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Innovation & Technologie Angebot

An innovative mechanical fruit harvester for synchronized shaking and collecting fruits from two trees at the same time

Country of Origin: Serbia
Reference Number: TORS20180426001
Publication Date: 26 April 2018

Summary

A Serbian company made an innovative mechanical fruit harvester for synchronized shaking and collecting fruits from two trees at the same time. Advantages in comparison with the existing solutions are: capacity increase by 100% and income increase by app. 100%. The company is interested to find the partner through financial agreement.

Description

A Serbian company has developed an innovative machine - shaker for synchronized shaking of two fruit trees and a shaker-collector for harvesting two fruit trees simultaneously. The company sold 21 machines to the domestic market and the markets of Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia and Montenegro. In the period from 1988 to 1990 the company placed two types of machines in the US. In 2011 machine was exported to Chile. 15 prototype-machines were manufactured and tested in harvesting of sour cherries, plums, apricots, apples, pears, olives and oranges in Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and USA. The inventor was engaged as a researcher in Florida at the Florida Department of Citrus in solving the problem of mechanical citrus harvest. On that occasion the prototype of the tractor-coupled trunk shaker, with a hydrostatic vibrator was used. The project was supported by the most well-known specialized US companies with their equipment for mechanical harvesting, namely Oxbo, Stackhouse, Coe Collier, FMC, Compton Enterprises, Orchard Rite, Corvan. Machine building and other costs  of the project implementation were financed by the Florida Department of Citrus, with 50 000 USD, based on expert assessments of the Scientific Council for Research of mechanical harvest, and at the proposal of the President of the Council, at that time the leading expert in the United States for mechanical harvesting. On this basis, the machine building, transportation to Florida and back to Sicily, assembly and disassembly as well as testing in Florida orchards were financed.                                                                                                                                                       

Most of the plantations of stone fruits (cherries, olives, plums, etc.), nuts (walnuts, almonds, pistachios, etc.) and pome fruits (apples, peaches, oranges, etc.) intended for industrial processing are harvested mechanically, by shaking the single tree, using vibrators. On the basis of previously realized inventions, namely the shaker with a hydrostatic vibrator for single tree shaking, the author designed new shakers and shaker-collectors for simultaneous and synchronized shaking of two fruit trees, to the largest gauges. New shakers - collectors are formed by a collector and a hydrostatic vibrator. The collector consists of a horizontal conveyor, with blinds and an added riser conveyor with a forklift. Conveyor is designed as a self-propelled platform, with a console crane, which enables the use of self-propelled manipulators.

In order to build a prototype for new shakers and shaker-collectors, which can be used for harvesting, 30 000 - 50 000 Euro should be invested. The money invested can be returned from the harvest of one type of fruit, for example, sour cherries or plums. In the course of a year, 250 000-750 000 Euro servings can be due by serviceable harvest of several types of fruits. 

The company is interested in a financial arrangement. Within this arrangement, the company will provide logistical support for the implementation of the project. Funding modalities would be based on the partner's offer. The company would provide an arrangement for the first serviceable harvest and participate, as a partner, with logistical support for the realization of the service.

Advantages and Innovations

The novelty is in a new type of hydrostatic vibrator. The innovative hydrostatic vibrator operates based on the completely new operating cycle compared to the existing ones. It is a variant of axial-piston, hydrostatic, torque converter. It has been found and tested in Serbia in 1984 and continuously used, so far.                                                                                     

New types of machines are:

• Shaker for synchronized shaking two fruit trees.

• Shaker-collector, for harvesting two fruit trees

Compared to existing machines, the advantages are:

- Simultaneous, linear, controllable, synchronized, shaking of two fruit trees, with automatic adjustment (closed loop feedback) of the tree clamping force, which ensures:    

  - Minimum strain of tree root, trunk and crown.                                                              

  - Maximum safety of tree from injuries. 

  - Maximum shaking efficiency of ripe fruit, more than 98%.

  - Differentiated shaking, i.e. shaking of ripe fruit only.  

  - Yield increase by 10-15%, (after 2-3 years of shaking)                                                                                                                     

  - 100% increase of harvesting capacity.

  - Efficient shaking of two trees with trunk diameter up to 500mm, below the crown.

  - Dry pruning.

  - Lower fuel consumption during shaking by 2/3.

• Possibility to transform machines that shake single tree into machine that shakes two trees.

• Multipurpose application:

  - Shaker for synchronized shaking two fruit trees.

  - Shaker-collector, for harvesting two fruit trees 

  - Tractor

  - Self-propelled manipulator.

  - Self-propelled crane.

  - Self-propelled basket for working at a height, including fruit harvest

  - Forklift. 

• Income increase at serviceable harvest or leasing, up to 100%.

Stage Of Development

Already on the market

Requested partner

Type: industry

Activity: companies in the field of agriculture

Role: the partner is expected to invest both money and time in creating a business and participate in its realization.