Advances in Manufacturing ›› 2017, Vol. 5 ›› Issue (2): 177-181.doi: 10.1007/s40436-017-0176-7

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Roundness measurement of cigarette based on visual information

Jun-Li Cao, Ju-Feng Li, Teng-Da Lu   

  1. School of Mechatronic and Automation Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072, People's Republic of China
  • Received:2016-05-19 Revised:2017-04-24 Online:2017-06-25 Published:2017-06-25
  • Contact: Jun-Li Cao E-mail:cao14721565@i.shu.edu.cn
  • Supported by:

    This project was supported by the Changde Cigarette Factory, Hunan Province. The authors express their sincere appreciation to the anonymous referees for their helpful comments to improve the quality of the paper

Abstract:

Roundness is defined as the degree that the cross section of an object is close to a theoretical circle. In the cigarette production process, the quality and production efficiency of a cigarette are directly affected by the roundness of the un-cut cigarette. To improve the current measurement method using a charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor and measure the roundness of cigarettes in the production line, a visual detection system composed of an industrial camera and a structural light is developed. The system's roundness-calculation method is closer to the real environment of the cigarette roundness. In this visual system, the line-structure light shines on the cigarette with a fixed angle and height in a longitudinal section, forming a crescent-shaped spot when the industrial camera cannot capture the cigarette's end surface. Then, the spot is analyzed using image-processing techniques, such as a median filter and ellipse fitting, after the industrial camera captures the spot. The system with a non-contact measurement style can meet the requirements of on-line cigarette detection with stable results and high precision.

Key words: Roundness measurement, Ellipse fitting, Image processing, Visual detection system