AU673008B2 - Machine for removing the coatings from produce - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION it STANDARD PATENT Invention Title: ".....MACHI.NE FOR REMOVING T.HE COA.TI.N.GS F.ROM The following statement is a full description of this Invention, including the best method of performing It known to me:to 0tt a a 0* 9 0Q9* as *9 9*4* aa a 0 a a 0 a *009 a a *9 a'.

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L.j -2- The invention relates to machines which may be used to remove the husk, shell, casing, skin, peel or the like (hereinafter referred to generally as covering) from various kinds of fruit, nuts and vegetables (hereinafter referred to generally as produce).

In some known machines which have been proposed for the removal of the outer covering from some kinds of produce, the throughput of produce through the machine is restricted because of the nature of the action of the machine on the produce. For example, in some cases produce must be fed one item at a time to the machine and proceed through the machine in single file, thereby limiting the throughput of the machine.

In a known machine, the produce is forced in single file past a series of scrapers, usually at i :10 an angle to the direction of travel. The contact points are limited and usually of short duration. This can result in noisy operation and require constant adjustment to the pressure oon the scrapers to accommodate different sizes of produce and strength of coverings. There is also a high risk of damage to the produce.

Some known machines employ revolving drums. Such machines are bulky, particularly 15 where separate feed and discharge means have to be employed. Machines of this type have limited application.

o •PP An object of the invention is to provide a machine which may be used to remove the covering from produce of the kind referred to, A further object of the invention is to provide such a machine which is lightweight and of small bulk and is capable of high throughput.

According to the invention, a machine for removing the covering from produce comprises a \~STR41 Sfixed, substantially rigid frame, an inlet through which items of produce may be fed

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,IrsN -3- 3 simultaneously to the machine, an outlet through which processed items of produce may be discharged simultaneously from the machine, a conveyor for conveying produce from the inlet to the outlet, a plurality of spaced cutter or scraper bars resiliently mounted on the frame adjacent to the conveyor and drive means for the conveyor, whereby activation of the drive means causes the conveyor to propel produce from the inlet to the outlet in contact with the resiliently mounted cutter or scraper bars.

In this machine, produce may be rolled or oscillated along a number of blades or scrapers for a relatively long duration with a plurality of items of produce being worked on at any given time. The blades or scrapers, being free floating, accommodate produce of various sizes and strength of covering. The throughput of the mazhine can be controlled by adjusting the speed of the conveyor. The free floating blades or scrapers also result in gentler action on the produce, minimizing the risk of damage thereto, and quieter operation.

A machine of the invention may be commissioned as a stand-alone unit. Preferably, a standalone machine is made as a mobile unit. Alternatively, because of its lightweight, small bulk and ease of assembly, machines of the invention may be associated with other equipment.

For example, a machine of the invention may be incorporated in the conveyor system of a harvester. Again, a machine may be incorporated in a processing plant used for juice or oil extraction or for the collection of the solid portions of the produce.

,4 OFurthermore, machines of the invention will vary in detail according to kind of produce intended to be praz'ssed. For example, some produce is more fragile than other produce and this should be taken into account in the design of particular machine components.

Again, where it is important that the produce inside the covering be retained in tact, the machine components should be designed to minimise the risk of damage.

The invention will be explained in greater detail by a description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. To illustrate the invention, two types of machine i Lu ~IV will be described by way of example. The first is a machine in a cylindrical form. In this form, the machine may conveniently be incorporated in a conveying system of a harvester.

The second is a machine in a flat configuration. Both machines employ the same principles.

However, it is emphasised that the invention extends beyond these two forms.

In the drawings Fig. I is a schematic sectional view cof a machine in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a cylindrical type unit; Fig. 2 is an exploded sectional view of one end of the machine illustrated in Fig. 1; and Fig.3 is a part schematic sectional view of another machine in accordance with a second i 10 embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a flat type unit.

In a cylindrical form as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the machine has a substantially rigid frame which is provided with suitable means (not shown) to support the frame in a fixed S position when the machine is in use. For example, as a stand-alone mchine, the frame may be formed with legs, which may be equipped with wheels and a brake in the case of a mobile unit. Again, the frame may be provided with means for mounting the machine in association with other equipment.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the substantially rigid frame comprises a pair of circular end plates 1, Each end plate 1 comprises a hub 7 and an outer ring member 8 joined by radiating spoke-like members. At one end, the inlet end, the spaces between the spoke-like members form a ity of inlets through which items of produce may be fed simultaneously into the machine. At the other end, the outlet or discharge end, items of processed produce may

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\pass simultaneously from the machine through the spaces between the spoke-like members SRA4 End plates 1 are rigidly connected to each other by a plurality of spacer bars 5 to form a substantially cylindrically shaped, rigid frame.

;br .L Each outer ring member 8 comprises a radially extending portion and, at its inner end, an axially extending cylindrical portion which, on its outer surface, is provided with a plurality of radially and axially extending guide ribs 9 which form seats or guides for the ends of a plurality of spaced, parallel cutter or scraper bars 3 disposed in the form of a cylindrical framework, Preferably, each end of a cutter or scraper bar 3 is provided with a key slot so that a bar 3 may be mounted with each end embracing a guide rib 9 with a slightly loose fit.

The bars 3 are retained by a slip ring 2 provided at each end of the machine to encompass a set of guide ribs 9. In one position, slip ring 2 prevents removal of the ends of cutter or scraper bars 3 from guide ribs 9. The slip rings 2 may be slid outwardly along the external surfaces of guide ribs 9 to release cutter or scraper bars 3. Thus, cutter or scraper bars 3 may be easily and quickly dismantled for cleaning, sharpening, replacement, etc. The ends of i bars 3 are thinner than the height of ribs 9 so that, even with slip rings 2 in a retaining position, the cutter or scraper bars 3, under guidance of ribs 9, may move outwardly and inwardly in a radial direction.

15 The cutter or scraper bars 3 are resiliently mounted on the frame, By way of example, in o this embodiment an elastic spring such as a rubber ring 4 is provided at each end and is positioned around cutter or scraper bars 3 tending to hold them in the radially inner position thereof However, cutter or scraper bars 3 may move outwardly against spring bias by contact with produce being processed in the machine. The cutter or scraper bars 3 are not otherwise movable and are not mechanically driven, Preferably, rings 4 are set in grooves at the ends of cutter or scraper bars 3. Other types of springs may be employed, For example, a steel sprirg may be required for some kinds of produce. On the other hand, an air inflated rubber member would be suitable for delicate produce. An adjustment of the air pressure in the air cushions permits a sensitive control of the forces exerted by the cutter or scraper bars 3 on the produce, i 6- A plurality of spaced cutter bars provides many cutting edges. A cutter bar may be provided Swith more than one cutting edge. A scraper bar may be provided with scraping edges or a multitude of projections or ridges. The number, spacing, shape and disposition of cutter or scraper bars 3 may be varied to accommodate the nature of the produce being processed in the machine. Similarly, the nature of the working edges of bars 3 may be varied depending on whether a cutting or scraping or other action is required.

Mounted for rotation in the hubs 7 of end plates 1 is a conveying or auger-like element 6.

The conveying element 6 may be rotated by any suitable drive means (not shown) to propel produce from the inlet end to the discharge end of the machine. The element 6 is generally cylindrical in shape and has a spiral or helical ridge projecting above its external cylindrical surface to assist propelling produce through the machine. The cylindrical surface of element I 6 may be varied to accord with the produce being processed. For example, for macadamiatype nuts, the cylindrical surface may be provided with raised ridges which serve to fracture 9O the hard rubber-like surface of the husk which the cutter bars cutter bars 3 then remove. In another example, element 6 may include on its cylindrical surface opposed direction ridges S or cutting edges which act to cause a rolling or oscillating action on the produce as it is 9" propelled through the machine by the auger-like element 6. The pitch of the helical or spiral ridge on auger-like element 6 may be varied to increase or decrease compression.

In use, the drive means is activated and produce is fed to the inlet end of the machine, The auger-like element 6 is rotating and thus propels the produce from the inlet to the discharge end of the machine. As it passes through the machine, the produce is in contact with cutter or scraper bars 3 and is subjected both to the action of the surface configurations of element 6 and the cutter or scraper bars 3, Due to contact with the produce passing through the machine, cutter or scraper bars 3 have a guided rise and fall under, preferably, adjustable pressure. The machine is capable of imputing and/or processing a plurality of items of the produce simultaneously and a "single file" feed it totally unnecessary.

A cylindrical unit of this type described is suitable for insertion in an auger or other type transfer system of a harvester so that removal of the outer coverings from the produce may be accomplished during transfer from the harvester. This may result in a significant improvement in the quality of produce as the coverings of some produce should be removed within a short time, say 24 hours, of harvesting, which now is often not the case., In the flat form of the machine illustrated in Fig,3, a plurality of spaced cutter or scraper bars 13 have a flat disposition and are positioned adjacent to a flat conveyor 16 which has surface configurations capable of imparting a similar rolling or oscillating action to the produce as is described above. As with the cylindrical unit, each end of cutter or scraper bar 13 is provided with a key slot to co-.operate with an associated guide rib 19 mounted on a fixed rigid frame. The cutter or scraper bars 13 are loosely supported by elastic members i 0 14 and are thus mounted for guiding rise and fall with adjustable pressure. The elastic members 14 may be air inflated.

r In this type of machine, the cutter or scraper bars 13 may be above or below the flat i conveyor 16 and may be positioned parallel to, transversely or obliquely to the direction of movement of the conveyor. The conveyor is sufficiently wide to allow several items of produce to be fed to the machine, and/or processed by the machine, simultaneously, This 4: type of machine may form part of a belt conveyor system.

The two types of machine described are capable of processing a large range of produce.

20 The cylindrical form is very suitable for processing macadamia nuts or walnuts which require a high pressure to remove the husks from the nuts. On the other hand, almonds, chestnuts, oranges, etc. are more suitable for the flat type of unit which may be provided with a greater range of pressure adjustment, Machines in accordance with this invention may be designed to process a large range of i ©d i 25 fruits, nuts and vegetables. The machines may be designed simply to remove the outer K -8covering from the produce or they may also be equipped to perform other functions. Some machines may be used to remove the husks, for example from macadamias, almonds, chestnuts, pecans and other nuts, Other machines may be designed to peel and then pulp oranges, pears, apples, plums and other fruits. Those machines may be provided with juice extraction equipment, Other machines could be used to press black olives for olive oil production. Some produce may require a longer processing path than others or more than one stage. In the latter case, the configurations described may be joined end to end with progressive degrees of compression or cutting.

When the machine is used in a stand-alone form, produce may be fed to the inlet of the machine by any convenient feeding mechanism such as a mechanical or pneumatic conveyor, The feeding mechanism must be compatible with the particular produce and may I 1 :":incorporate means to ensure an orderly feed and/or to prevent clogging. Similarly, the t9 t i 4discharge from the machine may be provided with a chute or hopper and, if desired, any

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1. 4 suitable conveying apparatus, S*i: 15 When incorporated in a harvester or in a processing plant, the machine will be made compatible with the particular apparatus used in the harvester or plant, For example, the inlet to a cylindrical form of the machine may be co-ordinated with an auger-like conveyor of a harvester, 9 9e Other changes and modifications may be made within the broad concepts of the invention, 'r '1 Sit

Claims (9)

1. A machine for removing the covering from produce comprising a fixed, substantially rigid frame, an inlet through which items of produce may be fed simultaneously to the machine, an outlet through which items of processed produce may be discharged simultaneously from the machine, a conveyor for conveying produce from the inlet to the outlet, a plurality of spaced cutter or scraper bars resiliently mounted on the frame adjacent to the conveyor and drive means for the conveyor, whereby activation of the drive means 1 causes the conveyor to propel produce from the inlet to the outlet in contact with the resiliently mounted cutter or scraper bars.

2, A machine as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that the cutter or scraper bars are mounted for movement towards and away from the conveyor, 4 I I

3. A machine as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that each end of the cutter or scraper bars is provided with a key slot embracing a guide so that the bars are capable of 1 movement towards and away from the conveyor,

4, A machine as claimed in Claim 2 or 3, characterised in that the resilient mounting t includes a spring biasing the cutter or scraper bars towards the conveyor.

A machine as claimed in any preceding Claim, characterised in that the spaced cutter or Sscraper bars are disposed in the form of a cylindrical framework.

6, A machine as claimed in Claim 5, characterised in that the conveyor is in the form of an auger disposed within the cylindrical framework, I0 ,t ou J V ii 1 A 10

7. A machine as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the cutter or scraper tars have a flat disposition and the conveyor is in the form of a flat belt.

8. A machine as claimed in any preceding Claim, characterised in that the conveyor is provided with surface configurations capable of imparting a rolling or oscillating action to the produce.

9. A machine for removing the covering from produce substantially as herein described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 or Fig, 3 of the accompanying drawings. DATED this day of SEPTEMBER 1996. *r 4 ft 4 I 4 6t 444 44* .4 DESMONDI LAWRENCE RENEHAN By His Patent Attorney PAUL F. KTLDEA. i I