Bogaerts Greenhous e Logistics

www.bogaertsgl.com
0032 (0)3 314.18.01

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BOGAERTS PEPPER HARVESTING SYSTEM

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Pepper harvesting system
Bogaerts Greenhouse Logistics offers a complete automatic harvesting system. BCTP- carts are used for
harvesting or treating 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 containers are automatically discharged or are
stored into a buffer. After discharging, the carts automatically return to their operator.

Harvesting Carts ride automatically

Containers are taken from the cart Containers are discharged in a controlled way

Containers can be automatically stored in a buffer

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Advantages of the system:

- Ingeniously

- User-friendly

- Increase of productivity

- Operates fully automatic

- Harvesting at different heights thanks to the scissors

- Speed of harvesting

- Speed on concrete path

- Compact installation of the system

- Price inductive wire

- Less carts needed

The parts

The Bogaerts Pepper harvesting system consists of the following parts:

1. Bo-Cart Tractions

2. Containers

3. Communication system (optional)

4. Registration system (optional)

5. Inductive pathway

6. Battery charging zone

7. Discharging station

8. Buffer (optional)

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1. Bo-Cart Traction Pepper
The BCTP (Bo-Cart Traction Peppers) is a cart that can be used for harvesting or treating peppers.
The cart is driven by an electromotor and 4 powerful batteries. After harvesting the BCTP follows
automatically an inductive wire and stops at each obstacle or fixed stop point. The cart can be used in four
modes.

- harvest mode

- harvest mode on platform

- pilot mode

- automatic mode

Harvest mode: Harvest mode on platform:

the BCTP rides automatically in front of the the operator stands on the platform and can
operator at a fixed distance harvest at different heights thanks to the scissors

Pilot mode: Automatic mode:

pilot the BCTP easily between BCTP automatically rides via the concrete path to
the path with plants and the concrete path the collection place, sorting machine or buffer and
back

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Advantages of the Bo-Cart Traction Pepper:

- 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)
o
- user-friendly

- easy/quick change of height (on platform itself by buttons)

- Low product damage

o Container on the cart

- 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)

- combined picking and treating cart

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Technical specifications

Description Unit BCTP HOH 550/51 BCTP HOH425/51

Length x width mm 2670 x 818 2670 x 693
Track width (tubediam.51mm) mm 550 425
Step height mm 490 490
Platform, l x w mm 2250 x 410 2250 x 410
Platform height min mm 490 490
Platform height max mm 3085 3085
Load* kg 400 400
Weight of cart kg 480 460

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
Speed of lifting (average) cm/min 450 450
Speed of descending (average) cm/min 500 500
Batteries Ah 4 x 54 4 x 54

* with the container and person

Remark:
Carts for other rail dimensions are also possible!

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Options for BCTP
Bogaerts Greenhouse logistics has developed some options for the BCTP witch can be ordered separately.
Crooked standing signalization
(included in BCTP)
The BCTP starts beeping when it’s
in a crooked stand and when
there’s a danger for falling over.
Trolley with seat
A separate trolley with rotating
seat for harvesting at low height
while sitting.
Changes needed for using the
cart with other rail dimensions
When you want to use your BCTP
on a tubular rail system with other
dimensions the BCTP has to be
adapted.
Bogaerts Greenhouse Logistics – pepper harvesting system
Communication-unit
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
Platform fence
A fence that can be put on the
platform for safety. Mostly used
when treating the plants.
(standard included with the BCTP)
Identification-unit
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
Container fence
A fence that can be attached to the
container, so harvesting on the
platform can happen safely.
(standard included with the BCTP)
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2. Container
The operator picks the peppers in a container on the cart.
There are 3 fixed positions: front, middle and back. A pen locks the container firmly. The container can be
discharged into the sorting machine or stored in the buffer.

Technical specifications

Description Unit
Volume of load m² 1
Max weight of load kg 300

- Very solid
- Can easily be discharged or stored
- Has a shock absorbing layer on the bottom
- Can be opened on both sides

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Options for container

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

Fall reducer
A rubber cloth is attached
inside a frame so the fall
impact of the peppers is
reduced.
570
Container frame Width of 570 in stead of 470 mm
A container frame is put on It’s possible to order a wider container
top of the big container and is
used to stock other kinds of
peppers then the one in the
big container

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3. 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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4. 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 pepper (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 weighted 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 into
the sorting machine. 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 program:

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 from each container 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, weighting platform, transponders), so no human mistakes
are possible
- Traceability of each pepper

Concerning “Bogaerts Data Analyser”:

- Traceability of each pepper

- Easy to use
- Clarifying
- Fast navigation
- Reliable information for making decisions
- A lot of possibilities:
o Easy to study
§ the productivity
§ profit per person/ product /greenhouse
§ speed harvesting/treating
§ total cost
§ 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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5. Inductive pathway
The BCTP can ride automatically on the concrete path.
Therefore the BCTP 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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6. 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 BCTP -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

Advantage 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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7. Discharging station
1. The BCTP -cart rides automatically to the
discharging station via the inductive wire.

2. The BCTP -cart automatically stops in the

discharging station.

3. The container is removed from the BCTP -cart.

4. The BCTP-cart is gently discharged sideward

so the height of fall is limited.

5. The peppers roll on a belt and go to the sorting

machine.

6. The container is put back on the BCTP -cart

7. The BCTP -cart returns to the greenhouse or

battery charging zone

In the newer versions Bogaerts Greenhouse Logistics

engineered a device that slows down the peppers when
they roll out of the container on the belt, so the impact of
the fall is reduced to a minimum.

The container is removed from the BCTP -cart The container is turned over

The peppers roll on the belt Empty container

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Advantage of the discharging station
- Automatic discharging

- No damage of peppers thanks to sideward, controlled discharging

- Speed of discharging

- Safety (the entire discharging station is protected by a trelliswork )

- Reliability

- Continuous discharging thanks to constant product flow

Combination with buffer

The discharging station can be combined with a buffer. In this way you can store all the containers and wait
for discharging the containers.

For more information about the buffer, see next section.

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8. Buffer

Bogaerts Greenhouse Logistics has also engineered a buffer.

The big advantage is that you can delay the time when you sort the peppers or start sorting and picking at
the same time at the morning

1. The BCTP -cart rides into the discharging station.

2. The full container is removed of the BCTP-cart
3. The full container is stored in the buffer
4. An empty container of the buffer is put on the BCTP-cart

When you want to sort, the full containers are discharged by the discharging station and put back in the
buffer.

Advantages of the buffer:

- You don’t have to sort, discharge and harvest at the same time

- The sorting/ discharging time can be delayed

- Quicker passing of BCTP (with replacing full container with empty one)

- You can pick different colours of peppers at the same time while sorting one colour after the other

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BCTP-cart stops in discharging station Full container is removed from BCTP-cart

Full container is stored on level 1 An empty container is taken from level 2

The empty container is put onto the BCTP -cart

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Advantages of the Bogaerts pepper 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
- easy/quick change of height (on platform itself by buttons)

2. Continuous product flow to the weighing/sorting unit

- continuous delivery of products ( cart by cart)
- no waiting on picked products
- very reliable

3. Low product damage

- container on the cart so peppers don’t fall very deep
- discharging by the side in a controlled way by the machine
- damping layer that decrease the fall impact

4. 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

5. 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,…)

6. 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
- combined picking and treating cart

7. Flexible system
- complex routes are possible
- buffer principle

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