Title of Invention	RADIAL ARM TYPE CASHEW KERNEL EXTRACTING MACHINE
Abstract	Applicant's Name: NATIONAL RESEARCH CENTRE FOR CASHEW Application No.: 1589/CHE/2007 ABSTRACT: The invention relates to an apparatus for extracting kernels from steam treated raw cashew nuts. It comprises of a horizontal panel(17) with a frame support (19); a pedal mechanism mounted beneath the panel operable with a pedal{9), a lever{7) and a connecting rod{8). There is a drive operating mechanism operable by the pedal mechanism having a horizontal drive shaft{6) mounted on the panel(17) operably rotatable by the pedal mechanism and having a first radial hold-arm(5) and a second radial split-arm{10) mounted thereon and rotatable with the drive shaft(6). A positioning mechanism is provided for limited movement, operable slidably mounted on the panel spaced away from the drive shaft(6) with a first contoured holding- blade edge{1) adapted for penetration into the concave notched side of the nut. An extracting mechanism is mounted operably on the panel spaced away from the positioning mechanism with a second contoured splitting-twin-blades(12) edge adapted for penetration into the convex side of the nut. An nut exit mechanism having a dispensing gap(21) on the panel(17) is provided beneath the extracting mechanism adapted for exiting nut.

Title of Invention

RADIAL ARM TYPE CASHEW KERNEL EXTRACTING MACHINE

Abstract

Applicant's Name: NATIONAL RESEARCH CENTRE FOR CASHEW Application No.: 1589/CHE/2007 ABSTRACT: The invention relates to an apparatus for extracting kernels from steam treated raw cashew nuts. It comprises of a horizontal panel(17) with a frame support (19); a pedal mechanism mounted beneath the panel operable with a pedal{9), a lever{7) and a connecting rod{8). There is a drive operating mechanism operable by the pedal mechanism having a horizontal drive shaft{6) mounted on the panel(17) operably rotatable by the pedal mechanism and having a first radial hold-arm(5) and a second radial split-arm{10) mounted thereon and rotatable with the drive shaft(6). A positioning mechanism is provided for limited movement, operable slidably mounted on the panel spaced away from the drive shaft(6) with a first contoured holding- blade edge{1) adapted for penetration into the concave notched side of the nut. An extracting mechanism is mounted operably on the panel spaced away from the positioning mechanism with a second contoured splitting-twin-blades(12) edge adapted for penetration into the convex side of the nut. An nut exit mechanism having a dispensing gap(21) on the panel(17) is provided beneath the extracting mechanism adapted for exiting nut.

Full Text	FIELD OF INVENTION This invention relates to the development of machine for extracting kernels from steam treated raw cashewnuts. BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Cashew has been a major source of foreign exchange to our country. About 1.14 lakh MT of cashew kernels were exported in 2005-2006, earning a forex of Rs 2515 Crores. At present over 1800 cashew processing factories constitute cashew nut processing sector employing more than 0.60 million workers. About 90 to 95 per cent of women force is employed in these industries mainly in shelling (40 percent), peeling (40 per cent) and grading (20 per cent) stages of operation. Raw nuts are pretreated (Drum roasting/ oil bath/ steam boiling) to facilitate cracking to liberate kernel and dried for de-shelling. Kerne! extraction has been the greatest problem in processing and the contributing factors are irregular shape of nut, brittle nature of kernel and the presence of Cashew Nut Shell Liquid Manual cracking of roasted nuts practiced in India was the earliest method of decortications. Considerable skill is required for cracking the nuts with a wooden mallet without damaging the kernel. The outturn of the whole kernels by an experienced person is approximately 70 to 85 per cent. The first tool developed had combined cutting and wedging operation in the plane of symmetry of the nut, splitting along the natural plane of weakness in the shell. The cutting unit developed by Tropical Product Institute uses cutting and sawing mechanism and the capacity is 11.5 kg kernels per day with the outturn o1 76 per cent whole kernels. The Cardoso system used knives to cut the shell in to two halves and separate them by a push using a pin. The capacity was 240 nuts / minute. The outturn of whole kernel was 53 per cent. In oltremare system, the shells were cut longitudinally and separated by a pair of gripers freeing kernel with the outturn of 80 per cent whole kernel. PRIOR ART Manual cracking of roasted nuts practiced in India was the earliest method of decortications. The workers' protected their hands against any remaining cashew nut shell liquid by smearing with wood ash, lime, linseed oil and castor oil. Considerable skill is required for cracking the nuts with a wooden mallet without damaging the kernel. The outturn of the whole kernel by an experienced person was about 70 to 85 per cent (Ohier, J.G, 1966). The first experiment on cashew nut shelling was carried out (Hall F.J, 1965) using a concave knife edge attached to one arm of a welding clamp and a short, thick, knife edged wedge attached to the other arm. The clamp was adjusted that after placing the nut between them, closure of jaws was limited to 1/8'^ of an inch. It was found that this method was successful in splitting the shell into two halves without damaging the kernel. Although this method was simple and easy to operate, setting the minimum separation of the jaws of the welding clamp according to the thickness of each nut was the major disadvantage. In the second tool developed (F.J. Hall, 1965), the nut was held on a short pillar fitted as before with a concave knife-edge and the height was adjusted by a simple ratchet. The short wedge shaped knife was brought down on to the middle of the concave surface of the nut along the symmetry by means of a hand lever. Pressing the outer shell surface onto a pin separated intact kernels. The kernel split in smaller nuts due to thinner shells demanded shorter travel of the blade. In a further series of experiments, the pillar was given a concave surface to give better support to the convex surface of the nut and aid in its proper location. The hand lever operation was converted to foot operation leaving both hands free, one for the transfer and location of the nut and the other for the adjustment of the pillar height to suit the size of the nut. Further the design was simplified by using a foot operated cranked lever with the cutting blade attached to the end. The travel was limited by a set- screw and the nut was rested on an anvil which could be moved up until the nut was in contact with the blade and held there by a simple friction lock. This lock could be released after cutting by lifting the handle attached to the locking ring (F.J. Hall, 1965). The shelling device developed by Tropical Product Institute (TPI) had capacity of 11.5 kg kernels per day and followed cutting and sawing mechanism with an outturn of 76 per cent whole kernels. The Cardoso system used knives to cut the shell in to two halves and separate them by a push pin. Its operational capacity was 240 nuts per minute. The Italian type SIMA process was based on shelling for each size of graded nuts with a capacity of about 70 kg of nuts /hour. The nuts were cut with semicircular knives having same curves as the nut on its longitudinal section. The outturn of whole kernel was 53 per cent (F.J. Hall etal, 1965). In oltremare system, the shells were cut longitudinally and separated by a pair of gripers freeing kernel with the outturn of 80 per cent whole kernel. In another version, the foot operated lever pushed the anvil upwards against the cutting blade, which was held in an adjustable slide and on release returned upwards by a spring (F.J. Hall et.al, 1965). The shelling machines developed in Thailand and Myanmar consists of two sets of blades, one concave and the other convex, with a divider in the middle. The gap described a kidney shape of the kernel, while bringing together. The blade was about 2 to 2.5 mm width inserted into a metal frame. The concave blade with frame was fixed vertically to the table with the sharp edge on top. The other blade was fixed to a metal rod, which was capable of moving up and down through a holder above. When the pre-treated nut was introduced on bottom blade with the convex side of raw nut down and pressing the pedal, the blades cut the shell. Two halves of nuts were plied apart by means of a pin fixed to the wooden handle from the right side to extract the kernel. However, it was found that use of hand for cutting was strenuous and changed over to pedal system (Mathew, A.G, 1995). In Vietnam, cutting system used two sets of blades kept in horizontal fashion. Initially one pedal was pressed to move the blades towards each the other to cut the shell. Then by pressing another pedal with other leg, the same blade is turned by about 30 to 40 degrees. Thus, even the plying open is performed by means of a pedal is connected to the holder of the convex blade (Mathew, A.G, 1995). The cashew nut shelling unit suggested by Mathew, A.G (1995), is the improved version of Thailand and Myanmar type wherein the lever have to be pulled by means of metal wire over a pulley to open the two halves of cut shell by twisting the upper blade. The extra length of wire provided over pulley delays the twisting action. After releasing the pedal, the upper blade moves vertically due to spring tension. Cashew nut centrifugal Sheller was designed for high efficiency in whole kernel recovery. The design was based on the principle of the optimum kinetic energy that could break the cashew nut shell. The British resin products ltd., and Italy's design was based on cracking nuts by pressure. This method follows cracking of graded nuts between two inward turning cylinders or shafts with an opening slightly narrow than the size of the nuts. In both the systems, the nuts need a second treatment, either by centrifugal cracking and separation of kernels and shells or by manual decortications of the unshelled nuts. The capacity of the machine was 2400 kg / 8 hours a day with an outturn of 20 per cent whole kernels increasing to 36.5 per cent after manual cracking of the unshelled nuts (Ohier, J.G, 1966). In a system developed by Carvalo and Ibraim in Mozambique, the nuts were led through conical abrasive surface in a vertical rotor mill. Due to continuous friction and abrasion, kernel and shell fell apart. The capacity of the machine was 1000 nuts per hour (OhIer, J.G. 1966). Centrifugal cracking was followed in the SICOL system (also called Tonelli or Albators), the JUR system and the Barbieri system. The nuts were placed in a certain position on a rotating disc (1200-180 rpm) and threw with a speed of 250 km/hr against vertical placed knives in SILCOL system. The capacity was 870-1200 kg nuts /hour. The outturn of whole kernels is 67 per cent. The JUR system also used a centrifugal disc but threw the nuts against a mantle. The machine was fabricated in 3 sizes with capacities of 200-300; 300-500; 50-800 kg nuts /hour. The outturn of the whole kernels was about 90 per cent. In Barbieri system, the nuts were cut before centrifuging (Ohier, J.G, 1966). In TPI model, the nuts are thrown tangentially from a spinner against peripheral target plates. This approach was towards developing fully mechanized high out put process suitable for large industrial installation. This unit demanded pretreatment in two opposing conditions i.e. kernel at high moisture content and shell as brittle as possible. The overall percentage of whole kernels recovered was 74.2 per cent of the raw nuts (F.J. Hall, 1965). The mechanical properties relating to shelling were studied, which yielded results indicating that the hard structure of the nutshell normally required a force in the range of 50-70 kgf to crack under "Plane surface" loading on a "raw" nut, but if specific conditions were chosen such that "blade" loading were applied to a "treated" nut across its "width" the cracking force was reduced to approximately 20 kgf. A survey on the need of cashew nut farmers and manufacturers for appropriate shelling machinery indicated definite needs for both the manually operated and power driven Sheller. Design considerations on the manually operated Sheller utilized the new principle of press twist actions of the Sheller's blade resulted in two versions of the manually operated Sheller and semi-automatic Sheller (Thivavarnvongs et.al, 1995). A shelling unit developed by Thivavarnvongs (1989), follows semi-automatic principle consists of a manual feeding action and a subsequent automatic shelling action. Each nut is conveyed to its shelling position on a circular plate, on which 3 sets of clamps and shelling blades are mounted. The sheller offers whole kernel recovery of higher than 80% and lowest possible machinery investment. The Kerala Agriculture University model (Joby bastian, 1994) was a manually operated cashew nut decorticator having top blade assembly, 2-blade bottom assembly and a linkage assembly fitted on a worktable. The 2-blade bottom assembly is made to slit the convex portion of the cashew nut and split the shells after cutting. The steamed cashew nut was placed in between the top and bottom blades with its notched portion facing the top blade by the left hand. Then the pedal was actuated by foot, which in turn operates the bell crank lever and pushes down the top blade assembly. Now the release arm was operated by the right hand through the handle provided to move the bottom blades apart to tear out the shell and thus to release the kernel. The efficiency in decorticating is 88 per cent whole kernels and the capacity is 900 nuts / hour. The single nut cutter developed by MERADO to shell the roasted nuts (Anonymous, 1997), separates kernel by hand cum foot-operated mechanism. The decorticator can conveniently be mounted on a worktable and operator can sit in front to operate it with minimum drudgery. The unit split the nuts between two horizontally mount blades, specially shaped to suit the contour of the raw nut. Engaging a pair of horizontally mounted blades, of which one side was splitting type and other side in pair, can conveniently separate the outer shell. The upper blade is positively fixed in the same axis to that of sliding blade and the lower one is splitting type. Reference cited Anonymous, 1997. Cashew decorticator-Technology for rural development. Mechanical Engineering Research and Development Organisation, Cochin, Kerala. Hall, F.J, 1965. Cashew Nut Processing - Part II: Trials of equipment in Western Nigeria. Tropical Science Vol. 8(4): 160-171 Hall, F.J and L.Banks, 1965. Cashew Nut Processing -Part II. Tropical Science. Vol 7: 12-26. Joby bastian and Jippu Jacob, 1994. Cashew nut decarticator. Cashew Bulletin 31 (9). Mathew, A.G, 1995. Improved shelling machine. Cashew bulletin. Vot.32 (4). Thivavarnvongs,T, 1989. The design synthesis of a semi-automatic cashew nut sheller. Journal-of-the-Japanese-Society-of-Agricultural-Machinery. No. 89-6615 Thivavarnvongs, T, Okamoto, Tand Kitani, O. 1995. Development of compact sized cashew nut shelling machinery (part 1). Syntheses of effective manual and semi¬automatic shelling methods.Journal-of-the-Japanese-Society-of-Agricultural-Machinery. Vol. 57(2): 57-65. Ohier, J.G, 1966. Cashew processing. Tropical Abstracts. Vol. 21(9): 1792-2007. BREIF DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION In the present invention of Radial arm type cashew kernel extracting machine, the basic principle of cutting and shearing is employed to extract the kernel from the nut in a single operation. The developed kernel extractor can be operated in sitting posture. The average operational capacity of pre-treated cashew kernel extractor is found to be 9.3 Kg hr"V The average qualitative efficiency of the unit in terms of wholes and broken kernel is worked out as 9.84. The constant movement of blades and splitting angle of twin blades enabled the penetration of blades unto inner edge of shell protecting the kernel damage. As whole kernel yield at the end of kernel extraction level is one of the factors in economic efficiency, the increase in whole kernel yield in extraction process using the developed extractor is meritorious. The whole kernel extraction machine design accommodates nut feeding on either sides. DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION WITH REFERENCE TO DRAWINGS Now the apparatus of the radial arm type cashew nut extracting machine may be conveniently understand from the description of the accompanying drawings. Figurel illustrates the top view of assembly arrangement of radial arm type cashew kernel extractor as per the invention wherein holder blade(l), in the sliding arm(2), is guided by a guide rod(3) and first bearing(4). The radial hoId-arm(5) provided on the centre of the drive shaft(6) which further connected to lever arm(7). Figure 2 illustrates the side view of assembly arrangement of radial arm type cashew kernel extractor as per the invention wherein the connecting rod(8) is connected to the pedal(9) of pedal assembly. The radial split-arm(IO), sliding rod(11), twin blade(12), eccentric joint(13),central disc(14), support with hinge(15), spout(16), horizontal panel(17), and nut adjuster(18) are shown in figure 2. Figure 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E, and 3F illustrates each components of assembly arrangement of radial arm type cashew kernel extractor wherein Fig 3A and Fig 3B shows, the radial hold-arm(5) of positioning mechanism and radial split-arm{10) of extracting mechanism respectively. Fig 3C shows the contoured edge (1) of holder blade and contoured edge (12) of twin blades (12). Fig 3D shows the nut size adjuster (18) arrangement of the cashew nut kernel extractor. Fig 3E shows the arrangement of linkage assembly for extracting mechanism by means of a sliding rod (11). Fig 3F shows pedal (9) of pedal assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION: According to the present invention, radial arm type cashew kernel extractor works on the basic principle of impact and shearing. This is a semi - mechanized unit wherein kernel portion of steam pre-treated cashewnut is extracted by splitting the two half of the shell in to two with the help of two horizontally mount blades specially shaped to suit the contour of the raw cashewnut. The major components of the kernel extractor are, i) A pedal assembly is a pedal mechanism comprising of a pedal(9), a lever arm (7) and a connecting rod(8). ii) Nut holding assembly is a positioning mechanism of the nut when the pedal mechanism is activated so as to slit the concave or notched portion of the steam pre-treated cashew nut. A sliding arm(2) slides horizontally with the help of a guide rod (3)support. A compression spring ensures the sliding arm(2) to regain its original position after releasing the applied force from the pedal assembly, iii) Nut splitting mechanism is a extracting mechanism for nut splitting, which is in continuation of the positioning step of the nut, wherein a radial movement of disc(14) makes a set of twin blades(12) to move apart due to the hlnge(15) and eccentric joint(13). A sliding rod(11) with a second bearing{22) transfers motion to disc(14) from the pedal assembly. The twin blades(12) of radial split-arm(IO) is hinged at one end with back row supports and in the other end a set of concave blades are riveted, iv) Drive assembly is a drive operating mechanism associating the pedal mechanism with a linkage assembly for operating the positioning mechanism and extract mechanism. The linkage assembly includes a drive shaft{6) having two radial arms, one of which pushes a sliding arm(2) of the positioning mechanism towards the extracting mechanism until the attached blade penetrates the nut placed infront of extracting mechanism and slips not allowing the nut holder assembly to move backward. At this slipping point, the second radial split-arm{10) pushes sliding rod{11) connected with extracting mechanism to actuate a central disc{14) which aids in opening twin blade(12) and split the placed nut to extract the kernel. The pedal mechanism is operable with a pedal(9), a lever arm(7) and a connecting rod{8) and is coupled to the shaft of linkage assembly. The steam pre-treated cashew nut is placed in between blades with its notched portion facing the holder blade(l) and convex side resting on the edges of twin blades(12). When the pedal (9)is pressed, sliding arm (2) of positioning mechanism, move front and hold the nut. Further pressing make the arm to slip and allow the radial split arm(10) to push the sliding rod(11) to rotate the dlsc(14) of the extracting mechanism to a set angle resulting in splitting of shells. The compression sphng provided on the positioning mechanism ensures the assembly is back in position after the release of force applied on pedal{9). An adjusting mechanism is provided on the top of the sliding arm{2) for vahous sizes of nuts. A radial hold arm(5) is the first radial arm mounted on the drive shaft(6). It is provided at the mid point of the drive shaft(6) to gently push the nut positioning assembly forward until the attached holder blade{1) penetrates the nut. This ensures forward movement of sliding arm{2) and held in position by slipping over first bearing(4) for the set angle. This component is made out of mild steel and rests on the first bearing(4) of sliding arm(2) with 45° inclinations with horizontal. A radial split-arm(IO) is the second radial arm mounted on the driveshaft(6). This radial split arm(10) is fixed at the extreme end of the driving shaft(6) in order to actuate split blades(12). The slip surface of sliding arm(2) becomes perpendicular to the line passing through the center of second bearing(22) and sliding rod(11), while contacting the first bearing(4) for push. It makes 30° with the horizontal in original position and fixed to the shaft{6) in such a way that exactly at the slipping point of radial hold arm{5), this gets contact with second bearing(22) of sliding rod(11) to actuate the link assembly of the extracting mechanism. This aid in opening twin blades and split the nut. The blades are fabricated with high carbon steel of 1.5 mm thick sheet and riveted to sliding arm(2) and twin plates. Each blade is designed to suit the contour of raw cashew nut. The length and width of the holder and split blades are 3 cm and 2.5 cm respectively. The depth of curvature is 0.7 cm and the bevel angle is 15° Split Blade Link of the radial split arm(IO) is in extracting mechanism. Sliding rod{11) of 1 cm diameter moves at an angle of 27° to horizontal through two bushes, which are fixed to the table. A concealed bearing of 2 cm diameter is connected at one end whereas the other end is connected to the central disc{14) through a link rod. The U-clamp(23) provided in link rod ensures the degree of twin blade opening. Pedal Assembly operates the Drive Assembly. The rectangular pedal (9)pf size 30X25 cm provided at bottom transfers motion to the drive shaft(6) through connecting rod(8) and lever arm(7). The lever arm(7) length is limited to 16 cm to facilitate nut feeding on either side of split blade{12). The angular position of the pedal is based on the height of base plate(17) from the ground and the total angular movement in arms for holding and splitting the nut. The table height is fixed as 150 cm from ground level. Nut size adjusting mechanism is provided on the top of the sliding arm(2) to accommodate various sizes of nuts. This consists of a bolt passing through the vertical projections of tv^o halves of sliding arm{2). Tightening or loosening nut adjuster can alter the space between the two blades to suit for various sizes of the nuts. According to the present invention, an apparatus for extracting kernel comprising of a horizontal panel{17) with a frame support (19); a pedal mechanism mounted ber.sath the panel(17) operable with a pedal(9), a lever(7) and a connecting rod(8); a drive operating mechanism operable by the pedal mechanism having a horizontal drive shaft(6) mounted on the panel(17) operably rotatable by the pedal mechanism and having a first radial hold-arm(5) and a second radial split-arm(IO) mounted thereon and rotatable with the drive shaft(6); a positioning mechanism for limited movement operable slidably mounted on the panel spaced away from the drive shaft{6) with a first contoured holding- blade edge(1) adapted for penetration into the concave notched side of the nut; an extracting mechanism mounted operably on the panel spaced away from the positioning mechanism with a second contoured splitting-twin-b!ades{12) edge adapted for penetration into the convex side of the nut and a nut exit mechanism having a dispensing gap(21) on the panel(17) beneath the extracting mechanism adapted for exiting nut. Further the said pedal mechanism rotates the drive shaft(6), so that the first radial ho!d-arm(5) slides the positioning mechanism away from the shaft(6) and towards the extracting mechanism, thereafter the second radial split-arm(IO) opens the pair of twin blades(12) of the extracting mechanism. The said first radial hold arm(5) and second radial split arm{10) as per the invention shall have surface lobes and indentions which are different from each other. The said extracting mechanism of apparatus as per the invention shall comprise two plates(20) connected offset to a rotary disc(14) drive mechanism, the said plates(20) are arranged one above the other and further a splitting blade(12) is riveted at the distal end of each plate. The said positioning mechanism as per the invention may comprise a sliding arm (2) with a contoured holding blade (1) assembly, at the distal end of the arm, such that the sliding arm of the positioning mechanism is adapted to slide horizontally along the panel surface on two support guide rods(3). The said indentions provided on the first radial hold-arm (5) is coincident with a first bearing(4) coupled to the positioning mechanism when the drive shaft (6) rotates and further first bearing(4) is coupled through a connecting lever arm(7) to the sliding arm(2) of the positioning mechanism. The said indentions of the second radial split-arm (10) is coincident with a second bearing(22) coupled to the extracting mechanism when the drive shaft(6) . rotates and further the said second bearing{22) is coupled through a link rod with U-clamp(23)to the rotary disc(14) of the extracting mechanism. The surface lobes and indentions of the said radial arms are positioned for a timed sequence during the rotation of the drive shaft(6) by the pedal (9)mechanism such that the first radial hold-arm(5) contacts the first bearing{4) of the positioning mechanism and then slips at which instant the second radial split-arm(IO) contacts the second bearing(22) of the extract mechanism. The contoured blade edge(1) of the positioning mechanism and the contoured blade edges(12) of the extracting mechanism will be facing each other, with the blade of the positioning mechanism movable towards the extracting mechanism. The said extracting mechanism as per the invention may further comprises of a bolt passing through the vertical projection of the two sliding plates(20) supporting the two splitting blades(12) for adjusting the gap for a particular size of the nut to be shelled. As per the invention, the said sliding arms(2) of the said positioning mechanism is adapted for extendable adjustable length for adapting the gap between the end of positioning mechanism and end of extracting mechanism for a particular size of the nut to be shelled. As per the invention, the said positioning mechanism is a spring return mechanism. Further the said lever arm(7) of the pedal(9) mechanism as per the invention is adapted to be manually operated to rotate the shaft(6). The objects, scope and description of the present invention has been given herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and descriptions are indicative and illustrative for the purpose of explanation thereby including all variations and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention to the extend as apparent to those skilled in the art covered in the application. WE CLAIM: 1. An apparatus for extracting kernel comprising of: i) a horizontal panel(17) with a frame support (19); ii) a pedal mechanism mounted beneath the panel operable with a pedal(9), a lever(7) and a connecting rod(8); iii) a drive operating mechanism operable by the pedal mechanism having a horizontal drive shaft(6) mounted on the panel(17) operably rotatab\e by the pedal mechanism and having a first radial hold-arm(5) and a second radial split-arm(IO) mounted thereon and rotatable with the drive shaft(6); iv) a positioning mechanism for limited movement operable slidably mounted on the panel spaced away from the drive shaft(6) with a first contoured holding-blade edge{1) adapted for penetration into the concave notched side of the nut; v) an extracting mechanism mounted operably on the panel spaced away from the positioning mechanism with a second contoured splitting-twin-blades(12) edge adapted for penetration into the convex side of the nut; vi) a nut exit mechanism having a dispensing gap(21) on the panel(17) beneath the extracting mechanism adapted for exiting the split nut along with kernel; wherein the pedal mechanism rotates the drive shaft{6), so that the first radial hold-arn-iCS) slides the positioning mechanism away from the shaft(6) and towards the extracting mechanism, thereafter the second radial split-arm(IO) opens the pair of twin blades(12) of the extracting mechanism. 2. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first radial arm(5) and second radial arm{10) have surface lobes and indentions which are different from each other. 3. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extracting mechanism comprises of two plates(20) connected offset to a rotary disc(14) dhve mechanism, the plates(20) arranged one above the other and a splitting blade(12) riveted at the distal end of each plate. 4. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the positioning mechanism comprises of a sliding arm (2) with a contoured holding blade (1) assembly, at the distal end of the arm, such that the sliding arm of the positioning mechanism is adapted to slide horizontally along the panel surface on two support guide rods(3). 5. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2, wherein the indentions on the first radial hold-arm(5) is coincident with a first bearing(4) coupled, to the positioning mechanism when the drive shaft (6) rotates. 6. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2, where the indentions of the second radial split-arm (10) is coincident with a second bearing(22) coupled to the extracting mechanism when the drive shaft(6) rotates. 7. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 5, wherein, the first bearing(4) is coupled through a connecting lever arm{7) to the sliding arm{2) of the positioning mechanism. 8. The apparatus for extracting kemel as claimed in claim 6, wherein the second bearing(22) is coupled through a link rod with a U-ciamp(23) to the rotary disc(14) of the extracting mechanism. 9. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the surface lobes and indentions of the radial arms are positioned for a timed sequence during the rotation of the drive shaft(6) by the pedal (9)mechanism such that the first radial hold-arm(5) contacts the first bearing(4) of the positioning mechanism and then slips at which instf=int the second radial split-arm{10) contacts the second bearing(22) of the extract mechanism. 10. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contoured blade edge(1) of the positioning mechanism and the contoured blade edges(12) of the extracting mechanism will be facing each other, with the blade of the positioning mechanism movable towards the extracting mechanism. 11. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 1 and 3, wherein the extracting mechanism further comprises of a bolt passing through the vertical projection of the two plates(20) supporting the two splitting blades(12) for splitting the nuts. 12. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 1 and 4, wherein the sliding arms(2) of the positioning mechanism is adapted for extendable adjustable length for adapting the gap between the end of positioning mechanism and end of extracting mechanism for a particular size of the nut to be shelled. 13. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 1 and 4, wherein the positioning mechanism is a spring return mechanism. 14. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lever arm(7) of the pedal{9) mechanism is adapted to be manually operated to rotate the shaft(6).

Full Text

FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to the development of machine for extracting kernels from steam treated raw cashewnuts.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
Cashew has been a major source of foreign exchange to our country. About 1.14 lakh MT of cashew kernels were exported in 2005-2006, earning a forex of Rs 2515 Crores. At present over 1800 cashew processing factories constitute cashew nut processing sector employing more than 0.60 million workers. About 90 to 95 per cent of women force is employed in these industries mainly in shelling (40 percent), peeling (40 per cent) and grading (20 per cent) stages of operation.
Raw nuts are pretreated (Drum roasting/ oil bath/ steam boiling) to facilitate cracking to liberate kernel and dried for de-shelling. Kerne! extraction has been the greatest problem in processing and the contributing factors are irregular shape of nut, brittle nature of kernel and the presence of Cashew Nut Shell Liquid
Manual cracking of roasted nuts practiced in India was the earliest method of decortications. Considerable skill is required for cracking the nuts with a wooden mallet without damaging the kernel. The outturn of the whole kernels by an experienced person is approximately 70 to 85 per cent. The first tool developed had combined cutting and wedging operation in the plane of symmetry of the nut, splitting along the natural plane of weakness in the shell. The cutting unit developed by Tropical Product Institute uses cutting and sawing mechanism and the capacity is 11.5 kg kernels per day with the outturn o1 76 per cent whole kernels. The Cardoso system used knives to cut the shell in to two halves and separate them by a push using a pin. The capacity was 240 nuts / minute. The outturn of whole kernel was 53 per cent. In oltremare system, the shells were cut longitudinally and separated by a pair of gripers freeing kernel with the outturn of 80 per cent whole kernel.

PRIOR ART
Manual cracking of roasted nuts practiced in India was the earliest method of decortications. The workers' protected their hands against any remaining cashew nut shell liquid by smearing with wood ash, lime, linseed oil and castor oil. Considerable skill is required for cracking the nuts with a wooden mallet without damaging the kernel. The outturn of the whole kernel by an experienced person was about 70 to 85 per cent (Ohier, J.G, 1966).
The first experiment on cashew nut shelling was carried out (Hall F.J, 1965) using a concave knife edge attached to one arm of a welding clamp and a short, thick, knife edged wedge attached to the other arm. The clamp was adjusted that after placing the nut between them, closure of jaws was limited to 1/8'^ of an inch. It was found that this method was successful in splitting the shell into two halves without damaging the kernel. Although this method was simple and easy to operate, setting the minimum separation of the jaws of the welding clamp according to the thickness of each nut was the major disadvantage.
In the second tool developed (F.J. Hall, 1965), the nut was held on a short pillar fitted as before with a concave knife-edge and the height was adjusted by a simple ratchet. The short wedge shaped knife was brought down on to the middle of the concave surface of the nut along the symmetry by means of a hand lever. Pressing the outer shell surface onto a pin separated intact kernels. The kernel split in smaller nuts due to thinner shells demanded shorter travel of the blade.
In a further series of experiments, the pillar was given a concave surface to give better support to the convex surface of the nut and aid in its proper location. The hand lever operation was converted to foot operation leaving both hands free, one for the transfer and location of the nut and the other for the adjustment of the pillar height to suit the size of the nut. Further the design was simplified by using a foot operated cranked lever with the cutting blade attached to the end. The travel was limited by a set-

screw and the nut was rested on an anvil which could be moved up until the nut was in contact with the blade and held there by a simple friction lock. This lock could be released after cutting by lifting the handle attached to the locking ring (F.J. Hall, 1965).
The shelling device developed by Tropical Product Institute (TPI) had capacity of 11.5 kg kernels per day and followed cutting and sawing mechanism with an outturn of 76 per cent whole kernels. The Cardoso system used knives to cut the shell in to two halves and separate them by a push pin. Its operational capacity was 240 nuts per minute. The Italian type SIMA process was based on shelling for each size of graded nuts with a capacity of about 70 kg of nuts /hour. The nuts were cut with semicircular knives having same curves as the nut on its longitudinal section. The outturn of whole kernel was 53 per cent (F.J. Hall etal, 1965).
In oltremare system, the shells were cut longitudinally and separated by a pair of gripers freeing kernel with the outturn of 80 per cent whole kernel. In another version, the foot operated lever pushed the anvil upwards against the cutting blade, which was held in an adjustable slide and on release returned upwards by a spring (F.J. Hall et.al, 1965).
The shelling machines developed in Thailand and Myanmar consists of two sets of blades, one concave and the other convex, with a divider in the middle. The gap described a kidney shape of the kernel, while bringing together. The blade was about 2 to 2.5 mm width inserted into a metal frame. The concave blade with frame was fixed vertically to the table with the sharp edge on top. The other blade was fixed to a metal rod, which was capable of moving up and down through a holder above. When the pre-treated nut was introduced on bottom blade with the convex side of raw nut down and pressing the pedal, the blades cut the shell. Two halves of nuts were plied apart by means of a pin fixed to the wooden handle from the right side to extract the kernel. However, it was found that use of hand for cutting was strenuous and changed over to pedal system (Mathew, A.G, 1995).

In Vietnam, cutting system used two sets of blades kept in horizontal fashion. Initially one pedal was pressed to move the blades towards each the other to cut the shell. Then by pressing another pedal with other leg, the same blade is turned by about 30 to 40 degrees. Thus, even the plying open is performed by means of a pedal is connected to the holder of the convex blade (Mathew, A.G, 1995).
The cashew nut shelling unit suggested by Mathew, A.G (1995), is the improved version of Thailand and Myanmar type wherein the lever have to be pulled by means of metal wire over a pulley to open the two halves of cut shell by twisting the upper blade. The extra length of wire provided over pulley delays the twisting action. After releasing the pedal, the upper blade moves vertically due to spring tension.
Cashew nut centrifugal Sheller was designed for high efficiency in whole kernel recovery. The design was based on the principle of the optimum kinetic energy that could break the cashew nut shell. The British resin products ltd., and Italy's design was based on cracking nuts by pressure. This method follows cracking of graded nuts between two inward turning cylinders or shafts with an opening slightly narrow than the size of the nuts. In both the systems, the nuts need a second treatment, either by centrifugal cracking and separation of kernels and shells or by manual decortications of the unshelled nuts. The capacity of the machine was 2400 kg / 8 hours a day with an outturn of 20 per cent whole kernels increasing to 36.5 per cent after manual cracking of the unshelled nuts (Ohier, J.G, 1966).
In a system developed by Carvalo and Ibraim in Mozambique, the nuts were led through conical abrasive surface in a vertical rotor mill. Due to continuous friction and abrasion, kernel and shell fell apart. The capacity of the machine was 1000 nuts per hour (OhIer, J.G. 1966).
Centrifugal cracking was followed in the SICOL system (also called Tonelli or Albators), the JUR system and the Barbieri system. The nuts were placed in a certain position on a rotating disc (1200-180 rpm) and threw with a speed of 250 km/hr against

vertical placed knives in SILCOL system. The capacity was 870-1200 kg nuts /hour. The outturn of whole kernels is 67 per cent. The JUR system also used a centrifugal disc but threw the nuts against a mantle. The machine was fabricated in 3 sizes with capacities of 200-300; 300-500; 50-800 kg nuts /hour. The outturn of the whole kernels was about 90 per cent. In Barbieri system, the nuts were cut before centrifuging (Ohier, J.G, 1966).
In TPI model, the nuts are thrown tangentially from a spinner against peripheral target plates. This approach was towards developing fully mechanized high out put process suitable for large industrial installation. This unit demanded pretreatment in two opposing conditions i.e. kernel at high moisture content and shell as brittle as possible. The overall percentage of whole kernels recovered was 74.2 per cent of the raw nuts (F.J. Hall, 1965).
The mechanical properties relating to shelling were studied, which yielded results indicating that the hard structure of the nutshell normally required a force in the range of 50-70 kgf to crack under "Plane surface" loading on a "raw" nut, but if specific conditions were chosen such that "blade" loading were applied to a "treated" nut across its "width" the cracking force was reduced to approximately 20 kgf. A survey on the need of cashew nut farmers and manufacturers for appropriate shelling machinery indicated definite needs for both the manually operated and power driven Sheller. Design considerations on the manually operated Sheller utilized the new principle of press twist actions of the Sheller's blade resulted in two versions of the manually operated Sheller and semi-automatic Sheller (Thivavarnvongs et.al, 1995).
A shelling unit developed by Thivavarnvongs (1989), follows semi-automatic principle consists of a manual feeding action and a subsequent automatic shelling action. Each nut is conveyed to its shelling position on a circular plate, on which 3 sets of clamps and shelling blades are mounted. The sheller offers whole kernel recovery of higher than 80% and lowest possible machinery investment.

The Kerala Agriculture University model (Joby bastian, 1994) was a manually operated cashew nut decorticator having top blade assembly, 2-blade bottom assembly and a linkage assembly fitted on a worktable. The 2-blade bottom assembly is made to slit the convex portion of the cashew nut and split the shells after cutting. The steamed cashew nut was placed in between the top and bottom blades with its notched portion facing the top blade by the left hand. Then the pedal was actuated by foot, which in turn operates the bell crank lever and pushes down the top blade assembly. Now the release arm was operated by the right hand through the handle provided to move the bottom blades apart to tear out the shell and thus to release the kernel. The efficiency in decorticating is 88 per cent whole kernels and the capacity is 900 nuts / hour.
The single nut cutter developed by MERADO to shell the roasted nuts (Anonymous, 1997), separates kernel by hand cum foot-operated mechanism. The decorticator can conveniently be mounted on a worktable and operator can sit in front to operate it with minimum drudgery. The unit split the nuts between two horizontally mount blades, specially shaped to suit the contour of the raw nut. Engaging a pair of horizontally mounted blades, of which one side was splitting type and other side in pair, can conveniently separate the outer shell. The upper blade is positively fixed in the same axis to that of sliding blade and the lower one is splitting type.
Reference cited
Anonymous, 1997. Cashew decorticator-Technology for rural development. Mechanical Engineering Research and Development Organisation, Cochin, Kerala.
Hall, F.J, 1965. Cashew Nut Processing - Part II: Trials of equipment in Western Nigeria. Tropical Science Vol. 8(4): 160-171
Hall, F.J and L.Banks, 1965. Cashew Nut Processing -Part II. Tropical Science. Vol 7: 12-26.
Joby bastian and Jippu Jacob, 1994. Cashew nut decarticator. Cashew Bulletin 31 (9). Mathew, A.G, 1995. Improved shelling machine. Cashew bulletin. Vot.32 (4).
Thivavarnvongs,T, 1989. The design synthesis of a semi-automatic cashew nut sheller. Journal-of-the-Japanese-Society-of-Agricultural-Machinery. No. 89-6615

Thivavarnvongs, T, Okamoto, Tand Kitani, O. 1995. Development of compact sized cashew nut shelling machinery (part 1). Syntheses of effective manual and semi¬automatic shelling methods.Journal-of-the-Japanese-Society-of-Agricultural-Machinery. Vol. 57(2): 57-65.
Ohier, J.G, 1966. Cashew processing. Tropical Abstracts. Vol. 21(9): 1792-2007.
BREIF DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
In the present invention of Radial arm type cashew kernel extracting machine, the basic principle of cutting and shearing is employed to extract the kernel from the nut in a single operation. The developed kernel extractor can be operated in sitting posture. The average operational capacity of pre-treated cashew kernel extractor is found to be 9.3 Kg hr"V The average qualitative efficiency of the unit in terms of wholes and broken kernel is worked out as 9.84. The constant movement of blades and splitting angle of twin blades enabled the penetration of blades unto inner edge of shell protecting the kernel damage. As whole kernel yield at the end of kernel extraction level is one of the factors in economic efficiency, the increase in whole kernel yield in extraction process using the developed extractor is meritorious. The whole kernel extraction machine design accommodates nut feeding on either sides.
DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION WITH REFERENCE TO DRAWINGS
Now the apparatus of the radial arm type cashew nut extracting machine may be conveniently understand from the description of the accompanying drawings.
Figurel illustrates the top view of assembly arrangement of radial arm type cashew kernel extractor as per the invention wherein holder blade(l), in the sliding arm(2), is guided by a guide rod(3) and first bearing(4). The radial hoId-arm(5) provided on the centre of the drive shaft(6) which further connected to lever arm(7).
Figure 2 illustrates the side view of assembly arrangement of radial arm type cashew kernel extractor as per the invention wherein the connecting rod(8) is connected to the pedal(9) of pedal assembly. The radial split-arm(IO), sliding rod(11), twin blade(12),

eccentric joint(13),central disc(14), support with hinge(15), spout(16), horizontal panel(17), and nut adjuster(18) are shown in figure 2.
Figure 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D, 3E, and 3F illustrates each components of assembly arrangement of radial arm type cashew kernel extractor wherein Fig 3A and Fig 3B shows, the radial hold-arm(5) of positioning mechanism and radial split-arm{10) of extracting mechanism respectively.
Fig 3C shows the contoured edge (1) of holder blade and contoured edge (12) of twin blades (12). Fig 3D shows the nut size adjuster (18) arrangement of the cashew nut kernel extractor. Fig 3E shows the arrangement of linkage assembly for extracting mechanism by means of a sliding rod (11). Fig 3F shows pedal (9) of pedal assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION:
According to the present invention, radial arm type cashew kernel extractor works on the basic principle of impact and shearing. This is a semi - mechanized unit wherein kernel portion of steam pre-treated cashewnut is extracted by splitting the two half of the shell in to two with the help of two horizontally mount blades specially shaped to suit the contour of the raw cashewnut. The major components of the kernel extractor are,
i) A pedal assembly is a pedal mechanism comprising of a pedal(9), a lever
arm (7) and a connecting rod(8). ii) Nut holding assembly is a positioning mechanism of the nut when the pedal mechanism is activated so as to slit the concave or notched portion of the steam pre-treated cashew nut. A sliding arm(2) slides horizontally with the help of a guide rod (3)support. A compression spring ensures the sliding arm(2) to regain its original position after releasing the applied force from the pedal assembly, iii) Nut splitting mechanism is a extracting mechanism for nut splitting, which is in continuation of the positioning step of the nut, wherein a radial

movement of disc(14) makes a set of twin blades(12) to move apart due to the hlnge(15) and eccentric joint(13). A sliding rod(11) with a second bearing{22) transfers motion to disc(14) from the pedal assembly. The twin blades(12) of radial split-arm(IO) is hinged at one end with back row supports and in the other end a set of concave blades are riveted, iv) Drive assembly is a drive operating mechanism associating the pedal mechanism with a linkage assembly for operating the positioning mechanism and extract mechanism. The linkage assembly includes a drive shaft{6) having two radial arms, one of which pushes a sliding arm(2) of the positioning mechanism towards the extracting mechanism until the attached blade penetrates the nut placed infront of extracting mechanism and slips not allowing the nut holder assembly to move backward. At this slipping point, the second radial split-arm{10) pushes sliding rod{11) connected with extracting mechanism to actuate a central disc{14) which aids in opening twin blade(12) and split the placed nut to extract the kernel.
The pedal mechanism is operable with a pedal(9), a lever arm(7) and a connecting rod{8) and is coupled to the shaft of linkage assembly. The steam pre-treated cashew nut is placed in between blades with its notched portion facing the holder blade(l) and convex side resting on the edges of twin blades(12). When the pedal (9)is pressed, sliding arm (2) of positioning mechanism, move front and hold the nut. Further pressing make the arm to slip and allow the radial split arm(10) to push the sliding rod(11) to rotate the dlsc(14) of the extracting mechanism to a set angle resulting in splitting of shells. The compression sphng provided on the positioning mechanism ensures the assembly is back in position after the release of force applied on pedal{9). An adjusting mechanism is provided on the top of the sliding arm{2) for vahous sizes of nuts.
A radial hold arm(5) is the first radial arm mounted on the drive shaft(6). It is provided at the mid point of the drive shaft(6) to gently push the nut positioning

assembly forward until the attached holder blade{1) penetrates the nut. This ensures forward movement of sliding arm{2) and held in position by slipping over first bearing(4) for the set angle. This component is made out of mild steel and rests on the first bearing(4) of sliding arm(2) with 45° inclinations with horizontal.
A radial split-arm(IO) is the second radial arm mounted on the driveshaft(6). This radial split arm(10) is fixed at the extreme end of the driving shaft(6) in order to actuate split blades(12). The slip surface of sliding arm(2) becomes perpendicular to the line passing through the center of second bearing(22) and sliding rod(11), while contacting the first bearing(4) for push. It makes 30° with the horizontal in original position and fixed to the shaft{6) in such a way that exactly at the slipping point of radial hold arm{5), this gets contact with second bearing(22) of sliding rod(11) to actuate the link assembly of the extracting mechanism. This aid in opening twin blades and split the nut.
The blades are fabricated with high carbon steel of 1.5 mm thick sheet and riveted to sliding arm(2) and twin plates. Each blade is designed to suit the contour of raw cashew nut. The length and width of the holder and split blades are 3 cm and 2.5 cm respectively. The depth of curvature is 0.7 cm and the bevel angle is 15°
Split Blade Link of the radial split arm(IO) is in extracting mechanism. Sliding rod{11) of 1 cm diameter moves at an angle of 27° to horizontal through two bushes, which are fixed to the table. A concealed bearing of 2 cm diameter is connected at one end whereas the other end is connected to the central disc{14) through a link rod. The U-clamp(23) provided in link rod ensures the degree of twin blade opening.
Pedal Assembly operates the Drive Assembly. The rectangular pedal (9)pf size 30X25 cm provided at bottom transfers motion to the drive shaft(6) through connecting rod(8) and lever arm(7). The lever arm(7) length is limited to 16 cm to facilitate nut feeding on either side of split blade{12). The angular position of the pedal is based on the height of base plate(17) from the ground and the total angular movement in arms for holding and splitting the nut. The table height is fixed as 150 cm from ground level.

Nut size adjusting mechanism is provided on the top of the sliding arm(2) to accommodate various sizes of nuts. This consists of a bolt passing through the vertical projections of tv^o halves of sliding arm{2). Tightening or loosening nut adjuster can alter the space between the two blades to suit for various sizes of the nuts.
According to the present invention, an apparatus for extracting kernel comprising of a horizontal panel{17) with a frame support (19); a pedal mechanism mounted ber.sath the panel(17) operable with a pedal(9), a lever(7) and a connecting rod(8); a drive operating mechanism operable by the pedal mechanism having a horizontal drive shaft(6) mounted on the panel(17) operably rotatable by the pedal mechanism and having a first radial hold-arm(5) and a second radial split-arm(IO) mounted thereon and rotatable with the drive shaft(6); a positioning mechanism for limited movement operable slidably mounted on the panel spaced away from the drive shaft{6) with a first contoured holding- blade edge(1) adapted for penetration into the concave notched side of the nut; an extracting mechanism mounted operably on the panel spaced away from the positioning mechanism with a second contoured splitting-twin-b!ades{12) edge adapted for penetration into the convex side of the nut and a nut exit mechanism having a dispensing gap(21) on the panel(17) beneath the extracting mechanism adapted for exiting nut.
Further the said pedal mechanism rotates the drive shaft(6), so that the first radial ho!d-arm(5) slides the positioning mechanism away from the shaft(6) and towards the extracting mechanism, thereafter the second radial split-arm(IO) opens the pair of twin blades(12) of the extracting mechanism.
The said first radial hold arm(5) and second radial split arm{10) as per the invention shall have surface lobes and indentions which are different from each other.
The said extracting mechanism of apparatus as per the invention shall comprise two plates(20) connected offset to a rotary disc(14) drive mechanism, the said plates(20)

are arranged one above the other and further a splitting blade(12) is riveted at the distal end of each plate.
The said positioning mechanism as per the invention may comprise a sliding arm (2) with a contoured holding blade (1) assembly, at the distal end of the arm, such that the sliding arm of the positioning mechanism is adapted to slide horizontally along the panel surface on two support guide rods(3).
The said indentions provided on the first radial hold-arm (5) is coincident with a first bearing(4) coupled to the positioning mechanism when the drive shaft (6) rotates and further first bearing(4) is coupled through a connecting lever arm(7) to the sliding arm(2) of the positioning mechanism.
The said indentions of the second radial split-arm (10) is coincident with a second bearing(22) coupled to the extracting mechanism when the drive shaft(6) . rotates and further the said second bearing{22) is coupled through a link rod with U-clamp(23)to the rotary disc(14) of the extracting mechanism.
The surface lobes and indentions of the said radial arms are positioned for a timed sequence during the rotation of the drive shaft(6) by the pedal (9)mechanism such that the first radial hold-arm(5) contacts the first bearing{4) of the positioning mechanism and then slips at which instant the second radial split-arm(IO) contacts the second bearing(22) of the extract mechanism.
The contoured blade edge(1) of the positioning mechanism and the contoured blade edges(12) of the extracting mechanism will be facing each other, with the blade of the positioning mechanism movable towards the extracting mechanism.
The said extracting mechanism as per the invention may further comprises of a bolt passing through the vertical projection of the two sliding plates(20) supporting the two splitting blades(12) for adjusting the gap for a particular size of the nut to be shelled.

As per the invention, the said sliding arms(2) of the said positioning mechanism is adapted for extendable adjustable length for adapting the gap between the end of positioning mechanism and end of extracting mechanism for a particular size of the nut to be shelled.
As per the invention, the said positioning mechanism is a spring return mechanism. Further the said lever arm(7) of the pedal(9) mechanism as per the invention is adapted to be manually operated to rotate the shaft(6).
The objects, scope and description of the present invention has been given herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and descriptions are indicative and illustrative for the purpose of explanation thereby including all variations and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention to the extend as apparent to those skilled in the art covered in the application.

WE CLAIM:
1. An apparatus for extracting kernel comprising of:
i) a horizontal panel(17) with a frame support (19);
ii) a pedal mechanism mounted beneath the panel operable with a pedal(9), a lever(7) and a connecting rod(8);
iii) a drive operating mechanism operable by the pedal mechanism having a horizontal drive shaft(6) mounted on the panel(17) operably rotatab\e by the pedal mechanism and having a first radial hold-arm(5) and a second radial split-arm(IO) mounted thereon and rotatable with the drive shaft(6);
iv) a positioning mechanism for limited movement operable slidably mounted on the panel spaced away from the drive shaft(6) with a first contoured holding-blade edge{1) adapted for penetration into the concave notched side of the nut;
v) an extracting mechanism mounted operably on the panel spaced away from the positioning mechanism with a second contoured splitting-twin-blades(12) edge adapted for penetration into the convex side of the nut;
vi) a nut exit mechanism having a dispensing gap(21) on the panel(17) beneath the extracting mechanism adapted for exiting the split nut along with kernel;
wherein the pedal mechanism rotates the drive shaft{6), so that the first radial hold-arn-iCS) slides the positioning mechanism away from the shaft(6) and towards the extracting mechanism, thereafter the second radial split-arm(IO) opens the pair of twin blades(12) of the extracting mechanism.
2. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first radial
arm(5) and second radial arm{10) have surface lobes and indentions which are different
from each other.

3. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extracting mechanism comprises of two plates(20) connected offset to a rotary disc(14) dhve mechanism, the plates(20) arranged one above the other and a splitting blade(12) riveted at the distal end of each plate.
4. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the positioning mechanism comprises of a sliding arm (2) with a contoured holding blade (1) assembly, at the distal end of the arm, such that the sliding arm of the positioning mechanism is adapted to slide horizontally along the panel surface on two support guide rods(3).
5. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2, wherein the indentions on the first radial hold-arm(5) is coincident with a first bearing(4) coupled, to the positioning mechanism when the drive shaft (6) rotates.
6. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 1 and claim 2, where the indentions of the second radial split-arm (10) is coincident with a second bearing(22) coupled to the extracting mechanism when the drive shaft(6) rotates.
7. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 5, wherein, the first bearing(4) is coupled through a connecting lever arm{7) to the sliding arm{2) of the positioning mechanism.
8. The apparatus for extracting kemel as claimed in claim 6, wherein the second bearing(22) is coupled through a link rod with a U-ciamp(23) to the rotary disc(14) of the extracting mechanism.
9. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the surface lobes and indentions of the radial arms are positioned for a timed sequence during the rotation of the drive shaft(6) by the pedal (9)mechanism such that the first radial hold-arm(5) contacts the first bearing(4) of the positioning mechanism and then slips at which

instf=int the second radial split-arm{10) contacts the second bearing(22) of the extract mechanism.
10. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the contoured blade edge(1) of the positioning mechanism and the contoured blade edges(12) of the extracting mechanism will be facing each other, with the blade of the positioning mechanism movable towards the extracting mechanism.
11. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 1 and 3, wherein the extracting mechanism further comprises of a bolt passing through the vertical projection of the two plates(20) supporting the two splitting blades(12) for splitting the nuts.
12. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 1 and 4, wherein the
sliding arms(2) of the positioning mechanism is adapted for extendable adjustable
length for adapting the gap between the end of positioning mechanism and end of
extracting mechanism for a particular size of the nut to be shelled.
13. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 1 and 4, wherein the positioning mechanism is a spring return mechanism.
14. The apparatus for extracting kernel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the lever arm(7) of the pedal{9) mechanism is adapted to be manually operated to rotate the shaft(6).

Documents:

http://ipindiaonline.gov.in/patentsearch/GrantedSearch/viewdoc.aspx?id=yKojmTomu7Ebr9KczuCH6Q==&loc=egcICQiyoj82NGgGrC5ChA==

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Patent Number

272371

Indian Patent Application Number

1589/CHE/2007

PG Journal Number

14/2016

Publication Date

01-Apr-2016

Grant Date

30-Mar-2016

Date of Filing

23-Jul-2007

Name of Patentee

NATIONAL RESEARCH CENTRE FOR CASHEW

Applicant Address

INDIAN CENTRE OF RESEARCH HAVING ITS REGISTERED OFFICE AT PUTTUR-574 202 DAKSHINA KANNADA

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	D BALASUBRAMANIAN	NATIONAL RESEARCH CENTRE FOR CASHEW PUTTUR-574 202 DAKSHINA KANNADA

PCT International Classification Number

B02B3/04; B02B3/00

PCT International Application Number

N/A

PCT International Filing date

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1			NA