University of California

William C Friedel, Jr

Charles F Dietz

Thomas S Bettencourt

Lowell K Marshall

Daniel L Freeman

A tomato harvester sorting system. Tomatoes from a rear cross-conveyor are caried forwardly by a pre-sorting conveyor where workers remove vegetative trash. An electro-mechanical sorter judges the redness or greenness of tomatoes falling from the forward end of the pre-sorting conveyor and impels green tomatoes into a cull chute, while red tomatoes fall on to an elevating conveyor. An after-sorting conveyor receives red tomatoes from the upper end of the elevating conveyor and carries them forward to an output end, while workers remove blemished and overripe fruit. A tiltable, outwardly-moving clod conveyor, being the terminal portion of a conveyor system for clods and loose tomatoes, has a cull chute at its outer end. The clod conveyor is positioned directly over the elevating conveyor. A worker removes good tomatoes from the clod conveyor and places them in the main sorting stream with the red tomatoes.

Tomato harvesting sorting system

A known and commercially available electronic sorter is positioned between the sorting conveyor of a tomato harvester and the front cross-conveyor thereof. This sorter includes a rejector mechanism for rejecting tomatoes of colors other than those corresponding to red-ripeness. A rejection chute receives culls impelled thereinto by the rejector mechanism dropping the rejected fruit on the ground, while accepted fruit falls to a front cross-conveyor. A preparatory mechanism associated with the sorting conveyor impels the tomatoes at a desired trajectory toward the electronic sorter, and preferably includes an elevating flighted conveyor for receiving tomatoes from the sorting conveyor, raising them to a higher level, and then dropping them forwardly on to an intermediate generally level conveyor. The intermediate conveyor is driven at a constant speed regardless of the speeds of all other moving parts of said harvester. A dampening mechanism engages the tomatoes on the intermediate conveyor and brings them to relative rest thereon, so that there is substantially no relative movement between the tomatoes and the intermediate conveyor as they approach the forward end thereof, so that the forward end of said intermediate conveyor thereby impels all tomatoes thereon at the desired trajectory toward the electronic sorter.

Tomato harvesting employing electronic sorting

A tomato harvester with improved maneuverability and versatility. An improved spinner gives better action in wet soil. The driver obtains improved visibility from an improved canopy structure and is given controls that are easier to identify. An improved collecting conveyor affords balance between the two sides. The conveyor system is improved, in many ways, with better transmission between the conveyors and better access to cleaning. An improved output conveyor and drop loader are also provided.

Growing community of inventors

Rio Vista, CA, United States of America

William C Friedel, Jr