Automatic Bell Pepper Colour Detector and Sorting Machine

Sorting of products is a very difficult industrial process. Continuous manual sorting is tedious, time-consuming, and creates consistency issues. It is, therefore, admirable for companies to diversify into automation. Automation in the industrial workplace provides the advantages of improving productivity and quality while reducing errors and waste, increasing safety, and adding flexibility and efficiency to the manufacturing process. This paper presents the design and simulation of an automatic colour sensor and sorting machine (ACSSM) that automates grading and separating bell pepper according to colour. The system was designed for the food and packaging industry in Botswana, who experienced problems of spending enormous time and effort in sorting red, green, and yellow bell pepper according to colour after harvesting. Bell pepper is of high demand in all its ripening stages, and colour plays a crucial role in their pricing. Thus sorting is vital to meet the varying needs of customers and to obtain the most profits. The focal point was to design and test a circuit that would decrease the time, workspace, and effort while providing the essential function which was sorting of bell pepper. The implemented system is based on colour detection, object detection, and ejection to achieve sorting. The system performed well according to the design requirements when simulated on Proteus software.