JP6883158B2 - Saffron pistil collection method and saffron pistil collection device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for collecting saffron pistil and a device for collecting saffron pistil.

Saffron pistils are used as spices and medicines. As a method of collecting the pistil of saffron, a method of opening the petals of the harvested flower with a finger and picking the pistil is common. In addition, although it is not common, a method has been used in which a few petals are removed and then the pistil is picked instead of opening the petals with a finger.

However, these methods are extremely inefficient, and a more efficient collection method has been sought. As a device for separating the petals from the calyx, the device described in Patent Document 1 has been proposed, but this is for separating the petals of edible chrysanthemum, and cannot separate the petals of saffron. Nor could it be diverted to collect saffron pistils.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-116944

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a method for collecting pistil of saffron and an apparatus for collecting pistil of saffron, which are more efficient than those in the past.

In order to solve the above problems, the method for collecting pistil of saffron according to the present invention is
First, the cutting position of the corolla is determined based on the outer shape of the perianth so that the part of the style of the pistil that is not covered with the corolla is cut when the pistil and the corolla are cut inside. Process and
It is characterized by including a second step of cutting the cutting position of the corolla determined by the first step.

As a method of collecting the pistil of saffron, a method of opening the petals of the harvested flower with a finger and picking the pistil is common. The pistil of saffron is expensive and I want to pick it from the root as much as possible. Another reason is that if pollen from the stamens adheres to the pistils, the commercial value will decrease, and we want to prevent this as much as possible.

However, no matter how expensive the pistil of saffron is, the amount of pistil that can be collected from one saffron flower is small. This method was very inefficient and difficult to establish as a business.

In this respect, according to the present invention, the efficiency can be remarkably improved as compared with the conventional method. As a result of verification, the fact that stamen pollen adheres to the pistil does not mean that the commercial value is reduced.

Further, as one aspect of the method for collecting pistils of saffron according to the present invention,
In the first step, when the corolla is cut together with the pistil inside, the uncoated portion is cut from the point protruding from the portion covered by the corolla tube to branching. As described above, the cutting position of the corolla may be determined based on the outer shape of the flower coat.

In this way, when the corolla is cut, the pistil does not separate, so that the pistil can be efficiently collected.

Further, the saffron pistil collecting device according to the present invention is
Placement means for placing flowers and
Determining the cutting position of the corolla based on the outer shape of the perianth so that when the pistil and corolla inside are cut, the part of the style of the pistil that is not covered by the corolla is cut. Means and
A cutting means for cutting the cutting position of the corolla determined by the cutting position indexing means, and a cutting means for cutting the cutting position of the corolla.
It is characterized by being equipped with.

According to this, since many of the steps related to the collection of the pistil can be automated, the pistil can be efficiently collected.

Further, as one aspect of the saffron pistil collecting device according to the present invention,
The above-mentioned placing means is preferably placed so that the central axis of the corolla tube is substantially horizontal.

When the flowers are harvested and time passes, the petals in particular wither, but by laying them horizontally in this way, they can be placed in the same way as fresh flowers even after some time has passed.

Further, as one aspect of the saffron pistil collecting device according to the present invention,
The cutting means may be made to cut scissors.

Since scissors cutting is suitable for cutting a flexible object, it can be cut in the same way as a fresh flower even after some time has passed since the flower was harvested.

Further, as one aspect of the saffron pistil collecting device according to the present invention,
The cutting position indexing means
A camera that acquires image data and
An image recognition processing unit that recognizes the outer shape of the perianth from the image data acquired by the camera, and
It may be provided with a cutting position determining unit that determines the cutting position of the corolla from the outer shape of the perianth recognized by the image recognition processing unit.

According to this, the cutting position of the corolla can be accurately determined by the existing technique already established.

The pistil of saffron can be collected more efficiently than before.

It is explanatory drawing which showed the structure of a saffron flower. It is explanatory drawing which showed the outline of the pistil collection apparatus of saffron. It is explanatory drawing which showed the cutting means in an enlarged manner.

(Definition of terms)
First, we define terms that describe the flower parts used in this specification.
Petals ... Petals.
Corolla: Refers to the entire petal of one flower.
Corolla tube: An elongated tube formed by coalescing or combining petals.
Perianth ... When the calyx and corolla look the same like saffron, they are collectively called perianth.
Ovary: Refers to the bulging part of the base of the pistil.
Stigma: Refers to the organ at the tip of the pistil.
Style: Refers to the elongated part that connects the stigma and the ovary.
Flower: When referring to the entire flower, not a specific part, it is called a flower.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the saffron pistil collecting method and the saffron pistil collecting device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, but the technical scope of the present invention is, of course, not limited to this. A detailed description of the well-known technique will be omitted.

(First Embodiment)
First, a method for collecting pistils of saffron, which is the first embodiment, will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing the structure of a saffron flower, FIG. 1 (a) is an external view of a saffron flower, and FIG. 1 (b) is a structural view (cross-sectional view) inside the flower. ..

As shown in FIG. 1 (b), the pistil 2 extends from an ovary (not shown) toward the tip (left side in the figure) and branches into three at a branch point 4 in the middle, and the tip of each of the style 5. It is composed of a stigma 6 formed in.

Further, the style 5 is composed of a portion covered with the corolla cylinder 8 and a portion not covered with the corolla cylinder 8 from the point 3 protruding from the portion covered with the corolla cylinder 8 to the stigma 6. The corolla tube 8 is thick, and the portion of the style 5 covered with the corolla tube 8 is substantially in close contact with the corolla tube 8.

The method of collecting the pistil of this saffron is to cut the style 5 between the point 3 and the branch point 4 together with the corolla 7.

Next, the specific work contents when the worker implements the pistil collection method of this saffron will be described.

First, the operator sets the open side of the flower 1 toward the hand holding the scissors, and grasps the portion of the corolla tube 8 with the hand opposite to the hand holding the scissors. Next, the flower 1 is moved on the scale, a position where the width of the flower coat 9 in the direction orthogonal to the central axis of the corolla tube 8 becomes a predetermined distance (3 mm in the present embodiment) is found, and that position is the cutting position. (First step). Then, the flower 1 is moved above the work table, and the cutting position of the corolla 7 determined by the first step is cut using scissors (second step). Then, the cut pistil 2, the six petals from which the corolla 7 was cut and separated, and the three cut stamens fall on the work table, and only the pistil 2 is picked from them. This is the end of the work.

In the present embodiment, the position where the width of the corolla 7 becomes 3 mm is cut, and this width is measured by measuring the width of the corolla tube 8 of the harvested flower 1, which is considered to be the average size. , It is obtained by multiplying the measured value by a predetermined magnification. The predetermined magnification uses a value derived from an empirical rule in order to cut the style 5 of the portion as close to the point 3 as possible between the point 3 and the branch point 4. When calculated by this, in the case of a flower 1 of a general size, it is about 3 mm.

In order to increase the collection portion of the pistil 2 as much as possible, it is desired to cut the portion as close to the point 3 as possible, but if the cutting position falls on the portion covered with the corolla cylinder 8, the corolla 7 and the pistil 3 are cut. However, the cutting position is set with a little margin because the workability deteriorates.

Further, the method of determining the cutting position is not limited to the method based on the width of the flower coat 9. For example, the tip end side of the flower 1 may be set as the cutting position slightly from the boundary portion where the petals 7a are united to form the corolla tube 8.

Further, in the present embodiment, the cutting range of the style 5 is between the point 3 and the branch point 4, but it may be between the branch point 4 and the stigma 6. The darker the red color of the saffron pistil, the higher the quality, but the closer it is to the tip, the darker the red color. Therefore, especially when it is desired to collect a high-grade pistil, the cutting position should be closer to the tip. In this case, the above-mentioned predetermined magnification may be set according to the cutting position.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, the pistil collecting device 10 for saffron, which is the second embodiment, will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of the saffron pistil collecting device 10.

As shown in FIG. 2, the saffron pistil collecting device 10 is mainly composed of the main body 11, the mounting means 12a, 12b, 12c, the cutting position indexing means 13, 14, 15, and the cutting means 16, 17, 18. It is composed.

The main body 11 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, and is a base member for mounting mounting means 12a, 12b, 12c, cutting position indexing means 13, 14, 15, cutting means 16, 17, 18, etc., and is used in factories and the like. It is installed on the installation surface. The main body 11 may have any shape as long as it has the function. In addition, general techniques such as how to attach parts will not be described.

The mounting means includes a first belt conveyor 12a, a second belt conveyor 12b, and a third belt conveyor 12c. The first belt conveyor 12a, the second belt conveyor 12b, and the third belt conveyor 12c are arranged on the upper part of the main body 11.

The first belt conveyor 12a and the second belt conveyor 12b have the same length, with the first belt conveyor 12a on the right front side in the figure and the second belt conveyor 12b on the left back side in the figure at predetermined intervals. , Are arranged in parallel.

On the first belt conveyor 12a and the second belt conveyor 12b, the corolla 8 is on the second belt conveyor 12b side and the corolla 7 is on the first belt conveyor 12a side. It is placed so that it is horizontal.

The first belt conveyor 12a and the second belt conveyor 12b are completely synchronized, and are driven by a motor 19 so as to move the placed flower 1 in the directions of the cutting means 16, 17, and 18 (left side in the drawing). Has been done.

The third belt conveyor 12c has a length shorter than that of the first belt conveyor 12a and the second belt conveyor 12b, and is arranged above the second belt conveyor 12b with the rear end side (left end side in the drawing) aligned. There is.

The third belt conveyor 12c functions to sandwich and hold the crown tube 8 between the lower belt of the third belt conveyor 12c and the upper belt of the second belt conveyor 12b. Therefore, the third belt conveyor 12c and the second belt conveyor 12b are arranged at an optimum interval to fulfill their functions. Of course, depending on the type of belt and the like, they may be arranged in close contact with each other.

The third belt conveyor 12c rotates in the opposite direction to the first belt conveyor 12a and the second belt conveyor 12b, but the moving speed of the belts is the same. The third belt conveyor 12c is driven by a motor 19 like the first belt conveyor 12a and the second belt conveyor 12b.

The cutting position determining means includes a camera 13, an image recognition processing unit 14, and a cutting position determining unit 15. The camera 13 is arranged above the mounting means 12a, 12b, 12c. The camera 13 is a normal color camera and acquires image data of the flower 1.

The image recognition processing unit 14 is a computer on which an image recognition processing program is implemented, and is housed inside the main body 11. The image recognition processing unit 14 is configured to be communicative with the camera 13. The image recognition processing unit 14 acquires image data from the camera 13 and recognizes the outer shape of the flower coat 9 from the image data.

The cutting position determining unit 15 is a computer on which a cutting position determining program is implemented, and is housed inside the main body 11. The cutting position determining unit 15 is configured to be communicable with the image recognition processing unit 14. The cutting position determining unit 15 acquires image recognition data of the outer shape of the flower cover 9 from the image recognition processing unit 14. Then, a position where the width of the flower cover 9 in the direction orthogonal to the central axis of the corolla tube 8 is 3 mm is searched for, and that position is determined as the cutting position.

The cutting position determining unit 15 also has a function of controlling the scissors moving device 17 and the scissors driving unit 18, which will be described later. The cutting position determining unit 15 is configured to be able to transmit a signal to the scissors moving device 17 and the scissors driving unit 18.

The cutting means includes a cutting scissors 16, a scissors moving device 17, and a scissors driving unit 18. The cutting scissors 16 have the same shape as commonly used scissors. The upper side of the handle portion of the cutting scissors 16 is connected to the scissors fixing portion 17a of the scissors moving device 17. The height of the cutting scissors 16 at this time is a position where the cut portion of the flower 1 conveyed by the mounting means 12a, 12b, 12c can be cut. The cutting scissors 16 are opened by an urging member (not shown) when no external force is applied.

The scissors moving device 17 is arranged on the rear end side of the mounting means 12a, 12b, 12c. The scissors moving device 17 has a scissors fixing portion 17a that can slide in a direction parallel to the rotation axes of the mounting means 12a, 12b, and 12c. The scissors moving device 17 receives a signal from the cutting position determining unit 15 and moves the scissors fixing unit 17a to move the cutting scissors 16 to the cutting position.

The scissors moving device 17 is appropriately provided with a feed mechanism, a guide mechanism, a servomotor as a drive source, and the like for enabling the slide movement of the scissors fixing portion 17a. These are well-known techniques.

The scissors drive unit 18 is an air cylinder, is arranged on the scissors fixing portion 17 so that the rod protrudes upward, and the lower side of the handle portion of the cutting scissors 16 is locked to the tip portion of the rod. As a result, the cutting scissors 16 close when air is sent, and the corolla 7 is cut. The scissors drive unit 18 receives the signal from the cutting position determining unit 15, and when the corolla 7 is conveyed to the cutting possible position, the scissors driving unit 18 cuts the corolla in a timely manner.

A fourth belt conveyor 20 is provided below the cutting shears 16. The flower 1 cut by the cutting scissors 16 falls on the fourth belt conveyor 20. The worker picks only the pistil 2. The fourth belt conveyor 20 is driven by a motor (not shown) so as to move the fallen flower 1 in a direction away from the main body 11 (left side in the drawing). The remaining petals 7a, stamens, etc. move to the rear end of the fourth belt conveyor 20, and further fall into a waste box (not shown) below.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above-mentioned contents are merely related to one embodiment of the present invention and do not mean that the present invention is limited to the above-mentioned contents. For example, in the above embodiment, the camera 13 is used as the cutting position determination means, but a laser beam may be used. Further, in the above embodiment, the cutting position of the corolla 7 is determined based on the width of the corolla 7 in the outer shape of the perianth 9, but the cutting position is determined from the change in the curvature of the contour line of the perianth 9. You may. Further, in the above embodiment, the cutting scissors 16 are used as the cutting means, but a disk-shaped rotary blade may be used.

1 flower 2 pistil 3 ovary 4 bifurcation point 5 style 6 stigma 7 corolla 7a petals 8 corolla 9 perianth 10 saffron pistil collection device (second embodiment)
11 Main body 12a 1st belt conveyor 12b 2nd belt conveyor 12c 3rd belt conveyor 13 Camera 14 Image recognition processing unit 15 Cutting position determination unit 16 Cutting scissors 17 Scissors moving device 18 Scissors drive unit 19 Motor 20 4th belt conveyor

Claims (7)

A method of collecting saffron pistils,
First, the cutting position of the corolla is determined based on the outer shape of the perianth so that the part of the style of the pistil that is not covered with the corolla is cut when the pistil and the corolla are cut inside. Process and
A method for collecting pistil of saffron, which comprises a second step of cutting the cutting position of the corolla determined by the first step. In the first step, when the pistil and the corolla are cut inside, the uncoated portion is cut from the point protruding from the portion covered by the corolla tube to branching. The method for collecting pistil of saffron according to claim 1, wherein the cutting position of the corolla is determined based on the outer shape of the perianth. A device for collecting saffron pistils
Placement means for placing flowers and
Determining the cutting position of the corolla based on the outer shape of the perianth so that when the pistil and corolla inside are cut, the part of the style of the pistil that is not covered by the corolla is cut. Means and
A cutting means for cutting the cutting position of the corolla determined by the cutting position indexing means, and a cutting means for cutting the cutting position of the corolla.
A pistil collecting device for saffron, which is characterized by being equipped with. When the corolla is cut together with the pistil inside, the cutting position indexing means cuts the uncovered portion from the portion covered by the corolla tube to the branching point. The pistil collecting device for saffron according to claim 3, wherein the cutting position of the corolla is determined based on the outer shape of the perianth. The pistil collecting device for saffron according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the pre-described means is placed so that the central axis of the corolla tube is substantially horizontal. The pistil collecting device for saffron according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the cutting means cuts with scissors. The cutting position indexing means
A camera that acquires image data and
An image recognition processing unit that recognizes the outer shape of the perianth from the image data acquired by the camera, and
A cutting position determining unit that determines the cutting position of the corolla from the outer shape of the perianth recognized by the image recognition processing unit.
The pistil collecting device for saffron according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the saffron pistil collecting device is provided.

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