JP6667201B2 - Sorting device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sorting device, and more particularly to a sorting device suitable for sorting defective agricultural products such as green soybeans.

  Conventionally, various sorters have been proposed for sorting non-defective and non-defective agricultural products such as harvested green soybeans. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-163,086 discloses a green soybean sorting machine that transports green soybeans to a green soybean sorting unit by a transporting unit and sorts immature green soybeans and mature green soybeans in the green soybean sorting unit. In this green soybean sorting machine, a rotating body in which a rod is projected radially on a base body in a state of crossing the transport section is provided near the transport section, and a predetermined interval exists between the tip of the rod and the transport section. The tip of the rod is bent in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the rotating body. Further, a dust removing device for removing dust such as leaf dust and soil by blowing wind is added.

JP 2001-239215 A

In the above-described conventional sorting apparatus, since sorting is performed by mechanical means, there is a problem that sorting by color and sorting by the actual state of the sheath cannot be performed.
An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and to provide a sorting device capable of sorting agricultural products and the like according to the shape, the color, and the state of the inside of the fruit, including the shape.

  The sorting device of the present invention is a transparent disk that is horizontally arranged and rotates at a constant speed, a loading device that sequentially loads sorting objects on the disk, and the sorting of the front surface and the back surface of the disk. Two image photographing devices arranged so that their photographing ranges do not overlap each other at a position where a region through which the object passes can be photographed, and an image processing device for selecting defective products from images obtained from the image photographing devices And an elimination device that eliminates, from the disc, a sorting target object determined to be defective by the image processing device, and an unloading device that unloads the sorting target object that has not been eliminated by the elimination device from the disc. The main feature is to have.

  Further, in the above-mentioned sorting apparatus, the carrying-in apparatus is characterized in that the sorting object is carried in two rows. Further, in the above-mentioned sorting device, the image photographing device is a camera for photographing a still image, a reflected light illuminating device arranged between the camera and the disk, and a transmitted light illuminating device arranged on the opposite side of the disk. It is also characterized in that the device is provided and an image by reflected light and an image by transmitted light are taken at different timings.

  In the above-described sorting apparatus, the rejection device ejects compressed air when the sorting target object determined to be defective by the image processing device reaches a predetermined position, thereby selecting the sorting target determined to be defective. Another feature is that objects are removed from the disk. Further, in the above-described sorting apparatus, it is characterized in that two of the elimination apparatuses are provided as a pair with the image photographing apparatus.

The sorting device of the present invention has the following effects due to the above-described features.
(1) By processing an image taken using reflected light or transmitted light, defective products such as agricultural products can be sorted out according to the shape, the color and the actual state of the inside, and the accuracy of sorting can be improved. improves.
(2) Since the image of the upper surface and the image of the lower surface can be acquired without rotating the sorting object, a defect on both surfaces can be reliably detected, and the rate of missing a defective product is low.
(3) Fully automatic operation and simultaneous processing of a plurality of columns enable high speed.

FIG. 1 is a plan view and a front view showing the configuration of the sorting device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a configuration and a usage example of a main part of the sorting device of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view and a front view showing a configuration of a sorting device of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a configuration and a usage example of a main part of the sorting device of the present invention. The sorting apparatus according to the present invention includes a sorting apparatus main body 10, a hopper 11 to which green soybeans removed from branches are supplied from the outside, and a two-row belt conveyor for sequentially supplying green soybeans 60 to be sorted to the sorting apparatus 10 one by one. It consists of 12.

  The hopper 11 is provided with a vibrator so that green soybeans 60 are mounted on the belt conveyor 12 one by one. There are two rows of belt conveyors 12, which are loading devices for sequentially loading sorting objects, and each individually transports green soybeans 60 onto the disc 13 one by one.

  The green soybeans 60 mounted on the belt conveyor 12 sequentially slide down on the transparent disk 13 in the sorting device 10. Since the disc 13 is driven by the motor 14 and is rotating at a constant speed (angular speed), the green soybeans 60 move concentrically in two rows together with the disc 13 as shown in FIG. The disk 13 is a transparent disk that is arranged horizontally and rotates at a constant speed, and may be made of, for example, a transparent resin.

  The two image photographing apparatuses are arranged at positions where photographing ranges of the front and back surfaces of the disc 13 through which the sorting object passes can be photographed so that their photographing ranges do not overlap. The image photographing apparatus includes cameras 20, 30, reflected light illuminators 21, 31, and transmitted light illuminators 22, 32.

  The cameras 20 and 30 are cameras capable of capturing a continuous still image or moving image with infrared light and visible light. The reflected light illuminating devices 21 and 31 are, for example, donut-shaped LED illuminating devices having an opening at a central portion, and are disposed between the cameras 20 and 30 and the disk 13. The transmitted light illuminators 22 and 32 are, for example, infrared LED illuminators that emit light evenly and evenly in a planar shape, and are arranged on the opposite side of the disc 13 with respect to the cameras 20 and 30.

  The camera 30 photographs the lower surface of the sorting object from below through the transparent disk 13. Therefore, since the green soybeans can be reliably photographed on the upper surface and the lower surface only by riding on the disk 13 without turning over, the detection accuracy of defective products is improved.

  The image processing device 25 is, for example, a known microcomputer device in which a program for realizing the functions of the present invention is mounted. The image processing device 25 controls the cameras 20 and 30, the reflected light illuminators 21 and 31, and the transmitted light illuminators 22 and 32, respectively. An image and an infrared image based on transmitted light are sequentially captured at different timings.

  The image processing device 25 extracts information such as the shape, size, and color of green soybeans from the images obtained from the two image capturing devices, and sorts out defective products based on the information. In the present invention, it is also possible to determine whether or not fruit is inside the green soybeans or whether or not it is worm-eating from the image of the transmitted infrared light.

  Thereafter, the image processing device 25 controls the corresponding solenoid valves of the elimination devices 23 and 33 to inject compressed air when the sorting target object determined as a defective product comes to a predetermined position, thereby determining that the defective product is defective. The determined sorting object is excluded from the disc 13.

  Each of the compressed air injection nozzles 50 and 52 of the elimination devices 23 and 33 has an electromagnetic valve, and the defective products 61 in the outer row are collected by the control of the image processing device 25. It is blown off to the box 40 or the defective product collection box 41. Similarly, the compressed air injection nozzles 51 and 53 blow off the defective products 61 in the inner row to the defective product collection box 43 disposed outside the disk 13 via the center of the disk 13.

  The compressed air generation device 26 is an air pump that supplies compressed air to the elimination devices 23 and 33. In the embodiment, an example is disclosed in which two elimination devices 23 and 33 are provided as a pair with the image capturing device, but one exclusion device can be implemented.

  The guide plate 15 is a plate disposed on the disk 13 with a slight gap therebetween, is fixed to the apparatus main body 10, and does not rotate. The guide plate 15 removes green soybeans that move with the rotation of the disk 13 from the disk 13 to the outside, and regulates the moving direction of the defective product 61 blown off by the elimination devices 23 and 33. The guide plate 15A is an unloading device for unloading the objects to be sorted that have not been rejected by the rejection devices 23 and 33 from above the disc 13, and the non-defective green beans 60 are unloaded to the non-defective product collection box 42 by the guide plate 15A.

  The embodiments have been described above, but the following modifications are also conceivable in the present invention. In the embodiment, an example in which green soybeans are carried in two rows is disclosed. However, the present invention can be implemented in one row, and in this case, all defective products may be discharged to the outside of the disk.

  Although the embodiment discloses an example in which two rejecting devices are also provided, green soybeans are loaded in two rows, two photographing devices are provided above and below, and only one rejecting device can be used. In this case, the defective product detected by the first photographing device is also eliminated by the elimination device arranged after the second-stage photographing device.

  In the embodiment, an example in which two rows of non-defective products are collected at the end is disclosed. However, after rejecting non-defective products in the outer row, the inner defective products are removed to the outside, so that all the defective product removal directions are disc-shaped. It is also possible to be outside.

  In the embodiment, the example in which the defective products in the inner row pass through the vicinity of the center of the disk and are discharged to the outside on the opposite side is disclosed. However, in this case, the route is long, and there is a possibility that the defective product may stay on the way. Therefore, a circular hole may be provided in the center of the disk 13 to form a donut shape, and defective products may be removed downward from the hole. Since the distance to the hole is short, stagnation can be prevented.

  In the embodiment, an example in which two rows of green soybeans are sorted using substantially the entire surface of the disc 13 is disclosed. However, for example, a large disc is used, and as described above, all defective products are excluded to the outside or Alternatively, by removing a hole in the center to complete the sorting of two rows in a semicircular area, and using the other half of the semicircle in two rows, four rows can be simultaneously selected by one sorting device. Sorting is possible.

  In the present invention, since the lower surface is photographed through the disk 13, if there is dirt or dust on the disk 13, there is a possibility that a good product is erroneously determined as a defective product. Therefore, for example, a cloth-like cleaner for removing dirt and dust on the surface of the disk may be provided below the guide plate 15C.

  In the embodiment, the example in which the photographing of the upper surface and the photographing of the lower surface are performed at different positions is disclosed, but a half mirror is provided on the optical axis of the camera, and an illuminating device for transmitted light is arranged via the half mirror. Accordingly, it is also possible to shoot the upper surface and the lower surface at the same position. It is also possible to arrange the camera radially outward in the same plane as the disk and capture the front and back images simultaneously with a half mirror. Also in this case, an illumination device for transmitted light is arranged via a half mirror.

  In the embodiment, an example in which the present invention is applied to the selection of green soybeans is disclosed. However, the selection device of the present invention can be applied to the selection of arbitrary articles such as agricultural products and marine products.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 sorting device 11 hopper 12 belt conveyor 13 transparent disk 14 motor 15 guide plates 20 and 30 cameras 21 and 31 reflected light illumination devices 22 and 32 transmitted light illumination devices 23 and 33 defective Elimination device

Claims (1)

A transparent disk that is arranged horizontally and rotates at a constant speed,
A loading device for sequentially loading sorting objects in two rows on the disc,
Cameras for photographing a still image, a camera for photographing a still image, and a middle part between the camera and the disc are arranged so that the photographing ranges of the disc and the rear surface of the disc do not overlap each other at a position where the sorting object can be photographed. Two image photographing devices comprising one of a disposed reflected light illuminating device or a transmitted light illuminating device disposed on the opposite side of the disk, and capturing an image by reflected light and an image by transmitted light at different timings,
An image processing device that selects defective products from images obtained from the two image capturing devices;
In order to eliminate from the disk the sorting target object determined to be defective by the image processing device, two elimination devices equipped with a pair of the image capturing device, each of the elimination devices, When a sorting object determined to be defective by the image processing apparatus reaches a predetermined position, compressed air is jetted to remove defective products in an outer row from a first defective product collection box disposed outside the disk. Two compressed air jet nozzles that blow off the defective products in the inner row through a center direction of the disk and blow it off to a second defective product collection box disposed outside the disk. A non-rotating guide plate arranged with a slight gap, restricting the moving direction of the defective product in the inner row blown off by the compressed air injection nozzle, passing through the center direction of the disc, and passing a non-defective product. Empty territory after being unloaded Passes through the rejection device comprises a guide for guiding plate so as to be carried to the outside of the second defective collection box,
A non-rotating guide plate that is provided separately from the guide plate of the removing device and that is disposed on the disk with a small gap therebetween is used as a non-defective item for sorting that has not been removed by the removing device. A sorting device, comprising: an unloading device that unifies the rows and unloads them from the disk to the outside.

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