Harvester and method for leafy plants

• US 10,542,672 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2018
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: D'Arrigo Bros Co. Of California
• Original Assignee: D'Arrigo Bros Co. Of California
• Inventors: D'Arrigo, Michael Anthony, Sandoval, Anthony Dejesus, Garcia, Hector Amando Camacho, de Groot, Peter Frits
• Primary Examiner(s): Fabian-Kovacs, Arpad
• Application Number:
  US16/211,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20190159402A1
• Time in Patent Office: 419 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 45/263 of lettuce
• CPC Class Codes: A01D 46/30 Robotic devices for individually picking crops

Abstract

Measuring lateral separation distances and longitudinal separation distances from a center of a plant to be cut to a reference point on a harvester; determining a lateral and longitudinal blade displacement and moving a cutting tool; activating a cut and lift mechanism to cut a plant with the cutting tool; while the cutting tool remains in contact with the plant, removing an outer leaf from the cut plant.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

measuring a first lateral separation distance and a first longitudinal separation distance from a center of a plant to be cut to a reference point on a harvester;

measuring a second lateral separation distance and a second longitudinal separation distance from a cutting tool to the reference point;

determining a lateral blade displacement from the first lateral separation distance and the second lateral separation distance;

determining a longitudinal blade displacement from the first longitudinal separation distance and the second longitudinal separation distance;

moving the cutting tool by the lateral blade displacement and the longitudinal blade displacement;

lowering a core stabilizer onto a crown of a plant to be cut;

activating the cut and lift mechanism to cut the plant with the cutting tool;

while the cutting tool and the core stabilizer remain in contact with the cut plant;

removing an outer leaf from the cut plant to form a plant core; and

lifting the plant core, the cutting tool, and the core stabilizer together.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising counting pulses from a rotary encoder to measure the first longitudinal separation distance.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising counting pulses from a rotary encoder to measure the second longitudinal separation distance.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing an outer leaf from the plant core by directing a pulse of air from an air cannon onto the cut plant held between the core stabilizer and the cutting tool.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising lifting the cut plant by lifting the cutting tool and the core stabilizer together.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising moving the plant core onto a conveyor by lifting the core stabilizer and directing a pulse of air from a core ejector toward the plant core and toward the conveyor.