Embedded system for automatic real time weight based grading of fruits

After harvest fruits are required to be prepared for sale. Arrangements on the part of the producer that lead to reduced handling will lower cost and preserve quality of the produce. Weight is a key factor based on which fruits are purchased by consumers. In the present research work a micro controller has been used to carry out weight based grading system for fruits. The machine is capable of weighing and separation of fruits into different weight categories without any human intervention. Developed machine comprises a load cell sensors, SSR relays, solenoid, anlaog to digital convertor and a Arduino Mega 2560 micro controller. Algorithm was developed to register weight recorded by load cells and accordingly actuate solenoids for accurate (±1 g) categorization of the spherical fruits under three weight categories, Small: < 70 g, Medium: 70 g to 120 g and Large: > 120 g. These weight categories can however be programmed as per the requirement of the user. The overall ‘Accuracy’ of the machine over all the weight categories was observed to be 88 percent.