Fruit-orienting system

Claim 2

Apparatus for finding the indents of fruits such as apples and peaches or the like preparatory to coring, said apparatus being of the type wherein the fruits are advanced in an open cup conveyor along a frame, and wherein rotating indent-finder wheels project up through apertures in the cups and advance therewith for tumbling the fruit until the indents are found; the improvement wherein said cups have concave bottoms that are at least as large as the largest fruit in the normal range of fruit sizes, said fruit being unconfined by retainer rings or the like disposed above the cups, and means for vertically vibrating said cups over a stroke of one-sixteenth inch to five thirty-seconds inch while the finder wheels are tumbling the fruit.

Claim 3

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein means are provided for causing the finder wheels to run in successively opposite directions for picking up fruits that have been tumbled to one side of their respective cups by previous wheels.

Claim 4

The apparatus of claim 2, comprising means for advancing all finder wheels with said conveyor over a distance somewhat less than the longitudinal spacing between cups, means for retracting the finder wheels and means for then reintroducing the wheels to a new set of cups just downstream of those in which the wheels were previously operating.

Claim 5

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said finder wheels are mounted on endless chains, and means for advancing said chains in synchronism with said cup conveyor over a distance represented by the spacing of a plurality of adjacent cups.

Claim 6

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said cups are vibrated at a frequency of between about 200 to 675 cycles per minute.

Claim 7

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said cups are given a stroke of about five thirty-seconds of an inch and are vibrated at a frequency of about 200 cycles per minute.

Claim 8

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said means for vertically vibrating the cups comprises platform means for supporting the sides of a reach of said cup conveyor, means for pivotally mounting a downstream portion of said platform means on the frame, and means for vertically oscillating an upstream portion of said platform means.

Claim 9

In an apple-coring machine or the like of the type comprising a longitudinal main frame, an endless open cup conveyor for the fruit, a reciprocating coring carriage on said main frame, and means for reciprocating said carriage in synchronism with said conveyor for coring oriented apples in the cups on said conveyor while the conveyor is moving; the improvement comprising a finder-wheel carriage mounted for both longitudinal and vertical reciprocation relative to said main frame and beneath said cup conveyor, means for reciprocating said finder-wheel carriage longitudinally and in synchronism with said coring carriage, rows of indent-finder wheels associated with said conveyor cups and rotatably mounted on said finder-wheel carriage, means for rotating said finder wheels as their carriage advances with said cup conveyor, means for lowering said finder-wheel carriage upon termination of the advance stroke of the carriage for withdrawing the wheels from their respective cups, and means for raising said finder-wheel carriage upon termination of the retract stroke of the carriage for inserting the finder wheels into conveyor cups downstream of those from which the finder wheels were withdrawn.

Claim 10

In an apple-coring machine or the like of the type comprising a longitudinal main frame, an endless open cup conveyor for the fruit, a reciprocating coring carriage on said main frame, and means for reciprocating said carriage in synchronism with said conveyor for coring oriented apples in the cups on said conveyor while the conveyor is moving; the improvement comprising a finder-wheel carriage mounted for both longitudinal and vertical reciprocation relative to said main frame and beneath said cup conveyor, means for reciprocating said finder-wheel carriage longitudinally and in synchronism with said coring carriage, rows of indent-finder wheels associated with said conveyor cups and rotatably mounted on said finder-wheel carriage, means for rotating said finder wheels as their carriage advances with said cup conveyor, means for lowering said finder-wheel carriage upon termination of the advance stroke of the carriage for withdrawing the wheels from their respective cups, and means for raising said finder-wheel carriage upon termination of the retract stroke of the carriage for inserting the finder wheels into conveyor cups downstream of those from which the finder wheels were withdrawn.

Claim 11

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said means for longitudinally reciprocating said finder-wheel carriage comprises link means connecting said finder wheel and coring carriages.

Claim 12

The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said means for vertically reciprocating said finder-wheel carriage comprises bellcrank means pivoted on said coring carriage, direction-changing link means connected between one end of said coring carriage bellcrank means and said findEr-wheel carriage for vertically reciprocating said carriage, and means for reciprocating the other end of said bellcrank means in synchronism with the reciprocation of said coring carriage.

Claim 13

The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said direction-changing link means for vertically reciprocating said finder-wheel carriage comprises paired lifter bellcranks having their intermediate pivots on said finder-wheel carriage, their pivots at one end slidably mounted on said main frame, and with their pivots at the other end being linked to said coring carriage bellcrank means.

Claim 14

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said means for rotating the finder wheels comprises sprockets for driving the wheels, a chain looped sinuously over adjacent sprockets for driving them in alternately reversed directions and means for driving said chain.

Claim 15

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said cup conveyor has driving side chains running along said main frame, platform means for supporting said side chains at said finder carriage, means for pivotally mounting a downstream portion of said platform means on said main frame, and means for vertically oscillating an upstream portion of said platform means.

Claim 16

The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said platform means is oscillated through a stroke of about one-sixteenth inch to five thirty-seconds inch at a frequency of about 200 to 675 cycles per minute.