JP2003304851A - Apparatus for cutting field crop to equal size - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for cutting field crops to an equal size, with which an operation for cutting off a fixed amount of unnecessary parts of the field crops is accurately and surely carried out and precision of cutting the field crops to the equal size is improved. <P>SOLUTION: The left stem part Ab of a Welsh onion A placed on a placing stand 3 of a transportation conveyor 2 is irradiated with a detection light B emitted from an illumination lamp 12b, a transmitted light C penetrating the top of a root part Aa is imaged by an image pickup camera 13b, the transmitted light C penetrating the tip of the root part Aa is imaged by an image pickup camera 13c and the image information is outputted in an image processor 17. The cutting position of the root part Aa is individually determined by a controller 18 based on the image information outputted from the image processor 17. The rotary blade 20a of a cutter 20 is moved so as to oppose the cutting position of the root part Aa determined for each Welsh onion A and the root part Aa of the Welsh onion A is cut off in such a degree as to leave a fixed amount of a root base Ad. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to, for example, leek, asparagus, cucumber, eggplant, carrot, potato, mandarin orange, apple,
The present invention relates to a crop trimming device used for trimming agricultural products such as persimmons (including fruit vegetables).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a device for cutting and slicing green onions in the above-mentioned example, for example, a root of green onions conveyed by a conveyor is
Device for cutting with a rotary blade that is arranged at a fixed position or moves to a fixed position (Japanese Patent No. 3118414, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-1)
No. 08657).

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned device, the pedicle corresponding to the root of the root is cut by the rotary blade by a predetermined amount. Is easily exuded, and the speed of discoloration and decay is accelerated, and the freshness of leeks is lost in a short period of time. In addition, when the amount of pedicle cutting is small, a plurality of long roots remain in the root portion, resulting in poor appearance and loss of commercial value.

Moreover, since the size and shape of the root part differ depending on the growth condition of the leek, it is difficult to judge the size and position of the pedicle from the appearance and outer diameter of the root part, and the amount of cutting of the pedicle is the side surface of the root part. It is difficult to detect the remaining amount and area of the pedicle three-dimensionally because it is detected flatly from the perspective of the pedicle and the remaining amount of the pedicle increases or decreases. The amount of ablation may vary.

Further, when unnecessary epidermis is peeled off to the root part, if there are many remaining parts of the epidermis connected to the root part, the epidermis may be stripped off or a part of the epidermis may remain on the root part. There is also a problem that inconvenience occurs when stripping unnecessary skin.

In view of the above problems, the present invention detects transmitted light transmitted in the radial direction and the axial direction from the inside to the outside of a crop by a transmitted light detecting means, and cuts the cutting position of the crop based on the detection information. An object of the present invention is to provide a crop crop aligning device that can accurately and surely cut a predetermined amount of an unnecessary portion of a crop by determining the position by a position determining means and can improve the alignment accuracy.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a crop trimming device for cutting off unnecessary parts of a crop placed on a placing part by a cutting means, wherein the detection light transmitted through the inside of the crop is the crop. Detecting means for irradiating unnecessary portions of the crop, the transmitted light radially transmitted from the inside of the crop to the outside, and the transmitted light axially transmitted from the inside to the outside of the crop. Transmitted light detection means, based on the detection information output from the transmitted light detection means, cutting position determination means for determining the cutting position of the crop, based on the determination by the cutting position determination means, the cutting of the crop The crop trimming device is characterized by comprising the above-mentioned placing part and a relative movement means for relatively moving the cutting means at a position where the cutting means faces the position.

The above-mentioned agricultural products (including fruit vegetables) can be composed of long agricultural products such as green onion A, asparagus, cucumber, eggplant, carrot, potato, mandarin orange, apple, persimmon, etc.,
The unnecessary part of the agricultural product can be composed of, for example, the root portion Aa of the leek A and the pedicle Ad. Further, the mounting portion can be configured by, for example, the mounting table 3 of the transport conveyor 2, a bucket, a belt conveyor, a roller conveyor, a free tray, or the like. Further, the detection light irradiation means can be constituted by illumination lamps 12b and 12c such as a halogen lamp, a xenon lamp, an ultraviolet lamp, a fluorescent lamp, and an incandescent lamp. Further, the transmitted light detecting means can be composed of optical detecting means such as black and white imaging cameras 13b and 13c, a color camera, a digital camera, a video camera or the like. Further, the cutting means can be configured by, for example, the cutting device 20, the rotary blade 20a, the fixed blade, the scissors, the fluid spray type cutter, the laser cutter, and the like.

The cutting position determining means is, for example, CP.
It can be configured by a control device 18 including U, ROM, RAM, a personal computer, a program stored in a CPU, and the like. Further, the relative moving means can be constituted by, for example, a motor 20e, a solenoid, an air cylinder, a chain feeding mechanism, a screw feeding mechanism, a cam feeding mechanism, or the like.

That is, the detection light emitted from the detection light irradiating means irradiates the agricultural products placed on the placing portion with the transmitted light which is transmitted from the inside of the agricultural products to the outside in the radial direction and the axial direction. Based on the detection information detected by the light detection means and detected by the transmitted light detection means, the cutting position (for example, the position to cut the stalk of the unnecessary portion) of the agricultural products is individually determined by the cutting position determining device, and the agricultural products are also determined. The placing portion and the cutting means are relatively moved by the relative moving means to a position where the cutting means faces the cutting position of (3), and a predetermined amount of the unnecessary portion of the crop is cut by the cutting means.

As an embodiment, the transmitted light detecting means detects the transmitted light which is transmitted in the radial direction from the inside to the outside of the agricultural product (the imaging camera 1).
3b) and the axial transmitted light detecting means (imaging camera 13c) for detecting the transmitted light axially transmitted from the inside of the crop to the outside. Further, a plurality of sets of the detection light irradiating means, the transmitted light detecting means, and the cutting means may be arranged on a transportation path for transporting the agricultural produce. Further, the detection light irradiating means can be constituted by an illumination lamp that irradiates with high-intensity detection light necessary for transmitting the inside of the agricultural product.

[0012]

According to the present invention, the transmitted light transmitted in the radial direction and the axial direction from the inside to the outside of the crop is detected by the transmitted light detecting means, and the cutting position of the crop is cut based on the detected information. Since it is individually determined by the position determining means, it is possible to accurately and reliably determine the cutting position of the crop substantially in accordance with the growth situation and the outer diameter size without being influenced by the outer shape and outer diameter dimension of the crop. It is possible to easily and easily perform a work of cutting a predetermined amount of an unnecessary portion of a farm product and improve the alignment accuracy. Moreover, since the cutting area of the unnecessary portion can be minimized, the amount of internal liquid exuded is small, and the agricultural products can be kept fresh for a long period of time.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The drawing shows the crop trimming device of the first embodiment used for trimming green onions, which is an example of a crop,
1 and 2, the crop trimming device 1 is arranged in a preceding stage of a peeling process for separating unnecessary epidermis of the leek A, and the leek A placed on the mounting table 3 of the conveyor 2.
Is conveyed to the pretreatment section a, the first cut-alignment section b, and the second cut-alignment section c set on the transport path,
The root part Aa of the is cut into a state suitable for the peeling process.

In the above-mentioned transfer conveyor 2, the concave mounting table 3 on which the long green onion A is mounted in a posture substantially orthogonal to the transfer direction is provided with the root Aa side relative to the left side of the mounting table 3. A cradle 3 that supports the projecting length (for example, about 3 cm)
a, a receiving portion 3b that supports the stem portion Ab in a substantially horizontal direction, and a receiving portion 3c that supports the leaf portion Ac in a substantially horizontal direction.
Further, the projecting dimension of the root portion Aa may be set to, for example, about 3 cm or more or below.

Further, the receiving portions 3a to 3c are attached to the lower portion of the conveying path at a predetermined interval with respect to the entire length of the revolving chain 4, and the revolving chain 4 is driven by a motor with a reduction gear (not shown). Thus, it rotates in the carrying direction to move the mounting tables 3 ... Circularly continuously or intermittently in the carrying direction. In addition, the mounting tables 3 may be arranged as a plurality of sets,
The size and shape of the mounting table 3 and the installation interval may be changed.

The cleaning device 6 disposed in the above-mentioned pretreatment section a is a discharge nozzle connected to both an air supply source such as an air blower and a compressor, and a water supply source such as water and a tank. 6a is disposed on the upper left side of the conveyance path so as to face the upper surface of the root Aa of the leek A protruding to the left side of the mounting table 3, and air (atmosphere) discharged from the discharge nozzle 6a.
Then, water (tap water) is mixed and sprayed onto the upper surface of the root portion Aa obliquely from above to wash and remove foreign matter (such as mud and dust) covering the upper surface of the root portion Aa. Also, either air or water may be sprayed.

A gas such as nitrogen or an inert gas may be used instead of the above-mentioned air, and a liquid such as distilled water or a solvent may be used instead of water. In addition, a plurality of the above-mentioned gas, liquid, and wiping tool may be combined.

On the other hand, the rough cutting device 7 arranged at the rear of the cleaning device 6 has a rotary blade 7a rotated by a motor (not shown), and a root part of a green onion A protruding to the left side of the mounting table 3 of the conveyor 2. Arranged on the left side of the transport path facing the tip of Aa,
The root Aa tip and a plurality of long roots protruding to the tip are cut by the rotary blade 7a, and rough cutting is performed.

Since the transmitted light detection type trimming device 10b arranged in the first trimming section b and the second trimming section c has substantially the same structure, the construction and operation of one trimming apparatus 10b will be described. explain. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, this device shields external light other than the detection light B emitted by the illumination lamps 12b and 12c (for example, a halogen lamp) and blocks the mounting table 3
Light-shielding chamber 11 surrounding the root Aa side of the green onion A placed on the
b on the left side of the conveyance path, and inside the light-shielding chamber 11b, an illumination lamp 12b for irradiating the high-intensity detection light B necessary to pass through the inside of the green onion A is mounted on the table 3. A certain distance from the tip of the root Aa of A (for example, about 5 cm to about 8 cm)
Is arranged so as to face the upper surface (or the side surface or the lower surface) of the stem Ab which is separated by a distance included in the range. It is preferable that the position is about 5 cm or about 8 cm away from the tip of the root portion Aa, but it may be arranged at a position about 5 cm or more or about 8 cm or less.

Further, one or more image pickup cameras 13b are arranged in the radial direction so as to face the upper surface of the root Aa of the leek A protruding to the left side of the mounting table 3, and the image pickup cameras 13c are arranged at the root of the leek A. It is arranged in the axial direction (or the length direction) so as to face the tip of Aa. The image pickup camera 13b may be arranged to face the side surface or the lower surface of the root Aa of the leek A. The image pickup cameras 13b and 13c are, for example, black and white (monochrome) CCD cameras.

A substantially plate-shaped (for example, plate-shaped) comparison member 14b having a color (for example, blue) that makes the silhouette of the root portion Aa clear is opposed to the lower surface of the root portion Aa of the leek A protruding to the left side of the mounting table 3. Then, while the comparison member 14a is disposed on the lower left side of the conveyance path and is rotated in a specific direction by a motor (not shown), foreign matter adhering to the upper surface of the comparison member 14b is wiped by the wiping body 15b that is in contact with the member. Remove. The comparison member 14b described above may be formed of, for example, a substantially cylindrical member.

Further, the light-shielding belt 16 is attached to the illumination lamp 12
While being stretched between the upper surface of the stem Ac and the upper surface of the root Aa irradiated with the detection light B emitted from b, the light shielding belt 16 is conveyed substantially in synchronization with the conveying speed of the conveyor 2 described above. While rotating in the direction, and pressing the root portion Aa of the leek A against the receiving table 3a of the mounting table 3, the detection light B projected from the illumination lamp 12b toward the imaging cameras 13b and 13c is blocked. Further, instead of the light shielding belt 16, for example, a light shielding member such as a curtain or a plate may be used.

The image processing device 17 connected to the above-mentioned image pickup cameras 13b and 13c binarizes the transmission image output from the image pickup cameras 13b and 13c, and only the root portion Aa excluding the light shielding belt 16 described above. Image information of the controller 1
Output to 8. In addition, the control device 18 (for example, a personal computer) connected to the image processing device 17 determines the cutting position of the root portion Aa based on the image information output from the image processing device 17.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the root portion A
The transmission amount of the transmitted light B passing through a is high when the fibers are rough, and the transmittance is reduced as the fibers are denser. Therefore, the transmission of the transmitted light B when the fibers are rough is transmitted through the root portion Aa and the stem portion Ab. The amount of transmitted light B transmitted through the pedicle Ad in which the fibers are dense is significantly reduced rather than the amount thereof.

A boundary portion (cutting reference position) with the highest degree of separation is calculated based on the image density data obtained from the amount of transmitted light B, and the cutting reference position is used as a reference, for example, the pedicle. The cutting position where Ad is left about 2/3 is determined. The cutting position determined from the transmission image can be variably adjusted in a plurality of stages (for example, three stages of large, medium and small or three or more stages) substantially according to the stem diameter size of the leek A.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the amount of the tip transmitted through the tip of the root Aa captured by the image pickup camera 13c is determined by the projection size of the root Aa protruding to the left side of the mounting table 3.
After dividing by the number obtained by multiplying the stem diameter of the root portion Aa, the divided number is multiplied by a predetermined coefficient (proportional constant required to calculate the cutting position) to calculate the cutting position, and the permeation amount thereof. Based on the above, the cutting amount and the uncut amount of the pedicle Ad are calculated. That is, when the remaining amount of the pedicle Ad is large, the transmission amount of the transmitted light B becomes small, and the area value of the dark portion becomes larger than the predetermined threshold value. On the other hand, when the remaining amount of the pedicle Ad is small, the transmission amount of the transmitted light B increases, and the area value of the bright portion becomes smaller than the predetermined threshold value. Therefore, the pedicle Ad is determined from the difference between the transmission amount and the area value. It is possible to determine whether or not a predetermined amount has been excised.

The cutting position information determined for each of the above-mentioned leek A and the address information of the mounting table 3 read by the address reading device 19a described later are stored in association with each other. Further, the cut amount of the root portion Aa can be changed to, for example, a position where the pedicle Ad is left about 2/3 or more, or a position where it is left below.

Further, address reading devices 19a and 19b for reading the address information set for each mounting table 3 or the address information that moves substantially corresponding to the mounting table 3 are provided at the lower portion of the conveyance path, and the image pickup camera 13a is provided. , 13b, and the address reading device 19b provided in the cutting section of the cutting device 20 outputs the address information read to the control device 18.

As another example of the identification means instead of the above-mentioned address information, for example, it is attached to the mounting table 3 or the mounting table 3 itself.
A recording medium that moves substantially corresponding to (for example, a barcode, I
Specific information of D card, magnetic card, etc.) may be read, cutting position information and other measurement information may be recorded. Further, the leek A whose cutting position has been determined is the cutting device 20.
The time lag until reaching the time is reached, and when the time lag is timed, the rotary blade 20a of the cutting device 20 is moved to the cutting position determined for each leek A, and the root Aa of the leek A is moved.
May be excised by a predetermined amount.

Since the cutting device 20 disposed immediately after the image pickup camera 13b in the above-mentioned first trimming section b and the second trimming section c has the same structure, the structure and operation of one cutting device 20 will be described. In this device, for example, a movable table 20c in which a rotary blade 20a inclined in a two-dimensional direction in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction is arranged on the left side portion of the transport path so as to face the root Aa of a leek A protruding on the left side portion of the mounting table 3. Attached to the movable table 20
The motor 20b fixed to c rotates at a high speed at a constant speed.

Further, the movable table 20c is attached to a support table 20d disposed on the left side of the conveyance path, and a motor 20e having a movement amount detecting function (for example, a servo motor or a stepping motor) fixed to the support table 20d is used to change the conveyance direction. The rotary blade 20a is moved back and forth stepwise by a predetermined movement amount (for example, in a unit of about 0.25 mm) in a substantially orthogonal direction, and
10, as shown in FIG. 10, is gradually moved at high speed (for example, about 0.3 seconds) in a direction facing the tip of the root Aa.
Further, a side portion and an upper portion of the rotary blade 20a are surrounded by a cover 20f.

As another example of the cutting means in place of the rotary blade 20a, for example, a cutter or a wire cutter,
Band saws, scissors and the like may be used. Also, the motor 20
As another example of the moving means instead of e, for example, a solenoid, an air cylinder, a cam, a chain, or the like may be used.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control circuit of the crop trimming device 1, wherein the control device 18 (for example, a personal computer) has a built-in CPU, ROM and RAM.
The CPU follows the program stored in the ROM (or PROM), the conveyor 2, the cleaning device 6, the rough cutting device 7, the imaging cameras 13b and 13c and the imaging camera 13a described later, the light shielding belt 16, Image processing device 17
The driving and stopping of the address reading devices 19a and 19b and the cutting device 20 are controlled.

In the RAM, the image information output from the image processing device 20, the cutting position information determined for each leek A, the address information of the mounting table 3 read by the address reading devices 19a and 19b, and the cutting device. The moving amount information of the rotary blade 20a output from 20 is stored in association with each other.

Based on the pulse signal output from the motor 20e, the control device 18 uses the tip of the root portion Aa protruding to the left side of the mounting table 3 as the cutting reference position and the root portion Aa.
The moving distance of the rotary blade 20a is calculated and calculated until the pedicle Ad reaches a position where it is excised by a predetermined amount (for example, about 2/3 remains).

Further, the address reading device 1 receives the address information of the mounting table 3 which is moved to the imaging section of the imaging cameras 13a and 13b.
9a, the address information is output to the control device 18, and the control device 1 associates the above-mentioned movement amount information with the address information of the mounting table 3 read by the address reading device 19a.
Store in 8.

Further, the address information of the mounting table 3 moved to the cutting section of the cutting device 20 is read by the address reading device 19b, and the address information is output to the control device 18. The control device 18 controls the mounting table 3 output from the address reading device 19b.
And the address information stored in the RAM are compared to determine whether the address information is the same.

Moreover, the cutting position information corresponding to the address information read by the address reading device 19b is read from the RAM,
Based on the cutting position information stored in the RAM, the motor 20e is intermittently rotated by a predetermined amount to rotate the rotary blade 20
a is gradually moved to a position where the pedicle Ad of the root Aa is excised by a predetermined amount. Further, the disconnection information stored in the RAM is erased or overwritten when returning from the end side to the start side.

The illustrated embodiment is constructed as described above, and the root Aa of the green onion A by the crop trimming device 1 will be described below.
The work of trimming is explained.

First, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the receiving table or harvested green onion A ...
The left side of the mounting table 3 is placed by aligning them in a posture substantially orthogonal to the conveying direction and placing them one by one, and pressing the tip of the root Aa against an aligning portion (not shown) such as a belt or a plate. Pretreatment section a
Transport to.

Next, in the pretreatment section a, the air and water discharged from the discharge nozzle 6a of the cleaning device 6 are sprayed onto the upper surface of the root portion Aa to wash and remove the foreign matter covering the upper surface of the root portion Aa, and the tip of the root portion Aa. Rough cutting is performed by cutting a plurality of long roots protruding in the direction with the rotary blade 7a of the rough cutting device 7.

Next, in the first trimming section b, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the detection light B emitted from the illumination lamp 12b is conveyed while pressing the root Aa side of the leek A against the mounting table 3 by the light shielding belt 16 of the trimming device 10b.
While irradiating the upper surface of the stalk Ab of the green onion A, the transmitted light C axially transmitted from the inside of the stalk Ab toward the inside of the root Aa, and transmitted in the radial direction toward the upper surface of the root Aa of the green onion A (root Aa Transmitted light C that is transmitted radially from the inside to the outside)
Of the transmitted light C axially transmitted toward the tip of the root Aa (transmitted light C axially transmitted from the inside of the root Aa to the outside) is captured by the imaging camera 13c. The image information is output to the image processing device 17.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, the control device 18 is based on the image information output from the image processing device 17, and the cutting position of the root Aa (about 2/3 of the pedicle Ad remains). Position) is determined individually. At the same time, the cutting position information and the address information of the mounting table 3 read by the address reading device 19a are stored in the control device 18 in association with each other.

Next, when the mounting table 3 moves to the cutting section, the cutting position information corresponding to the address information of the mounting table 3 read by the address reading device 19b is read, and the cutting device is based on the cutting position information. 20 rotary blades 20a, spring onion A
It is moved stepwise to the cutting position determined for each, and FIG.
As shown in, the onion A is cut to such an extent that the pedicle Ad of the root portion Aa remains by a predetermined amount and then conveyed to the second trimming section c.

Next, in the second trimming section c, the image information picked up by the image pickup cameras 13b and 13c of the trimming apparatus 10b is output to the image processing apparatus 17 in substantially the same manner as the first trimming section b described above. To do. Further, based on the image information output from the image processing device 17, the control device 18 individually determines the cutting position of the root portion Aa, and determines whether or not the pedicle Ad has been excised by a predetermined amount. At the same time, the cutting position information and the determination information described above and the address information of the mounting table 3 read by the address reading device 19a are stored in the control device 18 in association with each other.

Next, when the mounting table 3 moves to the cutting section, the cutting position information corresponding to the address information of the mounting table 3 read by the address reading device 19b is read out, and the cutting device 20 is responsive to the cutting position information. To drive. That is, stalk Ad
If a certain amount remains, the rotary blade 2 of the cutting device 20
0a is moved stepwise to the cutting position determined for each leek A, and the leek A is cut off to the extent that the pedicle Ad of the root Aa remains by a predetermined amount, and the next process (eg, a peeling process, a sorting process, etc.) ) To. On the other hand, when it is determined that the predetermined amount has been cut, the cutting device 20 conveys it to the next step without cutting it. Hereinafter, in the same manner as described above, the trimming work of the leek A is continuously performed.

As described above, the transmitted light C transmitted to the upper surface of the root Aa of the leek A and the tip of the root Aa is picked up by the image pickup camera 13b,
13c, and based on the image information output from the imaging cameras 13b and 13c, the root Aa and the pedicle Ad
Since the cutting position of each is individually determined by the control device 18,
Without being affected by the external shape and outer diameter of the root Aa,
The cutting positions of the root portion Aa and the pedicle Ad can be accurately and surely determined substantially according to the growth condition and the stem diameter size of the leek A, and the work of cutting off the pedicle Ad of the unnecessary portion in a state where a predetermined amount remains This can be easily and easily performed, and the trimming accuracy can be improved. In addition, since the cutting area of the root portion Aa can be minimized, the amount of internal liquid exuded is small and the leek A can be kept fresh for a long period of time.

In the first trimming section b, the pedicle Ad
Even if it cannot be excised by a predetermined amount, the cutting position of the pedicle Ad is re-detected and excised in the second cut-and-align section c, so that the excision work can be accurately performed with a predetermined amount left.
In addition, since the pedicle Ad of the root Aa is cut into a state suitable for stripping off unnecessary epidermis, when the epidermis is peeled off to the root Aa, the remaining portion of the epidermis connected to the root Aa is small, The process of peeling off can be done easily.

FIG. 11 shows the crop trimming apparatus 1 of the second embodiment in which one trimming apparatus 10b is arranged in the trimming section b on the conveyer 2. The root Aa upper surface and the root Aa of the leek A are shown in FIG. The transmitted light C transmitted to the tip is the imaging camera 13b,
13c, the image is output to the image processing device 17, and based on the image information output from the image processing device 17, the root Aa
Since the cutting position of each is individually determined by the control device 18,
The work of cutting a predetermined amount of the root portion Aa of the leek A can be performed accurately and surely, and the same operation and effect as those of the above-described embodiment can be achieved.

Moreover, since the structure and structure of the entire apparatus are simplified, the apparatus can be manufactured at low cost, the installation space is small, and the layout can be easily performed. The first
The same components as those of the crop trimming device 1 of the embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the correspondence between the constitution of the present invention and the above-mentioned embodiment, the agricultural products (including fruit vegetables) of the present invention are the green onion A and asparagus of the embodiment, cucumber, eggplant, carrot, potato, mandarin orange, apple. , Persimmons, and the like, and likewise, unnecessary parts of agricultural products correspond to the root Aa of leeks A and the stalk Ad, and the mounting part is the mounting table 3 or bucket of the conveyor 2, the belt conveyor, the roller conveyor. , A free tray or the like, the detection light irradiating means corresponds to the illumination lamps 12b and 12c and other illuminating means, and the transmitted light detecting means includes the radial transmitted light detecting means and the imaging camera 13b and the axial transmitted light. The cutting position determining means corresponds to the detecting means and the imaging camera 13c, and other optical detecting means, and the cutting position determining means is a device provided with the control device 18 (personal computer), CPU, ROM, RAM, and CPU. The cutting means corresponds to the cutting device 20, the rotary blade 20a, the fixed blade, the scissors, the fluid spray type cutter, the laser cutter, etc., and the relative moving means corresponds to the motor 20e, the solenoid, the air cylinder, Although the invention corresponds to a chain feed mechanism, a screw feed mechanism, a cam feed mechanism, etc., the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment.

The upper surface of the root Aa of the above-mentioned leek A and the root Aa
The transmitted light C transmitted to the tip may be imaged by one imaging camera, for example, by being reflected by a mirror body or refracted by a prism or a lens. Further, the configuration of the present invention is, for example, the root portion A of the green onion A held in a substantially vertical posture or a substantially diagonal posture.
It can also be applied to the work of trimming a.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a crop trimming device including two trimming devices.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a leek trimming operation by the crop trimming device.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a trimming operation by a transmissive trimming device.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a method of detecting a cutting position of a leek by a transmission method.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control circuit of the crop trimming device.

FIG. 6 is a characteristic diagram showing the amount of transmitted light that is transmitted to the upper surface of the root portion.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a transmission image and density projection data of a root portion.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a cutting position detection method using transmitted light transmitted to the tip of the root part.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing a transmission image of the root tip.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the cutting operation of the root portion by the cutting device.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a crop trimming device including one trimming device.

[Explanation of symbols]

A ... Leek Aa ... root Ad ... Stem board B: Detection light C ... transmitted light 1 ... Crop trimming device 2 ... Conveyor 3 ... Stand 10b ... trimming device 12b ... Illumination lamp 13b, 13c ... Imaging camera 17 ... Image processing device 18 ... Control device 20 ... Cutting device

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Tsutomu Takekuni             66, Takaoka-cho, Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture Ishii Industry Co., Ltd.             In the company F-term (reference) 4B061 AA02 AA03 AB04 AB06 AB09                       BA02 BA03 BA08 BA12 BA13                       BB07 BB13 CB07 CB12

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A crop trimming device that cuts off unnecessary parts of a crop placed on a placing part by a cutting means, and irradiates the unnecessary parts of the crop with detection light transmitted through the inside of the crop. Detecting light irradiation means, transmitted light detecting means for detecting transmitted light radially transmitted from the inside of the crop to the outside, and transmitted light axially transmitted from the inside of the crop to the outside, and the transmitted light Based on the detection information output from the light detecting means, the cutting position determining means for determining the cutting position of the crop, and the cutting means faces the cutting position of the crop based on the determination by the cutting position determining means. And a relative moving means for relatively moving the placing section and the cutting means at a predetermined position. 2. A transmitted light detecting means for detecting transmitted light which is transmitted in the radial direction from the inside to the outside of the crop, and a transmitted light detecting means in the axial direction from the inside to the outside. The crop trimming device according to claim 1, further comprising an axial transmitted light detecting means for detecting transmitted light. 3. The crop trimming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of sets of the detection light irradiation means, the transmitted light detection means, and the cutting means are arranged on a conveyance path for conveying the crops. 4. The crop trimming device according to claim 1, wherein the detection light irradiating means comprises an illumination lamp for irradiating with high-intensity detection light necessary for transmitting the inside of the crop.