Pneumatic Sorting Device for Small Fruit Harvesting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for sorting raw harvests of small fruits, such as olives, are inefficient due to issues like bucket capacity limitations, fragility, and frequent clogging from debris, leading to incomplete harvesting and high operational costs.
Innovation Solution
A pneumatic sorting device that receives the raw harvest on a plane above the ground and uses a sealed enclosure with a tangentially opening suction pipe to guide fruits into the enclosure while lighter foreign bodies are sucked up by a vacuum, reducing shock and facilitating separation without clogging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If receiving buckets are used to convey harvested fruits, then the fruits can be collected and transported, but the buckets have limited capacity causing overflow during high yield harvests
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical bucket conveyors with a pneumatic suction system that uses a vacuum source to draw fruits through a suction line into a storage container. This pneumatic system eliminates capacity limitations by continuously sucking in fruits regardless of volume, preventing overflow during high-yield harvests while maintaining efficient transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention substitutes the mechanical bucket conveyor system with a pneumatic suction-based transport system. Instead of relying on mechanical movement of discrete buckets with fixed capacity, the system uses airflow to continuously transport fruits, thereby eliminating the capacity constraint that caused overflow during abundant harvests.
2Device complexity
If suction pipe opens at the center of sealed enclosure, then the structure is simple, but debris causes frequent clogging of the suction duct
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the suction pipe opening from the center of the sealed enclosure to the upper part of the enclosure, changing the spatial dimension of the opening location. This dimensional change allows the suction inlet to be positioned above the fruit reception area, preventing debris from entering the suction duct while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary separation zone between the fruit reception area and the suction pipe opening. By positioning the suction inlet at the upper part of the enclosure rather than at the center, a spatial buffer is created that allows fruits to be deposited without directly entering the suction path, thereby preventing clogging while keeping the overall structure simple.
3Reliability
If buckets advance at speed equal to machine forward speed, then sealing during passage of tree trunks is improved, but the buckets suffer from shocks and rapid deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical bucket system that physically contacts tree trunks with a pneumatic suction system. The suction pipe remains stationary or moves with the machine without experiencing the same shock loads, as it relies on vacuum pressure rather than mechanical impact to transport fruits, thereby eliminating the durability issues associated with bucket shocks.
Solution Approach 2:
By using pneumatic suction instead of mechanical bucket conveyance, the system eliminates the need for buckets to physically advance and retract at machine speed. The suction pipe maintains a constant position while fruits are drawn into it, avoiding the repeated shock cycles that caused bucket deterioration while preserving sealing effectiveness.
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
This method effectively sorts and stores small fruits while minimizing damage and clogging, ensuring efficient operation and reduced operational costs by separating foreign bodies from the fruits within the enclosure.
Implementation Method 1
in which a depression is maintained by means of a vacuum source (7)
Implementation Method 2
foreign bodies or lighter waste (CE) are sucked up by the vacuum device (7) and ejected from said enclosure
Implementation Method 3
on leaving said suction pipe, the small fruits (F) fall by gravity towards the bottom of the sealed enclosure
Data Source
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AI summary
The method involves maintaining depression in a sealed housing by a vacuum source formed by a vacuum creating device (7). Gross harvest (R) conveyed into the housing is maintained in depression by a suction pipe (9) of the harvest emerging in the housing such that small fruits (F) fall by gravity along direction of bottom of the housing when foreign bodies (CE) e.g. sheets/light wastes, are aspirated by the device and ejected out of the housing through suction of the device. The pipe is opened in upper part of the housing in a tangent manner on an internal surface (11a) of an upper wall (11). Independent claims are also included for the following: (1) a pneumatic sorting device for harvesting small fruits (2) a harvesting machine for harvesting small fruits.