Method and apparatus for detecting blemishes on the surface of an article
US4246098A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 21, 1978 |
| Grant date | Jan 20, 1981 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 21, 1998 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S209/912
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A method and apparatus for grading and sorting articles, particularly fruit, according to size, surface blemish and surface color. Fruit is passed sequentially through a camera array which scans the surface of each fruit and measures the intensity of light reflected from successive discrete surface segments. Significant differences between such measured intensities are detected and a measurement of surface blemish is generated in accordance therewith. Size measurements are derived by counting the total number of segments in the surface of each fruit. Color measurements are derived by averaging the ratio of red light intensity to infrared light intensity reflected from each of a plurality of surface areas of each fruit. The fruit are separated and delivered to separate receivers by a mechanism responsive to the size, blemish and color measurements of the respective fruit.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.