Patent GB-272774-A (GB)
Title: Improvements relating to nut cracking machines
IPC: A23N5/00
Filed: 1926-12-03
Abstract: 272,774. Rubio, S. Aug. 12, 1926, [Convention date]. Cracking nuts.-In a nut-cracking machine, the nuts are picked up by a feeding-mechanism and fed forwards one at a time with their major axes vertical to cracking-mechanism, which comprises a plunger and a resiliently-mounted anvil. The nuts are fed from a hopper H, Fig. 2, by an endless chain C over a pivoted bed-plate 25 which is oscillated together with the hopper and feed-mechanism by means of a reciprocating plunger G to force the foremost nut against an anvil V, which is automatically adjusted to accommodate nuts of different sizes. The chain C, consisting of discs 28 having cupped upper or outer sides and connected by links 29, passes over a curved guidestrip 27 on the upper side of the plate 25 and travels between a pair of guide-blocks, B, B<1>, Fig. 7, secured to the plate 25. Each block is provided with a circular tunnel 33 and with a tunnel 34 of partly circular form at the confronting sides of the blocks. The forward and rear ends of the tunnels 33, 34 communicate with transverse tunnels 35, 36 respectively. Each nut-carrying unit 28 and two side elements or spools 39 which form a pocket to hold a nut with its major axis vertical. There are two inner series of spools 39 movable in the inner tunnels 34 of the blocks B, B<1> and two outer series movable in the tunnels 33. Each spool 39, Fig. 9, has two heads merging at their confronting sides into a shank of reduced diameter and provided on their outer sides with a diametric groove 40 and a tongue 41. The spools in each series are arranged end to end with the tongue of one spool engaging the groove of the next spool. The two inner series of spools are advanced inter. mittently towards the cracking-mechanism a distance equal to the length of a spool so as intermittently to discharge a spool into each of the transverse tunnels 35, whence they are transferred to the two outer series of spools which are intermittently advanced rearwardly through the tunnels 33 for return through the transverse tunnels 36 to the inner series of spools. The two inner series of spools are operated by parallel shafts 42, 43, Fig. 4, having grooved heads 44 to engage the tongues of the adjacent spools. For reciprocating the shafts 42, 43, sleeves 46 arranged between collars 47 on the shafts are connected by a pin engaging a block 49 in a slot 50 of an oscillating pivoted arm 51. A shaft 56 driven from a shaft 58 carries a disc 55 with an eccentric pin 54 engaging a block 53 in the slot 50, and a mutilated gear 59 on the shaft 58 gears with a wheel 60 on a shaft 61 driven from the driving-shaft 62. For positioning the nuts in the pockets with their major axes vertical, the spools of the inner series are rotated in opposite directions so that their confronting sides move inwardly and downwardly, thereby drawing the nuts lengthwise downwardly into the pockets. The shafts 42, 43 are connected by gearing 76, and the rear end of the shaft 42 has a splined connection with and is movable in a sleeve 64 carrying a pinion 65 meshing with a pinion 66 on a shaft 67. The shaft 67 is driven through gearing from a shaft 71 driven from a shaft 72 carrying a mutilated pinion 74 gearing with a mutilated wheel 75 on the shaft 56. For moving in grooves in the tops of the blocks B, B<1> are provided at their forward ends with crossheads 85 having tongues 86 to engage the grooves of the spools discharged into the tunnels 35. The bars 82 are operated by links 83 from pivoted levers 80 connected by pins 79 to a block 78 working in a slot 77 at the upper end of the arm 51. The pointed ends of pins 88 carried by sleeves 87 on the heads 85 work in axial openings in the spools as discharged into the tunnels 35, and plates 89 bolted to the blocks B, B<1> have tongues 90 which work in the grooves in the spools and prevent them from rotating while being transferred from the inner to the outer tunnels. The spools are transferred from the forward ends of the two inner series through the tunnels 35 to the forward ends of the two outer series by means of two L-shaped arms A, A<1>, Fig. 16, the vertical portions 91 of which move circularly in the slots 37 of the blocks B, B<1> to engage within the narrowest portions of the two formost spools. The arm A is secured eccentrically to wheels 92, 93 gearing with a wheel 95 driven from a shaft 96 which is driven through bevel gearing 101, 102 from a shaft 100 in turn driven from a shaft 103 having a mutilated wheel 105 gearing with the wheel 60. The other arm A' is eccentrically connected to discs 106,107 which are connected to each other and to the shaft 96 by gearing 108, 109, Fig. 17 shows mechanism for transferring the spools at the rear ends of the two outer series to the rear ends of the two inner series. Plungers P. P' are reciprocated in the channels 36 of the blocks B, B<1> by means of arms D, D<1> driven through gearing from a shaft 117 carrying a wheel 121 gearing with the wheel 102. The plunger G is eccentrically connected at its lower end to the shaft 61, and its upper end is rounded for engage. ment with a socket 126 in the under side of the plate 25. The anvil V, Fig. 11, has a rounded portion 145 with its lower end cupped to engage a nut, a squared portion 146, and a flat portion 147 provided at its upper end with a recessed head 149 to engage the split lower end of a stationary supporting-rod 132. Blocks 130 slidable on the bar 132 and in grooves in guide-plates are connected by a rock-bar 131, and springs 137, 138 are arranged on the bar between the blocks 130 and a block 136 carried by a cross-head which is reciprocated in a slot in the back of the frame 15 by a pair of rods 140, which pass downwardly through openings in the hopper H and are connected to eccentric cams on a shaft 142 having mutilated wheels 143 gearing with mutilated wheels 144 on the shaft 61. The upper edges of the portion 146 and the opposite sides of the flat portions 147 of the anvil are grooved and inclined at 148 to provide cam edges for co-operation with tongues 165 on the under sides of a wedge member W slidable in grooves on the under side of the bridgeplate 152 and head 127. A spring-pressed collar 160 on a rod 162 secured to the wedge engages the bifurcated lower end 159 of an aim 158 on a shaft 157 geared to the rack 131. Diverging arms 167, Fig. 12, secured to the portion 146 of the anvil work in slotted sleeves 168 secured to the converging sides 21 of the hopper mouth and, through springs 170, operate L-shaped fingers 169 the lower ends of which engage and steady a nut during the cracking operation. In operation, the rods 140 lower the anvil until it engages the nut N whereupon it is locked against upward movement by the arm 158 causing the wedge to engage with the inclined edges 148 of the anvil. On the upward movement of the block 136, the wedge is disengaged from the anvil, which is then raised by the spring 151a and the arms 167 restored to their upper position in the sleeves 168, thereby elevating the fingers 169. For preventing the discharge of nuts from the forward end of the hopper at a point above the nut-carrying mechanism, a chain 171, Fig. 2, passing round sprockets 172, 173, 174 moves inwardly and upwardly with respect to the hopper. A casing 179 houses the sprockets 173, 174, and the shaft 175 of the sprocket 174 projects beyond the hopper and is driven from the shaft 61. The hopper is formed with parallel upper side-walls, the front wall 23 of the hopper being substantially vertical while the rear wall 24 is inclined downwardly. The bedplate 25 is pivoted at 26 and secured to the walls of the hopper. Cracked nuts fall down an incline 17 and are delivered through an opening 19.