WO2010130035A1

WO2010130035A1 - Plant stripper apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2010130035A1
Application number: PCT/CA2010/000708
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tommy Desaulniers; Joël MAHEU
Original assignee: Tommy Desaulniers; Maheu Joel
Priority date: 2009-05-11
Filing date: 2010-05-11
Publication date: 2010-11-18
Also published as: CA2665876A1

Abstract

The present invention disclose a plant stripper apparatus used to separate fruits, buds, flowers and the like from stalk or stem of a plant. The apparatus comprises four pulling cylinders disposed in a particular configuration to grab the stalk or the stem of a plant. Each pulling cylinder preferably comprises a plurality of teeth. The stalk or stem of a plant passes through one of the opening of a separating plate and the pulling cylinders grab and pull them so that the fruits, buds or flowers will be separated from the plant. The separating plate may comprise a plurality of opening having different shapes and/or sizes to receive different plant sizes.

Description

Title of the Invention

[0001] Plant Stripper Apparatus

Cross-Reference to Related Applications

[0002] There are no cross-related applications.

Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention generally relates to harvesting devices, and more particularly to a stripper apparatus to separate fruits, buds, flowers and the like from stalk or stem of a plant.

Background of the Invention

[0004] Some fruits, flowers, inflorescences or buds of plants contain elements that can be used in some fields of the industries such as pharmaceuticals, food industries, etc... It can be very time consuming to remove such parts of the plant manually and there is thus a need to improve the method to harvest fruits, flowers, inflorescences or buds of plants.

Summary of the Invention

[0005] The aforesaid and other objectives of the present invention are realized by generally providing an apparatus for removing leaves, fruit or buds from the stalk of plants comprising a first pair of pulling cylinders having a plurality of teeth, the pair comprising a first pulling cylinder and a second pulling cylinder, the first pulling cylinder and the second pulling cylinder being spaced from each other by a first distance, the second pulling cylinder being disposed above the first cylinder, wherein the first pulling cylinder and the second pulling cylinder are adjacent and parallel to each other and wherein the first pulling cylinder and the second pulling cylinder interact to form a first stalk engaging zone; a second pair of pulling cylinders having a plurality of teeth, the pair comprising a third pulling cylinder and a fourth pulling cylinder, the third pulling cylinder and fourth pulling cylinder being spaced from each other by a third distance, the fourth pulling cylinder being disposed above the third cylinder, wherein the third pulling cylinder and the fourth pulling cylinder are adjacent and parallel to each other, wherein the second pulling cylinder interacts with the third pulling cylinder to form a second stalk engaging zone, wherein the second pulling cylinder and the third pulling cylinder being spaced from each other by a second distance and wherein the third pulling cylinder and the fourth pulling cylinder interact to form a third stalk engaging zone; and a separating plate comprising at least one opening, the separating plate having a first surface and a second surface, wherein the stalk enters into one of the openings through the first surface prior to being engaged by the first stalk engaging zone.

[0006] The first, second and third distances are adapted so that the stalk of a plant is grabbed and pulled between the pulling cylinders but not cut by the pulling cylinders. In a preferred embodiment, the first, second and third distances are equal. In another preferred embodiment, the first, second and third distances are not the same.

[0007] In a further embodiment, the diameter of the opening of the separating plate on the first surface is smaller than the diameter of the opening on the second surface.

[0008] The apparatus of the present invention is well suited to separates inflorescence at different maturity levels (raceme, corymb, umbel, compound umbel, spike, cyme, etc...), flowers, fruits and buds from the stalk or a stem of a plant. The plant stripper disclosed in the present invention may be used with a variety of plants and is particularly suited for plant having ligneous or fibrous stem or stalk. The plant stripper may be used to remove fruits for shrubs such as blueberry plant, to remove flower from a stem such as rose's shrub or to separate the inflorescence from a stalk of a hemp plant, for example.

[0009] The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more readily apparent from the following description, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0011] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the plant stripper apparatus.

[0012] Figure 2 is a side view of the plant stripper apparatus.

[0013] Figure 3 is another perspective view of the plant stripper apparatus.

[0014] Figure 4 is another perspective view of the plant stripper apparatus.

[0015] Figure 5 is a front view of the plant stripper apparatus.

[0016] Figure 6 is a rear view of the plant stripper apparatus.

[0017] Figure 7 is a side view of the plant stripper apparatus showing the pulling mechanism.

[0018] Figure 8 is another side view of the pulling mechanism and showing an embodiment of the driving mechanism.

[0019] Figure 9 is a front view of a pulling cylinder.

[0020] Figure 10 is a side view of the pulling cylinder of Figure 9.

[0021] Figure 11 is a front view of the separating plate.

[0022] Figure 12 is a cross-side view of the separating plate of Figure 11 along A-A.

[0023] Figure 13 is a side view of the pulling mechanism and the separating plate. [0024] Figure 14 is a perspective view of the pulling mechanism and the separating plate.

[0025] Figure 15 is a front view of another embodiment of a separating plate.

[0026] Figure 16 is a side view of the pulling cylinders showing their respective positions.

[0027] Figure 17 is a front view of another embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment

[0028] A novel plant stripper apparatus will be described hereinafter. Although the invention is described in terms of specific illustrative embodiment(s), it is to be understood that the embodiment(s) described herein are by way of example only and that the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited thereby.

[0029] The plant stripper apparatus 100 of the present invention is preferably installed within a support structure 10. The stripping mechanism comprises the separating blade 102 and four pulling cylinders or gears 110, 112, 114 and 116. These cylinders are preferably enclosed in a casing 180 but the casing is not mandatory.

[0030] In a preferred embodiment, the side of the casing 180 comprises a plurality of apertures 182, 184 and 186 in order to be able to monitor the adjustment between the pulling cylinders. The pulling cylinders may be supported by holes or supporting structures on the side of the casing as shown in figure 2 but another part could support the pulling cylinders without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0031] Figures 7, 8, 13 and 14 show in more details the configuration of the four pulling cylinders. The pulling mechanism comprises a first pulling cylinder 110, a second pulling cylinder 112, a third pulling cylinder 114 and a fourth pulling cylinder 116, arranged the particular configuration shown in the figures, to grab the stalk or a stem of a plant. [0032] Referring now to the embodiment shown in Figures 9 and 10, it can be seen that the pulling cylinders comprises a plurality of teeth 140. The edges 142 of the teeth are preferably rounded to remove the cutting edge formed by adjacent surfaces. This prevents the pulling rollers to cut the plant while pulling it.

[0033] The pulling cylinders cooperate together to pull a plant, more particularly the first pulling cylinder 110 with the second pulling cylinder 112, the second pulling cylinder 112 with the third pulling cylinder 114, and the third pulling cylinder 114 with the fourth pulling cylinder 116. As can be seen in Figure 13, the teeth of the first pulling cylinder 110 engage (at 120) the teeth of the second pulling cylinder 112. The teeth of the third pulling cylinder 114 engage the teeth of the second pulling cylinder 112 (at 122) and the teeth of the fourth pulling cylinder 116 (at 124). Otherwise said, the first pulling cylinder 110 and the second pulling cylinder 112 interact to form a first stalk engaging zone 120, the second pulling cylinder 112 interacts with the third pulling cylinder 114 to form a second stalk engaging zone 122, and the third pulling cylinder 114 and the fourth pulling cylinder 116 interact to form a third stalk engaging zone 124.

[0034] As it can be seen more particularly in Figure 16, there is a distance 175 between the pulling cylinders at the stalk engaging zones. This distance 175 is adapted so that the stalk of the plant will be grabbed but not cut by the pulling cylinders. This distance is variable and may be adjusted to the size of the stalk or stem of the plant used with the apparatus. The distance between the pulling cylinders at the different engaging zones may vary or be the same, depending of the plant used with the apparatus, in order to obtain an optimal result. For example, for a plant having a having ligneous or fibrous stem or stalk, the distance may be reduced because it will necessitate a higher pulling force to pull the plant since the ligneous or fibrous stem or stalk is harder to bent. For a plant having a softer stalk or being less ligneous or fibrous, the distance between the pulling cylinders may be greater so that the stalk of the plant is not cut by the teeth of the pulling cylinders.

[0035] Figure 17 shows an embodiment where the pulling cylinders are more distanced from each other resulting in a smaller pulling force. This embodiment is preferably used with a plant having a stalk or stem being less fibrous or ligneous or that is simply more prone to be sectioned by the pulling cylinders. It can be seen from Figure 17 that the distance 176 is greater than the distance 175 shown in the embodiment of Figure 16.

[0036] As shown in Figure 16, the first pulling cylinder 110 is disposed under the second pulling cylinder 112. The third pulling cylinder 114 is disposed under the fourth pulling cylinder 116. The horizontal axis 192 of the third pulling cylinder 114 is located below the horizontal axis 194 of the second pulling cylinder 112. The horizontal axis 193 of the fourth pulling cylinder 116 is located above the horizontal axis 194 of the second pulling cylinder 112. The horizontal axis 192 of the third pulling cylinder 114 is located above the horizontal axis 195 of the first pulling cylinder 110.

[0037] In a preferred embodiment, the pulling cylinders are mounted on a shaft 155 which is rotatably connected to the plant stripper apparatus. The rotation is transmitted to the shaft using known means in the art such as a driving belt or a driving chain. The pulling cylinder can be unitary with the shaft or not. For example, in an embodiment the pulling cylinder is fixedly connected to the shaft and the rotation of the shaft is transmitted to the pulling cylinder.. In another embodiment, the shaft is stationery and the pulling cylinder is rotatively connected to the shaft, the rotation is directly transmitted to the pulling cylinder with driving means and the pulling cylinder rotates along the shaft.

[0038] Figure 11 shows the separating plate 102 having a firt surface 104 and a second surface 106, and comprising a plurality of openings 150. In the embodiment shown in Figure 11, the openings have different sizes to accommodate different sizes of plant. However, the separating plate 102 could comprise openings 150 having the same size and the separating plate 102 may be changed depending of the plant used with the apparatus. In a preferred embodiment, the openings have a circular shape but it would be possible to have other shapes, as shown in Figure 15, such as an oval, rectangular or a polygonal shape, for example.

[0039] In a preferred embodiment, the width or diameter of the opening 150 on the first surface 104 is slightly smaller than on the second surface 106. This creates an edge 108 having a sharper profile than if the diameter of the opening 150 on the first surface 104 and on the second surface 106 were of the same diameter.

[0040] In use, a stem or a stalk of a plant is inserted into the plant stripper apparatus 100 through one of the openings 150 of the separating plate 102 and they exit the apparatus through the exit 130 or after having passed the third engaging zone 124, the buds or inflorescence removed from the stalk or the stem. Preferably, the stalk of the plant is slightly smaller than the width of the opening 150 in which the stalk is inserted. The width or diameter of the opening 150 chosen for a particular plant depends of the size of its stalk and of the size, characteristics and configuration of the buds or inflorescences of the plant.

[0041] The buds and inflorescences are generally removed from the stalk along one or both two mechanisms that are explained hereinafter. The edge 108 of the opening 150 acts as a cutter that will cut a stem extending between a buds and the stalk. The buds or inflorescence may also be removed from the stalk by the pressure exerted on them by the separating plate 102, the pressure will cause the buds or inflorescence to pop off from the stalk.

[0042] As shown in Figure 7, the stalk (schematically indicated by the arrowed line 132) of the plant is firstly grabbed and pulled by the first pulling cylinder 110 and the second pulling cylinder 112. The stalk of the plant is then bent under the action of the pulling cylinders and is then grabbed and pulled by the second pulling cylinder 112 and the third pulling cylinder 114. The stalk is bent another time and then grabbed and pulled by the third pulling cylinder 114 and the fourth pulling cylinder 116.

[0043] A drive belt (typically a chain but could be a flexible belt made from rubber and/or fabric) 160 transfer a rotative movement to the pulling cylinder from a motor (not shown). In a preferred embodiment, each pulling cylinder is driven separately but it could be otherwise in another embodiment.

[0044] The pulling cylinders and the separating plate are preferably made of suitable metal or polymer as already known in the art. [0045] While illustrative and presently preferred embodiment(s) of the invention have been described in detail hereinabove, it is to be understood that the inventive concepts may be otherwise variously embodied and employed and that the appended claims are intended to be construed to include such variations except insofar as limited by the prior art.

Claims

1) An apparatus for removing leaves, fruit or buds from the stalk of plants comprising: a) a first pair of pulling cylinders having a plurality of teeth, said pair comprising a first pulling cylinder and a second pulling cylinder, said first pulling cylinder and said second pulling cylinder being spaced from each other by a first distance, said second pulling cylinder being disposed above said first cylinder, wherein said first pulling cylinder and said second pulling cylinder are adjacent and parallel to each other and wherein said first pulling cylinder and said second pulling cylinder interact to form a first stalk engaging zone; b) a second pair of pulling cylinders having a plurality of teeth, said pair comprising a third pulling cylinder and a fourth pulling cylinder, said third pulling cylinder and fourth pulling cylinder being spaced from each other by a third distance, said fourth pulling cylinder being disposed above said third cylinder, wherein said third pulling cylinder and said fourth pulling cylinder are adjacent and parallel to each other, wherein said second pulling cylinder interacts with said third pulling cylinder to form a second stalk engaging zone, wherein said second pulling cylinder and said third pulling cylinder being spaced from each other by a second distance and wherein said third pulling cylinder and said fourth pulling cylinder interact to form a third stalk engaging zone; and c) a separating plate comprising at least one opening, said separating plate having a first surface and a second surface, wherein said stalk enters into one of said openings through said first surface prior to being engaged by said first stalk engaging zone.

2) The plant stripper apparatus of claim 1, wherein said first, second and third distances are adapted so that the stalk of a plant is grabbed and pulled between said pulling cylinders but not cut by said pulling cylinders. 3) The plant stripper apparatus of claim 2, wherein said first, second and third distances are equal.

4) The plant stripper apparatus of claim 2, wherein said first, second and third distances are not the same.

5) The plant stripper apparatus of claim 1, wherein said diameter of said opening on said first surface is smaller than the diameter of said opening on said second surface.

6) The plant stripper apparatus of claim 1, wherein said horizontal axis of said third pulling cylinder is located below said horizontal axis of said second pulling cylinder.

7) The plant stripper apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said teeth comprise edges, and wherein said edges are rounded.

8) The plant stripper apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said opening are circular.