JP2015202458A - Greengrocery sorter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a greengrocery sorter which can determine rank values for rank sorting regardless of kinds or shapes of greengrocery and be post-fitted to the conveyer of an existing sorter.SOLUTION: The greengrocery sorter comprises a conveyer that transports greengrocery in a line in a constant direction, speed-sensing means for sensing the transportation speed of the conveyer, a pair of measuring electrodes disposed opposite both sides of the conveyer, and an arithmetic processing unit connected to the speed-sensing means and the measuring electrodes. The arithmetic processing unit determines rank values of greengrocery on the basis of conveyer speed data sensed by the speed-sensing means and greengrocery capacitance data measured by the measuring electrodes.

Description

  The present invention relates to a fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus that measures the size and weight of fruits and vegetables in a non-destructive and non-contact manner, and determines the class value of fruits and vegetables that serves as a standard for classifying fruits and vegetables.

  Traditionally, in fruit selections for sorting and packaging of fruits and vegetables, fruits and vegetables are classified as “excellent” and “excellent” based on quality standards, and “L” and “M” based on the size of each grade. Sorted by class sorting.

For such class sorting and class sorting, for example, a sorting device as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used.
Further, as a means for determining the size for classifying fruits and vegetables, the fruits and vegetables can be classified by a drum system in which a drum having a large number of holes having a diameter according to the standard is arranged in the order of the hole diameter, and a weight measuring means provided on the conveyor There are known a weight measurement system that measures and discriminates the weight of the food, an image processing system that photographs the fruits and vegetables conveyed by the conveyor with an imaging device, and determines the size by image processing.

JP 2003-236476 A

  However, since the drum system selects the size of the fruits and vegetables by passing the fruits and vegetables themselves through a substantially circular hole, for example, in the case of fruits and vegetables having a biased shape such as potatoes and onions, “L In some cases, erroneous determinations such as “size” fruits and vegetables pass through “M” size holes may occur.

  In addition, in the weight measurement method, it is necessary to provide a mechanism for weight measurement on the conveyor, and it cannot be retrofitted to an existing sorting device, and the sorting device itself needs to be replaced. Can not.

  Further, in the image processing method, the outer shape of the fruits and vegetables is discriminated two-dimensionally. For example, in the case of fruits and vegetables that are easily peeled off, such as onions, There is a case where a large erroneous determination is made. Further, such an image processing apparatus is very expensive to be provided only for determining the size of fruits and vegetables, and is not worth the cost.

  In view of such a current situation, the present invention provides a fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus that can determine a class value for class sorting regardless of the type and shape of fruits and vegetables and can be retrofitted to a conveyor of an existing sorting apparatus. For the purpose.

The present invention has been invented to solve the problems in the prior art as described above, and the fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus of the present invention is a fruit and vegetable sorting method for determining a class value of fruits and vegetables that serves as a basis for sorting fruits and vegetables. A device,
A conveyor that conveys the fruits and vegetables in a single row in a certain direction;
Speed detecting means for detecting the conveying speed of the conveyor;
A pair of measuring electrodes disposed opposite to both sides of the conveyor;
An arithmetic processing unit connected to the speed detection means and the measurement electrode,
In the arithmetic processing unit, the class value of the fruits and vegetables is determined based on the speed data of the conveyor detected by the speed detection means and the capacitance data of the fruits and vegetables measured by the measurement electrodes. It is characterized by being.

In this case, in the arithmetic processing unit, a capacitance integral that is an integral value of the capacitance data X (t) from the time a at which the fruits and vegetables begin to pass between the measurement electrodes to the time b at which the fruits and vegetables have finished passing. The value S is calculated as shown in the following formula (1),
It is preferable that the class value Y is calculated based on the capacitance integral value S as shown in the following formula (2).

However, the coefficient k and the constant b are values calculated in advance based on the relationship between the capacitance integral value S and the class value Y.
In such a fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus, it is preferable that the measurement electrode includes an electromagnetic shield.

In such a fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus, it is preferable to further include a correction means for removing the influence of noise.
As a correction means, as the capacitance data, a difference between a blank measurement value that is a capacitance value of a place where fruits and vegetables are not placed on the conveyor and a capacitance value when the fruits and vegetables are measured is calculated. Any hardware can be used as long as it can be operated.

In this case, the correction unit may be configured to include a difference circuit configured to output a difference between the blank measurement value and a capacitance value when the fruits and vegetables are measured.
The correction means may include a correction electrode for measuring the blank measurement value.

Further, on the side of the conveyor, further comprising a fruit diameter detection means for detecting the fruit fruit fruit diameter,
The fruit diameter detecting means is connected to the arithmetic processing unit,
The arithmetic processing unit may be configured to determine the internal quality of the fruits and vegetables by comparing the height data of the fruits and vegetables obtained by the fruit diameter detection means and the class value of the fruits and vegetables. .
In addition, the determination of the internal quality of the fruits and vegetables can be at least one of the presence / absence of an internal failure and the determination of the amount of edible part.

  According to the present invention, the size of the fruits and vegetables is discriminated based on the change in the capacitance between the measurement electrodes by passing the fruits and vegetables between the measurement electrodes arranged opposite to both sides of the conveyor. Therefore, erroneous determination does not occur regardless of the type or shape of the fruit or vegetable.

  In addition, since the fruits and vegetables are selected based on the capacitance between the measurement electrodes, for example, fruits and vegetables having internal cavities can be discriminated, and can be used for sorting fruits and vegetables.

  Furthermore, in this invention, since it is the structure which provides a measurement electrode facing the side of a conveyor, it can be retrofitted also to the conveyor of the existing sorting apparatus, and installation cost can also be held down.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining the configuration of the fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus in the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining measurement electrodes of the fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus of FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining another configuration of the fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the elapsed time and the capacitance output value. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the integrated capacitance value and the class value for a plurality of fruits and vegetables. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining a configuration when a correcting unit is provided in the fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus. FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining another configuration when the correcting unit is provided in the fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments (examples) of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining the configuration of the fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus in the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram for explaining measurement electrodes of the fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment includes a conveyor 14 for conveying the fruits and vegetables 12 to be measured, and speed detection means 16 for detecting the conveyance speed of the conveyor 14. And a pair of measuring electrodes 18 disposed opposite to both sides of the conveyor 14.

  The conveyor 14 is not particularly limited as long as it conveys the fruits and vegetables 12 in a certain direction in a row, and for example, a belt conveyor, a roller conveyor, a PK conveyor, or the like can be used.

  In the present embodiment, the conveyor 14 is configured to convey the fruits and vegetables 12 in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG.

  Further, the measurement electrode 18 is not particularly limited as long as a capacitance is generated between the pair of measurement electrodes 18, but in the case where the fruits and vegetables 12 are continuously conveyed close to each other, the measurement resolution is reduced. In order to increase the thickness, it is preferable that the width of the measurement electrode 18 is narrowed, and specifically, it is preferable to be about 10 mm.

In order to prevent the influence of external electromagnetic waves and the like, the measurement electrode 18 preferably includes an electromagnetic shield 19.
The pair of measurement electrodes 18 may be curved according to the shape of the fruits and vegetables 12 as shown in FIG. Thus, the capacitance based on the fruits and vegetables 12 can be measured more accurately by matching the measurement electrodes 18 to the shape of the fruits and vegetables 12.

  The speed detection means 16 and the measurement electrode 18 are connected to the arithmetic processing device 20, and the arithmetic processing device 20 is measured by the speed data of the conveyor 14 detected by the speed detection means 16 and the measurement electrode 18. The class value of the fruits and vegetables 12 is determined based on the capacitance data of the fruits and vegetables 12.

  Specifically, the arithmetic processing unit 20 acquires capacitance data at predetermined time intervals based on the speed data. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 4, the relationship between elapsed time and a capacitance output value can be obtained.

  In this embodiment, the onion is measured as the fruits and vegetables 12, and the onions are classified using “2L”, “L large”, “L”, and “M”. ing. In FIG. 4, a value obtained by standardizing capacitance data is used as the capacitance output value.

  As is clear from FIG. 4, the maximum capacitance output value increases as the size of the fruits and vegetables 12 increases. From this, by providing a threshold value of the capacitance output value for each class, the class value of the fruits and vegetables 12 can be determined based on the maximum capacitance output value of the fruits and vegetables 12.

  Moreover, in order to classify the fruits and vegetables 12 more accurately, in the arithmetic processing unit 20, as shown in the following formula (1), the fruits and vegetables 12 have finished passing from the time a at which they begin to pass between the measurement electrodes 18. A capacitance integral value S that is an integral value of the capacitance output value X (t) until time b is calculated.

Based on the electrostatic capacitance integral value S, the class value Y of the fruits and vegetables 12 can be calculated as shown in the following formula (2).

Note that the coefficient k and the constant b can be calculated based on the relationship between the capacitance integral value S and the class value Y obtained in advance through experiments or the like.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the relationship between the capacitance integrated value S and the class value Y (weight in the present embodiment) is obtained for a plurality of fruits and vegetables 12, and these approximate straight lines are calculated. By doing so, the coefficient k and the constant b can be obtained.

The class value Y is not particularly limited as long as it is a standard value for class sorting of the fruits and vegetables 12. For example, weight, diameter, volume, surface area, and the like can be used.
By obtaining the relationship between the class value Y thus determined and the class standardized by the fruits and vegetables 12 in advance, the classifying of the fruits and vegetables 12 can be performed by a sorting device (not shown).

  Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, fruit diameter detecting means 22 including a plurality of laser sensors arranged in the height direction of the fruits and vegetables 12 is provided on the side of the conveyor 14. The fruit diameter detecting means 22 is also connected to the arithmetic processing device 20 and transmits fruit fruit diameter data detected by the fruit diameter detecting means 22 to the arithmetic processing device 20.

  By comparing the fruit size data obtained by the fruit size detecting means 22 with the class value Y obtained as described above by the arithmetic processing unit 20, the internal quality of the fruit 12 is determined. For example, there are injuries such as internal cavities, and light fruits and vegetables can be selected as defective products against the appearance.

  In addition, as internal quality of the fruit and vegetables 12 which can be determined with the fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus 10 of a present Example, the presence or absence of internal obstructions, such as an internal cavity and a rise, the magnitude | size of the seeds of fruit and vegetables 12 (edible part amount determination) etc. Is mentioned.

Moreover, in such a fruit and vegetables sorting device 10, in order to remove the influence by the conveyor 14, the influence of temperature fluctuation, the noise by surrounding environment, etc., it is preferable to provide a correction means.
In this embodiment, the correction means includes software executed in the arithmetic processing unit 20 as will be described later.

  Specifically, the capacitance (blank measurement value) of a portion where the fruits and vegetables 12 are not placed on the conveyor 14 (for example, a gap between the fruits and vegetables 12) is measured by the pair of measurement electrodes 18, and this is the reference value. As described above, the difference between the capacitance value and the reference value when the fruits and vegetables 12 are measured is calculated by the arithmetic processing unit 20, so that the difference values can be used as the capacitance data of the fruits and vegetables 12.

  Alternatively, the arithmetic processing unit 20 stores a theoretical value or a blank measurement value measured in advance as a reference value, and calculates a difference between the capacitance value when the fruit and vegetables 12 are measured and the reference value stored in advance. The difference value may be used as the capacitance data of the fruits and vegetables 12 by calculation in the processing device 20.

  Moreover, as a correction | amendment means, as shown in FIG. 6, you may provide the difference circuit 24 provided in the arithmetic processing unit 20. As shown in FIG. The difference circuit 24 shown in FIG. 6 includes temporary storage means (not shown), and the capacitance (blank measurement value) of the portion where the fruits and vegetables 12 are not placed on the conveyor 14 is measured by a pair of measurement electrodes 18. This is measured and stored as a reference value in the temporary storage means of the difference circuit 25, and the difference circuit 24 outputs the difference between the capacitance value when the fruits and vegetables 12 are measured and the reference value stored in the temporary storage means. The output value can be used as the capacitance data of the fruits and vegetables 12.

  Moreover, as a correction means, as shown in FIG. 7, it arrange | positions in the location (for example, belt return part 14a, etc. when the conveyor 14 is a belt conveyor) where the fruits and vegetables 12 are not mounted in the conveyor 14. The corrected electrode 26 may be provided.

  By providing the correction electrode 26 in this way, a blank measurement value can be obtained by the correction electrode 26, and the capacitance value of the fruits and vegetables 12 measured by the pair of measurement electrodes 18 and the blank measured by the correction electrode 26. By inputting the measurement value to the difference circuit 24, the difference between the capacitance value and the blank measurement value can be output, and this output value can be used as the capacitance data of the fruits and vegetables 12.

  When the correction electrode 26 is provided, the difference value can also be calculated by software in the arithmetic processing unit 20 without using the difference circuit 24.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the capacitance integral value S is a standardized capacitance. Although the integral value of the output value is used, the integral value of the capacitance data may be used.

  In addition, for example, it can be used in combination with an internal quality sensor that can measure internal quality such as sugar content, acidity, and ripeness of fruits and vegetables. Various modifications can be made without departing from the object of the present invention, such as improvement in accuracy.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Fruits and vegetables sorter 12 Fruits and vegetables 14 Conveyor 16 Speed detection means 18 Measurement electrode 19 Electromagnetic shield 20 Arithmetic processor 22 Fruit diameter detection means 24 Difference circuit 26 Correction electrode

Claims (9)

A fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus for determining a class value of fruits and vegetables that is a standard for class sorting of fruits and vegetables,
A conveyor that conveys the fruits and vegetables in a single row in a certain direction;
Speed detecting means for detecting the conveying speed of the conveyor;
A pair of measuring electrodes disposed opposite to both sides of the conveyor;
An arithmetic processing unit connected to the speed detection means and the measurement electrode,
In the arithmetic processing unit, the class value of the fruits and vegetables is determined based on the speed data of the conveyor detected by the speed detection means and the capacitance data of the fruits and vegetables measured by the measurement electrodes. The fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus characterized by being made. In the arithmetic processing unit, a capacitance integral value S that is an integral value of the capacitance data X (t) from the time a at which the fruits and vegetables begin to pass between the measurement electrodes to the time b at which the fruits and vegetables have passed is obtained. Calculated as shown in the following formula (1),
2. The fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the class value Y is calculated based on the capacitance integral value S as shown in the following formula (2).

However, the coefficient k and the constant b are values calculated in advance based on the relationship between the capacitance integral value S and the class value Y.   The fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measurement electrode includes an electromagnetic shield.   The fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus further includes a correction unit for removing the influence of noise.   The correction means, as the capacitance data, a difference between a blank measurement value that is a capacitance value of a place where fruits and vegetables are not placed on the conveyor and a capacitance value when the fruits and vegetables are measured The fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus according to claim 4, wherein calculation is performed.   6. The fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the correction means includes a difference circuit configured to output a difference between the blank measurement value and a capacitance value when the fruit and vegetables are measured. .   The fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the correction means includes a correction electrode for measuring the blank measurement value. On the side of the conveyor, further comprising a fruit diameter detection means for detecting the fruit fruit diameter,
The fruit diameter detecting means is connected to the arithmetic processing unit,
The arithmetic processing unit is configured to determine the internal quality of the fruit and vegetables by comparing the fruit diameter data obtained by the fruit diameter detecting means and the class value of the fruit and vegetables. The fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.   The fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the determination of the internal quality of the fruit or vegetable is at least one of the presence or absence of an internal failure and the determination of the edible part amount.

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