Rear-Conveyor Fruit Harvester Roller Sorting for Waste Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rear-conveyor fruit harvesters face challenges in efficiently separating waste from fruit, leading to high waste-to-fruit ratios, energy wastage, fruit damage, and clogging issues due to ineffective fan systems and the need for manual intervention.
Innovation Solution
A sorter and separator system is introduced for rear-conveyor fruit harvesters, comprising rollers with spaced openings to allow fruit passage while impeding waste, and a de-stemmer, positioned to collect harvested material and separate waste effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If fan systems are used to remove waste from harvested material, then waste removal capability is improved, but energy consumption increases and fruit damage occurs due to heavy fruit impeding waste movement
Solution Approach 1:
The waste removal function is divided into two segments: a first fan system positioned to handle waste early in the conveying process, and a second fan system positioned downstream to handle remaining waste. This segmentation allows each fan to operate more efficiently on specific waste loads rather than one fan handling all waste, reducing total energy consumption while improving waste-to-fruit ratio
Solution Approach 2:
The first fan system performs preliminary waste removal before the harvested material reaches the second fan system. By removing a portion of the waste upstream, the second fan system only needs to handle the remaining waste, reducing its energy requirements and preventing fruit damage that would occur if a single powerful fan tried to remove all waste at once
2Object-generated harmful factors
If more powerful fans are used to increase waste removal effectiveness, then waste removal capability is improved, but fruit damage increases due to strong air flow
Solution Approach 1:
The waste removal task is split between two fan systems with different power levels positioned at different locations. The first fan handles initial waste removal with moderate power, and the second fan handles remaining waste with adjusted power, preventing any single fan from applying excessive force that would damage fruit while still achieving effective overall waste removal
3Object-generated harmful factors
If manual intervention is used to clear blockages and remove waste, then waste removal capability is improved, but productivity decreases due to time loss
Solution Approach 1:
The first fan system performs preliminary waste removal upstream, preventing waste accumulation that would lead to blockages requiring manual intervention. This preliminary action maintains continuous operation and high productivity while still achieving effective waste management through the coordinated operation of both fan systems
4Object-generated harmful factors
If larger drop from rear conveyor to side conveyor is used to increase waste removal, then waste removal capability is improved, but fruit damage increases and clogging likelihood increases
Solution Approach 1:
The waste removal function is segmented between two fan systems positioned at different locations in the material flow path. This allows waste to be removed progressively rather than relying on a single large drop, reducing the risk of fruit damage and clogging while maintaining effective waste management capability
Data Source
AI summary
A sorter or sorter assembly for application to a rear-conveyor fruit harvester, being one that has a primary conveyor with a downstream, rear end located towards the rear of the rear-conveyor fruit harvester, the primary conveyor configured, in use, for collecting harvested material and conveying the harvested material downstream. The sorter can improve the ability of a rear-conveyor fruit harvester to separate waste from fruit, such as berries or nuts. The sorter or sorter assembly reduces the likelihood of fruit being damaged or destroyed by the rear-conveyor fruit harvester, may reduce the amount of energy the rear-conveyor fruit harvester must expend moving waste, and may reduce the likelihood of waste clogging downstream parts of the rear-conveyor fruit harvester. Therefore, the sorter or sorter assembly may increase the fruit-to-waste ratio of harvested material, increase harvester throughput, and/or increase the value of a fruit harvest.