JPS60122083A - Selector for foreign matter mixing in edible roots - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Technical field to which the invention pertains] The present invention relates to a sorting device for removing foreign substances such as rocks mixed in root vegetables such as beets and potatoes that are conveyed by a conveyor or the like.

[Prior art and its problems]

Conventionally, this type of device uses a visual sensor,
There are some methods that use ℃ magnetic waves, but the color may be almost the same, but the size may vary, or they may be transported in clumps, so it is difficult to sort out foreign substances mixed in a large amount of root vegetables in a short time. It's almost impossible. There is also a known sorting device that uses the difference in specific gravity between root vegetables and foreign substances, but since this requires soaking in water, if you leave the vegetables for a while after purchase, they may germinate or rot. There is a drawback. Similarly, in the case of sorting using a water jet based on the difference in specific gravity, there are 5 drawbacks such as huge running costs and equipment space required due to the amount of water and storage space for root vegetables.

[Purpose of the invention]

The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a sorting device that can easily, quickly, and accurately sort out foreign substances mixed in root vegetables.

[Key points of the invention]

This invention provides that when a root vegetable or a foreign object is placed on a predetermined plate-like member and vibrated or collided with the plate-like member to generate an impact between the root vegetable or foreign object and the plate-like member,
This was done by taking advantage of the fact that root vegetables and foreign objects have different impact vibrations or frequency distributions due to the difference in their elastic modulus.This difference is detected by a predetermined sensor, and a predetermined logical operation is applied to this difference. By applying this method, root vegetables and foreign substances can be separated.

[Embodiments of the invention]

Fig. 1 is an external configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2A is a side view showing the mechanism in detail, Fig. 2B is a side view showing another embodiment of the mechanism, and Fig. 6 is a sensor. This is an explanatory diagram showing a mode of attachment.

The sorting device according to the present invention, as shown in FIG.
It is roughly divided into a mechanism section consisting of transport conveyors 61 to 63, a vibration plate 4, a sorting damper 5, and a partition plate 6, and a determination/control section 7. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 2A, the mechanism section is provided with a sensor 10, a vibrator 11, an air cylinder 12, a switching solenoid valve 1!1, a near compressor 14, and the like. In FIG. 1, 1 is a root vegetable such as a beet or potato, and 2 is a foreign object such as a stone.

Hereinafter, its operation will be explained mainly with reference to FIG. 2A.

The mixture of root vegetables 1 and foreign matter 2 is transported by a transport conveyor 31 and guided to a vibration plate 4. Since the diaphragm 4 is vibrated by the vibrator 11, an impact or impact sound is generated between the root vegetables or foreign matter and the diaphragm. It has been confirmed that the vibration S of this impact or the frequency distribution of the impact sound differs from each other due to the difference in the elastic modulus of root vegetables and foreign objects.
0, and the determination/control unit 7 performs predetermined arithmetic processing to distinguish between root vegetables and foreign objects.

As a result, when it is determined that it is a foreign object, the determination/control unit 7 outputs a control amount at a predetermined timing and the switching solenoid valve 1
6 is operated, air from the near compressor 14 is supplied to the air cylinder 12 via the solenoid valve 16, and the air cylinder 12 is operated. As a result, the sorting damper 5
is driven and rotates in the direction of arrow A, and as a result, the foreign matter falls onto the foreign matter conveyor 32. Note that the root vegetables pass through the vibration plate 4 and the sorting damper 5, cross the partition plate 6, and fall to the root vegetable conveyor 33 side.

In order to generate impact or impulsive sound between root vegetables or foreign objects and the plate-like member, in FIG. 2A, a diaphragm 4 vibrated by a vibrator 11 is used.
Instead of this, by providing a step between the conveyor 31 and the diaphragm 4 as shown in Figure i2B, and allowing root vegetables or foreign matter to fall naturally from the conveyor 31, the same action and effect as above can be achieved. . If you do this,
As in the above embodiment, the diaphragm itself can have the function of a sorting damper without providing the sorting damper separately from the diaphragm, which has the advantage of simplifying the configuration. 2B is the same as that shown in FIG. 2A except for this point, so a description thereof will be omitted.

A vibration accelerometer is used as a means for detecting vibration or impact sound due to impact, which is used in these embodiments.

A well-known vibration sensor such as a vibration velocity meter or a vibration level meter, or an acoustic sensor such as a microphone is used, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various sensors similar to these may be used. Note that FIG. 3(A) is an example using a vibration meter, and FIG. 3(B) is an example using a microphone.

In addition, in these embodiments, apart from the case where the root vegetables or foreign substances are arranged one by one and transported at a predetermined interval, when a large amount of these are transported in a lump, the above-mentioned sorting is performed. There is a possibility that both root vegetables and foreign matter are mixed in the damper 5, and the root vegetables also fall onto the foreign matter conveyor 32. Therefore, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of such a case, in which a large amount of sorting processing is performed in a short period of time.

In the same figure, 64-38 are conveyors, 41-46
1 is a diaphragm, 51 to 56 are sorting dampers, 21 is a truck for transporting root vegetables, and 22 is a sorting device.

Root vegetables containing foreign substances such as stones are removed by the removal machine 1 by the truck 21.
Conveyor 64 with fIt (sieves, etc.) attached
First, the soil that adheres to root vegetables, etc.

Pebbles, etc. are removed. The removed soil, pebbles, etc. are collected by the truck 21 via conveyors 35, 36, while the remaining root vegetables, etc. are collected by vibrating plates 41-45 and sorting dampers 51-55 in the case of Figs. 2A and 2B. The foreign matter is subjected to primary sorting in the same manner as above, and the foreign matter is dropped onto the foreign matter transport conveyor 66. At this stage, it is expected that some root vegetables are still mixed in, so the alignment device 22 lines them up one by one at a predetermined interval, and the vibrating plate 46 and sorting damper 56 arranged at the end of the conveyor 36 Secondary sorting is performed using the transport conveyor 68, and the foreign objects are collected onto the truck 21 via the conveyor 68. As a result, soil, pebbles, and foreign matter are collected on the truck 21, and only root vegetables are sorted on the conveyor 37.

Note that, if necessary, a plurality of diaphragms and sorting dampers on the conveyor 56 side may be provided.

5A to 5D are block diagrams showing each embodiment of the determination/control unit, and FIGS. 6A to 6D are explanatory diagrams illustrating the sensor output and its determination operation.

For example, it has been confirmed that when the vibration sound generated between a root vegetable or a foreign object and a diaphragm is detected using a vibration accelerometer, the frequency characteristics are as shown in Figures 6A to 61. a) In the case of root vegetables only Root vegetables have a lower elastic modulus than stones, etc., so the peak of street noise appears only in the reduction of the frequency 'th range, and the output in the middle and high ranges is small. The waveforms in this case are (
It is shown as X in b).

b) In the case of foreign objects Since foreign objects such as stones have a small elastic modulus, the impact sound has a large output over the entire frequency range. In this case, the 6th A~
It is shown as Y in (b) of Figure 6D.

C) When root vegetables and foreign substances coexist, a waveform in which a) and b) are superimposed is shown as Z in (c) of FIGS. 6A to 6C.

By examining the sensor output, it is possible to determine whether foreign matter is present.

FIG. 5A shows an example of this, and this discrimination/control section includes an amplifier 71, a filter 72, an integrator 73, a comparator 74,
Timing adjuster 75, output relay 6 and setting device 7
Consists of 7th grade.

That is, the output from the sensor is first amplified by an amplifier 71, and then filtered to a predetermined frequency f by a filter 72.

The following components are removed: Therefore, filter 72 in this case is a low-frequency removal (low-cut) filter.

The integrator 73 integrates frequency components higher than a predetermined frequency, and the comparator 74 compares the integrated value with a predetermined set value given from the setter 77. When the integrated value exceeds this set value,
It is determined that a foreign substance has been mixed in. This relationship is the 6th
If you refer to Figure A, it will be clear that 5. In the case of only root vegetables,
As shown in (A) of the same figure, the integral value S1 of the component having a frequency of 11 or more is smaller than the integral value St in cases (B) and (C) that include at least foreign matter, so the setting value by the setting device 77 is
By appropriately selecting , it is possible to determine whether foreign matter is mixed in.

In addition, if it is determined that foreign matter is mixed in, please refer to Section 5A.
The timing adjuster 75 shown in the figure operates the output relay 6 at a predetermined timing, thereby driving the solenoid valve explained in the second figure.

This timing is determined as appropriate based on the conveyance speed of the conveyor, the time it takes to be detected on the diaphragm and reach the sorting damper, etc.

The feature shown in FIG. 5B is that the sensor output is amplified and then directly integrated. In other words, as is clear from FIG. 6B, the value obtained by simply integrating the sensor output, that is, its area S.

There is a clear difference between the case of gJ with only root vegetables as shown in (a) in the same figure, and the cases as shown in (b) and (c) of the same figure that contain at least foreign substances, so by selecting the setting value appropriately, ,
It is possible to make this determination.

By doing so, the filter can be made unnecessary and the circuit can be simplified.

The feature shown in FIG. 5C is that two types of filters (low-pass filter 72.) and Ibus filter 72'), an arithmetic unit 78, and an AND gate 79 are provided. , 1, and as is clear from FIG. 6C, the integral value S beyond the predetermined frequency f1 is
1 and the integral value S2 below it is sl < s2 in the case of only root vegetables as shown in the figure (a), whereas in the case of only root vegetables as shown in the figure (b) and (c) that contain at least foreign matter. In this case, focus on the point where sl>s2, and calculate the ratio, S2/sl
The output S2 obtained via the low-pass filter 72 and the integrator 73, and the output s1 obtained via the bypass filter 72' and the integrator 76'
Based on this, the calculation section 78 calculates the ratio S2/Sl, compares the result with a predetermined set value, and if it is less than the predetermined value, it is determined that there is a foreign substance. At this time, the comparator 74' detects whether the instantaneous value of the sensor output exceeds the base value, and only when it exceeds the base value, outputs a predetermined signal to the AND gate 79 to make the above judgment. Enable output. By doing so, malfunctions due to noise or the like can be avoided. Note that the output of the AND gate 79 in FIG. 5C is given to a timing adjuster, etc., as in FIGS. 5A and 5B, but illustration is omitted here.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 5D is characterized in that a bandpass filter is used as the filter. this is,
As is clear from Fig. 6D, the integral value S l l of the component between frequencies f1 and f2 also differs between the case of only root vegetables as shown in Fig. 6(a) and the case of only root vegetables as shown in Fig. 6(b) When foreign objects are present, their sizes are different, so the determination is made by setting a predetermined value of 2 as shown in the figure (c) and comparing the integrated value of the sensor output with this value. i, C5 is possible. 1.1 Also, although the timing adjuster and the like are omitted in this case, they are provided in the same way. In addition, ``vibration accelerometer'' is used in Section 2.

Although the case where an acoustic sensor is used has been described, the discrimination can be made in exactly the same way when an acoustic sensor is used.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, by examining the frequency distribution of vibrations or impact sounds caused by the collision between root vegetables or foreign objects and the plate-like member, it is possible to determine whether or not at least foreign objects are included. b) It becomes possible to easily, quickly, and accurately sort out foreign substances mixed in root vegetables. Therefore, as a buyer of root vegetables, it is not only possible to purchase high-quality root vegetables that do not contain foreign substances such as stones, but it also eliminates the need for processing work to remove foreign substances.
It is possible to eliminate the harmful effects caused by the location. In addition, the process of determining the presence of foreign substances in root vegetables (which is said to be more than 10% in some cases), which had traditionally been negotiated visually between producers and buyers, is no longer necessary.
From this point of view as well, labor saving is possible.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an external configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention, 'j:s
Figure 2A is a side view showing the details of the hole part, Figure 2B is a side view showing another embodiment of the grout part, Figure 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the manner in which the sensor is installed, and Figure 4 5A to 5D are block diagrams showing each embodiment of the determination/control unit, and FIGS. 6A to 6D are explanatory diagrams for explaining the sensor output waveform and its determination operation. It is a diagram. Code explanation 1...Root vegetable, 2...Foreign object, 61-38
...Transportation-conveyor, 4,41-46...
... Vibration plate, 5, 51-56 ... Sorting damper, 6
.....Partition plate, 7.--..Judgment/control section, 1
0...Sensor, 11...--Vibrator, 12
...Engineer cylinder, 13...Switching solenoid valve, 14...Air conditioner breather, 21...
...l...Rack, 22...Alignment device, 71
-----Amplifier, 72.72'---Filter, 73.73'---Integrator, 74,74'---
... Comparator, 75 ... Timing adjuster,
76...Output relay, 77...Setting device, 7B...En3'' Yabu, 79...Andgate agent, patent attorney Akio Namiki Agent Patent Attorney Kiyoshi Matsuzaki 17/l Fig. 4 Fig. 5A Fig. B--Z = nel l ('S) □n；庚数 □ Circumference J number h rfIs skin maki □ misχ

Claims (1)

[Claims] a plate-like member; an impact generating means for generating an impact between the plate-like member and a root vegetable or a foreign object; a detection means for detecting the vibration or frequency of the impact; What is claimed is: 1. A device for sorting out foreign matter mixed in root vegetables, comprising a determining means for determining the presence of foreign matter, and performing sorting based on the determination result.