Other

Donald Windemuller

Wayne A Vogel

A straddle-type, self-propelled crop harvesting machine having an inverted U-shaped frame for passing over a row of crop bearing bushes. The frame has a longitudinal opening through which the row of crop bearing bushes pass and into which depend a pair of spaced, freely rotatable picking members. Each picking member is supported from a subframe which is pivotally attached to the main frame of the harvesting machine. Each subframe is supported on an air bag which can be used to set the initial height of the picking assembly and which also tends to isolate vibration from the main frame of the harvesting machine. A bearing assembly depends from the subframe and supports a housing in which two rotatable eccentric weights are mounted. The weights rotate in a vertical plane in phase but in opposite directions so that the weights pass at the top and bottom of each rotation and impart a vertical force to the housing. The weights are horizontally spaced from one another which imparts a horizontal twist to the housing as the weights extend outwardly in opposite directions. An elongated shaft depends from the housing and supports a plurality of spaced tiers of elongated fingers which can penetrate deeply into each bush. The sum of the vertical and horizontal forces imparted to each housing by the rotating eccentric weights is imparted to the depending shaft and picking fingers. The picking fingers undergo a complex motion which enables each picking finger to apply both a vertical and a horizontal force to each branch of a bush to gently harvest the crop.

Blueberry picking machine

A blueberry picking machine having a supporting frame from which two brush-like bush contacting members depend. The brush-like bush contacting members rotate freely when they contact a bush. Each bush contacting member is reciprocated vertically by an end driver unit containing counter-rotating weights rotating in a vertical plane to enable each brush-like member to dislodge ripened fruit from each branch contacted. The ripened fruit falls onto a plurality of movable catcher pans from which the fruit can travel to a continuous conveyor belt on each side which carry the fruit to the rear of the machine. A source of air supplies a large volume of air under the catcher pans and also blows air through the conveyor belts to clean the picked fruit. Secondary air sources are provided for blowing additional air through the conveyor belts to further clean the picked fruit.

A harvesting machine having a self-propelled substantially U-shaped frame which can straddle a row of blueberry bushes. A collection surface is provided within the machine made up of a plurality of pivotally mounted overlapping catcher pans which extend inwardly toward the center of the machine from each side. A blueberry bush when in the machine forms an opening in the catcher pans about the upwardly and outwardly extending branches of the bush. A large volume of air is directed from each side of the harvesting machine under the catcher pans forming the collection surface and upwardly through the opening in the collection surface into the blueberry bush. The fountain of air into the blueberry bush diverts to the sides of the machine for harvesting those berries that might have fallen through the opening in the collection surface to the ground.

Growing community of inventors

Holland, MI, United States of America

Donald Windemuller