Destalking Machine Cage With Transverse Inertial Motion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing destemming machines face issues with inefficient separation of berries from stalks, berry deterioration, and prolonged residence time, leading to reduced work rate and increased green waste due to the use of a rotating shaft and low-amplitude vibratory movement.
Innovation Solution
A destemming machine employing a tubular cage with a back-and-forth transverse movement to detach berries from stalks using inertia, where the cage travels a minimum distance of 60 mm to 160 mm and at speeds of 0.5 m/s to 4 m/s, with adjustable inclination and retaining mechanisms to facilitate quick separation and evacuation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rotating shaft with helical blades is used for destemming, then berries can be separated from stalks, but the berries may burst or be damaged due to excessive pushing force
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the rotating shaft with helical blades from the destemming machine, extracting the harmful element that causes berry damage. Instead, it uses a simple cage structure with openings that allows berries to fall through naturally, eliminating the source of mechanical damage while maintaining separation functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using active pushing blades to force berries through, the invention inverts the approach by using gravity and natural falling motion. The cage openings are sized to allow berries to pass through as they naturally drop, rather than being forced through by mechanical pressure.
2Reliability
If vibrating means are used to facilitate berry passage through cage openings, then some separation is achieved, but the low amplitude displacement is insufficient for effective separation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the vibrating means entirely from the system. Instead of using complex vibration mechanisms with insufficient amplitude, it employs a simple cage structure where berries are separated by their natural falling motion through openings sized appropriately for the berries.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the berries' own weight and gravity to achieve separation. The cage openings are dimensioned to allow berries to pass through naturally as they fall, eliminating the need for external vibration or mechanical assistance.
3Productivity
If a rotating shaft is used to promote berry transit, then destemming occurs, but the residence time of berries in the cage becomes too long, reducing work rate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the rotating shaft that causes prolonged residence time. The simple cage structure without active transit promotion allows berries to fall through quickly under gravity, significantly reducing the time they spend in the cage and increasing the machine's work rate.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention enables berries to rush through the cage quickly using gravity-driven falling motion. The openings are sized to allow rapid passage, and the absence of resisting mechanical elements (like rotating blades) enables fast transit, reducing residence time and increasing productivity.
4Productivity
If the distance between the tree and the cage is significant, then more berries can be processed, but the blades tear off stalk pieces and cause deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the blade elements that cause stalk tearing and damage. The cage structure with openings allows berries to fall through without contact with mechanical blades, eliminating the source of damage even when processing berries from significant distances.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the berries' own gravitational motion to achieve separation and transit, eliminating the need for mechanical blades that would otherwise be required to process berries from a distance. The cage openings are sized to accommodate natural falling motion.
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 approach effectively separates berries from stalks with reduced berry deterioration, increases work rate, and enhances the efficiency of berry evacuation through the peripheral openings, minimizing the need for a tree and simplifying mechanics.
Implementation Method 1
the to-and-fro movement of the cage makes it possible to transmit to the berries an alternating movement in a direction radial to the longitudinal axis of the cage, which allows them to detach from the stalks
Implementation Method 2
the kinetic energy of the berries obtained by the to-and-fro movement of the cage causes them to be torn from the stalk
Implementation Method 3
the evacuation of the berries from the perforated cage is very long
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 3A~3D
AI summary
The machine has a cage (2) comprising a tubular element (20) opened at ends for receiving a cluster of berries e.g. grapes, with stalks. Driving units comprise a motor (5), a pivot shaft (3) and a movement transformation unit (6) to drive the cage along back and forth movement transversal to a longitudinal axis (A2) of the cage. The movement permits the separation of berries from cluster and expulsion of berries through a peripheral wall of the cage. The driving units are arranged for traveling the cage to a distance ranging between 60 and 160 mm during portion of displacement driving period. An independent claim is also included for a stripping method for berries.