JPH03109979A - Method for deciding classification of vegetables and fruits - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To fairly evaluate classes and to improve the reliability of quality by comparing measured values with the segment values of respective items, determining the stages corresponding to each of the respective items, and deciding the classes in accordance with the total sum of the scores of the respective items. CONSTITUTION:The segment values for segmenting the respective items to plural stages, item by item, concerning the plural measuring items, for example, the sizes, the differences in sizes, bends, S curves, etc., of long eggplants, for the purpose of deciding the classes of the vegetables and fruits 10 are set and the scores are previously set for each of the respective values. The vegetables and fruits 10 transported onto a screening conveyor 1 are subjected to image pickup by a light source 21 and a camera device 2 and the video signals are subjected to image processing by an arithmetic unit 5 which determines the measured values of the respective items, compares the values with the segment values of the items, determines the stages corresponding to each of the items, weights the stages by the degree of importance of the items, determines the total sum of the scores of the respective items and decides the classes. A discharge operating device 3 is selectively operated by the results of the decision to screen the vegetables and fruits onto a drawing out conveyor 4. The reliability of the quality is thus improved.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a method for determining the grade of fruits and vegetables, and more specifically, a method for comprehensively determining the grade based on the results of measuring a plurality of measurement items for determining the grade of fruits and vegetables. Concerning the method of determining the grade.

[Conventional technology]

With the development of various sensors, it is becoming possible to precisely measure the shape, size, appearance, and surface condition of fruits and vegetables. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publications No. 153980/1982 and No. 166073/1983 are known as methods for sorting and sorting fruits and vegetables by applying these measuring techniques.

However, the grading method in this conventional technology is
For example, in the case of long vegetables, measurement items such as thickness, difference in thickness by 1 curve, S curve, etc. are measured and inspected for each item and ranked for each item.
A method has been used in which the lowest rank value is read out from among these ranked items and the grade is used as the overall judgment result.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In the conventional grading method, multiple measurement items are individually measured and graded, and the lowest grade is used as the overall grade for the fruits and vegetables. In the case of items that are not very important in determining the grade of fruits and vegetables, a fair evaluation without substantial grade differences was desired.

The problem to be solved by this invention is that, in determining the grade of fruits and vegetables, each of a plurality of measurement items is classified into a plurality of stages and scores are set, and the grade is determined by the sum of the scores of the graded stages. , to obtain a fair evaluation.

[Failure to solve the problem]

In order to solve the above problems, the method for determining the grade of fruits and vegetables of the present invention is a method of measuring a plurality of measurement items for determining the grade of fruits and vegetables, and determining the grade using a calculation device from the measurement results, comprising: For each item of multiple measurement items,
In addition to setting classification values for classification into multiple stages,
A score is set for each of the multiple stages of each item, and the measured value of each item obtained by the measurement is compared with the category value of each item to find the corresponding stage for each item. This method is characterized by determining the grade based on the total score of the items.

The above-mentioned score setting is effective if the weighted score is set depending on the importance of the measurement item (grade? = content given priority to J-level).

The importance of a measurement item is something that particularly influences the grade when determining the grade, and for example, grade determination factors such as injuries can be designated as important measurement items.

[Effect]

According to the method for determining the grade of fruits and vegetables of the present invention, for a plurality of measurement items for determining the grade of fruits and vegetables, a calculation device sets classification values for classifying each item into a plurality of stages. Scores are set for each of the multiple stages of the item, and the measured value of each item obtained by measuring fruits and vegetables is compared with the set category value of each item, and the stage corresponding to each item is determined. It is possible to determine the grade based on the sum of points set in advance for each stage.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a fruit and vegetable sorting device constructed to carry out the present invention.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a sorting conveyor, in which a large number of grooves 11 for placing fruits and vegetables 10 are attached to a conveyor chain (not shown) that travels and rotates. As the sorting conveyor 1 shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to use the sorting conveyor 1 as shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 1988-1.53980, which was proposed and published by the applicant of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the fruits and vegetables 10 are long vegetables such as eggplants and cucumbers.

2 is a camera device, which together with the illumination bag W21 constitutes an optical measuring means. Reference numeral 3 denotes a discharge operating device which is provided at a predetermined position on the downstream side from the camera device 2 for each grade, and is activated by a sorting signal to discharge the fruits and vegetables 10 from the bucket 11. Reference numeral 4 denotes a pull-out conveyor, which is provided in correspondence with the discharge actuating device 3 and receives fruits and vegetables 10 discharged from the sorting conveyor 1 and carries them out of the machine. Reference numeral 5 denotes a calculation device, which performs image analysis of signals measured by the camera device 2 and performs various calculation processes, and outputs signals to the discharge operation device 3 for sorting, and includes a CPU and an image analysis unit with 7 points. The setting section includes a first grade determining section, a sorting section, a control section, a power supply section, etc.

A method in which the arithmetic unit 5 comprehensively determines the grade of the fruits and vegetables 10 from predetermined measurement items using the fruits and vegetables sorting device configured as described above will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

In order to effectively explain the present invention, FIG.
This is a schematic block diagram of the item-specific point setting section and the grade determining section.

In this example, the measurement items as grade determination elements are set to measure the thickness of the length, the difference in thickness by 1 bend, and the four-term opening of the S curve, but this is not limited to the following. For example, an item-specific score setting section can be configured by adding items such as stockiness and deformity.

Furthermore, regarding the measurement procedures for each of these measurement items, each I! 1. Measurement values of measurement items can be obtained.

In Figure 2, in the item-specific score setting section, classification values for classifying into multiple stages from the values measured for each item (thickness, thickness difference 1 curve, S curve) are set for each item. At the same time, the number of points to be deducted for each stage is set for the plurality of stages.

In the example, a point deduction method was used, in which the lower the score, the higher the grade. However, as a different method, the points may be set using a scoring method, such that the higher the score, the higher the grade. can.

It is preferable that a digital switch (not shown) is provided on the panel of the arithmetic device 5 to set these classification values and the number of demerit points so that the settings can be changed by inputting the digital switch.

Further, in this input operation, settings are input using a keyboard (not shown), and the input setting values can be displayed on a CRT display.

The grade determination unit calculates the sum of the scores for each item when the grade is determined for each item in the item-based score setting unit, and compares this value with the preset equal-line division value of the score to determine the corresponding score. It is configured to judge the grade.

On the other hand, among multiple measurement items, items that are particularly important for determining grades (for example, items with serious defects such as injuries) can be weighted with more points deducted than other items. The scores of these items act as a major factor in the overall judgment, and the reliability of the grade judgment results is improved.

Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 3, if the score set for the lowest level of the weighted item (for example, bending) is set to be equal to or greater than the exceptional grade classification value or to infinity (CCI), the measurement becomes easier. Those ranked at the lowest level can be ranked at the lowest level regardless of the results of other measurement items.

FIG. 4 shows a fruit and vegetable sorting device according to the second embodiment, in which the appearance and surface condition of fruits and vegetables 10, such as tangerines and persimmons, which are conveyed by a conveyor container 1a, are observed by a color camera device 2.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-42
The apparatus shown in Japanese Patent No. 411 is used.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically showing the item-based point setting section and the grade determining section in the arithmetic unit 5 in order to explain the second embodiment. The results of measuring the surface condition of the fruits and vegetables 10 according to the method shown in FIG.

(1) Coloration degree In the case of fruits, the color information is from green to red, for example 1
The color values of 1 to 127 are set by dividing into 27 gradations, and when the image is captured by a color camera, the number of pixels for each color value is created as the number of pixels HisI.Durham, and the center value of this histogram is taken as the degree of coloring. That is, it refers to the average value of the color distribution of the imaged surface.

(2) Color Uniformity In the histogram, the ratio of the number of pixels within a predetermined range (color value) from the center value (degree of coloring) to the total number of pixels is determined as color uniformity. In other words, it refers to the spread of color distribution on the imaged surface.

(3) Amount of green component In the histogram, the number of pixels located further toward the edge than a predetermined edge area is determined and used as the amount of green component.

(4) Injury Ratio The ratio between the sum of the number of injury pixels detected as scratches and the total number of pixels is calculated and used as the injury ratio.

(5) Maximum injury area Find the maximum number of injury pixels and use it as the maximum injury area.

(6) Degree of deformation Determine the degree of deformation from the shape of the image.

The measurement method for each item described above can be measured using a known image processing technique.

Further, it is preferable that the classification value and the number of demerit points be set arbitrarily. Of course, when setting the score for each item, if you weight each item according to its importance, if the weighted item is, for example, injury or deformity, the score for this item will be an important factor for determining the grade. Acts as.

The embodiments described above are examples of comprehensively determining the grade from the shape and size of fruits and vegetables, or the shape and color of fruits and vegetables,
Although the example has been explained in which the grade is determined comprehensively based on the appearance surface condition such as scratches, this is not limited to this, and for example, a device for inspecting the internal quality of fruits and vegetables may be placed near the camera installation W2. It is also possible to combine them, add internal quality items such as ripeness and sugar content to the plurality of measurement items, and comprehensively judge the grade based on the total score of each item.

As one of the devices for inspecting this internal quality, the ripeness test can be performed by using, for example, the device disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 55-23375, which takes advantage of the fact that there is a high correlation between the chlorophyll content and the degree of ripeness.

On the other hand, for the sugar content test, for example, the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 64-28544, which measures the sugar content of the fruit from the reflected light obtained by irradiating the fruit with light, can be used.

1 The results of measurement and inspection using these internal quality inspection devices are as follows:
Scores can be assigned using the score setting tables shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

Figure 6 is a setting table that sets and scores classification values and demerit points for degree items.
Alternatively, the number of demerit points set at the stage of overripeness (category value 10 or less) is set to infinity (CO), and the demerit point number is set to O in the range of 30 to 10.

FIG. 7 shows the setting of the category value and the number of demerit points for the item of sugar content, and the number of deductible points is set for each sugar content category, and points are assigned in the corresponding sugar content category.

The results of internal quality scoring in this manner can be used to determine the overall grade in addition to other grade determination items.

The above description and the attached drawings both show an example of implementation, and do not limit the invention. For example, the contents of measurement items, classification values, and demerit points can be set arbitrarily.

〔Effect of the invention〕

2 As described above, the method for determining the grade of fruits and vegetables of the present invention sets classification values for classifying into a plurality of stages for a plurality of measurement items for determining the grade of fruits and vegetables, and also sets classification values for classifying into a plurality of stages. This is a grading method in which a score is set for each item, the results of measuring fruits and vegetables are compared with the above-mentioned classification values, the corresponding grade is determined for each item, and the grade is determined based on the sum of the scores for each item. Compared to the conventional method, where the lowest grade is read out from among the grades assigned to each item and used as an overall judgment grade, it is possible to evaluate the grade more fairly, and both producers and consumers can receive an appropriate evaluation. We obtained excellent results.

Furthermore, weighting the measurement items with scores depending on the importance of the grade determination has the effect of improving the reliability of the quality of the graded results.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a sorting device for implementing the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic block diagrams inside the arithmetic device. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a sorting device for explaining the second embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram inside the arithmetic unit for explaining the second embodiment. 6 and 7 are score setting tables for explaining other embodiments. 1... Sorting conveyor 10... Fruits and vegetables 11...
・Brush. 2...Camera device 21...Lighting device 3.
...Discharge actuating device 4...Drawer container hair 5...Arithmetic device JP-A-3 109979 (5)

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A method for measuring a plurality of measurement items for determining the grade of fruits and vegetables, and determining the grade using a calculation device from the measurement results, the method comprising dividing each of the plurality of measurement items into a plurality of stages. At the same time, a score is set for each of the multiple stages of each item, and the measured value of each item obtained by the measurement is compared with the classification value of each item. A method of grading fruits and vegetables that determines the grade for each item and determines the grade based on the sum of the scores for each item. (2) The fruit and vegetable grading method according to claim 1, wherein the set score is weighted for each item depending on the importance of the measurement item.