Method of separating fruit or vegetable products
US5791497A · kind A · utility
33Cited by
5References
12Claims
0Family size
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 8, 1996 |
| Grant date | Aug 11, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 8, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N21/85
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method of separating selected fruit from a volume of fruit is based on the reflectivity of the selected fruit. The method utilizes an automated optical inspection and sorting system to illuminate a volume of fruit including cranberries characterized by a spectral power distribution in the infrared spectral region. The system detects reflections of wavelengths of the illumination in the infrared spectral region, identifies the selected fruit based on the detected reflectivity, and sorts the selected fruit from the volume of fruit.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.