| 摘要 |
An industrial onion peeler having a high throughput of peeled onions. The peeler has a simplified peeling mechanism that minimizes the manipulation of individual onions. The peeling mechanism is simple to maintain, minimizing down time associated with maintenance. The peeler is also equipped with an automated visioning system (19) to detect incompletely peeled onions, optionally followed by an automated re-peeling section (20) to minimize the need for re-peeling the onions by hand. The simplified peeling mechanism comprises an endless transport conveyor (4) for moving the onions along the machine having a plurality of concave wheels (10) at uniformly spaced intervals along the length of the machine. Onions are lodged between circumferential surfaces of adjacent wheels. After removal of the root and stem, or top and tail, of the onion, the wheels begin to rotate, causing the onion to adopt a complementary rotation. A rotary cutting wheel (12), or circumferential scribing wheel, is engaged by the rotating surface of the onion and rides up over the onion, thereby making an equatorial cut around the onion of a pre-determined depth. High pressure air is then applied normal to the circumference of the onion in order to remove the peel. The automated visioning system inspects the onion for incomplete peeling and a re-cutting wheel may be selectively deployed as needed.
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