AU2475001A - Integrated automatic fruit feed for citrus fruit juice extractor - Google Patents

Description

P/00/011 28/5/91 Regulation 32(2)

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Application Number: Lodged: Invention Title: INTEGRATED AUTOMATIC FRUIT FEEDER FOR CITRUS FRUIT JUICE

EXTRACTOR

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us INTEGRATED AUTOMATIC FRUIT FEEDER FOR CITRUS FRUIT JUICE EXTRACTOR The present invention relates to an integrated automatic fruit feeder for a citrus fruit juice extractor.

Automatic citrus fruit juice extractors are known; for example, they comprise an inner drum with a vertical axis, said drum being perforated for the passage of the extracted juice and being supported and actuated so that it can rotate eccentrically inside an outer drum which can rotate and has a vertical axis; the drums are pressed toward each other in order to define a region for pressing the fruits cut in half and are installed between a fixed upper surface and a fixed lower surface.

Fruit feeders for conventional automatic citrus fruit juice extractors suffer drawbacks in relation to the complexity of the mechanical transmission and to the imperfect synchronization of the movements with the juice extraction drums: besides, the fruits are often cut into two halves with bulky mechanical elements which are rather difficult to access.

aim of the present invention is to obviate the above cited shortcomings, to provide a fruit feeder for an automatic citrus fruit juice extractor which has a simple mechanical transmission and a perfect synchronization of the miovements with the juice extraction drums: moreover the fruits are cut into two halves by means of mechanical elements which are compact and easy to access.

Within this aim, an object of the present invention is to provide a fruit oo So: feeder which is simple, relatively easy to provide in practice, safe in use, effective in operation, and having a relatively low cost.

:°ooeThis aim and this and other objects which will become better apparent o S"hereinafter are achieved by an integrated automatic fruit feeder for a citrus fruit juice extractor according to the present invention, characterized in that it comprises a hollow cylinder which is diametrically crossed by a vertical blade and is mounted on an upper surface of the juice extractor at an 2 opening for the passage of the cut fruit halves, means for the gravity insertion of individual fruits into the hollow cylinder, said means being located at the outlet of a chute for the rolling of the fruits, and means for pressing the individual fruits against said blade which are mounted above said hollow cylinder and are adapted to cut each fruit into two fruit halves.

Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become better apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of an integrated automatic fruit feeder for an automatic citrus fruit juice extractor according to the invention, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a partially sectional side view of an integrated fruit feeder and of a corresponding automatic citrus fruit juice extractor according to the invention; Figure 2 is a partially sectional side view of the fruit feeder and of the juice extractor of Figure 1, seen from the other side; Figure 3 is a partially sectional side view of the feeder, in enlarged scale with respect to the view of Figure 1; Figure 4 is a top view of the fruit feeder for an automatic citrus fruit juice extractor; Figure 5 is a partially sectional rear view of the feeder; Figures 6 and 7 are schematic side views, taken from the same side as Figure 2, of the feeder in two successive and distinct operation steps.

With reference to the figures, the reference numeral 1 generally designates an integrated feeder of fruits F for an automatic citrus fruit juice extractor 2 according to the invention.

e S"The juice extractor 2 comprises a fixed containment housing 3 which has a lower surface 4 and an upper surface 5; a substantially cylindrical container 6 is fitted inside the housing 3, and an inner drum 7 is rotatably supported inside the container and has a vertical axis and a surface which is perforated for the discharge of the extracted juice.

The drum 7 is supported, and is actuated so that it can rotate eccentrically, inside an outer drum 8 which can rotate and has a vertical axis; in an upward region, the drums 7 and 8 are respectivelyprovided with an outer ring gear 9 and with an inner ring gear 10 which mesh with each other so that the tangential speed of the two drums is substantially the same.

The drum 8 is supported from the outside by groups of guiding rings 11 which are preset to press against each other the drums 7 and 8 so as to define a region in which the drums have a reduced mutual distance for extracting the juice of the fruits F cut in half.

The bottom 12 of the drum 7 is constituted by a set of spokes supporting an outer ring 13 which is rigidly coupled to the drum and collects the extracted juice, which is conveyed into an underlying fixed cylinder 14 rigidly coupled to the container 6. The container 6 has, in a downward region, an annular curved profile 6a into which the essential oils released by the peel of the fruit halves during juice extraction are discharged.

Axial supporting shafts 15 and 16 are rigidly coupled to the drum 7 in a downward region and in an upward region; the shaft 16 is rotatably coupled to the lower surface 4 by means of rolling ball bearings 17 and extends downwardly with a portion on which a sprocket 18 is keyed; the sprocket receives its motion, by means of a chain 19 which is closed in a loop, from a sprocket 20 which is associated with the shaft 21 of a gearmotor and motor assembly 22.

A hollow cylinder 24 is fixed above the upper surface 5 of the machine at an opening 23 for the passage of the cut fruit halves, has a horizontal axis and is diametrically crossed by a contoured vertical blade 25 which defines, S"at the center, a cusp which is directed upward.

The reference numeral 26 generally designates means for inserting by gravity the individual fruits F into the hollow cylinder 24, which are located at the outlet of a fruit rolling chute, and the reference numeral 27 designates means for pressing the individual fruits against the blade 25, which are designed to cut each fruit into two fruit halves.

The presser means 27 comprise a fork 28 with two parallel tines which are arranged side by side and shaped so as to form a right angle which is directed downward; the fork is radially fixed, at one end, to a pivot 29 which has a horizontal axis, and the pivot 29 is mounted so that it can rotate between two vertical shoulders 30 which rise from the surface 5 and are connected by an upper bridge 30a (see Figure 3).

A toothed pinion 31 (see Figure 2) is keyed on the pivot 29 and meshes with a toothed sector 32 which is pivoted on a stem 33 parallel to the pivot 29 and extends with a radial link 34; the link 34 is crossed by a longitudinal slot 35 in which there slidingly engages an eccentric pin 36 of a rotatable disk 37 being supported by a shaft 38 whose axis is parallel to the pivot 29.

The reference numeral 39 designates a shoulder for rotatably supporting the pivot 29 and the stem 33; the rotation of the disk 37 determines successive oscillations of the fork 28 from a raised position for inserting the :..-:fruit F in the hollow cylinder 24 to a lowered position for cutting the fruit into two halves.

The disk 37 is kinematically connected, by means of the shaft 38 with bevel gears 39, 40 and cylindrical gears 41, 42, to the axial shaft 15 for the rotation of the drum 7: the gears 40, 41 are keyed on a bush 43 rotatably mounted on a vertical shaft 44 which is fixed above the surface The means for gravity insertion of the individual fruits 26 are constituted e• by a flap 46 for stopping and releasing the individual fruits which comprises two laminas 46a, 46b (see in particular Figure 1) which form, between them, .oean obtuse angle at which they are articulated, by means of a pivot 47 having a horizontal axis, to a frame 48 which is fixed above the surface 5: the lamina 46b continues with a curved portion 46c which has, at its end, a free roller 46d and is designed to block the outlet of a chute for the downward rolling of the fruits which is located substantially above the hollow cylinder 24.

A radial arm 48 is rigidly coupled to the pivot 47 and is associated with an articulated parallelogram connection, constituted by a stem 49 and a disk which is keyed on the pivot 29 of the fork 28 of the presser means 27.

Operation of the automatic fruit feeder according to the present invention is as follows. A fruit F, for example an orange, released by the flap 46, is made to fall into the hollow cylinder 24, the fork 28 being in the raised configuration: then the fork 28 descents, while the laminas 46a, 46d reach the configuration for stopping the next fruit, and press with a certain force the fruit F against the blade 25, cutting the fruit into two halves. The resulting two fruit halves are pressed between the drums 7 and 8 and the peels are released in the region where the surfaces of the drums move apart again and fall into an underling collection container through an opening of the lower surface 4. The fruit feeder is at this point in the condition for processing a subsequent fruit: it is noted that the rotation of the disk 37 can, by means of the eccentric element 36 and the toothed sector 32, actuate by *means of 31 the fork 28 so that it descends and rises alternately in order to allow to release a fruit into the hollow cylinder 24 and then cut it into two halves.

S" 20 Washing nozzles are distributed in the rings 11 and in the fixed cylinder 14 and are connected to an automatic control unit for dispensing pressurized water which periodically, or after a certain number of juice extractions, washes the drums: it is noted that the container 6 and the drums 7 and 8 can be removed rapidly in order to perform a more accurate cleaning at the end of the day.

It has thus been observed that the invention achieves the intended aim S"and object and in particular that the mechanical transmission is simple and the synchronization of the movements with the juice extraction drums is optimum: moreover, the fruits are cut into two halves by mechanical elements which are rather compact and straightforward to access from above.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the inventive concept.

All the details may furthermore be replaced with other technically equivalent ones.

In practice, the materials used, as well as the shapes and the dimensions, may be any according to requirements without thereby abandoning the scope of the protection of the appended claims.

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Claims (6)

1. An integrated automatic fruit feeder for a citrus fruit juice extractor, characterized in that it comprises a hollow cylinder which is diametrically crossed by a vertical blade and is mounted on an upper surface of the juice extractor at an opening for the passage of the cut fruit halves, means for the gravity insertion of individual fruits into the hollow cylinder, said means being located at the outlet of a chute for the rolling of the fruits, and means for pressing the individual fruits against said blade which are mounted above said hollow cylinder and are adapted to cut each fruit into two fruit halves.

2. The feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that said presser means comprise a fork with shaped tines arranged side by side which is fixed radially, at one end, to a pivot which has a horizontal axis.

3. The feeder according to claim 2, characterized in that a toothed pinion is keyed on said pivot having a horizontal axis and meshes with a toothed sector which is pivoted parallel to the pivot and extends with a radial link which is crossed by a longitudinal slot in which an eccentric pin engages slidingly, said pin belonging to a disk which can rotate about an axis parallel to said pivot, the rotation of the disk being suitable to cause 9O S" 20 successive oscillations of said fork from a raised position for inserting the fruit in the hollow cylinder to a lowered position for cutting the fruit into two halves.

4. The feeder according to claim 3, characterized in that said rotatable iP disk is kinematically connected, by means of gears, to the rotation shaft of said fruit juice extractor.

The feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that said means for S"inserting by gravity the individual fruits in the hollow cylinder comprise a flap for stopping and releasing the individual fruits which is mounted so as to oscillate on a horizontal axis at the outlet of said chute which lies substantially above said hollow cylinder and is associated with said presser means by an articulated parallelogram type connection.

6. The feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that said automatic citrus fruit juice extractor comprises an inner drum having a vertical axis and is perforated for the passage of the extracted juice and is supported and actuated so that it can rotate eccentrically within an outer drum which can rotate on a vertical axis, said drums being pressed toward each other so as to form a region for pressing the fruits cut in half and being fitted between an upper surface and a lower surface which are both fixed. DATED this 27th day of February 2001. A.A.T. AGROINDUSTRY ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES S.p.A. WATERMARK PATENT TRADEMARK ATTORNEYS 290 BURWOOD ROAD HAWTHORN. VIC. 3122. 0e e o oo ooo o