Patent ID: 8253054
Filing Date: 2012-08-28
Classification: B07C

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for sorting seeds of a seed lot, the apparatus comprising: a transport system which supports at least one seed at a time; an imaging system which captures at least one image of an embryo region of the at least one seed; an electronic controller which makes a sorting decision regarding the at least one seed based on the at least one image of the embryo region of the at least one seed, the sorting decision having at least two sorting outcomes; and a sorting system which alters a path of at least one of a first seed and a second seed, wherein the electronic controller associates a first sorting outcome with the first seed and the electronic controller associates a second sorting outcome with the second seed, wherein the transport system exposes a first side of the at least one seed to a first camera of the imaging system and a second side of the at least one seed to a second camera of the imaging system, the first camera capturing at least a first image of the first side of the at least one seed and the second camera capturing at least a second image of the second side of the at least one seed and wherein the electronic controller reviews the first image of the first side of the at least one seed to determine if the first side of the at least one seed includes the embryo region of the at least one seed; wherein if the first side of the at least one seed does not include the embryo region of the at least one seed then the electronic controller reviews the second image of the second side of the at least one seed to determine if the embryo region of the at least one seed includes a visual marker.