Produce color data correction method and an apparatus therefor

An apparatus for correcting variations in measured produce color in a produce recognition system, the apparatus comprising:

• at least one target color swatch;
• a store of reference color swatches;
• an image capture device arranged to (i) capture first color data which is representative of a color image of a produce item, and (ii) capture second color data which is representative of a color image of the at least one target color swatch illuminated by a combination of natural light and interior light;
• and
• control circuitry arranged to (i) compare the captured second color data with a store of reference color data which is representative of the store of reference color swatches, (ii) calculate one or more color correction factors based upon the comparison of the captured second color data with the store of reference color data, and (iii) process the first color data based upon the calculated one or more color correction factors to provide corrected first color data which is representative of a corrected color image of the produce item.

A method of correcting variations in measured produce color in a produce recognition system, the method comprising:

• capturing first color data which is representative of a color image of a produce item;
• capturing second color data which is representative of a color image of one or more target color swatches illuminated by a combination of natural light and interior light;
• comparing the captured second color data with a store of reference color data;
• calculating one or more color correction factors based upon the comparison of the captured second color data with the store of reference color data;
• and
• processing the first color data based upon the calculated one or more color correction factors to provide corrected first color data which is representative of a corrected color image of the produce item.