JP6517256B2 - Reflected light detection device - Google Patents

Description

  BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a reflected light detection device that detects reflected light caused by incident light irradiated to an object.

  Fresh food such as vegetables and fish loses its freshness as time passes in the distribution process. In order to objectively grasp the freshness of perishables, various freshness measuring devices have been proposed. One of the freshness measuring devices was provided with a light emitting means for emitting laser light to be irradiated to the transparent part of the food, and a light receiving means for receiving the reflected light of the laser light emitted by the light emitting means For example, refer to Patent Document 1). The freshness measuring apparatus utilizes the difference between the reflected light obtained when the light receiving means starts storing the food and the reflected light obtained after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of storing the food, and the storage time of the food, Calculate the value that specifies the freshness of The freshness of fresh food can be objectively grasped by the value specifying the freshness of food.

JP, 2015-227820, A

  In the above freshness measuring apparatus, when irradiating the measuring object with the laser light, the voltage obtained from the reflected light received by the light receiving means differs depending on the incident angle of the laser light at the predetermined point of the measuring object. For this reason, when measuring freshness several times continuously about the same measurement object, it is necessary to make a laser beam enter into the same irradiation point at the same incident angle. And when making a laser beam enter into the same irradiation point with the same incidence angle and receiving the catoptric light of the laser beam, based on information, such as an incidence angle of a laser beam, a reflection angle, a position of measurement object, The position of the light emitting means and the position of the light receiving means are determined.

  On the other hand, in a gripping type portable device provided with a light emitting means and a light receiving means, the laser beam is made to enter the same irradiation point at the same irradiation point on the measuring object a plurality of times continuously and the reflected light of the laser beam It is difficult to try to receive light. That is, it is difficult for the hand to accurately and continuously irradiate the laser beam to the same irradiation point on the measurement object at the same incident angle, and it is difficult due to hand movement etc. It is unreliable because it is based on visual observation. In addition, not only the laser beam is irradiated to the same irradiation point at the same incident angle, but also the desired reflected light of the reflected light of the laser light can be received by the light receiving means, the posture of the holding type portable device It is also difficult to adjust by hand, and even if it is done it is unreliable because it is based on hand and eye measurements. In other words, data obtained by visual inspection or manual operation is unreliable.

  In addition, there may be a case where an object whose freshness or quality deterioration condition is to be detected can not maintain a predetermined shape such as liquid or fine particles. In such a case, there is a problem that accurate measurement can not be performed using light.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a reflected light detection device capable of detecting reflected light with high reliability even when light is irradiated to an object by visual observation or manual adjustment.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and a reflected light detection device according to the present invention detects reflected light from the object caused by incident light irradiated to the object. The apparatus is formed so as to connect an incident light irradiation section for irradiating the object with the incident light, and an annular entrance surface surrounding the periphery of the incident light, the exit surface being connected, and the reflection incident from the entrance surface The light guide passage, which is a passage for guiding light to the exit surface, and a light detection unit for detecting the reflected light passing through the exit surface of the light guide passage It is characterized by having a plurality of branch paths branched into plural . Further, a reflected light detection device according to the present invention is a reflected light detection device that detects reflected light from the object caused by incident light irradiated to the object, and irradiates the object with the incident light. A light guide which is formed so as to connect an exit surface of an arbitrary shape from an entrance surface surrounding the periphery of the incident light and an incident light irradiation portion, and guides the reflected light incident from the entrance surface to the exit surface A passage, a light detection unit that detects the reflected light passing through the exit surface of the light guide passage, and a reflected light amount calculation unit that calculates the light amount of the reflected light based on the detection result of the light detection unit; The light detection unit is composed of a plurality of light receiving elements, and the reflected light amount calculation unit is based on the detection results of each of the plurality of light receiving elements, of the reflected light received by each of the plurality of light receiving elements. Sum of unit light quantity which is light quantity, or , The average value, or, and calculates the maximum value. Further, a reflected light detection device according to the present invention is a reflected light detection device that detects reflected light from the object caused by incident light irradiated to the object, and irradiates the object with the incident light. A light guide which is formed so as to connect an exit surface of an arbitrary shape from an entrance surface surrounding the periphery of the incident light and an incident light irradiation portion, and guides the reflected light incident from the entrance surface to the exit surface A passage, a light detection unit for detecting the reflected light passing through the exit surface of the light guide passage, a first object receiving case capable of receiving the object, and a first object capable of receiving the object comprising a second object containment enclosure, wherein the first object containment enclosure, progression and body portion surrounds the interior space, the interior of the interior space having a housing capable of internal space the object From the incident light irradiator and the inner peripheral surface of the main body where the incident light is reflected An opening through which the incident light traveling into the inner space passes or an opening through which the incident light irradiator is inserted into the inner space; the second object housing case includes the inner space; It is characterized in that it can be arranged inside .

  In the reflected light detection device of the present invention, the incident light is parallel light.

  In the reflected light detection device of the present invention, the light guide passage is provided at one end of the case, and the incident light irradiation unit is provided with the light guide passage. Are disposed at positions where the incident light can be emitted to the outside from the hollow space surrounded by the.

  In the reflected light detection device of the present invention, the entrance surface is inclined with respect to the traveling direction of the incident light.

  Further, in the reflected light detection device of the present invention, the entrance surface is inclined so as to spread in a direction away from the incident light toward the traveling direction side of the incident light.

  In the reflected light detection device according to the present invention, the exit surface is not parallel to the entrance surface.

  In the reflected light detection device of the present invention, the exit surface is substantially perpendicular to the traveling direction of the incident light.

  Further, in the reflected light detection device of the present invention, the light guide path extends along the traveling direction of the incident light.

  Further, in the reflected light detection device of the present invention, the outlet surface is provided for each of the plurality of branch paths.

  Further, in the reflected light detection device of the present invention, the plurality of branch paths are disposed at uniform intervals in the circumferential direction of the annular inlet surface.

  Further, in the reflected light detection device of the present invention, the light detection section is constituted by a plurality of light receiving elements, and the light receiving elements are provided for each of the plurality of branch paths.

Further, in the reflected light detection device of the present invention, the reflected light amount calculation unit further detects the reflected light detected by the light detection unit within a predetermined time based on a detection result of the light detection unit within the predetermined time. Calculating a total value, an average value, or a maximum value of the light amounts of

  Further, in the reflected light detection device according to the present invention, the light guide passage has a plurality of branch paths branched into a plurality of branches along the way, and the light receiving element is disposed for each of the plurality of branch paths. It features.

  Further, in the reflected light detection device of the present invention, the reflected light amount calculation unit determines that the reflected light from the object is determined to be within the nonuniform range of the unit light amount received by each of the plurality of light receiving elements. It is characterized in that it is treated as an error occurring in the detection of

  In the reflected light detection device according to the present invention, the reflected light amount calculation unit determines that the unit light amount received by each of the plurality of light receiving elements is in a uniform range, the reflected light from the object. It is characterized in that the detection is treated as normal.

  Further, in the reflected light detection device of the present invention, the incident light irradiation unit is configured to be capable of irradiating the incident light of a plurality of colors, and the reflected light amount calculation unit is based on the detection result of the light detection unit. The apparatus is characterized by comprising a color discrimination unit that discriminates the color of the object.

  Further, in the reflected light detection device of the present invention, the incident light irradiation unit has an RGB light source for irradiating light corresponding to RGB, and the color discrimination unit is for each of the RGB components detected by the light detection unit. It is characterized in that the color of the object is determined based on the difference in the ratio of reflected light.

  In the reflected light detection device according to the present invention, the reflection surface of the incident light in the object has a predetermined angle θ (0 ° <θ <90 °, 90 ° <θ <180 °) with respect to the incident light. And a portion that

  Further, the reflected light detection device of the present invention is characterized by including an evaluation value calculation unit that calculates an evaluation value regarding the state of the object based on the value calculated by the reflected light amount calculation unit.

  Further, the reflected light detection device of the present invention is characterized by comprising a cylindrical portion surrounding the periphery of the incident light and guiding the incident light toward the object.

  In the reflected light detection device of the present invention, the cylindrical portion is disposed in a hollow space surrounded by the light guide passage.

  Further, in the reflected light detection device of the present invention, the cylindrical portion has a diameter reducing portion whose internal diameter is reduced in the guiding direction of the incident light.

  Further, in the reflected light detection device of the present invention, at least a part of the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion is made of a light absorbing material which is a material that absorbs light.

  Further, in the reflected light detection device of the present invention, the second object housing case is made of a light transmitting material which transmits light.

  According to the reflected light detection device of the present invention, it is possible to achieve an excellent effect that highly reliable detection of reflected light can be performed even when the object is irradiated with light by visual inspection or manual operation.

It is a perspective view of a reflected light detection device in a 1st embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the functional block of the reflected light detection apparatus in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the appearance of the incident light irradiated to a target object, and corresponding reflected light. (A) is the case where the object is an eye, and (b) is the case where the object is 90 ° to the incident light. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the reflected light detection apparatus in the 1st Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a perspective view which shows the front-end | tip part of the reflected light detection apparatus in the 1st Embodiment of this invention, (b) is the light guide of the front-end | tip part of the reflected light detection apparatus in the 1st Embodiment of this invention It is a perspective view which shows the flow of the reflected light in a channel | path. (A) is the perspective view seen from the front end side of the tip part of the catoptric light detection device in a 1st embodiment of the present invention, (b) is a tip of the catoptric light detection device in a 1st embodiment of the present invention It is the perspective view seen from the rear end side of the part. (A) is a front view which shows a mode that incident light is irradiated from the modification of the front-end | tip part of the reflected light detection apparatus in the 1st Embodiment of this invention, (b) is a 1st Embodiment of this invention It is a front view which shows a mode that the reflected light which injected into the modification of the front-end | tip part of the reflected light detection apparatus in in progressing a light guide passage. It is a figure explaining the error processing of the reflected light detection in the reflected light detection apparatus in the 1st Embodiment of this invention and its modification. (A) is a figure which shows a mode that incident light is normally irradiated to the eyeball of a target object by the reflected light detection apparatus in the 1st Embodiment of this invention, (b) is in the 1st Embodiment of this invention It is a figure which shows a mode that incident light is irradiated to the eyeball of a target object by the reflected light detection apparatus in the aspect which is not normal, and arrange | positions a light receiving element in the vicinity of the exit surface in 1st Embodiment of this invention. FIG. 7B is a plan view showing a state in which a light receiving element is disposed in the vicinity of the exit surface in the modification of the first embodiment of the present invention. (A) is sectional drawing of the reflected light detection apparatus in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, (b) is a perspective view of the cylindrical body of the reflected light detection apparatus in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention is there. (A)-(d) is sectional drawing of the modification of the cylindrical body of the reflected light detection apparatus in the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. (A) is a cross-sectional view of a reflected light detection device according to a third embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a perspective view of an object housing housing of the reflected light detection device according to the third embodiment of the present invention FIG. (A) is a cross-sectional view of a reflected light detection device in a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and (b) is a cross section of a target object housing case of the reflected light detection device in a fifth embodiment of the present invention FIG. (A) is a cross-sectional view of a reflected light detection device in a sixth embodiment of the present invention, (b) is a perspective view of a target object housing case of the reflected light detection device in the sixth embodiment of the present invention FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

First Embodiment
<Overview of Reflected Light Detector>
The reflected light detection device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. The reflected light detection device 1 detects reflected light from the object 900 due to incident light irradiated to the object 900 such as a fish. In addition, in this specification, reflected light shall refer to the reflected light from the target object resulting from the incident light irradiated to a target object.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the reflected light detection device 1 has a cylindrical housing 10 whose tip is bent, a housing housing member (not shown) housed in the housing 10, and a front end of the housing 10. The front end 11 is provided, and the rear end 12 is provided at the rear end of the housing 10.

  The front end portion 11 is configured of a plurality of members that can emit incident light onto the object 900 and detect reflected light from the object 900 resulting from the incident light. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the distal end portion 11 is accommodated in the vicinity of the inside of the connecting portion of the cylindrical member 13 whose distal end is formed in a tapered shape, the cylindrical member 13 and the housing 10 (not shown) It consists of a plurality of members. The tip of the cylindrical member 13 may not be tapered.

  A plurality of members (not shown) includes a light source member for emitting incident light, and a light detection member capable of detecting light such as reflected light from the object 900 resulting from the incident light (for example, light reception such as a phototransistor) Element) is included. The cylindrical member 13 has a central hollow space 131 extending in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical member 13 as shown in FIG. The incident light emitted from the light source member is emitted from the opening region 131a of the end surface of the central hollow space 131 at the tip end side in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical member 13 to the outside. The opening area 131 a corresponds to the inner area of the inlet surface 135.

  The inside of the peripheral wall 134 forming the cylindrical member 13 constitutes a light guide passage. The peripheral wall 134 as a light guide passage is configured to internally reflect light internally and guide the light in a predetermined direction. Such a peripheral wall 134 is formed of, for example, a light transmitting material that is a material that transmits light. Examples of the light transmitting material include, for example, glass and resin, but the material is not limited to this, and any other material that can transmit light and can guide light may be used. It is also good.

  The annular end face on the tip end side in the longitudinal direction of the peripheral wall 134 constitutes an entrance surface 135 (incident surface) on which the reflected light is incident (or passed, hereinafter the same). An annular end surface on the rear end side in the longitudinal direction of the peripheral wall 134 constitutes an exit surface 136 (exit surface) which is an exit of the reflected light. Reflected light entering from the entrance surface 135 is guided to the exit surface 136 (exit surface) while being internally reflected inside the peripheral wall 134.

  The inside of the peripheral wall 134 may be hollow, and a hollow cylindrical space may be provided inside the peripheral wall 134. That is, the space between the outer peripheral surface 132 and the inner peripheral surface 133 which constitute the peripheral wall 134 may be hollow. In this case, the outer peripheral inner peripheral surface 132a corresponding to the inner peripheral side of the outer peripheral surface 132 and the inner peripheral outer peripheral surface 133a corresponding to the outer peripheral side of the inner peripheral surface 133 are made of a material capable of reflecting reflected light, for example, a mirror surface or the like You may comprise by a metal surface etc. If the outer peripheral inner peripheral surface 132a and the inner peripheral outer peripheral surface 133a are configured by a mirror surface or a metal surface or the like capable of reflecting reflected light, the peripheral wall 134 can easily guide the reflected light to the exit surface 136 (exit surface). Can. Further, both end surfaces in the longitudinal direction of the peripheral wall 134 corresponding to the inlet surface 135 and the outlet surface 136 may be opened or closed as long as the reflected light can be incident or emitted.

  For example, a control board, a battery, or a battery is assumed as the housing accommodation member (not shown). In the control board, various arithmetic processes are performed based on control of the light source member and detection results of the light detection member. In addition, on the side surface of the housing 10, an operation receiving member 10a is provided. The reflected light detection device 1 operates by performing an operation on the operation receiving member 10a.

  The rear end portion 12 is provided with a liquid crystal display 114. The liquid crystal display 114 displays, for example, various information such as the detection result and detection condition of the reflected light, and the calculation result in the control board.

  The reflected light detection device 1 is a portable small device, and the user holds and uses the housing 10. Then, in order to bring more reflected light into the light guiding path, the user brings the tip end of the tip 11 of the reflected light detection device 1 as close as possible to the desired position of the object 900 or brings it into contact with the object 900. It is preferable to irradiate incident light to the desired position of. The reflected light is incident on an annular entrance surface 135 surrounding the periphery of the opening area 131a, guided to the light detection member, and detected.

<Reflected light detector functional block>
Next, functional blocks of the reflected light detection device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. The reflected light detection device 1 includes a housing 10, an operation unit 14, an incident light irradiation unit 15, a light guide passage 16, a light detection unit 17, a reflected light amount calculation unit 18, and an evaluation value calculation unit 19. And a liquid crystal unit 20.

  The incident light irradiator 15 irradiates the object 900 with incident light. Examples of incident light from the incident light irradiator 15 include parallel light and diffused light. When it is desired to detect only the reflected light that is reflected by a specific portion of the object 900, it is preferable to make the incident light parallel. When the incident light is collimated, the light is irradiated only to the specific part of the object 900. As a result, the reflected light is reflected from a specific part of the object 900.

  On the other hand, when it is desired to detect reflected light that is reflected from a wide range of the object 900, it is preferable to use incident light as diffused light. When the incident light is diffused light, the light is irradiated to a wide area of the object 900. As a result, the reflected light is reflected from a wide range of the object 900.

Moreover, it is preferable that the incident light irradiation part 15 irradiates the incident light which has a specific cross-sectional area. In the past, linear laser light was used as incident light, and it was difficult to adjust the direction of the laser light by hand and irradiate the laser light to a specific position of the object. However, if the incident light has a specific cross-sectional area, the incident light can be easily irradiated to a specific position of the object 900. As a specific cross-sectional area, for example, 9 (mm ² ) or more, preferably 50 (mm ² ) or more, more preferably 1 (cm ² ) or more can be mentioned as an example, but it is not limited thereto. It may be an area of other size. Moreover, the incident light irradiation part 15 may be comprised so that the cross-sectional area of incident light can be changed freely.

  In addition, the incident light irradiator 15 may be capable of irradiating incident light having a specific wavelength. And the incident light irradiation part 15 may be comprised so that the wavelength of incident light can be changed freely.

  The incident light irradiator 15 may be capable of emitting incident light of a plurality of colors. In this case, the incident light irradiator 15 includes, for example, RGB light sources. The RGB light source is a light source that emits light corresponding to RGB, and includes three types of LEDs that emit red light (R), green light (G), and blue light (B).

  Examples of the incident light irradiator 15 include a direct light light irradiator, a side light irradiator, a light irradiator using a lens capable of irradiating parallel light, and the like. It is not limited to The incident light irradiation part 15 contains all the things which can irradiate light. Below, the incident light irradiation part 15 demonstrates as what irradiates the parallel light which has a specific cross-sectional area.

  The light guide passage 16 serves as a passage for guiding the reflected light entering from the entrance surface 135 while internally reflecting inside, to the exit surface 136 which is the exit of the reflected light. The light guide passage 16 internally reflects light traveling inside the light guide passage 16 and guides the light in a predetermined direction. If the light guide passage 16 is formed of, for example, a material suitable for light guide, such as a light transmitting material, light can be guided in a predetermined direction as described above.

  Specifically, the entrance surface 135 is formed in an annular shape, and is disposed so as to surround the periphery of the incident light emitted from the incident light irradiation unit 15. The outlet surface 136 is also annularly formed. The light guide passage 16 is formed as a cylindrical (or annular) peripheral wall connecting the annular inlet surface 135 and the annular outlet surface 136. That is, the light guide passage 16 is formed as a cylindrical (or annular) peripheral wall, and is disposed to surround the incident light. Then, both end surfaces in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical (or annular) peripheral wall constitute the inlet surface 135 and the outlet surface 136, respectively. In the present invention, the term "annular" is not limited to a circular ring, but includes polygonal rings and rings of other shapes.

  As described above, since the light guide passage 16 is configured, in the reflected light detection device 1, the reflected light incident on the entrance surface 135 among the reflected light from the object 900 caused by the incident light irradiated to the object 900. Target light to be detected. Reflected light incident on the entrance surface 135 travels from the entrance surface 135 to the exit surface 136 while internally reflecting inside the peripheral wall.

  When the incident light having a specific cross-sectional area is irradiated to the object 900 by the incident light irradiation unit 15, a plurality of reflected lights according to the area are generated from the object 900 in various directions. In the reflected light detection device 1, since the shape of the entrance surface 135 of the light guide passage 16 is annular, a large amount of reflected light traveling in various directions is made incident on the entrance surface 135 and guided to the light detection unit 17. be able to. However, if the distance between the object 900 and the entrance surface 135 is too large, the reflected light from the object 900 due to the incident light can not be sufficiently condensed at the entrance surface 135, so the object 900 and the entrance surface 135. It is preferable to detect the reflected light as close to or as possible as possible. On the other hand, when the reflected light is detected with the object 900 and the entrance surface 135 as close as possible or in contact with each other as possible, unnecessary light such as disturbance light is prevented from being detected as the reflected light. can do.

  Conventionally, the reliability of data of reflected light is improved by continuously irradiating incident light to the same irradiation point on an object at the same incident angle. The reliability of the data of the reflected light is improved by irradiating the incident light to the specific area of the light source and receiving the resulting reflected light as much as possible.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the entrance surface 135 is inclined with respect to the traveling direction of the incident light. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the entrance surface 135 is inclined so as to spread in the direction away from the incident light toward the traveling direction side of the incident light. That is, the entrance surface 135 is inclined to form the angle α (0 ° <α <90 °) with the traveling direction of the incident light. Reflected light resulting from incident light includes many that form a predetermined angle with respect to the traveling direction of incident light, and when the entrance surface 135 is formed as described above, more reflected light is It can be taken into the light guide passage 16.

  If an optical filter (not shown) is provided on the entrance surface 135, only reflected light having a wavelength corresponding to the optical filter can be made incident on the light guide passage 16. By providing an optical filter (not shown) on the entrance surface 135, it is possible to prevent the incidence of the reflected light not attributable to the incident light. This can provide more reliable data.

  The light detection unit 17 detects the reflected light passing through the exit surface 136 of the light guide passage 16. The light detection unit 17 is disposed at a position (for example, the exit surface 136 or in the vicinity of the exit surface 136) capable of receiving the reflected light passing through the exit surface 136 of the light guide passage 16. Examples of the light detection unit 17 include, for example, light receiving elements such as photodiodes and phototransistors. However, the light detection unit 17 is not limited to this and may be capable of detecting other light. The light detection unit 17 may be configured by light receiving elements having a shape that matches the shape of the exit surface 136, or a plurality of light receiving elements having an existing shape may be arranged along the exit surface 136 at equal intervals. Good.

  The reflected light amount calculation unit 18 calculates the light amount of the reflected light based on the detection result of the light detection unit 17. There are various ways of calculating the amount of light of reflected light. The reflected light amount calculating unit 18 is, for example, a unit light amount which is the light amount of the reflected light detected by each of the plurality of light receiving elements constituting the light detecting unit 17 (in the following, the light amount of the reflected light received by each light receiving element The total value of the light amount) may be calculated. The reflected light amount calculating unit 18 may calculate, for example, an average value of the unit light amounts received by each of the plurality of light receiving elements constituting the light detecting unit 17. In addition, the reflected light amount calculating unit 18 may calculate, for example, the maximum value of the unit light amount received by each of the plurality of light receiving elements constituting the light detecting unit 17.

  Further, the reflected light amount calculating unit 18 may calculate, for example, a total value of the light amounts of the reflected light detected by the light detecting unit 17 within a predetermined time. Also, the reflected light amount calculating unit 18 may calculate, for example, an average value of the light amount of the reflected light detected by the light detecting unit 17 within a predetermined time. The reflected light amount calculating unit 18 may calculate, for example, the maximum value of the light amount of the reflected light detected by the light detecting unit 17 within a predetermined time.

  Also, the reflected light amount calculation unit 18 may be configured to have a color determination unit. The color discrimination unit discriminates the color of the object 900 based on the detection result of the light detection unit 17. In this case, the incident light irradiator 15 and the light detector 17 are each configured of, for example, an RGB light source and one light receiving element. From the RGB light source, for example, red light (R), green light (G) and blue light (B) are emitted in time division. Incident light emitted from the RGB light source in time division is detected by the light detection unit 17. In the color discrimination unit, the difference in the ratio of the reflected light of each of the RGB components is calculated based on the detection result of the light detection unit 17. The color of the object 900 is determined based on the difference in the ratio of the reflected light of each of the RGB components. A light receiving element (RGB color sensor element) having, for example, an RGB light source and three corresponding light receiving elements, a white light source, and a color filter as the configuration of the incident light irradiator 15 and the light detecting unit 17 corresponding to the color discrimination unit And all other configurations for color detection.

  Further, as described above, the reflected light amount calculation unit 18 does not limit the time, and based on the detection result of the light detection unit 17, the total value of the light amounts of the reflected light at the current time from the start of the incident light irradiation. May be calculated. Further, as described above, the reflected light amount calculation unit 18 does not limit the time, and based on the detection result of the light detection unit 17, the average value of the light amounts of the reflected light at the current time from the start of the incident light irradiation. May be calculated. Further, as described above, the reflected light amount calculation unit 18 compares the detection results of the light detection unit 17 without limiting the time, and the maximum light amount of the reflected light at the current time from the start of the incident light irradiation. A value may be calculated. In the above case, the liquid crystal unit 20 may always display the total value, the average value, or the maximum value of the light amount of the reflected light at the current time from the start of the irradiation of the incident light.

  Further, the evaluation value calculation unit 19 calculates an evaluation value regarding the state of the object based on the value calculated by the reflected light amount calculation unit 18. As an evaluation value regarding the state of the object, for example, freshness of fish and freshness of other fresh food are mentioned as an example.

  For example, the fish die and after a while the eye lens becomes white and cloudy. When light is applied to the eyes of a fish, it is reflected at the back of the eyes and the like and reflected light comes out, but the amount of light of the reflected light changes according to the degree of turbidity of the fish's eyes. The freshness of the fish can be easily calculated using the value regarding the light amount of the reflected light calculated by the reflected light amount calculation unit 18 using this. In addition, when calculating the freshness of a fish in the evaluation value calculation part 19, it is necessary to perform irradiation of the incident light in the incident light irradiation part 15 with respect to a fish eye as the assumption.

  The operation unit 14 receives an operation from the outside and makes a request corresponding to the operation to each unit. When a request corresponding to a predetermined operation is made from the operation unit 14, each unit performs an operation corresponding to the request. For example, when the operation unit 14 receives an operation corresponding to the start of irradiation of incident light from the outside, the operation unit 14 requests the incident light irradiation unit 15 to that effect, and in response to the request, the incident light irradiation unit 15 emits the incident light. Start. Further, for example, when the operation unit 14 receives an operation to end detection of the reflected light from the outside, the operation unit 14 requests the incident light irradiation unit 15 and the reflected light amount calculation unit 18 to that effect, and receives the request. The light irradiation unit 15 ends the irradiation of the incident light, and the reflected light amount calculation unit 18 ends the calculation processing and outputs the result to the liquid crystal unit 20.

  As described above, the liquid crystal unit 20 displays, for example, the calculation result in the reflected light amount calculation unit 18. In addition, the contents of the operation accepted by the operation unit 14 may be displayed on the liquid crystal unit 20. Further, the liquid crystal unit 20 displays, for example, that irradiation of incident light is to be started, the irradiation time of incident light is displayed, or that irradiation of incident light is ended. Although etc. are mentioned as an example, it is not limited to this, You may make another display.

  Further, a camera unit (not shown) capable of photographing the irradiation position of the incident light may be further provided. If an image shot by a camera unit (not shown) is displayed on the liquid crystal unit 20, the user of the reflected light detection device 1 can finely adjust the irradiation position of the incident light by seeing it.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the operation unit 14, the light detection unit 17, the reflected light amount calculation unit 18, and the evaluation value calculation unit 19 are accommodated inside the housing 10. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the light guide passage 16 is disposed at one end (tip end) of the housing 10. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the liquid crystal unit 20 is connected to the other end (rear end) of the housing 10. The incident light irradiation part 15 is arrange | positioned by the hollow space enclosed by the light guide passage 16, as shown in FIG. More specifically, the incident light irradiation part 15 is accommodated in the inside (central hollow space 131) of the cylindrical member 13 which comprises the light guide passage 16. As shown in FIG. In addition, the incident light irradiation part 15 may be accommodated in the housing | casing 10 if possible. That is, the incident light irradiator 15 is surrounded by a position (for example, the inside of the housing 10 or the light guide passage 16) capable of irradiating incident light from the hollow space surrounded by the light guide passage 16 to the outside (the object 900). It is preferable to arrange in hollow space). Moreover, it is preferable that the housing | casing 10 is a magnitude | size which can be hold | gripped with both hands or one hand.

  As described above, each part of the reflected light detection device 1 is accommodated in the housing 10 having a size that can be gripped by one hand, the light guiding passage 16 is disposed at the tip of the housing 10, and the light guiding passage 16 The incident light irradiation part 15 is arrange | positioned by the position which can irradiate incident light to the exterior from the hollow space enclosed. Therefore, the reflected light detection device 1 can be made large enough to be able to hold the device itself with both hands or with one hand. As a result, the reflected light detection device 1 is easy for the user to handle.

It should be noted that the incident light is applied to a portion of the object 900 including a portion where a reflecting surface (outside surface or inside surface) such as an eyeball shown in FIG. 3A is curved or bent. Is assumed. That is, the incident light includes a portion of the object 900 where the reflective surface forms a predetermined angle θ (0 ° <θ <90 °, 90 ° <θ <180 °) with respect to the traveling direction of the incident light. It is assumed that the part is irradiated. In FIG. 3 (a), it shows the angle theta ₁ and the angle theta ₂ as an example of the angle theta.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (b), even if incident light (indicated by dotted line) which is parallel light is irradiated on the reflection surface 901 forming 90 ° with respect to the traveling direction of the incident light, the reflected light (in dotted line) ) Directly enters the central hollow space 131 and does not enter the entrance surface 135. This can not detect reflected light. On the other hand, when the eyeball is irradiated with incident light, incident light is irregularly reflected on the surface and inside of the eyeball as shown in FIG. 3A (see the solid line in the eyeball of FIG. 3A). As a result, the reflected light (indicated by a solid line) travels in various directions. With the annular entrance surface 135, many reflected lights traveling in various directions can be incident and guided to the light detection unit 17 through the light guide path 16. Thereby, many reflected lights can be detected, and data reliability can be improved.

<Hardware configuration of reflected light detection device>
Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the reflected light detection device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The reflected light detection device 1 includes, for example, a control unit 100, a light source member 111 capable of emitting parallel light and the like, a light receiving element 112, an operation receiving unit 113, a liquid crystal display 114, a camera module 115, and a battery 116. Equipped with

  The light source member 111 includes, for example, a light source, and a lens for converting light emitted from the light source into parallel light. The light receiving element 112 converts the received reflected light into an electrical signal according to the intensity of the received reflected light. The operation receiving unit 113 receives an operation from the outside, and includes, for example, an operation button, an operation lever, and the like. When the liquid crystal display 114 is configured of a touch panel liquid crystal display, the touch panel portion of the liquid crystal display 114 is also included in the operation reception unit 113. The camera module 115 may be, for example, either a CCD camera module or a CMOS camera module, but is not limited to this, and may be a camera module adopting another method. The battery 116 supplies power to the respective components of the reflected light detection device 1. The battery 116 can be substituted by a disposable battery.

  The control unit 100 performs each control in the reflected light detection device 1, and corresponds to a control board housed in the housing housing member described in FIG. For example, the control unit 100 operates a central processing unit (CPU) 101, a random access memory (RAM) 102, a read only memory (ROM) 103, a storage medium 104, an irradiation interface 105, a light receiving interface 106, and the like. A reception interface 107, a display control unit 108, and a video processing unit 109 are provided. The interface in FIG. 4 is described as I / F.

  The CPU 101 is in charge of overall processing in the reflected light detection device 1, and uses the RAM 102 as a work area. For example, various programs executed by the CPU 101 are written in the ROM 103. The storage medium 104 is configured by, for example, a flash memory or the like. The storage medium 104 functions as, for example, a storage place of data processed by the CPU 101.

  The irradiation interface 105 transmits an instruction from the CPU 101 to the light source member 111. The light source member 111 performs on / off operation in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 101. The light receiving interface 106 transmits information of the electrical signal sent from the light receiving element 112 to the CPU 101. The CPU 101 performs various arithmetic processing based on the information of the electrical signal. The operation reception interface 107 transmits the external operation received by the operation reception unit 113 to the CPU 101.

  The display control unit 108 causes the liquid crystal display 114 to perform display in accordance with an instruction from the CPU 101. The video processing unit 109 performs predetermined processing on the video captured by the camera module 115 so that the video captured by the camera module 115 can be displayed by the liquid crystal display 114. As the predetermined process, for example, an AD (Analog-to-digital) conversion on an image photographed by the camera module 115, a process of adjusting the brightness of the image, the contrast, and the like can be mentioned as an example.

  The incident light irradiation part 15 in FIG. 2 is realizable by the light source member 111, for example. The light detection unit 17 in FIG. 2 can be realized by, for example, the light receiving element 112. Further, the reflected light amount calculation unit 18 in FIG. 2 can be realized, for example, by the CPU 101 executing a program stored in the ROM 103 based on the information transmitted from the light reception interface 106. Further, the evaluation value calculating unit 19 can be realized by the CPU 101 executing a program stored in the ROM 103 based on the result of the reflected light amount calculating unit 18. The execution result of the CPU 101 is stored, for example, in the storage medium 104. Further, the operation unit 14 in FIG. 2 can be realized by, for example, the operation reception unit 113 and the operation reception interface 107. The liquid crystal unit 20 in FIG. 2 can be realized by, for example, the liquid crystal display 114 and the display control unit 108. The camera unit (not shown) described with reference to FIG. 2 can be realized by, for example, the camera module 115 and the video processing unit 109.

<Light guiding passage>
Next, an example of the configuration of the light guide passage 16 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5A, the distal end portion 11 described with reference to FIG. 1 is formed of a hollow cylindrical cylindrical member 13 having a tapered distal end. The peripheral wall 134 forming the cylindrical member 13 is formed of a light transmitting material as described above. A space surrounded by the peripheral wall 134 is a hollow central hollow space 131 extending in the longitudinal direction of the peripheral wall 134.

  In the central hollow space 131, for example, the incident light irradiator 15 is disposed. Then, as shown by arrow A in FIG. 5B, the incident light is irradiated from the opening area 131a of the end surface of the central hollow space 131 on the tip end side in the lengthwise direction of the peripheral wall 134 to the outside.

  The peripheral wall 134 corresponds to the light guide passage 16. The peripheral wall 134 has a structure for internally reflecting light traveling inside the peripheral wall 134 and guiding the light in a predetermined direction, as shown by the left arrow in FIG. 5B. If such a peripheral wall 134 is made of, for example, a material suitable for light guiding such as a light transmitting material, light can be guided in a predetermined direction as described above.

  The entrance surface 135 of the light guide passage 16 is formed in an annular shape and surrounds the periphery of the opening area 131a which is an exit of incident light. That is, the entrance surface 135 of the light guide passage 16 is formed in an annular shape surrounding the periphery of the incident light.

  Conventionally, since the size of the electric signal obtained from the reflected light differs depending on the incident angle, the incident light is irradiated with the incident light continuously at the same incident angle to improve the data reliability. Was. And the freshness of the perishable food was calculated based on the intensity | strength of the reflected light corresponding to the incident light.

  On the other hand, when the incident light having a specific cross-sectional area is irradiated to the object 900 by the incident light irradiation unit 15, a plurality of reflected lights according to the area are generated from the object 900 in various directions. The reflected light detection device 1 forms the entrance surface 135 in an annular shape so that a large amount of reflected light generated in various directions can be easily incident on the entrance surface 135 and guides a large amount of reflected light to the light detection unit 17. Is configured. If much reflected light can be detected by the light detection unit 17, the reliability of data can be increased accordingly. By irradiating the object 900 with incident light having a specific cross-sectional area, it is possible to easily irradiate the object with the incident light. In addition, since the accuracy of the incident angle of incident light and the irradiation point is not required, the use of the device is facilitated.

  Furthermore, in order to guide reflected light to the light detection unit 17 by the cylindrical (or annular) light guide passage 16 surrounding the periphery of the incident light irradiation unit 15, the light detection unit 17 is in the vicinity of the incident light irradiation unit 15. It is also possible to arrange. Therefore, it is easy to miniaturize the entire reflected light detection device 1.

  Further, the entrance surface 135 is inclined with respect to the traveling direction A of the incident light, as shown in FIG. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5B, the entrance surface 135 is inclined so as to extend in the direction away from the incident light toward the traveling direction A side of the incident light. The reflected light resulting from the incident light includes many that form a predetermined angle with respect to the traveling direction A of the incident light, and when the entrance surface 135 is inclined as described above, more reflected light is generated. Can be taken into the light guide passage 16.

  On the other hand, the exit surface 136 of the light guide passage 16 is also formed annular like the entrance surface 135, and around the opening 131b of the end surface of the central hollow space 131 at the rear end side in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical member 13 (peripheral wall 134). Surround The exit surface 136 is an exit of the reflected light incident from the entrance surface 135 and does not need to be parallel to the entrance surface 135. For example, when the incident light irradiated from the incident light irradiator 15 is parallel light, the exit surface 136 may be a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis in the traveling direction of the incident light. Further, for example, when the incident light irradiated from the incident light irradiator 15 is diffused light, the exit surface 136 may be a direction substantially perpendicular to the traveling direction of the light located at the center of the diffused light .

  The reflected light passes through the exit surface 136 while being internally reflected inside the peripheral wall 134 as the light guide passage 16, and is received by the light detection unit 17. The peripheral wall 134 as the light guide passage 16 is preferably formed to extend along the traveling direction of the incident light emitted from the incident light irradiation unit 15. When the light guide passage 16 is formed as described above, the light guide passage 16 is formed to be slim, so that the reflected light detection device 1 can also be miniaturized.

  Alternatively, a plurality of light receiving elements may be annularly arranged along the exit surface 136 of the light guide passage 16 or in the vicinity thereof, and may be configured as the light detection unit 17.

  The inside of the peripheral wall 134 may be hollow, and a hollow cylindrical space may be provided inside the peripheral wall 134. That is, the space between the outer peripheral surface 132 and the inner peripheral surface 133 which constitute the peripheral wall 134 may be hollow. In this case, not only the hollow central hollow space 131 extending in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical member 13 is formed in the center of the cylindrical member 13, but also between the inner peripheral surface 133 and the outer peripheral surface 132. A substantially cylindrical hollow cylindrical space is formed. An outer circumferential inner circumferential surface 132a corresponding to the inner circumferential side of the outer circumferential surface 132 and an inner circumferential outer circumferential surface 133a corresponding to the outer circumferential side of the inner circumferential surface 133 are made of a material capable of reflecting reflected light, such as mirror surface or metal You may comprise by a surface etc. When the outer peripheral inner peripheral surface 132a and the inner peripheral outer peripheral surface 133a are configured by a mirror surface or a metal surface or the like capable of reflecting reflected light, the peripheral wall 134 serves as a light guiding passage to guide reflected light to the exit surface 136 (exit surface). can do.

<Modification of light guide passage>
Next, another example of the configuration of the light guide path 30 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the end portion 11 described in FIG. 1 is equally divided into four in the circumferential direction at one end surface of the hollow cylindrical cylindrical member 21 whose both ends are open. The projection members 22 to 25 extend from the position to the rear end side in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical member 21.

  The cylindrical member 21 and the projecting members 22 to 25 are integrally formed of, for example, a light transmitting material. More specifically, the peripheral wall 29 and the projecting members 22 to 25 constituting the cylindrical member 21 are integrally formed of, for example, a light transmitting material.

  The distal end portion 11 is formed as described above, but the light guide passage 30 is formed from the peripheral wall 29 to the projecting members 22 to 25 among them. The inlet surface 31 is configured by an annular end surface 29 a on the tip side in the longitudinal direction of the peripheral wall 29. The entrance surface 31 may be inclined with respect to the traveling direction of the incident light, similarly to the entrance surface 135 in the light guide passage 16 described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 5.

  The outlet faces 22b to 25b are respectively constituted by end faces on the rear end side in the longitudinal direction of the projecting members 22 to 25. The light receiving elements 17 a to 17 d are disposed as the light detection unit 17 at or near the exit surfaces 22 b to 25 b.

  When the light guide passage 16 and the light guide passage 30 in FIG. 6 are compared, the light guide passage 16 is formed only with the peripheral wall 134, while the peripheral wall 29 is branched into plural from the middle , Are formed to have a plurality of branch paths. Then, the branch paths are disposed at uniform intervals in the circumferential direction of the annular inlet surface 31. The projecting members 22 to 25 correspond to the branch paths.

  Similar to the peripheral wall 134 described with reference to FIG. 5, the peripheral wall 29 and the projection members 22 to 25 as the branch path internally include light traveling inside the peripheral wall 29 and the projection members 22 to 25 as the branch path. The light is internally reflected to guide light in a predetermined direction. If the peripheral wall 29 and the projecting members 22 to 25 as the branch paths are formed of, for example, a material suitable for light guiding such as a light transmitting material, light is guided in a predetermined direction as described above. be able to.

  Although there are four branch paths in the light guide path 30, the number of branch paths is not limited to four, and may be four or less or four or more.

  The inside of the peripheral wall 29 constituting the cylindrical member 21 may be hollow, and a hollow cylindrical space may be provided inside the peripheral wall 29. That is, the space between the inner circumferential surface 26 and the outer circumferential surface 27 which constitute the circumferential wall 29 may be hollow. In this case, the outer peripheral inner peripheral surface 27a corresponding to the inner peripheral side of the outer peripheral surface 27 and the inner peripheral outer peripheral surface 26a corresponding to the outer peripheral side of the inner peripheral surface 26 are made of a material that can reflect reflected light, for example, a mirror surface or the like You may comprise by a metal surface etc.

  In addition, hollow members 22 to 25 may be hollow, and hollow members 22 to 25 may be provided with hollow spaces 22a to 25a. In this case, the inner circumferential surface corresponding to the inner circumferential side of the protruding members 22 to 25 may be made of a material capable of reflecting the reflected light, such as a mirror surface or a metal surface.

  The end face 29a on the tip side in the longitudinal direction of the peripheral wall 29 is open to the outside. The end face 29b on the rear end side in the longitudinal direction of the peripheral wall 29 is not open to the outside, and the rear end in the longitudinal direction of the peripheral wall 29 communicates spatially only with the hollow spaces 22a to 25a. The end face 29b on the side and the end face on the tip end side in the lengthwise direction of the projecting members 22 to 25 are integrally formed. In the case described above, the light guide passage 30 is formed by the space from the cylindrical space inside the circumferential wall 29 which communicates spatially to the hollow spaces 22a to 25a.

  Next, the operation of the incident light and the reflected light in the light guide passage 30 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 7A, the incident light irradiated from the incident light irradiator 15 has an end face opening on the tip end side in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical member 21 in the central hollow space 28 from the central hollow space 28 in the tip 11 It passes through 28 a and is irradiated to the object 900.

  The reflected light from the object 900 resulting from the incident light is incident from the entrance surface 31, as shown in FIG. 7 (b). The reflected light incident from the entrance surface 31 travels to any one of the projecting members 22 to 25 while being internally reflected inside the peripheral wall 29. Then, the reflected light travels toward the corresponding exit surfaces 22b to 25b while internally reflecting inside the projecting members 22 to 25 as well. The reflected light having passed through the exit surfaces 22b to 25b is received by any one of the corresponding light receiving elements 17a to 17d. If the distance between the object 900 and the entrance surface 31 is too large, the reflected light from the object 900 due to the incident light can not be sufficiently condensed on the entrance surface 31, so the object 900 and the entrance surface 31 It is preferable to detect the reflected light as close to or as possible as possible. On the other hand, if the reflected light is detected with the object 900 and the entrance surface 31 as close as possible or in contact with each other as much as possible, unnecessary light such as disturbance light is prevented from being detected as the reflected light. can do.

<Error processing of reflected light detection>
Next, a mode of detection error in the reflected light detection device 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 8A, for example, consider a case where incident light is irradiated by the reflected light detection device 1 from a direction forming 90 ° with respect to the entire eyeball of the object 900 from the center of the eyeball of the object 900 . In this case, it is assumed that the incident light is reflected by the eyeball of the object 900 in a substantially uniform light amount in various directions. Then, it is assumed that the reflected light is uniformly incident on the annular entrance surface.

  In this case, in the light receiving elements 17e to 17m (light detecting portions 17) arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the exit surface 136 near the exit surface 136 of the light guide passage 16 shown in FIG. It is considered to receive a unit light quantity that can be regarded as being in the range. Similarly, the light receiving elements 17a to 17d (light detecting portions 17) disposed in the vicinity of the exit faces of the light guide passage 30 shown in FIG. It is considered that a unit light quantity is received. The unit light quantity refers to the light quantity received by the single light receiving element.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8B, for example, at a position shifted to the right from the center of the eyeball of the object 900, the incident light from a direction forming 90 ° to the substantially right half of the eyeball of the object 900 Consider the case of irradiation. In this case, it is assumed that the incident light is not reflected by the eyeball of the object 900 in various directions with a uniform light quantity, but is reflected in a light quantity distribution that is biased in each direction. And since the annular entrance surface is located at a position shifted to the right from the center of the eyeball of the object 900, the incident amount of the reflected light changes depending on the position of the entrance surface, and the reflected light is incident nonuniformly over the entire entrance surface. It is assumed.

  In this case, it is considered that in the light receiving elements 17e to 17m constituting the light detection unit 17 disposed in the vicinity of the exit surface 136 of the light guide passage 16 shown in FIG. Further, in the light receiving elements 17a to 17d constituting the light detection unit 17 disposed in the vicinity of the exit surface of the light guide passage 30 shown in FIG. 8D, it is considered that the unit light amounts of light received are also uneven.

  As described above, when incident light is not normally irradiated to the entire specific part of the object 900, the unit light quantity received by the plurality of light receiving elements may be uneven. In addition, when an obstacle that interferes with the reflection of incident light occurs in a specific part of the object 900, the unit light quantity received by the plurality of light receiving elements may become uneven. In such a case, the reflected light amount calculation unit 18 determines that the unit light amount received by the plurality of light receiving elements is in the non-uniform range, and an error occurs in the detection of the reflected light from the eyeball in the object 900 And the liquid crystal unit 20 displays that effect. On the other hand, when the reflected light amount calculating unit 18 determines that the unit light amounts received by the plurality of light receiving elements are in a uniform range even if there is a difference in the unit light amounts received by the plurality of light receiving elements, the eyeball in the object 900 Treat as the detection of the reflected light from.

  It should be noted that whether the unit light quantities received by the plurality of light receiving elements are within the uniform range is set in advance the conditions of the uniform range, and the reflected light quantity calculation unit 18 determines the plurality of light receiving elements according to the conditions. It is determined whether each unit light quantity to receive light exists in a uniform range.

Second Embodiment
The reflected light detection device 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. The reflected light detection device 2 is provided with an incident light passage 40 in the reflected light detection device 1. The other parts of the reflected light detection device 2 are the same as those of the reflected light detection device 1, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  The incident light passage 40 is a passage for incident light emitted from the incident light irradiator 15. The incident light path 40 is formed of a cylindrical portion surrounding the periphery of the incident light irradiated from the incident light irradiator 15 and guiding the incident light toward the object. For example, as shown in FIG. 9A, the tubular portion is constituted by a tubular body 41. The cylindrical body 41 will be specifically described below.

  As shown in FIG. 9B, the cylindrical body 41 is constituted by a cylindrical main body 42, an inner peripheral surface 44 of the main body 42, an opening 45, and a reduced diameter portion 46. The passage space 43 surrounded by the inner peripheral surface 44 of the main body 42 extends in the length direction (the direction of the central axis C) of the main body 42. At least a portion of the inner circumferential surface 44 is made of a light absorbing material that is a material that absorbs light. As a light absorption material, a black coating film is mentioned as an example, for example. The opening 45 corresponds to one end of the main body 42 in the longitudinal direction (the direction of the central axis C). As shown in FIG. 9B, the other end (surface 47) in the length direction (central axis C direction) of the main body 42 is open, but the present invention is not limited to this. It may be closed.

  The reduced diameter portion 46 continues to the inner diameter D of the cross section of the main body portion 42 as it goes to the opening 45 side in the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 42 (or the same goes for the following toward the opening 45 side). The inner circumference is the portion to be reduced. The inner diameter D (or inner circumference) of the cross section of the main body portion 42 is the inner diameter (or inner circumference) of the cross section of the main body portion 42 in the direction perpendicular to the length direction (central axis C direction) of the main body portion 42. The inner diameter D of the reduced diameter portion 46 gradually decreases from the middle of the main body portion 42 to the opening 45. Thus, the inner circumferential surface 44 is, for example, a tapered surface that inclines inward in the radial direction toward the opening 45 in the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 42.

  As shown in FIG. 9 (b), the cylindrical body 41 is constituted by a cylindrical portion 411 having a cylindrical shape and a conical cylindrical portion 412 having a conical cylindrical shape. The cylindrical portion 411 and the truncated cone cylindrical portion 412 are connected at the bottom surface having the same diameter. The passage space 43 is constituted by a cylindrical space surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 411 and a frusto-conical space surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the truncated cone cylindrical portion 412. The reduced diameter portion 46 corresponds to the truncated cone cylindrical portion 412.

  A modified example of the reduced diameter portion will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 10A, the reduced diameter portion 60 is formed in the middle of the main body portion 62 of the cylindrical body 61. In the reduced diameter portion 60, the inner diameter D1 is gradually reduced toward the opening 63 side in the length direction (central axis direction) of the main body portion 62 in the middle section of the main body portion 62.

  Specifically, the cylindrical body 61 is configured of a cylindrical portion 610 of a cylindrical shape, a conical cylindrical portion 611 of a truncated conical shape, and a cylindrical portion 612 of a cylindrical shape. The inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 610 is larger than the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 612. The cylindrical portion 610 constitutes a large diameter cylindrical portion having a large inner diameter. The cylindrical portion 612 constitutes a small diameter cylindrical portion whose inner diameter is smaller than that of the large diameter cylindrical portion. Further, the cylindrical portion 612 constitutes an inner diameter changing cylindrical portion which changes so that the inner diameter is reduced toward the opening 63 side in the length direction (central axis direction) of the cylinder portion 612. The cylindrical portion 610, the truncated cone cylindrical portion 611, and the cylindrical portion 612 are connected at the bottom surface having the same diameter in order. That is, the large diameter cylindrical portion, the inner diameter changing cylindrical portion, and the small diameter cylindrical portion are continuously coupled along the center axis direction of the self. The passage space 613 includes a cylindrical space surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 610, a frusto-conical space surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the truncated cone cylindrical portion 611, and a cylindrical space surrounded by the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 612. Configured

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10 (b), the diameter reducing portion 70 is formed in the middle of the main body portion 72 of the cylindrical body 71. In the reduced diameter portion 70, the inner diameter D2 is reduced to the inner diameter D3 (D2> D3) at an intermediate position of the main body portion 72. That is, in the cylindrical body 71, a step 75 (dashed-dotted line area) such that the inner circumference (or inner diameter) of the inner circumferential surface 74 is reduced toward the opening 76 side in the length direction (central axis direction) of the main body 72 G) is formed.

  Specifically, the cylindrical body 71 is configured of a cylindrical portion 710 having a cylindrical shape and a cylindrical portion 711 having a cylindrical shape. The inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 710 is larger than the inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 711. The cylindrical portion 710 constitutes a large diameter cylindrical portion having a large inner diameter. The cylindrical portion 711 constitutes a small diameter cylindrical portion whose inner diameter is smaller than that of the large diameter cylindrical portion. The cylindrical portion 710 and the cylindrical portion 711 are connected at the bottom surface so that the central axes thereof coincide with each other. That is, the central axes of the large diameter cylindrical portion and the small diameter cylindrical portion coincide with each other, and are joined along the central axis direction. The passage space 712 is constituted by a large-diameter cylindrical space surrounded by the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 710 and a small-diameter cylindrical space surrounded by the inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical portion 711. And the level | step difference 75 turns into a cyclic | annular level | step difference.

  As shown in FIG. 10C, the diameter reducing portion 80 is a combination of the diameter reducing portion 60 and the diameter reducing portion 70. The reduced diameter portion 80 is formed along the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 82 of the cylindrical body 81. Then, the inner diameter of the main body portion 82 is reduced discontinuously toward the opening 83 side in the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 82 in the reduced diameter portion 80. Thereby, it is considered that the cylindrical body 81 is configured by continuously connecting the large diameter cylindrical portion, the inner diameter changing cylindrical portion, the medium diameter cylindrical portion, and the small diameter cylindrical portion in order along the center axis direction of itself. Let The medium diameter cylindrical portion has an inner diameter of a size between the inner diameter of the large diameter cylindrical portion and the inner diameter of the small diameter cylindrical portion. In addition, between the said diameter reduction part 60 and the diameter reduction part 70, it is comprised by the medium diameter cylinder part 810 with a substantially constant internal diameter, and an internal diameter does not reduce in the area of this medium diameter cylinder part. It is defined that "the inner diameter of the main body 82 is reduced discontinuously" to indicate such a thing.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10D, the reduced diameter portion 60a and the enlarged diameter portion 86 are formed between the reduced diameter portion 60 and the reduced diameter portion 70 in the main body portion 85 of the cylindrical body 84. It is also good. The diameter reducing portion 60a is different from the diameter reducing portion 60 in the degree to which the inner diameter is reduced. Further, the enlarged diameter portion 86 is a portion where the inner diameter D (or the inner periphery) of the cross section of the main body portion 85 is expanded toward the opening 87 side in the longitudinal direction of the main body portion 85. As a result, in the cylindrical body 84, the large diameter cylindrical portion, the first inner diameter changing cylindrical portion, the second inner diameter changing cylindrical portion, the third inner diameter changing cylindrical portion, and the small diameter cylindrical portion continue in this order along the central axis direction of itself. It can be regarded as being connected and configured. The first inner diameter change cylinder and the second inner diameter change cylinder correspond to the reduced diameter portions 60 and 60a, and change so that the inner diameter decreases toward the opening 87 in the central axis direction. The third inner diameter changing cylindrical portion corresponds to the enlarged diameter portion 86, and changes so that the inner diameter is increased toward the opening 87 in the central axial direction.

  Again referring back to FIG. The light guide passage 16 is formed as a peripheral wall surrounding the periphery of incident light as described above. The cylindrical body 41 is disposed in the hollow space 16 b surrounded by the inner peripheral surface 16 a of the peripheral wall (light guide passage 16). The cylindrical body 41 is disposed so as to extend from the vicinity of the incident light irradiator 15 toward the opening area 131 a which is the inner area of the entrance surface 135 in the light guide passage 16. As a result, the cylindrical body 41 surrounds the periphery of the incident light on the side closer to the incident light than the light guide passage 16.

  The arrangement of the cylindrical body 41 will be described more specifically below. The main body 42 is disposed in the hollow space 16 b. And the main-body part 42 is arrange | positioned so that the opening 45 may face the opening area 131a. As a result, the passage space 43 extends from the vicinity of the incident light irradiator 15 toward the opening region 131 a. Thereby, the incident light travels to the outside through the opening 45 and the opening area 131a.

  When incident light is incident on the inner circumferential surface 44, it is absorbed by the light absorbing material without being reflected. In addition, the passage space 43 is gradually reduced by the reduced diameter portion 46. Thereby, the cross-sectional area of incident light is reduced as it progresses to the opening 45 side. Then, the incident light passing through the opening 45 is, for the most part, parallel light traveling in a direction perpendicular to the opening surface of the opening 45. As a result, most of the incident light passing through the opening surface of the opening 45 is irradiated to a specific part of the object, so most of the reflected light incident on the entrance surface 135 of the light guide passage 16 is a specific part of the object It will be reflected. Thereby, most of the reflected light resulting from the incident light can be reflected at a specific location of the object.

  When the inner circumferential surface 44 is not made of a light absorbing member, the incident light is reflected when it enters the inner circumferential surface 44. In this case, the incident light passing through the opening 45 includes many that do not travel in the direction perpendicular to the opening surface 45 a of the opening 45. In order for most of the incident light passing through the opening 45 to travel in a direction perpendicular to the opening surface 45 a of the opening 45, it is preferable to reduce the area of the opening surface 45 a of the opening 45 as much as possible.

Third Embodiment
The reflected light detection device 3 according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. The reflected light detection device 3 is the reflected light detection device 1 provided with an object housing case 50. The other parts of the reflected light detection device 3 are the same as those of the reflected light detection device 1, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

  The object housing case 50 is capable of housing the object 901. The object housing case 50 includes a main body 51, an inner circumferential surface 53, and an opening 54. The main body 51 has an internal space 52 in which the object 901 can be accommodated. The shapes of the main body 51 and the internal space 52 are not particularly limited. As the object 901, for example, one that can not maintain a predetermined shape such as a fluid or a fine particle can be mentioned. If an object 901 such as fluid or particulate is contained in the internal space 52, a state similar to an eyeball is formed.

  The inner circumferential surface 53 is an inner circumferential surface of the main body 51 and surrounds the inner space 52. The inner circumferential surface 53 is configured to be able to reflect light traveling in the inner space 52. Materials that can reflect light, such as mirror surfaces and metal surfaces, may be mentioned. If the inner peripheral surface 53 is a mirror surface, a metal surface or the like, light traveling in the interior space 52 can be reflected.

  The opening 54 is provided in the main body 51, and communicates the internal space 52 with the outside. For example, the tip of the reflected light detection device 2 is inserted into the opening 54. In this case, the incident light irradiation unit 15 of the reflected light detection device 2 is disposed outside the internal space 52, as shown in FIG. 11 (a). The incident light emitted from the incident light irradiator 15 passes through the opening 54, travels to the internal space 52, and is irradiated onto the object 901. The incident light is reflected by the object 901 and the inner circumferential surface 53. The reflected light is incident from the entrance surface 135 of the light guide passage 16 and is guided to the exit surface 136. The inlet surface 135 is disposed in the interior space 52. In the case of the configuration as described above, the incident light passes through the opening 54 and the reflected light not passing through the opening 54 is incident from the entrance surface 135.

  If the target object housing case 50 described above is used, it is possible to obtain an evaluation value regarding the state of the target object 901 which can not hold a predetermined shape such as fluid or fine particles. For example, even if the object 901 is salad oil or fine particulate sugar / salt, if the salad oil or sugar / salt is stored in the object housing case 50, the salad oil or sugar / salt can be obtained by irradiating incident light. It is possible to obtain an evaluation value regarding the condition such as freshness.

Fourth and Fifth Embodiments
The reflected light detection apparatus according to the fourth and fifth embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 12A, in the reflected light detection device 4 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, unlike the case of the reflected light detection device 3, the incident light irradiation unit 15 of the reflected light detection device 1 It is disposed in the internal space 56 of the object housing case 55. In the case of the above configuration, the incident light does not pass through the opening 57, and the reflected light that does not pass through the opening 57 is incident from the entrance surface 135.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 12B, in the reflected light detection device 5 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention, the tip of the reflected light detection device 1 passes through the opening 59 of the object housing 58 to the internal space 59a It does not have to be inserted. In this case, the incident light irradiator 15 and the entrance surface 135 of the reflected light detection device 1 are disposed outside the internal space 59a as shown in FIG. 12 (b). In the case of the above configuration, the incident light passes through the opening 59, and the reflected light passing through the opening 59 is incident from the entrance surface 135.

Sixth Embodiment
The reflected light detection apparatus according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. Moreover, as shown to Fig.13 (a), the reflected light detection apparatus 6 in the 6th Embodiment of this invention provides the reflected light detection apparatus 3 with the target object accommodation housing | casing 64. As shown to FIG. The object housing case 64 is configured to be able to house the object 901. That is, the object housing case 64 has an internal space 65 capable of housing the object 901. Then, the object housing case 64 is disposed in the internal space 52 of the object housing case 50. Therefore, the object housing case 64 has a size and a shape that can be disposed in the internal space 52.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 13B, the object housing case 50 is configured of a case upper portion 50b, a case lower portion 50c, and an opening / closing mechanism (not shown). The object housing case 50 is separated into a housing upper portion 50 b and a housing lower portion 50 c with the depthwise central surface 50 a of the object housing housing 50 as a boundary. The housing upper portion 50b and the housing lower portion 50c are connected by an opening and closing mechanism. As an opening and closing mechanism, a hinge mechanism is mentioned, for example. The upper case 50 b is configured to be able to open and close like the lid of the lower case 50 c around the hinge axis of the hinge mechanism. The opening and closing mechanism may not be a hinge mechanism but an attaching and detaching mechanism. In this case, the housing upper portion 50b and the housing lower portion 50c are removable.

  The upper housing portion 50b is removed from the lower housing portion 50c using the opening and closing mechanism or the attaching and detaching mechanism described above. After removal, the object housing case 64 is placed on the inner bottom surface of the lower case 50c. Then, the housing upper portion 50b is covered and fixed to the housing lower portion 50c. As a result, the object housing case 64 is housed in the object housing case 50.

  Further, it is preferable that the object housing case 64 be made of a light transmitting material that transmits light. Examples of the light transmitting material include, for example, transparent resin, glass and the like. The light transmissive material preferably has a high transmittance. The light traveling through the internal space 65 passes through the object housing case 64 and is reflected by the inner circumferential surface 53 of the object housing case 50. The inner peripheral surface of the object housing case 64 may be configured by a mirror surface or a metal surface that can reflect light.

  For example, when a fluid such as salad oil is directly stored in the object storage case 50, the inner circumferential surface 53 of the object storage case 50 is stained. In this case, when another target object 901 to be measured is stored in the target object housing case 50, it is necessary to clean the inner circumferential surface 53 of the target object housing case 50. If this is performed for each measurement object, the measurement operation becomes complicated. When the object housing case 64 is used, the inner peripheral surface 53 of the object housing case 50 does not get dirty, so that the measurement operation can be performed efficiently. If a plurality of target object housings 64 are prepared, different target housings 64 can be used for each measurement target. As a result, even if there are a plurality of measurement objects, measurement can be performed efficiently.

<About the usage form of the reflected light detection device>
The object state measurement device using the reflected light detection device 1 can evaluate various things by how the evaluation value calculation unit 19 described in FIG. 2 evaluates the evaluation value regarding the state of the object. If the object state is, for example, the freshness state of a food such as vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, etc., the state of sugar content, or the state of other food, the object state measurement device using the reflected light detection device 1 It can be used as a food freshness measuring device, a sugar content measuring device, and other food condition measuring devices. Also, if the evaluation value regarding the state of the object is, for example, the evaluation value as arterial blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), the object state measuring device using the reflected light detection device 1 may be used as a pulse oximeter it can.

  Further, as described above, by setting the wavelength of the incident light irradiated from the incident light irradiation unit 15 to various wavelengths, the reflected light detection device 1 can be used for various applications other than the above.

  The reflected light detection device of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and it goes without saying that various changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Reflected light detection device 10 Case 15 Incident light irradiation unit 16, 30 Light guiding passage 16a, 44, 53, 74 Inner circumferential surface 16b Hollow space 17 Light detection unit 17a, 17b, 17c, 17d, 17e, 17f, 17g, 17i, 17j, 17k, 17l, 112 light receiving element 18 reflected light amount calculation unit 19 evaluation value calculation unit 25b, 136 exit surface 31, 135 entrance surface 40 incident light path 41 , 61, 71, 81, 84 Tubular body 42, 51, 62, 72, 82, 85 Body part 43, 631, 712 Passage space 45, 54, 57, 59, 63, 76, 87 Opening 46, 60, 60a , 70, 80 reduced diameter portion 50, 55, 58, 64 object housing 52, 56, 59a, 65 internal space 75 step difference 86 enlarged diameter portion 900, 901 object

Claims (26)

What is claimed is: 1. A reflected light detection device for detecting reflected light from an object caused by incident light irradiated to the object, comprising:
An incident light irradiator for irradiating the object with the incident light;
A light guiding passage which is formed so as to connect an outlet surface having an arbitrary shape from an inlet surface surrounding the periphery of the incident light, and which guides the reflected light incident from the inlet surface to the outlet surface;
A light detection unit that detects the reflected light passing through the exit surface of the light guide passage;
Equipped with
The light guide path has a plurality of branch paths which are branched into a plurality of branches from the middle .
Reflected light detection device. What is claimed is: 1. A reflected light detection device for detecting reflected light from an object caused by incident light irradiated to the object, comprising:
An incident light irradiator for irradiating the object with the incident light;
A light guiding passage which is formed so as to connect an outlet surface having an arbitrary shape from an inlet surface surrounding the periphery of the incident light, and which guides the reflected light incident from the inlet surface to the outlet surface;
A light detection unit that detects the reflected light passing through the exit surface of the light guide passage;
A reflected light amount calculation unit that calculates the light amount of the reflected light based on the detection result of the light detection unit;
Equipped with
The light detection unit includes a plurality of light receiving elements.
The reflected light amount calculation unit is a total value, an average value, or a maximum value of unit light amounts that is the light amount of the reflected light received by each of the plurality of light receiving elements based on the detection result of each of the plurality of light receiving elements. Calculating the value ,
Reflected light detection device. What is claimed is: 1. A reflected light detection device for detecting reflected light from an object caused by incident light irradiated to the object, comprising:
An incident light irradiator for irradiating the object with the incident light;
A light guiding passage which is formed so as to connect an outlet surface having an arbitrary shape from an inlet surface surrounding the periphery of the incident light, and which guides the reflected light incident from the inlet surface to the outlet surface;
A light detection unit that detects the reflected light passing through the exit surface of the light guide passage;
A first object containing case capable of containing the object;
A second object containing case capable of containing the object;
Equipped with
The first object housing case is
A main body having an internal space capable of accommodating the object;
An inner circumferential surface of the main body portion surrounding the inner space and reflecting light traveling in the inner space;
An opening through which the incident light travels from the incident light irradiator into the interior space, or an opening through which the incident light irradiator is inserted into the interior space;
Have
The second object housing case is configured to be arrangeable in the internal space ,
Reflected light detection device. The incident light is parallel light.
The reflected light detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The incident light irradiator is disposed at a position where the incident light can be irradiated from the hollow space surrounded by the light guide passage to the outside.
The reflected light detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . The entrance surface is inclined with respect to the traveling direction of the incident light.
The reflected light detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . The entrance surface is inclined so as to spread in a direction away from the incident light toward the traveling direction side of the incident light.
The reflected light detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 . The outlet surface is not parallel to the inlet surface.
The reflected light detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7 . The exit surface is substantially perpendicular to the traveling direction of the incident light.
The reflected light detection device according to claim 8 . The light guiding path extends along the traveling direction of the incident light.
The reflected light detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9 . The outlet surface is provided for each of the plurality of branch paths,
The reflected light detection device according to claim 1 . The plurality of branch paths may be disposed at uniform intervals in the circumferential direction of the annular inlet surface.
It reflected light detecting device according to claim 1 or 11. The light detection unit includes a plurality of light receiving elements.
The light receiving element is disposed for each of the plurality of branch paths.
The reflected light detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1, 11, and 12 . The reflected light amount calculation unit further calculates a total value or an average value of light amounts of the reflected light detected by the light detection unit within a predetermined time based on a detection result of the light detection unit within the predetermined time. Or, it is characterized by calculating the maximum value,
The reflected light detection device according to claim 2 . The light guiding path has a plurality of branch paths branched into a plurality of sections from the middle,
The light receiving element is disposed for each of the plurality of branch paths.
The reflected light detection device according to claim 2 . When the reflected light amount calculation unit determines that the unit light amount received by each of the plurality of light receiving elements is in a non-uniform range, it is treated as an error occurring in the detection of the reflected light from the object. Characterized by
The reflected light detection device according to claim 2 or 15 . The reflected light amount calculation unit is characterized in that when it is determined that the unit light amount received by each of the plurality of light receiving elements is in a uniform range, the detection of the reflected light from the object is treated as normal. And
The reflected light detection apparatus according to any one of claims 2, 15 , and 16 . The incident light irradiation unit is configured to be capable of irradiating the incident light of a plurality of colors,
The reflected light amount calculation unit has a color determination unit that determines the color of the object based on the detection result of the light detection unit.
The reflected light detection device according to claim 2 . The incident light irradiator includes an RGB light source that emits light corresponding to RGB.
The color discrimination unit discriminates the color of the object based on the difference in the ratio of the reflected light of each of the RGB components detected by the light detection unit.
The reflected light detection device according to claim 18 . The reflection surface of the incident light in the object includes a portion forming a predetermined angle θ (0 ° <θ <90 °, 90 ° <θ <180 °) with respect to the incident light.
The reflected light detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 19 . And an evaluation value calculation unit that calculates an evaluation value related to the state of the object based on the value calculated by the reflected light amount calculation unit.
The reflected light detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 20 . And a cylindrical portion surrounding the incident light and guiding the incident light toward the object.
The reflected light detection apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 21 . The cylindrical portion is disposed in a hollow space surrounded by the light guide passage.
The reflected light detection device according to claim 22 . The cylindrical portion has a diameter reducing portion whose internal diameter is reduced in the guiding direction of the incident light.
The reflected light detection device according to claim 22 or 23 . At least a part of the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion is made of a light absorbing material that is a material that absorbs light,
The reflected light detection apparatus according to any one of claims 22 to 24 . The second object housing case is made of a light transmitting material that transmits light.
The reflected light detection device according to claim 3 .

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