JP2008209302A - Nondestructive inspection device and sorting device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a nondestructive inspection device capable of shortening a time from start of a light source until start of determination, and a sorting device equipped therewith. <P>SOLUTION: In a storage means 52 of a determination part (control part 50), a time-light quantity relation showing a relation between a time tr from start of the light source 35b and an irradiation light quantity Iin of the light source 35b is stored. The time tr from start of the light source 35b is measured by a clocking means P1 in the determination part. Concerning a light receiving quantity Iout received by a light reception part (photoelectric element 36b), the time-light quantity relation is read from the storage means 52, and a relation between the irradiation light quantity Iin from the light source 35b at a time tr measured by the clocking means P1 and an irradiation light quantity Is from the light source 35b at a stable time is operated by an operation means P2 in the determination part. Then, data on the light receiving quantity Iout are corrected by a correction means P3 based on operation results. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention determines the internal quality of the object to be determined based on the amount of light received by the light receiving unit by irradiating the object to be determined with a light source and receiving the reflected or transmitted light of the light beam at the light receiving unit. The present invention relates to a nondestructive inspection apparatus and a sorting apparatus including the same.

  Conventionally, as a non-destructive inspection device that determines the internal quality such as sugar content and acidity of agricultural products such as fruits without destroying the agricultural products, the target object such as agricultural products is irradiated with light from a light source. A nondestructive inspection apparatus is known in which reflected light or transmitted light is received by a light receiving unit to determine the internal quality of the object to be determined based on the amount of light received by the light receiving unit (for example, Patent Document 1). In such a nondestructive inspection apparatus, a halogen lamp or the like is used as a light source.

It is known that such a light source requires approximately 10 to 30 minutes for the amount of light emitted from the light source to be stabilized. In other words, immediately after the light source rises, the amount of irradiation light is larger than when it is stable.If the determination is started before the light is stabilized, the amount of light received by the light receiving unit after being reflected or transmitted by the object to be determined is also stable. Therefore, the internal quality cannot be determined accurately.
Therefore, conventionally, the determination cannot be made until the irradiation light quantity is stabilized after the light source is turned on, resulting in a waste of time.
JP 2004-361347 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a nondestructive inspection apparatus capable of shortening the time from the start of a light source to the start of determination and a sorting apparatus including the same. And

  A nondestructive inspection apparatus according to the present invention includes a light source that irradiates a light beam to the object to be determined, a light receiving unit that receives reflected light or transmitted light of the light beam, and the inside of the object to be determined based on the amount of light received by the light receiving unit. A nondestructive inspection apparatus including a determination unit for determining quality, wherein the determination unit stores a time-light quantity relationship indicating a relationship between a time after the light source is started up and an irradiation light amount of the light source. Storage means, timing means for measuring the time since the light source was started, reading the time-light quantity relationship from the storage means, and the irradiation light quantity from the light source at the time measured by the timing means, and stable time And a correction means for correcting the data on the amount of light received by the light receiving unit based on the calculation result. .

According to the nondestructive inspection apparatus having the above configuration, a light beam is emitted from a light source to a determination target, and reflected light or transmitted light of the light beam is received by a light receiving unit. In the determination unit, the internal quality of the determination target is determined based on the amount of light received by the light receiving unit.
Here, the storage unit of the determination unit stores a time-light quantity relationship indicating a relation between a time after the light source is started up and an irradiation light quantity of the light source. On the other hand, the time after starting the light source is measured by the time measuring means of the determination unit. Then, the time-light quantity relationship is read from the storage means by the calculation means of the determination section and measured by the timing means for the received light quantity received by the light receiving section between the time when the light source is turned on and the time when the irradiation light quantity is stabilized. The relationship between the amount of light emitted from the light source during the set time and the amount of light emitted from the light source at the stable time is calculated, and the data on the amount of received light is corrected by the correcting means based on the calculation result.

Thus, by previously storing the time-light quantity relationship indicating the relationship between the time since the light source was turned on and the irradiation light amount of the light source, and correcting the data of the received light amount based on the time-light quantity relationship, Even if the determination is started before the irradiation light quantity of the light source is stabilized, an accurate determination result can be obtained.
Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time from the start of the light source to the start of determination.

  Preferably, the calculation means reads the time-light quantity relationship from the storage means, calculates a ratio of the irradiation light quantity from the light source at the time measured by the time measurement means to a stable time, and the correction means The correction is performed by multiplying the amount of light received by the light receiving unit by a correction coefficient that is inversely proportional to the ratio of the irradiation light amount calculated by the calculation means.

In this case, the time-light quantity relationship is read from the storage means, and the ratio between the light quantity irradiated from the light source at the time measured by the time measuring means and the light quantity emitted from the light source at the stable time is calculated by the calculation means. The correction unit multiplies the correction coefficient inversely proportional to the calculated ratio by the received light amount in the light receiving unit, thereby correcting the data of the received light amount.
As a result, the calculation of the correction coefficient can be formulated and corrected uniformly.

  Preferably, the light source is a halogen lamp.

  The sorting device according to the present invention includes a housing unit that houses a plurality of objects to be judged, and a sorting device body that sorts the objects to be judged from the housing unit, the housing unit and the body of the sorting device. The non-destructive inspection apparatus having the above-described configuration is disposed between the two.

According to the sorting apparatus having the above-described configuration, a plurality of objects to be determined can be stored in the storage unit, and the objects to be determined are sequentially sent from the storage unit to the main body of the selection device, and the objects to be determined are selected. The non-destructive inspection device having the above-described configuration is disposed between the storage unit and the sorting apparatus main body, and sorting based on the determination result of the internal quality of the object to be determined can be performed in the sorting apparatus main body.
Therefore, determination and selection of the internal quality of the determination target can be performed in one step, and efficiency can be improved.

According to the nondestructive inspection apparatus according to the present invention, the time-light quantity relationship indicating the relationship between the time since the light source is turned on and the irradiation light amount of the light source is stored in advance, and the received light amount is based on the time-light quantity relationship. By correcting this data, an accurate determination result can be obtained even if the determination is started before the irradiation light quantity of the light source is stabilized.
Therefore, it is possible to shorten the time from the start of the light source to the start of determination.
Moreover, according to the sorting apparatus provided with the nondestructive inspection apparatus, it is possible to determine and sort the internal quality of the object to be judged in one step, and to improve efficiency.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a detaching apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an example 100 of a sorting apparatus according to the present invention.

  A sorting device 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes a supply device 10 that supplies agricultural products A such as cherries, a sorting device body 20 that sorts the agricultural products A from the supply devices 10 based on the external characteristics of the agricultural products A, and the agricultural products A. A nondestructive inspection device 30 that determines the internal quality of the agricultural product A is provided as a determination object. Further, the sorting apparatus main body 20 sorts the agricultural product A by the sorting device 40 that sorts the agricultural product A and the agricultural product A supplied from the hopper 11 by the supply unit 12 based on the external characteristics of the agricultural product A (the weight of the agricultural product A in this embodiment). A sorting unit 21 for sorting and a control device 50 (not shown in FIG. 1, refer to FIG. 5 described later) for controlling sorting of the produce A are provided.

  The supply device 10 includes an accommodating portion 11 (hereinafter referred to as a hopper) that accommodates a plurality of agricultural products A, and a supply portion 12 that supplies the agricultural products A from the hopper 11 to the sorting device body 20. The hopper 11 is disposed outside the track of a conveyor 212, which will be described later, in the sorting apparatus main body 20, and includes a regulation plate 121 that regulates passage of one agricultural product A. The supply unit 12 includes a supply conveyor 122 arranged to supply the agricultural products A regulated by the regulation plate 121 in a row, and the regulation plate 121 is used in the hopper 11 by the supply conveyor 122. Each agricultural product A that is regulated and aligned in a row on the regulating plate 121 is directed to a supply guide 210 (to be described later) of the sorting apparatus main body 20 one by one along a predetermined supply direction (X direction in the figure) by the supply conveyor 122. One end is connected to the hopper 11, and the other end extends to the middle of the forward straight track region of the conveyor 212.

  The sorting unit 21 of the sorting apparatus main body 20 includes a supply guide 210, a plurality of (here, 20) buckets 211, and a plurality of (herein, first to third) dischargers 213a, in addition to the transport conveyor 212 described above. , 213b, 213c, a plurality of (herein, first to third) containers 214a, 214b, 214c and a weighing device 215. The supply guide 210 is supplied in the supply direction X by a support member (not shown) so that the agricultural product A arriving at the supply end portion 122a can be guided to the bucket 211 at the supply end portion 122a of the supply conveyor 122. It is inclined and arranged in the direction which crosses.

  The plurality of buckets 211 are holding members that can hold the agricultural products A supplied from the supply unit 12 one by one, and specifically, each of them has an inverted quadrangular pyramid shape. These buckets 211 are supported in a row at predetermined intervals so as to be able to fall over by a parallel link (not shown) on the conveyor 212.

  The conveyor 212 includes a pair of sprockets 212a and 212b driven by a drive source (not shown) and a chain 212c spanned between the pair of sprockets 212a and 212b. The plurality of buckets 211 are supported by 212c. Thereby, the agricultural products A can be placed on each bucket 211 and conveyed in a line around the predetermined direction (arrow clockwise direction Y in the figure) along the elliptical orbit.

  The first to third dischargers 213a, 213b, and 213c are arranged in tandem in the straight path region on the return path side of the conveyor 212, and a discharge command is given from the control device 50. Under the instruction of the control device 50, the bucket 211 conveyed by the conveyor 212 is overturned, and the agricultural products are discharged from the bucket 211 to the first to third containers 214a, 214b, 214c, respectively. Configured to get. The first to third storage units 214a, 214b, and 214c temporarily store agricultural products discharged from the bucket 211, and the first to third dischargers 213a, 213b, and 213c, respectively. It is arranged corresponding to. Note that a mechanism (not shown) for raising the fallen bucket 211 is disposed in the transfer area of the transfer conveyor 212 and downstream of the first to third dischargers 213a, 213b, and 213c. is there. The weighing device 215 incorporates a load cell or the like in this embodiment, and is a return-side straight track region of the conveyor 212 and is upstream of the first to third dischargers 213a, 213b, and 213c. It is arranged. The weighing device 215 is configured to sequentially measure the total weight of the individual buckets 211 transported by the transport conveyor 212 and the agricultural product A placed on the buckets 211, and each measurement result obtained. Can be transmitted to the control device 50. The ejectors 213a, 213b, 213c, the weighing device 215, and the like can adopt the same configuration as the ejector, the weighing device, and the like used in the conventional sorting device. A description of this configuration will be omitted.

  The non-destructive inspection device 30 is disposed between the hopper 11 and the sorting device main body 20, and in the present embodiment, the sorting device is moved from the hopper 11 to the sorting device in the feeding unit 12 of the feeding device 10. The internal quality of the agricultural product A supplied toward the main body 20 (more specifically, for example, the sugar content of the agricultural product A) is measured nondestructively.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the non-destructive inspection device 30 as viewed from the downstream side in the supply direction X of the produce A. FIG. 3 shows the internal configuration of the non-destructive inspection device 30 and the measurement state by the non-destructive inspection device 30. It is a typical side view which shows.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the nondestructive inspection device 30 includes a light shielding tunnel portion 31 formed by bending a light shielding member in a substantially inverted U shape when viewed from the front, and above the supply portion 12. The agricultural product A supplied by the supply conveyor 122 of the supply unit 12 passes below the light-shielding tunnel unit 31.

  The light-shielding tunnel portion 31 is provided with a light-shielding curtain 34 at the entrance 32, and is blocked by the light-shielding curtain 34, so that disturbance light that enters from the entrance 32 into the light-shielding tunnel portion 31 is blocked. It is comprised so that quantity can be reduced. The light-shielding tunnel portion 31 is similarly provided with a light-shielding curtain 34 at the outlet 33. Thereby, the disturbance light which infiltrates into the said light shielding tunnel part 31 from the exit 33 of the said light shielding tunnel part 31 can be reduced. The light shielding curtain 34 may be provided only on one of the entrance side and the exit side of the light shielding tunnel portion 31.

  A light projector 35 is disposed inside the light-shielding tunnel portion 31 so as to irradiate the produce A supplied by the supply conveyor 122 one row at a time toward the sorting apparatus main body 20. A light receiver 36 is arranged so that the agricultural product A is irradiated from the projector 35 and the reflected light from the agricultural product A is incident. The light projector 35 includes a light source 35b disposed in a bottomed cylindrical light projecting case 35a, and an opening of the light projecting case 35a is detachably closed by a protection plate 35c. Here, the light source 35b is a halogen lamp. The light receiver 36 is a photoelectric sensor as a light receiving unit that transmits an electrical signal having an intensity corresponding to the amount of received light to the control unit 50 at the bottom of a bottomed cylindrical light receiving case 36a made of a light shielding material. An element 36b is provided, and the opening of the light receiving case 36a is detachably blocked by a protective plate 36c that allows light to pass through and prevents entry of dust and the like. A translucent filter (not shown) that transmits only light of a predetermined wavelength (for example, near infrared region) is disposed inside the protective plate 36c, and light transmitted through the translucent filter is photoelectric element 36b. And photoelectrically converted there.

  As described above, since the light receiver 36 covers the periphery of the photoelectric element 36b with the light-shielding light-receiving case 36a, even if disturbance light enters the light-shielding tunnel portion 31, the influence thereof is reduced. It can be reduced as much as possible. Further, since the opening of the light projecting case 35a and the opening of the light receiving case 36a are detachably closed by the protective plates 35c and 36c, dust and the like enter the both cases 35a and 36a. Since the protection plate 35c, 36c can be easily cleaned and replaced, maintenance of the light projector 35 and the light receiver 36 is easy.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sorting device 40 is disposed on the supply path of the produce A between the nondestructive inspection device 30 and the sorting unit 21, and the measured value of the nondestructive inspection device 30 is used. Based on this, the agricultural product A can be sorted. Furthermore, the distribution device 40 is configured to receive a distribution command from the control device 50, and under the instruction of the control device 50, the distribution device 40 supplies air to the produce A supplied by the supply conveyor 122. By spraying, the agricultural product A can be discharged toward the collection box 46 arranged on the side of the supply direction X (Z direction in the figure) (in other words, not to be supplied to the sorting apparatus body 20). )It is configured.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the sorting device 40 as viewed from the supply direction side of the produce A (the collection box 46 side). As shown in FIG. 4, the distribution device 40 includes a nozzle 41 that blows air on the agricultural product A supplied by the supply conveyor 122, a nozzle cover 42 that covers the nozzle 41, and the agricultural product A distributed by air. And a sorting cover 43 that guides in the direction of the arrow Z toward the recovery box 46. The cover 41 and the distribution cover 43 are disposed to face each other with the supply conveyor 122 interposed therebetween.

  Further, in the sorting device 40, a regulator (not shown) for supplying compressed air to the nozzle 41 at a predetermined pressure through a pipe from a compressor (not shown) or the like is disposed via an electromagnetic valve 45. The electromagnetic valve 45 is electrically connected to the control device 50.

  FIG. 5 is a system block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the control device 50 in the sorting device 100 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of control of the sorting operation by the control device 50.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the control device 50 includes a computer 51 such as a microcomputer that executes the control program P, and a storage unit 52. The storage means 52 is composed of a ROM (including a drive device capable of reading an external storage medium such as a CD-ROM) or the like, and the control program P shown in the flowchart of FIG. Various data to be described later to be used are stored. The computer 51 can read the information stored in the storage means 52 and execute the control program P.

The storage means 52 stores in advance a time-light quantity relationship indicating a relation between a time tr after the light source 35b is started up and an irradiation light quantity Iin of the light source 35b.
FIG. 7 is a time-light quantity relationship diagram in the light source 35b. In FIG. 7, the time-light quantity relationship in the halogen lamp as the light source 35b is shown as the irradiation light quantity (vertical axis) change with respect to time (horizontal axis) as an irradiation light quantity curve _Ct-I. In such a case, the data may be such continuous curve data, or may be table data having the irradiation light quantity at a predetermined time as numerical data.
As shown in FIG. 7, the irradiation light amount Iin of the halogen lamp which is the light source 35b is larger than the irradiation light amount (hereinafter also referred to as a stable light amount) Is at the time of stabilization immediately after startup, and monotonously as time passes. To decrease. Then, when the stability reference time ts is exceeded, the value becomes substantially constant in the vicinity of the stable light amount Is, and the irradiation light amount is stabilized. Although this stable reference time ts depends on the light source 35b, it is generally about 10 to 30 minutes. In the present embodiment, the value of the stability reference time ts is also stored in the storage unit 52.

  The control program P causes the computer 51 to function as means including timing, calculation, and correction means P1 to P3 described below, and causes the control device 50 to receive the light receiving unit of the light receiver 36 in the nondestructive inspection device 30. It is made to function as a determination unit that determines the internal quality of the produce A that is a determination object based on the received light amount Iout.

  The time measuring means P1 is a means for measuring a time tr from when the light source 35b is started (lighted). A timer provided in the computer 51 may be used, or an external timer means may be connected to the computer 51 separately.

The calculation means P2 reads the time-light quantity relationship from the storage means 52, and the irradiation light quantity Iin from the light source 35b at the time tr measured by the time measuring means P1 and the irradiation light quantity Is from the light source 35b at the stable time. Is a means for calculating the relationship.
More specifically, the calculation means P2 is a means for calculating the ratio D = Iin / Is of the irradiation light quantity Is from the light source 35b at the time tr measured by the time measuring means P1 to the irradiation light quantity Is at the time of stability.

The correction unit P3 is a unit that corrects data about the amount of light received by the light receiving unit (photoelectric element 36b) based on the calculation result of the calculation unit P2.
More specifically, the correction means P3 is a means for performing correction by multiplying the amount of light received by the light receiving section by a correction coefficient E = k / D that is inversely proportional to the ratio of the irradiation light quantity Iin calculated by the calculation means P2.

Next, the control of the sorting operation by the sorting apparatus 100 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, the light source 35b of the projector 35 of the nondestructive inspection apparatus 30 is activated to make it possible to irradiate the produce A, which is the object to be transported, with light (step S1). At the same time, the computer 51 of the control device 50 functions as the time measuring means P1, and the measurement of the time after starting the light source 35b is started (step S2).
In this state, when sorting the agricultural products A in the sorting device 100, the plurality of agricultural products A accommodated in the hopper 11 are carried out by the supply conveyor 122 and supplied one by one toward the sorting device body 20 one by one. (Step S3).
In the present embodiment, as described above, the determination by the non-destructive inspection apparatus 30 can be performed without waiting for the stable reference time ts at which the irradiation light amount of the light source 35b is stabilized, but as shown in FIG. Immediately after the start of the light source 35b, the temporal change of the irradiation light amount Iin is steep, so it is preferable to start the determination by the nondestructive inspection device 30 after a certain period of time. Even in this case, after starting the light source 35b, the determination can be started after about 5 to 15 minutes have elapsed, which is significantly larger than the conventional case where the stability starts after the stable reference time ts (15 to 30 minutes) has elapsed. Time can be reduced.

  In the non-destructive inspection apparatus 30 disposed between the hopper 11 and the sorting apparatus main body 20, as shown in FIG. 3, the objects to be supplied from the hopper 11 by the supply conveyor 122 in a line. Agricultural product A, which is a judgment object, is irradiated with light from the light source 35b of the projector 35, and the light reflected from the agricultural product A is received by the light receiver 36, which is a light receiving unit, and received by the light receiver 36. An electric signal (measured value) having an intensity corresponding to the received light amount is transmitted to the control device 50 (step S4).

Here, based on the time measured by the time measuring means P1, the light receiving time when the reflected light is received by the light receiver 36 after the light source 35b is started up (strictly speaking, the irradiation light that generated the reflected light is used as the light source). The time (tr when 35b is irradiated) tr and the stable reference time ts stored in the storage means 52 are compared (step S5).
When the light reception time tr does not exceed the stability reference time ts (Yes in step S5), the irradiation light amount Iin of the light source 35b is not stable (here, the light reception amount Iout is measured to be larger than the original value). Correction processing is performed on the received light amount of the received reflected light beam (step S6).
FIG. 8 shows a received light spectrum received by the light receiving unit of the nondestructive inspection apparatus 30 in a certain agricultural product A and a corrected received light spectrum after the correction process of the present embodiment is performed on the received light spectrum. As shown in FIG. 8, the peak amount of light received Iout is different because the time tr is different for the same agricultural product A (tr1, tr2 <ts).

In the correction process, the time-light quantity relationship (the irradiation light quantity curve C _t-I and the stable light quantity Is) is read from the storage means 52, and the time tr (that is, the time measured by the computer 51 functioning as the time measuring means P1) The ratio between the irradiation light amount Iin from the light source 35b and the irradiation light amount (stable light amount) Is from the light source 35b in a stable state during the time from when the light source 35b is turned on until the irradiation light beam that generated the reflected light is irradiated. D = Iin / Is is calculated by the computer 51 functioning as the calculation means P2. Then, when the computer 51 functions as the correction means P3, a correction coefficient E that is inversely proportional to the calculated ratio D is calculated, and multiplied by the actual received light amount Iout in the light receiving unit, whereby the received light amount Iout is corrected for data. Then, the corrected received light amount _ID is output.

That is, the correction coefficient E is represented by E = k / D = k · Is / Iin. Note that k is a constant independent of the values of Iin and Iout.
Therefore, the corrected received light amount _ID in the received light amount Iout is obtained by the following equation.
I _D = E · Iout = (k / D) · Iout = (k · Is / Iin) · Iout
Specifically, for example, in FIG. 7, when the constant k = 1 in the above equation, when the irradiation light amount Iin = 2Is at time tr1, the corrected received light amount I _D = 0.5 Iout, and the irradiation light amount Iin = time at time tr2. When 1.5 Is, the corrected received light amount I _D is 0.67 Iout.

In the present embodiment, the correction for multiplying the light reception amount Iout by the correction coefficient E using the ratio D between the irradiation light amount Iin and the stable light amount Is as described above has been described, but other correction methods may be employed. Is possible.
For example, the calculation means P2 reads the time-light quantity relationship from the storage means 52, and subtracts the irradiation light quantity Is from the light source at the stable time from the irradiation light quantity Iin from the light source 35b at the time measured by the time measuring means P1. The correction means P3 corrects the correction amount G, which is proportional to the difference F of the irradiation light amount calculated by the calculation means P2, from the light reception amount Iout in the light receiving unit. It is good.

In this case, the time-light quantity relationship (the irradiation light quantity curve C _t-I and the stable light quantity Is) is read from the storage means 51, and the time tr (that is, the light source) timed by the computer 51 functioning as the time measuring means P1. The difference F = Iin between the irradiation light amount Iin from the light source 35b and the irradiation light amount (stable light amount) Is from the light source at the stable time in a period from when the light beam 35b is activated until the irradiation light beam that has generated the reflected light is irradiated. -Is is calculated by the computer 51 functioning as the calculation means P2. Then, when the computer 51 functions as the correction means P3, a correction amount G proportional to the calculated difference F is calculated, and the received light amount Iout is data-corrected by subtracting from the received light amount Iout in the light receiving unit. The corrected received light amount _ID is output.

That is, the correction coefficient G is represented by G = mF. Note that m is a constant independent of the values of Iin and Iout.
Therefore, the corrected received light amount _ID in the received light amount Iout is obtained by the following equation.
I _D = Iout−G = Iout−mF = Iout−m (Iin−Is)
Specifically, for example, in FIG. 7, when the constant m in the above equation is 0.5, the corrected received light amount I _D = Iout−0.5Is when the irradiation light amount Iin = 2Is at the time tr1 and at the time tr2. When the irradiation light amount Iin = 1.5 Is, the corrected received light amount I _D = Iout−0.25Is.

In this way, the time-light quantity relationship indicating the relationship between the time tr after the light source 35b is started up and the irradiation light quantity Iin of the light source 35b is stored in advance, and the data of the received light quantity Iout is stored based on the time-light quantity relation. By correcting, even if the determination is started before the irradiation light amount Iin of the light source 35b is stabilized, an accurate determination result can be obtained.
In the correction process, by formulating the calculation of the correction amount, it is possible to uniformly correct the light reception result received before the stable reference time ts.

When the light reception time tr exceeds the stability reference ts (No in step S5), the control is performed based on an electric signal (a fixed value) corresponding to the amount of light received transmitted from the nondestructive inspection device 30. The internal quality (for example, sugar content) of the agricultural product A is determined by the device 50 (step S7).
For example, by storing the reference sugar content in the storage means 52 in advance, and comparing the measured value of the non-destructive inspection device 30 with the reference sugar content read from the storage means 52, the internal quality (sugar content) level Are classified into multiple categories.
Similarly, the internal quality of the agricultural product A is determined by the control device 50 based on the measurement value after the correction process for the measurement value subjected to the correction process.

  In addition, those that do not satisfy the standard (No in step S8) can be discharged to the side Z in the supply direction X toward the collection box 46 (not to be supplied to the sorting apparatus main body 20). The distribution command is given to the electromagnetic valve 45 of the distribution device 40 disposed between the nondestructive inspection device 30 and the sorting device main body 20 (step S9). As a result, the electromagnetic valve 45 of the sorting device 40 is actuated on the produce A supplied by the supply conveyor 122, and air is blown from the nozzle 41. The produce A to which the air has been blown is guided to the sorting cover 43 and collected in the collection box 46.

  On the other hand, for those satisfying the determination criteria in the non-destructive inspection apparatus 30 (Yes in step S8), the distribution command is not given to the distribution apparatus 40 as the agricultural product A can be shipped (step S10). Therefore, the agricultural product A is transported to the supply terminal portion 122 a of the supply conveyor 122. The agricultural product A conveyed to the supply terminal portion 122a is guided from the supply terminal portion 122a to the supply guide 210 and supplied to the bucket 211 conveyed in synchronization with the agricultural product A by the conveyor 212. .

  Agricultural products placed in the bucket 211 in the weighing device 215 arranged in the straight path region on the return path side of the conveyor 212 and upstream of the first to third dischargers 213a, 213b, and 213c. The total weight of A is measured, and the obtained measurement result is transmitted to the control device 50 (step S11).

  In the control device 50 that has received the measurement result, the weight of the bucket 211 is stored in advance in the storage means 52, and the weight of the bucket 211 is read out by the computer 51 and provided from the weighing device 215. The weight of the agricultural product A is calculated by subtracting the weight of the bucket 211 read from the storage means 52 from the weighing result. And the weight of the obtained agricultural product A is memorize | stored in the said memory | storage means 52 in the state synchronized with the conveyance of the said bucket 211 by the said conveyance conveyor 212 (step S12).

  Furthermore, in the control device 50, a correspondence table in which the discharger to be operated is associated with a plurality of (three in this case) ranks set to be different from each other based on the weight of the produce A in the storage unit 52. Is stored in advance. The correspondence table is read by the computer 51, and based on the weight of the agricultural product A calculated in the step S12, it is specified to which rank of the plurality of ranks the agricultural product A belongs. The first to third dischargers 213a, 213b, and 213c are associated with any one of the plurality of ranks, and the bucket 211 on which the produce A with the specified rank is loaded corresponds to the rank. When transported to the position of the machine, a discharge command is given to the discharger to be discharged by the discharger (step S13). Any one of the dischargers 213a, 213b, and 213c that has received the discharge instruction falls the bucket 211 that is opposed at the timing. As a result, the produce A is sorted according to the corresponding weight rank.

  Thereafter, the presence or absence of supply of the produce A is determined by an appropriate detection means (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of the produce A (step S14). If there is supply (Yes in step S14), steps S4 to S13 are performed. On the other hand, when the operations up to are sequentially repeated, when the agricultural product A is not supplied to the bucket 211 (No in step S14), the sorting operation ends.

  According to the sorting apparatus 100 described above, the non-destructive inspection device 30 that determines the internal quality of the produce A is disposed between the hopper 11 and the sorter main body 20, so that it is based on the weight of the produce A. In sorting, the non-destructive inspection device 30 can perform sorting in consideration of the internal quality of the produce A, thereby improving the differentiation and added value of the sorting device 100.

  Further, a sorting device 40 that sorts the produce A is disposed between the non-destructive inspection device 30 and the sorting device main body 20, and the non-destructive inspection device 30 determines that the internal quality of the produce A is below a standard. In such a case, the sorting device 40 is configured not to supply the produce A to the sorting device main body 20, so that it may be repelled in advance so as not to sort the produce A having an internal quality that does not meet the standard. it can. Furthermore, since the nondestructive inspection device 30 and the weighing device 215 measure the total number of the plurality of agricultural products A accommodated in the hopper 11, a total inspection can be performed instead of a sampling inspection.

As mentioned above, although embodiment which concerns on this invention was described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various improvement, change, and correction are possible within the range which does not deviate from the meaning.
For example, the aspect of the selection unit 21 of the selection apparatus 100 is not limited to that described in the present embodiment, and various aspects having various configurations can be widely employed. In the present embodiment, the sorting unit 21, 21a, 21b employs a sorter that sorts the produce A based on the weight of the produce A, but sorts the produce A based on the size of the produce A. For example, you may employ | adopt what sorts using the magnitude | size of the space | interval of the conveyance belt provided in parallel.

In the nondestructive inspection device 30, a plurality of determination criteria may be provided, while in the sorting device 100, the sorting to the sorting unit of the sorting device 40 may be divided into a plurality. As a result, not only “fail” and “pass” but also multiple rankings such as “sweet”, “sweeter” and “very sweet” are possible among “pass” depending on sugar content, for example. .
In addition, examples of the internal quality of the produce A determined by the non-destructive inspection apparatus 30 include sugar content and acidity, and it is possible to determine a plurality of types of internal quality in parallel, or to switch the type of internal quality to be determined. It is good.

  Further, as a light receiving unit of the nondestructive inspection device 30, a light receiver 36 is disposed opposite to the light projector 35, so that the transmitted light of the light irradiated to the produce A from the light source 35b of the light projector 35 can be converted into a photoelectric element. It is good also as a structure which can receive light in 36b.

  Further, in the present embodiment, in the sorting operation shown in FIG. 6, when the internal quality is determined in the nondestructive inspection apparatus 30, the time tr after the light source 35b is started is after the stable reference time ts has elapsed. Although the correction process is not performed, the correction process may be performed even after the stability reference time ts has elapsed. In this case, even after the stable reference time ts has elapsed, when the amount of light emitted from the light source 35b changes due to voltage fluctuations due to disturbance, the amount of light received by the light receiving unit is corrected, and determination with higher accuracy is possible. It becomes possible.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of an example of a sorting apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of the nondestructive inspection apparatus viewed from the downstream side in the supply direction of agricultural products. FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing an internal configuration of the nondestructive inspection apparatus and a measurement state by the nondestructive inspection apparatus. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the sorting device as viewed from the side of the agricultural product supply direction. FIG. 5 is a system block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a control device in the sorting apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a flow of control of the sorting operation by the control device in the sorting device shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a time-light quantity relationship diagram in the light source of FIG. FIG. 8 shows a received light spectrum received by the light receiving unit of the non-destructive inspection apparatus 30 for a certain agricultural product A and a corrected received light spectrum after the correction processing of the present embodiment is performed on the received light spectrum.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Storage part 20 ... Sorting-apparatus main body 30 ... Nondestructive inspection apparatus 35b ... Light source 36b ... Light-receiving part 50 ... Control apparatus (determination part)
51 ... Computer 52 ... Storage means 100 ... Sorting device A ... Agricultural product (determined object)
C _t-I ... Irradiation light quantity curve (time-light quantity relationship)
D: Ratio of irradiated light amount Iin: Irradiated light amount Iout: Received light amount Is: Stable light amount (irradiated light amount from a light source in a stable state)
P1 ... Time measuring means P2 ... Calculating means P3 ... Correction means tr ... Time after starting the light source

Claims (4)

A light source for irradiating the object to be judged with light;
A light receiving unit that receives reflected or transmitted light of the light beam;
A nondestructive inspection apparatus comprising a determination unit that determines the internal quality of the determination target based on the amount of light received by the light receiving unit,
The determination unit
Storage means for storing a time-light quantity relationship indicating a relation between a time after starting the light source and an irradiation light quantity of the light source;
A time measuring means for measuring the time since the light source was started,
An arithmetic unit that reads out the time-light quantity relationship from the storage unit and calculates a relationship between an irradiation light amount from the light source at a time measured by the time measuring unit and an irradiation light amount from the light source at a stable time;
A nondestructive inspection apparatus, comprising: correction means for correcting data on the amount of light received by the light receiving unit based on the calculation result. The calculation means reads the time-light quantity relationship from the storage means, and calculates the ratio of the irradiation light quantity from the light source at the time measured by the time measurement means to the stable time,
The nondestructive inspection according to claim 1, wherein the correction unit performs a correction by multiplying a light reception amount in the light receiving unit by a correction coefficient inversely proportional to the ratio of the irradiation light amount calculated by the calculation unit. apparatus.   The nondestructive inspection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light source is a halogen lamp. A storage unit for storing a plurality of objects to be determined; and a sorting apparatus main body for selecting the objects to be determined from the storage unit;
The non-destructive inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is arranged between the storage part and the main body of the selection apparatus.

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