A Real-Time Machine Vision System for Grading Quartz Mineral

Classification is an indispensable process in industrial mass production applications when competitive marketing and increasing the product value by reducing time and saving costs are in concern. In this regard, the machine vision system (MVS) is a prominent technology, especially for automated industrial production flow lines. Recent studies consisted of increas-ing the accuracy of such systems using advanced technology and complex solutions. Nevertheless, for automated industrial production flow lines, considering only the accuracy rate of an MVS by ignoring the cost and processing speed is not a sufficient parameter to evaluate the success rate concerning the marketing capability. In this study, a relatively low-cost and automated MVS production line for grading white stones in real-time is demon-strated. A conveyor line and a rotary mechanism are integrated into the system for performing a stone grading task. A conditioned cabinet is used for inspecting the flow line continuously. Forty different stone samples in four groups are evaluated in the experimental stage to observe the flow speed and processing accuracy. Different flow speeds of the conveyor line are inves-tigated. The results are demonstrated that the low-cost MVS is successfully operated for grad-ing white stones at relatively high speed with a 92 % accuracy.