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Product ripeness discrimination system and method therefor with area measurement

  • US 5,401,954 A
  • Filed: 02/15/1994
  • Issued: 03/28/1995
  • Est. Priority Date: 10/30/1992
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method for measuring ripeness of a product unit, comprisingmoving the product unit past a sensing station along a conveying path;

  • sensing the magnitude of selected reflected light spectra indicative of cross-sectional area from a selected area of the product unit, including receiving reflected light from the product unit, randomizing the received light, and sensing the magnitude of selected spectra of the randomized light as an output indicative of cross-sectional area;

    measuring by accumulating pixel output indicative of cross-sectional area using a line scan camera the selected area of the product unit sensed by said step of sensing;

    calculating the difference between the pixel output indicative of cross-sectional area of the selected area of the product unit as measured by the line scan camera and the output indicative of cross-sectional area of the selected area of the product unit as sensed by the sensing step;

    comparing said difference with a standard.

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