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US 11,090,833 B2Granted
Method and system for ensuring the quality of a wood product based on surface irregularities using near infrared imaging
AssigneeBoise Cascade Corporation
InventorsDavid Bolton, Jude Richard Peek, Curtis Fennell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Near InfraRed NIR technology, including NIR cameras and detectors, is used to accurately identify surface irregularities on a surface of a veneer sheet or other wood product. Based on the identified surface irregularities for a given wood product, one or more actions are taken with respect to wood product or production process to ensure the wood product is put to the most efficient, effective, and valuable use.
Claims20
A method for ensuring the quality of a wood product based on surface irregularities comprising:
- generating a surface irregularity to greyscale mapping database, the surface irregularity to greyscale mapping database containing data that maps surface irregularities to Near InfraRed (NIR) image greyscale values for one or more wood products;
- providing an NIR analysis station, the NIR analysis station including one or more sources of illumination positioned to illuminate a surface of a wood product, the NIR analysis station including one or more NIR cameras positioned to capture one or more NIR images of the illuminated surface of the wood product;
- positioning a wood product to be analyzed in the NIR analysis station such that a first surface of the wood product to be analyzed is illuminated by the one or more illumination sources;
- capturing, using the one or more NIR cameras, one or more NIR images of the illuminated first surface of the wood product;
- processing the one or more NIR images of the illuminated first surface of the wood product to generate NIR greyscale images indicating one or more surface irregularities in the illuminated first surface of the wood product;
- processing the NIR greyscale images using the surface irregularity to greyscale mapping database to identify a level of irregularity of the first surface of the wood product;
- assigning a grade to the wood product based on the identified level of irregularity of the first surface of the wood product;
- and
- based, at least in part, on the grade assigned to the wood product, taking one or more actions with respect to the wood product.
6 more elements
A system for ensuring the quality of a wood product based on surface irregularities comprising:
- a surface irregularity level to greyscale mapping database, the surface irregularity level to greyscale mapping database containing mapping data that maps surface irregularities to Near InfraRed (NIR) image greyscale values for one or more wood products;
- an NIR analysis station, the NIR analysis station including one or more sources of illumination positioned to illuminate a surface of a wood product, the NIR analysis station including one or more NIR cameras positioned to capture one or more NIR images of the illuminated surface of the wood product;
- a wood product to be analyzed in the NIR analysis station, the wood product to be analyzed being positioned such that a first surface of the wood product to be analyzed is illuminated by the one or more illumination sources;
- a physical memory, the physical memory including NIR image data representing one or more NIR images of the illuminated first surface of the wood product captured using the one or more NIR cameras;
- one or more processors for processing the data representing one or more NIR images of the illuminated first surface of the wood product to generate NIR greyscale image data indicating irregularities in the illuminated first surface of the wood product;
- one or processors for processing the NIR greyscale image data using the surface irregularity level to greyscale mapping database data to identify irregularities for the first surface of the wood product;
- a grade assignment module for assigning a grade to the wood product based on the identified irregularities for the first surface of the wood product;
- and
- an action activation module for initializing one or more actions with respect to the wood product based, at least in part, on the grade assigned to the wood product.
6 more elements
A method for detecting surface irregularities in veneer sheets comprising:
- generating an irregularity level to greyscale mapping database, the surface irregularity level to greyscale mapping database containing data that maps surface irregularities to Near InfraRed (NIR) image greyscale values for one or more types of veneer sheets;
- providing an NIR analysis station, the NIR analysis station including one or more sources of illumination positioned to illuminate a surface of a veneer sheet, the NIR analysis station including one or more NIR cameras positioned to capture one or more NIR images of the illuminated surface of the veneer sheet;
- positioning a veneer sheet to be analyzed in the NIR analysis station such that a first surface of the veneer sheet to be analyzed is illuminated by the one or more illumination sources;
- capturing, using the one or more NIR cameras, one or more NIR images of the illuminated first surface of the veneer sheet;
- processing the one or more NIR images of the illuminated first surface of the veneer sheet to generate NIR greyscale images indicating irregularities in the illuminated first surface of the veneer sheet;
- processing the NIR greyscale images using the surface irregularity level to greyscale mapping database to identify irregularities for the first surface of the veneer sheet;
- assigning a grade to the veneer sheet based on the identified irregularities for the first surface of the veneer sheet;
- and
- based, at least in part, on the grade assigned to the veneer sheet, taking one or more actions with respect to the veneer sheet.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.