A mobile field harvested nut dehulling and cleaning station

Abstract

The application discloses a movable field nut peeling and cleaning station and relates to the technical field of nut processing. The movable field nut peeling and cleaning station comprises a tractor, a shelling mechanism arranged on the tractor, and a cleaning mechanism in communication with the shelling mechanism. The shelling mechanism comprises a hollow casing, a feeding hopper arranged above the casing, two horizontal and parallel shelling rollers arranged in the casing, a driving mechanism arranged outside the casing and used for driving the shelling rollers to rotate oppositely, and a discharging mechanism arranged at the lower end of the casing and connected with the cleaning mechanism. The shelling rollers of the shelling mechanism are used for extruding green fruits to separate fruit grains from green peels. The shelling rollers are provided with shelling teeth capable of being stretched and retracted under force. When the fruit grains are relatively large, the shelling teeth are retracted when the fruit grains pass through the shelling teeth, so that the green peels can be removed and the fruit grains are not damaged due to being too large. When the fruit grains are relatively small, the shelling teeth also give the green fruits enough pressure to separate the fruit grains from the green peels under the action of elastic components.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of nut processing technology, specifically relating to a mobile field-harvested nut peeling and washing station. Background Technology

[0002] Macadamia nuts, also known as Hawaiian nuts or Australian walnuts, are a tall, evergreen tree native to Australia. Their fruit is rich in oil, has a sweet taste, a unique creamy aroma, and high nutritional value, earning it the title of "King of Nuts." This nut can be eaten directly and used in the production of industrial products such as soap and shampoo. Growing macadamia nuts requires fertile, well-drained soil and suitable climate conditions. Due to their unique taste and nutritional value, macadamia nuts are highly popular in the food market.

[0003] After being harvested from the plantation, macadamia nuts are transported back to the processing plant where they are hulled, graded, and then dried to form the primary product. The ratio of green husk to kernels in macadamia nuts is approximately 1:1. The green husks removed at the plantation still need to be transported back to the plantation, significantly increasing transportation costs. Therefore, existing hulling machines are powered by diesel engines or generators and are located within the plantation to hull the harvested green nuts.

[0004] Macadamia nuts picked on-site are not sorted. Existing peeling machines sometimes fail to remove the green husks from the nuts of varying sizes. Furthermore, the juice from the green husks dries on the nuts and turns black, affecting their appearance and making subsequent cleaning difficult. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To overcome the problems existing in the background art, the present invention provides a mobile field-harvested nut peeling and washing station.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention is implemented through the following technical solution: a mobile field-harvested nut peeling and washing station, comprising: a tractor, a shelling mechanism mounted on the tractor, and a washing mechanism connected to the shelling mechanism; the shelling mechanism comprises: a hollow casing, a feeding hopper located above the casing, two horizontally parallel peeling rollers disposed within the casing, a drive mechanism located outside the casing and driving the peeling rollers to rotate relative to each other, and a discharge mechanism located at the lower end of the casing and connected to the washing mechanism; the peeling rollers include: [missing information - likely related to the shelling mechanism]. The machine housing is rotatably connected to a roller shaft, a roller body is disposed on the roller shaft, a plurality of radial slots arranged in a circumferential array and an axial linear manner, peeling teeth slidably disposed in the slots, and an elastic member disposed between the bottom of the peeling teeth and the bottom of the slot; the sides of the peeling teeth are provided with radial through grooves, the roller body is provided with axial through holes that penetrate all the slots in the same axial row, the through holes correspond one-to-one with the slots in the circumferential array, and the through holes are provided with limiting rods that pass through all the through grooves and all the slots in the same axial row.

[0007] Preferably, the discharge mechanism includes: a square box with an open top and communicating with the housing; a fruit granule outlet disposed on the side of the square box and communicating with the washing mechanism; a green peel outlet disposed on the side wall opposite to the fruit granule outlet; a grid plate disposed inclinedly inside the square box; and a smooth plate disposed inclinedly inside the square box; the fruit granule outlet is located above the green peel outlet, the grid plate is inclined toward the fruit granule outlet, and the smooth plate is located below the grid plate and is inclined toward the green peel outlet.

[0008] Preferably, the cleaning mechanism includes: a cleaning tank communicating with the fruit particle outlet, a stirring mechanism disposed on the cleaning tank, and a fruit particle separation mechanism disposed on the side wall of the cleaning tank.

[0009] Preferably, the stirring mechanism includes: a support plate disposed on the cleaning tank, four drive shafts disposed on the support plate, a stirring paddle disposed on the drive shafts, a first sprocket disposed on the drive shafts, a first motor disposed on the support plate, a first reducer disposed on the first motor, a second sprocket disposed on the output shaft of the first reducer, and a chain connecting all the first sprockets and the second sprockets.

[0010] Preferably, the fruit separation mechanism includes: a spiral elevator that is inclined and whose inlet is connected to the washing tank; a circulating water pump whose inlet is connected to the spiral elevator; the outlet of the circulating water pump is connected to the washing tank; a filter screen that prevents fruit particles from passing through is provided on the other side of the inlet of the spiral elevator housing, and a cover that is connected to the inlet is provided on the filter screen.

[0011] Preferably, a drain valve is provided on the side wall of the cleaning tank.

[0012] Preferably, the tractor is equipped with a stabilizing bracket, which includes: two support rods connected to the frame of the tractor, rings at both ends of the support rods, and anchor rods slidably disposed within the rings.

[0013] The advantages of this invention compared to the prior art are as follows: This invention uses a peeling roller in a peeling mechanism to separate the unripe fruit from its green skin. The peeling roller is equipped with peeling teeth that can extend and retract under pressure. When the fruit is large, the peeling teeth retract as it passes over them, effectively removing the green skin without crushing the fruit. When the fruit is small, the peeling teeth, under the action of an elastic component, still apply sufficient pressure to separate the fruit from its green skin. After peeling, the unripe fruit immediately enters a washing mechanism to remove the juice left from peeling. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a mobile nut-peeling and washing station for field harvesting; Figure 2 This is a top view schematic diagram of the shell-removing mechanism; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the peeling roller structure; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the axial cross-sectional structure of the peeling roller; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the radial cross-sectional structure of the peeling roller; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the roller body structure; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the cleaning mechanism; Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the cleaning mechanism; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the stirring mechanism.

[0015] In the diagram: tractor 1, support rod 1-1, ring 1-2, anchor rod 1-3; 2. Shelling mechanism; 2-1. Machine housing; 2-2. Peeling roller; 2-3. Feed hopper; 2-4. Roller shaft; 2-5. Roller body; 2-6. Slot; 2-7. Elastic component; 2-8. Peeling tooth; 2-9. First gear; 2-10. Second motor; 2-11. Second reducer; 2-12. Second gear; 2-13. Through hole; 2-14. Through groove; 2-15. Limiting rod; Cleaning mechanism 3, cleaning tank 3-1, drain valve 3-2; 4. Discharge mechanism; 4-1. Square box; 4-2. Fruit granule outlet; 4-3. Green peel outlet; 4-4. Grid plate; 4-5. Smoothing plate; 5. Stirring mechanism, 5-1. Support plate, 5-2. Drive shaft, 5-3. Stirring paddle, 5-4. First sprocket, 5-5. First motor, 5-6. First reducer, 5-7. Second sprocket, 5-8. Fruit separation mechanism 6, screw conveyor 6-1, circulating water pump 6-2, filter screen 6-3, cover 6-4. Detailed Implementation

[0016] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and beneficial effects of the present invention clearer, the preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below to facilitate understanding by those skilled in the art.

[0017] Please see Figures 1 to 9 This invention provides a mobile field-harvested nut peeling and washing station, comprising: a tractor 1, a shelling mechanism 2 mounted on the tractor 1, and a washing mechanism 3 connected to the shelling mechanism 2. The shelling mechanism 2 includes: a hollow housing 2-1 with semi-circular sides, the gap between the inner wall of the semi-circle and the peeling rollers 2-2 preventing nuts from passing through, and the housing 2-1 being open at both ends. A feed hopper 2-3 is located above the housing 2-1; two horizontally parallel peeling rollers 2-2 are mounted inside the housing 2-1; a drive mechanism is located outside the housing 2-1 and drives the peeling rollers 2-2 to rotate relative to each other; and a discharge mechanism 4 is located at the lower end of the housing 2-1 and connected to the washing mechanism 3. The peeling rollers 2-2 include: a roller shaft 2-4 rotatably connected to the housing 2-1, with bearings mounted on the housing 2-1 to mount the roller shaft 2-4. A roller body 2-5 is mounted on the roller shaft 2-4, and several slots 2-6 are arranged radially and in a circumferential array and axially linearly. The cross-section of the slots 2-6 is square. Peeling teeth 2-8 are slidably disposed in the slots 2-6. The shape of the peeling teeth 2-8 is square columnar. An elastic component 2-7 is located between the bottom of the peeling tooth 2-8 and the bottom of the slot 2-6. In this embodiment, the elastic component 2-7 is an arched spring stacked together. The side of the peeling tooth 2-8 has a radial through-slot 2-14. The roller body 2-5 has an axial through-hole 2-13 that penetrates all the slots 2-6 in the same axial row. The through-hole 2-13 corresponds one-to-one with the slots 2-6 in the circumferential array. A limiting rod 2-15 is provided within the through-hole 2-13, passing through all the through-slots 2-14 and all the slots 2-6 in the same axial row. The limiting rod 2-15 passes through the through-slot 2-14. The elastic force of the elastic component 2-7 causes the peeling tooth 2-8 to extend outwards, and the limiting rod 2-15 limits the maximum distance of extension. When the nut passes through, the elastic component 2-7 is compressed. The elastic component 2-7 provides pressure for peeling. The contact end of the peeling teeth 2-8 with the nuts is made of rubber, and the outermost layer of the roller body 2-5 is made of 5mm thick rubber.

[0018] The drive mechanism of this embodiment includes: a first gear 2-9 disposed on the roller 2-4, a second motor 2-10 disposed on the housing 2-1, a second reducer 2-11 connected to the second motor 2-10, and a second gear 2-12 disposed on the output shaft of the second reducer 2-11. The second gear 2-12 meshes with both first gears 2-9 simultaneously.

[0019] The discharge mechanism 4 includes: a square box 4-1 with an open top and communicating with the housing 2-1; a fruit granule outlet 4-2 located on the side of the square box 4-1 and communicating with the washing mechanism 3; a green peel outlet 4-3 located on the side wall opposite to the fruit granule outlet 4-2; a grid plate 4-4 inclined inside the square box 4-1; and a smooth plate 4-5 inclined inside the square box 4-1. The fruit granule outlet 4-2 is located above the green peel outlet 4-3, the grid plate 4-4 is inclined towards the fruit granule outlet 4-2, and the smooth plate 4-5 is located below the grid plate 4-4 and inclined towards the green peel outlet 4-3. The gaps in the grid plate 4-4 are impassable, but the crushed and detached green peel can pass through. When the green peel and fruit granules fall together from inside the housing 2-1, the fruit granules roll onto the grid plate 4-4 and enter the washing mechanism 3, while the green peel falls through the gaps in the grid plate 4-4 and slides onto the smooth plate 4-5 to the outside of the square box 4-1.

[0020] The cleaning mechanism 3 includes: a cleaning tank 3-1 connected to the fruit granule outlet 4-2, a stirring mechanism 5 disposed on the cleaning tank 3-1, and a fruit granule separation mechanism 6 disposed on the side wall of the cleaning tank 3-1.

[0021] The stirring mechanism 5 includes: a support plate 5-1 mounted on the cleaning tank 3-1, the cleaning tank 3-1 being filled with water, four drive shafts 5-2 mounted on the support plate 5-1, a stirring paddle 5-3 mounted on the drive shafts 5-2, a first sprocket 5-4 mounted on the drive shafts 5-2, a first motor 5-5 mounted on the support plate 5-1, a first reducer 5-6 mounted on the first motor 5-5, a second sprocket 5-7 mounted on the output shaft of the first reducer 5-6, and a chain 5-8 connecting all the first sprockets 5-4 and the second sprockets 5-7. In this embodiment, there are two support plates 5-1, which are arranged parallel to each other and are provided with connecting parts to create a certain gap between the support plates 5-1. The first sprocket 5-4, the second sprocket 5-7, and the chain 5-8 are all disposed within the gap. The first motor 5-5 and the first reducer 5-6 are disposed above the support plate 5-1, and the output shaft passes through the support plate 5-1 to mount the second sprocket 5-7. Four drive shafts 5-2 drive the stirring paddle 5-3 to rotate. The fruit pieces are washed during the stirring process. If there is any green peel residue, it will be further separated from the fruit pieces by mutual impact during the stirring process.

[0022] The fruit separation mechanism 6 includes: a spiral elevator 6-1 inclined and with its inlet connected to the washing tank 3-1; a circulating water pump 6-2 with its inlet connected to the spiral elevator 6-1; the outlet of the circulating water pump 6-2 connected to the washing tank 3-1; a filter screen 6-3, which prevents fruit particles from passing through, is provided on the other side of the inlet of the spiral elevator 6-1's outer casing; a cover 6-4 connected to the inlet is provided on the filter screen 6-3. When the circulating water pump 6-2 starts, the water flow carries fruit particles and residual green peel into the inlet of the spiral elevator 6-1. The filter screen 6-3 intercepts the fruit particles, and the residual green peel passes through the filter screen 6-3 and enters the cover 6-4 where it is sucked away and circulated into the washing tank 3-1 with the water. The fruit particles are transported by the spiral conveyor shaft of the spiral elevator 6-1 to the outlet of the spiral elevator 6-1 for collection.

[0023] A drain valve 3-2 is provided on the side wall of the cleaning tank 3-1. The water in the cleaning tank 3-1 needs to be replaced as needed to maintain the cleaning effect.

[0024] The tractor 1 is equipped with a stabilizing bracket, which includes: two support rods 1-1 connected to the frame of the tractor 1, rings 1-2 at both ends of the support rods 1-1, and anchor rods 1-3 slidably disposed within the rings 1-2. The tractor 1 is existing equipment. In this embodiment, the tractor 1 is a non-powered tractor 1, including: a frame, a support platform on the frame, a connecting device for connecting to a powered vehicle, axles and tires, a steering mechanism, and a braking device.

[0025] In this embodiment, a diesel generator is used to provide electrical power, and a distribution box is used to distribute electrical power to the first motor 5-5, the second motor 2-10, the screw conveyor 6-1, and the circulating water pump 6-2, while also performing switch control.

[0026] When using the mobile field-harvested nut peeling and washing station of the present invention: Harvested macadamia nuts are fed in batches from the feed hopper 2-3 into the peeling mechanism. After being squeezed by the peeling roller 2-2, the green husks separate from the nuts, and the nuts fall into the discharge mechanism 4. The nuts roll down the grate 4-4 into the washing mechanism 3, while the green husks fall through the gaps in the grate 4-4, sliding past the smooth plate 4-5 to the outside of the square box 4-1 for final disposal. The nuts entering the washing mechanism 3 are washed during the stirring process. If any green husks remain, they are further separated by impact during stirring. The circulating water pump 6-2 carries the nuts and remaining green husks into the inlet of the screw conveyor 6-1. The filter 6-3 intercepts the nuts, while the remaining green husks pass through the filter 6-3 and are sucked away by the cover 6-4, circulating with the water into the washing box 3-1. The nuts are then transported by the screw conveyor shaft of the screw conveyor 6-1 to the outlet of the screw conveyor 6-1 for collection.

[0027] Finally, it should be noted that the above preferred embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention and are not intended to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail through the above preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that various changes can be made to it in form and detail without departing from the scope defined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A mobile nut-peeling and washing station for field harvesting, characterized in that, include: A tractor (1), a shelling mechanism (2) mounted on the tractor (1), and a cleaning mechanism (3) connected to the shelling mechanism (2). The cleaning mechanism (3) is equipped with a cleaning tank (3-1) and a fruit separation mechanism (6) mounted on the side wall of the cleaning tank (3-1). The shelling mechanism includes: a hollow housing (2-1), a feed hopper (2-3) mounted above the housing (2-1), two horizontally parallel peeling rollers (2-2) mounted inside the housing (2-1), and a drive roller mounted outside the housing (2-1). The peeling roller (2-2) is driven by a relative rotation mechanism, and a discharge mechanism (4) is located at the lower end of the housing (2-1) and connected to the cleaning mechanism (3). The peeling roller (2-2) includes: a roller shaft (2-4) rotatably connected to the housing (2-1), a roller body (2-5) on the roller shaft (2-4), a plurality of radial slots (2-6) arranged in a circumferential array and an axial linear manner, peeling teeth (2-8) slidably disposed in the slots (2-6), and a bottom of the peeling teeth (2-8). An elastic component (2-7) is provided between the bottom of the slot (2-6); the side of the peeling tooth (2-8) is provided with a radial through groove (2-14); the roller body (2-5) is provided with an axial through hole (2-13) that passes through all the slots (2-6) in the same axial row, the through hole (2-13) corresponds one-to-one with the slots (2-6) in the circumferential array, and the through hole (2-13) is provided with a limiting rod (2-) that passes through all the through grooves (2-14) and all the slots (2-6) in the same axial row. 15); The fruit separation mechanism (6) includes: a spiral elevator (6-1) that is inclined and whose inlet is connected to the washing tank (3-1); a circulating water pump (6-2) whose water inlet is connected to the spiral elevator (6-1); the water outlet of the circulating water pump (6-2) is connected to the washing tank (3-1); a filter screen (6-3) that prevents fruit particles from passing through is provided on the other side of the inlet of the outer shell of the spiral elevator (6-1); and a cover (6-4) that is connected to the water inlet is provided on the filter screen (6-3).

2. The mobile field-harvested nut peeling and washing station according to claim 1, characterized in that, The discharge mechanism (4) includes: a square box (4-1) with an open top and communicating with the housing (2-1); a fruit granule outlet (4-2) located on the side of the square box (4-1) and communicating with the washing mechanism (3); a green peel outlet (4-3) located on the side wall opposite to the fruit granule outlet (4-2); a grid plate (4-4) inclinedly located inside the square box (4-1); and a smooth plate (4-5) inclinedly located inside the square box (4-1). The fruit granule outlet (4-2) is located above the green peel outlet (4-3), the grid plate (4-4) is inclined toward the fruit granule outlet (4-2), and the smooth plate (4-5) is located below the grid plate (4-4) and is inclined toward the green peel outlet (4-3).

3. The mobile field-harvested nut peeling and washing station according to claim 2, characterized in that, The cleaning mechanism (3) includes: a cleaning tank (3-1) connected to the fruit outlet (4-2), a stirring mechanism (5) provided on the cleaning tank (3-1), and a fruit separation mechanism (6) provided on the side wall of the cleaning tank (3-1).

4. The mobile field-harvested nut peeling and washing station according to claim 3, characterized in that, The stirring mechanism (5) includes: a support plate (5-1) on the cleaning tank (3-1), four drive shafts (5-2) on the support plate (5-1), a stirring paddle (5-3) on the drive shafts (5-2), a first sprocket (5-4) on the drive shafts (5-2), a first motor (5-5) on the support plate (5-1), a first reducer (5-6) on the first motor (5-5), a second sprocket (5-7) on the output shaft of the first reducer (5-6), and a chain (5-8) connecting all the first sprockets (5-4) and the second sprockets (5-7).

5. A mobile field-harvested nut peeling and washing station according to claim 4, characterized in that, The cleaning tank (3-1) is equipped with a drain valve (3-2) on its side wall.

6. A mobile field-harvested nut peeling and washing station according to claim 1, characterized in that, The tractor (1) is equipped with a stabilizing bracket, which includes: two support rods (1-1) connected to the frame of the tractor (1), a ring (1-2) at both ends of the support rod (1-1), and an anchor rod (1-3) slidably disposed in the ring (1-2).

Images