Intelligent Citrus Classification: An Automated System Using Weight Sensing and Image Processing with Arduino Microcontroller

Abstract

The citrus industry is a major player in the agricultural sector, and the preservation of citrus fruit quality and marketability depends on effective citrus fruit classification and sorting. The objective of this research was to create and assess an automated system for classifying and organizing citrus fruits according to their color, roundness, weight, and size. The system was developed with Arduino microcontrollers and image processing software to examine and classify fruits into discrete categories: extra small, small, medium, large, and extra-large. The evaluation of the automated system's performance included a comparison between its categorization outcomes and those obtained via manual approaches. The statistical study showed that there were no significant disparities between the average values acquired manually and those obtained by automation. This suggests that the automated system is capable of achieving the same level of accuracy as human classifiers. The system exhibited a notable level of uniformity in categorizing fruits according to the given characteristics, with average values for weight, diameter, roundness, and color % displaying a robust association with the predetermined size categories. The findings demonstrate that the automated system has the ability to precisely categorize citrus fruits with a significant level of uniformity, providing a
practical solution to improve the effectiveness and excellence of fruit processing in the citrus sector. Implementing automated classification and sorting systems in the citrus industry has the capacity to greatly improve efficiency, leading to increased profitability and a more sustainable agricultural approach. Ultimately, this research effectively created and evaluated an automated system for classifying and sorting citrus fruits, which showed promising outcomes in terms of precision and uniformity. The deployment of this system provides a practical solution for improving the productivity and standard of fruit processing in the citrus sector, hence promoting a more lucrative and environmentally friendly agricultural approach.