Abstract: In an information gathering system especially suited to the monitoring of vegetable products in sorting apparatus, a light beam (23) is directed by a scanning source such as a laser (11) at the surface of an object (2) such as a tomato moving in the direction x--x through a scanning zone. The scanning operation is conducted in the y--y direction. Directly reflected light returned from the surface of the object (2) along a path (17) extending from light beam target region (12) is sensed by a line detector (14), which provides an output signal indicative of the level, of the directly reflected light. Light entering the material of the organic product (2) is subjected to a light scattering or diffusing process within the material of the product, so that at least a region (13) of the surface of the product (12) surrounding the target zone (12) of light beam (23) becomes lit-up or illuminated from within.

Abstract: In an information gathering system especially suited to the monitoring of vegetable products in sorting apparatus, a light beam (23) is directed by a scanning source such as a laser (11) at the surface of an object (2) such as a tomato moving in the direction x--x through a scanning zone. The scanning operation is conducted in the y--y direction. Directly reflected light returned from the surface of the object (2) along a path (17) extending from light beam target region (12) is sensed by a line detector (14), which provides an output signal indicative of the level of the directly reflected light. Light entering the material of the organic product (2) is subjected to a light scattering or diffusing process within the material of the product, so that at least a region (13) of the surface of the product (12) surrounding the target zone (12) of light beam (23) becomes lit-up or illuminated from within.