WO2024049940A1

WO2024049940A1 - Machine for handling reusable shading material

Info

Publication number: WO2024049940A1
Application number: PCT/US2023/031599
Authority: WO
Inventors: Allen MARQUARDT; Michael J. WANCA
Original assignee: Volm Companies, Inc.
Priority date: 2022-08-31
Filing date: 2023-08-31
Publication date: 2024-03-07

Abstract

A machine and method are provided for laying down an air permeable shading material over a row of harvested produce items and for subsequently retrieving the shading material in a manner that permits its reapplication over another row of produce items. The machine includes a frame, wheels supporting the frame on the ground, and a roll of shading material that is supported by a roll support. The machine additionally includes a lift system and a rewind system that apply different pulling forces to the material to firmly remove the material from the ground while winding the removed material onto a roll with reduced force when compared to what is used to lift the material. A material cleaning system and an edge control system may respectively facilitate cleaning and rewinding the material in a substantially edge-aligned manner.

Description

Patent Cooperation Treaty Application for MACHINE FOR HANDLING REUSABLE SHADING MATERIAL Inventors: Allen Marquardt Michael J. Wanca Applicant / Assignee: Volm Companies, Inc. Attorneys for Applicant: Boyle Fredrickson, S.C. 840 North Plankinton Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53203 Telephone: (414) 225-9755 Fax: (4 I 4) 225-9753 E-mail: [email protected] Attorney Docket No.1375.091 U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Customer Account No.23598

{02156301.DOCX / } MACHINE FOR HANDLING REUSABLE SHADING MATERIAL CROSS REFERENCE TO A RELATED APPLICATION [0001] This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application U.S. App. No.63/402,679, filed on August 31, 2022 and entitled “Machine for Handling Shading Material”, the entire contents of which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference into the present application. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The invention generally relates to machines for handling aeration and shading material in bulk in agricultural fields. More particularly, the invention relates to a machine that can retrieve a strip of shading material from a row of harvested produce items to cover them and to wind the strip onto a roll in a manner that permits future reapplication of the shading material. In some possible implementations of the invention, the machine may also be capable of unwinding such a strip of shading material from a roll and covering a row of harvested produce items with it. The invention additionally relates to a method of using such a machine. 2. Discussion of the Related Art [0003] Certain produce, mostly notably certain varieties of onions, must be “cured” by being exposed to the air before significant handling to prevent them from being bruised or damaged and to inhibit pathogens from invading the bulb and causing decay. However, many varieties of onions and other produce also are extremely sensitive to the sun upon being harvested. White onions, for example, may begin to burn within one hour of exposure to the sun. Hence, it is desirable to expose such produce items to the air immediately upon harvesting while also keeping them shaded from exposure to the sun before significant handling such as transportation and bagging. [0004] Presently, the harvesting of white onions is an extremely labor-intensive process, often requiring the efforts of dozens or even hundreds of laborers in a field. First, the rows of onions are undercut to permit easy removal. They are then dug-up, either manually or using a harvesting machine. They may also be “green-chopped” or “topped” by hand or a machine to remove the upper stalk and root mass from the onion. The onions are then placed in burlap bags. The onions

{02156301.DOCX / } 2 thus are protected from the sun but are exposed to curing air. They are left in this manner to complete the curing process. The curing process may take several days or more, at times curing for approximately five to fourteen days, depending on characteristics of the onions or other harvested items, as well as environmental factors. The onions can then be manually or mechanically removed from the burlap bags and bagged or otherwise packaged for transport. [0005] Some produce items that do not require curing are simply harvested and “windrowed” or placed in rows before being picked up and transported and/or packaged. However, some varieties of onions could not heretofore be windrowed, at least upon initial harvesting, without undesirably exposing them to the sun and mechanical damage prior to curing the onions enough to facilitate mechanical harvesting or other handling. [0006] In addition, various machines and methods are known for applying strips of film or other sheet material to the ground for a variety of purposes; but most such machines require that the material be retrieved either manually or by additional machinery that bunches the material or otherwise renders it unsuitable for reapplication or reuse. The resulting waste of the material substantially increases the costs of many agricultural operations and undesirably increases their carbon footprints; both through the need to produce additional sheet material and through the need to dispose of the spent sheet material. [0007] Efforts have been made to provide machines that can unwind shading material, apply shading material, and/or rewind shading material for subsequent use. While rewinding, these machines rotate roll support drives at rewind speeds that match the machine’s travel speed. [0008] Despite the ability of aforementioned machines to match a roll’s rewind speed and machine travel speed during the rewind process, other factors, such as controlling side-to-side wander and consistency of wrap tightness present substantial challenges to rewinding the shading material evenly enough for it to be reusable with acceptable edge alignment and tension uniformity between the layers of the roll. [0009] Off-center rewinding or side-to-side wandering of the shading material during rewinding can be amplified by the interactions between the tractor and the rewinding machine in response to even slight steering inputs or other movements of the tractor away from the row’s centerline. This type of side-to-side wandering can be even greater when the machine is three-point mounted to the tractor. In this case, the machine will move in unison with the back of the tractor

{02156301.DOCX / } 3 but is located beyond the back of the tractor, potentially causing swaying and transverse movement further away from the row’s centerline than the tractor itself during steering maneuvers. This is further complicated when the rows and/or the shading fabric covering them are not aligned in a geometrically perfect straight-line path. [0010] Known rewinding machines use the machine’s roll drive to lift the shading material from the ground and rewind it onto a roll. However, controlling the roll drive to rewind the material with suitably consistent tension between layers is challenging because the amount of tension needed to remove the shading material from the ground varies during a single removal procedure. This variability is a function of numerous use factors. These factors include the amount of soil or the clumping characteristics of soil that sits on top of and holds the shading material’s edges down against the ground surface. The more soil that is piled on the edges or the larger the soil clumps, the more force or tension that is required to lift the shading material away from the ground. [0011] The need therefore exists to provide a method and apparatus that permits increased automation of the harvesting of onions and other produce items that are sensitive to the sun and pathogens. [0012] The need also has arisen to provide a method and apparatus for retrieving a strip of shading material from a row of onions or other sun-sensitive produce items in a manner that permits its reuse. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0013] In accordance with a first aspect of the invention, a machine is provided that is capable of laying down shading material over a row of harvested produce items and subsequently retrieving the shading material in a manner that permits its reapplication over another row of harvested produce items. The machine may include a frame having front and rear ends, wheels supporting the frame on the ground, a roll support mounted on the frame in the vicinity of the rear end thereof that supports a roll of a shading material, and a retrieval system that removes the shading material from the ground and rewinds it for subsequent use. [0014] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the retrieval system includes a lift system and a rewind system. The lift and rewind systems each apply different forces to the shading material during a material removal session. A lifting force of the lifting system is greater

{02156301.DOCX / } 4 than a winding force of the rewind system. This allows the shading material to be firmly removed from the ground under a higher tension value and allows the removed material to be rewound onto a roll under a lesser tension value. The lifting system may implement a nip roller assembly that pulls the shading material through a nip with sufficient force to lift the shading material away from the soil that covers the material’s edges to hold it down. The rewind system may include a roll drive system with a clutch that limits the torque that can be applied for rotating the roll. This correspondingly limits a tension value at which the shading material can be rewound onto the roll. [0015] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a material cleaning system provides multiple cleaning stations for removing dirt or other debris from the shading material after being lifted from the ground and before being rewound onto the roll. Different cleaning features and techniques may be implemented at the different cleaning stations, such as brushing and/or scraping. [0016] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an edge control system monitors an edge of the shading material as it advances toward the roll and moves the roll to maintain alignment between the unwound edge and the layers of edges in the roll. An actuator may push and/or pull the roll transversely with respect to the machine to maintain edge alignment of the shading material while rewinding. [0017] The machine may also be configured to lay down shading material over a row of harvested produce while unwinding the material from a roll. While laying down the shading material, the machine may cover the opposed edges of the shading material with soil to hold the shading material in place on the ground. The machine may also dig furrows into which the opposed edges of the shading material are pressed prior to covering them with soil. [0018] Various other features, embodiments and alternatives of the present invention will be made apparent from the following detailed description taken together with the drawings. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration and not limitation. Many changes and modifications could be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includes all such modifications.

{02156301.DOCX / } 5 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0019] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals represent like parts throughout, and in which: [0020] FIG.1 is a partially schematic isometric view of a machine for handling reusable shading material in accordance with an aspect of the invention; [0021] FIG.2 is top plan view of the machine of FIG.1; [0022] FIG.3 is a side elevation view of the machine of FIG.1; [0023] FIG.4 is a side elevation view of an application system of the machine of FIG.1 during a material application session; [0024] FIG.5 is a side elevation view of a retrieval system of the machine of FIG.1 during a material retrieval session; [0025] FIG.6 is a partially schematic front elevation view of the machine of FIG.1; [0026] FIG.7 is a partially schematic side elevation view of a material cleaning system of the machine of FIG.1; [0027] FIG.8 is a partially schematic side elevation view of a rewind system of the machine of FIG.1; [0028] FIG.9 is a schematic side elevation view of a roll drive system in a sub-maximum-torque state; [0029] FIG.10 is a schematic side elevation view of a roll drive system in a maximum-torque state; [0030] FIG.11 is a schematic side elevation view of a roll drive system in an over-torque state; [0031] FIG.12 is a top plan view of an edge control system of the machine of FIG.1; [0032] FIG.13 is a side elevation view of the edge control system of FIG.12; [0033] FIG.14 is a schematic view an edge control system of the machine of FIG.1; [0034] FIG.15 is a schematic view of the edge control system of FIG.14 with material in a first misaligned condition;

{02156301.DOCX / } 6 [0035] FIG.16 is a schematic view of the edge control system of FIG.14 correcting the first misaligned condition of FIG.15; [0036] FIG.17 is a schematic view of the edge control system of FIG.14 with material in a second misaligned condition; and [0037] FIG.18 is a schematic view of the edge control system of FIG.14 correcting the second misaligned condition of FIG.17. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS [0038] Referring generally to the drawings, a machine 10 is illustrated that is capable of handling a continuous sheet of shading material 12, which is typically stored on a roll 14. The shading material 12 is typically an air permeable material such as an open mesh material. Its particular configuration may depend on the nature of the harvested produce items being covered, such as onions, garlic, or other sun-sensitive harvested produce items. The shading material 12 typically at least inhibits the transmission of UV rays that cause sunburn to the onions or other harvested product items. It is also typically sufficiently air permeable to permit air to flow through the material and dry the onions or other harvested produce items sufficiently to prevent pathogens from invading the produce items and causing decay. In the case of white onions, the preferred shading material 12 is sufficiently opaque to act as a shade yet is air permeable. Acceptable shading material(s) 12 include various knit fabric crop shade cloth materials available from Volm Companies, Inc. of Antigo, Wisconsin, such as its mono-mono agricultural shade fabrics. Depending on the shading requirements of the particular harvested product, the shading material 12 may be implemented with a shading factor value of between about 50% and 80%. Shading material 12 may also be provided is a specific color based on the particular harvested product, with multiple appropriate colors for various applications including tan, black, white, and green. [0039] A width of shading material 12 and therefore also roll 14 is typically determined based on a width of a windrow or pile of the harvested produce items so that the items can be fully covered. Roll 14 widths are typically between about 2 feet and 12 feet wide, more typically between about 4 feet and 8 feet wide, and most typically is 6 feet wide. The length of the shading material 12 on roll 14 may also vary based on the particular characteristics of the field and harvested product items and is typically above 500 feet long, more typically above 1000 feet

{02156301.DOCX / } 7 long, and up to or even excess of 2,500 feet long. Other fabric characteristics that are selected to correspond to particular harvested produce types or applications include porosity, breathability, tensile strength, weave tightness, basis weight, web thickness, opacity, and shade factor. [0040] Still referring to FIG.1, handling the roll 14 of shading material 12 may include removing the shading material 12 from covering the harvested produce items and rewinding it onto the roll 14 for reapplication over another row of harvested produce items. Instead of or in additional to retrieving the shading material, the machine 10 may apply the material 12 by laying down over a row of harvested produce items, such as white onions. [0041] Referring particularly to FIGS.1 and 2, the machine 10 includes a chassis 20 that supports various components and a system of machines 10, including a roll support system 24, an application system 26 (FIG.1) and a retrieval system 28 (FIG.1). Chassis 20 includes a three- point frame 30 for connecting to a tractor’s three-point hitch and a main frame 34 that is connected to the three-point frame 30. Both the three-point frame 30 and main frame 34 are weldments made from a number of pieces of tubular or solid metallic, typically steel, material. Main frame 34 is supported by four adjustable wheels 36 (FIG.1) and includes a front beam 40 with an upright support 41 that extends upwardly from the front beam, providing an upside-down U-shaped structure with a pair of vertical support posts 41A the are intersected by a horizontal support 41B that forms part of the roll support system 24, which is fixed with respect to the remainder of the main frame 34. A back beam 42 extends parallel to the front beam 40 toward the back of the main frame 34. A pair of side beams 44, 46 interconnect the front and back beams 40, 42 to each other and cross-beams 48 extend parallel to the front and back beams 40, 42, also connecting the side beams 44, 46 to each other. [0042] Still referring to FIGS.1 and 2, at a side of the machine 10, empty roll holders 50 extend as angular brackets upwardly from the frame’s side beam 44. Toward the back of machine 10, a full roll holder 52 may provide an L-shaped weldment with a horizontal segment that extends rearwardly from the back beam 42. An upright segment of the full roll holder 52 extends upwardly from the horizontal segment and may support a pair of cradles 54 that are configured to hold a full roll 14 (FIG.1) of shading material 12 (FIG.1). A full roll crane 56 may be pivot mounted to the back beam 42 and may include, for example, a hand-crank or other winch (not shown) to lift the full roll 14 (FIG.1) from the full roll holder 52 and suspend the full roll 14 (FIG.1) from the crane, which can pivot toward the roll support system 24 to reload it for

{02156301.DOCX / } 8 applying initial or additional shading material 12 (FIG.1) during a material application session. As shown at another side of the machine 10, an observer seat 58 may be connected to the frame’s side beam 46, toward the back of machine 10. [0043] Referring now to FIGS.3 and 4, guides 60 are configured to direct the shading material 12 relative to the main frame 34 during a material application session using application system 26, and during a material removal session using retrieval system 28. The guides 60 shown in FIG.3 are mounted at different locations along the length of the main frame 34 and at different heights or spaced at different distances from the ground. Guides 60 are shown here as including a bowed bar 62 located toward the front of main frame 34, a forward idler roller 64 located rearward of the front wheel(s) 36, a knock-off bar 66 located rearward of the forward idler roller 64, a rear idler roller 68 located rearward of the knock-off bar 66, and a nip roller arrangement 70 located toward the back of the main frame. The nip roller arrangement 70 includes a nip roller 72 and drive roller 74 located behind the nip roller. Each bowed bar 62 extends laterally or transversely across the machine 10 and includes inclined segments that may be made from pieces of cylindrical rod. The inclined segments of bowed bar 62 are angled downwardly from a point of intersection of their inner ends toward their outer ends, which provides an upside-down V- shaped configuration (FIG.6). The shading material 12 may be routed through the guides 60 along different paths for the application and retrieval sessions. [0044] Still referring to FIGS.3 and 4, application system 26 includes an edge covering system 80 with various ground engaging tools, which include adjustable hillers 82, adjustable idler wheels 84, and adjustable closing disks 88. The adjustable hillers 82, adjustable idler wheels 84, and adjustable closing disks 88 cooperate with one another to cover opposed edges of the shading material 12 with soil after the shading material 12 is laid down over a row of harvested produce items and holds the shading material 12 in place over the row. Two of each of these devices are mounted on opposite sides of the machine 10 as mirror images of one another. They are spaced equally from the center of the machine 10 to be in general alignment with the respective edges of the shading material 12 being laid down over or retrieved from the row. At each side of machine 10, the hiller 82 digs and mounds a volume of soil into a column adjacent but outward of edges of the shading material 12 that is being laid down over the harvested produce items. The idler wheel 84 rolls over and presses the edges of the shading material 12 against the ground. Each idler wheel 84 may include studs 86 that extend from the outer surface

{02156301.DOCX / } 9 of its circumference to assist pressing and holding the shading material 12 in place. Adjacent and outward of each idler wheel 84 is a corresponding closing disk 88 that engages the column of soil formed by the hiller 82 and that pushes the soil inwardly toward the centerline of the shading material 12 to cover and hold the edges in-place, anchoring the edges of the shading material 12 with the soil’s weight. [0045] Referring now to FIG.4, during a material application session, the shading material 12 may be routed through fewer than all of the guides 60. In this representation of a material application session, shading material 12 is shown here being paid out from the front of roll 14, draped over the forward idler roller 64, then drawn back toward the idler wheel 84. Idler wheel 84 presses the shading material 12 down against the ground surface to be covered on its edges with soil by the closing disk 88. The shading material 12 is typically unwound from the roll 14 passively by allowing the roll 14 to freewheel with friction clutch control in order to avoid backlash, without action of an energy-consuming drive input to rotate the roll 14. After application, the shading material 12 is typically draped relatively loosely over the row of harvested produce and maintains a generally semi-circular transverse cross section rather than being stretched against the produce items. Loosely draping the shading material 12 allows it to conform to any irregularities or lumpiness of the produce items’ profile, thus reducing the number of contact points with the underlying onions or other produce items and improving both shading and ventilation. [0046] Referring now to FIGS.3 and 5, retrieval system 28 includes a lift system 90, a material cleaning system 92, a rewind system 94, and an edge control system 96. Lift system 90 is configured to apply a lift force that pulls the shading material 12 away from the ground. The lift force is typically applied by way of the nip roller arrangement 70 that engages and pulls the shading material 12 to create tension in the shading material 12 with sufficient force to overcome any downwardly directed holding force provided by the dirt or soil that overlies and holds down the edges of the shading material 12. [0047] Referring now to FIG.5, within the nip roller arrangement 70, the nip roller 72 and drive roller 74 are spaced from each other by a distance that is small enough for the shading material to be squeezed in the nip between the nip and drive rollers 72, 74 and pulled toward the roll 14 and away from the ground by rotation of the drive roller 74. A drive mechanism is shown here as a field drive or traction drive 100 that uses a transmission device such as a chain or belt 102 to

{02156301.DOCX / } 10 transmit torque from the wheel 36 to rotate the drive roller 74. As the wheel 36 rolls over the ground, the traction drive 100 converts the wheel’s 36 rotation into rotation of the drive roller 74, which pulls the shading material 12 through the nip of the nip roller arrangement 70. [0048] Still referring to FIG.5, upstream of the nip roller arrangement 70, the guides 60 and the material cleaning system 92 cooperate with the lift system 90 to remove soil and/or other debris from the shading material 12 while the lift system 90 removes the shading material 12 from the ground and delivers it toward the roll 14. Referring now to FIGS.5 and 6 material cleaning system 92 includes brushes that mechanically remove soil as an initial cleaning phase when the shading material 12 is lifted away from the ground, shown here as rotary brushes 110. [0049] Referring now to FIG.6, each brush 110 provides an initial cleaning station of the material cleaning system 92. Each brush 110 includes a bristled brush body 114 that is rotatably supported by opposed arms 112 extending downwardly from the main frame 354. Each brush body is driven to rotate by a drive 120 located at the inner end of the brush 110. Each brush body 114 defines an axis of rotation 116 that is parallel to a respective segment of the bowed bar 62. During a material removal session, the nip roller arrangement 70 (FIG.5) pulls the material 12 (FIG.5) between the inclined segments of the bowed bar 62 and the rotating brush bodies 114. Brush drives 120, which are shown here as hydraulic motors 122, are controlled by a control system 130. Control system 130 may include a PLC (programmable logic controller), and/or relays, or other computer that executes various stored programs while receiving inputs from and sending commands to the subsystems of or components of a hydraulic system 140. Hydraulic system 140 includes, for example, a hydraulic pressure source such as pump 142 that can deliver pressurized hydraulic fluid and a reservoir or tank 144 that receives returning hydraulic fluid. Typically, a hydraulic system of a tractor that tows the machine 10 provides hydraulic fluid to the system via hoses and couplers. A hydraulic valve assembly 146 is controlled by the control system 130 to selectively direct and otherwise control flow characteristics of the hydraulic fluid to the various hydraulic components. [0050] Referring now to FIG.7, during a material retrieval session, the shading material 12 may be routed through all of the guides 60, some of which may define multiple cleaning stations of material cleaning system 92. The material cleaning system 92 shown in FIG.7 represents two discrete cleaning stations, with the first defined by the interacting brush(es) 110 and bowed bar 62 at the initial cleaning station at which the initial cleaning phase is performed. A subsequent

{02156301.DOCX / } 11 cleaning station is arranged downstream of the initial cleaning station for performing a secondary or subsequent cleaning phase. In the illustrated embodiment the downstream cleaning station includes the knock-off bar 66. Knock-off bar 66 includes an upper scraper 150 that has an inverted-V profile shape, with first and second scraper legs 152, 154 that join each other at an apex at the top of the upper scraper 150. The upper scraper 150 may be formed by a transversely extending piece of angle-iron metallic material. A lower bar 160 is mounted below the upper scraper 150. Lower bar 160 is shown here with an inclined square or diamond profile shape, with first and second upper bar walls 162, 164 that join each other at an apex at the top of the lower bar 160. The lower bar 160 may be provided by a transversely extending piece of square tubing or solid metallic material. A space between the first and second scraper legs 152, 154 and the first and second upper bar walls 162, 164 defines an inclined channel 170. Inclined channel 170 has a channel inlet segment 172 and a channel outlet segment 174 that join each other between the respective apexes of the upper scraper 150 and lower bar 160. [0051] Still referring to FIG.7, both the upper and lower surfaces of shading material 12 are cleaned at more than one location during the material retrieval session, while being pulled by the nip roller arrangement 70 and traveling toward the roll 14 (FIG.5). Initially, the upper surface of shading material 12 is mechanically swept by the rotating brush(es) 110 that rotate in the upstream direction or the opposite direction of the material’s travel direction through the material cleaning system 92. Simultaneously at this initial cleaning station, the lower surface of shading material 12 is cleaned by scraping against the upper surface of bowed bar 62 while the shading material 12 is pulled toward the forward idler roller 64. After traveling past idler roller 64, the upper and lower surfaces of shading material 12 are again cleaned before being routed through the nip roller arrangement 70. An upper surface of the shading material is scraped twice while passing through the knock off bar 66, once by a forwardly facing edge of the first scraper leg 152 while the shading material 12 angularly changes its direction to a more inclined orientation at the forward opening of the channel inlet segment 172 and a second time by a rearwardly facing edge of the second scraper leg 154 while the shading material 12 angularly changes its direction to a less inclined orientation at the rearward opening of the channel outlet segment 174. The lower surface of shading material 12 is scraped by the apex at the intersection of the first and second upper bar walls 162, 164 while being pulled through the angled channel 170.

{02156301.DOCX / } 12 [0052] Referring now to FIG.8, control system 130 controls the various components of rewind system 94 to rewind the shading material 12 back onto roll 14 at a constant tension between layers; and various components of edge control system 96 to provide constant edge alignment of the shading material 12 edges between layers. Rewind system 94 pulls the fabric with a force that is less than the lift force applied by the lift system 90. Whereas the nip roller arrangement 70 pulls the shading material 12 with a relatively great force, enough to put the shading material 12 in enough tension to lift it away from the ground and overcome any downward holding pressure from the soil resting on the shading material’s 12 edges or other forces that hold down the shading material 12; the rewind system 94 pulls the shading material 12 with substantially less rewind force compared to the lift force, typically with the minimum amount of force necessary to provide a proper roll profile. Compared to a tension value of the shading material 12 experienced by the pulling of the nip roller arrangement 70 of lift system 90, the rewind force of the rewind system 94 pulls the shading material to an extent that creates a tension value of less than about 3/4, preferably less than about 1/2, or more preferably less than about 1/4 of the tension value created by the nip roller arrangement 70. In this way, within an overall length of the shading material 12 that is being directed through the retrieval system 28, two length segments of the shading material 12 are simultaneously subjected to different tension forces at different portions of the retrieval system 28. A first, greater, pulling force and corresponding tension value(s) is defined at a first length segment of the shading material 12, upstream of the nip roller arrangement 70. A second, lesser, pulling force and corresponding tension value(s) is defined at a second length segment of the shading material 12, downstream of the nip roller arrangement 70. The lesser value pulling forces of the rewind system 94 are schematically represented by the dashed line arrows that illustrate the travel path of the shading material 12 downstream of the nip roller arrangement 70 and the greater value pulling forces of the lift system 90 are schematically represented by the solid line arrows upstream of the nip roller arrangement 70. [0053] Still referring to FIG.8, rewind system 94 includes a roll drive system 180, which has a motor 182, a clutch 184 and a transmission device such as a chain or belt 186 to transmit torque from motor 182 to the clutch 184. Motor 182 is typically a hydraulic motor that is operably connected to the hydraulic system 140 (FIG.6). Clutch 184 is typically a slip clutch that automatically limits torque that is transmitted for rotation of roll 14. This correspondingly provides a tension limit for winding the shading material 12 onto roll 14. When these torque

{02156301.DOCX / } 13 and/or tension limits or maximum values are exceeded, an input section 185A of clutch 184 passively or otherwise overruns an output section 185B of the clutch 184, so that the roll 14 applies no more than the torque limit regardless of the driving force provided by motor 182. Typically, motor 182 is controlled to rotate its output shaft at a rotational speed that is a function of the machine’s 10 travel speed and which may also be varied as a function of the change of the roll’s 14 diameter over time. In this way, rewind system 94 is configured to rotate roll 14 with a torque and rotational speed that prevent overly-loose bunching or other slack conditions while rewinding; while also simultaneously avoiding over-speeding and/or over-torquing the rotation of roll 14 and thus over-tensioning the shading material 12 by allowing the clutch 184 to slip. [0054] Referring now to FIGS.9-11, various operational states of the roll drive system 180 are shown. FIG.9 shows an operational condition in which motor 182 drives the clutch’s input section 185A with a torque value that is below the maximum torque value. In this sub-maximum- torque state, substantially all of the torque that is transmitted from motor 182 through belt 186 is also transmitted from the clutch’s input section 185A to its output section 185B. This rotates the roll 14 with a torque value that approximates that of motor 180 and input section 185A, which is represented by the relatively short arrows of equal length. FIG.10 shows an operational condition in which motor 182 drives the clutch’s input section 185A at the clutch’s maximum torque transmitting value. As in the sub-maximum-torque state (FIG.9), in this maximum-torque state, substantially all of motor’s 182 torque is transmitted through belt 186 and is also transmitted from the clutch’s input section 185A to its output section 185B to rotate the roll 14 with a torque value that approximates that of motor 180 and the clutch’s input section 185A. This is represented by the relatively long arrows of equal length. FIG.11 shows an operational condition in which motor 182 drives the clutch’s input section 185A with a torque value that exceeds the clutch’s maximum torque transmitting value. In this over-torque state, the clutch 184 slips between its input and output sections 185A, 185B so that less than all of motor’s 182 torque that is transmitted through belt 186 to the clutch’s input section 185A is transmitted to the output section 185B. Instead, the roll 14 is rotated with a torque value that approximates the maximum torque value that can be delivered through clutch 184. This is represented by the arrow showing rotation of output section 185B that is the same length of the maximum-torque state shown in FIG.10 and longer arrows showing rotation of motor 182 and the clutch’s input section 185A.

{02156301.DOCX / } 14 [0055] Referring now to FIGS.12-13, edge control system 96, operating under control of the control system 130, moves various components of the roll support system 24 in order to reduce side-to-side wandering and mitigate deviations from edge alignment between layers of the shading material 12 on roll 14. Roll support system 24 has a movable frame 190 that is supported by and movable with respect to main frame 34 (FIG.13). The edge control system 96 is configured to transversely move the moveable frame 190 with respect to the main frame 34 to attenuate misalignments between the edges of the shading material 12 advancing toward the roll 14 and the stacked edges of the layers of shading material 12 already wound onto the roll 14. Moveable frame 190 includes a main crossbar 192 that extends transversely with respect to a longitudinal axis of machine 10 (FIG.1). A pair of brackets 194 with respective pivot joints 196 connect a pair of spaced-apart arms 200 to the main crossbar 192. Brackets 194 may be relocatable for adjusting the distance between them to accommodate rolls 14 of different widths. Each arm 200 has angularly intersecting segments, with a forward segment 202 that extends angularly away from a centerline of the movable frame 190 and a rearward segment 204 that extends from the back of the forward segment, perpendicularly to the main crossbar 192 and parallel to the other arm 200. Actuators and/or adjusters typically interconnect the arms 200 to other parts of the moveable frame 190 to control movement and position of the arms 200. As shown in FIG.12, a link-type adjuster 206, connects the arm 200 toward the bottom of FIG.12 to the respective bracket 194 to allows for fine adjustment of that arm 200 as pivoted about the pivot pin of the corresponding pivot joint 196. Adjuster 206 may, for example, be a turnbuckle style three-point top link. A linear actuator 208 connects the arm 200 toward the top of FIG.12 to the respective bracket 194. Linear actuator 208 be a hydraulic cylinder-type actuator such as a double acting cylinder. Actuator 208 allows for larger movements of arm 200 as arm 200 pivots about the pivot pin of the corresponding pivot joint 196 in order to facilitate roll changes. [0056] Still referring to FIGS.12-13, edge control system 96 includes at least one sensor arrangement 210 that can determine a position of the edge of the web of shading material 12 and, based on the edge position determination, move the moveable frame 190 and correspondingly move the roll 14 to maintain edge alignment of the layered edges on roll 14 with the edge of the advancing shading material 12. Movement of the movable frame 190 is guided by a frame guidance system 220. The frame guidance system 220 includes various supports and cooperating rolling and/or other guides that locate and restrict the movable frame’s 190 front-to-back and

{02156301.DOCX / } 15 up/down movements while allowing for transverse or side-to-side movement. Toward the front of movable frame 190, a pair of horizontal support arms 222 extends from a forward-facing surface of main crossbar 192. At the forward end of each horizontal support arm 222, a roller 224 extends downwardly and rollingly engages a forwardly-facing surface of the horizontal support 41B of the positionally fixed upright support 41. [0057] Referring now to FIG.13, a pair of vertical support arms 226 extend downwardly from a lower-facing surface of main crossbar 192. At the lower end of each vertical support arm 226, a roller assembly 228 vertically locates the movable frame 190 relative to the main frame 34. Roller assembly 228 includes anti-lift arrangements 230 and slider plates 236. Anti-lift arrangements 230 include vertical posts 232 that extend downwardly from the vertical support arm 226 and also include lower horizontal plates 234 that connect to lower ends of the vertical posts 232 and that extend rearwardly, under the cross-beam 48. The slider plates 236 are mounted to top surfaces of the lower horizontal plates 234 and provide a low friction interface between the anti-lift arrangement 230 and the cross-beam 48. Slider plates 236 are typically made from a polymeric material and are typically spaced from the bottom surface of cross-beam 48, only engaging the cross beam 48 during instances of machine 10 bounce that tend to lift the movable frame 190 vertically away from the main frame 34. A roller-rail type system allows for the side-to-side movement of the movable frame 190. Rail system 238 includes rail 240 is mounted to the top surface of crossmember 48. The rail 240 may be implemented as piece of angle-iron metallic material welded or otherwise connected to the crossmember 48. Bracket 242 mounts a roller 246 of the rail system 238 to the bottom of the vertical support arm 226. The outer surface of the roller 246 may have a V-shaped profile that is arranged so that the converging walls of the roller outer surface transversely capture an upper portion of the vertical web of material of the rail 240, which allows the roller 246 to roll along the length of the rail 240 while resisting sliding off the rail 240. [0058] Referring now to FIG.14, a linear actuator 250 extends between and connects the movable frame 190 to the upright support 41. Actuator 250 may be a hydraulic cylinder-type actuator such as a double acting cylinder. A first fixed end or barrel of the cylinder is connected to a base bracket 252 that is mounted to the upright support 41. A second movable end or rod of the cylinder is connected to a holder bracket 254, which is mounted to the movable frame 190. Control system 130 controls the movement of the piston rod of the cylinder to correspondingly

{02156301.DOCX / } 16 move the movable frame 190 based on detected characteristics of a monitored edge 212 of shading material 12. [0059] Still referring to FIG.14, control system 130 uses sensor arrangement 210 to sense or determine the position characteristics of a detected edge 212 of shading material 12 as the shading material 12 advances toward roll 14 during the retrieval session. Based on the detected position characteristic of detected edge 212, control system 130 controls the position of roll 14 by commanding actuation of cylinder 250 to align a roll edge 214, defined by the edge of roll 14 provided by the collective edges of the layers of shading material in the roll 14, with the detected edge 212 of the shading material 12 as the shading material 12 advances toward roll 14. Sensor arrangement 210 may include multiple sensors, such as a first sensor that is shown as inner sensor 260 and a second sensor that is shown as outer sensor 262. Inner sensor 260 is shown here as being mounted inboard of outer sensor 262 or closer to a centerline of movable frame 190. The sensor(s) 260, 262 of sensor arrangement 210 may be any of a variety of sensors that are configured to detect presence and/or position of the shading material 12. For example, the sensor(s) 260 and 262 h may include various optical sensors such as optical presence or proximity sensors that can detect if they are covered by or behind the shading material 12. Control system 130 evaluates signals from the inner and outer sensors 260, 262 to determine a position of the detected edge 212. An aligned or neutral position of the detected edge 212 compared to the roll edge 214 may correspond to the detected edge 212 advancing between the inner and outer sensors 260, 262 so that the inner sensor 260 is covered and the outer sensor 262 is uncovered. In this situation, the signals from inner and outer sensors 260, 262 may correspond to the inner sensor 260 being covered by the shading material 12 and the outer sensor being uncovered or not covered by the shading material 12. Different conditions in which both or neither of the inner and outer sensors 260, 262 are covered by the shading material 12, wholly or partially, correspond to different alignment or misalignment states of the shading material 12 relative to the roll 14. [0060] Referring now to FIGS.15-16 and with background reference to FIG.14, an edge misalignment condition is represented in FIG.15 and the control system 130’s (FIG.14) corrective action is represented in FIG.16. The edge misalignment of FIG.15 is one in which the shading material 12 is being delivered to roll 14 from a position that it too far to the right, so that the shading material 12 advances angularly to the left. Based on the signal(s) from sensor

{02156301.DOCX / } 17 arrangement 210, control system 130 (FIG.14) detects the overly-right misalignment. As shown in FIG.15, this may include both the inner and outer sensors 260, 262 detecting that the shading material 12 covers or overlies them. In response to the overly-right misalignment, as shown in FIG.16, control system 130 (FIG.14) commands a movement of the roll 14 to the right. In response, cylinder 250 is extended to drive the movable frame 190 to the right. The movable frame 190 may be driven to the right until the outer sensor 262 detects that it is uncovered while the inner sensor 260 detects that it is covered by the shading material 12, indicative of the detected edge 212 being aligned with the roll edge 214. [0061] Referring now to FIGS.17-18 and with continued background reference to FIG.14, another edge misalignment condition is represented in FIG.17 and the control system 130’s (FIG.14) corresponding corrective action is represented in FIG.18. The edge misalignment of FIG.17 is one in which the shading material 12 is being delivered to roll 14 from a position that it too far to the left, so that the shading material 12 advances angularly to the right. Based on the signal(s) from sensor arrangement 210, control system 130 (FIG.14) detects the overly-left misalignment. As shown in FIG.17, this may include both the inner and outer sensors 260, 262 detecting that they are uncovered by the shading material 12. In response to the overly-left misalignment, as shown in FIG.18, control system 130 (FIG.14) commands a movement of the roll 14 to the left. Cylinder 250 then drives the movable frame 190 to the left. The movable frame 190 is driven to the left until the inner sensor 260 detects that it is covered by the shading material 12 and the outer sensor 262 detects that it is uncovered, indicative of the detected edge 212 being aligned with the roll edge 214. [0062] Although the best mode contemplated by the inventor of carrying out the present invention is disclosed above, practice of the present invention is not limited thereto. It will be manifest that various additions, modifications and rearrangements of the aspects and features of the present invention may be made in addition to those described above without deviating from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept. The scope of some of these changes is discussed above. The scope of other changes to the described embodiments that fall within the present invention but that are not specifically discussed above will become apparent from the appended claims and other attachments.

{02156301.DOCX / } 18

Claims

CLAIMS We claim: 1. A machine for retrieving an air permeable shading material from covering a row of harvested produce items in an unrolled state in a manner that permits material reuse, the machine comprising: a towed main frame; a roll support system that is mounted on the main frame that supports a roll of a material, a retrieval system that is mounted on the main frame and that is configured to remove the material from the ground in the unrolled state and store the removed material on the roll, the retrieval system including: a lift system that is configured to pull the material in the unrolled state away from the ground; and a rewind system that receives the material from the lift system and that winds the material onto the roll for storing the material on the roll.

2. The machine of claim 1, wherein: the lift system is configured to pull the material with a first force value that provides a first tension value in a first length segment of the material within the lift system; the rewind system is configured to pull the material with a second force value that provides a second tension value in a second length segment of the material within the rewind system; wherein the second force and second tension values are less than the first force and first tension values so that the second length of material within the rewind system is under less tension than the first length of material within the lift system.

{02156301.DOCX / } 19

3. The machine of claim 2, wherein the lift system includes a nip roller arrangement that includes a pair of rollers that define a nip therebetween, and wherein at least one of the rollers is configured to be driven to rotate and pull the material through the nip.

4. The machine of claim 2, wherein the rewind system includes a roll drive system that is configured to limit a driving torque delivered for rotating the roll of material.

5. The machine of claim 4, wherein the roll drive system includes a clutch that limits an application of torque through the roll drive system.

6. The machine of claim 1, further comprising a material cleaning system with multiple cleaning stations that are configured to clean the material while the material is being pulled by the lift system.

7. The machine of claim 6, wherein the multiple cleaning stations of the material cleaning system are each defined by: at least one brush that is configured to remove soil from the material through a brushing engagement with the material; and a knock off bar that is configured to remove soil from the material through a scraping engagement with the material.

8. The machine of claim 7, wherein the at least one brush is arranged upstream of the knock off bar in a direction of material winding, and wherein and the brushing engagement with the material defines an initial cleaning phase while the material is pulled by the lift system.

9. The machine of claim 8, wherein the knock off bar defines an inclined channel, and wherein the knock off bar is configured such that, in operation, the material is directed through the inclined channel and encounters multiple scraping engagements with the knock off bar while moving through the inclined channel.

10. The machine of claim 1, further comprising an edge control system that includes:

{02156301.DOCX / } 20 a sensor arrangement that is configured to monitor a position of an edge of the material as the material advances toward the roll; a movable frame that supports the roll and that is transversely movable with respect to the main frame; and an actuator that connects the movable frame to the main frame and that is configured to move the movable frame in response to a detected position of the edge of the material.

11. The machine of claim 10, wherein the edge control system includes a frame guidance system that is configured to restrict movement of the movable frame to transverse movements.

12. The machine of claim 11, wherein the frame guidance system includes a rail that extends perpendicularly with respect to a longitudinal axis of the machine.

13. The machine of claim 1, further comprising an application system that is supported on the main frame and that is configured to place the shading material over the row of harvested produce items to provide shade and air flow across the row of harvested produce items.

14. The machine of claim 13, wherein the application system includes the roll support, the roll support being configured to support a roll of shading material; guides that are configured to direct shading material that is being unwound from the roll so as to cover a row of harvested produce items; and an edge covering system that includes a plurality of ground engaging tools that are configured to cover opposed edges of the material with soil after the material covers the row of harvested produce items so as to hold the material in place over the row.

15. A method for operating a machine to retrieve an air permeable shading material from covering a row of harvested produce items in a manner that permits reuse of the material, the method comprising:

{02156301.DOCX / } 21 towing a main frame of the machine over a row of harvested produce items that are covered by the material, wherein the material is held in place over the harvested produce items by columns of soil that cover edges of the material; operating a lift system that is supported by the main frame to pull the material with a lift force that exceeds a hold-down force imposed by the column of soil to pull the material away from the row of harvested produce items; operating a rewind system that is supported by the main frame to the pull the material with a rewind force that is less than the lift force to rewind the material onto a roll that is supported by the main frame.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: performing an initial cleaning phase at an initial cleaning station that is supported by the main frame; and performing a subsequent cleaning phase at a subsequent cleaning station that is supported by the main frame at a location that is downstream of the initial cleaning station in a direction of material rewinding movement.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising: monitoring a position of an edge of the material advancing toward the roll; and moving the roll transversely with respect to the main frame in response to a detected misalignment between the edge of the shading material and an edge of the roll.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising, prior to the retrieving: unwinding shading material from a roll supported on the roll support; laying down the shading materials over the row of harvested produce items to cover the harvested produce items; and.

{02156301.DOCX / } 22 using an edge covering system of the machine, covering opposed edges of the material with soil after the material covers the row of harvested produce items such that the soil holds the material in place over the row.

{02156301.DOCX / } 23