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EP-4565380-B1 - ASSEMBLY FOR THE CONVEYANCE AND UNLOADING OF FRUIT AND VEGETABLE PRODUCTS

EP4565380B1EP 4565380 B1EP4565380 B1EP 4565380B1EP-4565380-B1

Inventors

  • BENEDETTI, LUCA

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20230707

Claims (10)

  1. An assembly for the conveyance and unloading of fruit and vegetable products, which comprises: - means for cyclic movement along a predefined advancement trajectory (B) of at least one series of axially symmetrical supporting elements (2) for fruit and vegetable products (A), which are arranged aligned along said trajectory (B) with the longitudinal axis of symmetry (C) transverse to said trajectory (B), at least some pairs of said consecutive elements (2) being configured to define respective seats (3) for corresponding products (A), which can be arranged substantially above respective interspaces (4) between said corresponding consecutive elements (2), resting along the lateral surfaces thereof, - at least one station (5) for unloading the products (A) in transit, which comprises at least one primary dispenser (6) of fluid under pressure, equipped with at least one first nozzle (7), characterized in that said at least one first nozzle (7) is arranged at a vertical elevation that is lower than the vertical elevation of a predefined unloading point (E) of said trajectory (B) and is configured to point a first jet (D) of the fluid substantially toward said unloading point (E).
  2. The assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that said at least one first nozzle (7) is configured to point said first jet (D) in a substantially vertical direction, upward.
  3. The assembly according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said primary dispenser (6) comprises a plurality of said first nozzles (7), preferably arranged aligned along an ideal straight line that is horizontal and lies on a plane that is perpendicular to said trajectory (B).
  4. The assembly according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said unloading station (5) comprises at least one secondary dispenser (8) of fluid under pressure, which is arranged substantially to the side of said trajectory (B) and is equipped with at least one second nozzle (9) which is configured to point a second jet (F) of the fluid substantially toward an auxiliary point (G), arranged along the path of said seats (3), imposed by said means (2), above said unloading point (E) or above the contiguous portion of said trajectory (B), downstream of said unloading point (E).
  5. The assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that said at least one second nozzle (9) is configured to point said second jet (F) in a substantially horizontal direction.
  6. The assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that said secondary dispenser (8) comprises a plurality of said second nozzles (9), arranged aligned along an ideal vertical straight line.
  7. The assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that said secondary dispenser (8) is configured to generate said respective at least one second jet (F) at the same instant or at an instant that follows the generation of said at least one first jet (D), performed by said respective primary dispenser (6).
  8. The assembly according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an electronic unit for the control and management at least of said primary dispenser (6), which is equipped with instructions for the selective activation of the dispensing of said first jet (D) as a function of information relating to the actual presence of a product (A) in said interspace (4) in transit at said unloading point (E).
  9. The assembly according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises an interface for the control of at least said primary dispenser (6), which is configured to adjust the duration of the dispensing of said first jet (D) and/or of the flow rate value of said first jet (D).
  10. The assembly according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that said unloading station (5) comprises a deflector screen (11), which is arranged proximate to said unloading point (E) and is configured to convey toward a predefined destination the products (A) intercepted and propelled at least by said first jet (D).

Description

The present invention relates to an assembly for the conveyance and unloading of fruit and vegetable products. In the sector of packaging and the distribution of fruit and of fruit and vegetable products in general, the use is known of at least partially automated plants or lines, which are fed with indiscriminate masses of a specific type of product and are designed (for example) to carry out activities of cleaning, washing, checking, sizing, selection and/or packaging. In particular, such plants are capable of acquiring information relating to one or more parameters of interest, such as for example color, shape, dimensions, sugar content, ripeness, possible rot, or weight, in order to enable a plurality of selective unloading devices to transfer each product to the most appropriate collection station, as a function of the information collected previously, and accumulate homogeneous masses of products downstream. At least at the unloading devices, the movement of the products is often left to a succession of rollers or other axially symmetrical elements, which are arranged with their longitudinal axis of symmetry perpendicular to the advancement direction, which is imposed by a chain or by a belt which in turn is driven by a motor. In this context, each product advances while it is located above the interspace between two consecutive rollers, resting on the mutually facing lateral surfaces of these rollers. To the side of the ideal advancement trajectory imposed on the products, unloading devices are positioned (one for every different collection station), which in such context are equipped with dispensers of compressed air that produce a jet pointed horizontally and perpendicular to the path of advancement, at a vertical elevation slightly above the top of the rollers, so as to be able to intercept the products arranged as explained above and cause them to fall to the side, into the respective collection stations. This is a very common implementation solution, adopted for various types of fruits and other fruit and vegetable products of small and medium dimensions, which however is not devoid of drawbacks. It should be noted in fact that among the products that can be conveyed and ejected in the manner just described there are also walnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts and other nuts, which pose peculiar problems for the companies that make these assemblies. In fact, the rollers and the interspaces are designed and dimensioned as a function of the average bulk of the whole nut. Not infrequently however, and for various reasons, the rollers receive fragments of nut, of dimensions and shape that can differ appreciably from those for which the system is designed: this causes a problem of considerable interest, and one that is not easy to solve, for the companies that make these assemblies. In fact, owing to the smaller dimensions, the fragments can slip between the rollers and become stuck in the interspace, trapped between the lateral surfaces of the rollers, at a lower vertical elevation than that at which whole products normally advance (and toward which the jets of air responsible for the expulsion are pointed). Therefore, it is impossible to make the fragments fall correctly into a dedicated collection station, as would be desired, not only because these fragments too have an economic value for the market, but also because, by continuing downstream in an uncontrolled manner, they can compromise the operation of the plant, by clogging up the interspaces or even damaging delicate components. More simply, uncontrolled fragments that move along the line can generate debris and dust that make it impossible to maintain the high standards of cleanliness and hygiene that these plants need to meet. Similar problems to those posed by fragments can also be generated by whole products (be they nuts or other types of product), when the masses with which the plant is fed have a high degree of heterogeneity in terms of dimensions and shapes, such that the chosen dimensioning for the rollers and the interspace are found to be inadequate to correctly handle the products that are furthest from the average values. More simply, products that are oblong in shape (with perceptible differences between at least one dimension and the others) can also pose the same problems if, as often happens, the orientation with which they are delivered to the rollers cannot be predicted in advance. Document FR3119105 A1 discloses a method for adjusting at least one parameter of a line for sorting objects such as fruit or vegetables, and associated sorting system according to the state of the art. The aim of the present invention is to solve the abovementioned problems, by providing an assembly for the conveyance and unloading of fruit and vegetable products that is capable of effectively handling simple fragments, oblong products and/or products that have greatly heterogeneous shapes and dimensions. Within this aim, an object of the invention is to p