GB1224203A - Apparatus for transporting and peeling fruit - Google Patents

Abstract

1,224,203. Rotary conveyers for fruit. ATLAS PACIFIC ENG. CO. 27 March, 1968 [10 April, 1967], No. 14684/68. Heading B8A. [Also in Division A4] Apparatus for transporting double-indented fruit, e.g. apples, comprises means 53 (Fig. 4) associated with a first conveyer 47 of the fruit for partially orientating the latter so that its indents are in vertical alignment, and indent engaging means 152, 153 (Fig. 12) for engaging both indents of a partially orientated fruit, to align the fruit finally, and to withdraw it from the first conveyer. Apples are fed from a hopper (21) (Fig. 3, not shown) to respective carriers 46 (Fig. 4) of a rotary conveyer 47 (see Division B8). Each carrier 46 has an apple orientating wheel 53 driven from a gear 131, pinion 93, and cable 86. Actuator fingers 49, 96, and 97, disturb unorientated apples and cause them to move into engagement with the wheel 53. As the apple is brought near to the point of transfer to a conveyer 151 carrying a peripheral series of coreing assemblies 206 (Fig. 12) and peeling assemblies 187, the wheel 53 is retracted (Fig. 7, not shown) by the action of a cam 82. Upper and lower pick-up fingers 153, 152, move downwards and upwards respectively to engage the indents of the apple and precisely orient it. The fingers 152, 153 then rise together and lift the apple from the carrier 46, passing through a slot 158 provided in the latter for this purpose. The lower finger 152 pushes the apple upwards relative to a carrier housing 273 of the upper finger 153. Thus the latter is forced to retract against a spring (278) (Fig. 23, not shown) and allow the apple to be impaled on a fork 193. The vertical travel of the fork 193 is derived from a link 289 and cam ring 302 (Figs. 12 and 26). The Peeling operation.-The forks 193, Fig. 26, of the peeling assemblies 187 are driven by a belt 198 driven through an adjustable-pitch pulley (199) (Fig. 3, not shown) by a motor (202) (Fig. 1, not shown). The belt 198 normally engages a pulley 197 rigid with each housing 273 of the upper finger 153 and fork 193. The belt 198 ceases to engage the pulley for about 120 degrees of rotation of the conveyer 151 in the region of transfer from the conveyer 47. The fork 193 thus commences to rotate the apple after it has been conveyed away fron the transfer zone between the conveyers 47, 151, and the peeling is effected by sweeping the cutters 337, 338 about the periphery of the apple. The cutters are rotated by a motor 183 acting through a drive belt 179 from a shaft 177 (Fig. 12). This drives through bevel gears 184, 186 (Fig. 30), a gear 354 and cutter drive shafts 346. The latter are mounted in housings 344 each rigid with a respective yoke 339 pivotally mounted at 341 so as to be swingable from a non- cutting position into cutting position. This movement is derived by a cam 316 (Figs. 12 and 26) acting through linkage 317-323, connected to a bell-crank 326 (Fig. 30) one arm of which bears on push-rods 333. The latter bear on the housings 344 to tilt them about the pivots 341. The travel of the cutting heads across the periphery of the apple is effected by a rotation of a housing (which carries the pivots 341) about the axis of the drive-shafts 356 of the cutter driving gear 354. This is brought about by a link 388 operatively connected with a ring type cam 384. At the commencement of the travel of the cutter heads, the lower head 337 is positioned adjacent the lower indent of the apple and the head 338 is positioned at the periphery of the maximum horizontal diameter of the apple. The heads 337, 338 are urged into cutting engagement by hydro-pneumatic pressure acting on pistons 361, 361<SP>1</SP> in cylinders 363, 363<SP>1</SP>. Each of these bears on an arm 362 rigid with the respective cutter-carrying yoke 339. Air pressure is fed to the cylinders 363, 363 via flexible conduits 368 connected to an air supply duct within the central shaft 169 of the conveyer 151. The coring operation.-A coring cutter tube 238, Fig. 16, is moved upwardly into the apple after peeling has commenced, its travel being limited by a stop shoe 243. The tube 238 is carried by an assembly 237 which is mounted on a member 223. The latter also carries the lower indent-engaging finger 152, and has rotary and vertical movement controlled by cam rings 217 and 232 (Fig. 12), respectively. A knife 242 and an associated guard 243 are provided on this assembly for trimming the area around the lower indent. The area around the upper indent is trimmed by a knife 306. As the core tube 238 is lowered, the now peeled apple is drawn out of engagement with the fork 193 and is then stripped off the tube 238 by a member 251 to pass to a discharge shoot (Fig. 1, not shown). A similar apparatus is described in Specification 1,224,202.