Bogaerts Greenhouse Logistics

www.bogaertsgl.com
0032 (0)3 314.18.01

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BOGAERTS TOMATO HARVESTING SYSTEM

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Tomato harvesting system
Bogaerts Greenhouse Logistics offers a complete automatic harvesting system. BCTT- carts are used for
harvesting the plants. When the carts are on the concrete path, they automatically follow an inductive wire
and stop at each obstacle or fixed point. The carts are automatically discharged. The boxes are put onto a
buffer belt. After discharging, the carts automatically return to their operator or to the battery zone when there
batteries are empty.

Harvesting Carts ride automatically

Discharging of the boxes by the push off unit The boxes on the buffer belt.

The boxes are destacked on a destacking unit The boxes are weighed

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Advantages of the system:

- Ingeniously

- User-friendly

- Increase of productivity

- Operates fully automatic

- Speed of harvesting

- Speed on concrete path

- Compact installation of the system

- Price inductive wire

- Less carts needed

The parts

The Bogaerts Tomato harvesting system consists of the following parts:

1. Bo-Cart Tractions

2. Communication system (optional)

3. Registration system (optional)

4. Inductive pathway

5. Battery charging zone

6. Push off unit

7. Buffer

8. Destacking unit

9. Weighing system

10. Stacking installation (optional)

11. Other options

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1. Bo-Cart Traction Tomato
The BCTT (Bo-Cart Traction Tomato) is a cart that can be used for harvesting tomatoes.
The cart is driven by an electromotor and 4 powerful batteries. After harvesting, the BCTT follows
automatically an inductive wire and stops at each obstacle or fixed stop point. The cart can be used in three
modes.

- harvest mode

- pilot mode

- automatic mode

Harvest mode: Pilot mode:

the BCTT rides automatically in front of the pilot the BCTT easily between
operator at a fixed distance the path with plants and the concrete path

Automatic mode:
BCTT automatically rides via the concrete path to
the collection place, sorting machine or buffer
and back

Advantages of the Bo-Cart Traction Tomato:

- High productivity
o quick change over from row to row (easy piloting of the cart)
o increase of picking speed of 20% (cart drives automatically in front of you during picking)

- user-friendly

- Intelligent cart
o stops, accelerates,… whenever needed
o rides to the charging zone when battery is almost empty (when it passes the battery zone)
o opens doors automatically

- Almost maintenance free (very solid design & parts)

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Technical specifications

Description Unit BCTT HOH 550/51 BCTT HOH425/51

Length x width mm 2670 x 818 2670 x 693
Track width (tubediam.51mm) mm 550 425
Height of the platform low/high tube support mm 385/565 385/565
Platform, l x w mm 2250 x 410 2250 x 410
Weight of load kg 300 300
Weight of cart kg 375 370
Power of motor for riding kW 0,7 0,7
Power of motor for hydr.unit kW 2,2 2,2
Voltage Volt 24DC 24DC
Speed on concrete m/min 0 - 52 0 - 52
Speed on tubes m/min 0 - 28 0 - 28
Batteries Ah 4 x 54 4 x 54

Remark:
Carts for other rail dimensions are also possible!

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Options for BCTT
Bogaerts Greenhouse logistics has developed some options for the BCTT witch can be ordered separately.

Communication-unit Identification-unit Paper box

This unit has to be assembled in
the console of the cart. The unit
makes it possible to control the
carts from a distance and makes it
possible to manage each complex
situation.
For more information see section 3
This unit has to be assembled in
the console of the cart. Each user
has his unique key and uses this
key to activate the cart. Without
key, you can’t use the cart.
It’s required for the registration
system
For more information see section 4
This box can be assembled under
the empty boxes rack. It’s very
useful and handy when you have
to work with papers in the boxes.
We have paper boxes with several
dimensions and with 1 or 2 layers.

Roller-track Empty boxes rack

The roller track is very useful This rack is assembled above the
during harvesting because you can roller track and is used for storing
easily push boxes further. It’s empty boxes.
possible to assembled it on
supports (so it’s possible to put a
box beneath the roller-track)

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2. Communication system
When you have the communication unit assembled in your carts, it’s possible to register all the movements of
the carts and control the entire system. The registration system exists of a computer on the carts,
communication units on the carts and a computer program.

The communication system is able to control the carts.

The carts can be controlled by a central computer. The operator can decide where a cart has to go to.

Advantages control system:

- Complex situations / ground plans are possible

- Easy to control each cart separately

- Flexibility of carts, places

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3. Registration system
The registration system is the solution:
- When you want to know what’s going on in your greenhouse.

- When you want to take important management/personnel decisions based on reliable information

- When you want to trace each tomato (which row/person/…)

- When you want to study

- The productivity
- The profit per person/product/row/greenhouse/…
- The speed of harvesting/treating
- Total cost

The parts:

Identification unit in the cart Communication module in the A weighing platform

Each operator has a personal key
and has to use this key to activate
the cart, otherwise the cart won’t
start
cart
The cart sends signals Each cart is weighed on the
(of identification/row/…) to the weighing platform
central computer by the
communication module

A computer Software Transponders in each row

The computer collects and saves all A software packet for processing Transponders are very small
the information and processes it. and checking the collected data. devices installed in the concrete
in front of each path. They tell
the cart in which row it enters.

The system:
The operator activates the cart with his personal key. Each time the cart enters a new row or the operator
stops with harvesting, this is registered automatically. Each cart is also weighed before it’s discharged by the
push off unit. All this data is registered onto the computer.
In this manner, no human mistakes are possible and our registration system can offer the computer very
reliable information without any human errors.

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The software:
All the data is saved onto the computer.
This data has to be processed by a registration program.
You can use any registration program but we recommend Bogaerts own registration program: Bogaerts Data
Analyser

Bogaerts Data Analyser:

This program is a user-friendly registration program with a lot of possibilities:

- You can check/print reports or tables concerning:
o the productivity
o profit per person/row/product/greenhouse/…
o speed of harvesting/treating
o total cost
o payroll
o and a lot more
- You can check a ground plan of the greenhouse with the rows which are already done or busy at the
moment.
- You can check for each box who harvested it, the time and in which row it was harvested.
- You can check at each moment where a certain person or cart is.
- You can export data to Microsoft Excel to do some more calculations, make graphs …
- And a lot more

Thanks to the pre-installed favorites, you can navigate quickly through the program (only two clicks are
needed to check a table/report) without losing any of the possibilities.

The main interface The output interface

A report that can be printed A map of the greenhouse with the rows which
are done

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Advantage registration system:
Concerning the entire system:

- Accurate information and no corrections needed.

- All input is done automatically (by carts, weighing machine, transponders), so no human mistakes
are possible
- Traceability of each tomato

Concerning “Bogaerts Data Analyser”:

- Traceability of each tomato

- Easy to use
- Clarifying
- Fast navigation
- Reliable information for making decisions
- A lot of possibilities:
o Easy to study
ƒ the productivity
ƒ profit per person/ product /greenhouse
ƒ speed harvesting/treating
ƒ total cost
ƒ other things
o Complete payroll system
o Ground plan of greenhouse with rows which are done, busy
o At each moment you can check where a certain person or cart is.

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4. Inductive pathway
The BCTT can ride automatically on the concrete path.
Therefore the BCTT follows an inductive wire which is put inside the concrete and is covered.
In this way you don’t have any chains or grooves that get filled with dirt.

Parts needed for transportation by induction:

Inductive wire Generator Door opener

Wire in the concrete where the This device puts a frequency on Device that automatically
cart has to ride. There are the inductive wire the cart can opens/closes the greenhouse
inductive wires in the battery detect. door when a cart has to pass
charge zone, the packing hall with
the sorting machine and buffer,
the concrete path in the
greenhouse and all the other
places the cart has to be. (only applicable to electric doors)

The advantages of automatic transport by induction:

- Flexibility
o Cross points are possible and cheap
o No restrictions of length
o Short turns are possible
- Average speed is higher because speed can differ (straight: fast, corners: slow)
- Less carts needed due to high speed
- Less space (for discharger, stocking place, …) required because cart can turn, ride backwards, …
- Cheap/compact to install
- No maintenance because no filth can come in wires (are inside the concrete and are covered;
no groove/chain)
- No wheels can get stuck into the groove
- No noise
- No wear

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5. Battery charging zone
The battery charging zone is a place in the hall of the greenhouse where the battery chargers are. There is
also an inductive wire near the chargers so the BCTT-carts automatically ride to the battery charging zone
when their batteries are almost empty and their container has been discharged. This prevents that the carts
suddenly stop during harvesting and prolongs the lifecycle of the batteries.

The battery The battery

charging zone chargers

Advantages of battery charging zone & automatic battery check

- Longer lifetime of batteries

- No sudden stops during harvesting

- Automatic collection of the carts that need charging

- Carts are visible and parked close to each other

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6. The push off unit

The cart automatically rides before the push off unit. The push off unit then automatically pushes the boxes
with tomatoes onto a buffer belt.

Advantages of the push off unit

- Automatic discharging

- Speed of discharging

- Reliability

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7. The buffer belt

Bogaerts greenhouse logistics offers two types of buffer systems.

- a system with one belt
- a system with two belts
The system with two belts has the advantage you don’t have to wait to discharge the cart, when you are
destacking. In this way it’s possible to continuously destack the piles of boxes and meanwhile discharge the
carts with boxes.
The belt has a width of 2,60m and a length of 4m.
The buffer system with one belt can contain 640 boxes (± 3800 kg); the system with two belts can contain
1280 boxes (± 7600 kg).

Advantages of the buffer belt

- The buffer belt guarantees a constant product flow to the destacking unit and weighing system
Because boxes are stored onto the belt, you don’t have to wait for the BCTT-cart for boxes.

- You don’t have to weigh and harvest at the same time

- The weighing/ discharging time can be delayed

- Quicker passing of BCTT (the cart doesn’t have to wait until the piles of boxes are destacked)

- Because of the quicker passing of the BCTT , less carts are needed

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8. The destacking unit

The BCTT-cart delivers piles of boxes. The destacking unit automatically destacks the piles, so the boxes
can be easily sent to the weighing system.

Working

1. A row of piles of boxes is put into the destacking unit by the buffer belt.
2. The row of piles is transported upwards.
3. A gripper grips the upper boxes.
4. The rest of the boxes descends.
5. The boxes in the gripper are transported to the weighing system.
6. A new row of boxes is destacked.

Advantages of the destacking unit

- Automatic destacking

- Different types of boxes can be destacked.

- Together with the buffer belt, the destacking unit guarantees a constant product flow for the weighing
system.

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9. Weighing system.

The working of the weighing system :

Main conveyor belt

The boxes are transported from the destacking unit The boxes are transported by the main conveyor belt
to the weighing system

A photo cell detects when

more boxes are needed

Each weighing table has to have some boxes. When An electric arm turns and diverts the boxes to the
there aren’t enough boxes at a weighing table, this is weighing table.
detected by a photo-cell.
After the boxes are weighed there are 2 possibilities:

- the operator stacks the boxes manually

onto pallets
- the boxes are put onto a second conveyor
belt and are transported to an automatic
Box with extra stacking installation.
tomatoes for (optional, see section 10)
adjusting the weight

An integrated scale

An operator adds or removes tomatoes to approach

the wanted weight

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Advantages of the weighing system

- Automatic transport of the boxes to the weighing tables

- Continuous product flow

- High speed of transport

- Quick weighing (quick scales)

- User-friendly weighing tables

- Higher productivity because the operator only has to weigh

- Expandable with more weighing tables.

- Possibility to combine with automatic stacking installation

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10. Stacking installation (option)

The stacking installation automatically stacks the boxes onto pallets. Combined with a packing machine this
is a powerful solution that makes stacking and packing entirely automatic.

11. Other options

Bogaerts greenhouse had some other options for the weighing system.

- check weighing unit

This unit makes it easier to weigh boxes.

There are several places where tomatoes (with different weights) can be stored.
When a box is weighed, a computer calculates whether tomatoes have to be removed or tomatoes have to
be added to approach the wanted weight. When tomatoes have to be added, a light indicates which tomato
(with certain weight) of which place has to be added.

Places for tomatoes of

different weights

Box that’s being weighed

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- Strapping machine

This device makes it possible to strap the pallets semi-automatically. It’s possible to use this device together
with the stacking unit as a complete system for stacking and packing.

- Printer
It’s possible to install an inkjet printer onto your product line. In this way you can print automatically onto the
boxes.

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Advantages of the Bogaerts tomato harvesting system:

1. High productivity
- quick change over from row to row (easy piloting of the cart)
- increase of picking speed of 20% (cart drives automatically in front of you during picking )
- user-friendly

2. Continuous product flow to the weighing system

- continuous delivery of products (cart by cart)
- no waiting on picked products (thanks to the buffer)
- very reliable

3. Intelligent cart
- stops, accelerates,… whenever needed
- rides to the charging zone when batteries are almost empty (when it passes the battery zone)
- can open doors automatically

4. Almost maintenance free

- very solid design & parts
- all electronic components are protected by a closed box
- integrated motor in the cart (no chain that picks up leaves, ropes,…)

5. Relative low investment

- less carts needed because of
o high speed on concrete path
o each cart drives by itself and doesn’t have to wait for others
o the buffer reduces the time of destacking/discharging

6. Flexible system
- complex routes are possible
- buffer principle; delay of weighing/destacking time
- automatic transport to weighing tables

7. Automatic discharging/destacking/weighing
- complete automatic system for discharging, destacking and transport to weighing units
- increased productivity (the operator only has to weigh)

8. high speed of destacking/weighing

- high speed of destacking
- high speed of transport to weighing tables
- quick scales

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