Description:FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a system to categorize spinach leaves designed by sorting and categorizing spinach leaves based on type, including separating bundled leaves, spreading them into individual layers, identifying the type, and storing them into designated compartments for efficient handling and packaging.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Efficient handling of spinach leaves is essential in the agricultural and food supply chain industry to improve productivity and reduce manual labor. Accurate separation of spinach leaves based on physical appearance is necessary to ensure consistent quality for consumers. Manual sorting, tying thread removal, and packaging are time-consuming and labor-intensive processes that reduce operational efficiency. During the categorization of spinach leaves, several problems are commonly faced, including inconsistency in size, shape, and color of leaves, which complicates accurate sorting.

[0003] Manual inspection is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and prone to human error, resulting in incorrect classification or damaged leaves. Variations in leaf texture and presence of impurities like dirt or tying threads further hinder proper identification. Moreover, overlapping or bundled leaves make it difficult to spread and inspect individual leaves effectively. Inadequate separation leads to poor categorization, affecting quality control and downstream processes like storage and packaging. These challenges reduce efficiency, increase operational costs, and compromise the overall product quality.

[0004] Traditionally, the processing of spinach leaves involves extensive manual labor where workers individually sort leaves based on size and appearance, remove tying threads, and separate them into appropriate categories. Workers manually spread spinach bundles into individual layers to inspect for defects and sort accordingly. Storage involves placing the sorted leaves into designated compartments based on judgment, and packaging is done when a bundle reaches a desired weight. These manual methods are labor-intensive, prone to human error, and time-consuming. Moreover, they often result in inconsistent quality due to subjective decisions. The reliance on manual processes limits scalability and fails to meet increasing demands for efficient processing.

[0005] US6964152B2 discloses a harvester particularly suited for harvesting baby greens. The harvester generally comprises a chassis with wheels that travel in the furrows between raised beds, a sorting belt assembly, and an articulated connection to a cutting assembly on a floating header. The floating header rides on the top surface of a raised bed and is articulated so that the floating header can move independently of the chassis to follow the contours of the top of the raised bed so that the cutting assembly can cut at a uniform height. The sorting belt assembly includes a series of belts for collecting and sorting the cut baby greens at the easiest and most effective time to do so, immediately after the baby greens are cut and before the baby greens are clumped in storage bins or in other storage container. The invention further includes a method of using the harvester of the invention in which the forward momentum of harvester and the density of the crop are used to assist the cut product onto the collection belt.

[0006] US4275649A discloses an automatic vegetable buncher for use in combination with a mechanical harvester of leafy green vegetables conveys the greens to a packing station where a pair of packer fingers driven by a novel rectangular motion generator incrementally feeds the greens into one of a plurality of pockets mounted on a rotatable wheel. When a predetermined bunch size is accrued, the wheel rotates to position an empty pocket at the packing station and to advance the vegetable bunch to a device which ties it into a marketable bundle.

[0007] Conventionally, many systems have been developed to facilitate spinach leaves categorization, however systems mentioned in prior arts have limitations pertaining to precision in identifying physical characteristics unique to spinach, and effectively removing tying threads or spread leaves uniformly for accurate classification. Additionally, the existing systems require significant manual setup or intervention, as a result they are unable to fully automate the transport, categorization, storage, and packaging of spinach leaves without compromising quality or efficiency.

[0008] In order to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks, there exists a need in the art to develop a system that is capable of accurately classifying leaves based on physical attributes while eliminating manual errors, and spreading and separating leaves into individual layers for effective inspection. Additionally, the system is capable of automating transportation of categorized leaves for storage and controls packaging, ensuring improved processing speed, reduced labor costs, and better product quality in a scalable manner.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The principal object of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0010] An object of the present invention is to develop a system that is capable of accurately separating spinach leaves into four types based on physical appearance.

[0011] Another object of the present invention is to develop a system that is capable of automatically removing tying threads from bundled spinach leaves without manual effort.

[0012] Another object of the present invention is to develop a system that is capable of spreading and separating spinach leaves into individual layers for better identification of the types of spinach.

[0013] Another object of the present invention is to develop a system that is capable of transporting categorized spinach leaves into separate storage locations without human intervention.

[0014] Yet another object of the present invention is to develop a system that is capable of automatically packaging spinach leaves into bags when the storage reaches a specific weight.

[0015] The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0016] The present invention relates to a system to categorize spinach leaves developed for classifying spinach leaves by type, involving the separation of bundled leaves, individual layer spreading, type identification, and organized storage in specific compartments to facilitate efficient processing and packaging.

[0017] According to an aspect of the present invention, a system to categorize spinach leaves comprising of a hollow cuboidal enclosure and four storage compartments connected to four sides of the cuboidal enclosure for storing four types of categorized spinach, a clamping module, the module includes a tray connected to a pair of rectangular clamping flaps connected to lateral sides of the tray using motorized rack and pinion assemblies, a motorized telescopic arm equipped with a cutting blade is mounted adjacent to the tray, a bottom rectangular platform integrated with multi-directional conveyor rollers, the platform connected between the tray and the cuboidal enclosure for spreading the spinach leaves.

[0018] According to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention further includes an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled camera mounted at the distal end of the bottom platform, configured to scan and determine the type of spinach leaves spread on the bottom platform, a telescopic platform integrated at the base of the hollow cuboidal enclosure, and connected at the distal end of the bottom rectangular platform, a L-shaped wiper integrated at entrance of each storage compartment, a processing module embedded in the system and coupled to mechanical and electronic components of the system.

[0019] While the invention has been described and shown with particular reference to the preferred embodiment, it will be apparent that variations might be possible that would fall within the scope of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with regard to the following description, appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:
Figure 1 illustrates an isometric view of a system to categorize spinach leaves.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] The following description includes the preferred best mode of one embodiment of the present invention. It will be clear from this description of the invention that the invention is not limited to these illustrated embodiments but that the invention also includes a variety of modifications and embodiments thereto. Therefore, the present description should be seen as illustrative and not limiting. While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, it should be understood, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but, on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

[0022] In any embodiment described herein, the open-ended terms "comprising," "comprises,” and the like (which are synonymous with "including," "having” and "characterized by") may be replaced by the respective partially closed phrases "consisting essentially of," consists essentially of," and the like or the respective closed phrases "consisting of," "consists of, the like.

[0023] As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” designate both the singular and the plural, unless expressly stated to designate the singular only.

[0024] The present invention relates to a system to categorize spinach leaves developed for sorting spinach leaves by type, which includes separating bundled leaves, spreading them into single layers, identifying their category, and storing them in designated sections for streamlined handling and packaging.

[0025] Referring to Figure 1, an isometric view of a system to categorize spinach leaves is illustrated, comprising of a hollow cuboidal enclosure 101 and four storage compartments 102 connected to four sides of the cuboidal enclosure 101, a clamping module includes a tray 103,a pair of rectangular clamping flaps 104 connected to lateral sides of the tray 103, a motorized telescopic arm 105 equipped with a cutting blade 106 mounted adjacent to the tray 103, a bottom rectangular platform 107 integrated with multi-directional conveyor rollers 108, the platform 107 connected between the tray 103 and the cuboidal enclosure 101, an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled camera 109 mounted at the distal end of the bottom platform 107,

[0026] Figure 1 further includes a telescopic platform 110 integrated at the base of the hollow cuboidal enclosure 101, the telescopic platform 110 connected at the distal end of the bottom rectangular platform 107, a L-shaped wiper 111 integrated at entrance of each storage compartment 102, an integrated camera 112 placed on the tray 103, a guided rail 113 mounted on a top rectangular platform 114, the top platform connected to the cuboidal enclosure 101 and positioned vertically above the bottom platform 107, a rectangular flap 115 with integrated teeth-like projections is attached to an end of a vertical telescopic arm 116.

[0027] The disclosed system herein comprises of a hollow cuboidal enclosure 101 and four storage compartments 102 connected to each side of the cuboidal enclosure 101, designated for storing four types of categorized spinach leaves. The enclosure 101 serves as the main structural frame housing various components of the spinach categorization. Upon categorization, spinach leaves are directed into these storage compartments 102 based on type such as common spinach, Malabar spinach, red spinach, or water spinach. Each compartment 102 is designed to securely store the categorized spinach until further processing.

[0028] A clamping module arranged with the housing and includes a tray 103 connected to a pair of rectangular clamping flaps 104 through motorized rack and pinion assemblies. Upon user placement of a spinach bundle on the tray 103, an integrated camera 112 installed on the tray detects the presence and position of the bundle and a processing module embedded in the system initiates movement of the rack and pinion assembly. The processing module activates the clamping module by controlling the brushless DC motors driving the rack and pinion assemblies.

[0029] The pair of rectangular clamping flaps 104 move inward within the tray 103, securing the spinach bundle by applying balanced pressure from both lateral sides. This secures the spinach tightly, enabling further operations such as scanning and thread removal. The tray 103 acts as the primary surface for initial placement of the spinach bundle. The pair of rectangular clamping flaps 104, connected via motorized rack and pinion assemblies, move symmetrically inward upon receiving commands from the processing module. This motion securely holds the spinach bundle in position.

[0030] The tray 103 herein serves as the primary support surface where a bundle of spinach leaves is placed by the user. The rectangular clamping flaps 104 are attached to the lateral sides of the tray 103 and are actuated by the motorized rack and pinion assemblies. Once the spinach bundle is detected, the flaps 104 move inward to apply uniform pressure around the bundle, securing it firmly against the tray 103. This enables precise localization of tying threads and prevents bundle displacement during thread cutting and scanning operations.

[0031] After the spinach bundle is clamped, the integrated camera 112 scans the surface to detect the presence and location of the tying thread. The image data captured is transmitted to the processing module, which analyses the thread’s exact position. Upon successful detection, the processing module activates a motorized telescopic arm 105 equipped with a cutting blade 106 mounted adjacent to the tray 103 to target the identified location. This process ensures accurate and automated thread removal without human intervention, preventing damage to the spinach leaves and optimizing processing efficiency.

[0032] The processing module controls the motorized telescopic arm 105 to extend toward the spinach bundle precisely where the tying thread was detected. The cutting blade 106 mounted at the distal end of the arm 105 slices through the tying thread, effectively freeing the spinach leaves from the bundle. This process ensures automated thread cutting with precision, allowing the spinach leaves to proceed unhindered to the spreading phase. A guided rail 113 is mounted on a top rectangular platform 114 and provides a linear pathway for a vertical telescopic arm 116. The carriage mounted on the guided rail 113 ensures stable, linear movement of the telescopic arm 116 during operation.

[0033] A rectangular flap 115 with integrated teeth-like projections is attached to an end of, the vertical telescopic arm 116 mounted on a carriage that traverses along the guided rail 113. Upon receiving commands from the processing module, the vertical telescopic arm 116 traverses along the guided rail 113 toward the spinach bundle spread on the bottom platform 107. The guided rail 113 ensures precise and repeatable motion, allowing the telescopic arm’s attached rectangular flap 115 to engage and spread the spinach leaves uniformly. This motion is synchronized with the conveyor rollers 108 to produce effective separation of the leaves.

[0034] The top rectangular platform 114 is positioned vertically above the bottom platform 107 and fixed to the cuboidal enclosure 101. The platform 114 serves as the mounting base for the guided rail 113 and provides structural support for the vertical telescopic arm 116. The platform 114 enables the vertical telescopic arm 116 to move horizontally along the guided rail 113 with stability and precision. The platform 114 ensures that the arm 116 uniformly traverse the entire area of the bottom platform during the spreading process. The platform 114 remains static while the telescopic arm 116 executes the motion necessary to spread the spinach leaves for effective individualization prior to AI-based scanning.

[0035] Upon activation by the processing module, the telescopic arm 116 moves the flap 115 forward across the spinach bundle spread on the bottom platform 107. The teeth-like projections engage with the leaves, providing mechanical agitation that assists in separating tightly bound spinach leaves into individual layers. The motion of the flap 115 is synchronized with the rotation of the multi-directional conveyor rollers 108 in the opposite direction, producing a shearing effect to enhance separation. This prepares the spinach for accurate scanning and categorization.

[0036] The vertical telescopic arm 116 is mounted on a carriage traversing the guided rail 113. The arm 116 moves laterally along the guided rail 113 and extends forward and backwards to move the rectangular flap 115. The precise motion of the arm 116 ensures uniform coverage of the entire bottom platform 107 surface. The arm 116 moves from one end of the platform 107 to the other, ensuring complete contact between the flap 115 and spinach leaves. This action is designed to effectively separate spinach leaves into single layers. The bottom rectangular platform 107 mentioned above is connected between the clamping module and the telescopic platform 110.

[0037] The bottom rectangular platform 107 provides a stable surface for spreading and analyzing spinach leaves. The multi-directional conveyor rollers 108 facilitate smooth and controlled movement of leaves in multiple directions. During operation, the leaves are placed on the platform 107 after thread cutting. The platform 107 serves as the workspace where the rectangular flap 115 spreads the leaves. The multi-directional conveyor rollers 108 herein configured to rotate in multiple directions. During the spreading process, the rollers 108 operate in a direction opposite to the motion of the rectangular flap 115, creating a shearing action that assists in leaf separation. After spreading, the rollers 108 engage to transport the individual spinach leaves along the platform 107 toward the telescopic platform 110.

[0038] The rollers 108 operate under the control of the processing module, ensuring synchronized motion to prevent leaf clustering or overlap. An AI-enabled camera 109 is mounted at the distal end of the bottom platform 107 and connected to the processing module to captures high-resolution images of the spread spinach leaves in real time. Embedded deep learning protocols within the processing module analyze the images to classify the leaves into one of four types: common spinach, Malabar spinach, red spinach, or water spinach.

[0039] Once the spinach type is identified, the processing module actuates a telescopic platform 110 is integrated at the base of the cuboidal enclosure 101 and connected to the distal end of the bottom rectangular platform 107. Following classification by the AI-enabled camera 109, the telescopic platform 110 extends vertically to align with the entrance of the appropriate storage compartment 102. The platform 110 provides precise positioning to facilitate the transfer of categorized spinach leaves into storage compartment 102. The extension and retraction movements are controlled by the processing module, ensuring accurate alignment during each operation cycle.

[0040] After the telescopic platform 110 aligns with the targeted storage compartment 102, the processing module activates a L-shaped wiper 111 integrated at the entrance of each storage compartment 102 to sweep the categorized spinach leaves into the storage compartment 102. The L-shaped design of the wiper 111 ensures that leaves are directed smoothly without obstruction. The wiper 111 operates linearly and precisely to avoid leaf damage or misplacement. This action enables efficient storage of categorized leaves and prevents cross-contamination between different spinach types.

[0041] Moreover, a battery is associated with the system to supply power to electrically powered components which are employed herein. The battery is comprised of a pair of electrodes known as a cathode and an anode. A voltage is generated between the anode and cathode via oxidation/reduction and thus produces the electrical energy to provide to the system.

[0042] The present invention operates in the following manner, wherein the system comprises the hollow cuboidal enclosure 101. Initially, the user places a bundle of spinach leaves on the tray 103 of the clamping module. The integrated camera 112 detects the presence of the bundle and signals the processing module. The processing module activates the brushless DC motors to drive the motorized rack and pinion assemblies, causing the clamping flaps 104 to secure the spinach bundle. The integrated camera 112 then scans the surface of the bundle to detect and locate the tying thread. Upon successful detection, the processing module activates the telescopic arm 105 equipped with the cutting blade 106, which extends towards the bundle and cuts the tying thread. Once the thread is cut, the processing module drives the clamping flaps 104 to release the bundle onto the bottom rectangular platform 107. The AI-enabled camera 109 mounted at the distal end of the platform 107 scans the leaves and identifies the spinach type by processing image data through embedded deep learning protocols. The top platform 114 serves as the working area for leaf processing. The carriage is arranged on the top platform 114 and is motorized to enable precise horizontal movement along predefined tracks. The vertical telescopic arm 116 is mounted on the carriage, and includes the rectangular flap 115 equipped with sharp-edged teeth designed specifically for spreading spinach leaves uniformly into individual layers. The microcontroller receives input signals from sensors detecting the presence, thickness, and distribution of spinach leaves placed on the top platform 114. Based on the sensor data, the microcontroller controls the horizontal movement of the carriage and vertical extension of the telescopic arm 116. The processing module activates the conveyor rollers 108 to transport the categorized leaves to the telescopic platform 110, which extends vertically to align with the appropriate storage compartment 102. The corresponding L-shaped wiper 111 is actuated to transfer the spinach leaves into the storage compartment 102. Weight sensors monitor the accumulation of leaves, and once a predetermined weight is reached, the wiper 111 at the opposite end transfers the leaves into a collection bag for storage.

[0043] Although the field of the invention has been described herein with limited reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternate embodiments of the invention, will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the invention. , Claims:1) A system to categorize spinach leaves, the system comprising:

a) a hollow cuboidal enclosure 101 and four storage compartments 102 connected to four sides of the cuboidal enclosure 101 for storing four types of categorized spinach;
b) A clamping module, the module includes a tray 103, a pair of rectangular clamping flaps 104 connected to lateral sides of the tray 103 using motorized rack and pinion assemblies;
c) A motorized telescopic arm 105 equipped with a cutting blade 106 is mounted adjacent to the tray 103;
d) A bottom rectangular platform 107 integrated with multi-directional conveyor rollers 108, the platform 107 connected between the tray 103 and the cuboidal enclosure 101 for spreading the spinach leaves;
e) An artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled camera 109 mounted at the distal end of the bottom platform 107, the camera 109 configured to scan and determine the type of spinach leaves spread on the bottom platform 107;
f) A telescopic platform 110 integrated at the base of the hollow cuboidal enclosure 101, the telescopic platform 110 connected at the distal end of the bottom rectangular platform 107;
g) A L-shaped wiper 111 integrated at entrance of each storage compartment; and
h) A processing module embedded in the system and coupled to mechanical and electronic components of the system.

2) The system to categorize spinach leaves as claimed in clam 1, wherein each pinion gear of the motorized rack and pinion assemblies is independently driven by a brushless DC (BLDC) motor, upon detection by an integrated camera 112 of a bundle of spinach leaves placed on the tray 103 by a user, both racks move inward toward causing the flaps 104 to secure the spinach bundle, once the bundle is secured, the integrated camera 112 scans the surface of the bundle to detect the presence and location of a tying thread and on detecting and locating the position of the thread, the processing module activates the telescopic arm 105 to reach the bundle and cut the thread, post cutting of the thread, the racks move outward away from each other, releasing the pressure and allowing the spinach leaves for further processing on the bottom rectangular platform 107.

3) The system to categorize spinach leaves as claimed in clam 1, wherein a guided rail 113 is mounted on a top rectangular platform 114, the top platform 114 connected to the cuboidal enclosure and positioned vertically above the bottom platform 107, a rectangular flap 115 with integrated teeth-like projections is attached to an end of a vertical telescopic arm 116, the vertical telescopic arm 116 mounted on a carriage that traverses along the guided rail 113, during operation, the vertical telescopic arm 116 moves forward along the rail 113 spreading the leaves using the attached rectangular flap 115, while the conveyor rollers 108 positioned beneath the spinach bundle rotate in the opposite direction, the synchronized counter-motion creates a shearing effect that helps to spread and separate the spinach into individual layers.

4) The system to categorize spinach leaves as claimed in clam 1, wherein the AI-enabled camera 109 in conjunction with embedded deep learning protocols in the processing module is configured to scan and determine four types of spinach as in common spinach, Malabar spinach, red spinach and water spinach.

5) The system to categorize spinach leaves as claimed in clam 1, wherein post determination of the type of spinach by the AI-enabled camera 109, the conveyor rollers 108 transport the categorized spinach leaves to the telescopic platform 110, the telescopic platform 110 extend vertically to align with entrance of the four storage compartments 102.

6) The system to categorize spinach leaves as claimed in clam 1, wherein after the telescopic platform 110 reaches up to the entrance of the storage compartments 102, the corresponding L-shaped arm 111 of the respective storage compartment 102 is actuated by the processing module to transport the categorized spinach leaves into the respective storage compartment 102.

7) The system to categorize spinach leaves as claimed in clam 1, wherein a weight sensor in each storage compartment 102 is configured to detect the spinach leaves in respective storage compartment 102, upon detection the weight of the leaves reaching a pre-determined level, the leaves are transported by a wiper integrated at the other end of the storage compartment 102 into a bag.