GB2116021A - Apparatus for removing the juice from whole citrus fruit - Google Patents

Abstract

Apparatus (1) for removing the juice from whole citrus fruit, comprises a first concave cup (2) for receiving fruit, a second concave cup (4), the cups being interengageable whereby pressure can be applied to fruit therebetween, juice collector means (6) attached to one of the cups whereby juice expelled from the fruit is collected, and a fluid-operated device (8) operative to move the other of the cups towards the one so that the two cups progressively interengage, to remove the juice bearing part of the fruit and to urge that part towards the juice collector means. The cups comprise interdigitating parts (3, 5). The skin of the fruit is pierced at top and bottom by circular cutters (24, 25). When the cups are fully engaged, a piston rod (18) acts to drive the cut plugs and all the juice bearing parts of the fruit out of the skin and into the juice collector means (6), which comprise a perforated tube. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatus for removing the juice from whole citrus fruit Technical field of the invention The invention relates to apparatus for removing the juice from whole citrus fruit.

Background art Fruit juice such as the juice of oranges, lemons, tangerines, grapefruit or the like is often required to be extracted for consumption. It is usually necessary for the juice to be obtained with as little contamination by peel, pith and seeds as is possible because these solids impair the flavour of the extracted juice.

Proposed machines for extracting the juice from whole fruit are large, have many moving parts and normally process five or six fruit at a time. They are therefore prone to mechanical faults and are also not suitable for processing single fruits.

Disclosure ofthe invention It is an object of the invention to seek to mitigate the disadvantages of the prior art.

According to the invention there is provided apparatus for removing the juice from whole citrus fruit, comprising a first concave cup for receiving fruit, a second concave cup, the cups being open towards one another and interengageable whereby pressure can be applied to fruit therebetween, juice collector means connected with one of the first and second cups whereby juice expelled from the fruit is collected, and a fluid-operated device operative to move the other of the first and second cups towards the one of the first and second cups so that in use the two cups progressively interengage, to remove the juice bearing part of the fruit from expelling juice.

Using the invention it is possible to provide a relatively simple apparatus which is capable of processing single fruits at a speed of 120 - 150 fruit per minute and with few moving parts. Such apparatus can be mounted singly or in multiples as required.

The fluid-operated device may comprise a piston and cylinder arrangement, a piston rod being connected between the piston and the other of the first and second cups. This construction provides for the application of an even pressure as the cups interengage.

The piston rod may be connected indirectly to the other of the first and second cups. This provides for the piston rod to be connected to a cross-beam carrying the other of the first and second cups which cross-beam is guided for movement along support columns, whereby a simple yet positive guided movement of the other cup may be achieved.

The piston rod may comprise a cylinder in which a second piston and rod are reciprocaby mounted, and the second piston and rod may be urged from the cylinder by fluid pressure only when the firstmentioned piston has reached a predetermined part of its stroke. This provides a simple construction for actuating the second piston in response to a predetermined movement of the piston, for example the second piston may be actuated when the first piston has undergone a full stroke.

There may be biassing means which may act on the second piston normally to urge it in a direction away from the first and second cups. This construction, in which the biassing means may be a coil spring encircling the second piston rod, provides for a relative simple return of the second piston and rod to their start position at the end of a stroke.

There may be fluid communication means which may connect the interiors of the first and second cylinders. This construction enables one source of fluid pressure to actuate both piston-cylinder arrangements.

The fluid communication means may comprise a bleed hole through the first piston.

The fluid may comprise air. This provides a relatively inexpensive source of power.

There may be automatic feed means for feeding a single whole fruit to the or each first cup, and the automatic feed means may comprise pressure release means to release pressure from a fruit to allow that fruit to fall under gravity to the or each first cup.

The juice collector may be connected with means for removing solid particles comprising a perforated container in which a piston reciprocates with a close-sliding fit with a boundary wall thereof, whereby to force juice through the perforations and to leave solids particles in the container. This provides a relatively simple construction.

The container may have solids release means biassed to a closed position and openable under pressure of the piston and accumulated solids in use to release solids from the container.

The solids release means may comprise a springbiassed end wall of the container. This construction provides a relatively simple solids release mechanism.

Apparatus embodying the invention is hereinafter described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief description of the drawings Figures 1 to 4 show longitudinal sectional views of one apparatus, with parts broken away for clarity, showing respective stages in a cycle of operations to contract the juice from a single whole fruit; Figure 5 is a view of part of the apparatus showing, to an enlarged scale, the apparatus at the stage shown in Figure 3.

Figure 6and 6A show a schematic side elevational and plain view of an automatic feed means for feeding a single fruit to the apparatus; Figure 7shows to an enlarged scale, a transverse section through means for removing solid particles from extracted juice.

Figure 8 shows a side elevational view, partly in section and with parts broken away for clarity, of a second apparatus; and Figure 9 to 12 are, to an enlarged scale, part of one end and one pair of first and second cup arrangements of the embodiment of Figure 8 (the other end of the apparatus, it will be understood, corresponding), and showing different steps in the sequence of operation to expel juice from an orange.

Referring to the drawings, particularly Figures 1 to 5, there is shown apparatus 1 for removing the juice from whole fruit, comprising a first concave cup 2 which is fixed, which has a plurality of equally spaced apart fingers 3 and which is open upwardly as considered in use (as shown). There is a second concave cup 4 which is movable, which also has a plurality of equally spaced apart fingers 5, and which is open downwardly as considered in use (as shown). The cups 2 and 4 are symmetrical about a common axis and are arranged so that a space between two adjacent fingers 3 of the first cup is aligned with an overhead finger 5 of the second cup 4 so that the cups 2 and 4 are interengageable by interdigitation of the respective fingers 3 and 5.One of the cups, the first cup 2 in the embodiment illustrated, is attached to juice collector means in the form of a perforated tube 6 which passes through a manifold 7 in which expelled juice can be collected.

The apparatus also has a fluid-operated device 8 operative to move the other cup, in this case the second cup 4, towards the first cup 2 so that the cups 2 and 4 progressively interengage, to remove the juice bearing part of the fruit and to urge that part towards the perforated tube 6 for expelling juice.

The fluid-operated device 8 is double-acting and is air operated in the embodiment shown. The device 8 comprises a cylinder 9 in which a piston 10 is mounted for reciprocable sliding movement. The cylinder has air line connections 11 and 12 to a source (not shown). A piston rod 13 is connected to the piston 10 and it extends between and connects the piston 10 and a cross-beam 14 or plate which itself supports a tube 15. The cross-beam 14 is connected to a frame 16 supporting the second cup 4 by a connector plate 16'. The piston rod 13 is itself a cylinder in which a piston 17 and piston rod 18 are mounted for reciprocable sliding motion. Biassing means in the form of a coil spring 19 acts on the second piston 17 normally to urge it in a direction away from the cups 2 and 4 to the position shown in Figure 1.The coil spring 19 acts between the underside (as viewed) of the second piston 17 and a seating in the cross-beam 14 or plate. Fluid communication means in the form of a bleed hole 20 through the first piston 10 connects the interiors of the first and second cylinders 9 and 19 (the second cylinder being comprised by the first piston rod 13).

The apparatus 1 includes guide rods or coiumns 21 which are secured as by nuts between respective upper and lower (as viewed) fixed cross-heads 22 the rods 21 passing through aligned holes 23 in the frame 16 for the second cup 4 and in the cross-beam 14 or plate so that the frame 16 and cross-beam 14 can be guided along the rods 21 in use of the apparatus 1.

The lower end (as viewed) of the tube 15 comprises a circular cutter blade or knife 24 and the upper end (as viewed) of the juice collector means 6 also comprises a circular cutter or knife 25. The lower end (as viewed) of the juice collector means 6 is secured, as by screw engagement, to a nut 26 with a tapered orfrusto-conical orifice, the nut attaching the juice collection manifold 7 to the juice collector means 6.

Operation of the apparatus 1 to remove juice from a whole citrus fruit, in this case an orange 28, will now be described, Figure 1 showing the start position after an orange 28 has been fed into the first cup 2. Air under pressure enters the first cylinder 9 through connection 11 and forces the first piston 10 and hence the piston rod 13, towards the lower (as viewed) end of the cylinder 9. This action causes the first and second cups 2 and 4 to interengage by interdigitation of their respective fingers 3 and 5, the second cup 4 moving towards the first cup 2 to effect this movement because the frame 16 of the second cup is connected with the cross-beam 14 via the connector plate 16' and the cross-beam 14 is connected to the piston rod 13.Pressure exerted by the movement of the cross-beam 14 forces the orange 28 against the circular knife 25 which cuts through the outer skin, (Figure 2). The interdigitation of the fingers 3 and 5 of the two cups 2 and 4 ensures an even application of pressure over the whole of the outer surface of the orange 28. When the piston 10 and rod 13 near completion of the downward (as viewed) stroke, the circular knife 24 cuts through the skin at the top (as viewed) of the orange 28 so that there is now a circular plug of skin cut at the top and bottom of the orange. The juice bearing part of the orange starts to pass into the tube 6, (Figure 3). On completion of the downward stroke of the piston 10 (Figure 4) air under pressure passes through the bleed hole 20 and acts on the second piston 17 in the second cylinder 13 and urges it downwardly.The piston rod 18 then forces the cut plugs and all the juice bearing parts of the orange 28 out of the skin with the plugs further into the perforated tube 6 (Figure 4) with any other material (from a previous orange). The frusto-conical bore 27 in the nut 26 which bore 27 tapers downwardly as shown, acts as a throttle which in effect exerts a back pressure against the action of the second piston 18 and forces the juice contained between the plugs through the perforations in the tube 6 into the manifold 7.

At the completion of the downward movement of the cross-beam the outer skin or peel of the orange is forced through a gap 29 between the tube 15 and second cup 4 a further knife 30 attached to the tube 15 cutting the peel for ease of detachment. (There could be more than one knife 30). Completion of the downward movement (operational stroke) of the second piston 17 activates a device (not shown) which transfers feed of pressurised air from the source through the connection 12 to the other (under) side of the first piston 10 which is raised to the Figure 1 position and then returns the whole assembly carried by the cross-head 14 to the start of the cycle, which is repeated by a further device (not shown) being activated to transfer the pressurised air to the upper (as viewed) side of the piston 10. (On release of downward pressure on the piston 10, the second piston 17 and rod 18 are returned to their initial position by the return spring 19, it will be understood).

Although the apparatus 1 has been shown in Figures 1 to 5 as being arranged about a substantially vertical axis it is preferred that the apparatus 1 be arranged to be inclined, about 30 from the vertical, as shown schematically to a smaller scale in Figure 6 which also shows automatic feed means 31 for feeding a single fruit to the first cup in synchronisation with the opening of the two cups 2 and 4 at the start of the cycle (the Figure 1 position).The automatic fruit feed means 31 comprises a guide, channel or tube formed by four separate parallel, wires or rods 32 (Figure 6A) arranged on a square in which fruit is stored in a row, and a single actuating fluid operated preferably an operated cylinder 33, a pusher 34 connected to a piston rod 35 of the cylinder 33 and a chute or opening 36 down which the fruit falls into the first cup 2. The guide, channel ortube 32 has an angle or bend in it, the pusher 34 being operative to extend across the angle along the lower (as considered in use and in Figure 6) bend 37, the chute 36 being angled to the lower bend 37, preferably as shown at substantially 90".

In order to feed an orange to the first cup 2, movement of the cross-beam to expel juice from an orange in the cup activates a switch or valve (not shown) to divert air under pressure from the source to the cylinder 33 which forces the piston rod 35 and pusher 34 with an orange from the guide 32 to the end of the limb 37. The orange 28 is now trapped between the pusher (shown in dashed lines) and the lower wall of the limb, above the chute or opening 36. When a juice extraction cycle is complete, movement of the cross-beam 14 to the Figure 1 position activates a further switch or valve in time with opening the cups and releases air from the cylinder 33, which allows the piston rod 35 and pusher 34 to return under the action of a return means (not shown) to the start position of the pusher shown in solid lines.The orange 28, no longer held by pressure of the pusher 34 against the end wall, falls down the chute 36 under gravity into the first cup 2 ready for the next cycle. At the same time another orange falls under gravity in front of the pusher 34, ready to be loaded into the cup for the subsequent cycle. The feed cylce and extraction or juice expelling or removal cycle are synchronized, the feeding cycle continuing all the time the extraction cycle (Figures 1 - 4) is operating.

Juice from the manifold 7 is passed along a tube or conduit 38 to solids release means 39. The solids release means 39 comprises an unperforated container or housing 40 within which there is a perforated container or cylinder 41. There is a piston 42 in the perforated container 41 which is mounted on a piston rod 43 for reciprocation from one end of the perforated container 41 to the other with a close sliding fit with the interior surface thereof. The piston rod passes through seals 44 through solids release means in the form of and walls or cups 45 each biassed by springs 46 to a position to close the container 41. The springs 46 exert a sufficient pressure to ensure acceptable separation of juice and solids.The piston rod 43 passes through bearings 47 and is connected to oscillating means 48 such as a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder which oscillates the piston rod 43 and hence the piston 42 continuously at about 30 strokes per minute.

The perforation 49 of the perforated container 41 are round holes, or slots, machined in the container 41, which is a cylinder. The holes or slots are only of a size to allow juice to pass and are preferable of a size in the range of 0.010" - 0.040".

The tube or conduit 38 passes through the housing 40 to intercept the wall of the container 41. An outlet tube 50 leads 50 from the housing 40.

In use, extracted juice and solid particles pass along the conduit 38 from the manifold 7 into the perforated cylinder 41 between the piston 42 and an end wall 45. As the piston 42 moves it forces only juice through the perforation 49 into the housing 40, the solids particles being retained in the cylinder 42.

As the piston 42 and cylinder 41 have a close-sliding fit the piston 42 continually forces the juice through the perforations 49 as it sweeps up and down the cylinder 41. Any solids particles which may be trapped in the perforations 49 are cleaned therefrom by the piston 42 and any unburstjuice sacs are also burst so releasing juice. The continuous sweeping of the piston 42 also causes a build-up of solids at the end walls 45 and when sufficient has built up to block in effect movement of the piston 42 the pressure of the springs 46 is overcome, the particular end wall 45 is moved away and the solids pass out of the cylinder to the space 51 or 52. The end wall 45 then returns to its closed position under action of the spring 46. The point contact at 53 between the end walls 45 and the end of the cylinder 41 assists in providing a positive removal of solids.It can be seen that the solids material is separated from the juice which passes along the outlet tube 50 for subsequent processing such as packaging.

Referring now to Figures 8 to 12 the main difference between the embodiment 100 shown therein and that of Figures 1 to 7 is that whereas the latter only processed on fruit per cycle, the second embodiment processes two fruits per cycle of the fluidoperated means such as a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder arrangement. Also the means of extracting the juice from the core material, extracted by the first and second cups, has been modified. Thus the energy used to return the piston is used to extract juice from a second fruit. So in effect a cyclinderwith a double piston rod, protruding from both ends of the cylinder, is used in the second embodiment of apparatus 100.

A separate small bore cylinder 101 for extracting the juice from the core material is mounted on both ends of the apparatus.

In operation the apparatus 100 will be mounted substantially horizontally and can be used either as a single unit or mounted or side by side to form as many units as required. It will be understood that the left hand end (as viewed in Figure 8) is a mirrorimage of the right end end so in Figures 9-12 only one end the left hand end is shown for simplicity.

Assuming piston 102 within the main cylinder 103 is at one end of that cylinder 103, one set or pair of cups 104 will be closed and the other set 105 open to receive fruit 106 (orange). At the same time a piston 107 attached to a small cylinder 100 will be extended to the pressing position, while a piston 109 attached to the other cylinder 110 will be retracted from a perforated tube 111 (there is one tube 111 at each end as shown) under a respective cylinder 108 or 110.

While the piston 102 is in this position a fruit 106 will be dropped into the space between the open first cup 112 and second cup 113. Hydraulic fluid under pressure enters the main cylinder 103 forcing the piston 102 and piston rod 114 attached to it and to cup 113 towards 112. Cup 113 attached to cup adaptor 115 slides on rods 116. Rods 116 are anchored to end plate 117 and a plate 118 attached to the end of the cylinder 103.

At the same time, owing to the way the three cylinders 103,108 and 110 are connected hydraulically, the piston 109 attached to cylinder 110 is retracted, while the piston 107 attached to cylinder 108 is extended to pressing position (Figure 8).

On completion of this stroke on the main cylinder 103 with the piston 102 now to the left hand end thereof as viewed, the juice and core material will have been forced into the tube 119 buy a piston 120 attached to the peel cutter 121.

At the same time a fruit is dropped between the now open cups at the other (right hand) end of the apparatus.

Hydraulic fluid is then passed under pressure into the main cylinder 103 on the opposite side of piston 102 to force the cups 112 and 113 in the other, opposite direction, while the cups 104 at the right hand end are progressively closed on the fruit therebetween.

At the same time fluid under pressure enters cylinder 108 and forces piston 107 into the pressing position and retracts piston 109 ready to receive juice and core material from the fruit after extraction by the second (right hand) set or pair 104 of cups.

Juice is extracted by pistons 107 and 109 forcing the juice and core material into the perforated tubes 111. Attached to the end of each tube 111 is a restrictor 123 which exerts a pressure against the pistons 107 and or 109 forcing the juice through the perforations of the tubes 111 while the core material and pips etc. is forced out through an orifice or hole in the restrictor 123.

To explain in more detail how the appartus operates, reference will now be had to the Figures 9 to 12 showing the sequence of the operation for one set of cups or extractor unit at one end of the apparatus. Operation of the set at the other end is identical though out of phase by the stroke of the piston 102.

Figure9showsthecups 112and 113apartanda fruit 106 in position. The cups at the opposite end of the unit will be fully engaged in a fruit squashing position.

Figure 10 shows the fruit 106 half squashed. The bottom cutter 124 has removed a circular disc of peel 125 which is being forced into the tube 126 by the pressure of the cups reducing the size of the fruit. At the same time the piston 107 attached to the small cylinder 108 has retracted. This allows a free space for the juice and core material within the tube 126.

Figure 11 shows the pair of fingered cups 112 and 113 completelyintermeshed. On the final 1/4-1/2 inch of movement of the movable cup 113, the cutter 121 has cut out a similar disc shaped piece of peel 128 which has been forced into the tube by the piston 120 attached to the movable cutter 121. Since the diameter of the cutter 121 is slightly larger than the bore ofthetube 126, the disc of peel 128 is a tight fit in the tube 128 and retains the juice within the tube 126. Juice and core material which may have been already in the tube is forced into the free space 127 left by the retraction of the piston 107.

Figure 12 shows that movable cup 113 has started to retract. At the same time oil is forced into port 129 of the cylinder which forces the piston 107 into the perforated tube 111. Due to the restrictor 123 attahed to the other end of the perforated tube 111, pressure is exerted on the core material, within the tube 111, forcing juice out through the perforations. The perforations may consist of a number of small holes or slots.

The amount and quality of the juice extracted through the holes is dependent on the size of the holes in the tube 111 and the size of the hole in the restrictor 123. Core or waste material exits from the restrictor 123. Juice is collected in the manifold 130.

The same sequence of events takes place at the other end of the apparatus.

It will be understood that the feeding means of Figures 6 and 6A and the apparatus for removing solids from the expelled juice, Figures 7, may be used with the apparatus shown in Figures 8 to 12.

Claims (17)

1. Apparatus for removing the juice from whole citrus fruit, comprising a first concave cup for receiving fruit, a second concave cup, the cups being open towards one another and interengageable whereby pressure can be applied to fruit therebetween, juice collector means connected with one of the first and second cups whereby juice expelled from the fruit is collected, and a fluid-operated device operative to move the other of the first and second cups towards the one of the first and second cups so that in use the two cups progressively interengage, to remove the juice bearing part of the fruit for expelling juice.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, the fluidoperated device comprising a piston and cylinder arrangement, a piston rod being connected between the piston and to the other of the first and second cups.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 2, the piston rod being connected indirectly to the other of the first and second cups.

4. Apparatus according to Claim 3, the piston rod comprising a cylinder in which a second piston and rod are reciprocably mounted, the second piston and rod being urged from the cylinder by fluid pressure only when the first mentioned piston has reached a predetermined part of its stroke.

5. Apparatus according to Claim 4, in which there is biassing means acting on the second piston and normally urging it in a direction away from the first and second cups.

6. Apparatus according to Claim 5, in which fluid communication means connects the interiors of the first and second cylinders.

7. Apparatus according to Claim 6, the fluid communication means comprising a bleed hole through the first piston.

8. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, the fluid comprising air.

9. Apparatus according to Claim 1, including a second set of first and second cups spaced from the first set, the fluid-operated device comprising a piston and cylinder arrangement, the piston carrying two rods which are oppositely directed, one carrying one first cup and the other carrying the second first cup.

10. Apparatus according to Claim 9, the rods being substantially horizontal.

11. Apparatus according to Claim 9 or Claim 10, the piston and rods being arranged to disengage one first cup from its associated second cup and simultaneously to interengage the other first cup and associated second cup.

12. Apparatus according to Claim 12, the juice collector means extending substantially at 90" to the axis of the piston rods.

13. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, in which there is automatic feed means for feeding a single whole fruit to the or each first cup, the automatic feed means comprising pressure release means to release pressure from a fruit to allow that fruit to fall under gravity to the or each first cup.

14. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, in which the juice collector means is connected with means for removing solid particles comprising a perforted container in which a piston reciprocates with a close-sliding fit with a boundary wall thereof whereby to force juice through the perforations and to leave solid particles in the container.

15. Apparatus according to Claim 1, in which the container has solids release means biassed to a closed position and operable under pressure of the piston and accumulated solids in use to release solids from the container.

16. Apparatus according to Claim 15, the solids release means comprising a spring-biassed end wall of the container.

17. Apparatus for removing juice from whole citrus fruit, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings.