Patent ID: 6683266
Filing Date: 2004-01-27
Classification: A01C,G01N

Abstract:
A gel-covered seed inspection apparatus comprising;a feeder in which gel-covered seeds are accumulated; a delivery device which successively lets out a predetermined number of the gel-covered seeds supplied thereto at a constant rate from the feeder; a transport device which conveys the gel-covered seeds let out by the delivery device in a line; a discrimination device which judges whether each gel-covered seed on the transport device is acceptable or defective, said discrimination device comprising (i) a light source for emitting a spot light against each gel-covered seed on the transport device to produce a shadow of said gel-covered seed, and (ii) a camera adapted to determine the area of the shadow of each gel-covered seed, wherein gel-covered seeds having a shadow having an area outside a predetermined-area range are judged to be defective, whereas gel-covered seeds having a shadow having an area within the predetermined-area range are judged to be acceptable; a defective product reject device which rejects the gel-covered seeds judged to be defective; and an accepted product box which receives the gel-covered seeds judged to be acceptable.