JPH09243560A - Apparatus for evaluating internal quality of vegetables and fruits - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To evaluate internal quality by irradiating vegetables and fruits of which the internal quality can not be judged only by appearance and measuring the permeated light from vegetables and fruits. SOLUTION: In an apparatus for evaluating internal quality of vegetables and fruits by irradiating vegetables and fruits A with light and measuring the permeated light from the vegetables and fruits A, an annular shading ring 3 cutting off light from the outside and a plurality of light sources 4 irradiating vegetables and fruits arranged in contact with the annular shading ring 3 are arranged on the incide circumference of the shading ring 3 and a detector 5 measuring the permeated light from vegetables and fruits is provided on the center line of the circumference of the shading ring. A plurality of the light sources 4 are allowed to light individually or at every blocks to measure local permeated lights of vegetables and fruits. Further, an air suction port is provided within the shading ring and, in measurement, the interior of the shading ring is set to negative pressure and the close contact degree of vegetables and fruits and the shading ring is enhanced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is to evaluate the internal quality by irradiating light to fruits and vegetables whose internal quality cannot be judged only from the appearance like pineapple and measuring the transmitted light to the fruits and vegetables. The present invention relates to an internal quality evaluation device for fruits and vegetables.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an apparatus for evaluating the internal quality of fruits and vegetables has been disclosed in which the internal quality is evaluated by irradiating the fruits and vegetables with light and measuring the transmitted light to the fruits and vegetables.
No. 140647, "Method for determining quality of fruits and vegetables".

In the above-mentioned prior art, a single light source such as fruits and vegetables transmits a light beam from a single light source with a predetermined intensity and a predetermined amount that transmits the fruits and vegetables from the outer periphery of the single fruits and vegetables to the other side. Place fruits and vegetables in a dark room to prevent leakage,
A light beam that has passed through fruits and vegetables is captured by a light receiving device on the other side of the fruits and vegetables, and the quality of fruits and vegetables is judged from the transmitted rays.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned conventional apparatus, since one light source is used, there is variation in the light rays passing through fruits and vegetables, and the measurement accuracy is not sufficient.
In addition, there is a problem that the device becomes large in size because it requires a dark room and is not suitable as a handling device, and fruits and vegetables cannot be easily measured. The present invention has been made to solve the above problems.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides: In an internal quality evaluation device for fruits and vegetables, which evaluates the internal quality by irradiating the fruits and vegetables with light and measuring the transmitted light to the fruits and vegetables, an annular light-shielding ring that shields light from the outside is provided and the light-shielding ring is connected. A plurality of light sources for irradiating the fruits and vegetables arranged in the above state are arranged on the inner circumference of the light shielding ring, and a detection device for measuring the transmitted light from the fruits and vegetables is provided on the center line of the circumference. Is characterized by.

[0006] The plurality of light sources are turned on individually or in blocks, and the local transmitted light of fruits and vegetables is measured.

[0007] An air suction port is provided inside the light-shielding ring, and a negative pressure is applied to the inside of the light-shielding ring at the time of measurement to increase the degree of adhesion between the fruit and the light-shielding ring.

[0008]

With the above construction, the apparatus for evaluating the internal quality of fruits and vegetables according to the present invention comprises: In addition to providing an annular light-shielding ring that shields light from the outside world, a plurality of light sources for irradiating light to fruits and vegetables arranged in contact with the light-shielding ring are arranged on the inner circumference of the light-shielding ring. By providing a detection device for measuring the transmitted light from the fruits and vegetables on the center line of the circumference, the internal quality of the fruits and vegetables can be evaluated non-destructively, easily and accurately.
Further, the device can be downsized without requiring a dark room.

[0009] By turning on a plurality of light sources individually or by blocks and measuring the local transmitted light of the fruits and vegetables, the internal quality of the whole fruits and vegetables or the internal quality of the fruits and vegetables is locally measured.

[0010] An air suction port is provided inside the light-shielding ring, and the inside of the light-shielding ring is set to a negative pressure at the time of measurement to increase the degree of adhesion between the fruit and the light-shielding ring. The irradiation accuracy of the light and the detection accuracy of the detection device that measures the transmitted light from the fruits and vegetables are improved.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 is an internal quality evaluation device for fruits and vegetables, which is in contact with a fruit (for example, pineapple) A along the outer peripheral edge of a bowl-shaped device body 2. An annular light-shielding ring 3 made of a suction pad for shielding light from the is provided. On the inner circumference of the light-shielding ring 3, a plurality of (16 in this embodiment) light sources 4 for irradiating the fruits and vegetables A arranged in contact with the light-shielding ring 3 are arranged. The light source 4 can be turned on at the same time individually or in blocks, and may be either an incandescent bulb or a light emitting diode (LED), and is preferably replaceable.

Two photosensors are provided on the center lines of the light sources 4, 4, ... Arranged in the above-mentioned circumferential shape as a detection device for measuring the transmitted light from the fruits and vegetables A by the irradiation of the light sources 4, 4. 5
Is provided. The number of the optical sensors 5 is not limited to two as in this embodiment, but may be one or three or more, and the filter 6 is detachably provided on the front side thereof. Then, the fruits and vegetables A are irradiated with light from the light sources 4, 4, ...
The internal quality is evaluated by measuring with.

A communication hole 7 is formed in the bottom of the device body 2, and a support member 8 having a hollow support 8a is fitted inside the communication hole 7 inside the device body 2. A plurality of support pins 9 are provided on the support member 8 in a protruding manner, and the support pins 9 are fixedly mounted on a sliding member 11 slidably fitted in the hollow support portion 8a. The plate 11a is slidably fitted and is elastically supported by a coil spring 10 wound around the support pin 9 so as to urge it to the right in FIG. In addition, in the protruding base portion of the hollow support portion 8a from the support member 8,
A plurality of vent holes 8b are opened.

The optical sensor 5 and the filter 6 are attached to the tip of the axial center of the sliding member 11, and the outer circumferences of the optical sensor 5 and the filter 6 are covered so that the same as the light-shielding ring 3. An annular inner light-shielding ring 12 made of a suction pad is provided on the outer periphery of the tip of the sliding member 11 in a state of being retracted inward from the tip of the light-shielding ring 3. The light sources 4, 4, ... Are attached to the outer peripheral portion of the sliding plate 11a.

The light sources 4, 4, ...
An amplifier cord 13 for supplying power to the ... And sending the measurement result from the optical sensor 5 to the amplifier is extended and connected to an amplifier (not shown). A suction part connection pipe 14 is fitted and communicated with the support member 8 on the outside of the device body 2 in the communication hole 7, and a suction hose (not shown) is connected to the suction part connection pipe 14.

Then, the outer peripheral surfaces of the light-shielding ring 3 and the inner light-shielding ring 12 are brought into contact with the outer surfaces of the fruits and vegetables A to be measured. Then, the suction pressure from the suction portion connecting pipe 14 acts on the sliding member 11 via the hollow support portion 8a, and at the same time, acts on the sliding plate 11a through the ventilation port 8b.
The sliding member 11 (the optical sensor 5, the filter 6, the inner light-shielding ring 12) and the sliding plate 11a (the light sources 4, 4 ...) Are made to repel the coil spring 10 along the hollow support portion 8a and the support pin 9. Move back against.

As a result, an air suction port is opened between the light-shielding ring 3 and the inner light-shielding ring 12, and a suction force is exerted, so that the outer surface of the fruits and vegetables A and the light-shielding ring 3 and the inner light-shielding ring 12 are exposed. The degree of adhesion with Therefore, the light rays radiated from the light sources 4, 4, ... To the fruits and vegetables A do not leak from the facing surfaces of the light blocking ring 3 and the inner light blocking ring 12 and the fruits and vegetables A, and the transmitted light from the fruits and vegetables A (reflection) (Light) does not leak from the contact surface between the inner light-shielding ring 12 and the fruits and vegetables A, and the detection accuracy of the optical sensor 5 is improved.

Next, the operation of the vegetable and fruit internal quality evaluation apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described.

Fruits and vegetables A whose internal quality is to be evaluated,
For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the surface of the pineapple is brought into contact with the outer peripheral portions of the light shielding ring 3 and the inner light shielding ring 12, and the suction force from the suction portion connecting pipe 14 is applied.
Then, the suction force acts on the sliding member 11 from the suction portion connecting pipe 14 through the hollow support portion 8a, and at the same time, acts on the sliding plate 11a through the ventilation hole 8b, so that the sliding member 11
(The light sensor 5, the filter 6, the inner light-shielding ring 12) and the sliding plate 11a (the light sources 4, 4, ...) Are arranged along the hollow support portion 8a and the support pin 9 in the fruits and vegetables A and the inner light-shielding ring 12.
The coil spring 10 is moved to the left against the elastic force of the coil spring 10 in a state in which the degree of close contact with is increased (in the state of being attracted).

The suction force from the suction section connecting pipe 14 also acts between the light-shielding ring 3 and the inner light-shielding ring 12, so that the light-shielding ring 3 is attracted to the fruits and vegetables A and the degree of adhesion between them is increased. Then, in this state, the fruits and vegetables A are irradiated with light from the light sources 4, 4, ..., and the light passes through the inside of the fruits and vegetables A,
The transmitted light reflected is measured by the optical sensor 5, sent to the amplifier, and amplified by the amplifier to obtain a distribution chart of the transmitted light. Then, the internal quality of the fruits and vegetables A (whether normal fruits or faulty fruits) is evaluated.

For the fruits and vegetables A for which the measurement has been completed, the light-shielding ring 3 and the inner light-shielding ring 12 are stopped by stopping the suction force.
The adsorption of and is released and removed. Simultaneously with this removal, the sliding force of the sliding member 11 is increased by the elastic force of the coil spring 10.
The (optical sensor 5, the filter 6, the inner light-shielding ring 12) and the sliding plate 11a (the light sources 4, 4 ...) Move to the right side in FIG. Returning to the position, a new measurement of fruits and vegetables A is performed.

In measuring the fruits and vegetables A, the light sources 4, 4
By illuminating all of the ... Simultaneously or individually or in blocks, the overall quality of the fruits and vegetables A is measured locally or locally by the optical sensor 5, and the internal quality of the entire fruits and vegetables A or the local quality of the fruits and vegetables A is evaluated. can do.

[Example] Fig. 3 shows the results of measurement using the pear and fruit internal quality evaluation apparatus 1 of the present invention for Japanese pear depression. (A) is a case where an incandescent bulb is used as the light source 4, which is a normal fruit. (B) is a case where an incandescent lamp is used as the light source 4 and is an obstacle. (C) shows a case where an LED is used as the light source 4, which is an obstacle.

The optical sensor 5 measures not only transmitted light (reflected light) but also absorbance, and a specific gravity estimated from this absorbance,
When the relation with the specific gravity of the actual fruit and vegetable A was examined, it was almost the same, and the prospect that it could be used for the determination of Suagari in late citrus was obtained.

The fruit and vegetable internal quality evaluation apparatus 1 according to the present invention is non-destructive for fruits and vegetables whose internal quality cannot be judged only by appearance, such as pineapple, Japanese pear, kiwi fruit, persimmon, watermelon, and melon. It can be widely applied to evaluate internal quality.

[0027]

As described above, according to the internal quality evaluation apparatus for fruits and vegetables of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

[0028] In addition to providing an annular light-shielding ring that shields light from the outside world, a plurality of light sources for irradiating light to fruits and vegetables arranged in contact with the light-shielding ring are arranged on the inner circumference of the light-shielding ring. Since the detection device for measuring the transmitted light from the fruits and vegetables is provided on the center line of the circumference, the internal quality of the fruits and vegetables can be measured non-destructively, easily and accurately and evaluated. Further, unlike the conventional device, a dark room is not required, and the device can be downsized.

[0029] By turning on multiple light sources individually or by blocks and measuring the local transmitted light of fruits and vegetables, it is possible to measure the internal quality of the entire fruits and vegetables, and by changing the irradiation pattern of multiple light sources, the internal quality of fruits and vegetables can be locally adjusted. Can also be measured, and the function as an evaluation device can be improved.

[0030] An air suction port was provided inside the light-shielding ring, and the inside of the light-shielding ring was set to a negative pressure at the time of measurement to increase the adhesion between the fruit and the light-shielding ring, so light does not leak between the fruit and the light-shielding ring. It is possible to improve the irradiation accuracy of the light from the light source to the fruits and vegetables and the detection accuracy of the detection device that measures the transmitted light from the fruits and vegetables.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view of an apparatus for evaluating an internal quality of fruits and vegetables according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the same.

3 (a) to 3 (c) are distribution charts of results of measuring Japanese pear by the apparatus of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Internal quality evaluation device for fruits and vegetables 2 Device body 3 Light-shielding ring 4 Light source (incandescent bulb or LED) 5 Optical sensor (detection device) 6 Filter 7 Communication hole 8 Support member 8a Hollow support part 9 Support pin 10 Coil spring 11 Sliding member 11a Sliding plate 12 Inner light-shielding ring 13 Amplifier cord 14 Suction section connecting pipe A Fruits and vegetables (pineapple)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus for evaluating the internal quality of fruits and vegetables, which evaluates the internal quality by irradiating the fruits and vegetables with light and measuring the transmitted light to the fruits and vegetables, and providing an annular light-shielding ring for shielding light from the outside world. Detecting by arranging a plurality of light sources that irradiate the fruits and vegetables arranged in contact with the shading ring on the inner circumference of the shading ring and measuring the transmitted light from the fruits and vegetables on the center line of the circumference. An internal quality evaluation device for fruits and vegetables characterized by being provided with a device. 2. The internal quality evaluation device for fruits and vegetables according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of light sources are turned on individually or in blocks and local transmission light of the fruits and vegetables is measured. 3. An air suction port is provided inside the light-shielding ring, and a negative pressure is applied to the inside of the light-shielding ring at the time of measurement to increase the adhesion between the fruit and the light-shielding ring. Internal quality evaluation system for fruits and vegetables.