EA040626B1 - DEVICE AND METHOD FOR CRUSHING ROOTS, AS WELL AS DETERMINATION OF COMPONENTS IN ROOTS - Google Patents

Description

Technical field

The present invention relates to a device for crushing root crops into pieces of mostly the same size, a device for determining components in root crops and a corresponding method.

State of the art

When growing root crops, the measurement of the content of substances plays an important role. Root crops, in the context of this patent application, are root crops such as sugar beet, fodder beet, table beet and turnip, as well as tuber crops such as potatoes, yams and Jerusalem artichoke. Cultivation includes the continuous systematic selection of root crops suitable, for example, in terms of biomass yield, composition or disease resistance. In order to be able to carry out such selection, the content of substances in these cultures is regularly analyzed. This is associated with significant labor and financial costs. Ultimately, however, the success of a breeding program depends on rapid and reliable analysis of the content of substances in root crops.

In cultivation and tracking, root crops are grown in the field in so-called plots. A plot is a plot of land with a pre-measured area that allows the cultivation of several plants, while the number of plants allows obtaining statistical data on the nature and distribution of yields. In sugar beet production, a plot typically produces about 90 beets. Such a plot is designed for the potential fertility of the sugar beet and, after digging, the sugar beet is analyzed for the content of substances. Such an analysis is performed using conventional sequential techniques that provide high accuracy. However, the aim is to keep the analysis costs to a minimum.

The structure and composition of the sample used for analysis is decisive for the accuracy of the determination of the content of substances. In particular, it should be taken into account that due to genetic factors, cultivation conditions and, above all, the influence of the environment on growth, in different plants there are significant differences in the concentrations of ingredients that determine the quality of such a plant. In addition, the heterogeneity of the distribution of the concentration of the corresponding elements is also manifested inside individual root crops, such as beets, as well as in dry matter or potato tubers. This heterogeneity of the subject of analysis has led to high requirements for sampling, which for beets, turnips and potatoes has hitherto been ensured by the formation of so-called crushed samples. Although analysis procedures have been continuously improved over time, for example for beet pulp (DE 2611636 B1) and potato pulp (Ziolko and Jehle (2002), GIT Laboratory Journal 2000, 268-273), such crushed samples are only limitedly representative as they represent sample only for the total plant population of the plot. The result of such non-representative sampling may be significant distortions in the measurement of the content of ingredients.

There are automated laboratories in which the ingredients are determined sequentially after extraction of pulp samples with aluminum sulfate or lead acetate. In addition, near-infrared IR spectroscopy (NIRS) has been useful in the analysis of crop ingredients in laboratories, which has been performed on raw potato chips, potato pulp samples, beet pulp samples, industrial juices, and some beet sugar by-products (Haase ( 2006), Starch-Starke Vol 58 (6), 268-273; Heppner et al. (2000), Sugar Industry, 125 no. 5,325-330; Fernandez et al. (2008), Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy 16,105-110) . This spectroscopic method allows the simultaneous determination of multiple analytes in a sample, provides fast availability of results, and eliminates the use of reagents, thereby reducing the cost and time of analysis.

The use of NIRS as an analytical measurement method for the determination of ingredients in root crops has so far been limited to the laboratory environment, and therefore has the disadvantage that, in addition to conducting the actual analysis itself, a number of other sample pretreatment steps must be performed, including operations such as fall harvest, cleaning, sample collection, storage, packaging, labeling, freezing, and sending samples to the research laboratory. All this increases the time and cost required to carry out the analysis as a whole.

For corn, cereals and grasses, NIR spectroscopy has already been used on harvesters to analyze the content of substances in real time (WO 99/58959 A1). Here, a near infrared (NIR) detector, consisting of a directional light source and a sensor, is oriented in the direction of the flow of collected materials, which consists of grains of cereals or even harvested ground corn or grass chaff.

However, in practice, it has been found that due to the lack of control over the crushed materials in this method, separation can begin already before analysis, resulting in distortion of the analysis results. In addition, known harvesters are not adapted to the analysis of root crops growing on individual plots of land.

In addition, a process is known from US 2010/0216114 A1, having the following steps: thin cutting of the root crops of the plot into small pieces of mostly equal size, forming a flow

- 1 040626 small pieces of root crops and transportation of these small pieces of root crops using a transport device that homogenizes or makes uniform the flow of small pieces of root crops, irradiating the flow of small pieces of root crops with light in the near infrared range, recording the reflected radiation with the conversion of such radiation into a spectral signal and processing the spectral signal to define components. The same document also discloses a device for carrying out such a process, a device containing an apparatus for crushing root vegetables into small pieces, a transport device, a device for equalizing the flow of chopped root vegetables and a measuring device for identifying and quantifying ingredients.

Although the apparatus for chopping root crops into small pieces is effective, it turned out that for subsequent analysis using the NIRS method, the specific characteristics of the chopping and structure of root pieces are extremely important. It is important that the pieces of root vegetables are for the most part the same size, not too big and not too small, and relatively dry. The present inventors have found that it is difficult to analyze mashed root vegetables, and the same goes for cut root vegetables that are too large. Thus, an improvement of the already known apparatus is required.

The essence of the invention

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a device for crushing root crops into pieces of mostly uniform size includes: a carrier frame having an inlet side and an outlet side; supply of root crops on the input side; at least one crushing shaft rotatably supported by a carrier frame, wherein the crushing shaft is provided with a plurality of curved hooks, preferably curved in the direction of rotation of the crushing shaft; and a non-rotating cutting comb having a plurality of notches and preferably protrusions and forming a counter knife for the hooks, the hooks being interleaved with said notches of the non-rotating comb. Such hooks are curved and may have a small axial dimension compared to the axial length of the respective crushing shaft. The comb also performs the function of sealing and ensures that only pieces of a sufficiently reduced size can pass to the exit side. The hooks are made with the ability to crush the root crops into pieces, and not cut them. They break off pieces of the root crop from the whole fruit, so the pieces are quite dry, and do not have a smooth and moist cut surface. To support this function, the hooks may include a blade section at the end.

According to another embodiment, the cutting comb is height adjustable to change the vertical distance to said crushing shaft. As the distance between the cutting comb and the crushing shaft increases, the pieces of crushed root crops tend to increase in size, while reducing this distance leads to a decrease in the size of the pieces of crushed root crops. In addition, to achieve this effect, you can adjust the speed of rotation of the crushing shaft. In one embodiment, the crushing shaft is connected to a drive, which provides for driving the crushing shaft, in particular, with an electric drive. As a rule, the crushing shaft rotates at a frequency in the range from 300 to 1000 rpm, while a higher rotation speed leads to a decrease in the size of the pieces and vice versa.

In another embodiment, this device includes a cleaning comb located next to or opposite the cutting comb, for removing pieces of root crops from the hooks. When the hooks turn up again, it is desirable that the pieces pierced by the hooks or stuck to the hooks be removed from them. In addition, such a cleaning comb also has a sealing effect, i. e. pieces that are larger than the notches between the protrusions of the comb cannot pass to the outlet.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the device comprises a blockage clearing device that removes root blockages in the comb. It may happen that the root crop gets stuck in the device and is not crushed further due to the fact that it may be in a place where the hooks cannot reach it, or the hooks are blocked by such a root crop. It may also happen that the root crop is cut with hooks in only one place, and the hooks pass through the root crop, which is no longer moved, and, accordingly, is not crushed into additional pieces. The blockage remover is used to remove such root crops and may include one or more elements, such as rods, which can move up or in any other direction to move stuck root crops so that they again fall into a position in which they can be reached by hooks .

In accordance with an additional embodiment of the present invention, this device may contain a set of first and second crushing shafts mounted on the said frame, while the first and second crushing shafts are made with the possibility of counter-rotation, while between the crushing shafts one comb is provided, having opposite located protrusions and recesses. The comb located between these shafts is a cutting comb. Additionally, the two cleaning combs are preferably located on opposite sides away from the cutting comb.

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In yet another embodiment, two such sets of first and second crushing shafts are arranged side by side and in parallel such that at least four crushing shafts are provided in one arrangement.

In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, the method of obtaining pieces of root crops for the most part of the same size, includes: crushing shaft(s) and the length of the plurality of curved hooks in accordance with the desired size of the pieces, b) loading the roots into such a device, and c) crushing the roots into pieces of mostly uniform size.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus for detecting components in roots comprises: a device for crushing roots into pieces of substantially the same size, wherein the device for crushing roots comprises a carrier frame having an inlet side and an outlet side; supply of root crops on the input side; at least one crushing shaft rotatably supported by a carrier frame, wherein the crushing shaft is provided with a plurality of curved hooks, preferably curved in the direction of rotation of the crushing shaft; and a non-rotating cutting comb having a plurality of notches and preferably protrusions and forming a hook counter knife, the hooks being interleaved with said notches of the non-rotating comb; the device for determining the components in the root crops additionally contains: a transport device for transporting the flow of crushed root crops; leveling roll to ensure uniform flow of crushed root crops; and a measuring device for identifying and quantifying the ingredients.

In yet another embodiment, the present invention provides a method for determining components in root crops, comprising the following steps in this order: crushing root crops into small pieces of mostly the same size, using a device for crushing root crops into pieces of mostly the same size; forming a flow of small pieces of root crops and transporting such small pieces of root crops using a transport device; ensuring uniformity of the flow or uniform distribution of small pieces of root crops in the flow; irradiating the flow of small pieces of root crops with infrared light of the near part of the range; fixation of reflected and/or absorbed radiation; converting the radiation into a spectral signal, and processing the spectral signal to determine the components; at the same time, the device for crushing root crops into pieces of mostly the same size contains: a supporting frame having an input side and an output side; supply of root crops on the input side; at least one crushing shaft rotatably supported by a carrier frame, wherein the crushing shaft is provided with a plurality of curved hooks, preferably curved in the direction of rotation of the crushing shaft; and a non-rotating cutting comb having a plurality of notches and preferably protrusions and forming a counter knife for the hooks, the hooks being interleaved with said notches of the non-rotating comb.

Brief description of the drawings

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a sketch of a device for detecting components in roots;

fig. 2 is a perspective view of the root crusher;

fig. 3 is a plan view of the device shown in FIG. 2;

fig. 4 is a sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 2 and 3;

fig. 5 is a sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 2 and 3;

fig. 6 is a view of a crushing shaft containing curved hooks;

fig. 7 is a perspective view of the hook;

fig. 8 is a side view of the hook shown in FIG. 7;

fig. 9 is an additional section of the root crusher;

fig. 10 is a perspective view of the first blockage element;

fig. 11 is a perspective view of the second unclogging member; and fig. 12 is a flowchart of a method for determining components in roots.

fig. 13 is a flowchart of a process for producing mostly uniformly sized root crops, (A), while (B) shows a series of uniformly sized crushed sugar beets obtained at different settings for the crushing shaft speed and vertical position of the cutting combs: a . The rotation speed was 400 rpm, and the cutting combs were located in the lower position in height. b. The rotation speed was 400 rpm, and the cutting combs were located in the upper position in height. c. The rotational speed was 800 rpm, and the cutting combs were located in the upper position in height, d. The rotation speed was 800 rpm, and the cutting combs were located in the lower position in height.

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Detailed description

In FIG. 1 schematically shows a device 1 for determining the components in roots: the cleaned roots are collected from the plot in a funnel-shaped hopper 13. From the hopper 13, the roots are transferred to the device 14 for crushing the roots into pieces of mostly uniform size, which will be described in more detail below. In the device 14, the root crops are crushed into pieces of mostly the same size. The device 14 comprises a carrier frame 15 having an inlet side 20 and an outlet side 22. The root pieces 24 fall onto a transport device 2, such as a conveyor belt 5, and accumulate there. The speed of the conveyor belt 5 is adjusted according to the speed at which the roots are crushed, however, the accumulation of pieces from the device 14 on the conveyor belt 5 does not result in a flat surface. Accordingly, on the conveyor belt 5, the accumulated pieces 24 of root crops fall into the device 3, which ensures a relatively even distribution of the flow of samples. The device 3 has a roll 6 in the form of an elongated shaft, which is located at a constant and fixed distance D1 above the conveyor belt 5 along the axis 7 of the roll. With this roller 6, a sample of crushed pieces 24 of root crops is compressed to a certain thickness, resulting in a flat surface. The distance between roller 6 and conveyor belt 5 is adjustable in the range preferably from 100 to 150 mm.

The roller 6 is driven by an electric motor and rotates in the direction of movement of the conveyor belt 5, as shown by the arrow. As part of the drive, an electric, hydraulic or pneumatic motor can be used. In a preferred embodiment, the drive of the roller 6 is associated with the drive of the conveyor belt 5.

When crushed root crops 24 come into contact with roller 6, they are distributed on conveyor belt 5 and subjected to a compressive force depending on the distance between roller 6 and conveyor belt 5. Thus compressed root sample 24 acquires a flat surface and a constant height.

In embodiments of the present invention, such a roll preferably has a smooth surface, such as a polymer surface or a steel surface. The polymeric surface may be in the form of a polymeric layer on the bearing structure of the roll 6, or the entire roll 6 may be essentially made of polymer. It has been shown that a smooth surface contributes to uniform flow. It is further preferred that such a surface has low adhesive properties, such as a non-tacky surface or a non-tacky coating. In alternative embodiments, additional swaths may also be provided, which are useful when there is a significant flow of root pieces 24 .

A block 25 may be provided below the belt 5 to provide resistance against the pressure of the roll 6. The block 25 ensures that the belt 5 is not pushed downwards as shown in FIG. 1 and thus the flow of crushed root pieces 24 after passing through the swath 6 has a height D1 for the most part.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the roller 6 and/or the conveyor belt 5 are provided with scrapers 8A, 8B, 19 which continuously scrape the surface of the roller and the belt 5 during operation, thereby preventing cross-mixing of two root samples from successive treated plots. . Moreover, sticking or accumulation of root sample 24 on the conveyor belt 5 and roller 6 can be avoided, which could seriously impair the comparative homogenization of the sample stream. Preferably, the scraper is a brush 8A located directly in front of the roller 6 relative to the direction of movement of the conveyor belt 5. It is particularly preferred that the brush 8A cleans the surface of the roller above the axis of rotation of the roller, i.e. brush 8A is located or in contact with the surface of the roll above the axis 7 of rotation of the roll. For processing beets, the optimal distance between the axis of rotation of the roller and the brush 8A (D3) is about 20 mm.

Directly behind the roller 6 is a device 4 for determining the components of root crops (for example, a spectrometer operating in the near infrared range (NIR) or in the terahertz range (THz)) using, for example, a sensor head 9 with a light source 10 and a sensor 11 for registration of radiation reflected from the smooth surface of the stream sample 24 of root crops or absorbed by this stream in the wavelength range from 850 to 1650 nm. The sensor head 9 is raised at a fixed distance between 200 and 250 mm from the surface of the smooth sample flow 24 and can be rotated relative to the sample flow 24 as desired, for example parallel to the direction of the conveyor belt or at a 90° angle. In this way, it is possible, for example, to perceive and record data over the entire width of the sample stream 24.

The sensor 11 continuously registers the reflected or absorbed radiation and transmits it through the optical fiber 17 to the spectrometer 18, which converts the wavelengths of the spectrally resolved radiation into digitized sections at constant intervals of 40 ms. Thus, during the passage of the flow of root samples, several hundred such spectra are formed, which are then filtered and averaged using the processor 12. By comparing with the data of the corresponding calibration, the concentrations of ingredients that affect quality, such as sugar, starch, are identified and determined with high accuracy. crude protein, minerals, crude fiber content, crude fat, anions or cations, NDF (neutral detergent fiber), ADF (acid detergent fiber), (acid detergent lignin), hemicellulose (HCEL) or cellulose (CEL ).

Previously it has been shown that it is important to achieve a substantially uniform flow of crushed root pieces 24 of the same size and without excess liquid running off these pieces. The liquid tends to reflect light, which makes it difficult to determine the components in root crops. Tests have been carried out on a root mill, which is commonly used to grind root crops in the animal feed industry. However, it turned out that such devices do not have sufficient strength to crush the flow of plants from the whole plot, and can also lead to crushing of root crops into unequal parts. Chopping machines were also tested, but the result was unsatisfactory, because the pieces of root crops were extremely uneven and with a large variation in size. Further tests were carried out with a root saw and a mill, and the root vegetables were crushed to the state of ordinary pulp, coarse pulp, juice, large pieces (for example, 15-20 cm ³ ), small pieces (3-8 cm ³ ) and slices with a volume of about 500-800 ^cm3 . When using pulp, normal pulp or coarse pulp, the results were inaccurate, which may be the result of a rapid deterioration of the material properties. When using small pieces, the problem is that a small water film appears on them, and this distorts the spectroscopic measurements in the near-IR or terahertz range, since the water film is impervious to radiation. The cut slices of root vegetables had the negative effect that the distance between the flow on the conveyor belt and the sensor head changed when the slices overlapped or if they were not cut exactly the same.

Therefore, it is important to achieve an even and uniform flow of root pieces that are relatively dry, uniform in size and relatively even in surface.

Ensuring such a flow of crushed root crops can be achieved using the device 14 for crushing root crops according to the present invention.

A device 14 for crushing root crops into pieces of mostly uniform size is shown in the first perspective view of FIG. 2. Such a device comprises a frame 15 which is substantially rectangular in shape and includes first and second end portions 30, 32 which are opposite each other, as well as first and second side portions 34, 36 which are also opposed to each other. . All side sections 30, 32, 34, 36 are located at right angles to each other so that they form a frame. On the inlet side 20, there is usually a hopper 13, which is not shown in FIG. 2 for simplicity (see FIG. 1).

According to this particularly preferred embodiment, four crushing shafts 40, 41, 42, 43 are rotatably mounted on the carrier frame 15. The crushing shafts 40, 41, 42, 43 will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 6.

The axial ends 44, 45 (see Fig. 6) of the crushing shafts 40, 41, 42, 43 are included in the bearings 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53. Bearings 46, 47, 48, 49, 50 , 51, 52, 53 are made in the form of roller bearings, in particular tapered roller bearings, which are able to withstand significant forces acting on the crushing shafts 40, 41, 42, 43 during the crushing of root crops.

Two of the four crushing rolls 40, 41, 42, 43 form one set, in this embodiment, the crushing rolls 40, 41 form the first set of crushing rolls and the crushing rolls 42, 43 form the second set of crushing rolls. Only one crushing shaft 41, 43 in each set of crushing shafts is provided with a drive shaft extension 54, 55 which protrudes from the respective bearing 48, 52 and engages with the respective drive shaft of the drive motor or the like. A gear train 56 for each set of crushing rolls 40, 41, 42, 43 is provided in section 33 of the body of the second end panel 32, such a gear train 56 is shown in FIG. 4. The gear train 56 includes a first gear 57 mounted on the crusher shaft 41 which engages with a second gear 58 mounted on the crusher shaft 40 (see FIG. 6). By meshing the two gears 57, 58, the rotation of the crushing shaft 41 can be transmitted to the crushing shaft 40 so that the crushing shafts 40, 41 of the first set of crushing shafts rotate at the same speed. Thanks to gear train 56, they rotate in the opposite direction. It should be understood that a similar gear train is provided for the second set of grinder shafts 42, 43 within housing 33. As a rule, two sets of crushing rolls 40, 41, 42, 43 are made the same, and the reason for using four crushing rolls 40, 41, 42, 43 is mainly to increase the throughput and productivity of the device 14.

In FIG. 6 shows the crushing shafts 40, 41, 42, 43 (only one crushing shaft 40 is shown in Fig. 6; however, the design of the crushing shafts 40, 41, 42, 43 is practically identical) equipped with a plurality of hooks 60 (only one of the them are indicated by the reference position). All hooks 60 are made identical to each other, however, are offset relative to each other and around the circumference of the crushing shaft 40. The crushing shaft 40 includes a section 62 of the main shaft and two extensions 40, 42 for installation in the respective bearings 46, 47. According to this embodiment, the section 62 of the main shaft has a rectangular shape with four surfaces located essentially at an angle of 90° relative to each other. Section 62 of the main shaft is provided with through holes - 5 040626 mi 64, 65 (only two of them are indicated by reference positions in Fig. 6), which are located in alternating order on the section of the main shaft 40. Through holes 64, 65 alternate, i.e. the first through hole 64 is formed in the first direction, and the second through hole 65 in the second direction, which is perpendicular to the first direction of the first through hole 64. The through holes, which are parallel to each other, in the embodiments of the present invention are offset by an amount in the range from 20 to 80 mm, preferably 30 to 50 mm, and in this particular embodiment they are offset by 40 mm. This value may depend on the size of the hooks 60 as well as on the type of root crop to be ground. The 40 mm offset shown is preferred for sugar beets and fodder beets.

In addition, the hooks 60 in the through holes 64, 65, which are parallel to each other, are also arranged in an alternating order so that they alternately protrude in opposite directions. Each hook 60 includes a hook section 66 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) and a mounting section 67. A flange section 68 is provided between the hook section 66 and the mounting section 67, which serves as a stop when the corresponding hook 60 is installed in one of the through holes 64, 65. The corresponding hook 60 is pushed by the mounting portion 67 through the through hole 64, 65, after which it comes into contact with the main shaft portion 40 with its flange portion 68 so that it occupies a certain position. Flange section 68 may have a square cross section as shown in FIG. 7, or alternatively an oval cross section. This flange part 68 fits into a corresponding pressed or milled recess in the loose shafts 40, 41, 42, 43. The mounting section 67 is provided with a threaded section 69, which acts in conjunction with the nut 70, respectively containing the provided internal threaded section (see Fig. 6). Each hook 60 is bent in the direction of movement of the respective crushing shaft 40, 41, 42, 43, as indicated by the movement arrow M.

The design of the hooks is shown in particular in FIG. 7 and 8 and will now be described. The hook portion 66 comprises a substantially rectangular cross section with two parallel side surfaces 72 as well as a rear surface 73 and a front surface 74. The front and rear surfaces 73, 74 are curved and appear to be part of a circle. The radii of curvature of each of the anterior and posterior surfaces 73, 74 are different from each other, and the radius of the anterior surface 74 is slightly larger than the radius of curvature of the posterior surface 73. This is not a requirement, but is useful in this embodiment. However, it should be understood that the reverse can also be true when the radius of curvature of the rear surface 73 exceeds the radius of curvature of the front surface 74. According to this embodiment, the radius R1 of curvature of the rear surface is in the range of 20 to 40 mm, in particular has a value of 34 mm. The radius R ₂ of curvature of the front surface 74 is also in the range of 20 to 40 mm, in this particular embodiment, 35 mm. The tapered shape of the hook section 66 is due to the offset of the center points P1, P2 of each radius R1, R2, which are offset by the thickness D2 of the base section 75 of the hook section 66. The thickness D2 is in the range from 5 to 15 mm, and in this particular example it can be 10 mm. Accordingly, the offset between points P1 and P ₂ is about 10 mm, which results in a tapering shape of the hook portion 66.

At the end 76 of the hook portion 66 of the hook, there is a sharp edge 77 tapering inwards and passing through a small protrusion 78 into the front surface 74. The edge portion 77 is relatively sharp and contains a small radius, in particular in the range of 0.1 to 0.3 mm . Each hook 60 has a length, measured from the edge section 77 to the center of the base section 75, in the range of 20 to 80 mm, preferably 30 to 50 mm, in particular about 40 mm. With this particular arrangement of the hooks 66, the edge 77 will cut into the corresponding root crop as the crushing shaft 40, 41, 42, 43 rotates, and thus cause cracking, crushing or tearing of parts of the root crop due to the tapered or wedge-shaped shape of the hook 60. When measured in angular terms, the extent α and β of the portions that are part of the circumference defined by the rear surface 73 and the front surface 74, the angular extent α is in the range of 45 to 90°, in particular in the range of 60 to 80°, more preferably about 75° . Similarly, in order to provide a wedge-shaped portion at the edge 77, the angular extent β is shortened and is in the range of 30 to 80°, in particular in the range of 40 to 60°, more preferably 50°.

The length of the hooks plays an important role: the longer the hooks, the better the root crops are crushed (i.e. the formation of a large amount of abrasion products and the abundant leakage of liquids such as water is prevented), and the need for cleaning from blockages is also reduced; however, the longer the hooks, the larger the pieces when crushed. This can interfere with the process of forming a uniform stream of small pieces in preparation for the subsequent determination of ingredients, as well as the process of determining ingredients using, for example, spectroscopic techniques.

Now, returning again to FIG. 2-5, when the crushing shafts 40, 41, 42, 43 rotate, in particular in the opposite direction, a counterpart is required to support the crushing of root crops. This counterpart is formed by a cutting comb 80, 82, with one cutting comb 80, 82 provided for each of the first set of crushing shafts 40, 42 and the second set of crushing shafts.

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42, 43. The cutting combs 80, 82 are similarly shaped and comprise a longitudinal bar 83, 84 that extends from the end section 30 to the end section 32 and is attached to them by means of an appropriate mounting plate 85, 86 (see Fig. 5) . With these mounting plates 85, 86, the cutting combs 80, 82 are attached to the carrier frame 15. The cutting comb 80, 82 includes a plurality of metal plates 87 attached to the rods 80, 82, respectively, and axially offset from each other so that they form protrusions 88 and recesses 89 for interaction with the hooks 60 of the respective crushing shafts 40, 41, 42, 43. The protrusions and recesses 88, 89 are provided with the possibility of alternating movements with the hooks 66 and form a reciprocal support or counter-knife for grinding root crops. In addition, the protrusions and recesses 88, 89 provide a screening function, as can be seen, for example, from FIG. 3 and 5, and act so that root pieces that are larger than a certain size cannot pass to the exit side 22.

Using the mounting plates 85, 86, you can adjust the height of the cutting combs 80, 82 (see Fig. 5). Although the cutting combs 80, 82 are shown in FIG. 5 in an intermediate position, they can be mounted higher, from which the size of the crushed root crops becomes smaller, and can also be fixed at the bottom of the carrier frame 15, causing the roots to be crushed into larger pieces. However, when moving up, the position is limited by the cutting circle C, which is a circle connecting the movement points of the edges 77 of the hooks. Rod 83, 84 cannot be set higher, otherwise contact between edges 77 and rod 83, 84 may occur.

In addition to the cutting combs 80, 82, two cleaning combs 90, 91, 92, 93 are provided for each of the first set of crushing shafts 40, 41 and the second set of crushing shafts 42, 43. The cleaning combs 90, 91, 92, 93 extend along the crushing shafts. 40, 41, 42, 43 and parallel to them. They are made as counterparts for the cutting combs 80, 82. The cleaning combs 90, 91, 92, 93 are attached either to the end sections 30, 32 or to the side panels 34, 36 of the carrier frame 15. They can be adjusted in height, even if is not particularly necessary for the present invention. They are used to remove stuck or stuck pieces of root vegetables from the hooks 60 when the hooks 60 are moved upwards. In this way, they prevent the movement of unground pieces of root crops from the input side 20 to the output side 22. Since the peeling combs 90, 91, 92, 93 do not have to be subjected to significant forces, they are made of sheet metal, in particular they are stamped from sheet metal and bent so that that they are essentially angular in shape. Also, protrusions 95 and recesses 96 are formed in the cleaning combs 90, 91, 92, 93 by stamping with the possibility of alternating the movements of the hooks 60 when the crushing shafts 40, 41, 42, 43 rotate. In the preferred embodiment, the cleaning combs 90, 91, 92, 93 are stabilized by straps 99 which are welded together as shown in FIG. 5.

In the event that one or more root crops to be ground become stuck or clogged and no longer move, the apparatus 14 of the present invention includes a blockage remover 100 . Such a blockage remover will now be described with reference in particular to FIG. 2, 5, 9, 10, and 11. The blockage remover 100 is used to remove root crops stuck in the cutting comb 80, 82 or cleaning combs 90, 91, 92, 93. In this particular embodiment, in which the device 14 comprises two of a set of crusher rolls 40, 41, 42, 43, the blockage remover 100 comprises three blockage removers 101, 102, 103, with the second blockage remover 102 being used for both sets of crusher shafts 40, 41, 42, 43. The first and third blockage removal elements 101, 103 are essentially identical to each other, but are mirrored and opposite to each other. Each of the blockage removal elements 101, 102, 103 is movable adjacent to the cleaning combs 90, 91, 92, 93. Additional elements may be provided to remove blockages from root crops that are stuck on the cutting comb 80, 82, however, it is shown that this occurs less frequently and, in general, the root crops get stuck in the connecting section between the first and second set of crushing rolls 40, 41, 42, 43 or in the side sections, i. e. on the side panels 34, 36. More often, blockages with root crops occur on the cleaning combs 90, 91, 92, 93, since their cutting action is less than on the cutting combs 80, 82. To completely grind all root crops fed to the input side 20, it is necessary, so that the roots can dance, i.e. move or jump in any direction on the rotating crushing shafts 40, 41, 42, 43. If too many roots are loaded into the hopper 13, it may happen that the roots are pressed against the combs 80, 82, 90, 91, 92, 93 and, thus, a blockage will occur. In addition, such compression of the root crops can lead to a decrease in the uniformity of the resulting small pieces, which will adversely affect the quality of subsequent spectroscopic measurements of ingredients due to leakage of water or other liquids.

According to the present embodiment, the blockage removal element 102 is located in the central part, and the blockage removal elements 101, 103 are located on the side panels 34, 36. Each of the blockage removal elements 101, 102, 103 includes bars 104, 105, 106 longitudinal extension, parallel to said crushing shafts 40, 41, 42, 43, which can move upward to lift clogged root crops or pieces of root crops.

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The external blockage removers 101, 103 comprise respective brackets 107, 108, 109, 110 between which a rod 104, 106 is extended and to which a bar 104, 106 is attached. respective hinges 111, 112, 113, 114, which are positioned substantially vertically above the cutting combs 80, 82, respectively. They may also be located in other positions within the scope of this invention.

In addition, fastening pins 115, 116, 117, 118 are fixed to the brackets 107, 108, 109, 110, protruding outward from the corresponding bracket 107, 108, 109, 110. The fastening pins 115, 116, 117, 118 are designed to engage with the drive piston 119, 120 (see Fig. 9). The drive piston 119, 120 is attached to the mounting portion 121, 122 and can be retracted relative to the right side of FIG. 9 (piston 120) to the position shown on the left side of FIG. 9 (piston 119). As the pistons 119, 120 are retracted, the blockage removal member 101, 103 rotates around the hinges 111, 112, 113, 114, and thus the rod 104, 106 rises in an arcuate path starting from the corresponding cleaning comb 90, 93 and up. towards the center of the device 14, and hence in the direction of rotation of the crushing shafts 40, 43. In addition, the rods 104, 106 are provided with corresponding through holes 124 (shown with a reference position only in Fig. 11), due to which friction between the clogged root crop and bar 104, due to which the clogged root crop can be moved towards the center, where it is hooked again by hooks 60.

The central blockage removal element 102 operates in a similar manner. It comprises engagement portions 125, 126 (see FIG. 10) that are connected to a third pair of pistons 128 (only one is shown in FIG. 9; it should be understood that there is a second piston on the opposite side of the device for engagement portion 125). These pistons 128 can be actuated in parallel when the entire blockage element 102 is lifted straight up, but can also be actuated sequentially when the blockage element 102 is rotated and, in the first step, the section 125 is raised and lowered again, and in the second section 126 rises and falls again. This also causes clogged root crops to be pushed towards the center of device 14.

Fig. 13A illustrates a method 300 for obtaining substantially uniform sized root pieces. The method according to this particularly preferred embodiment comprises three steps in the following order.

The method begins with the step of adjusting 301 the height position of the cutting comb 80, 82, the rotation speed of the crushing shafts 40, 41, 42, 43, and the length of the plurality of curved hooks 60 according to the desired size of the pieces. Preferably, the cutting combs 80 are set to the lower vertical position to produce smaller pieces of root crops, the cutting comb 80 can be set higher to obtain larger pieces. Preferably, the crusher rolls 40, 41, 42, 43 rotate at about 300 to 1000 rpm, with higher rotation resulting in smaller root pieces and lower rotation resulting in larger root pieces. Preferably the curved hooks 60 have a length in the range of 20 to 80 mm, measured along the central axis of such hooks. Additional preferred hook designs suitable for adjustment 301 are described above in the context of device 14.

In the second step 302, the roots are loaded into the device 14 as described above. Preferably, the loading is carried out by continuous and steady supply of root crops, taking into account the capacity or productivity of the device 14. This can reduce or eliminate the likelihood of blockage, as described above.

In the third step 303, the roots are cut into pieces of mostly uniform size.

In FIG. 13B shows an experimental series for obtaining sugar beet pieces of the same size, produced at different speed settings of the crushing rollers 40, 41, 42, 43 and the position of the cutting combs 80, 82 in height. A speed of 400 rpm and cutting combs located in the lower position in height allow you to get the largest pieces (a). The 800 rpm rotation speed and the cutting combs located in the lower position in height allow you to get the smallest pieces (d). Piece sizes intermediate between these maximum and minimum values can be obtained by adjusting the speed or height of the cutting combs. Thus, in option b. the resulting pieces are much smaller than the maximum possible size, and in option c. the size of the pieces is slightly smaller than in option a. and significantly more than in option b.

Fig. 12 illustrates a method 200 for determining components in roots. The method according to this particularly preferred embodiment comprises seven steps in the following order.

The method begins with the step 201 of crushing the root crops into small pieces of mostly the same size using the device 14, as previously described. Accordingly, the root crops are loaded into the hopper 13, the crushing shafts 40, 41, 42, 43 are driven, and the pieces of root crops are obtained on the output side 22. Preferably, the crushing rollers rotate at a speed of about 300 to 1000 rpm, with a higher speed resulting in smaller pieces of root crops, and a lower speed results in larger pieces of root crops at the exit.

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Claims (17)

In the second step 202, a stream of small pieces 24 of the root crop is created, while the small pieces of root crops are transported by means of a transport device 5. Next, in particular, with the help of a roller 6, a step 203 is performed to ensure uniformity or even distribution of the small pieces 24 of the root crop in the stream. Then, step 204 is performed to irradiate the flow of small pieces of root crops with light in the near part of the IR range and registration 205 of reflected or absorbed radiation is performed. Next, the registered radiation is converted 206 into a spectral signal and processed 207 of such a spectral signal to determine the components. CLAIM 1. A device for crushing root crops, preferably into pieces of mostly the same size, including: a carrier frame having an input side and an output side; supply of root crops on the input side; at least one crushing shaft rotatably supported by a carrier frame and provided with a plurality of curved hooks, preferably curved in the direction of rotation of the crushing shaft; and a non-rotating cutting comb having a plurality of notches and forming a hook counter-knife, wherein the hooks are mounted with the possibility of alternating movements with said notches of the non-rotating comb, a cleaning comb located next to or opposite the cutting comb for removing pieces of root crops from the hooks, a blockage removal device combs with root crops, while the device for removing blockages is made with the possibility of extracting such roots and includes one or more elements, for example, rods, installed with the ability to move upwards or in any other direction to move stuck root crops so that they fall into a reach position for hooks. 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the curved hooks have a blade portion at their end. 3. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the curved hooks are bent at an angle of 30 to 90°. 4. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the curved hooks are movable relative to each other around the circumference of the crushing shaft. 5. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the curved hooks are tapered towards the end. 6. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the curved hooks have a length in the range of 20 to 80 mm, measured along the central axis of such hooks. 7. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the curved hooks have a sectional area in the range of up to 100 mm ² measured at the base portion and/or the middle portion of the hook. 8. Device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the axial displacement of the curved hooks relative to each other is in the range of 10 to 100 mm. 9. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the curved hooks are removably attached to the crushing shaft. 10. A device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the cutting comb is made adjustable in height with the possibility of changing the vertical distance to said crushing shaft. 11. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the crushing shaft is connected to a drive mounted to drive the crushing shaft. 12. An apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the blockage eliminator comprises a first cutting comb unclog element. 13. Apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the first blockage removal element is in the form of a rod that extends longitudinally parallel to said crushing shaft and moves vertically to remove stuck roots or root pieces. 14. The apparatus of claim 1, 12, or 13, wherein the blockage eliminator comprises a second cutting comb unclog element. 15. Apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the second deblocking element is in the form of a rod that extends longitudinally parallel to said crushing shaft and moves vertically to remove stuck root crops or pieces of root crops. 16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first unclogging element is coupled to an actuator that is mounted to periodically drive the first unclogging element. 17. The device according to claim 14, in which the second blockage element is connected to the drive, which -