GB2435608A

GB2435608A - A method and and a device for peeling an elongated vegetable

Info

Publication number: GB2435608A
Application number: GB0704117A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Arie Leendert Koppert
Original assignee: KOPPERT MACHINES BV
Current assignee: KOPPERT MACHINES BV
Priority date: 2006-03-03
Filing date: 2007-03-02
Publication date: 2007-09-05
Also published as: GB0704117D0; DE102007010550A1; FR2898015A1; NL1031289C2

Abstract

A method for peeling an elongated vegetable having a first, green end (10) and a second end comprising a root (12), which method comprises the steps of: <UL ST="-"> <LI>providing the elongated vegetables <LI>introducing the elongated vegetables into an area of first mechanical force, wherein the force comprises at least a component in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vegetable towards the end comprising the root, as a result of which a leaf is stripped off the vegetable over the root, <LI>engaging and removing the leaf that has been stripped off over the root during transport of the vegetable, with the vegetable being transported in a suspended position with its second end extending downwards. </UL> In one embodiment the mechanical force comprise a number of sprayers (51) blasting the leaves to be removed partially off the vegetable. In another embodiment the force comprises brushes or rollers. In one embodiment the engaging and removing force comprise two belts (93, 94) that clamps the stripped leaves hanging below the root end (12).

Description

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DEVICE AND METHOD FOR PEELING AN ELONGATED VEGETABLE

The invention relates to a method and a device for peeling an elongated vegetable. The invention in particular relates to elongated vegetables having a first, green end and a second end comprising a root, such as a spring onion. The elongated vegetable may also be bulbous in shape, in particular near the root. The vegetable according to the invention comprises one or more leaves on an outer side, which may be removed after harvesting.

Such vegetables are peeled after being harvested. The outer layer of the vegetable, which is frequently damaged, is removed so as to prevent decay of the product and to increase the sales value of the product. The peeling of such vegetables mainly takes place by hand. This is a labour-intensive activity that involves high costs.

It is known to remove excess leaf material from the vegetable by brushing if off. This leads to damage to the product, however. The brush removes the outer skins from the elongated vegetable via physical contact therewith.

FR 2 663 206 shows the cleaning and peeling of leek.

Leek is supplied to a conveyor belt, and water is blasted on the leek in a direction transversely to the longitudinal direction of the leek, as a result of which the outer layers come loose. Prior to the peeling operation, an incision is made in the outer layer. Said incision makes it easier to blast the layers loose.

East German patent publication No. 108 899 relates to the processing of leek. The leek is placed on a conveyor belt. The leafy end of the leek is gripped between two conveyor belts and subsequently a stripping movement is carried out. Further downstream a pair of cylinders are

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disposed, which engage and remove any remaining root and leaf remnants by means of a picking movement.

FR 1 599 565 shows a device in which leek is treated.

The outer skin of the leek is removed by means of water in view of possible damage caused by other brushing means. With the leek lying on the conveyor belt, first the leaf ends are trimmed off and subsequently the leeks are moved to a vertical position, in which position the outer leaf is blasted off with water.

FR 2 606 600 shows a device in which a vegetable is suspended between two conveyor belts and subjected to a number of operations in said suspended position.

The object of the invention is to provide a method and a device wherein the skin can be removed from the vegetable without causing significant damage to the vegetable.

This object is according to the invention achieved with a method wherein the elongated vegetables are provided and introduced into a force field. Preferably, said force comprises at least a component in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vegetable, preferably towards the end comprising the root. Said force is capable of stripping belief to be removed from the vegetable.

Said stripping takes place in that the skin is peeled over the root. The operation is not aimed at removing the leaf directly. In comparison with the prior art, a significantly smaller force is used.

According to the invention, the leaf that has been stripped over the root is subsequently engaged and removed.

The peeling operation is thus carried out in two steps, wherein a significantly smaller force may be used in the first step for stripping off the leaf that is to be removed.

The first force comes into direct contact with the rest of /4

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the vegetable, in particular the stem of the vegetable. Since the force is smaller, and intended for the stripping operation, less damage is caused to the vegetable.

In a second step the partially stripped leaf is engaged and removed. Since the leaf has already been stripped of partially, said engagement and said removal can take place without forces being exerted directly on product parts other than the leaf to be removed. Since the leaf has been stripped over the root, said leaf can be engaged at a point located in line with the end of the root, wherein said engagement and said removal can take place substantially without direct forces being exerted on the elongated vegetable.

In the second step, the leaf can be engaged in a simple manner, without further damage being caused to the vegetable, because the leaf has already been largely detached from the

vegetable.

According to one embodiment, both the first step and the second step are carried out with brushes, which brush the leaf to be removed from the first end towards the end comprising the root, wherein a larger force may be used in the second step. Said larger force is necessary for detaching the leaf to be removed from the vegetable. In the first step, only a force for stripping the leaf to be removed over a root is exerted.

Advantageously, the engagement of the leaf that has been stripped over the root comprises the gripping of the leaf, in particular the gripping of the leaf between two belts.

According to the invention the stripped leaf, after being subjected to a pre-treatment in a first step, can be clampingly engaged and subsequently be removed. Said clamping is possible because no product that may be damaged is present at the location of the already stripped leaf.

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While the leaf is being removed, the vegetable is transported. Said transport takes place in a suspended position of the vegetable. The vegetable is engaged, preferably gripped, so that the vegetable is brought into a suspended position. Preferably, it is the second end that extends downwards in that case. As a result, the stripped part will hang below the root end of the vegetable. As a result, said part can be easily engaged. The stripped leave can be gripped with sufficient force and be removed, preferably pulled loose. The risk of damage being caused to the remaining part of the vegetable by the engagement is rninimised in that case.

In another preferred embodiment, the leaf being gripped is pulled off the vegetable, for example as a result of the belts being moved away from the root after gripping the leaf between them. As a result, the leaf to be removed is pulled loose from the product. Such a removing operation can take place quickly and without further damage to the product.

In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the elongated vegetables are transported for being subjected to the various operating steps, for example by the device for carrying out a method, by engaging the vegetable near the green end thereof. The green end frequently consists of leaves, and that part of the vegetable can be engaged without damaging the product, whilst the leaf to be removed can be stripped over the other end comprising the root. The vegetable is in particular engaged quite close to the green end thereof. Said green end is frequently cut off during the processing. The engagement of and possible damage to said end has no serious consequences.

Preferably, said stripping takes place while the vegetable is being engaged in a first manner, and the removal of the stripped leave takes place while the vegetable is being engaged in a second manner. The first manner of engagement is an engagement near the first end, whilst the second manner is an engagement more in the centre of the vegetable. Preferably, the grip on the vegetable is changed between the first step of stripping the leaf and the second step of removing the leaf from the vegetable. This different manner of engagement makes it possible to use different forces for the different operations on the vegetable.

It is furthermore advantageous if the engagement and removal of the leaf comprises the gripping of the leaf between two belts disposed at an angle with respect to the conveying direction. As a result, the stripped leaf of the vegetables being transported will be clamped between the belts, with the belts moving away from the root end upon further transport, as a result of which the leaf is pulled loose. Preferably, the belts move at a speed that corresponds to the speed at which the vegetable is being transported.

It is furthermore advantageous if the method according to the invention comprises the removal of the root. Various methods that are known from the prior art may be used for this purpose. It is in particular advantageous to use a system of twin rollers for removing the root, in which case the root is "eaten" between the twin rollers.

In another preferred embodiment, the force field is formed by sprayers, possibly fitted with different nozzles, which preferably produce a liquid jet. By means of said sprayers, a liquid jet can be directed at the elongated vegetable, with the direction of the jet comprising at least a component from the green end of the vegetable towards the root end thereof. Although it is also possible to use a gas or air as the medium, it is advantageous to use a liquid,

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since a liquid makes it possible to exert a higher pressure/impulse on the leaf or believes to be removed. It is in particular possible to use sprayers whose pressure can be set. This may take place in particular in conjunction with a camera that determines the shape of the leaf to be removed, in particular in conjunction with the number of leaves to be removed and the thickness thereof. By means of an algorithm that is applied to the digital photo by a processing device, the liquid pressure of the sprayers can be adjusted on the basis of an automated analysis, for example be increased if several leaves are to be removed or if a significant amount of impurities is present on the leaves. The sprayers may also have a cleaning purpose. More particularly, a liquid that disinfects may be used.

In an advantageous embodiment, several sprayers are aimed at the vegetables, and the sprayers (or force means) that are aimed at the part of the vegetable near to the green end use a lower blasting pressure than the sprayers that are aimed at the end near the root. This enables a further, more accurate adjustment of the force field to which the vegetable is subjected. The green part of the vegetable is more vulnerable than the white part, so that a higher pressure may be used for treating the white part. Experiments have furthermore shown that the leaf to be removed adheres more strongly to the product at the end near the root than at the end near the green part.

The invention also relates to a device for peeling an elongated vegetable, such as a spring onion. The device according to the invention comprises a frame, a supply means for the vegetables mounted, which is mounted on the frame, and force means for exerting a force on the elongated vegetable in the longitudinal direction thereof. According to

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the invention, the device preferably furthermore comprises means mounted on the frame for engaging and removing a leaf of the vegetable, and the device according to the invention preferably comprises a conveying means for transporting the vegetable from the supply means past the force means and over the engaging and removing means. In this way a device is obtained in which the conveyor transports the vegetable from the supply means past the force means, wherein the force is exerted on the elongated vegetable and a leaf is stripped from the vegetable. The device according to the invention transports the vegetable with the stripped leaf onwards and positions it over the engaging and removing means. The stripped leaf is engaged and removed. In this way a device is obtained which peels one or more leaves from the elongated vegetable in two steps, first using a force means and then using an engaging and removing means. This enables a better distribution of forces. In particular forces applied to the vegetable in two separate steps. The peeling is performed in two subsequent steps. A leaf is partially stripped from the elongated vegetable, in particular over the root end of the vegetable, in the first force means. The stripped leaf is engaged and removed by second engaging means in a second step. Said engagement may take place without a direct force being exerted on the elongated vegetable, as is for example the case when a brush is used for removing the leaf that has already been stripped off. In this way an improved effect is obtained, with much less damage to the product.

The conveying means according to the invention is preferably arranged for engaging the vegetable that is supplied from the supply means and transporting it past the two-step means for removing the leaf. In another embodiment, the vegetable is placed in a holder and the two steps are 1' carried out one after another on the vegetable that is present in the holder. This embodiment, too, falls within the scope of the claims.

In another embodiment, the first force means and the second force means comprise a brush, which brushes the leaf to be removed off the vegetable. Different settings may be used for the brushes, with the first brush being set to exert a less large force on the vegetable and the leaf, whereas the second brush exerts a larger force, as a result of which the leaf can be removed.

Also a different combination of brushes, force means and engaging and removing means is possible.

According to a preferred embodiment, the force means comprises at least one sprayer, which has a nozzle that is directed along the elongated vegetable that is engaged by the conveying means. The sprayers blast the leaf or the leaves to be removed partially off the vegetable. More in particular, the leaf is blasted from the green end towards the white end comprising the root, after which said leaf or leaves can be removed in the second step.

In a preferred embodiment, the force means comprises a number of sprayers, wherein at least one sprayer disposed near the conveying means exerts a larger force on the vegetable than a sprayer that is further removed from the conveying means. This makes it possible to exert a larger force on the root end of the vegetable, which is capable of withstanding a larger force. Furthermore, a larger force is required near the white end of the vegetable for partially removing the leaf.

In a preferred embodiment, the engaging and removing means comprise at least one belt. The stripped leaf can be removed by means of said belts.

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In a preferred embodiment, the engaging and removing means comprises at least two belts for gripping the stripped leaf between the belts. Such an engaging means is capable of engaging the leaf with great force and subsequently removing said leaf.

Preferably, the belts comprise a gripping portion that extends in the longitudinal direction of the conveying means.

The belts preferably run synchronously with the conveying means. As a result, the vegetable can be moved without interruptions, whilst the moving, already partially stripped leaf or leaves of the vegetable can be engaged by the belts and be removed. Since the belts and the conveying means run synchronously, the direction in which the vegetable moves does not change during the engaging and removing operation.

In a preferred embodiment, the gripping part is disposed at an angle with respect to the conveying means, with the belts extending away from the conveying means in the conveying direction. As a result, the leaf will be engaged when the vegetable is carried past the belts and be slowly stripped from the vegetable, depending on the conveying velocity and the slope of the belts, and subsequently be removed.

In a preferred embodiment, the device further comprises a derooting means provided on the frame. In particular, said derooting means is disposed downstream of the peeling means, which, in one embodiment thereof, comprise Lhe two steps of stripping and engaging/removing.

In a preferred embodiment, the derooting means comprises two a parallel shafts rotating in opposite directions. The conveying means carries the vegetable to the derooting means and the root is "eaten" between the shafts. This is a very advantageous way of removing the root. After the leaf and the root have been removed, the vegetable can be further processed and be sold.

Preferably, the device comprises a number of sprayers aimed at the derooting means for blasting the roots of the vegetable towards the derooting means. In this way a very advantageous embodiment of the derooting means is obtained.

In a preferred embodiment, the device comprises a number of guide means mounted on the frame, which guide means are arranged at least partially parallel to the direction of movement of the conveying means for guiding the vegetable projecting from the conveying means. The projecting end, preferably the white end of the vegetable, which comprises the root, is thus exposed and can be processed by the device.

The guide means can bring said end into a position suitable for processing by the force means and/or the engaging and removing means and/or the derooting means.

Although the invention will be described on the basis of the preferred embodiment is as shown in the drawings, those skilled in the art will appreciate that a large number of embodiments are possible within the scope of the appended claims. In addition to that it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that divisional applications relating to parts of the device as described above and explained below are possible, also in those cases in which the advantages have not been specifically mentioned. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the aspects indicated in the present description may be freely combined. In particular, a divisional application may be directed at means for carrying out the second step of removing the leaf.

The invention will be described in more detail hereinafter with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

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Figure 1 is a perspective view of a device for processing a food product; Figure 2 is a detail view according to the arrow II in figure 1; Figure 3 is a detail view according to the arrow III in figure 1; Figure 4 is a detail view according to the arrow IV in figure 1; Figures 5 and 6 show a second and a third embodiment of the force means according to the invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective survey view of a device 1 suitable for processing food products, in particular vegetables or greenhouse vegetables, among which elongated vegetables 2, such as spring onions, forest onions and the like.

A number of processing means may be mounted on a frame 3 for processing vegetables 2 being supplied. The frame may consist of separate modules or be configured as a larger unit.

From the supply side 4, an elongated vegetable 2 is supplied in a supplying direction 5 to the rest of the device on a supply means 6. The vegetable-supporting conveyor belt 7 of the supply means 6 takes up an inclined position with respect to the ground, and the elongated vegetables 2 are contained in compartments of the conveyor belt 7 that are formed between partitions 12,13.

The elongated vegetable 2 is a spring onion or a forest onion, for example, which have an ordinary end 10, which consists of generally unconnected leaves, and a white end 11, on which the root collar 12 is present. The elongated vegetables are placed in the conveying means 6 in such a manner that the green end is present at the higher side of

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the inclined conveyor belt 7. Several configurations of the supply means 6 are available to those skilled in the art. In the illustrated embodiment, a conveyor belt that is passed over bearing-mounted shafts is used. A drive unit (not shown) is provided for driving the conveyor belt with the elongated vegetable 2 in the supplying direction 5. In figure 3 a part of the supply means 6 is shown in more detail.

The conveyor belt has compartments 7 between the partitions 12,13. The loose leaves 10 project from said compartments 7 and lie on a supporting surface 14. Numeral 15 indicates a transition area in which the elongated vegetable 2 is transferred from the conveyor belt 6 for further processing in the device 1. This is also shown in more detail in figure 3.

The green end 10 is supported by the surface 14, but in the position that is shown in figure 3 it is not supported and, while being moved onwards in the conveying direction 5, it is engaged between the belts 21,22 that are guided by the wheels 23,24, which are mounted on the frame 3 via bearings 25.

The belts 21,22 grip the green end 10 between them, as a result of which the elongated vegetable 2 is transferred from the conveyor belt 6 to a position between the belts and moved to the position 26 as shown in figure 1. An example of the clamping action of the belts 21,22 is shown in figure 5.

The green end 10 is gripped between the belts, whilst the white end 11 projects therefrom with its root 12.

Initially the engagement is such that the vegetable 10 is suspended at an angle with respect to the vertical, but the flexible belts 21,22, which are for example made of a rubber, in particular of Linatex, which is rough also when wet, are guided further by wheels 30,31, which are likewise bearing-

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mounted on the frame, bring the vegetable into a substantially vertical position. A drive unit 33 is connected to at least one of the wheels for driving the belts 21,22, at least the part 35 thereof, in a direction 34.

From the nearly vertical position 26 of the elongated vegetable 38 as shown in figure 2, the elongated vegetable is carried further by the conveying means formed by the belts 21 and 22 towards the part 40 shown in figure 2 for stripping or partially peeling a leaf from the vegetable 38 in a first step. The vegetable 38 is guided into a substantially vertical position between two plates 41,42. The plates 41,42 have a V-shaped mouth 43 and two parts 44,45 that extend substantially parallel to each other. The space between the parallel parts 44,45 is used for partially stripping one or more outer skins 46 from the vegetable.

Disposed above the space between the parallel plates 44,45 are a number of sprayers 51, which, in the illustrated embodiment, blast a liquid from above between the parallel parts 44,45 on the stem of the elongated vegetable.

Since said blasting mainly takes place along the stem of the vegetable, the outer skin is stripped from said stem 47, and upon further transport in the direction 50 the skin 46 is further stripped off to the position shown for the skin 48.

Only a small part of the skin 48 is still connected to the white end of the elongated vegetable, having been stripped off to such an extent that it hangs below the root 49 of the vegetable under the influence of gravity.

The sprayers 51 are connected to a supply of blasting medium, for example water or water containing an additional cleaning agent. The liquid is pressurised and blasted from the respective nozzles of the sprayers in a direction having at least a component along the stem 47 of the vegetable. Some elongated vegetables have an outer part 46 which has partially died off directly after harvesting and needs to be removed or peeled off so as to make the product saleable and prevent further decay of the skin in question.

The sprayers 51 are disposed at an angle with respect to the horizontal as part of the force means according to the invention. The sprayers continue to strip off the skin 46 until the position of the skin according to reference numeral 48 is obtained. Furthermore, the nozzles of the sprayers 51 may be different from each other. The nozzle of the sprayers 52 may be larger, resulting in a lower pressure of the liquid than in the case of the nozzles of the sprayers 53. As a result, the force/pressure used for blasting near the green end of the vegetable will be lower than the force/pressure used by the sprayers for blasting near the white end of the vegetable. The leaf 46 to be removed is connected to the stem 47 with a varying force. Said force is smaller near the green end than near the white end, so that an advantageous distribution of forces of the blasting means 51 is obtained.

In the embodiment of figure 1, the frame 3 is provided with two separate conveying means, both in the form of flexible belts. The two conveying means are connected to a drive unit 33, which drives, via a transmission 54 (schematically indicated), the respective wheels 55,56 of the first conveying means comprising the flexible felts 21,22 and the shafts 57,58 connected to respective wheels for driving the flexible belts 59,60.

The second conveying means comprising the flexible belts 59,60 guides the elongated vegetable from a position downstream of the force means 40 past and over the engaging and removing means 70, the derooting means 71, past a length cutting means 73, to a horizontal discharge end 72. The

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further transport at the second conveying means will be discussed hereinafter.

The elongated vegetable 80 with the partially stripped skins 81 is engaged near the white end 82 thereof by the second conveying means in the form of flexible belts 59,60.

As a result, a more stable engagement is obtained. As the vegetable is subjected to larger forces in this second phase, it is desirable that a stable engagement be provided.

The elongated vegetable is guided over two inclined, twin belt units for engaging and removing the already partially stripped skins 81 from the elongated vegetable 80.

The operation thereof will now be described. The units are arranged one behind another on the frame, seen in the conveying direction. They are disposed directly below the conveying means.

The twin belt unit 91 comprises two belts 93, 94, which are tensioned between respective pulleys 95,96, of which the pulley 96 is connected to a transmission 98 via a shaft 97, which transmission is connected to a drive unit 99. The drive unit moves the belts at a velocity that substantially corresponds to the velocity of the movement of the second conveying means made up of the belts 59,60. The direction of rotation of the belts 93,94 is indicated by the arrows 100 and 101, respectively.

The twin belt unit 91 engages a stripped skin 81 that hangs below the root 104 under the influence of gravity. Upon further movement as indicated by the arrow 105 under the influence of the second conveying means, the skin 81 being engaged will be further stripped off as a result of the inclined position of the twin belt device 91 with respect to the horizontal. The skin 81 is gripped between the two belts 93,94 and pulled down as a result of the inclined position.

This makes it possible to exert a very large force for eventually removing the skin 81 from the white end 82. This operation is repeated with the second twin belt device 92, which operates in a comparable manner.

The elongated vegetable 80 is transported above the twin belt devices 91,92 and the derootjng means in a substantially vertical position, being guided by the guides 110 and 11 that are arranged substantially along the conveying direction 105.

The guides additionally function to correctly preposition the elongated vegetable 80 in front of the twin roller device 91, the twin roller device 92 and the derooting means. The twin roller devices 91,92 and the derooting means 71 are aligned with the second conveyor belt and with guide means 110 for engaging and processing the elongated vegetable in a substantially vertical position.

The twin belt devices 91,92 can engage the skin 81 to be removed with aconsiderably larger force in that a gripping action is carried out. In contrast to the prior art, said gripping is possible because the skins 46 and 48 have been stripped off to beyond the root in a first step, thereby making it possible to engage the skin that projects under the root 104 by gripping it with the belts of the twin belt device 91,92. The stem of the elongated vegetable will not be in the way when the skin is being engaged. Since two phases/steps are used, an essentially smaller force of the force means 40 may be used in a first step for stripping the outer skin off in a first step, and a larger force may be exerted for the engaging and removing operation with the twin belt device 91,92 in order to bridge the larger force that is required for eventually removing the stripped skins 81.

In another embodiment of the invention, the removal of the already partially stripped skin 81 may also be effected

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in another manner. The stripped skin may be caught in a fixed clamp, which is closed upon detection of the presence of the skin and which subsequently pulls the skin off. It is also possible to use brushes. In yet another embodiment, a practically vertically disposed twin belt device which rotates at high speed and which effects a quick removal of the leaf may be used.

Another advantage of the embodiment of figure 2 is that the partially stripped skin 81 is removed at a slow rate, preferably with increasing force. This leads to less damage to the white end of the elongated vegetable 80.

The stripped skins 81 of the peeled vegetable 80 fall on the ground. The remnants 111 are shown in the figure.

The peeled vegetable 120 is further moved in the direction 105 by the second conveying means. Since the elongated vegetable 2 is placed on the conveyor belt 6 with the root end abutting against the upright side 121 of the conveyor belt 6, the vegetables engaged by the first and the second conveying means project the same distance below the conveying means. Said distance is indicated by the arrow 122 in figure 2. Disposed below the second conveying means, spaced therefrom by a distance that is slightly larger than the distance 122, is the derooting means 71. In the illustrated embodiment the derooting means is formed by two bearing-mounted shafts 124,125, at least one of which is provided with a helical groove 126. The shaft are journalled between two blocks 128,129, and at least one of the shafts is connected to a drive unit 130. The rollers move in opposite directions. The root 135 is eaten between the shafts 124,125 rotating in opposite directions. The rotation of the shaft 124 is indicated by the arrow 134. The shaft 125 rotates in the opposite direction. As a result of the root 135 being

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eaten between the two shafts 125,126, the elongated vegetable as shown in figure 1 is obtained, from which the root has been removed.

In another embodiment, the derooting means as shown is also used as a means for engaging and removing the stripped leaf. The derooting means as shown may also form the subject matter of a divisional application.

The belts 59 and 60 are passed over wheels 160,161 which are bearing-mounted on the frame, and led further towards the wheels 162,163 shown in figure 4, which are disposed near the next module for processing the elongated vegetable 140.

Downstream of the derooting means 71 and upstream of the length cutting means 73, the elongated vegetable is guided from a substantially vertical position to a substantially horizontal position.

The length cutting means 73 is mounted on the frame 3.

In the illustrated embodiment, said means comprises a wheel which on the one hand functions to align the root ends 172 of the respective elongated vegetable 173 in conjunction with the device 171 and which on the other hand removes any coarse remnants from the root that has remained at the end 172. The vegetable 173 is transferred from the second conveying means to the horizontal conveyor belt 175, which is made up of three belts 176, 177 and 178 in the illustrated embodiment, which belts are passed over respective pulleys.

The belts 176-178 support the elongated vegetable 173 in the horizontal position thereof.

After the drum 170 has aligned the left-hand end (in figure 4) of the elongated vegetable with the dotted line 179, the green end 180 of the elongated vegetable is placed between two discs 181,182, which have a sharp longitudinal side 183 and which are connected to a drive unit 186 by means

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of shafts 184,185. The green end 180 is thus partially removed and the vegetable is cut to a length indicated by the arrow 190. Cutting means or means for realising the required length other than those shown in the embodiment according to figure 4 may be used, and a person skilled in the art will be able to make a selection from the various possibilities that are available.

Figure 5 shows another embodiment of the force means for stripping the skin to be removed from the elongated vegetable in a first step. Instead of being subjected to the action of the sprayers 51 shown in figure 2, or in addition thereto, an elongated vegetable is engaged by two belts 201, and the green end 203 thereof is led between two substantially horizontally disposed brushes 204,205. The brushes have a longitudinal axis 206,207, which extends perpendicularly to and out of the plane of the drawing in an embodiment as shown. The brushes can rotate about the longitudinal axis 206,207 as indicated by the arrows 208,209, thereby exerting a stripping force on the outer skins of the elongated vegetable 200 in the direction of the white end 210 of the vegetable. Several brushes may be provided in a manner comparable to the sprayers shown in figure 2 for stripping the outer leaf from the vegetable.

Figure 6 shows a further embodiment, in which the brushes are disposed at an angle, such that the skin can be stripped to a position as shown for the skin 215.

Although the invention has been described on the basis of the preferred embodiment, it will be understood that several variations are possible for those skilled in the art within the concept of the invention. Various other force means may be used, and also the construction of the engaging and removing means may be different from the illustrated embodiment. The invention is only limited by the appended claims.

Claims

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CLAIMS

1. A method for peeling an elongated vegetable having a first, green end and a second end comprising a root, which method comprises the steps of: -providing the elongated vegetables -introducing the elongated vegetables into a force field, wherein said force comprises at least a component in a direction substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vegetable towards the end comprising the root, as a result of which a leaf is stripped off the vegetable over the root, -engaging and removing the leaf that has been stripped off over the root during transport of the vegetable, with the vegetable being transported in a suspended position with its second end extending downwards.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the engagement comprises the gripping of the leaf.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the engagement of the leaf comprises the gripping of the leaf, in particular the gripping of the leaf between two belts.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the belts move in a direction away from the root.

5. A method according to any one of the claims 1-4, wherein the elongated vegetables are transported by engaging the vegetable near the green end thereof.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the engagement and removal of the leaf comprises the gripping of the leaf between two belts disposed at an angle with respect to the conveying direction.

7. A method according to any one of the claims 1-6, wherein the root is removed.

8. A method according to any one of the claims 1-7, wherein the force field is formed by sprayers that produce a liquid jet.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein several sprayers are aimed at the vegetables, and wherein the sprayers that are aimed at the green end use a lower blasting pressure than the sprayers that are aimed at the root end.

10. A device for peeling an elongated vegetable, such as a spring onion, comprising a frame, a supply means for the vegetables, which is mounted on the frame, force means for exerting a force on the elongated vegetable in the longitudinal direction thereof for the purpose of stripping a leaf therefrom, means mounted on the frame for engaging and removing the stripped of the vegetable, and a conveying means for transporting the vegetable from the supply means past the force means and over the engaging and removing means.

1].. A device according to claim 10, wherein the force means comprises at least one sprayer, which has a nozzle that is directed along the elongated vegetable that is engaged by the conveying means.

12. A device according to claim 11, wherein the force

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means comprises a number of sprayers, wherein at least one sprayer disposed near the conveying means exerts a larger force on the vegetable than a sprayer that is further removed from the conveying means.

13. A device according to any one of the claims 10-12, wherein the engaging and removing means comprise at least one belt.

14. A device according to claim 13, wherein the engaging and removing means comprises at least two belts for gripping the stripped leaf between the belts.

15. A device according to claim 14, wherein the belts comprise a gripping portion that extends in the longitudinal direction of the conveying means.

16. A device according to claim 15, wherein the gripping part is disposed at an angle with respect to the conveying means, with the belts extending away from the conveying means in the conveying direction.

17. A device according to any one of the claims 10-16, wherein the device further comprises a derooting means.

18. A device according to claim 17, wherein the derooting means comprises two parallel shafts rotating in opposite directions.

19. A device according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the device comprises a number of sprayers aimed at the derooting means for blasting the roots of the vegetable towards the derooting means.

20. A device according to any one of the claims 10-19, wherein the device comprises a number of guide means mounted on the frame, which guide means are arranged at least partially parallel to the direction of movement of the conveying means for guiding the vegetable projecting from the conveying means.