US 5,421,147 A · Nut harvester

Abstract

A nut harvester includes a frame drawn by a tractor over nut and debris windrows on the ground of a nut orchard. The nut harvester collects the nuts from the windrows and separates the debris collected therewith while minimizing the dust emissions and airborne pollutants generated by the nut harvester. The nut harvester includes three primary sections: a pick-up section, a stationary grid section, and a conveyor/fan section. The pick-up section includes finger assemblies which engage the ground to propel the nuts and debris forwardly and upwardly into a rotating feed reel which in turn deposits the nuts onto a stationary grid. The stationary grid includes a number of parallel bars which are spaced to prevent the nuts from falling therebetween. Wipers extend transversely across the grid and advance the nuts therealong. The wipers include downwardly projecting teeth which are inserted between the bars to separate dirt clumps, sand-like soil and other debris for return directly to the ground, thereby minimizing dust emissions. The nuts and debris are then deposited onto a perforate conveyor through which an air stream created by a centrifugal fan separates the remaining debris from the nuts. The air stream and entrained debris are directed to a fan housing to circulate therein with the centrifugal fan. The heavier debris is partitioned off from the lighter debris and enters a scoop section due to the variation in centrifugal force associated with each portion of the debris. Heavier debris is returned directly to the ground through an air-lock at the terminal end of the scoop section; whereas, the lighter debris is discharged to the atmosphere with the air stream. As a result, the nut harvester deposits both the dirt and heavier debris directly to the ground thereby minimizing the dust emissions and airborne pollutants created in the harvesting process.

Claims30

Dependent claims

An apparatus for harvesting nuts located on the ground and for separating debris collected therewith, the apparatus comprising:

a perforate conveyor having an upper run moving in a first direction, the collected debris and nuts being positioned atop said conveyor on said upper run;
a fan having a plurality of radially extending and rotating fan blades, said fan also having a first and second discharge port;
an airflow channel directing a stream of air generated by said fan upwardly through said upper run to thereby separate the debris from the nuts, the nuts returning by gravity to the upper run for continued movement thereon and the debris being entrained within said air stream;
and
a debris partitioning device to separate the debris being airborne within said air stream into lighter debris and heavier debris, said partitioning device comprising a generally circular fan housing in which said fan blades rotate to thereby generate said air stream and a circulator for said lighter and heavier debris within said fan housing to intermingle said lighter and heavier debris with said fan blades, said heavier debris being forced toward an outer radial region of said fan blades and away from a center of said fan due to centrifugal forces of the rotation of said heavier debris within said fan housing, said lighter debris being maintained more radially inward on said fan blades in comparison to said heavier debris due to less centrifugal force being associated with said lighter debris, said air stream carrying said lighter debris through said partitioning device and out of the nut harvesting apparatus and to the atmosphere through said first discharge port, said air stream carrying said heavier debris through said partitioning device and out through said second discharge port for return to the ground.

2 more elements

An apparatus for harvesting nuts located on the ground and for separating debris collected therewith, the apparatus comprising:

a grid having a plurality of generally parallel spaced bars and defining a plane, the nuts and debris being deposited atop said grid, said bars being spaced to prevent the nuts from passing therebetween;
a plurality of wipers extending transversely across said grid generally perpendicular to said bars, each said wiper having a plurality of teeth which project into said grid, between said bars and intersect said grid plane, and a translator to move said wipers across said grid to thereby advance the nuts atop said grid and force the debris through said grid and between said bars for return to the ground to thereby separate the nuts from the debris returned to the ground.

An apparatus for harvesting nuts located on the ground and for separating debris collected therewith, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of wipers extending transversely with respect to the direction of movement of the nut harvesting apparatus, each said wiper including a plurality of ground engaging finger assemblies, said wipers moving in a path, a lower portion of said path being in close proximity to the ground enabling said finger assemblies to engage the ground and thereby propel the nuts and debris forwardly and upwardly into a feed reel positioned in advance of said path of said wipers;
said feed reel having a plurality of radially extending and rotating flights of prongs onto which the nuts and debris are propelled, said feed reel rotating in a direction opposite to the movement of said wipers, said feed reel in turn depositing the nuts and debris onto an upper portion of said path of said wipers;
a grid having a plurality of generally parallel spaced bars and defining a plane, the nuts and debris being deposited atop said grid by said feed reel, said grid being positioned below said upper path of said wipers, said bars being spaced to prevent the nuts from passing therebetween, said wipers extending transversely across said grid generally perpendicular to said bars;
a plurality of teeth on each said wiper which project into said grid, between said bars and intersect said grid plane, a translator to move said wipers across said grid in said upper portion of said path to thereby advance the nuts atop said grid and force a portion of the debris through said grid and between said bars for return to the ground to thereby separate the nuts from said portion of debris returned to the ground;
a perforate conveyor having an upper run moving in a first direction generally parallel with the direction of movement of the nut harvesting apparatus, the nuts being deposited atop said conveyor on said upper run by said wipers;
a fan having a plurality of radially extending and rotating fan blades, said fan rotating within a generally circular housing and also having a first and second discharge port;
an airflow channel directing a stream of air generated by said fan upwardly through said upper run to thereby separate the debris from the nuts, the nuts returning by gravity to the upper run for continued movement thereon and the debris being entrained within said air stream;
a debris partitioning device to separate the debris being airborne within said air stream into lighter debris and heavier debris, said partitioning device comprising a circular to intermingle the debris with the fan in said fan housing, said air stream carrying said lighter debris through said partitioning device and out of the nut harvesting apparatus and to the atmosphere through said first discharge port, said air stream carrying said heavier debris through said partitioning device and out through said second discharge port for return to the ground;
and
a bin for collecting the nuts deposited therein by said upper run of said conveyor.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Nut harvester

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Nut harvester

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Abstract

Claims30