GB1010593A - Method and machine for treating vegetable plants - Google Patents

Abstract

1,010,593. Removing Brussels sprouts from stalks. UNILEVER Ltd. Aug. 17, 1962 [Sept. 1, 1961; Feb. 27, 1962], Nos. 31602/61 and 7576/62. Heading A4C. Brussels sprouts are removed from their stalk by passing the plant through inner and outer coaxially rotating cutting means, the outer cutting means cutting sprouts from their butts and the inner cutting means cutting the butts from the stalk. In one embodiment (Figs. 1, 3) a machine includes inner blades 8a and outer blades 8b arranged to rotate about an axis XX along which the sprout plant is passed. The blades 8a, 8b are carried by radial arms 9a, 9b urged inwardly by springs 11 and slidably mounted in blocks 10a, 10b secured to a rotating annular plate 5. The arms 10b carry rollers 12 which engage on the cleared stalks thereby to resiliently position the outer blades 8b in radially spaced relationship from the stalk, the inner blades 8a which lie behind the outer blades 8b resiliently following the contour of the stalk. Driving means are described which rotate the plate 5 and contra-rotate spiked rollers 17, 18 which engage the root end of the stalk to draw it through the machine. Concave guide rollers 34, 35 carried on pivoted arms 36, 37 are urged by a spring 43 and cam 42 means to engage round the plant at the input end. A collecting trough 32 is provided. In another embodiment (Fig. 5), a cutting head 60 is carried by an open ended cylinder 63 which is rotated about an axis XX. The cutting head 60 includes six blade mountings 66 each carrying an inner blade 67 and an outer blade 68 and each mounting 66 is pivoted, as at 69. A collar 73, arranged to move axially of the cylinder 63 by manual operation of a handle 70, is provided with an upper inclined surface which engages with a camming action the blade mountings 66 whereby the mountings may be pivoted 69 to adjust the radial distances of the cutting edges of the blades 67, 68 from the plant feed axis XX. In a further embodiment (Figs. 9, 10) inner blades 113 and outer blades 121 are carried respectively by radial pins 131, 133 slidably mounted in bores 130, 132 in a rotary housing 123. Each pair of pins 131, 133 is urged outwardly by springs 112, 134 to engage a lever arm 129 on a centrifugal weight 107 pivoted at 108 to the housing. On rotation of the housing 123 the centrifugal weights 107 are thrown outwardly to pivot the lever arms 129 and hence urge the inner blades 113 to contact the stalk of a sprout plant being passed centrally through the housing 123, the arrangement being such that pins 131 carrying the inner blades 113 have a smaller radius arm from the pivot 108 and thereby control the radial spacing of the outer blades 121 from the stalk.