Abstract:
Stemming machine, particularly for horticultural products, comprising a conveyor belt composed of a plurality of individual containers which are swivelling and guided on counterposed and sequential inclined planes. The machine furthermore comprises stations for cutting at a selective depth, as well as means adapted to secure said products within said containers during the cutting steps.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a automatic trimming machine, particularly usable for horiticultural products. 
     Currently, if horticultural products such as for example courgettes, cucumbers, carrots, etc., are to be treated, it is necessary for the same to be processed beforehand to remove their ends. 
     These ends are in fact not edible and therefore must be eliminated before any cutting and/or cooking and/or packaging steps. 
     Currently this trimming of horiticultural products is usually performed manually, using personnel the cost whereof is such as to considerably affect the overall processing cost of these products. 
     The only machine used for cutting the ends of said products is a circular blade: this however always leaves in any case to an operator the steps of taking the products and of placing the same next to said blade. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The main aim of the present invention is therefore to eliminate the disadvantages described above in known types, by devising a machine which allows to perform the cutting of the ends of horticultural products such as courgettes, cucumbers, carrots, etc., automatically without the intervention of personnel. 
     Within the scope of the above described aim, an important object is to devise a machine which, taking said products, also allows a correct positioning thereof in the cutting step. 
     Another important object is to provide a machine which adds to the preceding characteristics that of being able to achieve a high productivity. 
     The aim and the objects described above, as well as others which will become apparent hereinafter, are achieved by a stemming machine, particularly for horticultural products, characterized in that it comprises a conveyor belt composed of a plurality of individual swivelling containers sliding on sequential counterposed inclined guide means, said machine comprising at least two stations for cutting according to an adjustable depth at the most inclined regions of said containers, with said machine there being associated means for the positioning and the securing of said products within said containers. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description of a particular, but not exclusive, embodiment, illustrated only by way of non-limitative example in the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of the machine; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective front view of the machine from the front end thereof wherefrom the processed product exits; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one of the cutting stations; 
     FIG. 4 is a view of the guides whereon the containers slide and the means for their movement; 
     FIG. 5 is a cross section view of a container; 
     FIGS. 6 and 7 are respectively top and lateral perspective views of further means for the correct positioning of the horticultural products within the containers; 
     FIG. 8 is a lateral view of an oscillating cutting station; and 
     FIG. 9 finally is a view of a chain tensioner applied to the machine. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to the above described drawings, the reference numeral 1 indicates a trimming machine particularly usable for horticultural products, indicated by the numeral 2, such as cucumbers, courgettes, carrots, eggplants, etc. 
     Said machine 1 comprises a framework 3 which supports a motorized conveyor belt 4 which in turn consists of a plurality of individual containers 5 arranged side by side to one another. 
     These containers are composed of a cup with an essentially V-shaped transverse cross section, and have such dimensions as to accommodate horticultural products having lengths or diameters different from one another. 
     At its transverse middle axis, each of said containers 5 is provided with elements for connection to means for moving the belt, consisting of rods 6 welded at the lower surface thereof. 
     Each of said rods is pivoted to the flaps of a connecting element consisting of an essentially U-shaped section 7, said section being retained on a chain 8 which constitutes, together with a suitable motor, the means for the movement of the belt 4. 
     During the movement of said belt, the lateral ends of each individual container 5 rest on adapted lateral guides 9 and 10. 
     These guides are arranged so that the containers 5 which are slideable thereon have a variable plane of arrangement according to the movement of said belt, said containers 5 being arranged, in a first region 11, on a horizontal plane, then, in a second region 12, on a transversely inclined plane, subsequently passing in a third region 13 wherein said containers are arranged on a plane inclined in the opposite direction with respect to that of said second region. 
     This arrangement of the guides 9 and 10 is illustrated in FIG. 4, which points out that these guides 9 and 10 have, at each of the regions 12 and 13, two portions 14 and 15 mechanically uncoupled from said guides. 
     In fact, two rods 17a and 17b are associated at one end with an eccentric element 18 rotated by a shaft 19 keyed on an adapted motor, and are connected to these portions 14 and 15 by means of an interposed elastically deformable element consisting of a spring 16. 
     A vibrating assembly is thus defined wherein the portions 14 and 15 transmit to the individual containers 5 an alternate periodic motion such as to position the horticultural products contained therein alternately adjacent to the lateral walls 20 and 21 of the framework 3 between which slides the belt 4. 
     At the wall 20 and adjacent to it in the second region 12 of maximum inclination, a first cutting station 22 is provided and consists of a rotating blade 23 which is movable along planes parallel with respect to said wall 20. 
     Said blade is operated by an electric motor 24, rigidly associated with a plate 25 which is slideable with respect to a first small frame 26 projecting from the wall 20, the movement along planes parallel to that of said wall 20 being allowed by a screw 27 an end whereof is connected to the plate 25, the other end interacting with a complementarily threaded sleeve 28 rigidly associated with a bar 29 transversely coupled to a pair of lateral uprights 30a and 30b and the ends whereof are associated respectively with the first frame 26 and with the wall 21 of the framework 3. 
     A means for the securing of the products 2 in the containers 5 before and during the cutting step is associated with the plate 25. 
     Said means consists of a toothed wheel 31 adjacent to the rotating blade 23 and interacting with the products before the blade. 
     The teeth of the wheel are in fact shaped complementarily with respect to the seats of the containers 5 and are preferably made of elastically deformable plastic material so as to avoid ruining the product&#39;s shape, adapting thereto. 
     The toothed wheel 31 is pivoted to an arm 32 associated with the plate 25 and projecting below it. 
     Once the products are placed in the containers 5, for example by means of a conveyor belt which takes said products from a hopper, the products tend to place themselves by gravity against the wall 20 when said containers begin to arrange themselves inclined upon reaching the first region 12. 
     This settling is ensured by the vibratory motion imparted to the portions 14 and 15 of the guides 9 and 10. 
     In the motion of the belt, the products interact with the toothed wheel 31 which secures them in the correct position during the step of cutting one of their ends by means of the blade 23. 
     The cut-off pieces fall onto a conveyor 33 underlying the region of said blade. 
     After passing the second region 12, the products, one end whereof is already cut, are carried by the belt 4 to the third region 13 wherein the containers are arranged again inclined, but on the opposite side with respect to the previous one, so that the still uncut end of the product arranges itself adjacent to the wall 21. 
     At this point a second cutting station 34, similar to the preceding one and arranged adjacent to the wall 21, is provided. 
     Also in this case, the station consists of a rotating blade, movable along planes which are parallel to that of the wall 21, and is operated by a motor 35 rigidly associated with a plate which is slideable with respect to a second small frame 36. 
     Naturally, a screw 37 similar to the one 27 is provided for the positioning of the blade according to the desired cutting depth. 
     A means for the securing of the products 2 in the containers 5 before and during the cutting step, consisting of a second toothed wheel 38 arranged adjacent to the blade, is associated with the plate. 
     This wheel is provided with teeth which are shaped complementarily with respect to the seats of the containers 5 and are made of elastically deformable plastic material so as to avoid ruining the horticultural products, adapting thereto. 
     After passing the second region 14, the belt 4 unloads the stemmed products through a duct 39 provided at the terminal end of the machine 1. 
     The machine is furthermore provided with a control panel 40 to operate the motors 24, 33 and of the motors which drive the chain 8 and the shaft 19. 
     Thus, for example, the selected cutting depth can be obtained by moving a partition 41 which is movable with respect to the ends of the containers 5 and to the plane of arrangement of the lateral walls 20 and 21. 
     The spacing of this wall 41 from the ends of the containers determines the cutting depth, since the products rest one of their ends on this wall. 
     Moreover, a two-blade third cutting station 42 adapted to further cut the processed product which exits from the machine 1 is conveniently provided at the terminal end of the conveyor belt 4. 
     The blades of this station are arranged on planes perpendicular to the plane of arrangement of the containers 5 facing said station so as to reduce the length of the processed products and to allow, for example, their successive conveyance to a dicing or slicing machine. 
     It has thus been observed that the invention achieves the intended aim and objects, a machine having been obtained which allows to cut the terminal ends of products such as courgettes, cucumbers and carrots automatically and rapidly. 
     The processing costs are thus considerably reduced, obtaining output products ready for the subsequent operations, which vary according to the destination of said products. 
     Finally, the products obtained have uniformly precise stemmed ends by virtue of the inclination imparted to the containers 5 and of the vibratory motion imparted to the same in the regions of greater inclination. 
     Naturally, the invention is susceptible to numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the same inventive concept. Thus, for example, the chain 8, which has a loop-like configuration, is entrained at the ends of the machine on adapted crown wheels 43, at least one whereof is a driving crown wheel, its shaft 44 being pivoted on a slider 45 which is movable on a side member 46 of the framework and is articulated, by means of an arm 47, to the end of a rod 48a, also pivoted eccentrically to the framework 3 and, at the other end, to an adjustable tensioning element 49 connected to the framework 3 by means of a spring 50. The optimum tensioning of the chain 8 during the operation of the machine is thus obtained. At the free end of the rod 48a a small tooth is provided which interacts with a rack 48b associated with an element 48c rigidly associated with the frame work so as to cause the unidirectional tensioning of the chain. 
     FIGS. 6 and 7 instead illustrate further means for the correct positioning of the horticultural products 2 within the containers 5: they consist of three straightening brushes arranged above the containers 5, of which two are positioned side by side between the machine inlet end for the product to be stemmed and the toothed wheel 31 and the third is arranged between the first cutting station 22 and the second toothed wheel 38. 
     Each of said brushes, indicated by the numeral 51, is rigidly associated with a disc 52, arranged on a plane approximately parallel to the plane of arrangement of the underlying inclined containers 5, and rotating by means of an adapted motor 53. 
     Said brush is provided with a plurality of elastic appendages 54 skimming the containers, their function being to pull along, straightening them, the horticultural products 2 arranged transversely with respect to said containers 5. 
     In order to facilitate this operation, the brushes are arranged adjacent to the lateral wall of the machine whereon rest the horticultural products 2, on said wall there being provided, before the brush, a guide 55 adapted to remove from said wall the horticultural products 2 arranged longitudinally with respect to said machine. 
     Moreover, in order to facilitate the sliding of the horticultural products 2 within the containers 5, a water system is provided having fan-like nozzles 56. 
     Advantageously, the electrical plant of the machine is accordingly made waterproof by havig the conductors 57 pass within an adapted duct 58 arranged above the conveyor belt. 
     FIG. 8 illustrates a cutting station wherein the rotating blade 23 has its shaft pivoted to a plate 25, also supporting the electric motor 24. The pulleys 59 and 60 for the transmission of the motion by means of the belt 61 are keyed to said shaft and said electric motor. 
     The plate 25 is advantageously pivoted at one end to a pivot 62 projecting from said framework, parallel and eccentric to the pivoting shaft of the rotating blade 23. Said blade can thus oscillate for example if it makes contact with foreign objects, such as a stone. 
     The materials, as well as the dimensions of the individual elements constituting the machine, may also be the most adapted according to the specific requirements.