Method and apparatus for capturing an image of a lateral face of a wooden board

Apparatus for capturing an image of at least one lateral face of a wooden board, where the lateral face (2) is parallel to a main axis of development of the wooden board (3), comprising:

• a transverse conveyor (5) configured to convey, along a feeding direction (4) and through an observation zone (6), the wooden board (3), arranged with a front face (7) on a feeding plane (12) and with the lateral face (2) arranged transverse to the feeding direction (4);
• a plurality of area scan cameras (9), associated with the observation zone (6), and configured so as to each image one different portion (10) of the lateral face (2) when the wooden board (3) is in the observation zone (6), with each portion (10) of the lateral face (2) extending for an entire height of the lateral face (2) transverse to the main axis of development, and for part of a length of the lateral face (2) along the main axis of development, with the set of all portions (10) imaged by the area scan cameras (9) corresponding to the entire extension of the lateral face (2), said plurality of area scan cameras (2) imaging overall the lateral face (2) and each different area scan camera (9) capturing a respective first digital image which comprises a different portion (10) of the lateral face (2);
• one or more light sources (8) associated with the observation zone (6) to illuminate the entire lateral face (2) when the wooden board (3) is inside the observation zone (6);
• one electronic processing and control unit connected to the plurality of area scan cameras (9) so as to receive data in digital format from each camera corresponding to images they have captured, and so as to command each area scan camera (9) to capture one first digital image in which the respective portion (10) of the lateral face (2) is visible;
• wherein the electronic processing and control unit is programmed to merge all first digital images captured by the area scan cameras (9) so as to obtain a second digital image showing the entire lateral face (2)
• wherein the apparatus further comprises a device for determining the position of each portion (10) when the portion (10) is in the observation zone (6), operationally associated with the electronic processing and control unit to relay information to the electronic processing and control unit concerning the position of each portion (10) along the feeding direction (4);
• and wherein, when the device for determining the position relays to the electronic processing and control unit that two portions (10) are in positions staggered along the feeding direction (4) by a value greater than a maximum longitudinal offset, the electronic processing and control unit is programmed to command each area scan camera (9) to capture the relative first digital image of each of the two portions (10) at different moments in time which are calculated based on the information received from the device for determining the position of each portion (10) in such a way that, when capturing the relative first digital image, each area scan camera (9) is at a pre-determined distance from a reference point of the relative portion (10) of the lateral face (2).