Abstract:
A harvesting machine particularly suitable for picking or harvesting vegetables, such as peppers or tomatoes, employs a harvesting frame on which is mounted a rotating shaft aligned transversely to the direction of movement of the machine. A pair of spaced apart picking members are mounted on the shaft on opposite sides of a row of plants having a crop to be harvested. The picking members are simultaneously rotated; and each of them has a plurality of arcuate picking elements pivotally mounted on them. The picking elements rotate with the picking members in the same direction of movement of the machine; and as the picking elements rotate downwardly above the row of plants, a cam pivots them into a position adjacent the picking members, spaced away from a plant located between the picking members. As the machine passes over the plant, the picking elements are moved by a second cam into a position to extend into the space between the picking members to engage the plant to be picked and remove crop therefrom for deposition onto a conveyor for removal from the machine.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Mechanized automatic harvesting machines are widely used in large scale farming operations in the grain farming regions of the world, particularly in the United States and Canada. These machines permit a significant reduction in the man hours required to harvest a crop and allow a single farmer to farm large acreages, which was impossible in the labor-intensive farming industry at the turn of the twentieth century in the United States, and even today, in many parts of the world. 
     Although large scale mechanized farming and harvesting operations are well known in conjunction with grain farming, such mechanized farming has eluded vegetable farmers in most cases. Most vegetables are harvested by hand. This requires a large number of workers per acre of crop to accomplish the harvesting, since the crop generally has only a very short time (a matter of a few days) in most cases, when it is at its peak for harvesting. As labor costs continuously increase, the cost of vegetables produced on such farms continues to rise accordingly. 
     Some progress has been made to alleviate the high cost of labor in harvesting vegetable crops. This has occurred particularly with respect to the harvesting of peas and beans. For such vegetables, mechanical harvesting machines have been developed which fairly effectively permit the harvesting of a crop. These machines, however, typically gather the plants up and tear them apart to supply the peas or beans to one part of the machine and the remainder of the plant to another part, from which it is discharged as refuse. Such harvesting machines destroy the plants which are bearing the crops to be harvested; so that multiple harvesting of the same plants cannot be effected. In addition, since the machines remove the entire plant during the harvesting operation, separation of the desired parts, the vegetables, from the rest of the plant residue, becomes a significant factor in providing a relatively clean harvest which is not intermixed with undesired plant residue. Special separators and related apparatus is required in order to effect maximum separation of the desired crop from the undesired plant residue. 
     Although machines of the type described above have been used with some degree of success for picking beans and peas, mechanized picking machines for peppers (such as green and red chiles, bell peppers and the like) and tomatoes, capable of harvesting the crop without damaging it or destroying the plant, or both, have not been developed until the machine disclosed in Rodriguez U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,570. The machine of that patent employs a picking mechanism mounted on a central rotatable shaft, which is located above the row of plants to be picked. The shaft is longitudinally aligned parallel with the row. The shaft has a helical guide attached to it, with the spacing between adjacent turns of the helix selected to be equal to the spacing between each plant in the row of plants to be picked. A number of arcuate picking elements are mounted on the helix; and these picking elements extend between the outer turns of the helix and the shaft to engage the peppers or other vegetables on the plant to pick them as the machine is moved over the row of plants, and as the shaft is rotated. As a consequence, after harvesting, the plant can be used to produce subsequent crops for harvest. This results in substantial savings. 
     A disadvantage of the machine of the Rodriguez U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,570, however, is that the rotational speed of the helix and the location of each turn of the helix must be carefully synchronized with the movement of the machine and the spacing of the plants. Otherwise, the plants can be torn up or uprooted as the row of plants is harvested. If the helix rotation is out of synchronization with the movement of the machine over the row, or if the plant-to-plant spacing is different from the turn-to-turn spacing of the helix, substantial damage to the plants can occur. Thus, it is necessary in the use of the machine of the Rodriguez U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,570 to exercise extreme skill and care in threading the machine through the row of plants to effect the picking operation. 
     A later U.S. Pat. No. to Rodriguez, No. 5,174,093, is directed to overcoming the problems noted above for U.S. Pat. No. 4,196,570. In the device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,093, the helical picking element has been replaced with a pair of spaced-apart picking members mounted on a shaft rotated transversely to the row of plants and the direction of movement of the harvesting machine. Two picking members in the form of circular wheels are used; and each of them has a plurality of arcuate picking elements on them. The picking elements extend into the space between the two picking members and operate to strip the crop from the plants while leaving the plants in a relatively undisturbed condition after they have been picked. In order to effect a proper picking operation, however, the picking members, in the form of the rotating wheels, rotate in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the machine. This causes the picking elements to engage the plants from beneath as the plants first enter the machine. The picking elements then sweep upwardly through the plant to remove the peppers or other crop from the plant. This tends to throw the peppers upwards and outwardly toward the front of the machine; so that special screens and baffles are required to reduce the loss of harvested crop which otherwise may be thrown to the ground and wasted. Even with additional baffles and screens, the machine of this patent, however, still is far more economical than harvesting the crop by hand, since the reduction in harvesting costs far outweighs the value of any crop which is lost. 
     It is desirable to provide a machine which picks a crop in the manner of the machine of U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,093, but which throws the harvested crop toward the rear of the machine as it moves through a row of plants, and which reduces the losses of crop during the harvesting operation. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of this invention to provide an improved mechanized harvesting machine. 
     It is another object of this invention to provide an improved mechanized harvesting machine which harvests a crop without damaging the plant from which the crop is harvested. 
     It is an additional object of this invention to provide an improved mechanized pepper harvesting machine. 
     It is yet another object of this invention to provide an improved mechanized pepper harvesting machine which strips the peppers from a plant and generally throws them toward the rear of the machine as the machine moves forward through a row of plants. 
     It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved mechanized pepper harvesting machine employing pivotal arcuate picking elements which first are moved out of engagement with a plant beginning passage through the machine, and which then are pivoted to a picking position to strip the peppers upwardly from the plant, as the machine moves over the plant. 
     In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a mechanized mobile harvesting machine has a frame on which a rotatable shaft is mounted, substantially parallel to the ground, and transversely to the direction of movement of the machine. First and second spaced-apart picking members, generally in the form of open circular hoops, are mounted on the shaft for rotation by the shaft. Each of these picking members is located in a plane which is perpendicular to the shaft. Each of the picking members has a plurality of arcuate picking elements pivotally mounted on it. A first cam is located to pivot the picking elements to a first position adjacent the picking members at a predetermined rotational position of the picking members. At a different or subsequent rotational position, a second cam then pivots the picking elements to a second position to cause the picking elements to extend a predetermined distance into the space between the first and second picking members for removing crop from plants as the machine moves along a row of plants; and the shaft is rotated to rotate the picking members. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of a harvesting machine invention illustrating its manner of support on a tractor; 
     FIG. 2 is an opposite side view of the harvesting machine shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 3 is a partially cut away view of the harvesting machine shown in FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a top left front perspective view of the harvesting machine shown in FIG. 1; 
     FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial detail of a portion of the machine shown in FIG. 4; 
     FIG. 6 is an enlarged detail of another portion of the machine shown in FIG. 5; 
     FIG. 7 is an enlarged detail of a feature of the preferred embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 8 is a detail of one of the elements of the preferred embodiment of the invention; and 
     FIGS. 9,  10  and  11  are partially broken-away details of a preferred embodiment of the invention illustrating a step-by-step operating sequence. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference now should be made to the drawings, in which the same reference numbers are used throughout the different figures to designate the same components. FIG. 1 illustrates a left-hand side view of a mobile mechanized harvesting machine  20  in its mounting position on the front of a suitable tractor  26 . The details of the tractor  26  are not important; and as illustrated, the tractor  26  may be of the type commonly used for operating cotton picking machines. 
     The harvesting machine  20  includes a main frame with a pair of spaced-apart upward extensions at the rear, culminating in an arm having a transverse pin through it. The pin on the arm  27  is seated in a hook extension  28  on the front of the tractor  26  to support the rear of the machine in a generally cantilevered configuration. At the bottom of the frame of the harvesting machine  20 , a hydraulic piston  30  interconnects the machine with a point on the tractor  26  located beneath the arm  28 . By extending and withdrawing the piston  30 , the entire harvesting machine  20  may be pivoted about the pivot at the hook in the end of the support arm  28  on the tractor  26 . This raises and lowers the front of the harvesting machine  20  at a pair of extending guide members  24 , for each of the rows for which the machine is designed to harvest. Adjustment of the piston  30  adjusts the angle of attack of the machine, and provides for its proper location a short distance above the ground in front of the tractor  26 , when the machine is operated. 
     The main frame of the machine  20  carries a horizontal transverse rotating shaft  23  extending across the machine from side to side, as most clearly shown in FIG.  4 . The shaft  23  ideally is rectangular in its cross-sectional configuration, apart from the ends at the bearings where it is rotated. A set of four circular hub members  22  connected to four wheels  36  are mounted on the shaft. The circular wheels or hoops  36  are located at each of two picking locations on opposite sides of a single row of plants  18  to be harvested. These circular wheels  36  in turn each are connected, by means of L-shaped paddle extensions on the end of radial supports  40  to corresponding circular picking hoops or picking members  37 , one for each wheel  36 . 
     The bottoms of the L-shaped support members  40  each terminate in a flexible, rectangular piece of material  41 , formed from a rubberized material or a canvas, which is designed as a paddle to sweep between the space between the circumferences of the wheels  36  and members  37  forming each of the four picking member combinations. As is most readily observed in FIG. 5, these flexible paddles  41  extend slightly beyond the circumferences of the set of hoops  36  and members  37  completely across the space between them. 
     When the machine is moved by the tractor  26  in the direction of travel shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the machine, as shown in FIG.  4 , is designed to pick, simultaneously, two different rows of plants  18 . One such row is shown in FIG. 4; but it should be understood that between each pair of guides  24  extending from the front of the machine, a different row of spaced plants  18  passes. The plants pass into an opening in the front of the machine, formed by means of a tent-like covering in the form of a shroud  34 , placed over the front part of a front-to-back horizontal bar  32  for each set of two picking members  37  in the machine. As is most apparent from an examination of FIGS. 1,  4  and  5 , the shroud  34  extends downwardly from the horizontal support  32  and terminates in a fixed location spaced apart adjacent the edge or outer circumference of the two picking members  37  on opposite sides of each of the rows of plants. The bottom termination of this each  34  is not shown, in order to avoid unnecessary cluttering of the drawings; but it is apparent from an examination, particularly of FIGS. 4 and 5, that when the plant  18  is located within the shroud, it is not engaged by picking elements in any way. 
     As the machine moves along, the shaft  23  is rotated by any suitable means (not shown), powered by the tractor  26 , or by an independent power plant, to rotate the joined-together wheels  36  and members  37  of all of the four sets which are shown in FIG.  4 . This rotation is in the direction shown by the arrows on FIGS. 1,  2  and  3 . 
     In order to effect picking of the crop, such as chiles or the like, and move the crop toward the rear of the machine instead of throwing it toward the front, picking elements  38  are rotated on the picking member wheels  37  in the same direction as the direction of travel of the machine. This means that the arcuate picking elements  38  must rotate downwardly at the front of the machine when the plants  18  are moved into it. That is the reason the shroud  34  is provided. This protects the plant  18  from the picking elements  38 . In addition, in order to accomplish this, the picking elements  38  are pivotally mounted on the picking member or wheels  37  for free rotation about their inner ends located on an end plate  22 , as illustrated most clearly in FIG.  6 . For each of the four picking elements  38  mounted on each of the picking member wheels  37 , four blocks  60  are spaced at 90° intervals about the periphery of the plate  22 . An end extension  54  on the end of each arcuate picking element  38  is slipped through a hole  62  in each of the blocks  60  to permit the picking element  38  to freely rotate about the extension  54 , as shown most clearly in FIGS. 6 and 8. 
     The picking elements  38  for each row of crop are located in two sets, operated on spaced facing picking member wheels  37 , located on opposite sides of the row of plants  18  which passes between them. This orientation is substantially the same as the orientation used in the harvesting machine of U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,093. The picking elements  38 , however, are rotated by the ring members  37  from a position above the bar  32 ; so that as they begin to pass over the top of the shroud  34 , the shroud  34  in conjunction with the support provided to it by the horizontal support member  32  acts as a cam to push the picking elements  38  and pivot them about the pivots  54  in the blocks  60  to a position where they are located close to or adjacent the picking member wheels  37  on which they are mounted. Thus, the picking elements  38  pass by on opposite sides of the plant  18 , and on opposite sides of the shroud  34 . This allows the plant  18  to pass, untouched, beneath the rotating wheel sets  36 ,  37  (four of which are shown operated in two pairs in the embodiment of FIG.  4 ). 
     When the plant  18  reaches the position of the transverse axle  23 , the arcuate picking elements  38  pivot to a picking position into the space between the facing picking member wheels  37 . To accomplish this, a bend  51  in the end of the element  38  is inserted through a hole  50  in the channel of the picking member wheel  37  (as shown most clearly in FIGS.  7  through  11 ). An extension  52  on the end of each element  38  is located on the opposite side of the hole  50 , and extends from the bend  51  to extend outwardly from the picking member wheel  37  when the picking elements  38  are moved by the cam surface at the top of the shroud  34  to the position described above. 
     As the picking member wheel  37  moves around to the point substantially directly beneath the shaft  23 , a cam channel comprised of an extension  70  and an elongated channel  71 , fixed to the bottom of the frame of the machine, engages the end  52  of the picking element  38 , as illustrated in FIGS. 9,  10  and  11 , to rotate the picking element  38  about the bend  51  in the hole  50  to extend the element  38  into the space between adjacent picking member wheels  37  (as illustrated most clearly in FIG.  11 ). This causes the picking element  38  to sweep upwardly over the plant  18 , as shown in FIG. 11, to remove crop from the plant in substantially the same manner as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,093, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
     It should be noted that picking elements  38  on the facing pairs of picking member wheels  37  are each spaced at 90° intervals on each of the picking wheels  97 , but that the opposing picking member wheels  37  have the picking elements  38  offset from one another by 45°; so that the plant first is swept upwardly by the picking element  38  on one picking member  37 , and then by the picking element  38  on the picking member  37  on the opposite side, to remove crop from the plant  18 . 
     The rotational speed of the picking member wheels  37  is selected in conjunction with the forward speed of the machine  20  as it is moved over the ground; so that one or two complete revolutions of the picking member wheel sets  37  occur for each plant  18  to thoroughly strip the crop from the plant as the machine moves down the row. This generally amounts to approximately 30 or 40 revolutions per minute of the shaft  23 . This speed of operation can be adjusted in accordance with the particular parameters of the crop which is being harvested. 
     Once the picking member wheels  37  are rotated a sufficient distance to effect a sweeping of the plant by the picking elements  38 , the guide channel  71  terminates to again allow free pivoting of the picking elements  38 . Thus, as the elements  38  move upwardly and over the top portion of the machine to once again move downwardly, they are free to rotate when the picking elements  38  once again strike the cam shroud  34  to resume a new cycle of operation. 
     To recover the crop which is removed by the arcuate picking elements  38 , the paddles  41  are located in the space between the wheels  36  and the picking member wheels  37  at the guide channel  71 . The bottom  72  of the machine in this area, on which the guide channel  71  is mounted, is solid; and the wheel sets  36 / 37  rotate adjacent this solid bottom or curved base  72 . The flexible paddles  41  sweep across this location; and crop which is stripped off of the plants  18  falls onto the surface  72  and is pushed by the rotating paddles  71 , which then sweep the crop onto a conveyor  42 , shown in FIG.  3 . Four conveyors  42  are used, as shown most clearly in FIG. 4, one located adjacent each of the picking wheel members  37 . Thus, a pair of conveyors  42 , along with the associated pairs of paddle wheel crop removing devices  36 ,  37 ,  40  and  41 , remove the crop falling on either side of each row of plants. 
     In the space  80  (FIG. 11) between each pair of picking wheel members  37  used in the machine shown in the drawings, there typically is provided a flexible slotted plastic sheet (not shown); so that the stems of the plants  18  extend upwardly through the slot, which underlies the rest of the plant. This plastic slotted extension may be of any suitable type; and it is used to catch any crop which is not thrown into the area swept by the paddles  41 . Not very much crop should fall into this area, since the arcuate picking elements  38  tend to throw the crop off to the side, as indicated in FIG.  11 . 
     Once the crop is moved by the conveyor  42  toward the rear of the machine, it then may be dumped into a transverse conveyor (not shown) for deposition on either side of the machine. As is illustrated in FIG. 1, however, the crop also may be moved from the end of the conveyor  42  into a bin  44 , and from there, by means of any suitable conveyor or elevator into a storage bin  32  at the back of the tractor  26 . The manner in which the crop is removed from the harvesting machine at the end of the conveyor  42 , however, is not important; and any suitable combination of conveyors or other mechanisms may be employed to remove the crop from the machine as the harvesting is effected. 
     The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention is to be considered as illustrative and not as limiting. Various other changes and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art for performing substantially the same function, in substantially the same way, to achieve substantially the same result, without departing from the true scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.