Apparatus for separating food articles from field debris

Claim 2

Apparatus for separating food articles having a first color from an admixture of said food articles with debris articles such as dirt clods and the like which have a second color different from said first color, said apparatus comprising singularizing means for forming said articles into a single file column, said singularizing means having a discharge end, transporting means in aligned receiving relation to the discharge end of said singularizing means, said transporting means operating to transport said articles at a speed in excess of said singularizing means so that said articles on said transporting means are in spaced apart relation thereon, photoelectric means disposed adjacent said transporting means for producing a signal in response to transportation of debris articles therepast, said photoelectric means including a photo cell, a lens system having an optical axis aligned with said photo cell and said transporting means, means on the same side of said transporting means as said photo cell for illuminating articles on said transporting means as the articles intersect the optical axis, said transporting means defining a slot in alignment with said optical axis so that said transporting means does not reflect light from said illuminating means along said optical axis, means defining a nonreflective surface in said optical axis on the side of said transporting means opposite said illuminating means, an opaque housing surrounding said photoelectric means and said transporting means adjacent thereto for shielding said photo cell from ambient light so that said photo cell responds only to light from said illuminating means reflected from articles on said transporting means, and means responsive to said signal for ejecting said debris articles on said transporting means upward from said transporting means.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said nonreflective surface defining means includes a background plate aligned with the optical axis and disposed on the side of said transporting means opposite said lens system, said background plate having a nonreflective surface and being inclined relative said optical axis to avoid reflection therefrom along the optical axis.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said ejecting means comprises an air tube oriented to produce an air blast directed in an upward forward direction, said housing extending adjacent said tube to form a substantially airtight chamber around said tube and said transporting means, there being an air outlet from said chamber remote from said tube and said photoelectric means for affording an airstream through said outlet, said airstream inducing an airflow past said photo cell.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said transporting means has an outlet end formed by at least one sheave for constraining said transporting means in an arcuate downward moving path so that food articles exit said transporting means along a trajectory path, the configuration of such trajectory path being dictated by the combined momentum of an article on said transporting means and the force of gravity acting on the article, and wherein said ejecting means includes deflecting means active on an article in said trajectory path to deflect debris articles upward and outward from said trajectory path.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said deflecting means comprises an air tube disposed below said trajectory path and oriented in an oblique position sloped downstream of said transporting means and means for supplying an air blast to said air tube to deflect debris articles upward of said trajectory path.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said deflecting means comprises an arm having an inner end pivotally mounted below said trajectory path, said arm having a distal end remote from said inner end and a length such that said arm is pivotable between a lower retracted position at which said distal end is below said trajectory path and upper extended position at which said distal end lies in the trajectory path to deflect articles therefrom, and means responsive to detection of a debris article by said photoelectric means for pivoting said arm to the extended position to deflect the debris article from said trajectory path.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said arm pivoting means comprises a pneumatic actuator having a rod reciprocable in response to application of compressed air to said actuator, means for attaching said rod to said arm intermediate the ends thereof, and means for supplying compressed air to said actuator in response to detection of a debris article by said photoelectric means.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said transporting means includes first and second V-belts supported in parallel relation and being spaced apart to define a slot having a width less than the diameter of said articles, said V-belts having first ends adjacent said discharge end and disposed in article receiving relation thereto, means for actuating said V-belts to transport articles from said first ends therealong in a direction away from said first ends, said photoelectric means being disposed in alignment with said slot, said V-belts having sloping article supporting surfaces which define a V-shaped article supporting trough therebetween, said transporting means including right and left inverted V-shaped members, means for supporting respective said members on respective sides of said transporting means in parallelism therewith, said inverted V-shaped members defining sloping surfaces above and laterally spaced from said article supporting surfaces on respective said V-belts for confining articles to said transporting means.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to claim 8 wherein each said inverted V-shaped member includes an integral skirt portion depending therefrom and defining a vertical surface, said vertical surface bearing against respective said V-belt in rubbing contact therewith for retaining said V-belt in proper operative condition in the path of said transporting means.

Claim 11

Apparatus for separating food articles having a first color from an admixture of said food articles with debris articles such as dirt clods and the like which have a second color different from said first color, said apparatus comprising means for conveying the admixture to a collection conveyer having a discharge end, a plurality of parallel singularizing conveyers disposed in receiving relation to said discharge end for forming a plurality of columns of articles, an equal plurality of transporting means in aligned receiving relation to respective said singularizing conveyers, said transporting means operating to transport said articles in a generally horizontal direction at a speed in excess of said singularizing conveyers so that said articles on said transporting means are in spaced apart relation thereon, said transporting means including first and second V-belts supported in spaced apart relation to define a slot therebetween, said V-belts having sloping article supporting surfaces which define a V-shaped article supporting trough therebetween, a plurality of uniformly spaced apart protrusions protruding from said sloping V-belt surfaces for engaging articles thereon and constraining said articles for single spaced apart movement on said transporting means, means for illuminating articles on said transporting means, photoelectric means responsive to light reflected by debris articles from said illuminating means, a lens system having an optical axis in alignment with said photoelectric means and said slot so that in absence of an article on said transport means no light is reflected from said illuminating means to said photo cell, an air tube downstream of said photo cell, said air tube being disposed below said transport means in alignment with said slot so as to produce an upward and forward directed air blast, means for supplying a compressed air pulse to said air tube in response to excitation of said photo cell by passage of a debris article, said air pulse supplying means being delayed to provide time for transport of a debris article from said optical axis to said air tube so that the debris article is ejected from said transporting means along a path, and means spaced from said transport means and in the path of ejected debris articles for conveying said debris articles away from said transport means.

Claim 12

Apparatus for separating food articles having a first color from an admixture of said food articles with debris articles such as dirt clods and the like which have a second color different from said first color, said apparatus comprising means for conveying the admixture to a collection conveyer having a discharge end, a plurality of parallel singularizing conveyers disposed in receiving relation to said discharge end for forming a plurality of columns of articles, an equal plurality of transporting means in aligned receiving relation to respective said singularizing conveyers, said transporting means operating to transport said articles in a generally horizontal direction at a speed in excess of said singularizing conveyers so that said articles on said transporting means are in spaced apart relation thereon, said transporting means including first and second V-belts supported in spaced apart relation to define a slot therebetween, said V-belts having sloping article supporting surfaces which define a V-shaped article supporting trough therebetween, a plurality of uniformly spaced apart protrusions protruding from said sloping V-belt surfaces for engaging articles thereon and constraining said articles for single spaced apart movement on said transporting means, means for illuminating articles on said transporting means, photoelectric means responsive to light reflected by debris articles from said illuminating means, a lens system having an optical axis in alignment with said photoelectric means and said slot so that in absence of an article on said transport means no light is reflected from said illuminating means to said photo cell, an air tube downstream of said photo cell, said air tube being disposed below said transport means in alignment with said slot so as to produce an upward and forward directed air blast, means for supplying a compressed air pulse to said air tube in response to excitation of said photo cell by passage of a debris article, said air pulse supplying means being delayed to provide time for transport of a debris article from said optical axis to said air tube so that the debris article is ejected from said transporting means along a path, and means spaced from said transport means and in the path of ejected debris articles for conveying said debris articles away from said transport means.

Claim 13

Apparatus for separating food articles having a first color from an admixture of said food articles with debris articles such as dirt clods and the like which have a second color different from said first color, said apparatus comprising singularizing means for forming said articles into a single file column, said singularizing means having a discharge end, transporting means in aligned receiving relation to the discharge end of said singularizing means, said transporting means operating to transport said articles at a speed in excess of said singularizing means so that said articles on said transporting means are in spaced apart relation thereon, photoelectric means for producing a signal in response to transportation of a debris article therepast on said transporting means, said photoelectric means including a photo cell, a lens system having an optical axis aligned with said photo cell and said transporting means, and means for illuminating articles on said transporting means as the articles intersect the optical axis, said transporting means defining a slot in alignment with said optical axis so that said transporting means does not reflect light from said illuminating means along said optical axis, a background plate aligned with the optical axis and disposed on the side of said transporting means opposite said lens system, said background plate having a non-reflective surface and being inclined relative said optical axis to avoid reflection therefrom along the optical axis, and means responsive to said signal for ejecting said debris articles from said transporting means.

Claim 14

Apparatus for separating food articles having a first color from an admixture of said food articles with debris articles such as dirt clods and the like which have a second color different from said first color, said apparatus comprising singularizing means for forming said articles into a single file column, said singularizing means having a discharge end, transporting means in aligned receiving relation to the discharge end of said singularizing means, said transporting means operating to transport said articles at a speed in excess of said singularizing means so that said articles on said transporting means are in spaced apart relation thereon, photoelectric means for producing a signal in response to transportation of a debris article therepast on said transporting means, said photoelectric means including a photo cell, a lens system having an optical axis aligned with said photo cell and said transporting means, and means for illuminating articles on said transporting means as the articles intersect the optical axis, said transporting means defining a slot in alignment with said optical axis so that said transporting means does not reflect light from said illuminating means along said optical axis, a background plate aligned with the optical axis and disposed on the side of said transporting means opposite said lens system, said background plate having a non-reflective surface and being inclined relative said optical axis to avoid reflection therefrom along the optical axis, and means responsive to said signal for ejecting said debris articles from said transporting means.

Claim 15

Apparatus according to claim 11 including an opaque housing surrounding said photoelectric means for shielding said photo cell from ambient light so that said photo cell responds only to light from said illuminating means, said ejecting means being disposed within said opaque housing and comprising an air tube oriented to produce an air blast directed in an upward forward direction, said housing extending adjacent said tube to form a substantially airtight chamber around said tube and said transporting means, there being an air outlet from said chamber remote from said tube and said photoelectric means for affording an airstream through said outlet, said airstream inducing an air flow past said photo cell.

Claim 16

Apparatus for separating food articles having a first color from an admixture of said food articles with debris articles such as dirt clods and the like which have a second color different from said first color, said apparatus comprising singularizing means for forming said articles into a single file column, said singularizing means having a discharge end, transporting means in aligned receiving relation to the discharge end of said singularizing means, said transporting means operating to transport said articles at a speed in excess of said singularizing means so that said articles on said transporting means are in single file spaced apart relation thereon, said transporting means defining a slot therealong, photoelectric means disposed adjacent said transporting means and said slot for producing a signal in response to transportation of debris articles therepast, a tube supported below said transporting means in alignment with said slot, means for controllably supplying a compressed air pulse to said tube to generate an air blast on a debris article on said transporting means, said tube being oriented obliquely of vertical in the direction of forward movement of said transporting means so that said air blast causes a debris article to traverse a path upward and forward of said transporting means, an air impervious housing overlying said tube and said photoelectric means and having an outlet in alignment with said tube for affording passage of debris articles along said path, said housing having an inlet adjacent said photoelectric means so that in response to an air blast from said tube air flow through said inlet past said photoelectric means is induced, said transporting means terminating immediately downstream of said tube at an outlet so as to permit food articles to fall via gravity from said transporting means, a food article discharger conveyor downstream of and below said outlet for conveying food articles away from said transporting means, means responsive to said signal for actuating said compressed air pulse supplying means, and debris conveyor means in said path for receiving said debris articles ejected from said transporting means, said debris conveyor means being spaced from said outlet of said transporting means and above said food article discharge conveyor to afford uninhibited passage of said food articles on said transporting means.

Claim 17

Apparatus for separating food articles having a first color from an admixture of said food articles with debris articles such as dirt clods and the like which have a second color different from said first color, said apparatus comprising singularizing means for forming said articles into a single file column, said singularizing means having a discharge end, transporting means in aligned receiving relation to the discharge end of said singularizing means, said transporting means operating to transport said articles at a speed in excess of said singularizing means so that said articles on said transporting means are in single file spaced apart relation thereon, said transporting means defining a slot therealong, photoelectric means disposed adjacent said transporting means and said slot for producing a signal in response to transportation of debris articles therepast, a tube supported below said transporting means in alignment with said slot, means for controllably supplying a compressed air pulse to said tube to generate an air blast on a debris article on said transporting means, said tube being oriented obliquely of vertical in the direction of forward movement of said transporting means so that said air blast causes a debris article to traverse a path upward and forward of said transporting means, an air impervious housing overlying said tube and said photoelectric means and having an outlet in alignment with said tube for affording passage of debris articles along said path, said housing having an inlet adjacent said photoelectric means so that in response to an air blast from said tube air flow through said inlet past said photoelectric means is induced, said transporting means terminating immediately downstream of said tube at an outlet so as to permit food articles to fall via gravity from said transporting means, a food article discharger conveyor downstream of and below said outlet for conveying food articles away from said transporting means, means responsive to said signal for actuating said compressed air pulse supplying means, and debris conveyor means in said path for receiving said debris articles ejected from said transporting means, said debris conveyor means being spaced from said outlet of said transporting means and above said food article discharge conveyor to afford uninhibited passage of said food articles on said transporting means.