Pea shelling apparatus
AssigneeRoss Agricultural Company, Inc.
InventorRolza J. Rodgers
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A device for shelling peas, beans, and the like. The device comprises a rotating drum having a plurality of paddles mounted therein on a rotating shaft which extends axially through the drum. The paddles each have a flat striking surface which extends for substantially the entire length thereof and which is oriented to be parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rotating shaft. A cover surrounds the drum and forms a chute for guiding kernels separated from the shells in the drum onto an inclined trough which guides those kernels to a collection location. The drum and the paddles both rotate in the same direction at prescribed velocities.
Claims14
An apparatus for shelling peas, beans, leguminous vegetables and the like and delivering same in a substantially undamaged condition comprising:
- a frame;
- a drum rotatably mounted on said frame for receiving peas, beans, leguminous vegetables and the like to be shelled, said drum being cylindrical with a smooth, continuous inner surface which contacts the product being shelled, said drum being mounted to have the longitudinal centerline thereof essentially horizontal;
- a shaft mounted on said frame and extending axially through said cylindrical drum along said longitudinal centerline for supporting same;
- a plurality of elongate paddles with a substantially equal width throughout, said paddles each being mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith and located in said cylinder to extend radially outward of said shaft from a central mounting portion of said paddles to outer tips on each end of each paddle, said paddle outer tips being located a sufficient distance from said drum inner surface to permit shelled product to pass freely therebetween, each paddle having a flat surface oriented parallel to said longitudinal centerline for substantially the entire length of said paddle from said shaft to the outer tips of said paddle to present a flat striking surface for substantially the entire length thereof from outer tip to outer tip for impacting the peas, beans and the like, said flat striking surfaces of all of said paddles thereby being oriented generally perpendicularly with respect to a tangent to said drum inner surface so that as said drum and paddles are rotated, product is moved from said inner surface toward said paddle flat surfaces in a direction essentially perpendicular to said flat surface so that impact between the product and said flat surface effects a quick gentle removal of the kernels from the hulls with essentially all of the product in said drum being shelled by said impacting;
- drum rotating means on said frame for rotating said drum at a first prescribed rotational velocity which is substantially constant;
- shaft rotating means on said frame for rotating said shaft and paddles at a second prescribed rotational velocity which is substantially constant and in the same direction as said first prescribed rotational velocity;
- and
- means for maintaining said first and second rotational velocities within a predetermined range of said prescribed rotational velocities with said predetermined range being small enough to prevent said kernels from being pulverized, bruised or mutilated on impacting said flat striking surfaces.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.