Lavender Harvester Compressor Shoe Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current flower harvesting machines with 'V' configured lifting arms struggle to efficiently cut wide plants, leading to low yields and excessive energy expenditure due to the large volume of plant material harvested, which results in high CO2 emissions and low extraction percentages of essential oils.
Innovation Solution
A plant harvesting machine with a lifting device featuring two longitudinal lifting arms and a compressor shoe that compresses plants towards a median plane, allowing for improved cutting and separation of flowering tops, reducing the harvested volume and energy consumption by focusing on flower extraction rather than stems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the entire stem and flowering tops are harvested using conventional lifting arms, then the flowering tops can be collected, but the harvested volume is excessively large (approximately 20 m³ per hectare) and transportation costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the plant material into two distinct components: flowering tops (valuable) and stems (bulky, low value). The lifting device is specifically designed to selectively lift and separate only the flowering tops from the stems, harvesting only the valuable portion while leaving the stems in the field. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by dramatically reducing harvested volume while maintaining high extraction yield percentages.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and removes the stems from the harvesting process entirely. Instead of harvesting the entire plant including stems, the system extracts only the flowering tops for collection. This extraction approach eliminates the bulk of the harvested material (stems contain minimal essential oils compared to flowers), thereby reducing transportation costs and energy expenditure while improving the concentration and yield percentage of the harvested product.
2Use of energy by moving object
If conventional harvesting methods process large volumes of plant material including stems, then all plant material is collected, but energy expenditure is excessive and CO2 emissions are high
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the harvest to collect only flowering tops and leave stems in the field, the system reduces the volume of material requiring transportation and processing by approximately half. This segmentation directly reduces energy expenditure for moving and processing plant material while maintaining high processing efficiency, as the collected material is concentrated and valuable.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the key parameter of harvested material composition from a mixture of stems and flowers to pure flowering tops. This parameter change (from mixed to separated material) reduces the density and volume of harvested material, thereby reducing transportation and processing energy requirements while improving processing efficiency through focused handling of high-value material only.
3Quantity of substance
If the entire plant material is harvested and transported, then all potential oil sources are collected, but the extraction yield percentage is low due to the large volume of stems with minimal oil content
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting device segments the plant into flowering tops and stems, selectively harvesting only the flowering tops which contain the majority of essential oils. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by reducing harvested volume to approximately half while simultaneously improving extraction yield percentage, as the collected material is concentrated in the oil-rich flowering portions rather than being diluted with oil-poor stems.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts stems from the harvesting process, removing the low-value, low-oil-content material before collection and processing. By taking out the stems and harvesting only flowering tops, the system improves extraction yield percentage while reducing the total volume of material that requires processing, thereby resolving the contradiction between volume and efficiency.
4Productivity
If cutting elements are arranged near the ground to cut entire stems, then complete plant material is harvested, but wide plants are difficult to cut and many stems with flowers remain in the field
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting device performs a preliminary action by lifting and gathering the flowering tops before they reach the cutting elements. This preliminary gathering action positions the material optimally for cutting, ensuring that wide plants are properly oriented and concentrated for efficient cutting. By performing this preliminary lifting and gathering action, the system improves cutting yield while maintaining ease of operation, as the material is pre-positioned for the cutting process.
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
The machine effectively halves the harvested volume, reduces energy consumption by 30%, and decreases CO2 emissions by more than half, while improving extraction yields of essential oils by prioritizing flower harvesting over stem processing.
Implementation Method 1
lifting structures configured to be driven along a median edge of at least one lifting arm by means of a belt or chain driven around the lifting arm
Implementation Method 2
at least one compressor shoe cooperating by sliding with the belt or chain and/or the lifting structures driven along said lifting arm
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3B
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The invention relates to a plant material harvesting machine, in particular of plants comprising flowering tops (3), the machine (1) being configured to be moved towards the plants along direction of movement (4) and comprising lifting means (5) configured to lift the plants to a first position (7) and guide them towards separation means (8), the machine (1) further comprising guiding means configured to orient the plants into a second position (10) and guide them towards the separation means (8), characterized in that the separation means (8) are configured to cut and take up at least flowering tops (3), and in that the machine (1) further comprises a suction means (11) configured to suction at least the flowering tops (3) and transport them to a receiving means.