Abstract: This invention refers to an automatic machine for strawberry processing to de-calyx and remove the leaves and cut in pieces; it is used in the agro-alimentary industry, in processing industry and in canning industry; and it could be suitable also for processing of other products similar to strawberry. The machine is composed of a conveyor belt (1) at closed loop design, where one or more operators feed manually in vertical with the leaves and the calyx up in the holes (5) of each fruit-holder element (3) of the conveyor belt which moves continuously to bring the fruits, so placed, to the processing station composed of a frame where a header plate (14) reciprocates in horizontal and vertical, controlled and adjusted by sensors which lead the three processing operations done by the machine: strawberries alignment, de-calyxing and fruit ejection.

Abstract: An egg cooking system includes two woks and each of the woks receives oil from an oil supply member. A support member is driven by a driving unit to allow one egg to be put in the at least one standby portion and the egg is pressed by the pressing member. A cracking member cracks the egg and the pressing unit moves toward the direction that the egg is located so that a claw is opened, and the egg flows into one of the woks. The egg is cooked for a pre-set time, and is dropped into the other wok to be cooked. The cooked egg is then dropped to a plate. The pressing unit presses the egg shell of the egg to further open the claw, and the egg shell drops into a garbage can.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for assembling absorbent articles, and more particularly, methods and apparatuses for severing elastic in an advancing elastic laminate. A continuous elastic laminate may be formed by bonding elastic strands between a first continuous substrate layer and a second continuous substrate layer. As discussed in more detail below, the continuous elastic laminate may advance through a cutting apparatus that intermittently deactivates or severs the elastic strands of the elastic laminate along the machine direction.

Abstract: A way of dealing with challenges to the pepper processing industry and pepper growers is to mechanize pepper processing, including the de-stemming of whole peppers. The present example provides a method for mechanically de-stemming whole peppers. The method provides for the recognition of a pepper's shoulder and or interior regions and stem in order to generate a control signal to initiate a process to de-stem the pepper. In particular, several implementations of the method are provided that may include a mechanical system, a laser system, a machine vision system, a combination of a machine vision system and the laser system, and other equivalent implementations. Additionally disclosed, are methods of processing whole peppers utilizing automated de-stemming.

Abstract: In an aspect, a process for removing a tail end of Brussels sprouts comprises separating a Brussels sprout from a stack and transferring it to a longitudinal transport track. On the track, the Brussels sprout is manipulated to position a longest dimension of the Brussels sprout perpendicular to a direction of travel of the transport track. Near an end of the track, a position and an orientation of each Brussels sprout is defined by photographic detection. Each Brussels sprout is removed from the transport track by a gripper. A position and an orientation of the gripper are defined using the detected position and orientation of the Brussels sprout to be removed. The gripper is re-oriented and moved along a knife to remove the tail end of the Brussels sprout. The Brussels sprout is removed from the gripper and collected.

Abstract: An apparatus for removing a surface layer from food products includes a product feed which feeds a product to be processed along a product conveying direction to a removal tool. The product is pressed with a component perpendicular to the product conveying direction toward an operative surface of the removal tool. The relative position between the product feed and the removal tool is adjustable by means of an adjustment apparatus, with a control unit associated with the adjustment apparatus designed to adjust the position of the removal tool relative to the product feed in dependence on the contour of the product.

Abstract: An apparatus for preparing fruit includes a main housing with a cutting area containing a cutting assembly and a drive assembly, a removable cup assembly for inserting the fruit into the apparatus, and a removable drawer and tray for removing cut pieces of fruit from the apparatus after a cutting operation. The apparatus includes a rinsing assembly for cleaning the fruit and the cutting assembly, and a deflector configured to route cut pieces of fruit into the tray and waste material through a disposal outlet. The cutting assembly is configured to perform one or more cutting operations depending on the type of fruit detected in the cup assembly: wedging for apples, lemons, limes, and pears, and cutting/peeling for oranges and grapefruits. The apparatus quickly prepares various fruits for consumption without requiring an operator to touch the cut pieces of fruit.

Abstract: A food slicing machine is provided which is particularly suitable for slicing food products such as bacon, cheese or cooked meats. The machine has a slicing blade (1), and advancing apparatus (5, 6) operable to engage one end (13) of a food product (4) to be sliced and, on an advancing stroke, push the food product towards the slicing blade for slicing of the other end of the product. The machine includes a sensor (1) operative to produce a sensing signal representative of the position of said one end (13) of the product prior to engagement thereof by the advancing apparatus, and control circuitry for controlling the extent of a return stroke by the advancing apparatus in dependence upon the sensing signal.

Abstract: The invention relates to a fruit feeding device, or fruit conveyor, for fruits like melons and pine-apples, which is used to supply peeling machines, coring machines, and peeling-coring machines with such fruits; the feeding device allows to work safely since it prevents the operator's hands from coming near the moving members, though the fruits are manually loaded on the fruit conveyor. In particular, it is suitable in those cases where the fruits have to be manually loaded because their automatic orientation is difficult and expensive to perform.

Abstract: The present invention relates to an improvement effected in the peeling and coring machines used for peeling and coring melons and pineapples, the improvements being that the machine: is able to indifferently peel one or the other type of fruit, after a simple replacement of a kit of sharp blades; is able to remove the peel (skin) of the fruit, by acting on the inside of the fruit; is able to separate the pips and the central part of melons which contains these pips, and to remove the fibrous inner stem of the pineapple.

Abstract: Sheeting head apparatus for rolling and flattening a quantity of dough, includes a sheeting head, an infeed conveyor, and an outfeed conveyor. The sheeting head defines a dough path therethrough and includes a plurality of opposed roller pairs, a first roller of each pair being positioned on a first side of the dough path and a second roller of each pair being positioned on a second side of the dough path. The first roller of each roller pair is mounted for rotation and for independent movement toward and away from the dough path. The second roller of each roller pair is mounted for rotation adjacent the dough path. The infeed conveyor conveys a quantity of dough to the sheeting head, and the outfeed conveyor for conveying a quantity of rolled and flattened dough from the sheeting head. A sensor, adjacent the infeed conveyor, senses an unduly thick or double quantity of dough being conveyed by the infeed conveyor to the sheeting head.

Abstract: A food slicing machine is provided which is particularly suitable for slicing food products such as bacon, cheese or cooked meats. The machine has a slicing blade (1), and advancing apparatus (5, 6) operable to engage one end (13) of a food product (4) to be sliced and, on an advancing stroke, push the food product towards the slicing blade for slicing of the other end of the product. The machine includes a sensor (1) operative to produce a sensing signal representative of the position of said one end (13) of the product prior to engagement thereof by the advancing apparatus, and control circuitry for controlling the extent of a return stroke by the advancing apparatus in dependence upon the sensing signal.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device suited to peel pulpy fruits, like citrus fruits, mango, kiwi, papaya, apples, pears, and particularly oranges and other fruits whose skin has not a uniform thickness. The peeling of fruits whose skin has an uneven thickness is made possible by the fact that the inventive device is equipped with a mechanism capable of varying continuously—according to a program—the amount of projection of the peeling tool relative to the feeler device, in the peeling step. The device is applicable to any kind of peeling machine, or to a machine that foresees a peeling step.

Abstract: The invention relates to a machine used for the industrial peeling of citrus fruits and specifically oranges. The only manual operation to be performed corresponds to the loading, since the orange must be oriented. The machine has a high productivity, and does not lead to production reject, since even the peel is recoverable. The machine can be realized in a form that includes a single production line, or in one which includes several simultaneously operating production lines.

Abstract: Automatic pear processing machine, performing the operations of singularizing the pears, picking them up from a container (2), peeling and coring them, and separating the edible parts, wherein the improvement consists, besides other things, in providing elements (14, 25, 26, 27, 20) allowing to immediately reject pears of irregular form, which would necessarily lead to waste material, and moreover, in providing holes (46, 53) of very small diameters, on the blades (44, 45) used for cutting the pears into segments. The holes (46, 43) of very small diameter, or “microholes”, allow to inject a fluid, so as to ensure the detachment of the core from both halves of the pears, and the detachment of these parts from the blades (44, 45).

Abstract: A method of controlling the removal of peelings from a potato product in a peeling machine having abrasive rollers, a rotatable discharge gate, and a discharge conveyor includes providing a shadow-free lighting structure over the conveyor, taking photographs of product on the conveyor flowing under said lighting structure, determining the number of dark pixels in each photograph and passing that number to a processor, placing a defined value for the preferred number of dark pixels in the processor, comparing the determined number of dark pixels with the predetermined value of dark pixels, and adjusting the operation of the machine to increase or decrease the amount of peelings being removed to bring the number of dark pixels subsequently determined closely to the predetermined value of dark pixels. A product peeling machine has a high speed camera over the conveyor. A high speed camera is mounted over the conveyor to take photographs of groups of product moving with the conveyor.

Abstract: A peeling machine for stalk-like vegetables, comprising a plurality of knife stations that are successively arranged in the direction of travel of the vegetables on a machine frame, is described. A plurality of pairs of feed rollers are each supported between successive knife stations, each of the feed rollers being supported by a drive shaft rotating on a pivot arm, which is in turn supported by the machine frame to pivot about a stationary shaft on the machine frame. Each pair of feed rollers is coupled to a driving apparatus that includes a motor. The stationary shaft supports a first drive wheel of the driving apparatus, the first drive wheel being in driving communication with a second drive wheel, which is secured to the drive shaft of the feed roller.

Abstract: A device for automatically processing mushrooms of given caliber Cal, the device including conveyor means (10, 20, 30) designed to bring said mushrooms to at least one processing station (100.sub.i) including detection means (110.sub.i) suitable for determining a parameter relating to each mushroom, a processing member (120.sub.i) for processing the mushrooms individually over a given processing distance C.sub.i, and control means (130.sub.i) suitable for bringing the processing member (120.sub.i) into operation after a response time Tr.sub.i and as a function of the parameter determined by said detection means (110.sub.i). According to the invention, said conveyor means include a "receiver" first set of belts (10) designed to receive the mushrooms at a given mean rate D not greater than min[1/Tr.sub.i ] and driven at a speed V.sub.0 not less than Cal.times.D, an "accumulator" second set of belts (20) driven at a speed V.sub.1 selected to be substantially equal to Cal.times.

Abstract: An apparatus for routering sprouts from tubers comprises a plurality of sprout routering units, each scanning the surface of a tuber and removing sprouts therefrom if any, and a rotary table on which these sprout routering units are mounted and which rotates them horizontally about a support column. Each sprout routering unit comprises a mechanism which holds a tuber between the ends of upper and lower rods, rotates the tuber at a constant speed and moves the tuber along the common axis of the rods, a sprout detecting part provided with a camera which detects tuber sprouts by color differentials, and a sprout routering part which routs detected sprouts to their roots with a drill. A plurality of these sprout routering units are mounted at equal intervals in the direction of rotation on a rotary table rotatably mounted on a support column projecting upward from a base, and rotate together with the rotary table.

Abstract: An apparatus for the cutting out of vegetable heads, in particular cauliflower, fruits or parts thereof which have on their underside a central part (stipe), which is to be cut out from the surrounding part along a hemispherical or ogival face. The diameter of the cauliflower is established and the value determined is used for setting and controlling the cutter which is guided on a circular path, for adapting the diameter of the cutter circular path and the penetration depth of the cutter. In addition, the height of the cauliflower to be worked is also sensed, and the values for diameter and height are converted into electric signals and then processed to form setting signals. These setting signals are used for electromechanical control of the cutting operation in such a manner that the adjustment of the diameter of the cutter circular path is carried out independently of the adjustment of the cutter penetration depth.

Abstract: The machine possesses a bed (101) on which is provided a central shaft or turret (105), having an intermittent rotary motion, on the periphery of which are provided six operating positions, two feed operating positions A, diametrally opposite, with which are associated respective hoppers (113) equipped with means for individual entrainment for the fruit (107), means being provided at each of these feed operating positions for the translatory movement of the fruit towards a clamp associated with the centra rotary shaft (105), which clamp entrains the fruit to a second operating position B, where the fruit is peeled by means of two sets of knives (156), each set of knives being actuated by an electric motor (164), and the fruit then passing into a third and final operating position C, within each group, at which the operation of cutting the residual polar caps resulting from the prior cutting operation is completed, specifically with the participation of two large horizontal discoidal knives (175) capable of pi

Abstract: In a cutting apparatus for a root and a stem of an onion, a plurality of first swing links composed of a plurality of parallel link rods and a plurality of second swing links composed of a plurality of parallel link rods are mounted to a machine frame for vertically angular movement. A first and second supports are mounted respectively to one ends of the respective first swing links and to one ends of the respective second swing links for angular movement. A first and a second cutting edges are provided respectively on the first and second supports in facing relation to each other for angular movement, with cutting planes of the respective first and second cutting edges maintained horizontal. A first and a second guides are arranged respectively at the first and second supports so as to project respectively from front parts of the respective first and second supports. Biasing means is arranged at the second swing links for moving the first and second cutting edges toward each other.

Abstract: This invention relates to a method and apparatus of peeling citrus fruit. Citrus fruits are peeled by utilizing a series of cups for holding the fruit such that the core axis of the fruit lies horizontal at right angle to the path of travel. A conveyor is used for advancing the cups in a series of stop/start motions along the path of travel while the fruit is being held in the cups by means of a series of metallic fingers applying downward pressure on the fruit. The blossom and stem of the fruit are sliced to establish parallel planes on the fruit such that the fruit can be guided along parallel plates to prevent movement of the core axis of the fruit. A pair of photo-electric cells will estimate the diameter of the fruit and the information stored for further processing. The fruits are then pierced by means of forks or tines which will rotate them at a constant speed and be carried below a set of rotating cutters.

Abstract: A first and a second leading member are disposed in opposite relation with one another and are supported for movement in a direction axially of a cutting apparatus. A first and a second cutter are supported for movement integral with the respective leading members and are disposed in opposite relation with one another and at locations downstreams of the leading members in a direction transversely of the apparatus and closer to the bulb to be cut than the leading member in the direction axially of the apparatus. The leading members move toward one another and the respective cutters are rotatably driven by motors. The leading members are adapted to abut against the bulb, to be displaced away from one another by the bulb so as to cause the cutters to assume their desired positions for a cutting operation.

Abstract: A method for inserting tops for closing pitted fruit includes the steps of placing a piece of food on a conveyor belt, sliding the piece of food under a viewer, detecting the size and the position of the piece of food, supplying information on the position of the piece of food from the viewer through an electronic circuit to a die-cutting head, die-cutting the piece of food to obtain a segment thereof, cutting the segment into strips, transferring the strips to another conveyor belt, aligning the strips longitudinally on this other conveyor belt, supplying the aligned strips to a drum provided with a plurality of chambers, cutting the strips into closing tops, pitting a fruit in a pitter machine, placing the closing tops into housings in a turning plate, synchronizing the turning of the housings in the turning plate with the turning of the pitter machine, and stuffing one of the closing tops into the mouth of the pitted fruit.

Abstract: Pepper coring and slicing apparatus including a conveyor having individual pepper holding devices for holding peppers with the stem portion upward, a processing station for coring and splitting the peppers, and a discharge station where the peppers are ejected from the pepper holders and dropped onto a conveyor for further processing. The conveyor includes a pair of adjacent plates for holding each pepper by means of a resilient rubber structure half of which is carried on each plate of the pair and between which the pepper is disposable with the bottom of the pepper seated in an opening between the two plates. When the conveyor moves the pepper into the processing station, a pair of side cutting blades and a corer descend from above to core the pepper and slice through the pepper sides while a second slicing knife rises from below through the hole between the conveyor plates and cuts the center of the pepper beneath the core. The core is stripped from the corer and remains with the pepper.

Abstract: The invention comprises an apparatus for automatically removing fat from a meat carcass. A sensing station includes a row of needle probes which can be inserted into the carcass and which produce an electric signal at a fat/lean interface. The position of this interface relative to a support is recorded for each probe in a memory unit, and the carcass is then passed to a cutting section where it is drawn over a knife blade. The height of the knife blade is adjustable by a servo-motor controlled from the memory unit, and as the carcass is pulled over the knife, information from the memory unit is progressively released to adjust the knife so that the cut through the carcass follows the previously-sensed fat line.

Abstract: An apparatus for automatically peeling fruit whereby a cutter blade is moved toward and away from the fruit as a function of the sensed impedance between the cutter blade and ground through the fruit so that substantially all of the peel is removed. In the preferred embodiment, a horizontal assembly presents a fruit to each of a plurality of fruit holders mounted on a vertical assembly so that each one of the presented fruit is impaled on a different spike of the vertical assembly. A plurality of cutter assemblies each mounting a cutter blade are moved toward and away from the fruit as it is rotated and moved upward to remove the peel. A control circuit includes a counter incremented by pulses from Hall Effect Switches which are energized by magnets mounted on the vertical and horizontal assemblies and controls movement of the assemblies to carry out a predetermined cycle.

Abstract: A multi-lane machine for removing the seed cell from previously cored apples by selectively cutting a cavity therein. Various size apples are accommodated and the size of the seed cell cavity is varied depending on the size of the apple. The apples are conveyed along a path while the core hole is oriented relative to the path. Taking advantage of the alignment of the core hole, the apples are transferred onto a spindle and moved therealong by a pair of centering jaws to a seed cell station. The medial plane of the apple is positioned over a seed celling knife on the spindle while the size of the apple is measured as it is moved into the seed celling station. The knife is crescent-shaped and pivotally housed in and rotated by the spindle. A knife control mechanism extends the rotating knife into the seed cell a distance determinate of the size of the apple and in timed sequence with the movement of the jaws. Subsequently, the apple is displaced along the spindle and through a die to cut the apple in segments.