Mango Surface Color Features Measurement Using Digital Image Processing

Summary Postharvest processing of agricultural produce is still done the conventional way in Bangladesh. Manual grading of agricultural produce, especially fruits and vegetables, is laborious and costly due to acute shortage of labor during the peak season, as well as difficulty maintaining the product quality. Machine vision system (MVS) applications are widely used nowadays as a non-destructive and cost-effective technology for automatically grading and sorting large volumes of produce in the packing house according to size, shape, color, texture, and surface defects. In this study, a simple MVS was constructed measuring different color features of mango fruit surface as a part of developing an automatic grading system. A CCD camera with a fluorescent lighting system was incorporated for acquiring images of mangos. Different color properties were extracted from the acquired images and analyzed. The best-suited color information (HSI model) was found so that the fruits can be separated from their background easily and differentiated. The measured color information will be further used for developing a grading algorithm based on different features of mango, further aimed to develop an automatic mango grading system. Implications In this study, it was determined that the developed image acquisition system was suitable to recognize the target objects (e.g., green and ripe mangos) from its background by using image color properties. Moreover, the HSI color threshold information was found more suitable than RGB to identify the green and ripe mangos. Therefore, the color information could be used for developing a mango grading algorithm. The color information can be combined with the physical dimension and defect information for more accurate grading of fruits which is a crucial need in the Bangladesh agriculture sector

Parameter Optimization for a Potato Rod-type Conveyor Grading Device Based on the Discrete Element Method

Existing field potato grading devices are complex in structure and large in volume, designing a rod-type conveyor grading device. Relying on field measurement, size and field distribution laws of mature potatoes are obtained and their field distribution is modelled. Moreover, the conveyor grading device model is established using the discrete element method (EDEM). The single-factor test and multi-factor test adopting one evaluation index (grading accuracy) and four test factors (conveyor chain elevation angle, conveyor chain speed, rod clearance, and potato feed rate) were conducted. Finally, the effects of various test factors on the evaluation index are analyzed and test factors are optimized. According to the results of this study, the rod-type conveyor grading device had a grading accuracy of 93.32%. The relative error between experimental validation and simulation results was less than 8%, suggesting that the regressive mathematical model proposed in this paper and the optimization results obtained were reasonable

Automated Quality Control in Manufacturing Production Lines: A Robust Technique to Perform Product Quality Inspection

Quality control (QC) in manufacturing processes is critical to ensuring consumers receive products with proper functionality and reliability. Faulty products can lead to additional costs for the manufacturer and damage trust in a brand. A growing trend in QC is the use of machine vision (MV) systems because of their noncontact inspection, high repeatability, and efficiency. This thesis presents a robust MV system developed to perform comparative dimensional inspection on diversely shaped samples. Perimeter, area, rectangularity, and circularity are determined in the dimensional inspection algorithm for a base item and test items. A score determined with the four obtained parameter values provides the likeness between the base item and a test item. Additionally, a surface defect inspection is offered capable of identifying scratches, dents, and markings. The dimensional and surface inspections are used in a QC industrial case study. The case study examines the existing QC system for an electric motor manufacturer and proposes the developed QC system to increase product inspection count and efficiency while maintaining accuracy and reliability. Finally, the QC system is integrated in a simulated product inspection line consisting of a robotic arm and conveyor belts. The simulated product inspection line could identify the correct defect in all tested items and demonstrated the system’s automation capabilities

Efecto de dos tratamientos y cultivares de papa nativa (Solanum tuberosum ssp. Andígena) sobre las propiedades funcionales, estructurales y fisicoquímicas, en hojuelas

Este proyecto se basó en determinar los efectos de los tratamientos mediante cocción por Fritura y Horneada en los Cultivares de Papa Nativa (Solanum tuberosum ssp. Andigena) Yana Lomo, Yana Paqusa y Puka Mama, sobre las propiedades Funcionales, Fisicoquímicos y Estructurales, elaboradas en forma de hojuelas. Los tratamientos fueron sometidas a temperatura constante de 180°C durante 8min. Por lo tanto, los resultados del tratamiento mediante la cocción en horno demuestran tener elevadas propiedades funcionales con el cultivar Yana Paqusa, radicales DPPH presentes al 0.91%, y Polifenoles Totales 288.607mg/100g ante el proceso de Fritura. Para las propiedades fisicoquímicas, el tratamiento mediante la cocción en Horno y el cultivar Yana Paqusa son altas en Proteínas 5.68%, Cenizas 4.10%, Fibra Cruda 1.54%, Humedad 5.12%, y Carbohidratos 78.70% en el cultivar Puka Mama, así mismo el contenido de Hierro 2.33mg/100g, Zinc 0.47mg/100g y Potasio 862.601mg/100g lidera el Cultivar Yana Lomo, pero en contenido de grasa supera el tratamiento por fritura con el cultivar Yana Lomo 10.79%. Las imágenes estructurales evaluadas mediante fritura tienen estructuras compactas levemente superiores al horneado, cuyas texturas confirman que son grupos homogéneos con mínimas diferencias en resistencia a la fracturabilidad siendo mayor el fritado con el cultivar Puka Mama 0.485MJ. Así mismo para el índice de color, los tratamientos de fritura y horneado disminuyen la cromaticidad con respecto a la fresca, el Cultivar Yana Paqusa y Yana Lomo varían entre los colores gris purpura-morado y el cultivar Puka Mama gris amarillenta, así mismo los cultivares Yana Lomo y Yana Paqusa tienen grupos homogéneos en tonalidad Hue, por lo tanto, estos tratamientos disminuyen la tonalidad de clara a oscura excepto en el Cultivar Puka Mama, finalmente los tratamientos y cultivares mostraron efectos significativos tanto en proceso de cocción como por fritura.Tesi