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WO2025158264A1 - Équipement de récolte de bonsaï brocoli - Google Patents

Équipement de récolte de bonsaï brocoli

Info

Publication number
WO2025158264A1
WO2025158264A1 PCT/IB2025/050572 IB2025050572W WO2025158264A1 WO 2025158264 A1 WO2025158264 A1 WO 2025158264A1 IB 2025050572 W IB2025050572 W IB 2025050572W WO 2025158264 A1 WO2025158264 A1 WO 2025158264A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
belts
equipment according
primary
pair
broccoli
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
PCT/IB2025/050572
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Emanuela Gallo
Nicola Gallo
Alberto Piva
Tiziano Piva
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of WO2025158264A1 publication Critical patent/WO2025158264A1/fr
Pending legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
    • A01D—HARVESTING; MOWING
    • A01D45/00—Harvesting of standing crops
    • A01D45/26—Harvesting of standing crops of cabbage or lettuce
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A23—FOODS OR FOODSTUFFS; TREATMENT THEREOF, NOT COVERED BY OTHER CLASSES
    • A23N—MACHINES OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING HARVESTED FRUIT, VEGETABLES OR FLOWER BULBS IN BULK, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; PEELING VEGETABLES OR FRUIT IN BULK; APPARATUS FOR PREPARING ANIMAL FEEDING- STUFFS
    • A23N15/00—Machines or apparatus for other treatment of fruits or vegetables for human purposes; Machines or apparatus for topping or skinning flower bulbs
    • A23N15/003—Machines or apparatus for other treatment of fruits or vegetables for human purposes; Machines or apparatus for topping or skinning flower bulbs for trimming cauliflowers, broccoli or cabbages

Definitions

  • the present invention concerns an equipment for the harvesting of bonsai broccoli.
  • Bonsai broccoli or baby broccoli are well known; they constitute a new plant variety and are distinguished from traditional broccoli by their stalk, which can have a length ranging from approximately 15 cm to approximately 30 cm, and a diameter ranging from approximately 2 cm to approximately 4 cm, as well as by their head located at the upper end of the stalk with a diameter generally ranging from approximately 2.5 cm to approximately 8 cm.
  • An equipment for harvesting traditional broccoli is known from EP 502789.
  • traditional broccoli plants have a height of 70-80 cm, with a head that is on average about 14 cm high and has a diameter of approximately 11-21 cm.
  • This equipment could not be used for harvesting bonsai broccoli, as it was designed to operate on vegetables of significantly different dimensions and with characteristics tied to those dimensions. It could not be effectively used for the mechanized harvesting of bonsai broccoli, which are delicate plants of very small size, with reduced stability and unsuitable for withstanding the stresses imparted by an equipment designed for the mechanized harvesting of traditional broccoli.
  • the present invention addresses the problem of overcoming the current limitations for the mechanized harvesting of bonsai broccoli and aims to propose an equipment for performing this mechanized harvesting.
  • the purpose of the invention is to propose an equipment that allows the mechanization of the harvesting of bonsai broccoli.
  • Another purpose of the invention is to propose an equipment that can be applied to a self-propelled or towed machine and that is capable of performing the mechanized harvesting of bonsai broccoli in the field.
  • Another purpose of the invention is to propose an equipment capable of operating with substantial indifference to the variable length of the bonsai broccoli stalks.
  • Another purpose of the invention is to propose an equipment capable of cutting the bonsai broccoli near the head so as to almost completely separate the stalk and leaves from the head, regardless of the variable length of the stalk itself.
  • Another purpose of the invention is to propose an equipment that can easily adapt to the different crops of bonsai broccoli, which are generally cultivated in fields where they are arranged in parallel rows.
  • figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an equipment for the harvesting of bonsai broccoli according to the invention
  • figure 2 shows it in a partial perspective view in an operational condition
  • figure 3 shows it in a bottom plan view
  • figure 4 shows it in a longitudinal vertical sectional view
  • figure 5 shows, in a perspective view and on a larger scale, some details of the equipment of fig. 1
  • figure 6 shows, in a different perspective view and on a larger scale, other details of the same equipment.
  • the term “row” refers to a plurality of bonsai broccoli arranged along a line that is substantially, though not necessarily, straight and runs parallel to other lines in the cultivated field at a distance that may vary based on the characteristics of the seeding machine but is generally about 25 cm.
  • the term “harvesting unit” 2 refers to a pair of elements, preferably consisting of elongated bodies 4, preferably streamlined, configured to be positioned on either side of each row and moved forward in the field to collect, as they pass, the individual bonsai broccoli plants 6 that belong to that row.
  • the term “equipment” refers to the entirety of all harvesting units 2 and their associated means of movement, transmission, and control, which are collectively designed to be applied to a self-propelled or towed agricultural machine to operate along the rows in the cultivated field.
  • the equipment according to the invention can include a plurality of harvesting units 2 arranged so that the passages defined by the facing sides of two adjacent units 2 are spaced apart in accordance with the substantially constant distance between the rows of plants 6 to be harvested.
  • each elongated body 4, except for at most the two outermost bodies 4' of the equipment, has a width substantially equal to the distance between the rows of plants 6, allowing both of its sides to operate on adjacent rows.
  • This solution is generally applied in cases where the equipment according to the invention is intended to operate in cultivated fields where the rows of plants 6 are spaced at a constant distance substantially equal to the width of each elongated body 4.
  • each harvesting unit 2 is mounted on the frame of the equipment in a transversely adjustable manner using known systems, either manual or automated, so that it can be positioned relative to the harvesting unit 2 operating on the adjacent row in accordance with the distance between the rows.
  • the harvesting units 2 operating on each row can be arranged on the machine's frame in a longitudinally staggered sequence, offset laterally from one another.
  • Each harvesting unit 2 includes, as mentioned, two elongated bodies 4, preferably streamlined, which are fixed to the frame of the equipment so that, in operation, they are arranged at an angle to the ground, as can be better seen in Fig. 2.
  • Each elongated body 4 may advantageously have a substantially constant width along its entire longitudinal development, except for its front end 8, which is preferably tapered and flattened.
  • This front end 8 forms, together with the front end 8 of the adjacent elongated body 4, a converging channel 10 designed to receive the plants 6 of the row and guide them toward the narrow passage defined by the facing sides of the two elongated bodies 4 belonging to the same harvesting unit 2.
  • each elongated body 4 has its longitudinal axis slightly inclined on the vertical plane relative to the rest of the elongated body 4, so that, in operation, when the elongated body 4 is inclined relative to the ground 12, the lower surface of its front end 8 is substantially parallel to the ground, or at least appears less inclined than its rear portion, as shown in the drawings.
  • a plurality of guide and return pulleys 14 for a flexible driving means are applied to each elongated body 4.
  • a straight section of this belt 16 slightly protrudes from the lateral edge of the respective elongated body 4 and cooperates with the straight section of the belt 16 applied to the other elongated body 4 of the same harvesting unit 2.
  • these cooperating straight sections of belt 16, moving in the same direction form a kind of clamp that moves from the front end toward the rear end of the corresponding elongated body 4. This movement occurs in the opposite direction to the equipment's forward motion on the ground 12 but at a speed consistent with the equipment's advancement, ensuring that the individual plants 6 are not subjected to displacement relative to the ground, at least until their stalks 18 are cut.
  • Each belt 16, which may advantageously be smooth, toothed, or equipped with a coating suitable for ensuring optimal grip on the stalk 18 of the plants 6, includes, in addition to the straight section cooperating with the straight section of the facing belt 16, a first front section that slightly protrudes from the inclined inner edge of the front end 8 of the respective elongated body 4. It then extends to close in a loop inside the elongated body itself.
  • the pulleys 14, which guide the straight section of the belt 16 running along the side of at least one elongated body 4 of each harvesting unit 2 and facing the straight section of the belt 16 belonging to the other elongated body 4 of that harvesting unit 2, are preferably mounted, in whole or in part, on articulated little arms 20 equipped with springs. These ensure localized elastic yielding of the section of the belt 16 when it holds, together with the facing section of the belt, the stalk 18 of a plant 6.
  • One of the return pulleys 14 of each belt 16 is motorized and is preferably connected to a single electric or hydraulic motor. This motor is preferably configured to drive the corresponding pulleys 14 of all the other streamlined bodies 4 and to move them in the correct direction required by the operation of the equipment. All belts 16 of this type are here referred to as primary belts 16, and the motor that drives them is referred to as primary motor.
  • a cutting means is advantageously provided, preferably consisting of a disc blade 22 with a substantially vertical or slightly inclined axis. This blade is positioned so that, when the equipment is operating and advancing over the cultivated field 12, the disc blade 22 is located a short distance from the ground, enabling it to cut the stalk 18 of the plants 6 it encounters.
  • the machine can also include automatic systems, which are themselves conventional, to adjust the height of the disc blade 22 relative to the ground and thus the cutting height of the stalk 18 of the plants 6.
  • the disc blade 22 is driven by its own electric or hydraulic motor 23, which may also drive, via a belt, chain, or other traditional transmission systems, the disc blade 22 of a plurality of harvesting units 2, and preferably of all harvesting units 2.
  • the equipment according to the invention may provide for the use of serrated blades with reciprocating movement. These blades can be individual for each harvesting unit 2, though it may be more practical to have a single serrated blade for a plurality of harvesting units 2 or, preferably, a single serrated blade for all the harvesting units 2.
  • the primary belts 16 extend posteriorly along only a portion of the respective elongated body 4, preferably up to just over half its length.
  • each elongated body 4 Along the lateral edge of each elongated body 4 and positioned to face the lateral edge of an adjacent elongated body 4, there is a longitudinally rigid guide element located above the elongated body itself.
  • This is preferably made of a metallic rod 24, particularly stainless steel, which, together with the metallic rod of the other elongated body 4 belonging to the same harvesting unit 2, forms a longitudinal guiding channel for the stalk 18 of the plants 6 that have been cut by the corresponding disc blade 22.
  • the two metallic rods 24 feature a short converging lead-in section followed by a straight section that is parallel to the edge of the elongated body 4, to which each metallic rod 24 belongs.
  • These rods also run parallel to the straight section of the metallic rod 24 belonging to the adjacent elongated body 4, forming a kind of guiding channel.
  • This channel runs above the longitudinal passage in each harvesting unit 2 for the stalk 18 of the plants 6, which is the passage defined by the parallel straight sections of two cooperating primary belts 16.
  • This passage has a width slightly greater than the expected maximum width of the stalk 18 of the plants 6 to be harvested but smaller than the expected minimum width of the heads 26 of these plants. This configuration allows the stalk 18 of the plants 6 to slide along the guide while holding the plants vertically at their heads 26.
  • one or both metallic rods 24, forming the longitudinal guide of each harvesting unit 2 are equipped with transverse mobility and are associated with springs that tend to keep them in a close position.
  • these springs also allow for their elastic separation to enable the passage of stalks 18 with greater width.
  • the straight, opposing sections of the two metallic rods 24 of each harvesting unit 2 are more inclined on the vertical plane compared to the straight sections of the primary belts 16.
  • the inclination of these sections can be adjusted using traditional systems, which may be manual or automated.
  • Each harvesting unit 2 of the equipment according to the invention is also equipped, beneath the two metallic rods 24 but above the primary belts 16, with a pair of secondary flexible conveying means, preferably consisting of belts 28.
  • These secondary belts 28, similar to the primary belts 16, are guided by pulleys 29 and are driven in opposing directions by one of these pulleys, which is powered in a known manner by a secondary motor that can also be electric or hydraulic.
  • the secondary belts 28 mounted on each elongated body 4 feature a straight section facing the straight section of the secondary belt 28 mounted on the other elongated body 4 of the same harvesting unit 2.
  • this straight section is located further back than the straight section of the corresponding primary belts 16, to the extent that a short front section of the secondary belts 28 overlaps with the rear section of the corresponding primary belts 16.
  • the rear section of the primary belts 16 beneath the front section of the secondary belts 28 is slightly divergent to facilitate the transfer of the grip on the stalks 18 of the plants 6 from the pair of primary belts to the pair of secondary belts.
  • the pulleys 29 guiding the secondary belts 28, or at least part of these pulleys are mounted on articulated little arms associated with springs. These springs elastically keep the belts in contact with the stalks 18 of the plants 6, but it is also preferable that these springs are weaker than the springs associated with the articulated little arms 20 of the pulleys of the primary belts 16.
  • the inclination on the vertical plane of the straight section of the secondary belts 28 is preferably adjustable using traditional systems, which can be either manual or automated.
  • the length of the metallic rods 24 is such that their rear ends terminate further forward than the ends of the secondary belts 28. Near the rear ends of these metallic rods 24, below the secondary belts 28, secondary cutting means are provided. These are preferably constituted by a pair of counter-rotating disc blades 30, driven by an electric or hydraulic motor. Using a pair of counter-rotating blades 30 is preferable to a single rotating blade or a serrated blade with oscillating motion, as these blades must work on plants 6 that are already detached from the ground, held only by the secondary belts 28. Moreover, these plants, having the typical flexibility of bonsai broccoli, are not stabilized in their position and would struggle to withstand asymmetric lateral forces.
  • a conveyor belt 32 is provided on the rear extension of the metallic rods 24 and is configured to receive and transport backward the heads 26 of the bonsai broccoli 6 after they have been separated from their respective stalks 18. These heads are still held by the pair of secondary belts 28 after the intervention of the disc blades 30.
  • a sort of rotating brush 34 is provided, which is placed coaxially on the same rotation shaft as each blade 30 above this and has the purpose of transferring the heads themselves onto the belt conveyor 32 after they have been cut from their respective stems.
  • the conveyor belt 32 extends further back beyond the rear end of the secondary belts 28.
  • each harvesting unit 2 a flat belt 36 above the pair of metallic rods 24.
  • This flat belt 36 is closed in a loop and features a straight section parallel to the conveyor belt 32. It is spaced at a distance approximately equal to the average height of the heads 26 and extends backward at least up to the rear end of the same conveyor belt 32.
  • This flat belt 36 is advantageously powered by a own electric or hydraulic motor, which, in the case of multiple harvesting units 2, may preferably be shared among the flat belts 36 of these units.
  • a single common conveyor belt may be provided for all the harvesting units 2.
  • these belts 36 or this conveyor may feature spikes or similar protruding elements 38 designed to interact with the heads 26 of the plants 6. These elements aim to cooperate more effectively with the underlying conveyor belts 32.
  • the protruding elements 38 can be mounted on rectangular blades 40, which are hinged at their front transverse edge to the belt 36, allowing them to oscillate relative to it.
  • the equipment according to the invention also comprises, at the rear end of the secondary belts 28 and in a position substantially below this end, a bladed member 42 rotating around a horizontal axis and configured to ensure that the stalks 18 with the leaf portions attached to them, now separated from the respective heads 26, are removed from the secondary belts and can fall onto the ground 12.
  • the equipment according to the invention may also be equipped with an output conveyor belt 44, preferably common to all the harvesting units 2. It is located below the rear end of the lower conveyor belts 32 but beyond the rear end of the secondary belts 28, in order to collect the heads 26 and the upper leaf parts of the plants 6, but not the stalks 18 and the leaf parts attached to them, which fall onto the ground.
  • the output conveyor belt 44 may extend longitudinally or transversely and can be associated with traditional suction or blowing devices for the separation of the heads 26 from the leaf portions of the plants 6 and for the subsequent selective collection of the heads themselves.
  • the equipment according to the invention also includes a series of control and adjustment devices, which are traditional in themselves, and collectively oversee the entire functioning of the equipment, which is described below.
  • the equipment according to the invention mounted on a self-propelled or towed agricultural machine, is positioned at one end of the cultivated field 12, where the plants 6 to be harvested are arranged in parallel rows, spaced at a distance equal to the distance between the harvesting units 2, typically around 25 cm. However, it is provided that this distance between the harvesting units can be adjusted according to the actual spacing between the rows of the cultivated field.
  • the motors that drive all the moving components of the equipment are activated, particularly the primary belts 16, the secondary belts 28, the conveyor belts 32, the belt(s) 36, the output belt 44, the front disc blades 22, and the rear disc blades 30.
  • the individual plants 6 enter with their stems 18 into the channel 10 formed by the terminal front portions 8 of the two elongated bodies 4 of each harvesting unit 2.
  • the stem is then engaged by the active portion of the pair of primary belts 16 of that elongated body and is held by them while the corresponding disc blade 22 cuts it near the base, detaching it from the ground 12 along with the leaves and the head 26. Thanks to the inclined arrangement of the primary belts 16, as the plants 6 are moved backward by the belts, they are also raised relative to the ground 12.
  • T o make the transition of the plants 6 from the primary belts 16 to the secondary belts 28 easier, it can be advantageously provided that in the overlap zone, the rear sections of the primary belts 16 are slightly divergent, so as to gradually release the grip on the stalks 18 of the plants 6 as they are progressively gripped between the secondary belts 28.
  • the greater inclination of the metallic rods 24 compared to the secondary belts 28 causes the heads 26 of the plants 6 to initially rest on the rods themselves, and subsequently a sort of extraction of the stalk 18 of the individual plants 6 from the secondary belts 28. This extraction is further facilitated by the limited vertical width of these belts and continues with the movement of the plants along the metallic rods 24. In the case of metallic rods 24 kept elastically close together, they will suitably adhere to the stalks 18 of the plants 6, regardless of their diameter.
  • the heads 26 and the cut portions of leaves of the plants are pushed by the respective rotating brushes 34 onto the belt conveyor 32 and in this phase the articulated connection of the tips 38 to the belt 36 is such that when a row of tips 38 reaches the proximity of the front end of the belt itself, the blade 40, to which they are connected, tilts forward by gravity and in this way collects a head 26 of bonsai broccoli 6 and cooperates with the rotating brushes 34 to push it onto the belt conveyor 32.
  • the stems 18 of each plant 6 and the portions of leaves still attached to them continue to advance, always transported by the pair of secondary belts 28, until they reach the rear end of these and can fall to the ground, also pushed by the bladed member 42.
  • the heads 26 and the cut portions of leaves have climbed onto the conveyor belt 32, they are transported by this, and are held between it and the overlying flat belt 36, and also pushed by other heads 26 that subsequently arrive. Once the heads 26 and leaf portions have passed the rear end of the conveyor belt 32, they fall onto the output conveyor belt 44, where the separation of the leaf portions from the heads 26 occurs, and the heads are collected into a final container. Given the small size of the bonsai broccoli heads 26, it is preferable that this separation of leaves from heads 26 takes place with weak pneumatic activity, i.e., with aspirating or blowing airflows of limited intensity, possibly distributed along the conveyor 44.

Landscapes

  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Food Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Polymers & Plastics (AREA)
  • Environmental Sciences (AREA)
  • Harvesting Machines For Specific Crops (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un équipement pour la collecte de bonsaï brocoli avec une unité de récolte (2), ledit équipement comprenant des courroies de transport primaire et secondaire (16, 18) inclinées l'une par rapport à l'autre, un premier moyen de coupe (22) pour récolter les brocolis et un second moyen de coupe (30) pour séparer les tiges (18) des têtes de brocoli récoltées (26), des éléments de guidage rigides (24), des bandes transporteuses (32, 36) pour transférer les têtes à l'arrière de l'unité de récolte, un moyen de collecte (44) pour recevoir les têtes et un moyen pneumatique pour séparer, au moyen d'écoulements d'air, les têtes des parties feuilles coupées.
PCT/IB2025/050572 2024-01-25 2025-01-20 Équipement de récolte de bonsaï brocoli Pending WO2025158264A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
IT102024000001386 2024-01-25
IT202400001386 2024-01-25

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2025158264A1 true WO2025158264A1 (fr) 2025-07-31

Family

ID=90468757

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/IB2025/050572 Pending WO2025158264A1 (fr) 2024-01-25 2025-01-20 Équipement de récolte de bonsaï brocoli

Country Status (1)

Country Link
WO (1) WO2025158264A1 (fr)

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3690049A (en) * 1971-09-16 1972-09-12 Carlton E Roberson Broccoli harvester
WO1980000118A1 (fr) * 1978-06-28 1980-02-07 P Sorensen Dispositif de recolte des choux
EP0502789A1 (fr) * 1991-03-06 1992-09-09 Centre D'etudes Et De Strategies Industrielles Machine pour la récolte des brocolis
BE1029626A1 (nl) * 2021-07-26 2023-02-17 Verhoest Marc Bvba Inrichting voor het rooien van koolgroenten, in het bijzonder bloemkolen

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3690049A (en) * 1971-09-16 1972-09-12 Carlton E Roberson Broccoli harvester
WO1980000118A1 (fr) * 1978-06-28 1980-02-07 P Sorensen Dispositif de recolte des choux
EP0502789A1 (fr) * 1991-03-06 1992-09-09 Centre D'etudes Et De Strategies Industrielles Machine pour la récolte des brocolis
BE1029626A1 (nl) * 2021-07-26 2023-02-17 Verhoest Marc Bvba Inrichting voor het rooien van koolgroenten, in het bijzonder bloemkolen

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