JP2002361180A - Crop measurement device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a crop measurement device which can acquire measurement information necessary for sorting crops by item exactly and surely and improve the precision of judgment and the precision of sorting. SOLUTION: Images of leaks A mounted on the mounting board 14 of a sorting conveyer 2 are picked up by the cameras 32-36 of a grade measurement device 6 arranged in an upper side conveyance route, and from information on the image picked up by the camera 33 or the camera 34, information on the picked-up image of approximately all the leeks A is selected by a controller 7 and stored. The mounting board 14 holding the leeks A is turned upside down, and the image of the backs of the leaf parts Ac of the leeks A are picked up by cameras 37 and 38. On the basis of information on the specified image picked up by one camera 33 and information on the images picked up by the other cameras 32, 34, and 35-38, prescribed items of all the leeks A are judged comprehensively by the controller 7 and sorted by item in relation to sorting parts e, etc.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a crop measuring device used for measuring predetermined items related to crops such as leek, burdock, asparagus, cucumber, eggplant, carrot, and yam.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an apparatus for sorting onion in the above-mentioned example, for example, an imaging camera in which the onion is supported on a Y-shaped jig of a gripping mechanism constituting a sorting conveyor and the front side of the onion is provided in an upper conveying path. To image. The green onion supported by the Y-shaped jig is held by a hand, moves around the lower transport path, and is turned upside down. A device that determines a predetermined item of green onion based on image information captured by the above-described imaging camera, releases the holding by the hand when the green onion moves to a sorting position corresponding to the determination, and sorts the green onion by item ( JP 2000-20
2373).

[0003]

However, in the above-described apparatus, substantially the entire leek is imaged by the imaging camera based on the Y-shaped jig moved to the fixed position of the upper conveyance path.
If a green onion is placed at the end of the Y-shaped jig, measurement may be performed with a part of the green onion overlapping the Y-shaped jig. In addition, since the direction and position of the green onion are unstable until the holding by the hand is completed, the direction and position of the green onion are easily displaced by mechanical vibration generated during transport, and one of the green onion is measured during measurement. There is a problem that it is difficult to obtain accurate measurement information, for example, due to overlapping measurement of a part or leaving an unmeasured part.

[0004] In view of the above problems, the present invention determines a predetermined item of a crop based on measurement information suitable for acquiring a specific item selected from a plurality of measurement information and the remaining measurement information. Another object of the present invention is to provide a crop measuring device capable of accurately and reliably measuring a predetermined item of a crop and improving the determination accuracy.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a crop measuring device for measuring a predetermined item of a crop placed on a mounting portion, and a plurality of items measuring the predetermined item of the crop from different directions. Means, and measuring information suitable for acquiring a specific item from the measurement information measured by the plurality of item measuring means, and based on the specific measurement information and the remaining measurement information, And an item determining means for determining the predetermined item.

The above-mentioned agricultural products can be composed of agricultural products such as leeks, burdock, asparagus, cucumbers, eggplants, carrots, and yams. In addition, the mounting unit can be configured by, for example, a mounting table, a bucket, a tray, and the like. The item measuring means can be constituted by, for example, an imaging camera, a video camera, a digital camera, or the like. Further, the item determining means can be constituted by, for example, a control device having a built-in CPU, ROM, and RAM, a personal computer, and the like. For example, from either one of the image information captured by the imaging cameras 33 or 34, image information in which substantially the entirety of the green onion A is captured is selected, and specific image information captured by the one imaging camera 33 and the remaining imaging camera are selected. Based on a plurality of pieces of image information captured at 32, 34, and 35 to 38, predetermined items of the whole leek A are comprehensively determined.

As an embodiment, the reference measurement information is selected from among the measurement information measured by the plurality of item measurement means, specific measurement information determined to be suitable for measuring a predetermined item of the crop. Measurement information selection means can be provided. In addition, the direction of the crops placed on the
It is possible to include a crop direction changing means for changing a direction suitable for measuring an unmeasured portion of the crop, and an unmeasured portion measuring means for measuring an unmeasured portion of the crop.

[0008]

According to the present invention, measurement information suitable for acquiring a specific item is selected from measurement information measured by a plurality of item measurement means, and the specific measurement information and the plurality of measurement information are selected. Based on the above, the predetermined items of the entire crop are determined, so that the predetermined items of the crop can be accurately and reliably determined, and the measurement information necessary for sorting the crops by item is obtained, and the determination accuracy is determined. Improvement can be achieved.

In addition, since the direction of the crop is changed by the crop direction changing means and the unmeasured portion of the crop is measured by the unmeasured portion measuring means, it is possible to measure a predetermined item of the whole crop, and to separate the crop by item. Sorting work can be performed accurately.

[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 crop measuring device used for measuring a predetermined item of leek, which is an example of a crop. In FIGS. 1 and 2, this crop measuring device 1 is, for example, a white leek or a scallion leek. Leek A having the same length is placed one by one on the mounting tables 8... Constituting the sorting conveyor 2, and a trimming unit a set in the upper conveying path, a sugar acidity measuring unit b,
It is transported to the weight measuring section c, the equal-grade measuring section d, and the sorting section e set in the lower transport path.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the above-mentioned feed conveyor 2 has a bracket 11 which is provided at a predetermined interval with respect to the entire length of the circling chain 10 stretched on both sides of the conveying path. Support shaft 12 mounted on the upper rear end side
Is connected to the front end side of the support portion 13 fixed to the lower surface of the mounting table 14 so as to be able to swing up and down.
Is rotated in the feed direction by a motor with a speed reducer (indicated by a virtual line in the figure), and the mounting tables 14 move around at a constant speed in the feed direction.

The mounting table 14 is formed in a substantially trapezoidal shape or a substantially V-shape when viewed from the side, and extends from a central mounting surface 14a formed in a substantially horizontal plane shape to a front and rear mounting surface. It is inclined to an angle that gradually increases. Further, a flexible member such as urethane rubber or sponge rubber may be laid on the mounting surface, or the mounting surface may be formed of, for example, a net or a frame. In addition, the size and shape of the mounting table 14,
The interval and the feed speed may be changed.

On the other hand, a plurality of support rollers 15 are
3, the bearing is freely rotatable with respect to the front and rear edges of the lower end,
The pair of arms 16 are arranged so that the support shaft 1 protrudes from the right support portion 13 substantially opposite to the leaf portion Ac of the green onion A mounted on the mounting table 14.
A pair of arms 17 (composed of an arm body 17a fixed to the support shaft 18 and an auxiliary arm 17b fixed to the side of the arm body 17a) fixed to the ends of the arm 8 and 18 are mounted on the mounting table 14. The stems Aa of the leeks A to be placed are fixed to the ends of the support shafts 18 protruding from the left support portion 13 substantially opposite to the stem portions Aa.

A gear 19 fixed to the support shafts 18, 18
Are engaged with each other, and one arm 16 is turned to a closed angle for holding (embracing) the leaf Ac of the green onion A placed on the mounting table 14 and an open angle for releasing the holding. At the same time, the other arm 17 rotates in conjunction with the closing angle for holding the stem Aa of the green onion A placed on the mounting table 14 and the opening angle for releasing the holding. The arms 16,
The above-mentioned flexible member may be mounted on the holding surface of 17.

A substantially U-shaped frame portion 20 viewed from a plane fixed to the right end of the mounting table 14 supports the leaf Ac of the green onion A mounted on the mounting table 14 substantially horizontally. For example, bending or sagging is prevented.

A pin 25 protruding from the side of the support portion 13
And a coil spring 24 stretched between a pin 26 protruding from the lower end of the arm 16 moves the arms 16 and 17 in a holding direction in which the green onion A is held and a returning direction in which the holding is released. Rotating bias is applied.

Roller 2 pivotally attached to the lower end of one arm 16
Numeral 2 is in contact with a rail 27 provided on the upper conveying path after the equal-grade measuring section d, and guides the arms 16 and 17 to rotate in a direction in which the green onion A is held. Further, as another example of the rotating means instead of the rail 27, the rotating means may be rotated by an air cylinder, a solenoid, a cam, a gear, or the like.

Roller 2 pivotally attached to the lower end of the other arm 17
Reference numeral 3 abuts on a release member 25a of a holding release device 28 (for example, a rotary cylinder) provided in the sorting section e, and guides the rotation in the direction in which the holding of the arms 16 and 17 is released. The release member 28a is rotated between a position where it comes into contact with the roller 23 and a position where the contact is avoided. Also,
As another example of the discharging means in place of the holding release device 28, the discharging means may be rotated by, for example, contacting a solenoid or a motor, or a rail or a cam.

The trimming device 3 arranged in the trimming section a described above.
Are, for example, Japanese Patent Application Nos. 11-178235 and 11-178235.
No. 332693, etc., and the root Ad of leek A
Is captured by an optical measuring means such as an imaging camera or an image element, and the cut position of the root Ad is determined based on the image information (the information subjected to the binarization processing). An unnecessary portion of the root portion Ad is cut by a cutting means (for example, a rotary blade, a fixed blade, or the like) and trimmed to a predetermined size.
The leaves Ac may also be cut to a predetermined size.

The sugar acidity measuring device 4 disposed in the sugar acidity measuring section b irradiates the stem portion Aa of the green onion A with detection light emitted from a light source (not shown) as described later. Part A
The transmitted light transmitted through a is detected by an optical measuring means (for example, a black-and-white or color imaging camera) and the detected information is output to the image processing device 7a. The image processing device 7a binarizes the image information of the root Ad and outputs the binarized image information to the control device 7. The control device 7 individually determines the sugar acidity of the green onion A based on the above-described image information, and stores the sugar acidity of the green onion A in association with the address information of the mounting table 14 on which the green onion A is mounted.

The weight measuring device 5 provided in the above-mentioned weight measuring section c is constituted by a weight sensor such as a load cell or a balance type, and measures while carrying the total weight of the mounting table 14 on which the green onion A is mounted. Then, the measurement information is output to the control device 7. The control device 7 individually determines the weight of the green onion A itself based on the above-described measurement information, and stores the weight of the green onion A in association with the address information of the mounting table 14 on which the green onion A is mounted.

As shown in FIG. 7, the class measuring device 6 provided in the class measuring unit d includes light sources 31 composed of, for example, a halogen lamp, an ultraviolet lamp, a fluorescent lamp, an incandescent lamp, and the like. Are arranged in the light-shielding chamber 30a surrounding the upper conveying path, facing the leek A mounted or held on the mounting table 14 (four in the embodiment). Further, as another example of the illuminating means that replaces the light source 31, for example, an infrared lamp, an incandescent lamp,
A fluorescent lamp, a xenon lamp, a tungsten lamp, or the like may be used.

A black-and-white or color imaging camera 32 to CCD, digital camera, etc.
36 is disposed in the upper transport path through windows 30c... Formed in the light-shielding chamber 30a so as to face the leek A mounted or held on the mounting table 14 in the normal posture (upward).

The above-mentioned imaging camera 32 is disposed on the upper conveying path (substantially right above) so as to face the stem Aa (or the root Ad) of the green onion A placed on the mounting table 14. The thickness, distortion (tracking) and the like are imaged from almost directly above (see FIG. 9). The measuring point of the stalk diameter can be set arbitrarily.

The above-mentioned imaging cameras 33 and 34 are mounted on the mounting table 1.
10 is disposed diagonally above the front side of the upper conveying path or diagonally above the rear side of the upper conveyance path in opposition to the entire length of the leek A placed on the four onions 4, and is stereoscopically imaged obliquely from above by the two imaging cameras 33 and 34 (FIG. 10).
Then, the total length, bending, soft white length, roundness and the like of the green onion A are measured.

The above-mentioned imaging cameras 35 and 36 are mounted on the mounting table 1.
4 is disposed diagonally above the front side of the upper transport path or diagonally above the rear side, facing the leaf portion Ac of the green onion A, and is stereoscopically imaged from diagonally above by the two imaging cameras 35 and 36. Then, the disease, the number, the number of wounds, etc. of the front lobe Ac are measured. Also, the stem Aa of the green onion A and the soft part Ab
, The leaf Ac and the root Ad may be imaged from, for example, a substantially horizontal direction, a substantially downward direction, or the like.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
Upside down (held on mounting table 14 rotated approximately 180 degrees,
The light-shielding chamber 30b is disposed in the light-shielding chamber 30b surrounding the lower transport path so as to face the green onion A projecting or exposed to the left side of the mounting table 14 (two in the embodiment).
b, are disposed on the front diagonally above the lower transport path and diagonally above the rear of the lower transport path, facing the leaf Ac of the green onion A projecting or exposed to the left side of the mounting table 14 via the window 30c formed in the mounting table 14b. Then, the two photographic cameras 37 and 38 three-dimensionally capture an image from obliquely above (see FIG. 12), and measure the disease, the number of sheets, the number of scratches, and the like on the back side Ac.

The image information (appearance) of the green onion A captured by the imaging cameras 32 to 38 is output to the image processing device 7a, and the stem Aa, the soft white portion Ab, and the leaf Ac of the green onion A are output.
And binarizing the captured image of the root Ad and the control device 7
Output to The control device 7 individually determines predetermined items of the green onion A based on the above-mentioned image information, and stores the address information of the mounting table 14 on which the green onion A is mounted in association with each other.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing the control circuit of the crop measuring device 1. The control device 7 includes a CPU, a ROM, and an RA.
M is built-in, and the CPU operates according to a program stored in the ROM (or PROM) to send the conveyor 2, the trimming device 3, the sugar acidity measuring device 4, the weight measuring device 5,
The drive and stop of the equivalent class measuring device 6 and the holding release device 28 are controlled. Further, instead of the control device 7, for example, a personal computer or another processing device may be used.

In the RAM, the measurement information output from the sugar acidity measuring device 4, the weight measuring device 5, and the equal class measuring device 6, the address information or the time lag of the mounting table 3, and the judgment result are associated. To remember.

The above-mentioned control device 7 includes measuring devices 4, 5, 6
And the comparison reference information stored in advance (for example, thickness, diameter, width, thickness, total length, bending, roundness,
The softness length, leaf number, leaf color, leaf wound (disease), sugar acidity, weight, etc. are compared and calculated, and the sugar acidity and grade (e.g., excellent, excellent, good, bad, etc.) Grade, 2L,
L, M, S, 2S, etc.) are determined individually.

That is, the stem portion Aa is imaged by the imaging camera 32, the stem diameter is measured in accordance with the bending of the green onion A, and the entire green onion A is imaged by the two imaging cameras 33 and 34 (color cameras). Based on the imaged green value, the length of the soft portion Ab is measured, the bending value is calculated three-dimensionally, the bending is measured, and the degree of roundness is calculated from the stem width to measure the roundness. In addition, the imaging cameras 35, 36, 37, and 38 capture images of the front and back of the leaf Ac, measure the number of leaves Ac based on the edge image of the leaf, and determine the scratch area on both the front and back based on the differential image. , The number of scratches, and the size of the scratches.

On the other hand, the above determination result and the address information of the mounting table 14 on which the leek A is mounted are stored in the RAM in association with each other, and until the mounting table 14 moves to the sorting unit e corresponding to the determination. And the time lag is counted, and when the mounting table 14 is moved to the sorting unit e corresponding to the determination, the holding release device 28 (for example, a device composed of a motor, a solenoid, a cylinder, etc.) disposed in the sorting unit e Is driven, the release member 28a of the holding release device 28 is brought into contact with the lower end of the arm 17, and the arms 16, 17 are rotated in the direction in which the holding is released, so that the green onion A is substantially moved with respect to the sorting conveyor 2. It discharges to distribution conveyors 8 arranged orthogonally. If it is different from the determination, the holding release device 28 is put on standby.

As another sorting method in place of the address or the time lag, for example, the mounting table 14 itself or a recording medium (for example, a bar code,
It is also possible to read unique information (address and carrier number) of an ID card, a magnetic card, and the like, or record cutting position information and other measurement information on a recording medium.

The illustrated embodiment is configured as described above, and a method of measuring green onion A by the crop measuring apparatus 1 will be described below.

First, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the leek A to be received is held (or mechanically operated) by a worker waiting at the start end side, and the loading of the feed conveyor 2 is performed. Table 1
4... Are placed one by one in a horizontal orientation substantially orthogonal to the feeding direction (a state in which the leaves Ac of the green onion A protrude to the right side of the mounting table 14 and the roots Ad protrude to the left side of the mounting table 14).
Then, it is supplied to the trimming device 3 of the trimming unit a.

Next, after the leaf Ac and the root Ad of the green onion A are cut by the trimming device 3 and trimmed to a predetermined length, the sugar acidity measuring device 4 of the sugar acidity measuring unit b and the weight measurement are performed. It is supplied to the weight measuring device 5 of the section c, the sugar acidity of the green onion A is measured by the sugar acidity measuring device 4, and the weight of the green onion A is measured by the weight measuring device 5, and the sugar acidity information and the weight information of the green onion A are obtained. Is output to the control device 7. On the other hand, the green onion A is supplied to the equal class measuring device 6 of the equal class measuring unit d in the upper conveyance path.

Next, as shown in FIG.
a, the soft part Ab, the leaf part Ac, and the root part Ad are imaged by the imaging cameras 32 to 36 of the equal-grade measuring device 6, and the imaging information is output to the control device 7 via the image processing device 7b. . The control device 7 selects, for example, from one of the image information captured by the imaging cameras 33 and 34, image information obtained by capturing substantially the entirety of the green onion A, and based on the image information,
A predetermined item of the whole leek A is determined, and the determination result is stored in association with the address information of the mounting table 14.

Next, the leaf Ac of the green onion A placed on the mounting table 14 is held by a pair of arms 16, the stem Aa is held by a pair of arms 17, and then the mounting table on which the green onion A is held 1
4 is moved to the lower conveyance path side, and turned upside down (approximately 180
Degree).

Next, before reaching the first sorting section e,
The back surface of the leaf Ac of the green onion A protruding or exposed to the side of the mounting table 14 is imaged by the imaging cameras 37 and 38 (see FIG. 12) arranged in the equal-grade measuring unit d in the lower transport path, and the imaging information is obtained. Is output to the control device 7. The control device 7 includes the imaging camera 3
Based on the image information captured in steps 7 and 38, a predetermined item on the back side of the leaf Ac is determined, and the determination result is stored in association with the address information of the mounting table 14.

For example, specific image information captured by one of the imaging cameras 33 and the remaining imaging cameras 32, 34,
Based on a plurality of pieces of image information captured in 35 to 38, predetermined items of the entire leek A are comprehensively determined, and the comprehensive determination result is stored in association with the address information of the mounting table 14.

On the other hand, the control device 7 stores the measurement information of the devices 4, 5 and 6 and the address information or the time lag of the mounting table 14 in association with each other. When it is moved, the holding of the arms 16, 14 is released by the holding releasing device 28, and the green onion A is sorted by the sorting section e.
And transported to the next step (for example, a boxing step or a storage step). In the same manner, the following onion A is sorted by item. Non-standard onion A is collected or discarded.

As described above, based on either one of the image information captured by the image capturing cameras 33 and 34, the specific item (the green onion A
Image information suitable for acquiring the entire predetermined item), specific image information captured by one imaging camera 33, and a plurality of image information captured by the remaining imaging cameras 32, 34, 35 to 38 Based on the above, the predetermined items of the entire leek A are comprehensively determined, so that the predetermined items relating to the leek A can be accurately and reliably measured, and the measurement information necessary for sorting the leek A by item can be obtained. In addition, it is possible to improve the determination accuracy and the sorting accuracy.

Further, the mounting table 14 holding the green onion A is circulated to the lower transport path side to change the direction of the green onion A to the opposite side, so that the unmeasured portion of the green onion A, especially the leaves Since the back surface of the section Ac is imaged by the imaging cameras 37 and 38, predetermined items of the entire leek A can be measured, and the work of sorting the leek A by item can be performed accurately.

In the correspondence between the structure of the present invention and the above-described embodiment, the crop of the present invention is a long product such as leek A, burdock, asparagus, cucumbers, eggplant, carrot, yam, or tangerine. Corresponding to spherical objects such as apples, persimmons, etc., similarly, the placing part and the crop orientation changing means correspond to the placing table 14 of the sorting conveyor 2, and the item measuring means correspond to the imaging cameras 32-38, The item determination means and the measurement information selection means correspond to the determination device 7 and the program stored in the CPU incorporated therein, and the unmeasured portion measurement means corresponds to the imaging cameras 37 and 38. However, the present invention is not limited only to the configuration of the embodiment.

It is also possible to dispose the above-mentioned class measuring device 6 independently and use only the operation of measuring a predetermined item of green onion A. Further, a device or means for separating, for example, the epidermis (lower lobe) of the green onion A may be provided in a stage preceding the equal-grade measuring device 6.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the entire configuration of a crop measuring device.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a measuring operation and a sorting operation by the crop measuring device.

FIG. 3 is a right side view showing a state of holding the green onion leaf side.

FIG. 4 is a left side view showing a stalk-side holding state of leeks.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a mounted state of leeks.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an attached state of an arm.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a state in which a green onion is imaged on the front side by the same class measuring apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a back side imaging state of leek by the same class measuring device.

FIG. 9 is a front view showing a picked-up image of a green onion stem.

FIG. 10 is a front view showing a captured image of the whole green onion;

FIG. 11 is a front view showing a front-side captured image of a leaf part.

FIG. 12 is a front view showing a back side captured image of a leaf part.

FIG. 13 is a control circuit block diagram of the crop measuring device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A: Leek Aa: Stalk Ab: Soft white part Ac: Leaf Ad: Root 1 ... Agricultural crop measuring device 2 ... Sorting conveyor 3 ... Sorting device 4 ... Sugar acidity measuring device 5 ... Weight measuring device 6 ... Grade measuring device 7 ... Control devices 7a, 7b ... Image processing devices 14 ... Mounting tables 16, 17 ... Arms 28 ... Holding release devices 32-38 ... Imaging cameras

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor Gentaro Kakemizu 66 Takaoka-cho, Matsuyama-shi, Ehime Ishii Kogyo Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) PP13 PP15 QQ04 QQ13 QQ23 RR05 TT03 2F069 AA31 AA51 BB40 GG04 GG07 GG65 MM02 MM23 3F079 AC06 CA06 CA12 CA18 CA21 CA23 CA24 CA29 CA34 CA42 CB12 CB25 CB26 CB30 CB34 CC07 DA18 EA08 EA11

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A crop measuring device for measuring a predetermined item of a crop placed on a mounting portion, wherein the plurality of item measuring means measures the predetermined item of the crop from different directions; While determining the measurement information suitable for obtaining a specific item from the measurement information measured by the means, based on the specific measurement information and the remaining measurement information,
An agricultural product measuring device comprising: an item determining unit configured to determine a predetermined item of the agricultural product. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a measurement information selection unit that selects measurement information suitable for acquiring the specific item of the crop from the measurement information measured by the plurality of item measurement units. Crop measuring device. 3. The orientation of the crops placed on the placement section,
2. The non-measuring unit according to claim 1, further comprising: a crop direction changing unit that changes a direction suitable for measuring the unmeasured part of the crop, and a non-measurement unit measuring unit that measures the unmeasured part of the direction-changed crop. Crop measuring device.