High speed intelligent classifier of tomatoes by colour, size and weight

Abstract

At present most horticultural products are classified and marketed according to quality standards, which provide a common language for growers, packers, buyers and consumers. The standardisation of both product and packaging enables greater speed and efficiency in management and marketing. Of all the vegetables grown in greenhouses, tomatoes are predominant in both surface area and tons produced. This paper will present the development and evaluation of a low investment classification system of tomatoes with these objectives: to put it at the service of producing farms and to classify for trading standards. An intelligent classifier of tomatoes has been developed by weight, diameter and colour. This system has optimised the necessary algorithms for data processing in the case of tomatoes, so that productivity is greatly increased, with the use of less expensive and lower performance electronics. The prototype is able to achieve very high speed classification, 12.5 ratings per second, using accessible and low cost commercial equipment for this. It decreases fourfold the manual sorting time and is not sen sitive to the variety of tomato classified. This system facilitates the processes of standardisation and quality control, increases the competitiveness of tomato farms and impacts positively on profitability. The automatic classification system described in this work represents a contribution from the economic point of view, as it is profitable for a farm in the short term (less than six months), while the existing systems, can only be used in large trading centers.Additional key words: artificial vision; low cost; Solanum lycopersicum; trading. Resumen Clasificadora inteligente de tomates de alta velocidad por color, tamaño y pesoEn la actualidad la mayoría de los productos hortofrutícolas son clasificados y comercializados según unos estándares de calidad, que proporcionan un lenguaje común para productores, empacadores, compradores y consumidores. De todas las hortalizas cultivadas en invernadero, el tomate es el que más presencia tiene en superficie y toneladas producidas. En este trabajo se desarrolla y evalúa un sistema de clasificación de tomates de bajo coste con dos objetivos: que sirva a los productores de tomate y que sea capaz de clasificar según los estándares establecidos. En este trabajo se desarrolla un clasificador inteligente de tomates según su peso, diámetro y color. Este sistema optimiza los algoritmos de análisis para el caso específico del tomate, con la ventaja del uso de electrónica de bajo coste. El prototipo es capaz de conseguir la clasificación a velocidad muy elevada, 12.5 clasificaciones por segundo, y utilizando para ello equipos comerciales accesibles y de bajo coste. Se consigue disminuir 4 veces el tiempo de la clasificación manual y no es sensible a la variedad de tomate clasificado. Este sistema facilita los procesos de estandarización y control de calidad, permitiendo aumentar la competitividad de las explotaciones agrícolas de tomate, repercutiendo positivamente en s...

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