HIGH PRESSURE CUTTER OF POTATO FOR SOWING FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an improvement in the method used to cut and plant potatoes for planting during spring planting. More specifically, to a method of cutting potatoes for planting before planting in a way that ensures that cut potatoes will not be contaminated due to the presence of possible bacteria and other pathogens that are common to and create problems in potato crops .
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is well known to cut and size potatoes to sow in a variety of ways before planting. In the past, potatoes for planting had often been cut by hand with a common knife before planting. In the last twenty years, large automatic seed cutters have gained popularity, which use a knife to cut potatoes. One of the situations with the use of a knife to cut potatoes for planting has been the spread of disease from one potato to the next. When a knife cuts a potato that is diseased and is subsequently used again without cleaning, the disease can spread to some subsequent potatoes that are cut. One solution to this has been the use of chemicals such as a bleaching solution which can be used to clean the blade between cuts. Although this practice can be effective if done properly, this practice is both time consuming and can be unreliable if the blade is not cleaned entirely. In addition, the use of a cleaning solution is not practical with most large seed cutting devices and can only be effective when cutting the seed by hand. From this discussion, it can be seen that it is desirable to find a method of cutting potatoes with a large commercial cutter and chopper that prevents the spread of disease from one piece of cut potato to the next.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a method of cutting potatoes for seeding in such a way that any bacteria or other pathogens that are present within a given seed potato will not be transmitted over others by means of the cutting instrument. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of cutting seed potatoes that uses an extremely high pressure water jet cutting device for use with seed potatoes to ensure that the transfer of pathogens from one potato to another does not occur. either during or after the cutting process. It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a method of cutting potatoes for seeding that uses a high pressure water jet content that is commonly available on the market today to perform potato cutting operations for seeding. It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a method of short planting potatoes that can be easily used with existing potato cutting and planting machines that are commonly used by potato farmers. These objectives are achieved through the use of a water jet cutting housing that can be fitted to the frame of a conventional potato selection apparatus. This cutter housing contains an individual mechanism or a plurality of water jet cutting mechanisms through which the seed potatoes are moved by means of a pair of forward moving conveyors which are the central part of the cutter. Waterjet. The invention employs a separate separating apparatus that aligns the potatoes before their entry to the water jet cutter where they are cut by the water jets. After passing through the water jet cutting area, the cut seed potatoes move on a separate conveyor which takes them away from the invention for later use. As previously established, the cutting operations of the present invention are carried out by the use of an extremely high pressure water jet projecting through the cutting area by a single or a plurality of jet bodies. The stream of the water jet has adjustable outlet pressure above 60,000 pounds per square inch (psi), capable of cutting through virtually any material. Through testing, the potato cutting method works very effectively at 40,000 psi. When the potatoes were cut with less psi, the pressure did not completely cut through the potato so effectively. By controlling the adhesiveness to the desired psi, an orifice of size 4 as known in the art appears to provide very effective control of the resulting water stream. It has also been found that it is necessary to firmly hold the potato during the cutting process to ensure that cuts are made effectively. The use of conveyor devices that grip the upper and lower surfaces are used. This results in a uniformly cut potato which effectively produces correctly sized and shaped potato pieces for proper planting. It is also possible to mix chemicals with water to further prevent the spread of pathogens or to treat potatoes as desired.
Additionally, once the high pressure water jet has passed through the cut area of the potato, it enters the open end of the stream collecting pipe which contains the jet and directs the spent water to an appropriate place for your final collection to be reused or to an appropriate site for downloading. The cutting area of the present invention is formed from the space between the upper and lower assemblies of the potato cutter conveyor by water jet. The individual bodies of the water jet can also be oriented in a variety of different configurations to obtain different types of cuttings in the seed potatoes but, in its simplest configuration, a single jet of high pressure water is sprayed through the area of cut. This divides the cutting area into two parts and as a seed potato passes through the water jet it is effectively cut in half before it leaves the invention. The use of a high-pressure water jet cutting system cuts potatoes to plant before planting not only provides an effective method to do so, but also eliminates one of the biggest problems associated with this process. When a mechanical device is used to cut potatoes to be planted before planting, any bacteria or other pathogens that are contained within an individual potato and that come in contact with the cutting instrument can easily be passed on to additional potatoes that are subsequently cut. In this way, a significant percentage of the seeds can be infected which drastically reduces the final production of the crop. The use of the water jet cutting system eliminates this problem since each cut is made with water which has no contact with any other potato to plant, which ensures that any disease or other pathogens contained in a potato to plant can not move to no other. In this way, this potential source of potato disease for sowing is eliminated by the present invention, which means that the final production of the crop that is planted will be dramatically increased which also increases the farmer's benefits. For a better understanding of the present invention reference should be made to the drawings and to the description, in which the preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated and described therein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is a perspective view of the present invention as it is used in conjunction with a potato sorting machine for sowing which provides the invention with the right size sowing potatoes allowing you to cut them using a water jet cutting process in the appropriate sizes for the plantation. Figure 2 is a perspective view of the present invention illustrating its general construction manner and the ways in which the rotational force is supplied to the upper and lower conveyor assemblies by an auxiliary pulley on the separating component of a conveyor machine. selection. Figure 3 is a top elevation view of the present invention illustrating its general construction manner and the orientation of the upper and lower conveyor belt assemblies relative to other major components and drive components of the invention. Figure 4 is a side elevation view of the present invention having strips and drive pulleys removed and illustrating the orientation of the primary axes and the general construction manner of the gear reversing assembly which reverses the rotation force in the primary drive shaft allowing the upper and lower conveyor belts to rotate in the same direction on their respective close surfaces. Figure 5 is a front elevation view of the present invention illustrating the general orientation of the upper conveyor assembly in relation to the lower conveyor assembly and the channel that their respective conveyor belts form, which channels the potatoes to be sown through the interior of the invention in the proper manner. Figure 6 is a rear elevational view of the present invention illustrating the general orientation of the upper conveyor assembly in relation to the lower conveyor assembly and the channel that their respective conveyor belts form, which pulls the potatoes to be sown through of the Invention of the invention in the appropriate manner. Figure 7 is a detailed front elevational view of the potato cutting area of the present invention detailing the manner in which the upper and lower conveyor assemblies grasp a potato to be sown in the cutting area to ensure proper orientation during the cutting procedure resulting in portions of the correct shape and size for successful planting. Figure 8 is a side elevation view of the upper and lower assemblies of the conveyor of the present invention illustrating its orientation in relation to one another when there is no potato in the cutting area. Figure 9 is a side elevational view of the upper and lower assemblies of the conveyor of the present invention illustrating its orientation in relation to one another when there is a potato in the cutting area. Figure 10 is a side elevation cropped view of the hinge joint portion of the upper conveyor assembly of the present invention illustrating the orientation of the tension spring when the upper conveyor assembly is in an articulated position due to the absence of a potato in the cut area. Figure 11 is a side elevation cut away view of the hinge joint portion of the upper conveyor assembly of the present invention illustrating the orientation of the tension spring when the upper conveyor assembly is in an elevated position due to the presence of a potato in the cut area. Figure 12 is a front elevational view of a potato passing through the vertical cutting water stream of the present invention to produce a single-cut seed for planting purposes. Figure 13 is a front elevational view of a potato passing through vertical and horizontal cutting water streams of the present invention to produce a double-cut seed for planting purposes. Figure 14 is a front elevational view of a potato passing through the vertical and horizontal cutting water streams of the present invention to produce a triple cut seed for planting purposes.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED MODALITY
Referring now to the drawings, and more specifically to Figure 1, the potato water jet cutter for seeding 10 is used in conjunction with a typical potato picker for planting 12 which is illustrated in a very general. The 12 seed potato sorter is available in a wide variety of configurations, all of which are capable of selecting potatoes of specific sizes for a variety of uses. In this example, a group of non-selected seed potatoes is initially transferred from a potato container 14 to a star wheel tray 16. The star wheel tray 16 is a selection device formed from a series of wheel rollers In star rotationally driven 18 which are used in this case to remove the smallest of potatoes to plant that do not require any cutting before they are planted by the machine. The remaining potatoes pass from the star wheel tray 16 to the primary selection tray 20 which is generally a box type apparatus containing the size determination grate 22. The size determination grate 22 is a specially designed apparatus that it is configured in such a way as to allow potatoes of a specific size to fall to continue on the path to the present invention. In this way, selection table 20 can be installed to allow 2-ounce seed potatoes to pass through and continue toward the present invention which is also configured to handle and cut potatoes for seeding of that specific weight. Any potato that does not fall through the size determination grid 22 passes from the selection tray 20 to the conveyor 24 which withdraws them to a storage location for alternative uses or subsequent disposal. It is important to note that the seed potatoes are pre-selected to a certain degree so that this potential source of added complexity or waste is maintained to a minimum during the operation of the present invention. After falling through the size determination grate 22, potatoes of the appropriate size are collected by a separating hopper 28 which channels them into the separator 26. The separator 26 is an important component for the correct operation of the present invention since its main function is to align the selected potatoes in a single row row before their entry to the invention for the cutting operation. The seed potatoes pass through the separator 26 until they come into contact with the sorting wheel 36 located at the rear of the separator. The sorting wheel 36 picks up the individual potatoes from the single row row and channels them one at a time towards the back of the inner cavity of the present invention. Additionally, this figure illustrates the manner in which the rotational force is supplied to the present invention from an auxiliary drive pulley 30 located on the body of the separator 26 through the primary drive belt 32 towards the primary drive pulley 34. on the outer surface of the present invention. The rotational force supplied in this manner is employed by the invention to propel its internal conveyors which impel the seed potatoes to the proper location for cutting in the high pressure water stream while retaining them safely. This way of placing and grabbing the potatoes ensures that they are cut properly. The manner in which the rotational force is transferred from its source to the present invention is further illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, which detail the general location of the primary drive pulley 34 and the first drive belt 32 that the feed The primary drive pulley 34 is located at the outer end of the shaft 70 of the first drive pulley at the front end of the body of the invention. Behind the primary drive pulley 34, the shaft 70 of the primary drive pulley passes through a support of the gear housing 82 which, on its rear surface relative to the general orientation of the invention, serves as the mounting point for the gear housing of investment 80. The housing of the reversing gear 80 is connected through the internal transmission to the axis 70 of the primary drive pulley and operates to reverse the rotational force at this point of its transfer.
The inverted rotating force is then used to drive the lower transfer pulley of the conveyor 40 which is instead connected to the outer end of the lower transfer shaft assembly of the conveyor 72. The lower transfer pulley of the conveyor 40 is then connected through the transfer drive belts 78 to the upper drive pulley of the conveyor 42. With this design, the system operates to transfer the rotational force supplied to the primary drive pulley 34 to both of the lower conveyor assembly 66 and the upper conveyor assembly 44 in a manner that will allow the upper and lower conveyor belts contained, 46 and 48, to rotate in the proper direction to channel the seed potatoes through the interior of the present invention. The general construction manner of the body of the present invention is further illustrated in Figures 2, 3 and 4, which detail the manner in which the longitudinally oriented cutter frames 38 and laterally oriented cutter frame cross members 90 are united to form the platform on which the remaining components of the present invention are constructed. The placement of the cutter frames 38 forms a rectangularly shaped box having an open interior which provides for the placement of the upper and lower conveyor assemblies 44 and 46. The open finished nature of this design allows the seed potatoes to be fed in the back of the invention before being cut and ejected in the front part. These Figures also further detail the location and orientation of the housing of the reversing gear 80 and the gear housing support 82 and their respective positions relative to the axis of the primary drive pulley 70 and the lower shaft assembly of the transfer pulley. of the conveyor 72. Additionally, these also illustrate the manner in which the upper assembly of the pulley shaft of the conveyor 74 covers the distance between the two frames of the cutter 38 on the upper rear surface and the use of the frame 76 of the upper shaft of the conveyor drive pulley to fix it in that position. Finally, these Figures also illustrate the positioning of the spring frame 58 and the jet support in relation to the remaining components of the present invention. Figures 3, 5 and 6 illustrate the general configuration of the upper and lower conveyor assemblies, 44 and 46, and the manner in which they are fixed and interact with the other components. The lower conveyor assembly 66 encompasses the length of the cutter frame from the axis of the primary drive pulley 70 at the front end of the invention and the lower tensioner shaft of the conveyor 84 at the rear of the invention. The inner length of the lower assembly of the conveyor 66 defines by the outer limits of the axis of the primary drive pulley 70 and the lower tensioning shaft of the conveyor 84 is surrounded by the plurality of lower bands of the conveyor 68 which form a moving floor within the body of the invention. The outer length of the lower conveyor assembly 66 is also enclosed by the lower frame of the conveyor 88 which adds overall structural support to the lower conveyor 68 webs. Additionally, it is important to note that these lower conveyor 68 webs differ in circumference of the conveyor 68. such that the lower bands are smaller than those on the outer side. This results in a V-shaped configuration in the cross-sectional aspect of the lower belt configuration of the conveyor than its ability to securely hold a potato as it passes through the interior of the invention. The upper conveyor assembly 44 is formed of a front upper frame 63 and a rear upper frame 64 which, in conjunction with the upper shaft assembly of the drive pulley of the conveyor 74 and the upper tensioning shaft of the conveyor 86, define their overall length. The upper conveyor assembly 44 extends from a point within the frame of the cutter 38 located approximately one third of its length relative to its rear end to a point that is beyond the forwardmost end of the cutter frames 38. This design results in the most rearward portion of the lower conveyor assembly 66 being uncovered with respect to the placement of the upper conveyor assembly 44. The relative positioning between the upper and lower conveyor assemblies, 44 and 46, allows for the insertion of the potatoes to be sown in the interior of the present invention for the cutting operation. Additionally, the positioning of the upper conveyor assembly 44 resulting in its forward portion protruding from the forwardmost extension of the lower assembly of the conveyor 66, ensures that the cut potato falls correctly once it clears the leading end of the invention. The length of the upper conveyor assembly 44 is surrounded by the use of the plurality of upper conveyor belts 46 which, in much the same way as the lower belts of the conveyor 68, differ in their overall circumference so that the inner belts They are shorter than those on the outside. This again results in a V-shaped configuration that works to provide a more stable placement of a potato as it passes through the interior of the invention. The V-shaped nature of the upper and lower conveyor belts, 46 and 68, is more detailed in Figure 7 which illustrates the placement of a seed potato 98 between the upper and lower conveyor belts, 46 and 68. There it is clearly shown how the configuration of the upper and lower conveyor belts, 46 and 68, functions to firmly grip the potato 98 which is critical for the operation of the present invention since the force of the vertical water currents and horizontal, 100 and 102, is enough to tip the potato 98. If allowed to tip the potato in this way, this would result in an improperly cut potato 98 that would be unsuitable for planting purposes. Figure 7 also illustrates the manner in which the shape of the lower floor of the conveyor 92 is designed to increase the V-shaped nature of the lower strips of the conveyor 68 to ensure proper orientation of a potato as it passes through the web. invention. The centered and stepped down design of the bottom floor of the conveyor 92 has to move anything that is in contact with it, very noticeably potatoes, towards the center and the V-shape of the lower conveyor belts 68 which will move them through of the body of the invention. The lower floor of the conveyor 92 also operates in the placement of the vertical and horizontal water jets, 50 and 54, in relation to the upper and lower conveyor belts, 46 and 68, and the subsequent positioning of the seed potato 98. Also illustrated are the placement of the vertical and horizontal water jet housings, 48 and 52, which ensures their respective jets to the external components of the invention. Additionally, the placement of the horizontal and vertical discharge pipes, 94 and 96 is represented. The vertical and horizontal discharge pipes, 94 and 96, are the components of the invention that are used to collect and dissipate horizontal and horizontal water currents. vertical, 100 and 102, after they have passed through the cutting area 98 of the potato. An additional aspect of the upper assembly of the conveyor 44 is illustrated in Figures 8 and 9 which detail its manner of articulation. This articulation is a result of its construction using the upper front and rear frames, 62 and 64, which are pivotally joined on their shared internal surfaces by the hinge point 110 of the upper conveyor assembly. This manner of construction allows the upper assembly of the conveyor 44 to articulate at its relative center in this manner, adapting to the presence of the potato 98 as it passes through the invention while maintaining a firm grip on it at all times. . These figures also illustrate an aspect of the vertical discharge tube 94 which is a direct result of the articulation nature of the upper conveyor assembly 44. The vertical discharge tube 94 is elongated with reference to the length of the body of the invention so that it can capture the vertical water jet 100 regardless of the orientation of the upper conveyor assembly 44. This is important since the vertical water jet housing is fixedly attached to the upper conveyor assembly 44 through the jet support 56 In this way, since the upper assembly of the conveyor 44 articulates during the passage of a potato 98, the term of the vertical stream of water 100 changes in relation to the vertical discharge pipe 94. Therefore, the opening that gives up in vertical discharge tube 94 is elongated to compensate for this variable term of vertical water flow 100. Aditionally, it must be Note that in the construction of the present invention the vertical water stream 100 should be placed in front of the horizontal water stream 102 because this movement as a result of the articulation of the upper assembly of the conveyor 44 would cause the currents to interrupt one another if they were constructed in another way. Finally, the manner of construction of the spring housing component 60 of the present invention is further detailed in Figures 10 and 11. The spring housing 60 operates to increase the articulation action of the upper conveyor assembly 44 and, more specific, to allow the upper assembly of the conveyor 44 to articulate in an ascending manner to allow the easier passage of a potato 98 through the interior of the invention. This is a result of a slightly rising pressure which is placed on the upper conveyor assembly 44 by a loaded tension spring 104 located within the spring housing 60. The loaded tension spring 104 is connected at its lower end to the upper assembly of the conveyor 44 through a jet support 65 and at its upper end to the remaining components of the present invention through the connecting rod of the spring 108 and the frame of the spring 58. The ascending pressure resulting from this way of construction it allows the upper assembly of the conveyor 44 to more easily accommodate the presence of a potato 98 without losing the graspability of the upper and lower conveyor belts, 46 and 68. In this way, as a potato passes through the invention and the upper assembly of the conveyor 44 articulates upward resulting in a discharged tension spring 106. Once the potato As the interior of the invention clears, the upper assembly of the conveyor 44 returns to its normal orientation again resulting in a loaded tension spring 104 placing the upward pressure on the upper assembly of the articulated conveyor 44. The basic manner in which it is cut a potato 98 using the present invention is illustrated in Figures 12, 13 and 14 which detail a plurality of possible configurations for orientation of the vertical and horizontal water jets, 50 and 54, and their vertical and horizontal discharge pipes corresponding, 94 and 96. Figure 12 illustrates a configuration employing a simple vertical stream of water 50 resulting in only the vertical stream of water 100 coming into contact with the passing potato 98. Potato 98 comes in contact with vertical water flow 100, which is generated by a high pressure pump located externally, as it passes through the present invention and which slices it cleanly in two resulting in a simple cut potato 112. The simple-cut potato 112 is then cut into the appropriate size to maximize its growth potential when planted.
An alternative configuration of the cutting apparatus employed by the present invention is illustrated in Figure 13 which adds a horizontal jet of water 54 directing a horizontal stream of water 102 through the interior of the invention just behind the central portion of the vertical water current 100. This configuration produces a cutting area that is divided into both vertical and horizontal planes, resulting in a double-cut potato 114 that is sectioned into four separate pieces. This configuration is generally used with potatoes 98 that are larger and heavier than those in the previous configuration but still leaving pieces of a size large enough to have the required buttons plant products that are necessary for successful planting. Finally, a third possible configuration of the cutter apparatus employed by the present invention is illustrated in Figure 14 which details the use of a pair of vertical jets of water 50 and a horizontal jet of water 54. This configuration produces a pair of streams of water. vertical divided water and simple horizontal, 100 and 102, which operate to cut the potato 98 into a triple-cut potato 116 that has six relatively equal pieces. The use of multiple horizontal and vertical water jets, 50 and 54, is employed with still larger potatoes 98 than the previous configuration and, as with all cut-off area configurations, the determination of potato size 98 is a function to use the appropriate selection table that was previously described in conjunction with each of the configurations of the vertical and horizontal water jet possible, 50 and 54. Again, the pieces of potato produced in this way are of sufficient size to contain the buttons that result in the growth of the new plant. This method of cutting potato 98 before planting is more effective than previous methods that employ the use of metallic cutting implements according to any disease or pathogens present in a potato 98 will not be transferred to others through the cutting blades . The result of this is a more effective potato growth operation as a common source of disease, the transfer of existing pathogens, has been eliminated. Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof, other versions are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained therein.