Fruit Grading Algorithms of Multi-purpose Fruit Grader Using Black at White Image Processing System

흑백영상처리장치를 이용한 다목적 과실선별기의 등급판정 알고리즘 개발

A series of study has been conducted to develop a multi-purpose fruit grader using a black ＆ white image processing system equipped with a 550 nm interference filter. A device and high performance algorithms were developed for sizing and color grading of Fuji apple in the previous study. In this study an emphasis was put on finding correlations between weights of several kinds of fruits and their area fractions(AF), and on compensating the blurring effect upon sizing and color grading by conveying speed of fruit. Also, the effect of orientation and direction of fruit on conveyor during image forming was analyzed to identify any difficulty (or utilizing an automatic fruit feeder. The results are summarized as follows. 1. The correlation coefficients(r) between the weights of fruits and their image sizes were 0.984~0.996 for apples, 0.983~0.990 for peachs, 0.995 for tomato, 0.986 for sweet persimmon and 0.970~0.993 for pears. 2. It was possible to grade fruits by color with the area weighted mean gray values(AWMGV) based on the mean gray valves of direct image and the compensated values of reflected image of a fruit, and also possible to sort fruits by size with AF. Accuracies in sizing and color grading ranged over 81.0% ~95.0% and 82.0% ~89.7% respectively as compared with results from sizing by electronic weight scale and grading by expert. 3. The blurring effect on the sizing and color grading depending on conveying speed was identified and regression equations were derived. 4. It was found that errors in sizing and coloring grading due to the change in direction and orientation of Fuji apple on the conveyor were not significant as far as the stem end of apple keeping upward.