1. Presentation / Metsäteho Ltd.
07/12/2017
Development of Finnish wood measurement
Timber measurement vision & implementation
Heikki Pajuoja
Nordic wood measurement excursion
October

2. Wood Procurement Logistics
R&D Focus Areas in 2008
Wood
Resources
Resource Management
Wood Procurement Logistics
Decreasing Seasonal Variation
Timber Measurement
Harvesting and Using of Small-sized Wood
Forest Resources and Harvesting Potential
Forestry Profitability
Labour Availability and Expertise
Development of Forest Work Productivity
Services and Information Management
2008
Introduction

3. Timber measurement vision 2010
Accurate measurement results from
the volume and quality of raw material
Cost-effective, real-time and
automatic measurement-,
sorting- and analyzing
systems

4. Timber measurement vision
Internal and external
quality of logs,
shape without bark
Moisture of chips,
freshness, size of chips
and amount of bark
Machine vision applications using advanced technologies
X-ray, laser and radar, digital image, image-analyzing
microwaves, sound waves, IR (infrared radiation) 3D –models, etc.
Fibre and mass
quality per
pulpwood
assortments
To put is simple, this slide shows shortly and simplified our vision.
The machine vision applications are in the sharp focus utilization these new technologies.
These four circles are telling the needs of wood processing.
And we would like to get the suitable solutions to satisfy these needs.
This is like a non-stop developing process offering new possibilities.
Energy content of
fuel wood

5. R&D program for timber measurement
The storage rot
determination and
recognition
Weight scaling of
pulpwood based on dry mass
On-line determination
of moisture
The quality
and dimensions
of standing
trees
On-line
measurement system
for industrial
wood chips
Non-touching
measurement
technique
for harvesters
The shape without
bark and quality of logs
at the mill
Energy wood measurement
Information utilization
The profitability of timber quality measurement 5

6. Current Activities of Finnish Wood Measuring
Laser Scanning ( in use at the 10 mills)
Automated Modus 2000 measures wood bundles loaded on trucks.
The shape of logs (without bark) – (log scanners, x-ray)
At least two company-specific log measurement device development projects are running led by R&D organizations and companies.
Log scanners and x-rays are already used at ten sawmills.
Improvements to the Harvester Measurement (sample stems)
Truck Weight Scales for Scaling Timber
Energy Wood Measurement
The different interest groups of timber scaling have approved the principles of energy wood measurement (February 2008).
X-ray
Which way the log scanner device will develop is yet open – will it measure the log from one direction or 4 directions in the future?

7. MODUS 2000 measures at Simpele mill…
Laser-scanning system Codator Modus 2000 measures wood bundles of timber trucks.
Today, it has been used Modus 2000 –system in Simpele, Myllykoski and Varkaus.
It has been made decisions to acquire 9 new Modus 2000 –station in Finland.
This is the newest method in Finland.
It promotes advanced techniques and devices.
After 3-year test period, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has confirmed this method.
It came into begin of the last year (2006) as a statute of Ministry.

8. Laser Scanning for Truck’s Bundles Volume Measuring
3 scanning distance laser
1 laser distance sensor
More than observations per truck!

9. Truck Weight Scales for Scaling Timber
The purpose was to develop a simple and feasible scaling method for small lots of pulp- and logwood.
Especially utilized for delivery sales.
The purpose of the method will replace the measuring of stacked pulpwood at the road side.
The loader mounted scales of the timber truck method is more accurate and cost-effective than the measuring of stacked pulpwood at the road side.
The different interest groups of timber scaling have approved this new method for testing during the three-year period 2006 – 2008.
After the testing period, the ministry of agriculture and forestry will confirm directives for this method. (from the beginning of 2009).

10. Improvements of the Harvesters’ Measurement
Control and calibration methods of harvesters’ measurement devices
Development and standardization of the daily control routine by the operator
Randomized sample-stem –system
1 – 2 sample-stem per two days ➭ regularly running sample
The idea is very similar as in the SkogForsk project.
Saving sample trees in krt –file and forming a summary report is currently in progress (forest industry, harvester manufactures) – ready to use in spring 2009.
Development of the present control measurement rules
New official harvester measurement legislation came into force in on 1st May, 2007.
Harmonization of the volume calculation, in the part of butt end logs (0 – 1,3 m), among different machine manufacturers and calipers
The purpose of the modification is to promote measurement accuracy and at the same time proactively prevent bad measurement results.

11. Non-touching measurement of growing stock (PUMI –project)
A method based on laser and digital photograp-hy technology for the measurement of tree dimensions
The aim is to develop a device prototype for the non-touching measurement of growing stock
The device would enable the measurement of tree diameters from various heights as well as the measurement of tree heights and quality variables.
It would determine the ”outersurfaces” of the tree trunk with a laser line and digitalphoto.
The accuracy of diameter measurements using the Laser-camera was 6 mm (s.e.)

12. Non-touching measurement technique for harvesters – METRIX (10/2006 – 09/2009)
Aim
The project studies new measurement technologies for forest harvester heads.
The research goals are to measure and estimate the tree trunk dimensions and other quality variables affecting the processing of the trunk in real-time so that optimal cutting can be automated and trunk information can be sent to processing mills.
Research will focus on applying signal processing methods to machine vision, laser measurement, and other optical measurement technologies in demanding forest environment.
Research organisations
Helsinki University of Technology (prof. Arto Visala)
Tampere University of Technology,
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
Funding and partners
TEKES (Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and innovation), forest companies, machine manufacturers (UPM, StoraEnso, Metsäliitto, Ponsse, Vansco, John Deere, Komatsu ja Logset)
The role of Metsäteho
Vision, project preparation, leading group, RFID-project

13. Research partners and their roles - Metrix
TKK/ Laboratory of Automation Technique
Using machine vision based on a laser scanner, moving object detection and structured light in the measurement of tree trunk shape and quality attributes
TKK/ Laboratory of Photogrammetry
Using stereo vision and machine vision that is based on structured light in the measurement of tree trunk shape and quality attributes.
TTY-Tampere University of Technology
The real-time utilization of a camera in calculating diametres and ring densities and locating rot. Measuring diametres with machine vision that is based on stuctured light.
VTT Machine vision
An optical flange sensor and its continued development
Metsäteho – Standardizing data and data transformation and making them trackable with RFID-technology.

14. Measuring the moisture content of wood
The goal was to examine the possibilities to measure wood moisture
Includes measuring the moistness of logs and log loads as well as wood chip moisture
On-line –measurements
Based on the interaction of radiation and the material
Results are published (in Finnish) at
Result slides 2007/07: On-line -wood moisture content measurements
VTT:s report ”State of art – Studying the measuring of wood moisture content”

15. Measuring the moisture content of wood
Several methods
IR and NIR, microwaves
X-ray, gamma and neutron activation
Properties/Qualities of the electric field
Problems
Surface measurement
Thickness of the material
Quality variation of the material
Depence of temperature
Recommendations
Chips: combining different methods
Logs: neutron activation

16. Combination measurement for the determination of chip moisture content
On-line moisture content determination, based on the combination of different measurement techniques, is studied.
Possibility to decrease the impact of snow and ice.
NIR, Gamma and Impedance –measurements
In standard conditions each give good results.
but if changes in chip quality or conditions
→ Identification and automatic calibration is required

17. H, C, N ja O –relations in the material
PUUNA -project
Measuring moisture content and element concentration in round wood, logs or loads → NAA-Neutron Activation Analysis
Basic research
Water, C/O = 0
Wood, C/O  1,5
H, C, N ja O –relations in the material
Explosives, small C/O
Drugs, big C/O
Andy Buffler, "contraband detection with fast neutrons", Radiation Physics and Chemistry 71 (2004)

18. Gamma indicators n-generator
C/O-relation
and
”impurities” +
n-generator
H+-absorption

19. Ongoing and upcoming research projects
METRIX -project (Metsäteho contact Jarmo Hämäläinen)
RFID in wood procurement (Asko Poikela)
Combination mesurement for determining wood chip moisture on-line (Antti Korpilahti)
PUMI -project (Jarmo Hämäläinen)
PUUNA -project (Antti Korpilahti)
Company-specific projects

20. Other measurement issues on the agenda
Changing measurement legislation in progress
Measuring of energy wood - Tapio´s skeletal agreement
Updating the timber density tables for different timber assortments