JP2010042326A - Optical cereal grain sorting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical cereal grain sorting apparatus which is improved in sorting accuracy of colored grains when sorting and removing refined rice from colored grains at the same time, and simplified in signal processing. <P>SOLUTION: The optical cereal grain sorting apparatus includes: an illumination means irradiating grains from one side with light having three wavelengths, consisting of red, green and blue regions of the visible light region and irradiating grains from the other side with light having two wavelengths, consisting of green and blue regions of the visible light region; an optical detection means simultaneously monitoring the grains illuminated by the illumination means from one side and the other side for every wavelength of the red, green and blue regions; a defective matter discriminating means determining refined rice or not based on the detection signals of the red region of the one side and the other side of the optical detection means, and determining colored grains or foreign matter based on detection signals of the green and blue regions of the one side and the other side of the optical detection means; and a sorting means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an optical grain sorting device.

Conventionally, as an optical sorting device for grains that enables sorting and removal of colored grains, transparent foreign matter, and crushed rice (milky white grains), the removal signal is compared by comparing the output signal of the light receiving sensor with an arbitrary threshold value. A control circuit that outputs light is provided with a rice setting circuit that switches the lighting for sorting rice that uses a light source in the visible light range, and the light source in a specific visible light range is only allowed to irradiate the background. However, there is one provided with shielding means for shielding irradiation to the grains flowing down the flow locus (see Patent Document 1).

  Further, as a rice grain discrimination inspection device for increasing the rice grain discrimination processing speed, an inspection device for optically examining the rice grain flowing down from the lower end of the chute, and each falling rice grain based on a detection signal from the inspection device, Some have a discriminating device that discriminates by providing a plurality of threshold values for each so that burns, shirata, nourishment, foreign matter and the like can be discriminated (see Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent No. 3506312 JP 2006-170750 A

In the optical sorting device described in Patent Document 1, when the shirata rice setting circuit is operated, the light source in the visible light range is switched to the slab for rice sorting, and the flow path L is lowered by the shielding means. The upper visible light source is also shielded. When trying to select and remove rice grains and colored grains in this state at the same time, since rice grains are milky white, the transmittance is lower and the reflectance is higher than polished rice. On the other hand, the difference in the amount of reflected light becomes clear, and the slag rice can be selected and removed well. On the other hand, in the colored particles, since the illumination conditions are different between the light source above the flow track L and the light source below the flow track L, there may be a problem in sorting accuracy. That is, even if there is no problem in the detection from the lower side of the flow track L, there is a partial colored particle (for example, a minute colored particle such as a worm bite (stink bug damage particle)) in the detection from the upper side of the flow track L. If so, the detection accuracy on that side is inferior, and the selection / removal signal may not be output.

On the other hand, in the rice grain discrimination inspection apparatus described in Patent Document 2, rice grains considered to be non-defective products (glutinous rice) and rice grains generally regarded as defective products (discoloration such as chipping and burning, rusting, insect eating, etc.) occurred. Rice grains), the output signal from the visible light camera for each grain of rice is compared with four threshold values 1 to 4 in the comparator circuit, and each comparator output 1 to 1 is compared. 4, the counter provided separately after the comparator counts the time when the comparison circuit output is a “1” signal, and the two magnitude judgment reference values and the color density are compared, It is classified into non-defective glutinous rice, chipping as defective, discoloration such as burning, shirata, and worm-eaten. That is, as a discrimination algorithm, four threshold values serving as color density references are set, fine density determination is performed, and a counter that counts the time that is the “1” signal of the comparator is used as a comparator. In the determination circuit, a plurality of signal processes output from a large number of counters are combined and there is a problem that the signal processing in the determination circuit becomes complicated. Similarly to Patent Document 1, if the illumination conditions are different between the light source above the flow track L and the light source below the flow track L, there may be a problem in the color particle selection accuracy.

In view of the above problems, the present invention improves the accuracy of selecting colored grains and simplifies the signal processing when selecting and removing shira rice and colored grains simultaneously. It is a technical problem to provide a device.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention described in claim 1 is an optical grain sorting device for sorting and removing colored grains, scoured rice and foreign matters which are defective from good quality grains, A conveying means for conveying the grains to be used, and irradiating light of three wavelengths consisting of a red area, a green area and a blue area in the visible light range from one side of the grains emitted from the conveying means; Illuminating means for irradiating light of two wavelengths consisting of a green region and a blue region of the visible light region from the other side of the light source, and the grains illuminated by the illuminating unit from the one side and the other side, respectively, The optical detection means for simultaneously monitoring each wavelength of the green color region and the blue color region, and determining whether the rice is white or not based on the detection signal of the red color region on one side and the other side of the optical detection device And one of the optical detection means and the other of the green and blue regions on the other side. Defective product discriminating means for judging whether or not it is a colored particle or foreign matter based on the output signal, and a drop in which the non-defective product drops the colored grain, crushed rice and foreign matter discriminated as defective by the defective product discriminating means. The technical means of having a selection means for dropping and removing it in a different locus from the locus was taken.

  The invention according to claim 2 is an optical grain sorting device that sorts and removes colored grains that become defective from cereals that are good, scoured rice, and foreign substances, and conveys grains that are to be sorted. And irradiating light of three wavelengths consisting of a red region, a green region and a blue region of the visible light region from one side of the grain emitted from the conveying unit and visible from the other side of the grain Illumination means for irradiating light of two wavelengths consisting of a green area and a blue area of the light area, and grains illuminated by the illumination means, the red area, the green area and the blue area from one side and the other side, respectively. An optical detection means for simultaneously monitoring each wavelength of the optical detection means, and calculating the ratio of the red area detection signal and the green area detection signal on one side and the other side of the optical detection means, and the sorting object is brown rice In addition, sized and blue immature grains can be discriminated between non-defective sized granules and non-defective blue immature grains. And the unpolished rice screening means for separating the grains determined to be blue immature by the sizing / blue immature discrimination means by dropping them into a trajectory different from the falling trajectory where the sized grains fall, and the unpolished rice by the brown rice sorting means. Based on the detection signal of the red region on one side and the other side of the optical detection means, it is determined whether or not the divided grain is rice, and one side and the other of the optical detection means First defective product discriminating means for judging whether or not it is a colored particle or a foreign substance based on the detection signal of the green area and the blue color area on the side, and the colored grain discriminated as a defective product by the first defective product discriminating means The first sorting means for removing shirata rice and foreign matters by dropping them on a trajectory different from the fall trajectory where good products fall, and the grains classified into sized particles by the brown rice sorting means are one of the optical detection means. Based on the detection signal of the red region on the other side and And determining whether or not it is a colored grain or foreign matter based on the detection signals of the green and blue areas on one side and the other side of the optical detection means. 2 Defective product discriminating means, and second sorting that eliminates colored grains, crushed rice and foreign matters discriminated as inferior products by the second defective product discriminating means by dropping them on a trajectory different from the fall trajectory from which good products fall Means.

  The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the detection signal in the blue region of the optical detection means is used for determining colored grains or foreign matters that are defective when the object to be sorted is polished rice.

  The invention described in claim 4 is characterized in that the optical detection means can monitor transmitted light transmitted through the grain and reflected light from the surface of the grain.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the optical detection means is disposed so as to face the CCD camera, and a CCD camera capable of independently detecting the monitoring region for each wavelength of the red region, the green region, and the blue region. It is characterized by being comprised from the background made.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the CCD camera, the CCD camera divides incident light into a red region, a green region, and a blue region, and sensors having high sensitivity to the wavelength of each light are arranged in a line. It is characterized by the system.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the CCD camera has three lines for each of the red, green, and blue color sensors contained in one package, and several thousand photodiodes are linearly formed on each sensor line. The color line sensor system is arranged in the above.

In the invention according to claim 8, the optical detection means is provided with a dedicated light source dedicated to irradiating the background, and the brightness of the background is changed according to the object to be sorted. It is configured.

According to invention of Claim 1, while irradiating the light of 3 wavelengths which consists of the red region of a visible region, a green region, and a blue region from one side of a grain, it is visible region from the other side of a grain. As the two-wavelength light consisting of the green and blue regions is irradiated, illumination from two directions will not cause uneven illumination of the grain, and when colored grains or foreign matter pass through the inspection area Since the optical detection means determines whether it is a colored particle or a foreign substance based on a total of four detection signals of one side and the other side, and a total of four green and blue areas. Both the front and back sides of colored grains or foreign substances are monitored, and even if partially colored grains (fine colored grains such as stink bug damage grains) exist in the grains, sorting / removal signals are output with high accuracy. Improve sorting accuracy without the need for complex signal processing circuits It can be. Even when shirata rice has passed through the inspection area, it is determined whether or not it is shiro rice based on the detection signal in the red direction in two directions, so there is no oversight, and the sorting accuracy of shira rice is also high. improves.

According to the invention described in claim 2, when the material to be sorted is brown rice, in order to distinguish between sized grains and blue immature grains in advance, and inspecting the blue immature grains to determine defective products, The recovery rate for recovering non-defective products is improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the object to be sorted is polished rice, the reflected light amount (or transmitted light amount) of the polished rice is detected by detecting light in a blue region having a wavelength of about 400 to 500 nm. The difference between the amount of reflected light (or the amount of transmitted light) of the colored particles or foreign matters that are non-defective can be increased, and the polished rice that is non-defective and the colored particles or foreign matters that are defective can be reliably selected and removed. it can.

According to invention of Claim 4, since the optical detection means was made to be able to monitor the transmitted light which permeate | transmitted the grain, and the reflected light from the surface of a grain, it permeate | transmitted the grain Due to the difference in the amount of transmitted light, the function of discriminating between the non-defective and defective colored grains, white rice and foreign matter, and the difference in the amount of reflected light on the surface of the grain, the non-defective and colored grains, white rice and It also has a function of discriminating foreign substances, and it is possible to reliably select and remove colored grains, crushed rice and foreign substances that are defective.

According to the fifth, sixth and seventh aspects of the present invention, a CCD camera is employed as the optical detection means. For example, if the CCD camera is a 3CCD system, the incident light is split into the red, green and blue regions. Thus, a signal is extracted for each color, and the required performance of high image quality and high sensitivity is satisfied. If the CCD camera is a color line sensor system, the CCD transfer efficiency is improved, so the imaging speed is high, and a uniform image can be obtained without being conscious of image blur.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, a dedicated light source dedicated to irradiating the background is disposed in the optical detection means, and the brightness of the background is changed according to the object to be sorted. Thus, the brightness of the background can be appropriately adjusted according to the selected raw material.

The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic side sectional view of a grain sorting apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view showing an optical detection unit in more detail.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sorting device 1 includes a chute 2 disposed at an angle of approximately 60 degrees and a storage tank 3 for storing the grain, in order to move the grain downward and inclined. The vibration feeder 4 as means for conveying the grain from the storage tank 3 to the chute 2 and the lower and lower sides of the flow path L which is one side and the other side of the grain flowing down from the lower end of the chute 2 are sandwiched. A pair of optical detectors 5a and 5b provided (the upper side of the flow path is the front side 5a and the lower side of the flow path is the rear side 5b), and an ejector nozzle 6 as a sorting means provided further below; A non-defective product discharge basket 7 that is on the same inclination line as the chute 2 below the ejector nozzle 6 and receives the grains of the flow path L as it is without receiving a jet from the ejector nozzle 6, and surrounds the periphery of the good product discharge basket 7 Relieved A defective product discharge basket 8 is provided which is formed in a par shape and receives a blast from the ejector nozzle 6 to recover defective products from normal grains.

The chute 2 has a flat plate shape without a groove for sliding the grain with a wide width, and a chute cover 10 is provided on the surface of the chute 2 at a predetermined interval from the bottom surface 9 of the chute 2. The chute cover 10 is made of a hard plastic plate and prevents the grains to be selected from floating from the bottom surface 9 while sliding the chute 2, and the vertical rising portion 11 provided at the upper end of the chute cover 10. The grain that jumps from the vibration feeder 4 is suppressed and smoothly supplied to the chute 2.

The vibration feeder 4 is installed on a horizontal frame F1 constituting the machine frame F via a coil spring 12, and is provided with an electromagnetic drive coil 13 and the like for driving the support portion 4A to oscillate diagonally up and down.

The optical detectors 5a and 5b are respectively formed in a common box 14a and 14b. The front box 14a includes a visible light CCD camera 15a, a visible light source 16a, 16b, and 16c. The background 17a for opposition of the optical detection part 5b is installed. On the other hand, the rear box 14b is provided with a visible light CCD camera 15b, visible light sources 18a, 18b, and 18c, and an opposing background 17b for the optical detector 5a.
And the window members 19a and 19b which consist of transparent glass are engage | inserted by the side which opposes across the flow path L of the grain. The box bodies 14a and 14b are provided with inspection doors 20a and 20b that can be opened and closed by an air cylinder, so that the optical detectors 5a and 5b can be easily maintained.

Air from an air compressor (not shown) is supplied to the ejector nozzle 6 from a tube 24 via a sub tank 21, an air pipe 22, and an ejector valve 23. The sub-tank 21 temporarily stores air from the air compressor, and even if the sub-tank 21 is provided to consume a large amount of air ejected from the ejector nozzle 6, there is no risk of air shortage. .

Reference numeral 25 denotes a control box supported by the horizontal frame F <b> 2. In the control box 25, a power supply system board 26 and a control system board 27 for sorting are arranged in parallel. The horizontal frame F2 is provided so as to be rotatable downward by an air cylinder (not shown), and the bottom surface of the control box 25 is opened. As a result, the maintainability at the time of inspection and replacement of the power supply system board 26 and the control system board 27 related to sorting is improved, and the model can be easily changed.

A front door 29 that can be rotated upward by an air cylinder 28 is provided on an inclined wall provided on the front side of the machine frame F, and an operation panel 30 is embedded below the front door 29. On the other hand, the upper rear wall 31, the middle rear wall 32, and the lower rear wall 33 are provided on the vertical rear wall on the rear side of the machine frame F so as to be detachable from the machine frame F, thereby improving maintenance. ing.

Next, the detailed structure of the optical detectors 5a and 5b will be described with reference to FIG. The CCD camera 15a arranged in the optical detection unit 5a and the CCD camera 15b arranged in the optical detection unit 5b shown in FIG. 3 use a charge coupled device (CCD) as an output from the light receiving element. For example, a well-known line (one-dimensional) sensor or area (two-dimensional) image sensor that is extracted as a time-series signal can be used.

As the sensors of the CCD cameras 15a and 15b, it is preferable to employ a 3CCD image sensor having excellent color discrimination ability as shown in FIG. In the 3CCD system, light incident on the lens 34 of the camera 15a is split into red (R), green (G), and blue (B) via the first half mirror 35 and the second half mirror 36, The first red sensor 37, the first green sensor 38, and the first blue sensor 39, which have high sensitivity to the wavelengths of the respective lights (R, G, B) and are arranged in rows, are received respectively. Configured to be Similarly, the camera 15 b includes a lens 40, a first half mirror 41, a second half mirror 42, a second red sensor 43, a second green sensor 44, and a second blue sensor 45. Incident light is split into red (R), green (G), and blue (B) through the half mirrors 41 and 42, and the wavelengths of the respective lights are received by the sensors 43, 44, and 45, respectively. It is configured. In this 3CCD system, incident light is divided into a red region, a green region, and a blue region, and a signal is extracted for each color, thereby satisfying the required performance of high image quality and high sensitivity.

Further, as another embodiment of the sensors of the CCD cameras 15a and 15b, as shown in FIG. 4, three lines of red, green and blue sensors are built in one package, and several lines per sensor. A color line sensor in which a thousand photodiodes 49, 50, 51 are arranged in a straight line may be employed. In this color line sensor, for example, the scanning speed of the photodiodes 49, 50, 51 is 20 to 50 MHz per one, the CCD transfer efficiency is improved, the imaging speed is high, and the image blurring is performed. There is an advantage that a uniform image can be obtained without being conscious of.

  Furthermore, as a form of the sensors of the CCD cameras 15a and 15b, a linear line sensor (not shown) in which a red (R) sensor, a green (G) sensor, and a blue (B) sensor are sequentially arranged in a line. Any sensor may be used as long as it can extract red (R), green (G), and blue (B) received light data at high speed.

Next, the visible light sources 16a, 16b, and 16c of the optical detector 5a and the visible light sources 18a, 18b, and 18c of the optical detector 15b will be described with reference to FIG. The visible light sources 16a and 16c of the optical detection unit 5a and the visible light sources 18a and 18c of the optical detection unit 5b are approximately equidistant from the inspection position P so that each light source surrounds the inspection position P. It is arranged to become. On the other hand, the visible light source 16b of the optical detection unit 5a is disposed in the vicinity of the background 17a in order to dedicate irradiation to the background 17a, and similarly, the visible light source 18b of the optical detection unit 5b. Is also disposed in the vicinity of the background 17b in order to dedicate irradiation to the background 17b.

Further, the light source 16 that irradiates the grain from the upper side (front side) of the fall locus L is light of three colors consisting of a red region, a green region, and a blue region, that is, a red light region of about 600 to 700 nm. It includes three wavelength ranges, one wavelength range, a second wavelength range of about 450 to 600 nm in the green range, and a third wavelength range of about 400 to 500 nm in the blue range, from the lower side (rear side) of the fall locus L The light source 18 that irradiates the grain includes two wavelength regions of a second wavelength region of 450 to 600 nm in the green region and a third wavelength region of 400 to 500 nm in the blue region. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a light source including two wavelength regions can be installed on the front side, and a light source including three wavelength regions can be installed on the rear side.
As the light source 16 including three wavelength regions, for example, a fluorescent lamp, a white LED, or a full color LED can be adopted. As the light source 18 including two wavelength regions, for example, a two-wavelength type fluorescent lamp, two wavelengths A type of LED can be used.

Next, the control configuration will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a control block diagram of the grain sorting device, and the control device 52 includes a light amount adjusting circuit 53 and a sorting / removing discrimination circuit 54 inside. The light quantity adjusting circuit 53 is connected to the input side via the input interface 55 via the input interface 55 and the kind setting means 56 that can be operated by touch operation. The output side is connected to the output side 57 via the output interface 57 and the illumination light source 16b and the background. The light source 18b for illumination of 17b is connected. The sorting / removal discrimination circuit 54 is connected to the CCD camera 15a, 15b via the A / D converter 58 on the input side, and to the ejector valve 23 via the ejector drive circuit 59 on the output side. ing. In addition, the selection / removal determination circuit 54 is in communication with a storage means 60 that stores an arbitrary threshold value and the like.

With the configuration of the light amount adjustment circuit 53, when the operator operates the variety setting means 56 and selects a sorting raw material to be sorted such as brown rice, polished rice (glutinous rice), or glutinous rice, for each sorted raw material of the sorting target Data corresponding to the selection reference value is read from the storage unit 60, and the brightness of the illumination light source 16b in the background 17a and the illumination light source 18b in the background 17b is adjusted according to this data. Thereby, the brightness of the backgrounds 17a and 17b is automatically adjusted according to the selected raw material.

Next, the effect | action in the said embodiment is demonstrated. First, the case where brown rice is used as a sorting raw material to be sorted will be described. In the case of brown rice, the operator operates the variety setting means 56 to set the brightness of the backgrounds 17a and 17b to the same brightness as that of the good brown rice. Then, when brown rice is put into the storage tank 3 and the vibratory feeder 4 is operated to supply the chute 2 sequentially, the brown rice slides on the chute 2 and falls along the fall locus L from the lower end of the chute 2. To do. At the inspection position P, light in the visible light range is emitted from the light sources 16a and 16c and the light sources 18a and 18c, and the CCD cameras 15a and 15b monitor whether or not colored grains, white rice or foreign matters are mixed. ing.

That is, when the non-defective product passes the inspection position P, it is the same as the brightness of the backgrounds 17a and 17b, and the received light amount does not change. Therefore, the voltage levels of the sensors in the CCD cameras 15a and 15b do not change.

When the shirata rice passes the inspection position P, the first red sensor 37 in the CCD camera 15a detects the amount of reflected light on the surface of the grain, and the voltage level changes (at this time, the amount of reflected light of non-defective brown rice) It is detected to be brighter "Shirata rice".) Or the 2nd red sensor 43 of CCD camera 15b detects the transmitted light quantity of the grain by the red light illuminated by light source 16a, 16c, and produces a change in a voltage level (At this time, transmitted light rather than good brown rice) Is detected as dark "Shirata rice".)

When the colored particles or foreign matter pass through the inspection position P, the first green sensor 38 of the CCD camera 15a detects the reflected light amount or the transmitted light amount on one side (upper side) of the flow path L, while the CCD camera 15b. The second green sensor 44 detects the reflected light amount or transmitted light amount on the other side (lower side) of the flow path L, and changes in the voltage level (at this time, the reflected light amount and transmitted light amount are detected on both the front and back surfaces of the grain. Inspect for "colored particles" or "foreign matter").

When the above-mentioned rice, colored grains or foreign matter passes through the inspection position P and changes in the voltage level of each light receiving sensor, it is compared with an arbitrary threshold value in the sorting / removal discriminating circuit 54, and the ejector driving circuit An exclusion signal is output to 59. A drive signal to the ejector valve 23 is transmitted from the ejector drive circuit 59 with an arbitrary delay time, and as a result, the rice and colored grains that have received the high-pressure blast from the ejector nozzle 6 and crushed from the flow path L. Or a foreign material will be excluded. The rice, colored grains, or foreign matters removed from the flow path L are accommodated in the defective product discharge basket 8, and the non-defective product that does not receive the blast from the ejector nozzle 6 is directly accepted by the good product discharge basket 7 from the flow pattern L. It is done.

Next, when polished rice is used as a sorting raw material to be sorted, the operation contents are almost the same as those of brown rice except that a blue sensor is used when inspecting colored grains or foreign matters.

That is, when the colored particles or foreign matter pass through the inspection position P, the first blue sensor 39 of the CCD camera 15a detects the reflected light amount or transmitted light amount on one side (upper side) of the flow path L, while the CCD camera 15b. The second blue sensor 45 detects the amount of reflected light or the amount of transmitted light on the other side (downward side) of the flow path L, and changes the voltage level (at this time, the amount of reflected light and the amount of transmitted light are measured on both the front and back surfaces of the grain. Detect and inspect for "colored particles" or "foreign matter").

As described above, according to the present embodiment, light in the visible light range is irradiated from the light sources 16a and 16c and the light sources 18a and 18c at the inspection position P, and the flow path L is illuminated from two directions. When there is no illumination unevenness on the grain, and when the colored grain or foreign matter passes the inspection position P, the first green sensor 38 or the first blue sensor 39 of the CCD camera 15a is on one side of the flow path L. While the reflected light amount or transmitted light amount is detected on the upper side, the second green sensor 44 or the second blue sensor 45 of the CCD camera 15b detects the reflected light amount or transmitted light amount on the other side (lower side) of the flow path L. Therefore, since it is determined whether or not it is a colored particle or a foreign substance based on a total of four detection signals in one direction and the other side, and in the green and blue areas, it is always a colored particle or a foreign substance. Supervising both front and back Even if partially colored grains (fine colored grains such as stink bug damage grains) exist in the grain, the sorting / removal signal is output with high accuracy without providing a complicated signal processing circuit. In addition, the sorting accuracy can be improved. Even when shirata rice has passed through the inspection area, it is determined whether or not it is shiro rice based on the detection signal in the red direction in two directions, so there is no oversight, and the sorting accuracy of shira rice is also high. improves.

FIG. 6 is a control block diagram to which sized / blue immature grain discriminating means for discriminating between good sized particles and non-defective blue immature particles is added when the material to be sorted is brown rice. According to the selection / removal determination circuit 54 of the block diagram shown in FIG. 5, when the colored particles or foreign matter pass through the inspection position P, the voltage level of each light receiving sensor changes, so it is compared with an arbitrary threshold value. The removal signal is output, but when the threshold of the colored grains is increased (sensitivity is increased), the blue immature grains, which are blue color, are identified as colored grains, and are regarded as good products of brown rice. Even blue immature grains are recovered as defective coloring in the defective product discharge basket 8. Therefore, in the present embodiment, before the defective product discriminating means (selection / removal discriminating circuit 54) for determining whether or not it is a colored particle or a foreign substance, the sized particle which is a good product and the blue immature particle which is a good product are used. Because it is equipped with a sizing / blue immature grain discrimination means (sized grain / blue immature discrimination circuit 61), the sizing and blue immature grains are classified, and the blue immature grains are scrutinized to determine defective products. The recovery rate for recovering the grains as good products is improved.

Referring to FIG. 7, when light is irradiated to the sized grain of brown rice and the blue immature grain of brown rice and the reflected light is compared, the difference in reflected light amount is small at a wavelength of about 550 nm in the green region (G). It can be seen that at the wavelength of 660 nm in the red region (R), the amount of reflected light of the blue immature grains is small and recessed, and the difference in amount of reflected light between the sized particles and the blue immature grains is large. Irradiate the green area (G) wavelength of about 550 nm and the red area (R) wavelength of about 660 nm to brown rice mixed with blue immature grains, and calculate the ratio of the intensity of the reflected light, When the value exceeds a predetermined threshold value, it can be determined that the grain is a blue immature grain.

Referring again to FIG. 6, the control device 52 includes a sizing / blue immature discrimination circuit 61 and a sorting / removal discrimination circuit 54. The sensors 35, 36, and 37 of the CCD camera 15a and the sensors 43, 44, and 45 of the CCD camera 15b are connected to the input side, and the output side has a different trajectory from the fall trajectory where the sized particles fall. Brown rice sorting means 62 that drops and classifies the green immature grains, colored grains from the grains classified as blue immature, first sorting means 63 that eliminates the crushed rice and foreign matters, and colored grains from the grains classified into the sized grains The second sorting means 64 for removing the slag rice and foreign matters is communicated. Reference numeral 65 is a defective product collection box for collecting colored grains such as dead rice removed from the flow of blue immature grains, scoured rice and foreign matters, reference numeral 66 is a blue immature grain collection box, and reference numeral 67 is sized particles. A collection box 68 is a defective product collection box for collecting colored grains such as dead rice removed from the sized flow, crushed rice and foreign matter.

As described above, when the material to be sorted is brown rice, the sized grains and blue immature grains are distinguished in advance, and the blue immature grains are scrutinized to determine defective products. The rate will increase.

It is a schematic sectional side view of the grain sorting apparatus by this invention. It is the expanded sectional view which showed the optical detection part in detail. It is a detailed structure figure of an optical detection part. It is a detailed structure figure showing another embodiment of an optical detection part. It is a control block diagram of a grain sorter. It is the control block diagram which added the sizing / blue immature grain discrimination means for discriminating between the grain size of brown rice and the green immature grain of brown rice. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the brightness when light is irradiated to the sized grain of brown rice, and the blue immature grain of brown rice, and its wavelength.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sorting device 2 Chute 3 Storage tank 4 Vibrating feeder 5 Optical detector 6 Ejector nozzle 7 Non-defective product discharge rod 8 Defective product discharge rod 9 Bottom surface 10 Shoot cover 11 Standing portion 12 Coil spring 13 Electromagnetic drive coil 14 Box 15 CCD camera 16 Light source 17 Background 18 Light source 19 Window member 20 Inspection door 21 Sub tank 22 Air pipe 23 Ejector valve 24 Tube 25 Control box 26 Substrate 27 Substrate 28 Air cylinder 29 Front door 30 Operation panel 31 Upper rear wall 32 Middle rear wall 33 Lower rear wall 34 Lens 35 first half mirror 36 second half mirror 37 first red sensor 38 first green sensor 39 first blue sensor 40 lens 41 first half mirror 42 second half mirror 43 second red sensor 44 second green sensor 45 second Blue sensor 4 Photodiode 50 Photodiode 51 Photodiode 52 Control device 53 Light amount adjustment circuit 54 Sorting / removal discrimination circuit 55 Input interface 56 Product setting means 57 Output interface 58 A / D converter 59 Ejector drive circuit 60 Storage means 61 Grain size / blue immature Discrimination circuit 62 Brown rice sorting means 63 First sorting means 64 Second sorting means 65 Defective product collection box 66 Blue immature grain collection box 67 Sized collection box 68 Defective product collection box

Claims (8)

An optical grain sorting device that sorts and removes colored grains that become defective products, white rice and foreign substances that are defective from good quality grains,
Conveying means for conveying the grains to be sorted;
The light emitted from the one side of the grain emitted from the conveying means is irradiated with light of three wavelengths consisting of a red region, a green region and a blue region of the visible light region, and the green region of the visible light region from the other side of the grain. And illumination means for irradiating light of two wavelengths consisting of a blue region,
Optical detection means for simultaneously monitoring the grains illuminated by the illumination means for each wavelength of the red region, the green region and the blue region from one side and the other side,
Based on the detection signal of the red area on one side and the other side of the optical detection means, it is determined whether the rice is white rice, and the green area on one side and the other side of the optical detection means, Defective product discriminating means for judging whether it is a colored particle or a foreign substance based on the detection signal in the blue region,
An optical system characterized by having a sorting means for dropping colored grains, scoured rice, and foreign matter, which have been determined as defective by the defective product determining means, by dropping them on a trajectory different from a falling trajectory from which good products are dropped. Kernel sorting device. An optical grain sorting device that sorts and removes colored grains that become defective products, white rice and foreign substances that are defective from good quality grains,
Conveying means for conveying the grains to be sorted;
The light emitted from the one side of the grain emitted from the conveying means is irradiated with light of three wavelengths consisting of a red region, a green region and a blue region of the visible light region, and the green region of the visible light region from the other side of the grain. And illumination means for irradiating light of two wavelengths consisting of a blue region,
Optical detection means for simultaneously monitoring the grains illuminated by the illumination means for each wavelength of the red region, the green region and the blue region from one side and the other side,
When the ratio of the red area detection signal and the green area detection signal on one side and the other side of the optical detection means is calculated, and the sorting object is brown rice, the quality sized particle and the quality blue Sizing / blue immature grain discrimination means to discriminate into immature grains,
Brown rice sorting means for sorting the grains that have been determined to be blue immature by the sizing / blue immature discrimination means by dropping them into a trajectory different from the fall trajectory where the sized grains fall,
The grain classified as unripe by the brown rice sorting means is determined based on the detection signals of the red region on one side and the other side of the optical detection means, and whether or not the rice is crushed. A first defective product judging means for judging whether or not it is a colored particle or a foreign substance based on the detection signals of the green region and the blue region on one side and the other side of the detecting means;
A first sorting means for dropping colored grains, crushed rice, and foreign matter, which have been determined as defective by the first defective product determining means, by dropping them on a trajectory different from a falling trajectory from which good products are dropped;
The grains classified into sized particles by the brown rice sorting means are determined based on the detection signals of the red area on one side and the other side of the optical detection means, and whether or not the rice is white. A second defective product discriminating means for judging whether it is a colored particle or a foreign substance based on the detection signals of the green and blue areas on one side and the other side of the detecting means;
And a second sorting means for removing colored grains, crushed rice, and foreign matters, which have been judged as defective by the second defective product discriminating means, by dropping them on a trajectory different from the falling trajectory from which good products are dropped. Optical grain sorting device.   2. The optical grain sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detection signal of the blue region of the optical detection means is used for determining a colored grain or a foreign substance that becomes a defective product when the sorting object is polished rice.   The optical grain sorting according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the optical detection means is capable of monitoring transmitted light transmitted through the grain and reflected light from the surface of the grain. apparatus. The optical detection means is composed of a CCD camera that can independently detect the monitoring region for each wavelength of the red region, the green region, and the blue region, and a background arranged opposite to the CCD camera. The optical grain sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.   6. The CCD camera is of a 3CCD system in which incident light is split into red, green and blue regions, and sensors having high sensitivity to the wavelength of each light are arranged in a line. The optical grain sorting apparatus as described. The CCD camera is a color line sensor in which three lines of red, green and blue sensors are incorporated in one package, and thousands of photodiodes are arranged in a straight line in each sensor line. The optical grain sorting device according to claim 5, which is a method. 6. The optical detection means is provided with a dedicated light source dedicated to irradiating the background, and is configured such that the brightness of the background is changed according to the object to be sorted. The optical grain sorting device according to any one of 7.

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