AUTOMATION OF SAFFRON DRYING BASED ON INFRA-RED HEATING
Technical Field
[001] The embodiments herein generally relate to an automatic saffron drying device
and more particularly, relate to the device for drying the saffron using IR heaters.
Description of the Related Art
[002] The saffron is dried by the sun in the collection process and can be dried only
after a long time, and if the weather is not good, the quality of the saffron has great
problems. The fresh saffron has water content of about 80% and high glycosidase activity.
The traditional air drying technique is a slow process, in a high humidity environment it is
highly dependent on ambient condition and may cause uneven drying. The sun drying process
involves exposing saffron strands to direct sunlight for drying. The technique is highly
dependent on weather conditions and be a challenging for unfavorable weather patterns. The
oven drying method is risk when the temperature is not carefully monitored.
[003] A need exits, therefore for a device that dries the saffron strands without
causing any damage or overheating of saffron using an IR heater by monitoring the power
consumption using a microcontroller.
SUMMARY
[004] In view of the foregoing, an embodiment herein provides an automatic saffron
drying device using an Infra-red heating. The device comprises a load cell that collects the
harvested saffron strands and provide the saffron strands to a GI sheet using a servomotor, a
vibrating bed to uniformly spread the saffron strands using a DC motor, an IR heater that
radiates infrared radiation onto the saffron strands to evaporate the moisture content from the
saffron strands, a microcontroller that interface with a temperature sensor to control the
operation of the IR heater and maintain a desired drying temperature, and a LED and a LCD
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display interfaced with the microcontroller to provide real-time monitoring of the drying
process.
[005] In some embodiments, wherein the device comprises an analog to digital
converter (HX711) used to accurately measure the weight of the saffron strands.
[006] In some embodiments, wherein the temperature sensor provides a real-time
data to regulate the power supply to the infrared heater.
[007] In some embodiments, wherein the device comprises 8bit AVR
microcontroller to optimize the power consumption.
[008] These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated
and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the
accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions,
while indicating preferred embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, are given by
way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made
within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the
embodiments herein include all such modifications.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[009] The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following detailed
description with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an automatic saffron drying device using
an IR heater according to an embodiment herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0011] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details
thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are
illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description.
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Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not
unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended
merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be
practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein.
Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments
herein.
[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an automatic saffron drying device using
an IR heater according to an embodiment herein. The device comprises a storage bin, a load
cell, an IR heater, a vibrating bed, a microcontroller, a LED interface and a LCD display. The
storage bin collects the harvested saffron. The collected saffron strands are deposited onto the
load cell and the saffron strands from the load cell is facilitated to a GI sheet using a
servomotor. In some embodiments, the load cell accurately measures the weight and force of
the saffron. The vibrating bed uniformly spread the saffron strands using a DC motor. The IR
heater radiates infrared radiation onto the saffron strands to evaporate the moisture content
from the saffron strands. In some embodiments, the IR heater dries the saffron strands
without any damage or burning of the saffron. The saffron strands are spread out in the GI
sheet to maximize the exposure of heat emitted from the IR heater. The microcontroller
interface with the temperature sensor to control the operation of the IR heater and maintain a
desired drying temperature. In some embodiments, the microcontroller protects the saffron
strands from overheating. The LED and LCD display interfaced with the microcontroller
provide real-time monitoring of the drying process.
[0013] The device comprises an analog to digital converter (HX711) to accurately
measure the weight of the saffron strands. In some embodiments, the temperature sensor
provides a real-time data to regulate the power supply to the infrared heater. The device
comprises 8bit AVR microcontroller to optimize the power consumption.
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[0014] In some embodiments, the vibrating bed prevents from clumping or uneven
drying of saffron strands. The vibration of the bed creates movement around the saffron
strands and increase the airflow around the saffron, allows the moisture to evaporate more
efficiently. The vibrating bed may separate debris or impurities from the saffron strands. In
some embodiments, the vibration may separate the lighter particles and foreign particles from
the saffron strands. In some embodiments, the IR heater reduces the drying time of the
saffron compared to the traditional method. A controlled exposure of heat to the saffron
strand speeds up the moisture evaporation process, provides quicker drying and prevents from
growth of mold or bacteria.
[0015] In some embodiments, the microcontroller may collect the data related to
temperature during drying process and the data may be stored for future analysis, quality
control and for process optimization.