An integrated device for saffron flowers detaching and harvesting

This work is concerned with a mechanical system designed to harvest Crocus Sativus (saffron) flowers. The system is conceived as a shoulder portable device with two main parts: the first one is specifically designed to detach the flower containing three stigmas, which are the costly final product; the second one is aimed to collect the detached flower through a vacuum collector. The system is carried by the human operator on his back. This paper describes the operating principle of the detaching and of the harvesting devices. The former device imitates one of the procedures followed by the pickers but with the peculiarity that allows to harvest the flower without separating it from its leaves, which is a significant advantage since it simplifies the mechanical detachment of the flower. The paper also deals with some experimental tests in the laboratory carried out in order to highlight the dynamic behaviour of the detaching and of the harvesting devices. © 2010 IEEE.