Patent ID: 7748206

Claim:
A fruit harvester, comprising: a movable frame; harvesting apparatus supported on the frame for movement therewith and configured for straddling fruit bearing plants, the harvesting apparatus including at least one flexing member disposed so as to be located beside the fruit bearing plants straddled by the harvesting apparatus, and a drive supported on the frame and controllably operable and configured for drivingly moving the at least one movable member relative to the frame for exerting forces against the plants straddled by the harvesting apparatus for releasing at least some of the fruit therefrom; a sensor supported on the frame and configured so as to automatically sense presence of an upstanding rigid object when about to be or when initially straddled by the harvesting apparatus, and in cooperation with the drive to responsively automatically cause a change in the movement of the flexing member in a manner so as to reduce any forces exerted thereby only as the rigid object is straddled by a predetermined portion of the harvesting apparatus, wherein the predetermined portion of the harvesting apparatus includes a region of maximum flexure of the flexing member; and a controller connected to the sensor and the drive, and a speed device connected to the controller and operable for determining a speed of movement of the frame, wherein the controller configured to calculate the time period for the object to travel the distance from the sensor to the region of maximum flexure based on the speed of movement of the frame, the controller being configured and operable for altering the operation of the drive for reducing the forces exerted by the flexing member responsive to the sensing of the presence of the rigid object for a period of time sufficient for movement of the region of maximum flexure of the flexing member past the object.