Method and apparatus for grading fruit
First Claim
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1. Apparatus for grading the surface of generally spherical fruit, comprising:
- conveyor means for advancing a succession of generally spherical fruit along an axis, the fruit having variable average diameters;
camera means for repeatedly scanning the advancing fruit along a scan axis transverse to the conveyor axis and for generating surface reflectivity data for each article of fruit;
wherein the conveyor means includes means for rotating the advancing fruit about a horizontal axis transverse to the conveyor axis as the fruit are advanced past the camera means, such that the camera means generates surface reflectivity data for substantially the entire surface of each article of fruit; and
selection means for determining the approximate diameter of each article of fruit and, based on that determination, ascertaining what portion, if any, of the surface reflectivity data is duplicative of other surface reflectivity data and discarding that duplicative data, with the remaining surface reflectivity data representing substantially the entire surface of the article of fruit.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus is disclosed for grading the surface of generally apherical fruit according to surface characteristics such as color and blemish. The fruit are moved in single file past a scanning camera while being rotated about a transverse horizontal axis. Reflectivity data in three separate wavelength bands is collected for a series of scans of each article of fruit, and this data is processed to eliminate all duplicative data arising from the fruit'"'"'s rotation. Color ratio signals based on the remaining reflectivity data are then utilized to grade the fruit according to their surface color and degree of blemish.
49 Citations
23 Claims
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1. Apparatus for grading the surface of generally spherical fruit, comprising:
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conveyor means for advancing a succession of generally spherical fruit along an axis, the fruit having variable average diameters; camera means for repeatedly scanning the advancing fruit along a scan axis transverse to the conveyor axis and for generating surface reflectivity data for each article of fruit; wherein the conveyor means includes means for rotating the advancing fruit about a horizontal axis transverse to the conveyor axis as the fruit are advanced past the camera means, such that the camera means generates surface reflectivity data for substantially the entire surface of each article of fruit; and selection means for determining the approximate diameter of each article of fruit and, based on that determination, ascertaining what portion, if any, of the surface reflectivity data is duplicative of other surface reflectivity data and discarding that duplicative data, with the remaining surface reflectivity data representing substantially the entire surface of the article of fruit. - View Dependent Claims (2)
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3. Apparatus for grading the surface of generally spherical fruit, comprising:
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conveyor means for advancing a succession of generally spherical fruit along an axis; first camera means for repeatedly scanning the advancing fruit along a first scan axis transverse to the conveyor axis and for generating reflectivity data representing a first surface portion of each article of fruit; second camera means for repeatedly scanning the advancing fruit along a second scan axis transverse to the conveyor axis, spaced from the first scan axis, and for generating reflectivity data representing a second surface portion of each article of fruit; wherein the conveyor means includes means for rotating the advancing fruit about a horizontal axis transverse to the conveyor axis as the fruit are advanced past the first and second scar axes, such that the first and second surface portions of each article of fruit overlap each other and together include substantially the entire surface of each article of fruit; and selection means for combining the reflectivity data generated by the first and second camera means while discarding the duplicative portion of the data that represents the overlap of the first and second surface portions, to provide a set of reflectivity data for substantially the entire surface of each fruit. - View Dependent Claims (4, 5, 6)
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7. Apparatus for grading fruit according to the reflectivity of its outer surface, comprising:
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camera means for scanning the fruit'"'"'s outer surface to produce reflectivity measurements in three or more wavelength bands for each of a plurality of distinct areas on the surface; ratio means for computing two reflectivity ratios for each of the plurality of distinct areas on the fruit'"'"'s surface, each reflectivity ratio representing a ratio of two different reflectivity measurements for the distinct area; and color grading means for assigning a color grade to each of the plurality of distinct areas on the fruit'"'"'s surface based on both reflectivity ratios for that area and for combining the assigned color grades for all of the distinct areas so as to provide an overall color grading for the fruit'"'"'s surface. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. Apparatus for grading generally spherical fruit according to surface color, comprising:
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conveyor means for advancing a succession of generally spherical fruit along a conveyor axis, the fruit having a variable average diameter; a first linear photodetector array for repeatedly scanning the advancing fruit along a first scan axis transverse to the conveyor axis and for generating reflectivity data representing a first surface portion of each article of fruit; a second linear photodetector array for repeatedly scanning the advancing fruit along a second scan axis transverse to the conveyor axis, spaced from the first scan axis, and for generating reflectivity data representing a second surface portion of each article of fruit; a plurality of color filters; means for moving the color filters individually between the fruit and the first and second photodetector arrays such that a different color filter is positioned for each adjacent scan row; wherein the conveyor means includes means for rotating the advancing fruit about a horizontal axis transverse to the conveyor axis as the fruit are advanced past the first and second scan axes, such that the first and second surface portions of each article of fruit overlap each other and together include substantially the entire surface of each article of fruit; wherein the reflectivity measurements generated by the first and second photodetector arrays represent the reflectivity in three or more wavelength bands for each of a plurality of distinct areas on the surface; selection means for combining the reflectivity data generated by the first and second camera means while discarding the duplicative portion of the data that represents the overlap of the first and second surface portions, to provide a set of reflectivity data for substantially the entire surface of each fruit, wherein the selection means includes means for determining the approximate diameter of each article of fruit and for determining the duplicative portion of the combined reflectivity data to be discarded in accordance with the diameter determination; ratio means for computing two reflectivity ratios for each of the plurality of distinct areas on the fruit'"'"'s surface, each reflectivity ratio representing a ratio of two different reflectivity measurements for the distinct area; and color grading means for assigning a color grade to each of the plurality of distinct areas on the fruit'"'"'s surface based on both reflectivity ratios for that area and for combining the assigned color grades for all of the distinct areas so as to provide an overall color grading for the fruit'"'"'s surface.
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14. A method for grading the surface of generally spherical fruit, comprising steps of:
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advancing a succession of generally spherical fruit along a fruit advancement axis, the fruit having variable average diameters; optically scanning the advancing fruit repeatedly along a scan axis transverse to the conveyor axis and generating surface reflectivity data for each article of fruit; rotating the advancing fruit about a horizontal axis transverse to the fruit advancement axis as the fruit are scanned, such that the surface reflectivity data represents substantially the entire surface of each article of fruit; and determining the approximate diameter of each article of fruit and, based on that determination, ascertaining what portion, if any, of the surface reflectivity data is duplicative of other surface reflectivity data and discarding that duplicative data, with the remaining surface reflectivity data representing substantially the entire surface of the article of fruit. - View Dependent Claims (15)
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16. A method for grading the surface of generally spherical fruit, comprising steps of:
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advancing a succession of generally spherical fruit along a fruit advancement axis; repeatedly scanning the advancing fruit along a first scan axis transverse to the fruit advancement axis and generating reflectivity data representing a first surface portion of each article of fruit; repeatedly scanning the advancing fruit along a second scan axis transverse to the fruit advancement axis, spaced from the first scan axis, and generating reflectivity data representing a second surface portion of each article of fruit; rotating the advancing fruit about a horizontal axis transverse to the fruit advancement axis as the fruit are advanced past the first and second scan axes, such that the first and second surface portions of each article of fruit overlap each other and together include substantially the entire surface of each article of fruit; and combining the reflectivity data generated in the two steps of repeatedly scanning while discarding the duplicative portion of the data that represents the overlap of the first and second surface portions, to provide a set of reflectivity data for substantially the entire surface of each fruit. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. A method for grading fruit according to the reflectivity of its outer surface, comprising the steps of:
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scanning the fruit'"'"'s outer surface to produce reflectivity measurements in three or more wavelength bands for each of a plurality of distinct areas on the surface; computing two reflectivity ratios for each of the plurality of distinct areas on the fruit'"'"'s surface, each reflectivity ratio representing a ratio of two different reflectivity measurements for the distinct area; and assigning a color grade to each of the plurality of distinct areas on the fruit'"'"'s surface based on both reflectivity ratios for that area and combining the assigned color grades for all of the distinct areas so as to provide an overall color grading for the fruit'"'"'s surface. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification