An intelligent integrated control of hybrid hot air-infrared dryer based on fuzzy logic and computer vision system

In this study, an intelligent fuzzy-machine vision control system (FMCS) was developed to control the operating variables throughout a hybrid hot air-infrared drying process. The total discoloration and the shrinkage of thin layer kiwifruit slices were monitored in real time using a computer vision system (CVS). These values along with calculated energy consumption obtained from preliminary experiments, were fed into a genetic algorithm (GA) framework to optimize a fuzzy logic control system. The performance of the fuzzy controller was evaluated for kiwifruit drying using a laboratory-scale hot air-infrared dryer. The results indicated that the hybrid drying could significantly reduce the drying load/time compared with the hot air drying. The FMCS application showed a good balance between energy consumption (0.158 kW h) and product quality (ΔE = 2.32).