JP2710954B2 - Grain removal rate detector - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a ratio of brown rice in mixed rice of unpolished rice and paddy after removal by a removal mechanism such as a pair of left and right removal rolls ( (Referred to as a loss rate).

[Conventional technology]

In a hulling sorter or the like, in order to control to increase or decrease the gap between the evacuation rolls so as to be equal to a target evacuation rate set in advance, brown rice and chaff mixed after evacuation by the evacuation rolls are mixed. As a means to detect the loss rate of mixed rice,
For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-28462, a light of a certain intensity is irradiated from a light projecting portion of a light reflection type sensor toward mixed rice flowing down along a flue rate detection gutter, and the reflected light is reflected. Are received by a plurality of light receiving sensors with different light receiving wavelengths,
It is disclosed that the loss rate is detected by focusing on the fact that the light receiving level and the light receiving time for rice, brown rice and blue rice (immature rice) are different from each other.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-76585, a light reflection sensor is configured to include a specific wavelength in the light emitted from the light emitting device, and the light reception level of the reflection of the light of the specific wavelength is detected by the light reception sensor. By doing so, it discloses that the difference between brown rice and blue rice is detected.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-62249 discloses that grains are conveyed on a belt, the grains on the belt are irradiated with light, and received by a plurality of color sensors having different color sensitivity characteristics. It is disclosed that the damage state of a grain is determined based on the output of a sensor. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-133341 discloses that color image data is decomposed into three primary color data and the data of each color is compared. It is disclosed to determine an article.

[Problems to be solved by the invention]

However, the color image data is decomposed into data of three primary colors, the data of each color are compared, and the inspection of the loss rate of the mixed rice after the hulling is performed simultaneously with the hulling work and the subsequent sorting work. There was no configuration to do so.

An object of the present invention is to provide a husking operation and a sorting operation with high efficiency and high accuracy by providing a husking rate detection device in association with a hulling sorting device.

[Means for solving the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the grain husking rate detecting device in the hulling sorter of the present invention is a huller, which performs color imaging of mixed rice of brown rice and hulled rice after hulling, and color image information thereof. And a red component, a green component, and a blue component from each other, and a grain hulling sorter including a husking rate calculating device that calculates a husking rate from the ratio of the separated three primary color components. In the grain removal rate detection device, after detecting the wind after hulling, a branch detection gutter is arranged in a downwardly inclined shape in a chute portion from a conveyor for frying the mixed rice to a selection device for selecting brown rice, and the detection is performed. In the middle of the gutter, there is a strobe light emitter for intermittently irradiating the mixed rice flowing down the detection gutter with light, and color imaging for obtaining color image information by photographing the mixed rice flowing down in synchronization with the intermittent irradiation. Means for arranging the mixed rice after the imaging, From 岐検 Detoi those configured back to the chute.

[Functions and effects of the invention]

In the present invention, since the mixed rice is imaged by the color imaging means, the obtained image information includes color information, that is, information on hue and information on brightness, as in the related art. Compared to simply measuring the light receiving level of the reflected light and discriminating between brown rice and paddy based on whether or not exceeding a certain threshold, the amount of information is large, and brown rice and rice in mixed rice and other It is also possible to distinguish the color from the background.

Then, of the color image information obtained by imaging the mixed rice with the color imaging means, using information of color signals of red, green and blue, separating each color component and calculating the ratio. Thus, the difference between brown rice and paddy is determined, so that more accurate information on the distinction between brown rice and paddy is obtained and the accurate escape rate than the single information of the received light level of the reflected light as in the related art. Has the effect of enabling the detection of

In addition, a branch detection gutter is provided in a chute section from a conveyor for frying the mixed rice to a selection device for selecting brown rice after the wind-screening after the hulling, and a part of the mixing after the hulling is mixed in this branch detection gutter. Since only the rice is passed and the sampling inspection is performed at the location of the branch detection gutter, the sampling rate is inspected. Therefore, it is not necessary to inspect the whole amount of the mixed rice after the hulling, and the inspection is efficiently performed. Can be executed.

Since the mixed rice flowing down the branch detection gutter is continuously irradiated with light, and color imaging is performed in synchronization with the light, even if the mixed rice is continuously flowing down the inclined detection gutter, the mixed rice is stopped. This makes it possible to obtain a color image as described above, and to obtain efficient and accurate color image data.

Further, since the outlet of the branch detection gutter is connected to the chute to return the mixed rice after the inspection to the original chute, the mixed rice subjected to the inspection is subsequently sorted out, so that it is not wasted.

As described above, according to the present invention, the hulling rate inspection can be performed without interrupting the hulling work, and the hulling sorting operation can be performed with high efficiency and high accuracy.

〔Example〕

The embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings in a case where the present invention is applied to a hulling sorter. The hulling sorter is mounted on a horizontally long box-shaped wind selection mechanism 1, and on the upper left surface of the wind selection mechanism 1. The hulling machine 2 and the rotary sorting mechanism 3 mounted on the upper right surface of the wind sorting mechanism 1 constitute the whole.

The rice huller 2 includes a case 4 with a rice supply hopper 5,
A pair of left and right removal rolls 6 and 7 provided in the case 4, a manually opened / closed shutter 8, and a paddy supply control valve 9 are provided. The rotary motor is rotationally driven by a pull-out motor 10 provided inside, and one of the pull-out rolls 6 is a fixed position type, while the other pull-out roll 7 is fixed.
Is configured to move toward or away from the one of the pull-out rolls 6 by a gap adjusting mechanism 12 driven by an actuator 11, and the paddy supply amount adjusting valve 9 is connected to an actuator 13 It is configured to open and close.

In this case, the escape motor 1 for both the escape rolls 6 and 7 is used.
0 is provided with an ammeter 14 for detecting the load current, and the paddy supply control valve 9 is provided with a positioner 15 for detecting its opening position.
In the emergency, the gap adjustment mechanism 1
There is provided a deployment mechanism (not shown) which is opened in preference to 2.

The wind selection mechanism 1 includes a compressed air fan 16 for sucking the atmosphere,
It consists of a haiku dust fan 17 and a rice screening unit 18 for brown rice and a rice screening unit 19 for brown rice provided between the two fans 16, 17, and the rice screening unit 18 The rice husks are separated from the crushed rice after wind removal by wind-sorting, which is located just below the machine 2. It is sent to the above-mentioned rotary sorting mechanism 3 by the bucket conveyor 22 from the rubbed rice gutter 20.

Also, the brown rice wind selection unit 19 includes the rotary selection mechanism 3.
The finished brown rice selected in the above is further subjected to a finish wind selection, and the finished brown rice after the wind selection is taken out of the machine by a bucket conveyor 24 from a brown rice gutter 23 with a spiral conveyor.

Power is transmitted to the spiral conveyor 21, the bucket conveyors 22, 24, and the fans 16, 17 from the pull-out rolls 6, 7.

On the other hand, the rotary type sorting mechanism 3 includes a rotary type sorting cylinder 27 laid horizontally in two upper and lower stages in a box-shaped case 26.
27 is rotatably supported by a trochanter 29 attached to a shaft 28 mounted laterally in the box-shaped case 26, by driving the shaft 28 via a motor and a continuously variable transmission mechanism 30. The two sorting cylinders 27 are configured to be rotationally driven in a certain direction.

The two sorting cylinders 27 are formed such that one end farther from the huller 2 is formed on the supply side 27a and the other end near the huller 2 is formed on the discharge side 27b, and the inner surface of each of them is brown rice. A large number of recesses 31 having a size enough to fit therein are formed.

Further, within the two sorting cylinders 27, a brown rice trough 32 with a spiral conveyor is provided, and a rubbed rice trough 33 with a spiral conveyor is juxtaposed adjacent to the brown rice trough 32. .

The smashed rice sent from the bucket conveyor 22 is
The chute 34 enters the both rubbed rice troughs 33 by a substantially equal amount, and is supplied to the supply side 27a in the sorting cylinder 27 by the rubbed rice troughs 33. The brown rice that has entered into the chute 35 is configured to join the chute 35 and then fall to the brown rice wind selection unit 19.

Further, on the discharge side 27b of the two sorting cylinders 27, a plurality of paddy picking blades 36 are provided on the inner surface thereof, and a paddy reduction chute 37 is mounted between the padding feeder hopper 5 in the paddy mill 2 and the paddy reduction chute 37. The paddy is configured to be returned to the paddy supply hopper 5.

In this case, the crushed rice wind selection section 18 or the crushed rice transport path from the crushed rice wind selection section 18 to the rotary sorting mechanism 3 is provided with crushed rice (mixed rice). A color imaging means 39, which will be described in detail later, for detecting a loss rate is provided.

For example, a branch tubular detection gutter 40 with a shutter is provided at a position from the bucket conveyor 22 to the chute 34, and the cover 41
The strobe light emitting device 43 and the color image pickup means 39 are arranged downward, and the rice falling down the branch pipe 40 (mixed rice)
Is photographed in synchronism with the intermittent light emission of the strobe light emitter 43, and the sliding rice in the detection gutter 40 returns to an appropriate position of the chute.

A symbol 38 separates three color signals of a red signal (R), a green signal (G), and a blue signal (B) from the image information captured by the color imaging means (color video device or the like) 39. The ratio of the color signals (that is, the ratio of the color components) is calculated, and the loss ratio is detected by a predetermined calculation from the ratio of the color components. This is an electronic control device for appropriately operating the gap adjusting mechanism actuator 11 so as to be equal.

The color imaging unit 39 includes a color television camera, a one-dimensional image sensor or a two-dimensional image sensor using a solid-state imaging device, and the like. There are MOS type, CID type and PCD type which are XY address type, CCD type and BBD type which are charge transfer type, and CPD type which is hybrid type, and the surface of each photosensitive part in these solid-state image sensors. A mosaic color filter is provided on the side for color use.

Although the rice slid down on the detection gutter 40 is moving down, it is imaged in synchronization with the extremely short time when the strobe light emitter 43 emits light, so that the rice falls within the imaging range in the color imaging means 39. The color image information can be obtained in a state where the sliding rice is substantially stopped.

In one embodiment, when an area sensor including, for example, a solid-state imaging device is used as the color imaging unit 39, the number of pixels is 256 × 256.

It is assumed that the total number of the rubbed rice (mixed rice) that can be photographed by the color imaging means 39 is smaller than the total number of pixels. For example, 8 × 8 in the color imaging unit 39
It is assumed that one brown rice or paddy can be photographed by the group of pixels.

Reference numeral 45 denotes a decoder based on the NTSC system or the like, which constitutes a separating unit that separates a video signal of color image information obtained by the color imaging unit 39 into an output signal of a luminance signal and a color signal for each pixel. After the color signals of the color components thus separated are converted into digital signals by the A / D converter 46, the information of the three color signals for one screen is temporarily stored in the image memory 47.

Next, based on the information from the image memory 47, the ratio of the three color components is determined by a color component calculation circuit as color component calculation means.
Calculate at 48.

In this case, for each pixel in the image information obtained by the color imaging means 39, the sum of the three color signal components of the red signal (R), the green signal (G), and the blue signal (B) is calculated.
The ratio of each color component when it is set to 100 is calculated, and the ratio of each color component is stored in the memory 49 as storage means.

Next, in a loss rate calculation circuit 50 as a loss rate calculation means, the stored information stored in the memory 49 is taken out, the mixed rice is discriminated into brown rice and paddy, and the loss rate ( The number of brown rice counted / the number of mixed rice counted) x 100
Calculate%｝.

In this case, without actually counting the number of brown rice and the number of mixed rice (= the number of brown rice + the number of paddy) within the imaging range (in the inspection area) of the color imaging means 39 on the detection gutter 40, the number of pixels is appropriately determined. For each group, for example, the calculation is performed on the assumption that the 8 × 8 pixels are one brown rice or paddy.

That is, based on the ratio of the three color components for each pixel calculated by the color component calculation circuit 48, the red signal (R) color component in the 64 pixels is calculated for each 8 × 8 pixel. Is S (Ri), the ratio of the color components of the green signal (G) is S (Gi), and the ratio of the color components of the blue signal (B) is S (Bi).
Then, it is determined whether the section of each 8 × 8 pixel is brown rice or paddy.

 The following is used as this discriminant.

S (Ri) ≒ S (Gi) and S (Ri)> S (Bi) and S
When (Gi)> S (Bi), paddy.

Brown rice when S (Gi)> S (Ri) and S (Gi)> S (Bi).

The number of paddies Nm and the number of brown rice Ng thus obtained are counted, and the calculation of [Ng / (Nm + Ng)] × 100% = loss rate is executed.

Reference numeral 51 denotes an indicator for digitally displaying the escape rate (Dk) of the calculated result or the like. Reference numeral 52 denotes an escape rate setter, reference numeral 53 denotes an interface, and reference numeral 54 denotes a strobe light emitter 43. A synchronization circuit for synchronizing light emission with the photographing means of the color imaging means 39, and 55 is a central control device.

If the escape rate (Dk) obtained as a result of this calculation is substantially equal to the target escape rate (Dm) preset by the escape rate setter 52, the gap between the escape rolls 6 and 7 is left as it is, and the escape rate is maintained. When (Dk) is smaller than the target escape rate (Dm), both escape rolls 6,
The actuator 11 of the gap adjusting mechanism 12 is operated in a direction to narrow the gap between the seven.

On the contrary, when the escape rate (Dk) is too large than the target escape rate (Dm), the actuator 11 of the gap adjusting mechanism 12 is operated in a direction to widen the gap between the escape rolls 6 and 7. is there.

Note that the surface of the detection gutter 40 (the surface through which mixed rice passes) is blackened or the like so that there is a clear difference in the brightness of the reflected light between the region where the grain is present and the region where the gutter surface is exposed. Using the luminance signal obtained by the decoder 45, a region where mixed rice (sliding rice) is present is specified by a binarizing unit from among the regions photographed by the color imaging unit 39. The above-described color line segment calculation and loss calculation may be performed on the pixels in the area.

Alternatively, the image information for one screen obtained by the color imaging means 39 may be temporarily stored in a frame memory, and then the information may be sent to the decoder 45 for color separation.

As described above, in the present invention, of the color image information obtained by photographing the mixed rice with the color imaging means, information of color signals of red, green, and blue is used to separate the respective color components, and By calculating the ratio, the difference between the brown rice and the paddy is determined, so that the brown rice and the paddy are determined by simply measuring the light receiving level of the reflected light and determining whether or not a certain threshold value is exceeded, as in the past. The amount of information is large compared to the determination, and accurate determination can be performed.

By utilizing the determination of the ratio of the three color components,
It is also possible to detect and detect the three members of brown rice, blue rice and paddy.

The electronic control device 38 controls the gap between the two escape rolls 6 and 7 so that the load current of the escape motor 10
It operates with a set value appropriately smaller than the limit current in 10 and when the load current reaches the limit current,
Control can be performed so as to prohibit operation of the gap in the closing direction.

[Brief description of the drawings]

Drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is an enlarged vertical front view of a huller, FIG. 2 is a vertical front view of a hulling sorter, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a detection gutter, FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a failure rate detection control means. 2 ... Hulling machine, 5 ... Hull supply hopper, 6,7 ... Rolling roll, 10 ... Rolling motor, 11 ... Actuator, 12 ...
Gap adjusting mechanism, 38 Control device, 39 Color imaging means, 40 Detection gutter, 43 Strobe light emitter, 45 Decoder, 46 A / D converter, 47 Image memory, 48 color component operation circuit, 49 memory, 50 loss rate operation circuit,
51 ... Display, 55 ... Central control unit.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A mixed rice of brown rice and paddy of a huller is color-imaged by a huller and separated into color signals of a red component, a green component and a blue component from the color image information. 3
In a grain hulling rate detecting device in a hulling sorter equipped with a husking rate calculating device that calculates a husking rate from the ratio of the primary color components, the hulling of the mixed rice after hulling after hulling. In the chute to the sorting device for sorting brown rice from the conveyor to be performed, a branch detection gutter is disposed in a downwardly inclined shape, and in the middle of the detection gutter,
A strobe light emitter for intermittently irradiating light to the mixed rice flowing down the detection gutter, and a color imaging unit for obtaining color image information by photographing the mixed rice flowing down in synchronization with the intermittent irradiation; A grain loss detection device in a hulling sorter, wherein mixed rice after imaging is returned to the chute from the branch detection gutter.