Agricultural article inspection apparatus and method employing spectral manipulation to enhance detection contrast ratio

US6410872B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• Key Technology, Inc. · US

Inventors

• Duncan Campbell · Central Point, US
• James M. Ewan · Kaneohe, US
• Cliff J. Leidecker · Rogue River, US
• H. Parks Squyres · Medford, US
• Hooshmand M. Kalayeh · Pittsford, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 14, 1999
• Grant date: Jun 25, 2002
• Expiry date: Dec 14, 2019

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y10S209/938
• WIPO field: Measurement
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A sorting system (110) conveys articles, such as peaches (114) on a conveyor belt (112) past an inspection zone (126) that is lighted by an illumination source (90) radiating a number of emission peaks over visible and infrared portions of the spectrum. The illumination source generates the radiation from an Indium Iodide lamp (92) that is reflected off a parabolic reflector (94) and through a “soda straw” collimator (100) to illuminated the peaches. A detector system (118) employs line scanning visible and infrared cameras (142, 140) to sense visible and IR wavelength reflectance values for the peach meat (124) and peach pit or pit fragments (126). Various image processing and analysis methologies, such as subtraction, ratio, logarithmic, regression, combination, angle, distance, and shape may be employed to enhance the image contrast and classify the resulting data for sorting the peaches. Employing subtraction also cancels “glint” caused by specular reflections of the illumination source off the peaches and into the cameras.