JP2002162359A - Method and equipment for detecting quality of object for inspection - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and equipment for detecting the quality of an object for inspection, capable of accurately and surely finding out a prescribed search item of the same object without being affected by its own hue. SOLUTION: An eggplant A is irradiated with a beam of line-like detective light B to be cast by a floodlight 11, and the reflected light-beam C that the eggplant A reflects is received by a light-beam receiving unit 12. By comparing the detection data outputted by the light-beam receiving unit 12 with the comparison data stored in a comparison information memory device 25, the reflected light-beam C identifies whether the reflection coefficient corresponds to the prescribed one or not. Then, the eggplant A indicative of reflectivity greater than the prescribed one is sorted out by prescribed item according to the detection data, based upon those identifying results, and the one indicative of reflectivity less than the prescribed one is dumped or withdrawn from the market as out-of-standard.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to crops such as eggplant, cucumbers, carrots and yams, fruit and vegetables such as tangerines, apples, tomatoes, cucumber, persimmons, pears, peaches and melons, seafood,
The present invention relates to a method for detecting the quality of an object to be detected such as food and a quality detection device therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a method for detecting the quality of an eggplant in the above-described example, for example, light emitted from a light source is applied to the entire eggplant, and reflected light reflected by the skin of the eggplant is received by an imaging camera. . At the same time, there is a method of comparing the received light information output by the imaging camera with the comparison information stored in the determination device in advance, and detecting the quality such as the class and freshness.

[0003]

However, if the above-mentioned eggplant is left for a long period of time, or if the storage temperature is not appropriate, the freshness of the eggplant deteriorates, and the eggplant becomes wrinkled or deteriorates.
However, when the light emitted from the light source is applied to the whole eggplant, the hue of the reflected light is substantially the same in the visible region, so that a fresh portion having a predetermined gloss and a gloss (glossy) There is a problem that it is difficult to determine a portion having no freshness and a reduced freshness, and it is difficult to accurately determine the quality of eggplant.

In view of the above problems, the present invention irradiates an object with line-shaped detection light, and detects whether or not the reflected light reflected by the object is clear. It is an object of the present invention to provide an object quality detection method and a quality detection device capable of accurately and reliably detecting a predetermined item without being affected by the hue of the object.

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A line-shaped detection light is applied to the object, and the detected information of the reflected light reflected by the object is compared with preset comparison information to detect a predetermined item of the object. It is a method for detecting the quality of an object.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a detecting light projecting means for irradiating an object with a line-shaped detecting light, receiving reflected light reflected by the object, and detecting the reflected light. Reflected light receiving means for outputting information; comparison information storage means for storing comparison information for determining a predetermined item of the object to be detected; detection information output by the reflected light receiving means; And a quality determination unit that determines a predetermined item of the detected object by comparing with the comparison information stored in the storage device.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the second aspect, a plurality of detection light projecting means are provided at predetermined intervals so as to face the outer surface of the detection object. It is an object quality detection device.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first or second aspect, a detection light dispersing means for dispersing the detection light into a plurality of light beams and irradiating the detection object with the detection object is provided. And a quality detection device for the detected object.

[0009]

According to the present invention, the object to be detected is irradiated with the line-shaped detection light, so that the boundary between the portion irradiated with the detection light and the non-irradiation portion becomes clear and is reflected in a line shape. Only the reflected light can be reliably detected. Since the predetermined information is detected by comparing the detection information of the reflected light with the comparison information, the predetermined item of the specific portion can be accurately and reliably detected without being affected by the hue of the detected object itself. In addition, since the object is irradiated with a plurality of detection lights, a part and the entirety of the object can be inspected, and a portion with reduced freshness or a deteriorated portion can be reliably found. In addition, since operations such as detection and inspection are performed mechanically, there is no or little detection error, and the determination accuracy can be improved.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. The drawings show a quality detection device used to detect a predetermined item of eggplant, which is an example of an object to be detected. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the quality detection device 10 converts a line-shaped detection light B into eggplant. A light projecting device 11 for irradiating a plurality of light beams (three in this embodiment) substantially parallel to the lengthwise direction of the outer surface of the light emitting device A, and receiving the reflected light C reflected by the eggplant A and outputting a detection signal at the time of receiving the light. A light receiving device 12, a mounting portion 13 made of a material (and a color arrangement) that does not provide any support for mounting the eggplant A in a fixed position and receiving the reflected light CB, and the eggplant A mounted on the mounting portion 13. And a detection sensor 14 for detecting that the sensor is placed in a light-shielding chamber 15 having a dome shape or a box shape.
When the eggplant A detects the eggplant A, the light-emitting device 1
The detection light B is irradiated from 1 and the reflected light C reflected by the eggplant A is received by the light receiving device 12 and the detection signal is output.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a control circuit of the quality detecting device 10. A CPU 20 built in a device main body 19 (for example, a personal computer) includes a light projecting device 11 and a light emitting device 11 according to a program stored in a ROM 21. Light receiving device 12, detection sensor 14, comparison information storage device 24
, A display device 25, and a timer for controlling the driving and stopping of each circuit device and measuring the elapsed time.
On the other hand, the RAM 22 stores data necessary for a process of detecting a predetermined item (for example, reflectance).

The above-mentioned light projecting device 11 has, for example, a length = about 4
The light-shielding chamber 15 is formed of a lamp (transmission light in this embodiment) having a voltage of approximately 12 V, a power of approximately 75 W, and a power consumption of approximately 75 W.
Inside, one unit substantially parallel to the length direction (or the width direction, the radial direction) of the eggplant A placed on the placement unit 13 and substantially above (approximately right above) the upper outer surface of the eggplant A The two eggplants are arranged substantially obliquely above the eggplant A at an angle equal to the right and left with respect to the eggplant A.
00 mm, width direction = approximately 200 mm.
Is directly applied to the upper outer surface of the eggplant A from three directions.

In the embodiment, the detection light B is radiated from three directions. However, the detection light B may be radiated from one or two directions, may be radiated from a plurality of directions of three or more directions, or a light-transmitting mount may be provided. Irradiation may be performed from below the placing section 13.

Further, the width, length, and number of the detection light B may be changed according to the size and shape of the eggplant A or the type of the object to be detected, and are limited to the width, length, and number of the embodiment. Not something. Further, it has a function of changing the voltage and power consumption of the light projecting device 11, changing the light projecting distance to a distance of approximately 200 mm or less, or changing the width, length, and number of the detection light B. The light projecting device 11 may be used.

In addition, the light projecting device 11 may be constituted by a light source having a luminance necessary for detecting a halogen lamp, an incandescent lamp, a fluorescent lamp, a xenon lamp, a tungsten lamp or the like. The amount of transmitted light C
For example, the light amount may be set or changed to be approximately 1000 nm or less, approximately 1200 nm or more.

The light receiving device 12 is a black-and-white (or color) camera having a sensitivity to receive the reflected light C in the visible region (and / or near infrared region) reflected by the eggplant A,
Inside the light-shielding room 15, the eggplant A placed on the placing portion 13 is disposed almost obliquely above and facing the outer side of the top of the eggplant (the side without the thighs) and the outer side of the stem portion (the outer side with the thighs). Then, the reflected light C reflected by the skin of the eggplant A is received. Further, the reflected light C reflected by the eggplant A may be received from substantially above. Further, a camera having a function of dispersing visible light and near-infrared light may be used.

A normal light eggplant A having a predetermined gloss (gloss) is previously irradiated with the detection light B, the reflected light C reflected by the eggplant A is received, and a signal proportional to the amount of light received by the reflected light C is received. Is digitized and output to the apparatus main body 19 as detection information. Further, the light receiving device 12 may be constituted by a device such as a CCD camera or an image element.

The lower peripheral surface of the eggplant A (or the mounting portion 13)
When measuring or detecting a predetermined item (reflectance) of the portion that comes into contact with the eggplant A, the eggplant A is placed upside down with the lower peripheral surface facing upward, and the reflected light C reflected by the eggplant A is received by the light receiving device 12.
May be received.

The mounting portion 13 has a mounting surface on which the eggplant A is mounted, in a shape or a structure in which the eggplant A is mounted in a stable position at a fixed position, for example, a substantially V shape when viewed from the side. , And a part or the whole of the mounting surface is set to a hue (for example, white) in which the contrast with the eggplant A becomes clear.

If the eggplant A is placed in a stable position at a fixed position, for example, the mounting surface of the mounting portion 13 may be formed in a substantially concave shape, or may be formed of a flexible member. Alternatively, the eggplant A may be supported by a support member or the like, and is not limited to the shape or structure of the embodiment. Also,
Part or all of the mounting portion 13 may be formed of a translucent material, such as plastic or glass, to be transparent or translucent, or may be transmissive in a mesh shape (mesh shape) or a striated body. It may be configured in any shape or structure.

The detection sensor 14 is constituted by, for example, a reflection type photoelectric sensor, and detects that the eggplant A has been placed at a fixed position of the placement section 13 which substantially corresponds to the light projection range of the light projecting device 11. Output a signal. In addition, the detection sensor 14
May be constituted by a detection sensor using, for example, a limit switch or a proximity switch.

The above-mentioned comparison information storage device 24 stores, for example, P
It is composed of a writable and readable storage device such as a ROM and stores in advance comparison information for comparing the reflectance of the reflected light C reflected by the eggplant A. That is, the detection light B
Is irradiated on a normal eggplant A having a predetermined gloss, and when the light receiving device 12 detects the reflected light C reflected by the eggplant A, the detection information output by the light receiving device 12 is stored as comparison information. Further, information necessary for detection may be input or changed using an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, and an input pen.

The above-mentioned display device 25 is composed of, for example, a display and a monitor, and displays the light receiving information of the light receiving device 12, the judgment result of the CPU 20, and the like. Further, according to the size and shape of the eggplant A, the light emitting angle and the light emitting range of the light emitting device 11 and the number of light emitting devices arranged, and the light receiving angle and light receiving range of the light receiving device 12 and the number of light receiving devices arranged are determined. May be changed.

The illustrated embodiment is configured as described above, and a method for detecting the quality of eggplant A by the quality detecting device 10 (blur detection) will be described below.

First, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG.
When the detection sensor 14 detects the eggplant A placed on the light emitting device 3, the CPU 20 executes the light projection device 11 based on the detection.
Are continuously irradiated in a lengthwise direction substantially in parallel with the upper outer surface of the eggplant A, and the stalk portion and the top of the eggplant A are irradiated. The light receiving devices 12 and 12 receive the reflected light C that is reflected by the skin with the light. The eggplant A may be irradiated with the detection light B intermittently.

The CPU 20 compares the detection information output by the light receiving devices 12 and 12 with the comparison information stored in the comparison information storage device 25 to determine whether or not the reflected light C has a predetermined reflectance. I do. For example, when the eggplant A is fresh and has a predetermined gloss (gloss), as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. If B) is clear and the reflectance is high, the variance value of a normal portion is about 2000 or more, so that the eggplant A is determined to be normal.

On the other hand, when the eggplant A is old and has no gloss (gloss), as shown in FIGS. Since the variance value of the blurred portion where the reflectance of C is low and the portion including the portion where the storage state is poor and the quality is degraded is about 2000 or less, it is determined that the eggplant A is defective or out of specification.

Eggplant A having a reflectance substantially equal to or higher than the preset reflectance is sorted by item on the basis of the detection information, and eggplant A having a high reflectance has excellent quality and has a predetermined standard. Therefore, sorting processing can be performed for each item such as excellent, excellent, and good. On the other hand, eggplant A having a low reflectance is determined to be out of specification, and is transported to, for example, a disposal process or a recovery process.

When calculating the dispersion value of the reflected light C, it can be obtained by the following equation.

V = Σ (x−m) 2 V: dispersion value x: density value of each pixel m: average value of density values in a segment Segments (regions) are set in the horizontal direction from one end side by approximately 30 pixels so as to be included. The vertical direction is set according to the outer diameter of the eggplant A. The above variance value is calculated from the density value of each pixel in the segment, and if the variance value is approximately 2000 or less, it is determined as a blurred portion having reduced freshness or quality.

The top of the fruit (kachobu) has three detection lights B
When the top of the eggplant A is irradiated with the reflected light C, the reflected light C is radially reflected. Therefore, the above-described dispersion value is calculated by setting the segment of the image processing to a substantially square of approximately 30 pixels for each reflected light C. .

The variance value in each segment is about 500 to about 6000, which is determined to be lower than a predetermined reflectance. And a matte material) with a dispersion value of about 200
Since it is about 0 or less and a normal portion is about 2000 or more, blur detection can be performed.

As described above, since three eggplants A are irradiated with the line-shaped detection light B emitted from the light projecting device 11, the boundary between the part irradiated with the detection light B and the part not irradiated is detected. It becomes clear, and only the reflected light C reflected in a line shape can be reliably detected. The light-receiving device 12 detects the line-shaped reflected light C reflected by the eggplant A, and compares the detection information output by the light-receiving device 12 with the comparison information stored in the comparison information storage device 25 to determine the predetermined condition of the eggplant A. Since the item (blurring) is detected, the predetermined item of the specific portion can be accurately and reliably detected without being affected by the hue of the eggplant A itself. In addition, since the three detection lights B are radiated to the eggplant A, a part and the whole of the eggplant A can be inspected, and a portion with reduced freshness or a deteriorated portion can be reliably found. In addition, since operations such as detection and inspection are performed mechanically, there is no or little detection error, and the determination accuracy can be improved.

FIG. 8 shows another detection method for detecting a predetermined item while transporting the eggplant A by a belt-type transport conveyor 23 having a light transmitting property. Is irradiated onto the eggplant A conveyed by the conveyor 23, the reflected light C reflected by the eggplant A is received by the light receiving device 12, and the detection information output by the light receiving device 12 is stored in the comparison information storage device 25. The reflectance (blurring degree) of the reflected light C may be detected by comparing the stored comparison information with the stored comparison information, and an operation effect substantially equivalent to that of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

The eggplant A is placed on, for example, a bucket conveyor, a roller conveyor, a free tray or the like, and is transported. The eggplant A is measured while being transported by holding it with an adsorbent or an arm. The measurement may be stopped once.

FIG. 9 shows another detection method in which the detection light B emitted from one light projecting device 11 is divided into a plurality of beams and radiated. For example, the light is split into three beams by first and second beam splitting mirrors 26 and 27 each including a dichroic mirror, a prism, and the like.
The detection light B of the book is reflected by the mirrors 28 and 29 at a predetermined angle, and the detection light B transmitted through the spectral mirrors 26 and 27 and the detection light B and B reflected by the mirrors 28 and 29 are converted into eggplant A. And the reflected light C reflected by the eggplant A is received by the light receiving devices 12, 12, so that substantially the same operational effects as in the above-described embodiment can be obtained. In addition, the number of the light projecting devices 11 to be installed is small, and the production and layout of the devices can be easily performed.

In the correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the above-described embodiment, the object to be detected according to the present invention corresponds to the eggplant A of the embodiment. The reflected light receiving means corresponds to the light receiving device 12, the quality determining means corresponds to the device main body 19 and the program stored in the device, the CPU 20 and the processing operation thereof, and the comparison information storing means corresponds to , The detected light spectroscopy means corresponds to the spectroscopic mirrors 26 and 27 and the specular bodies 28 and 29, but the present invention is limited to only the configuration of the above-described embodiment. is not.

In the above-described embodiment, the predetermined items are measured while the eggplant A is placed on the placing portion 13 or the conveyor 23. For example, the eggplant A is moved from the front conveyor, which is installed at a predetermined interval, to the rear portion. The eggplant A may be irradiated with the detection light B emitted from the light emitting device 11 and the reflected light C reflected by the eggplant A may be received by the light receiving device 12 in a space on the way of being transferred onto the conveyor.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a method for detecting eggplant by a quality detection device.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing an eggplant detection state.

FIG. 3 is a control circuit block diagram of the quality detection device.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a reflection state of a normal eggplant fruit stem portion.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing the reflection state of the top of a normal eggplant.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a reflection state of a defective eggplant fruit stem.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a reflection state of a defective eggplant at the top of the eggplant.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing another detection method for detecting an eggplant while transporting it.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing another detection method in which the detection light is divided into a plurality of parts and irradiated.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A: eggplant B: detection light C: reflected light 10: quality detecting device 11: light emitting device 12: light receiving device 13: mounting portion 19: device main body 20: CPU 23: transport conveyor 24: comparative information storage device 26, 27 … Spectral mirrors 28, 29… Mirror surface

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page F term (reference) 2G020 AA08 DA17 DA22 DA31 DA34 DA35 DA53 2G051 AA05 AA90 AB20 BA01 BA06 BA20 CA03 CA04 CA07 CB01 DA01 DA06 DA13 EA12 EA14 EB01 EB02 EC03 ED07 FA10 2G059 AA05 BB11 DD02 EE JJ06 JJ07 KK01 KK03 KK04 MM03 MM05 MM09 MM10 PP04

Claims (4)

[Claims] An object is irradiated with linear detection light, and the detection information of the reflected light reflected by the object is compared with predetermined comparison information to determine a predetermined item of the object. A method for detecting the quality of an object to be detected. 2. A detection light projecting means for irradiating an object with a linear detection light, a reflected light receiving reflected light reflected by the object and outputting detection information of the reflected light. Light receiving means, comparison information storage means for storing comparison information for determining a predetermined item of the detected object, detection information output by the reflected light receiving means, and comparison information stored in the comparison information storage means; And a quality judging means for judging a predetermined item of the object to be detected. 3. An object quality detecting device according to claim 2, wherein a plurality of said detecting light projecting means are provided at predetermined intervals facing an outer surface of said object. 4. A detection light dispersing means for dispersing the detection light into a plurality of light beams and irradiating the object with the detection light.
Or the quality detection device for an object according to 2.