The invention relates to an apparatus for orienting elongated products, in particular carrots, comprising a conveyor running in a conveying direction along a conveyor track, the conveyor being provided with conveying compartments with upstanding walls extending substantially transversely to the conveying direction, while the conveyor track runs upwards from a feed hopper.

Such an apparatus is known from US 3 845 705.

Such an orienting apparatus is used for orienting and compartmenting elongated products, preferably substantially cylindrical or substantially conical products, transversely to the conveying direction for the purpose of further operations such as, for instance, crowning, cutting and/or packaging. Preferably, the products are relatively rigid.

Due to their rigidity and robustness, in particular elongated root crops or tuberous plants, such as for instance winter carrots, carrots, Nantes carrots, parsnips and white radish are particularly suitable for orientation with the aid of such an apparatus.

A drawback of the known apparatus is that the efficiency leaves to be desired: relatively few compartments are filled.

Further, it is possible that products remain stuck in the feed hopper as they are given an orientation in longitudinal direction. Then, the products to be oriented can have a more or less stable position in that they rest on the aligned carriers. As a result, in practice, the orienting apparatus is to be monitored by an individual to manually correct incorrect orientation of products in the feed hopper. The object of the invention is an apparatus of the type mentioned in the opening paragraph, with which, while maintaining the advantages mentioned, the drawbacks mentioned can be prevented. To that end, the apparatus according to the invention is characterized in that the conveyor

track comprises a track part running in conveying direction in a trough-shape and extending along the bottom of the feed hopper.

Providing the bottom of the feed hopper with such a trough-shaped track part enables the orienting products to be taken along, with the aid of the conveyor, from the trough in a trough-shaped path. When a product in the feed hopper has an orientation in conveying direction, the product is still carried along by the conveyor due to the shape of the track, and, due to the unstable orientation, it will tilt sideways and roll back to the bottom of the hopper and turn to a position in which it extends substantially transversely to the conveying direction, to thereupon be carried along in a compartment. Here, a curved, ascending track part leads to the best result. The shape of the trough forces the products to return to the lowest point so that they can be taken along in an optimal manner.

It is noted that within this context, a trough is understood to mean a depression having sides converging downwards to a lowest point. Such a depression needs therefore not necessarily follow a depressed part of a sine wave but can also, for instance, follow a depressed part of a cone or a track having different sides converging in a lowest point, such as a polygonal track or V-shaped track. The trough-shaped track can therefore also comprise straight parts.

As the trough-shaped track part extends along the bottom of the feed hopper, further, more compartments are filled with correctly oriented products so that the efficiency of the apparatus increases. It has also appeared that as a result, the orienting apparatus is well suited for orienting relatively short, thin carrots.

Providing the conveyor track with a plurality of trough-shaped track parts enables further enhancement of the efficiency of the apparatus. By providing the conveyor track with at least one crest-shaped track part, preferably a crest-shaped track part located between two trough-shaped track parts, the conveyor track can be given a flowing configuration and also, any

unstably oriented product can be forced to fall from the compartments, to be included, oriented once more, in a compartment in a following trough. Preferably, the conveyor track is provided with an undulating track part having successive troughs and crests. To further enhance the efficiency, several feed units can be provided.

Utilizing at least one feed unit per trough-shaped track part enables further increase of the efficiency. For the sake of good order it is noted that naturally, it is also possible to service several troughs with the same feed unit, for instance when a feed hopper is provided with an undulating bottom, i.e. with a track part with a plurality of successive troughs and crests.

Preferably, the feed unit comprises a feed track terminating above the trough-shaped track part. By designing the mouth of the feed track to be adjustable relative to the conveyor in a direction transverse to the conveying direction, the width used of the conveyor can be adjusted to the length of the products to be oriented.

When the slope of the at least one ascending side of at least one of the trough-shaped track parts is of adjustable design, the degree of fall back of any products that may be oriented unstably in the compartments can be adjusted. What can be prevented especially by increasing the slope of the ascending side of a last trough-shaped track part with which the conveyor track runs upwards from the feed hopper, is that more than 1 product lies in 1 compartment, or that compartments are filled too high above the upstanding wall. An excess of products will fall back into the trough, and can be reoriented. Naturally, it is also possible to adjust the slope of the descending side of a trough-shaped track part. The adjustment of the slope of the sides can for instance be realized by varying the distance between successive crests and troughs of wave-shaped track parts, or by varying the distance between the crest or the trough of a trough-shaped track part relative to a contiguous flat track part.

Setting up a wall along at least one side of a trough-shaped track part, which wall forms a sidewall of the feed hopper, allows for formation of a storage space therein. Thus, the feed hopper can be filled with a quantity of products to be oriented. When the conveyor track is disposed at a slight inclination, one sidewall can suffice. With the track in flat position, two sidewalls are preferred. What can be achieved by having such a sidewall connect to an overflow track is that products that cannot be oriented and that float on top of the stock, for instance products with too large a diameter and/or too great a length, can be discharged. The walls of the compartments can extend uninterruptedly over the width of the conveyor, transversely to the conveying direction. However, it is preferred that the walls of the compartments are interrupted transversely to the conveying direction. At the location of such interruptions in the walls, the products can for instance be cut. It is preferred that the compartments are formed between walls of carriers running transversely to the conveying direction. Here, the compartments can be open at the longitudinal sides of the conveyor, but can for instance also be closed with so-called side plates.

In an elegant manner, the conveyor comprises a conveyor track with, relative to the conveying surface thereof, upwardly reaching carriers.

In a highly advantageous embodiment, the conveyor is designed as a modular conveyor mat. Such a conveyor mat can for instance be designed in plastic material. Advantageously, the conveyor is designed to be endless. Transversely to the conveying direction, several compartments may have been provided. In such an arrangement, the rows of compartments may be slightly staggered relative to each other in conveying direction.

The intermediate space of upstanding cross walls of the compartments is preferably approximately 1 to 2 times, more preferably approximately 1.5 times the average diameter of the product to be oriented. The height of the upstanding cross walls of the compartments is, preferably,

approximately 0.5 to 2 times, more preferably approximately 0.8 times the average diameter of the product to be oriented. It has appeared that, due to the latter features, when orienting carrots, there is the greatest chance that a compartment is filled with one product. Naturally, the conveyor can also be designed differently, for instance as a flexible conveyor belt or as one or more conveyor chains on which for instance either carriers or trays are fitted or between which carrier partitions are received.

The invention also relates to a method for orienting elongated products, in particular carrots, wherein products are taken along, to be oriented, with the aid of a conveyor from a hopper along a track running in a trough-shape in a conveying direction.

Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are represented in the subclaims. The invention will be further elucidated with reference to an exemplary embodiment which is represented in a drawing. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of an orienting apparatus according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a schematic top plan view of the orienting apparatus of Fig 1;

Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-section of a compartment of an orienting apparatus of Fig. 1, which is provided with cams; and

Figs. 4A, B and C are each a schematic longitudinal cross-section of a compartment of Fig. 3 with each time a different cam shape. It is noted that the Figures are only schematic representations of a preferred embodiment of the invention which is given by way of non-limitative exemplary embodiment. In the Figures, identical parts are represented with the same reference numerals.

Figs. 1 and 2 show an orienting apparatus for orienting carrots. It will be clear that also other types of elongated products could be involved here

too. The apparatus comprises a conveyor 4 running along a conveyor track 3 in a conveying direction indicated with an arrow 2.

The conveyor 4 is provided with conveying compartments 5 with upstanding walls 6 extending substantially transversely to the conveying direction 2. The conveyor track runs upwards from a feed hopper 7.

The conveyor track 3 comprises a track part 8 running in a trough- shape in conveying direction and extending along the bottom 9 of the feed hopper 7. In the exemplary embodiment shown, the trough-shaped track part forms the bottom of the feed hopper, the front and rear wall of the feed hopper included. It is noted that it is of course possible to design the front and back walls, at least partly, as separate parts, for instance stationary wall parts. In the exemplary embodiment, the conveyor track 3 is provided with a wave- shaped track part having successive trough-shaped track parts 8 and crest- shaped track parts 10. Per trough-shaped track part 8, a separate single feed unit 11 is provided. The feed unit comprises a feed track 12 terminating above the trough-shaped track part 8. The mouth 13 of the feed track 12 is adjustable relative to the conveyor 4 in a direction transverse to the conveying direction to the position schematically indicated by dotted lines. The conveyor 4 is designed as an endless modular conveyor mat 15 revolving on wheels 14. The slope of the ascending side 8a of the last trough-shaped track part 8 can be adjusted by displacing divert wheel 14a to the position 14a'. With the divert wheel in the position represented with 14a ¹ , the ascending side 8a is less steep. The ascending side 8a and descending side 8b of the trough-shaped track part meet in the lowest point 8c of the trough.

In Fig. 1, further, a hatched wall part 21 is shown forming a sidewall of the feed hopper 7. In Fig. 1 it is represented that the feed hopper 7 is contiguous to an overflow track 19.

Further, in Fig. 2, reference numerals 18a, 18b and 18c represent how a carrot 18 with an orientation in conveying direction is gradually re-

oriented towards an orientation which is substantially transverse to the conveying direction 2, while in Fig. 1, reference numeral 18a represents how the carrot lies in an initial position on the compartments and, with reference numeral 18c, how the carrot lies in a compartment 5 in the final position. Due to its rigidity, a carrot 18a oriented in conveying direction cannot follow the curve of the track part ascending in a curved manner. As a result, the carrot will no longer rest on a row of successive carriers, but will be supported by carriers which, in conveying direction, surround carriers not supporting the carrot. As the top edges of the supporting carriers are at different heights, the carrot is tilted about a horizontal pivot transverse to the longitudinal axis of the carrot lying in conveying direction. Thus, the rear side of the carrot is forced to some extent into a compartment 5, and will bear on the leading face of a carrier in conveying direction. From this unstable position, the carrot will pivot sideways until it extends transversely to the conveying direction in a horizontal orientation.

The upstanding walls 6 of the conveying compartments 5 are interrupted transversely to the conveying direction.

The compartments 5 are formed between walls of carriers 17 running transversely to the conveying direction. Here, the intermediate space between the upstanding cross walls of the compartments is 1.5 times the average diameter of the carrots to be oriented, while the height of the upstanding cross walls of the compartments is 0.8 times the average diameter of the products to be oriented.

With the aid of the apparatus described hereinabove, carrots can be oriented in that they are taken along, to be oriented, with the aid of the conveyor 4, from the hopper 7 along a track part running curvedly upwards of a track, trough-shaped in conveying direction 2.

The trough-shaped course of the conveyor track 3 can for instance be realized through cooperation of the conveyor 4 with guiding wheels. The hollow track parts may be realized by running the upper side of the conveyor on a

number of bearing rollers (not shown), while the round track parts may be realized by running the underside of the conveyor on bearing rollers. This can be particularly advantageous when the conveyor is self-supporting, such as, for instance, with a modular plastic conveyor mat. Naturally, it is also possible to have side edges of the conveyor run through a trough-shaped guide, or by providing a wave-shaped track and to provide the conveyor with downholders for keeping the mat on the track.

Figs. 3 and 4 show that in the compartments 5 one or more orienting cams 20 can be provided. With the aid of a cam provided in the compartment, preferably a row of cams on the bottom of the compartment, ascending or descending in height transversely to the conveying direction, for instance conical products can be forced into a specific orientation. When a conical product rests with a thicker side on a low cam or on the bottom of the compartment, it can remain in the compartment with the track in the ascending part. When, however, the product rests with its thicker side on a sufficiently high cam, it will fall from the compartment upon ascending. With the aid of the cams, two conical products can also be prevented from ending up in one compartment in opposite orientations. Naturally, the number of cams, the shape of the cams and the change in height of the cams can be adjusted to the products to be oriented. For instance, the cam may be designed as a longitudinal partition in the compartment.

It will be clear to the person skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiment represented here, but that many variants are possible in the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.