US 12,233,568 B2
Wood optimization system, method of optimizing wood products and wood product selector therefore
Marc-Antoine Paquet, Lévis (CA); Wassim Louati, Lévis (CA); and Carl Poirier, Lévis (CA)
Assigned to TIMBER TECHNOLOGY INC., Lévis (CA)
Filed by TIMBER TECHNOLOGY INC., Lévis (CA)
Filed on Nov. 3, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/517,809.
Claims priority of application No. CA 3109134 (CA), filed on Feb. 12, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0258376 A1, Aug. 18, 2022
Int. Cl. B27B 31/06 (2006.01); G01B 11/02 (2006.01); G01B 11/25 (2006.01); G05B 19/042 (2006.01); G06T 1/00 (2006.01); G06T 7/00 (2017.01); G06V 20/52 (2022.01)
CPC B27B 31/06 (2013.01) [G01B 11/022 (2013.01); G01B 11/25 (2013.01); G06T 1/0014 (2013.01); G06T 7/0004 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A wood optimization system for a production line, the wood optimization system comprising:
a conveyor configured for moving a plurality of wood products across a handling area;
a wood product selector positionable to be proximate to a selected wood product of the plurality of wood products in the handling area; and
a computer vision system along the production line having a camera imaging the handling area, a processor communicatively coupled to the camera, and a non-transitory computer-readable memory having stored thereon a computer program that, when executed by the processor, causes the computer vision system to perform the steps of:
receiving from the camera an image representing at least a portion of the handling area;
finding the wood product selector in the image;
identifying the selected wood product in the image as the wood product of the plurality being most proximate to the wood product selector;
receiving an instruction associated to the selected wood product; and
implementing the instruction into optimization data associated to the selected wood product.
 
12. A method of optimizing wood products in a production line, the method comprising:
positioning a wood product selector proximate to a selected wood product of a plurality of wood products being handled across a handling area;
using a camera, generating an image of the handling area representing at least the wood product selector and at least a proximate one of the wood products; and
using a computer,
finding the wood product selector in the image;
identifying the selected wood product in the image as the wood product of the plurality being most proximate to the wood product selector;
receiving an instruction associated to the selected wood product; and
implementing the instruction into optimization data associated to the selected wood product.
 
22. A wood product selector for use with a wood optimization system, the wood product selector comprising:
a housing having at least a surface;
a plurality of input sources mounted to said surface;
a computing device communicatively coupled to the input sources, the computing device configured to receive an input from an activated one of the input sources and, in response, generating a signal indicative of a desired instruction corresponding to the activated one of the input sources, said desired instruction being implementable into optimization data pertaining to a wood product most proximate to the housing while said activated one of the input sources is activated.