JP7072802B2 - Seed quality evaluation / sorting system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a seed quality evaluation / sorting system that evaluates the quality of seeds and sorts them according to the evaluation results.

A seed evaluation / sorting system that evaluates seed quality and sorts according to the evaluation result is already known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Here, as the seed, mainly cereal seeds will be described as an example. Here, "cereals" mainly refer to gramineous plants such as rice, wheat and corn, and legumes such as soybean, but in a broad sense, they also include "buckwheat". Therefore, in the present specification, the term “cereal” including “buckwheat” is used.

In Patent Document 1, the quality of buckwheat seeds (hereinafter abbreviated as buckwheat) among cereals is evaluated and selected according to the evaluation result. Specifically, the buckwheat is irradiated with excitation light to generate fluorescence. Then, the fluorescence is spectroscopically analyzed, the amount of fluorescence in a predetermined wavelength band (also referred to as fluorescence intensity) is obtained as a measurement value for quality evaluation, and the obtained measurement value is used as a preset quality evaluation standard for buckwheat. The quality of buckwheat is evaluated by comparing it with the standard value to be expressed, and the quality is selected based on the evaluation result.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining the buckwheat quality evaluation / sorting system 900 described in Patent Document 1. In the buckwheat quality evaluation / sorting system 900 described in Patent Document 1, a quality evaluation device 910 that evaluates the quality of buckwheat by purple laser-pumped fluorescence measurement and a buckwheat 10 that is a quality evaluation target pass through the measurement position P. It is provided with a transport sorting device 920 for transporting and sorting according to the quality evaluation result, and a control device 930 for controlling the quality evaluation device 910 and the transport sorting device 920.

The basic configuration of the quality evaluation device 910 is an excitation light generator 911 that generates excitation light (purple continuous laser) and an irradiation optical system 912 that guides the excitation light and irradiates the buckwheat passing through the measurement position P with the purple continuous laser. , The light receiving optical system 913 that guides the fluorescence emitted by the buckwheat, the spectroscope 914 that disperses the fluorescence guided by the light receiving optical system 913, and the spectroscopic data processing based on the spectroscopic results by the spectroscope 914 are performed to evaluate the quality of the buckwheat 10. It is provided with a spectroscopic data processing unit 915 for performing.

The transport sorting device 920 includes a transport unit 920A and a sorting unit 920B. The transport unit 920A transports the buckwheat 10 thrown into the hopper 921 one by one so as to pass through the measurement position P. The sorting unit 920B sorts the buckwheat evaluated for quality according to the quality and collects the buckwheat in the collecting units 922a to 922c.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the transport unit 920A shown in FIG. 13 in detail. In the hopper 921, a slit 921c is formed between the lower end edges of the left and right guide plates 921a and 921b, and a screw conveyor 923 is arranged directly below the slit 921c.

The screw conveyor 923 includes a screw 92924 in which a screw groove 924a is formed, and the screw 924 is coaxially connected to the output shaft of the motor 925. Then, the buckwheat 10 that falls from the hopper 921 to the screw 924 enters the screw groove 924a one by one as the screw 924 rotates, and is sent forward.

A chute 926 is arranged on the upper tip side of the screw 924, and the buckwheat 10 sent out by the screw groove 924a slides down along the chute 926. After that, the buckwheat 10 is conveyed one by one at predetermined intervals by the belt conveyor 927. Then, the purple continuous laser, which is the excitation light, is irradiated from directly above to each buckwheat passing through the measurement position P on the belt conveyor 927 via the coaxial quartz cable 912a. The fluorescence emitted from the buckwheat 10 is sent to the spectroscope 914, and the fluorescence amount (fluorescence intensity) of the fluorescence component in the predetermined wavelength band is calculated as a measured value in the spectroscopic data processing unit 915.

The buckwheat quality evaluation / sorting operation in the buckwheat quality evaluation / sorting system described in Patent Document 1 configured in this way is performed as follows.

That is, as standard values indicating quality evaluation criteria for many types of buckwheat with fixed quality evaluation, for example, "three types of criteria" for selecting those having quality of "excellent", "good", and "acceptable". "Value" is prepared in advance, and in the control device 930, the quality of buckwheat is set to 1 by comparing the measured value for each grain of buckwheat that has passed the measurement position P with the above "three kinds of reference values". Evaluate grain by grain. Then, the buckwheat whose quality has been evaluated is conveyed by the belt conveyor 927 and collected by each collection unit 922a to 922c (see FIG. 13) provided for each evaluation.

As described above, according to the buckwheat quality evaluation / sorting system 900 described in Patent Document 1, the quality of buckwheat can be evaluated and sorted, and in particular, buckwheat is continuously sorted one by one. It becomes possible to sort.

By the way, since buckwheat is cross-pollinated, the quality tends to differ from that of self-pollinated grains such as wheat and rice, so it is desired that the quality can be evaluated accurately according to an objective evaluation standard. For example, there is a gap between the grade of buckwheat according to the agricultural product inspection standard by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the quality evaluation of the market (actual consumers). In addition, it has not been clarified what kind of index the buckwheat evaluation standard, for example, the buckwheat evaluation standard in a flour milling company, is based on. For this reason, an appropriate quality evaluation method for buckwheat is strongly desired, and since the quality varies greatly from grain to grain, the quality is evaluated for each grain and evaluated based on the evaluation result. The challenge is to be able to sort by each. In particular, it is a big problem to be able to continuously evaluate the quality of each grain and sort each grain based on the evaluation result.

In this regard, the buckwheat quality evaluation / sorting system described in Patent Document 1 continuously evaluates the quality of buckwheat for each grain and enables sorting for each grain based on the evaluation result. It can be said that it is a useful buckwheat quality evaluation / sorting system.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-36150

As described above, the buckwheat quality evaluation / sorting system 900 described in Patent Document 1 can continuously evaluate the quality of buckwheat for each grain and sort each buckwheat based on the evaluation result. However, there is room for improvement.

It is true that the buckwheat quality evaluation / sorting system 900 described in Patent Document 1 can continuously evaluate and sort buckwheat grain by grain, but the posture of buckwheat at the measurement position P is regular. There are various postures. That is, in the buckwheat quality evaluation / sorting system 900 described in Patent Document 1, the buckwheat 10 sent out by the screw groove 924a slides down along the chute 926 and then slides down one by one by the belt conveyor 927. Since the buckwheat is transported in a row and reaches the measurement position P, the structure is such that each buckwheat has a regular posture at the measurement position P. not. Therefore, the posture of the buckwheat at the measurement position P is not always the posture suitable for the measurement (referred to as the posture suitable for the measurement) for each buckwheat grain.

Therefore, the buckwheat in which each grain is not in a suitable posture for measurement is irradiated with excitation light, the fluorescence emitted by the buckwheat is spectrally analyzed, and the quality is evaluated based on the spectral data obtained by the spectral analysis. In that case, even if the buckwheat has the same quality, the difference in posture may appear as a difference in the quality evaluation, so that there is a problem in the reliability of the quality evaluation of the buckwheat for each grain.

Further, in the buckwheat quality evaluation / sorting system 900 described in Patent Document 1, the path until the buckwheat 10 discharged from the hopper 921 reaches the measurement position P is the rotation of the screw 924 in the screw conveyor 923. Along with this, it is necessary to construct a long route such that the grains are sent forward one by one, then fall to the belt conveyor 927 by the chute 926 and reach the measured value position P by the belt conveyor 927, and the entire transport path becomes long. Therefore, there is a problem in reducing the size of the entire system.

By the way, in the buckwheat quality evaluation / sorting system 900 described in Patent Document 1, the target of quality evaluation / sorting is buckwheat, but seeds of seeds other than buckwheat (for example, rice, wheat, soybean, corn, etc.) Furthermore, there is a demand for seeds other than cereals, including buckwheat, to be able to continuously evaluate and sort these seeds one by one at high speed. Therefore, the challenge is to improve the reliability of quality evaluation when evaluating and sorting the quality of each seed, and to realize a seed quality evaluation / sorting system that enables miniaturization of the system. Become.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the quality of each seed is evaluated and sorted by taking the seed of each seed in a regular posture at the measurement position. The purpose is to provide a seed quality evaluation / sorting system that enables the miniaturization of the system while increasing the reliability of the quality evaluation.

[1] The grain quality evaluation / sorting system of the present invention is a seed quality evaluation / sorting system in which seeds are evaluated for quality one by one and sorted for each grain based on the quality evaluation result of the quality evaluation. A feeder for continuously supplying the input seeds and a feeder for each seed continuously supplied from the feeder are provided, and the specific surface of the seed is located at the peripheral opening. A large number of recesses that can store the seeds are formed along the circumferential direction at predetermined intervals, and a disk with recesses that intermittently rotates in one direction at predetermined angles as the axis of rotation rotates. A vibration-imparting disc that is arranged adjacent to the recessed disc and is attached to the rotating shaft so as not to rotate in the same position as the recessed disc and vibrates along the circumferential direction, and the recessed disc. A disk drive motor with a recess that causes the disk to rotate intermittently in one direction at predetermined angles, and seeds stored in the recess of the recessed disk face the peripheral surface of the recessed disk. When it reaches the measurement position provided in the above, it receives an excitation light source that irradiates the seed that has reached the measurement position with excitation light and fluorescence emitted from the seed by the excitation light emitted from the excitation light source. Then, the fluorescence intensity is obtained from a spectroscope having a function of performing spectroscopic analysis of the received fluorescence for each seed and outputting spectroscopic data, and spectroscopic data of each seed output from the spectroscope. , The spectral data processing unit having a function of obtaining the quality of each seed of the grain as a multi-step evaluation based on the obtained fluorescence intensity and outputting a control signal for selecting the seed for each of the multi-step evaluations. It is characterized by comprising a sorting device for sorting the seeds one by one according to the evaluation of the plurality of stages based on the control signal from the spectral data processing unit.

According to the quality evaluation / sorting system of the present invention, the disc with recesses is formed with a large number of recesses along the circumferential direction so that the seeds can be stored in a posture in which the specific surface of the seed is located at the opening on the peripheral surface side. Therefore, the seeds for each seed supplied from the feeder are stored in the recesses in such a posture that the specific surface of the seeds is located at the peripheral opening on the peripheral surface side of the recesses. The "specific surface" referred to here is a surface on which the measured values necessary for quality evaluation of seeds can be appropriately obtained. Further, the posture in which the specific surface of the seed is located at the opening on the peripheral surface side is referred to as "measurement suitable posture". Further, "measurement" means to obtain information necessary for evaluating the quality of seeds (for example, the amount of fluorescence emitted by seeds by excitation light).

Further, according to the quality evaluation / sorting system of the present invention, the vibration applying disc is arranged adjacent to the disc with a recess and is attached to a rotating shaft so as not to rotate in the same manner as the disc with a recess. Since it is configured to vibrate along the circumferential direction, when seeds are supplied from the feeder to the recess, vibration is applied to the seeds that try to enter the recess from the feeder and the seeds stored in the recess. To work. Specifically, vibration along the circumferential direction (referred to as slight vibration) is applied to the seeds that are about to enter the recess from the feeder, and the seeds stored in the recess are also vibrated along the circumferential direction. It works to give vibration (referred to as slight vibration).

In this way, by applying micro-vibration along the circumferential direction to the seed that is about to enter the recess from the feeder, the micro-vibration along the circumferential direction is transmitted to the seed, and the seed has the feeder and the recess. It becomes difficult to form a bridge between the seeds and the seeds, and the seeds are smoothly stored in the recesses, and the storage rate of the seeds in the recesses is increased. Further, by applying a slight vibration along the circumferential direction to the seed that is about to enter the recess from the feeder, it is possible to allow only one seed to enter the recess. In other words, it is possible to reliably prevent two or more seeds from entering one recess.

In addition, by applying a slight vibration to the seeds stored in the recesses, if the seeds protrude in the thickness direction of the disc with recesses after the seeds are stored in the recesses, Since the seeds in the protruding state receive the vibration of the vibration-imparting disc directly from the disc surface (side surface) side of the disc with the recess, the seeds can be appropriately stored in the recess. As a result, even if the posture of each seed is unstable or the posture is not regular at the time of being supplied from the feeder to the recess, by the time the seed reaches the measurement position. Is reliably stored in the recess in a posture (suitable posture for measurement) such that the specific surface of the seed is located at the opening of the recess. In addition, by applying a slight vibration to the seeds stored in the recesses, even when the seeds stored in the recesses pass the measurement position and reach the drop position, the seeds can be reliably dropped. Can be done.

Therefore, according to the quality evaluation / sorting system of the present invention, the seeds of each seed can be in a regular posture at the measurement position, and the quality of each seed is evaluated and sorted. It is possible to increase the reliability of quality evaluation when performing.

Further, the seed quality evaluation / sorting system of the present invention is configured to transport the seeds supplied from the feeder to the sorting device by rotating the disk with a recess. For this reason, since the transport path is along the peripheral surface of the disk with a recess, the length of the transport path can be shortened and the configuration is simple, so that the entire system can be miniaturized. be able to.

[2] In the grain quality evaluation / sorting system of the present invention, the specific surface of the seed is the surface where the "navel" of the seed does not exist.

In this way, appropriate quality evaluation is possible by performing the measurement in a posture in which the surface of the seed where the "navel" does not exist is located at the opening on the peripheral surface side of the recess (suitable posture for measurement). It has been confirmed by the present inventor that an appropriate quality evaluation cannot be performed by measuring the surface on which the "navel of the seed" is present and performing a quality evaluation. For this reason, it is important to perform measurements in a posture in which the surface of the seed where the "navel" does not exist is located at the opening on the peripheral surface side of the recess, and appropriate quality evaluation is performed by performing measurements in such a posture. Is possible.

Here, the "navel" of the seed is a part that can be said to correspond to the "septal" that exists in a general fruit, and the "septal" that exists in this fruit. In this specification, the part corresponding to "" is referred to as the "navel" of the seed. The "tenon" is also called the "navel".

[3] In the grain quality evaluation / sorting system of the present invention, the seed is a buckwheat seed having a substantially triangular pyramid shape in appearance, and the recess provided in the disk with a recess is the recess. It is preferable that the shape of the disc with a disk is substantially V-shaped when viewed, and the opening of the recess having the V-shape is provided so as to be located along the peripheral surface of the disc with a recess. ..

In this way, when the seeds are buckwheat seeds (also simply referred to as "buckwheat"), the recesses of the disc with recesses are almost V-shaped, so that each grain supplied from the feeder is provided. The buckwheat is almost in such a posture that the surface other than the surface on which the "navel" of the buckwheat is present is located at the peripheral opening of the disk with the recess.

[4] In the quality evaluation / sorting system for grains of the present invention, the buckwheat seeds are preferably round buckwheat with the outer skin removed from the buckwheat noodles.
This makes it possible to evaluate and sort the quality of round buckwheat grain by grain.

[5] In the grain quality evaluation / sorting system of the present invention, the surface of the round buckwheat where the "umbilical cord" exists is defined as the "bottom surface" of the round buckwheat, and the three surfaces other than the bottom surface are each described above. When the "ventral surface" of the round buckwheat is used and the three boundaries between the adjacent ventral surfaces of the "ventral surface" are the "ridges" of the round buckwheat, the recess is one of the three "ridges". The "ridge" is located on the bottom side of the V-shaped recess and along the thickness direction of the disk with the recess, and two "ventral surfaces" of the three "ventral surfaces" are the V-shaped. It is preferable that the concave portion having a shape is formed so as to be able to be stored in a posture supported by one wall surface and the other wall surface.

As described above, when the seed is a round buckwheat, the concave portion of the disk with a recess is formed in this way, so that the buckwheat (rounded buckwheat) supplied from the feeder is the round buckwheat. The posture is such that the "ventral surface" of the buckwheat is located at the opening on the peripheral surface side of the disk with a recess. In particular, since the round buckwheat has bulges on the "ventral surface" and the "ridge" respectively, the bulging portion of the "ventral surface" or the "ridge" is supported like a rotation axis on the wall surface of the recess. As a result, the bulge portion is used as the axis of rotation and the vehicle rolls over.

For this reason, the round buckwheat has a posture in which the apex of the round buckwheat faces upward (toward the opening on the peripheral surface side) (a standing posture) or the bottom surface of the round buckwheat (the surface on which the "umbilical cord" exists) faces upward. It is difficult to maintain the posture (toward the opening on the peripheral surface side) (the posture is to stand upside down), and if a little vibration is applied, the bulge is used as the axis of rotation to roll over, and the "ventral surface", that is, the seeds (rounded). The specific surface of the buckwheat) is positioned at the opening on the peripheral surface side of the recess (suitable posture for measurement).

[6] In the grain quality evaluation / sorting system of the present invention, the recess is from one end face to the other end face in the thickness direction of the recessed disc when the recessed disc is viewed from the peripheral surface side. The thickness of the concave disk is at least a dimension corresponding to the length from the bottom surface of the round buckwheat to the apex on the side opposite to the bottom surface. preferable.

By forming the recesses of the disk with recesses in this way, it is possible to facilitate the process of forming the recesses on the disk with recesses. In addition, the round buckwheat can be stored in a rollover posture (a posture in which the bottom surface and the apex of the round buckwheat face in the thickness direction of the disk with a recess). In this way, by storing the round buckwheat in the concave portion in a rollover posture, it is possible to prevent the surface (bottom surface) of the round buckwheat where the "navel" is present from being positioned at the opening on the peripheral surface side of the concave portion. ..

[7] In the grain quality evaluation / sorting system of the present invention, the seed is any of rice, wheat, soybean, red beans or corn, and the recess provided in the disk with recess is the recess. It is preferable that the shape of the disc with a disc when viewed is substantially U-shaped, and the opening of the recess is provided so as to be located on the peripheral surface of the disc with a recess.

Thereby, the seed quality evaluation / sorting system of the present invention can also perform quality evaluation / sorting on rice, wheat, soybean, small beans or corn.

[8] In the grain quality evaluation / sorting system of the present invention, the recess is from one end face to the other end face in the thickness direction of the recessed disc when the recessed disc is viewed from the peripheral surface side. The thickness of the disc with recesses is such that at least one of the rice, wheat, soybean, red beans or corn is used as the seed for quality evaluation / selection. It is preferable that the seeds have a dimension corresponding to the length in the longitudinal direction.

By forming the recesses of the disc with recesses in this way, even when any one of rice, wheat, soybean, adzuki beans or corn is used as the seed to be evaluated and sorted, the recesses are formed on the disc with recesses. The processing to be performed can be facilitated. In addition, rice, wheat, soybean, adzuki bean, or corn nut can be stored in the recess in a state where the longitudinal direction is rolled over in the direction along the thickness of the disk with the recess. By storing rice, wheat, soybeans, adzuki beans, or corn nuts in the recesses in a rolled-over state, the surface of these seeds where the "navel" is located should not be located at the opening on the peripheral surface side of the recesses. can do.

[9] In the grain quality evaluation / sorting system of the present invention, there are a plurality of the recessed discs, and in the plurality of recessed discs, the recesses of the recessed discs are along the rotation axis. The vibration-imparting discs are arranged so as to be lined up on the same straight line in the direction, and are configured to share the same rotation axis and rotate in the same manner. It is preferable that the configuration is interposed between the two.

As described above, there are a plurality of recessed discs, and the plurality of recessed discs are arranged so that the recesses of the recessed discs are arranged in the same row in the direction along the rotation axis. It is configured to share the same rotation axis and rotate in the same direction. Therefore, at the measurement position, it is possible to measure a plurality of seeds at the same time. As a result, the quality evaluation / sorting operation of seeds can be significantly speeded up.

Further, since the vibration-imparting disc is configured to be interposed between the adjacent concave discs of the plurality of concave discs, the seeds stored in each concave portion of the plurality of concave discs are subjected to the structure. Can also give a slight vibration.

[10] The grain quality evaluation / sorting system of the present invention further includes a vibration imparting device that imparts vibration in the circumferential direction to the vibration applying disc, and the vibration applying device is provided with the vibration applying disc in the circumferential direction. A vibration applying motor that rotates forward and reverse at a predetermined angle along the It is preferable to have a drive shaft that transmits the vibration to the vibration applying disk and rotates the vibration applying disk in the forward and reverse directions at a predetermined angle along the circumferential direction.

By providing such a vibration applying device, it is possible to apply vibration along the circumferential direction to the seeds stored in the disk with the recess. That is, by rotating the vibration-imparting disc in the forward and reverse directions at a predetermined rotation angle, the vibration-imparting disc vibrates slightly along the circumferential direction, and the micro-vibration is transmitted to the seeds housed in the disc with the recess.

[11] In the grain quality evaluation / sorting system of the present invention, the recessed disc drive motor causes the recessed disc to rotate intermittently in one direction at predetermined angles. It is preferable to perform forward / reverse rotation within a predetermined time each time the angle rotation is completed.

In this way, when the concave disk is rotated intermittently in one direction by a predetermined angle, the concave disk drive motor is within a predetermined time each time the concave disk finishes rotating at a predetermined angle. I am trying to rotate forward and reverse. As a result, every time the disk with a recess finishes rotating at a predetermined angle, the disk itself with a recess also vibrates slightly along the circumferential direction. As a result, the seeds stored in the disc with the recess are likely to be in a suitable posture for measurement. In addition, "every time the rotation of a predetermined angle is completed, the forward / reverse rotation is performed within a predetermined time" means that the disk with a recess is slightly vibrated for a short time immediately after the rotation of the disk with a recess is completed at a predetermined angle. It may be allowed to vibrate the concave disk continuously during the measurement operation. By continuing to slightly vibrate the disk with the recess during the measurement operation, the surface to be measured of the seed can be widened.

[12] In the grain quality evaluation / sorting system of the present invention, the sorting device is provided at a drop position where seeds that have passed the measurement position are dropped from the recess, and can rotate at a rotation angle within a predetermined range. The distribution chute drive motor that rotates the distribution chute at a predetermined rotation angle based on the distribution chute and the control signal output from the spectral data processing unit, and the discharge port of the distribution chute are evaluated in a plurality of stages. It is preferable to have a guide portion which is arranged corresponding to the above and guides the seeds sorted by the sorting chute to a collection box provided corresponding to the evaluation of the plurality of stages.

With such a configuration of the sorting device, seeds can be sorted for each seed according to a plurality of stages of evaluation. For example, if the evaluation is in 5 stages of A to E, seeds can be sorted one by one for each evaluation of the 4 stages (each evaluation of A to E).

[13] In the grain quality evaluation / sorting system of the present invention, the seed quality evaluation / sorting system is characterized in that the excitation light is purple laser excitation light.

As described above, by using the purple laser excitation light as the excitation light, the fluorescence required for quality evaluation can be obtained from the seeds.

[14] In the grain quality evaluation / sorting system of the present invention, the spectroscopic data processing unit has the characteristic characteristic of the seeds among the fluorescence intensities at each wavelength obtained based on the spectroscopic data. An index for evaluating the quality of the seed is obtained based on the fluorescence intensity in the wavelength band in which the fluorescence intensity derived from the component is obtained, and a control signal for sorting the seed is obtained based on the obtained index. It is preferable to output to a sorting device.

Since the spectroscopic data processing unit has such a function, it is possible to appropriately evaluate the quality of seeds and control the sorting device based on the evaluation result. Therefore, the seeds can be evaluated according to the evaluation. It can be sorted appropriately. In addition, as a characteristic component possessed by a seed, for example, when the seed is buckwheat (round buckwheat), protein and chlorophyll can be exemplified.

[15] In the grain quality evaluation / sorting system of the present invention, the thickness of the recessed disc and the thickness of the vibration-imparting disc are the sum of the thickness of the recessed disc and the thickness of the vibration-imparting disc. It is preferable that the thickness of the recessed disc and the thickness of the vibration-imparting disc are set so that the total thickness becomes a predetermined constant thickness.

By setting the total thickness of the concave disc and the vibration-imparting disc in this way, even when the thickness of the concave disc is set variously according to the type of seed, the concave disc and the vibration-imparting disc are set in this way. The total thickness of and can be kept unchanged. As a result, even if the type of seed to be evaluated / sorted is changed, the disc with recess and the vibration-imparting disc may be changed according to the seed, and most of the components of the quality evaluation / sorting system. Can be used without changing the size, etc., and can be a highly versatile system.

[16] In the grain quality evaluation / sorting system of the present invention, a white light source for irradiating the seeds housed in the recess of the recess disk with white light is further provided, and the spectroscope is the white light source. It also has a function of receiving the reflected light reflected from the seeds by the white light emitted from the seeds, performing spectroscopic analysis of the received reflected light for each seed, and outputting spectral data. The processing unit may further have a function of obtaining a color intensity from the analysis data of each seed output from the spectroscope and evaluating the quality of each seed based on the obtained color intensity. preferable.

As described above, by providing the white light source in addition to the excitation light source, it is possible to perform quality evaluation based on the reflected light (color) from the seed in addition to the quality evaluation based on the amount of fluorescence. This makes it possible to evaluate by the color of human appearance. Further, by changing the wavelength of the excitation light and acquiring the wavelength, fluorescence wavelength and fluorescence intensity of the excitation light as a three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum, a fluorescence fingerprint reflecting the characteristics of the seed can be obtained, and the fluorescence fingerprint can be used. It is also possible to select the seed production area, quality, etc. (including mold poison) in detail. In particular, it is possible to grasp the seed production area, the state of contamination of mycotoxins, etc. from the fluorescent fingerprints for each seed, and to sort according to the grasped result.

[17] In the grain quality evaluation / sorting system of the present invention, the excitation light from the excitation light source and the white light from the white light source are pulse-oscillated, and each time the seed reaches the measurement position, the measurement is performed. It is preferable that the seeds of each seed that have reached the position are irradiated with the excitation light and the white light with a predetermined time difference.

By doing so, both fluorescence analysis (fluorescence intensity or fluorescence fingerprint) and color analysis can be performed on each seed, and quality evaluation based on fluorescence analysis and quality evaluation based on apparent color can be performed. Can do both. In particular, it is effective when the quality evaluation based on the fluorescence analysis is performed for each seed, and the quality evaluation is also performed with an emphasis on the appearance color. In addition, by performing quality evaluation using fluorescent fingerprints, it is possible to grasp the seed production area, quality, etc. (including mycotoxins) for each seed, and to sort according to the grasped result. Become.

It is a schematic block diagram of the quality evaluation / sorting system 1 of the seed which concerns on Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which shows the transport sorting apparatus 200 when seen in the direction of arrow a along the x-axis of FIG. It is a figure which takes out and shows one disk 231 with a recess. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view showing a recess 221 of a disk 231 with a recess in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows an example of 1 grain buckwheat (round buckwheat noodles) 10. It is a figure which shows typically the vibration giving device 400 for vibrating the vibration giving discs 241,242 along the circumferential direction. It is a figure which shows in order to schematically explain the structure of the sorting apparatus 260. It is a figure which shows typically the operation of the pulse motor when the disk with a recess is slightly vibrated during the measurement operation. It is a figure which shows an example of the spectroscopic analysis result of fluorescence for performing quality evaluation. It is a figure which shows the quality evaluation result based on the protein index P and the chlorophyll index C of buckwheat S1, buckwheat S2, buckwheat S3, and buckwheat S4 obtained from the spectroscopic analysis result shown in FIG. It is a schematic block diagram of the seed quality evaluation / sorting system 2 which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows in order to explain the case where soybean 20 as a seed is targeted for quality evaluation / selection. It is a figure which shows for demonstrating the quality evaluation / sorting system 900 of buckwheat described in Patent Document 1. It is a perspective view which shows the transport part 920A shown in FIG. 13 in detail.

In the seed quality evaluation / sorting system of the present invention, examples of seeds to be quality-evaluated and sorted include grains such as rice, wheat, corn, and soybean containing buckwheat, and seeds other than cereals. In terms of morphology, "buckwheat" will be mainly described as an example, and in particular, buckwheat (also referred to as round buckwheat) in which the outer skin is removed from the buckwheat will be described as an example.

[Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, the seed quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a seed quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a transport sorting device 200 when viewed in the direction of arrow a along the x-axis of FIG. 1. In FIG. 2, some components of the transport sorting device 200 are not shown.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing one disk with a recess 231 taken out.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing the recess 221 of the disk 231 with a recess in FIG. Note that FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of the inside of the broken line frame e of FIG. 3, and FIG. 4A shows the disk 231 with a recess shown in FIG. 4 (b) is a view of the recess 221, and FIG. 4 (b) is a view of any one recess 221 along the x-axis from the peripheral surface side of the disk with recess 231 shown in FIG. 3, all of which are 1 The state in which the grain buckwheat 10 is stored is shown.

Further, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of one buckwheat noodle (round buckwheat noodle) 10. FIG. 5 (a) shows a case where the “tenon 11” of the buckwheat 10 is downward and the apex 12 of the buckwheat 10 is upward, and FIG. 5 (b) shows the case where the “umbilical cord 11” of the buckwheat is upward. , The case where the apex 12 of the buckwheat is facing downward is shown. The buckwheat 10 has a slightly different shape for each grain, but as shown in FIG. 5, it has a substantially triangular pyramid shape with a bulge.

Hereinafter, the schematic configuration of the seed quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5.

The grain quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the embodiment irradiates the buckwheat 10 with a purple laser having a wavelength of, for example, 405 nm (referred to as a purple continuous laser) as excitation light to generate fluorescence, and causes the fluorescence. A quality evaluation device 100 that obtains the amount of fluorescence in a predetermined wavelength band by spectral analysis and evaluates the quality of buckwheat based on the obtained amount of fluorescence, and a buckwheat that is a target of quality evaluation / selection (hereinafter referred to as a buckwheat that is a target of selection). In a state where each grain is aligned in a predetermined posture (details will be described later), the grain is conveyed so as to pass through the measurement position P2, and the quality evaluation result by the quality evaluation device 100 is obtained. It has a transport sorting device 200 that sorts buckwheat grain by grain based on the above.

First, the transport sorting apparatus 200 will be described mainly with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
The transport sorting device 200 is charged with seeds to be sorted (in this case, buckwheat 10), and is continuously supplied from a feeder and 210 for continuously supplying the fed buckwheat 10 and a feeder 210. A large number of recesses 221 to 223 corresponding to the buckwheat 10 for each grain are provided at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction, and a disk-shaped disk with recesses (3) that rotates with the rotation of the rotating shaft 270. The recessed discs 231 to 233) and the recessed discs 231 to 233 are arranged next to each other, and are attached to the rotating shaft 270 so as not to rotate in the same manner as the recessed discs 231 to 233. The vibration applying discs 241,242 that vibrate along the circumferential direction and the recessed discs 231 to 233 are intermittently provided at predetermined angles (15 degrees) in one direction (in the direction of arrow A). A disc drive motor with a recess for rotation (referred to as a pulse motor) 250, and a sorting device 260 that sorts buckwheat grains one by one based on the quality evaluation results of the quality evaluation device 100 (details will be described later). And have. The configuration of each of these components will be described later in sequence.

The feeder 210 has a buckwheat input port 211 and a buckwheat supply port 212 for supplying the buckwheat 10 input from the buckwheat input port 211 to the recesses 221 to 223 of the recessed disks 231 to 233, and the buckwheat 10 has a buckwheat supply port 212. The recessed disks 231 to 233 are arranged with an inclination so as to naturally flow out into the recesses 221 to 223.

Further, inside the feeder 210, a limiting plate 213 for limiting the flow of the buckwheat 10 to the buckwheat supply port 212 is provided so that a large number of buckwheat 10 input from the buckwheat input port 211 do not concentrate on the buckwheat supply port 212. Have. By providing such a limiting plate 213, the buckwheat 10 stored in the feeder 210 flows out to the buckwheat supply port 212 in one or two stages, and the buckwheat 10 is concentrated in the buckwheat supply port 212. You can avoid it.

Further, although not shown, the feeder 210 is provided with a feeder vibration imparting portion, and vibration (slight vibration) is applied to the feeder 210 by the feeder vibration imparting portion, and the feeder 210 is housed in the feeder 210. The buckwheat 10 can be continuously and smoothly supplied to the recesses 221 to 223.

Subsequently, the recessed discs 231 to 233, the recesses 221 to 223 formed in the recessed discs 231 to 233, the vibration imparting discs 241, 242, and the like will be described.

A large number of recesses 221 to 223 provided in the disks with recesses 231 to 232 are provided at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction corresponding to one buckwheat of buckwheat 10 continuously supplied from the feeder 210. There is. These recesses 221 to 223 allow the buckwheat to be stored grain by grain in a posture in which the specific surface of the buckwheat 10 is located at the peripheral opening. The "specific surface" here is a surface in which the "tenon" does not exist when the seed is a round buckwheat. This will be described in detail later.

Further, the recesses 221 to 223 are provided at each angle of 15 degrees in the respective recessed disks 231 to 233, and 24 recesses are provided for each concave disk. The shapes of the recesses 221 to 223 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. Further, the recesses 221 to 223 are formed so as to be arranged side by side on the same straight line in the directions along the rotation axis 270 (direction along the y-axis) in the disks 231 to 233 with the recesses.

Further, the three concave discs 231 to 233 are arranged in parallel sharing the rotation shaft 270, and the vibration imparting discs 241,242 are the adjacent concave concave discs of the three concave discs 231 to 233. It is provided so as to be interposed at a predetermined interval between them.

Here, the thickness of each of the recessed discs 231 to 233 varies depending on the type of seed to be sorted, but when the seed to be sorted is buckwheat (round buckwheat noodles), it is set to 5 mm, for example. The thickness of the vibration-imparting disc is, for example, 10 mm. Further, there is a gap of 0.5 mm between the discs with recesses 231 to 233 and the vibration applying disc. Therefore, the total thickness of the adjacent discs with recesses and the vibration-imparting discs is 15.5 mm, which is the sum of the gaps of 0.5 mm. For example, the total thickness of the concave disk 231 and the vibration applying disk 241 is 15.5 mm, and the total thickness of the concave disk 232 and the vibration applying disk 242 is also 15.5 mm.

Further, disk-shaped pressing disks 281,228 are arranged side by side on the recessed disks 231 and 233 located at both ends of the three recessed disks 231 to 233, and these pressing disks 281,282 are used. The concave disk 231, the vibration applying disk 241 and the concave disk 232, the vibration applying disk 242, and the concave disk 233 each have a predetermined gap and are sandwiched from both ends.

The recessed discs 231 to 233, the vibration-imparting discs 241,242 and the holding discs 281,228 are each made of synthetic resin, and in particular, the recessed discs 231 to 233 and the vibration-imparting discs 241,242 are transparent. It is made of synthetic resin. In this way, the recessed discs 231 to 233 and the vibration-imparting discs 241,242 are formed of the transparent synthetic resin because of dark noise (when the excitation light is irradiated, the recessed discs 231 to 233 other than buckwheat are formed. This is because the emitted fluorescence) can be suppressed.

Further, the pressing disks 281,281 may also be formed of a transparent synthetic resin. Further, if metal is used as the material of the recessed discs 231 to 233, the vibration applying discs 241,242, and the holding discs 281,282, the effect of suppressing dark noise is high, but in order to reduce the weight and facilitate the processing, here. Then, synthetic resin is used as these materials.
In FIG. 2 and the like, the portions of the recessed discs 231 to 233 other than the recesses 221 to 223 are shown in gray, in order to make it easier to understand the existence of the recesses 221 to 223.

Further, a pulley 290 is attached to the rotating shaft 270 to transmit the rotational force of the pulse motor 250 as a motor for driving a disk with a recess to the rotating shaft 270. Therefore, the rotational force of the pulse motor 250 is transmitted to the rotary shaft 270 via the pulley 290.

By the way, the recessed discs 231 to 233, the vibration applying discs 241,242, and the holding discs 281,282 are specifically supported on the rotating shaft 270 as follows.

The vibration applying discs 241,241 are pivotally supported by the rotating shaft 270 via a shaft collar (cylindrical body ringed around the rotating shaft 270) 271,272. The shaft collars 271,272 are attached to the rotating shaft 270 so as to rotate together with the rotating shaft 270, and the vibration imparting discs 241,242 are attached to the shaft collars 271,272 so as to be idle. Further, the axial length of the shaft collars 271,272 is slightly longer than the thickness of the vibration applying discs 241,242 (in this case, 10 mm), and is, for example, 11 mm.

On the other hand, the discs with recesses 231 to 233 are directly attached to the rotating shaft 270 without the shaft collar, but the discs 231 to 233 with recesses are not fixed to the rotating shaft 270 and can idle. It has become.

Further, the holding discs 281, 228 are also pivotally supported on the rotating shaft 270 via the shaft collars 273 and 274, respectively. These shaft collars 273 and 274 are also attached to the rotating shaft 270 so as to rotate together with the rotating shaft 270, and the holding discs 281,282 are idlingly attached to the shaft collars 273 and 274. These shaft collars 273 and 274 are also slightly longer than the thickness of the holding discs 281,282. For example, if the thicknesses of the holding disks 281,282 are 5 mm, the shaft collars 273 and 274 are 6 mm, respectively.

Further, the rotary shaft 270 is a shaft with male threads at both ends, in which male threads 275 and 276 (see FIG. 2) are formed at both ends. The male screws 275 and 276 formed at both ends of the rotating shaft 270 project outward from the frames 311, 312 so as to be tightened with nuts 331 and 332 via bearing portions 321 and 322 with bearings. It has become. The bearing bearing portions 321 and 322 have an inner ring and an outer ring, and a bearing exists between the inner ring and the outer ring.

With such a configuration, when nuts are tightened from both ends of the frames 311, 312, the shaft collars 271 to 274 press the disc surfaces of the recessed discs 231 to 233 from both sides.

That is, the axial lengths of the shaft collars 271,272 to which the vibration applying discs 241,242 are attached so as to be idling and the shaft collars 273 and 274 to which the holding discs 281,282 are attached so as to be idling are the vibration applying discs. Since it is slightly longer than the thickness of 241,242 and the holding disc 281,282, each shaft collar 271 to 271 by tightening the nuts from both ends of the rotating shaft 270 (shaft with male threads on both ends). The 274 can press the side surface portions of the recessed discs 231 to 233 from both sides. Further, at this time, a slight gap (0.5 mm) is generated between the adjacent concave discs and the vibration applying discs, and between the adjacent concave concave discs and the holding discs.

As a result, when the pulley 290 is rotated by the pulse motor 250, the rotational force is transmitted to the rotating shaft 270, and the shaft collar 270 is rotated together with the rotating shaft 270 to rotate the discs 231 to 233 with recesses.

At this time, the vibration applying discs 241,242 and the holding discs 281,282 are attached to the corresponding shaft collars 271 to 274 so as to be idling, and there is a slight gap between them and the adjacent discs with recesses. Is present, the rotational force of the rotating shaft 270 is not transmitted to the vibration applying discs 241,242 and the holding discs 281,282. Therefore, even if the concave discs 231 to 233 rotate, the vibration imparting discs 241, 242 do not rotate in the same manner as the concave discs 231 to 233. Similarly, the holding discs 281,282 do not rotate in the same manner as the recessed discs 231 to 233, like the vibration applying discs 241,242.

Further, an origin slit disc (not shown) is attached to the rotating shaft 270, and the pulse motor 250 is 1 by detecting the origin slit of the origin slit disc with a sensor (not shown). The origin is adjusted each time it rotates. This origin adjustment is performed to correct the "deviation" that occurs with the increase in the rotation speed.

That is, when the pulse motor 250 is set to rotate 10 degrees with 10 pulses, for example, the pulse motor 250 originally rotates 10 degrees with 10 pulses, but a large load is applied. There are cases where step-out occurs for some reason and, for example, 10 pulses rotate only 9 degrees. In such a case, even if a set pulse is applied, a "deviation" occurs in the rotation angle, and an accurate rotation angle cannot be obtained. Such "deviation" increases as the number of rotations increases. In order to correct such "deviation", for example, the origin slit is detected by the origin sensor for each rotation to correct the "deviation".

Further, at the measurement position P2 (see FIGS. 1 and 3) provided so as to face the peripheral surface of the recessed discs 231 to 232, the quality evaluation device 100 corresponds to the recessed discs 231 to 233. Irradiation optical fibers (referred to as plastic optical fibers) 121 to 123 for irradiating the purple continuous laser emitted by the excitation light source 110 are provided (see FIG. 2). In this case, the measurement position P2 is such that the recessed disks 231 to 233 have a predetermined angle (for example, 15 degrees × 6 = 90 degrees) from the supply position P1 (see FIGS. 1 and 3) to which the buckwheat 10 is supplied from the feeder 210. It is set to the position rotated by ().

A lens is provided at the excitation light irradiation port of the irradiation optical fibers 121 to 123, but the illustration of the lens is omitted. Further, although not shown, it is preferable to provide a dark box or the like around the measurement position P2 so that light such as external light does not enter.

Further, light receiving fibers (referred to as plastic optical fibers) 131 to 133 are provided at the measurement positions P2 in the recessed disks 231 to 233 (see FIG. 2). The light receiving optical fibers 131 to 133 are connected to the corresponding spectroscopes 151 to 153 via short wavelength cut filters 141 to 143, respectively, and the fluorescence generated by the excitation light emitted from the irradiation optical fibers 121 to 123 is emitted. It is sent to the corresponding spectroscopes 151 to 153 via the short wavelength cut filters 141 to 143, respectively.

Then, the spectroscopic data from the spectroscopes 151 to 153 are sent to the spectroscopic data processing unit 160 configured by a microscope or the like, and quality evaluation is performed. The quality evaluation by the spectroscopic data processing unit 160 will be described later. A lens is provided at the incident port of the spectroscopes 151 to 153, but the illustration of the lens is omitted.

Further, a fall prevention cover for preventing the buckwheat contained in the recesses 221 to 223 from falling on the front peripheral surface in the rotation direction (arrow A direction) from the measurement positions P2 of the recessed disks 231 to 233. 300 (see FIGS. 1 and 3) is provided. The fall prevention cover 300 is provided between the measurement position P2 and the fall position P3 of the buckwheat 10.

Subsequently, the recesses 221 to 223 in the disks 231 to 232 with recesses will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 3, 4, and 5. Since the recesses 221 to 223 in the recessed disks 231 to 232 have the same configuration, the recesses 221 of the recessed disks 231 will be described here. The recess 221 has a shape as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Here, since the case of "round buckwheat" is exemplified as the seed, the recess 221 is a recess for round buckwheat.

The shape of the recess 221 when the disk surface (also referred to as a side surface) of the recessed disk 231 shown in FIG. 3 is viewed along the y-axis is substantially V-shaped. The radial depth of the recess 221 is, for example, about 3.0 mm to 6.0 mm, and the angle θ between one wall surface a1 and the other wall surface a2 of the V-shaped wall surface is 60. It is about the degree (see FIG. 4 (a)). These numerical values are not particularly limited and can be set as appropriate. Further, "one wall surface a1" is hereinafter referred to as "wall surface a1 on the rear side in the rotation direction", and "the other wall surface a2" is hereinafter referred to as "wall surface a2 on the front side in the rotation direction". Here, the rotation direction is the arrow A direction. The dimensions of each part of these recesses are not limited to such values, and can be appropriately set depending on the type of buckwheat to be evaluated and sorted desperately.

Further, as for the wall surface a1 on the rear side in the rotation direction and the wall surface a2 on the front side in the rotation direction, the wall surface a1 on the rear side in the rotation direction is on the front side in the rotation direction when the line L along the diameter of the disk 231 with the recess is used as a reference. It forms a smaller angle with respect to the line L along the diameter than the wall surface a2.

By setting the angle with respect to the diameter of the wall surface a1 on the rear side in the rotation direction and the wall surface a2 on the front side in the rotation direction in this way, when the feeder 210 is arranged as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the feeder 210 flows out from the feeder 210. The buckwheat 10 can be easily received by the recess 221 and the buckwheat 10 that is about to enter the recess 221 can be prevented from spilling to the rear side. The angle with respect to the line L along the diameters of the wall surface a1 on the rear side in the rotation direction and the wall surface a2 on the front side in the rotation direction can be appropriately set according to the installation method of the feeder 210 and the like.

Further, when the concave disk 231 is viewed from the peripheral surface side, the concave portion 221 is formed from one end surface 231a to the other end surface 231b in the thickness direction of the concave disk 231 as shown in FIG. 4 (b). It is formed like a notch groove over the circumference, and the width W1 along the circumferential direction is about 4 mm to 6 mm. On the other hand, since the width W2 of the recess 221 (the width W2 along the thickness direction of the recessed disk 231) has the thickness of the recessed disk 231 of 5 mm, the width W2 of the recessed disk 221 is 5 mm.
4 (a) and 4 (b) show a state in which one buckwheat 10 is housed in the recess 221.

Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the buckwheat 10 has a substantially triangular pyramid shape with a bulge, and the surface of the buckwheat 10 on which the “umbilical cord (hozo) 11” exists is defined as the bottom surface of the buckwheat. The other three surfaces are the buckwheat "abdominal surface 13", and the boundaries of the three "abdominal surfaces 13" are the buckwheat "ridges" 14.

When evaluating the quality of the buckwheat 10 having such a shape, it is appropriate to measure the surface (bottom surface) where the "umbilical cord 11" of the buckwheat exists or the apex 12 of the buckwheat to perform the quality evaluation. It has been confirmed by experiments by the inventor and others that quality evaluation cannot be performed. In particular, if the surface (bottom surface) of the buckwheat "umbilical cord 11" is measured and the quality is evaluated, an appropriate quality evaluation cannot be performed. Therefore, in order to properly evaluate the quality of the buckwheat 10, the postures shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b) (the "ventral surface 13" of the buckwheat 10 is located at the peripheral opening of the recess 221). It is important to make measurements in such a posture) in order to make an appropriate high quality evaluation. In other words, if the measurement is not performed in the postures shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), appropriate quality evaluation cannot be performed.

Therefore, in the buckwheat 10, the "ventral surface 13" of the buckwheat 10 is the "specific surface" referred to in this specification, and the specific surface, that is, the "ventral surface 13" is positioned at the peripheral opening of the recess 221. It can be said that it is a "measurement suitable posture". Therefore, when the buckwheat 10 supplied from the feeder 210 to the recess 221 reaches the measurement position P2, the buckwheat "ventral surface 13" is positioned in the peripheral opening of the recess 221 so that the posture is suitable for measurement. Is important.

The recesses 221 to 223 of the discs with recesses 231 to 233 are shaped in consideration of this point. That is, by forming the recess (again, the recess 221 will be described as an example) as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the buckwheat 10 for each grain supplied from the feeder 210 can be reliably obtained. The surface (ventral surface 13) of the buckwheat 10 other than the surface on which the "umbilicus 11" is present is in a posture (suitable posture for measurement) so as to be located at the peripheral opening on the peripheral surface side of the recess 221.

Specifically, by forming the recess 221 into a shape as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the buckwheat 10 for each grain supplied from the feeder 210 is one of the three “ridges 14” of the buckwheat 10. Two "ridges 14" are located on the bottom side of the V-shaped recess 221 and along the thickness direction of the recessed disk 231, and two "ventral surfaces 13" of the three "ventral surfaces 13" are the V-shaped. The recess 221 having a shape can be stored in a posture supported by the wall surface a1 on the rear side in the rotation direction and the wall surface a2 on the front side in the rotation direction (suitable posture for measurement).

In particular, since the buckwheat 10 has a bulging portion c (see FIG. 4) in each of the "ventral surface 13" and the "ridge 14", the bulging portion c of the abdominal surface 13 or the "ridge" has a recess 221. It will be supported by the wall surfaces a1 and a2 like a rotating shaft. Therefore, if the concave portion 221 has a shape as shown in FIG. 4, when the buckwheat 10 enters the concave portion 221, the buckwheat portion c rolls over with the bulging portion c as a rotation axis, and the posture as shown in FIG. 4 is often obtained. That is, in the buckwheat 10 in the V-shaped recess 221, the apex 12 of the buckwheat 10 is located at the peripheral opening (standing posture) or the "umbilical cord 11" of the buckwheat 10 is open on the peripheral side. It is difficult to maintain the posture located in (the posture is upside down), and if a little vibration is applied, the buckwheat portion c rolls over with the bulging portion c as the axis of rotation, and as shown in FIG. 4, the ventral surface 13 of the buckwheat 10 becomes The posture is such that it is located in the peripheral opening of the recess 221 (suitable posture for measurement).

Therefore, even if the buckwheat 10 is in a standing posture or a handstand posture when it enters the recess 221 from the feeder 210, the buckwheat 10 will eventually be shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). The "ventral surface 13" of the above is housed in the recess 221 in a posture (suitable posture for measurement) so as to be located at the opening on the peripheral surface side of the recess 221. Moreover, although the details will be described later, since the buckwheat 10 housed in the recessed disk 231 is subjected to vibration along the circumferential direction by the vibration applying disk 241, the buckwheat 10 housed in the recessed disk 221 is subjected to vibration. The posture is more reliable and suitable for measurement.
The description of the recesses 221 to 223 in the recessed disks 231 to 232 has mainly described the recesses 221 of the recessed disks 231 but the same applies to the recesses 222 and 223 of the recessed disks 223 and 233. be.

Subsequently, a vibration applying device for vibrating the discs 231 to 233 with recesses along the circumferential direction will be described. The vibration applying device 400 is provided in the quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. However, in FIGS. 1 and 2, the vibration applying device 400 is provided. Illustration is omitted.

FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing a vibration applying device 400 for vibrating the vibration applying discs 241,242 along the circumferential direction. The vibration applying device 400 connects a vibration applying motor (referred to as a servomotor) 410 that rotates forward and reverse at a predetermined rotation angle, a drive piece 411 of the servo motor 410, and vibration applying disks 241,242. It has drive shafts (referred to as piano wires) 421 and 422 that transmit the driving force (forward / reverse rotational force) of the servomotor 410 to the vibration applying disks 241,242.

Here, a connection structure for connecting the drive piece 411 of the servomotor 410 and the vibration applying disks 241,242 will be described. The servomotor 410 is configured to drive both of the two vibration-imparting discs 241,242, but here, for connecting the drive piece 411 of the servomotor 410 and the vibration-imparting disc 241. The connection structure will be described.

One end of the piano wire 421 is attached to the first mounting hole 411a in the drive piece 411 of the servo motor 410, and the other end side of the piano wire 421 is attached to the mounting hole 241a formed on the peripheral surface of the vibration applying disk 241. Be done.

In order to attach the other end side of the piano wire 421 to the mounting hole 241a formed on the peripheral surface of the vibration applying disk 241, for example, the other end side of the piano wire 421 is bent approximately 90 degrees into the mounting hole 241a. A bent portion 421a can be formed, and the bent portion 421a can be attached by inserting the bent portion 421a by utilizing the elasticity of the piano wire 421. That is, the piano wire 421 is slightly bent downward, and the bent portion 421a is attached to the mounting hole 241a formed on the peripheral surface of the vibration applying disk 241 by utilizing the elasticity (returning force) of the piano wire 421. ..

By doing so, the piano wire 421 can be easily attached to the vibration applying disk 241 without providing any special fixing means. In this case, since the vibration generated in the vibration applying disk 241 may be a slight vibration, the vibration angle of the drive piece 411 of the servomotor 410 may be small, and the reciprocating movement of the piano wire is also small, so that it is a strong fixing means. Is unnecessary.

The vibration-imparting discs 241,242 configured in this way are arranged with a slight gap (0.5 mm) from the adjacent discs with recesses 231 to 233, and vibrate along the circumferential direction. Since it is configured to perform (slight vibration), it is stored in the buckwheat 10 and the recesses 221 to 223 that try to enter the recesses 221 to 223 from the feeder 210 when the buckwheat 10 is supplied from the feeder 210 to the recesses 221 to 223. It works to give a slight vibration to the buckwheat 10. Specifically, the buckwheat 10 that is about to enter the recesses 221 to 223 from the feeder 210 is subjected to a slight vibration along the circumferential direction, and the buckwheat 10 housed in the recesses 221 to 223 is also rotated. It works to give a slight vibration along the direction.

The above has described the connection structure for connecting the drive piece 411 of the servomotor 410 and the vibration imparting disc 241. However, the connection structure for connecting the drive piece 411 of the servomotor 410 and the vibration imparting disc 242 is also described. Since they are the same, the description thereof will be omitted.

Since the vibration applying device 400 for vibrating the vibration applying disks 241, 242 has such a configuration, the servo motor 410 rotates forward and reverse at a slight rotation angle, so that the drive piece 411 reciprocates left and right. It moves, and the reciprocating motion is transmitted to the vibration imparting discs 241,242 via the piano wires 421 and 422. As a result, the vibration-imparting discs 241,242 vibrate (slightly vibrate) along the circumferential direction. The vibration cycle of the vibration applying discs 241,242 can be set in various ways, but in this case, a very short cycle may be used.

When the vibration-imparting discs 241,242 vibrate (slightly vibrate) in this way, the vibration of the vibration-imparting discs 241,242 is also transmitted to the buckwheat 10 housed in the recessed discs 231 to 233, and the buckwheat 10 is also transmitted. Also vibrates (slight vibration). The discs 231 to 233 with recesses themselves are also temporarily vibrated (slightly vibrated) during the measurement operation, which will be described later.

Subsequently, the sorting device 260 will be described.
FIG. 7 is a diagram shown for schematically explaining the configuration of the sorting device 260. Note that in FIG. 7, illustrations of discs 231 to 233 with recesses and the like are omitted. Further, in FIG. 7, the intervals between adjacent distribution chute of the distribution chute 261 to 263 are drawn wider than those in FIG. 2.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 7, the distribution device 260 includes distribution chutes 261 to 263 provided corresponding to the recessed disks 231 to 233 (in FIG. 1, only the distribution chutes 261 are shown. The buckwheat sorted by the sorting chute driving motor (referred to as a servomotor) 264 for driving the sorting chute 261 to 263 and the buckwheat sorted by the sorting chute 261 to 263 are evaluated in five stages (here). It has a guide portion 266 for sliding down to the collection boxes 269A to 269E (see FIGS. 1 and 7) provided corresponding to A, B, C, D, and E). ..

As shown in FIG. 7, the distribution chute drive motor 264 is composed of servomotors 264a, 264b, and 264c corresponding to the distribution chute 261 to 264. The drive pieces 265a, 265b, 265c of the servomotors 264a, 264b, 264c and the distribution chute 261 to 263 are connected by a drive shaft (piano wire 267a, 267b, 267c).

Further, the distribution chutes 261 to 263 are rotatably attached to one connecting shaft 268 (see FIGS. 2 and 7), and are rotated separately by the corresponding servomotors 264a to 264c. It has become like. The distribution chutes 261 to 263 have an elongated square cylinder shape, and are slightly tapered toward the tip drop ports 261a, 262a, and 263a.

The servomotors 264a, 264b, 264c specify the corresponding drive pieces 264a, 265b, 265c according to the control signal (control signal based on the evaluation result for each grain) output from the spectral data processing unit 160 of the quality evaluation device 100, respectively. Performs an operation that rotates by an angle. In this case, the spectroscopic data processing unit 160 corresponds to five-stage evaluations (“evaluation A”, “evaluation B”, “evaluation C”, “evaluation D”, and “evaluation E”) from A to E. The control signal to be output is output. Therefore, the servomotors 264a to 264c rotate the distribution chute 261 based on the control signal output from the spectroscopic data processing unit 160 corresponding to the five-step evaluation.

Further, the sorting device 260 is provided with a guide 266 (266A to 266E) for sliding the buckwheat sorted by the sorting chutes 261 to 263 into the collection boxes 269A to 269E corresponding to the evaluation of 5 stages of A to E. ing.

The whole of the transport sorting apparatus 200 has been described above, but subsequently, the quality evaluation / sorting operation of the seed quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described.

In the large number of buckwheat 10s put into the feeder 210, the flow amount of buckwheat to the buckwheat supply port 212 is restricted by the limiting plate 213, and the overlap of the buckwheat 10 is restricted to the buckwheat supply port 212 of the feeder 210. It flows. Then, the buckwheat that has flowed out from the buckwheat supply port 212 of the feeder 210 enters the recesses 221 to 223 of the recessed disks 231 to 233 that are intermittently rotated by 15 degrees in the arrow A direction at the supply position P1.

At this time, the feeder 210 vibrates slightly by a vibration applying mechanism (not shown). Therefore, the buckwheat 10 charged in the feeder 210 can be smoothly discharged from the buckwheat supply port 212 of the feeder 210, and enters the recesses 221 to 223 of the recessed disks 231 to 233.

When the buckwheat 10 is supplied from the feeder 210 to the recesses 221 to 223, the buckwheat 10 that is about to enter the recess from the feeder 210 is slightly vibrated along the circumferential direction by the vibration applying discs 241,242. A slight vibration along the circumferential direction is transmitted to the buckwheat 10, and it becomes difficult for the buckwheat 10 to form a bridge between the feeder 210 and the recesses 221 to 223, so that the buckwheat 10 can be stored in the recesses 221 to 223. This is done smoothly, and the storage rate of seeds in the recesses 221 to 223 is increased.

Further, by applying a slight vibration along the circumferential direction to the buckwheat 10 that is about to enter the recesses 221 to 223 from the feeder 210, it is possible to allow only one buckwheat 10 to enter the recess. can. In other words, it is possible to reliably prevent two or more buckwheat 10s from entering one recess.

Further, since the recesses 221 to 223 have the configuration as described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, and the vibration applying disks 241 to 243 vibrate slightly, the recesses of the recessed disks 231 to 233 are each recessed. In the posture of the buckwheat 10 that has entered 221 to 223, the ventral surface 13 of the buckwheat 10 is located at the peripheral opening of the recesses 221 to 223 by the time the measurement position P2 is reached.

Then, when the buckwheat 10 contained in the recesses 221 to 223 of the recessed disks 231 to 233 reaches the measurement position P2, the measurement operation is performed at the measurement position P2. That is, when the buckwheat 10 reaches the measurement position P2, the buckwheat 10 contained in each recess 221 to 223 is irradiated with excitation light, fluorescence is emitted from the buckwheat 10, and the fluorescence emitted by the buckwheat is received from the light receiving optical fiber 131 to. It is guided to the short wavelength cut filters 141 to 143 by 133, and after the wavelength band below a predetermined value (for example, the wavelength band of 450 nm or less) is cut by the short wavelength cut filters 141 to 143, it is guided to the spectroscopes 151 to 153. Be taken.

During such a measurement operation, the pulse motor 250 may be controlled so as to vibrate (slightly vibrate) the concave discs 231 to 233 themselves along the circumferential direction. The control performed on the pulse motor 250 at this time can be performed by a pulse motor control device (not shown) that controls the drive of the pulse motor 250.

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing the operation of the pulse motor when the disk with a recess is slightly vibrated during the measurement operation. In this case, since the discs 231 to 233 with recesses are set to rotate intermittently by 15 degrees, the measurement operation is performed 24 times in one rotation.

In the seed quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment, it is assumed that the recessed discs 231 to 233 are set to rotate once in 8 seconds. Therefore, the measurement time for the buckwheat 10 housed in each of the recesses 221 to 223 of the recessed disks 231 to 233 is 8/24 ≈0.33 seconds, but in reality, as shown in FIG. In about 0.33/2 seconds from the start of rotation (time t1) to time t2, the rotation of 15 degrees ends, and in about 0.33/2 seconds between time t2 and time t3. Repeat operations such as performing measurement operations. In addition, in FIG. 8, the case where the time required for rotation and the measurement time are the same time (1/2 each) such as 0.33 / 2 seconds, respectively, is illustrated, but the time required for rotation and the measurement are illustrated. The times do not necessarily have to be the same time (1/2 each).

Then, in about 0.33/2 seconds during the measurement operation, the pulse motor 250 is controlled to rotate forward and backward in a fine cycle and at a slight rotation angle as shown in FIG. By controlling the pulse motor 250 in this way, the concave discs 231 to 233 vibrate slightly along the circumferential direction.

In this way, when the pulse motor 250 is made to rotate intermittently every 15 degrees in one direction with respect to the disk with a recess, the pulse motor 250 rotates forward and reverse within a predetermined time every time the rotation of 15 degrees is completed. I have to. As a result, during the measurement operation, the posture of the buckwheat 10 housed in the recesses 221 to 223 vibrates not only the slight vibration transmitted from the vibration imparting discs 241,242 but also the concave discs 231 to 233 themselves. , The posture suitable for measurement can be obtained more reliably.

The operation of slightly vibrating the concave discs 231 to 233 along the circumferential direction may be only the Δt time (see FIG. 8) from the start of the measurement operation, and the “solid line + broken line” in FIG. 8 may be used. As shown, the recessed discs 231 to 233 may be continuously vibrated throughout the measurement operation.

The fluorescence emitted by the buckwheat housed in the recesses 221 to 223 is guided by the light receiving optical fibers 131, 132, 133, and the corresponding short wavelength cut filters 141, 142, 143 (see FIG. 1). After the wavelength band below a predetermined value is cut by (.), It is guided to the corresponding spectroscopes 151 to 153 and separated. After that, the spectroscopic data processing unit 160 performs quality evaluation based on the fluorescence amount (fluorescence intensity) of the fluorescent component in the predetermined wavelength band based on the spectroscopic data from the spectroscopes 151, 152, 153.

When the spectroscopic data processing unit 160 performs the quality evaluation, the quality evaluation is performed in consideration of dark noise in advance. The dark noise here can be exemplified by, for example, the fluorescence generated when the excitation light is irradiated in the state where there is no buckwheat at the measurement position P2. The amount of fluorescence due to such dark noise is acquired in advance, and quality evaluation is performed in consideration of the acquired dark noise.

The acquisition of the fluorescence intensity due to dark noise and the process of giving the acquired fluorescence intensity due to dark noise to the spectral data processing unit 160 are the quality evaluation / sorting operation by the seed quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment. This is done as a preparation before starting. As a result, when actually performing the quality evaluation / sorting operation, the spectroscopic data processing unit 160 can perform the quality evaluation in consideration of the fluorescence amount of the dark noise.

Further, as a preparation before starting the quality evaluation / sorting operation by the seed quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment, the fluorescence amount due to such dark noise is acquired and the fluorescence amount due to the acquired dark noise is acquired. It is also desirable to calibrate the three concave discs 231 to 233 in addition to the processing such as giving the spectroscopic data processing unit 160.

That is, there is a "variation" in performance such as sensitivity of the spectroscopes 151 to 153 provided corresponding to the three concave disks 231 to 233, the irradiation optical fibers 121 to 123 and the light receiving optical fibers 131 to 133, respectively. Calibrate in consideration of the difference in the amount of attenuation. To do this, for example, a standard plate that emits a standard amount of fluorescence is placed at the measurement position P2 in one concave disk of the concave disks 231 to 233, and is irradiated with excitation light to be emitted from the standard plate. Measure the amount of fluorescence. This is sequentially performed for each of the three concave discs 231 to 233, and the spectroscopes 151 to 153 are adjusted so that the same amount of fluorescence can be obtained for all the concave discs.
By performing such calibration, the same amount of fluorescence can be obtained when a substance that emits the same amount of fluorescence is placed in any of the recesses of the three discs with recesses 231 to 233.

Subsequently, the quality evaluation by the spectroscopic data processing unit 160 will be described.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the spectroscopic analysis result of fluorescence for performing quality evaluation. Note that FIG. 9 shows the results of spectroscopic analysis obtained with four buckwheat grains (referred to as buckwheat S1, buckwheat S2, buckwheat S3, and buckwheat S4) for the sake of simplification of the explanation. Further, in FIG. 9, the spectroscopic analysis result obtained in the buckwheat S1 is indicated by a “broken line”, the spectroscopic analysis result obtained in the buckwheat S2 is indicated by a “dotted line”, and the spectroscopic analysis result obtained in the buckwheat S3 is “one point”. It is shown by "chain line", and the spectroscopic analysis result obtained by buckwheat S4 is shown by "solid line". In FIG. 9, the horizontal axis indicates the wavelength (nm) / sensor element No., and the vertical axis indicates the amount of fluorescence (which is defined as the fluorescence intensity).

In the case of buckwheat (rounded buckwheat), it is said that the higher the quality evaluation of the rounded buckwheat, the higher the fluorescence intensity derived from protein (Protein) and the higher the fluorescence intensity derived from chlorophyll (Chlorophyll). Further, it is said that the higher the fluorescence intensity derived from protein, the thicker and richer the seed coat and the softer the buckwheat, and the higher the fluorescence intensity derived from chlorophyll, the fresher the buckwheat.

Based on this, in FIG. 9, a wavelength band having a high fluorescence intensity derived from a protein is selected, a wavelength band having a high fluorescence intensity derived from chlorophyll is selected, and a wavelength band to be a base (reference) is selected. The wavelength band selected as having high fluorescence intensity derived from protein (Protein) is P, the wavelength band selected as having high fluorescence intensity derived from chlorophyll (Chlorophyll) is C, and the wavelength band as the base (reference) is B. An index (also referred to as a buckwheat index) for evaluating the quality of buckwheat is obtained from the average value of the fluorescence intensity in the wavelength band P, the wavelength band C, and the wavelength band B. This buckwheat index can be obtained by the arithmetic function of the spectroscopic data processing unit 160.

Here, the protein index P is
P = (Ps-Bs) / (Ps + Bs) ... (1)
The chlorophyll index C can be calculated by
C = (Cs-Bs) / (Cs + Bs) ... (2)
Can be obtained at.

In the above equations (1) and (2), Ps is the average value of the fluorescence intensity in the wavelength band P, Cs is the average value of the fluorescence intensity in the wavelength band C, and Bs is the wavelength band B. It is the average value of the fluorescence intensity in.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing quality evaluation results based on the protein index P and the chlorophyll index C of buckwheat S1, buckwheat S2, buckwheat S3, and buckwheat S4 obtained from the spectroscopic analysis results shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the "protein index P" may be simply referred to as "index P", and the "chlorophyll index" may be simply referred to as "index C".

In FIG. 10, the horizontal axis represents the index P and the vertical axis represents the index C. In this case, as a method of quality evaluation, the index P is evaluated based on P = 0.3, and the index C is also evaluated based on C = 0.3. That is, a buckwheat having an index P and an index C of 0.3 or more is evaluated as A, a buckwheat having an index P of 0.3 or more and an index C of less than 0.3 is evaluated as B, and an index P is 0.3. A buckwheat having an index C of less than 0.3 and an index C of 0.3 or more is evaluated as C, and a buckwheat having both an index P and an index C of less than 0.3 is evaluated as D.

As the standard for determining the evaluation, the case where P = 0.3 and C = 0.3 is illustrated here, but this standard can be set as appropriate, and the values of P and C are set as appropriate. It does not have to be the same. For example, P = 0.3 and C = 0.25, or P = 0.35 and C = 0.283 can be set.

Here, based on the spectroscopic analysis results shown in FIG. 9, for buckwheat S1 to buckwheat S4, the respective indices P and C were obtained using the equations (1) and (2), and are shown in FIG. It became a quality evaluation result. That is, the buckwheat S1 shown by the “broken line” in FIG. 9 showing the results of the spectral analysis is the evaluation B, the buckwheat S2 shown by the “dotted line” in FIG. 9 is the evaluation C, and is also shown by the “dashed line” in FIG. The buckwheat S3 was evaluated as D, and the buckwheat S4 shown by the “solid line” in FIG. 9 was evaluated as A. In FIG. 10, the position on the coordinates of the buckwheat S1 is “◇”, the position on the coordinates of the buckwheat S2 is “□”, the position on the coordinates of the buckwheat S3 is “Δ”, and the position on the coordinates of the buckwheat S4 is “○”. It is represented by.

Here, it can be said that buckwheat having a large amount of both protein and chlorophyll (buckwheat S4 of evaluation A) is soft, has good flavor and stickiness, and has high freshness. Further, buckwheat having a large amount of protein and a small amount of chlorophyll (buckwheat S1 of evaluation B) is soft and has a good flavor, but it can be said that the quality is low in freshness. Further, it can be said that buckwheat having a large amount of chlorophyll but a small amount of protein (buckwheat S2 of evaluation C) has high freshness but low flavor and stickiness. Further, it can be said that buckwheat having a small amount of both protein and chlorophyll (buckwheat S3 of evaluation D) has low freshness and is inferior in flavor and stickiness. From this, it can be said that buckwheat S4 is a buckwheat containing a large amount of protein and chlorophyll, and is a high-quality buckwheat.

Further, in the quality evaluation result of FIG. 10, an evaluation E is provided in the margin, but this evaluation E means that there is no buckwheat in the recess (for example, the recess 221) at the measurement position P2. This is a quality evaluation result when measurement is not possible even if buckwheat is contained in the recess 221 or when foreign matter other than buckwheat is contained in the recess 221.

As described above, when the quality evaluation of buckwheat for each grain is performed by the spectral data processing unit 160, the spectral data processing unit 160 controls the servomotors 264a to 264c based on the quality evaluation result. Output a signal. As a result, the servomotors 264a to 264c drive the distribution chute 261 to 263 based on the control signal from the spectroscopic data processing unit 160.

For example, among the buckwheat S1, buckwheat S2, buckwheat S3, and buckwheat S4, the buckwheat S1, buckwheat S2, and buckwheat S3 are on the same straight line in the direction (thickness direction) along the rotation axis 280 of the concave discs 231,232,233. It is assumed that they are in the recesses 211, 222, and 223, which are arranged in the same line. Here, it is assumed that the buckwheat S1 is in the recess 221 of the disk 231 with a recess, the buckwheat S2 is in the recess 222 of the disk 232 with a recess, and the buckwheat S3 is in the recess 223 of the disk 233 with a recess. Then, when the measurement operations in the recesses 221 to 223 are completed and the recesses 221 to 223 reach the drop position P3 (see FIGS. 1 and 3), the spectroscopic data processing unit 160 (see FIG. 1) receives the buckwheat S1. , The control signals corresponding to the quality evaluation results of the buckwheat S2 and the buckwheat S3 are output to the servomotors 264a, 264b, 264c (see FIG. 7).

As a result, the servomotors 264a to 264c drive the corresponding distribution chutes 261 to 263 to rotate at a predetermined rotation angle. In this case, the servomotor 264a drives the distribution chute 261 so as to rotate at a rotation angle such that the buckwheat S1 enters the collection box 269B of the evaluation B. Further, the servomotor 264b drives the distribution chute 262 so as to rotate at a rotation angle such that the buckwheat S2 enters the collection box 269C of the evaluation C. The servomotor 264c drives the distribution chute 263 to rotate at a rotation angle such that the buckwheat S3 enters the collection box 269D of the evaluation D.

By rotating each of the distribution chutes 261 to 263 at the above-mentioned rotation angle, the buckwheat S1 slides down the guide portion 266B and enters the collection box 269B, and the buckwheat S2 slides down the guide portion 266C and enters the collection box 269C. S3 slides down the guide portion 266D and enters the collection box 269D.

In this way, the selection for buckwheat S1 to buckwheat S3 is completed. Subsequently, assuming that the buckwheat S4 is in the recess 221 of the disk 231 with a recess, when the recess 221 reaches the drop position P3, the servomotor 264a receives the distribution chute 261 and the buckwheat S4 evaluates A. It is driven to rotate at a rotation angle that enters 269A. As a result, the buckwheat S4 slides down the guide portion 266A and enters the collection box 269A.

In this way, by driving and controlling the distribution chutes 261 to 263 provided corresponding to the discs with recesses 231 and 233 according to the quality evaluation result of each buckwheat, the buckwheat for each grain is continuously produced. It can be sequentially sorted by evaluation A to E.
If there is a buckwheat that has been evaluated as E, the buckwheat is stored in the collection box E, but the buckwheat stored in the collection box E should be returned to the feeder 210 for measurement. You may do it.

By the way, the timing of driving the distribution chute with respect to the measurement operation at the measurement position P2 can be obtained from the rotation angles of the recessed disks 231 to 233 from the measurement position P2. For example, when the concave discs 231 to 233 are rotated 120 degrees (15 degrees × 8) from the measurement position P2, it is determined in advance that the buckwheat measured at the measurement position P2 will reach the drop position P3. Just leave it. As a result, if the distribution chutes 261 to 263 are driven at the timing when the recessed disks 231 to 233 are rotated by 120 degrees from the measurement position P2, the distribution chutes 261 to 263 are driven at the timing when the buckwheat reaches the drop position P3. Can be made to.

As described above, according to the seed quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment, the specific surface of buckwheat 10 (“belly surface 13” of buckwheat 10) is on the peripheral side of the recessed discs 231 to 233. Since a large number of recesses 221 to 223 that can store buckwheat in the posture located at the opening of the buckwheat are formed along the circumferential direction, the buckwheat supplied from the feeder 210 is the "belly surface 13" of the buckwheat. Is stored in the recesses 221 to 223 in such a posture that the buckwheat is located in the openings of the recesses 221 to 223.

Further, according to the quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment, the vibration applying discs 241,242 are along the circumferential direction with respect to the buckwheat 10 housed in the recesses 221 to 223 of the recessed discs 231 to 233. The buckwheat housed in the recesses 221 to 223 vibrates slightly because the operation is performed so as to give a slight vibration. As a result, when the buckwheat is supplied from the feeder 210 to the recesses 221 to 223, even if the posture of each buckwheat is unstable or the posture is not regular, the buckwheat is in the measurement position. By the time it reaches P2, it is surely stored in the recesses 221 to 223 in a posture (suitable posture for measurement) such that the "ventral surface 13" of the buckwheat is located in the peripheral opening of the recesses 221 to 223.

Therefore, according to the quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment, at the measurement position P2, the buckwheat 10 for each grain can be in a regular posture, and the buckwheat 10 can be placed for each grain. It is possible to increase the reliability of quality evaluation when evaluating and selecting quality.

Further, the quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment has a configuration in which the buckwheat 10 supplied from the feeder 210 is conveyed to the sorting device 260 by the rotation of the recessed disks 231 to 233. Therefore, since the transport path is along the peripheral surface of the discs 213 to 233 with recesses, the length of the transport path can be shortened and the configuration is simple, so that the entire system can be used. It can be miniaturized.

Further, in the quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment, three discs with recesses 231 to 233 having recesses 221 to 223 capable of storing one buckwheat are provided at every 15 degrees along the circumferential direction are provided. The three disks 231 to 233 with recesses are arranged in parallel, and the three disks 231 to 233 with recesses are simultaneously rotated intermittently every 15 degrees so that the measurement operation is simultaneously performed on the three buckwheat 10 grains arranged in parallel at the measurement position P2. I have to. In the seed quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment, the rotation every 15 degrees is about 0.33 seconds, so that three buckwheat can be measured in 0.33 seconds at the measurement position P2. .. Therefore, about 10 buckwheat grains (about 600 buckwheat in 1 minute) can be measured in 1 second, and the quality evaluation / sorting operation can be speeded up.

Further, when performing quality evaluation / selection from the amount of fluorescence (fluorescence intensity) obtained based on the fluorescence emitted by buckwheat, the protein index P of buckwheat and the chlorophyll index C of buckwheat are obtained, and these indexes P and The quality of buckwheat is evaluated on a 4-point scale (5 grades including the unmeasurable evaluation) by the index C, and is selected for each evaluation. Since such an evaluation is performed for each grain, for example, it can be said that the buckwheat selected as the evaluation A has the evaluation A for each buckwheat grain, and a large number of buckwheat grains are evaluated for each grain. It can be appropriately selected according to the evaluation.

The buckwheat selected in this way can be purchased at a flour miller that handles buckwheat flour, a buckwheat shop that provides buckwheat, or the like, which is appropriately selected for each evaluation (in this case, round buckwheat). , The buckwheat purchased will be commensurate with the evaluation.

In addition, the buckwheat selected in this way grows the buckwheat selected based on the quality evaluation results not only in flour milling companies and buckwheat shops, but also in seedling shops handling buckwheat seeds and farmers cultivating buckwheat. It can also be used as a seed for buckwheat, and it is also useful for improving varieties.

[Embodiment 2]
FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of the seed quality evaluation / sorting system 2 according to the second embodiment. The basic configuration of the seed quality evaluation / sorting system 2 according to the second embodiment is substantially the same as that of the seed quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment. The difference between the seed quality evaluation / sorting system 2 according to the second embodiment and the seed quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment is that the quality evaluation device 100 further has a white light source 170. .. Since the other configurations are the same as those of the seed quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment, the same components are designated by the same reference numerals. As the white light source, it is possible to use an LED or the like that emits a wavelength range close to that of sunlight.

Since the seed quality evaluation / sorting system 2 according to the second embodiment has a white light source 170 in addition to the excitation light source 110 that emits a purple laser, the seed quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment. In addition to the quality evaluation (quality evaluation based on the amount of fluorescence) described in the above, quality evaluation based on reflected light is also possible. This makes it possible to evaluate by the color of human appearance.

In this way, the buckwheat can be evaluated by the color of the human appearance because the surface on which the buckwheat "umbilical cord" exists is not the surface to be measured. That is, when the reflected light on the surface where the "navel" of buckwheat is present is analyzed, the color of the "navel" is different from the color to be evaluated, and the color of the buckwheat is not properly represented. On the other hand, according to the seed quality evaluation / sorting system 2 according to the second embodiment, as described in the seed quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment, at the measurement position P2, the recesses 221 to The posture of the buckwheat in 223 is the posture shown in FIG. 4 (suitable posture for measurement), and the color of the buckwheat (surface color) can be appropriately evaluated.

Further, a light source switching device (not shown) for switching between the excitation light source 110 and the white light source 170 is provided, and the same seed (soba) is first subjected to fluorescence analysis using the excitation light source, and then white. It can also be said that the reflected light analysis by the light source is performed. In this case, the excitation light emitted by the excitation light source 110 is a purple laser excitation light that oscillates in a pulse, and the white light emitted by the white light source 170 is a white light that oscillates in a pulse. The pulse of white light and the pulse of white light may be irradiated with a predetermined time difference.

By doing so, both fluorescence analysis and color analysis can be performed on one buckwheat, and the quality evaluation (based on fluorescence) performed in the seed quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment. Quality evaluation) and quality evaluation based on the appearance color can be performed. In particular, it is effective when the quality evaluation based on the amount of fluorescence (fluorescence intensity) is performed for each buckwheat grain, and the quality evaluation is also performed with an emphasis on the appearance color.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the following modifications can be performed.

(1) In each of the above embodiments, buckwheat (rounded buckwheat) has been described as an example of seeds, but the seeds are not limited to buckwheat, and seeds of rice, wheat, soybean, adzuki beans, corn, etc. are also evaluated for quality.・ Can be selected.

FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a case where soybean 20 is used as a seed for quality evaluation / selection. Note that FIG. 12 is an enlarged view showing one recess 221 in one recessed disk (for example, recessed disk 231) among the recessed disks 231 to 233, and is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4. be. Unlike buckwheat, the soybean 20 has a relatively simple shape (for example, a slightly flat spherical shape), so that the recesses 221 to 223 provided in the recessed discs 231 to 233 can accommodate soybeans having such a shape. The shape should be as good as possible. In FIG. 12, the concave portion 221 has a substantially U-shaped shape when the disk surface (also referred to as a side surface) of the concave disk 231 is viewed along the y-axis.

As shown in FIG. 12, the "navel 21" of the soybean 20 is present on the side of the soybean 20, so that when the soybean 20 is rolled from the feeder 210 into the recesses 221 to 223, the soybean 20 is inserted. In most cases, as shown in FIG. 12, the portion of the "umbilical cord 21" is not located in the peripheral opening of the recess 221 and the ventral surface 22 of the soybean 20 (the surface other than the surface where the "umbilical cord 21" is present) is. In many cases, the posture is located at the opening on the peripheral surface side of the recess 221 (suitable posture for measurement). Also in this case, similar to the quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment, vibration (slight vibration) along the circumferential direction with respect to the soybean 20 stored in the recesses 221 to 223 of the recessed disks 231 to 233. By adding the above, the soybeans stored in the recesses are surely in a suitable posture for measurement.

By the way, the soybean 20 is larger in size than the buckwheat 10. For example, taking the case of soybean having a slightly oblong spherical shape and a slightly flat shape, the size of the soybean in the lateral direction is about 7 m to 12 mm, and the width is about 6 mm to 10 mm. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12, the size of the recess 221 is set to about 10 mm for w1 and about 12 mm for w2. In addition, w2 is the thickness of the disk 231 with a recess. This also applies to other discs with recesses 223 and 233.

Here, when the thickness of the concave discs 231 to 233 is, for example, 12 mm, the thickness of the vibration applying disc 241 is 3 mm. That is, the total thickness of one concave disk (for example, concave disk 231) and one vibration imparting disk (for example, vibration imparting disk 241) is 15 mm. As described above, in reality, since there is a gap of 0.5 mm between the disc with a recess and the disc for applying vibration, the thickness of one disc with a recess (for example, the disc with a recess 231) The total thickness of the vibration-imparting disc (for example, the vibration-imparting disc 241) is 15.5 mm including a gap of 0.5 mm.

In this way, by keeping the total thickness of the one concave disc and the one vibration-imparting disc at 15.5 mm including the gap of 0.5 mm, the concave discs 231 to 233 can be formed. Even when the thickness is set variously depending on the type of seed, the seed quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment can be used. That is, the distribution chute 261, simply by replacing the component (referred to as a disc unit) including the discs 231 to 233 with recesses and the vibration-imparting discs 241,242 in the seed quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment. The seed quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment can be used without changing the spacing in the arrangement direction of 261,263 and the arrangement of the guide portions 266.

The same can be said for the case where seeds having a seed size smaller than that of buckwheat are targeted for quality evaluation / selection. For example, when the thicknesses of the recessed discs 231 to 233 are 3 mm, the thicknesses of the vibration-imparting discs 241, 242 are set to 12 mm, respectively. As a result, the total thickness of the one disc with recesses and the one vibration-imparting disc becomes 15.5 mm including the gap (0.5 mm), and in this case as well, the seeds according to the first embodiment. The seed quality evaluation / sorting system 1 according to the first embodiment can be used only by replacing the disk unit in the quality evaluation / sorting system 1.

Although soybean has been described in FIG. 12, rice, wheat, adzuki beans, corn, and the like can be similarly implemented by providing recesses matching the shape of each seed.
Further, even when these soybeans, rice, wheat, red beans, corn and the like are targeted for quality evaluation / selection, the seed quality evaluation / selection system 2 according to the second embodiment can be applied.

(2) In each of the above embodiments, the quality of buckwheat is evaluated by the index P (protein index) in the wavelength band in the predetermined range near 540 nm and the index C (chlorophyll index) in the wavelength band in the predetermined range near 720 nm. However, by using the amount of fluorescence (fluorescence intensity) in a wavelength range different from this (for example, around 740 nm), physiological information of buckwheat (moisture history, etc.) can be obtained. This is because by detecting infrared light near 740 nm, the extent to which a light reaction that requires water to proceed occurs near the surface of the ventral surface 13 of buckwheat, and by extension, the amount of water contained in buckwheat. This is because the quantity can be evaluated.
It should be noted that this is not limited to buckwheat, but also for cereals such as soybeans, by using the amount of fluorescence (fluorescence intensity) in the wavelength range corresponding to each cereal, the physiological information (moisture history of the cereal) of the cereal is used. ) Can be obtained.

(3) In each of the above embodiments, the case where a laser beam having a wavelength of 405 nm is used as the excitation light is exemplified, but the wavelength of the excitation light, the fluorescence wavelength, and the fluorescence intensity are changed by changing the wavelength of the excitation light. By acquiring it as a dimensional fluorescence spectrum, it is possible to obtain a fluorescent fingerprint that reflects the characteristics of the seed, and from this fluorescent fingerprint, it is also possible to select the seed production area, quality, etc. (including mold poison) in detail. It becomes. In particular, it is possible to grasp the seed production area, the state of contamination of mycotoxins, etc. from the fluorescent fingerprints for each seed, and to sort according to the grasped result.

(4) In each of the above embodiments, the case where the concave discs 231 to 233 are intermittently rotated by 15 degrees is illustrated, but the individual rotation angles do not necessarily have to be 15 degrees, and are appropriate. , The optimum angle can be set. For example, the rotation angle may be larger than 15 degrees as long as the measurement operation speed does not drop significantly, and conversely, the rotation angle may be smaller as long as the calculation operation in the spectral data processing unit 160 can follow. ..

(5) In each of the above embodiments, the quality is evaluated in 4 stages of evaluations A to D and 5 stages of evaluation E such as inability to measure, but other evaluation methods may be used.

(6) In each of the above embodiments, the case where the number of discs 231 to 233 with recesses is three is exemplified, but the number is not limited to three, and the number may be larger in order to increase the speed. good. For example, if the number of discs 231 to 233 with recesses is six, quality evaluation / sorting can be performed at a speed almost twice as fast as that of each of the above embodiments. On the contrary, in order to make the system more compact and inexpensive, it is possible to use two or one recessed discs.

(7) In each of the above embodiments, the recessed disks 231 to 233 are slightly vibrated (see FIG. 8) during the measurement operation, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the recessed disks 231 to 233 are not limited to this. , Disks 231 to 233 with recesses may be controlled to rotate in the direction of arrow A at a minute rotation angle smaller than 15 °. Such control is particularly effective when the seeds are large in size, such as soybeans. By performing such control, it is possible to widen the measurement target surface even when the seed size is large.

1,2 ... Quality evaluation / sorting system, 10 ... Buckwheat (round buckwheat), 11 ... Umbilical, 12 ... Top, 13 ... Abdominal surface, 14 ... Ridge, 20 ... -Soybean, 100 ... quality evaluation device, 110 ... excitation light source, 121-123 ... irradiation optical fiber, 131-133 ... light receiving optical fiber, 141-143 ... short wavelength cut filter, 151 153 ... spectroscope, 160 ... spectroscopic data processing unit, 200 ... transfer sorting device, 210 ... feeder, 221 ... concave, 231 to 233 ... concave disk, 241,242 ... Vibration-imparting disk, 250 ... Disk drive motor with recess (pulse motor), 260 ... Sorting device, 261 to 263 ... Distribution chute, 264 (264a to 264c) ... Distribution chute drive Motor, 266 ... Guide part, 265a to 265c ... Drive piece, 267a to 267c ... Drive shaft (piano wire), 269A to 269E ... Collection box, 300 ... Holding plate, P1 ...・ ・ Supply position, P2 ・ ・ ・ Measurement position, P3 ・ ・ ・ Drop position

Claims (17)

It is a seed quality evaluation / sorting system that evaluates the quality of seeds one by one and sorts each seed based on the quality evaluation result.
With a feeder that continuously supplies the seeds that have been introduced,
A recess is provided in the circumferential direction so as to correspond to each seed continuously supplied from the feeder and to store the seed in a posture in which the specific surface of the seed is located at the peripheral opening. A disk with a recess, which is formed in large numbers at predetermined intervals along the line and intermittently rotates at predetermined angles in one direction as the rotation axis rotates.
A vibration-imparting disk that is arranged adjacent to the concave disk and is attached to the rotation shaft so as not to rotate in the same position as the concave disk, and vibrates along the circumferential direction.
A disk drive motor with a recess that allows the disk with a recess to rotate intermittently in one direction at predetermined angles, and a motor for driving the disk with a recess.
When the seeds stored in the recesses of the concave disk reach the measurement position provided facing the peripheral surface of the concave disk, the seeds that reach the measurement position are excited by the excitation light. And the excitation light source that irradiates
A spectroscope having a function of receiving fluorescence emitted from the seeds by the excitation light emitted from the excitation light source, performing spectroscopic analysis of the received fluorescence for each seed, and outputting spectral data.
The fluorescence intensity is obtained from the spectroscopic data of each seed output from the spectroscope, and the quality of each seed is obtained as a multi-step evaluation based on the obtained fluorescence intensity, and each of the multiple-step evaluations. A spectroscopic data processing unit having a function of outputting a control signal for selecting the seeds.
A sorting device that sorts the seeds one by one according to the evaluation in the plurality of stages based on the control signal from the spectroscopic data processing unit.
A seed quality evaluation / sorting system characterized by being equipped with. In the seed quality evaluation / sorting system according to claim 1,
The seed quality evaluation / sorting system is characterized in that the specific surface of the seed is a surface in which the "tenon" of the seed does not exist. In the seed quality evaluation / sorting system according to claim 2,
The seeds are buckwheat seeds having a substantially triangular pyramid shape in appearance.
The concave portion provided in the concave disk has a substantially V-shaped shape when the disk surface of the concave disk is viewed, and the opening of the V-shaped concave portion is the circumference of the concave disk. A seed quality evaluation / sorting system characterized by being provided so as to be located along a surface. In the seed quality evaluation / sorting system according to claim 3,
The seed quality evaluation / sorting system is characterized in that the buckwheat seeds are round buckwheat with the outer skin removed from the buckwheat noodles. In the seed quality evaluation / sorting system according to claim 4,
The surface of the round buckwheat on which the "umbilical cord" exists is defined as the "bottom surface" of the round buckwheat, and the three surfaces other than the bottom surface are designated as the "ventral surface" of the round buckwheat, and adjacent to the "ventral surface". When the three boundaries of the abdomen are the "ridges" of the round buckwheat,
The recess is located on the bottom side of the V-shaped recess in which one "ridge" of the three "ridges" is formed, and is located along the thickness direction of the recessed disk, and the three "ridges" are described. A seed characterized in that two "ventral surfaces" of the "ventral surface" are formed so as to be able to be stored in a posture supported by one wall surface and the other wall surface of the V-shaped recess. Quality evaluation and sorting system. In the seed quality evaluation / sorting system according to claim 4 or 5.
The recess is formed from one end face to the other end face in the thickness direction of the recessed disk when the recessed disk is viewed from the peripheral surface side.
The thickness of the recessed disc has at least a dimension corresponding to the length from the bottom surface of the round buckwheat to the apex on the side opposite to the bottom surface. Sorting system. In the seed quality evaluation / sorting system according to claim 2,
The seeds are either rice, wheat, soybeans, adzuki beans or corn.
The recess provided in the recessed disk has a substantially U-shaped shape when the disk surface of the recessed disk is viewed, and the opening of the recess is located on the peripheral surface of the recessed disk. A seed quality evaluation / sorting system characterized by being provided so as to be used. In the seed quality evaluation / sorting system according to claim 7,
The recess is formed from one end face to the other end face in the thickness direction of the recessed disk when the recessed disk is viewed from the peripheral surface side.
The thickness of the recessed disc is at least the length in the longitudinal direction of the seed to be quality-evaluated / sorted when any one of the rice, wheat, soybean, red bean or corn is used as the seed to be quality-evaluated / sorted. A seed quality evaluation / sorting system characterized by having dimensions equivalent to corn. In the seed quality evaluation / sorting system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.
There are a plurality of the recessed discs, and the plurality of recessed discs are arranged so that the recesses of the recessed discs are arranged in the same straight line in the direction along the rotation axis, and the rotation thereof. It is configured to share the axis and rotate in the same way.
The seed quality evaluation / sorting system is characterized in that the vibration-imparting disc is interposed between adjacent recessed discs of the plurality of recessed discs. The seed quality evaluation / sorting system according to any one of claims 1 to 9 further includes a vibration applying device that applies vibration in the circumferential direction to the vibration applying disc.
The vibration applying device is
The vibration applying motor that rotates the vibration applying disc at a predetermined angle in the forward and reverse directions along the circumferential direction, the drive piece of the vibration applying motor, and the vibration applying disc are connected to each other, and the vibration applying motor is forward and reverse. A seed quality evaluation / sorting system characterized by having a drive shaft that transmits a rotational force to the vibration applying disc to rotate the vibration applying disc in the forward and reverse directions at a predetermined angle along the circumferential direction. In the seed quality evaluation / sorting system according to any one of claims 1 to 10.
The recessed disc drive motor rotates forward and reverse within a predetermined time each time the rotation of the predetermined angle is completed when the disk with the recess is intermittently rotated in one direction by a predetermined angle. A quality evaluation / sorting system characterized by performing. In the seed quality evaluation / sorting system according to any one of claims 1 to 11.
The sorting device is
A distribution chute that is provided at a drop position where seeds that have passed the measurement position are dropped from the recess and can rotate at a rotation angle within a predetermined range.
A motor for driving a distribution chute that rotates the distribution chute at a predetermined rotation angle based on a control signal output from the spectroscopic data processing unit.
A guide unit which is arranged at the discharge port of the distribution chute corresponding to the evaluation of the plurality of stages and guides the seeds distributed by the distribution chute to a collection box provided corresponding to the evaluation of the plurality of stages.
Have a seed quality evaluation and sorting system. In the seed quality evaluation / sorting system according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
The seed quality evaluation / sorting system is characterized in that the excitation light is purple laser excitation light. In the seed quality evaluation / sorting system according to any one of claims 1 to 13.
The spectroscopic data processing unit has the fluorescence intensity in the wavelength band in which the fluorescence intensity derived from the characteristic component of the seed is obtained from the fluorescence intensity at each wavelength obtained based on the spectral data. An index for evaluating the quality of the seed is obtained based on the above, and a control signal for sorting the seed is output to the sorting device based on the obtained index. system. In the seed quality evaluation / sorting system according to any one of claims 1 to 14,
The thickness of the concave disk and the thickness of the vibration applying disk are such that the total thickness when the thickness of the concave disk and the thickness of the vibration applying disk are added is a predetermined constant thickness. A seed quality evaluation / sorting system, wherein the thickness of the disc with a recess and the thickness of the vibration-imparting disc are set respectively. In the seed quality evaluation / sorting system according to any one of claims 1 to 15.
Further provided with a white light source that irradiates the seeds housed in the recess of the recess disk with white light.
The spectroscope has a function of receiving reflected light reflected from the seeds by white light emitted from the white light source, performing spectroscopic analysis of the received reflected light for each seed, and outputting spectral data. Has more,
The spectral data processing unit further has a function of obtaining a color intensity from the analysis data of each seed output from the spectroscope and evaluating the quality of each seed based on the obtained color intensity. A seed quality evaluation / sorting system characterized by having. In the seed quality evaluation / sorting system according to claim 16,
The excitation light from the excitation light source and the white light from the white light source are pulse-oscillated, and each time the seed reaches the measurement position, the excitation light is applied to each seed that has reached the measurement position. A seed quality evaluation / sorting system characterized in that it is configured to irradiate the white light with a predetermined time difference.

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