FIELD OF INVENTION

THIS invention is in the field of harvesters, in particular harvesters for harvesting waterborne plants.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Water hyacinth {Eichhornia crassipes, Family Pontederiaceae) is known as "the world's worst water weed" because it can spread fast and widely, grows very quickly both sexually and vegetatively, and causes considerable damage to water ecosystems, riparian vegetation, people's livelihoods, and general human economic development.

The water hyacinth, Eichhornia Crassipes, is a free floating aquatic weed originating from South America. It can be recognized by its large swollen leaves and violet flowers arranged in spikes. It was introduced as an ornamental species into the USA, South East Asia and South Africa in the late 19th century and is now naturalized in most tropical and subtropical areas. It can be found between 38°N and 38°S and is referred to as a noxious weed in more than 50 countries on five continents.

The plant thrives in eutrophicated and polluted water bodies. In these water bodies, heavy metals and other chemical elements are taken up by the plant for its livelihood and healthy growth.

The water hyacinth is considered to be responsible for reduction of biodiversity.

Once introduced, it takes over the whole environment blocking waterways, rivers, irrigation canals and lakes. Ships and boats used for fishing and transportation have severe problems with their navigation because of water hyacinth mats. Fishermen struggle to reach fishing areas, resulting in loss of livelihood. Water hyacinth can also block irrigation canals, reducing the water flow and resulting in poor irrigation and floods.

It is required by most legislative instruments that the water hyacinth must be destroyed in situ before it is transported to a processing site to prevent further reproduction and regrowth of the water hyacinth. It is therefore required that the molecular memory of the water hyacinth is destroyed on site to prevent the possible regrowth of the plant.

It is therefore the object of this invention to provide an apparatus that will be used in harvesting the water hyacinth in situ and to destroy the molecular memory of the hyacinth so as to ameliorate some of the abovementioned problems.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a harvester for harvesting waterborne plants, the harvester comprising: a harvester body; a drawing means for drawing waterborne plants into the harvester body; and a cutter arrangement fitted to the harvester body for cutting the waterborne plants received into the harvester body.

In an embodiment, the harvester body may be supported on land adjacent to a water body, such as a lake, preferably by a first support arrangement comprising a displacement means, in the form of wheels, by which the harvester can be moved on land, or a road, or similar, wherein the first support arrangement is arranged to support at least part of the harvester body on land such that the drawings means can extend outwardly from the harvester body and at least part of the drawing means can be immersed in the water body.

In an embodiment the harvester body may be in the form of a framework to which the drawing means and/or cutter arrangement are removably or integrally connected.

In an embodiment, the harvester may comprise a housing defining an inlet for receiving the plants to be cut/chopped/shredded by the harvester, an outlet through which the shredded plants can be discharged, and a chamber within which the cutter arrangement is rotatably accommodated.

In an embodiment, the cutter arrangement may comprise a rotatable drum from which circumferentially spaced cutting elements, such as knives, protrude for cutting, preferably shredding, the waterborne plants.

In an embodiment, the cutter arrangement may comprise a rotating means, typically a motor, arranged to rotate the rotatable drum at a predefined rate, preferably at 300 rpm.

In an embodiment the cutter arrangement may be arranged to cut, preferably shred the waterborne plants up to a maximum of 50 mm in length, preferably 40mm in length, typically for destroying the molecular memory of the waterborne plants.

In an embodiment, the drawing means may comprise a first conveyance arrangement comprising a first elongate support structure; a drawing conveyance extending along the first support structure, the drawing conveyance preferably being a conveyor belt or chain that is arranged to be at least partially immersed into the water body, for drawing the waterborne plants into the harvester body; and a first roller arrangement for supporting the drawing conveyance on the first support structure and for moving the drawing conveyance along the length of the first support structure.

In an embodiment, the drawing conveyor belt may comprise a plurality of gripping formations in the form of ribbed formations protruding from a surface of the conveyor belt and preferably extending along its length so as to grip and hold the plants onto the conveyor belt when the plants are drawn into the harvester body.

In an embodiment, the gripping formations may extend transversely across the drawing conveyor belt and may be longitudinally spaced from each other.

In an embodiment, the first conveyance arrangement may extend between the harvester body and water body (i.e. the lake or dam or similar) at an incline relative to the horizontal, preferably at 20 to 30 degrees to the horizontal, more preferably at 22 degrees to the horizontal.

In an embodiment, the harvester may comprise a second support arrangement for supporting the drawing means at a predefined angle relative to the horizontal, preferably at 20 to 30 degrees to the horizontal, more preferably at 22 degrees to the horizontal.

In an embodiment, the second support arrangement may comprise a first pair of substantially upright arms extending from the harvester body for supporting the drawing means at an elevation; and a second pair of opposite elongate arms that extend transversely to the first pair of upright arms for connecting the drawing means to the harvester body and holding the drawing means at the predefined angle relative to the horizontal. In an embodiment, the harvester may comprise a dewatering arrangement for receiving the shredded plants and for removing the water retained in the plants.

In an embodiment, the dewatering arrangement may comprise a squeezing or pressing means configured to press and/or squeeze the shredded plants.

In an embodiment, the squeezing or pressing means may comprise a first dewatering roller element rotating about a first axis and a second spaced dewatering roller element rotating about a second axis for squeezing the plants received in the space defined between the first and second dewatering roller elements.

In an embodiment, the first and second dewatering roller elements may rotate in first and second, preferably opposite directions.

In an embodiment, the harvester may further comprise an adjustment means for adjusting the spacing defined between the first and second dewatering roller elements between a predefined maximum, typically 10 mm vertical spacing, and a predefined minimum, typically 5 mm vertical spacing.

In an embodiment, the harvester may comprise a transferring arrangement for transferring the shredded plants into the dewatering arrangement.

In an embodiment, the transferring arrangement may comprise a second conveyance arrangement extending between the cutter arrangement and the dewatering arrangement.

In an embodiment, the second conveyance arrangement may comprise a second elongate support structure; a transferring conveyance such as a conveyor belt or chain supported by the second support structure; and a second roller arrangement comprising a plurality of second roller elements, wherein one of the plurality of second roller elements being disposed proximate the first dewatering roller element, wherein the second roller arrangement being arranged on the second support structure for displacing the transferring conveyance along the length of the second support structure.

In an embodiment, the first dewatering roller element and the said one of the plurality of second roller elements may define a first squeezing interface/region of the dewatering arrangement for squeezing the shredded plants, and the first and second dewatering roller elements may define a second squeezing interface of the dewatering arrangement for squeezing the shredded plants even further.

In an embodiment, the plurality of second roller elements may be configured to rotate in the same direction as the first dewatering roller element.

In an embodiment, the harvester may comprise a collector means, typically in the form of a container, for collecting the inherent water and intracellular-trapped water squeezed out of the shredded plants.

In an embodiment, the harvester may comprise a discharge element in the form of a chute, typically formed in or fitted to the harvester body, through which the squeezed/dewatered plant matter can be discharged from the harvester.

In an embodiment, the harvester may further comprise a loading arrangement, typically arranged in communication with the discharge element, for loading the squeezed plant matter onto a site for creating a stockpile, or into a container, or bucket of a truck. According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a method of harvesting waterborne plants into a harvester, the method comprising the steps of: drawing waterborne plants into the harvester; and cutting the waterborne plants drawn into the harvester.

In an embodiment, the method may further comprise a step of dewatering the cut, preferably shredded waterborne plants, in particular water hyacinth.

In an embodiment, the method may further comprise a step of collecting the liquid removed/dewatered from the shredded plants.

In an embodiment, the method may further comprise a step of collecting the dewatered plants.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a front perspective view of a harvester in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 shows an opposite front perspective view of the harvester of FIG. 1 ; FIG. 3 shows a detail view A of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the harvester in accordance with the invention having a different conveyance arrangement to that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 5 shows a side view of the harvester of FIG. 4; and FIG. 6 shows a detailed view B of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EXAMPLE EMBODIMENT

The following description of the invention is provided as an enabling teaching of the invention. Those skilled in the relevant art will recognise that many changes can be made to the embodiment described, while still attaining the beneficial results of the present invention. It will also be apparent that some of the desired benefits of the present invention can be attained by selecting some of the features of the present invention without utilising other features. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will recognise that modifications and adaptations to the present invention are possible and can even be desirable in certain circumstances, and are a part of the present invention. Thus, the following description is provided as illustrative of the principles of the present invention and not a limitation thereof.

As can be seen in the drawings there is provided a harvester in accordance with the invention designated generally by reference numeral 10. The harvester 10 comprises an elongate harvester body 12 in the form of a framework supported on the ground/land by a first support arrangement comprising wheels 14 that are connected to the bottom of the harvester body 12.

The harvester 10 comprises a drawing means 16 that is dismountably mounted to the harvester body 12. The drawing means 16 extends outwardly away from the harvester body 12 and extends at an angle from a first end 15 of the harvester body 12. The drawing means 16 comprises a first conveyance arrangement comprising a first elongate support structure 18 having a pair of side frame members 20, 22 interconnected to each other by laterally extending, horizontal members 24; a first roller arrangement comprising a plurality of first roller elements 26 which are spaced longitudinally apart from each other along the length of the first support structure 18; and a drawing conveyor belt 28 supported by the first roller elements 26 and extending along the length of the first support structure 18.

The harvester 10 also comprises a second support arrangement 30 comprising a first pair of substantially upright, laterally spaced first and second support members

32, 34 as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2, which extend upwardly from base members 12.10, 12.12 of the harvester body 12. The drawing means 16 is dismountably mounted to an upper end of the first pair of support members 32, 34 via dedicated first and second pivot joints 36, 38, as best seen in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings.

The second support arrangement 30 also comprises a second pair of opposite, laterally spaced third and fourth support members 40, 42. The third support member 40 extends transversely to the first support member 32 and is connected to a bottom end of the first support member 32 by a third pivot joint 44. Similar, the fourth support member 42 extends transversely to the second support member 34 and is connected to a bottom end of the second support member 34 by a fourth pivot joint 46. The third and fourth support members 40, 42 extend forwardly from the first end 15 of the harvester body 12 as shown in Figures 1 and 2.

The third and fourth support members 40, 42 each define an elongate, longitudinally extending first and second openings 48, 50, respectively. Each opening 48, 50 extends from a free end of its dedicated support member 40, 42 and terminates partway along the length of the third and fourth support member 40, 42. Each opening 48, 50 is arranged to be coupled to one of the plurality of connectors 52, 54 extending outwardly from the side frame members 20, 22 of the first support structure 18 of the drawing means 16.

Each connector 52, 54 comprises a threaded shaft (not shown), i.e. the connector may be in the form of a stud. One of the plurality of connectors 52, 54 on the side frame members 20, 22 is arranged to be received through the first and second openings 48, 50 and is further arranged to travel or slide within the respective first and second openings 48, 50 for positioning, by a user, at a desired location along the length of the first and second openings 48, 50 defined in the third and fourth support members 40, 42, respectively. The harvester 10 further comprises fasteners, such as a nuts 56, 58 which are arranged to threadedly fasten, and thereby secure the connector 52, 54 provided on the side frame members 20, 22 to the third and fourth support members 40, 42. The connectors 52, 54 and fasteners 56, 58 thereby define a securing arrangement in accordance with the invention.

The first and second pivot joints 36, 38 allow the drawings means 16 to pivot about the pivot axis A defined by the first and second pivot joints 36, 38 so as to enable the adjustment of the angle which the drawing means 16 forms with the ground/horizontal. Preferably, the drawing means 16 extends between the first end 15 of the harvester body 12 and ground at an incline of 20 to 30 degrees to the horizontal, more preferably at 22 degrees to the horizontal. The third and fourth pivot joints 44, 46 also permit the support members40, 42 to pivot about a pivot axis B, as shown in Figure 2, for purposes of positioning the first and second openings 48, 50 defined in the third and fourth support members 40, 42, respectively, in alignment with any of the connectors 52, 54 provided along the lengths of the side frame members 20, 22 of the drawing means 16. As mentioned above, the third and fourth support members 40, 42, connectors 52, 54 and fasteners 56, 58 are adapted to support and fix the drawing means 16 to the desired angular position with respect to the horizontal/ground G.

The free end 16.2 of the drawing means 16, and preferably part of the length of the drawing conveyor belt 28, is arranged to be partially immersed into a body of water, such as a lake designated by L, or dam or similar, as shown in Figure 5, for drawing and thereby picking-up the waterborne plants, i.e. water hyacinth, and transferring the water hyacinth into the harvester body/framework 12 as described in detail below. Preferably, the drawing conveyor belt 28 comprises gripping formations 28.2, as shown in Figure 4, in the form of ribs protruding substantially upright from a surface of the drawing conveyor belt 28. The ribs 28.2 extend laterally across the surface of the conveyor belt 28 and are longitudinally spaced from each other. The ribs 28 are adapted to grip and thereby deter the plants from sliding down the drawing conveyor belt 28.

As can be seen in Figures 1 , 2, 4 and 5 of the drawings, a housing 60 is connected between the side support members 12.2, 12.4, 12.6, 12.8 of the harvester body 12. The housing 60 is provided at the first end 15 of the framework 12 as shown in Figures 1 , 2, 4 and 5. The housing 60 defines an inlet 62 that accommodates a supported, elevated end 16.4 of the drawing means 16 as shown in Figures 4 and 5 of the drawings. The housing 60 further defines an outlet 64 through which the cut, preferably shredded plants, will be discharged, and a chamber 66 within which a cutter arrangement 70 is rotatably fitted.

The cutter arrangement 70 comprises a rotatable cylindrical drum 72 from which a plurality of circumferentially spaced, upwardly curved cutting elements or knives 74 protrude, as shown in Figure 3. The cutter arrangement 70 comprises a drum axle (not shown) on which is mounted the drum 72. A motor 76, as shown in Figure 5, is connected to the drum axle (not shown) to rotate the drum axle (not shown) such that the cylindrical drum 72 can rotate preferably at about 300 rpm.

As can be seen in Figures 1 , 2, 4 and 5, the harvester 10 further comprises a transferring arrangement 80 for transferring the shredded plant matter into a dewatering arrangement 90 provided at/towards the second end 17 of the harvester body 12. The transferring arrangement 80 receives and transports the shredded plants to the dewatering arrangement 90 downstream.

The transferring arrangement 80 comprises a second conveyance arrangement comprising a second elongate support structure (not shown); a second roller arrangement (not shown), and a transferring conveyor belt 82 supported by the second roller arrangement (not shown), and being moveable relative to the second support structure (not shown) about the second roller arrangement (not shown), as known in the art. The second roller arrangement (not shown) comprises a plurality of second roller elements, one of which 84 being shown at an end 86 of the transferring arrangement 80, as shown in Figure 5.

The dewatering arrangement 90 comprises a third roller arrangement 92 having a pair of vertically spaced apart first and second dewatering roller elements 94, 96. Turning our attention to Figure 6 of the drawings which shows a detailed view of the dewatering arrangement 90, the second roller element 84 and first dewatering roller element 94 define a first squeezing space 98 between them that defines a first squeezing region for squeezing plant matter trapped/sandwiched therebetween.

Similar, the first and second dewatering roller elements 94, 96 define a second squeezing space 100 between them that defines a second squeezing region for squeezing plant matter even further. The second squeezing space 100 is typically about 10mm in length. The harvester 10 may comprise an adjustment means (not shown) for moving the first and second dewatering roller elements 94, 96 towards and away from each other to adjust the length of the vertical space 100 defined between them. Typically, the space 100 between the first and second dewatering roller elements 94, 96 can be adjusted between 10mm and 5mm. The first dewatering roller element 94 and second roller element 84 preferably rotate in a clockwise direction 102, while the second dewatering roller element 96 rotates in an anti-clockwise direction 104.

As shown in Figures 1 , 2, 4 and 5 of the drawings, the first dewatering roller element 94 is accommodated in a frame/cage 106 at the second end 17 of the harvester body 12. The frame 106 may be covered with glass 107. A first dewatering roller element axle 108, on which is mounted the first dewatering roller element 94, extends between substantially upright plates 1 10, 1 12 on the sides of the frame 106. The first dewatering roller element axle 108 is connected to, and rotated by, a first dewatering roller element motor 1 14. Similar, the second dewatering roller element 96 is also accommodated in the frame 106. A second dewatering roller element axle

1 16 on which is mounted the second dewatering roller element 96, extends between the plates 1 10, 1 12. The second dewatering roller element axle 1 16 is connected to, and rotated by, a second dewatering roller element motor 1 18, as shown in Figure 6.

As can be seen in Figure 6, the second roller element 84 is accommodated in the frame 106 and is located adjacent to the first dewatering roller element 94. The second roller element 84 is shown in the drawings as being smaller in diameter than the first dewatering roller element 94. Typically, the first dewatering roller element 94 is arranged to collect/pick-up the plant matter at the end 86 of the transferring arrangement 80 and move it to the second, squeezing interface 100. Any plant matter that is not picked-up by the first dewatering roller element 94 is squeezed in the first squeezing region 98 and can be collected by a collector means (not shown), typically in the form of a container, that is arranged below the first and second squeezing regions 98, 100 for collecting the water squeezed from the plant matter and the plant matter that could not be picked-up by the first dewatering roller element 94.

The harvester 10 further comprises a discharge element 120 defining a flow path through which the squeezed plant matter can be discharged from the harvester 10. The discharge element is in the form of a chute that is fitted to the harvester body 12 and extends outwardly from the dewatering arrangement 90.

The harvester 10 further comprises a loading arrangement 130, typically arranged in communication with the discharge element 120, for transferring the dewatered plant matter (i.e. water hyacinth) onto a site for creating a stockpile, or into a container, or for loading into a bucket of a truck. The loading arrangement 130 is typically in the form of a third conveyance arrangement as shown in the drawings. The third conveyance arrangement 130 comprise a third elongate support structure 132; a third roller arrangement 134 comprising a plurality of third roller elements 136 which are spaced longitudinally apart along the length of the third support structure 1 32; and a loading conveyor belt 138 (which may also be a chain conveyor) that is supported by the third roller elements 136 and extends along the length of the third support structure 132, as known in the art. The loading arrangement 130 further comprises triangularly shaped support legs 140, 142 each of which being fitted with roller caster wheels 146, 148 at front ends 150, 152 of the legs 140, 142.

In use, the harvester 10 is moved towards the lake L and supported by the wheels

14 on the ground by the side of the lake L. The drawing means 16, second support arrangement 30 may be typically deployed from the harvester body 12 or assembled by an operator so that the drawing means 16 can extend at an angle to the ground G, and be supported at that angle by the combination of the second support arrangement 30, connectors 52, 54 and nuts 56, 58 as shown in Figures 1 , 2, 4 and

5 of the drawings. The free end 16.2 of the drawing means 16, and in most preferable instances part of the length of the drawing conveyor belt 28, is immersed into the lake L and is arranged adjacent to the waterborne plants in the lake L. The drawing means 16 is then activated (by activating a motor associated therewith) so as to draw the plants onto the drawing conveyor belt 28 and transfer the plants loaded thereto into the housing 60 via the housing inlet 62. Typically, the cutter arrangement 70, transferring arrangement 80, dewatering arrangement 90, and loading arrangement 130 will also be activated at the same time as when the drawing means is activated, typically by activating their respective, dedicated motors.

Once the plants, typically water hyacinth, are received in the housing 60, the cutter arrangement 70 would shred the plants up to a predefined length, typically about 40mm in length, thereby destroying the molecular memory in the plants to prevent reproduction in, and regrowth of the plants. The shredded plants are then discharged through the housing outlet 64 and loaded on the transferring conveyance arrangement 80 and transported to the dewatering arrangement 90. The shredded plants will be discharged into the first squeezing region 98 defined between the second roller element 84 and first dewatering roller element 94 which are both rotating in the same direction 102, for example clockwise direction. The space defined between the transferring roller element 84 and first dewatering roller element

94 is small enough to permit the larger first dewatering roller element 94 to pick-up the squeezed plant matter and transfer the plant matter to the second squeezing region 100 that is defined between the first and second dewatering roller elements 94, 96. Typically, the second roller element 84 is located above the first dewatering roller element 94 so that the plants can fall directly onto the first dewatering roller element 94 during operation. The water squeezed out of the plants is collected below the dewatering arrangement 90 by the collector tank (not shown), and the squeezed/dewatered plants are discharged from the dewatering arrangement 90 through the chute 120, and onto the loading arrangement 130 as shown in the drawings for loading into a truck, or creating a stockpile of the squeezed plants (or plant matter).

The applicant believes that the invention described above at least ameliorates some of the aforesaid drawbacks.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to a specific embodiment and/or example thereof, it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing may readily conceive of alterations to, variations of and equivalents to these embodiments.