JPH1062341A - Non-destructive taste characteristic measuring device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a non-destructive taste characteristic measuring device in which the instability of wavelength just after ON operation and afterglow in OFF operation of a laser are solved, taste characteristics such as degree of sugar, degree of maturity, or the like of vegetables and fruits can be precisely measured, and the lift of the laser beam source which is the component of the device can be remarkably extended. SOLUTION: This non-destructive taste characteristic measuring device has a laser beam source for emitting a laser beam to a melon (vegetable and fruit) to be measured, and a detector on which the.laser beam emitted from the vegetable and fruit receiving the emission of the laser beam is incident to measure taste characteristics of a vegetable and fruit from the incident luminous quantity of the laser beam incident on the vegetable and fruit and the detected luminous quantity of laser beam measured by the detector. A shutter 20 is arranged on the optical path between the laser beam source and the vegetable and fruit, and the irradiation and non-irradiation of laser beam to the vegetable and fruit are controlled by the opening and closing operation of the shutter.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring nondestructive taste characteristics of fruits and vegetables such as melons and watermelons.
In particular, the instability of the wavelength immediately after the ON operation of the laser light source and the afterglow at the time of the OFF operation are eliminated, so that the taste characteristics such as the sugar content and ripeness of the fruits and vegetables can be measured with high accuracy. The present invention relates to an improvement of a nondestructive taste characteristic measuring device that can dramatically extend the life of a light source.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a method of nondestructively measuring the sugar content of fruits and vegetables, near-infrared light or infrared light is irradiated on fruits and vegetables, and light absorption by sugar is measured from reflected light or transmitted light. A method is known (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 1-221626).
No. 5, JP-A-1-235850, JP-A-2-2-850
No. 147940, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H4-104041,
JP-A-4-208842, JP-A-5-34281
JP-A-5-172549 and JP-A-5-172549
No. 15236).

However, since all of these methods use a halogen lamp as a light source, it is difficult to measure the sugar content due to insufficient light intensity for fruits and vegetables having a thick skin such as melon. there were.

As a method for solving this disadvantage, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
In JP-B-48138, a plurality of single-wavelength laser lights having different wavelengths are sequentially irradiated to the same portion of a fruit or vegetable using an optical fiber or the like, and the light absorption of the fruit or vegetable is obtained from the transmitted light, and the sugar content of the fruit or vegetable is measured from the absorbance. A method for doing so is disclosed.

Here, a method for measuring the sugar content of melon using three types of laser beams having wavelengths λ1, λ2 and λ3 will be specifically described as follows. That is, as shown in FIG. 13, a laser beam having a wavelength λ is incident on the melon M from below from a laser light source (not shown), and a detector (not shown) also arranged on the lower side. Melon M
Is detected from the laser beam having the wavelength λ. FIG.
3, Pin (λ) is the incident light amount of the laser beam, and Pout (λ)
Indicates the detected light amount of the laser beam. And melon M
Is obtained from the above data of Pin (λ) and Pout (λ) based on the following equation (3).

That is, the sugar content Y (Brix) is determined based on the transmittance T (λ) defined by T (λ) = Pout (λ) / Pin (λ) (1) for three types of laser light. Absorbance X, the natural logarithm
(λ) X (λ) = logT (λ) (2) is obtained by substituting into equation (3).

Y = AX (λ 1) + BX (λ 2) + CX (λ 3) + D (3) where A, B, and C have the highest correlation between the sugar content obtained by the refractometer and the sugar content obtained from the light absorption. Is a constant obtained by the least square method.

[0008] By changing the values of coefficients such as A, B, C, etc., the ripeness of fruits and vegetables can also be measured by a non-destructive method.

[0009]

By the way, the absorbance to be substituted into the above equation (3) needs to be the absorbance to the laser light (measurement light) incident on the melon M as a fruit or vegetable.

However, since it is actually affected by the background light in the measurement environment (since it is difficult to make the background light zero even if the measurement is performed in a dark room), the taste of the fruits and vegetables such as sugar content is tasted. In order to measure characteristics with high accuracy, it is necessary to remove the influence of the background light.

In FIG. 13, Pin and bg are the incident light amounts of the background light, and Pout and bg are the melon M of the background light.
, Respectively, and Pout (λ) ′ denotes the apparent detected light amount of the laser light (λ) emitted from the melon M, and the above Pout, Contains bg.

Therefore, conventionally, together with the detected light amount of the laser beam when the laser beam is irradiated [ie, Pout (λ) '], immediately before and / or immediately after the laser beam is irradiated on the fruits and vegetables (when the laser beam is not irradiated) The light amount of the background light emitted from the fruits and vegetables [i.e., Pout, bg] is measured, and the value obtained by subtracting the detected light amount of the background light from the detected light amount of the laser light including the background light [i.e., Pout (λ) ) '-Pout, bg = Pout ([lambda])].

In order to concretely execute this method, it is necessary to turn on and off the laser output of the laser light source in a short time, and to measure the taste characteristics of a large amount of fruits and vegetables, the above operation is required. Had to be repeated often.

However, when the ON / OFF operation of the laser light source is frequently repeated, the life of the laser light source is shortened and the replacement work is frequently required, so that there is a problem that the maintenance of the apparatus becomes complicated. I was

Further, since the laser light source is turned on and off at a high speed, the wavelength of the laser light source is not stable immediately after the ON operation because the temperature of the laser light source is unstable. On the other hand, since there is some afterglow during the OFF operation, the true amount of background light [ie,
Pout, bg] has a problem that is actually difficult to measure, and as a result, it is still insufficient to measure the taste characteristics such as sugar content and ripeness of fruits and vegetables with high accuracy. Had.

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object thereof is to turn on a laser light source.
The instability of the wavelength immediately after the operation and the afterglow at the time of the OFF operation are eliminated, so that the taste characteristics such as sugar content and ripeness of the fruits and vegetables can be measured with high accuracy, and the life of the laser light source, which is a component of the device, is dramatically improved. It is an object of the present invention to provide a non-destructive taste characteristic measuring device which can be extended.

[0017]

That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a laser light source for irradiating a vegetable to be measured with a laser beam, and a laser beam emitted from the vegetable or the like irradiated with the laser beam. And a non-destructive taste characteristic measuring device for measuring the taste characteristics of the fruits and vegetables from the incident light amount of the laser light incident on the fruits and vegetables and the detected light amount of the laser light measured by the detectors, A shutter is arranged on the light path between the light source and the fruits and vegetables to be measured,
Irradiation and non-irradiation of the laser light to the fruits and vegetables are controlled by opening and closing the shutter.

According to the nondestructive taste characteristic measuring apparatus of the present invention, with respect to the irradiation / non-irradiation of the fruit / vegetable with the laser beam, this is arranged on the optical path between the laser light source and the fruit / vegetable to be measured. Since the opening and closing operation of the provided shutter is performed, it is not necessary to perform the ON-OFF operation of the laser light source. That is, since the laser light source can always be applied in the ON operation state, the life of the laser light source can be drastically extended as compared with the related art, and the maintenance management of the apparatus can be simplified accordingly.

Further, since the irradiation and non-irradiation of the laser beam to the fruits and vegetables are performed by mechanically opening and closing the shutter, the instability of the wavelength immediately after the irradiation and the non-irradiation as compared with the conventional system in which the laser light source is turned on and off. It is possible to prevent the afterglow of the laser light source at the time. Therefore,
Compared with the conventional non-destructive taste characteristic measuring device, it is possible to measure the taste characteristics such as sugar content and ripeness of fruits and vegetables with higher accuracy.

In the present invention, the position of the shutter is arbitrary on the optical path between the laser light source and the fruits and vegetables to be measured, and is used to guide the laser light from the laser light source to a position near the fruits and vegetables to be measured. When the configuration in which the optical fiber is incorporated is adopted, it is possible to arrange the optical fiber at any position on the light incident side or the light exit side. However, it is preferable to dispose it on the light emitting side of the optical fiber. This is because when the optical fiber is disposed on the light emission side of the optical fiber, the amount of laser light returning to the laser light source when the shutter is opened and closed is reduced, and output fluctuation of the laser light source due to the return light can be prevented. The invention according to claim 2 has been made for such a technical reason.

That is, a second aspect of the present invention is based on the nondestructive taste characteristic measuring apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, and guides a laser beam from the laser light source to a position near a fruit and vegetable to be measured. An optical fiber is interposed between the laser light source and the fruits and vegetables, and the shutter is provided on the light emitting side of the optical fiber.

In the present invention, the shape and structure of the shutter are arbitrary, and examples thereof include a solenoid shutter, a shutter using a servomotor or a stepping motor, and the like. The invention according to claim 3 relates to a nondestructive taste characteristic measuring device that specifies the configuration of the shutter.

That is, a third aspect of the present invention is based on the nondestructive taste characteristic measuring apparatus according to the first or second aspect of the present invention. A shielding plate for opening or closing the optical path of the light source; and a base mounted on the base end of the shielding plate, and rotating the base end of the shielding plate to swing the tip end of the shielding plate to a position where the optical path is opened or closed. A main part of the shutter is constituted by a motor to be moved and position detecting means for detecting each stationary position of the shielding plate when the optical path is opened or closed.

The apparatus for measuring non-destructive taste characteristics according to the present invention mounts fruits and vegetables on a tray which is appropriately conveyed by a conveying means, and conveys the taste characteristics of the fruits and vegetables at a measuring section provided in a conveying path. It may be an apparatus having a structure for continuously measuring, or an apparatus having a structure in which fruits and vegetables are accommodated in a box in which the measuring unit is incorporated and the fruits and vegetables in a stationary state are individually measured. The fruits and vegetables whose taste characteristics are measured are also arbitrary, and examples include relatively small fruits and vegetables such as apples and peaches, and relatively large fruits and vegetables such as melons, watermelons and pumpkins.

[0025]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment] As shown in FIG. 1, a nondestructive taste characteristic measuring apparatus includes a tray 1 on which a melon M to be measured is placed, a roller conveyor for conveying the tray 1 in the direction of an arrow, and the like. Transport means 2 comprising three box-shaped measuring units 3 arranged at appropriate intervals in the transport path;
4, 5 and three semiconductor lasers 61, 62 as light sources,
An optical fiber 7 for guiding the laser light from 63 to the measuring units 3, 4, 5 and irradiating the melon M with the laser light
1, 72, 73, a detector (not shown) provided in each of the measuring units 3, 4, 5 and receiving the laser beam emitted from the melon M, A tray sensor (not shown) that detects a member to be detected (not shown) such as a light reflection tape provided on the tray 1 and is provided in the vicinity of the tray 1 to detect the arrival timing of the tray 1 in each of the measuring units 3, 4, and 5 And an analog / digital converter 81 for converting analog data from the detector into digital data.
And a computer (CPU) 82 with a display to which data from the detector, an arrival signal from the tray sensor, and the like are input via the analog / digital converter 81.
An analog-to-digital converter 83 connected to the computer (CPU) 82;
Power supplies 91, 92, 93 for exciting the respective 62, 63
And the main part is constituted.

The tray 1 is made of black ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) resin as shown in FIG. 2, and has a columnar lower tray portion 11 and protrudes upward from the lower tray portion 11. The main part is constituted by a substantially cylindrical tray upper part 12 having a pair of reference surfaces 100 formed by cutting out a part thereof, and a mortar-shaped receiving part is provided on the upper surface of the tray upper part 12. The receiving portion 13 has two tray-side light passage portions 14 and 1.
5, a detection member made of a light reflecting tape or the like is provided above each of the pair of reference surfaces 100, and the above-described measurement A concave groove 16 is provided so that the convex groove 90 provided on the upper surfaces of the portions 3, 4, and 5 is slidably and loosely fitted. The color of the entire tray 1 is black and opaque.

On the other hand, each of the measuring sections 3, 4 and 5 is provided with the above-mentioned ridge 90 at the central portion on the upper surface side, and is aligned with the open end of the above-mentioned tray side optical path sections 14 and 15 on the measuring section side. The measurement-side optical path portions 31 and 32 each including two cylindrical bodies are provided, and an optical fiber 71 that transmits laser light from the semiconductor laser 61 is provided at an open end of one of the measurement-side optical path portions 31. And the other measurement-side light path section 32
A detector (not shown) is disposed in the inside (the explanation is about the measuring unit 3, but the other measuring units 4 and 5 have the same structure). The function of the ridges 90 provided on the upper surface side of the measuring section 3 is as shown in FIG. 2 because the ridges 90 block the gap between the tray 1 and the measuring section 3. The laser light from the optical fiber 71 passing through the optical fiber 31 is prevented from entering the measurement-side optical path portion 32.
For this reason, only the light emitted from the fruits and vegetables M is incident on the detector (not shown) arranged in the measurement-side light passage portion 32, and the taste characteristics such as the sugar content and the like due to the leakage light of the laser light. Measurement errors can be avoided.

Also, in the vicinity of the tray-side open end of the measurement-side light path section (in FIG. 2, the measurement-side light path section 31 of the measurement section 3 is shown) in which the optical fibers of the measurement sections 3, 4, and 5 are arranged. Is provided with a shutter 20. The opening and closing operation of the shutter 20 causes the optical fiber 7 with respect to the melon M to move.
Irradiation / non-irradiation of the laser light from No. 1 is controlled. That is, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the shutter 20 has a substantially fan-shaped shielding plate 21 whose base end is rotatably provided and whose distal end swings to open or close the optical path of the laser beam. A stepping motor 22 attached to the base end of the shield plate 21 for rotating the base end side of the shield plate 21 to swing the distal end side of the shield plate 21 to a position where the optical path is opened or closed; The main part thereof is constituted by position sensors S _O and S _C for respectively detecting the rest positions of the shielding plate 21 when the shutter is opened or closed, and the opening and closing control of the shutter 20 is performed by a shutter control device described below. Is to be done.

In this nondestructive taste characteristic measuring device, the semiconductor lasers 61, 62 and 63 are controlled so that they are always turned on after the operator turns on the power of the device.

First, the shutter control device 200
It consists of a computer system as shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, the tray sensor S _T and the position sensor S
Signals from _O , S _{C and the} like are input to the control unit 202 via the input interface 201 as data. And
The control unit 202 is a CP that comprehensively processes the entire system.
U203, a RAM 204 for transmitting and receiving data to and from the CPU 203 in processing, and a ROM 205 for storing a program for giving a processing procedure to the CPU 203. The ROM 205 includes, as shown in the flowcharts of FIGS. A program for controlling the shutter opening / closing operation and the measurement timing of the detector is stored in advance, and the CPU 203 executes the program based on data given through the input interface 201 and outputs the program through the output interface 206. A control signal is transmitted to the stepping motor 22, the measuring circuit 207, and the like, and these are controlled.

The tray sensor S _T and the position sensor S
_{As O} and S _C , for example, an optical type having a light emitting element and a light receiving element is used. FIG. 5 shows only the configuration of the main part of the shutter control device 200 in the computer system, and the configurations of the other control devices are omitted.

Next, the operation of the shutter control device 200 will be described mainly with reference to flowcharts shown in FIGS.

First, when the operator turns on the power supply of the nondestructive taste characteristic measuring device, the semiconductor lasers 61, 62, 63 are turned on as described above, and the lasers having predetermined outputs from the respective semiconductor lasers 61, 62, 63 are operated. Light (λ1, λ2
And .lambda.3) are always radiated (however, the above-mentioned shutter controls the irradiation / non-irradiation of the laser beam on the melon M), and the tray 1 on which the melon M is placed is moved at a constant speed (50
(cm / sec) and reaches the measuring section 3 on the transport path.
Then, the control unit 202, the measurement section 3 the tray sensor disposed near S _T is determined whether or not it is detected the detected member of the tray 1 (step ST1), T ₁ hour when it is determined ( Specifically, the timer set to 20 msec) is turned on (step ST2), and the measuring circuit 207 is turned on, so that the amount of background light emitted from the melon M when laser light is not irradiated [ie, Pout , bg] is started (step ST3). At this time, since the laser light from the semiconductor laser 61 is not shielded by the shield plate 21 of the shutter 20 and is not irradiated on the melon M, the true light amount of the background light can be measured.

Next, when the control unit 202 determines the signal after the T ₁ times elapsed from the timer (step ST4), the stepping motor 22 of the shutter 20 is turned ON (step ST5, Note, the stepping motor 22 O
The N operation does not mean that the power of the motor is turned on, but means that a predetermined amount of pulse signal for rotating the motor is output. The same applies hereinafter), and the shielding plate 21 is swung by a predetermined amount. Then, the control unit 202 determines whether or not the position sensor S _O has detected the rest position of the shielding plate 21 when the optical path is opened (step ST ST).
6) If it is determined, stepping motor 2
(Step ST7, OFF operation of the stepping motor 22 does not mean that the power of the motor is turned off, but keeps constant without outputting a pulse signal for rotating the motor). which means are to be. with the same below), and oN operation of the timer set to 20m sec) in the T ₂ hours (specifically (step ST8), further, is oN operated measurement circuit 207 described above A laser beam (λ1 = 930n) including the background light irradiated to and emitted from the melon M
The measurement of the light amount [mout] [i.e., Pout (λ1) '] is started (step ST9). At this time, since the laser beam (λ1) is irradiated by the mechanical opening operation of the shutter, the wavelength of the laser beam (λ1) is stable even immediately after the irradiation, so that a stable light amount [that is, Pout (λ)
1) '] can be measured.

Next, when the control unit 202 determines the signal after the elapse of the time T ₂ from the timer (step ST10),
The stepping motor 22 of the shutter 20 is turned on (step ST11, except that the stepping motor 22
The direction of rotation is opposite to the direction of opening.)
1 is swung by a predetermined amount. Then, the control unit 202 determines whether or not the position sensor S _C has detected the rest position of the shielding plate 21 when the optical path is closed (step ST12).
To F operates Melon immediately after (step ST13), T ₃ hours ON operation a timer set to (specifically 20m sec) (step ST14), further, the laser light irradiating the measurement circuit 207 by ON operation The measurement of the amount of background light emitted from M (that is, Pout, bg) is started (step ST15).

[0037] Then, the control unit 202 determines the signal after T ₃ hours elapsed from the timer (step ST16), measurement of the Pout (.lambda.1) is completed.

As described above, Pout (λ1) is equal to Pout (λ1).
out (λ1) = Pout (λ1) ′ − Pout, bg, where Pout, bg is the average of the values obtained in steps ST3 and ST15. This is because the amount of background light passing through different portions of the melon M is measured in steps ST3 and ST15 as the tray 1 is transported, and the background value is obtained by calculating the average value of these values. This is because a more true light value of light can be measured.

After the tray 1 has passed through the measuring section 3 and the Pout (λ1) has been measured, the measuring sections 4 and 5
Are sequentially conveyed to Then, according to the same process as the measuring unit 3, the measuring unit 4 and the measuring unit 5 perform Pout (λ2 = 91
0 nm, irradiation time = 20 ms), Pout (λ3 = 880 n)
m, irradiation time = 20 msec), and the sugar content of the melon M is determined from these measured values by a non-destructive method.

[Second Embodiment] This non-destructive taste characteristic measuring apparatus comprises, as shown in FIG. 9, a box 302 having a mounting table 301 on one side of which can be opened and closed by a door 300 and on which a melon M is mounted. Three semiconductor lasers 61, 62,
Each laser beam from 63 is guided to a measuring section (not shown) provided on the lower side of the mounting table 301, and each laser beam (λ 1, λ 2 and λ 3) is applied to the melon M mounted on the mounting table 301. Optical fibers 71, 72, 73 for sequentially irradiating
And a single detector (not shown) in which the laser beams (λ1, λ2 and λ3) and the like emitted from the melon M are arranged in the measuring section, and analog data from this detector is converted into digital data. And a computer (CPU) 82 to which data and the like from the detector are input and which constitute a part of a shutter control device described below, and which are connected to the computer (CPU) 82. An analog-to-digital converter and power supplies 91 and 9 for exciting the semiconductor lasers 61, 62 and 63, respectively.
2 and 93 constitute the main part, and FIG.
Each optical fiber 7 arranged in the measurement section as shown in FIG.
At the light incident side of 1, 72, 73 (that is, the light emitting side of each of the semiconductor lasers 61, 62, 63 as a light source as shown in FIG. 9), a second light source having the same structure as that shown in FIG. A first shutter 311, a second shutter 312, and a third shutter 313 are provided, respectively.

The opening and closing of each shutter is controlled by a shutter control device. This shutter control device is a computer system shown in FIG. 5 (however, since this device is of a type that measures the melon M in a stationary state). (The tray sensor _ST is not provided).

Hereinafter, the operation of the shutter control device will be described mainly with reference to flowcharts shown in FIGS.

First, when the operator turns on the power of the nondestructive taste characteristic measuring device, the semiconductor lasers 61 and 6 are turned on.
The semiconductor lasers 61, 62, 6 are turned ON by
The laser light (λ1, λ2, and λ3) having a predetermined output from 3 is always irradiated (however, irradiation / non-irradiation of the laser light to the melon M is controlled by the shutters 311, 312, and 313). Then, the operator places the melon M on the mounting table 301 in the box 302,
Then, close the door 300 and turn on the start button (not shown).
When operated, the control unit determines this ON operation (step
ST1), the time T ₁ (specifically ON operation the set timer 20m sec) (with step ST2), melons measurement circuit by ON operation when the laser beam non-irradiated M
Of the background light emitted from the
[t, bg] is started (step ST3). At this time,
Since the laser light from the semiconductor laser 61 is not shielded by the shield plate of the first shutter 311 provided on the light incident side of the optical fiber 71 and is not irradiated on the melon M, the true light amount of the background light is reduced. It becomes possible to measure. In this apparatus, since the melon M is not conveyed and moved, only the measurement of the background light immediately before the laser light irradiation is performed.

Next, when the control unit determines the signal after the T ₁ times elapsed from the timer (step ST4), the first shutter 3 provided on the light incident side of the optical fiber 71
The first stepping motor 11 is turned on (step ST5), and the shield plate is swung by a predetermined amount. And the first
The control unit determines whether or not the position sensor _S10 has detected the stationary position of the shielding plate when the optical path is opened (that is, the position at the time of opening) (step ST6). When the control unit determines, the first stepping motor is turned off. (Step ST
With 7), T ₂₁ hours (specifically by ON operation of the timer set to 20m sec) (step ST8), and further, the measuring circuit by ON operation is irradiated onto the melon M and emitted from the melon M Of the laser light (λ1 = 930 nm) including the background light [ie, Pout (λ1) ′]
Measurement is started (step ST9). At this time, the laser light (λ1) is irradiated by the mechanical opening operation of the shutter.
Is stable, which makes it possible to measure a stable light amount [that is, Pout (λ1) ′]. In addition, the following P
The same applies to out (λ2) ′ and Pout (λ3) ′.

Next, when the control unit determines the signal after T ₂₁ hours elapsed from the timer (step ST10), first stepping motor of the first shutter 311 is turned ON (step ST11, where the first stepping The direction of rotation of the motor is opposite to the direction when the motor is open), and the shielding plate is swung by a predetermined amount. Then, the control unit determines whether or not the first position sensor S _1C has detected the stationary position of the shielding plate when the optical path is closed (ie, the closed position) (step S1C).
ST12), when it is determined, the first stepping motor is turned off (step ST13), and the second shutter 312 provided on the light incident side of the optical fiber 72.
Turn on the second stepping motor (step ST1).
4) The shielding plate is swung by a predetermined amount. Then, the control unit determines whether or not the second position sensor _S2O has detected the stationary position of the shielding plate when the optical path is opened (that is, the open position) (step ST15).
Turn off the stepping motor (step ST16)
Together, T ₂₂ hours ON operation a timer set to (specifically 20m sec) (step ST17), further, a measuring circuit by ON operation is irradiated onto the melon M and back emitted from the melon M Laser light including ground light (λ
The measurement of the amount of light [2 = 910 nm] [that is, Pout (λ2) ′] is started (step ST18).

Next, when the control unit determines the signal after T ₂₂ hours elapsed from the timer (step ST19), the second stepping motor of the second shutter 312 is turned ON (step ST20, except that the second stepping The direction of rotation of the motor is opposite to the direction when the motor is open), and the shielding plate is swung by a predetermined amount. Then, the control unit determines whether or not the second position sensor S _2C has detected the stationary position of the shielding plate when the optical path is closed (ie, the closed position) (step S2C).
ST21), when it is determined, the second stepping motor is turned off (step ST22), and the third shutter 313 provided on the light incident side of the optical fiber 73 is provided.
Turn on the third stepping motor (step ST2).
3) The shielding plate is swung by a predetermined amount. Then, the control unit determines whether or not the third position sensor _S3O has detected the stationary position of the shielding plate when the optical path is opened (that is, the open position) (step ST24).
Turn off the stepping motor (step ST25)
Together, T ₂₃ hours ON operation a timer set to (specifically 20m sec) (step ST26), further, a measuring circuit by ON operation is irradiated onto the melon M and back emitted from the melon M Laser light including ground light (λ
3 = 880 nm) [ie, measurement of Pout (λ3) '] is started (step ST27).

Next, when the control unit determines the signal after T ₂₃ hours elapsed from the timer (step ST28), the third stepping motor of the third shutter 313 is turned ON (step ST29, where the third stepping The direction of rotation of the motor is opposite to the direction when the motor is open), and the shielding plate is swung by a predetermined amount. Then, the control unit determines whether or not the third position sensor S _3C has detected the stationary position of the shielding plate when the optical path is closed (ie, the closed position) (step S3C).
ST30), when it is determined, the third stepping motor is turned off (step ST31), and Pout (λ1), Pout (λ2) and Pout (λ3) are measured by a series of these operations, and the measured values are obtained. From non-destructive melon M
Is required.

[0048]

According to the nondestructive taste characteristic measuring apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the irradiation of the fruits and vegetables with laser light
Since the non-irradiation is performed by opening and closing a shutter provided on the optical path between the laser light source and the fruits and vegetables to be measured, there is no need to perform the ON-OFF operation of the laser light source.

That is, since the laser light source can always be applied in the ON operation state, the life of the laser light source can be drastically extended as compared with the prior art, and the maintenance management in the apparatus can be simplified accordingly. Having.

Further, since the irradiation and non-irradiation of the laser beam to the fruits and vegetables are performed by mechanically opening and closing the shutter, the instability of the wavelength immediately after the irradiation and the non-irradiation as compared with the conventional method in which the laser light source is turned on and off. It is possible to prevent the afterglow of the laser light source at the time.

Therefore, compared with the conventional non-destructive taste characteristic measuring device, the present invention has an effect that the taste characteristics such as sugar content and ripeness of fruits and vegetables can be measured with high accuracy.

Next, according to the non-destructive taste characteristic measuring apparatus of the present invention, an optical fiber for guiding the laser light from the laser light source to a position near the fruits and vegetables to be measured is connected to the laser light source and the fruits and vegetables. Since the shutter is provided on the light emitting side of the optical fiber, the return light of the laser light to the laser light source when the shutter is closed is reduced, and the laser light source caused by the return light is accordingly reduced. Has the effect of preventing output fluctuations.

Further, according to the nondestructive taste characteristic measuring apparatus according to the third aspect of the present invention, the base end is rotatably provided and the front end swings to open or close the optical path of the laser light source. And a motor attached to the base end side of the shield plate to rotate the base end side of the shield plate and swing the distal end side of the shield plate to a position where the optical path is opened or closed,
Since the main part of the shutter is constituted by the position detecting means for detecting each stationary position of the shielding plate when the optical path is opened or closed, the shutter can be opened and closed reliably.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of a nondestructive taste characteristic measuring device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a tray and a measuring unit at the time of measurement of the nondestructive taste characteristic measuring device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a configuration of a shutter incorporated in the nondestructive taste characteristic measuring device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a shutter control device of the nondestructive taste characteristic measuring device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the shutter control device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the shutter control device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of the shutter control device according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the overall configuration of a nondestructive taste characteristic measuring device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of the shutter control device according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the shutter control device according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the shutter control device according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the principle of a nondestructive taste characteristic measuring method.

[Explanation of symbols]

M melon (fruits and vegetables) 1 tray 3 measurement unit 4 measures 5 measuring unit 20 the shutter 21 blocking plate 22 a stepping motor S _O position sensor S _C position sensor 61 semiconductor laser 62 laser 63 laser 71 optical fiber 72 an optical fiber 73 an optical fiber

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Akira Terashima 3-18-5, Chugoku-ku, Ichikawa-shi, Chiba Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. Central Research Laboratory (72) Inventor Shuji Suzuki 3--18, Chugoku-ku, Ichikawa-shi, Chiba No. 5 Sumitomo Metal Mining Co., Ltd. Central Research Laboratory

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A laser light source for irradiating a fruit or vegetable to be measured with a laser beam, and a detector for irradiating a laser beam emitted from the fruit or vegetable irradiated with the laser beam, wherein the laser beam is incident on the fruit or vegetable. A non-destructive taste characteristic measuring device for measuring the taste characteristics of the fruits and vegetables from the incident light amount of the light and the detected light amount of the laser light measured by the detector, wherein a shutter is arranged on an optical path between the laser light source and the measured fruits and vegetables. A non-destructive taste characteristic measuring device, characterized in that irradiation and non-irradiation of the fruits and vegetables with the laser light are controlled by opening and closing the shutter. 2. An optical fiber for guiding a laser beam from the laser light source to a position near a vegetable to be measured is interposed between the laser light source and the vegetable, and the shutter is provided on the light emitting side of the optical fiber. The nondestructive taste characteristic measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the device is used. 3. A shielding plate which is rotatably provided at a base end thereof and which swings at a tip end thereof to open or close an optical path of a laser light source, and a base end of the shielding plate which is attached to a base end of the shielding plate. A motor that rotates the tip of the shielding plate to a position where the optical path is opened or closed, and a position detection unit that detects each stationary position of the shielding plate when the optical path is opened or closed. The nondestructive taste characteristic measuring device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a main part of the shutter is configured.