Seed sorter

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9275265-B2
Application number	US-201514629246-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 23, 2015
Priority date	May 31, 2007
Publication date	Mar 1, 2016
Grant date	Mar 1, 2016

Abstract

A seed sorter system is operable to sort seeds based on one or more characteristics of the seeds. The system includes a seed loading station operable to isolate individual seeds from a plurality of seeds and load the isolated seeds into a seed tray, an imaging and analysis subsystem operable to collect image data of at least a top portion and a bottom portion of each of the seeds in the seed tray and determine one or more characteristics of each of the seeds, a seed off-load and sort station operable to remove the seeds from the seed tray and sort the seeds to desired receptacles based on the determined one or more characteristics of the seeds, and a seed transport operable to move the seed tray between the seed loading station, the imaging and analysis subsystem, and the seed off-load and sort station.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An automated seed sorter system for sorting seeds based on one or more characteristics of the seeds, the system comprising:
an imaging and analysis subsystem for collecting image data from at least three portions of each seed in a population of seeds;
a controller system configured to analyze the collected image data to determine whether an individual seed, from which image data is collected, exhibits one or more desired characteristics; and
an off-loading and sorting subsystem for sorting each seed to a desired receptacle based on presence or absence of the one or more desired characteristics.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a loading and transporting subsystem
for isolating individual seeds from the population of seeds so that the imaging and analysis subsystem can collect image data from at least three portions of the isolated seed.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the imaging and analysis subsystem includes an imaging theater for supporting the individual seeds and for illuminating each individual seed from at least two directional angles and at a plurality of sequentially changing spectral wavelengths, and at least one imaging device for collecting the image data from at least three portions of each individual seed at each of the spectral wavelengths.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more desired characteristics are selected from the group consisting of presence or absence of damage to the seeds, presence or absence of disease in the seeds, size of the seeds, color of the seeds, and shape of the seeds.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the imaging and analysis subsystem includes a single imaging device, and wherein the imaging and analysis subsystem is configured to substantially simultaneously collect image data from top portions and bottom portions of each seed in the population of seeds using the single imaging device.

6. An automated method for sorting haploid seeds from a population of seeds, the method comprising:
depositing seeds, from a population of seeds, into a seed tray;
illuminating top portions of the seeds, in the seed tray, with at least two top light sources positioned to provide two distinct top illumination angles;
illuminating bottom portions of the seeds, in the seed tray, with at least one bottom light source positioned to provide at least one bottom illumination angle;
analyzing illumination data for the top portions and the bottom portions of the seeds to determine if one or more of the seeds possess a phenotype indicative of a diploid trait; and
sorting ones of the seeds that do not possess a phenotype indicative of a diploid trait to a receptacle, whereby the seeds in the receptacle are classified as haploid seeds.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising filtering light reflected off the seeds, from one or more of the two top light sources and the at least one bottom light sources, with a plurality of spectral filters to remove specific spectral wavelengths.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising collecting the illumination data as image data sequentially, as each spectral filter is sequentially applied to the reflected light.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the phenotype indicative of a diploid trait is a blue anthocyanin marker.

10. The method of claim 6 , further comprising collecting the illumination data by a single imaging device.

11. The method of claim 6 , further comprising collecting the illumination data by at least two imaging devices.

12. The method of claim 6 , further comprising illuminating side portions of the seeds in the seed tray; and
wherein analyzing illumination data for the top portions and the bottom portions of the seeds includes analyzing illumination data for the top portions, the bottom portions, and the side portions of the seeds to determine if one or more of the seeds possess a phenotype indicative of a diploid trait.

13. The method of claim 6 , wherein illuminating bottom portions of the seeds, in the seed tray, includes illuminating the bottom portions of the seeds through transparent bottom portions of the seed tray.

14. The method of claim 6 , wherein depositing seeds into a seed tray includes depositing single seeds into wells of the seed tray, so that only one seed is located in a given well of the seed tray.

15. An automated system for analyzing seeds in a population of seeds, the system comprising:
an imaging and analysis subsystem configured to collect image data from at least three portions of each individual seed in a population of seeds at each of a plurality of sequentially changing spectral wavelengths; and
a controller system in communication with the imaging and analysis subsystem and configured to analyze the collected image data to determine whether an individual seed, from which image data is collected, exhibits a phenotype indicative of a desired trait.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the imaging and analysis subsystem includes at least one imaging station having a light source for illuminating each individual seed from at least two directional angles and at a plurality of sequentially changing spectral wavelengths, and an imaging device for collecting the image data from the at least three portions of each individual seed in the population of seeds at each spectral wavelength.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the at least one imaging station includes first and second imaging stations, the first imaging station configured to collect image data from a top portion of each seed and/or at least one side portion of each seed, and the second imaging station configured to collect image data from a bottom portion of the seed and/or at least one side portion of the seed.

18. The system of claim 15 , wherein the imaging and analysis subsystem includes an imaging theater for supporting the individual seeds and for illuminating each individual seed from at least two directional angles and at a plurality of sequentially changing spectral wavelengths, and at least one imaging device for collecting the image data from at least three portions of each individual seed at each of the spectral wavelengths.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the imaging theater includes at least one mirrored imaging stage configured to support an individual seed in the imaging theater and to reflect image data from at least one portion of the individual seed to the at least one imaging device for collection.

20. The system of claim 15 , wherein the desired trait is a diploid trait, and wherein the phenotype indicative of a diploid trait is a blue anthocyanin marker.

21. The system of claim 20 , further comprising an off-loading and sorting subsystem configured to sort each individual seed to at least two seed repositories based on whether or not each individual seed exhibits a phenotype indicative of a diploid trait.

Assignees

• Monsanto Technology Llc

Inventors

• Deppermann Kevin L
• Crain James
• Eathington Sam R
• Graham Mike
• Modiano Steven H

Classifications

• G01N2021/0339

  Holders for solids, powders · CPC title

• G01N2021/8592

  Grain or other flowing solid samples · CPC title

• G01J3/0218

  using optical fibers · CPC title

• G01N21/6452

  Individual samples arranged in a regular 2D-array, e.g. multiwell plates · CPC title

• G01N2201/129

  Using chemometrical methods · CPC title