Introducing a new 3D ordering process for discrete food products using food categorisation

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to introduce and identify a new 3D handling operation (bin picking) for natural discrete food products using food categorisation.Design/methodology/approachThe research shows a new food categorisation and the relation between food ordering processes and food categories. Bin picking in the food industry needs more flexible vision software compared to the manufacturing industry in order to decrease the degree of disarray of food products and transfer them into structure.FindingsIt has been shown that there are still manual operated ordering processes in food industry such as bin picking; it just needs new ideas of image processing algorithms such as active shape models (ASMs) on its development in order to recognise the highly varying shapes of food products.Research limitations/implicationsThis research was aimed at locating a new ordering process and proving a new principle, but for practical implementation this bin picking solution needs to be developed and tested further.Originality/valueIdentifying new ordering processes via food categorisation is unique and applying ASMs to bin picking opens a new industrial sector (food industry) for 3D handling.

Feature extraction of non-uniform food products using RGB and RGB-D data combined with shape models

“…have already been applied to food industry [9]. Bin picking is a robot based singulation of objects that are randomly distributed in a three dimensional, limited space that has not yet been solved successfully [10]. Vision algorithms recognise pre-defined points of items and pick each.…”