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.
Claims19
An apparatus for peeling tubers comprising:
- a peeler device defining a cavity surrounded by a peeling mechanism and 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 arranged to detect 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 controlling the peeler device based on the reflected electromagnetic radiation detected by the camera.
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.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.