Abstract: A fruit harvesting unit mounted on a harvesting machine. The harvesting unit comprises a straddling chassis delimiting a harvesting tunnel in which plants to be shaken are introduced successively to move through said tunnel between a front opening and a rear opening of said tunnel. The harvesting unit has a main shaker system including two shaker devices disposed on respective sides of the harvesting tunnel to delimit transversely a central part of said tunnel, and an additional shaker system that is mounted on the straddling chassis and comprises two shaker devices disposed on respective sides of the harvesting tunnel to delimit transversely a front upper part of said tunnel.

Abstract: A fruit harvesting unit mounted on a harvesting machine. The harvesting unit comprises a straddling chassis delimiting a harvesting tunnel in which plants to be shaken are introduced successively to move through said tunnel between a front opening and a rear opening of said tunnel. The harvesting unit has a main shaker system including two shaker devices disposed on respective sides of the harvesting tunnel to delimit transversely a central part of said tunnel, and an additional shaker system that is mounted on the straddling chassis and comprises two shaker devices disposed on respective sides of the harvesting tunnel to delimit transversely a front upper part of said tunnel.

Abstract: The invention relates to a fruit-harvesting machine including a motorized support structure (1) and a harvesting assembly mounted on the structure by a suspension frame (2), the harvesting assembly comprising two shaker devices adapted to detach the harvest from the plant stocks and a system for recovering the detached harvest, the shaker devices delimiting transversely between them a harvesting space into which the stocks to be shaken are introduced successively to move in the space between a front opening and a rear opening of said space, wherein the suspension frame (2) includes a rear part (6a) that is mounted on the support structure (1) with at least one degree of freedom in the transverse direction, a front part (5a) of the frame being mounted on the support structure (1) enabling transverse displacement of the rear part relative to the front part.

Abstract: A device (1) for sorting a harvested stream of fruit in bunches is mounted in a harvesting machine. The sorting device includes at least two transverse sorter bars (3) driven with a cyclic relative movement, the cyclic relative movement enabling longitudinal displacement of the stream over the bars, while opening passages (4) between them. The passages allow detached berries to drop under the sorting device.

Abstract: Selective harvesting of a parcel of land by a harvesting machine including a motorised support structure on which are mounted a harvesting assembly adapted to deliver a harvested stream, at least two receptacles (1) for storage of the stream and a system for respectively feeding a receptacle (1) with the stream as a function of the location of the machine in the parcel. The parcel is divided into distinct geographical areas and each receptacle is dedicated to an area. The machine comprises upper conveyor means (3) for feeding the receptables (1) along respective feed paths, a lower conveyor (6) and a device for guiding the harvested stream by opening and closing the feed paths and varying the conveying direction of the lower conveyor, as a function of the receptable to be fed with the harvested stream.

Abstract: Selective harvesting of a parcel of land by a harvesting machine including a motorised support structure on which are mounted a harvesting assembly adapted to deliver a harvested stream, at least two receptacles (1) for storage of the stream and a system for respectively feeding a receptacle (1) with the stream as a function of the location of the machine in the parcel. The parcel is divided into distinct geographical areas and each receptacle is dedicated to an area. The machine comprises upper conveyor means (3) for feeding the receptacles (1) along respective feed paths, a lower conveyor (6) and a device for guiding the harvested stream by opening and closing the feed paths and varying the conveying direction of the lower conveyor, as a function of the receptacle to be fed with the harvested stream.

Abstract: A device for separating a harvested crop stream, the device being mounted in a fruit harvesting machine. The separator device includes longitudinal separator members (2) and a conveyor belt (3), which is driven in a longitudinal direction between an upstream roller (4) and a downstream roller (5). The separator members (2) are fastened, behind the upstream roller (4), by fixing the members to the frame (1) and, in front of the upstream roller, by a rotary member (12) mounted on the frame (1). The rotary member includes paddles (13), which are adapted to hold the separator members (2) in position during rotation of the member. The invention also relates to a cleaning system including this kind of separator device and a harvesting machine including this kind of cleaning system.

Abstract: The invention relates to a fruit-harvesting machine including a motorised support structure (1) and a harvesting assembly mounted on the structure by a suspension frame (2), the harvesting assembly comprising two shaker devices adapted to detach the harvest from the plant stocks and a system for recovering the detached harvest, the shaker devices delimiting transversely between them a harvesting space into which the stocks to be shaken are introduced successively to move in the space between a front opening and a rear opening of said space, wherein the suspension frame (2) includes a rear part (6a) that is mounted on the support structure (1) with at least one degree of freedom in the transverse direction, a front part (5a) of the frame being mounted on the support structure (1) enabling transverse displacement of the rear part relative to the front part.

Abstract: The invention relates to a machine and method for selective harvesting of a parcel of land by means of a harvesting machine including a motorised support structure on which are mounted a harvesting assembly adapted to deliver a harvested stream, at least two receptacles (1) for storage of said stream and a system for respectively feeding a receptacle (1) with said stream as a function of the location of the machine in the parcel. The parcel is divided into distinct geographical areas and each receptable is dedicated to an area. The machine comprises upper conveyor means (3) for feeding the receptables (1) along respective feed paths, a lower conveyor (6) and a device for guiding the harvested stream by opening and closing the feed paths and varying the conveying direction of the lower conveyor, as a function of the receptable to be fed with the harvested stream.

Abstract: The invention relates a device (1) for sorting a harvested stream of fruit in bunches, said device being intended to be mounted in a harvesting machine. The sorting device comprises at least two transverse sorter bars (3) driven with a cyclic relative movement, said movement enabling longitudinal displacement of the stream over said bars, while opening passages (4) between them, said passages being adapted to allow detached berries to drop under said sorting device. The invention also relates to a separation system including such a sorting device and a destemming device, and a harvesting machine including such a separation system and possibly such a sorting device.

Abstract: The invention concerns a device for separating a harvested crop stream, said device being intended to be mounted in a fruit harvesting machine. The separator device includes longitudinal separator members (2) and a conveyor belt (3), which is driven in a longitudinal direction between an upstream roller (4) and a downstream roller (5). The separator members (2) are fastened, behind the upstream roller (4), by fixing said members to the frame (1) and, in front of said upstream roller, by a rotary member (12) mounted on the frame (1). The rotary member comprises paddles (13), which are adapted to hold the separator members (2) in position during rotation of said member. The invention also relates to a cleaning system comprising this kind of separator device and a harvesting machine comprising this kind of cleaning system.

Abstract: The mounting mechanism comprise: on the straddle carrier side, a main frame mounted on wheels and suitable for selective lifting and lowering of the main frame in relation to the ground; on the equipment side, an auxiliary frame suitable for fixing to the main frame using detachable connection mechanism allowing it to be detached; and of a number of struts for supporting the auxiliary frame on the ground when the auxiliary frame is separated from the main frame. The main frame and the auxiliary frame both comprise a pair of parallel, substantially horizontal girders. One of the frames comprises mechanism for longitudinal guidance able to co-operate with the girders on the other frame to guide the two frames in along each other, when the main frame moves longitudinally with respect to the auxiliary frame supported by the struts.

Abstract: The mounting mechanism comprise: on the straddle carrier side, a main frame mounted on wheels and suitable for selective lifting and lowering of the main frame in relation to the ground; on the equipment side, an auxiliary frame suitable for fixing to the main frame using detachable connection mechanism allowing it to be detached; and of a number of struts for supporting the auxiliary frame on the ground when the auxiliary frame is separated from the main frame. The main frame and the auxiliary frame both comprise a pair of parallel, substantially horizontal girders. One of the frames comprises mechanism for longitudinal guidance able to co-operate with the girders on the other frame to guide the two frames in along each other, when the main frame moves longitudinally with respect to the auxiliary frame supported by the struts.

Abstract: 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.