Fibre plant picking machine for picking fibre plants

Abstract

Described is a processing machine for processing fibre plants comprising a main conveyor belt and an auxiliary conveyor belt for transporting between the belts the fibre plants. The machine further comprises one or more engaging elements for entraining fibre plants into one or more receiving areas between the main conveyor belt and the auxiliary conveyor belt for improving the even throughflow of the fibre plants through the receiving area and arrange the fibre plants in a contact area wherein the main conveyor belt and an auxiliary conveyor belt are essentially in contact with each other. Furthermore, a method of processing fibre plants using the processing machine is described.

Description

[0001] FIBRE PLANT PICKING MACHINE FOR PICKING FIBRE PLANTS

[0002] The present invention relates to a processing unit for a processing machine configured to process fibre plants, to such processing machine and to a method of processing fibre plants.

[0003] Numerous different machines have been developed over time for harvesting and subsequent processing of fibre plants (for instance - but not limited to - hemp, flax, sisal, jute, kenaf plants). On one hand there are picking machines with which the fibre plants in a field can be picked and with which the picked fibre plants can be placed flat on the ground surface (i.e. the field) in rows (swathes). On the other hand, so-called turners or turning machines have been developed with which fibre plants, once they have been placed down flat on the ground at an earlier stage, can be picked up, be turned over and can be placed back onto the ground in turned- over position.

[0004] Both in picking machines and in turning machines the fibre plants are transported by keeping the (stems of the) fibre plants pressed between opposing endless transport belts of a transport installation unit. In picking machines, the fibre plants are usually picked, transported in upright position, rotated from the upright position to a lying position (over 90 degrees) and then transported in a lying position. In turning machines, the fibre plants are collected in a first lying position, transported and then rotated over about 180 degrees to a second lying position. After the turning action the fibre plants are transported further in the second lying position. The rotation of the fibre plants (over 90 or 180 degrees) may be achieved by using sets of twisted endless transport belts, also referred to as crossed belts.

[0005] During the transport and / or the turning action parts of the fibre plants, for instance leaves or twigs of the fibre plants, may break away from the fibre plants. These parts then may be accumulated on one or more areas at the top side of the transport installation. The accumulated parts may cause disturbances in the transport and / or turning action of the transport installation.

[0006] It is an object of the invention to provide a processing machine for processing fibre plants wherein at least one of the above-mentioned and / or other disadvantages have been addressed.

[0007] It is a further object to provide a processing machine allowing for a smooth and / or substantially undisturbed transport of the fibre plants.

[0008] At least one of these and / or other objects can be achieved in a processing unit for a processing machine configured to process fibre plants, the processing unit being configured to pick fibre plants or take them up from a ground surface when the processing unit is attached to a vehicle chassis of a vehicle, the processing unit comprising:

[0009] - a support frame mounted or mountable on the vehicle chassis;

[0010] - a transport installation mounted on the support frame and configured to receive and transport the fibre plants to the vehicle, wherein the transport installation comprises: - a number of rotatable guide rollers mounted on the support frame;

[0011] - a number of endless conveyor belts guided along the rotatable guide rollers;

[0012] - a drive for driving at least one of the rotatable guide rollers in order to move at least one of the endless conveyor belts; wherein at least one pair of endless conveyor belts are arranged side by side so as to grip fibre plant therebetween for picking fibre plants or take them up from a ground surface and to transport the gripped fibre plants while being held between the endless conveyor belts; the processing unit further comprising:

[0013] - a top cover mounted on the support frame and configured to cover at least a part of the area between two or more pairs of endless conveyor belts;

[0014] - a ventilation unt arranged to as to blow or suck loose fibre plant parts of fibre plants being transported between the endless conveyor belts in a sideward direction away from the top cover.

[0015] The top cover avoids any fibre plant parts that have become loose from the fibre plants gripped between the endless conveyor belts to end up in the transport installation while these fibre plant parts can be accumulated on top of the top cover, Furthermore, the ventilation unit removes the fibre plants parts on the top cover by blowing or sucking the loose fibre parts away from the top cover and the (endless conveyor belts of the) transport installation.

[0016] A ventilation unit may be located at any position on the support frame, for instance at a first position wherein the fibre plants are being transported in upright orientation, at a second position wherein the fibre plants are being turned from the upright orientation to a lying orientation, and / or at a third position where the fibre plants are being transported further after having turned to the lying orientation.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment the top cover extends at a height position level with or less than 5 cm above the upper edge of the pair of endless conveyor belts In this manner a large portion or most of the loose fibre plant parts end up on the top cover and will not get stuck in de transport installation, i.e. in the space below the top cover wherein mechanical and / or electric elements like electric or hydraulic drive motors, drive gears, control units, electrical and / or hydraulic circuitry are situated. This increases the reliability of the fibre plant processing unit and fibre plant processing machine.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment the ventilation unit comprises one or more rotatable ventilator blades connected to a ventilator shaft. The rotatable ventilator blades may be shaped to generate an air flow in a lateral direction towards the pair of endless conveyor belts to push loose fibre plant parts from the top cover and / or generate an air flow in a lateral direction from the pair of endless conveyor belts to suck loose fibre plants from the top cover. The number of ventilator blades may vary, for instance one, two, three, four or more. The blades may be forwardly curved blades, backwardly curved blades and / or straight blades.

[0019] In a preferred embodiment wherein the ventilator blades are configured to rotate in a plane parallel with the top cover. In further preferred embodiments the ventilator blades are located between 0.5 cm and 20 cm, preferably between 1 and 5 cm, from the top side of the top cover. In this manner the likelihood of loose fibre plant parts (or other plant parts) being left over on top of the top cover is kept to a minimum.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment the ventilation unit comprises a ventilator drive configured for rotatably driving the one or more ventilator blades, optionally for rotatably driving a ventilator shaft. In order to keep the transport installation compact and / or to protect the ventilator drive from too much loose (fibre) plant parts, the ventilator drive is positioned below the top cover.

[0021] The earlier-mentioned at least one drive for driving the endless conveyor belt(s) may be separate from the ventilator drive. However, in other embodiments, the ventilator unit is driven by the motion of one or more of the endless conveyor belt(s) and no separate ventilator drive is required. In a preferred embodiment the ventilator drive comprises a rotatable friction element, for instance a . . .., mounted to or integrally formed with the rotatable shaft of the ventilator unit and arranged to be in contact with a side of an endless conveyor belt, wherein the friction element and the rotatable shaft mounted to or integrally formed with the rotatable shaft is arranged to rotate with the movement of the endless conveyor belt along the friction element. Since no separate ventilator drive is needed, the processing unit can be kept compact and simple, with a reduced risk of malfunctioning of the processing unit.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment the processing unit further comprises at least one rotatable engaging element arranged to be rotatably driven, wherein the at least one rotatable engaging element is configured to engage the fibre plants and urge the same in the direction of the mutual contact area between the endless main conveyor belt and the endless auxiliary conveyor belt when driven by the engaging element drive.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment the processing unit comprises a first pair of endless conveyor belts and a second pair of endless conveyor belts, wherein the area for the top cover is arranged between the first and second pair of endless conveyor belts and wherein the ventilation unit is configured to be driven by the movement of at least one of the endless conveyor belts from the first and second pair of endless conveyor belts.

[0024] According to a second aspect a processing machine for processing fibre plants is provided, the processing machine comprising:

[0025] - a self-propelling or drawn vehicle, comprising a vehicle chassis with a number of wheels arranged thereon; - a processing unit as defined in the present disclosure, the processing unit being configured to be removably connected to the vehicle chassis.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment the drive of the endless conveyor belts is connectable to the power system of the vehicle, for instance a hydraulic power system.

[0027] A third aspect of the present disclosure relates to the use of a processing unit or processing machine as defined herein.

[0028] According to a fourth aspect a method of processing fibre plants in a processing machine is provided, the method comprising:

[0029] - moving a vehicle with a processing unit connected thereto in a direction of travel along the ground surface;

[0030] - having the endless conveyor belts grip fibre plants and either pick the gripped fibre plants or take-up the gripped fibre when the processing unit attached to the vehicle chassis is moved over the ground surface;

[0031] - transporting the picked or gripped fibre plants between the main conveyor belt and auxiliary conveyor belt;

[0032] - blow or suck loose fibre plant parts of fibre plants being transported between the endless conveyor belts away from the top cover, preferably in a sidewise manner.

[0033] Further advantages, features and details of the invention will be elucidated with reference to the following description of some embodiments thereof. Reference is made in the description to the accompanying figures, in which:

[0034] Figure 1 is a partially cut-away side view of an embodiment of a vehicle according to the invention;

[0035] Figure 2 is a schematic top view of the vehicle of figure 1 , provided on the front side with a processing unit;

[0036] Figure 3 is a partially cut-away perspective side view of the embodiment of the vehicle according to figures 1 and 2;

[0037] Figure 4 is a side view of a hemp machine according to an embodiment of the invention, wherein a processing unit is mounted on the vehicle and is suitable for processing of long fibre plants;

[0038] Figure 5 is a perspective side view of a part of the processing unit according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0039] Figure 6 is a partially taken away top view of a picking element, for instance the lower picking element or the upper picking element, of the processing unit of figure 5, without one or more covers or cover plates between the endless conveyor belts of the transport installations;

[0040] Figure 7 is a top view of a portion of the picking element of figure 6, showing an embodiment of the ventilation unit in more detail; and Figure 8 is a partially cut-away view along axis VIII- VIII of the ventilation unit and a part of the transport installation of figure 7.

[0041] According to embodiments of the present disclosure a processing system comprising a vehicle and a processing unit pivotably connected to the vehicle is provided for processing fibre plants, such as hemp, flax and the like. The processing unit comprises one or more transport installations, each transport installation comprising a main conveyor belt and an auxiliary conveyor belt, for transporting between the belts the fibre plants. The vehicle may be provided with a conveying installation comprising one or more conveyors for transporting the fibre plants arriving from the processing unit positioned at the front of the vehicle towards the back of the vehicle. The fibre plants transported along the vehicle are accumulated in a storage connected to the vehicle and / or are discharged from the vehicle, for instance by a placing unit preferably positioned at the back of the vehicle and configured to place the transported fibre plants on the field, for instance parallel to each other in a lying position so as to form one or more swathes behind the vehicle.

[0042] The processing of fibre plants by the processing unit may involve picking them from the field (for instance by cutting the fibre plants close to their roots or by pulling the fibre plants out of the field) and transporting the same, for instance transporting the cut / pulled-out fibre plants to the storage and / or to at least one placing unit. Alternatively, the processing of fibre plants may involve taking up fibre plants (previously cut or pulled out, and now lying in swathes) from the field and transporting the same to the earlier-mentioned storage or placing unit on the vehicle.

[0043] The processing machine further comprises one or more ventilation units for removing fibre plants and / or parts thereof accumulated in one or more areas on top of transport installation during transport of the fibre plants. Furthermore, various embodiments of a method of processing fibre plants using the processing machine will be described.

[0044] Flax is a fibre crop which is cultivated for making linen, among other things. The flax plant is usually between 80 and 120 cm long and is harvested using a drawn or self-propelling flax picking machine. For this purpose, the processing machine may be a flax picking machine having on the front side a picking unit embodied specifically to pull the flax plants from the ground. The harvested flax plants are then processed by the flax picking machine by displacing them to the rear side of the flax picking machine and placing the flax plants on the ground surface during travel. The flax plants are placed flat on the ground in long rows, also referred to as swathes, wherein the stems of the harvested flax plants extend substantially transversely of the longitudinal direction of the swathes. This placing back of the flax flat onto the ground surface so that said swathes are created may also be referred to as “depositing” or “placing”. When the flax plants are placed in rows or swathes, an intermediate space is left between adjacent rows. These spaces are provided in order to prevent the swathes from becoming tangled in each other. The harvested flax plants which were placed flat on the ground in swathes are then retted under the influence of a combination of moisture and heat in the air (for instance dew, rain, sunlight) and humidity coming from the ground. The retting of the flax by leaving the flax plants on the ground (i.e. a field or retting field) for some time is referred to in the field of processing flax as field retting or dew retting. In order to obtain a uniform retting and to prevent rotting of the flax, the flax placed flat on the ground in rows must be flipped over regularly. This flipping over of the flax placed flat on the ground is also referred to as “turning”. The turning of the flax is performed using a drawn or self-propelling flax turner.

[0045] Hemp is likewise a fibre crop which is cultivated for making textile fabrics or rope, among other things. The hemp plant is a lot longer than the flax plant. The hemp plant is characteristically between 140 cm and 240 cm in length (although in the case of less successful sowing where the hemp plant has more space to grow, a length can be much greater, for instance 3.2 m or more). The hemp is usually cut at the base of the hemp plant and then processed further.

[0046] Figures 1 and 2 show a processing machine 2 comprising a vehicle 2, for instance s self- propelling vehicle, and an embodiment of a processing unit 3 pivotably connected to the front of the vehicle 2. Vehicle 2 comprises a vehicle chassis 6 on which four wheels, i.e. two front wheels 7 and two rear wheels 8, are arranged in known manner. In figure 1 a part of the front left side of the vehicle has been cut away (i.e. the front left wheel and the relevant part of the wheel suspension) in order to obtain a better view of the construction of the vehicle on the front side. The vehicle is self- propelling, which means that it is provided with its own drive motor whereby a number of the wheels, for instance the two rear wheels, or all the wheels can be driven. The vehicle is steered from a driver’ s cab 23 on the front side of the vehicle. Chassis 6 comprises a conveyor installation, comprising one or more (in the shown example, two) parallel conveyors 11, 12 formed by a loading floor or platform 14 (provided with steel guides or the like) and two endless conveyor belts provided thereabove. It is noted here that in operative state the conveyor belts in each case form an endless belt. The conveyor belts can for instance be constructed from a long belt, the outer ends of which are attached to each other (and optionally locked with a small lock). After or before use said outer ends of such a conveyor belt can of course be detached, for instance to enable the conveyor belt to be easily removed from the vehicle or arranged on the vehicle. At least one of the endless conveyor belts can here be adjusted in lateral direction so that the intermediate distance between the two conveyor belts can be adjusted, this in order to realize a suitable intermediate distance for shorter or longer swathes.

[0047] Referring to the top view of figure 2, the two conveyors 11, 12 of the conveyor installation are arranged along both longitudinal edges of vehicle 2 so that a quantity of fibre plants can be transported in axial rearward direction (PA, a) with each of these. In the shown embodiment each of the conveyors 11, 12 comprises an endless conveyor belt 82 which runs on a front roller 80 and a rear roller 81. At least one of the rollers 80, 81 is driven via a drive (not shown). In a determined embodiment the drive comprises a hydraulic motor arranged in the rear (triple) pulley or roller 81. Each of the respective part-rollers of the multiple (triple) pulley is driven separately yet synchronously to each other, preferably according to a determined ratio as desired. So-called carriers 83 are provided on the outer side of conveyor belt 82. The shape, dimensions and position of these carriers may differ from those shown in the drawings. The carriers 83 can displace the fibre plants lying on platform 14, at least on guide rails 84 of the platform (figure 1), to the rear side of chassis 6 in said axial rearward direction (PA, a). The fibre plants are thus enclosed here between conveyor belt 82 and guide rails 84.

[0048] On the rear side of vehicle 2 a placing unit 13 is arranged for each conveyor 11, 12. In the shown embodiment the placing unit 13 comprises an endless belt conveyor 87. The endless belt of each of the endless belt conveyors 87 is trained around a roller 86 and around said roller 81 (a belt conveyor 87 therefore sharing this with a conveyor 11 or 12). Driving of placing unit 13 takes place via the first roller 81. This extends obliquely rearward to some extent and is configured to displace the fibre plants coming from respective conveyor 11, 12 downward in dosed and controlled manner so that the fibre plants can be placed on the ground on the rear side of the vehicle. As shown in figure 2, when the vehicle moves in an axial forward direction (PA,V), the fibre plants (v) arriving from the processing unit 3arranged at the front side of the vehicle will be displaced to the rear side of vehicle 2 and will each be placed down on the ground (o) in a separate row 15a, 15b via placing units 13. In determined applications the rows 15a, 15b of fibre plants are composed of the same parts of the fibre plant, for instance in the case of the relatively short flax plants. In other embodiments the one row is however composed of the lower portions of the harvested fibre plants, while the other row consists of the upper portions of the harvested fibre plants. This is for instance the case when hemp plants are harvested. In both cases the fibre plants are placed flat on the ground, parallel to each other as far as possible, after which said retting can commence.

[0049] As mentioned above, vehicle 2 is provided with a processing unit 3 on its front side in order to be able to pick the fibre plants (in this case the processing unit may be referred to as a picking unit, see also the figures) or to be able to take-up fibre plants already placed flat on the ground at an earlier stage back up again (in this case the processing unit may be referred to as takeup unit, not specifically shown in figures 4-6). A picking unit is arranged on the front side in the case that the fibre plants are being picked, while a processing unit 3 will be a take-up unit in cases where fibre plants which have already been picked and placed on the ground previously are being picked up. A different picking unit will further be mounted on the vehicle depending on the length of the crop to be picked. Referring to figures 1 and 3 in particular, the chassis comprises on the front side of chassis 6 of vehicle 2 a number of support chassis parts 39a, 39b. The support chassis parts 39b extend in line with the rest of chassis 6 of vehicle 2, while the support parts 39a mounted on support parts 30b and the rest of chassis 6 are disposed obliquely. Chassis 6 is further provided with a number of hinges 48 on which two parallel longitudinal lifting arms 47a, 47b are arranged. Both longitudinal lifting arms 47a, 47b are connected at their outer end to a transverse lifting arm 47c. The support chassis parts 39a, 39b, longitudinal lifting arms 47a, 47b and transverse lifting arm 47c together form a strong and stable support structure for mounting a number of actuators whereby a processing unit 3 coupled to the chassis 6 of vehicle 2 can be pivoted upward and downward. Together with these actuators the support structure forms the above stated lifting unit.

[0050] The pivoting of processing unit 3 is brought about by a number of actuators, for instance electric motors or, preferably, lifting cylinders 36, of the lifting unit. In figures 1 and 3 the actuators are formed by two lifting cylinders 36. In the shown embodiment two lifting cylinders positioned laterally adjacently of each other are provided. In other embodiments use is however only made of a single lifting cylinder, or three or more lifting cylinders are applied. The lifting cylinders are mounted pivotally on the support chassis parts 39a, 39b via hinges 38 and on transverse lifting arm 47c via a mounting support 38b. A further description of the construction of the lifting unit and of the operation thereof will follow below.

[0051] Referring to figure 3, chassis 6 is provided on either side of the support chassis parts 39a, 39b with first mounting means 34 for mounting a processing unit 3 thereon in pivotable and releasable manner. The first mounting means 34 can be embodied in numerous ways. In determined embodiments the mounting means comprise a number of flanges in which respective pivot shafts 43 can be rotatably mounted. In other embodiments use is made of a U-piece which can pivot.

[0052] Each of the different processing units 3 comprises one or more frame parts of a support frame 102, wherein the frame parts can be mounted in pivotable and releasable manner on said first mounting means 34. In the embodiment shown in figure 4 the processing unit 3 comprises a first, lower fibre plant processing element 25 and a second, upper fibre plant processing element 26 placed thereabove. The lower fibre plant processing element comprises a frame part 30 which can be mounted pivotally and in easily releasable manner on first mounting means 34 of the vehicle using second mounting means 32. The upper fibre plant processing element 26 comprises a frame part 33 which also takes a pivotable (yet not necessarily easily releasable) form, albeit that in the shown embodiment frame part 33 of the upper fibre plant processing element 26 is mounted on the frame part 30 of the lower fibre plant processing element 25 instead of directly on chassis 6 of the vehicle. In other embodiments (not shown) it is however precisely the upper fibre plant processing element that is mounted on chassis 6 of vehicle 2, and the lower fibre plant processing element on the upper fibre plant processing element. In still further embodiments (not shown) the two fibre plant processing elements are mounted pivotally and releasably on vehicle 2.

[0053] For mounting on the chassis 6 of vehicle 2, more particularly on the first mounting means 34 thereof, such as the flanges 34 positioned on or close to the sides of vehicle 2 and having the pivot shafts 43 mounted therein, the processing unit 3, in the shown embodiment the lower fibre plant processing element 25, is provided with second mounting means 32. The second mounting means 32 are embodied for easy mounting on first mounting means 34. The first and second mounting means 34, 32 together form a mounting hinge between processing unit 3 and vehicle 2, such that processing unit 3 can be pivoted in upward and downward direction around the lying pivot shafts 43 (pivoting direction Ri, figure 9).

[0054] To make processing unit 3 pivot relative to vehicle 2 the above-described lifting unit is utilized. As described above, the lifting cylinders 36 are arranged rotatably on the flanges 38a of chassis 6 at one outer end. On their opposite sides the lifting cylinders 36 are coupled via mounting supports 38b to the transverse lifting arm 47c. Transverse lifting arm 47c of the lifting unit has a substantially U-shaped cross-section, which is clearly visible particularly in figures 1 and 3. The U- shape forms a receiving space for a part of the frame part 30 of the lower fibre plant processing element 25. In other words, the processing unit 3 can be connected to the lifting unit in simple manner by placing frame part 30 of the lower fibre plant processing element 25 into the transverse lifting arm 47c of the lifting unit from above or, conversely, by simply pressing transverse lifting arm 47c against frame part 30 from below. Finally, the whole is locked by a locking mechanism 70 (figure 3), for instance in the form of a remotely controllable extending cylinder which in extended state ensures that processing unit 3 remains locked to the lifting unit. The lifting unit is then ready to lift processing unit 3.

[0055] As shown with arrows (Pi) in the figures, the length of lifting cylinders 36 is controllable. It will be apparent that when the length of lifting cylinders 36 is increased, frame part 30 will pivot upward, while frame part 30 will pivot downward if the length of lifting cylinders 36 is reduced. In this way the height of the free end of the processing unit can be varied, for instance in order to adjust the position in which the processing unit grips the plants and pulls them from the ground during travel of the vehicle.

[0056] The mounting means of each of the different processing units 3 are essentially identical. This means that the different processing units can not only be easily mounted on and detached from the vehicle, but that this can also take place in a uniform manner. It is noted here that when processing units 3 are exchanged, only the mounting means of processing unit 3 (i.e. the second mounting means when the processing unit is a picking unit for long fibre plants, third mounting means when the processing unit is a picking unit for short fibre plants and fourth mounting means when the processing unit is a turning unit for turning long or short fibre plants) need in fact be released from the first mounting means of the vehicle, after which processing unit 3, particularly the frame part 30 thereof, can be removed from the upper side of cylinder 36. By now simply pacing another processing unit 3 on the lifting unit of vehicle 2 and mounting the associated mounting means on the first mounting means of the vehicle, the user can easily make processing machine 1 suitable for the specific desired process, such as picking of short fibre plants, picking of long fibre plants or taking up and turning fibre plants.

[0057] As described above, figures 4-6 show an embodiment of a processing machine 1 according to the invention, wherein the processing machine is provided with an improved inlet for receiving and gripping hemp plants and transporting them to the vehicle.

[0058] Referring to figure 4, processing unit 3 comprises a lower fibre plant processing element 25 and an upper fibre plant processing element 26 arranged thereabove. The lower picking element 25 is mounted on the first mounting means of the vehicle in the above stated manner, this such that the first fibre plant processing element 25 can be pivoted in upward and downward directions by controlling said lifting cylinders 36. The upper fibre plant processing element 26 is pivotally arranged via pivot shafts 43 on the lower fibre plant processing element 25 so that the upper fibre plant processing element 26 can be pivoted (pivoting directions relative to the first fibre plant processing element 25 (and relative to vehicle 2 and the ground surface). The pivoting movement of the upper fibre plant processing element 26 relative to the lower fibre plant processing element 25 is driven by a number of further lifting cylinders 42 arranged on frame parts 30, 33, wherein increasing the length of lifting cylinders 42 results in an upward rotation of the upper fibre plant processing element 26 relative to the lower fibre plant processing element 25, while reducing the length results in a downward rotation of the upper fibre plant processing element 26 relative to the lower fibre plant processing element 25.

[0059] Figure 4 shows schematically that the relatively long fibre plants (h), such as hemp, kenaf or similar fibre plants, have an overall length ltot (characteristically between 1.4 and 4.0 metres, 2.4 metres on average). The lower part (hl) of each of the fibre plants (h) has a length lo(for instance 110 cm to 120 cm), while the upper part (h2) has a length lb (for instance 120 to 130 cm). In the shown embodiment both lengths loand lb are roughly the same, although in practice these lengths may of course differ. What is important is only that the fibre plants (h) are cut into at least two parts (hl, h2) and then processed further by processing machine 1. Said lower fibre plant processing element 25 is for this purpose made suitable for picking and processing the lower fibre plant parts (hl), while the upper fibre plant processing element 26 is intended for picking the upper fibre plant parts (h2).

[0060] The upper fibre plant processing element 26 comprises a transport installation 46 for gripping fibre plants and transporting them to vehicle 2, while the lower fibre plant processing element 25 comprises a (preferably wholly or almost wholly identical) transport installation 45 whereby fibre plants can likewise be gripped and transported to vehicle 2. When vehicle 2 travels in a forward direction (PA,V), the upper fibre plant processing element 26 will reach the fibre plants first. After a short time interval the lower fibre plant processing element 25 will also reach these same fibre plants. In other words, the engaging position at which the upper fibre plant processing element 26 engages a determined fibre plant at a determined point in time is shifted relative to the engaging position at which the lower fibre plant processing element 25 engages a (different) fibre plant at the same point in time. This has the result that the upper fibre plant processing element 26 first engages the upper part (h2) of the fibre plants and cuts them loose from the lower part (hl) with one or more cutting units 55 provided on the front side of the upper fibre plant processing element 26, while it is after this, so only when upper part h2 has been cut loose and is already being carried away, that the lower fibre plant processing element 25 will engage on the lower part (hl) of the same fibre plant.

[0061] The lower fibre plant processing element 25 is configured to engage the lower part (hl) of the fibre plant. As a result of the forward movement of vehicle 2 and / or as a result of displacement by means of the transport installation 45 to be described further below the fibre plants are gripped. During the process of gripping the lower hemp parts are received and temporarily moved toward each other so that they are pressed increasingly against each other. While the lower hemp parts are being received and pressed together and / or immediately after they have been pressed wholly together and therefore gripped, the lower hemp parts are cut loose from the roots in the ground, for instance by means of a cutting unit 100 provided on the front side of the lower fibre plant processing element 25.

[0062] As shown in figure 4, the gripped upper part (h2) of a fibre plant (h) which has been cut loose with cutting unit 55 is picked up by the upper fibre plant processing element 26. This upper part (h2) of the fibre plant comprises a top, flower or seed portion (h5) and a remaining upper portion (h3). As will be elucidated below, in determined embodiments the top portion (h5) of the upper part (h2) of the fibre plant (h) will be removed using a cutting unit. The top portion (h5) is here discharged via discharge means comprising a discharge pipe 28 with an inlet opening close to the cutting unit, a centrifugal fan 20 connected to the discharge pipe and an outlet opening to a receptacle 16 arranged via a frame 17 on the rear side of vehicle 2. As shown in figure 4, this receptacle 16 is releasably mounted via rapid couplings 18 on a frame part of frame 6 and will essentially only be used when the intention is to remove the top portions (h5) from a fibre plant. In other words, when the top portion is not cut off, receptacle 16 can optionally be dispensed with.

[0063] The lower part (hl) of a fibre plant (h) is similarly composed of a root portion h6 where the roots of the fibre plant are located and a remaining lower part h4. Lower remaining parts h4 of the lower part hl of each of the fibre plants are separated from the root portion h6 by means of the above stated cutting unit 100 so that the transport installation 45 can transport these lower remaining parts h4 further.

[0064] An example of such a cutting unit 100 (wherein it is noted that cutting unit 55 can be constructed in exactly the same way) is shown in figure 5. In determined embodiments cutting unit 55, 100 extends over essentially the whole width of the mutually adjacent passages of processing unit 3 and comprises a number of blades 178 reciprocally movable in lateral direction. In other embodiments there are two or more cutting units positioned mutually adjacently. The reciprocal movement of the blades 178 of cutting unit 55, 100 is driven by a drive motor 179 provided on the side of the support frame. Cutting unit 55, 100 is positioned such (i.e. horizontally in the position of figure 5) that when vehicle 2 travels over the ground, the fibre plants can be cut at a determined (adjustable) height.

[0065] Figure 4 further shows that both the lower fibre plant processing element 25 and the upper fibre plant processing element 26 have been provided with rotatable engaging elements 180 located at their respective receiving ends. The rotatable engaging elements 180 are rotatably driven and are configured to engage the fibre plants and urge them (further) into the respective fibre plant processing element 25, 26. While the rotatable engaging elements are shown the be provided at both the lower fibre plant processing element 25 and the upper fibre plant processing element 26, in other embodiments one or more rotatable engaging elements are provided only at the lower fibre plant processing element 25 or the upper fibre plant processing element 26.

[0066] Figure 5 shows a perspective side view of an embodiment of the processing unit 3 with a lower fibre plant processing element 25 and an upper fibre plant processing element 26, while figure 6 shows a top view of the lower fibre plant processing element 25. Both figures show the transport installations 45, 46 whereby the fibre plants are gripped and transported to vehicle 2.

[0067] The construction and method with which the fibre plants are brought together and pressed against each other so that they are gripped gradually while the vehicle moves forward over the ground will be described below. Since said construction and method are essentially the same for the transport installations 45, 46 of the upper and lower fibre plant processing element 25, 26, merely the description of the construction and operation of one of the transport installations, here particularly of the lower transport installation 45, will suffice here.

[0068] Processing unit 3 comprises a support frame 102 comprising frame parts 30 on the lower side of processing unit 3 and frame parts 33 on the upper side of the processing unit. Arranged on the frame parts 30 of support frame 102 is the transport installation 45 for receiving and transporting the fibre plants to vehicle 2. The transport installation 45 comprises a number of mutually adjacently arranged endless belt conveyors 104-109 (figure 6) for receiving, gripping and transporting the fibre plants in the same number of streams. In determined embodiments the endless belt conveyors are also configured to rotate / tilt the fibre plants, during transport of these fibre plants, from the substantially upright position the fibre plants are in when they are picked to a substantially lying position before the fibre plants are provided to the conveyors 11, 12 of vehicle 2 itself. The number of endless belt conveyors may vary. In the embodiment shown in figure 6 six conveyors are shown for gripping and transporting the fibre plants in six streams, although in other embodiments this number can be greater or smaller as desired.

[0069] The streams of fibre plants are supplied between dividers or guide elements 40 provided on the front side of both the lower fibre plant processing element 25 and the upper fibre plant processing element 26. Their object is to make it possible to be able, when the vehicle and the processing unit 3 mounted thereon are advanced, to push the fibre plants (h) aside and guide them into a number of, in figures 5 and 6 six per hemp picking unit (although this can also be a greater or smaller number in other embodiments), passages (for instance passages 164-169 of the lower picking element 25). In the shown embodiment there are therefore six passages in the upper fibre plant processing element 26 and six passages in the lower fibre plant processing element 25, wherein all passages are configured to receive and grip the fibre plants. The total of twelve passages (i.e. six per fibre plant processing element) are further formed between the above stated belt conveyors 104-109.

[0070] More specifically, said guide elements 40 can for instance be formed from steel wire which forms a pointed protruding part wherein a passage for fibre plants is then provided between two adjacent guide elements 40. When vehicle 2 and the processing unit 3 mounted thereon are advanced over the ground surface, the guide elements push aside the fibre plants (h) and guide them to a respective corresponding receiving area 150 (shown hatched in figure 6), where the fibre plants are received and gripped.

[0071] Belt conveyor 104 (and this applies in principle also to the other belt conveyors 105-109, wherein a description of the remaining belt conveyors has been omitted for the sake of clarity) comprises a number of main guide rollers (for instance m cain guide rollers 110-117 of the endless belt conveyor 104 of figure 6) mounted on the support frame. Each of endless conveyor belts 124, 1241, 1242, 1243(herein briefly referred to as conveyor belt 124) is guided along (inter alia) these main guide rollers 110-117. This endless main conveyor belt 124 is driven by a drive, for instance in the form of a single drive motor 119 (per main conveyor belt) (figure 4), for instance a drive motor in the form of a hydraulic or electric actuator, whereby the main guide roller 113, and thereby the main conveyor belt 124 guided therealong, can be rotated. In other embodiments the single drive motor drives a pair of (i.e. two) main conveyor belts (in synchronous manner). Belt conveyor 104 further comprises a number of auxiliary guide rollers 131 mounted on a frame part 30 of support frame 102 (wherein in the shown embodiment the guide roller 110 is simultaneously an auxiliary guide roller and a main guide roller (the roller also referred to as a common guide roller 110) and wherein in other embodiments, which are not shown, other main and auxiliary guide rollers correspond with each other or none of the main guide rollers correspond with an auxiliary guide roller). An endless auxiliary conveyor belt 125 is guided along these auxiliary guide rollers 130-133 (and preferably also along at least one of the main guide rollers 110-117, as in the shown embodiment). This auxiliary conveyor belt 125 is in principle not driven directly (in other words, the auxiliary conveyor belt does not have its own drive for driving thereof) and can essentially be a passive conveyor belt co-rotating with the main conveyor belt 124.

[0072] As shown in the embodiment of figures 5 and 6, several rotating engaging elements 180 have been provided. For the ease of drawing rotating engaging elements eight rotating elements 180 are shown in the right-hand portion for entraining fibre plants in the four rightmost passages, while engaging elements 180 for the two leftmost passages are not shown (but in practice will be present).

[0073] In the shown embodiment each of the engaging elements 180 is located at a position at which the guiding of the fibre plants entering the receiving area 150 by the (passive, i.e. stationary) guide elements 40 is taken over by the (active) transport installation, more specifically by the moving main and auxiliary conveyor belts 124, 125. The engaging elements 180 in this embodiment are fixedly connected to the main guide rollers 116 and the auxiliary guide rollers 132 of the transport installation so that they corotate with these rollers. Furthermore, the engaging elements 180 are positioned at both sides of each receiving area 150 so that fibre plants are entrained along each opposing side, as will be explained later.

[0074] Figures 7 and 8 show an embodiment of a processing unit including a top cover 72 (comprising a cover plate 73 mounted on the support frame) configured to cover at least a part of the area between two or more pairs of endless conveyor belts, for instance between a first pair of endless conveyor belts 124, 1241and a second pair of endless conveyor belts 1242, 1243. The processing unit further comprises a ventilation unit 71 arranged to as to blow or suck loose fibre plant parts 90 of fibre plants being transported between the endless conveyor belts 124, 1241and 1242, 1243and being present close to the circumferential edge part 74 of the top cover plate 73 in a sideward direction away from the top cover 72. The ventilation unit 71 comprises a rotatable flat disc 94 the top surface of which is provided with a number (in the shown embodiment eight, but this number could smaller or larger) of blades 95. The blades 95 are shaped and arranged so as to provide a flow of air along the cover plate 73 when rotated (in rotational direction 77 (cf. figure 8) or in opposite direction) so that dust, parts 90 of fiber plants being transported and similar plant debris are forcedly removed from the cover 72 and from the neighboring conveyor belts 124, 1241, 1242, 1243. More generally, the rotatable ventilator blades 95 are shaped to generate an air flow in a lateral direction (more specifically, an air flow to the centre area of the rotatable flat disc 94 an from there in an outward direction, for instance a radially and / or circumferentially outward direction, towards the pair of endless conveyor belts 124, 1241, 1242, 1243to push loose fibre plant parts including other plant debris from the top cover and / or generate an air flow in a lateral direction from the pair of endless conveyor belts to suck loose fibre plants and debris from the top cover.

[0075] As can be derived from figure 8, the ventilation unit is configured to cause the disk 94 to rotate in a plane parallel with the top cover. Furthermore, the ventilator blades 95 on the rotatable disk 94 are located between 0.5 cm and 20 cm, preferably between 1 and 5 cm, from the top side of the top cover (i.e. a height (H, figure 8) between 0.5 cm and 20 cm, preferably between 1 cm and 5 cm).

[0076] The rotation of the ventilation unit can be accomplished by dedicated ventilator drive (not shown), integrated with or separated from the drive(s) of the conveyor belts. The ventilator drive may be an electric or hydraulic motor, configured for rotatably driving the flat disc 94. In embodiments of the present disclosure, the ventilator drive is connected to a ventilator spindle or ventilator shaft 78 rotatably mounted to the frame 30, 33 (using bearing such as ball bearings 93, arranged in a bearing housing 98), wherein the ventilator shaft 78 is fixedly connected to or integrally formed with the rotatable disk 94. The ventilator drive preferably is positioned below the top cover 72, more preferably between various components of the transport installation, so as to keep the size (especially the height, possibly also the width) of the processing unit to a minimum.

[0077] In other embodiments the ventilator unit is driven the movement of one or more of the conveyor belts and / or one or more of the guide rollers, so that a separate ventilator drive may not be needed.

[0078] In embodiments of the present the ventilator drive comprises a rotatable friction element (cf. figure 8) integrally formed with or fixedly mounted to the rotatable spindle or shaft 78. The rotatable friction element 97 may be fixedly connected to the ventilator disk 94 and may be formed by a friction wheel or friction roll. The friction element 97 is shaped and arranged to be in contact with a side of an endless conveyor belt. The friction element 97 and the rotatable shaft 78 mounted to or integrally formed with the rotatable shaft are arranged to rotate with the movement of the endless conveyor belt along the friction element.

[0079] As said, the friction element 97 may be arranged in permanent (friction) contact with one of the endless conveyor belts 1241, 1243. Rotation of the rotatable friction element 97 causes a corresponding rotation of the ventilator disk 94 and the blades 95 formed thereon. Rotation of the rotatable friction element 97 is caused by the movement of an endless conveyor belt 1241or 1243along the rotatable friction element 97. In order to increase the grip of the endless conveyor belt on the rotatable friction element 97 and therefore the reliability of the rotation of the ventilator unit, the circumferential surface of the rotatable friction element (i.e. the surface in contact with the endless conveyor belt) may be provided with an indentation 79 in which the elongated circumferential rim 80 of the endless conveyor belt 1241, 1243 can be arranged. In use, when fibre plants (fibre plants h, shown in figure 6 with black dots in as far as the fibre plants are in upright position and shown with broken lines as soon as the fibre plants have been rotated to the lying position) have found their way into the receiving area 150 of one of the passages 164-169 between a main conveyor belt 124 and auxiliary conveyor belt 125 of transport installation 45 due to the forward movement of the vehicle and the entraining action of the rotating engaging elements 180, they are pulled into the conveyor. In the figure the translation directions of the conveyor belts and the rotation directions of the rollers are shown with respective arrows.

[0080] Along the first section the fibre plants (h) which have found their way into a passage (for instance passage 164) are as it were enclosed between the first main conveyor belt 124 and the corotating auxiliary conveyor belt 125. The fibre plants which have found their way into the adjacent passage, for instance passage 165, are as it were enclosed between the first main conveyor belt 124’ and the co-rotating auxiliary conveyor belt 125’. Further downstream, the two streams of the fibre plants coming from two adjacent passages 164, 165 converge and the two streams continue as one stream between the two main conveyor belts 124, 1241lying against each other. This process of combining two streams also takes place at the remaining pairs of passages, such as passages 166, 167 and passages 168, 169, after which the streams from all passages (i.e. all passages per picking element 25, 26) are combined into one single stream and are held and transported between main conveyor belts 124 and 1243. The fibre plants of this single, combined stream of fibre plants are then rotated from the upright position (indicated with dots) to a lying position (indicated with broken lines, see figure 6. The rotated fibre plants of the lower picking element 25 are subsequently provided to the above stated conveyor 11 of vehicle 2 (figure 2) and then transported to the rear of the vehicle and placed down onto the ground in a first row (swathe) 15b. The rotated fibre plants of the upper picking element 26 are similarly supplied to conveyor 12 and placed down onto the ground in a second row (swathe) 15 a.

[0081] Once the fibre plants have passed the entraining elements 180 and have arrived in the contact area and are being held between the main conveyor belts and auxiliary conveyor belts, the fibre plants can be cut at a desired position, for instance just above their roots (wherein the roots remain at least largely or wholly in the ground), for instance by a cutting unit 100 mounted on the pivotable support frame. The cutting unit 100 is configured to cut the fibre plants when they are located in the receiving area between the main conveyor belt and auxiliary conveyor belt, when they are located in the contact area between the main conveyor belt and the auxiliary conveyor belt, or both when they are located in the receiving area and when they are located in the contact area.

[0082] During the movement of a vehicle with a processing unit connected thereto in a direction of travel along the ground surface, a preferred method may involve having the endless conveyor belts 124, 1241, 1242, 1243grip fibre plants and either pick the gripped fibre plants or take-up the gripped fibre when the processing unit attached to the vehicle chassis is moved over the ground surface, transporting the picked or gripped fibre plants between the conveyor belts, and blow or suck loose fibre plant parts of fibre plants being transported between the endless conveyor belts away from the top cover. The flow direction may generally be sideways, although other directions are conceivable as well.

[0083] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The rights sought are defined by the following claims, within the scope of which numerous modifications can be envisaged.

Claims

CLAIMS1. Processing unit for a processing machine configured to process fibre plants, the processing unit being configured to pick fibre plants or take them up from a ground surface when the processing unit is attached to a vehicle chassis of a vehicle, the processing unit comprising:- a support frame mounted or mountable on the vehicle chassis;- a transport installation mounted on the support frame and configured to receive and transport the fibre plants to the vehicle, wherein the transport installation comprises:- a number of rotatable guide rollers mounted on the support frame;- a number of endless conveyor belts guided along the rotatable guide rollers;- a drive for driving at least one of the rotatable guide rollers in order to move at least one of the endless conveyor belts; wherein endless conveyor belts of at least one pair of endless conveyor belts are arranged side by side so as to grip fibre plant therebetween for picking fibre plants or take them up from a ground surface and to transport the gripped fibre plants while being held between the endless conveyor belts; the processing unit further comprising:- a top cover mounted on the support frame and configured to cover at least a part of the area between two or more pairs of endless conveyor belts;- a ventilation unit arranged to as to blow or suck loose fibre plant parts of fibre plants being transported between the endless conveyor belts in a sideward direction away from the top cover.

2. Processing unit as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the top cover extends at a height position level with or less than 5 cm above the upper edge of the pair of endless conveyor belts.

3. Processing unit as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the ventilation unit comprises a rotatable disk with one or more rotatable ventilator blades, wherein the rotatable disk is connected to a ventilator shaft.

4. Processing unit as claimed in claim 3, wherein the rotatable ventilator blades are shaped to generate an air flow in a lateral direction towards the pair of endless conveyor belts to push loose fibre plant parts from the top cover and / or generate an air flow in a lateral direction from the pair of endless conveyor belts to suck loose fibre plants from the top cover.

5. Processing unit as claimed in claim 3 or 4, wherein the ventilator blades are configured to rotate in a plane parallel with the top cover and / or wherein the ventilator blades are located between 0.5 cm and 20 cm, preferably between 1 and 5 cm, from the top side of the top cover.

6. Processing unit as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the ventilation unit comprises a ventilator drive configured for rotatably driving a rotatable disk provided with one or more ventilator blades, optionally for rotatably driving a ventilator shaft.

7. Processing unit as claimed in claim 6, wherein the ventilator drive is positioned below the top cover.

8. Processing unit as claimed in any of claims 6 or 7, wherein the drive for the endless conveyor belt is separate from the ventilator drive.

9. Processing unit as claimed in any of claims 6 or 7, wherein the ventilator drive comprises a rotatable friction element, for instance a friction wheel or friction roll, mounted to or integrally formed with the rotatable shaft of the ventilator unit and arranged to be in contact with a side of an endless conveyor belt, wherein the friction element and the rotatable shaft mounted to or integrally formed with the rotatable shaft is arranged to rotate with the movement of the endless conveyor belt along the friction element.

10. Processing unit as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the processing unit further comprises at least one rotatable engaging element arranged to be rotatably driven, wherein the at least one rotatable engaging element is configured to engage the fibre plants and urge the same in the direction of the mutual contact area between the endless main conveyor belt and the endless auxiliary conveyor belt when driven by the engaging element drive.

11. Processing unit as claimed in any of the preceding claims, comprising a first pair of endless conveyor belts and a second pair of endless conveyor belts, wherein the area is arranged between the first and second pair of endless conveyor belts and wherein the ventilation unit is configured to be driven by the movement of at least one of the endless conveyor belts from the first and second pair of endless conveyor belts.

12. Processing machine for processing fibre plants, the processing machine comprising:- a self-propelling or drawn vehicle, comprising a vehicle chassis with a number of wheels arranged thereon;- a processing unit as claimed in any of the preceding claims, the processing unit being configured to be removably connected to the vehicle chassis.

13. Processing machine as claimed in claim 12, wherein the drive of the endless conveyor belts is connectable to the power system of the vehicle, for instance an hydraulic power system.

14. Use of a processing unit or processing machine as claimed in any of claims 1-11 or any of claims 12-13, respectively.

15. Method of processing fibre plants in a processing machine as claimed in any of the claims 12-14, the method comprising:- moving a vehicle with a processing unit connected thereto in a direction of travel along the ground surface;- having the endless conveyor belts grip fibre plants and either pick the gripped fibre plants or take-up the gripped fibre when the processing unit attached to the vehicle chassis is moved over the ground surface;- transporting the picked or gripped fibre plants between conveyor belts;- blow or suck loose fibre plant parts of fibre plants being transported between the endless conveyor belts away from the top cover.

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