A new approach in sorting of mixed crops by acoustics

Abstract

The agricultural cultivation of mixed crops, often a mixture of legumes and non-legumes, has become significantly more important in recent years in both organic and non-organic farming. In practice, optical sorting is currently often used for sorting batches in the post-harvest. These systems work reliably and quickly. However, the optical sensors are very sensitive to environmental influences and comparatively expensive. As a result, these systems are generally only used on large farms, where they are stationary and in a clean environment. For the above-mentioned reasons, it is hardly conceivable for optical sorters to be used by smaller producers or for inter-company use. Against this background, the aim of the studies presented here was to investigate the potential of acoustic methods f