METHOD AND DEVICE FOR AUTOMATIC EVALUATION OF CEREAL GRAINS AND OTHER GRANULAR PRODUCTS

In automatic evaluation of cereal kernels or like granular products handled in bulk, the kernels are conveyed on a vibrating conveyor belt (15). Owing to the vibrations, the kernels are spread and settled in grooves (14) in the belt so as to be oriented in essentially the same direction. A video camera (40) produces digital images of all the kernels on the belt. The kernels are identified in the images, and for each kernel input signals are produced and then sent to a neural network based on picture element values for the picture elements representing each kernel. A neural network then determines which of a plurality of predetermined classes that each kernel belongs.