The present invention relates in general to an apparatus and method for loading harvested crops into containers. It more particularly relates to such apparatus and method of loading harvested crops into individual containers being transported on vehicle means.
There is no admission that the background art disclosed in this section legally constitutes prior art.
In the past, harvesting support vehicles have been provided that trail behind crop harvesters for transporting the harvested crops in individual containers. These harvesting support vehicles may be self propelled or pulled by the harvester, and are staffed with personnel who take empty containers and cause them to be filled with the crops being harvested. After the containers are filled, the personnel stack the filled containers onto pallets which are then moved to a pallet storage area at the back of the harvesting support vehicle for later unloading at a processing location.
The following is a brief description of the drawings:
A method and apparatus as disclosed relate to a harvested crop loading apparatus and method for loading individual containers on vehicle means with harvested crops such as green onions, spinach, baby leaf vegetables, and other. The method and apparatus includes multiple stations including a receiving station, a loading station, and a stacking station on the vehicle means. A conveyor system interconnects at least certain ones of the stations, such as the receiving station, the loading station and the stacking station to translate the containers disposed along at least one predetermined path of travel on the vehicle means.
According to one disclosed embodiment of the invention, a method of continually loading harvested crops into individual containers on a harvesting support vehicle means is provided. The method includes continually translating seriatim denested empty containers arranged in a series along a predetermined path of travel on the vehicle means to a loading station on the vehicle means. The method further includes continually loading containers with the harvested crops at the loading station and continually translating the loaded seriatim containers from the loading station to a stacking station on the harvesting support vehicle means along the predetermined path of travel where the loaded containers are continually stacked seriatim onto the harvesting support vehicle means.
Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to
According to the disclosed example, the harvesting support vehicle 10 may be self propelled and adapted to follow the harvester 12. The vehicle 10 may be capable of loading crops harvested at a high speed from harvester 12 into a plurality of containers.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the harvester support vehicle 10 may be coupled to the harvester 12 through a hitch 41 or other vehicle connection apparatus. The harvester support vehicle 10 may also include an empty container storage device 40 for storing nested empty containers 45.
The harvesting support vehicle 10 includes a receiving station shown generally indicated at 15. In operation, the receiving station 15 continually receives seriatim individual denested empty containers such as a container 60, along a pre-determined path of travel on a continuous longitudinal conveyor system 16 (
In this regard, empty open top containers are denested manually or by means (not shown), and translated manually or by conveyor means (not shown), to the conveyor system 16 at the receiving station 15. The conveyor system 16, as well as the conveyor system 19, may be a belt system, a roller system, a chain system or other.
With reference to
With reference to
With reference to
Considering now the receiving station in more detail and with reference to
Considering the loading station 20 in more detail and with reference to
The filled container 75 continues to travel over a predetermined path on the continuing conveyor system 19 to a translation station 85 where a loaded container such as container 80 containing crops is translated to the stacking station shown generally at 25. The translation station 85 may either be a mechanical system or means (not shown), or include personnel who that perform the translation operation manually.
Considering now the stacking station 25 in more detail with reference to
After the pallet 95 is filled with stacked loaded containers such as the stack 90, a full pallet 100 of stacks of loaded containers, as shown generally at 105, is placed onto a pallet and container storage conveyor system 35. The conveyor 35 may be similar to the conveyors 16, 19, 21 and 42, and it is presently contemplated to be a pair of chain drives 36 and 37. The full pallet 100 containing a plurality of stacks of loaded containers 105, is then translated rearwardly via a pallet and container conveyor system 35 in the direction shown by the arrow 110 in
After the pallet and container storage area 35 is filled with full pallets of filled containers, the harvester support vehicle may then be separated from the harvester 12, and then transferred to a crop processing location (not shown) under its own power or pulled by a tractor or other vehicle (not shown).
In the disclosed embodiment, the harvester support vehicle 10 may be releaseably attached to a the harvester 12 at 41 (
After the support vehicle 10 is removed, it may then be replaced by another like support vehicle (not shown) and coupled to the harvester 12 or the harvester support vehicle means 10.
With reference to
In preparation for a harvesting operation, empty pallets 125 are translated to pallets staging area 145 as best shown in
In another embodiment of the present invention with reference to
With reference to
After the empty containers are filled with harvested crops, the containers filled with harvested crops such as a filled container 532 are continually translated seriatim from the loading station 530 rearwardly to a translation station 535. The translation station 535 receives filled containers such as the filled container 532, which are then translated to a container stacking apparatus 540 by moving transversely through a “U” turn translation operation. The “U” turn translation may be performed using a mechanical apparatus (not shown) or through a manual process utilizing human operators.
With reference to
Filled container stacks such as filled container stacks 545 and 550 are stored in a filled container stack staging area 555 as best shown in
After the pallet and container storage area 570 is filled with a plurality of pallets each containing a plurality of filled container stacks, the harvester support vehicle 500 may be disconnected from the harvester 512 and transported to a food processing plant or other location for subsequent processing (not shown) either under its own power or pulled by a tractor. In this disclosed embodiment, the container stacking apparatus 540 and the loading station 530 are disposed on the harvester 512, but it is to be understood that these components may also be disposed on the support vehicle 500.
Considering now the receiving station 515, in more detail and in reference to
The nested empty container stacks such as the stacks 575 and 576, are disposed on the pallet and container storage are in alternating orientations of 180 degrees. For example, stack 575 may have an orientation about its vertical axis of zero degrees and stack 576 may have an orientation of 180 degrees about its vertical axis relative to the stack 575. In this configuration, as containers are denested as discussed below, adjacent containers will alternate in orientation so that they may be easily stacked and will not nest after being filled with crops.
In operation, the nested empty container stacks such as nested empty container stack 576 may be translated two stacks at a time to the receiving station 515 via a walking beam 580. After the pair of stacks of the nested empty containers are translated to the receiving station 515 they are then individually denested by means of a denesting apparatus 585. Denesting apparatus such as a denester bracket 587 may include a mechanical system to denest individual containers or may include a manual worker to denest the containers.
The denesting apparatus 515 may receive two stacks of nested empty containers, each stack having an opposite orientation about its vertical axis as described hereinbefore. The individual containers are denested one at a time from the bottom of the stacks. They are denested by alternating between the two stacks of orientation such that adjacent denested containers exiting the denesting apparatus alternate in orientation by 180 degrees to facilitate the subsequent stacking operation.
After individual containers are denested, a plurality of denested empty containers, such as denested empty container 525, are continually translated seriatim via the transverse container conveyor 590.
Considering now the loading station 530 in more detail and in reference to
In operation, crops dispensed by the crop dispensing unit 531 are disposed onto the upper transverse crop conveyor 595 and translated across the loading station 530 by the transverse crop conveyor 595. Simultaneously, a plurality of denested empty containers having open tops such as denested empty container 527 pass underneath the transverse crop conveyor 595 on the continuous conveyor system 536. As the crops disposed on the crop conveyor 595 reach the termination end 596, the crops fall into the open-top denested empty containers passing thereunder such as container 527. In this fashion, the denested empty containers are filled such as the filled container 532. The containers are thus filled with crops dispensed by the crop dispensing units, such as unit 531 that were freshly harvested by the harvester 512.
Considering now the translation station 535 in more detail and with reference to
Considering now the container stacking apparatus 540 in more detail and with reference to
The container stacking apparatus includes a container infeed area shown generally at 605 for receiving filled containers such as filled container 600. The container stacking apparatus 540 further includes a series of grippers such as gripper 610 and 615 mechanically coupled to and spaced along a chain drive system shown diagrammatically at 650. The system 650 includes a chain 651, which is shown in part in
The apparatus 540 picks up one container after another and lifts them upwardly and then downwardly onto the top of the previous container. The motion of the apparatus is similar to a conventional “Ferris Wheel” amusement ride.
In operation, filled denested containers travel along a pre-determined path within the container stacking apparatus 540 held by the grippers and moved by the chain drive system 650. In particular, as a filled denested container 600 enters the container infeed area 605, it is gripped by grippers 610 and 615. The grippers that are being moved by the chain drive system 650 serve to raise the filled denested container 600 in an upward direction until it is proximate to the upper end of the frame 542 of the container stacking apparatus 540. At this point, the filled container such as the container 600 is translated horizontally to the top portion of the container stacking location or station shown generally at 630 which is generally located at least partially within the frame 542.
The filled container such as filled denested container 625 is then lowered into the container stacking station 630 such that the filled container 625 is placed seriatim on top of other filled and stacked containers such as 635, 640, and 645 that were previously lowered and stacked by the container stacking apparatus 540. After thus stacking, the container is released.
When a predetermined quantity of filled containers are stacked vertically in the container stacking location 630, such as eight, the stack of containers may be removed from the container stacking location 630 so that another stack of filled denested containers may be stacked in the container stacking location 630. The stack of filled containers in the container stacking location 630 is generally removed manually or may otherwise be removed by a mechanical apparatus (not shown). After the stack of filled containers are removed from the container stacking location 630 another stack of filled containers are then stacked in the container stacking location 630 in a continuous operation.
The container stacking apparatus 540 includes an extendable upright frame or structure 542, which supports the chain drive and which has the capability of elongating in the vertical direction through a telescoping mechanical apparatus. The telescoping mechanical apparatus is driven by piston cylinder assemblies such as hydraulic cylinders including cylinder 543 (
Considering the chain drive system 650 of container stacking apparatus 540 in more detail with reference to
In general, the stacking apparatus 540 includes the upright structure 542 for supporting the chain drive system 650. The container receiving station and the container stacking station are disposed adjacent to one another at the structure 542. The chain drive system 650 has the chain 651 configured in the closed loop and the series of container grippers spaced therealong for grasping individual containers at the receiving station to translate containers upwardly from the receiving station seriatim and then downwardly toward the stacking station to position containers one at a time on top of previous containers to form a vertical stack. The moveably mounted take up sprocket coupled to the chain is adapted to move for adjusting the size of the loop of the chain.
In operation, after a predetermined quantity of containers have been stacked vertically at the stacking station 630, the take up sprocket moves downwardly to increase the effective size of the closed loop, and the structure substantially simultaneously extends vertically to accommodate the increased size of the chain loop for creating a longer translation path to increase dwell time for providing sufficient time to remove a completed stack of containers disposed at the stacking station from the structure before starting a new stack. Once the stack is removed from the stacking station and in order to return to normal operation, the take up sprockets return to their normal position as the structure retracts to its normal shorter size. Thus, sufficient tension is maintained on the chain 651 at all times.
With reference to
To increase the dwell time between the last filled container to be stacked in the container stacking location 630 and the first container to be placed in the container stacking location 630 for a subsequent stack that is to be created, the take up wheel 655 and 660 begins to descend down the frame of the container stacking apparatus 540 after the last container of the current stack is stacked within the container stacking location 630.
When the take up wheels descend the effect is to create slack in the chain 650 (see
After the stack of filled denested containers in the container stacking location 630 is removed, the frame 542 is retracted back into its normal operating position and take-up wheels 655 and 660 then return upwardly into their normal operating positions, thereby shortening the dwell time to provide speedy and efficient stacking of the filled containers in the container stacking location 630. This process continually repeats so long as filled containers are fed into the container stacking apparatus 540.
With reference to
The pallet and container storage device 570 is designed to receive a plurality of pallets each containing a plurality of filled container stacks as described for the previous embodiment heretofore. The pallet and container storage device 570 of the first or second embodiment may contain an awning or overhead covering 665 for shading purposes.
After the vehicle 500 is filled with a plurality of pallets each containing a plurality of filled container stacks, the vehicle 500 may be disconnected from the harvester 512 and driven or otherwise pulled to a crop processing area (not shown) and another support vehicle attached thereto containing empty pallets and containers for subsequent filling.
In another embodiment of the present invention the complete vehicle means having the pallet and container storage 570 attached thereto may be disconnected from the harvester 512 and driven under its own power to a location to further process the crops (not shown).
While the present embodiments of the invention is disclosed herein have been particularly shown and described with reference to particular embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention.