Ya Guo

Maize and weed classification using color indices with support vector data description in outdoor fields

Abstract An automated method for maize and weed detection is very important to efficiently remove weeds and precisely calculate the quantity of maize. Color features were used in this study to investigate a simple maize-detection method using a color machine-vision system. Conventional image segmentation methods based on RGB values cannot separate maize from weeds because of the highly similar image RGB values of these plants. Thus, a post-processing algorithm was developed to distinguish maize from weeds after image preprocessing. Color indices were used to develop a classification model. The nine optimal features were selected by principal component analysis to reduce the effect of illumination. Finally, support vector data description was used as a classifier to differentiate maize from the mixes of different species of weeds. Pictures were taken by a commercial camera and used to verify the stability of the algorithm. Results show that the overall accuracy for three years is 90.19%, 92.36% and 93.87%, respectively. And the color indices used in this work were stable under various weather conditions and over time.

Model updating for the classification of different varieties of maize seeds from different years by hyperspectral imaging coupled with a pre-labeling method

Abstract The use of hyperspectral imaging technology combined with chemometrics is an effective nondestructive method for sorting seed varieties. However, the performance of the method is susceptible to the influence of time and depends on the training set used in the modeling process. The accuracy of classification models maybe deteriorate when they are used to differentiate the same variety of seeds harvested in different years, due to new variances in the test set are introduced by changes in the cultivation conditions, soil environmental conditions and climatic changes from one year to another. To maintain the accuracy and robustness of model, a model-updating algorithm for differentiating maize seed varieties from different years based on hyperspectral imaging coupled with a pre-labeling method was proposed in this work. The pre-label of each unlabeled sample was obtained using the original classification models developed by the least squares support vector machine classifier. The representative unlabeled samples, which had reliable pre-labels, were selected for updating classification models based on Pearson correlation coefficients. After model updating, the average classification accuracies were improved by 8.9%, 35.8% and 9.6%, compared with those of non-updated models for three test sets, respectively. This shows the effectiveness of the proposed method for classifying maize seeds of different years.

Pose Estimation of Sweet Pepper through Symmetry Axis Detection

The space pose of fruits is necessary for accurate detachment in automatic harvesting. This study presents a novel pose estimation method for sweet pepper detachment. In this method, the normal to the local plane at each point in the sweet-pepper point cloud was first calculated. The point cloud was separated by a number of candidate planes, and the scores of each plane were then separately calculated using the scoring strategy. The plane with the lowest score was selected as the symmetry plane of the point cloud. The symmetry axis could be finally calculated from the selected symmetry plane, and the pose of sweet pepper in the space was obtained using the symmetry axis. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated by simulated and sweet-pepper cloud dataset tests. In the simulated test, the average angle error between the calculated symmetry and real axes was approximately 6.5°. In the sweet-pepper cloud dataset test, the average error was approximately 7.4° when the peduncle was removed. When the peduncle of sweet pepper was complete, the average error was approximately 6.9°. These results suggested that the proposed method was suitable for pose estimation of sweet peppers and could be adjusted for use with other fruits and vegetables.

Decomposition and correction overlapping peaks of LIBS using an error compensation method combined with curve fitting

The laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technique is an effective method to detect material composition by obtaining the plasma emission spectrum. The overlapping peaks in the spectrum are a fundamental problem in the qualitative and quantitative analysis of LIBS. Based on a curve fitting method, this paper studies an error compensation method to achieve the decomposition and correction of overlapping peaks. The vital step is that the fitting residual is fed back to the overlapping peaks and performs multiple curve fitting processes to obtain a lower residual result. For the quantitative experiments of Cu, the Cu-Fe overlapping peaks in the range of 321-327xa0nm obtained from the LIBS spectrum of five different concentrations of CuSO4·5H2O solution were decomposed and corrected using curve fitting and error compensation methods. Compared with the curve fitting method, the error compensation reduced the fitting residual about 18.12-32.64% and improved the correlation about 0.86-1.82%. Then, the calibration curve between the intensity and concentration of the Cu was established. It can be seen that the error compensation method exhibits a higher linear correlation between the intensity and concentration of Cu, which can be applied to the decomposition and correction of overlapping peaks in the LIBS spectrum.

Classification of Chinese green tea grade using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Abstract. Tea is one of the most common and popular beverages all over the world. The accurate identification of tea grade is of great significance to ensure the interests of tea producers and consumers. In this paper, three grades of Wuxi baikhovi tea leaves were analyzed and identified using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). A total of 40 optimal spectral peaks were automatically selected from full LIBS spectra by using successive projection algorithm (SPA), and the selected spectral peaks mainly represent the elemental difference in C, Fe, Mg, Mn, Al and Ca. Finally, partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLSDA) was used for developing classification model using selected optimal spectral peaks, the result shows the accuracy of 98.8% for 150 test samples. This study demonstrates LIBS is a useful technique for the identification and discrimination of tea grade in various tea products and is promising for real-time, fast, and reliable measurement.