New Holland North America, Inc.

New Holland Braud S.a.

Jean-Paul Marcel Martin

Daniel Henri Le Neve

Luc Camiel Dupon

Louis J-b Pambrun

Louis Jean-Baptiste Pambrun

Jean-Louis Vigneau

Nathalie Gorretta

Dominique Clanet

Jean-Francedillaois Bonicel

A method and apparatus for harvesting fruit determines the proportion of fruit in a mixture of products containing fruit and bodies foreign to the fruit by capturing at least one initial image of a surface of the mixture to be examined. The device then assigns to each image pixel of one of two extreme grey levels according to the initial grey level of the pixel relative to a set threshold and then records the number of pixels of at least one extreme grey level to determine a area ratio between areas occupied by fruit and foreign bodies in the image. The invention has particular application to the harvesting of fruit, berries and the like produced on trees or bushes grown in rows to use the calculated proportion of fruit to adapt at least one of the functioning parameters of the machine.

Method and apparatus for harvesting crop material

A utility vehicle, such as a grape harvester (1), comprises a straddling frame (2), supported at its front and rear ends by double-acting hydraulic cylinders (17, 18 and 23, 24), which can be extended or retracted for levelling the frame (2). During horizontal or uphill travel, the rear cylinders (23, 24) are blocked for providing the vehicle (1) with a fixed rear axle (55), while the front cylinders (16, 17) are hydraulically interconnected in order to let them extend or retract in opposition to each other for providing the vehicle (1) with an oscillating front axle (56). During downhill travel the front cylinders (17, 18) are blocked for fixing said front axle (56) to the frame (2) and the rear cylinders (23, 24) are hydraulically interconnected for letting the rear axle (55) oscillate to the frame (2). The rear and front oscillation is controlled by an inclination sensor (91). This control system on the one hand provides improved stability to the vehicle (1) when working on sloping ground and on the other hand ensures full ground contact for all wheels.

Suspension means for a utility vehicle

A machine for harvesting fruits, berries and the like, from fruit trees and bushes planted in rows, the machine comprising a straddling chassis capable of moving across a field, a shaker assembly mounted on the chassis and including at least one pair of elongated shaker members which extend generally in the longitudinal direction of the machine and which are spaced transversely from one another and situated respectively on opposite sides of the central fore-and-aft axis of the machine so as to define an active shaking zone. Each shaker member is formed by a rod of flexible material. The machine further comprises a control mechanism operatively connected to the rods to drive them synchronously with a reciprocating motion in a direction extending transversely relative to said fore-and-aft axis. Each rod comprises an internal cavity in the form of a cylindrical bore extending the full length of the rod in a manner such that the weight of the rod is reduced considerably while having only little influence on the rigidity of the rod whereby the resonance frequency of the rod is increased.

Shaker members for grape harvester

A utility vehicle, such as a grape harvester (1) comprising a straddling frame (2), supported at its front and rear ends by double-acting hydraulic cylinders (17, 18 and 23, 24), which can be extended or retracted in order to level the frame (2). The rear cylinders (23, 24) are normally blocked for providing the vehicle (1) with a fixed rear axle (55), while the front cylinders (16, 17) are hydraulically interconnected in order to let them extend or retract in opposition to each other for providing the vehicle (1) with an articulated axle (56). The hydraulic cylinders (17, 18, 23, 24) are governed by two control valves (38, 39) which enable lifting, lowering and sideways levelling of the frame (2). During levelling operations, the hydraulic connection between the front cylinders (16, 17) is automatically broken by a control valve (65) in order to enhance the stability of the vehicle (1). This is particularly advantageous when the vehicle (1) is levelled during downhill travel.

Growing community of inventors

Le Fenouiller, France

Jean-Paul Marcel Martin