Patent Application
20100307483
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to agricultural product processors, and more specifically to a cane juice extractor for in-field extraction of juice from sugar canes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Sugar is one of the most basic ingredients present in the kitchens of most homes. It imparts the sweet flavor that many enjoy from drinks, candy, and desserts to savory dishes. One of the most common types of sugars consumed by the general public is sucrose derived from sugar cane.
In general, sugar cane growers or farms utilize manual labor and/or machinery to harvest ripe sugar canes. The harvested sugar cane stalks are sent to a processing plant remote from the field where they are cut into billets. The billets are processed to extract the juices. Once the juice has been extracted, the juice is sent to refineries to obtain the final product.
One of the biggest concerns with the above is the potential loss of raw material for juice extraction, i.e., not the sugar cane itself but the contents therein. Sugar cane, once cut, must be expeditiously transported to the processing plant because the cut cane begins to lose its sugar content. This issue is exasperated by the damage inflicted on the cane during mechanical harvesting since it accelerates the decay.
One proposed solution involves a trailer that may be towed by a harvester. The trailer contains an overly complex array of systems that comminute the harvested cane and extract juices. While this system appears to perform well, the potential costs in maintenance and upkeep may not be appealing to most farmers with limited financial resources. Thus, it would be beneficial in the art to provide a juice extracting device that maximizes use of raw materials by being functional in the field while being relatively simple in construction and upkeep.
Thus, a cane juice extractor solving the aforementioned problems is desired.
The cane juice extractor includes a wagon that may be hitched to or towed alongside a harvesting machine or combine for application in-field. The wagon includes a frame having an upper deck and a lower deck. The upper deck includes an inlet side where harvested cane may be fed for juice extraction and an outlet side for disposing the pulp. Rotating feeders feed the cane to a cutting station on the upper deck. The cutting station comminutes the cane into billets that are carried by an endless belt through a series of compression roller sets. Each set of rollers is configured to compress the cut cane down to smaller dimensions to thereby extract the juice. A chute disposed between the upper and lower decks collects the juices and funnels them into a juice storage tank on the lower deck. The pulp is expelled from the outlet side to be reintroduced into the field. Fans or blowers are disposed on both the inlet and outlet sides to respectively filter out debris prior to cutting and direct juices down the chute. The chute includes a filtering system to filter out pulp and other debris. The lower deck also includes a controller/generator connected to a fuel source.
These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings.
Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.
The present invention relates to a cane juice extractor that can be used in situ or on the field. The relative simple construction lends itself to inexpensive and easy upkeep. It is noted that although the following describes the cane juice extractor used for sugar cane, the invention may also be used for other plant matter for juicing purposes.
As shown in
Referring to
The cutting station 20 includes a plurality of cutting blades 22 mounted on a shaft and spaced a predetermined distance apart from each other. The harvested cane C is approximately 12 in. long and the spacing of the cutting blades 22 permits comminuting of the cane into about 2¾ in. lengths. The above lengths are exemplary since the cane juice extractor 10 is fully capable of handling other lengths of canes and billets. In the current configuration, the cutting blades 22 are preferably saw blades but other cutting blades such as choppers may be used in place thereof. A backing plate 24 with a plurality of slots corresponding to the cutting blades 22 is operatively disposed below the cutting blades 22 to thereby provide a surface for cutting the fed cane. A motor 23 powers operation of the cutting station 20.
The cut billets are then fed to a juice extracting station 30 on the upper deck of the wagon frame 12. The juice extracting station 30 includes an endless conveyor belt 25, which receives the billets and passes them through a series of compression roller sets 32, 33, 34, 35, 36. The conveyor belt 25 is preferably a loop of stainless steel mesh where the holes in the mesh allow juices to fall through. Other similar conveyor belts composed of rubber, textiles or composites are also possible. The conveyor belt 25 is wound around idle and driven rollers 26 providing sufficient tension for operation. A motor 45 drives the rollers 26.
Each set of compression rollers 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 are configured to progressively press the billets fed therethrough to squeeze the juice contained therein. For example, the first set of compression rollers 32 press the billets down to about 9/16 in. with a pressure of 2,000 psi. The second set of compression rollers 33 press the billets down to 7/16 in. with a pressure of 2,000 psi. The third set of compression rollers 34 press the billets down to 5/16 in. at 2,000 psi., the fourth set of compression rollers 35 press the billets to 3/16 in. at 2,000 psi., and the fifth set of compression rollers 36 press the billets to ⅛ in. at 5,000 psi. Thus, it can be seen that each set 32-36, squeezes the billets down to smaller dimensions as they are fed past subsequent compression rollers 32-36. A number of ways may be used to facilitate this process. For example, each set of rollers 32-36 may have the nip, i.e. the spacing between the rollers, set to the desired level for the set point of billet compression. The diameter of each set of rollers may be varied for similar results. To set the pressure, having the nip adjusted to the proper levels and locked therein may provide the desired pressure, or additional mechanical means such as hydraulics or tension springs may also be used. In the current embodiment, the nip between the rollers of each set has been set to progressively decrease the dimension of the billets. Some of the rollers such as roller sets 32, 33, 34 may be ridged to enhance grip on the billets. A motor 46 powers the compression rollers 32-36.
To collect the juice, the cane juice extractor 10 includes a chute 40 disposed between the upper and lower decks of the wagon frame 12. The chute 40 underlies the juice extracting station 30 and spans substantially the length of the wagon frame 12 to maximize juice collection. The extracted juice is funneled to outlet 43 connected to the juice storage or holding tank 44. The chute also includes a filtration system defined by filters 42. The filters trap undesirable plant debris and pulp from falling into the tank 44 along with the juice. The filtration system may be a two-stage process where the upper filter 42 filters out larger debris while the lower filter 42 filters out the rest.
After the billets pass through the juice extracting station, the resulting pulp is expelled to the field. Due to the pressure and the momentum from the last set of the compression rollers 36, this provides enough motive force to direct the pulp to the outlet side of the upper deck. As shown in
The operation of the cane juice extractor 10 is provided by a controller/generator 14 disposed near the front of the wagon frame 12. The controller/generator 14 generates power for the cane juice extractor 10 and controls activation and speed of the feeder 16, cutting station 20, juice extracting station 30 as well as the blowers 23 and fans 41. The fuel source for the controller/generator 14 may be a pair of propane tanks 15 disposed in their own mounts on either side of the controller/generator 14. Alternative fuels or power sources may also be used such fuel cells, batteries and/or solar panels.
Referring to
It is understood that the cane juice extractor 10 is not limited to the above but encompasses a variety of alternatives. For example, it is preferable that the cane juice extractor is made from stainless steel, but other alternative materials may be used as long as they are durable and long lasting. The chute 40 and the feed chute 11 may be coated to reduce surface tension or friction to efficiently move the cane through extraction station and collect the juice. In addition, the number of sets of compression rollers may be increased or decreased depending on the desired compression.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.
