Apple Detection Using Infrared Thermal Image (Part 4)

Distance Measurement of Apples by Using Stereo Image

Abstract

In our previous papers, the temperature distribution characteristics of the apples, leaves and branches were measured in real time using the infrared thermal image equipment, and the relation between the temperature changes of apples, leaves and the air temperature was analyzed. Moreover, a pattern recognition method based on a genetic algorithm (GA) was proposed for detecting the apples. Using those previous results, this paper developed a corresponding method between the right and left stereo image of apples, which is based on a simple similarity by the Euclid distance. Therefore, a distance measuring method of apples was proposed through the above corresponding results of stereo image. The results showed that the corresponding method proposed was useful to the stereo image of apples and had high accuracy. Moreover, the maximum error of distance measurement was about 17cm (about 8% compared to the real distance).