JP7355258B2 - Grain discrimination device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a grain discriminating device capable of determining the quality of grains.

Conventionally, the quality of grains has been optically determined. For example, the invention described in Patent Document 1 uses a transparent tray with a transparent grain placement surface, and images the grains placed on the transparent tray from above using a camera. Then, the quality of the grain is determined based on the obtained image information. Since such a device optically determines the quality of grains, even those who are not experienced can easily determine the quality.

JP2020-026963A

There is a desire to improve the accuracy of determining the quality of grains, and by obtaining image information not only from the surface of the grain placed on a transparent tray but also from the back side of the grain, this improves the accuracy of determining the quality of grains. There is a possibility that it can be done. However, if a camera is installed in a device for determining the quality of grains, it is necessary to secure a space for its installation, which may lead to an increase in the size of the grain determination device and reduce portability.

An object of the present invention is to provide a grain discriminating device that can improve grain discriminating accuracy while suppressing the increase in size of the grain discriminating device.

(1) The present invention is a grain discriminating device capable of determining the quality of grains placed on a transparent tray, and an upper camera disposed above the grains and capable of capturing an image of the upper surface of the grains. a lower camera disposed below the grain and capable of capturing an image of the lower surface of the grain; an upper light source disposed above the grain capable of illuminating the upper surface of the grain; A grain discriminating device characterized in that it has a first downward light source that is disposed below and can illuminate the lower surface of the grain.

(2) The grain discriminating device includes an upper housing in which the upper camera is provided, a lower housing in which the lower camera is provided, and a tray arrangement housing in which the transparent tray can be placed. The grain according to (1) above, wherein the tray arrangement housing is capable of accommodating the grain by moving at least one of the upper housing and the lower housing. It is a discrimination device.

(3) The upper light source is capable of illuminating the upper surface of the grain with direct light and/or indirect light, and the first lower light source is capable of illuminating the lower surface of the grain with indirect light. The grain discriminating device according to (1) or (2) above.

(4) The grain discriminating device according to (3) above, wherein the indirect light from the first downward light source is indirect light from a flocked cloth or a non-reflective painted surface.

(5) A second downward light source is provided below the grain and is capable of illuminating the lower surface of the grain, and the second downward light source illuminates the lower surface of the grain with direct light and/or indirect light. The grain discriminating device according to any one of (1) to (4) above is characterized in that it can be illuminated from diagonally downward.

(6) The method according to (5) above, wherein at least one of the first downward light source and the second downward light source emits light so that the downward camera images the grain. This is a grain discrimination device.

(7) The second downward light source includes a light emitting part and a cylindrical lens disposed in the direction of light irradiation from the light emitting part, and the cylindrical lens suppresses diffusion of light and illuminates the lower surface of the grain. The grain discrimination device according to (5) or (6) above is characterized in that it is capable of illumination.

According to the invention according to (1) above, it becomes possible to image the upper surface and lower surface of the grain placed on the transparent tray using the upper camera and the lower camera, respectively. Furthermore, by providing an upper light source that can illuminate the upper surface of the grain and a first lower light source that can illuminate the lower surface of the grain, it is possible to determine the quality of the grain with higher precision than before. Become.

According to the invention according to (2) above, the tray arrangement housing moves and accommodates at least one of the upper housing provided with the upper camera and the lower housing provided with the lower camera. be able to. With such a configuration, when storing and transporting the grain discriminating device, at least one of the upper housing and the lower housing can be accommodated, thereby reducing the size of the entire device. This makes it easier to secure storage space and also makes it easier to transport the grain discriminating device.

According to the invention according to (3) above, the upper surface of the grain can be illuminated by direct light and/or indirect light from the upper light source. In particular, even when grains larger than rice grains such as soybeans are placed on a transparent tray, it is possible to prevent shadows from forming on the grains. Furthermore, it becomes possible to illuminate the entire surface of the grain.

According to the invention according to (4) above, since the indirect light from the first downward light source is indirect light from the flocked cloth or the non-reflective painted surface, it is possible to prevent the light source and surrounding members from being reflected on the lower surface of the grain. be able to.

According to the invention according to (5) above, the second downward light source capable of illuminating the lower surface of the kernel is provided below the grain, and the direct light and/or indirect light of the second downward light source is directed diagonally downward of the kernel. It can be irradiated from This makes it possible to particularly effectively detect shell cracks in rice grains.

According to the invention according to (6) above, at least one of the first downward light source and the second downward light source emits light, and the kernel is imaged by the downward camera. Thereby, it is possible to select the light source that emits light according to the quality item to be determined, so that the quality of the grain can be determined with high accuracy.

According to the invention according to (7) above, in the second downward light source, the light from the light emitting section can be irradiated onto the lower surface of the grain through the cylindrical lens. This makes it possible to suppress light diffusion and image the lower surface of the grain with uniform and even brightness.

It is a sectional view showing a grain discrimination device in this embodiment. It is a top view showing a grain discrimination device in this embodiment. It is a sectional view showing the housing mode of the grain discriminating device in this embodiment. It is a sectional view showing the specifications of the inner surface of the grain discriminating device in this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a light emitting mode of an upper light source of the grain discriminating device. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a light emitting mode of a first downward light source of the grain discriminating device. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a light emitting mode of a second downward light source of the grain discriminating device. It is a sectional view of a grain discrimination device showing a modification of this embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The grain discriminating device 1 in each embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a grain discriminating device 1 according to the first embodiment. The grain discrimination device 1 is capable of irradiating light onto grains and capturing images of the grains from above and below. The grain discrimination device 1 can be used to discriminate the quality of grains such as rice, wheat, beans, corn, and the like.

As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 and the plan view of FIG. It mainly consists of As shown in FIG. 2, the upper housing 12 has a cylindrical shape. The tray arrangement housing 11 has a cylindrical shape from the bottom surface to the top of the transparent tray 50. Among the tray arrangement casings 11, the lower casings 13 and below the bottom surface of the transparent tray 50 are octagonal.

However, the upper housing 12, the tray arrangement housing 11, and the lower housing 13 are not necessarily limited to the shapes shown in FIG. For example, a circular shape or a polygon other than an octagon in plan view can be appropriately adopted.

The grains 2 whose quality is to be determined are placed in a dish-shaped transparent tray 50, as shown in FIG. be placed. The transparent tray 50 of this embodiment is formed into a dish shape from a transparent synthetic resin, but it is sufficient that at least the bottom surface on which the grains 2 are placed has light transmittance, and the shape and dimensions are also particularly limited. It is not limited.

An upper camera 3a that can image the grain 2 from above is attached inside the upper housing 12. Furthermore, the upper housing 12 can be moved up and down in the direction of the arrow through an upper opening 16 formed in the tray placement housing 11.

With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 3, the upper housing 12 can be housed inside the tray placement housing 11 together with the upper camera 3a. When capturing an image of the grain 2 with the upper camera 3a, the upper housing 12 is fixed at the position shown in FIG. As a method for fixing the upper housing 12, it is needless to exemplify it, and any known locking method may be adopted as appropriate.

A lower camera 3b that can image the grain 2 from below is attached inside the lower housing 13. Further, the lower housing 13 can be moved up and down in the direction of the arrow through a peripheral opening 17 formed in the tray placement housing 11. In addition, the tray arrangement housing 11 is formed with a lower opening 15 as shown in FIG. As a result, when the tray placement case 11 is moved downward or the lower case 13 is moved upward and the lower case 13 is housed in the tray placement case 11, the lower camera 3b is moved to the tray placement case 11. prevents interference with

With this configuration, as shown in FIG. 3, the lower housing 13 can be housed inside the tray arrangement housing 11 together with the lower camera 3b. When capturing an image of the grain 2 with the lower camera 3b, the lower housing 13 is fixed at the position shown in FIG. As a method for fixing the lower housing 13, it is needless to exemplify it, and any known locking method may be adopted as appropriate.

As shown in FIG. 3, by making it possible to accommodate the upper housing 12 and the lower housing 13 inside the tray arrangement housing 11, the grain discriminating device 1 during use shown in FIG. The height can be reduced to about 2/3. With such a configuration, storage space for the grain discriminating device 1 can be easily secured, and furthermore, it can be easily transported.

As shown in the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 1 and 5, an upper light source 30 is provided diagonally above the transparent tray 50, and a plurality of white LEDs are provided as a light emitting section. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, since the side walls around the transparent tray 50 are white surfaces, it is possible to irradiate the grains 2 with direct light from the upper light source 30 and indirect light reflected by the side walls. ing.

With this configuration, even when grains such as soybeans that are larger than rice grains are placed in the transparent tray 50, shadows of the grains 2, etc. are unlikely to occur, and furthermore, the entire surface of the grains 2 can be illuminated. becomes possible. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, since the inner wall surface of the upper housing 12 and the inner upper surface of the tray placement housing 11 are non-reflective black surfaces, the grains 2 placed on the transparent tray 50 are This effectively prevents surrounding components from being reflected on the surface.

As shown in the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 1 and 6, a first downward light source 40 and a second downward light source 20 are provided diagonally below the transparent tray 50. The first downward light source 40 is provided with a plurality of white LEDs facing downward as a light emitting section. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, the side wall around the first downward light source 40 is a white surface, and the opposing surface of the first downward light source 40 is a non-reflective black surface. The non-reflective black surface can be made by, for example, installing a flocked cloth or applying a non-reflective coating material.

The direct light from the first downward light source 40 and the indirect light reflected by the side wall are strongly irradiated onto the non-reflective black surface, so that the reflected light from the black surface becomes transparent as indirect light from the first downward light source 40. The bottom surface of the tray 50 is irradiated. With such a configuration, the entire bottom surface of the transparent tray 50 can be uniformly irradiated with light, and the entire bottom surface of the grains can be illuminated.

As shown in the cross-sectional views of FIGS. 1 and 7, a second downward light source 20 is provided diagonally below the transparent tray 50, and a plurality of white LEDs 21 are provided as light emitting portions toward the cylindrical lens 22. . To explain in more detail, a white LED 21 and a cylindrical lens 22 are provided within a reflector having a U-shaped cross section.

Direct light from the white LED 21 is irradiated onto the bottom surface of the transparent tray 50 via the cylindrical lens 22 at the angle A shown in FIG. With this configuration, the grains 2 placed on the bottom surface of the transparent tray 50 can be irradiated with light from diagonally downward, making it possible to particularly effectively detect shell cracks in rice grains. . Further, by providing the cylindrical lens 22, the diffusion of light can be suppressed by the action of the lens, and the brightness of the bottom surface of the transparent tray 50 can be made almost uniform.

In addition, in this embodiment, as mentioned above, white LEDs are used for the upper light source 30, the first lower light source 40, and the second lower light source 20, but they are not necessarily limited to white LEDs, and R (red) LEDs are used. , G (green), and B (blue) monochrome LEDs can be combined.

Next, a quality discrimination method of the grain discrimination device 1 in this embodiment will be explained.
When using the grain discriminating device 1, from the state of the grain discriminating device 1 shown in FIG. 3, as shown in FIG. 1, pull out the upper casing 12 upward from the tray arrangement casing 11 and fix it. . Further, the tray placement case 11 is moved upward, and the lower case 13 is pulled out and fixed from the tray placement case 11. The grain discrimination device 1 of this embodiment uses cameras with the same specifications for both the upper camera 3a and the lower camera 3b, so that the image quality obtained by the upper camera 3a and the lower camera 3b is the same. Furthermore, lens aberration correction that does not rely on image processing is performed to ensure that the entire imaging screen is in focus. Therefore, in this embodiment, the distance between the grain 2 placed on the bottom surface of the transparent tray 50 and the upper camera 3a and the lower camera 3b is the same distance.

Subsequently, the grains 2 whose quality is to be determined are placed on a transparent tray 50, as shown in FIG. Next, the upper light source 30, the first lower light source 40, and the second lower light source 20 are turned on, and the grains 2 placed on the transparent tray 50 are irradiated with light, so that the grains are captured by the upper camera 3a and the lower camera 3b. Image of grain 2 is taken. For example, three types of images, a reflected image, a transmitted image, and a torso crack image, can be captured by each of the upper camera 3a and the lower camera 3b. By turning on the upper light source 30, the first lower light source 40, and the second lower light source 20 at the same time, a reflected and transmitted image of the grain 2 can be captured by the upper camera 3a and the lower camera 3b.

As described above, the upper light source 30, the first lower light source 40, and the second lower light source 20 may be turned on at the same time, and the grain 2 may be imaged by the upper camera 3a and the lower camera 3b. As another imaging method, the grain 2 may be imaged by the upper camera 3a and the lower camera 3b while the upper light source 30 and the first lower light source 40 or the second lower light source 20 are turned on at the same time. With such an imaging method, reflection-transmission images can be captured on the front and back surfaces of the grain 2.

When taking an image of the back side of the grain 2 placed on the transparent tray 50, the second downward light source 20 can be turned on, and the image can be taken by the downward camera 3b. In this embodiment, as described above, by providing the cylindrical lens 22, the effect of the lens suppresses the diffusion of light and makes it possible to make the brightness of the bottom surface of the transparent tray 50 substantially uniform. This improves the image quality, and when the back side of the grain 2 is colored, it becomes possible to determine whether it is milky white or colored.

In this embodiment, the cylindrical lens 22 is provided in the second lower light source 20, but it is sufficient if the light exit surface is formed in a convex shape. For example, the lens may be a semicylindrical lens having a flat light receiving surface and a convex light emitting surface, or a lens having an elliptical cross section. That is, the convex shape of the light exit surface of the lens may be any curved surface.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, both the first downward light source 40 and the second downward light source 20 are provided, but it is not necessary to provide both, and only one of them may be provided. Even when both the first downward light source 40 and the second downward light source 20 are provided, images of the front and back surfaces of the grains 2 can be taken by lighting only one of them.

The image data captured by the upper camera 3a and the lower camera 3b are analyzed by a microcomputer (not shown) of the grain discriminating device 1. For example, based on the acquired image data of grain 2, shape information such as external shape, area, length, and width, color information, and optical information such as cracks in the rice grain shell are extracted, and the quality of grain 2 is evaluated. It becomes possible to discriminate with high accuracy.

In particular, the present invention makes it possible to image the entire grain 2 over the entire imaging screen without performing any special image processing to image the front and back surfaces of the grain 2. In this case, the distance between the grain 2 on the transparent tray 50 and the upper camera 3a and the lower camera 3b must be at least a certain distance, but only when the grain discriminator 1 is used Since the structure is such that the body 12 is pulled upward and the lower housing 13 is pulled out and fixed, it greatly contributes to space saving during storage and ease of transportation and movement.

(Second embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that descriptions of the same configurations as in the first embodiment described above will be omitted, and in particular, configurations that are different from the first embodiment will be described below.

The second embodiment mainly includes an upper casing 12 and a tray arrangement casing 11. To put it more simply, this is an embodiment in which the lower casing 13 of the first embodiment described above is not provided, the lower camera 3b is not provided, and the tray arrangement casing 11 can be placed directly on the ground surface. It is configured.

Further, similarly to the first embodiment, the upper housing 12 can be housed inside the tray arrangement housing 11 together with the upper camera 3a. When the grain 2 is to be imaged by the upper camera 3a, the upper housing 12 is fixed at the position shown in FIG. With this configuration, the device itself can be made smaller compared to conventional discriminating devices, storage space for the grain discriminating device 1 can be easily secured, and transportation can be made easier. .

(Third embodiment)
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that descriptions of the same configurations as in the first embodiment described above will be omitted, and in particular, configurations that are different from the first embodiment will be described below.

The third embodiment mainly includes a lower casing 13 and a tray arrangement casing 11. To put it more simply, this is an embodiment in which the upper camera 3a is fixedly disposed at the upper part of the tray placement housing 11, without providing the upper housing 12 that is movable up and down in the first embodiment. Note that since a predetermined distance is required between the upper camera 3a and the grain 2, the tray arrangement housing 11 shown in FIG. 1 needs to be enlarged upward.

The lower housing 13 can be housed inside the tray arrangement housing 11 together with the lower camera 3b, as in the first embodiment described above. With such a configuration, the quality of the grain 2 can be determined with higher accuracy using the upper camera 3a and the lower camera 3b compared to a conventional determination device. Furthermore, the device itself can be downsized, storage space for the grain discriminating device 1 can be easily secured, and in addition, it can be easily transported.

(Modified example)
FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the grain discriminating device 1 in a modification of the first embodiment described above (see FIG. 1, etc.). Note that the basic device configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment described above, and the difference is that the shape of the casing in the modified example is approximately spherical, as shown in the figure. Modifications will be described below, but configurations common to the first embodiment described above may be omitted from the description.

As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 8, the grain discriminating device 1 in the modified example has a housing having a substantially spherical shape. The casing is mainly composed of an upper casing 12 and a lower casing 13, with a border near the center of the casing.

A transparent tray 50 is placed on the circular mounting section 14 attached to either the upper housing 12 or the lower housing 13, and the upper camera 3a attached to the upper housing 12 and the lower housing 13 are The attached lower camera 3b makes it possible to image the grains 2 placed on the transparent tray 50.

An upper light source 30 is provided diagonally above the transparent tray 50, and a plurality of white LEDs are provided as a light emitting section. Furthermore, a first downward light source 40 and a second downward light source 20 are provided diagonally below the transparent tray 50. The first downward light source 40 is provided with a plurality of white LEDs facing downward as a light emitting section. The second downward light source 20 is provided with a plurality of white LEDs 21 as a light emitting section facing the cylindrical lens 22. To explain in more detail, a white LED 21 and a cylindrical lens 22 are provided within a reflector having a U-shaped cross section. Note that the second downward light sources 20 are provided in four directions in plan view, as shown in FIG.

In each of the embodiments described above, the first downward light source 40 and the second downward light source 20 are provided diagonally below the transparent tray 50, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this configuration. For example, only the first downward light source 40 may be provided diagonally below the transparent tray 50 without providing the second downward light source 20, or only the second downward light source 20 may be provided without providing the first downward light source 40. may be provided.

Further, in the modified example shown in FIG. 8, the shape of the casing is approximately spherical, but the shape is not necessarily limited to such a shape. For example, in order to increase the distance between each of the upper camera 3a and the lower camera 3b and the transparent tray 50, the casing of the grain discriminating device 1 can be made into a substantially elliptical shape extending in the vertical direction. .

Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments of the invention described above are for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and do not limit the present invention. The present invention may be modified and improved without departing from its spirit, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof. In addition, each of the constituent elements described in the claims and the specification may be combined or omitted as long as at least part of the above-mentioned problems can be solved or at least part of the effect can be achieved.

1 Grain discrimination device 2 Grain 3a Upper camera 3b Lower camera 11 Tray arrangement housing 12 Upper housing 13 Lower housing 14 Circular placement part 15 Lower opening 16 Upper opening 17 Surrounding opening 20 Second lower light source 21 White LED
22 Cylindrical lens 30 Upper light source 40 First lower light source 50 Transparent tray

Claims (6)

A grain discriminating device capable of determining the quality of grains placed on a transparent tray,
an upper camera disposed above the grain and capable of capturing an image of the upper surface of the grain;
a lower camera disposed below the grain and capable of imaging the lower surface of the grain;
an upper light source disposed above the grain and capable of illuminating the upper surface of the grain;
a first downward light source disposed below the grain and capable of illuminating the lower surface of the grain ;
The grain discrimination device includes:
comprising an upper housing in which the upper camera is provided, a lower housing in which the lower camera is provided, and a tray arrangement housing in which the transparent tray can be placed;
When the quality of grains is not determined by the grain discriminating device, the tray arrangement housing moves and accommodates at least one of the upper housing and the lower housing, thereby discriminating the grains. It is possible to reduce the height of the device
A grain discrimination device characterized by: The upper light source is capable of illuminating the upper surface of the grain with direct light and/or indirect light,
The grain discriminating device according to claim 1, wherein the first downward light source is capable of illuminating the lower surface of the grain with indirect light . The grain discriminating device according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the indirect light from the first downward light source is indirect light from a flocked cloth or a non-reflective painted surface . a second downward light source disposed below the grain and capable of illuminating the lower surface of the grain;
The grain discrimination according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the second downward light source is capable of illuminating the lower surface of the grain from diagonally below with direct light and/or indirect light. Device. The grain discriminating device according to claim 4 , wherein at least one of the first downward light source and the second downward light source emits light so that the downward camera images the grain. . The second downward light source is
comprising a light emitting part and a cylindrical lens arranged in the direction of light irradiation of the light emitting part,
The grain discrimination device according to claim 4 or 5 , wherein the cylindrical lens is capable of illuminating the lower surface of the grain while suppressing light diffusion .

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