The optical precision sorter uses multiple IDS industrial cameras along a 1.5-metre inspection section to classify potatoes by size and quality, with up to five grades produced in a single pass, according to an article by IDS Imaging Development Systems Ltd, published by Process and Control Today.
Rising quality requirements and labour shortages are forcing agricultural businesses to modernise their sorting processes. Those seeking to ensure product quality while reducing the burden on staff need more than a simple pass/fail separation system. What is required is multi-grade sorting that reliably classifies produce by both size and quality and has proven itself in continuous operation.
This is precisely where the Farmsort.one optical precision sorter comes in. It brings industrial inspection principles to small and medium-sized agricultural businesses, combining size grading and quality inspection in a single pass. In most cases, it eliminates the need for manual re-sorting altogether.
At the core of the system is said to be a 1.5-metre inspection section. Along this section, each potato is captured optically several times. Depending on the configuration, two or three industrial cameras from IDS Imaging Development Systems monitor the continuous product flow from different angles.
Unlike systems that inspect each tuber from all sides at a single inspection station, the assessment does not rely on every individual object rotating freely. Instead, quality is evaluated directly within the process, based on repeated inspections, redundancy and controlled product handling. This enables the system to deliver reproducible results even when foreign material or adhering soil is present.
“We did not want a spot assessment like those used in many conventional systems on the market, but rather a controlled inspection over a defined distance,” explains Jan Kiwitt, Project Manager at schmiede.one. “The combination of a guided conveyor system and multiple inspections enables reliable detection of quality characteristics while maintaining a consistent throughput.”
Source: IDS Imaging Development Systems Ltd via Process and Control Today. Full article here
Image: Credit IDS Imaging Development Systems Ltd
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