An image processing technique was developed to sort tamarind
pods according to three qualities: shape, size, and defects. Software
was written to characterize shape by shape indexes, size by image
length, and defects by grey scale profile. The experimental machine
vision sorting system was designed and constructed to test the
software’s ability to sort sweet tamarind pods when three control
factors were varied. These factors were belt conveyor speed, pod
spacing, and orientation. It was found that the control factors did
not significantly affect the quality parameters. Optimum operating
conditions were defined and the sorting system was tested to sort
sweet tamarind according to shape, size, and defects. Evaluation
showed that there were small errors in line with results reported
in other experiments. Sorting performance was deemed to be