EP0405943A1 - Sortiermaschine - Google Patents

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Publication number
EP0405943A1
EP0405943A1 EP90307031A EP90307031A EP0405943A1 EP 0405943 A1 EP0405943 A1 EP 0405943A1 EP 90307031 A EP90307031 A EP 90307031A EP 90307031 A EP90307031 A EP 90307031A EP 0405943 A1 EP0405943 A1 EP 0405943A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
grading
machine
tray
articles
oscillatory
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP90307031A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
John Dacre Dunlop (deceased)
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of EP0405943A1 publication Critical patent/EP0405943A1/de
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
    • B07B—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS BY SIEVING, SCREENING, SIFTING OR BY USING GAS CURRENTS; SEPARATING BY OTHER DRY METHODS APPLICABLE TO BULK MATERIAL, e.g. LOOSE ARTICLES FIT TO BE HANDLED LIKE BULK MATERIAL
    • B07B13/00—Grading or sorting solid materials by dry methods, not otherwise provided for; Sorting articles otherwise than by indirectly controlled devices
    • B07B13/04—Grading or sorting solid materials by dry methods, not otherwise provided for; Sorting articles otherwise than by indirectly controlled devices according to size
    • B07B13/07—Apparatus in which aggregates or articles are moved along or past openings which increase in size in the direction of movement
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B07—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS; SORTING
    • B07B—SEPARATING SOLIDS FROM SOLIDS BY SIEVING, SCREENING, SIFTING OR BY USING GAS CURRENTS; SEPARATING BY OTHER DRY METHODS APPLICABLE TO BULK MATERIAL, e.g. LOOSE ARTICLES FIT TO BE HANDLED LIKE BULK MATERIAL
    • B07B1/00—Sieving, screening, sifting, or sorting solid materials using networks, gratings, grids, or the like
    • B07B1/42—Drive mechanisms, regulating or controlling devices, or balancing devices, specially adapted for screens

Definitions

  • This invention relates to a grading machine and more particularly to a machine for grading articles such as fruit and vegetables.
  • This invention seeks to reduce the possibility of material being subjected to mechanical pressure and damaged, and to minimise the possibilities for the material to become jammed at any point.
  • a grading machine for grading articles by size, including articles of a substantially spherical shape such as fruit, comprising: grading means provided with at least one elongate opening which increases in width from one end to the other; support means supporting the grading means in a manner which allows it to be oscillated; and oscillatory means for oscillating the grading means so as to lift and move the grading means forward during each oscillation, the arrangement of the oscillatory means and the support means being such that, in use, the angle of the forward movement with the horizontal and the amplitude and frequency of the oscillation is such as to cause articles positioned on the grading means to move from the narrow end of the said opening towards the wide end thereof until they reach a position where they are able to pass through the opening.
  • the illustrated grading machine involves two main principles:
  • the machine shown in the drawings comprises a grading tray which is provided with a plurality of channels 2 in the base of which is, formed an elongated aperture 3 whose width increases continuously from one end of the channel 2 to the other.
  • the grading tray 1 may be formed from a corrugated sheet of Darvic (ICI trade name), a non-toxic, plastics material specially designed for use in food handling which is resistant to vegetable and fatty acids and other contaminating materials associated with food products. Sheets of this material can be used although it can be difficult to form the corrugations therein without cracking.
  • the preferred material is thus a laminate comprising galvanised metal sheets coated with a thin film of Darvic as this can be formed to the required shape much more easily.
  • the channels 2 are conveniently about 6 inches (15.2cm) wide, 3 inches (7.6cm) deep and 6 feet (1.8m) long.
  • the apertures 3 formed in the channels vary in width from about 1/4 inch (0.64cm) at the narrow end to 6 inches (15.2cm) at the wide end.
  • the width of the apertures 3 thus increase by about 1 inch (2.5cm) for every foot (30.5cm) along the channel.
  • the grading tray 1 conveniently comprises four parallel channels. Other arrangements are, however, possible.
  • the grading tray may be provided with other means defining at least one elongate aperture whose width gradually increases.
  • One possible arrangement is to use pairs of diverging bars which define such an aperture between them with baffles or other guide means for preventing material falling between adjacent pairs of bars.
  • the grading tray 1 is mounted on the grading machine in a substantially horizontal position. As shown in Figure 4, it may be supported on a frame 4 of the machine by means of metalastic, rubber bobbins 5A similar to those often used for vehicle exhaust mountings (see Figure 4).
  • the bobbins 5A are set at an angle of between 10 and 30 degrees, eg 27.5 degrees, to the vertical for reasons which will become clear from the description below.
  • the grading tray 1 is arranged to be oscillated by means of two pneumatic cylinders 6 which are shown in more detail in Figure 4 and Figure 5.
  • Each of the cylinders 6 is mounted at a corner of the grading tray 1 at the end nearest to the narrow ends of the apertures 3.
  • the cylinders 6 are mounted so their thrust rods 7 make an angle of approximately 27.5 degrees to the horizontal as shown in Figure 4.
  • the cylinders 6 are secured to the frame 4 by means of substantial rubber washers 16A which allow for the angular change required for the movement of the grading tray 1.
  • the ends of the thrust rods 7 are similarly secured to the grading tray 1 using rubber washers 16A to allow for the required angular movement.
  • Such an arrangement avoids the use of mechanical articulation which, with the frequency of oscillation involved, would present lubrication problems.
  • FIG. 5 An alternative mounting arrangement which allows the angle of the bobbins supporting the grading tray 1 to be varied is shown in Figure 5.
  • This alternative has been developed to accommodate rubber bobbins 5B with higher elasticity, ie more flexible (less resistance to deflection), than those used in the arrangement shown in Figure 4.
  • the angle of the bobbin 5B to the vertical can be varied through a very wide range, which ensures that variations in the elasticity of the bobbins 5B can be therefore compensated for by adjustment of the angle to ensure the required oscillatory movement is generated.
  • the required angle depends on the elasticity of the material from which the bobbins 5B are formed.
  • the rubber bobbins 5B are bolted at the lower end to tubular cross-members 11, which are attached to the legs of the main frame 4 by U-bolts 12. After slackening, the U-bolts 12, the tubular cross-members 11 can be rotated, to set the bobbins 5B at whatever angle is required.
  • the pneumatic drive cylinders 6 are attached to brackets 13 that rotate with the tubular cross-members 11 so that a constant angle (approximately 90 degrees) is maintained between the pneumatic thrust rod 7, and the axis of the bobbins 5B. In this arrangement, it is not possible to use rubber washers to provide for the required articulation of the cylinders 6 or the top end of the bobbin 5B to the grading tray 1.
  • the bases of the cylinders 6 are attached by trunnions and pins 14 to their locating brackets 13, and the end of the thrust rod 7 is fitted with a clevis 15, attached by a pin to the top end of the rubber bobbins 5B and to the grading tray 1.
  • the grading tray 1 maybe arranged to be oscillated by means of a single pneumatic cylinder 6 mounted on the centre line of the machine and providing thrust to a cross member of the grading tray 1. It would also be possible to use one or more double-acting pneumatic cylinders to oscillate the grading tray 1.
  • the pneumatic cylinders 6 are arranged to move the grading tray 1 in a trajectory corresponding to the arc of a 3 inch (7.6 cm diameter) circle whose chord is inclined to the horizontal so as to provide a forward movement of substantially 3/4 inch (1.9 cm) and a total rise throughout the trajectory of substantially 3/8" (0.95cm).
  • the amount the grading tray 1 is lifted during the trajectory is preferably between 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch (0.64 and 1.27 cm) and the forward movement between 1/2 and 1 inch (1.27 and 2.54 cm), with the ratio between the two being substantially 1:2.
  • the cylinders 6 and rubber bobbins 5 are set at appropriate angles to enable the required trajectory to be achieved.
  • the resilience of the mounting may also be arranged to provide a degree of harmonic resonance, thereby reducing the energy needed for the operation or the machine.
  • the optimum frequency of oscillation required for material such as apples and potatoes is found to be about 300-320 cycles per minute. Lower frequencies fail to achieve the required forward movement, and higher frequencies tend to produce bouncing of material, and often reduced speed of forward travel.
  • the frequency of oscillation is controlled by feeding pneumatic pressure to the cylinders 6 from a compressor and air storage vessel (not shown), eg by a control valve positioned on the side of the machine.
  • the control valve is actuated by a fluid logic system and allows the frequency of oscillation to be varied pneumatically, between fairly small limits, eg. from 280 cycles per minute to 350 cycles per minute.
  • the pneumatic pressure required is between 60 and 100 psi. (400-700 KN/m2) and the air consumption is between 1.5 and 2.6cu.ft. (40-70 litres) per minute.
  • Compressed air may be provided by a small compressor provided with the machine or, if compressed air is already available on site, this can be used instead. Control of the oscillation can thus be entirely pneumatic without the need for any electrical equipment.
  • an off-take tray 9 is provided below the grading tray 1. In its simplest form, this is mounted to slope downward, across the line of travel of the grader, so that material on it rolls or slides towards the side of the machine, where containers 10 are positioned to collect the graded material (see figures 1 and 2).
  • the off-take tray 9 is corrugated, with the corrugations running at right angles to the line of travel of material along the grading tray 1. The corrugations prevent graded material from spreading sideways, and hence mixing with material of other sizes, and guide the graded material to the containers 10 at collecting points along the side of the machine.
  • the corrugations of the off-take tray 9 a may be about 3 inches (7.6cm) wide and feed into containers about 12 inches wide (30.5cm), possibly with the assistance of a funnel (not shown). Each container thus collects material from three or four of the corrugations.
  • the off-take tray 9 slopes down from the input end of the machine towards its far end as shown in Figure 1. This slope is provided in order to keep the distance the material falls from the grading tray 1 to the take-off tray 9 to the minimum, ie to no more than the diameter of the graded material plus about half an inch (1.27 cm) for clearance. This limits bruising and damaging of the material being graded.
  • the take-off tray 9 is not inclined transversely towards the collecting stations, but is mounted so that it can be oscillated in a direction at right angles to the direction of travel of material through the grader so as to move the graded material towards the collecting stations at the side of the machine.
  • the frequency of oscillation of the off-take tray 9 may be controlled to be the same as that of the grading tray 1 by the same fluid logic controller.
  • bins, buckets, sacks or bags 10 are located alongside the machine, at collecting stations, at the edge of the take-off tray 9 as shown in Figure 1 and 2. They can be positioned to catch material at the points where the sizes required are coming out.
  • a marked bar (not shown) running along the side of the machine, above the collecting stations, indicates the graded sizes to be found at any given point along the off-take side.
  • the take-off tray 1 may simply be provided with separator plates or any other means extending across the take-off tray and which effectively define chutes for directing material falling onto the tray 1 at different points towards the containers 10 positioned at the side of the machine.
  • the position of the separator plates along the length of the machine may be varied to provide an adjustment of the sizes of material collected.
  • material is fed onto the end of the grading tray 1 nearest the narrow ends of the apertures 3 and travels along the channels 2 as the tray 1 is oscillated.
  • the material passes along the channels from the narrow ends of the apertures 3 towards the wide ends thereof until it reaches a position where the width of the aperture 3 just exceeds the size of the article so that the article falls through the aperturue 3 onto the take-off tray 9 where it is directed by corrugations or separator plates into the appropriate container 10.
  • Agricultural produce does not generally have an exact geometrical shape, or consistent dimensions. No fruit or vegetable is truly circular in cross section and most products vary widely from generally spherical shape, having a long axis, and a short axis. Carrots and cucumbers are classic examples, with exaggerated long axes.
  • the grading machine will tend to orient material placed on the grading tray 1 so that it travels in the direction of its long axis. It will then be graded by the size of its diameter. If the cross section is not a true circle, the grading may be by the largest cross sectional dimensions or by smaller one.
  • the grading machine has been found to be accurate to about 1/8" (0.32cm) if used on marbles or billiard balls. It can be set to achieve even closer accuracy than this but cannot eliminate inherent irregularities in cross-sectional dimensions of individual articles.
  • the continuously enlarging apertures 3 allow any size or range of sizes, between the width of the aperture 3 at the start, and the width at the far end, to be achieved without any change of setting. Previous equipment required the removal of sieves of one grid size, and then replacement by others of a different size if a change of size was required. With the grading machine described above, all that is needed for such a change of selection of graded size is to move the containers 10 along so they collect articles of the required range of sizes passing through the apertures 3 at different points. Alternatively, as mentioned above, the position of the separator plates on the grading tray may be varied to adjust the size of material collected. The side of the machine may be provided with a marked bar along the side of the off-take tray 9 to indicate the points at which specific grade sizes will be found to be coming off.
  • a first arrangement suitable for use with soft fruit and vegetables, which are easily damaged, is to use several deep trough oscillatory conveyors (not shown) arranged in series to feed material onto the grading tray 1. These conveyors comprise troughs which are oscillated in a similar manner to the grading tray 1 to feed material towards the grading machine.
  • the conveyor is constructed from a series of parallel stainless steel rods about 1/4 inch (0.64cm) apart.
  • High pressure water sprays are mounted alongside, below, and above this conveyor, and directed onto the material placed therein. If it is required to conserve the soil and other material washed off the produce, a galvanised sheet steel trough can be mounted to oscillate, immediately below the washing conveyor, to collect the soil, and to allow the water to overspill to drainage points.
  • a large vertical gravity-fed hopper (not shown), with an inclined chute at its base may be used to direct the material onto the grading tray 1.
  • the delivery of material onto the grading tray 1 is controlled by an intermittently rotated spider which prevents all the material on the hopper arriving at the grader at the same time.
  • the take-off arrangements can also be developed to operate automatically so that a full load can be graded without the need for an operator to stop the machine and remove the containers 10 by hand once they are full (see Figure 6-8).
  • the bags, sacks, or containers 10 in which the graded material is to be collected are carried on trays 17 suspended from simple overhead conveyor tracks 18.
  • the tracks 18 are inclined so that the trays 17 will move along them by gravity.
  • Each tray 17 is stopped, and held at a respective collecting station by stop pegs (not shown).
  • a load sensitive switch 19 (which may be electrical or pneumatic) releases the stop pegs so allowing the tray 17 to roll by gravity to its final unloading point.
  • the grading machine can be left to run all day without adjustment once it has been set up to collect the required sizes of material.
  • each of the components of the machine is designed to minimise the possibility of articles becoming jammed or being damaged.
  • the use of oscillatory motion and elongated grading apertures as described greatly facilitates this aim.
  • the machine is based on simple, inexpensive components so providing a considerable cost advantage over graders employing more complex methods of grading.
EP90307031A 1989-06-29 1990-06-27 Sortiermaschine Withdrawn EP0405943A1 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB8914903A GB2233256B (en) 1989-06-29 1989-06-29 A grading machine
GB8914903 1989-06-29

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0405943A1 true EP0405943A1 (de) 1991-01-02

Family

ID=10659242

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP90307031A Withdrawn EP0405943A1 (de) 1989-06-29 1990-06-27 Sortiermaschine

Country Status (2)

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EP (1) EP0405943A1 (de)
GB (1) GB2233256B (de)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8297446B2 (en) * 2010-07-15 2012-10-30 Spence Jr James W Apparatus and method for sorting ammunition casings

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
AU8421398A (en) * 1997-09-15 1999-03-25 De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited Sorting apparatus
US5893465A (en) * 1998-06-26 1999-04-13 Welliver Metal Products Corporation Food product sorter
CN111530750B (zh) * 2020-05-15 2021-07-09 深圳市芳征机电有限公司 一种用于螺母成品的筛选装置

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2467025A1 (fr) * 1979-10-10 1981-04-17 Brobst Andre Dispositif permettant de calibrer la longueur des planches en bois
DD239957A1 (de) * 1985-08-06 1986-10-15 Halle Saat & Pflanzengut Verfahren und vorrichtung zur groessensortierung pflanzlicher produkte
GB2174666A (en) * 1985-05-02 1986-11-12 Backus Sormac Sorting device with conveyor sections
AT385213B (de) * 1980-05-16 1988-03-10 Licentia Gmbh Vibrationssiebvorrichtung

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB734891A (en) * 1953-05-21 1955-08-10 Ian Meredith Bruce Gardyne Improvements in and relating to fruit grading apparatus
GB724748A (en) * 1953-08-11 1955-02-23 Sieberen De Vries An apparatus for grading crops, such as fruits, bulbs and tubers
DE1288357B (de) * 1966-06-21 1969-01-30 Nordischer Maschb Rudolf Baade Vorrichtung zum Sortieren von Fischen
GB1261781A (en) * 1969-05-16 1972-01-26 James Smith Device for selecting fish sizes
GB1268554A (en) * 1969-08-07 1972-03-29 Licencia Talalmanyokat Vibration machine for grading and sorting cucumbers
DE3139817A1 (de) * 1981-10-07 1983-04-21 J. Affeldt Maschinenfabrik GmbH, 2200 Neuendorf Dosier-sortierer insbes. fuer obst, gemuese oder dergl.

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR2467025A1 (fr) * 1979-10-10 1981-04-17 Brobst Andre Dispositif permettant de calibrer la longueur des planches en bois
AT385213B (de) * 1980-05-16 1988-03-10 Licentia Gmbh Vibrationssiebvorrichtung
GB2174666A (en) * 1985-05-02 1986-11-12 Backus Sormac Sorting device with conveyor sections
DD239957A1 (de) * 1985-08-06 1986-10-15 Halle Saat & Pflanzengut Verfahren und vorrichtung zur groessensortierung pflanzlicher produkte

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8297446B2 (en) * 2010-07-15 2012-10-30 Spence Jr James W Apparatus and method for sorting ammunition casings

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB8914903D0 (en) 1989-08-23
GB2233256A (en) 1991-01-09
GB2233256B (en) 1993-07-21

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