Patent ID: 7062897

Claim:
A gathering and picking device for standing plants having useful parts comprising: a picking gap defined by a stripper plate, the picking gap comprising an inlet portion for receiving standing plants and having a first side and a second side opposite the first side; a gathering element is mounted for rotation on the first side of the picking gap and is rotated about a predominantly vertical axis, the gathering element is provided with elongated carrier elements that are designed to grasp the standing plants as the gathering and picking device is being operated, the gathering element having a first operating envelope; a conveying element comprises a series of teeth radially projecting from a generally circular core to a lesser radial extent than the elongated carrier elements and cooperates with the gathering element to introduce the standing plants into the picking gap, the conveying element is mounted for rotation on the second side of the picking gap upstream of the inlet portion of the picking gap, to convey the standing plants over at least part of the length of the picking gap, the conveying element is rotated about a predominantly vertical axis, the conveying element having a second operating envelope partially overlapping with the first operating envelope; and a picking unit is operated to convey the standing plants downward through the picking gap so the useful parts of the standing plants are separated from the standing plants by the stripper plate.