Automated system for leather inspection: The machine vision

Nowadays Brazil is the world largest producer of cattle leather and the total exportations in 2002 were around 19 million of pieces or 930 million dollars. In the other hand, the low performance of domestic tanning plants, has compromised the final numbers and as a result the product remains considered as a mere commodity in the international market. The semi-finished products obtained in the very first stages from the process, with low level of value aggregation, represent circa of 60% of exportations. This paper is a summary of the findings obtained from a research done and aims to present an automated inspection system to classify the wet blue leather, using image processing and under a quality control system guiding rules..