Abstract: A blade assembly for cutting vegetative material includes a rotatable body and a number of inertially deployable blades hingedly affixed to the rotatable body. Each blade is rotatable between a first retracted position and a second extended position, and each blade cooperates with the body to form a capture mechanism preventing detachment of the blade from the body in the event the hinged affixation of the blade fails. The body includes a guide plate positioned between a top cover and a bottom cover. The covers provide hinge points for the blades at desired locations relative to the guide plate. The guide plate may include fixed blades, and blade stops may be implemented to retain each blade in the first retracted position or in a position intermediate the first retracted position and the second extended position.

Abstract: There is disclosed a power-assisted corn kernel remover comprising a rigid frame supporting an annular corn kernel cutter. A powered mechanism mounted above the cutter activates a piston downward to push shucked ears of fresh corn onto the cutter. The cutter is sized and has a sharp cutting edge that severs the corn kernels from the cob as the ear descends. The cob is pushed downward through a passage to a disposal bin, while the kernels are captured by a basket surrounding the cutter. The cutter is formed of spring steel and is loosely held within the frame to allow for some expansion due to different sizes of corncobs. The powered mechanism may be a pneumatic piston and cylinder assembly supplied with compressed air and having a control mechanism that permits partial activation.

Abstract: A clean out system of a header for an agricultural vehicle. The header includes a frame with a floor having at least one cutout for allowing an unwanted material to pass therethrough. The clean out system includes at least one door configured for pivotally connecting to the floor and selectively engaging with the at least one cutout, a latching mechanism connected to the at least one door and configured for securing the at least one door to the frame, and at least one actuating member operably connected to the at least one door and configured for selectively latching the latching mechanism and pivoting the at least one door in between an open position and a closed position.

Abstract: A multi-layer segmentation/stalk cutter device for a first season of double-crop rice and a control method, and a combine harvester for a first season of double-crop rice, the multi-layer segmentation/stalk cutter device comprising: a cutting platform, a segmenting cutter and a stalk cutter, at least one segmenting cutter being disposed at a lower rear portion of the cutting platform, the segmenting cutter being hinged on a moving chassis, and a second execution mechanism controlling the cutting height of the segmenting cutter; the stalk cutter being disposed at a lower rear portion of the segmenting cutter, the stalk cutter being hinged on the moving chassis, and a third execution mechanism controlling the cutting height of the stalk cutter.

Abstract: A grass catcher having a monocoque container which is downwardly tapered from its rear end to its front end, the rear end being open and larger in size than the front end. A front wall closes off the front end. A continuous material sheet forms a flat top wall, a side wall, and a flat bottom wall. The side wall has a series of adjacently aligned, frustum segments. This side wall extends downward from the top wall which is fixedly attached to the front wall and a flat side wall. The side wall is fixedly attached directly to the front and bottom walls. The container has a plurality of hole patterns, which, in combination with the shape of the container, facilitate air flow through the grass catcher and thus the flow of loose grass clippings through the grass catcher.

Abstract: A pickup for an agricultural vehicle includes: a rotatable tine carrier; a plurality of tines rotatably carried by the tine carrier through a rotation path; a pickup band assembly including a plurality of tine slots in which the tines are disposed in a position in the rotation path; and a tine guide having at least one guide slot. The tine guide is rotatable with at least one of the tines such that the at least one tine is disposed in the at least one guide slot in a position in the rotation path in which the at least one tine is outside any of the tine slots of the pickup band assembly.

Abstract: A mower includes a cutting deck supporting a cutting blade having a fixed blade sail and a door having a first position in which the door covers an opening through which grass clippings can pass, and a second position in which the door does not cover the opening. The mower also has a switch configured to send a mode signal indicating that the door is in the first position or the second position. The mower also has a controller configured to receive the mode signal and adjust the cutting blade to rotate at a first speed when the mode signal indicates that the door is in the first position, and a second speed when the mode signal indicates that the door is in the second position. The mower also includes an electric battery to power rotation of the cutting blade.

Abstract: An ultraviolet device for potato peel ripening includes a left protection plate and a right protection plate, wherein a first-stage potato-soil separation device and a second-stage potato-soil separation device are sequentially arranged between the left protection plate and the right protection plate, a triangular ventilation pipeline is arranged above the first-stage potato-soil separation device and the second-stage potato-soil separation device, front air outlets are formed in the surface, corresponding to the first-stage potato-soil separation device, of the triangular ventilation pipeline, lower air outlets are formed in the surface, corresponding to the second-stage potato-soil separation device, of the triangular ventilation pipeline, the triangular ventilation pipeline communicates with a centrifugal fan, the left protection plate and the right protection plate are provided with a plurality of plant ultraviolet light supplementing lamps used for irradiating the first-stage potato-soil separation devic

Abstract: A mower includes a frame, at least one cutting unit, and a lifting unit. The lifting unit is connected to the at least one cutting unit and includes a yoke assembly, a first arm assembly, a second arm assembly, and a third arm assembly. The yoke assembly is connected to the cutting unit. The first arm assembly is pivotably mounted to the vehicle frame about a first pivot axis. The second arm assembly is pivotably mounted to the first arm assembly about a second pivot axis and to the yoke assembly about a third pivot axis with the second pivot axis and third pivot axis being non-parallel to the first pivot axis. The third arm assembly includes a first end pivotally connected to the frame and a second end pivotally connected to the second arm assembly.

Abstract: A cracker roller disc has a first portion radially outward of the centre of substantially constant thickness, and a second portion radially outward of the first portion which second portion tapers towards the periphery of the disc. A plurality of upstanding ridges extending radially outward across the second portion on opposed faces of the disc are machined to define respective conical surfaces forming radially extending edges on opposed faces of the disc. The disc is provided with one or more circular or spiral grooves which cut across the edges in a substantially perpendicular direction to the edges. The grooves extend the effective length of each edge.

Abstract: A fruit picking method based on a three-dimensional parameter prediction model for a fruit comprises: performing first-time image acquisition processing on a to-be-picked fruit to obtain a first image; determining a first range; controlling a manipulator to perform first-time moving processing; performing intermittent gas injection treatment to lead to forced vibration of the to-be-picked fruit; performing second-time image acquisition processing many times to obtain a plurality of second images; screening out, by taking the first image as an reference object, two appointed second images deviating from an equilibrium position to the maximum extent; jointly inputting the images into a preset three-dimensional parameter prediction model for the fruit so as to obtain predicted three-dimensional parameters; controlling the manipulator to perform second-time moving processing; and performing cutting processing on a fruit stem position to make the to-be-picked fruit fall onto the manipulator.

Abstract: A header for an agricultural vehicle including a frame and at least one row unit supported by the frame. The at least one row unit including has at least one deck assembly. The at least one deck assembly has a plurality of plates defining an outer periphery for contacting a crop material. Adjacent ones of the plurality of plates at least partially overlap and are movable with respect to one another.

Abstract: A device is provided that includes: an elongated handle having a proximal end and a distal end; a handle coupling device attached to the distal end of the elongated handle, the coupling device having a tubular head and a plurality of spaced legs extending distally from the tubular head; a first attachment device pivotally coupled to a distal end of a first leg of the handle coupling device and a second attachment device pivotally coupled to a distal end of a second leg the handle coupling device; and a first set of yard rake tines rotatably coupled to the first attachment device and a second set of yard rake tines rotatably coupled to the second attachment device.

Abstract: A radio-controlled mower has a frame, an engine unit, rolling bodies configured to move the frame over an area of ground, a central cutting unit, and side cutting units. The frame and the side cutting units are mutually movable.

Abstract: A straw chopper for a combine harvester including a rotor supporting a plurality of chopping elements. A rotor housing including an inlet opening, an outlet axially aligned with the inlet opening, and at least one outlet that is axially offset from the inlet opening. A portion of the straw is conveyed tangentially to the axially-aligned outlet, whilst a further portion is conveyed from the inlet opening to the axially offset outlet(s) via a path having an axial component, for example a helical path. Guide vanes may be provided on the inside of the housing to impart an axial force upon the straw.

Abstract: A harvesting system includes at least one modular unit coupled to a harvester includes a drying unit to dry a harvested material introduced into the harvester including at least one rotating drum, a number of appendages extending from the at least one rotating drum, at least one sensor to determine at least one environmental state within the drying unit, and at least one environmental state adjustment device to adjust at least one environmental attribute within the drying unit. The modular unit also includes a collection unit to collect the harvested material into a unit, a first conveyor mechanism to convey the harvested material from the drying unit to the collection unit, and a control system to control at least the harvester, the drying unit, the collection unit, the first conveyor mechanism, the sensor, and the environmental state adjustment device based on a signal received from the at least one sensor.

Abstract: A camera captures an image of a portion of a cart and accesses stored maps that map visual features of carts to a set of settings that are applied to an automatic fill control system. A map that matches visual features of the cart, in the captured image, is identified and the settings in that map are applied to the automatic fill control system.

Abstract: A harvester capable of autonomous travel in a field includes: a harvesting unit that harvests a crop from the field; a conveyance device that conveys, toward the rear of a harvester body, a whole culm of the harvested crop harvested by the harvesting unit; a detection sensor that detects a drive speed of the conveyance device; and a clog determining unit that determines a clog of the harvested crop in the conveyance device on the basis of the drive speed. The clog determining unit outputs a vehicle stop command that stops the harvester body when the drive speed becomes lower than a pre-set first threshold during the autonomous travel.

Abstract: A device and a method for picking and collecting Brasenia schreberi based on a machine vision. The device includes a supporting mechanical arm, a collection device, two working mechanical arms, a picking manipulator, a grasping manipulator, a control box, and a visual system. The supporting mechanical arm is fixed on a front end of a boat; the two working mechanical arms are fixed on a front end of the supporting mechanical arm; the picking manipulator and the grasping manipulator are mounted on tail ends of the two working mechanical arms, respectively; and the collection device is fixed on the boat; the visual system determines a location of Brasenia schreberi and sends the location to the control box; the control box controls the two working mechanical arms, the grasping manipulator, and the picking manipulator to complete the grasping and picking of Brasenia schreberi; and the collection device collects Brasenia schreberi.

Abstract: A method for the operation of a combine harvester includes processing a harvested material flow by at least one axial separator and ejecting a residual material flow formed in this way from the combine harvester by at least two ejection devices. The axial separator is formed by a movable vane element by means of which the residual material flow exiting from the axial separator is distributed on a work member downstream of the axial separator. In order to further improve the distribution of the residual material flow on the field, an actual distribution of the residual material flow on the two ejection devices is detected, wherein, when a deviation of the actual distribution from a predetermined reference distribution is detected, the vane element is readjusted so that the actual distribution is at least approximated to the reference distribution.