Pear processing method and multilane apparatus
OwnerBiagio CRESCENZOinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for processing pears advancing on housing and centering cups (9) of a multilane belt (7) with its calycine end facing upwards, in order to be cored, pitted and halved the method provides, in a first step, locking each pear against rotation inside its housing and centering cup (9), to measure the distance of the calycine end, and to communicate said distance to a control unit (14) that determines the height position of the endocarp of that pear, and, in a second step, to lower simultaneously, by the control unit (14), a coring rod (24) and a pitting knife (26) from a rest position to the height of the endocarp of the underlying pear, as determined by the control unit (14). A multilane apparatus for processing pears is also disclosed.
Claims12
A method for processing pears having an endocarp located at a distance from the calycine end depending on the pear longitudinal size, the pears being positioned with their calycine end facing upwards, in order to be cored, pitted and halved on a multilane belt advancing step by step and comprising mesh elements and fruit holding flights, having a plurality of pear housing and centering cups in an apparatus controlled by a control unit, the method comprising:
- a first step of advancing the multilane belt, in which each pear is blocked against rotation inside its housing and centering cup, and the distance of the calycine end is contactless measured to know the pear longitudinal size, and
- a second step of advancing the multilane belt, in which a coring rod and a pitting knife are simultaneously lowered, by the control unit, from a rest position to the height of the endocarp of an underlying pear, as determined by the control unit, and each pitting knife is rotated simultaneously with the other pitting knives at different heights according to the longitudinal size of the pear to be pitted.
A multilane apparatus for processing pears, comprising on a frame:
- a control unit,
- a cutting station including:
- a coring and pitting substation, that holds coring rods and pitting knives, and
- a halving substation, that carries halving blades, and
- a conveyor, having:
- a multilane belt movable with advancement direction towards the cutting station and being formed by mesh elements and fruit holding flights;
- a plurality of housing and centering cups in each fruit holding flight suitable for receiving respective pears with calycine end facing upwards;
- a front wall and a rear wall that are fixed and face each other in each housing and centering cup transversely to the advancement direction of the multilane belt;
- and
- a pair of jaw walls hinged around a respective rotation pin, held by the front wall and rear wall, each jaw wall having a gripping surface and a pair of projections equipped with toothed sectors mutually engaged with the toothed sectors of the facing jaw wall, so that the two jaw walls, equipped with bases, are able to rotate in synchronism with each other between an open position in a forward movement towards the cutting station and a clamping position in the cutting station;
- wherein located before the coring and pitting substation is a measuring substation, including a plurality of contactless distance meters overlying the plurality of housing and centering cups which are positioned in turn below in the advancement of the multilane belt, each contactless distance meter being suitable for measuring its distance from the calycine end of the underlying pear and communicating it to the control unit, suitable to determine the height position of the endocarp of that pear and to control the simultaneous lowering of a coring rod and of a pitting knife from its rest position to the height of the endocarp of the underlying pear, as determined by the control unit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.