Class / Patent application number | Description | Number of patent applications / Date published |
348089000 | Agricultural or food production | 23 |
20090195648 | VISION SYSTEM WITH SOFTWARE CONTROL FOR DETECTING DIRT AND OTHER IMPERFECTIONS ON EGG SURFACES - A vision system incorporated into an item of egg handling equipment, the system incorporating software control for detecting at least one of color shades and defects on both brown and white eggs. An enclosure incorporates a plurality of high resolution producing cameras, these communicating via cable with a switch to a remote vision PC system A non-linear shaped diffuser is mounted along an open facing bottom of the enclosure for facilitating uniform lighting throughout an open interior of the enclosure associated with the cameras. The cameras are operable to produce multiple, high resolution images of each of a plurality of eggs continuously transported along the associated egg handling equipment, for classifying types of defects that are allowable and those that must be rejected, as well as assisting in the segregating of the eggs into more consistent shaded groups for eventual packaging. | 08-06-2009 |
20100039509 | System and Method for Determining the Kosher Status of Fish - Presented are a system and a method for determining the kosher status of fish. The system includes a fish processing apparatus configured to process the fish, and at least one image recording apparatus configured to record images of the fish during processing. The images include information regarding whether or not the fish have scales. The system also includes at least one image display apparatus that is configured to view the at least one image of the at least one fish and enable an authorized inspecting party to compare the at least one image of the at least one fish with the at least one fish. | 02-18-2010 |
20100066824 | VISION SYSTEM USING STROBED ILLUMINATION - A vision system for viewing the end face of product ( | 03-18-2010 |
20100073473 | NH3 DISTRIBUTOR MONITORING SYSTEM AND METHOD - An anhydrous ammonia distribution system includes a portable nurse tank | 03-25-2010 |
20110050880 | Method for Real Time Detection of Defects in a Food Product - The present invention is a method to detect defects in a process producing a food product by utilizing multivariate image analysis. In one aspect, an image is captured of the food product in the visible spectrum by on-line vision equipment, multivariate image analysis is performed on the image via an algorithm programmed onto a field programmable gate array to determine if a defect exists, a signal is sent to downstream sorting equipment, and the sorting equipment then rejects those food products that contain defects. | 03-03-2011 |
20110273558 | System and Method for Analyzing Properties of Meat Using Multispectral Imaging - A system and method for obtaining multispectral images of fresh meat at predetermined wavelength bands at a first time, subjecting the images to analysis in an image analysis system comprising a computer programmed to perform such analysis, and outputting a forecast of meat tenderness at a later point in time. Predetermined key wavelength bands are precorrelated with a high degree of prediction of meat tenderness and/or other properties of meat and are used in the multispectral system and method. A system and method for determining the key wavelengths is also disclosed. The multispectral imaging system and method is suitable for use in an industrial setting, such as a meat processing plant. The system and method is useful in a method for determining quality and yield grades at or near the time of imaging in lieu of visual inspection with the unaided human eye, increasing efficiency and objectivity. | 11-10-2011 |
20120105621 | MIXED INJECTION INSPECTION SYSTEM - A mixed injection inspection system is provided for inspecting mixed injection work for mixing an injection drug by an inspector different from a mixed injection worker. The mixed injection inspection system includes: a mixed injection work photographing device provided in a mixed injection work place and used to photograph the mixed injection work; an inspector side mixed injection work monitor provided in a place remote from the mixed injection work place and used to display the mixed injection work photographed by the mixed injection work photographing device; an inspector side input device provided in a place remote from the mixed injection work place and used to input instructions for the worker working at the mixed injection work place; and a mixed injection worker side display for displaying to the mixed injection worker what has been input by the inspector side input device. | 05-03-2012 |
20120188364 | AUTOMATED SEED PACKAGE IDENTIFICATION APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD - An automated seed package identification apparatus is presented that may include a sensor device configured to read a machine-readable package identifier on a seed package which identifies the seed package and/or the seeds therein. A sensor positioning mechanism adjusts the position of the sensor device with respect to a seed tray assembly which is configured to retain seed packages. The sensor positioning mechanism may include a moveable track member which translates on a stationary track member, and the sensor device may translate along the moveable track member. A control unit may instruct the sensor positioning mechanism to move with respect to the seed tray assembly to thereby read the machine-readable package identifiers with the sensor device and record the positional layout of the seed packages. One or more cameras may be configured to capture one or more images of the plurality of seed packages retained in the seed tray assembly. | 07-26-2012 |
20120212603 | Automated Product Profiling Apparatus and Product Slicing System Using the Same - An apparatus for acquiring a profile of a food product for use in subsequent processing of the food product includes a scanning area and one or more product drives for driving a product through the scanning area in a longitudinal direction. First line lasers project one first transverse laser line transversely to the longitudinal direction on the first surface and two first cameras arranged to capture different, overlapping first transverse image portions of the first transverse laser line. A reference laser projects a beam on the first surface that indicates a transverse reference position, and the two first cameras also capture the reference position. A control system uses the transverse reference position to combine the different first transverse image portions captured by the two first cameras to calculate a first profile of the first surface at multiple positions along a length of the first surface as the product is driven through the scanning area. | 08-23-2012 |
20120262568 | Camera for monitoring machine functions of a vehicle and method of using the camera | 10-18-2012 |
20130070081 | ROOT EVALUATION - A method is provided for evaluating plant roots, comprising (i) growing a plant in a substantially transparent container charged with a particulate, non-transparent growing medium; and (ii) evaluating plant roots through said transparent container by digital imaging. An apparatus for evaluating plant roots in a high throughput manner is also provided. | 03-21-2013 |
20130235183 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATED PLANT NECROSIS - A method of distinguishing individual plants within a row of plants, including directing radiation at the row of plants at an angle selected to illuminate a portion of the plant and cast a shadow at the plant center, collecting an image from the radiation reflected off of two or more contiguous plants with a detector, identifying a continuous foreground region indicative of a plant within the image, identifying points of interest within the region, classifying the points of interest as plant centers and non-plant centers, and segmenting the region into sub-regions, each sub-region encompassing a single point of interest classified as a plant center. | 09-12-2013 |
20140002634 | SYSTEM FOR IMAGING SAWN TIMBER | 01-02-2014 |
20140146164 | Calibration of a Dynamic Digital Imaging System for Detecting Defects in Production Stream - A system and method for calibrating a dynamic digital imaging system for the detection of defects in a moving product stream. The system has an elevated platform above a conveying unit for receiving a reference color tile. The elevated platform allows for the passage of products to be inspected on the below conveying unit surface such that calibration and re-calibration processes during image capturing may be accomplished on a continuous basis without interruption of the product stream. | 05-29-2014 |
20140168411 | SHRIMP PROCESSING SYSTEM AND METHODS - Methods and systems using a vision system to process shrimp. The vision system captures images of samples of shrimps. The processor produces a digital image of the shrimps in the samples. Shrimps exiting a peeler are imaged to determine the number of tail segments in each. The shrimps are classified by the number of intact segments, and quality, yield, and throughput computed from the classification results. The processor can control operational settings of the peeler based on the classification results. In a larger system including other shrimp-processing equipment besides the peeler, other points along the processing path can be imaged by camera or sensed by other sensors to determine processing quality and to make automatic operational adjustments to the equipment. | 06-19-2014 |
20140168412 | METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR AUTOMATED MICRO FARMING - System and methods for farming of crops on a plant-by-plant basis are disclosed. Plants are imaged and data is acquired on a plant-by-plant basis, which enables the visual micro management of a crop field on a plant-by-plant basis. Past and current images of a plant may be displayed in a manner that allows plants to be diagnosed and maintained. In some embodiments, images of an individual plant and instructions for maintenance are automatically displayed to a field work in real-time as the worker is in the proximity of the plant. Techniques described herein can be used in the field or during the harvest process including sorting tables or sorting conveyor belts. This can be done via signage, bar codes or RFID tags or other unique plant identifier technique. This approach compresses the acquired data and automatically selects and displays relevant information to a specific fruit or plant. | 06-19-2014 |
20140267684 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING CONTAMINATION IN FOOD USING HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGING - The present disclosure provides systems and methods for determining the presence of a contaminate in a food sample. Interacted photons from a food sample having a contaminate of interest are collected. The interacted photons are passed through a tunable filter to a hyperspectral detector that generates a hyperspectral image representative of the filtered interacted photons. The hyperspectral image is analyzed by comparing the hyperspectral image obtained from the food sample to known hyperspectral images to identify a contaminate in the food sample. The systems and methods disclosed herein provide an easy and non-destructive tool for identifying contaminates in a food sample. | 09-18-2014 |
20150015697 | METHOD FOR AUTOMATIC PHENOTYPE MEASUREMENT AND SELECTION - A system for plant parameter detection, including: a plant morphology sensor having a first field of view and configured to record a morphology measurement of a plant portion and an ambient environment adjacent the plant, a plant physiology sensor having a second field of view and configured to record a plant physiology parameter measurement of a plant portion and an ambient environment adjacent the plant, wherein the second field of view overlaps with the first field of view; a support statically coupling the plant morphology sensor to the physiology sensor, and a computing system configured to: identify a plant set of pixels within the physiology measurement based on the morphology measurement; determine physiology values for each pixel of the plant set of pixels; and extract a growth parameter based on the physiology values. | 01-15-2015 |
20150356723 | SYSTEM FOR DIAGNOSING WASTEWATER, APPARATUS FOR DIAGNOSING WASTEWATER AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING WASTEWATER DATA - A system for diagnosing wastewater including a terminal device and a cloud data processing center is provided. The terminal device acquires a microscopic image data of microbiota from a water sample, and converts the microscopic image data into a transmission message. The cloud data processing center receives the transmission message, and performs analysis and/or comparison calculation with respect to microbiota on the transmission message. After the analysis and comparison calculation, the cloud data processing center outputs a corresponding biological treatment message to the terminal device based on the result of analysis and comparison. Moreover, the practitioner can obtain the information of diagnostic conclusion and biological treatment message for treatment process immediately. Furthermore, an apparatus for diagnosing wastewater, a method of terminal data processing for diagnosing wastewater, and a method of remote data processing for diagnosing wastewater are disclosed in the present invention. | 12-10-2015 |
20150359201 | Methods and Apparatus for Tracking and Analyzing Animal Behaviors - Described herein are methods and systems for tracking and analyzing animal behaviors. Specifically, certain animal data, such as animal motions of interest (running, walking, resting, playing), are captured through a device attached to the animal. Such data can be locally processed and stored or periodically uploaded into servers or cloud storage for further processing to generate animal reports or sickness notifications for the pet owner to view via an animal tracking and viewing application in a user terminal device. | 12-17-2015 |
20160088852 | AUTOMATED PRODUCT PROFILING APPARATUS AND PRODUCT SLICING SYSTEM USING THE SAME - An apparatus for acquiring a profile of a food product for use in subsequent processing of the food product includes a scanning area and one or more product drives for driving a product through the scanning area in a longitudinal direction. First line lasers project one first transverse laser line transversely to the longitudinal direction on the first surface and two first cameras arranged to capture different, overlapping first transverse image portions of the first transverse laser line. A reference laser projects a beam on the first surface that indicates a transverse reference position, and the two first cameras also capture the reference position. A control system uses the transverse reference position to combine the different first transverse image portions captured by the two first cameras to calculate a first profile of the first surface at multiple positions along a length of the first surface as the product is driven through the scanning area. | 03-31-2016 |
20160187199 | SENSOR-SYNCHRONIZED SPECTRALLY-STRUCTURED-LIGHT IMAGING - An image capture device, such as a smartphone or point of sale scanner, is adapted for use as an imaging spectrometer, by synchronized pulsing of different LED light sources as different image frames are captured by the image sensor. A particular implementation employs the CIE color matching functions, and/or their orthogonally transformed functions, to enable direct chromaticity capture. These and various other configurations of spectral capture devices are employed to capture spectral images comprised of spectral vectors having multi-dimensions per pixel. These spectral images are processed for use in object identification, classification, and a variety of other applications. Particular applications include produce (e.g., fruit or vegetable) identification. A great variety of other features and arrangements are also detailed. | 06-30-2016 |
20160203591 | SYSTEM AND PROCESS FOR MONITORING THE QUALITY OF FOOD IN A REFRIGERATOR | 07-14-2016 |