IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,457,406
Granted Patent B2
US 12,457,406 · App. 18/531,487 · Granted Oct 28, 2025

Mobile single leaf scanner

Inventors: Jian Jin (West Lafayette, IN); Yikai Li (Bear, DE)
Assignee: Purdue Research Foundation
H04N23/61G06V10/58H04N23/51H04N23/56G06V2201/07
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,457,406
App. No.
18/531,487
Granted
Oct 28, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A leaf imaging system is disclosed which includes a leaf-handling subsystem which includes a first leaf contactor and a second leaf contactor and configured to receive a leaf in therebetween, and an encoder coupled to one of the first or second leaf contactors, the encoder configured to selectively trigger a camera corresponding to motion of the leaf. The leaf imaging system further includes a lightbox in communication with the leaf-handling subsystem and configured to provide light to the leaf as the leaf passes between the first and the second leaf contactors; and a controller in communication with the encoder, the camera, and the lightbox and configured to operate the camera based on output of the encoder.

Claims (29)

1. A leaf imaging system, comprising:

a leaf-handling subsystem comprising

a first leaf contactor and a second leaf contactor and configured to receive a leaf in therebetween, and

an encoder coupled to one of the first or second leaf contactors, the encoder configured to selectively trigger a camera corresponding to motion of the leaf;

a lightbox in communication with the leaf-handling subsystem and configured to provide light to the leaf as the leaf passes between the first and the second leaf contactors; and

a controller in communication with the encoder, the camera, and the lightbox and configured to operate the camera based on output of the encoder.

2. The leaf imaging system of claim 1 , the encoder is one or more of an optical encoder, a hall-effect encoder, and a variable reluctance encoder.

3. The leaf imaging system of claim 1 , the lightbox includes a memory chip maintaining camera setting of the camera.

4. The leaf imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the lightbox includes one or more of a halogen light, and a light emitting diode light.

5. The leaf imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the lightbox includes a reflective plate having a reflective surface configured to reflect light through an opening.

6. The leaf imaging system of claim 5 , wherein the lightbox includes a diffusing reflective surface configured to generate a uniform light shone on the reflective plate.

7. The leaf imaging system of claim 1 , the lightbox includes an angel adjustable bulb mount configured to power a bulb.

8. The leaf imaging system of claim 7 , the bulb provides light having selective wavelength based on type of imaging and type leaf being imaged, wherein the type of imaging includes one or more of red-green-blue (RGB) type imaging, hyperspectral type imaging, and multispectral type imaging.

9. The leaf imaging system of claim 1 , the first and second leaf contactors are each spring-biased rollers configured to receive the leaf in therebetween.

10. The leaf imaging system of claim 1 , the first and second leaf contactors are each leaf guiding plates.

11. A method of imaging a leaf, comprising:

placing a leaf between a first leaf contactor and second leaf contactor a leaf-handling subsystem configured to receive the leaf;

providing light to the leaf by a lightbox as the leaf moves between the first and the second leaf contactors;

encoding movement of the leaf in between the first and the second leaf contactors by an encoder configured to generate a signal in response to movement of the leaf; and

selectively triggering a camera signal by a controller and communicate the triggering signal to a camera to obtain images from the leaf in response to the generated encoder signal.

12. The method of claim 11 , the encoder is one or more of an optical encoder, a hall-effect encoder, and a variable reluctance encoder.

13. The method of claim 11 , the lightbox includes a memory chip maintaining camera setting of the camera.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the lightbox includes one or more of a halogen light, and a light emitting diode light.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the lightbox includes a reflective plate having a reflective surface configured to reflect light through an opening.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the lightbox includes a diffusing reflective surface configured to generate a uniform light shone on the reflective plate.

17. The method of claim 11 , the lightbox includes an angel adjustable bulb mount configured to power a bulb.

18. The method of claim 17 , the bulb provides light having selective wavelength based on type of imaging and type leaf being imaged, wherein the type of imaging includes one or more of red-green-blue (RGB) type imaging, hyperspectral type imaging, and multispectral type imaging.

19. The method of claim 11 , the first and second leaf contactors are each spring-biased rollers configured to receive the leaf in therebetween.

20. The method of claim 11 , the first and second leaf contactors are a leaf guiding plate and a sensor unit.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 23, 2025
From: JIN, JIAN; LI, YIKAI
To: PURDUE RESEARCH FOUNDATION
Reel/Frame 071489/0300 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63430644 · Dec 6, 2022
Related Publication 20240187723A1 · Jun 6, 2024
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