Patent Description:
<CIT>, and <CIT> of the same family, disclose a pear processing apparatus having means for controlling the depth of the endocarp in a pear, means for supporting a knife for moving the knife in and out of a pear to be cored, means for adjusting the displacement of the knife according to the size of the fruit to be cored. The means for controlling the depth of the endocarp are of the mechanical type, which require the control means to contact the pear to be cored. Since the fruits have different sizes, their endocarp, or cell that encloses the seeds, also has depths from the surface of the fruit that vary according to the size of the same. Also disclosed is depth control means adjacent to the knife and engageable with the surface of the fruit when the knife is in the fruit and means sensitive to the movement of the knife towards the fruit to automatically adjust the depth control means during the movement of the knife into a coring position so as to vary the distance of the depth control means from the end of the knife according to the size of the fruit to be cored in order to control the depth of entry of the knife into the fruit. The depth control means is a mechanical means that moves the knife into the coring position and operates by resting on the fruit to be cored.

<CIT> describes a method of recognizing the orientation of a fruit having a central axis of symmetry passing through the concave parts of the fruit, i.e. its peduncle cavity and its calycine cavity. The fruit advances on a multilane belt, formed by mesh elements and fruit holding flights having a plurality of recesses. Each recess is equipped with a central opening showing the fruit contained within it. The method comprises an individual measurement step of each fruit to be treated advancing on the fruit bearing multilane belt, by means of a distance meter, preferably a laser meter to evaluate whether the distance measured in a measurement step of each individual fruit is that of a concave part of the fruit or that of a convex part of the same. The purpose of the invention described in the aforementioned international patent application is to establish whether the fruit is correctly oriented with its central axis of symmetry in a vertical position.

<CIT> discloses a machine for processing apples or the like having:.

Each revolving knife of the coring unit is equipped with its own actuator to determine its rotation movement.

<CIT> discloses a fruit stemming, coring and splitting machine. The machine includes a conveyor multilane belt equipped with fruit holding flights. Each flight includes a row of fruit support and orientation cups. Each cup has a pair of fixed front and rear walls and a pair of movable jaw walls. The movable jaw walls are mounted opposite each other for a unitary rotation movement about a rotation pin to lock or release a fruit. Mounted on the carrier support is a movable pneumatic piston in engagement with one of the front and rear walls to move the front and rear walls into the fruit locking position. In fact, the jaw walls are engaged with each other with toothed sector portions provided in front on one side and in the other towards the inside with respect to the rotation pins. The movable jaw walls are not kept blocked by a mechanism that guarantees during the coring and pitting and halving operations the effective locking of the fruit in the support and orientation cup.

The present invention aims to obviate the aforementioned drawbacks, encountered in the known art.

An object of the present invention is to determine the position of the endocarp, or seed cell, of a pear for the purpose of subsequent coring and pitting without using complex and expensive mechanical means.

Another purpose of the invention is to reduce the component parts in a cutting station.

Still another object of the present invention is to improve the belt conveyor with particular regard to the support and orientation cups for pears whose jaw walls are closed against each other during the coring, pitting and splitting operation to obtain an effective locking of the fruit in the support and orientation cup.

A further object of the present invention is to limit as much as possible the waste of raw material in fruit processing, in particular during the removal of the core.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide apparatus that is modular in order to change the number of its processing lanes according to needs.

In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for processing pears having an endocarp located at a distance from the calycine end depending on the pear longitudinal size, the pears advancing in an apparatus controlled by a control unit on a multilane belt comprising mesh elements and fruit holding flights having a plurality of housing and centering cups in each of which a pear is positioned with its calycine end facing upwards, in order to be cored, pitted and halved, the method comprising:.

method wherein the distance of the calycine end of each pear is measured without contact, and is communicated to the control unit which determines the height position of the endocarp of that pear.

In a second aspect of the invention there is provided a multilane apparatus for processing pears that carries out the above defined method.

It is known that each pear has an endocarp, or seed cell, located at a distance from its calycine end depending on the longitudinal dimension of the pear, that is, on its size. According to the invention, the longitudinal measurement of a pear positioned in a centering and supporting cup of the fruit holding flight with its calycine end facing upwards by means of a contactless distance measurer determines the height position of the endocarp: once the cutting depth has been established, the pear can be cored, pitted and halved, with minimal waste of raw material. Preferably, the longitudinal measurement is performed by means of laser distance sensors which are not invasive towards the pear to be measured and do not need additional transducers to communicate the measurement of the calycine end, and therefore of the endocarp, to the control unit which controls the lowering of the pitting knife of the relative substation.

Unlike the known art, the depth control means are not mechanical means which move the knife into the pitting position and operate by resting on the fruit to be cored.

Further features and advantages of the present invention will become most clear from the indicative, and therefore non-limiting, description of the multi-lane apparatus for processing pears, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:.

Reference is made initially to <FIG>, which show in a cross-section view a cutting station of the apparatus seen respectively from the forward side of the pears, and from the rear side, also in perspective. Other parts of the apparatus are described in <CIT> entitled "Pear feeding method and apparatus for multi-lane processing" filed on <NUM> August <NUM>. It describes in particular the supply of pears to a feeder with translating shelves, the singularized passage of the pears in a plurality of chutes, the advancement of the pears with their peduncle downwards in a plurality of advancement channels, the holding of each single pear coming out of its feed channel in a respective receiving jaw, and the simultaneous cutting of the pear stems by means of a cutting device. Once the stems have been cut, the pears are subjected to coring and pitting and then halved according to the method of the present invention.

With reference to <FIG>, the cutting station generally indicated as <NUM>, comprises a measuring substation <NUM>, according to the present invention, a coring and pitting substation <NUM> and a halving substation <NUM>. The cutting station <NUM> is mounted on a frame <NUM>. A conveyor <NUM> has a multilane belt <NUM> movable with a direction of advancement from a pear feeding station, not shown, towards the cutting station <NUM>. The multilane belt <NUM> is formed by mesh elements and fruit holding flights <NUM> including a plurality of housing and centering cups <NUM> suitable for receiving respective pears (not shown) with the calycine end facing upwards. The housing and centering cups <NUM> will be described in detail below. A housing and centering cup <NUM>, the first on the left in <FIG> and <FIG>, is shown in a cross-section view.

In <FIG>, which are a cross-section view taken from the forward side of the pears and a side view thereof, respectively, the measuring substation <NUM> is shown separated from the cutting station <NUM>.

The measuring substation <NUM> includes a plurality of contactless distance meters <NUM>. The contactless distance meters <NUM> are mounted by means of an adjustable support <NUM> to a horizontal support rod <NUM> fixed to the uprights <NUM> of the frame <NUM>. The contactless distance meters <NUM> are equal in number to the rows of housing and centering cups <NUM> in each mesh element and fruit holding flight <NUM> of the multilane belt <NUM>. The rows of housing and centering cups <NUM> are positioned below in turn in the advancement of the multilane belt <NUM>, stopping during the measurement. The contactless distance meters <NUM> are preferably laser measurement sensors. As an example, the ZX1-LD model from Omron Corporation of Kyoto (Japan) can be taken. The meters <NUM> are electrically connected to a control unit <NUM>.

The contactless distance meters <NUM> are oriented so as to read the center of each housing and centering cup <NUM>. If a pear is positioned in the latter, the laser beam reaches the calycine end of the pear and communicates the distance read to the control unit <NUM>. Knowing the calycine end of the pear allows to know the longitudinal dimension of the pear to be treated, since the distance of the contactless distance meters <NUM> from the multilane belt <NUM> of the conveyor <NUM>, where the pear is positioned, is known. The position of the endocarp, or seed cell, can be determined in this way in each pear, since the endocarp in a pear is known to be at a constant distance from the calycine end, with the same longitudinal dimension of the pear. The endocarp position information is transmitted from the control unit to the coring and pitting substation <NUM> shown for representative clarity with only one coring and pitting device <NUM> in [<FIG>] which is a partial perspective view from the front and top of a coring and pitting substation of the cutting station.

Each coring and destoning device <NUM>, unlike as shown schematically in [<FIG>], is mounted on an angular bracket <NUM> to the frame <NUM> of the apparatus. The device <NUM>, as will be called for simplicity in the following, comprises an actuator <NUM> having a brushless motor <NUM> adapted to move a slide <NUM> on a prismatic guide <NUM>. The brushless motor <NUM> is mounted at the free end of the prismatic guide <NUM> In proximity to the brushless motor <NUM>, a sleeve <NUM> mounted about the prismatic guide <NUM> rigidly supports a guide rod <NUM>. Slidably mounted on the guide rod <NUM> is a slide <NUM>, to which a coring rod <NUM> and, coaxially thereto, a lobed shaft <NUM> carrying at its end a pitting knife <NUM> are fixed by means of a bush <NUM>. It should be understood that, thanks to the arrangement described above, the coring rod <NUM> and the pitting knife <NUM> move together vertically. The lobed shaft <NUM> is coupled to a pinion bushing unit <NUM> in engagement with a rack <NUM>. The rack <NUM> is mounted slidingly on a crosspiece <NUM> of the frame <NUM> and is moved at one end by a gearmotor <NUM> shown in enlarged scale in [<FIG>] externally to a portion <NUM> of the frame.

The pinion bushing unit <NUM> is supported by a perforated base <NUM> fixed orthogonally to the crosspiece <NUM>. Even if not shown in [<FIG>] in the other perforated bases <NUM> there are as many devices <NUM>, in the same number of housing and centering cups <NUM> present in each mesh element and fruit holding flight <NUM> of the multilane belt <NUM> of the conveyor <NUM>. Thanks to this arrangement, the lobed shaft <NUM> can rotate around the coring rod <NUM> to carry out pitting.

According to the present invention, each pitting knife <NUM> is lowered together with its coring rod <NUM> in the height position of the pear endocarp. This displacement is controlled by the control unit <NUM> thanks to the measurement carried out by the respective contactless distance meters <NUM> in the measuring substation <NUM> on the pear located in the corresponding housing and centering cup <NUM>. If the housing and centering cup <NUM> is empty, the contactless distance meters <NUM> communicates this information to the control unit <NUM> which will not give any displacement order to the brushless motor <NUM> of the coring and pitting device <NUM>.

Reference is made now to <FIG> and <FIG> which are a cross-section view obtained according to a plane alpha in [<FIG>] of the coring and pitting device seen by the arrows A-A in the operating position and in the rest position, and to <FIG> and <FIG> which are a cross-section view obtained along the lines B-B in [<FIG>] and the lines C-C in [<FIG>], and also to [<FIG>] which is an enlarged detail in [<FIG>]. In the cross-sections view of <FIG> and <FIG> in which the pinion bushing unit <NUM> is closed in a housing <NUM>, the engagement between the rack <NUM> and the pinion is shown. It is understood that the bushing coaxial to the pinion is mounted on axial bearings on the bases <NUM> for supporting the device. It can be noted that the bases <NUM> are provided on both sides with respect to the rack <NUM>. The rotation of the lobed shaft <NUM> is performed simultaneously by the single gearmotor <NUM>, whether the coring and pitting device <NUM> has lowered simultaneously with its brushless motor <NUM> the coring rod <NUM> together with the pitting knife <NUM>, or it has not done so for lack of a pear in the relative centering and support cup <NUM>.

[<FIG>] shows an enlargement of [<FIG>] where a housing and centering cup <NUM> is visible in section with the coring rod <NUM> inside and the pitting knife <NUM> coaxially to it. The housing and centering cup <NUM> will be described in greater detail later. It should be noted that the coring rod <NUM> slides inside a coaxial duct <NUM> formed by the lobed shaft <NUM>. Near the lower end of the lobed shaft <NUM> there is a fixed spindle <NUM> inside the coaxial duct <NUM>. The fixed spindle is not vertically movable.

The fixed spindle <NUM> serves to prevent the lifting of core residues inside the coaxial duct <NUM> by the coring rod <NUM> when the coring rod <NUM> and the pitting knife <NUM> are simultaneously moved upwards in the rest position.

In <FIG> and <FIG>, as mentioned above, the coring and pitting device <NUM> is shown in section with the set of coring rod <NUM> and lobed shaft <NUM> of the pitting knife <NUM> moved to the rest position thanks to the lifting of the slide <NUM> by the brushless motor <NUM>.

See now <FIG> and <FIG> which are a cross-section view of the halving substation of the cutting station of <FIG> and a side view of the halving substation of the cutting station in [<FIG>]. In the halving substation <NUM> halving blades generally indicated as <NUM> are mounted on a horizontal rod <NUM> by means of relative stems <NUM>. The halving blades <NUM> have a front profile which, as will be seen below, is complementary to the cross-sectional profile of a cavity for the pear obtained in the housing and centering cup <NUM>. The horizontal rod <NUM> is vertically movable on lateral guides <NUM> integral with the frame <NUM> of the apparatus by sliding with guides and recirculating ball slides generically designated as <NUM>. The horizontal rod <NUM> is connected by means of a system of levers <NUM> to a second gearmotor <NUM>, supported by a crosspiece <NUM> of the frame <NUM>.

It must be understood that, in order to satisfactorily carry out the coring, pitting and halving operations, each pear must be adequately held inside its housing and centering cup <NUM>.

Reference is made to <FIG>, which are a perspective view, a side view, a top plan view, a front view showing the internal cavities in hatching, an enlargement of a detail in [<FIG>] or an antero-posterior cross-section, rear, and an enlargement of a detail of [<FIG>] or a cross-section view, respectively, of a cup of the pear processing apparatus of the present invention in the open position. Reference is also made to <FIG>, which are a perspective view, a side view, a top plan view and a transversal antero-posterior cross-section view, respectively, of a cup of the pear processing apparatus of the present invention in a pear clamping position.

As previously said, the multilane belt <NUM> of the conveyor <NUM> is equipped with mesh elements and fruit holding flights <NUM>. Each mesh element and fruit holding flight <NUM> includes a row of housing and centering cups <NUM>. Each housing and centering cup <NUM> has a pair of fixed side walls <NUM>, <NUM> arranged transversely to the direction of advance of the multilane belt <NUM> and a pair of jaw walls <NUM>, <NUM> orthogonal to the fixed side walls <NUM>, <NUM>. The fixed side walls <NUM>, <NUM> are connected together by means of pins indicated generically with <NUM>. The jaw walls <NUM>, <NUM> are substantially in the shape of a vane with concave facing surfaces <NUM>, <NUM> to adapt to the profile of the pear, and opposite surfaces <NUM>, <NUM>. The jaw walls <NUM>, <NUM> are preferably made of plastic, to be light and not to cause damage to the fruit that is held by them. The fixed side walls <NUM>, <NUM> can also be conveniently made of plastic material. Like the concave facing surfaces <NUM>, <NUM>, the internal surfaces <NUM>, <NUM> of the fixed side walls <NUM>, <NUM>, intended to come into contact with the pears, are also concave. With reference to [<FIG>], in the fixed front wall <NUM> of the housing and centering cup <NUM> there is shown, projecting downwards, a ratchet mechanism <NUM> which will be explained below.

As shown in the front view of [<FIG>] and in the cross-section view obtained in the direction transverse to the advancement of the multilane belt, shown in the open position in [<FIG>] and in the clamping position in [<FIG>], the pins <NUM> which connect together the front and rear fixed walls <NUM>, <NUM> of the housing and centering cup <NUM> serve to lock a funnel <NUM> between the same fixed walls <NUM>, <NUM>. The funnel <NUM> extends laterally in ribbed parts <NUM>. As shown in [<FIG>], the profile of the funnel <NUM> is mated to the profile of a pear. In the ribbed parts <NUM> there is a pair of opposite seats for helical springs indicated generically with <NUM>. The other end of the helical springs <NUM> is abutting against the respective jaw wall <NUM>, <NUM>.

On the ends of the front and rear fixed walls <NUM>, <NUM> there are protrusions, indicated generically with <NUM>, which act as an abutment for the jaw walls <NUM>, <NUM>.

[<FIG>] shows a cross-section view taken along the line D-D in [<FIG>]. The jaw walls <NUM>, <NUM> are hinged about a respective rotation pin <NUM>, <NUM> passing through the front and rear fixed walls <NUM>, <NUM>. Each jaw wall <NUM>, <NUM> has the gripping surface <NUM>, <NUM> and a pair of projections <NUM>, <NUM> equipped with toothed sectors <NUM>, <NUM> mutually engaged, so that the two jaw walls <NUM>, <NUM> are able to rotate in synchronism the one with respect to the other between an open position in the advancement towards the cutting station, and a clamping position in the cutting station, obtained as described below. In the cross-section view of [<FIG>], obtained with a cross-section obtained along the lines E-E in [<FIG>], the pairs of toothed sectors <NUM>, <NUM>, mutually engaged, of the jaw walls <NUM>, <NUM> are shown.

The jaw walls <NUM>, <NUM> are normally in the open position in which they abut against protrusions <NUM> of the fixed walls <NUM>, <NUM>. To pass into the closed or clamping position shown in <FIG>, the jaw walls <NUM>, <NUM> must be rotated towards each other about rotation pins <NUM>, <NUM>, which are mounted parallel to pins <NUM>, <NUM> on the front and rear fixed walls <NUM>, <NUM>. To achieve this commanded rotation of the jaw walls <NUM>, <NUM>, on a plane <NUM> connected to the frame <NUM> of the apparatus, under the multilane belt <NUM> of the conveyor <NUM> there is mounted, for each housing and centering cup <NUM>, a pair of pneumatic pistons indicated generically with <NUM> in <FIG> and <FIG>. The pneumatic pistons <NUM> push on both jaw walls <NUM>, <NUM> in their bases <NUM>, <NUM> in an off-center position with respect to the rotation pins <NUM>, <NUM>. According to the present invention, this clamping position is maintained thanks to the ratchet mechanism <NUM>, more clearly shown in <FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG>.

In proximity to the base <NUM> of the jaw wall <NUM>, in correspondence with the rotation pin <NUM>, an arm <NUM> is integral with the jaw <NUM> having a succession of teeth <NUM> at its free end. A hook <NUM> is hinged on the respective front wall <NUM> of the housing and centering cup <NUM> about a pivot <NUM>. The hook <NUM> is spring loaded by means of a spring <NUM> housed in a seat <NUM> of the front wall <NUM>; the hook <NUM> engages with the teeth <NUM> of the arm <NUM> of the jaw wall <NUM>, so as to lock the jaw wall <NUM>, with which the arm <NUM> is integral, in the open position as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, or in closed position as shown in [<FIG>]. It should be understood that the locking of the jaw wall <NUM> consequently entails the locking in the same position of the facing jaw <NUM> thanks to the pairs of toothed sectors <NUM>, <NUM>, mutually engaged, of the jaw walls <NUM>, <NUM>. The transition from the closed or clamping position to the open position is obtained by causing the rotation of the hook thanks to the upward thrust exerted on a protrusion <NUM> of the hook against the spring <NUM>. This operation is performed by a pneumatic piston <NUM>, also mounted on the plane <NUM> of the frame <NUM> of the apparatus, underneath the multilane belt <NUM> in correspondence with the halving substation <NUM>, as shown in [<FIG>].

With reference to <FIG>, <FIG> for the open position of the housing and centering cup <NUM> and to <FIG> and <FIG> for the clamping position of the same, it should be noted that on the concave surface <NUM>, <NUM> of the jaw walls <NUM>, <NUM> a groove <NUM> is made to receive the halving blade <NUM> in the halving substation <NUM>. The groove <NUM> is shaped like the peripheral profile of the halving blade <NUM>. Below in the concave surface of the walls <NUM>, <NUM>, as mentioned above, there is a seat where a helical spring <NUM>, <NUM> abuts. The helical spring <NUM>, <NUM>, in its other end, abuts against the ribbed part <NUM> of the funnel <NUM>. In this way, each jaw wall <NUM>, <NUM> is loaded towards the open position even when it is in the clamping position locked by the ratchet mechanism <NUM> in the cutting station <NUM>.

It should be understood that the ratchet mechanism <NUM> allows for the improvement of the prior art multilane belt conveyor because the housing and centering cups for the pears have the jaw walls actually closed against each other during the coring, pitting and halving operations to keep the pears effectively locked in the housing and centering cup. In this way, the coring stem will act exactly in correspondence with the stem - calyx axis of the pear, and the pitting knife will not cause the pear to rotate with consequent damage to the pitting.

The apparatus described above allows the method for processing pears according to the present invention to be carried out. Pears generally have a central axis of symmetry passing through the stem end and the calycine end. They have an endocarp located at a constant distance from the calycine end with the same longitudinal dimension of the pear. The pears, fed into a feeding station, advance into the apparatus controlled by the control unit <NUM> on the multilane belt <NUM> of the conveyor <NUM>. The multilane belt <NUM> is formed by mesh elements and fruit holding flights <NUM>, having the plurality of housing and centering cups <NUM> in each of which a pear is positioned with its calycine end facing upwards. On reaching the cutting station <NUM>, the pear in a first advance step of the multilane belt <NUM> is blocked against rotation inside its housing and centering cup <NUM> by means of the jaw walls <NUM>, <NUM> kept in the clamping position by the ratchet mechanism <NUM>. The pear, being placed under the contactless distance meter <NUM>, is measured by verifying the distance of the calycine end of the pear from the contactless distance meters <NUM>. The longitudinal dimension of the pear is thus determined and, therefore, this information is transmitted to the control unit <NUM> which establishes the height position of the endocarp of the pear which is at that moment in the housing and centering cup <NUM>.

In a second step of advancing the multilane belt, the pear is locked against rotation inside its housing and centering cup <NUM> by means of the jaw walls <NUM>, <NUM>, maintained in the clamping position by means of the ratchet mechanism <NUM>, under the coring rod <NUM> and the pitting knife <NUM> in the rest position. The control unit <NUM> simultaneously lowers the coring stem <NUM> and the pitting knife <NUM> until reaching the height position of the endocarp of the underlying pear as calculated in the first advancement step of the multilane belt <NUM>.

The coring rod <NUM> crosses the pear from the calycine end to the stem end, at the same time the pitting knife <NUM> moves to the height of the endocarp and is rotated simultaneously with the other pitting knives. Then, the coring rod <NUM> and the pitting knife <NUM> are raised. Any core residues are removed in a return stroke to the rest position.

Claim 1:
A method for processing pears having an endocarp located at a distance from the calycine end depending on the pear longitudinal size, the pears advancing in an apparatus controlled by a control unit (<NUM>) on a multilane belt (<NUM>) comprising mesh elements and fruit holding flights (<NUM>) having a plurality of housing and centering cups (<NUM>) in each of which a pear is positioned with its calycine end facing upwards, in order to be cored, pitted and halved, the method comprising:
- in a first step of advancing the multilane belt (<NUM>), locking each pear against rotation inside its housing and centering cup (<NUM>), and measuring the distance of the calycine end to know the pear longitudinal size; and
- in a second step of advancing the multilane belt (<NUM>), simultaneously lowering, by the control unit (<NUM>), a coring rod (<NUM>) and a pitting knife (<NUM>) from a rest position to the height of the endocarp of the underlying pear, as determined by the control unit (<NUM>), each pitting knife (<NUM>) being rotated simultaneously with the other pitting knives (<NUM>) at different heights according to the longitudinal size of the pear to be pitted,
characterized in that the distance of the calycine end of each pear is measured without contact and communicated to the control unit (<NUM>) which determines the height position of the endocarp of that pear.