Fps Food Processing Systems, B.v.

Erik Van Wijngaarden

Wouter Van Den Berg

Michiel Braskamp

Tom Delfos

Hendrikus Jacobus Weterings

An apparatus is provided for sorting products such as fruits. The apparatus comprises an endless conveyor and conveying units for conveying products behind each other in a substantially horizontal plane. Each conveying unit is formed by at least two rolling elements with the axes perpendicular to the conveying direction, a connecting element by which each rolling element is rotatably and vertically movably connected with the conveyor, and a carrier element arranged between the rolling elements, wherein at an inspection position, each product is situated on two successive rolling elements, and in a weighing position, each product is situated on the carrier element. A discharge guide comprises a leaf spring which has a rest position during conveyance and weighing, and a deflection position present only upon transition to and from a discharge position.

Carrier for sorting apparatus

An apparatus for conveying objects such as fruits, comprises a first endless conveyor, with conveying elements such as diabolos connected thereto. A conveying position is defined between at least two conveying elements. A second endless conveyor, with product carriers connected thereto, comprises gripper hands, for transferring objects from between the conveying elements. The second conveyor is in the direct proximity of the first conveyor. The conveying elements comprise grooves in a direction perpendicular to the conveyor, and the gripper hand has fingers. A distance between the fingers corresponds to a distance between the grooves of the conveying elements such that upon transfer of the objects by the gripper hand, the fingers are positioned at least partly under the objects in groove ends of the grooves.

Apparatus for conveying objects

An apparatus is provided for singulating substantially round products. The apparatus includes an endless feed conveyor belt on which the products are supplied in a conveying direction T, and a singulator conveyor comprising two sections V, V, forming a V-channel. The sections are located in substantially two planes which, each section is at an angle to a horizontal plane, which intersect along an intersecting line parallel to the conveying direction T. At least one additional endless belt B, B, . . . , B(n&#x2212;1) is provided on one side of the two sections V, V. Each additional belt is to a side of the intersecting line and parallel to the one section, and is in substantially the same plane as the one section. The speed of the additional belt is greater than the speed of the one section V, Vbelt. Advantageously, the speed of belts situated further outwards is less, and the V-channels preferably have an angle curvature of 0&#xb0; at the upstream end to, minimally, 5&#xb0; at the downstream end.

Apparatus for singulating products

An apparatus for transferring products, such as fruit, onto, and supplying the same to, a conveyor, preferably a roller conveyor. The apparatus is provided with two flat endless conveyor belts positioned obliquely relative to a vertical plane, continuous in the conveying direction, functioning as a V-channel. The endless conveyor belts first extend substantially parallel to the conveyor in the conveying direction, wherein from a well-defined location, the endless conveyor belts bear off the conveyor and continue at different angles relative to the conveying direction, with the conveyor belts diverging mutually. The apparatus accommodates a stream of food products, such as fruit, with greatly varying sizes, to be transferred gradually and in the proper sequential order onto the conveyor, thereby considerably reducing injuries to the food product during transfer.

Feeding apparatus for products such as fruits

An apparatus is provided for singulating products, such as apples, which, floating along in water in a channel in the transport direction, are supplied and, after singulation in the water, are thereupon fed out of the water to a transport device, for instance a roller conveyor. The apparatus includes a submerging device for submerging products supplied in the channel, a singulating channel, of a width equal to the singulating width, intended for collecting the products released after submersion, in a continuous row, and a releasing device for releasing the products after the submersion and for thereupon feeding the products to the singulating channel. With such an apparatus, a high degree of filling for the following transport device, generally functioning as a first part of a sorting device, can be obtained.

Singulator

An apparatus for delivering substantially spherical products into a substantially rectangular container having an open top. The apparatus is provided with a delivery element arranged to be movable up and down relative to the container. The container is movable in a horizontal direction relative to the delivery element. The delivery element includes at least one endless conveyor which is provided with supporting elements which define a number of supporting surfaces extending in horizontal direction. An intermediate conveyor is arranged upstream of the delivery element. The intermediate conveyor is aligned with the delivery element and is arranged for row-by-row transfer of the products to the delivery element. A vibrating feeder is arranged upstream of the intermediate conveyor. The vibrating feeder has a discharge side aligned with an infeed side of the intermediate conveyor. The vibrating feeder also has an infeed side alignable with a discharge conveyor of another apparatus, such as, for instance, a fruit sorter.

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Hengelo, Netherlands

Erik Van Wijngaarden