Image processing for monitoring of the cured tobacco process in a bulk-curing stove

•The automation for the cured tobacco process in a prototype stove is achieved.•The control system of the process is based only on digital image processing of leaves.•The current required time for the curing process reduces with the automation.•The attributes of the image are indicators of the quali...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Computers and electronics in agriculture 2020-01, Vol.168, p.105113, Article 105113
Main Authors: Condorí, Miguel, Albesa, Federico, Altobelli, Fabiana, Duran, Gonzalo, Sorrentino, Claudio
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Automation
Bulk-curing stove
Color
Color analysis
Curing
Digital imaging
Drying
Energy saving
Finite state machines
Humidity
Image processing
Optimization
Relative humidity
Tobacco
Tobacco curing
Weight loss
Yellowing
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:•The automation for the cured tobacco process in a prototype stove is achieved.•The control system of the process is based only on digital image processing of leaves.•The current required time for the curing process reduces with the automation.•The attributes of the image are indicators of the quality and evolution of the leaves.•The color channel correlates with the weight loss of leaves in all process stages. A control system based on digital image processing was developed for the tobacco curing process in a bulk-curing barn. A laboratory prototype of the barn was built to test the automation of the process and the results with virginia type tobacco curing are presented. The system records in real-time dry-bulb temperature, air relative humidity, the weight loss of a sample of tobacco leaves and the image of a tobacco leaf. A value for the air humidity ratio of 0.045 kg/kg through the process is obtained as the optimal curing condition. A finite state machine was developed to control the curing condition through the image processing. The HSV color system was used in the image processing; the optimum color for the yellowing stage was obtained with 53.4 for the channel H. In this stage, the time derivative of H close to zero was used as the condition of color stability. The time derivative close to zero for the standard deviation of S was used as uniformity color condition in the color fixing stage and in the leaf drying stage. A good fit between the weight loss and the channel H was obtained; because of this, it was used as the indicator to follow the weight loss in leaves.
ISSN:0168-1699
1872-7107
DOI:10.1016/j.compag.2019.105113