Vegetable harvester

An apparatus for harvesting vegetables having appendages such as top foliage which can be blown erect by a flow of air, as for example onions, and which appendages must be removed, said apparatus comprising:

• conveyor means comprising at least two conveyor flights, at least a first of said flights being mounted on a frame which is pivotally mounted at the front of the apparatus and extends toward the ground, said first flight including at least one digger chain which, when said frame is pivoted so its lower end contacts the ground, is adapted to unearth vegetables and convey said vegetables to a second flight, said first flight being short relative to said conveyor means and extending toward the ground at a relatively shallow angle to facilitate digging vegetables;
• said first flight beginning at a ground engaging digger end and continuing to a delivery end;
• said first flight conveyor including a delivery end adapted to unload objects carried on said conveyor;
• said second flight extending relatively steeply upwardly from a point generally adjacent said delivery end of said first flight whereby vegetables conveyed to said second flight are elevated rapidly and relatively large wheel means can be mounted on said apparatus directly behind said second flight to facilitate easy movement of said apparatus over the ground;
• motive means for supporting and moving said apparatus on and across a field;
• said first and second conveyor flights being at least as wide as and extending forwardly of said motive means so that said motive means follows said first and second conveyor flights on ground out of which vegetables have been extracted;
• said conveyor means passing under an opening through which air continuously flows in first and second adjacent flow zones;
• vacuum means to generate a continuous flow of air in said first and second air flow zones comprising a single source of vacuum for generating a flow of air both in said first air flow zone and in said second air flow zone, said flow of air in said second air flow zone being of sufficient force to lift vegetables off said conveyor means;
• a deflector baffle positioned below said conveyor means at said first air flow zone to reduce the flow of air generated by said vacuum means and thereby prevent vegetables from being drawn upwardly off said conveyor means and through said first air flow zone, but allowing sufficient flow to cause the appendages to stand erect;
• said first air flow zone being free of impediments for a distance sufficient to allow the appendages of the vegetables to stand erect;
• register means located in said second air flow zone, said register means including bottom surfaces and openings opening toward the direction from which said conveyor means is traveling, and being at a level adapted to receive the erect appendages of the vegetable, whereby the erect appendages of vegetables on said conveyor means are received in said openings in said register means;
• cutting means generally adjacent said register means for cutting said erect appendages of said vegetables when they are drawn by said vacuum means into contact with said bottom surfaces of register means whereby the appendages will be removed and said vegetables will fall back onto said conveyor means for conveyance away from said first and second air flow zones;
• said vacuum means including a blower with an impeller and an impeller housing therefor, said housing including an inlet and an outlet;
• said impeller housing including an endless conveyor belt substantially surrounding said impeller and the path of said belt extending from the interior of said housing to said outlet and back again, whereby dirt and appendage cuttings not blown out by said impeller are conveyed from the interior of said impeller housing to the exterior thereof and are prevented from clogging said housing, outlet and impeller.

An apparatus for removing appendages such as top foliage from vegetables, as for example onions, said apparatus comprising:

• means for conveying vegatables under an opening through which air continuously flows in first and second adjacent air flow zones;
• means for generating sufficient continuous air flow in said first air flow zone to cause the appendages of said vegetables to be blown upwardly into a generally erect condition;
• said first air flow zone being free of impediments for a distance sufficient to allow the appendages of the vegetables to stand erect;
• register means located in said second air flow zone, said register means including bottom surfaces and openings opening toward the direction from which said conveyor means is traveling, and being at a level adapted to receive the erect appendages of the vegetable, whereby the erect appendages of vegetables on said conveyor means are received in said openings in said register means;
• means for generating an increased continuous air flow in said second air flow zone which is sufficient to lift said vegetables upwardly from said conveyor means and into contact with said bottom surfaces of said register means;
• cutting means generally adjacent said register means for cutting said erect appendages of said vegetables when they are contact with said register means whereby the appendages will be removed and said vegetables will fall back onto said conveyor means for conveyance away from said first and second air flow zones.

An apparatus for removing appendages from vegetables, such as onions with roots and the like, comprising:

• an appendage cutting bed including a plurality of generally parallel bars movable together in a common direction and oriented generally transversely to their direction of movement;
• appendage cutting means positioned adjacent said bars;
• means for moving said bars across said appendage cutting means;
• a plurality of depending fingers oscillating back and forth in a direction generally transverse to the direction of movement of said parallel bars whereby said fingers engage the vegetables and roll them from side to side to thereby cause the roots to fall between said bars;
• and means for rotating said bars as they are moved across said bed whereby vegetables are continuously being turned until their appendages fall between said bars.

A process for topping vegetables having appendages such as top foliage to be cut from the vegetable, including:

• providing an opening through which air can flow, said opening being sufficiently large that a plurality of said vegetables can be moved across said opening simultaneously;
• moving the vegetables in a direction of travel past said opening;
• providing a continuous flow of air through said opening through a first air flow zone beginning where vegetables first enter said opening and a second air flow zone after said first air flow zone in the direction of travel of said vegetables;
• creating in said first air flow zone a first continuous current of air having a velocity sufficient to cause said appendages to be blown into a position generally parallel to said first current;
• creating in said second air flow zone a second continuous current of air adjacent and parallel to said first current, said second current having a velocity sufficient to lift said vegetables;
• positioning cutting means in the path of said second current and moving said vegetables through said first and second currents, whereby said first current will cause said apppendages to stand erect and second current will move said vegetables against said cutting means which will cut the foliage oriented parallel to said second current by said first current.