A Machine Vision System Using a Laser Radar Applied to Robotic Fruit Harvesting

This paper describes a new laser-based computer vision system used for automatic fruit recognition. Most relevant vision studies for fruit harvesting are reviewed. Our system is based on an infrared laser-range finder sensor generating range and reflectance images and it is designed to detect spherical objects in non-structured environments. A special image restoration technique is defined and applied to improve image quality. Image analysis algorithms integrate both range and reflectance information to generate four characteristic primitives evidencing the presence of spherical objects. This machine vision system, which generates the 3-D location, radio and surface reflectivity of each spherical object, has been applied to the AGRIBOT orange fruit harvester robot. Test results indicate good correct detection rates, unlikely false alarms and a robust behavior.