JP7019126B2 - Grain quality measuring instrument - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a grain quality measuring instrument used for measuring the quality of grains such as brown rice and white rice and determining or discriminating the quality.

Conventionally, as a device for optically detecting, for example, the appearance of grain quality to determine and sort the grain quality, for example, the device disclosed in Patent Document 1 has been proposed. This device is arranged on the bottom of the upper tank, a hopper arranged at the bottom of the housing, an elevator that is connected to this hopper and raises and lowers the grains in the hopper to the upper tank arranged at the upper part of the housing. It is equipped with a feeder that is installed and supplies grains to the upper part of the chute.

Then, the grain charged into the hopper as the grain input port is supplied to the upper part of the chute via the elevator, the upper tank and the feeder, and the grain flowing down (falling) through the plurality of flow-down grooves on the chute surface is the lower part of the chute. The quality of the grain is determined or discriminated based on the image taken by the image pickup unit arranged in the above.

Japanese Patent No. 5590861

However, in such a device, the grain supply device arranged on the upper part of the chute for supplying the grain to the image pickup unit is an electric type connected to the upper tank and the bottom opening thereof. Since it has a feeder and is configured to supply grains from the discharge port to the upper part of the chute while vibrating the feeder, the grains are stably supplied one by one to each flow groove of the chute in a short time. It is difficult, and it is difficult to sufficiently improve the measurement accuracy of grain quality.

In addition, since the grain supply device has an upper tank, a feeder, an elevator, etc., its configuration becomes complicated, the outer shape of the device itself becomes large, and it is difficult to apply it to, for example, a desktop device, and the device itself. However, it has the inconvenience of being inferior in terms of usability, such as high cost and troublesome maintenance.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to allow grains to flow down along a plurality of alignment plates at a predetermined angle of a grain supply device while utilizing the weight of the grains themselves. It is an object of the present invention to provide a grain quality measuring device capable of making the flow rate of grains uniform while simplifying the configuration of a feeding device and sufficiently improving the measurement accuracy of grains.

In order to achieve such an object, in the invention according to claim 1 of the present invention, the grains supplied from the input port at the upper part of the housing are supplied to the upper part of the chute arranged below the input port. A grain quality measuring device that is supplied via an apparatus and images the grains released from the lower part of the chute with an image pickup device to measure the quality. The grain supply device is located at the lower part of the input port. A plurality of alignment plates that are arranged and inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical surface of the housing are provided in the vertical direction, and the alignment plate on the upstream side and the alignment plate on the downstream side are arranged in a direction intersecting each other, and the upstream side is arranged. The grain is continuously provided while forming a gap through which the grain can pass between the lower end of the alignment plate on the side where the grain flows down and the surface of the alignment plate on the downstream side where the grain flows. Grains supplied from the input port flow down sequentially from the upstream side alignment plate to the downstream alignment plate, and each alignment plate is downstream from the upstream side through the gap formed between the alignment plates. The grain is configured to flow down in order toward the side and be supplied to the chute, and the gap on the most upstream side between the alignment plates is set larger than the gap on the downstream side and passes through the gap on the downstream side. Is allowed to flow down to the chute, and the inclination angle and the gap size of the alignment plate can be predetermined so that the flow-down amount and the flow-down speed of the grains are uniform .

Further, in the invention according to claim 2, the alignment plates are connected at right angles to each other, and the alignment plate on the upstream side and the alignment plate on the downstream side are connected with the gap. It is characterized by being. The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that each of the alignment plates is surface-treated. Further, according to claim 4, the invention is provided on a top-level alignment plate in which a shutter is openable and closable at the bottom opening of the inlet, and a predetermined amount of the grains are inclined when the shutter is opened. It is characterized by being supplied to.

According to the invention of claim 1 of the present invention, the grains thrown in from the charging port flow down between a plurality of vertically arranging plates inclined at a predetermined angle in the intersecting direction with each other. Since each alignment plate flows down from the top to the bottom in order through the formed gap and is supplied to the chute, the grain can flow down while utilizing its own weight and the inclination angle of the alignment plate. By simplifying the configuration of the grain supply device and setting the inclination angle and the gap size to a predetermined value, the flow rate of the grains can be made uniform, and the quality measurement accuracy of the grains in the measuring instrument can be sufficiently improved. ..

Further, according to the invention of claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, the alignment plates are connected in a right angle to each other, and the lower end of the alignment plate on the upstream side is on the downstream side. Since the alignment plates are connected to each other with the gap at the bottom of the alignment plate, a pair of alignment plates intersecting each other can easily form a grain storage recess having a predetermined volume, and at the same time, they fall to the alignment plate on the upstream side and bounce off. The grains can be passed through the gap while being reliably received by the alignment plate on the downstream side, and the flow of the grains on each alignment plate can be made smooth and the flow rate can be made uniform.

Further, according to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1 or 2, the alignment plate is surface-treated, and the gap on the most upstream side thereof is set to be larger than the gap on the downstream side. Therefore, the grains can flow down more smoothly from the upstream side to the downstream side, and the grains can be reliably accommodated and flowed down in each flow down groove of the chute.

Further, according to the invention of claim 4, in addition to the effect of the invention of claims 1 to 3, when the bottom opening of the input port is opened by opening the shutter, a predetermined amount of grains are inclined. Since it is supplied onto the top-level alignment plate, for example, by turning on the measurement button, the grains in the upper tank are automatically discharged and supplied onto the top-level alignment plate, and the grains are surface-treated. It can be smoothly flowed down at a predetermined speed through each alignment plate and supplied to the image pickup unit, which can shorten the measurement time, simplify the operation of the measuring instrument itself, and improve its usability. can.

A plan view showing an embodiment of a grain quality measuring instrument according to the present invention. Top view with the top cover removed The same side view Side view showing the assembled state of the alignment plate Front view of FIG. Plan view showing the assembled state of the chute The same side view Block diagram of the control system of the same grain measuring device A flowchart showing an example of the operation. Timing chart showing an example of the operation of the image pickup device

Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
1 to 10 show an embodiment of a grain quality measuring instrument according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the grain quality measuring instrument 1 has a vertically long box-shaped housing 2, and covers are arranged on each side surface of the housing 2 and as a slot at a substantially central position on the upper surface. A hopper 3 is provided, and an LCD 4 as a display and a measurement button 5 are provided on the front surface. Further, a sample tray 6 is arranged at the lower part of the front surface so as to be able to be pulled out with the handle 6a protruding outward by a predetermined dimension. Further, a printer 7 capable of printing the measurement result is arranged on the right side surface of the housing 2.

The hopper 3 is formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view, and a shutter 8 is arranged in a rectangular bottom opening so as to be openable and closable as described later. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a grain supply device 9 according to the present invention is arranged below the shutter 8 of the hopper 3. The grain supply device 9 has four flat plate-shaped surface-treated alignment plates 10a to 10d having the same shape, and each of the alignment plates 10a to 10d alternately has two plates in the vertical direction at an angle of 90 °. Arranged to intersect.

At this time, the lower end of the alignment plate 10a is connected to the lower portion of the alignment plate 10b in the vertical direction (grain flow direction) with a predetermined gap 11a, and the lower end of the alignment plate 10b intersects the lower portion of the alignment plate 10c. There is a gap 11b in the series. Similarly, a gap 11b is provided in the lower part of the alignment plate 10d where the lower ends of the alignment plate 10c intersect with each other. The dimensions shown in FIG. 4 of the three gaps 11a and 11b formed by the four alignment plates 10a to 10d are set to t1 ≧ t2 ≧ t3. As a result, a flow path of grains as shown by arrow a in FIG. 3 is formed in the upper space formed by the pair of alignment plates 10a to 10d that intersect each other.

A chute 13 is arranged below the grain supply device 9 in a predetermined angle inclined state. The chute 13 is formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view, and as shown in FIG. 6, guides 13a are integrally formed on both sides in the width direction, and the front surface (back surface) thereof is formed in the longitudinal direction (upper and lower sides of the housing). A plurality of flow grooves 13b having a predetermined width and a predetermined depth are formed along the direction). The upper end of the chute 13 is located below the lower end of the alignment plate 10d of the grain supply device 9, grains are discharged and supplied from the grain supply device 9, and the lower end is the lower end of the housing 2. Has been extended to.

Further, a holding lid (holding cover) 14 is arranged on the surface side of the chute 13. The holding lid 14 is formed of a flat plate having a size that substantially covers the entire lower part of the chute 13, and a solenoid 15 is arranged at the upper center position on the surface side thereof. As described later, the solenoid 15 is operated by the operation signal of the control device 23, so that the gap between the surfaces of the holding lid 14 and the chute 13 is set at the approaching position and the separating position. The gap size at the approaching position is set to a size that does not hinder the smooth movement (flowing) of a grain when a grain flows down on the chute 13, and the gap size at the separating position is the same as that of the chute 13. When the grain is clogged between the holding lids 14, the size is set so that it can be removed or the surface of the chute 13 can be cleaned.

An image pickup device 16 is arranged below the chute 13. The image pickup apparatus 16 includes a camera 17, a mirror 18 for reflection, an LED 19 for reflection as a light source, an LED 20 for transmission, and an LED 21 for background. And these are arranged as shown in FIGS. 3 and 7. At this time, the reflecting LED 19 and the transmitting LED 20 irradiate the grains emitted (discharged) from the lower end of the chute 13 with light, and the reflected light and the transmitted light are reflected by the mirror 18 and incident on the camera 17. It is designed to do. The camera 17 is arranged in the space on the back surface side below the chute 13.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of the grain quality measuring instrument 1. As shown in FIG. 8, the main board constituting the control device 23 is arranged inside the front cover of the housing 2, for example, and the measurement button 5, the LCD 4, the printer 7, and the like are connected to the CPU 24. A buzzer 25, an FPGA (field programmable gate array) 26, etc. are connected. Further, the camera 17, the LEDs 19 to 21, the shutter 8, the solenoid 15, and the like are connected to the FPGA 26.

Then, the grain quality measuring instrument 1 configured in this way operates as shown in FIG. That is, when the measurement button 5 is turned on (S101), the shutter 8 of the hopper 3 is turned on (S102), and when a predetermined ON time elapses (S103), the shutter 8 is turned off (S104). As a result, a predetermined amount of sample is supplied from the hopper 3 to the grain supply device 9.

When the shutter 8 is turned off, it is determined whether or not the measurement delay time has elapsed (S105), and when the delay time has elapsed, camera capture is started (S106). The captured image data is calculated (S107), the calculation result is displayed on the LCD 4 (S107), the clogging prevention solenoid 27 is turned on, and it is determined whether or not the ON time has elapsed (S110). Then, when the clogging prevention solenoid 27 is turned on for a predetermined time, it is turned off (S111), and a series of measurement operations is completed (S112).

That is, the shutter 8 is opened for a predetermined time, a predetermined amount of sample is supplied into the grain supply device 9, the sample released from the chute 13 is photographed by the image pickup device 16, and the image data is processed by the control device 23 or the like. The measurement result obtained in this way will be displayed on the LCD 4. Further, for example, when the measurement result is displayed, the clogging prevention solenoid 27 is activated, the holding lid 14 is separated, and the sample stuck between the chute 13 and the holding lid 14 is automatically removed. It has been confirmed that the time required for steps S101 to S108 is about 5 seconds, which is significantly shorter than that of the conventional measuring instrument of the same type.

FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing the operation of the image pickup apparatus 16. As shown in FIG. 10, according to the image pickup apparatus 16, the reflection LED 19 and the transmission LED 20 are alternately emitted to emit light in synchronization with the camera 17, the camera clock is taken into the FPGA 26, and the camera 17 is synchronized with the reflection LED 19 and the transmission LED 20. By starting reading and outputting the light emission signals of each of the LEDs 19 and 20, a different image is acquired for each line. Then, the quality of the grain is measured based on this image.

As described above, according to the grain quality measuring instrument 1, the samples (grains) charged from the hopper 3 flow down the four vertical alignment plates 10a to 10d inclined at predetermined angles in the crossing direction with each other. At the same time, the alignment plates 10a to 10d flow down in order from above to below through the gaps 11a and 11b formed between the alignment plates 10a to 10d and are supplied to the chute 13, so that the flow of the sample is taken as its own weight. It can be performed by using the inclination angles of the alignment plates 10a to 10d, and the inclination angles of the alignment plates 10a to 10d and the gaps 11a and 11b are predetermined while simplifying the configuration of the grain supply device 9. As a result, the flow rate of the sample can be made uniform, and the quality determination accuracy of the sample can be sufficiently improved.

Further, since the alignment plates 10a to 10d of the grain supply device 9 are connected at right angles to each other and the alignment plates 10a to 10d are connected with gaps 11a and 11b, a pair of alignment plates is arranged. The plates 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d can form a grain storage recess of a predetermined volume, and the grains that have fallen and bounced off the most upstream side alignment plate 10a are reliably received by the downstream side alignment plates 10b to 10d. , The gaps 11a and 11b can be passed through, and the flow rate of the sample in each of the alignment plates 10a to 10d can be made uniform.

Further, since the dimension t1 of the gap 11a on the most upstream side of the alignment plates 10a to 10d is set to be larger than the dimensions t2 and t3 of the gap 11b on the downstream side, the sample is smoothly flowed down from the upstream side to the downstream side. This makes it possible to reliably flow (flow) the sample one by one into each flow groove 13b of the chute 13.

Further, each of the alignment plates 10a to 10d of the grain supply device 9 is surface-treated, and when the bottom opening of the hopper 3 is opened, a predetermined amount of sample is discharged and supplied onto the inclined top-level alignment plate 10a. Therefore, for example, by turning on the measurement button 5, the sample in the hopper 3 is automatically discharged and supplied onto the uppermost alignment plate 10a, and this sample is predetermined via the surface-treated alignment plates 10a to 10d. It can be smoothly flowed down at the speed of 1 and supplied to the image pickup apparatus 16, the measurement time can be shortened, and the operation itself of the quality measuring instrument 1 becomes easy. Further, it is not necessary to use a large motor for driving the feeder as in the conventional case for supplying the sample to the short plate 13, and it is possible to prevent the vibration and noise of the measuring instrument 1 from being generated. As a result, the quality measuring instrument 1 is used. It is possible to improve the usability of the.

Further, in the case of the grain quality measuring instrument 1, a plurality of flow-down grooves 13b pointing in the direction of the image pickup device 16 are formed on the surface of the chute plate 13, and can be brought into contact with and separated from each flow-down groove 13b at a predetermined position. Since the holding lid 14 is arranged, the holding lid 14 covering the surface side of the chute plate 13 prevents the sample from overlapping in each flowing groove 13b and coming off (jumping out) to the outside of the flowing groove 13b, and each flowing down. The sample can be reliably accommodated and flowed down into the groove 13b one by one, and the quality measurement accuracy of the sample can be sufficiently improved.

Further, since the image pickup device 16 is provided, in the case of this type of measuring instrument, reading from two directions is originally required, and a camera and a light source are required twice. However, the grain quality measuring instrument 1 of the present invention requires twice as much. In this case, by effectively using the reflected light and transmitted light, the number of cameras and light sources can be reduced, low cost, space saving, and miniaturization can be realized, which is also suitable for desktop grain quality measuring instruments. It will be possible to apply.

In the above embodiment, an example in which two sets of a pair of alignment plates in an intersecting state of the grain supply device are arranged has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and for example, three or more sets are arranged. Also, the crossing angle of the pair of alignment plates is not limited to 90 °, and an appropriate angle can be adopted. Further, in the above embodiment, the width orthogonal to the flow direction of the grains of each set of alignment plates is not limited to the same, and the downstream side is set to be wider to make the flowing grains uniform in a plane. It can be appropriately changed as long as it does not deviate from the gist of each invention according to the present invention, such as setting the gap size between the alignment plates to t1 ≧ t2 ≧ t3.

The present invention can be used for quality measurement of all grains, not limited to grains such as white rice and brown rice, and its use is also to measure the quality of a sample of a population of grains to measure the quality of the population. It can be used not only as a quality measuring instrument for inspection to measure, but also as a quality measuring instrument for measuring the quality of each grain of the population.

1 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Grain quality measuring instrument 2 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Housing 3 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Hopper 4 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ LCD
5 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Measurement button 6 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Sample saucer 7 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Printer 8 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・············································································································································································································・ ・ ・ ・ Holding lid 15 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Solenoid 16 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Imaging device 17 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Camera 18 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Mirror 19 ・ ・・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Reflective LED
20 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ LED for transmission
21 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ LED for background
23 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Control device 24 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ CPU
26 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ FPGA

Claims (4)

Grains supplied from the input port on the upper part of the housing are supplied to the upper part of the chute arranged below the input port via the grain supply device, and the grains released from the lower part of the chute are imaged. It is a grain quality measuring instrument that captures images and measures the quality.
The grain supply device is provided with a plurality of alignment plates arranged in the lower part of the input port and inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the vertical surface of the housing in the vertical direction, and is provided with an alignment plate on the upstream side and an alignment plate on the downstream side. Are arranged in a direction intersecting each other, and the grain can pass between the lower end of the grain flow of the upstream alignment plate and the flowing surface of the grain of the downstream alignment plate. The grains were continuously arranged while forming a gap, and the grains supplied from the input port were formed between the alignment plates while sequentially flowing down from the alignment plate on the upstream side to the alignment plate on the downstream side. Each alignment plate is configured to flow down in order from the upstream side to the downstream side through the gap and supplied to the chute, and the gap on the most upstream side between the alignment plates is larger than the gap on the downstream side. The grain that has been set and passed through the gap on the downstream side is allowed to flow down to the chute, and the inclination angle and the gap dimension of the alignment plate are set to be predetermined so that the flow amount and the flow speed of the grain are uniform. A grain quality measuring instrument characterized by being able to. The first aspect of claim 1, wherein the alignment plates are connected at right angles to each other, and the alignment plate on the upstream side and the alignment plate on the downstream side are connected with the gap. Grain quality measuring instrument. The grain quality measuring instrument according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each of the alignment plates is surface-treated . A claim is characterized in that a shutter is operably arranged at the bottom opening of the input port, and when the shutter is opened, a predetermined amount of the grain is supplied onto the tilted top-level alignment plate. Item 6. The grain quality measuring instrument according to any one of Items 1 to 3.

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