machine for the automated collection of florets cultivated in plantations.

摘要

A machine is described for automatically picking inflorescences grown in plantations, having an improved performance concerning product quality and quantity. Such a picker includes a head portion (1), pulled and powered by a self-propelled means, substantially comprised of a rotatable reel (5) formed by vertical flanges (13, 13') kept spaced apart from each other by longitudinal bars lying parallel to the reel rotational axis, bearing comb means mounted thereon to tear the inflorescence capitula in order to feed them to shearing means (20, 22) whereby the stems are cut, preferably at a predetermined length. Each comb means (17) has a corresponding counter-comb (29) which is resiliently snapped at each reel revolution in order to drop the inflorescences caught at the comb teeth, into underlying closed sections (40) of the reel, wherefrom they are unloaded, while said reel (5) rotates, to a collection system (39), such as including conveyor belts (42) and a container on the self-propelled means (10).