Patent Application
20220267101
The present invention relates generally to peanut processing. More particularly, the present invention relates to a conveyor system for moving peanuts deposited from a trailer to another conveyor system that moves the peanuts to a storage location in a warehouse.
After peanuts have been harvested on a peanut farm, they are delivered from the farm by a trailer to a storage warehouse, where they are stored for further processing. At the warehouse, the peanuts are removed from the trailer via a hopper on the bottom of the trailer and deposited onto the belt of a conveyor, known as a drive over conveyor. The drive over conveyor carries the peanuts to another conveyor system, called a potato hog, that carries the peanuts to their storage locations, which are typically mounds or piles of peanuts on the warehouse floor.
To date, there has not been a drive over conveyor specifically designed or suited for conveying peanuts. Rather, it has been common in the industry to use a conveyor designed for carrying other types of crops or seed, such as grain. For example, it has been common to use a conveyor such as the Crust Buster Drive Over-Pit made by Speed King Inc., such as that disclosed in the Drive Over-Pit Belt Accelerator & Multi-Purpose Belt Loader Owner's Manual (http://www.crusbuster.com/images/manuals/drive-over-pits/Drive-O_Pit_2009.pdf). These conveyors are designed to move the grain at fixed (non-adjustable), relatively high speed. In order to prevent the grain from over-shooting its intended discharge location when it reaches the end of the conveyor, these conveyors have a generally elbow shaped hood at the discharge end that directs the grain from the discharge end of the conveyor downwardly to the intended location. That is, the grain strikes the elbow of the hood and is deflected downwardly. Since the grain is not harmed as a result of striking against the hood's elbow, these conveyors work satisfactorily for their intended purpose.
However, such prior art drive over conveyors have been known to damage to peanuts, because the shells often crack when the peanuts strike the hood. This can reduce yield, and hence reduce the efficiency of the peanut processing operation. Nonetheless, the resulting reduced yield has been accepted as a cost of processing peanuts.
Referring to the drawings wherein like numerals represent like elements, there is shown in
Previous studies have revealed that the above prior art system exerts a force of about 0.0177 ft-lb on the product as it is discharged from the drive over conveyor and strikes the elbow 28. While this striking action may not be harmful to seeds or grain, it can damage peanuts by causing the shells to crack or break open. Previous studies have also revealed that the safe amount of force that can be exerted on a peanut without cracking, even if they strike the hood, is about 0.003 ft-lb, or about 6 times less than the amount of force that is normally applied by the conveyor system. Desirably, the amount of force applied to the peanuts as they are discharged should be low enough to prevent them from striking the hood. In addition, the throughput of the conveyor system should not be sacrificed by lowering the speed of the conveyors to reduce the discharge force on the peanuts.
Referring to
The width 48 of the belt 42 is 36 inches, which increases the efficiency of the conveyor system relative to the prior art conveyor. The diameter of the roller 38 that engages with the belt 42 is 14″ There is another roller (not shown) at the opposing (loading area) end of the conveyor having a diameter of 5″. At the discharge end 52, the peanuts are discharged from the belt 42 as the belt rotates in direction 62. The speed of the drive system 46 is adjusted such that the force exerted on peanuts being discharged by the belt system 42 is about 0.00074 ft-lb. In this manner, up to one ton per minute of peanuts can be safely transported by the conveyor system 40. in view of the wider belt system 42 and the larger diameter of the pulley 54, the unloading capacity of the conveyor system 40 matches that of the above prior art conveyor, even though the conveyor speed, and the force exerted on the peanuts, are substantially lower. As a result of the significantly lower force exerted on the peanuts as they are discharged, they drop onto the belt 66 in a gentle fashion, rather than being directed onto the belt by striking the elbow 28 (as would occur in the prior art conveyor). Accordingly, the hood 26 is no longer necessary. Additionally, the cover 18 is not required. Thus, throughput is maintained without damaging peanuts, and therefore efficiency is increased.
The table conveyor of the potato hog transports the peanuts in direction 60, where they are deposited onto another portion of the potato hog for discharge 68 at their storage location. The width of the belt 66 is the same as the width of the belt 42. Due to the adjustable speed of drive system 46, the speed of the belt 42 can be synchronized with the speed of the belt 66, such that there is uniformity in amount of peanuts conveyed from the loading end to the final discharge end
The apparatus described herein may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof. Accordingly, reference should be made to the appended claims, rather than the foregoing specification, for indicating the scope of the invention.
