Calibration Device for Grape Destemmer Berry Sorting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wine processing installations often crush berries excessively during the winemaking process, negatively impacting the quality of wine in terms of organoleptic properties, and fail to effectively separate berries from stems and debris without harming the berries.
Innovation Solution
An installation comprising a scraper with a calibration device that sorts berries by size and shape, a destemmer, and a conveying system, which separates isolated berries before they enter the destemmer, reducing berry crushing and ensuring effective sorting and collection of berries without excessive trituration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a traditional destemmer is used to separate berries from stems, then the separation function is achieved, but the berries are excessively crushed which harms wine quality
Solution Approach 1:
The processing system is segmented into multiple functional stages: calibration device for size-based separation, destemmer for stem removal, and collection system. This segmentation allows isolated berries to be separated before destemming, avoiding unnecessary crushing while maintaining effective stem separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The calibration device performs preliminary separation of isolated berries before they enter the destemmer. By sorting berries by size and shape in advance, the system identifies and directs isolated berries to a gentler processing path, preventing premature crushing that would occur in traditional single-stage destemmers.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If isolated berries are separated before destemming, then berry crushing is reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The calibration device serves multiple functions: it calibrates berry size, separates isolated berries from clusters, and sorts products by caliber. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated devices, thereby limiting the increase in overall system complexity while achieving berry protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The calibration device and destemmer are integrated into a unified processing line with shared conveying mechanisms and collection systems. By merging these functions into a coordinated system rather than separate standalone units, the patent reduces spatial complexity and operational overhead while maintaining the benefits of preliminary berry separation.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a calibration device is added upstream of the destemmer, then berry quality is improved, but the installation size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The calibration device utilizes the vertical dimension by positioning it upstream and above the destemmer, with gravity-fed conveying between stages. This vertical arrangement optimizes space utilization and reduces the horizontal footprint of the installation while maintaining effective berry quality improvement through calibration-based separation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution minimizes berry crushing and enhances the quality of the harvest by allowing for the separation of isolated berries before they enter the destemmer, thereby improving the organoleptic properties of the wine and optimizing the processing efficiency without increasing the size of the installation.
Implementation Method 1
the other or another, with the collection system for collection by gravity of the products coming from the said outlet of the calibration device
Implementation Method 2
a conveying device delimits at least one product transport path between the first outlet of the scraper and the inlet or one of the inlets of the calibration device
Data Source
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AI summary
Installation (1) for processing grapes, comprising at least: - a destemmer equipped with an inlet (3), a first outlet (4) and a second outlet (5), - a conveying device (6) and - a collection system (8) comprising at least one collection container.The installation (1) includes a calibration device (10) comprising at least one inlet (12) and two outlets (13, 14). One of the outlets (13, 14) of the calibration device (10) communicates with the inlet (3) of the destemmer (2) to allow feeding of the inlet (3) of the destemmer (2) from the calibration device (10), and the other (14), or another, with the collection system (8) for gravity collection of the products from the outlet (14) of the calibration device (10) by the collection system (8). The conveying device (6) defines at least one product transport path (61) between the first outlet (4) of the destemmer (2) and the inlet (12) or one of the inlets of the calibration device (10) for feeding the device (10) with the product. calibration in products from the destemmer (2).