Ground Fruit Harvesting Machine Using Overhead Airflow Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing harvesting machines fail to achieve a high degree of cleaning efficiency for fruits harvested from the ground, necessitating additional manual cleaning operations due to inadequate separation of foreign materials.
Innovation Solution
A harvesting machine equipped with a blowing assembly that generates an airflow above the cleaning path to separate foreign bodies from fruits using an outlet oriented to direct cleaning air towards the harvested material flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional cleaning methods (through openings in conveyor belts, gravity-based separation) are used, then the machine structure remains simple, but the cleaning efficiency is insufficient and foreign bodies are not adequately removed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs pneumatic blowing means with outlets positioned above the cleaning path to generate airflow that separates foreign bodies from fruit. This pneumatic approach achieves superior cleaning efficiency compared to conventional gravity-based methods through openings in conveyor belts, while maintaining relative structural simplicity through the use of standardized pneumatic components
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a vertical dimension to the cleaning process by positioning blowing outlets above the cleaning path and directing airflow downward onto the harvested material. This three-dimensional cleaning approach complements the traditional horizontal conveyor belt method, achieving more thorough foreign body removal without significantly increasing horizontal space requirements
2Manufacturing precision
If more extensive cleaning operations are performed to achieve higher cleaning accuracy, then the cleaning quality improves, but the machine complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes pneumatic blowing means as a relatively simple yet effective cleaning mechanism. By positioning multiple outlets above the cleaning path and directing airflow at the harvested material, the system achieves high cleaning accuracy that would otherwise require complex mechanical separation devices, thereby improving cleaning quality without proportionally increasing machine complexity
3Manufacturing precision
If manual cleaning operations are performed on unloaded fruit, then cleaning completeness improves, but the overall harvesting productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements cleaning operations during the harvesting process itself, using blowing means positioned along the cleaning path to remove foreign bodies before the fruit is unloaded. This preliminary cleaning action eliminates the need for subsequent manual cleaning operations, thereby achieving complete cleaning while maintaining high harvesting productivity
Solution Approach 2:
By employing pneumatic blowing means integrated into the harvesting machine's cleaning path, the system achieves thorough foreign body removal during the harvesting operation. This pneumatic cleaning method processes fruit at high speed along the cleaning path, ensuring complete cleaning without slowing down the harvesting workflow, thus maintaining high productivity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances the cleaning process by effectively removing foreign bodies before they reach the conveyor, reducing the need for subsequent manual cleaning and ensuring high efficiency and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
blowing means, which are configured to generate an airflow for cleaning the harvested material and comprise at least one outlet for said cleaning airflow
Data Source
AI summary
A method and a harvesting machine for harvesting fruit from the ground, according to which fruit is harvested by means of a harvesting device, which is configured to form a harvested material flow consisting of fruit and foreign bodies, to move the harvested material along a cleaning path and to clean the harvested material by removing the foreign bodies from the fruit; the cleaning being carried out by sending an airflow coming from above the moving path towards the harvested material.