JPH11194013A - Measuring device for fruits and vegetables - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a measuring device for fruits and vegetables for appropriately measuring the extreme thickness and thinness of long fruits and vegetables. SOLUTION: A measuring device is provided with a CCD camera 42 for outputting image pick-up information for measurement by picking up the image of a long object to be measured. The device is configured to evaluate an object to be measured by performing the image processing of image pick-up information from the CCD camera 42 and is configured to measure the length and thickness of the object to be measured based on the image pick-up information of the object to be measured by the CCD camera 42 and at the same time judges whether the object to be measured is extremely thick or thin based on the criteria that are preset according to the relationship of the length and thickness.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image pickup means for picking up an image of a long object to be measured and outputting image pickup information for measurement, and processing the image pickup information of the image pickup means to image the object to be measured. The present invention relates to a fruit and vegetable measuring device provided with an image processing means for evaluating.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a fruit and vegetable measuring apparatus, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-214381, the thickness of an object to be measured is measured at a plurality of locations, and the thickness is measured. Based on the result, the minimum value and the maximum value are compared with a predetermined criterion to determine whether any of the minimum value and the maximum value corresponds to the maximum (thick) or the minimum (thin). There was a thing which was made to judge. That is, in the related art, it is determined whether or not the object to be measured is extra-thick or extra-fine based on only the thickness measurement information.

[0003]

[0007] Long fruit vegetables as objects to be measured generally have individual differences (variations) in outer dimensions (thickness, length, etc.) due to differences in seasons, production areas, and the like.
However, as in the above-described conventional configuration, when the extra-thickness or extra-fineness is determined based on only the thickness information, even if it is determined to be extra-thick (extra-fine), the appearance is extremely extra-thick ( (Fine). In other words, it is necessary to determine whether the sheet is extremely thick or very thin based on a relative judgment in appearance.

The present invention has been made in view of such a point, and an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for measuring fruit and vegetables which can appropriately determine whether a long fruit or vegetable is extremely thick or fine. Is to do.

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image pickup means for picking up an image of a long object to be measured and outputting image pickup information for measurement, and image pickup information of the image pickup means. Image processing means for evaluating the object to be measured by performing image processing on the object, based on imaging information of the object to be measured by the imaging means, the length of the object to be measured In addition to measuring the thickness, it is configured to determine whether the object to be measured is extra-thick or extra-fine based on a discrimination criterion set in advance corresponding to the relationship between the length and the thickness.

Therefore, based on not only the information on the thickness of the object to be measured but also the discrimination criterion set in advance corresponding to the relationship between the length and the thickness of the object to be measured, the object to be measured is very thick or very thin. For example, when the length of the object to be measured is short and long, the reference value of the thickness for judging that the object is extra-thick or extra-fine is different from each other, so that It is possible to determine the extraordinarily thick or extra fine so as to correspond to the above relative judgment. In this way, it is possible to provide a fruit and vegetable measuring device which can determine the thickness and the fineness of a long fruit and vegetable based on the relationship between the length and the thickness of the object to be measured as appropriately as possible. Reached.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the image processing means obtains a reference line along a longitudinal direction of the measured object based on the imaging information.
The distance between the two most distant points in the direction along the reference line in the outer peripheral portion of the image of the object to be measured is determined as the length of the object to be measured, and based on the imaging information, With respect to the image of the measured object, the width of the measured object is determined at a plurality of locations along the reference line of the measured object, and an average value of the plurality of widths is determined as the thickness of the measured object. ing.

That is, first, based on the image processing, a reference line along the longitudinal direction of the object to be measured is determined, and the maximum distance at the outer peripheral portion of the image of the object to be measured along the direction of the reference line is measured. An average value of a plurality of widths obtained at a plurality of locations along the reference line is obtained as a thickness of the measured object.

[0009] Therefore, for the image of long fruit vegetables,
The reference line in the longitudinal direction is properly determined, the length is accurately measured based on the reference, and the thickness is obtained from the average value of a plurality of locations, so that the error is reduced as much as possible by local unevenness. Thickness can be obtained with high accuracy in the state, and furthermore, it is possible to judge the extra-thickness and extra-fineness in correspondence with the relationship between the length and the thickness, so that the extra-thickness and extra-fineness of long fruit and vegetables are more appropriately determined. It becomes possible.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The fruit and vegetable measuring apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in the case where it is applied to a cucumber sorting apparatus as an example of an object to be measured. FIG. 1 shows a cucumber sorting apparatus. This cucumber sorting apparatus takes out cucumber K one by one from a container 1 in which a large number of cucumbers K are loaded in a state where the longitudinal directions thereof are aligned in the same direction, and feeds the cucumber K one by one to a conveyor conveyor. When the cucumber K is located at a predetermined imaging location on the conveying path of the belt conveyor 3, the cucumber K is supplied to a supply location located on the upstream side of the belt conveyor 3.
A measuring unit 4 is provided for measuring the length, bending and the like of the cucumber K based on the imaging information of the cucumber K from above, and obtaining the grade and class of the cucumber K from the result. Then, cucumbers K are taken out one by one from a take-out location on the lower side in the transport direction from the imaging location, and based on the evaluation results of the measuring unit 4, the cucumbers K are set in the storage boxes 5 as a plurality of storage units in advance. An unloading device 6 is provided as unloading means for sorting and loading based on the sorting reference information.
Further, the supply device 2, the unloading device 6, and the belt conveyor 3
Is provided with a control device 7 as control means for controlling the operation of.

As shown in FIG. 2, the supply device 2 sucks and holds the cucumbers K one by one and removes them from the container 1 by means of suction nozzles 8 provided so as to be able to move up and down and reciprocate in the horizontal direction. It is configured to be transferred onto the belt conveyor 3. That is, the support mechanism 10 is provided so as to be reciprocally movable with respect to the machine frame 9 in a horizontal direction (conveyor horizontal width direction) orthogonal to the conveying direction of the belt conveyor 3. 8 is supported so as to be able to move up and down.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the support mechanism 10 includes a pipe frame 11 extending in the lateral direction, a rectangular frame portion 12 connected to the pipe frame 11 and extending downward, and a pipe frame 11. A plurality of guide rollers 14 attached to both ends of the pipe frame 11 are provided along the machine frame 9. It is configured to be slidably engaged with and fixed to the left and right fixed rails 15, 15, and the entire support mechanism 10 is provided slidably in the horizontal direction. In addition, one for sucking and taking out cucumber K into the rectangular frame portion 12.
A support cylinder 16 provided with a plurality of suction nozzles 8 at the lower end is provided so as to be able to move up and down.

The support mechanism 10 is connected to a rubber belt 17 supported by the machine frame 9 while being rotatably wound along the fixed rails 15, 15, and is provided at one end of the machine frame 9. The rubber belt 17 is driven to rotate forward and backward by the first electric motor M1 so as to be reciprocated in the horizontal direction. A rubber belt 18 rotatably wound in the up-down direction is provided inside the rectangular frame portion 12 so as to be connected to the support cylinder 16.
The support cylinder 16, that is, the suction nozzle 8 is moved up and down by driving the rubber belt 18 to rotate forward and backward by a second electric motor M <b> 2 provided in the inside. An air suction passage 19 for performing a suction operation from the suction nozzle 8 by an air compressor (not shown) is formed inside the support cylinder 16. A laser type distance sensor 20 for detecting a target to be taken out of the plurality of cucumbers K loaded in the container 1 is provided on the lateral outer side of the rectangular frame portion 12.

[0014] After the harvesting, the appearance defect such as uneven color or scratches is artificially selected by an operator, and the defective appearance product is distinguished and stored in another storage device, for example. In the container 1, non-defective cucumber K having no defective appearance is loaded and stored in a state where the cucumber K is aligned in the longitudinal direction. Further, the container 1 is placed so that the longitudinal direction of the loaded cucumbers K is the same as the transport direction of the belt conveyor 3.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.
Is provided with a support mechanism 21 similar to the supply device 2,
One suction nozzle 22 for sucking and taking out cucumber K
Is configured to be movable up and down and movable in the horizontal direction. However, in the unloading device 6, the support mechanism 21 supporting the suction nozzles 22 is in the same direction as the conveyor conveyance direction and in a direction perpendicular to the conveyor conveyance direction ( (In the width direction of the conveyor).
Is provided so as to be rotatable around the vertical axis. The supply device 2 is provided inside the support cylinder 23.
An air suction passage 24 for suction operation from the suction nozzle 22 by an air compressor (not shown) is formed in the same manner as in the above. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the support mechanism 21
5, a rectangular frame portion 26 connected to the pipe frame 25 and extending downward, a cover body 27 which is located above the pipe frame 25 and covers an electric motor and the like described later, and the like.
A plurality of guide rollers 28 attached to both ends of the pipe frame 25 are slidably engaged with fixed rails 30 on both left and right sides provided along a support rail portion 29. Support mechanism 21
The whole is slidably provided in the horizontal direction along the support rail portion 29. The support rail portion 29 is supported by the machine frame 31 so as to be reciprocally movable along the width direction of the conveyor, and a rubber belt 32 is rotatably wound along the longitudinal direction of the support rail portion 29. The support mechanism 21 is connected to the support mechanism 21, and the rubber belt 32 is driven forward and reverse by the third electric motor M3, so that the support mechanism 21 is configured to be reciprocated along the conveyor conveyance direction, as shown in FIG. A rubber belt 33, which is rotatably wound along the machine frame 31, is connected to the support rail portion 29, and the rubber belt 33 is driven forward and reverse by the fourth electric motor M4, so that the support rail portion 29 is conveyed horizontally. It is configured to be operated to reciprocate along the direction. Further, the support cylinder 23 is provided in the same manner as in the case of the supply device 2,
Rubber belt 34 that is rotatably wound along the vertical direction
And the rubber belt 3 is driven by the fifth electric motor M5.
4 is driven up and down in the up and down direction by rotating the head forward and backward.

In the carrying-out device 6, the support cylinder 23 is placed in the sixth electric motor M
6 is provided so as to be rotatable around the vertical axis X1 by the drive of 6, so that the rotation posture can be corrected while the cucumber K is being sucked. That is, a drive shaft 35 having a hexagonal cross section is disposed inside the rectangular frame portion 26 in a state parallel to the support cylinder 23 so as to be able to be driven and operated by the sixth electric motor M6 so as to cover almost the entire vertical direction. A drive gear 36 is externally fitted so as to be rotatable integrally with the shaft 35 and slidable in the vertical direction, and is integrally formed with the support cylinder 23 in a state where the driven gear 37 provided on the support cylinder 23 meshes with the drive gear 36. It is provided so that it can be moved up and down,
The support cylinder 23 is configured to be rotatable regardless of the elevating operation.

As shown in FIG. 3, the belt conveyor 3 is driven to rotate by a seventh electric motor M7, and is controlled so as to intermittently repeat a transfer operation and a stop operation as described later. It is configured to be.

Each of the electric motors M1 to M7 as described above
Are constituted by pulse motors, respectively, and as shown in FIG. 8, the operation state is controlled by a control device 7 as control means. The control device 7 includes a microcomputer, and is configured to control the operation of each electric motor according to a control procedure preset by a control program stored in a storage means (ROM).

As shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of storage boxes 5 are distributed and arranged on both sides of the belt conveyor in the width direction.
The cucumber receiving surface of the storage box 5 is set in a horizontal posture. still,
A plurality of cucumbers K for storing cucumber K, which is supplied through a chute 39b from a passage hole 39a formed between the belt conveyor 3 and the storage box 5, is provided below the mounting table 38 on which the storage box 5 is mounted. A collection unit 40 is provided.

As shown in FIG. 7, the measuring section 4 is provided with a box-shaped light-shielding cover 41 forming a shielding space for photographing, and the cucumber K ( CCD as an imaging means for photographing an object to be measured
The camera 42 is installed in a fixed position. The opening in the light-shielding cover 41 that allows the passage of the cucumber K is shielded so that external light does not enter the shielded space, and is cut at appropriate intervals so as to allow the cucumber K to pass through. A droop 43 is provided.

The CCD camera 42 includes a CCD image pickup device (charge-coupled device) 42a as an image forming unit having a two-dimensional resolution, and a CCD image pickup area located in front of the CCD image pickup device 42a for picking up cucumber K. Image sensor 42a
The image of cucumber K in a state where it is wider than the light receiving area of
And a lens mechanism 42b as an optical unit for forming an image on the D image pickup device 42a.
Is configured to sequentially output the imaging information of the imaging location in each set cycle, and is configured to output the imaging information as brightness (luminance) information, so-called monochrome image information. In addition, a light source (incandescent lamp) 44 for irradiating from above is provided in the light-shielding cover 41 so as to make the amount of irradiation of the cucumber K, which is the subject, uniform over substantially the entire surface.
Reflecting mirrors 45 are provided on both sides in the width direction of the belt conveyor 3 so as to irradiate the cucumber K from the lateral direction. C
The CD image pickup device 42a has a size of 256 × 2
A device having a resolution of 56 pixels is used, and the region to be imaged is a square region with a side of about 30 cm.

Further, an image processing means 100 is provided which performs image processing on the image pickup information output by the CCD camera 42 to evaluate the cucumber K. This image processing means 100
Specifically, as the evaluation processing of the cucumber K, specifically, the length, bending, thickness, etc. of the cucumber K are measured, and based on the measurement result and the sorting reference information set and stored in advance, It is configured to determine the class / grade for sorting the cucumbers K.

As shown in FIG. 8, the image processing means 10
Numeral 0 denotes an analog / digital conversion process for converting analog image information output from the CCD camera 42 into digital information, and at the same time, a binarization process for distinguishing the image of the cucumber K from other areas. A / D converter 46 as value processing means, image memory 47 as storage means for sequentially storing output data of A / D converter 46
And a data processing section 48 as data processing means for determining the class / grade for sorting the cucumbers K based on the data stored in the image memory 47. The A / D converter 46 converts information output from the CCD camera 42 into binary information in real time and processes it, so that the processing is performed at high speed. The data processing section 48 is constituted by a microcomputer, reads the image data stored in the image memory 47 every set time (1/30 second), and sets and stores the control data stored in the storage means (ROM). The program is configured to execute image processing according to a processing procedure described later. The transfer mounting surface of the belt conveyor 3 is colored black so as to have a different brightness (lower) than that of the cucumber K, and is configured to have a low light reflectance. In the obtained captured image, the area of the cucumber K is configured to be surely a brighter image than the other area (the background, that is, the conveyor mounting surface). Thus, the image of the cucumber K can be extracted as accurately as possible.

Next, the processing procedure of the evaluation processing on the cucumber in the image processing means 100 will be described based on the control flowchart shown in FIG. First, an image is fetched from the image memory, and the image is stored in the A /
Binarization processing is performed by real-time processing using the D converter 46 (step 1). That is, binarization is performed by setting an area having a luminance equal to or higher than the set threshold to “1” and setting the other area to “0”. Next, while searching for the contour of the image area, a noise removal process for removing a minute area is performed (step 3). More specifically, the image data is sequentially scanned in the horizontal direction from the upper left to search for a pixel of data “1”. When the pixel of the data "1" is found, the scanning of the image data is interrupted, and from that point, the contour point of the image of the data "1" is searched, and the peripheral length of the contour point is simultaneously measured. . If the perimeter is less than a preset value, it is ignored as a noise component, and if it is more than the set value, the image area is a cucumber image area.

The outline 4 of the image area thus obtained
Using the information of No. 9, a moment feature value (center of gravity position, main axis) is calculated (step 4). More specifically, the moment M _0,0 , around the origin defined by the following [Equation 1]
M _1,0 and M _0,1 are obtained.

[0026]

(Equation 1)

Here, f (x, y) is a pixel value at coordinates (x, y) on the binary image. Then, the center of gravity position (x ₀ , y ₀ ) of the image of the cucumber is obtained from the following [Equation 2].

[0028]

X ₀ = M _1,0 / M _0,0 , y ₀ = M _0,1 / M _0,0

Next, secondary moments M _1,1 , M _2,0 , and M _0,2 around the position of the center of gravity on the image of the cucumber are obtained from the following [ _Equation 3], and based on [Equation 4], the cucumber is obtained. An angle θ between the direction in which the image is extended (principal axis direction) and the x-axis is determined, and a line 50 passing through the center of gravity G at an angle θ with the x-axis becomes a principal axis as a reference line. Note that the main axis may be parallel to the x-axis in the image (θ = 0 °).

[0030]

(Equation 3)

[0031]

[Equation 4] θ = 1/2 · tan ⁻¹ ｛2M _1,1 / (M _2,0 −
M _0,2 )｝

Next, the length L of the cucumber is measured based on the outline 49 (step 5). That is, as shown in FIG. 12, each point sequence on the contour 49 is projected on the main axis 50 in a direction orthogonal to the main axis 50, and the distance between the two points where the distance is the largest among the projected points is determined. Let the length of the cucumbers be L.

The bending of the cucumber is measured based on the contour 49 (step 6). More specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, each point P1,
The distance (the distance in the direction perpendicular to the main axis) between the outline 49 and the main axis 50 is determined in order from each of the P2 to the set range toward the center in the length direction, and the distance on the outline 49 corresponding to the largest one is obtained. The reference points P3 and P4 are obtained. Next, the distance between the straight line 51 connecting each reference point and the contour data between each of the reference points P3 and P4 is sequentially determined, and the maximum distance between the two points is defined as the cucumber curve Q.

An appropriate position Hi for suction (holding) by the suction nozzle 22 in the unloading device 6 is determined (step 7). That is, two points where a straight line passing through the center of gravity position G and perpendicular to the main axis 50 intersects the 49 contours are obtained, and the center position between these two points is determined as the proper position Hi.

The thickness F of the cucumber is measured based on the outline 49.
(Step 8). More specifically, as shown in FIG.
Along the length direction of the cucumbers (the direction along the main axis)
Width on the contour 49 so that it is equally divided into N (for example, 12 equally)
Each point a along one side of _1,a_Two... a_nIs specified.
In addition, the end of the cucumber in the longitudinal direction has "heap" etc.
The image is removed from the small area set at both ends.
I have. Then, the outline 49 opposing each point in the width direction.
Each point b above_1,b_Two... b_nTo its longitudinal setting
Find distances at multiple points up to contour 49 over a fixed range
Therefore, the minimum value is used as the measurement value at that location. That
Such a measurement is performed at each of the above points, and the
The average value is defined as the thickness F of the cucumbers.

Of the plurality of regions obtained by dividing the length of the cucumbers into N for the thickness measurement, the end regions 53R and 53L located at both ends in the longitudinal direction are located adjacent to the center. For each of the set setting areas 54R and 54L and the intermediate area 55 positioned in the middle in the longitudinal direction, the area of each area is determined by counting the number of pixels in the image (step 9).

Next, as shown in FIG. 14, rectangular data 56 whose long side direction is parallel to the main axis 50 and circumscribes the image of the cucumber is obtained, and the distance between the long side of the rectangular data 56 and the contour 49 is determined. The contour data is created by determining the distance at each set interval (step 10). This contour data is used at the time of carrying out operation.

Finally, the class of the cucumber is determined based on the measurement information (step 11). This class determination process will be described in detail with reference to FIG. That is, basically, based on the measured value of the length L and the preset class reference information (for example, a plurality of classes such as SS, S, M, L, and LL), the length of the cucumbers is determined. Is determined (step 101), and based on the measured value of the bending Q and predetermined grade reference information (for example, a plurality of grades such as A, B, and C). It is determined which grade the bend of the cucumber corresponds to (step 102). Then, the rank of the class (for example, AM, ALL, BS, etc.) is determined based on the combination of the class and the class (step 103).

Next, a ratio between the length L and the thickness F of the cucumbers is determined, and based on a comparison between the ratio and a preset ratio, it is determined whether the cucumbers are thick or fine. A determination is made (steps 104 and 105). Specifically,
For example, as shown in FIG. 19, for each of the plurality of classes, a mutually different extra fine judgment value and extra large judgment value are set in advance, and if the measured thickness is equal to or less than the extra fine judgment value in the corresponding class. It is determined that the image is extremely thin, and if it is equal to or greater than the extremely thick determination value, it is determined that the image is extremely thick. Then, when it is determined that the class is extremely thick, the class determined based on the length L is changed to one rank higher (step 1).
06). If it is determined that the class is extremely fine, the class determined based on the length L is changed to one rank lower (step 107).

Further, based on the area information measured in the step 9, it is determined whether or not the butt or the butt is narrow and whether or not the central part is constricted (step 10).
8). That is, as shown in FIG.
(53L) and a setting area 54R (54L) adjacent thereto
, That is, whether the ratio of the area of 53R to the area of 54R, and the ratio of the area of 53L to the area of 54L is larger than the judgment value for thick tail or smaller than the judgment value for thin tail. Is used to determine whether or not it is thick or thin, and the intermediate area 55 and the setting area 54R (54
L) to determine whether or not a constricted state. When such a thick or narrow or narrow neck is determined, processing such as changing the rank based on a preset reference value or determining that the product is out of grade is performed (step 109). Then, based on the measurement items as described above, it is finally determined which of the equal ranks set in advance for the cucumber K for each storage box 5 ( Step 110).

Next, the control operation of the control device 7 will be described with reference to a control flowchart shown in FIG. When the operation is started, the first supply operation by the supply device 2 is executed (step 21). That is, the supply device 2
With the suction nozzle 8 raised,
The distance sensor 20 measures the distance to the upper surface of the cucumber K while reciprocating horizontally in the entire range of the container 1 and divides the entire width of the container 1 into five zones. The position of the cucumber K at the highest position (the position where the distance is the minimum) is detected. Then, the cucumber in the highest zone among the highest positions in each zone is sucked and placed and supplied to the supply position on the belt conveyor 3. In the supply operation from the next time, the cucumber K is taken out from the zone where the cucumber is at the highest position at that time. When the extraction is completed for all five zones, the distance sensor 20 is moved again to detect the height, and the cucumbers are sequentially extracted in the same order.

Next, conveyance of the belt conveyor 3 is started,
Based on the image information in the image processing means 100, when it is determined that the lower end of the cucumber K in the transport direction has reached the predetermined area U on the upper side in the transport direction in the imaging area of the CCD camera 42, from that point in time After the conveyance by the set distance, the conveyance of the belt conveyor 3 is stopped (steps 22 to 2).
5). The set distance is set to a value close to the maximum value expected as the length of the cucumber K (for example, about 25 cm) (see FIG. 15).

In a state where the conveyance of the belt conveyor 3 is stopped, the evaluation processing of the cucumber K by the image processing means 100 is executed based on the image of the cucumber K taken by the CCD camera 42, and at the same time, this conveyance is performed. In the stopped state,
The supply operation of the cucumber K by the supply device 2 and the sorting and unloading operation by the unloading device 6 are executed (steps 26 and 2).
7, 28). When the supply operation and the unloading operation are completed, the conveyance by the belt conveyor 3 is restarted, and
3, the above-described evaluation processing is repeated until the processing is completed for all the cucumbers K in the container 1 (steps 29, 30, 31).

The unloading operation will be described. At the start of control (when power is turned on), the suction nozzle 22 is located at a preset origin (reference position) (see FIG. 9). This origin is a position where the cucumber K to be carried out is expected to be present when the conveyance of the belt conveyor 3 is stopped in a plan view, and as shown in FIG.
The position is set to a position corresponding to twice the distance α between the supply position and the imaging position by the CCD camera 42. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, in the unloading operation, the image processing means 1
The suction position (holding position) Hp is determined as coordinate data in plan view from the information on the appropriate position Hi for suction of the cucumber K determined in 00 and the information on the transport distance by the belt conveyor 3 (step 40). . In addition, the conveyance distance of the belt conveyor 3 can be determined from the count value of the pulse applied to the seventh electric motor M7 (pulse motor). The storage box 5 to be sorted is determined based on the evaluation result by the image processing means 100, and the target carry-in position for the storage box 5 is determined (step 41). More specifically, as shown in FIG. 16, cucumbers have already been carried into the storage box 5,
If the previous carry-in position is stored, a position where the rectangular data 56 of the cucumber K at the previous carry-in position and the rectangular data 56 of the cucumber to be carried in this time are closely arranged as a temporary position (target reference position). Initial settings (Fig. 1
6 (a)), the target carry-in position is determined based on the contour data determined by the image processing means 100 such that the gap between the cucumbers is reduced. That is, as shown in FIG. 16B, the minimum value of the sum of the gaps between the previous contour 49 of the cucumbers and the contour 49 of the present cucumbers (the distance between the contour 49 and the rectangle at a plurality of locations) is calculated. In other words, the carry-in target position is obtained by shifting the position from the tentative position to the lower side of the inclination so that each cucumber comes close to the extent of contact with each other. If the previous carry-in position is not stored, the carry-in target position is set so as to approach the inner edge at one end of the storage box.

By moving the suction nozzle 22 to the suction position,
The suction nozzle 22 is lowered to the location where the cucumber K is present, and the suction operation is performed by sucking air (step 42). It is determined whether or not suction has succeeded by checking if the pressure in the air suction passage has become negative by a negative pressure sensor. If suction is successful, the cucumber K slightly rises while sucking Then, the proper posture for storage, that is, the rectangular data of the cucumber K at the previous loading position and the cucumber K to be loaded this time
When the cucumber K is bent, the rotation phase of the cucumber K is corrected by the rotation operation of the support tube 23 so that when the cucumber K is bent, the posture is such that both ends are located on the lower side. (Steps 43, 44, 4
5). In other words, the cucumber K is conveyed to the target carry-in position while being sucked, and is carried into the storage box 5 (step 46). When the loading operation is completed, the loading position with respect to the storage box 5 is stored, and the suction nozzle 22 is returned to the origin position (steps 47 and 48). When the cucumber K is loaded from one end side to the other end side of one storage box 5, the descending amount of the suction nozzle 12 is reduced by a set amount, and the cucumber K in the lower row of the previously loaded lower row is reduced. It will be loaded sequentially on top. In step 43, if the suction operation has not been properly performed even after the set number of times (about three times), the unloading operation is terminated to prepare for the subsequent cucumbers K. (Steps 49 and 50).

The cucumber K whose suction operation by the unloading device 6 could not be performed properly, or the cucumber K or the like other than the rank set for each storage box 5 is disposed on the lower side in the transport direction of the belt conveyor 3. It is collected by the collection unit 57 and is processed manually.

[Another Embodiment] (1) In the above embodiment, the extra fine judgment value or the extra thick judgment value is set to 1
The case where one class is set for each class and the class is changed to one rank higher or one rank lower is exemplified. Instead of such a configuration, a plurality of the determination values are set in multiple stages. Then, a configuration may be adopted in which the class is changed so as to be moved up and down a plurality of levels.

(2) In the above embodiment, the main shaft 5 is calculated by a moment as a reference line along the longitudinal direction of the cucumbers.
However, instead of this, the midpoint sequence of the outline is obtained along the longitudinal direction of the image of the cucumber, an approximate straight line of the midpoint sequence is obtained, and this approximate straight line is used as a reference line. You may.

(3) Instead of the cucumber thickness measuring method disclosed in the above embodiment, the thickness may be measured as follows. In other words, the outline of the image of the cucumber is extracted, and the midpoint sequence of the outline is sequentially obtained along the longitudinal direction, and the width of the outline in a direction orthogonal to the midpoint sequence at a plurality of locations along the longitudinal direction. May be obtained, and the average value of the plurality of widths may be obtained as the thickness of the cucumbers.

(4) In the above embodiment, the CCD camera 42 having the resolution in the two-dimensional direction is used as the imaging means. However, a CCD line sensor having the resolution only in the one-dimensional direction is arranged along the conveyor width direction. The image information of the object to be measured may be obtained by sequentially reading the output. Further, instead of the CCD camera 42, a MOS type imaging device or other imaging device may be used.

(5) In the above embodiment, the case where the measurement object is Cucumber K is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to Cucumber K and can be applied to eggplants and other long fruits and vegetables.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a cucumber sorting device.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a cucumber sorting device.

FIG. 3 is a side view of a cucumber sorting device.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the unloading device.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a supply device.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of an unloading device.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a measuring unit.

FIG. 8 is a control block diagram.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of an unloading device.

FIG. 10 is a control flowchart of an evaluation process.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a control operation.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of an operation of an evaluation process.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the evaluation processing.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the evaluation processing.

FIG. 15 is a plan view showing an operation state at an imaging location.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram of an operation for obtaining a carry-in target position.

FIG. 17 is a control flowchart of an unloading operation.

FIG. 18 is a control flowchart of equal class determination processing.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a very thick determination value and a very fine determination value.

[Explanation of symbols]

 42 imaging means 100 image processing means

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masahiro Kiyokawa 64 Ishizukitamachi, Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture Inside the Kubota Sakai Plant (72) Inventor Atsushi Kitamachi 64 Ishizukitamachi, Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture Kubota Sakai Manufacturing Co., Ltd. In-house (72) Inventor Kazuichiro Tsujita 64 Ishizukita-cho, Sakai-shi, Osaka Inside Kubota Sakai Plant

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An image pickup means for picking up an image of a long object to be measured and outputting image pickup information for measurement, and an image processing means for image-processing the image pickup information of the image pickup means to evaluate the object to be measured. Is a fruit and vegetable measuring device, wherein the image processing means, based on the imaging information of the measurement object by the imaging means, while measuring the length and thickness of the measurement object, the length and An apparatus for measuring fruits and vegetables configured to determine whether an object to be measured is extraordinarily thick or extraordinarily based on a discrimination criterion set in advance in association with the thickness. 2. The image processing means obtains a reference line along a longitudinal direction of the object to be measured based on the imaging information, and determines a reference line in a direction along the reference line in an outer peripheral portion of an image of the object to be measured. It is configured to determine the distance between two separated points as the length of the object to be measured, and, based on the imaging information, a plurality of images along the reference line of the object to be measured with respect to the image of the object to be measured. 2. The fruit and vegetable measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the width of the object to be measured is obtained at a location, and an average value of the plurality of widths is obtained as the thickness of the object to be measured.