Automated Fruits Inspection and Sorting Smart System for Industry 4.0 Based on OpenCV and PLC

Sorting fruits individually by hand is one of the most exhausting tasks. It involves a great deal of work and labor, as well as a great deal of time. Automation and artificial intelligence (AI) techniques have enhanced product consistency, increased production, and decreased operational expenses. In this context, an automated fruits inspection and sorting system based on PLC (programmable logic controller) and OpenCV is proposed in this paper. The S7-1200 PLC of Siemens was used to manage the operational portion of the system. A Python-based OpenCV algorithm was developed to detect and calculate the size of fruits using a camera and communicate decisions to the PLC using Snap7 ethernet communication to sort them. The solution proposed was validated with a realized prototype. Remote monitoring and control were achieved using a Human Machine Interface (HMI) based on SIMATIC WinCC of Siemens.