Method and apparatus for peeling potatoes and the like
US5858429A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | May 12, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jan 12, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 12, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG05B19/41875
- WIPO fieldControl
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method of controlling the removal of peelings from a potato product in a peeling machine having abrasive rollers, a rotatable discharge gate, and a discharge conveyor includes providing a shadow-free lighting structure over the conveyor, taking photographs of product on the conveyor flowing under said lighting structure, determining the number of dark pixels in each photograph and passing that number to a processor, placing a defined value for the preferred number of dark pixels in the processor, comparing the determined number of dark pixels with the predetermined value of dark pixels, and adjusting the operation of the machine to increase or decrease the amount of peelings being removed to bring the number of dark pixels subsequently determined closely to the predetermined value of dark pixels. A product peeling machine has a high speed camera over the conveyor. A high speed camera is mounted over the conveyor to take photographs of groups of product moving with the conveyor. A computer control is connected to the camera for measuring the number of dark pixels in the photographs and comparing them with a predetermined number of desired dark pixels.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.