MACHINE AND METHOD FOR PITTING FRUITS

Abstract

A machine for pitting fruits, having a plurality of plungers (4) and a plurality of receiving elements (13) for the fruits (F) that are to be pitted. Each receiving element (13) has a bowl (3) which accommodates an individual fruit (F). Each bowl has a passage opening (31) for the pit which has been extracted from the fruit (F). The machine is characterized in that first sensors are provided upstream of a working section (14) for detecting the bowls (3) that contain two fruits. The invention further relates to a method for pitting fruits.

Claims

1. A machine for pitting fruit with a plurality of plungers (4) and a plurality of receiving elements (13) for the fruit (F) to be pitted, each receiving element (13) having a single fruit (F) receiving cup (3) with a passage opening (31) for the pit to be pushed out of the fruit (F), the receiving elements (13) guided on a circulating receiving element track (1) and the plungers (4) guided on a circulating plunger track (2) along a working segment (14) in parallel and in synchronism with one another along the working segment (14), wherein means for carrying out a reciprocating movement of the plunger (4) relative to the cups (3) are provided, and wherein upstream of the working segment (14) first sensors (6) are provided for detection of cups (3) double occupied with fruits.

2. The machine according to claim 1, wherein second sensors (8) are provided below the working segment (14) which detect the exit of the pit.

3. The machine according to claim 2, wherein as first or second sensors (6 or 8) an optical, acoustic, magnetic detector and/or detector using strain gauges are provided.

4. The machine according to claim 1, wherein below the passage opening (31) on the cup (3) an elastic sleeve (36) is provided through which the pit to be removed from the fruit by means of the plunger (4) can be pressed.

5. The machine according to claim 4, wherein marks, magnetizations or strain gauges are arranged on the elastic sleeve (36), with the aid of which a pit exit can be detected.

6. The machine according to claim 1, wherein downstream of the working segment (14) a checking device is arranged for sorting out defective pitted fruits prior to an output of the pitted fruits for further processing.

7. The machine according to claim 6, wherein the checking device is a second blower device (9) which ejects a defective pitted fruit detected by the second sensors (8) into a sorting container (91) arranged laterally to the transport direction on the receiving element track (1).

8. The machine according to claim 1, wherein a checking device is provided upstream of the working segment (14) and downstream of the first sensors (6) for sorting out fruits incorrectly supplied to the receiving elements (13).

9. The machine according to claim 8, wherein the checking device is a first blower device (7) which blows out a fruit or fruits, detected with the first sensors (6) to have been erroneously fed to a receiving element (13), into a sorting container (71) arranged on the receiving element track (1) and adjacent in a transport direction, before the pitting process begins.

10. The machine according to claim 1, wherein on the plunger track (2) a curved element (24) is provided and a plunger holder (23) is provided for each plunger (4), wherein the reciprocating movement of the plunger (4) slidably supported by the plunger holder (23) is controlled by the curved element (24).

11. The machine according to claim 10, wherein a sleeve is provided under each plunger holder (23), which sleeve sits on the fruit (F) during the reciprocating movement of the plunger (4) and after pitting holds back the fruit (F) in the cup (3).

12. A method for pitting fruits with a plurality of plungers (4) and a plurality of receiving elements (13) for the fruit (F) to be pitted, each receiving element (13) having a single fruit (F) receiving cup (3) with passage opening (31) for the pit to be pushed out of the fruit (F), the receiving elements (13) guided on a circulating receiving element track (1) and the plungers (4) guided on a circulating plunger track (2), guided parallel and synchronous to each other along a working segment (14), and carrying out a reciprocating movement of the plungers (4) relative to the cups (3) along the working segment (14), the method comprising measurement-technically monitoring each cup (3) upstream of the working segment (14) as to whether a single fruit (F) or several fruits are deposited, and discharging the fruits (F) of each cup (3) with several fruits.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein after discharging the fruits (F) of a cup (3) with several fruits, this cup (3) is checked upstream of the working segment (14) as to whether the fruit discharge took place and in the event of a faulty discharge a second discharge is made by means of a blast of compressed air.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the working segment (14) is monitored by measurement technology as to exit of a pit under the passage opening, wherein the fruits (F) of each cup (3), from which a pit exit was not detected, is discharged downstream of the working segment (14).

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein after discharging incorrectly pitted fruits the respective cup (3) is checked downstream of the working segment (14) as to whether the fruit discharge was successful and in the event of a faulty discharge, a second discharge is made by a blast of compressed air.

Description

[0030] In the following the invention will be described in detail below on the basis of an illustrative embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0031] There is shown in:

[0032] FIG. 1 a machine for pitting fruit [0033] a) in a schematic side view [0034] b) in detail with a plunger assembly inserted therein and [0035] c) in a detailed view corresponding to X of FIG. 1a) and

[0036] FIG. 2 a cup of a receiving element in [0037] a) spatial view, [0038] b) side view, [0039] c) side view rotated 90 to side view according to FIG. 2b, [0040] d) plan view and [0041] e) internal FIG. 2b shown cross-sectional view.

[0042] In FIG. 1, an illustrative embodiment of a machine for pitting of fruit is shown in schematic side view. The machine has a circulating receiving element track 1, which has a conveyor 10 guided in a closed loop around two deflecting wheels/rollers 11, 12, on which a plurality of receiving elements 13 are arranged so that fruits to be pitted can be deposited on the receiving elements 13 from the outside.

[0043] Above the receiving element track 1, a circulating plunger track 2 is arranged, which likewise has a conveying means 20 guided in a closed loop around deflection rollers/wheels 21, 22. At the second conveyor 20 plunger holders 23 are arranged laterally in a suitable manner the same way as the receiving elements 13 on the first conveyor 10.

[0044] The circulating receiving element track 1 and the circulating plunger track 2 are driven synchronously to each other, wherein in the case of the circulating receiving element track 1, an upper part of the first conveyor 10 running to the right in FIG. 1 directly faces the lower, also running to the right, part of the second conveyor 20 of the circulating plunger track 2. This area is the working segment 14, in the progression of which the fruit is pitted. For this purpose, a curved element 24 runs along the lower part of the circulating plunger track 2 that interacts with the plungers 4 held in the plunger holders 23 such that the plungers 4 are pushed out in the plunger holder 23 and pushed back again. Each plunger 4 is comprised, in particular for the pitting of cherries, of a long shaft 41 with a cross-shaped cross-section, a plunger tip 42 with concave or V-shape for centering of the pit to be pushed out of the fruit, and a contact element 43 that comes to rest on the curved track member 24. For other fruits and their pits to be removed, other plunger shapes, for example, with a 5- or 6- pointed star cross section and/or with a straight tip, may be particularly suitable.

[0045] On each receiving element 13, a cup 3 made of an elastic plastic is arranged. The cup 3 has the shape shown in detail in FIG. 2. The cup 3 consisting of elastic plastic has a passage opening 31 which is formed cross-shaped and matching the cross section of the shaft 41 of the plunger 4. In addition, the cup 3 has on its upper side a concave or inverted conical receptacle 32 on which the fruit to be pitted can be placed. In addition to the passage opening 31, the cup 3 has a vertical slot 33 which is oriented along two opposite legs of the cross-shaped passage opening 31 and divides the receptacle 32 in two.

[0046] In the lower region of the cup 3, a groove 34 and a bead 35 are formed, wherein a sleeve 36 is formed below in the installation direction, which tapers significantly from the bead 35 and ends with a circular opening (base opening 37) with a base area quasi in the form of a hose section. The base opening 37 has an inner diameter slightly smaller than the pits from the fruits to be pitted.

[0047] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the cup 3 has an elevation 38 over a portion of an edge on the upper circumference of the receptacle 32, leading in operation in the direction of movement, so that the edge elevation 38 serves to decelerate a fruit fed by delivery arrangement 5 in the direction of movement when landing in the cup and to keep it in. In this case, the fruit delivery arrangement 5 preferably also has a device for separating the fruits, in order to individually dispense each fruit singly onto the receiving elements 13. This prevents that two or even three fruits rest on a receiving element. In this case, the pitting process would fail at least for the additional fruits riding thereon. The fruit feed arrangement 5 is shown schematically in FIG. 1 at the upstream end in front of the working segment 14.

[0048] Between the fruit delivery arrangement 5 and the working segment 14 first sensors 6 are provided, which can detect cups 3 double-occupied with fruits. The first sensors 6 can be optical, acoustic, magnetic and/or electrical sensors which, together with an associated electronic evaluation unit, analyze the measured values and locate faulty occupied receiving elements 13. These receiving elements 13 incorrectly occupied with fruits are then blown by a blower 7 into a sorting container 71.

[0049] Similarly, a monitoring of the pitting process takes place along the working segment 14 by means of second sensors 8, which may also again have an optical, acoustic, electrical and/or magnetic detection and transmit the detected signals to the evaluation unit. Downstream of the evaluation unit blower 8 is provided in the working segment 14, but before the output of the pitted fruits. The second blower 9 blow improperly pitted fruits into a sorting container 91.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0050] 1 circulating receiving element track [0051] 10 first conveyor [0052] 11 first roller/wheel [0053] 12 second roller/wheel [0054] 13 receiving element [0055] 14 working segment [0056] 2 circulating plunger track [0057] 20 second conveyor [0058] 21 third roller/wheel [0059] 22 fourth roller/wheel [0060] 23 plunger holder [0061] 24 curved element [0062] 3 cups [0063] 31 passage opening [0064] 32 receptacle [0065] 33 vertical slot [0066] 34 groove [0067] 35 bead [0068] 36 sleeve [0069] 37 base opening [0070] 38 edge elevation [0071] 4 plungers [0072] 41 shaft [0073] 42 shaft tip [0074] 43 contact element [0075] 5 fruit delivery arrangement [0076] 6 first sensor [0077] 7 first blower [0078] 71 sorting container [0079] 8 second sensor [0080] 9 second blower [0081] 91 sorting container [0082] F fruit