Apparatus and method for conveying and/or transferring fruits
AssigneeDe Greef's Wagen-, Carrosserie- en Machinebouw B.V.
InventorJacobus Hendrik De Greef
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for conveying and/or transferring relatively vulnerable products, such as fruits, wherein the fruits are held in grippers while being conveyed and transferred. The grippers comprise a first gripper portion and a second gripper portion, which are movable over sliding elements substantially in the direction in which the gripping force is exerted on the products.
Claims23
An apparatus for conveying a product, comprising
- at least one elongate sliding element having an axis, and
- at least one gripper, the gripper comprising a first gripper portion and an opposed second gripper portion for applying a gripping force to the product along a direction substantially between the first and second gripper portions,
- wherein the gripper portions are operatively connected to the at least one sliding element and are movable, substantially in the direction of the gripping force, along the axis of the at least one sliding element and wherein the gripper portions are sized and shaped to grip substantially along the whole sides of the product to be gripped.
Apparatus for transferring vulnerable products, such as fruits, from a supply conveyor to a discharge conveyor, comprising:
- a frame;
- a weighing element;
- at least one gripper suspended in the frame and sized and shaped to hold the vulnerable product, the at least one gripper comprising at least one contact element for weighing the vulnerable product while the vulnerable product is being transferred,
- wherein the at least one contact element comprises an easily slideable material, and
- wherein the at least one gripper comprises at least three contact elements.
Method for conveying and discharging one or more fruits, wherein:
- the fruits are separated from each other in a singling device;
- the individual fruits are taken out of said singling device by means slideably moving grippers along at least one sliding element substantially in the direction of the gripping force, along the axis of the at least one sliding element, whereby the gripper portions are sized and shaped to grip substantially along the whole sides of the fruits, and transferred to a conveyor fitted with product carriers, during which transfer the individual fruits are weighed;
- and
- wherein said fruits are discharged from the conveyor with the product carriers, by tilting said product carriers and causing the fruits to move past a flexible element.
An apparatus comprising two product carriers, each said product carrier comprising a locking mechanism for selectively locking said product carrier in a conveying position and selectively releasing said product carrier to enable movement thereof to a discharging position, the product carriers connected to one another by a central portion for detachable attachment to a chain.
Method for conveying and discharging one or more fruits, comprising:
- moving products carriers containing the fruits in a conveying direction, each said product carrier comprising a locking mechanism for selectively locking the product carrier in a conveying position and selectively releasing said product carrier to enable movement thereof to a discharging position, the product carriers being connected to one another by a central portion for detachable attachment to a chain;
- actuating the locking mechanism to tilt the respective product carriers to the discharging position, and discharging the respective fruits in a rearward direction from said product carriers into a water channel;
- and
- wherein the fruit is slowed down upon being discharged by means of a flexible element which is attached to the rear edge of the product carrier.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.