Pepper de-stemming methods and apparatus
View Patent ↗A way of dealing with challenges to the pepper processing industry and pepper growers is to mechanize pepper processing, including the de-stemming of whole peppers. The present example provides a method for mechanically de-stemming whole peppers. The method provides for the recognition of a pepper's shoulder and or interior regions and stem in order to generate a control signal to initiate a process to de-stem the pepper. In particular, several implementations of the method are provided that may include a mechanical system, a laser system, a machine vision system, a combination of a machine vision system and the laser system, and other equivalent implementations. Additionally disclosed, are methods of processing whole peppers utilizing automated de-stemming.
1. A method of de-stemming peppers comprising:
loading harvested peppers into a hopper;
raising peppers to an increased height;
dropping the peppers into a vibration hopper;
distributing peppers from the vibration hopper onto a channeled vibrator to align them lengthwise; and
feeding the peppers lengthwise to a pepper de-stemming apparatus where the stems are removed by sensing the location of a pepper shoulder on a pepper to be cut, and removing the stem and calyx at the shoulder of each pepper with a double bladed knife regardless of pepper length based upon the location of the pepper shoulder as determined by a first sensor and a second sensor disposed beneath the first sensor, the first and second sensors disposed in the wall of a generally “V” shaped lane.
2. The method of de-stemming a pepper of claim 1 , in which the de-stemmer examines the exterior of the pepper to determine a location on the pepper to cut off the stem.
3. The method of de-stemming a pepper of claim 1 , in which the de-stemmer examines the interior of the pepper to determine a location on the pepper to cut off the stem.
4. The method of de-stemming a pepper of claim 1 , in which infra red radiation is used to examine the interior of the pepper.
5. The method of de-stemming a pepper of claim 1 , in which the location of the cut is located based on a strength of a received signal, indicative of the density of the pepper.
6. The method of de-stemming a pepper of claim 1 , in which a cut location is determined based on the location of the placenta and a seed pod.
7. The method of de-stemming a pepper of claim 1 , in which at least one sensors is used.
8. The method of de-stemming a pepper of claim 1 , in which a first sensor is used to find a pepper stem, and a second sensor is used to examine a pod interior.
9. A method of de-stemming peppers comprising:
Illuminating a longitudinally oriented pepper traveling in a generally v-shaped lane, with an IR signal from a first IR transmitter disposed in a sidewall of a substantially vertical “V” shaved lane, and a second IR transmitter disposed in a sidewall below the first IR transmitter in the substantially vertical “V” shaped lane, each disposed in a first sidewall of a generally v-shaped lane;
determining a peppers orientation in a lane based upon first received information from a first sensor disposed in a second opposite sidewall of the generally v-shaped lane; and
determining where to place a cut on the pepper to remove its stem based upon second received information from a second sensor disposed in the second opposite sidewall of the v-shaped lane and the first sensor.
10. The method of de-stemming a pepper of claim 8 , in which de-stemming occurs after a time delay.
11. The method of de-stemming a pepper of claim 8 , further comprising de-stemming the pepper by actuating a knife based on the first received information and the second received information.
12. The method of de-stemming a pepper of claim 11 , in which the first sensor and the second sensor each comprise an IR emitter and an IR receiver pair.
13. The method of de-stemming a pepper of claim 12 , in which the pepper passes between the IR emitter and IR receiver.
14. The method of de-stemming a pepper of claim 8 , in which de-stemming is accomplished by actuating a pneumatic knife.
15. The method of de-stemming a pepper of claim 8 , further comprising conveying a pepper from the first sensor, and the second sensor to the knife.
16. The method of de-stemming a pepper of claim 15 , in which de-stemming the pepper is accomplished by swinging the knife in a first direction and de-stemming a second pepper is accomplished by swinging the knife in a direction opposite the first direction.
17. The method of de-stemming a pepper of claim 8 , in which conveying is provided by two v-belts.