JPH10150967A - Foreign matter-removing device of bean sprout - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a foreign matter-removing device of bean sprouts capable of efficiently removing the foreign matter mixed in the bean sprouts. SOLUTION: Bean sprouts are conveyed by a transporting conveyer 1 in a thin layer state, and an image of the bean sprouts is got by CCD camera 2. The image obtained by the CCD camera 2 is treated by image processing of multistep lightness and darkness treatment by a foreign matter-recognizing controller 4 to determine the foreign matter mixed in the bean sprouts as a part having prescribed density. A foreign matter-detecting lamp 5 is lighten by the detecting signal from the foreign matter-recognizing controller 4, and further the signal is provided to a controlling panel 6 to expand an air cylinder. The controlling panel provides also a command to a motor to rotate and to a scraper to move in the transverse direction to discharge the foreign matter on the transporting conveyer 1.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to sprouts that are washed with water after harvesting and packaged as a product, and are made of sprouts of shells and roots,
The present invention relates to a bean sprouts foreign matter removing apparatus for purifying sprouts by removing discolored matter and other foreign matters.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Harvested sprouts are washed with water to remove shells, roots, scum, etc. and purified, and then packaged in bags or the like. However, the sprouts after such purification may contain lumps of shells and roots, discolored sprouts, and other foreign substances.

[0003] However, it is extremely difficult to automatically detect and remove such foreign substances that are mixed in various shapes and that are mixed in the sprouts that are intertwined. I had to rely on it. For this reason, such foreign matter is unavoidably mixed into the sprouts of the product, which has been a cause of lowering the value of the product.

[0004]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a sprouts having a simple structure and few failures, which can reliably remove shells, roots, scum, and other foreign substances from sprouts harvested and commercialized. It is an object to provide a foreign matter removing device.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a conveyor for conveying sprouts in a thin layer, a CCD camera disposed opposite to the sprouts on the conveyor, and a CCD camera for sprouts. Sprout having an image processing device for performing multi-level shading processing of an image captured by a camera, and a foreign matter discharging means for removing a portion having a predetermined density from the transfer conveyor as a foreign material when the image processing device detects the portion having a predetermined density To provide a foreign matter removing device.

[0006] According to the apparatus configured as described above, the foreign matter mixed in the sprouts is detected as a portion having a predetermined density by an image processing apparatus that performs a multi-level shading process on an image captured by a CCD camera. The sprouts at this time are transported in a thin layer on the transport conveyor, so that the contaminating foreign matter is surely taken into the image as a change in brightness by the CCD camera.

In the apparatus according to the present invention, the foreign matter thus detected is discharged from the conveyor. As the discharging means, a scraper moving laterally on the conveyor is used to discharge the foreign matter mixed portion from the conveyor horizontally, or at a foreign object position determined by information from the image processing apparatus. It may be an appropriate means that is operated by a signal from the image processing apparatus, such as one that moves and sucks a nozzle that has been evacuated.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sprouts foreign matter removing apparatus capable of reliably removing shells, roots, scum, and other foreign matters from sprouts harvested and commercialized. it can.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a sprung foreign matter removing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to an embodiment shown in FIGS. FIG. 1 is an overall view of a sprouts foreign matter removing apparatus according to the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are enlarged views of foreign matter discharging means used in the apparatus of FIG.

In these figures, sprouts to be inspected for foreign matter are transported in a thin layer on a transport conveyor 1 which is being transported as shown by arrows in FIG. The sprouts on the conveyor 1 are illuminated by an inverter type fluorescent lamp 3 from above. The sprouts on the conveyor 1 illuminated as described above are separately captured by the two CCD cameras 2.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a foreign matter confirmation controller to which a detection signal from the CCD camera 2 is input. Reference numeral 5 denotes a foreign object detection alarm lamp, which is turned on when the foreign object confirmation controller 4 detects the presence of a foreign object in response to a signal from the CCD camera 2, and warns of the detection of the foreign object. At this time, an alarm by sound may be issued together. Reference numeral 6 denotes a control panel to which a signal from the foreign matter confirmation controller 4 is given via a relay box 7.

Although not shown in FIG. 1 for simplification of the drawing, a foreign matter discharge means shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is arranged between the transport conveyor 1 and the fluorescent lamp 3. This will be described below. A frame 10 is disposed above the conveyor 1 in a direction crossing the conveyor 1 and is fixed to a machine frame 9. At both ends of the frame 10, sprockets 11 are rotatably supported so that they can be rotated in either forward or reverse directions by a forward / reverse rotation motor 17.
Is spanned.

Two guide bars 13 are arranged between the sprockets 11 and supported by the frame 10. A slider 14 is slidably fitted to the two guide bars 13. The endless chain 12 is fixed to the slider 14, and when the endless chain 12 moves, the slider 14 also moves right and left.

An air cylinder 15 is mounted on the slider 14.
It is moved right and left as one. A scraper 16 is attached to the lower end of the piston rod of the air cylinder 15. Thereby, when the sprocket 11 is rotated and the endless chain 12 moves, the scraper 16 is displaced in the direction crossing the conveyor 1 together with the slider 14 and the air cylinder 15.

The sprocket 11 is rotated in either the forward or reverse direction by a motor 17 so that the scraper 16 is moved to the side of the CCD camera 2 where the foreign matter is detected by the foreign matter confirmation controller 4. When the air cylinder 15 extends, the scraper 16 comes to a position approaching the upper surface of the conveyor 1 as shown by a virtual line in FIG. Therefore, when the scraper 16 is displaced in the direction shown by the phantom line in FIG.
Will discharge the sprouts on the conveyor 1 in the horizontal direction.

In the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 configured as described above, sprouts, which are conveyed in a thin layer on the conveyor 1, are separately captured by the two CCD cameras 2. The image captured from the CCD camera 2 is subjected to multi-level shading processing, and the foreign matter confirmation controller 4 knows the presence of the foreign matter as a predetermined density. When the foreign matter confirmation controller 4 detects the presence of the foreign matter, the foreign matter detection alarm lamp 5 is turned on to warn of the detection of the foreign matter.

At the same time, a signal from the foreign matter confirmation controller 4 is given to the control panel 6, the air cylinder 15 is extended, the scraper 16 is brought close to the upper surface of the conveyor 1, and the foreign matter is detected by the left or right CCD camera 2. The scraper 16 is moved in one of the right and left directions by rotating the motor 17 of the foreign matter discharging means in either the forward or reverse direction depending on whether the foreign matter is detected, and the foreign matter on the conveyor 1 is discharged out of the conveyor 1.

Foreign matter on the conveyor 1 is transferred to the conveyor 1
When the discharging operation is completed, the expansion of the air cylinder 15 is returned to the original position, the scraper 16 is moved away from the conveyor 1, and the slider 14 and the air cylinder 15 are returned to the original center position by the rotation of the motor 17. . Then, the foreign matter detection reset button 8 is reset, and the foreign matter discharging operation ends.

As described above, one embodiment of the present invention has been specifically described with reference to the drawings. However, the device of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications may be made. Nor.

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the scraper 16 that is moved in the horizontal direction on the conveyor 1 is used to discharge the foreign matter on the conveyor 1, but instead the vacuum is drawn. An appropriate discharging unit may be used, such as one that moves the suction hose to a position known by the image processing of the foreign object recognition controller 4 to suck and discharge the foreign object.

[0021]

As described above, in the sprout foreign matter removing apparatus according to the present invention, the image of the sprouts being transported in a thin layer on the transport conveyor is captured from above by the CCD camera, and the image is multi-level shaded. The foreign matter is detected as a predetermined density by the image processing to be performed. The foreign matter on the conveyor can be automatically discharged by the discharge means in accordance with this detection signal.

As described above, in the present invention, it is possible to effectively and automatically remove the foreign matter mixed in the sprouts without using a member having a complicated structure. In addition, the device of the present invention has a simple structure, has a long service life, and is easy to maintain and inspect.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall side view showing a configuration of a bean sprouts foreign matter removing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the structure of a foreign matter discharging means in the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the foreign matter discharging means shown in FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyor 2 CCD camera 3 Inverter type fluorescent light 4 Foreign object recognition controller 5 Foreign object detection alarm light 6 Control panel 7 Relay box 8 Foreign object detection reset button 9 Machine frame 10 Frame 11 Sprocket 12 Endless chain 13 Guide bar 14 Slider 15 Air cylinder 16 Scraper 17 motor

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A transport conveyor for transporting sprouts in a thin layer, a CCD camera disposed opposite to the sprouts on the transport conveyor, an image processing apparatus for performing multi-level shading of an image captured by the CCD camera, And a sprouts removing device for removing foreign matter from the conveyor when the predetermined density is detected by the image processing apparatus.