US2974794A

US2974794A - Article sizers

Info

Publication number: US2974794A
Application number: US796323A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lyle L Fry
Original assignee: LOCKWOOD GRADERS Inc
Current assignee: LOCKWOOD GRADERS Inc
Priority date: 1959-03-02
Filing date: 1959-03-02
Publication date: 1961-03-14
Anticipated expiration: 1978-03-14

Description

March 14, 1961 L. L. FRY

ARTICLE SIZERS Filed March 2. 1959 INV ENTOR.

it,... rIIGv United States Patent() ARTICLE SIZERS Lyle L. Fry, Gering, N ehr., assignor to Lockwood Graders Inc., Gering, Nebr., a corporation of Nebraska Filed Mar. 2, 1959, Sel'. No. 796,323

3 Claims. (Cl. 209-106) This invention relates to an article sizer or grader of the type wherein articles are graded according to size by `allowing them to drop between traveling sizing rollers of predetermined spacing, and more particularly to a sweep attachment for an article sizer of this type. Graders or sizers of this type operate satisfactorily upon relatively spherical articles such as oranges, apples, round potatoes, etc. upon relatively long articles such as long potatoes and long vegetables such as carrots and the like for the reason Athat the long articles frequently bridge themselves across '-two or more rollers due to their lengths so that they do fnot drop between the rollers in accordance with their ,proper diameter or width classification.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a :sweep attachment for any of the conventional roller type graders or sizers which will operate automatically to 'position articles of greater length than thickness ina position parallel to the axes of the sizing rollers so that the articles will be properly graded and classified in laccordance with their transverse widths regardless of their lengths.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and eiciency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed .description ofthe invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawingwhich forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts 'in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the feed extremity of a conventional roller sizer or grader ilustrating the invention in place thereon;

Fig. 2 is -a fragmentary side view of that portion of the sizer illustrated in Fig. 1 showing the invention in place; and

Fig. 3 is a detail view of a sweep finger as employed on the attachment.

In the drawing, a sizer of the type, wherein the distance between the sizing rollers gradually increases as they travel away from the feed extremity so that the smaller sizes will drop between the rollers adjacent the feed extremity and the larger sizes will successively drop as the spacing of the rollers increases. Such a sizer is illustrated in prior Patents No. 1,874,096; 2,411,154; and 2,411,274. The invention, however, is not limited to this particular type of variable sizer but will be found useful upon any sizer employing a traveling series of parallel spaced-apart sizing elements.

For the purpose of illustration, a conventional sizer is illustrated comprising two side frame members between which parallel spaced-apart sizing rollers 11 travel in the direction of the arrow A in Fig. 1. The spacing between the rollers gradually increases as they travel, dueto any of the well known mechanisms such as those illustrated in the said prior patents. The sizer rollers are They do not operate accurately however, I

2,974,794 Patented Mal?, mi

mounted upon roller chains which travel about roller chain sprocket shafts 36. The articles to be graded are fed onto the traveling sizing rollers 11 in any desired manner such as through the medium of an inclined feed chute 12 and are collected according to size between partition members 13 upon a tranversely extending conveyor belt or chute 14 as is customary with such sizers or graders.

The above described mechanism is conventional with many types of roller graders or sizers. This invention relates to an attachment for a sizer of the type described and is designed to cause long articles such as long potatoes, carrots and the like to align themselves longitudinally parallel to the axes of the sizing rollers 11 so that they may be properly graded according to their transverse diameter or width.

Brieily, the attachment comprises an endless sweep chain 15 arranged to travel in a horizontal plane above the sizing rollers 11 at an acuate angle to the axes'of the rollers. The sweep chain 15 is provided with llexible iingers 16 which extend downwardly to a plane immediately above the rollers and which are arranged to travel longitudinally of the rollers as indicated by the arrow B as the latter travel in the direction of the arrow A of Fig. 1. The movement of the sweep chain -15 is synchronized with the movement of the rollers so that each of the lingers 16 will be positioned above a roller and will remain above that roller and travel substantially the entire length thereof as the roller travels along its conventional path.

The sweep chain 16 may be supported in any suitable manner and may be driven from and synchronized with the movement of the sizer rollers in any suitable, mechanical manner. As illustrated, two cross beams 17 are supported above the sizer lrollers and parallel thereto upon angle posts 18 which are bolted to the side members 10 by means of suitable attachment bolts 19 and extend upwardly therefrom.

Two, relatively long bearing angles 20 extend between and are supported above and below the cross beams 17 upon vertical frame members 21 which are welded or otherwise secured to the cross beam 17. A pair of relatively short bearing angles 22 extend between and are similarly supported upon frame members 23 above and `below the cross beams 17. The relatively long bearing angles are positioned at right angles to the cross beams 17 and adjacent one of the side members 10 of the sizer and the relatively short bearing angles 22 are similarly positioned adjacent to and parallel with the other side member 10.

An idler sprocket shaft 24 is vertically and rotatably mounted in suitable shaft bearings 25 on the forward extremities of the twolong bearing angles 20. A vertical drive sprocket shaft 26 is similarly mounted in suitable bearings 27 on the forward extremities of the two bearing angles 2t?, and a third shaft which will be herein designated as the apex idler sprocket shaft 28 is vertically mounted in suitable bearings 29 on the mid-portions of the two shorter bearing angles 22. All of the shafts are provided with suitable thrust bearings 30 which prevent vertical movement thereof, and each of the shafts is provided with a chain sprocket 31 at its lower extremity.

The chain sprockets 31 lie in a common horizontal plane above the plane of the rollers 11 and the endless sweep chain 15 is trained around these three sprockets, as shown in Fig. 1. The chain 15 may be driven in any desired manner from the conventional operating mechanism of the sizer.

As illustrated, the sweep chain is driven through the medium of a bevel gear set 32 from a drive shaft 33 mounted in bearings 34 on a bracket plate 35 supported 3 from one of the cross beams 17. The drive shaft 33 is driven from a suitable shaft on the grader such as from one of the roller chain sprocket shafts 36 through the medium 'of a suitable'power` transmission Vchain 37;

Thus, it can be seen that whenever the sizerrollers 11 travel in the direction of the arrow A, the exible fingers 16 will travel'lengthwise along the sizer rollers 1:1V from the sprocket drive shaft26 toward the apex idler -shaft28 each finger remaining over its individual roller.

The fingers will then return -along the rollers yfrom the apex idler shaft 28 to the first idler shaft 24 thence will return to the drive shaft 26. The flexible iingers 16 will engage long articles entering on the rollers as indicated at C and sweep them to a position longitudinally of and betweenl the rollers :as indicated at D so that they will fall between the rollers when the preset spacing is reached. The fingers may be'formedV in any desired manner. One manner is illustrated in Fig. 3

'and comprises a short length of relatively stii hose,

.slipped over studs 39 which project downwardly from link plates 40 welded or otherwise secured beneath links of the chain 15. The hose lengths may be clamped to the studs 39 by means of suitable hose clamps 41.

While a specic form of the improvement has been ldescribed and illustrated herein, it is to be understood vward said rollers; and means for driving said chain to cause said sweeping elements to move longitudinally of said traveling sizing rollers to sweep elongated articles into parallel relation with said rollers, said sweep chain being positioned diagonally of the path of travel of said rollers and the means for driving being synchronized with the traveling movement of said rollers so that the sweeping elements will travel with said rollers as they move longitudinally thereof.

2. A sweep attachment for a sizer of the type having elongated, spaced, horizontal, sizing rollers traveling horizontally at right angles to their lengths comprising: a supporting frame; means supporting said frame across said sizer above said rollers; rotatable elements supported in said frame, adjacent the sides of said sizer so as` to rotate about vertical axes;.an endless flexible element trained around said rotatable elements so as to extend horizontally across said sizer above said sizing rollers; sweeping elements carried by said endless exible element and extending downwardly toward said rollers; and means for driving said ilexible element to cause the sweeping elements to move transversely of the direction of travel of said sizing rollers to sweep elongated articles being sized lengthwise of said rollers as they travel, there being three of said rotatable elements, two being positioned adjacent one side of said sizer and one positioned adjacent the other side thereof so as to support said exible element in a horizontal triangular path to cause said sweeping elements to travel diagonally of the path of travel of said sizing rollers, said means for driving the llexible element being synchronized with the speed of travel of said sizing. rollers so. that the sweeping elements` will simultaneously travel with and longitudinally of' said rollers.

3. A sweep attachment for a sizer of the type having spaced, horizontal, sizing rollers traveling horizontally at right angles to their lengths comprising: a supporting frame; means supporting said frame across said sizer above said rollers; a. vertical. sprocket shaft .journalled in said frame adjacent one side of said sizer; two vertical sprocket shafts journalled in said frame adjacent the other Vside of said sizer forwardly and rearwardly7 respectively of'said first sprocket shaft; a chain sprocket mounted on the lower extremity of each shaft; an endless sweep chain trained about said three sprockets in a horizontal plane above said rollers; sweep lingers mounted on said chain and extending downwardly from said chain toward said rollers.; and means for driving said chain to cause said lingers to move transversely of the path of travel of 'said rollers, said chain extending across the rollers diagonally to the lengths of the latter and the means for driving said chain being synchronized with the travel speed of said rollers so that each liinger will remain substantially over a roller during its transverse travel.

References Citedy in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 885,881 Steckel Apr. 28, 1908 1,369,377 Benson Feb. 22, 1921 1,381,240 Pope June 14, 1921 2,661,501 Riddell Mar. 6, 1928