Harvesters – Fruit gatherer – Berry strippers
Patent
1984-02-13
1985-06-25
Mancene, Gene
Harvesters
Fruit gatherer
Berry strippers
56328R, 56327R, 56DIG8, 209905, A01D 4600
Patent
active
045245738
ABSTRACT:
There is disclosed a crop harvester for strawberries or other fruits or vegetables including a wheeled vehicle, preferably self propelled, adapted to pass along beds or rows of the crop and having a rotating perforated support element with hollow retractible fingers mounted over its perforations; the peripheral speed of the support element is approximately the same as the vehicle wheels. A fan or other air mover supplies vacuum pressure and positive pressure to ducts connected through the interior of said support element to said fingers; those fingers in a direction to contact the crop are connected to vacuum pressure. Fingers preceding such fingers are connected to positive pressure to eject the collected crop onto a conveyor leading to a collection receptacle. The support element may be in the form of a belt or a cylinder; the fingers are closely spaced and accordion-like and when their open end contacts a berry the finger is retracted and held by vacuum pressure with controllable force sufficient to pull a ripe berry from its stem. An air stream forward of each support element blows laterally on crop foliage to uncover the fruit of the crop.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3275136 (1966-09-01), Allen et al.
patent: 3366236 (1968-01-01), Breazeale
patent: 3460327 (1969-08-01), Johnson et al.
patent: 3460330 (1969-08-01), Black
patent: 3520123 (1970-07-01), Patterson
patent: 3913307 (1975-10-01), Cardinal
patent: 3964245 (1976-06-01), Hecht
No affiliations
Keegan Robert R.
Mancene Gene
Weiss John A.
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