Process for measuring lamina size distribution

Claim 2

A process for measuring size distribution of leaf products and articles comprising the steps of (a) uniformly spreading sampled laminae over a conveyor and transporting the same; (b) imaging a conveyed lamina at a detection region having a predetermined area by using a television camera each time when the lamina moves by a length corresponding to that of the detection region; (c) storing in a memory binary video data, each having one of two values, which are obtained by conversion of a video signal obtained by the imaging step; (d) processing the stored video data to encircle by a rectangular frame a contiguous group of data each having a first value of the two values of binary data which correspond to the lamina; (e) counting the number of contiguous ones of the binary data having said first value; (f) converting the contiguous ones of the binary data in the frame into the other of said two values of the binary data after the counting step; (g) successively carrying out the same processing of different contiguous groups of binary data to calculate the size of respective laminae; and (h) determining the distribution of the laminae sizes upon the basis of the calculation results.

Claim 3

A process for measuring size distribution of leaf products and articles as recited in claim 1 comprising the further step of providing the rectangular frame encircling the contiguous group of data having said first binary value with a size determined as a function of the contiguous group of data.

Claim 4

A process for measuring size distribution of leaf products and articles comprising the steps of (a) uniformly spreading sampled lamina over a conveyor and transporting the same; (b) imaging the conveyed lamina at a detection region having a predetermined area by means of a television camera each time when the lamina move by a length corresponding to that of the detection region; (c) storing in a memory binary video data, each having one of two values, which are obtained by conversion of a video signal obtained by the imaging step; (d) processing the stored video data to encircle by a rectangular frame continuous ones of the binary data which correspond to the lamina; (e) obtaining a distribution of the continuous set of the binary data in the frame along a plurality of array axes; (f) separating the continuous ones of the binary data within the frame at a valley and counting the number of the separated continuous ones of the binary data when two conditions are met, specifically that the distribution has at least two peaks and that a predetermined relation exists between the peaks and the valley; (g) counting the number of the continuous ones of the binary data within the frame when said conditions are met; (h) converting the ones of the binary data within the frame into the other ones of the binary data after the counting step; (i) thereafter successively carrying out the same operations on different continuous ones of the binary data to calculate the size of respective lamina; and (j) measuring the lamina size distribution based upon the calculation results.

Claim 5

A process for measuring size distribution of leaf products and articles comprising the steps of (a) uniformly spreading sampled lamina over a conveyor and transporting the same; (b) imaging the conveyed lamina at a detection region having a predetermined area by means of a television camera each time when the lamina move by a length corresponding to that of the detection region; (c) storing in a memory binary video data, each having one of two values, which are obtained by conversion of a video signal obtained by the imaging step; (d) processing the stored video data to encircle by a rectangular frame continuous ones of the binary data which correspond to the lamina; (e) obtaining a distribution of the continuous set of the binary data in the frame along a plurality of array axes; (f) separating the continuous ones of the binary data within the frame at a valley and counting the number of the separated continuous ones of the binary data when two conditions are met, specifically that the distribution has at least two peaks and that a predetermined relation exists between the peaks and the valley; (g) counting the number of the continuous ones of the binary data within the frame when said conditions are met; (h) converting the ones of the binary data within the frame into the other ones of the binary data after the counting step; (i) thereafter successively carrying out the same operations on different continuous ones of the binary data to calculate the size of respective lamina; and (j) measuring the lamina size distribution based upon the calculation results.

Claim 6

A process for measuring size distribution of leaf products and articles comprising the steps of: (a) uniformly spreading sampled lamina over a conveyor and transporting the same; (b) imaging the conveyed lamina at a detection region having a predetermined area by means of a television camera each time the lamina move by a length corresponding to the length of the detection region; (c) storing in a memory binary video data, each datum having one of two values obtained by conversion of a video signal obtained by the imaging step; (d) processing the stored video data to encircle by a frame continuous ones of the binary data which correpsond to the lamina; (e) varying the size of the encircling frame as a function of the size of the lamina being encircled; (f) obtaining a distribution of the continuous ones of the binary data in the frame along a plurality of array axes; (g) separating the continuous ones of the binary data within the frame at a valley and counting the number of the separated continuous ones of the binary data when two conditions are met, specifically that the distribution has at least two peaks and that a predetermined relation exists between the peaks and the valley; (h) counting the number of the continuous ones of the binary data within the frame when said conditions are met; (i) converting the ones of the binary data within the frame into the other of the two values of the binary data after the counting step; (j) thereafter successively carrying out the same operations on different sets of continuous ones of the binary data to calculate the size of respective lamina; and (k) measuring the lamina size distribution based upon the calculation results.

Claim 7

A process for measuring size distribution of leaf products and articles comprising the steps of: (a) uniformly spreading sampled lamina over a conveyor and transporting the same; (b) imaging the conveyed lamina at a detection region having a predetermined area by means of a television camera each time the lamina move by a length corresponding to the length of the detection region; (c) storing in a memory binary video data, each datum having one of two values obtained by conversion of a video signal obtained by the imaging step; (d) processing the stored video data to encircle by a frame continuous ones of the binary data which correpsond to the lamina; (e) varying the size of the encircling frame as a function of the size of the lamina being encircled; (f) obtaining a distribution of the continuous ones of the binary data in the frame along a plurality of array axes; (g) separating the continuous ones of the binary data within the frame at a valley and counting the number of the separated continuous ones of the binary data when two conditions are met, specifically that the distribution has at least two peaks and that a predetermined relation exists between the peaks and the valley; (h) counting the number of the continuous ones of the binary data within the frame when said conditions are met; (i) converting the ones of the binary data within the frame into the other of the two values of the binary data after the counting step; (j) thereafter successively carrying out the same operations on different sets of continuous ones of the binary data to calculate the size of respective lamina; and (k) measuring the lamina size distribution based upon the calculation results.