JP2023159703A - Crop internal part measurement device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a crop internal part measurement device capable of accurately securing, measurement accuracy of internal quality of crops.SOLUTION: A light projecting part for projecting light for measuring internal part quality of a crop 2 toward the crop 2, is formed of: a plurality of LED light sources LA1 to LA15, the light sources being arranged over a whole body of a transport width direction which is a horizontal direction being orthogonal to a transport direction by a roller conveyor. Each LED light source LA1 to LA15 can be individually switched between turned on and turned off states. Out of the respective LED light sources LA1-LA15, only the LED light sources LA3, LA4, LA8, LA10, LA13 which are at positions facing crops 2 transported by the roller conveyor, are turned on.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to an internal measurement device for agricultural products.

Conventionally, agricultural product internal measuring devices have been known that measure the internal quality of agricultural products by projecting light (hereinafter also referred to as measurement light) from a light projecting part toward the agricultural products and receiving the transmitted light at a light receiving part. It is being

Patent Document 1 discloses an agricultural product internal measuring device that includes a plurality of conveyance rollers, one light projecting section, and a plurality of light receiving sections. In Patent Document 1, the conveyance rollers are arranged in parallel with a gap in the direction of conveyance of the agricultural products, and the agricultural products to be measured are placed in the gap between the pair of conveyance rollers. , the agricultural products are transported. Further, the light projecting section and the plurality of light receiving sections are arranged to face each other with the conveyance roller in between. As a result, the measurement light emitted from the light emitter passes through the crops, passes through the gap between the conveyance rollers, and is received by the light receiver, and the internal quality of the crops is measured by analyzing this received light (transmitted light). I try to do that.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-138885

By the way, the agricultural product internal measuring device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has only one light projecting section, and the distance from the light projecting section is from the longitudinal end of the conveyance roller to the longitudinal center. The sections tend to be longer. Since it is necessary to project a predetermined amount of measurement light onto the agricultural product even if there is an agricultural product near the longitudinal end of the transport roller, the amount of measurement light from the light projecting section is set to be large. I needed to keep it. As a result, the measurement light that has passed through the gap between the transport rollers where no crops are present is received by the light receiving unit while remaining at a large amount of light (the amount of light does not decrease by not passing through the crops). This caused phenomena such as lens flare and ghosting, which could have a negative impact on the accuracy of measuring the internal quality of agricultural products.

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide an internal measurement device for agricultural products that can ensure good accuracy in measuring the internal quality of agricultural products.

The solution means of the present invention to achieve the above-mentioned object is a conveying means including a conveying body that has a passage area through which light can pass and carries agricultural products by placing them on the passage area; A light projecting part and a light receiving part are arranged to face each other with the conveyance body in the vertical direction, and light is projected from the light projecting part toward the agricultural products, transmits through the agricultural products, and passes through the passage area. The present invention is based on a farm product internal measuring device that measures the internal quality of the farm products by receiving light with the light receiving section. This internal measurement device for agricultural products is characterized in that the light projecting section is provided over the entire width of the conveyor, which is a horizontal direction orthogonal to the direction of conveyance by the conveyor.

With this specific matter, it is possible to emit light from the light projecting section located at the center of the transport width direction to agricultural products located at the center of the transport width direction of the transport body, and Light can be projected onto the agricultural products located at the ends in the width direction from the light projection portions located at the ends in the transport width direction. In other words, the distance from the light projector to the crops can be made approximately equal regardless of the position of the farm products on the conveyor, and the distance from the light projector to the crops can be made approximately equal regardless of the position of the crops on the transport body, and the distance from the light projector to the agricultural products can be made almost uniform regardless of the position of the crops on the transport body. It becomes possible to project a predetermined amount of light even onto agricultural crops located in the area. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of phenomena such as lens flare and ghost caused by a large amount of light, and it is possible to ensure good measurement accuracy of the internal quality of agricultural products.

Further, the light projecting unit is configured to include a plurality of light sources arranged across the conveyance width direction, and each of the light sources can be individually switched between turning on and off, and Of each light source, a control device is provided that lights up only the light source located at a position facing the agricultural products transported by the transport body.

According to this, a light source located at a position that does not face the agricultural products transported by the transport body is not turned on and is turned off. Therefore, there is no longer any light that passes through the passage area of the conveyor and reaches the light receiving section without transmitting through the crops, and this avoids any negative impact on the accuracy of measuring the internal quality of the crops if this light exists. be able to. Furthermore, power consumption can be reduced compared to the case where all the light sources are turned on.

Further, the control device sets the timing for turning on the light source as the time when the agricultural products transported by the transport body reach a position facing the light source.

According to this, the light source remains in the off state until the agricultural products transported by the transporter reach a position facing the light source. This also eliminates the possibility of light reaching the light receiving unit by passing through the passage area of the carrier (the passage area where crops are not placed) without transmitting through the crops, which improves the accuracy of measuring the internal quality of the crops. can be secured in good condition. Furthermore, it is possible to obtain a longer period when the light source is turned off, and it is possible to reduce power consumption.

Further, each of the light sources is an LED light source or a laser light source.

Because these light sources have high straightness, they can effectively direct light toward agricultural products that are being transported to opposing positions, without requiring a mechanism to adjust the direction or width of the light. Can project light. In other words, it is possible to suppress the presence of light that does not pass through the crops (slips through the outside of the crops) and reaches the light receiving section, and it is possible to improve the measurement accuracy of the internal quality of the crops.

Further, the light projecting section includes a plurality of light sources arranged across the transport width direction, and shutters respectively disposed on the light projecting side of each of the light sources, Each of the shutters has an open position in which the light from the lit light source is projected towards the light receiving unit, and a closed position in which it blocks light from the lit light source from being projected towards the light receiving unit. The control device is configured to be able to switch between the shutters, and among the shutters, only the shutter corresponding to the light source located at a position facing the agricultural products transported by the transporting body is brought into the open position. ing.

According to this, the shutter disposed corresponding to the light source located at a position not facing the agricultural products transported by the transporter is in the closed position. Therefore, even if this light source were turned on, the light would be blocked by the shutter. Therefore, there is no longer any light that passes through the passage area of the conveyor and reaches the light receiving section without transmitting through the crops, and this avoids any negative impact on the accuracy of measuring the internal quality of the crops if this light exists. be able to.

Further, the control device sets the timing for switching the shutter from the closed position to the open position as a time when the agricultural products transported by the transport body reach a position facing the shutter.

According to this, the shutter corresponding to the light source (lit light source) remains in the closed position until the agricultural products transported by the transport body reach a position facing the light source. This also eliminates the possibility of light reaching the light receiving unit by passing through the passage area of the carrier (the passage area where crops are not placed) without transmitting through the crops, which improves the accuracy of measuring the internal quality of the crops. can be secured in good condition.

Further, each of the light sources is a halogen lamp.

This light source has relatively low responsiveness (lower responsiveness than LED light sources, etc.), so by switching the shutter between the closed and open positions, it is possible to provide good light only to the crops being measured. It is possible to project light. In other words, even if the halogen lamp is turned on all the time, it is possible to suppress the presence of light that does not pass through the crops (slips through the outside of the crops) and reaches the light receiving part, thereby improving the internal quality of the crops. Measurement accuracy can be improved.

Further, a plurality of the light projecting sections are arranged at mutually different positions in the transport direction of the transport body, and each of the light projecting sections has a different wavelength of the light source.

According to this, it becomes possible to measure the internal quality of each agricultural product (for each individual agricultural product) by projecting light of different wavelengths at different timings. For example, it becomes possible to measure internal quality without being affected by the thickness of agricultural products in the direction of light projection (without being affected by variations in light transmittance). Therefore, the accuracy of measuring the internal quality of agricultural products can be further improved.

Note that the light source in this case may be an LED light source, a laser light source, or a halogen lamp.

Further, the conveying means is a roller conveyor having a plurality of rollers as conveying bodies arranged at a predetermined interval in the conveying direction of the agricultural products, and the passing area is between the rollers that are adjacent to each other. and each of the light projecting parts is arranged such that when one light projecting part is located at a position facing the space between the rollers, the other light projecting part is located at a position facing the roller. It is arranged.

According to this, when one light projecting part is located at a position facing the space between the rollers and light is projected from the light source to the crops (the crops located at the position facing the light source), other The light emitter is located opposite the roller, so even if the light source of the light emitter is on or the shutter is in an open position, the light from the light source will be blocked by the roller and will not reach the light receiver. It becomes difficult. Therefore, the accuracy of measuring the internal quality of agricultural products can be improved.

In the present invention, a light projecting section for projecting light toward the agricultural products for measuring the internal quality of the agricultural products is provided throughout the transport width direction, which is a horizontal direction orthogonal to the transport direction by the transport means. There is. For this reason, it becomes possible to project a predetermined amount of light even onto agricultural products located at the ends in the conveyance width direction, without setting the amount of light from the light projecting unit large. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of phenomena such as lens flare and ghost caused by a large amount of light, and it is possible to ensure good measurement accuracy of the internal quality of agricultural products.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of an embodiment of a crop sorting device equipped with a crop internal measuring device according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of the alignment means. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of an exterior photographing means and an internal photographing means. It is a top view of the roller conveyor in an internal photographing means. It is a block diagram showing an outline of a control system of a farm products internal measuring device. FIG. 4 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 for explaining the lighting state of the second light projecting section. 7 is a view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 6. FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 for explaining the lighting state of the third light projecting section. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an instruction form of an instruction means. FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of a roller driving means from an alignment section to a measurement section in FIG. 1; FIG. 11 is a view of the roller, first forward rotation drive means, and reverse rotation drive means of FIG. 10 viewed from the upstream side in the conveyance direction. FIG. 6 is a side view for explaining the rotation state of the rollers in the alignment section. FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of first and second forward rotation drive means and reverse rotation drive means. FIG. 3 is a plan view for explaining the posture of agricultural products in the alignment section. FIG. 3 is a side view for explaining the rotation state of a roller on the upstream side of the measurement section (appearance quality determination section). FIG. 8 is a view corresponding to FIG. 7 showing a state in which all the shutters are in a closed position in a modified example. FIG. 8 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 7 showing a state of light projection in a modified example. FIG. 7 is a side view for explaining another rotational state of the rollers in the alignment section. FIG. 7 is a plan view schematically showing another configuration regarding the roller driving means from the alignment section to the take-out section. FIG. 3 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of a forced stop means. FIG. 7 is a plan view schematically showing still another configuration regarding the roller driving means from the alignment section to the take-out section. FIG. 22 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of the forced stop means in FIG. 21;

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, best embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of an embodiment of a crop sorting device 1 including a crop internal measuring device 1A (see FIG. 5) according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a crop sorting device 1 determines the quality (for example, color, size, presence or absence of scratches and rot, and state of scratches and rot) of a crop 2 such as potatoes and mandarin oranges, and determines whether the quality is standard. It is configured such that agricultural products 2 determined to be outside can be taken out.

This agricultural product sorting device 1 includes a supply means 3, a conveyance means 4, an alignment means 5, a selection means 6, a take-out means 7, an instruction means 8, an adjustment means 9, and the like.

The supply means 3 is provided in a supply section 201 on the upstream side of the conveyance means 4, and stores agricultural products 2 before sorting, for example. This supply means 3 is, for example, a container.

The conveyance means 4 conveys the plurality of agricultural products 2 supplied from the supply means 3, and is, for example, a roller conveyor.

The conveying means 4 includes a pair of left and right drive sprockets 41 (a pair in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 1), a pair of left and right driven sprockets 42, a pair of left and right chains 43, a plurality of rollers 44, a motor 45, and the like. .

A pair of left and right drive sprockets 41 are provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the agricultural products 2. A pair of left and right driven sprockets 42 are provided on the upstream side in the transport direction of the agricultural products 2.

A pair of left and right chains 43 are wound around a driving sprocket 41 and a driven sprocket 42, and are arranged to face each other and be spaced apart from each other in parallel in the lateral direction.

The plurality of rollers 44 are rotatably provided between the opposing pairs of left and right chains 43, and the longitudinal direction of each roller 44 is along a direction (conveyance width direction) perpendicular to the conveyance direction.

The motor 45 rotates (travels) the chain 43 by rotationally driving a drive sprocket 41 fixed to its output shaft (not shown). As the chain 43 rotates, the agricultural products 2 supported between the pair of rollers 44, 44 are transported. Therefore, the chain 43 and the rollers 44, 44, . . . constitute a conveying body (a conveying body on which agricultural products are placed and conveyed) in the present invention.

On the rollers 44 of such a conveyance means 4, from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the agricultural products 2, there are a supply section 201, an alignment section 202, a rotation direction switching section 203, a measurement section 204, and a take-out section 205. Assigned.

The alignment means 5 is provided in an alignment section 202 on the upstream side of the conveyance means 4, and separates the agricultural products 2 randomly supplied from the supply means 3 in the conveyance direction, and also in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction (conveyance width direction). ) so that they line up in a row.

As shown in FIG. 2, the alignment means 5 includes a diffusion roller conveyor 51 and a partition means 52.

The spreading roller conveyor 51 receives a plurality of agricultural products 2 from the supply means 3 and sends the plurality of agricultural products 2 to the conveying means 4 while scattering them back and forth and left and right, and basically functions as a roller conveyor as the conveying means 4. They have essentially the same configuration.

The outer size of the chain 511 of this diffusion roller conveyor 51 is significantly shorter than the roller conveyor as the conveying means 4, but the outer size of the rollers 512 of the diffusion roller conveyor 51 and the distance between the rollers 512 are It is made the same as that of the roller conveyor as means 4.

This spreading roller conveyor 51 is adjusted so as to send the plurality of farm products 2 toward the conveying means 4 at a speed that is half the conveying speed of the roller conveyor serving as the conveying means 4 . Note that the speed of the diffusion roller conveyor 51 is not limited to 1/2 of the conveyance speed of the roller conveyor as the conveyance means 4, but can be arbitrarily set to, for example, 1/4 or 1/8.

The partition means 52 arranges the agricultural products 2 sent from the spreading roller conveyor 51 between the rollers 44 of each virtual pair when two adjacent rollers 44 are formed into a virtual pair on the roller conveyor serving as the transport means 4. It is provided above the conveying surface of the conveying means 4.

As shown in FIG. 2, the partitioning means 52 includes a pair of left and right upstream sprockets 521, a pair of left and right downstream sprockets 522, a pair of left and right chains 523 as ring-shaped members, a partition member 524, and the like.

The pair of left and right upstream sprockets 521 and the pair of left and right downstream sprockets 522 are arranged to face each other and to be separated from each other in the conveying direction. The upstream sprocket 521 or the downstream sprocket 522 is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown).

A pair of left and right chains 523 are wound around a pair of left and right upstream sprockets 521 and a pair of left and right downstream sprockets 522, and are arranged so as to be spaced apart and facing each other in parallel in the lateral direction.

The partition members 524 are attached to the chain 523 at multiple locations spaced apart in the circumferential direction so as to protrude outward in the radial direction.

The distance between the partition members 524 is set to a length that sandwiches two adjacent rollers 44 on the roller conveyor serving as the conveying means 4.

The selection means 6 is provided in the measurement section 204 above the conveyance means 4, and determines whether the quality of the agricultural products 2 conveyed by the conveyance means 4 is out of standard or not, and also determines the position of the out-of-standard agricultural products 2. Recognize (position in XY coordinates).

As shown in FIG. 3, the selection means 6 includes an exterior photographing means 61, an internal photographing means 62, a determining means 63, a recognition means 64, and the like.

The external appearance photographing means 61 includes a first light projecting section 61a and a first light receiving section 61b. The first light projecting section 61a can be, for example, a known white LED that emits visible light. The first light receiving section 61b is for photographing visible light emitted from the first light projecting section 61a and reflected from the conveyance means 4 side, and can be, for example, a known CCD camera or CMOS camera.

This external appearance photographing means 61 is disposed on the upstream side in the transport direction (also referred to as an appearance quality determination section) in the measurement section 204 above the transport means 4, and is capable of photographing the entire upstream side of the measurement section 204. The external appearance of the agricultural products 2 being transported is photographed by the means 4, and the photographed image is transmitted to the external appearance determination device 61A. The appearance determination device 61A performs predetermined image processing on the received photographic image to determine whether the appearance quality satisfies a predetermined standard, and classifies agricultural products 2 that do not meet the predetermined standards as non-standard. Certified as an agricultural crop. This certification information is sent to the determining means 63. Note that as a method for determining whether or not the appearance quality of the agricultural products 2 is outside the predetermined standard, a known method can be adopted, so a detailed explanation will be omitted here.

The internal photographing means 62 includes a tracking camera 62a, a second light projecting section 62b, a third light projecting section 62c, a second light receiving section 62d, and a third light receiving section 62e.

The tracking camera 62a is for photographing the agricultural products 2 that have been transported to the downstream side in the transport direction (also referred to as the internal quality determination section) in the measurement section 204, and may be, for example, a known CCD camera or CMOS camera. can. This tracking camera 62a acquires information on the size, number, and position of the agricultural products 2 that have been transported to the internal quality determination section in the measurement section 204. Note that an illumination device that irradiates light toward the internal quality determination section may be provided in correspondence with the tracking camera 62a. This lighting device can be, for example, a known white LED that emits visible light.

The second and third light projectors 62b and 62c can be, for example, known near-infrared LEDs that emit near-infrared rays (details will be described later). The second and third light receiving sections 62d and 62e may be, for example, a known CCD camera or CMOS camera. The second light projecting section 62b and the second light receiving section 62d are arranged to face each other with the rollers 44, 44, . . . sandwiched therebetween in the vertical direction. Similarly, the third light projecting section 62c and the third light receiving section 62e are arranged opposite to each other with the rollers 44, 44, . Therefore, the second light receiving section 62d photographs the light (near infrared rays) that has passed through the agricultural products 2 directly above the second light projecting section 62b. The third light receiving section 62e photographs the light (near infrared rays) that has passed through the agricultural products 2 directly above the third light projecting section 62c. Note that each of the light projecting sections 61a, 62b, and 62c and each of the light receiving sections 61b, 62d, and 62e described above are attached to the frame 65.

The internal photographing means 62 photographs the inside of the agricultural products 2 being conveyed through the internal quality determination section on the conveying means 4, and transmits the photographed image to the internal determination device 62A. The internal determination device 62A performs predetermined image processing on the received photographed image to determine whether the internal quality of the agricultural products 2 satisfies a predetermined standard, and identifies agricultural products 2 that do not meet the predetermined standards. be certified as substandard agricultural products. This certification information is sent to the determining means 63. Note that as a method for determining whether or not the internal quality of the agricultural products 2 is outside a predetermined standard, a known method can be adopted, so a detailed explanation will be omitted here.

The feature of this embodiment lies in this internal photographing means 62. The configuration of this internal photographing means 62 will be specifically explained below. FIG. 4 is a plan view of the conveying means 4 (hereinafter also referred to as roller conveyor 4) in the internal photographing means 62. As shown in FIG. 4, the rollers 44, 44, . . . of the roller conveyor 4 are arranged in parallel at predetermined intervals in the conveyance direction. The distance S between the rollers 44, 44 adjacent to each other is set to be slightly smaller than the minimum outer diameter dimension expected for the agricultural product 2. The distance S between the rollers 44, 44 corresponds to the passing area (passing area through which light can pass) in the present invention.

Further, the second light projecting section 62b and the third light projecting section 62c each include a plurality of LED elements (hereinafter referred to as LED (referred to as light sources) LA1, LA2, ..., LA15, LB1, LB2, ..., LB15. In other words, the downstream side (downstream side in the conveyance direction: left side in FIG. 4) of the second light projecting section 62b constituted by a plurality of LED light sources LA1, LA2, ..., LA15 arranged in a line along the conveyance width direction. , a third light projecting section 62c is disposed, which is constituted by a plurality of LED light sources LB1, LB2, . . . , LB15 arranged in a line along the transport width direction. FIG. 4 shows a configuration in which 15 LED light sources LA1, LA2, ..., LA15, LB1, LB2, ..., LB15 are arranged in series at predetermined intervals in the transport width direction. The arrangement pitch and number of LA1, LA2, ..., LA15, LB1, LB2, ..., LB15 can be arbitrarily set. For example, 60 pieces may be arranged at a pitch of 10 mm. Note that the light source may be a laser light source instead of the LED light source.

In addition, the wavelengths of light of the LED light sources LA1, LA2, ..., LA15 forming the second light projecting section 62b and the LED light sources LB1, LB2, ..., LB15 forming the third light projecting section 62c are different from each other. different ones are used. When the thickness (thickness in the light transmission direction) of the agricultural products 2 is different for each agricultural product 2, the transmittance of each agricultural product 2 will be different. By using the light from 62c to measure the internal quality of the crops 2 at different timings (measured twice), it is hardly affected by the fact that the thickness of each crop 2 is different. This makes it possible to measure internal quality with high accuracy.

FIG. 4 shows that when the roller conveyor 4 moves, the distance S between the adjacent rollers 44, 44 is located above the second light projecting section 62b (LED light sources LA1, LA2, ..., LA15). Indicates the condition. The distance between the second light projecting section 62b and the third light projecting section 62c (pitch in the transport direction: distance t1 in FIG. 4) is the arrangement pitch t2 of each roller 44, 44, ... (axis of each roller 44, 44). (equivalent to the distance between each other). Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, a state ( In the state where the second light projecting section 62b is visible in a plan view), another roller 44 is located vertically above the third light projecting section 62c (LED light sources LB1, LB2,..., LB15) (in a plan view). (The third light projecting section 62c is not visible at this time). The relationship between the distance between the second light projecting section 62b and the third light projecting section 62c (pitch t1 in the transport direction) and the arrangement pitch t2 of each roller 44, 44, ... is limited to 3.5 times. Instead, it may be 0.5 times, 1.5 times, 2.5 times, etc. In other words, the other roller 44 is located vertically above the third light projecting section 62c while the distance S between the adjacent rollers 44, 44 is located above the second light projecting section 62b. It is sufficient if it becomes . In this case, although not shown, in a state where the distance S between the adjacent rollers 44, 44 is located above the third light projecting section 62c, another roller is placed vertically above the second light projecting section 62b. 44 will be located.

Next, a control system of the agricultural product internal measuring device 1A, which includes the internal photographing means 62, the internal determining device 62A, etc., will be explained. FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically showing a control system of the internal agricultural product measuring device 1A. As shown in FIG. 5, the control system of the agricultural product internal measurement device 1A includes the internal determination device 62A and a measurement control device (control device in the present invention) 62B that controls each of the light projectors 62b and 62c. We are prepared. These devices 62A, 62B include, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read-Only Memory) that stores a control program, a RAM (Random-Access Memory) that temporarily stores data, and an input device. Equipped with output ports, etc.

Each light receiving section 62d, 62e and a measurement control device 62B are connected to the internal determination device 62A by a signal line. As a result, image information from each of the light receiving sections 62d and 62e and information on the agricultural products 2 (size, number, position information) from the measurement control device 62B are input to the internal determination device 62A. . Further, determination result information (information on whether the internal quality of the agricultural products 2 satisfies a predetermined standard; certification information) from the internal determination device 62A is output to the measurement control device 62B. Further, as described above, this information (certification information) is also transmitted to the determination means 63.

The measurement control device 62B is connected to the light projectors 62b and 62c, a tracking camera 62a, an encoder 4a that detects the running speed of the roller conveyor 4, and an internal determination device 62A through signal lines. As a result, information from the tracking camera 62a (information on the size, number, and position of the agricultural products 2 conveyed to the internal quality judgment section), information from the encoder 4a (information on the running speed of the roller conveyor 4), and internal judgment Information from the device 62A (determination result information) is input to the measurement control device 62B. Further, control is provided for individually switching on and off the respective LED light sources LA1, LA2, ..., LA15, LB1, LB2, ..., LB15 constituting the second light projecting section 62b and the third light projecting section 62c. The signal and information on the agricultural products 2 are output to the internal determination device 62A.

The measurement control device 62B controls the lighting of the LED light sources LA1, LA2, ..., LA15, LB1, LB2, ..., LB15 of the second light projecting section 62b and the third light projecting section 62c through internal calculation processing. Output a signal. Specifically, the information from the tracking camera 62a (information on the size, number, and position of the agricultural products 2 transported to the internal quality determination section), the timing of acquiring the information from the tracking camera 62a, and the roller conveyor from the encoder 4a. Each LED light source LA1 that constitutes each of the light projectors 62b and 62c receives the information on the traveling speed of No. 4 and determines the distance from the photographing position of the tracking camera 62a stored in advance to each of the light projectors 62b and 62c. , LA2,..., LA15, LB1, LB2,..., LB15 and information on the LED light sources LA1, LA2,..., LA15, LB1, LB2,..., LB15 to be lit are sent to each light projector 62b as the control signal. , 62c, and each light projector 62b, 62c uses a predetermined LED light source (the LED light source when the agricultural product 2 has been transported vertically upward) at a predetermined timing (timing when the agricultural product 2 has been transported vertically upward). Control is performed to turn on the light. That is, each LED light source LA1, LA2, ..., LA15, LB1, LB2, ..., LB15 is controlled so that it is turned on only during the period when the agricultural products 2 pass vertically above.

FIG. 6 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 for explaining the lighting state of the second light projecting section 62b. Further, FIG. 7 is a diagram taken along the line VII-VII in FIG. 6. In FIG. 6, the LED light sources LA3, LA4, LA8, LA10, and LA13 that are lit are shown by broken lines, and the LED light sources that are not lit are not shown. In addition, in FIG. 7, the LED light sources LA3, LA4, LA8, LA10, and LA13 that are lit are shown by solid lines (the emitted light is shown by broken arrows), and the LED light sources LA1 and LA2 that are not lit are shown by solid lines. , LA5 to LA7, LA9, LA11, LA12, LA14, and LA15 are indicated by broken lines.

In these figures, a specific LED light source of the second light projecting section 62b (located vertically below the farm products 2) is activated at the timing when the four farm products 2 are conveyed vertically above the second light projecting section 62b. The LED light sources LA3, LA4, LA8, LA10, LA13) are in a lit state. Since the agricultural product 2 located at the uppermost side in FIG. 6 (located at the rightmost side toward the downstream side in the conveyance direction) is relatively large, it is assumed that the two opposing LED light sources LA3 and LA4 are turned on. It has become. Further, since the agricultural products 2 are not located vertically above the third light projecting section 62c, all the LED light sources LB1 to LB15 of the third light projecting section 62c are in a state of being turned off.

By lighting only the LED light sources LA3, LA4, LA8, LA10, and LA13 located vertically below the crops 2, the LED light sources LA1, LA2, LA5 to LA7, LA9, and LA11 located not facing the crops 2 are lit. , LA12, LA14, and LA15 are turned off without being turned on. Therefore, there is no light that passes through the gap S between the rollers 44, 44 and reaches the second light receiving part 62d without transmitting through the agricultural products 2, and the internal quality of the agricultural products 2 due to the presence of this light is reduced. This makes it possible to avoid adverse effects on measurement accuracy.

FIG. 8 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4 for explaining a state in which the conveyance by the roller conveyor 4 progresses from the state shown in FIG. 6 and the third light projecting section 62c is turned on. Also in FIG. 8, the LED light sources LB3, LB4, LB8, LB10, and LB13 that are lit are shown by broken lines, and the LED light sources that are not lit are not shown.

In FIG. 8, a specific LED light source of the third light projecting section 62c (located vertically below the farm products 2) is activated at the timing when the four farm products 2 are transported vertically above the third light projecting section 62c. The LED light sources LB3, LB4, LB8, LB10, LB13) are in a lit state. Further, all the LED light sources LA1 to LA15 of the second light projecting section 62b are in a state of being turned off.

Even in this case, since only the LED light sources LB3, LB4, LB8, LB10, and LB13 located vertically below the crops 2 are lit, the LED light sources located not facing the crops 2 are not lit. The light goes out without any warning. Therefore, there is no light that passes through the gap S between the rollers 44, 44 and reaches the third light receiving part 62e without passing through the agricultural products 2, and the internal quality of the agricultural products 2 due to the presence of this light is reduced. This makes it possible to avoid adverse effects on measurement accuracy.

The determining means 63 receives outputs from the external appearance determining device 61A and the internal determining device 62A, and identifies agricultural products 2 whose external appearance and/or internal quality are outside the standard.

The recognition means 64 is disposed on the downstream side (internal quality determination section) in the conveyance direction in the measurement section 204 above the conveyance means 4, and by photographing the entire downstream side of the measurement section 204, the determination means 63 determines the standard. The position (position in XY coordinates) of the agricultural product 2 determined to be outside is recognized, and the agricultural product 2 is tracked.

As shown in FIG. 3, this recognition means 64 is composed of a fourth light projecting section 64a and a fourth light receiving section 64b. The fourth light projector 64a can be, for example, a known white LED that emits visible light. The fourth light receiving section 64b photographs the visible light emitted from the fourth light projecting section 64a and reflected from the conveying means 4 side, and can be, for example, a known CCD camera or CMOS camera.

The take-out means 7 is arranged on the upstream side in the conveyance direction (also referred to as an automatic take-out section) in the take-out section 205 above the conveyance means 4, and is for automatically taking out non-standard agricultural products 2 from above the conveyance means 4. For example, it can be composed of a robot.

The extracting means 7 receives information regarding the position (position in XY coordinates) of the non-standard agricultural products 2, and extracts the non-standard agricultural products 2 transported by the transporting means 4 based on the received information. It is configured as follows.

Note that the taken out non-standard agricultural products 2 can be stored in a collection box (not shown), for example. Furthermore, the robot may be, for example, a parallel link type robot, a scalar type robot, or an articulated type robot.

The indicating means 8 is disposed on the downstream side in the conveying direction (also referred to as an indicating section or a manual extracting section) in the take-out section 205 above the conveying means 4, and is for indicating non-standard agricultural products 2, for example. It can be a projector.

This instruction means 8 receives information regarding the position (position in XY coordinates) of the non-standard agricultural product 2 from the recognition means 64, and based on this received information, for example, as shown in FIG. The agricultural products 2 can be tracked by irradiating the non-standard agricultural products 2 transported in step 4 with visible light and sequentially shifting the irradiation position of the visible light in accordance with the movement of the agricultural products 2.

By the way, it is possible to arbitrarily specify whether the non-standard agricultural products 2 selected by the selection means 6 are to be subjected to a process of being taken out by the take-out means 7 or a process instructed by the instruction means 8.

Then, on the downstream side of the take-out section 205 where the indicating means 8 is provided, the non-standard agricultural products 2 are irradiated with visible light, so that the worker can manually take out the non-standard agricultural products 2.

The adjusting means 9 adjusts the conveying speed by the conveying means 4 in consideration of the quantity of non-standard agricultural products 2 selected by the selecting means 6 and the taking-out capacity of the taking-out means 7.

Specifically, the adjusting means 9 adjusts the conveying speed of the chain 43 by controlling the driving force of the motor 45 of the conveying means 4, thereby adjusting the conveying speed of the agricultural products 2. The conveyance speed of the chain 43 is recognized by an encoder 4a provided on the drive sprocket 41.

In addition, the adjustment means 9 slows down the conveyance speed by the conveyance means 4 when the quantity of non-standard agricultural products 2 is large.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. The latter half of the first forward rotation drive means 11 and the second forward rotation drive means 13 are installed on the side (appearance quality determination section).

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, on the roller conveyor serving as the conveyance means 4, in the area from the alignment section 202 to the upstream side of the measurement section 204 (appearance quality determination section), there is a A first normal rotation driving means 11 is installed.

This first forward rotation driving means 11 is operated at every other roller of all the rollers 44 of the roller conveyor (hereinafter referred to as , for example, the odd-numbered rollers 44 are rotated in the normal direction (normal rotation).

Here, the positive direction refers to a clockwise direction when the roller 44 is viewed from the left side in the conveying direction, for example, as shown in FIG.

Further, in the alignment section 202, a reversing drive means 12 is installed on the right side of the roller conveyor serving as the conveying means 4 in the conveying direction.

This reversal drive means 12 rotates (reverses) the remaining every other roller 44 (hereinafter referred to as an even number) of all the rollers 44 of the roller conveyor as the conveyance means 4 that have entered the alignment section 202 in the opposite direction. let

Here, the above-mentioned opposite direction refers to a counterclockwise direction when the roller 44 is viewed from the left side in the conveying direction, as shown in FIG. 12, for example.

Furthermore, on the upstream side of the measurement section 204 (the appearance quality determination section), a second normal rotation drive means 13 is installed on the right side of the roller conveyor serving as the conveyance means 4 in the conveyance direction.

The second normal rotation driving means 13 causes the odd-numbered rollers 44 to rotate in the normal direction (normal rotation) in the measurement section 204.

The first and second forward rotation driving means 11, 13 and the reverse rotation driving means 12 are, for example, as shown in FIG. , 121, 131 are wound around a pair of sprockets 113, 114, 123, 124, 133, 134, and a motor 112 that rotates the chain 111, 121, 131 by rotationally driving one of the sprockets 113, 123, 133, 122, 132.

A left sprocket 14 is fixed to the left side of the rotation shaft 44a of the odd-numbered roller 44, respectively. On the other hand, right sprockets 15 are fixed to the right sides of the rotation shafts 44a of the even-numbered rollers 44, respectively.

The left sprocket 14 is engaged with the chain 111 of the first normal rotation drive means 11, and as the chain 111 rotates, the left sprocket 14 and the odd-numbered rollers 44 rotate in the normal direction. It is now possible to

Further, the right sprocket 15 is engaged with the chain 121 of the reversing drive means 12, and as the chain 121 rotates, the right sprocket 15 and the even-numbered rollers 44 are reversed. It looks like this.

Further, the right sprocket 15 is engaged with the chain 131 of the second normal rotation drive means 13, and as the chain 131 rotates, the right sprocket 15 and the even-numbered rollers 44 are rotated in the normal rotation. It is designed to be rotated.

Next, the operation of the above-described agricultural product sorting device 1 will be explained.

First, in the supply section 201, the agricultural products 2 before sorting housed in containers as the supply means 3 are randomly placed on the spreading roller conveyor 51 of the arranging means 5 arranged on the upstream side (first spreading section) of the arranging section 202. Supplied in perfect condition.

On this spreading roller conveyor 51, the farm products 2 supplied in the random state are sent to the downstream side of the alignment section 202 (second spreading section) while being scattered back and forth and left and right.

When the agricultural products 2 sent to the downstream side of this alignment section 202 are supplied onto the roller conveyor serving as the conveyance means 4, the agricultural products 2 are each arranged by the partition means 52 of the alignment means 5.

Specifically, on the downstream side of the alignment section 202, when two adjacent rollers 44 on the roller conveyor serving as the conveying means 4 are made into a virtual pair, one agricultural product 2 or a plurality of crops is placed between the rollers 44 of each virtual pair. The agricultural products 2 are arranged in a line in the central axis direction of the rollers 44, and the two rollers 44 forming the virtual pair are sandwiched between the partition members 524.

Moreover, in this alignment section 202, as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the upstream (rear) roller 44 in the conveyance direction is reversely rotated (rotated counterclockwise when viewed from the left side) by the reversing drive means 12.

In other words, the rollers 44 of each virtual pair are alternately rotated by the first forward rotation drive means 11 and the reverse rotation drive means 12.

Thereby, in the process in which the agricultural products 2 placed between the two rollers 44 forming the virtual pair pass through the alignment section 202, the agricultural products 2 placed between the front and rear rollers 44 that are rotated in alternate directions are 2 is held immovably so that it does not roll and shift.

Moreover, when the agricultural product 2 is a long object such as an oval shape, as shown in FIG. ) will be changed to

For these reasons, it is possible to prevent the plurality of agricultural products 2 from overlapping in the front and back of the transport direction. Moreover, since the configuration (first forward rotation drive means 11, reverse rotation drive means 12) for aligning a plurality of agricultural products 2 in the alignment section 202 is only installed in a short area in the conveyance direction, the conveyance direction is occupied. space becomes shorter.

After this, in the process in which each of the rollers 44 of the chain 43 of the conveyance means 4 passes through the rotation direction switching section 203, the rollers 44 that were rotated in the normal direction in the alignment section 202 are rotated in the normal direction by the first normal rotation drive means 11. While the state continues, the roller 44 which has been reversed in the alignment section 202 passes through the reversing drive means 12 and is free to rotate.

Then, on the upstream side of the measurement section 204 (appearance quality determination section), as shown in FIG. While this continues, the roller 44, which is free to rotate in the rotational direction switching section 203, is rotated in the normal direction by the second normal rotation driving means 13.

In this way, the rollers 44 of each virtual pair are rotated forward, so that the agricultural products 2 are rotated in the opposite direction (counterclockwise) to the rotation direction of the rollers 44 of each virtual pair, as shown in FIG. It will be rotated (rotated) in the rotational direction).

Therefore, on the upstream side of the measurement section 204 (appearance quality determination section), as the crop 2 rotates on its axis, the top surface of the crop 2 is sequentially switched in the direction of rotation, so the exterior photographing means 61 continuously photographs the entire circumference of the crop 2. become able to.

Based on the image photographed by the external appearance photographing means 61, the external appearance determining device 61A determines whether the quality (color, size, presence or absence of scratches, size of scratches, etc.) of the agricultural products 2 is outside the standard. , the information is transmitted to the determination means 63, which counts the number of non-standard agricultural products 2 existing on the upstream side of the measurement section 204 (appearance quality determination section), and further identifies the agricultural products 2 that the recognition means 64 has determined to be non-standard. 2 (position in XY coordinates) and tracks the agricultural product 2.

Subsequently, on the downstream side of the measurement section 204 (internal quality determination section), the rollers 44 of each virtual pair are both allowed to rotate freely.

As a result, while the agricultural products 2 pass through the downstream side of the measurement section 204 (internal quality determination section), they remain in a stationary state although they are free to rotate. The image is photographed by means 62. Therefore, the image taken by the internal photographing means 62 clearly shows the internal state of the agricultural products 2. In measuring the internal state of the crops 2 in this internal quality determination section, as described above, a specific measurement of the second light projecting section 62b is performed at the timing when the farm products 2 are conveyed vertically above the second light projecting section 62b. When the LED light source is turned on (see the states shown in FIGS. 6 and 7), the internal quality of the agricultural products 2 is measured by analyzing the light received by the second light receiving section 62d. In addition, a specific LED light source of the third light projecting section 62c is turned on at the timing when the agricultural products 2 are conveyed vertically above the third light projecting section 62c (see the state shown in FIG. 8), so that the third light receiving section The internal quality of the agricultural products 2 is measured by analyzing the light received by the section 62e.

In this way, the internal determination device 62A determines whether the quality (state of decay) of the agricultural products 2 is out of the standard based on the internally photographed image, and the position of the agricultural products 2 that the recognition means 64 has determined to be out of the standard. (The position in XY coordinates) is recognized and the agricultural product 2 is tracked.

Next, on the upstream side of the take-out section 205 (automatic take-out section), each of the rollers 44 is free to rotate but is kept stationary.

Therefore, when the agricultural products 2 enter the extraction section 205, the extraction means 7 receives information regarding the position (position in XY coordinates) of the non-standard agricultural products 2 from the recognition means 64, and based on this received information, Non-standard agricultural products 2 are automatically taken out and stored in a collection box (not shown). At this time, since the agricultural products 2 are in a non-rotating state (non-rotating state, stationary state), it becomes easier for the extraction means 7 to accurately take out the non-standard agricultural products 2.

Then, on the downstream side of the extraction section 205 (manual extraction section), the instruction means 8 receives information regarding the position (position in XY coordinates) of the non-standard agricultural products 2 from the recognition means 64, and this received information By irradiating the non-standard agricultural products 2 transported by the transport means 4 with visible light based on the above, and by sequentially shifting the irradiation position of the visible light according to the movement of the agricultural products 2, as shown in FIG. 9, for example. , track crops 2.

Thereby, on the downstream side of the take-out section 205 where the indicating means 8 is provided, the non-standard agricultural products 2 are irradiated with visible light, making it easier for the worker to manually take out the non-standard agricultural products 2.

In other words, on the downstream side of this take-out section 205, if a non-standard agricultural product 2 fails to be taken out on the upstream side, the worker can manually take out the failed non-standard agricultural product 2. It is now possible to do so.

As explained above, according to the embodiment to which the present invention is applied, the following effects can be achieved.

In this embodiment, the second light projecting section 62b and the third light projecting section 62c, which project light toward the farm products 2 for measuring the internal quality of the farm products 2, are arranged perpendicularly to the transport direction by the transport means 4. It is provided over the entire conveyance width direction, which is the horizontal direction. For this reason, the LED light sources LA1, LA2, ..., LA15, LB1, LB2, ..., LB15 of each light projecting section 62b, 62c can be positioned at the end in the conveyance width direction without setting a large amount of light. It becomes possible to project a predetermined amount of light onto the agricultural products 2 as well. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of phenomena such as lens flare and ghost caused by a large amount of light, and it is possible to ensure good measurement accuracy of the internal quality of the agricultural products 2.

Further, among the LED light sources LA1, LA2, ..., LA15, LB1, LB2, ..., LB15, only the LED light source located at a position facing the agricultural products 2 conveyed by the roller conveyor 4 is turned on. If the LED light source is located at a position not facing the agricultural products 2 that have been transported, the LED light source is not turned on and is turned off. Therefore, there is no light that passes through the gap S between the adjacent rollers 44 and 44 and reaches the light receiving parts 62d and 62e without passing through the agricultural products 2, and the presence of this light causes the agricultural products 2 to It is possible to avoid adverse effects on the measurement accuracy of internal quality. Moreover, it is also possible to reduce power consumption compared to the case where all LED light sources are turned on.

Further, the timing at which the LED light source is turned on is set as the time when the transported agricultural products 2 reach a position facing the LED light source. Therefore, the LED light source remains in the off state until the transported agricultural products 2 reach a position facing the LED light source. Even with this, there is no light that does not pass through the agricultural products 2 but passes through the interval S between the rollers 44, 44 adjacent to each other (the interval S where no agricultural products 2 are present) and reaches the light receiving parts 62d, 62e. It disappears. Furthermore, it is possible to obtain a longer off period for the LED light source, and it is possible to reduce power consumption.

Moreover, in this embodiment, LED light sources LA1, LA2, ..., LA15, LB1, LB2, ..., LB15 are employed as the respective light sources. Since the LED light source has high straightness, it is possible to emit light well toward the agricultural products 2 that are being transported to the opposing position, especially without providing a mechanism for adjusting the light projection direction or the light projection width. Can project light. In other words, it is possible to suppress the presence of light that reaches the light receiving parts 62d and 62e without passing through the agricultural product 2 (sliding through the outside of the agricultural product 2), and it is possible to improve the measurement accuracy of the internal quality of the agricultural product 2. .

(Modified example)
Next, a modification will be explained. This modification differs from those of the embodiment described above in the configuration and operation of the second and third light projecting sections 62b and 62c. Other configurations and operations are similar to those of the embodiments described above, so only the differences from the embodiments described above will be described here.

FIG. 16 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 7 in this modification. Although FIG. 16 shows the configuration of the second light projecting section 62b, the third light projecting section 62c also has a similar structure. As shown in FIG. 16, the second light projecting section 62b includes a plurality of light sources (not labeled in FIG. 16) arranged across the transport width direction, and a light projecting side of each light source (not shown in FIG. 16). The structure includes shutters S1, S2,...S15 arranged correspondingly to the upper side of the screen.

In this modification, a halogen lamp is used as each light source. Note that an LED light source may be used as in the embodiment described above. Further, in this embodiment, each light source is not individually switchable between turning on and turning off, but all the light sources are turned on while the agricultural products 2 are being transported.

Each of the shutters S1, S2, . A drive source consisting of an actuator or a solenoid (not shown) is connected to each of these rotating shafts, and the horizontal attitude and the vertical attitude can be switched individually by driving the drive source. This drive source is driven by a control signal output from the measurement control device 62B. When the shutters S1, S2, . Hereinafter, this horizontal position of the shutter will be referred to as a closed position. On the other hand, when the shutters S1, S2, . Hereinafter, this vertical position of the shutter will be referred to as an open position.

The measurement control device 62B in this modification outputs a control signal that controls the posture of each shutter S1, S2,...S15 through internal calculation processing. Specifically, the information from the tracking camera 62a (information on the size, number, and position of the agricultural products 2 transported to the internal quality determination section), the timing of acquiring the information from the tracking camera 62a, and the roller information from the encoder 4a. Information on the traveling speed of the conveyor 4 is received, and the closed and open positions of the shutters S1, S2,...S15 are determined according to the distance from the photographing position of the tracking camera 62a stored in advance to each of the light projectors 62b, 62c. A signal is output to switch between the two, and each of the light projectors 62b and 62c is controlled so that a predetermined shutter is placed in an open position at a predetermined timing (timing when the agricultural products 2 are conveyed vertically upward). In other words, control is performed so that the specific shutter is in the open position only during the period when the agricultural products 2 are passing vertically above.

In FIG. 17 (a diagram equivalent to FIG. 7 showing the state of light projection in this modification), the second light projection is started at the timing when the four agricultural products 2 have been conveyed vertically above the second light projection section 62b. The specific shutters of the portion 62b (shutters S3, S4, S8, S10, S13 located vertically below the agricultural products 2) are in an open position.

In this way, only the shutters S3, S4, S8, S10, and S13 located vertically below the crops 2 are in the open position, so that the shutters located not facing the crops 2 are in the closed position, and light is blocked. Therefore, there is no light that passes through the gap S between the rollers 44, 44 and reaches the second light receiving part 62d without transmitting through the agricultural products 2, and the internal quality of the agricultural products 2 due to the presence of this light is reduced. This makes it possible to avoid adverse effects on measurement accuracy.

Even in this modification, the same effects as in the above-described embodiment can be achieved.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and modifications described above, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the claims and within a range equivalent to the scope.

(1) The configuration of the agricultural product sorting device 1 explained in the embodiment and the modified example is not particularly limited except for the configuration related to the characteristics of the present invention, and can be changed as appropriate.

(2) In the alignment section 202 of the embodiment and modification example, as shown in FIG. While rotating (reversely) in the direction (counterclockwise), every other (for example, even numbered) roller 44 can be rotated (forwardly rotating) in the forward direction (clockwise).

(3) FIG. 19 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, forced stopping means 16 are installed on the left side and the right side of the roller conveyor serving as the conveying means 4 in the conveying direction in the take-out section 205.

For example, as shown in FIG. 20, this forced stop means 16 includes a chain 161 looped in an elliptical shape when viewed from the side, similar to the configuration of the first and second forward rotation drive means 11 and 13 and the reverse rotation drive means 12. A motor 162 rotates the chain 161 by rotating one of the sprockets 163, and a pair of sprockets 163 and 164 around which the chain 161 is wound.

The forced stop means 16 are installed on the left side and the right side of the take-out section 205 when facing the conveyance direction.

When the rotational speed of the chain 161 of the forced stop means 16 is set to be the same as the rotational speed of the chain 43 of the roller conveyor as the conveying means 4, all the rollers 44 of the roller conveyor as the conveying means 4 are forced to rotate. It will be in a stopped state (non-rotating state, stationary state).

The other configurations are the same as those of the previous embodiment. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, all the rollers 44 of the roller conveyor serving as the conveying means 4 are forced to stop rotating (non-rotating state, stationary state) in the take-out section 205 as described above. This makes it easier to take out the non-standard agricultural products 2 automatically when the taking out means 7 takes them out or when the worker takes them out manually.

(4) Other embodiments are shown in FIGS. 21 and 22. This embodiment is another embodiment of the forced stop means 16.

As shown in FIG. 21, the forced stop means 16A of this embodiment includes guide rails disposed on the left side and the right side when facing the conveyance direction of the roller conveyor as the conveyance means 4. .

The two guide rails serving as the forced stop means 16A have a linear shape in plan view as shown in FIG. 21, but in side view, as shown in FIG. The region up to the upstream end has a horizontal straight line shape, and the region from the middle of the conveyance direction to the upstream end has an inclined shape that gradually slopes diagonally upward toward the upstream side.

Further, the left and right ends of the rotation shafts 44a of all the rollers 44 of the roller conveyor serving as the conveying means 4 are formed into a D-shape when viewed from the end. That is, a predetermined angular range of the circumference at the left end and right end of the rotation axis 44a is cut out, and a flat surface 44b is provided.

With such a configuration, when the rollers 44 of the roller conveyor serving as the conveyance means 4 enter the take-out section 205, the flat surfaces 44b at the left and right ends of the rollers 44, which are sequentially conveyed from the upstream side in the conveyance direction, are forced to stop. It is received by the inclined portions of the two guide rails serving as the means 16A, but it gradually comes into contact with the lower side of the linear portions of each guide rail, and all the rotations that come into contact with each guide rail are Each of the flat surfaces 44b of the shaft 44a is aligned with the conveyance direction. As a result, each roller 44 is forcibly placed in a non-rotating state (non-rotating state, stationary state).

Further, in the embodiment and the modified example, a roller conveyor is used as the conveying means 4, and the conveying body is constituted by the chain 43 and each roller 44, 44, . . . . The present invention is not limited to this, and a belt conveyor may be used as the conveying means, and the conveying body may be a belt. In this case, the passage area through which light can pass is formed by forming a slit or a small diameter opening in the belt. Further, as the conveyance body, a split-type bucket that allows light to pass through while accommodating the agricultural products 2 may be used.

Further, in the embodiment and the modified example, the tracking camera 62a and the second light receiving section 62d are separate means (photographing means). The present invention is not limited to this, and one camera may be used for both purposes. In this case, it is preferable to employ a hyperspectral camera.

Further, in the embodiment and the modified example, the internal photographing means 62 includes a light projecting section (the second light projecting section 62b and a third light projecting section 62c) and a light receiving section (the second A light receiving section 62d and a third light receiving section 62e) were arranged. The present invention is not limited to this, and the light projecting section and the light receiving section may be arranged at only one location in the transportation direction of the agricultural products 2, or the light projecting section and the light receiving section may be arranged at three or more locations. You may also set it.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION This invention can be suitably utilized for an agricultural product internal measuring device.

1A Crop internal measuring device 2 Crops 4 Conveying means, roller conveyor 43 Chain (conveying body)
44 Roller (conveyor)
62B Measurement control device (control device)
62b Second light projecting section 62c Third light projecting section 62d Second light receiving section 62e Third light receiving section LA1 to LA15, LB1 to LB15 LED light source (light source)
S1 to S15 Shutter S interval (passing area)

Claims (9)

A conveying means including a conveying body that has a passage area through which light can pass and that places agricultural products on the passage area and conveys the same, and a light projecting unit that is disposed opposite to each other with the conveying body vertically sandwiched therebetween. and a light receiving section, the light is projected from the light projecting section toward the agricultural products, and the light transmitted through the agricultural products and passing through the passage area is received by the light receiving section, thereby improving the internal quality of the agricultural products. A crop internal measurement device that measures
The internal agricultural product measuring device is characterized in that the light projecting section is provided over the entire transport width direction, which is a horizontal direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the transport body. The agricultural product internal measurement device according to claim 1,
The light projecting unit is configured to include a plurality of light sources arranged across the conveyance width direction, and each of the light sources can be individually switched on and off,
An internal measurement device for agricultural products, comprising a control device that turns on only the light source located at a position facing the agricultural products transported by the transport body among the light sources. The agricultural product internal measurement device according to claim 2,
The control device sets the timing for turning on the light source as the time when the farm products transported by the transport body reach a position facing the light source. The agricultural product internal measurement device according to claim 2 or 3,
An internal measurement device for agricultural products, wherein each of the light sources is an LED light source or a laser light source. The agricultural product internal measurement device according to claim 1,
The light projecting section is configured to include a plurality of light sources arranged across the transport width direction, and a shutter disposed corresponding to the light projecting side of each of the light sources. The shutter has an open position in which the light from the lit light source is projected toward the light receiving unit, and a closed position in which it blocks light from the lit light source from being projected towards the light receiving unit. It is said that it is possible to switch between
The agricultural product internal measuring device is characterized by comprising a control device that sets only the shutter corresponding to the light source located at a position facing the agricultural products transported by the transport body to the open position among the shutters. . The agricultural product internal measurement device according to claim 5,
The control device sets the timing for switching the shutter from the closed position to the open position as a time point when the agricultural product transported by the transport body reaches a position facing the shutter. Internal measurement device. The agricultural product internal measuring device according to claim 5 or 6,
An internal measurement device for agricultural products, wherein each of the light sources is a halogen lamp. The agricultural product internal measuring device according to claim 2, 3, 5 or 6,
A plurality of the light projecting units are arranged at mutually different positions in the transport direction of the transport body,
The internal measurement device for agricultural products, wherein each of the light projecting units has a light source having a different wavelength. The agricultural product internal measuring device according to claim 8,
The conveying means is a roller conveyor having a plurality of rollers as conveying bodies arranged at a predetermined interval in the conveying direction of the agricultural products, and the passing area is a space between the rollers adjacent to each other. can be,
Each of the light projecting parts is arranged such that when one light projecting part is located at a position facing the space between the rollers, the other light projecting part is located at a position facing the roller. An agricultural product internal measuring device characterized by:

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