A way of dealing with challenges to the pepper processing industry and pepper growers is to mechanize pepper processing, including the de-stemming of whole peppers. The present example provides a method for mechanically de-stemming whole peppers. The method provides for the recognition of a pepper's shoulder and or interior regions and stem in order to generate a control signal to initiate a process to de-stem the pepper. In particular, several implementations of the method are provided that may include a mechanical system, a laser system, a machine vision system, a combination of a machine vision system and the laser system, and other equivalent implementations. Additionally disclosed, are methods of processing whole peppers utilizing automated de-stemming.

Apparatus for the separation of agricultural or vegetable product, with a fixed structure having two parallel horizontal side members, a plurality of cutting modules equipped with a common rotating shaft having a plurality of rotating blades in fixed position along its length, said shafts being parallel to each other and mounted above conveying means suitable to carry the products placed thereon toward said rotating blades, a plurality of positioning ramps mounted in a position corresponding to a respective rotating blade and having a shape elongated in the direction of movement of said conveying means and almost flattened and oriented vertically, the elongate upper edge of which is oriented downward toward said conveying means with an inclination such that the height of said edges increases in the feeding direction of the conveying means, so that the clusters of products placed on said conveying means are carried toward said ramps, the respective upper edge of which determines the point of intersection of the respective blade with the stems of each cluster carried under the blade, wherein: said conveying means include a table formed by a plurality of parallel grooves substantially orthogonal to said rotating shafts and reciprocally separated by respective raised portions; said table moves in a direction parallel to said grooves; said ramps are arranged in positions corresponding to said respective grooves, and the projection of each of said ramps with respect to one of said groove is aligned with the same groove.

According to the invention, maneuvering means are arranged, designed to rotate an auxiliary shaft around its centre of rotation so that said upper edges and the tips of the respective ramps are rotated so as to cause the rotational lifting of said ramps by a predetermined angle.

Apparatus for the separation of agricultural or vegetable product, with a fixed structure having two parallel horizontal side members, a plurality of cutting modules equipped with a common rotating shaft having a plurality of rotating blades in fixed position along its length, said shafts being parallel to each other and mounted above conveying means suitable to carry the products placed thereon toward said rotating blades, a plurality of positioning ramps mounted in a position corresponding to a respective rotating blade and having a shape elongated in the direction of movement of said conveying means and almost flattened and oriented vertically, the elongate upper edge of which is oriented downward toward said conveying means with an inclination such that the height of said edges increases in the feeding direction of the conveying means, so that the clusters of products placed on said conveying means are carried toward said ramps, the respective upper edge of which determines the point of intersection of the respective blade with the stems of each cluster carried under the blade, wherein: said conveying means include a table formed by a plurality of parallel grooves substantially orthogonal to said rotating shafts and reciprocally separated by respective raised portions; said table moves in a direction parallel to said grooves; said ramps are arranged in positions corresponding to said respective grooves, and the projection of each of said ramps with respect to one of said groove is aligned with the same groove.

According to the invention, maneuvering means are arranged, designed to rotate an auxiliary shaft around its centre of rotation so that said upper edges and the tips of the respective ramps are rotated so as to cause the rotational lifting of said ramps by a predetermined angle.

A selection machine for separating fruits from foreign bodies has a rigid support frame, a mobile frame connected to the fixed frame and having a longitudinal axis (A-A), a connection between the fixed frame and the mobile frame, actuation means of the mobile frame; the mobile frame has a rectangular section and upper wall and a lower wall with a plurality of holes; the mobile frame oscillating around a horizontal rotation axis (X-X) disposed transversally to the longitudinal axis (A-A); the connection being a horizontal connecting pivoting pin having a longitudinal axis that coincides with the horizontal rotation axis (X-X) of the mobile frame.

A cactus processing system for removing spines from cactus stems features a free-standing edge cleaning member. The system features a free-standing conveyor member comprising a lower transport conveyor with a high open area mesh lower transport conveyor belt located on the lower transport conveyor. A lower cleaning conveyor is located entirely inside a lower transport conveyor open middle area. A lower brushing belt is located on the lower cleaning conveyor. The system features the free-standing conveyor member comprising an upper transport conveyor with a high open area mesh upper transport conveyor belt located on the upper transport conveyor. An upper cleaning conveyor is located entirely inside an upper transport conveyor open middle area. An upper brushing belt is located on the upper cleaning conveyor. The system features an open basin located on a ground surface underneath the conveyor member.

A sorting table for separating fruits from foreign bodies has at least one set of rollers revolvingly mounted in a frame. Each roller has a shaft with an axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the frame. The sorting table has adjustment means intended to adjust the distance between the axes of rotation of the rollers according to the dimensions of the fruits to be selected.

A sorting table for separating fruits from foreign bodies has at least one set of rollers revolvingly mounted in a frame. Each roller has a shaft with an axis orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the frame. The sorting table has adjustment means intended to adjust the distance between the axes of rotation of the rollers according to the dimensions of the fruits to be selected.

A conveyor system includes a conveyor with openings, a conveyor motor coupled with the conveyor, and an agitator that is configured to impart an agitating motion to the conveyor motor to aid in the separation of materials.

Systems and methods of de-stemming produce are provided. An apparatus can process an item of produce having a first portion and a second portion attached to the first portion. The apparatus can include at least one first conveyor unit that can convey the first portion of the item of produce in a first direction. The apparatus can include at least one second conveyor unit that can convey the second portion of the item of produce in a second direction that differs from the first linear direction by between zero and 90 degrees to generate a separation force between the first portion of the item of produce and the second portion of the item of produce that separates the first portion from the second portion.

Systems and methods of de-stemming produce are provided. An apparatus can process an item of produce having a first portion and a second portion attached to the first portion. The apparatus can include at least one first conveyor unit that can convey the first portion of the item of produce in a first direction. The apparatus can include at least one second conveyor unit that can convey the second portion of the item of produce in a second direction that differs from the first linear direction by between zero and 90 degrees to generate a separation force between the first portion of the item of produce and the second portion of the item of produce that separates the first portion from the second portion.