating shafts with paddles mounted followed by rotating shafts with picking fingers mounted as a plurality of vines pass through the module according to an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter.

[0024] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A top view of the device.

[0025] Figure 8 is a side view of a mobile harvester including a picking module arrangement according to an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The disclosed subject matter will be described in conjunction with a detailed description of the system.

[0027] The present disclosure generally describes apparatus, systems and methods for efficiently processing produce, particularly for stripping cones and flowers. Such enhancements include stripping a greater percentage of cones and flowers without crushing them, and allowing vines to be fed into the system in any configuration or orientation.

[0028] According to one aspect of the disclosed subject matter, a picking module for separating objects from vines is disclosed, comprising: a shell; at least a first group of gripping rollers and a second group of gripping rollers disposed in the shell, wherein the first group of gripping rollers and the second group of gripping rollers are configured to rotate at a first speed; at least one group of picking rollers disposed in the shell, wherein the at least one group of picking rollers is disposed between the first group of gripping rollers and the second group of gripping rollers, wherein the group of picking rollers is configured to rotate at a second speed faster than the first speed, wherein at least the first group of gripping rollers is configured to hold the vines, or at least the first and second groups of gripping rollers are configured to hold the vines in a tensioned state, so as to separate objects from the vines with the group of picking rollers.

[0029] In particular, Figure 1A A schematic diagram of an example illustrative picking module 100 incorporating a gripping system and a picking system of the present disclosure is shown, and Figure 1B Show Figure 1A 1 is an exploded view of the components of a picking module device. As shown, the picking module 100 can include a housing 128 having a front 130, a back 135, a bottom 140, and a top 145. As further described herein, the housing can accommodate and support multiple sets of picking rollers and multiple sets of gripping rollers. The housing can include any suitable material to support the picking and gripping rollers thereon, such as but not limited to steel.

[0030] The picking module 100 may include at least a first set of gripping rollers 105a and a second set of gripping rollers 105b disposed within a housing 128. Each set of gripping rollers includes a first roller and a second roller operating as a gear system, such as Figure 2 As best shown in and described below. Thus, the first roller rotates in the opposite direction to the second roller, and either roller can be a driving roller or a driven roller. Figure 1A As best shown in FIG. 2 , the rollers are disposed on sets of rotating shafts that may be coupled to a drive system 270. The drive system may include a single motor to drive all sets of rollers within the housing, or alternatively may include multiple motors to drive selected sets of rollers. Figure 1A As shown in , the housing may include a plurality of additional gripping rollers 105c, 105d, and 105e also disposed within the housing. All sets of gripping rollers are configured to rotate at a first speed. Each gripping roller 105 includes a plurality of paddles 115 configured to contact the vines and hold the vines in tension as the vines are moved through the picking module 100 along the direction "D" by the gripping rollers 105.

[0031] The picking module 100 may further include at least one set of picking rollers 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d disposed in the housing 128. Each set of picking rollers includes a first picking roller and a second picking roller operating as a gear system, such as Figure 2 As best shown in and described below. Thus, the first picking roller rotates in an opposite direction to the second picking roller, and either picking roller can be a driving roller or a driven roller. The picking rollers are disposed on respective sets of rotating shafts, which can be coupled to the same drive system as the gripping rollers or to a separate drive system. The picking rollers are disposed behind a set of gripping rollers 105. Each of the at least one set of picking rollers is configured to rotate at a speed greater than a first speed of the gripping rollers. Each picking roller 110 includes a plurality of picking fingers 120 configured to strip the vines as the vines pass through the picking module 100 along direction "D".

[0032] The module 100 further comprises a plurality of containers 125a, 125b and 125c, which are arranged in a housing below the picking drum 110, such as Figure 1A The container is configured to hold the portions of the vine that are stripped by the picking drum 110, such as cones and flowers. The container can be replaced when it is filled with the product stripped from the vine being processed.

[0033] Each of the gripping roller group 105 and the picking roller group 110 can be connected to the housing by a separate frame, which can be connected to the housing 128, such as by bolts. In this way, the individual roller groups connected to the corresponding frames can be removed from the housing for quick and easy replacement or general maintenance. Figure 1B As shown in , the individual gripping rollers 105 and picking rollers 110 may be connected to respective frames 1002 via respective rotational axes 320 and 420 of the rollers. In this embodiment, the picking module 100 includes a drive system 270 configured to control the rotation of the rotational axes via a belt 1001 that couples all gripping rollers 105 to rotate together. As described herein, the picking roller 110 may include fingers 120 coupled to the picking roller. As shown in FIG. Figure 1B As shown in FIG. 1 , a single finger 123 of the plurality of fingers 120 can be seen in the exploded view, and the single finger 123 includes the same components as described above with reference to this document. Figure 4C The same shape as described.

[0034] although Figure 1A The housing of FIG. 1 has oriented the rollers to be placed vertically so that the sets of rollers are perpendicular to the ground, but the housing may alternatively be placed horizontally so that the sets of rollers are parallel to the ground.

[0035] Figure 2 A top view of a picking module 100 is shown, showing vines 101 being processed by the picking module 100. The picking module 100 includes a plurality of groups 255 of gripping rollers 105. As described above, each group of gripping rollers includes a first gripping roller 255a and a second gripping roller 255b disposed adjacent to the first group of gripping rollers 255a. The first gripping roller 255a and the second gripping roller 255b are disposed on a set of adjacent rotating shafts, which are configured to rotate at a first speed. Each gripping roller 105 in each group 255 is configured to rotate in a selected direction, such as a first direction or a second direction. The first direction may be a clockwise direction, while the second direction may be a counterclockwise direction, or vice versa. In use, one gripping roller in each group of gripping rollers is configured to rotate in a first direction, while the second gripping roller is configured to rotate in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

[0036] The gripping rollers 105 may each include a plurality of spaced-apart paddles 115 coupled to the rollers 105 and extending radially outward. The paddles 115 rotate along the paths 230 with the gripping rollers 105. The paths 230 of the paddles 115 of each gripping roller 105 in each set of gripping rollers 255 overlap in the space 240 between the two corresponding rollers so that the paddles in the corresponding sets of gripping rollers are staggered. Figure 2 As shown in , by staggering the paddles 115 during rotation, the vines 101 can be grasped and advanced in a controlled manner through the picking module 100 in direction "D".

[0037] As described above, the picking module 100 may include a plurality of groups 260 of picking rollers 110. Each group of picking rollers includes a first picking roller 260a and a second picking roller 260b disposed adjacent to the first group of picking rollers 260a. The first picking roller 260a and the second picking roller 260b are disposed on a set of adjacent rotation axes. Each picking roller is configured to rotate in a selected direction, such as a first direction or a second direction. The first direction may be a clockwise direction, while the second direction may be a counterclockwise direction, and vice versa. In use, a first picking roller in a group may rotate in the same direction as the second picking roller or in a direction opposite to the second picking roller. In a group of picking rollers, one picking roller rotates clockwise, while another picking roller rotates counterclockwise. In some embodiments, the direction of the picking roller is the same as the direction of the adjacent gripping roller. The picking roller 110 may include a plurality of fingers 120 coupled to the roller 110 and extending radially outward. The fingers 120 rotate along a circular path 225 with the roller 110. The fingers 120 are configured to strip items from the vines as they pass through the set of picking rollers.

[0038] Although in Figure 1A and Figure 2 Five groups 255 of gripping rollers 100 are shown, but embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to such a number. The picking modules described herein may include two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or ten groups of gripping rollers. Similarly, although Figure 2 Four sets 260 of picking rollers 105 are shown, but embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to such a number. The picking modules described herein may contain two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, or nine sets of picking rollers.

[0039] Figure 3A A single gripping roller 105 according to an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter is depicted. The gripping roller 105 includes an inner portion 310 and a plurality of paddles 115 mounted to the inner portion 310. The inner portion 310 can be mounted on a rotating shaft to control the rotation of the plurality of paddles 115, as further described above. In some embodiments, a single gripping roller 105 can include eight paddles 115 coupled to the inner portion 310. In other embodiments, each gripping roller 105 can include one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, or twelve paddles. It is contemplated that the number of paddles can vary based on the optional diameter of the roller, and any number of paddles can be used with embodiments of the disclosed subject matter. The number of paddles mounted to each gripping roller can vary based on the type of item to be stripped and the speed at which the roller rotates.

[0040] Figure 3B A gripping roller 105 is shown mounted on shaft 320. The gripping roller 105 can be connected to a suitable drive system for controlling the rotation of the shaft. The front set of gripping rollers can be driven separately by a drive motor. Other suitable methods of controlling the rotation of the shaft are well known in the art. Additional gripping roller groups can be connected to the first group by chains, belts, or other suitable methods known in the art. This type of connection can ensure that all gripping rollers rotate at the same speed. By rotating all gripping rollers at the same speed, the vines are smoothly pulled through the device without the risk of tearing by applying a constant tension to the vines with the gripping rollers. The rollers can rotate at a speed in the range of 10 repetitions per minute (rpm) to 60 rpm.

[0041] Each paddle 115 can be made of a suitable material, such as, but not limited to, wood, pressed fiber, a metal such as aluminum, or a polymer such as high-density polyethylene. Further, each paddle 115 can include at least one straight edge and have a generally rectangular shape, although other suitable shapes are also contemplated herein. The surface of the paddle can be smooth, or can be a corrugated, rigged surface to provide additional contact points with the vines.

[0042] Figure 4A A picking drum according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is depicted. The picking drum 110 includes an inner portion 410 and a plurality of fingers 120 coupled to the inner portion 410 and configured to remove items from the vines. The inner portion 410 can be mounted on a rotation shaft 420 to control the rotation of the plurality of fingers 120. In some embodiments, a single picking drum can include eight fingers 120 coupled to the inner portion 410. In other embodiments, each picking drum 110 can include two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, or twelve fingers. The fingers 120 can include a curved shape that is configured to remove items from the vines. Each finger 120 can be made of a suitable material, such as, but not limited to, a metal or a polymer, as known in the art.

[0043] Figure 4B A single picking roller 110 is shown mounted on a shaft. The picking roller 110 can be connected to a suitable drive device for controlling the rotation of the shaft. In an embodiment with multiple groups of picking rollers, any combination of multiple groups of picking rollers can be driven by the same motor or different motors. The picking rollers can be driven by different types of motors, such as drive motors. Other suitable methods of controlling the rotation of the shaft are well known in the art. The groups of picking rollers driven by the same drive device can be connected by chains or other suitable methods known in the art so that all picking rollers rotate at the same speed. In addition, the picking rollers can rotate at a speed in the range of 20 repetitions per minute (rpm) to 500 rpm.

[0044] like Figure 4C As shown in , the picking fingers 120 of the picking drum may include a frame, such as a plurality of triangular segments connected to the inner portion of the picking drum at the bottom. Each finger may include at least a vertex portion and two sides extending away from the vertex at a certain angle. Each finger may additionally include two linear portions extending from the sides and connected to the drum.

[0045] In some embodiments, the speeds of different groups of picking rollers in a picking module may be different or the same. In some cases, the speed of each picking roller may increase along direction "D" so that the rear picking rollers rotate faster than the rollers closer to the front end of the picking module. Faster rotating picking rollers may strip the vines more fully than slower rotating rollers, but if the vines are laden with flowers and cones, the increase in the speed of the rollers may tear the vines. By starting to strip the vines with the slower rotating picking rollers, a first subset of items may be removed without the risk of tearing the vines and damaging the cones. After the vines are thinned out by the first volume of items, the faster rotating rollers may strip the vines more fully without the risk of tearing the vines.

[0046] Figure 5 Provides flow charts of processes and methods contemplated by the disclosed subject matter, and Figure 6 and Figure 7 Selected steps of the processes and methods are shown.

[0047] In step 1, vines are fed into a picking module. The vines may be fed into the apparatus in any configuration and still obtain the benefits of the improved picking efficiency of the described invention. The vines may be fed substantially parallel to the direction "D" of the picking module or at any angle relative to the direction "D". For example, the vines may be fed at a predetermined angle between a section of the vine and the direction "D", such as any angle between 0 and 90 degrees. The vines may be fed in a substantially straight configuration or a folded configuration.

[0048] like Figure 6 As shown in FIG. 1 , a vine 101 with an item 701 attached thereto passes through a picking module. Figure 6 As can be seen in the accompanying drawings, as the vines pass through the picking modules 100, at each picking module 110, the number of items 701 connected to each vine 101 decreases as the vines advance along the system in the direction "D". In addition, the vines 101 are shown passing through the picking modules 100 in a variety of different configurations as described above. The picking modules 100 as described herein do not require that the vines 101 be in a substantially straight configuration when they enter the picking modules 100. Rather, the vines 101 may be straight or folded and enter the picking modules 100 at any angle θ relative to the direction in which they travel through the picking modules while still experiencing the benefits of the picking modules. Figure 7 A plan view of vine 101 is shown moving along direction "D" with items 701 being separated from vine 101 by a handling system.

[0049] In step 2, the vines are gripped by a first set of gripping rollers disposed on adjacent rotating shafts rotating at a first speed. Figure 6 and Figure 7As shown in , when the shaft rotates, the paddles on the gripping rollers provided on each roller in the corresponding group overlap and stagger to hold the vines. The rotation of the first group of gripping rollers pulls the vines into the picking module and moves the vines forward through the picking module.

[0050] In step 3, the vines reach a first set of picking rollers arranged on an adjacent set of rotating shafts rotating at a second speed. Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown in , when a portion of the vine is still held by the first set of gripping rollers, the picking rollers can remove cones and leaves from the vine while helping to move the vine forward to the next set of gripping rollers. The second speed can be in the range of 20 rpm to 500 rpm, preferably 300 rpm.

[0051] In step 4, if Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown in , the vines are grabbed by the second set of gripping rollers and pulled forward. In this step, the first set of gripping rollers and the second set of gripping rollers hold the vines in tension between the two sets of gripping rollers. The second set of gripping rollers is also arranged on a set of adjacent shafts that rotate at a first speed. As the shafts rotate, the paddles on the gripping rollers arranged on each roller in the corresponding set overlap and stagger to hold the vines in tension with the first set of gripping rollers. The first speed can be in the range of 1 rpm to 1000 rpm, with a preferred range of 10 to 100 rpm for hops, and is 5% to 50% slower than the second speed.

[0052] Although the above method only includes two groups of gripping rollers and one group of picking rollers, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to such a number. Additional gripping roller groups and picking roller groups can be arranged downstream of the second group of gripping rollers, such as Figure 1A and Figure 2In such an embodiment, the method will continue by repeating steps 2-4, wherein the second group of gripping rollers moves the vines toward the second group of picking rollers, the second group of picking rollers rotates at a second speed or a third speed greater than the first speed, and is arranged between the second group of gripping rollers and the third group of gripping rollers rotating at the first speed. The third speed may be the same or different from the second speed, as long as it is faster than the first speed. The third group of gripping rollers will keep the vines under tension together with the second group of gripping rollers. Steps 2-4 can be repeated with additional gripping roller groups and picking roller groups as described herein until the vines are gripped by the gripping roller groups at the end and move away from the picking module. Throughout the process, as articles such as cones, flowers, fruits, or leaves are stripped from the vines by the picking module, the articles can be collected in a cabinet, a container, or other boxes for storage and additional processing. In certain embodiments, some of the picking rollers farthest from the front end of the picking module are configured to break the vines into multiple fragments so that they can be recycled.

[0053] Figure 8 An exemplary mobile harvester 600 including a picking module 100 disclosed herein is shown according to embodiments described herein. The mobile harvester 600 includes a top cutter 650 and a bottom cutter 655, as is well known in the art. The top cutter 650 is connected to the mobile harvester 600 and is configured to cut vines from a top support, such as a trellis. Similarly, the bottom cutter 655 is connected to the mobile harvester 600 and is configured to cut vines from a bottom support, such as a trellis, or from the root of the vine itself. The mobile harvester includes a conveyor assembly 660, which can be used to feed the vines into the picking module 670. The picking module 670 may be substantially similar to the picking module 100 described above, including a housing 127, gripping rollers 105, picking rollers 110, and containers 125, which are used to move vines through the picking module to capture cones and flowers stripped from the vines as the vines pass through the picking module 670. The mobile harvester may further include an exit conveyor 680.

[0054] Although the disclosed subject matter is described herein in terms of certain preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements may be made to the disclosed subject matter without departing from the scope thereof. In addition, although individual features of one embodiment of the disclosed subject matter may be discussed herein or shown in the drawings of one embodiment and not shown in other embodiments, it is apparent that individual features of one embodiment may be combined with one or more features of another embodiment or features from multiple embodiments.

[0055] In addition to the various embodiments depicted and claimed, the disclosed subject matter also relates to other embodiments having any other possible combination of features disclosed and claimed herein. Therefore, within the scope of the disclosed subject matter, the specific features presented herein may be combined with each other in other ways so that the disclosed subject matter includes any suitable combination of features disclosed herein. Therefore, for the purpose of illustration and description, the foregoing description of specific embodiments of the disclosed subject matter has been presented. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosed subject matter to those embodiments disclosed.

[0056] It is obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made to the apparatus, system, and method of the disclosed subject matter without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosed subject matter. Therefore, the disclosed subject matter is included in the modifications and changes within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A picking module for separating items from vines, comprising: case; at least a first set of gripping rollers and a second set of gripping rollers disposed within the housing, wherein the first set of gripping rollers and the second set of gripping rollers are configured to rotate at a first speed; at least one set of picking rollers disposed in the housing, wherein the at least one set of picking rollers is disposed between the first set of gripping rollers and the second set of gripping rollers, wherein the at least one set of picking rollers is configured to rotate at a second speed faster than the first speed, Wherein at least the first set of gripping rollers is configured to hold the vine, or at least the first set of gripping rollers and the second set of gripping rollers are configured to hold the vine taut, to separate the articles from the vine using the at least one set of picking rollers.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The first group of gripping rollers, the second group of gripping rollers, and each of the picking rollers are arranged on a corresponding rotation axis.

3. The picking module according to claim 1, wherein: Each roller in the first set of gripping rollers includes a plurality of spaced-apart paddles coupled thereto, and each roller in the second set of gripping rollers includes a plurality of spaced-apart paddles coupled thereto.

4. The picking module according to claim 3, wherein: The paddles of one of the first sets of gripping rollers are configured to interleave with the paddles of another of the first sets of gripping rollers during rotation thereof, wherein the paddles of the first and second sets of gripping rollers are configured to grip the vine and advance the vine in a first direction.

5. The picking module according to claim 3, wherein: The first and second sets of gripping rollers each have eight paddles coupled thereto.

6. The picking module according to claim 3, wherein: The paddle includes at least one of metal, composite material, wood, pressed fiber, and high density polyethylene.

7. The picking module according to claim 3, wherein: The paddle includes at least one of a straight edge and a corrugated, decorative surface.

8. The picking module according to claim 1, wherein: Each drum of the at least one set of picking drums includes a plurality of spaced apart fingers coupled to the drum and configured to remove the article from the vine.

9. The picking module according to claim 8, wherein: The plurality of spaced apart fingers include a curved surface configured to remove the item from the vine.

10. The picking module according to claim 1, wherein: The first speed is 5% to 50% slower than the second speed.

11. The picking module according to claim 1, wherein: One of the first set of gripping rollers is configured to rotate in a clockwise direction, and another of the first set of gripping rollers is configured to rotate in a counterclockwise direction.

12. The picking module according to claim 2, further comprising: A second set of picking rollers is disposed within the housing and adjacent the second set of gripping rollers, wherein the second set of picking rollers is configured to rotate at the second speed and remove the articles from the vine.

13. The picking module of claim 12, further comprising a third set of gripping rollers disposed within the housing and adjacent to the second set of picking rollers, the third set of gripping rollers rotating at the first speed.

14. The picking module according to claim 3, wherein: The paddle is configured to grip the vine and advance the vine in a first direction, and wherein the at least one set of picking rollers is configured to separate the articles from the vine.

15. The picking module according to claim 8, wherein: The article includes at least one of hops, cones, flowers, fruits or leaves.

16. A system for separating items from vines, comprising: a feed system for conveying vines having items thereon; a picking module for receiving the vines from the feeding system, the picking module comprising: case, at least a first set of gripping rollers and a second set of gripping rollers disposed within the housing, wherein the first set of gripping rollers and the second set of gripping rollers rotate at a first speed; and at least one group of picking rollers disposed in the housing, wherein the at least one group of picking rollers is disposed between the first group of gripping rollers and the second group of gripping rollers, and the at least one group of picking rollers rotates at a second speed faster than the first speed, wherein the first and second sets of gripping rollers and the at least one set of picking rollers are configured to perform at least one of maintaining tension on the vine and separating the articles from the vine; and A collection device is configured to receive the items from the vine.

17. A method of separating an object from a vine, comprising: Feeding the vines with items thereon into a picking module at a predetermined angle, wherein the picking module comprises: case, At least a first set of gripping rollers and a second set of gripping rollers are disposed in the housing, at least one group of picking rollers disposed in the housing, wherein the at least one group of picking rollers is disposed between the first group of gripping rollers and the second group of gripping rollers; rotating the first and second groups of gripping rollers at a first speed, and rotating the at least one group of picking rollers at a second speed faster than the first speed; maintaining the vine taut between the first set of gripping rollers and the second set of gripping rollers; and The articles are separated from the vines using at least the at least one set of picking rollers.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein: each roller of the first set of gripping rollers includes a plurality of spaced-apart paddles coupled thereto, and each roller of the second set of gripping rollers includes a plurality of spaced-apart paddles coupled thereto, The method further includes gripping the vine with a first set of paddles mounted on the first set of gripping rollers and gripping the article with a second set of paddles coupled to the second set of gripping rollers to hold the vine taut between the first set of gripping rollers and the second set of gripping rollers.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein: The first speed is 5% to 50% slower than the second speed.

20. The method according to claim 17, wherein: The article is a vine, and wherein the portion is at least one of a hop, a cone, or a leaf.

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