Abstract:
A fruit flesh extracting machine for extracting a flesh of a fruit is provided. The machine includes a conveyor configured for, carrying and displacing the fruit; an edge removing station configured for slicing at least one edge of the fruit; and a flesh extracting station having a first scoop slidabley and transversely mounted with respect to the conveyor and being configured for scooping out the flesh of the fruit. The conveyor is configured to displace the fruit between the edge removing station and the flesh extracting station.

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0001]    The presently disclosed subject matter relates to fruit flesh extracting machine, in general, and in particular to a fruit flesh extracting machine for extracting an inner flesh of a fruit. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Marketing of ready to eat fresh produce has an increasing share of supermarket shelf space around the world. Furthermore, this is also comes along with the requirements of consumer to purchase only small portion of large and heavy fruit such as watermelon. Most products are prepared manually or with partially mechanized. Mechanization of fruit peeling and cutting is a known procedure mainly in canned fruits and vegetables production. As an exception, an automatized technology and mechanization for production of fresh produce was developed by the Institute of Agricultural Engineering for extracting pomegranate arils and (Schmilovitch, Z., et al. Israel Patent IL154398 and Schmilovitch, Z., et al. USA patent No: U.S. Pat. No. 7,968,136B2) 
       SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
       [0003]    There is provided in accordance with an aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter a fruit flesh extracting machine for preparing fresh cut ready to eat produce. The machine includes a conveyor configured for, carrying and displacing the fruit; an edge extracting station configured for slicing at least one edge of the fruit; and a flesh extracting station having a first scoop slidabley and transversely mounted with respect to the conveyor and being configured for scooping out the flesh of the fruit. The conveyor is configured to displace the fruit between the edge extracting station and the flesh extracting station. 
         [0004]    The conveyor can include a frame extending between a feeding area configured to receive the fruits and a dispensing area for dispensing a peel of the fruit. 
         [0005]    The conveyor can include a plurality of moving member configured to be displaced along the path of the conveyor, and configured such that a pair of adjacent moving members are configured to hold a fruit therebetween and to displace the fruit along the path of the conveyor. 
         [0006]    Each moving member can include a first conical drum and a second opposing conical drum, disposed such that a narrow portion of the first conical drums is adjunct a narrow portion of the second opposing conical drums. Each of the conical members is configured with a slope corresponding with a shape of the fruits the conveyor is intended to hold. 
         [0007]    The fruit flesh extracting machine can further includes an auxiliary drive configured to rotate the moving member about its own axis urging thereby the fruit disposed thereon to be orientated such that it is disposed in perpendicular to the conveyor. 
         [0008]    The edge removing station can include at least one slicer slidably mounted and configured to selectively slide towards the conveyor and to thereby slice the edges of the fruit. 
         [0009]    The at least one slicer can include a triangular blade configured such that a sharp edge thereof projects in a direction towards the conveyor and configured to form an opening in the fruit at one edge thereof, wherein the opening is perpendicular to the axis of the conveyor. The edge removing station can further include a catch member configured to hold the fruit in place while the edge thereof is being sliced. 
         [0010]    The fruit flesh extracting machine can further include a coring station having first scoop slidabley and transversely mounted with respect to the conveyor and being configured for scooping out the core of the fruit. 
         [0011]    The first scoop can be mounted between the edge removing station and the flesh extracting station. The at least one of the first scoop and second scoop can be coupled to a piston configured to selectively slide the at least one of the first scoop and second scoop back and forth along a perpendicular axis with respect to the conveyor. The at least one of the first scoop and second scoop can be further configured to rotate about its own axis while engaging the flesh of the fruit. 
         [0012]    The at least one of the first scoop and second scoop can include a semi cylindrical portion configured to engage an inner flesh of the fruit. 
         [0013]    The least one of the flesh extracting station and coring station can include a catch member configured to selectively hold the fruit. The catch member can be configured to slide toward the conveyor and to firmly push a fruit disposed thereon against the conveyor. 
         [0014]    The fruit flesh extracting machine can further include a slicing station configured to slice an inner flesh of the fruit extracted from the fruit. The slicing station can include a rotating knife mounted adjacent the flesh extracting station and being configured to rotate about an axis parallel to the axis of the first scoop. The first scoop of the flesh extracting station can be configured to extract a cylindrical shape portion of the fruit and the rotating knife is configured to slice the cylindrical shape portion to a plurality of disk portions. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0015]    In order to understand the disclosure and to see how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting examples only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
           [0016]      FIG. 1A  is a perspective view of a fruit flesh extracting machine in accordance with an example of the presently disclosed subject matter; 
           [0017]      FIG. 1B  is a side view of the fruit flesh extracting machine of  FIG. 1A ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 1C  is a side perspective view of the fruit flesh extracting machine of  FIG. 1A  with a portion of the frame thereof removed; 
           [0019]      FIG. 2A  is a schematic illustration of a top view of the conveyor of the fruit flesh extracting machine of  FIG. 1A ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 2A  is a schematic illustration of the slicing station of the fruit flesh extracting machine of  FIG. 1A ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 3A  is a top view of the fruit flesh extracting machine of  FIG. 1A ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 4A  is a side perspective view of a slicer of the fruit flesh extracting machine of  FIG. 1A  in accordance with an example of the presently disclosed subject matter; 
           [0023]      FIG. 4B  is a side perspective view of a catch member of the fruit flesh extracting machine of  FIG. 1A  in accordance with an example of the presently disclosed subject matter; 
           [0024]      FIG. 4C  is a side perspective view of a scoop of the fruit flesh extracting machine of  FIG. 1A  in accordance with an example of the presently disclosed subject matter, and 
           [0025]      FIG. 5  is a side perspective view of a slicing station in accordance with an example of the presently disclosed subject matter. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0026]    The presently disclosed subject matter provides a fruit flesh extracting machine for fruit flesh extracting and extracting a flesh of a fruit, such as a melon, watermelon, pineapple, pumpkin etc. The fruit flesh extracting machine includes a edge removing station for slicing the edges of the fruit, a fruit flesh extracting station in which the core of the fruit is removed, and a flesh extracting station in which the flesh of the fruit is removed. This way, the fruit flesh is peeled and cut into a cylindrical shape, which can then be packed or sliced into ring shape fruit portions. 
         [0027]      FIGS. 1A to 1C  illustrates a fruit flesh extracting machine  10 , according to an example, having an edge removing station  20  for removing the edges of the fruit, and a flesh extracting station  40  in which the flesh of the fruit is removed. The fruit flesh extracting machine  10  can optionally include a coring station  30  in which the core of the fruit is removed, for example for removing the seeds in the core of a melon. The fruit flesh extracting machine  10  further includes a conveyor  50  configured to transfer the fruit between the various stations. 
         [0028]    The conveyor  50  includes a frame  51  which can extend between a feeding area  52  in which the fruits are placed on the conveyor  50  and a dispensing area  58 , in which the peel of the fruit is transferred to a collecting area, such as a garbage bin, etc. 
         [0029]    The feeding area  52  can be configured to receive the fruits from a feeding device such as a conveyor belt, or other robotic feeding system configured place the fruits on the feeding area  52  of the conveyor  50 . 
         [0030]    The conveyor  50  includes a plurality of moving member  55 , each having two opposing conical drums  56   a  and  56   b , as shown in  FIG. 2A , such that the narrow portion of a first conical drums  56   a  is adjunct the narrow portion of a second opposing conical drums  56   b . The moving members  55  are configured to be displaced along the path of the conveyor from feeding area  52  towards the dispensing area  58  and to rotate to the bottom of the frame  51  and to further be displaced back towards the feeding area  52  where they rotate back to the top of the frame  51 . 
         [0031]    According to the illustrated example, the moving member  55  are coupled to a roller chain  57  extending alongside the frame  51  and being coupled to a motor  62 . Each of the moving member  55  can be coupled to the roller chain  57  via a shaft  64  extending from the wide portion of the conical drums  56 . According to an example, the conveyor  50  includes two roller chain  57 , each extending alongside one edge of the frame, such that the first conical drums  56   a  is coupled to one roller chain  57  while the second opposing conical drums  56   b  is coupled to the second roller chain  57 , also known as a grommet arrangement. 
         [0032]    The conveyor  50  is configured such that each pair of moving member  55  allows holding one fruit. That is to say, the distance between two adjacent moving members is configured to allow disposing a fruit there between such that the fruit is snugly fit. In addition, the slope of the conical member is configured in accordance with shape of the fruits the conveyor is intended to hold. That is to say, as shown in  FIG. 2A , the area between two adjacent moving member  55  is configured such that when the fruit  70  is placed thereon the fruit tends to be displaced to a perpendicular orientation with respect to the conveyor  50 , i.e. the edges  75  of the fruit  70  are each disposed adjacent one of the roller chain  57 . Due to the slopes of the conical drums  56   a  and  56   b  if the fruit is placed in diagonal with respect to the conveyor  50 , the fruit  70  tends to slide into the gap between each pair of moving member  55  such that it is perpendicularly disposed with respect to the conveyor  50 . 
         [0033]    According to an example, orientation of the fruits  70  on the conveyor  50  is carried out by an auxiliary drive (not shown) configured to rotate the conical drums  56   a  and  56   b  about the axis thereof. In other words, while the conveyor  50  is configured to displace the moving member  55  along the frame  51  the auxiliary drive is configured to rotate the drums  56   a  and  56   b  of each the moving member  55 , for example by rotating the shaft  65 . The auxiliary drive can include an engaging wheel mounted under the feeding area  52  of the conveyor  50 , and can be configured to rotate while engaging the drums  56   a  and  56   b  of the moving member  55 , causing thereby the rotation of the drums  56   a  and  56   b.    
         [0034]    The rotation of the drums  56   a  and  56   b  at the feeding area  52  thus causes the fruit  70  to be orientated such that it is disposed substantially in perpendicular to the conveyor  50 . It is appreciated that the auxiliary drive can be configured to operate together with the conveyor  50  or to be actuated when a fruit is placed on the feeding area  52  or when a fruit  70  on the feeding area  52  is disorientated. 
         [0035]    The fruit edge removing station  20  of the fruit flesh extracting machine  10  includes a slicer  22  slidably mounted on the fruit flesh extracting machine  10  and configured to selectively slide towards the conveyor  50  and to slice the edges of the fruit  70 . According to the illustrated example, the slicer  22  slidably mounted on top of the conveyor  50 , such that when it slides towards the fruit  70  the fruit is pressed between the slicer  22  and the moving member  55  facilitating thereby the slicing of the edge of the fruit. The fruit edge removing station  20 , according to an example includes a pair of slicers  22  configured to simultaneously slide towards the conveyor  50  and to slice both edges of the fruit  70 . 
         [0036]    As shown in  FIG. 4A , each of the slicers  22  can include a piston  24  configured to slide the slicer  22  towards and away from the fruit  70 . The slicers  22  can include a triangular blade  26  such that the sharp edge thereof projects in a direction towards the edge of the fruit. The width of the triangular blade  26  generally extends on an axis parallel to the axis of the conveyor  50  such that the edge of the fruit  70  is sliced in a direction substantially parallel to the axis of the conveyor  50 . This way, as shown in  FIG. 2B , each of the slicers  22  form an opening  74  in the fruit at one edge thereof, wherein the opening  74  is perpendicular to the axis of the conveyor  50 . 
         [0037]    In order to preclude displacement of the fruit  70  during the edge slicing process, the fruit edge removing station  20  further includes a catch member  28  (shown in  FIG. 4B ) configured to slide toward the fruit  70  and to firmly push the fruit  70  against the moving member  55  on which it is disposed. The catch member  28  can be configured to slide together or imminently prior to the sliding of the slicers  22  towards the fruit  70 . This way, the slicers  22  can accurately slice the edge of the fruit  70  while the latter is stable in the position thereof. 
         [0038]    The slicer  22  and the catch member  28  are thus configured to selectively slide towards the fruit, when a fruit  70  is disposed at a location on the conveyor  50  corresponding to the edge removing station  20 . The slicers  22  can be provided with a detector for detecting a fruit, and be configured to slide towards the fruit, or can be configured to slide down at a predetermined time synchronized with the movement of the conveyor  50 . 
         [0039]    As indicated hereinabove, the fruit flesh extracting machine  10  includes a flesh extracting station  40  having a first scoop  42  for removing the inner flesh of the fruit. In the illustrated example, the fruit flesh extracting machine  10  further includes a coring station  30  having a second scoop  32  for removing the core of the fruit. The coring stage can be carried out before or after the inner flesh is extracted. According to the illustrated example however the coring station  30  is disposed along the conveyor before the flesh extracting station  40  such that the coring stage is carried out before the fruit flesh is extracted. Thus in the following description the coring station  30  is discussed before the flesh extracting station  40 . 
         [0040]    The second scoop  32  is slidably mounted with respect to the conveyor  50  in perpendicular to the axis of the conveyor  50 . The second scoop  32  is configured to slide and engage the inner core of the fruit  70  through the opening  74  formed at the edge of the fruit in the edge removing station  20 . As shown in  FIG. 4C , the second scoop  32  is coupled to a piston  34  configured to selectively slide the scoop  32  back and forth. The scoop  32  is further configured to rotate about its own axis, for example by means of a step or servo motor integrated inside the piston  34 . 
         [0041]    The second scoop  32 , according to the present example includes a semi cylindrical portion  38 , configured to engage the inner core of the fruit  70 , for example where the seeds of the fruit are located. 
         [0042]    The piston  34  is configured to slide the scoop  32  towards the opening  74  of the fruit semi cylindrical portion  38  when a fruit is disposed on a location on the conveyor  50  corresponding to the location of the coring station  30 . Once the piston  34  is extended to its fully extended position, the scoop  32  is rotated separating thereby the core of the fruit  70  from the inner flesh thereof. The piston  34  can then be configured to be retracted such that the scoop  32  with the already separated core of the fruit is extracted out of the fruit  70 . 
         [0043]    It is appreciated that the piston  34  can be configured to extend the scoop  32  forward towards the fruit  70 , such that the end of the scoop  32  engages the proximal edge of the fruit  70  and to further extend the scoop  32  until it reaches the distal edge of the fruit  70 . This way, the entire core of the fruit can be cut and removed therefrom. 
         [0044]    Once the piston  34  is retracted and the scoop  32  is disposed away from the fruit  70 , the scoop  32  can be rotated allowing thereby the core disposed inside the scoop  32  to gravitate, for example, to collecting bin disposed underneath the scoop  32 . 
         [0045]    As indicated hereinabove with regards to the fruit edge removing station  20 , the scoop  32  can operate automatically in response to a fruit disposed adjacent the coring station  30 , or at a predetermined cycle corresponding to the moving rate of the conveyor  50 . 
         [0046]    According to an example, in order to preclude displacement of the fruit  70  during the core removing process, the coring station  30  can further include a catch member  35 , similar to the catch member  28  of the edge removing station  20  configured to slide toward the fruit  70  and to firmly push the fruit  70  against the moving member  55  on which it is disposed. The catch member  35  can be configured to slide together or imminently prior to the sliding of the scoop  32  towards the fruit  70 . This way, the scoop  32  can accurately remove the core of the fruit  70  while the latter is stable in the position thereof. 
         [0047]    The flesh extracting station  40  includes a first scoop  42  slidably mounted with respect to the conveyor  50  in perpendicular to the axis of the conveyor  50 , and adjacent the second scoop  32 . The first scoop  42  is configured to slide and engage the inner flesh of the fruit  70  through the opening  74 , formed at the edge of the fruit  70  in the edge removing station  20 . Similar to the second scoop  32 , the first scoop  42  is coupled to a piston  44  configured to selectively slide the scoop  42  back and forth. The scoop  42  is further configured to rotate about its own axis, for example by means of a motor integrated inside the piston  44 . 
         [0048]    The second scoop  42 , according to the present example includes a semi cylindrical portion  48 , configured to engage the flesh of the fruit  70 , for example, at periphery of the fruit  70 , in close proximity to the inner surface of the peel of the fruit. 
         [0049]    It is appreciated that the radius of the semi cylindrical portion  48  of the first scoop  42  is larger than the radius of the semi cylindrical portion  38  of the second scoop  32 . Thus, while the second scoop  32  removes the core of the fruit  70 , the first scoop  42  is configured to cut the flesh of the fruit  70 . 
         [0050]    The piston  44  is configured to slide the scoop  42  towards the opening  74  of the fruit semi cylindrical portion  48  when a fruit is disposed on a location on the conveyor  50  corresponding to the location of the flesh extracting station  40 . Once the piston  44  is extended to its fully extended position, the scoop  42  is rotated separating thereby the flesh of the fruit  70  from the inner surface of the peel thereof. The piston  44  can then be configured to be retracted such that the scoop  42  with the already separated flesh of the fruit is extracted out of the fruit  70 . At this position, since the core of the fruit  70  is already removed at the coring station  30 , the extracted flesh is in a shape of cylinder. 
         [0051]    The size of the cylindrically shape fruit portion can be configured by adapting the radius of the semi cylindrical portion  38  of the second scoop  32  and the radius of the semi cylindrical portion  48  of the second scoop  42 . That is to say, the second scoop  32  includes a radius configured for coring a center portion of the fruit so as to allow seeds removal, while the first scoop  42  includes a radius in accordance with the fruit peel dimensions. 
         [0052]    It is appreciated that the piston  44  can be configured to extend the scoop  42  forward towards the fruit  70 , such that the end of the scoop  42  engages the proximal edge of the fruit  70  and to further extend the scoop  42  until it reaches the distal edge of the fruit  70 . This way, the entire flesh of the fruit can be cut and separated from the peel of the fruit. 
         [0053]    Once the piston  44  is retracted and the scoop  42  is disposed away from the fruit  70 , the scoop  42  can be rotated allowing thereby the cylindrical shape flesh disposed inside the scoop  42  to gravitate, for example, to collecting bin disposed underneath the scoop  42 . 
         [0054]    According to an example, in order to preclude displacement of the fruit  70  during the flesh extracting process, the flesh extracting station  40  can further include a catch member  37 , similar to the catch member  35  of the coring station  30 . 
         [0055]    As indicated hereinabove with regards to the edge removing station  20 , the scoop  42  can operate automatically in response to a fruit disposed adjacent the flesh extracting station  40 , or at a predetermined cycle corresponding to the moving rate of the conveyor  50 . 
         [0056]    The peel of the fruit  70  which is remained on the conveyor  50  can be displaced further towards the dispensing area  58  where the moving members  55  are rotated to the bottom of the frame  51 , such that the empty peels are dispended to a garbage bin (not shown). 
         [0057]    As shown in  FIG. 5 , the cylindrical shape portion  76  of the fruit can be sliced to ring shapes and can be canned or packed as desired. For example, a slicing station  60  can be added to the fruit flesh extracting machine  10 , and can be configured to cooperate with the flesh extracting station  40 . The slicing station  60  can include a holding tray  62  which can be a semi cylindrical tray coaxially disposed with respect to the displacement axis of the second scoop  42 . For example, the holding tray  62  such that displacement of the first scoop  42  towards the fruit  70  when the latter is in the flesh extracting station  40 , allows extracting the flesh thereof. As explained hereinabove, rotation of the scoop  42  removes the cylindrical shape portion  76  of the fruit  70 , such that further displacement of the first scoop  42  in the same direction displaces the cylindrical shape portion  76  towards the holding tray  62 . 
         [0058]    The slicing station  60  can further includes a rotating knife  62  perpendicularly disposed with respect to the cylindrical shape portion  76  and being configured to rotate on a shaft  65 . The shaft  65  is disposed with parallel to the cylindrical shape portion  76 . This way, the rotating knife  62  can slice the cylindrical shape portion  76  of the fruit  70  to disk shape portions  78 . It is appreciated that the length of the knife, and the distance thereof from the holding tray  62  can be configured in accordance with the size of the fruit  70 . 
         [0059]    It should be noted that all the stations can be operated automatically and parallel in sequence so several fruits are treated each one in a different stage of the fruit flesh extracting sequence. So while one fruit is placed and oriented at the fruit feeding area  52 , other one is being cut out of edges at the edge extracting station  20  and other one is being cored and the flesh thereof removed such that the fruit is left with an empty peel. 
         [0060]    Those skilled in the art to which the presently disclosed subject matter pertains will readily appreciate that numerous changes, variations, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention, mutatis mutandis.