WO2018194443A1

WO2018194443A1 - Mobile oil palm loose fruits collecting and segregating device

Info

Publication number: WO2018194443A1
Application number: PCT/MY2018/000011
Authority: WO
Inventors: Mohd Zulfahmi MOHD YUSOFF; Ahmad Zamri MD YUSOF
Original assignee: Sime Darby Plantation Intellectual Property Sdn Bhd
Current assignee: Sime Darby Plantation Intellectual Property Sdn Bhd
Priority date: 2017-04-21
Filing date: 2018-03-20
Publication date: 2018-10-25
Anticipated expiration: 2019-10-21
Also published as: MY189226A

Abstract

The present invention provides a mobile oil palm loose fruits collecting and segregating device, including a loose fruits vacuum component (1), a vacuum nozzle (8), a vacuum and segregation component (27), inner drum (22), outer drum (21), a driven belt (2), drum pulley (6), loader bin (14), clean loose fruits chute (24), debris chute (23); and debris plate (26) wherein the loose fruits vacuum component (1) contains a high speed rotating fan which rotates in the speed range of between 4,000 rpm to 4,500 rpm and the loose fruits vacuum component (1) uses air produced from the high speed rotating fan to create a partial vacuum condition to suck the oil palm loose fruits using the vacuum nozzle (8).

Description

MOBILE OIL PALM LOOSE FRUITS COLLECTING AND SEGREGATING DEVICE

FIELD OF INVENTION The present invention generally relates to a mobile oil palm loose fruits collecting and segregating device.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Production of palm oil has huge economic significance in many developing countries. Oil palm fruits are clustered as oil palm fresh fruit bunches (FFB) on the oil palm tree. Oil palm loose fruits which are parts of the oil palm FFB are used for the production/extraction of the oil palm. Oil palm loose fruits has always been part of the oil palm harvesting operations. The current manual methods of collecting oil palm loose fruits are by hand picking or raking which is not only time consuming but also tedious, backbreaklng and knees painful task. The collection process requires the worker to squat and stand up repeatedly, which cause fatigue and consumes a huge amount of time. Furthermore, debris collected using raking can be as high as 60% by weight if (Ahmad H. et af., 1995). It was estimated that the time taken to collect loose fruits is about 30% of the total fruit handling time (Webb, 1977). Time-and- motion study by Zohadie et al. (1993) showed that about 28% of the harvester's time is dedicated to collecting oil palm loose fruits. Gan et al, (1993) have revealed that the proportion of time taken to collect oil palm loose fruits in the cutter-carrier team harvesting system was about 43%. The oil palm loose fruits collected also contains a huge amount of debris (leaves, soil coat, stones etc.) that is generally filtered out in the palm oil mills. Hence, significant amount of money is wasted in carrying the loose oil palm fruits along with the debris to the palm oil mills. The raking or manual collection of oil palm loose fruits contains minimum of 5% to maximum of 20% debris. Therefore, there is a need for the cleaning or segregating of the oil palm loose fruits from debris prior to bringing the oil palm loose fruits to the palm oil mills to produce better quality oil palm loose fruits for further processing at the palm oil mills.

PI 2014701425 describes a suction-based oil palm loose fruit picker to collect ground surface loose fruits comprising of a vacuum nozzle, flexible vacuum duct, and a vacuum generator. The vacuum generator inlet consists of a stopper and a rotating blade to also disintegrate palm leaves and debris from the collected oil palm loose fruits.

PI 20092190 describes a mobile loose fruit collector for collecting loose fruit by separating loose fruits from debris through suction using a suction generator and flexible hose. The flexible hose provides a sucking means to collect the oil palm loose fruits from the ground. The apparatus also consists of a separator for separating fruits from debris by means of invested venturi principle and directing suction air to an outlet and releasing debris through a discharge end through the flexible hose.

PI 96002392 provides an apparatus for picking loose fruits lying on the ground consisting of an elongate drum, plurality of picking fingers projecting out from the drum, plurality of detecting fingers and fruit container to collect the loose fruit through the rotative movement of the said drum.

Hence, in the light of above, it is desirable to have a mobile and reliable device to collect and segregating oil palm loose fruits capable to address the above problems, or at least to provide an alternative. This would indirectly improve productivity and reduce time required for collecting oil palm loose fruit and segregating the debris from the oil palm loose fruits as the decline in the rate of palm oil extraction is due to a great extent to the incomplete collection of oil palm loose fruits (Mohd. Solan Deraman et ai, June 2009).

The potential method to solve the issues described above is to have an mobile oil palm loose fruits collecting and segregating device to collect oil palm loose fruits from the grounds and to segregate the debris from the oil palm loose fruits at the oil palm fields which will provide better quality oil palm loose fruits with minimum debris for further processing at the palm oil mills which could contribute to better oil extraction rate (OER). The purpose of the mobility of the said device is mainly to allow the cleaning and segregating of the oil palm loose fruits to take place in the oil palm fields itself and not in the palm oil mills as per the conventional means which is not the most efficient way to do so and could be seen as time consuming. The purpose here is to avoid carrying the debris ail the way to the oil palm mills and would like to save time and money by deaning in the oil palm fields.

Devices to collect and segregate oil palm loose fruits have been suggested in the prior art. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the device;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the device; FIG. 3 Is an isometric right side view of the device;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the device; FIG. 5 is an isometric left side view of the device; and

FIG. 6 is an isometric back view of the device which shows the structural framework of the vacuum component and segregator. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

As illustrated in the accompanying figures, the present invention provides a mobile oil palm loose fruits collecting and segregating device, including a loose fruits vacuum component (I), a vacuum nozzle (8), a vacuum and segregation component (27), inner drum (22), outer drum (21), a driven belt (2), drum pulley (6), loader bin (14), clean loose fruits chute (24), debris chute (23); and debris plate (26) wherein the loose fruits vacuum component (1) contains a high speed rotating fan which rotates in the speed range of between 4,000 rpm to 4,500 rpm and the loose fruits vacuum component (1) uses air produced from the high speed rotating fan to create a partial vacuum condition to suck the oil palm loose fruits using the vacuum nozzle (8).

Referring to FIG. 1, the assembly of the device of the present invention includes a loose fruits vacuum component (1), driven belts (2, 3), engine (4), driven pulley (5), drum pulley (6), pulley for suction unit (7), vacuum nozzle (8), tires (9) and shafts (25, 29). Referring to FIG, 2, the assembly of the device of the present invention includes a vacuum and segregation component (27) and the prime mover (28) together with the loader bin (14). Referring to FIG. 3, the assembly of the device of the present invention includes a rear axle (10), engine (11), absorber (12), driver seat (13), loader bin (14), fuel tank (15), and handle (16).

Referring to FIG. 4, the assembly of the device of the present invention includes a hydraulic cylinder (17), a pivot (18), body harm (19) and chassis (20).

Referring to FIG. 5, the assembly of the device of the present invention includes an outer drum (21), inner drum (22), debris chute (23), clean loose fruits chute (24), shaft (25) and a debris plate (26).

The loose fruits vacuum component (1) contains a rotating fan which rotates in a high speed range of between 4,000 rpm to 4,500 rpm. The loose fruits vacuum component (1) uses air produced from the rotating fan to create a partial vacuum condition to suck the oil palm loose fruits using the vacuum nozzle (8) from the ground at the oil palm fields into the vacuum and segregation component (27) and blows out small amounts of debris away from the device of the present invention. The driven belt (2) consists of a loop of flexible material such as rubber, which is used to rotate the shaft (25) and to transmit power to rotate the rotating fan as contained in the loose fruit vacuum component (1) to create a vacuum condition. Driven belt (3) provides power transmission to rotate the drum pulley (6). The drum pulley (6) is essentially a component attached to the shaft (29) to provide a rotation mechanism and to reduce the speed of the rotation of the inner drum (22) and outer drum (21). The engine (4) from Fig. 1, is a part of the device of the present invention with moving parts that converts power into motion. The driven pulley (5) which is essentially a wheel with grooved rim is used for moving heavy objects such as the rotation of the inner drum (22) and outer drum (21) and is connected to the pulley of the suction unit (7). The pulley of the suction unit (7) is attached to the shaft (25) of the loose fruits vacuum component to increase the speed of rotating fan as contained in the loose fruits vacuum component (1).

The vacuum and segregation component (27) of fig. 2 is where the oil palm loose fruits are sucked Into and the segregation process of the oil palm loose fruits and debris occurs. The loader bin (14) is the storage area for the clean oil palm loose fruits and has a capacity to contain oil palm loose fruits in the weight range of between 300kg to 400kg. The driver seat (13) fe a centralized position for the operator to operate the device of the present invention. The fuel tank (15) consists of a container to hold the fuel supply for the prime mover (28). The rear axle (10) is to create and transmit rotational force to a drive axle at the rear of the device of the present invention. The tires (9) of the device of the present invention are essentially rubber fitted around the rim of a wheel to form a soft contact with the road to minimize damage to the oil palm loose fruits collected. The handle (16) is used to control and maneuver the device of the present invention in the oil palm fields. The engine (11) of Fig. 3 Is connected to the prime mover (28) and to support the hydraulic system as contained in this device of the present invention which functions to convert power into motion for the prime mover (28). The function of the absorber (12) is to absorb energy of sudden impulses or shocks to prevent damage to the device of the present invention and to also minimize damages to the oil palm loose fruits collected. The pivot (18) is essentially the central point, pin or shaft^* on which the mechanism is to enable oscillations. Hydraulic cylinder (17) is a mechanical actuator that is used to provide unidirectional force through a unidirectional stroke which assists to tip the loader bin (14) to unload the ciean oil palm loose fruits into a 3-tonne bin located strategically in the palm oil fields. The 3-tonne bin will then be hooked and lifted by a tractor and sent to the palm oil mills for further processing. The body harm (19) is a separate body mounted on a relatively rigid frame or chassis (20) that carries the engine (11). The chassis (20) is the outer structural framework and base frame of the device of the present invention.

The clean loose fruits chute (24) is a sloping channel for directing the oil palm loose fruits into the vacuum and segregation component (27). The vacuum and segregation component (27) consists of the outer drum (21) and inner drum (22), which can also be referred to as double layer rotating drums. The function of the inner drum (22) is to guide and separate the oil palm loose fruits with big sized and long fiber debris such as big stones, frond butt and male flowers through a rotation mechanism and the outer drum (21) is to separate the oil palm loose fruits from the smaller debris such as small stones and soil.

The debris chute (23) is a sloping channel for conveying the debris to a lower level into the debris plate (26) which is used to remove the debris from the device of the present invention. The shaft (25) is a long, narrow part or section made by solid metal, which is attached with pulley for suction unit (7).

To operate the device of the present invention, the operator firstly needs to maneuver the device of the present invention using the handle (16) to the areas where the oil palm loose fruits are at the oil palm fields. The present invention is essentially a mobile prime mover (28) which allows for the oil palm loose fruits and debris to be collected utilizing suction and vacuum mechanism through the vacuum nozzle (8) and the loose fruits vacuum component (1) consisting of the rotating fan. The rotating fan must operate at high speeds to ensure the oil palm loose fruits are sucked from the ground Into the vacuum and segregation component (27). The collected oil palm loose fruits and debris will then be cleaned in the double layer rotating drums which consists of the outer drum (21) and inner drum (22) at a low speed in the range of between 20 rpm to 30 rpm. As the double layer rotating drums with the oil palm loose fruits and debris rotate, bigger size and longer fiber debris such as large stones, large soil, frond butt and male Dowers will rotate inside the inner drum (22) and exit towards the end of the inner drum (22) into the debris chute (23), while, the oil palm loose fruits with the smaller size debris will drop into the outer drum (21). The cleaning process is done during the rotation of the double layer rotating drums, whereby smaller size debris will drop back to the ground and the clean oil palm loose fruits will drop into the loader bin (14). Both the inner drum (22) and outer drum (21) are designed without shaft (i.e. shaftiess) to enable the cleaning process to be done efficiently without having the movement of the oil palm loose fruits be obstructed with a shaft being in the middle of the double layer rotating drums.

The invention is able to operate effectively during wet weather conditions as soil and debris attached to the oil palm loose fruits have a high tendency to be separated during the rotation of the double layer rotating drums, as the double layer rotating drum rotates at a low speed of between 20 rpm to 30 rpm. There is very minimal bruising to the oil palm loose fruits due to the rotating of the double layer rotating drums at a low speed. Cleaning and segregating must be done at a low speed to prevent damaging the oil palm loose fruits collected which could lead to high free fatty acid (FFA) levels and reduced OER once processed at the palm oil mills. While the present invention as described above relate to a mobile device for collecting and segregating oil palm loose fruits, it is envisaged that the loose fruits can be from other types of trees too. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the disclosure in the detailed description but only by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A mobile oil palm loose fruits collecting and segregating device, the device includes: a loose fruits vacuum component (1);

a vacuum nozzle (8);

a vacuum and segregation component (27);

inner drum (22);

outer drum (21);

a driven belt (2);

drum pulley (6);

loader bin (14);

dean loose fruits chute (24);

debris chute (23); and

debris plate (26);

wherein,

the loose fruits vacuum component (1) contains a high speed rotating fan which rotates in a speed range of between 4,000 rpm to 4,500 rpm; and

the loose fruits vacuum component (1) uses air produced from the high speed rotating fan to create at least a partial vacuum condition to suck oil palm loose fruits using the vacuum nozzle (8).

2. The device according to Claim 1, wherein the oil palm loose fruits and debris which are sucked up through the vacuum nozzle (8) from ground are sent into the vacuum and segregation component (27).

3. The device according to Claim 2, wherein the oil palm loose fruits and debris are cleaned using the inner drum (22) and outer drum (21) which rotate at a speed of between 20 rpm to 30 rpm.

4. The device according to Claim 3, wherein big and long fiber debris such as large stones, large soil, frond butt and male flowers will rotate inside the inner drum (22) and exit into the debris chute (23) and oil palm loose fruits with smaller size debris will drop into the outer drum (21).

5. The device according to Claim 4, wherein cleaned oil palm loose fruits will drop into the loader bin (14).

6. The device according to Claim 1, wherein the inner drum (22) and outer drum (21) are shaftless.

7. The device according to Claim 1, wherein the driven belt (2) consists of a loop of flexible material such as rubber, which is used to rotate a shaft (25) and to transmit power to rotate the high speed rotating fan to create a vacuum condition.

8. The device according to Claim 1, wherein the drum pulley (6) is a component attached to a shaft (29) to provide a rotation mechanism and to reduce the speed of the rotation of the inner drum (22) and outer drum (21).

9. The device according to Claim 1, wherein the clean loose fruits chute (24) is a sloping channel for directing oil palm loose fruits into the vacuum and segregation component (27).

10. The device according to Claim 1, wherein the debris chute (23) is a sloping channel for conveying the debris to a lower level into the debris plate (26) which is used to remove the debris.