Trailer for the conditioning and packaging of agricultural products

Abstract

A trailer for the conditioning and packaging of agricultural products, provided with wheels (2) for its movement and a drawbar (3) for attaching it to a vehicle, characterized in that the interior of the trailer (1) defines a room (4) divided into a plurality of distinct functional zones that include at least: a cleaning or washing area (8) for the harvested food products, a drying area (9) for the washed products, a packaging area (10) for the products, an administration area (12), and a changing area (5) for operators, the assembly being configured to allow the "in situ" packaging of agricultural food products in the cultivation areas immediately after harvesting.

Description

Trailer for the conditioning and packaging of agricultural products Technology sector The present invention falls within the technical sector of conditioning and packaging agricultural products and, more specifically, within the field of mobile installations for the treatment and preparation of food products in cultivation areas. In particular, the invention relates to a transportable trailer configured to allow the cleaning, drying, conditioning, packaging, and labeling of agricultural products directly at the harvest site, facilitating their immediate preparation for commercial distribution. Prior art In the state of the art, there are known different solutions aimed at the mobile processing and packaging of agricultural products, designed with the objective of reducing the time between harvesting and marketing of the product. Among the most relevant background documents is CH695008A5, which describes a towable mobile unit for cleaning, washing, drying, sorting, and packaging fresh vegetables, also incorporating weighing, labeling, and waste collection systems. This solution is a compact installation that can be moved to the work site to perform various agricultural product processing operations. Similarly, document ES2166297A1 discloses a mobile trailer primarily designed for packaging lettuce in the field using plastic film, including product transport systems and handling mechanisms mainly for bagging operations. Likewise, document GB2178720A describes a vehicle equipped with conveyor belts and packaging areas that allow operators to perform packaging tasks directly on the vehicle during harvesting. On the other hand, document ES2523954A2 presents a transportable station for the packaging of agricultural products collected on site, incorporating platforms and auxiliary machinery mainly intended for the handling and preparation of boxes for the packaged product. There are also other developments of mobile installations in fields other than agriculture, which highlights a general trend towards mobile solutions with controlled working environments. However, known solutions are mainly geared towards highly mechanized or automated systems, in which the conditioning and packaging of the product is carried out using specific machinery that is expensive and has complex configurations, which limits its accessibility and adaptation to smaller-scale farms. These documents focus essentially on packaging or mechanical processing operations of the product, without describing a configuration specifically adapted to the creation of a comprehensive mobile room in which the functional organization of the space allows the different operations to be carried out by operators under controlled hygienic conditions and with a technically simpler and more flexible structure. Based on the current state of the art, there is a need for a mobile facility that allows for the conditioning and packaging of agricultural products directly in the growing areas, minimizing the time between harvesting and final packaging. At the same time, it is essential to guarantee adequate hygienic conditions throughout the process, preventing contamination risks arising from direct access by operators to the product handling and packaging areas. The technical problem posed, therefore, is to develop a transportable solution that functionally and systematically integrates the various stages necessary for the conditioning of the agricultural product by the operators, allowing the establishment of a coherent operational flow that includes cleaning or washing, drying, packaging and administrative management of the product, as well as hygienic control of personnel through differentiated access zones, all within a single mobile unit adaptable to different cultivation areas. Additionally, the aim is to have a technically simpler and more flexible solution than the known, highly automated installations, so that operations can be carried out by operators within a functionally organized environment, reducing the overall cost of implementation and operation. Explanation of the invention The invention proposes a transportable trailer for the conditioning and packaging of agricultural products, designed as a complete mobile facility that can be moved to different growing areas to package the freshly harvested produce on-site. The trailer includes wheels for movement and a drawbar for attaching it to a tractor. The interior of the trailer is organized into several distinct functional zones arranged to optimize the operational flow of both the product and the workers. Inside the trailer, there is a cleaning or washing area for the initial preparation of the agricultural product, including a system for collecting the water used in this process. Next is a drying area designed to remove residual moisture from the product before packaging, thus improving its preservation and final appearance. The trailer also includes a packaging area equipped with the necessary equipment for handling and packaging the product, including lower containers for the selective collection of waste generated during the process, for subsequent treatment by authorized waste management companies. Additionally, the trailer features an administration area equipped with electronic devices, such as a computer and printer, for registering packaged products and generating labels and associated documentation, thus facilitating traceability and management of agricultural products. The unit also includes a changing area for operators, accessible from the outside, which allows staff to prepare and equip themselves before entering the product handling areas, helping to maintain the hygienic conditions required for food processing. The interior surfaces and equipment installed in the trailer are made of materials suitable for complying with the hygiene, cleaning and disinfection regulations applicable to food products, thus creating a suitable working environment for the safe handling of agricultural products. The solution covered by this utility model provides a technical improvement over known solutions by configuring the trailer as a comprehensive mobile room intended for the hygienic conditioning and packaging of agricultural products, in which the various functions necessary for the treatment of the product are organized according to a continuous and technically coherent operational flow. Unlike existing mobile systems, which are primarily designed for the simple packaging or mechanical handling of agricultural products, the present invention proposes an internal functional configuration specifically designed to integrate, within a single transportable unit, the successive stages of cleaning or washing, drying, packaging, and administrative management of the product. It also establishes a functional separation between the product processing areas and the personnel access area. This spatial organization not only responds to internal layout criteria but also improves the hygienic conditions of the process by controlling operator access to the handling area through a prior preparation stage in the changing area. The sequential arrangement of the functional zones allows for a logical flow of the product from its entry into the trailer to its exit, already conditioned and packaged, reducing intermediate handling and minimizing the product's exposure to external factors. As a result, process efficiency is improved, and the agricultural product's preservation is enhanced by decreasing the time between harvesting and final packaging. Furthermore, the integration of management and labeling equipment within the trailer itself allows for on-site product registration and traceability, eliminating the need for subsequent operations and streamlining logistics. The combination of these features results in a technically optimized mobile unit that not only transports packaging machinery to the field but also creates a complete, functional environment tailored to the specific requirements of agricultural food product packaging. Additionally, the invention allows conditioning and packaging operations to be carried out primarily through the direct intervention of operators within a functionally organized environment, eliminating the need for highly automated systems or complex machinery. This feature significantly reduces the cost of setting up and maintaining the mobile unit, while increasing its versatility and adaptability to different types of agricultural products and working conditions, making it a more accessible technical alternative to state-of-the-art automated solutions. Consequently, the invention provides a comprehensive technical solution in which the functional cooperation between the different internal zones of the trailer generates a combined technical effect, consisting of simultaneously improving hygiene, operational efficiency and the final quality of the packaged product, differentiating itself from the mobile configurations known in the state of the art. Brief description of the content of the drawings To complement the description being made and in order to facilitate the understanding of the characteristics of the invention, a set of drawings is included with this descriptive report in which, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, the following has been represented: - Figure 1 shows a schematic elevation view of an example embodiment of the trailer for handling and packaging agricultural products according to the invention. - Figure 2 shows a schematic plan view of the trailer for packaging agricultural products from the previous figure, sectioned horizontally by a plane, allowing observation of the interior layout of the room. Detailed exposition of modes of implementation of the invention. In the embodiment shown in the figures, the invention comprises a transportable trailer (1) equipped with wheels (2) and a drawbar (3) for attaching it to a tractor for movement between different cultivation areas. The trailer (1) internally defines a room (4) for the conditioning and packaging of agricultural products. This room is organized into a plurality of distinct functional zones, distributed in such a way as to facilitate the operational flow of the product and the workers. As can be seen in the figures, at one end of the trailer (1) there is a changing area (5), provided with an access door (6) from the outside, allowing the operators to change and equip themselves properly before entering the room (4), contributing to maintaining the hygienic conditions necessary for handling the agricultural product. A small water testing area has been planned within the changing room, as the farm's water supply must be analyzed and its parameters recorded before use. If it does not meet potability standards, mains water or water from a clean water tank transported by trailer must be used. Following the dressing area (5) is a cleaning or washing area (8) for the harvested agricultural product, intended for the initial washing or conditioning of the harvested agricultural product, and may include means for collecting the wash water. This cleaning or washing area (8) has a clean water inlet for connection to a distribution network or to a clean water tank transported with the trailer (1), and a drain connected to a collection tank for the water used in washing the product. Next, and located after the cleaning or washing area (8), there is a drying area (9) intended to remove residual moisture from the product before packaging, ensuring suitable conditions for subsequent handling and preservation of the product. In an intermediate area of ​​the room (4) there is a packaging area (10), in which the packaging operation of the agricultural product is carried out, having below a plurality of containers (11) intended for the selective collection of the different waste generated during the process. This packaging area is planned to incorporate the necessary machinery to perform different types of packaging, for example self-sealing, vacuum sealing, heat sealing or others. The trailer (1) also includes an administration area (12), equipped with computer equipment such as a computer and printer, for registering packaged products and generating labels, delivery notes, invoices, or equivalent documentation. Additionally, inside the room (4) there is a handwashing station (13) for operator hygiene and shelving (14) for storing empty containers and packaged products. At the opposite end from the dressing area (5), there is at least one door (7) for the entry of the product to be processed and the exit of the packaged product, allowing for an orderly, functional flow through the interior room (4). In this way, the product can follow a progressive flow from its introduction, cleaning, drying, and packaging to its final shipment, optimizing the operations performed inside the trailer. The interior surfaces of the room (4) and the equipment installed therein are made of materials suitable to comply with the hygiene, cleaning and disinfection regulations applicable to food products, allowing the conditioning and packaging operations to be carried out under appropriate food safety conditions. Once the nature of the invention has been sufficiently described, as well as an example of a preferred embodiment, it is noted for the appropriate purposes that the materials, shape, size and arrangement of the elements described may be modified, provided that this does not imply an alteration of the essential characteristics of the invention claimed below.

Claims

1. A trailer for the conditioning and packaging of agricultural products, equipped with wheels (2) for its movement and a drawbar (3) for attaching it to a vehicle, characterized in that the interior of the trailer (1) defines a room (4) divided into a plurality of differentiated functional zones that include at least: a cleaning or washing zone (8) for the harvested food products, a drying zone (9) for the washed products, a packaging zone (10) for the products, an administration zone (12), and a changing area (5) for operators, the assembly being configured to allow the "in situ" packaging of agricultural food products in the cultivation areas immediately after harvesting. 2.A trailer according to claim 1, wherein the changing area (5) is arranged at a first end of the trailer (1) and comprises an access door (6) from the outside, allowing operators to change and equip themselves before accessing the packaging areas.

3. A trailer according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the product cleaning or washing area (8) comprises a collection tank for the product washing water.

4. A trailer according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the drying area (9) is arranged downstream of the cleaning or washing area (8), allowing the washed product to be dried before packaging.

5. A trailer according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the packaging area (10) comprises, at its lower end, a plurality of containers (11) for the selective collection of different types of waste generated during the packaging process. 6.A trailer according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the administration area (12) is equipped with at least one computer and a printer for registering the packaged product and generating labels, delivery notes, invoices, or equivalent documents.

7. A trailer according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the interior of the trailer (1) further comprises a handwashing station (13) for the hygiene of the operators.

8. A trailer according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the interior of the trailer (1) comprises shelving (14) for storing empty containers and pre-packaged products.

9. A trailer according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at a second end of the trailer (1), opposite the end comprising the changing area (5), there is at least one door (7) for the entry of the product to be processed and the exit of the pre-packaged product. 10.Trailer, according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the interior surfaces of the room (4) and the equipment included therein are made of materials suitable to comply with the hygiene, cleaning and disinfection regulations applicable to food products.