Vision-Based Horticultural Product Counting for Supply Rate Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current automated systems for horticultural product processing face inefficiencies due to irregular product supply, leading to operational bottlenecks and increased costs, as they struggle to manage variable product weights, dimensions, and debris, resulting in unpredictable production rates and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with an electronic vision system and control unit that counts products in transit, adjusts the supply rate in real-time to match desired productivity, and includes feedback mechanisms to compensate for irregularities, ensuring precise product distribution and optimizing line efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If containers are emptied at a preset rate in the loading station, then the supply process is simplified and automated, but the number of products actually supplied per unit time becomes unpredictable due to variable filling levels and product irregularities
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses an electronic vision device to count products in transit and feeds this information back to the control unit, which then adjusts the supply rate dynamically. This closed-loop feedback mechanism resolves the contradiction by maintaining automation while achieving precise measurement and control of the actual number of products supplied per unit time.
Solution Approach 2:
The supply rate is transformed from a static preset value to a dynamic parameter that automatically adjusts based on real-time counting data. The control unit modifies the supply rate dynamically to compensate for variations in container filling levels and product characteristics, thereby maintaining precise control over the number of products supplied.
2Manufacturing precision
If downstream stations are equipped to handle a precise number of products per unit time, then individual product management and sorting accuracy improve, but line efficiency decreases when product supply is lower than expected capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit receives real-time counting information from the electronic vision device and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust the supply rate to match the downstream stations' processing capacity. This ensures that the precise number of products required for accurate sorting is supplied only when needed, maintaining both sorting accuracy and line efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The supply rate parameter is changed dynamically based on the ratio between the desired number of products and the actual number counted. The control unit calculates and applies appropriate modifications to the supply rate, allowing the system to adapt between high-precision sorting mode and high-efficiency production mode as conditions require.
3Productivity
If the supply rate is increased to meet market demand, then productivity improves, but irregularities in product supply become more pronounced, causing bottlenecks and requiring costly improvised solutions
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements continuous monitoring of the actual number of products supplied versus the desired number, with the control unit using this feedback to make real-time adjustments to the supply rate. This feedback mechanism enables the system to maintain high productivity while compensating for supply irregularities, eliminating the need for costly improvised solutions.
Solution Approach 2:
The electronic vision device counts products in transit before they reach downstream stations, allowing the control unit to take preliminary action by adjusting the supply rate in advance. This preliminary adjustment prevents supply irregularities from causing bottlenecks downstream, maintaining both high productivity and reliable supply regularity.
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for the treatment of horticultural products, including in series at leasta first station, configured for supplying a handling and processing line with an indiscriminate mass of horticultural products,a second station, arranged along the line and configured for the acquisition of information related to at least one parameter of interest of each horticultural product in transit and for the transmission of the information to an electronic control and management unit, anda third station, arranged along the line and configured for the selective conveyance of each horticultural product in transit toward one of at least two distinct collection stations.The apparatus includes an electronic vision device, arranged along a chosen point of the line that is between the first station and the second station and is configured to count the number of horticultural products in transit.