Abstract:
An apparatus and method for processing a root vegetable, such as a radish. The apparatus includes a hopper, a track, and a cutting mechanism. The hopper includes a reciprocating chute for providing a radish from a plurality of radishes to the track. As the radish travels down the track, the radish is properly positioned and orientated such that a tip portion of the radish is disposed between spiral threads in the track. If the radish is not properly oriented, air pressure is applied against the radish to remove the radish from the track. If the radish is properly oriented, it reaches the cutting mechanism having a pair of belts that frictionally engage the radish. As the radish travels through the cutting mechanism, the radish encounters a first blade which cuts a bottom portion from the radish. As the radish continues to travel through the cutting mechanism, another pair of belts frictionally engage the top portion of the radish and properly positions the radish for a second blade to cut a top portion from the radish. The processed radish is then expelled from the cutting mechanism onto a conveyor belt for packaging and delivery to the consumer. The method includes the steps of providing a root vegetable, orientating the root vegetable and cutting the top and bottom portion from the root vegetable.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates in general to an apparatus and method for processing a root vegetable, and in particular to an apparatus and method for processing a radish by automatically removing the top and bottom portion from the radish. 
     A vegetable is the edible product of a plant with a soft stem. Vegetables can be grouped according to the edible part of each plant: leaves, stalks, roots, tubers, bulbs, and flowers. In addition, fruits, such as the tomato, and seeds, such as peas, are commonly considered vegetables. 
     Vegetables grown for their edible roots or tubers encompass a wide range of starchy root crops, some of which are true botanical roots and others which are tubers or corms. Some common root vegetables include beets, carrots, celery root, ginger, horseradish, jicana, parsnip, radishes, rutubaga, salsify and turnip. The most economically significant root crops globally include potato, sweetpotato (also spelled sweet potato), cassava, yams, and aroids. Although traditionally, root vegetables have been considered low status and generally unimportant crops by consumers, governmental organizations, and researchers, on a global scale they account for three of the seven most important food crops in the world. 
     Of these five majors root crops, only potato and sweetpotato are grown to any extent in the United States, and of these two, sweetpotato has the greatest potential for increased usage and consumption. However, there are other starchy root vegetables grown in various areas of the world where they are of local economic and cultural importance and which could conceivably be considered potential new crops for domestic consumption. Among the most promising may be some of the Andean root crops. In addition, apios has received attention as a potential new crop. Apios is unique among the root and tuber crops mentioned in that it fixes nitrogen and also produces edible tubers, fleshy roots, and seeds. Tubers are high in protein and carbohydrates and are preferred by some to the domestic potato. 
     However, radishes ( Raphanus sativus  L. (Brassicaceae)), the common name for any member of a genus of herbs of the mustard family, are increasing in popularity because they can be eaten raw as a snack, sliced for salads or boiled and sliced. Radishes are a cruciferous vegetable related to broccoli and cabbage and are high in vitamin C (38 percent of the Recommended Daily Allowance) and low in calories (17 per cup sliced). The Japanese radish, called the daikon, may be pickled or eaten raw. 
     Radishes are believed to be native to China and are a cool-season crop that do not do well in the hot summer months. They are grown for the root which usually is eaten raw, alone or in salads. Radishes, which can grow in partial shade, require very little room and mature quickly. They are well suited to small gardens, flower beds and containers. 
     There are many different varieties of radishes: the red varieties with small roots, round or oblong with a white tip and include the Cherry Belle and Early Scarlet Globe, and the white varieties with longer roots like the carrot and include the Icicle and the Round White. The Cherry Belle is the most popular and has small, round, bright red roots with short tops and is ideal for garnishes or use in salads. 
     The harvest time of radishes varies with the variety. The roots should be harvested when a moderate size. Splitting and pithiness occurs if the roots are allowed to become overmature. When harvested, the leaves at the top are usually cut and the radish can be stored for several weeks. 
     When packaged for shipment to stores or distributors, the top and bottom with the stem of the radish are usually cut by hand. This manual method results in a very time-consuming and tedious operation because of the enormous amount of radishes that are to be processed. Thus, it would be highly desirable to proved an apparatus and method for processing root vegetables, for example, radishes and the like, automatically without the need for manually cutting the top and bottom, thereby increasing productivity. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to an apparatus and method for preparing a root vegetable, such as a radish. The apparatus comprises a feeding mechanism for providing a root vegetable, a transporting mechanism operatively connected to the feeding mechanism for orientating the root vegetable, and a cutting mechanism operatively connected to the transporting mechanism for cutting one of a top section and a bottom section from the root vegetable. The feeding mechanism includes a hopper for holding a plurality of root vegetables. The hopper is connected to a chute that reciprocates for providing a stream of spaced apart root vegetables to the transporting mechanism. The transporting mechanism comprises a pair of spaced apart threaded rods. The rods rotate in opposite directions. Because the tail of the root vegetable is heavier than the rest of the root vegetable, the tail of the root vegetable becomes trapped between grooves in the rotating rods. When this occurs, the root vegetable becomes properly oriented with its tail down as it travels down the rods to the cutting mechanism. If not properly oriented, the root vegetable is removed from the transporting mechanism by the application of pressurized air. The cutting mechanism includes a first pair of rotating belts for frictionally engaging the root vegetable once it reaches the cutting mechanism. As the root vegetable travels through the cutting mechanism, a first blade cuts the bottom portion from the root vegetable. As the root vegetable continues to travel through the cutting mechanism, a second pair of belts frictionally engage the top portion of the root vegetable to properly position the root vegetable as it encounters a second blade to remove the top portion from the root vegetable. The processed root vegetable with the top and bottom portions removed is then ejected from the cutting mechanism, preferably onto a conveyor belt for packaging and shipping to the consumer. A method of processing the root vegetable is also disclosed. 
     Various objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, when read in light of the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIGS. 1A-1C are side elevational views of the feeding mechanism, transporting mechanism and cutting mechanism, respectively, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 2 is a side perspective view of the cutting mechanism according to the preferred embodiment of the invention; 
     FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the cutting mechanism of FIG. 2; 
     FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the cutting mechanism taken along line  4 — 4  of FIG. 3; and 
     FIG. 5 is a schematic perspective view of the drive system of the preferred embodiment of the invention; 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated in FIGS. 1A-1C, an apparatus, shown generally at  10 , for processing a root vegetable, such as a radish, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. In general, the apparatus  10  comprises a feeding mechanism, shown generally at  12  in FIG. 1A, a transporting mechanism, shown generally at  14  in FIG. 1B, and a cutting mechanism, shown generally at  16  in FIG.  1 C. 
     Referring now to FIG. 1A, the feeding mechanism  12  includes a hopper  18  for containing a plurality of radishes. The hopper  18  may be sized to any desirable dimension and can be made of any durable, washable material, such as stainless steel, plastic, and the like. The hopper  18  may include a shield plate  20  for covering an opening in one of the side walls of the hopper  18 . The shield plate  20  is preferably slidably and removably attached to the side wall of the hopper  18  by using means well known in the art, such as a wing nut  22 . In this manner, the shield plate  20  can be positioned at a desired location in order to regulate the number of radishes passing through the opening in the side wall of the hopper  18 . Preferably, the shield plate  20  is positioned to allow only one radish  24  at a time to pass through the opening of the side wall of the hopper  18 . 
     The feeding mechanism  12  is provided with a chute  26  attached to the hopper  18  for receiving the radishes that pass through the opening in the side wall of the hopper  18 . The chute  26  may be constructed of any durable, washable material, such as stainless steel, plastic, and the like. The chute  26  may be attached to the hopper  18  using means well known in the art, such as threaded fasteners. Alternatively, the chute  26  may be integrally formed with the hopper  18 . The chute  26  is preferably at an angle of a few degrees with respect to the horizontal axis, as shown in FIG. 1A, so that the radishes are fed by gravity to the transporting mechanism  14 . To accomplish this, the chute  26  may be supported by a pair of braces  28 ,  30 . 
     The feeding mechanism  12  also includes means  32  for reciprocating the hopper  18  to facilitate the feeding of the radishes through the opening in the side wall of the hopper  18 . In the preferred embodiment, the reciprocating means  32  comprises an offset cam mechanism  34 , a rod  36  connected to the cam mechanism  34 , and a flange  38  extending downward from the chute  26  and connected to the rod  36 . As indicated by the arrows in FIG. 1A, the rotation of the cam mechanism  34  causes the rod  36  to move back and forth in a reciprocating fashion, which in turn, causes the chute  26  also to move back and forth in a reciprocating fashion. The reciprocating movement of the chute  26  facilitates the feeding of the radishes through the opening in the side wall of the hopper  18 . The cam mechanism  34  is rotated by means of a drive mechanism  112  (FIG. 5) as discussed below. 
     Referring now to FIG. 1B, the transporting mechanism  14  of the apparatus  10  is provided with a pair of threaded rods  40 ,  42  in a substantially parallel relationship with each other. The threaded rods  40 ,  42  are connected at one end to a worm gear mechanism  44  for rotating the threaded rods  40 ,  42 . The other ends of the threaded rods  40 ,  42  are rotatably connected to the cutting mechanism  16  (FIG.  1 C). Preferably, the threaded rods  40 ,  42  are rotated in opposite directions with respect to each other. In other words, one rod  40  is rotated in a clockwise direction and the other rod  42  is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction. As the radish  24  leaves the chute  26  of the feeding mechanism  12  and travels onto the threaded rods  40 ,  42  of the transporting mechanism  14 , the tail  46  of the radish  24  will tend to point downward because the tail  46  of the radish  24  is heavier than the body of the radish  24 . As the tail  46  points downward, the tail  46  will preferably become trapped between the threads of the threaded rods  40 ,  42  and is pulled further downward between the threaded rods  40 ,  42 . As a result, the radish  24  become properly oriented on the transporting mechanism  14  with its tail  46  pointing downward. The speed of rotation of the threaded rods  40 ,  42  is such that the radish  24  travels with a desired linear velocity down the transporting mechanism  14 . This linear velocity will be further discussed below. 
     The transporting mechanism  14  further includes a pneumatic device  48 , such as an air hose, connected to a pressurized air supply (not shown). Preferably, the air hose  48  is positioned adjacent the radish  24  as it travels down the transporting mechanism  14 . If the radish  24  is not properly oriented, that is, the tail  46  of the radish  24  is not trapped between the threaded rods  40 ,  42 , then the force of the pressurized air from the air hose  48  exerted on the radish  24  will cause the radish  24  to be blown off and removed from the transporting mechanism  14  (as indicated by the arrow in FIG.  2 ). 
     Referring now to FIGS. 1C,  2 ,  3  and  4 , the cutting mechanism  16  of the apparatus  10  includes a pair of spaced-apart, rotating belts  50 ,  52 . Preferably, the belts  50 ,  52  rotate in opposite directions, that is, the belt  50  may rotate in a clockwise direction, and the belt  52  may rotate in a counter-clockwise direction. The belts  50 ,  52  are preferably spaced-apart a suitable distance to allow the radish  24  to frictionally engage each belt  50 ,  52  as the radish  24  passes from the transporting mechanism  14  to the cutting mechanism  16 . The belts  50 ,  52  are preferably made of a durable, sponge-like, flexible rubber material for frictionally engaging the radish  24  without damaging the radish  24 . The surface of the belts  50 ,  52  engaging the radish  24  may have a nylon coating to increase the durability of the belts  50 ,  52 . Each belt  50 ,  52  is driven by a drive spool  54 ,  56 , respectively. The inside surface of each belt  50 ,  52  may include treads that are complementary to the treads on each drive spool  54 ,  56  such that the belts  50 ,  52  positively engage each drive spool  54 ,  56 . The tension of each belt  50 ,  52  can be adjusted by a spool  58 ,  60  located at the other end of each belt  50 ,  52 . The drive spools  54 ,  56  and associated spools  58 ,  60  are rotatably mounted on a base  62  using means well known in the art, such as threaded fasteners  64 . The base  62  preferably is made of washable, durable material, such as stainless steel, plastic, and the like. The drive spools  54 ,  56  are driven by a worm gears  66 ,  68  (only one illustrated in FIG. 1C) mounted to the opposite side of the base  62 . The worm gears  66 ,  68  are drivingly connected to the drive mechanism  112  (FIG. 5) as discussed below. 
     The speed of the rotating belts  50 ,  52  is such that the radish  24  travels at a desired linear velocity through the cutting mechanism  16 . Preferably, the linear velocity of the radish  24  through the cutting mechanism  16  is approximately equal to the linear velocity of the radish  24  through the transporting mechanism  14 . In this manner, the radishes leaving the feeding mechanism  12  and traveling through the transporting mechanism  14  and into the cutting mechanism  16  proceed in an orderly fashion. 
     As the radish  24  travels through the cutting mechanism  16 , the radish  24  engages a first cutting blade  70 . The cutting blade  70  may be mounted to the base  62  at an angle with respect to the direction of travel of the radish  24 . For easily removing the cutting blade  70  for servicing or replacement, the cutting blade  70  is preferably disposed within a slot  72  formed in the base  62 . As best seen in FIG. 4, the first cutting blade  70  is mounted at an axial elevation with respect the radish  24  so as to cut off a bottom portion or tail  46  of the radish  24  as it travels through the cutting mechanism  16 . The tail  46  of the radish  24  then drops off in the direction of the arrow as indicated in FIG.  1 C. At this point, the bottom portion or tail  46  of the radish  24  has been properly removed by the cutting mechanism  16 . 
     As the radish continues to travel through the cutting mechanism  16 , a second pair of rotating belts  74 ,  76  engage a top portion of the radish  24 , as best seen in FIG.  1 C. Unlike the belts  50 ,  52 , the belts  74 ,  76  rotate in the same direction. Similar to the belts  50 ,  52 , the belts  74 ,  76  are preferably spaced-apart a suitable distance to allow the radish  24  to frictionally engage each belt  74 ,  76  as the radish  24  passes through the cutting mechanism  16 . The belts  74 ,  76  are preferably made of a durable, rubber material for frictionally engaging the radish  24  without damaging the radish  24 . Each belt  74 ,  76  is driven by a drive spool  78 ,  80 , respectively. The tension of each belt  74 ,  76  can be adjusted by a spool  82 ,  84  located at the other end of each belt  74 ,  76 . The drive spools  78 ,  80  may be rotatably mounted on a bracket  86  using means well known in the art, such as a threaded fastener  88 . 
     As best seen in FIG. 1C, the angle at which the belts  74 ,  76  frictionally engage the radish  24  may be adjusted by means of a bracket  90  attached to one of the spools  82 ,  84  using means well known in the art, such as a threaded fastener  92 . The bracket  90  includes a slot  94  for slidably mounting the bracket  90  to a bracket  96  mounted to the base  62  using a threaded fastener  98 . The slot  94  in the bracket  90 , in combination with the threaded fastener  98  allows the angle of the belts  74 ,  76  to be adjusted with respect to the radish  24 . This can be accomplished by loosening the threaded fastener  98 , positioning the belts  74 ,  76  at the desired angle, and then tightening the threaded fastener  98  to lock the belts  74 ,  76  at the desired angle. 
     The cutting mechanism may also include a pair of side walls  100 ,  102 . The side walls  100 ,  102  provide lateral support for the radish  24  and the belts  50 ,  52  as the radish  24  travels through the cutting mechanism  16 . It should be noted that the side walls  100 ,  102  can be supported by springs (not shown) to enable root vegetables of various sizes to be processed. In this manner, the radish  24  will be held firmly in place as it engages the belts  74 ,  76  while simultaneously engaging the belts  50 ,  52 . Because the radish  24  simultaneously engages the belts  50 ,  52  and the belts  74 ,  76 , it is important that the rotational speed of the belts  74 ,  76  is such that the linear velocity of the radish  24  does not change as it engages the belts  74 ,  76  so as to not disrupt the orientation of the radish  24 . 
     As best seen in FIG. 4, the radish  24  engages a second cutting blade  104  as it continues to travel through the cutting mechanism  16 . A spring mechanism, shown generally at  106 , engages the bottom portion of the radish  24  while the belts  74 ,  76  frictionally engage the top portion of the radish  24 . The spring mechanism  106  preferably includes a spring  108  that provide an upward bias to a plate  110 . The plate  110  has an angle with respect to the radish  24  that is approximately equal to the angle of the belts  74 ,  76  so that the orientation of the radish  24  does not change as the radish  24  simultaneously engages the belts  74 ,  76  and the plate  110 . As the radish  24  engages both the belts  74 ,  76  and the plate  110 , the radish  24  is depressed in the downward direction (as viewed from FIG. 4) so as to properly position the top portion of the radish  24  prior to engaging the second cutting blade  104 . It should be noted that the amount of spring bias can be adjusted in order to vary the amount of the top portion of the radish  24  is removed by the second cutting blade  104 . In the preferred embodiment, only approximately 10 to 15% of the radish is removed, as compared to approximately 50% in conventional preparation devices. Thus, the apparatus  10  of the invention greatly reduces the amount of waste from preparing the root vegetable as compared to conventional root vegetable preparation devices. 
     After engaging the second cutting blade  104 , the radish  24  continues to travel through the remainder of the cutting mechanism  16  and then is finally ejected from the cutting mechanism  16 , as indicated by the arrow in FIG.  2 . The prepared radish  24  may then be ejected onto a conveyor belt (not shown) for collection and packaging with other prepared radishes. 
     As mentioned earlier, the cam mechanism  34 , the threaded rods  40 ,  42 , the belts  50 ,  52  and the belts  74 ,  76  may be connected to a drive mechanism, shown generally at  112  in FIG.  5 . The drive mechanism  112  provides for an efficient means of providing rotational energy to a plurality of feeding mechanism  12 , transporting mechanisms  14  and cutting mechanism  16  of the apparatus  10 . The drive mechanism includes a means for providing rotational energy to the above-mentioned mechanism, such as a motor  114 . It should be noted that other forms of rotational energy producing devices may be used and that the invention is not limited by the motor  114 . The motor  114  includes an output shaft  116  that is operatively coupled to a plurality of belts  118 ,  120 ,  122  or similar coupling devices, such as chains, and the like. The belt  118  is operatively coupled to a rod  124 , which in turn, is operatively coupled to the cam mechanism  34  of the feeding mechanism  12 . The rod  124  can be any desired length in order to accommodate any number of feeding mechanisms  12 . 
     The belt  120  may be operatively coupled to a rod  126 , which in turn, is operatively coupled to the worm gears  44  for driving the threaded rods  40 ,  42  of the transporting mechanism  14 . Similar to the rod  124 , the rod  126  can be any desired length in order to accommodate any number of transporting mechanisms  14 . 
     The belt  122  may be operatively connected to an extension pulley  126  in order to effectively extend the length of the belt  122  to accommodate the desired length of the apparatus  10 . An output belt  128  from the extension pulley  126  may, in turn, be operatively coupled to a rod  130 , which in turn, is operatively coupled to the worm gears  66 ,  68  of the cutting mechanism  16 . In addition, the rod  130  is operatively coupled to a belt  132 , which in turn, is operatively coupled to a rod  134 . The rod  134  is operatively coupled to the drive spools  78 ,  80  of the cutting mechanism  16 . 
     As described above, the drive mechanism  112  of the apparatus  10  of the invention allows for a plurality of feeding mechanisms  12 , transporting mechanisms  14 , and cutting mechanisms  16  to be provided with rotational energy from a single motor  114  in an energy-efficient manner. Also, the drive mechanism  112  of the apparatus  10  can accommodate any number of feeding mechanisms  12 , transporting mechanisms  14  and cutting mechanisms  16  in a cost-effective manner. In addition, the invention can be practiced by manually feeding the root vegetable to the cutting mechanism  16  without the need for the feeding and transporting mechanisms  12 ,  14  to allow an operator to manually feed the root vegetable to the cutting mechanism  16  at the proper orientation. Further, the apparatus  10  provides an energy-efficient and cost-effective apparatus and method of preparing a root vegetable, while reducing waste from the preparation of such a root vegetable. 
     In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the principle and mode of operation of this invention have been explained and illustrated in its preferred embodiment. However, it must be understood that this invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically explained and illustrated without departing from its spirit or scope.