Aligning device for a pitting and halving machine for peaches and the like
United States Patent 1191 Tomelleri 1 1 Apr. 29, 1975 [54] ALIGNING DEVICE FOR A PITTING AND HALVING MACHINE FOR PEACHES AND THE LIKE Giordano Tomelleri, Verona, Italy [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Apr. 26, 1972 Italy 84934/72 521 vs. c1 198/260; 198/258 51 1111.01. ..B65g 47/24 58 Field of Search... 198/33 AA, 33 R, 258, 259,  
 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,080,902 Wilkerson 198/33 AA Primary E.\&#39;an1inerEvon C. Blunk Assistant Examiner-Jeffrey V. Nase [57] ABSTRACT To align a peach to be pitted (dc-stoned) and halved, in a conveyor cup therefor, an aligning device is provided consisting of a pair of small plates projectable through the base of the cup; the plates being pivotally mounted on rotatable supports oscillated by an articulated frame. An eccentric oscillates the frame, and the vibrating contact of the plates with a peach in the cup causes the peach to locate itself accurately fore and aft in the cup. The peach may be acted upon twice, once in each of two different positions of the cup, which forms part of an endless conveyor chain which is advanced step by step past the aligning device.  
 4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures ALIGNING DEVICE&#39;FOR A PITTING AND HALVING MACHINE FOR PEACHES AND THE LIKE Applicant claims the filing date of its prior-filed Italian application, No. 84934A/72, filed on Apr. 26, I972.  
  The present invention concerns a device to be used in pitting (destoning) and halving machines for peaches and the like.  
  The object of the invention is to align the peach to be pitted and halved so that the indent and the vertical plane of the peach through the indent are in a plane parallel to the halving plane before said peach is brought to the halving device.  
  The front or fore and aft aligning device disposes the peach, after it has been vertically aligned, in the ideal position for being halved and, will be explained hereinafter, the said aligning device is able to correct the position of a peach not yet having reached perfect vertical alignment, i.e., that had not been previously located in such manner that the indent of the peach coincides with the vertical median axis of a cavity in which the pit is disposed.  
  According to the present invention there is provided an aligning device for peach pitting and halving machines and the like, comprising at least one pair of operating members each having an indent aligning plate and being driven to effect oscillating rotation about a vertical median axis by an amount less than a quarter of a full turn by means of pins fixed to the rods of an articulated frame, said rods being hingedly connected to two cross bars capable of oscillating about central bearings located on the frame of the machine, and driven by means of an eccentric rotating between the prongs of a fork on one of the said bars.  
  The device has the feature of effecting the fore and aft alignment ofthe peach, due to its very rapid but limited angular displacements; these displacements produce a vibration which is transmitted to the peach so that it easily settles into the deepest part of the cavity in the conveyor in which it is located, with its mid plane indent on the aligning plates.  
  The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings, in which:  
  FIG. 1 is a front sectional view of an articulated frame for actuating pairs of operating members of which the aligning device is formed:  
  FIG. 2 is atop view of FIG. 1 omitting the peach, the conveyor belt and the associated cavities for receiving the peach;  
  FIG. 3 is a section taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2 showing parts of the machine frame for supporting the articulated frame and the operating members, not shown in FIG. 2.  
  Equivalent parts have been given the same reference numerals in the figures. FIG. 1 shows a conveyor belt 4, partly in section, provided with an intermittent forward drive and having cups formed with apertured cavities 5 for receiving the peaches, in which they are placed stem end forward. During intervals between the advance of the conveyor belt, said belt is lowered so that the upper end part of members subsequently acting to accurately align the peach fore and aft, project slightly through the aperture formed in the bottom of the cup cavity 5, so as to come into contact with the peach. The peach 6, aligned vertically in the position shown in FIG. 1 is disposed with its mid plane 8 of its indent in a position not yet in perfect fore and aft alignment, whilst the indent of peach 7 is perfectly aligned with a plane 9 which is substantially coincident with the halving plane of the apparatus that follows.  
  During the next forward movement of the belt 4, the peach 7 is carried along to the pitting device (not shown in the figure) whilst the peach 6 is carried onto the terminal member of a pair of operating members for fore and aft alignment.  
  Each of the operating members is formed by a cylindrical base 10 terminating at the top in a fork ll, between the prongs of which is a thin plate 12 with a pivot 13, about which the said plate can effect vertical rotary displacement according to whether the peach presses more on one end than on the other of the plate.  
  Each base 10 has a shaft 15 projecting from its lower end which shaft can oscillate in bearings provided on the supporting members 14 which are connected to the frame of the machine. The said shaft 15 is attached to a stirrup l6 defining an opening in which is slidably located a pin 17. Said pin is carried by an oscillating articulated frame, and its engagement with the stirrup produces oscillations of the plate 12 between onefourth and one-eighth of a complete rotation of the base 10.  
  With reference to FIG. 2, it will be noted that the articulated frame is composed of two side rods 18, 19, each of which carries two pins 17. The side rods l8, 19 are hinged at one end, by means of pins 20 to the ends 21 ofa bar 21, the bar can turn about a bearing 22 and is supported by a part of the machine frame indicated by 23 in FIG. 3. At the other end the rods 18, 19 are hinged, by means of bearings 24, on the ends 25 of a cross bar 25&#39; which can effect oscillating displacements about a bearing 26 which is located on a part of the machine frame 23 in FIG. 3. The cross bar 25&#39; is provided with two prongs 27 between which there is an eccentric 28, rotated by a shaft 29 supported in a bearing 30 on the machine frame (see FIG. 3).  
  When the eccentric 28 is rotated by the shaft 29, it oscillates the prongs 27 of 25 from side to side, thus forcing the bars 25 and 21 connected together by the rods l8, 19, also to execute oscillating movements about the respective bearings 26 and 22. Consequently, the pins 17 of the rods 18, 19 oscillate their respective stirrups 16 in the two directions shown by the arrows 31, whereby the plates 12, in contact with the peach also effect an oscillatory movement about the axes of the bases 10 and compel the peach to rotate by their horizontal vibratory motion until said peaches are located with their indents associated with their said planes situated on the plates themselves.  
 As may be seen in FIG. 2, the plates 12, on the upstream side rod 19 at the left of the figure, execute oscillating movements through an angle the bisector of which is displaced by one-eighth of a complete revolution from that of the plates 12 on downstream side rod 18 at the right of FIG. 2. The bisecting line of the angle of displacement of the plates 12 on the right of FIG. 2 lies in a plane parallel to the halving plane of the peach. It will therefore be seen that, whilst the plates 12 on the left of FIG. 2 effect a front pre-alignment of the peach, the plates 12 on the right of FIG. 2 effect the final fore and aft alignment of the peach, bringing it to the required best position.  
  If the peaches coming into contact with the operating members were not previously aligned therewith, then during the oscillation of the plates 12 in a horizontal plane, the peaches are driven by the said plates into alignment with the plates by the vibratory movement, which is transmitted from the operating members to the peaches.  
 I claim: 1. An aligning device for a peach pitting and halving machine, said device being of the type comprising a conveyor having apertured peach receiving cups and apparatus for aligning peach indents through the cup apertures;  
 a support member, a stirrup projecting from said base, means slidably connecting said stirrup to its associated side rod. and a peach indent aligning member on the upper end of said base; said aligning members each oscillating to orient a peach carried in a conveyor cup in response to oscillation of said frame by said drive means.  
 2. The aligning device of claim 1, wherein said drive means oscillates said frame so as to oscillate said indent aligning members through an angle of about 45 to 3. The aligning device of claim 2, wherein the indent aligning member at the downstream side rod is oriented to provide final peach alignment and the aligning member at the upstream side rod is oriented at an angle of about 45 to the aligning member at the downstream side rod.  
 4. The aligning device of claim 1 wherein said peach indent aligning member comprises a relatively elongated plate mounted on said base for limited pivotal motion about a horizontal axis.