US 5,851,146 AGranted

System for threshing podded produce

AssigneeByron Enterprises, Inc.

InventorCristopher M. Schloesser

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Abstract

A system for threshing podded produce such as peas and beans, which may be harvested with their vine attached. A horizontal, cylindrical, rotating screen encloses a main beater having numerous paddles of height about one-twelfth the beater diameter. Paddles are pitched at an angle of about 25 degrees to a plane including the axis of the main beater and are also raked backwards by about 15 degrees from radial. A counter-rotating first satellite beater disposed above the main beater collects produce which has been macerated between the main beater and the screen and cooperates with the main beater, the linear tip speeds of the paddles and blades of both beaters being identical, to discharge a radially narrow, high-speed stream of macerated material across the interior of the cylindrical screen against a first sieving region of the screen above a second satellite beater. The second satellite beater cooperates with a counter-rotating third satellite beater, the linear tip speeds of the blades of both beaters being similar, to discharge a radially narrow, high-speed stream of macerated material to strike against the main beater, from which the material is thrown by the main beater against the screen at a second sieving region of the rotating screen near the lowest point thereof. Macerated produce is carried upwards again by the screen into the nip between the main beater and screen, beginning another macerating and sieving cycle. A threshing system in accordance with the invention may subject produce to 10-15 such sieving cycles and therefore has a very high percentage yield of seeds.

Claims29

Dependent claims

A system for threshing podded produce to open the pods, remove the seeds from the pods, and separate the seeds from the empty pods and vines, comprising:

a) a cylindrical screen having a generally horizontal axis and being rotatable about said axis, said screen being receivable of said podded produce;
b) an elongate main beater disposed for rotation within said screen and having an axis disposed parallel with said screen axis and below a horizontal plane including said screen axis, said main beater having a generally cylindrical body and a plurality of individual paddles extending therefrom being discontinuous longitudinally of said beater body, the tips of said individual paddles being disposed in close proximity to said screen, said main beater being rotatable in the same direction as said screen to propel the tips of said paddles at a first linear tip speed to collect and thrust upwards along the inner surface of said screen said vined produce entering said screen;
c) a first satellite beater disposed for rotation within said screen generally above said main beater, said first satellite beater having a generally cylindrical body and a plurality of longitudinal blades extending radially therefrom, the tips of said blades being disposed in close proximity to said screen, said first satellite beater being rotatable in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of said screen and said main beater to propel the tips of said blades at a second linear speed substantially equal to said first linear tip speed, said first satellite beater being cooperable with said main beater to discharge a stream of said vined produce against a first region of said rotating screen;
d) a second satellite beater disposed for rotation within said screen, said second satellite beater having a generally cylindrical body and a plurality of longitudinal blades extending radially therefrom, the tips of said blades being spaced apart from said screen, said second satellite beater being rotatable in the same direction as said screen to propel the tips of said blades at a third linear speed;
and
e) a third satellite beater disposed for rotation within said screen, said third satellite beater having a generally cylindrical body and a plurality of longitudinal blades extending radially therefrom, the tips of said blades being disposed in close proximity to said screen, said third satellite beater being rotatable in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of said screen and said second satellite beater to propel the tips of said blades at a fourth linear speed substantially equal to said third linear tip speed, said third satellite beater being cooperable with said second satellite beater to collect vined produce from said first sieving region of said screen and to discharge said vined produce against said main beater and thence against a second region of said rotating screen.

3 more elements

In a podded produce thresher having a rotating cylindrical screen, a main beater rotating within the screen in the same direction as the screen and having paddle tips moving at a first linear tip speed, a first satellite beater rotating within the screen in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the screen and having blade tips moving at a second linear tip speed, a second satellite beater rotating within the screen in the same direction as the screen and having blade tips moving at a third linear tip speed, and a third satellite beater rotating within the screen in a direction opposite to the rotation direction of the screen and having blade tips moving at a fourth linear tip speed, a method for threshing podded produce to open the pods, remove the seeds from the pods, and separate the seeds from the empty pods and vines, comprising the steps of:

a) feeding the podded produce into one end of said rotating cylindrical screen;
b) compressing, macerating, and elevating the produce by said combined rotation of said main beater and said screen to open a portion of said pods;
c) discharging said macerated and elevated produce between said rotating main beater and said counter-rotating first satellite beater in a first stream against the inner surface of said cylindrical screen to open at a first location an additional portion of said pods;
d) releasing seeds through said screen at a first region of said screen;
e) discharging said macerated produce between said rotating second satellite beater and said counter-rotating third satellite beater in a second stream against said main beater;
f) directing said second stream from said main beater against the inner surface of said cylindrical screen to open at a second location an additional portion of said pods;
and
g) releasing seeds through said screen at a second sieving region.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.