External Drive Fruit Piercer Eliminates Lubricant Contamination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fruit piercers have an internal drive assembly that can contaminate fruit with lubricants during the piercing process, making them unsuitable for food processing, especially for fruits like cherries and cranberries.
Innovation Solution
A fruit piercing assembly with an external drive assembly that separates the drive mechanism from the frame assembly, preventing lubricant contamination and facilitating easier servicing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the drive assembly is located inside the frame assembly, then the structure is more compact, but lubricants from the drive assembly can contaminate the fruit during piercing
Solution Approach 1:
The drive assembly is extracted from the internal location and positioned externally to the frame assembly. This separation removes the source of lubricant contamination from proximity to the fruit piercing operation, eliminating the harmful contamination effect while maintaining operational integration through external coupling mechanisms.
2Device complexity
If the drive assembly is located inside the frame assembly, then integration is improved, but servicing becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The drive assembly is extracted from the integrated internal position and placed externally, making it accessible for servicing operations. This external positioning allows maintenance personnel to access, inspect, and repair the drive assembly without disassembling the frame structure, significantly improving ease of repair while maintaining functional integration through external mounting interfaces.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the drive assembly is moved outside the frame assembly, then lubricant contamination is prevented, but the device occupies more space
Solution Approach 1:
The piercer system is segmented into distinct functional modules: the frame assembly containing the piercing mechanism and the separately positioned drive assembly. This segmentation allows the drive assembly to be located in an external position that prevents lubricant contamination of fruit, while the overall system footprint is managed through modular configuration that optimizes space utilization.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention is a fruit piercing assembly in which the drive assembly is located on the outside of the frame assembly to eliminate lubricants from the drive assembly contaminating the fruit as it was being pierced.