GB2200058A

GB2200058A - Produce sorter

Info

Publication number: GB2200058A
Application number: GB08630563A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Alan Bowes
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1986-12-22
Filing date: 1986-12-22
Publication date: 1988-07-27
Also published as: GB8630563D0

Abstract

Apparatus 1 in the form of a raspberry sorter for separating or sorting marketable produce 2 (ripe raspberries) from unmarketable produce 3 after harvesting, comprises conveyor means 4 which is perforated to allow ripe raspberries 2 to pass through it and be deposited at a collecting station 5, and means in the form of a rotatable means 6 such as a roller to retain unmarketable produce 3 and the conveyor means 4 together beyond the collecting station 5. The perforated conveyor means 4 is in the form of a mesh or net 7 of flexible material such as plastics netting and is combined over a conveying run 8 up to the collecting station 5 with a separate imperforate backing conveyor means or solid belt 9 made for example of rubber, canvas, plastic or similar material. The rotatable means 6 is preferably a sponge covered roller which presses ripe fruit through the mesh but holds unripe fruit with leaves and stalks attached on the mesh for later release. <IMAGE>

Description

PRODUCE SORTER The invention relates to a produce sorter, that is apparatus for separating marketable produce from unmarketable produce after harvesting, particularly the mechanical harvesting of fruit from standing plants. By marketable produce is meant ripe fruit of the correct size for market. By unmarketable produce is meant unripe fruit, leaves, twigs, buds etc. which are often harvested with the ripe fruit.

When fruit, for example the raspberry, is harvested from standing canes, a percentage of the fruit harvested still has strigs attached, which strigs are unwantedfunmarketable)and in any event the fruit to which they are attached is often small and unripe, and is therefore unmarketable too.

Raspberries, and other fruit too such as blackberries, blackcurrants, blueberries, loganberries, etc. are often harvested mechanically by a harvester which runs along, or stradles, a row of plants, and fingers of the harvester enter the plant and shake it vigorously to dislodge,and thus harvest, the fruit which is undamaged by this action. The harvested fruit (with unmarketable unripe small fruit, twigs, leaves etc) is passed to a sorting station on the harvester, where sorting is carried out by hand.

However, there is a limit to the amount of sorting which humans can achieve. The fruit is generally delivered to the sorting station on a conveyor on the harvester. This can be slowed down, to help the harvesters, or can be lengthened to give them more time. However, both these methods are inefficient, and whether efficient or not human sorters tend to damage ripe, previously undamaged fruit, as they tend to bruise or crush it with their hands when they attempt to pick out unmarketable produce.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to seek to mitigate these disadvantages.

According to the invention there is provided apparatus for separating marketable produce from unmarketable produce after harvesting, comprising conveyor means which is perforate to allow marketable produce to pass through it and be deposited at a collecting station, and means to retain unmarketable produce and the conveyor means together beyond the collecting station.

The perforate conveying means may be combined with a separate imperforate backing conveyor means on a conveyor run up to the collecting station.

The retaining means may comprise a rotatable device which engages the perforate conveyor means at or adjacent the collecting station and forms with the perforate conveyor means a nip in which the accumulated produce may be trapped at the collecting station at least.

At least the surface of the rotatable device may comprise a resilient material.

The rotatable device may comprise a roller which has an artificial sponge material surface.

The perforate conveyor means may comprise a mesh.

There may be at least one further collecting station, downstream of the first mentioned collecting station, for collecting unmarketable produce.

The collecting station and the at least one further collecting station may each comprise a conveyor device.

Each said conveyor device may extend transversely to the perforate conveyor means.

The imperforate, backing conveyor means may be trained round a return roller means at the collecting station.

The arms of the return roller means and the arms of the retaining roller may lie in the same place.

The nip may be adjustable in height.

The position of the axis of the return roller means may be adjustable whereby to adjust the height of the nip.

Apparatus in the form of a raspberry sorter embodying the invention is hereinafter described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a schematic side elevational view of the apparatus according to the invention; Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the apparatus of Fig. 1 ; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view on arrow A-A- of part of the apparatus of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown apparatus 1 in the form of a raspberry sorter for separating or sorting marketable produce 2 (ripe raspberries) from unmarketable produce 3 after harvesting, comprising conveyor means 4 which is perforated to allow ripe raspberries 2 to pass through it and be deposited at a collecting station 5, and means in the form of a rotatable means 6 such as a roller to retain unmarketable produce 3 and the conveyor means 4 together beyond the collecting station 5.

The perforated conveyor means 4 is in the form of a mesh or net 7 of flexible material such as plastics netting and is combined over a conveying run 8 up to the collecting station 5 with a separate imperforate backing conveyor means or solid belt 9 made for example of rubber, canvas, plastic or similar material.

The belt 9 is trained round a roller 10 and a return roller 11, mounted on shafts 12 and 13 respectively, the roller 10 carryings sporockets 14which engage with chains 15 to whicn the mesh conveyor 7 is secured, so that the mesh conveyor 7 and the solid conveyor 9 move in synchronism in the direction of the arrow 'X' on the conveying run.

The axis 13 lies vertically below the axis 16 of rotation of the roller 6, which has a resilient surface 17 provided by a synthetic sponge material.

The surface of the sponge 17 and the mesh 7 conveyor provide a nip 18, the vertical width of which is adjustable by the axis 13 of the return roller 11 being adjustable in height, as shown by the double-headed arrow 'Y'.

The collecting station 5 comprises an endless conveyor 19 arranged to run in a direction transversely to the direction of the perforated conveyor means 7. There are two further collecting stations 20 and 21 downstream of the collecting station, the station 20 comprising an endless conveyor 22 arranged substantially parallel to the conveyor 19 and separated therefrom by a partition 23 which extends upwards to terminate just below the perforated conveyor 7. The station 21 comprises a shute 24.

The mesh or reticulated conveyor 7 is trained endlessly round the sprockets 14 and means such as sprockets 25 and 26 and over a certain part of its run is in contact with the surface of the roller 6. Over the conveying run 8 the reticulated conveyor overlies an upper strand of the imperforate conveyor 9.

In use, the mesh size of the conveyor 7 is chosen to allow the biggest likely ripe fruit being harvested to pass through it. It will thus be understood that the reticulated conveyor 7 is changeable as the harvest demands. Thus, for raspberries, the largest fruit is 1.9 cm in length and/or maximum diameter, so the reticulation of the mesh is chosen to be 2.8 cm so that the ripe fruit can pass through the conveyor.

The apparatus 1 is mounted on a mechanical harvester (not shown), usually on the rear, to receive the product of the harvest adjacent sprocket 14.

The marketable produce 2 and unmarketable produce 3 journey along the conveyor 4 in direction of arrow 'X'.

As it does so, the fruit 2 passes through the mesh, and is supported on the upper surface (as viewed in Fig. 1) of the underlying supporting conveyor 9.

The fruit 2 that passes through is ripe,- unstrigged fruit, and unripe, or undeveloped small fruit to which strigs are attached. The strigs and leaves are longer than the size of the reticulations and rest on top of the mesh.

When the produce reaches the roller the resilient surface forms itself round the mesh, which effectively becomes impressed in it. This action grips the strigs firmly to the upper surface of the mesh, and ensures that any ripe raspberries (marketable produce 2) are passed through the mesh to be supported by the conveyor 9. As that conveyor 9 falls away to start its return run, which it passes round the roller 11, the fruit 2 supported on it drops off at the collecting station 5, onto the conveyor 19 to be carried away for further processing such as storing.

The unmarketable produce 3, still held firmly together with the mesh 7 by the roller 6 and progressing with the mesh 7, itself is released to fall through the mesh 7 to the further collecting station 20 onto conveyor 22 when the roller 6 and the mesh 7 separate at 17. Unmarketable produce 3 here would be unripe fruit or undeveloped fruit.

Any leaves or twigs etc. which did not fall through the mesh are carried round by the mesh 7 to be deposited off the upper (the conveying run) surface at the further collecting station 21. The mesh 7 then commences a return run up to the sprocket 14.

Thus the ripe fruit is collected by gravity and the strigs etc. are held in the nip 18 before subsequently being gravity delivered at station 20.

The gradual falling away of the imperforate conveyor 9 adjacent the collecting station 5 allows the ripe raspberries 2 to fall onto the conveyor 19.

The apparatus 1 shown in and described in relation to the drawings thus provides a highly efficient sorting and collecting of ripe fruit.

The nip 18 is adjusted for different sized ripe fruit so that it is not bruised or crushed when it enters the nip 18.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. Apparatus for separating marketable produce from unmarketable produce after harvesting, comprising conveyor means which is perforate to allow marketable produce to pass through it and be deposited at a collecting station, and means to retain unmarketable produce and the conveyor means together beyond the collecting station.

2. Apparatus according to Claim 1, the perforate conveying means being combined with a separate imperforate backing conveyor means to a conveyor run up to the collecting station.

3. Apparatus according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, the retaining means comprising a rotatable device which engages the perforate conveyor means at or adjacent the collecting station and forms with the perforate conveyor means a nip in which the unmarketable produce is trapped at the collecting station at least.

4. Apparatus according to Claim 3, at least the surface of the rotatable device comprising a resilient material.

5. Apparatus according to Claim 4, the rotatable device comprising a roller which has an artificial sponge material surface.

6. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, the perforate conveyor means comprising a mesh.

7. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, comprising at least one further collecting station, downstream of the first-mentioned collecting station, for collecting unmarketable produce.

8. Apparatus according to Claim 7,in which the collecting station and the at least one further collecting station each comprise a conveyor device.

9. Apparatus according to Claim 8, each said conveyor device extending transversely to the perforate conveyor means.

10. Apparatus according to any of Claims 2 to 9, the imperforate backing conveyor means being trained round a return roller means at the collecting station.

11. Apparatus according to Claim 10, the arms of the return roller means and the arms of the retaining roller lying in the same plane.

12. Apparatus according to any of Claims 3 to 11, the nip being adjustable in height.

13. Apparatus according to Claim 12, the position of the axis of the return roller means being adjustable whereby to adjust the height of the nip.

14. Apparatus for separating marketable produce from unmarketable produce after harvesting, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.