United States Patent 15) 3,701,420

Satake [45] Oct. 31, 1972

54 HUSKER SEPARATOR FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONs
(72) Inventor: Toshihiko Satake, 2-38, Nishihon- 2,734 3/1899 Great Britain...............209/35
machi, Saiyo-cho, Kamo-gun, 400,326 5/1909 France.......................209/137
Hiroshima-ken, Japan
(22 Filed: April 6, 1970 Primary Examiner-Frank W. Lutter
(21) Appl. No.: 25,689 Assistant Examiner-Robert Halper
Attorney-Browdy and Neimark
30 Foreign Application Priority Data (57 ABSTRACT
April 25, 1969 Japan ......................44/37986 A husk separator in which a stream of husked grain
Jan. 28, 1970 Japan........................45/7855 and husks is subjected to streams of air produced by a
single blower or aspirator housed inside a housing
52 U.S. Cl....................................209/135, 209/137 consisting of a winnowing chamber, settling chamber
(51) Int. Cl................................................ B07b 4/02 and chamber for housing said blower, whereby husked
58) Field of Search........................ 209/134-137, 24, grain is separated from the husks in the winnowing
209/28,33, 32, 34,55, 26, 27, 144; 1301277, chamber, and said streams are joined together after
30 G passing through the winnowing chamber to form in the
56) References Cited settling chamber a stream of air which solely carries
the husks, passes along an inner surface of rear side
UNITED STATES PATENTS wall of the housing by centrifugal force working
thereon and remotely from an inlet opening of the
380,097 3/1888 Davis.......................209/35 X blower and discharges the husks from an opening con
584,647 6/1897 Pape.......................... 209/137 nected to an outlet conduit of the blower.
1,039,854 10/1912 Wear......................... 209/136
1,348,043 7/1920 Parkinson.................. 209/135 6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures
PATENTEDOCT31 1972 3,701,420
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PATENTEDOCT31 1972 3, 701.420
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PATENTEDOCT3, 1972 3,701,420
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PATENTEDOCT31 1972 3,701,420
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HUSKER SEPARATOR additional pipe might be connected to said chute to
This invention relates to a husker and more particu return
hopper
an excessive amount of raw materials to the
2, when operated a change valve provided to an
larly, it relates to a winnowing device in a husker. intermediary of the chute 3 from which the additional
Conventional winnowing devices provided to a 5 pipe is branched.
husker might be sorted into two types, viz., a winnow The raw materials stored in the feeding tank 4 fall
ing device provided with a pair of blowers or aspirators, downward through a pulling out roll 6 into a housing 9
one of which is designed so as to produce a blow of air which is projectedly mounted on a main housing 10,
having a velocity sufficient to separate husks from communicates at its upper opening with the pulling out
husked grain and another of which is designed so as to 10 roll 6 and at its lower opening
produce a blow of air having a velocity sufficient to ing and carries a pair of rolls 167 and with said main hous
8; and they are
blow off the husks separated from the grain by the husked while passing through the gap between said pair
firstly-mentioned blower or aspirator from the device, of rolls 7 and 8 which are separately driven or driven by
and a winnowing device of the other type provided with
a single blower or aspirator which operates to produce 15 one and the same electric motor by means of a reduc
a blow of air for winnowing husks from the husked tion gear unit interposed between the motor and the
rolls so that one of them rotates at a higher speed than
grain as well as for blowing off said husks from the
device. the other at their outer peripheries. The amount of raw
In the firstly-mentioned type of winnowing device, materials to be subjected to the rolls are controlled
there is a drawback that two blowers should be pro 2O. firstly by a shutter 5 which is provided at the lower
vided to the device, resulting in making the manufac opening of the feeding tank 4 and movable to an open
ture thereof complicated and high at its cost and in and6.
closed position, and secondly by the pulling out roll
making it impossible to assemble the device into a com
pact type. The box-like main housing 10 is closed at its both
In the secondly-mentioned type of winnowing device 25 lateral sides 11, 11. The upper and bottom sides of the
there is such a drawback that if the blow of air housing are also closed except that there is provided
produced by the blower is given such a velocity than adjacently to the front wall an opening at the upper side
can blow off the husks far away from the device, said wall 12, which communicates with the lower opening
velocity becomes too strong to efficiently separate so 16 of the housing 9 mounted with the pair of rolls 8 and
husks from the husked grain in a winnowing chamber, 7. While the front side 14 of housing 10 is widely
resulting in often mixing a husked unripe grain with a opened directly to the outside or indirectly through a
husked fine grain. screen 15, the rear side 13 thereof is closed almost
In view of the disadvantages accompanied to the wholly. Vertically beneath the opening of the upper
conventional winnowing devices, the principal object 35 side wall 12 of main housing and interposing
of the present invention is to provide a husker with a therebetween the stream of husked rice and husks
winnowing device, in which a single aspirator or blower which downwardly falls from said opening, there are
is provided inside a housing to produce a blow of air provided in the housing several pairs of wind-shielding
having an adequate velocity for efficiently and positive plates 17 and 18 which are vertically spaced each other
ly separating husked rice from husks and for conveying 40 by wind passages 19, 20 and 21, said wind-shielding
solely the husks remotely from said aspirator to a plates guiding the stream of husked rice to pass
discharge conduit connected to said aspirator, whereby therethrough and preventing said stream from being
the aspirator does not directly act on discharging the subjected to the wind forcibly introduced from the
husks and consequently prevents them from flying front side opening 14, and said wind passages 19, 20
about inside the housing. 45 and 21 working to subject said stream passing
In the accompanying drawing; therethrough to the blow of said wind. The flow of wind
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a husker in ac forcibly introduced into a winnowing chamber 24 of
cordance with the present invention, the housing 10 by an aspirator or blower 36 is
FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of said husker in its represented in FIG. 2 by dotted lines.
principal part, 50 In the embodiment illustrated in the drawing, said
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the principal parts of wind passages are provided at three portions, viz., at
the present invention husker, which is partly cut open, the locations indicated by numerals 19, 20 and 21,
FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view similar to FIG. 2, in along the downward stream of husked rice.
which another embodiment of the present invention is The unhusked rice is twisted during its passing
illustrated, and 55 through the gap of rolls 8 and 7, because the rolls are
FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view of parts for respectively rotated at a different speed, and husks are
discharging husks and a screw conveyor associated removed from the rice.
with said parts. The stream of rice thus husked falls downwardly
In the drawing, raw materials such as unhusked grain 60 together with husks and dusts and are subjected to the
or rice are transported to an elevated position by means blow of wind each time when it passes through the wind
of an elevator 1 from a hopper 2 operatively connected passages. 19, 20 and 21, whereby the husks and dusts
with the elevator at its lower portion. The raw materials are separated from the husked rice. A gather chute 23
thus brought to an elevated position fall by their own having a U-shaped configuration at its cross section and
gravity into a feeding tank 4 via a chute 3 which con 65 carrying thereon an auger conveyor 22 which
nects the feeding tank with an discharge opening of the discharges a fine husked rice completely separated
elevator 1. Though in the drawing, for the simplicity from husks, said rice having fallen on said chute against
thereof, said chute 3 is illustrated by a single pipe, an the blow of air due to its comparatively heavy weight,
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extends laterally between the side walls 11, 11 below aspirator or blower penetrates through the rear side
the wind passage 21. wall 13 and is connected to a cyclone collector via a
One lateral edge opposite to the free edge of said connecting pipe 38.
gathering chute 23 connects to one edge of a gathering The gathering chute 31 for husks placed at the lower
chute 26 which carries thereon an auger conveyor for most part of the settling chamber 29 carries, as best
discharging unripe husked rice fallen on the chute, seen in FIG. 5, the screw conveyor 30 having augers
being slightly influenced by the blow of air on account which enable to forward the husks fallen onto the
of its weight lighter than a fine husked rice. gathering chute 31 to the central part of the chute
in the present invention husker in which only a single which is connected with the outlet conduit 38 through
aspirator or blower is utilized, the way of winnowing is 10
a tubular conduit 41, remotely from the blades of
completely unique compared to conventional huskers aspirator or blower 36. Within said tubular conduit 41,
of the kind described in the foregoing in that the blow there is provided a rotary valve 40 which can permit
of wind introduced into the housing 10 forms at least the husks to fall down into the outlet conduit but
two kinds of wind flow, viz., a first flow introduced 15 prevents the air aspirated into said conduit from escap
from the front side opening into the winnowing ing therefrom into the settling chamber and disturbing
chamber 24, passing horizontally through said chamber the flow of air in the settling chamber.
and over an inlet opening 32 of the aspirator 36 and In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, constructions of
centrifugally and downwardly turning in a settling the husker are almost entirely same to that shown in
chamber 29 against the rear side wall 13, and a second 20 FIG. 2, except that the gathering chute 23 for a fine
flow passing through the wind passages 20 and 21 al rice is connected to the gathering chute 26 for an un
most horizontally, running through the winnowing ripe rice by a screen 43, so that comparatively heavy
chamber in an upward curve until it reaches a position husks and dusts might be further separated from
above the inlet opening 32 of aspirator or blower and husked unripe rice by the flow of air passing through
flowing together with the first flow in a chamber 28. 25 said screen towards the winnowing chamber 24.
In order to make such flows, one lateral edge of the In the present husker having the above construc
chute 26 for gathering unripe husked rice, which is tions, when the aspirator or blower 36 is operated at a
located in a position opposite to the other edge con desired speed, a blow of air is introduced into the hous
nected to the chute 23 for gathering a fine husked rice, ing 10 and constitutes several flows of air, to which the
is integrally connected with a leg plate 25 which ex 30
stream of rice husked by the pair of rolls 7 and 8 and
tends over the entire distance between the lateral side falling downwardly by its own gravity with husks and
walls 11 and 11 and towards the rear side wall 13 and dusts is subjected intermittently at the wind passages
which is slanted upwardly until it reaches a position ad 19, 20, 21, and additionally at 43 in case of the con
jacent to the inlet opening 32 of aspirator 36 and made structions shown in FIG. 4.
an arcuate form 27 and its free end which covers said 35 The husks and dusts are separated from husked rice
inlet opening 32 with a distance therefrom and also when they pass through the wind passages forwarded
with a distance from the upper side wall 12, by which horizontally or in an upward curve over the winnowing
distance the aforementioned chamber 28 is formed, chamber 24 and the arcuate part 27 of the leg plate 25,
and in which distance the aforementiond first and 40 and turned in the settling chamber 29 centrifugally
second flows are joined together and given a centrifu against the inwardly curved rear side wall 13 and
gal
29.
force to be exerted thereon in a settling chamber towards the gathering chute 31, while husked unripe
The inlet opening 32 of aspirator or blower 36 is con rice is not so much influenced by the stream of air as in
case of husks and dusts on account of its weight being
nected to the latter by a conduit 37 which is air-tightly 45 heavier than the latter, blown off into the winnowing
fitted through a guide plate extending laterally between chamber 24 as far as it hits against the leg plate 25 and
the lateral side walls 11, 11 and having an upper part 34 descends along the surface of the plate 25 into the
which is upwardly slanted towards the leg plate 25 and gathering chute 26 for husked unripe rice.
connected at its free edge to said plate 25 and a lower The fine husked rice falls down straightly onto the
part 33 which is downwardly slanted and connected at 50 gathering chute 23, not being influenced by the streams
its free edge to one edge of a chute 31 for gathering of flow due to its heavy weight which can stand against
husks. Said chute 31 is provided in the housing remote the streams. 'a
ly from the inlet opening 32 and consists of a plate ver It shall be noted that the streams of air passing
tically projecting at a lateral space between the both through the winnowing chamber 24 and conveying
lateral side walls 11 and slightly inwardly arcuated 55 husks and dusts separated from the husked rice and
against the inner surface of rear side wall 13. Said chute husked unripe rice are not disturbed by the inspiration
hangs over a screw conveyor 30 and acts to catch the of air from the inlet opening 32 of the aspirator or
husks conveyed by the stream of air flowing along said blower 36, because the direction of said aspiration is
inner surface of rear side wall for preventing the husks isolated from the winnowing chamber by the leg plate
from flying about from the vicinity around the said con 60
veyor 30. 25, and also that the stream of air in the settling
chamber 29 carrying husks is not disturbed by said
The lower part of the leg plate 25 and said guide aspiration, because the aspiration is made remotely
plate consisting of said parts 33 and 34 form a chamber from the path of said stream and is not intended to
35 having a triangular shape at its cross section, which 65 directly suck in the husks as in the case of the afore
allows the aspirator or blower 36 to be housed inside mentioned conventional husker of the second type.
the housing at the space between the lateral side walls In other words, said stream flows in the settling
11. The outlet conduit 38 connected at its end to said chamber centrifugally against the curved inner rear
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side wall 13 on account of the novel arrangement of aspirated by the aspirator or blower means from the
said side wall and the leg plate 25, tending to fly from front side wall pass through the wind passages both
center adjacently to which the aspiration is made. It horizontally and in an upward curve while separating
shall be noted also that not likely as in said conven the husks and dusts from the husked fine and unripe
tional husker, the velocity of aspiration in the present rice, and join together, when they pass over the space
invention husker is adjusted solely to meet with the between
winnowing the husks from husked rice, and that no leg plate,the upper wall and the uppermost part of said
consideration is required to directly blow off the husks the dusts anda husks
into single stream of air which carries only
and which flows centrifugally
by said aspiration.
I claim: 10
against the inner surface of the rear side wall, not being
1. A husk separator comprising: a housing having an disturbed in its direction of flow by the aspiration from
the inlet opening of said aspirator.
open front side wall, closed rear side wall, closed lateral 2. A husk separator as claimed in claim 1, in which
side walls, closed bottom wall and upper wall having an said flow means includes said rear side wall of the hous
opening adjacent to the front side wall; said opening ing which is inwardly curved, whereby the stream of air
having means to receive a stream of husked rice sup 15
in the settling chamber which carries husks flows cen
plied thereinto together with husks and dusts separated trifugally along said curved wall and remote from the
from the rice wherein said stream falls vertically inlet opening of the aspirator or blower means.
downwardly by its own gravity; an unobstructed 3. A husk separator as claimed in claim 1, in which
passage extending vertically beneath said opening and said aspirator or blower means is housed in a lateral
allowing the said stream to pass therethrough but which spaceadjacent
and betweento the
the leg
lateral
plate.side walls at a place below
does not substantially directly effect the direction of
travel of said stream; said passage being provided with 4. A husk separator as claimed in claim 1, in which
a plurality of wind passages which extend transversely the chute for gathering husks consists of a plate means
to said passage; an aspirator or blower means for vertically projecting at a lateral space between the
aspirating air into the housing from the front side wall; 25 lateral side walls and slightly inwardly arcuated towards
said wind passages allowing the air aspirated into the the inner surface of said rear side wall so as to hang
housing by said aspirator or blower means to pass over a screw conveyor carried by said chute, for
therethrough; a first chute provided directly below said catching the husks conveyed by the stream of air flow
passage for gathering a husked fine rice not affected by for ing along said inner surface of said rear side wall, and
said air; a second chute provided remotely from the 30 around preventing the husks from flying about from an area
front side wall and adjacent to the first chute for said plate means and screw conveyor.
gathering a husked unripe rice lighter than said husked the chute forseparator
5. A husk
gathering
as claimed in claim 1, in which
husks provided at the bottom of
fine rice and slightly affected by said air, a leg plate ex the settling camber carries a screw conveyor having au
tending laterally between the lateral side walls of the 35 gers which forward the husks fallen onto the chute cen
housing and slanted upwardly towards the upper and trally towards an opening provided
rear side walls leaving a space between the upper wall chute, said opening being connectedcentrally with an
of the
outlet
and the uppermost part of said leg plate which is in conduit of the aspirator or blower means via a rotary
wardly curved; said aspirator or blower means having valve which prevents the air aspirated into the conduit
an inlet opening located beneath the inwardly curved 40 from escaping from said opening into the settling
uppermost part of said leg plate; a settling chamber chamber.
formed behind said uppermost part of the leg plate and
along the inner surface of said rear side wall and pro said6. second
A husk separator as claimed in claim 1, in which
vided at its bottom remote from said inlet opening of screen meanschute is connected to said first chute by a
for providing an additional wind passage
the aspirator with a chute for gathering husks; and flow 45 to said space between the upper wall and the upper
means in conjunction with said curved leg plate to per most part of said leg plate.
mit centrifugal flow; whereby streams of the air :: *k sk. k. k.

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