GB2091197A - Produce handling machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A produce handling machine comprises a succession of conveyors (10, 11, 12, 14,) which clean and grade the produce, the adjacent ends of successive conveyors being at the same level so that the produce does not fall from one conveyor to the next. Typically the conveyors comprise an endless belt feed conveyor (10), a starwheel cleaning conveyor (11), a mesh screen grading conveyor (12), a dressing table (14) and a twin roller dresser (not shown). Soil and reject produce from the cleaning conveyor (11), the grading conveyor (12) and roller dresser drops onto lateral conveyors e.g. (15) and is then transferred to a single conveyor (16). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Produce handling machine This invention relates to produce handling machinery and in particular to machinery for cleaning and/or grading agricultural produce such as potatoes, carrots or the like.

Machinery for the aforementioned purpose is already known in which the produce is fed by a feeding conveyor onto one or more endless processing conveyors. The latter comprise spaced bars or mesh constructions between which foreign matter or differently sized produce may pass for cleaning or grading purposes. Produce passing from one conveyor to another do so by virtue of a stepped arrangement of the conveyors allowing the produce to fall from a higher to a lower conveyor. However, such an arrangement has the disadvantages that the machine has a high profile, damage can occur to the produce as it falls from one conveyor to another, particularly if the lower conveyor is of mesh construction, and the throughput of the produce tends to be uneven.This latter feature may be aggravated by the trapping of produce between the conveyors and a subsequent build-up of produce upstream of such blockage as is caused thereby.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a machine of the aforementioned type in which these disadvantages are avoided or at least mitigated to a substantial extent.

The invention provides a produce handling machine having a feeding conveyor and at least one processing conveyor, characterised in that said feeding conveyor and said at least one processing conveyor lie substantially in a common plane at least in the region of their adjacent ends. The machine may comprise a plurality of processing conveyors, in which case each of said processing conveyors may lie substantially in said common plane.

The at least one processing conveyor or the first of a plurality of processing conveyors may be a cleaning conveyor use of which tends to segregate soil and the like from the produce. The cleaning conveyor may comprise starwheels or rotary springs. In the case that the machine comprises a plurality of processing conveyors, a rotary screen grading conveyor and multiple turnover rollers may be provided downstream of said cleaning conveyor.

The feeding conveyor may be inclined to said common plane and may comprise an endless belt supported by a plurality of bars extending transversely of said belt between a pair of endless chains.

Each endless chain may be driven by at least one of a pair of sprockets around which such chain passes.

Each sprocket around which one of the chains passes may be mounted on a common shaft with the corresponding sprocket around which the other of said chains passes. Disposed on said shaft, between a pair of sprockets mounted thereon, may be a belt support adapted to support said endless belt between consecutive bars as the belt traverses a curved path between upper and lower runs.

Rollers may be provided on said bars and one or more tracks may also be provided on which said rollers may run. Said track or tracks may be disposed between said upper and lower runs of said belt whereby said rollers contact said track or tracks only in the event of a predetermined excessive deflection of said upper run of belt due to the weight produce thereon.

The feeding conveyor may be provided with a pair of opposed sidewalls having resilient lower edge flaps extending therealong and adapted to overlie the edges of said endless belt, whereby produce on said belt is prevented from falling off said belt laterally thereof or contacting said chain.

The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective elevation of one embodiment; Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through part of the machine shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a sectional elevation on line Ill-Ill of Figure 2, and Figure 4 is a perspective elevation of a second embodiment.

Referring now to Figure 1 there is shown a feed conveyor 10 for feeding produce to a cleaner conveyor 11, a mesh grading screen conveyor 12, a turning rollers conveyor 13 and a final belt conveyor 14. The uppermost surfaces of the conveyors 10 to 14 lie substantially in a common plane so that produce does not fall through any appreciable distance as it travels from one conveyor to another.

In the embodiment shown the feed conveyor 10 is inclined at a small angle to the horizontal, reaching the aforementioned common plane at the highest point on its path of travel. Alternatively the upper run of conveyor 10 may lie in that common plane.

Beneath the grading screen 12 is a transverse belt conveyor 15 which receives small produce and stones which have fallen through the mesh of screen 12. The small produce and stones are fed by conveyor 15 onto a second final belt conveyor 16.

By means of the arrangement shown the overall height of the machine is kept to a minimum and is considerably lower than that of known machines.

There is very little risk of damage to the produce occurring in the machine of the present invention due to the absence of a drop between successive conveyors. Also the throughput of the machine is substantially constant if the feed of produce into the machine is constant, and build up of produce in the regions between adjacent conveyors is reduced to a minimum.

Referring now to Figures 2 and 3 there is shown in greater detail the feed conveyor 10 which comprises an endless belt 17 supported by transverse bars 18.

The bars 18 are carried by two endless roller chains 19 which are driven by sprockets 20. At each end of conveyor 10 a pair of sprockets 20 are mounted on a common shaft 21 and one of the shafts 21 is driven by a motor (not shown).

Also mounted on the shafts 21, between the sprockets 20 are belt supports 22 which prevent the belt 17 from assuming plane rather than a curved profile between adjacent bars 18 as the belt 17 traverses its curved path at each end of its travel.

The bars 18 carry rollers 23 which, in the case of the upper run of the belt 17, can contact a track 24 to support the upper run if it deflects excessively due to the weight of produce thereon.

At each side of the upper run of belt 17 are sidewalls 25 which prevent produce from falling off the belt 17 in a lateral direction. At the lower edge of each sidewall 25 resilient flaps 26 shield the chains 19 so that produce cannot be damaged thereby.

In Figure 2 the first starwheel 27 of the cleaner 11 is shown, the starwheel 27 being of resilient material and comprising a plurality of axially extending fins or ribs 28. The fins 28 have the effect of lifting produce, which would otherwise tend to fall between the starwheel 27 and the endless belt 17, and carrying such produce over towards the subsequent starwheels of cleaner 11. This region is the most critical as regards build up of produce and by means of the arrangement of the machine, with the starwheel 27 close to and at the same level as the uppermost part of the feed conveyor 10, the tendency of such build up is substantially eliminated.

Referring now to Figure 4there is shown a second embodiment of produce handling machinery in which parts corresponding with those of the Figure 1 embodiment are designated by the same numerals.

The Figure 4 embodiment comprises a feed conveyor 10, a cleaner conveyor 11, a mesh grading screen conveyor 12, a dressing table conveyor 14 and a twin roller dresser 29. The uppermost surfaces of the conveyors 10 to 29 lie substantially in a common plane, at least at the regions of transfer from one conveyor to the next, so that produce does not fall through any appreciable distance during such transfer. To reduce the size of the cusp formed between the starwheei cleaner conveyor 11 and the mesh grading screen conveyor 12 the laststarwheel 11 a is of smaller diameter than the other starwheels forming conveyor 11. By this means any tendency for produce to remain in the cusp and cause a build up of produce is avoided or considerably reduced.

As the produce traverses dressing table 14 it may be inspected and it is then divided into two streams by divider 14a. Each stream of produce passes to one set of rollers of a twin roller dresser 29, which sets of rollers are segregated by a screen 30. As the produce is turned by rollers 29 it may be given a more detailed inspection and unacceptable produce may be thrown towards screen 30 so as to drop through the gap 31 between rollers 29 and screen 30.

Beneath rollers 29 is a transverse conveyor 15b which conveys the rejected produce to conveyor 16.

As well as the aforementioned reject produce, produce rejected as a consequence of passing through mesh grading screen conveyor 12 onto transverse conveyor 15 and soil, stones and the like removed by cleaner conveyor 11 and deposited on transverse conveyor 1 5a are also transferred to conveyor 16 for subsequent removal.

Alternative layouts and combinations of conveyor may be employed as desired. For this purpose the various conveyors may be separate items which may be coupled together in a manner providing the necessary height matching of the upper surfaces of the conveyors. Alternatively two or more conveyors may be mounted in a common frame structure if changes of layout are not required. In the former case mesh grading screen conveyors of differing sizes may be provided for inciusion of an appropriately sized mesh in the assembly as required. In the latter case the mesh may be removable from the machine so that a mesh of differing size may be used if desired.

As a further alternative the smaller diameter starwheel 1 lea of Figure 4 may be replaced by a shaft carrying a plurality of plain mutually spaced discs of like diameter.

Claims (20)

1. A produce handling machine comprising a feeding conveyor and at least one processing conveyor adjacent thereto in end to end disposition, said feeding conveyor and said at least one processing conveyor lying substantially in a common plane at least in the region of their adjacent ends.

2. A machine according to claim 1 comprising a plurality of processing conveyors disposed adjacent each other in successive end to end disposition, each pair of adjacent conveyors lying substantially in a common plane at least in the region of their adjacent ends.

3. A machine according to claim 2 wherein the adjacent ends of all of said plurality of conveyors lie in a single common plane.

4. A machine according to claim 2 or claim 3 wherein the first of said plurality of processing conveyors comprises a cleaning conveyor.

5. A machine according to claim 4 wherein said cleaning conveyor comprises a plurality of starwheels.

6. A machine according to claim 4 wherein said cleaning conveyor comprises a plurality of starwheels and the starwheel adjacent the second of said plurality of processing conveyors is of smaller diameter than the other starwheels of said cleaning conveyor.

7. A machine according to any one of claims 4 to 6 wherein the second of said plurality of processing conveyors comprises a mesh grading screen conveyor.

8. A machine according to any one of claims 2 to 7 wherein said plurality of processing conveyors includes a plurality ofturnover rollers.

9. A machine according to claim 8 wherein said turnover rollers are disposed downstream of a cleaning conveyor and a grading conveyor.

10. A machine according to claim 8 or claim 9 wherein said plurality of turnover rollers comprises two sets of rollers disposed in side-by-side relationship.

11. A machine according to claim 10 comprising partition means disposed upstream of said turnover rollers whereby produce is guided to each set of rollers.

12. A machine according to any one of claims 2 to 11 comprising at least one conveyor extending transversely of the direction of travel of produce along said processing conveyors, the or each traversely extending conveyor being located beneath a respective processing conveyor to receive produce and/or waste therefrom.

13. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein said feeding conveyor is inclined relative to the plane of said at least one processing conveyor.

14. A machine according to any one of claims 1 to 13 wherein said feeding conveyor comprises an endless belt supported by a plurality of bars extend ing transversely thereof.

15. A machine according to claim 14 wherein said bars are supported by a pair of endless chains disposed to run in spaced parallel paths.

16. A machine according to claim 15 comprising a belt support disposed to support said belt between consecutive bars as said belt traverses a curved path between upper and lower runs.

17. A machine according to any one of claims 14 to 16 wherein rollers are provided on said bars and at least one track disposed between upper and lower runs of said belt to be contacted by said rollers when said upper run is deflected from its normal path.

18. A machine according to any one of claims 14 to 17 wherein said feeding conveyor is provided with a pair of opposed sidewalls having resilient lower edge flaps disposed to overlie the edges of said endless belt.

19. A produce handling machine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the various Figures of the accompanying drawings.

20. A machine according to claim 4 wherein said cleansing conveyor comprises a plurality of starwheels and disposed between said starwheels and the second of said plurality of processing conveyors a shaft carrying a plurality of mutually spaced discs thereon of smaller diameter than said starwheels.