US3046992A - Viner and huller - Google Patents

Description

July 31, 1962 e. BUTLER VINEIR AND HULLER 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 20, 1959 INVENTOR. 0E6 BUTLEE July 31, 1962 G. BUTLER 3,046,992

VINER AND HULL-ER Filed July 20, 1959 5 Sheets-Shee't' 2 IN V EN TOR. 6O6E 80/2 5K @f ewz 21m July 31, 1962 G. BUTLER VINER AND HULLER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July 20, 1959 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,046,992 R AND HULLER George Butler, P.0. Box 326, Monroe, Wash. Filed July 20, 1959, Ser. No. 828,379 Claims. (Cl. 130-30) This invention relates to apparatus for vining and hulling peas and similar crops, and more particularly con cerns such an apparatus which operates upon the entire harvested vine and ultimately delivers the hulled peas or other grains cleanly separated from the chaff, vines and hulls. The invention is herein illustratively described by reference to the presently preferred embodiment thereof; however, it will be recognized that certain modifications and changes therein with respect to details may be made without departing from the underlying features involved.

As is now well known in the art, there has continued to be a need for more eflicient and otherwise improved vining and hulling machines for peas and other legumes or similar crops. Difliculties heretofore encountered include splitting and bruising the peas, not cleanly separating the hulled peas from the vines, hulls, and other chafi, failing to operate with consistent effectiveness despite variations in moisture content of the crop, undesired variations in the rate of self-feeding accompanied by jamming 'or plugging of heaters, as well as failure to subject all parts of a run of vines to substantially the same efiective threshing action, not hulling all of the peas so as to avoid appreciable wastage, low production rates, bulkiness and high cost of apparatus, etc. A general object of the present invention is to provide apparatus which largely overcomes these difficulties and is generally improved over previous machines in these and other respects.

A more specific object is such a machine which is relatively compact and may he made in a conveniently portable form or in a stationary form, as may he required.

Another object is such a machine which is relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture and use.

Still another object is apparatus of the type described which incorporates mechanisms which are reliable, durable, and readily inspected and maintained.

Still another object is to provide such an apparatus which, 'though relatively compact, has a large production capacity and avoids splitting and bruising the peas by delivering a large number of gentle flicking blows .to the pod-laden vines, instead of relatively few violent blows as in prior apparatus.

A related object is such an apparatus which is inherently capable of performing efficiently and consistently despite normal variations in the rate of delivery of vines to the apparatus input, and despite variations in moisture content and other characteristics of a crop. This advantage results from the improved self-feeding and recirculatory feedback action of the apparatus comprising cooperative beater and rack assemblies of a novel form and arrangement.

A further object is to provide means for efliciently separating chaff and other foreign material from the hulled peas despite variations in the moisture content or wetness of the chatf and peas as they come to the separator.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention together with the novel features thereof will become evident from the description which follows based on the accompanying drawings. Preliminarily, however, it will be noted that certain novel features reside in the combined beater assembly and feed rack assembly wherein grid-like racks or screens arranged in side-hy-side relationship are reciprocated toward and from the beater assembly in respective vertical planes which are similarly angled to the 'ice beater rotation axes and wherein the heaters are formed and operated to impart rapid flicking blows to the vines and in the process of so doing, to feed the vines back onto the racks repeatedly in directional planes perpendicular to such rotational axes. Because of the relative angle between the opposing motions the recirculating vines migrate along the series of racks and are eventually discharged therefrom at one end, whereas the hulled peas, discharged by the numerous flicking blows the heaters are separately collected beneath the racks.

Additional features reside in the form and relationship of the individual heaters including inwardly curved fingers which interdigitate with those of adjacent heaters to pro vide a combing action; in the compact threshing arrangement of multiple heaters of this type rotated codirectionally and cooperating with an additional but oppositely rotated beater, with a 'baflle wall and with the described rack assembly; and in the means for reciprocating successively adjacent racks in alternate sequence to achieve reliable efficiency in the described vine feedback and migration.

Still other features reside in the novel recleaning or separator mechanism featuring a curved infeed deflector which produces an initial degree of separation of the peas from the chaff, a reciprocated inclined feed pan which progressively conveys the chaff in one direction while permitting the separated peas to move oppositely therefrom, and in cooperable scraper mechanism which operates continuously with reciprocation of the pan to overcome any tendency, especially when harvesting in wet weather, for small peas and chaff to stick to the pan.

These and related features will 'become more fully evident as the description proceeds.

FIGURE 1 is a somewhat simplified perspective view of the machine with parts broken away to show certain features of construction and operation.

FIGURE 2 is a simplified top view of the cooperative self-feed arrangement involving the series of feed racks and heaters, the view being somewhat schematic for convenience in illustrating the angular relationship between the opposing motions producing recirculation and progressive migration of vines through the machine.

FIGURE 3 is an end elevation View with parts broken away, particularly illustrating the rack and heater assemblies and the drive means therefor.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view similar to a portion of FIGURE 3, illustrating the heaters and feed racks associated therewith.

*FIGURE 5 is an enlarged view illustrating certain details of the presently preferred feed rack construction.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective mechanical diagram showing the drive means for the feed racks.

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary side elevation of the machine particularly illustrating the separator mechanism,

and reciprocated separating pan being shown in its fully retracted position.

FIGURE 8 is a view similar to FIGURE 7 with the separating pan in its most advanced position.

Referring to the drawings, certain major blocks or portions of the machine comprise the frame 10, the input chute or conveyor 12, the feed feed rack assembly 14 to which the vines are fed from the input conveyor, the beater assembly 16 which cooperates with the feed racks in threshing the vines and circulating them through the machine, the recleaner (separator) mechanism d8, the pea-collecting conveyor 20 by which peas dropping from the heater and rack assemblies are collected and carried to the separator, and the vine discharge conveyor 22 which receives the threshed-out vines after they drop past the terminal end of the feed rack series.

The specific details of the machine frame 10 will not be separately described, being secondary and subject to immaterial variations. Suffice it to state that thenature and relative locations of certain frame components necessary to an understanding of the mechanism are selfevident from the description which follows of the functional assemblies themselves. The frame details will also depend partly upon whether the unit is to be portable or stationary.

.In the illustration the machine is shown as an integral unit which lends itself to stationary operation or to being mounted on a suitable carriage for mobile operation. In

regard it may he made part of a combine-type machine, if desired, hulling the vines as they are severed and fed to it by associated apparatus while the machine advances over the harvest field, thereby to expedite handling the crop. In this regard it is of course desirable that the hulling and canning or freezing of the peas be completed as quickly as possible after harvesting.

The rack assembly 14 comprises a generally horizontal series (in this casefour) of reciprocated racks 24, '26, 28, and 30 mounted in substantially side-hy-side relationship at an intermediate level in the machine frame :10. The rack series extends substantially longitudinally of the machine, i.e., parallel to the rotational axes of the heaters comprising the beater assembly 16. The racks are reciprocated in parallelogram linkages by mechanism 232, the planes of rack motion being parallel and substantially vertical, angled at a small acute angle (of the order of a four-to-one slope) to vertical planes perpendicular to the beater rotational axes. The angling or incline of the rack motion is in the direction toward the beater assembly and 'away from the input conveyor '12 by which the vines are deposited initially on the first of the racks 24. Also, the mechanism 32 causes the successively adjacent racks to reciprocate in opposite phase relationship. The beater assembly 16 extends above and generally along one side of the series of racks. The racks are parallel and at the half-cycle points of rotation are coplanar.

Preferably they incline upwardly at a small angle (such as 10, more or less) toward the first heaters and undergo a motion of reciprocation generally lengthwise of themselves in which they remain parallel to themselves in all positions. 'Each rack starts its cycle ofmotion from a retracted position in which it is depressed or lowered to the maximum extent from the heaters. From this position the rack is rapidly advanced upwardly and forwardly toward the heaters in an arc approximating a straight line, thereby to pitch any vines carried by it into and upon the rotating heaters. To complete the cycle such rack is then retracted to its starting position. The vines which the rack feeds to the heaters on the rapidly recurrent cycles of rack motion are received either from the input conveyor 12 or from the feed-hack action of the beater assembly. The vines are repeatedly fed back to the racks by the action of the heaters and from the racks back into the heaters. In a typical case each mass of vines may he completely circulated in this manner eight times, more or less, before the threshed vines reach the discharge point.

I The individual racks are similar to each other. The rack 24, for example, comprises (FIGURE 5) longitudinally extending frame members 24a, of which there are four in the example, two at opposite sides and two Spaced 'between them at intermediate locations. Superimposed on and secured to these frame members are serrated longitudinal feed bars 24b (i.e., fishhacks) oriented with the steeper sides of the serrations facing toward the heater assembly and the more gently sloping sides thereof facing oppositely, so as to bias the racks to feed predominantly in the direction toward the heaters. These serrated feed bars 24b, mounted at spaced intervals across the width of the rack, serve as retaining clamps for the intervening grid assemblies which comprise the longitudinally extending spaced bars 24d. 'The bars 24d are received and held in notches formedin the lower sides of the feed bars 24b. The spacings between the slats 24c and the bars 24d are sufficient to permit loose peas to drop freely through the crack openings whereas pieces of vine and hulls are caught. Preferably the bars 24d extend parallel to the rotational axes of the heaters, whereas the bars 24b extend parallel to the rack motion; hence are angles to the bars 24d. Preferably also, for feed bias purposes, the bars 24d are of triangular cross-section, having steeply sloping or vertical faces directed toward the heaters and more gently sloping faces directed oppositely.

Referring particularly to FIGURES 4 and 6, the mechanism for supporting and reciprocating the racksin the manner described comprises a crankshaft 34 having crank arms 34a, 34b, 34c, and, 34d of alternately opposite phase position in relation to the shaft. The shaft is rotationally mounted in pillow blocks 36, 38, 43 and 44 on the frame 10 with the shaft axis disposed in a horizontal plane 'but contained in a vertical plane which is substantially perpendicular to the vertical planes of feed rack movement.

A chain 40 and sprocket 42 device the crankshaft 34, which is oriented with its axis parallel to the rotational axes of the heaters. A series of countershafts 46a, 46b, 46c and 46d located beneath the discharge ends of the racks are mounted on the machine frame 10 parallel to the crankshaft 34. These countershafts are elements of individual bell cranks for driving the respective racks. Such bell cranks comprise single lower arms 48a, 48b, 48c and 48d connected to the respective cranks 34a, 34b, 34c and 34d through the connecting rods 56, 58, 60 and 62 and universal joints 56a, 56b, 56c and 56d. The paired upper, upwardly extending arms 48b, 50b, 52b and 54b of the respective bell cranks are pivotally and supportingly connected to the racks 24, 26, 28 and 30 at transversely spaced locations thereon as shown (:FIGURE 6). The bell cranks are of similar form and size, and the connecting rods are of approximately equal lengths, except for the slight differential employed to permit mounting the mutually adjacent countershaft journals at offset locations on the same frame beams 10a, 10b, etc. The crankshaft cranks are also of equal lengths although of alternately opposite phase position. Consequently, the initial and final positions of the racks in their cycles of reciprocation and the length of the strokes thereof are the same. However, when the rack 24 is in its retracted position, so is the rack 28, whereas the racks 26 and 30 are in their forwardmost and uppermost positions. On the feed stroke of the racks, vines are thrown upwardly and toward the heaters 16, whereas on the return stroke the vines remain in their advanced positions 'parfly because the return stroke has a downward component faster than descent of the raised vines, so that the vines are then momentarily disengaged, and partly because of the unidirectional gripping action or-feed bias of the serrated elements in the racks.

The machine fname bars 10a, 10b, 10c, 10d and 102 which underlie and extend parallel to the opposite edges of the respective racks serve as supports for the countershaft journals and for the journals of additional pairs of supporting links 64, 66, 68 and 70 spaced longitudinally of the racks from the drive links which comprise the upper arms of the hell cranks. These additional sets of links, rigidly interconnected by unnumbered coordinating shafts, cooperate with the bell crank arms to form parallelogram linkages supporting the feed racks to move in precise parallel planes without interference therebetween.

The in-feed chute, or conveyor 12 is situated to discharge onto the end rack 24. Vines dropping on this rack are pitched thereby into the heaters now to be described.

The heater assembly 16 in this embodiment comprises four rotary heaters 72, 74, 7'6 and 78. These heaters comprise a supporting drum which maybe made of metal, wood, or other materials and which carry projecting tines or fingers arranged in circumferentially spaced longitudinal rows. The drum of heater 72 for example, is shown of hexagonal form, comprising wooden or metal slats I 72a which are bound together by bands 72b and carry the rows of tines or fingers 720 at the several corners. Preferably, the tines are sp1ing steel or equivalent material which has resilient strength. The tines in each row are spaced apart lengthwise of the beater by a distance which materially exceeds the thickness of a tine. Each tine or finger is curved in its plane of rotation so that its inner end leads its outer end. The fingers of successively adjacent beaters 72, 74, and 76 are ofiset from each other and the beaters are spaced apart such that the fingers of adjacent beaters pass through interdigitated relationship repeatedly as the beaters rotate. With this construcion, rapidly repeated flicking blows are imparted to the vines so as to apply gentle impulses which draw individual vines from bunches and string the vines out through the machine without tearing them apart or knocking the pods loose. During the process the pods are repeatedly tapped by the beater fingers in order to split them open and discharge the peas. Those which are not split upon and discharged of peas by impact of the beater fingers are split when flung against the front wall 1 3 of the machine.

These three successively adjacent beaters rotate in the same direction, as shown by the arrows. The beater 7'2 is positioned along and adjacent to the discharge ends of the racks and at a level slightly below the adjacent ends of those racks so that vines dropping over the ends of the racks will be caught by the rotating beater 72 and flung upwardly and around into the tines of the neat adjacent beater 74, which is positioned above the beater 72 and at a transverse position slightly ofiset therefrom in the direction away from the racks. The next beater, 76, is positioned above the beater 74 and in substantially vertical alignment with the beater 72. As a result, the lower side of beater 74 tends to comb vines from the upper side of beater 72, and the lower side of beater 76 does likewise with respect to beater 74. This action minimizes any tendency for carryover and clogging and affords a compact arrangement of beaters capable of imparting a great many flicking flows to the vine-carried pods in a given period of time and in a confined space.

The fourth beater, 7 8, is of somewhat smaller diameter and rotates in the direction opposite from that of beaters 72, 74, and 76. Moreover, the beater '78 is positioned somewhat above the racks near the discharge ends thereof so as to be in a position to catch vines thrown from the other beaters. As a result, beater 78 strikes the vines and pods from a different aspect from that in which the three previous beaters have been operating and fiings the pod-laden vines against the baflie wall 10f. These factors increase the thoroughness of the threshing operation. The lower side of the beater 78 serves the additional function in some instances of cooperating with the feeder racks in feeding vines to the three initial beaters. Preferably beater 73 is spaced above the feed racks about eight inches with the tacks at the top of their feed strokes.

While the beater fingers are shown all of equal length (such as six inches) this is not always essential and in certain instances it may be desirable for those on one or more of the heaters to be shorter than on the others.

An apron 80 is mounted adjacent to and beneath the discharge ends of the feed racks in order to help guide the vines down into the field of action of the first beater 72. This apron is provided with a projecting lip Sea which has slots (not shown) accommodating the teeth 72c of beater 72.

Suitable supporting shafts and shaft mounts for the series of heaters are provided, the beater 72 being rotatively supported on the shaft 72d, the beater 74 on the shaft 74d, the heater 7 6 on the shaft 76d, and the beater 78 on the shaft 78d. The lowermost beater, 72, is driven by a chain 82 and sprocket 84 from the power source 81. A smaller sprocket 86 and a chain 4%) engaging the same drives the sprocket 42 which turns the crankshaft 34, so that the speed of reciprocation of the feed racks is related to the speed of rotation of the lowermost beater 72. At the opposite end of the machine the beater shaft 72d carries a sprocket 72a Which is engaged by a continuous chain 88 encircling the sprockets 90, 92, and 94 respectively mounted on the beater shafts 74d, 76d, and 78d, and an adjustably positioned chain take-up sprocket 96 supported by the movable pillow block 98 which is normally held in fixed position on the frame post 10g by the releasable clamp bolts 100, as shown (FIGURE 1).

For most applications the feed racks should move at a velocity between about 150 and 210 feet per minute, 166 feet per minute being preferred for pea vines of average characteristics. An .8 stroke and a reciprocation rate of 250 strokes per minute is considered about optimum, although is not critical. The rim speed of the beaters (i.e., the speed at the tips of the beater fingers) is preferably. about 1,650 feet per minute although it may be varied to suit different harvest conditions by changing sprocket diameters. Preferably all of the heaters have substantially the same tip speed.

' it will be observed that the four beaters, in applying repeated flicking blows to the vines, cause the vines to tumble about and fall back onto the feed rack assembly which, in turn, feeds them back into the beaters. The recirculation or V feed-back action recurs several times (as much as eight times, for instance) before the vines, fed into the machine at one end, are discharged at the opposite end and permits the machine to be very compact. Moreover it assures a thorough hullin-g of the peas, yet without splitting or bruising the fuuit as inthe case of machines relying upon comparatively few but violently delivered blows to do the job. The special curved beater fingers together with the gentle beating action avoids the vine-tearing and fragmenting action of previous beater devices, and in this case assures that the vines will be gently pulled from bunches, strung out and fed in a more or less uniform and continuous stream through the ma chine, thereby insuring more or less uniform treatment for all. Because the vines are not torn to small pieces but pulled apart largely intact, the pods will remain with the vines and not knocked loose at the outset. It is important that the vines carry the pods throughout the process so that the pods will be continuously and repeatedly presented to the heaters for uniform threshing action.

As viewed in FIGURE 2, the repeated feed-back and recirculation of the vines to and from the beaters and feed racks, commencing first with the rack 24, is accompanied by a progressive migration of the vines along the length of the machine towards the discharge end thereof. This is due to the angled relationship of motion of the racks in relation to the paths of return motion of the vines impelled back by the heaters. Thus, vines which are thrown from the rack 24 to the beaters will eventually be thrown back onto the rack 26, returned to the beaters and still later thrown thereby back onto the rack 28. Again fed to the beaters by rack 28 they eventually land on the rack 39, and finally are thrown back by the heaters beyond the far side of the rack 30 into the discharge outlet or chute defined by the panels 102,104, and 106, as shown in FIGURE 1. These vines, which are used for cattle feed and the like, are carried away on the discharge conveyor 22.

Beneath the beater and rack assemblies a collecting hopper is formed having longitudinally extending sides 108 and 110 which slope downwardly and toward the mid portion of the machine, their inner edges are separated to define an elongated central discharge slot 109. The discharge conveyor 20 mounted extending longitudinally of the machine beneath this slot receives the peas dropping into the hopper from the overlying assemblies. The peas are carried in this conveyor to the recleaning device 18. The conveyor 20 is conveniently a belt conveyor although it may comprise a sloping chute if desired. Peas which are separated from the pods in the threshing operation drop into the hopper through the openings form a parallelogram linkage.

.. '2 formed in the feed racks and to -a lesser extent through the spaces defined between the teeth of the heaters.

Inasmuch as some chafi and small pieces of vines and hulls also reach the discharge conveyor 2% along with the peas, it is desirable to reclean the peas before packing them. This is done in the recleaning or separating device ,18. As the peas reach and drop over the end of the discharge conveyor 20, they are carried against the concave side of the curved deflector plate 112. This plate has an upright upper portion acting as a stop which arrests the peas in their forward motion established by conveyor 20. The lower portion of the plate curves progressively toward the horizontal in the direction toward the conveyor. Peas and chaff which roll and slide down the deflector plate receive momentum which tends to carry them in a generally horizontal direction beyond the lower edge of the deflector plate. However, the peas being round and dense and tending to move faster than the lighter chaff material receive a greater component of horizontal motion and have less air resistance in proportion to that momentum than does the lighter chaff, hence the peas .drop onto the underlying separator pan 114- at a point considerably removed from the point of descent of the chaff. The pan 114 is sloped upwardly in the direction opposite the direction of discharge of the materials from the deflector plate 112. Consequently the inifial hori- "zontal component of motion of the peas starts them rolling down the incline of the pan 114.

Unfornmately not all of the peas, particularly the smaller ones, are separated in this manner from the chaff, particularly the heavier pieces of chad. Consequently .the separating or recleaning device must perform an additional separating function beyondthat produced by the action of plate 112. This it accomplishes by mounting the trough-like pan 114 to reciprocate on sets of pivoted links .116 and 118 which together with the pan itself and the supporting frame members 120 and 122 These sets of links are pivotally mounted in spaced relation on the sloping frame members 120 and 122 positioned adjacent respectively opposite sides of the pan. Each link 116 comprises one arm of a bell crank 116, the opposite arm of which, 116a, is pivotally connected to the associated connecting rod 121. The opposite end of the connecting rod is, in turn, pivotally connected to the continuously rotated crank 122. The two cranks 122 are rotated by a shaft 125 coupled rotatively to the shaft 126 through bevel gears. The shaft 126 in turn is driven by a chain 128 which encircles a sprocket 130 on shaft 72d. The conveyor roll or sheave 20a is turned by a chain and sprocket drive 124 coupled'to the shaft 125 (FIGURE 1). As the crankshaft 125 rotates, the bell crank 116' is reciprocated angularly between its position shown in FIGURE 7 and its position shown in FIGURE 8, which causes the pan to move bodily in a pitching motion which follows an arc approximating a straight line extending with a component (approximately six inches) lengthwise of the pan and also a component (approximately three inches) ver- ,tically of the pan. The motion is predominately in an inclined direction sloped in the direction of the inclined plate 114 but at a materially steeper angle than the incline of the plate. The successive positions of the pan are parallel to each other because of the supporting parallelogram linkage.

This repeated abrupt reciprocation of the pan causes the materials deposited thereon to be pitched upwardly and toward the upper end of the pan, and left momentarily suspended in the air as the pan is suddenly retracted on its return stroke. Peas and chaff alike are flung into the air in this manner. However, the peas, being heavier and more dense, drop back more quickly than the chafi onto the pan and roll downwardly before the chaff material alights. By the time the chaff alights, the pan is approaching or has reached its retracted position, so that the chaff lands farther up the pan 'than the position it previously occupied. The peas, on the other hand, returning quickly to the pan have landed near the spot originally occupied, and with the aid of gravity as well as the return motion of the pan the peas have rolled down the pan to still lower positions. The overall eifect is to cause the chaff to migrate progressively up the ,incline of the pan whereas the peas are caused to migrate and roll progressively down the pan in theopposite direction. This separating action proves to be very effective and is capable of separating the smallest peas from the types of chaff and foreign materials normally encountered. The heavier and larger peas, of course, are readily separated and usually roll down the pan independently of the chaff by virtue of the action of the curved deflector 112;

In some instances, particularly when the crop is wet witn rain or dew, there is a tendency for the chaff and smaller peas to stick to the pan generally in the vicinity where they are deposited after leaving the separating deflector 112. In order to prevent accumulation of this material, which tends to impair the effectiveness of the separator, a scraper blade 124 extending longitudinally of the pan and in contact therewith is mounted on a carriage 126 which comprises a traversing nut engaging the doubly threaded feed screw or cam 128. The two sets of threads of the feed screw 12S have respectively opposite pitch so that the scraper will progress first to one end of the feed screw 128 and then, by a connection between the ends of the threads, will progess to the opposite end thereof. Thus the scraper reciprocates back and forth across the pan, as the feed screw continues to rotate in the same direction. Theaction is much the same as that found in the conventional level-wind fishing reel.

In order to rotate the feed screw continuously during reciprocation of the pan and to provide for mounting of the feed screw on the pan itself, the feed screw carries and is supported by a shaft 128a which projects through one side flange of the pan. A ratchet wheel 130 is mounted on this projecting shaft and is engaged by a pivoted ratchet 132 supported on a crank am 134 carried causes the crank 134 to be reciprocated angularly about,

the axis of the feed screw. During one direction of such reciprocation, the feed screw is rotated whereas in the opposite direction it remains stationary due to the ratchet action. The scraper is thus caused to traverse the pan as long as the pan reciprocates.

These and other aspects of the invention will beevident to those skilled in the art, on the basis of the foregoing disclosure of the preferred form of the invention.

. I claim as my invention:

l. Viner and huller apparatus for hulling of fruit from hull-bearing vines and the like, comprising aframe, a plurality of elongated generally horizontal beaters rotationally mounted in said frame in generally parallel relationship one above another, each of said heaters having a plurality of elongated beater fingers projecting generally radially therefrom at variouslocations along its length, generally horizontally disposed vine-supporting conveyor means operable to feed vines to the heaters and having a vine-supporting upper surface means 1 which extends lengthwise of the heaters and transversely outward from a location adjacent the lowermost beater, means to operate said vine-supporting conveyor means by movement thereof in upright planes angled to planes perpendicular to the beater rotation axes, and means operable during conveyor operation to rotate the heaters in a direction which is upward on the side of the heaters adjacent the conveyor means and at a peripheral speed sufficient to hull the fruit by repeated blows of the fingers on the vines and to fling the vines upwardly and outwardly to fall back upon the conveyor means in order to be fed thereby again Thus, as the pan 9 to the heaters, the angled direction of conveyor movement eflecting progressive advancement of vines lengthwise of the heaters as they are repeatedly fed to heaters and flung back on the conveyor means.

2. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein the heaters extend lengthwise at least substantially to the end of the conveyors vine-supporting upper surface means toward which the vines advance, and wherein said upper surface means terminates at said end in an edge which extends generally parallel to the direction of conveyor feed movement.

3. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein the beater fingers are curved outwardly and opposite to the direction of rotation, thereby to impart flicking blows to the vines without materially grabbing and tearing the same apart.

4. The apparatus defined in claim 1, and an additional generally similar elongated rotary beater mounted parallel to the others in the frame at a location above the conveyor upper surface means, spaced generally horizontally from the first-mentioned heaters and in vine-receiving position relative thereto, and means to rotate said additional beater simultaneously with the others but in the opposite direction therefrom.

5. The apparatus defined in claim 4, and a baifie wall mounted in said frame standing up from the conveyor means and projecting above the level of the additional beater at a location spaced transversely from the side thereof away from the first-mentioned heaters, the uppermost of the first-mentioned beaters being mounted at a level above said additional heater and operable to fling some of the vines onto the latter which, because of the direction of rotation, strikes them from the opposite side relatively and fiings them against the baffle wall, before they drop back onto the feed means, thereby to increase the hulling effectiveness on the vines.

6. The apparatus defined in claim 5, wherein the beaters extend lengthwise at least substantially to the end of the conveyors vine-supporting upper surface means toward which the vines advance, and wherein said upper surface means terminates at said end in an edge which extends generally parallel to the direction of conveyor feed movement.

7. The apparatusdefined in claim 6, wherein the conveyor means comprises a plurality of generally coplanar reciprocatively mounted grid like feed racks arranged side by side in series extending along the heaters, said racks having openings therein to permit the hulled fruit to drop through while catching the vines and loose hulls, and means operable to reciprocate said racks in said upright planes and in respective lines of movement inclined upwardly toward the heaters, with opposite phasing between successively adjacent racks.

8. The apparatus defined in claim 7, wherein the racks are inclined upwardly at a lesser angle than the incline of reciprocation but in the same sense.

9. The apparatus defined in claim 8, wherein the means to reciprocate the racks comprises pairs of links pivotally connected to the frame and to the racks at locations spaced apart lengthwise thereon to form parallelogram linkages in conjunction with the frame and the individual racks, and means connected to at least one of the links of each rack to swing such link reciprocatively about its frame pivot.

10. The apparatus defined in claim 1, wherein the conveyor means comprises reciprocatively mounted grid-like feed racks arranged side by side in series extending along the heaters, said racks having openings therein to permit the hulled fruit to drop through while catching the vines and loose bulls, and means operable to reciprocate said racks in said upright planes and in respective lines of movement inclined upwardly toward the heaters, with opposite phasing between successively adjacent racks.

11. The apparatus defined in claim 10, wherein the racks are inclined upwardly at a lesser angle than the incline of reciprocation but in the same sense.

12. Viner and huller apparatus for hulling of fruit from hull-bearing vines and the like, comprising a frame, beater means operatively mounted in said frame and presenting a plurality of moving beater elements extending in an uprightly disposed array having a predetermined generally horizontal line of extent in the apparatus, generally horizontally disposed vine-supporting conveyor means operable to feed vines to the beater element array and having a vine-supporting upper surface means which extends generally horizontally along said array and transversely outward from a location adjacent the lower portion thereof, means to operate said vine-supporting conveyor means by movement thereof in upright planes angled to planes perpendicular to said predetermined generally horizontal lines of extent of the beater element array, and means operable during conveyor operation to operate the beater means to hull the fruit fed thereto and fling the vines back upon the conveyor means in order to be fed thereby again to the beater means, the angled direction of conveyor movement eflfecting progressive advancement of vines generally parallel to said line of extent of the array as such vines are repeatedly fed to the beater means and flung back on the conveyor means.

13. The apparatus defined in claim 12, wherein the conveyor means comprises a plurality of generally coplanar reciprocatively mounted grid-like feed racks arranged side by side in series extending along the line of extent of the beater element array, said racks having openings therein to permit the hulled fruit to drop through while catching the vines and loose hulls, and means operable to reciprocate said racks in said upright planes and in respective lines of movement inclined upwardly toward the heaters, with opposite phasing between successively adjacent racks.

14. A machine to vine and bull peas and like crops, comprising a plurality of elongated, rotary, substantially parallel and horizontally disposed heaters arranged successively one above another on one side of the machine, the lowermost beater and the second above it being substantially coplanar vertically and the intervening beater being offset therefrom toward said side of the machine, means to rotate said heaters in the same direction to cause downward movement of. their sides adjacent said one side of the machine, all of said heaters having a plurality of projecting fingers which curve outwardly and rearwardlyin relation to the rotary motion thereof, the beater spacings causing the fingers of the intervening beater to interdigitate recurringly with those of the adjacent heaters in combing relationship therebetween, the opposite side of the machine having an upright bafiie wall extending substantially at the levels of the heaters, an additional beater mounted substantially parallel to the others at a location generally intermediate the same, and said baflie wall, and at a level materially above said lowermost beater, means to drive said additional beater oppositely to the others, and feed means comprising a plurality of generally horizontal open-grid-like feed racks extending side by side in a series which extends substantially parallel to said additional heater and underlies the same with sufiicient spacing therebetween to permit feeding of vines by said racks to the first-mentioned heaters, means operatively supporting said racks to reciprocate and feed vines in substantially parallel vertical planes which lie at an acute angle to the beater axes, the lines of reciprocation being inclined upwardly and toward the first mentioned heaters, and means to reciprocate successively adjacent racks with relatively opposite phasing therebetween, accompanying rotation of all heaters, whereby the vines are recirculated between heaters and racks recurringly while advancing progressively along the series of racks toward one end of the machine.

15. The apparatus defined in claim 14, wherein the edge of the rack at the last-mentioned end of the ma- Chine is angled rsubstantia-ll-yparallel to] the feed planes ,368,746 Palmer et a1 Feb. 15, 1-921 of the racks., ,610 Palmer et a1. May 9, 1922 2,277,450 Parr Mar. 24, 1942 References Cited 1n the file of th1s patent 2,608,973 Coons Sept 2 1952 UNITED TE PATENT 5 2,790,444 Ro ssman Apr. 30, 1957 500,299 Scott et a1 June 27, 1893

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