초록 ▼

Apparatus and method for measuring the reflectivity of a product for use in optical sorting machines that is insensitive to product size and orientation. The percentage reflectivity of a product passing a background is corrected by a frame fill factor, which is representative of the percentage of th

Apparatus and method for measuring the reflectivity of a product for use in optical sorting machines that is insensitive to product size and orientation. The percentage reflectivity of a product passing a background is corrected by a frame fill factor, which is representative of the percentage of the viewing frame occupied by the product being sorted.

대표청구항 ▼

A method of producing uniform amplitude signals for products of the same detected color in a product stream that passes through a color sorting machine regardless of the amount of respective frame fill occupied by such products, which comprises establishing a viewing frame through which light is ref

A method of producing uniform amplitude signals for products of the same detected color in a product stream that passes through a color sorting machine regardless of the amount of respective frame fill occupied by such products, which comprises establishing a viewing frame through which light is reflected from the product stream, establishing a background which contrasts with the product stream, detecting the reflected light passing through the viewing frame at a plurality of pixel locations spanning the viewing frame on a line transverse to the axis of the reflected light through the viewing frame by using a detector at each pixel location, each detector that detects background produces an output signal at a level below a predetermined trip line output value and each detector that detects the presence of a product in the product stream produces an output signal above the predetermined trip line level, combining the output of the detectors to produce a frame fill percentage output for each detected product that is a percentage of the number of pixel locations that detect the presence of the product to the total number of pixels spanning the viewing frame, photodetecting for each product in a reflected color sorting band light passing through the viewing frame and producing a raw signal with an amplitude proportional to the total contrasting lightness of the product and background in the viewing frame, and dividing the photodetected raw signal with the frame fill percentage output to produce a photodetected corrected signal so that the same lightness of photodetected product will produce the same amplitude of signal regardless of frame fill.