Sunkist Growers Inc.

William J Kirk

Henry A Affeldt

Tim D Conway

David Lerew

Keith Gilbert

Maurice V Johnson, Jr

Jaxon W Potter

Bruce C Adams

A high speed, high volume fruit sectionizer is comprised of a pair of suction cup conveyors onto which fruit is loaded. The fruit is coupled by means of suction attachment to a first conveyor and carried to a position wherein the opposing side of the fruit is suction coupled to the second conveyor. The fruit is drawn through a halving guillotine and coring blade. The fruit halves are then positioned on scooping and sectioning assemblies. A rotating semicircular hoop blade cuts the fruit meat away from the peel while leaving the fruit meat and peel in place. The separated peel and fruit meat are moved across the scooping and sectioning assembly through a blade assembly which sections the fruit meat. The meat sectioning blade has a first portion which cuts through the peel and fruit meat to establish a first radial extent of the section cut. A following portion of the same blade is provided with a dull edge which completes the section cut of the fruit meat, but is not sharp enough to cut the peel or to cut any portion of the conveyor. The conveyor retains uninterrupted suction attachment with the partially sliced fruit peel and is undamaged by the suctioning blade(s). The fruit meat sections then fall away from the peel, which latter is moved by the conveyor to a disposal position.

Specification

Fruit or other objects placed on the conveyor and spun by the conveyor are properly oriented on the conveyor by the method and apparatus of the invention by ejecting one or more adjacent touching objects or ejecting objects which form stacked triplets. An optical sensor determines when there is or is not a gap between objects and relates that gap detection to the position of the objects on the conveyor. Detection of a continuous signal through a controller circuit causes a downstream solenoid to be energized according to predetermined timing. The solenoid in turn, when energized, rotates a finger which is coupled to, carried with the conveyor system and situated underneath the pocket between adjacent spools. The finger rotates upwardly and ejects the objects sitting in the pocket, thereby removing the misplaced or touching objects on the conveyor belt.

Optoelectronic object spacing apparatus and method for operating the same

Fruit or other objects placed on the conveyor and spun by the conveyor are properly oriented on the conveyor by the method and apparatus of the invention by ejecting one or more adjacent touching objects or ejecting objects which form stacked triplets. An optical sensor determines wherein there is or is not a gap between objects and relates that gap detection to the position of the objects on the conveyor. Detection of a continuous signal through a controller circuit causes a downstream solenoid to be energized according to predetermined timing. The solenoid in turn, when energized, rotates a finger which is coupled to, carried with the conveyor system and situated underneath the pocket between adjacent spools. The finger rotates upwardly and ejects the objects sitting in the pocket, thereby removing the misplaced or touching objects on the conveyor belt.

Apparatus and method for coring and sectionizing fruit

Optoelectronic object spacing method

Described is an apparatus and method, particularly applicable to a brush bed conveyor system, by which objects, typically citrus fruit, are washed or sprayed. A moveable high pressure spray manifold is contained within a manifold carriage and is disposed within the conveyor chassis such that it is moved along above a brush bed by a conveyor chain. Separation bars extend from the conveyor chain to segregate the objects into queues retained within the spray pattern of the manifold. When the manifold reaches a predetermined end position, a release latch is decoupled from the separation bars to disconnect the separation bars and conveyor chain from the manifold carriage. The predetermined end position is sensed and the manifold carriage is quickly returned to its initial position by means of a selectively activated pneumatic piston assembly.

Apparatus for spray washing fruit in a brush bed

Described is a method, particularly applicable to a brush bed conveyor system, by which objects, typically citrus fruit, are washed or sprayed. A moveable high pressure spray manifold is contained within a manifold carriage and is disposed within the conveyor chassis such that it is moved along above a brush bed by a conveyor chain. Separation bars extend from the conveyor chain to segregate the objects into queues retained within the spray pattern of the manifold. When the manifold reaches a predetermined end position, a release latch is decoupled from the separation bars to disconnect the separation bars and conveyor chain from the manifold carriage. The predetermined end position is sensed and the manifold carriage is quickly returned to its initial position by means of a selectively activated pneumatic piston assembly.

Method for spray washing fruit in a brush bed

An apparatus peels fruit, in particular citrus fruit, by washing and sterilizing the fruit in a sterilizing bath. The washed and sterilized fruit is delivered to a perforator which makes a plurality of perforations through the outer surface of the peel of the fruit over its entire surface. The perforated fruit is then delivered to a conveyor which loads and orients the fruit so that it is spinning on the stem axis with the equator of the spinning fruit exposed to a plurality of slitting knives. The knives slit an equatorial cut through the outer surface of the peel. The slit and perforated fruit is then delivered to a carousel of canisters. Each canister is filled with fruit and an aqueous solution of a commercial pectinase. The solution is vacuum infused into the fruit so that the albedo attaching the peel to the fruit substantially disintegrates over a predetermined time period. The pectinase solution is drained from the canister, and the treated fruit with a loosened peel is delivered to a peel removal section of the apparatus. The peels are removed in two hemispheres leaving the fruit meat intact. The intact fruit meat is then brushed to remove any remaining albedo or strings. The brushed meat is then delivered to a hydrocooler which cools the meats to nearly 0 degrees C. The cooled meats are then packaged in trays, labelled, sealed and packed in shipping cartons.

Apparatus for peeling fresh fruit

Method for peeling fresh fruit

An apparatus peels fruit, in particular citrus fruit, by washing and sterilizing the fruit in a sterilizing bath. The washed and sterilized fruit is delivered to a perforator which makes a plurality of perforations through the outer surface of the peel of the fruit over its entire surface. The perforated fruit is then delivered to a conveyor which loads and orients the fruit so that it is spinning on the stem axis with the equator of the spinning fruit exposed to a plurality of slitting knives. The knives slit an equatorial cut through the outer surface of the peel. The slit and perforated fruit is then delivered to a carousel of canisters. Each canister is filled with fruit and an aqueous solution of a commerical pectinase. The solution is vacuum infused into the fruit so that the albedo attaching the peel to the fruit substantially disintegrates over a predetermined time period. The pectinase solution is drained from the canister, and the treated fruit with a lossened peel is delivered to a peel removal section of the apparatus. The peels are removed in two hemispheres leaving the fruit meat intact. The intact fruit meat is then brushed to remove any remaining albedo or strings. The brushed meat is then delivered to a hydrocooler which cools the meats to nearly 0 degrees C. The cooled meats are then packaged in trays, labelled, sealed and packed in shipping cartons.

An improved process for preparing individual fruit sections from fresh citrus fruit, with improved ease of peeling and sectioning and with reduced amounts of adhering albedo. The fresh citrus fruit are initially scored so as to penetrate the albedo layer, but not the underlying juice sections, and the scored fruit is then immersed in an aqueous solution of a pectinase enzyme. A series of positive pressure pulses is applied to the immersed fruit, to infuse the enzyme solution into the albedo and, after storing the infusion-treated fruit for a prescribed time period, the peel and other membrane material can be readily removed from the fruit and the individual fruit segments readily separated from each other. Infusing the pectinase enzyme solution under pressure, rather than vacuum, and maintaining the solution at approximately room temperature, rather than an elevated temperature, significantly improves the ease of peeling and sectioning and reduces the amount of adhering albedo.

Growing community of inventors

Alta Loma, CA, United States of America

William J Kirk