VEGETABLE HARVESTING APPARATUS Russian patent published in 2006 - IPC A01D45/00 

FIELD: agricultural engineering, in particular, equipment for harvesting of vegetables of nightshade crops, such as tomatoes, sweet pepper and eggplants.

SUBSTANCE: apparatus has fruit separator, stem lifters with conical working surface, and fruit discharge conveyors arranged at both sides of fruit separator. Working surface of stem lifters is provided with helical recess extending through the entire length thereof, said recess having trapezium-shaped section. Pitch of helical recess pitch is defined from expression: S = 60 V/n, where S is helical recess pitch, V is progressive velocity of apparatus, n is rotational velocity of stem lifters. Inclination angle of helical recess with relation to longitudinal axis of stem lifter is defined from expression: where β is helical recess inclination angle in relation to longitudinal axis of stem lifters, φ is friction angle of plants against working surface of stem lifters, V_cir is circumferential velocity within considered cross section of stem lifters, V is progressive velocity of apparatus. Fruit discharge conveyors are closed with flexible sectioned shields, with sections of said shield being fixed in cantilevered manner.

EFFECT: reduced yield losses during harvesting of crops.

7 dwg