Apparatus for positioning multiple-lane fruit, especially peaches

A multiple-lane fruit positioning apparatus, especially suitable for peaches, comprising a longitudinal frame and a fruit flight conveyor traveling in the longitudinal direction of said longitudinal frame, the fruit flight conveyor being constituted by a plurality of transverse rods longitudinally equally spaced by a pitch depending also on the size of the fruit to be transported, the transverse rods being provided, at their opposite ends, with rollers rolling on rails that are fixed to the longitudinal frame and connected to each other near the opposite ends in succession by means of mesh members bearing fruit holding flights, said rolling rollers engaging wheels in opposite ends of the fruit flight conveyor, the fruit holding flights being shaped with a number of recesses sized according to the fruit to be transported and crosswise spaced, each recess being inferiorly provided with an opening through which a part of the fruit protrudes, the fruit holding flights and the related mesh members forming a tape under a working stroke plane of which an orientation device for the fruits is placed including a plurality of transverse shafts that are longitudinally equally spaced with the same pitch of the transverse rods of the fruit flight conveyor, each bearing a number of orienting elements transversely spaced like said number of recesses, characterized in that each transverse shaft is rotatably mounted to at least two support members rigidly connected to their flexible transmission means longitudinally running on respective driving and driven pulleys for forwarding the transverse shafts, said driving and driven pulleys being mounted on respective pulley shafts, the transverse shafts traveling on an operation plane for handling the fruits that are parallel to the working stroke plane of the fruit flight conveyor at the same tangential speed of the transverse rods of the fruit flight conveyor so that each orienting element, rotating jointly with each transverse shaft by which it is borne, is in the said recess opening in contact with the fruit contained therein and moves the fruit until a plane containing a suture line of each fruit is positioned at right angles with the longitudinal direction, and a stalk cavity thereof faces downwardly.