Harvesting machine

A harvesting machine comprising a mobile support, a vertically extending housing means mounted on said support, said housing means including a laterally extending vertical air chamber having a vertically extending inner wall, laterally convergent vertical side walls extending from the side edges of said inner wall, and a laterally directed vertical discharge passage merging with said laterally convergent side walls, said housing means further including air blower means communicatively connected with said vertical air chamber through said inner wall, spaced air-guiding members movably mounted in said discharge passage in a vertical array, and means to simultaneously move said air-guiding members in a manner to provide periodic intermittent laterally directed air blasts at the various levels of said vertical discharge passage, whereby to deflect the limbs of a tree as the machine is moved past the tree in proximity thereto and to cause fruit on said limbs to become detached from the limbs, wherein said laterally directed vertical discharge passage has parallel passage-defining walls, wherein said air-guiding members are rotatably mounted between said passage-defining walls, wherein the air guiding members are mounted on horizontal axes of rotation, wherein said air-guiding members comprise vertically spaced louvers, wherein the means to simultaneously move said air-guiding members comprises means to periodically oscillate the louvers, and wherein said louvers have inner portions which flare inwardly in width and wherein the inwardly flaring louver portions are received between the laterally convergent side walls of the air chamber.

A harvesting machine comprising a mobile support, vertically extending housing means mounted on said support, said housing means including a laterally extending vertical air chamber having a vertically extending inner wall, laterally convergent vertical side walls extending from the side edges of said inner wall, and a laterally directed vertical discharge passage merging with said laterally convergent side walls, said housing means further including air blower means communicatively connected with said vertical air chamber through said inner wall, spaced air-guiding members movably mounted in said discharge passage in a vertical array, and means to simultaneously move said air-guiding members in a manner to provide periodic intermittent laterally directed air blasts at the various levels of said vertical discharge passage, whereby to deflect the limbs of a tree as the machine is moved past the tree in proximity thereto and to cause fruit on said limbs to become detached from the limbs, wherein said laterally directed vertical discharge passage has parallel-defining walls, wherein said air-guiding members are rotatably mounted between said passage-defining walls, wherein said air-guiding members are mounted on horizontal axes of rotation, wherein said air-guiding members comprise vertically spaced louvers, wherein the means to simultaneously move said air-guiding members comprises means to periodically oscillate the louvers, and wherein the louvers are outwardly tapered in cross-sectional shape at their outer end portions.

A harvesting machine comprising a mobile support, vertically extending housing means mounted on said support, said housing means including a laterally extending vertical air chamber having a vertically extending inner wall, laterally convergent vertical side walls extending from the side edges of said inner wall, and a laterally directed vertical discharge passage merging with said laterally convergent side walls, said housing means further including air blower means communicatively connected with said vertical air chamber through said inner wall, spaced air-guiding members movably mounted in said discharge passage in a vertical array, and means to simultaneously move said air-guiding members in a manner to provide periodic intermittent laterally directed air blasts at the various levels of said vertical discharge passage, whereby to deflect the limbs of a tree as the machine is moved past the tree in proximity thereto and to cause fruit on said limbs to become detached from the limbs, and wherein said laterally directed discharge passage has an outer end wall provided with vertically spaced apertures and said air-guiding members comprise apertured hollow drum members mounted for vertical rotation inwardly adjacent said outer end wall with the apertures of the drum members angularly spaced relative to each other, sadi drum members being provided with a common axial vertical rotary supporting shaft, and wherein the means to move the air-guiding members comprises means to rotate said vertical supporting shaft.