Tuber peeling apparatus and method
AssigneeFrito-Lay Trading Company GmbH
InventorsGreg Hilliard, Mick Anderson, Fred Bourg, Terry Connell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method of peeling tubers includes providing a peeler device defining a cavity surrounded by a peeling mechanism, inputting tubers to be peeled into the cavity, directing electromagnetic radiation from an illumination device into the cavity, detecting electromagnetic radiation reflected into lens of a camera from tubers located in the cavity during a peeling operation by the peeling mechanism, and operating the peeler device based on the reflected electromagnetic radiation detected by the camera. Also disclosed is an apparatus for carrying out the method.
Claims18
An apparatus for peeling tubers, the apparatus comprising:
- a peeler device defining a cavity surrounded by a peeling mechanism, the peeler device having an input connected to the cavity for inputting tubers to be peeled into the cavity;
- an illumination device for directing electromagnetic radiation into the cavity;
- a camera having a lens defining a field of view, the field of view being oriented into the cavity, the camera being arranged for detecting electromagnetic radiation reflected into the lens from tubers located in the cavity during a peeling operation by the peeling mechanism;
- and
- an operating system for operating the peeler device based on the reflected electromagnetic radiation detected by the camera, the operating system comprising:
- a sampler for sequentially measuring a plurality of intensity values of the detected electromagnetic radiation;
- a comparator for comparing the measured intensity values to determine a rate of change of the measured intensity values;
- and
- a controller for controlling the peeler device in response to the rate of change of the measured intensity values.
A method of peeling tubers, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a peeler device defining a cavity surrounded by a peeling mechanism;
- (b) inputting tubers to be peeled into the cavity;
- (c) directing electromagnetic radiation from an illumination device into the cavity;
- (d) detecting electromagnetic radiation reflected into lens of a camera from tubers located in the cavity during a peeling operation by the peeling mechanism;
- and
- (e) operating the peeler device based on the reflected electromagnetic radiation detected by the camera, wherein, operating step (e) comprises the sub-steps of;
- i. sequentially measuring a plurality of intensity values of the detected electromagnetic radiation;
- ii. comparing the measured intensity values to determining a rate of change of the measured intensity values;
- and
- iii. controlling the peeler device in response to the rate of change of the measured intensity values.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.