KR20240105765A - Measurement device and measurement method for measuring internal quality of fruit - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fruit quality measuring device and a fruit quality measuring method using the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a fruit quality measuring device and a fruit quality measuring method using the same. More specifically, the quality of fruit is accurately measured by measuring the light transmitted through the fruit by varying the positions of the light emitting and receiving parts according to the size of the fruit. It relates to a fruit quality measurement device that can measure fruit quality and a method of measuring fruit quality using the same.

Description

Fruit quality measuring device and fruit quality measuring method using the same {MEASUREMENT DEVICE AND MEASUREMENT METHOD FOR MEASURING INTERNAL QUALITY OF FRUIT}

The present invention relates to a fruit quality measuring device and a fruit quality measuring method using the same. More specifically, the quality (sweetness) of the fruit is measured by measuring the light transmitted through the fruit by varying the positions of the light emitting and receiving parts according to the size of the fruit. It relates to a fruit quality measurement device that can accurately measure and a fruit quality measurement method using the same.

In order to increase the added value of fruits, the harvested fruits must be sorted by quality grade. In particular, the sweetness of the fruit is one of the very important factors that determine the quality of the fruit, along with the weight and color of the fruit.

As a method of determining the sugar content of fruit, a destructive method of squeezing the juice and measuring it with a refractometer was mainly used, but recently, a non-destructive method using light, such as visible light or near-infrared rays, has been used. there is.

In general, near-infrared spectroscopy technology, which non-destructively measures the sugar content of fruit, includes a broadband wavelength light emitting unit that irradiates light inside the fruit and a light receiving unit that collects the light output from the inside of the fruit and detects it by wavelength. Use a measuring device. The sugar content measuring device using near-infrared spectroscopy technology has the advantage of being able to non-destructively measure the physical and chemical properties of fruit, such as sugar content, acidity, and internal defects, without destroying or extracting the fruit.

Normal fruits are composed of about 90% water, and sugar and acid components exist in trace amounts. Sugar and acid components do not cause significant variations in the spectral spectrum, and changes in the light path due to differences in the size of the fruit affect the spectrum. It becomes a major factor causing large mutations.

However, in the case of a sugar content measuring device using conventional spectroscopic technology, the positions of the light emitting part and the light receiving part are fixed, so the distance between the light emitting part and the light receiving part is maintained constant regardless of the size of the fruit being measured. In this case, since the distance between the light emitter and the light receiver remains constant regardless of the size of the fruit, an error in the spectrum occurs as the amount of light transmitted or reflected varies depending on the size of the fruit, which prevents accurate judgment of fruit quality. There was.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2021-0045234 (2021.04.26)

Accordingly, the technical problem of the present invention was conceived in this regard, and is a fruit quality measurement that can accurately measure the quality (sweetness) of the fruit by measuring the light transmitted through the fruit by varying the positions of the light emitting and receiving parts depending on the size of the fruit. Provides a device and a method of measuring fruit quality using the same.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is a fruit quality measuring device for measuring the quality of moving fruit, comprising: a photographing unit that photographs the moving fruit to determine the size of the fruit; a light emitting unit that is vertically spaced from the direction of movement of the fruit and irradiates near-infrared rays toward the moving fruit so that the irradiated light penetrates the fruit; a light receiving unit that is vertically spaced from the direction of movement of the fruit and is disposed to face the light emitting unit to receive light transmitted through the fruit; and a spectroscopic analysis unit that analyzes the spectral image spectrum obtained from the light receiving unit to determine the sweetness of the fruit.

At this time, the light emitting units are provided in plurality along the moving direction of the fruit, the light receiving units are provided in plurality to correspond to the number of the light emitting units, and the light emitted from the light emitting units is blocked between the plurality of light emitting units and the light receiving units. A light blocking wall may be provided to do this.

At this time, a shutter may be provided on the front of the light receiving unit to selectively block light emitted from the light emitting unit.

At this time, the plurality of light emitting units are arranged to be spaced apart from the moving fruit such that the distance between the front end of the light emitting unit and the center of the fruit is different from each other, and the plurality of light receiving units are arranged so that the distance between the front end of the light receiving unit and the center of the fruit is different from each other. It can be arranged to be spaced apart from the moving fruit.

Additionally, a first sensor unit provided to precede the photographing unit to sense whether the moving fruit enters the photographing area by the photographing unit; and a second sensor unit provided to precede the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit to sense whether the moving fruit enters the light irradiation area by the light emitting unit.

In addition, it may further include a moving part for moving the light receiving part in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the fruit.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, a method of measuring fruit quality using the fruit quality measuring device includes the steps of moving fruit using a conveyor; A fruit size determination step of determining the size of the fruit by photographing the moving fruit using the photographing unit; and irradiating near-infrared rays to the moving fruit using the light emitting unit, wherein the light receiving unit receives light transmitted through the fruit, and wherein the spectral analysis unit determines the sweetness of the fruit by analyzing the spectroscopic image spectrum obtained from the light receiving unit. Provides a method for measuring fruit quality, including a sugar content determination step.

At this time, the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are provided in plurality along the moving direction of the fruit, and a light blocking wall is provided between the plurality of light emitting units and the light receiving unit to block the light emitted from the light emitting unit; And it may further include a plurality of shutters provided on the front of the light receiving unit to selectively block light emitted from the light emitting unit.

At this time, the fruit size determination step includes determining whether the fruit moving by the first sensor unit enters the photographing area by the photographing unit; and activating the photographing unit by sensing the first sensor unit, wherein the fruit sweetness determination step includes determining whether the moving fruit enters the light irradiation area by the light emitting unit by the second sensor unit. steps; The plurality of light-emitting units are sequentially activated according to the movement of the fruit, and as the light-emitting units are activated, the shutter provided on the front of the light-receiving unit opposite to the light-emitting unit is sequentially opened to emit light from the activated light-emitting unit. It may further include allowing the light receiving unit to receive light that has passed through the fruit.

At this time, the fruit size determination step includes determining whether the fruit moving by the first sensor unit enters the photographing area by the photographing unit; and activating the photographing unit by sensing the first sensor unit, wherein the fruit sweetness determination step includes determining whether the moving fruit enters the light irradiation area by the light emitting unit by the second sensor unit. steps; and activating one of the plurality of light emitting units by sensing of the second sensor unit according to the size of the determined fruit.

At this time, in the fruit sweetness determination step, the shutter provided on the front of one of the plurality of light receiving units is opened according to the size of the fruit to be determined, so that the light receiving unit receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit and transmitted through the fruit. It may further include a step of doing so.

Additionally, a moving part for moving the light receiving part in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the fruit; and a plurality of shutters provided in front of the light receiving unit to selectively block light emitted from the light emitting unit, wherein the step of determining the size of the fruit includes detecting the fruit moving by the first sensor unit by the photographing unit. Determining whether to enter the shooting area; and activating the photographing unit by sensing the first sensor unit, wherein the fruit sweetness determination step includes: moving the light receiving unit to a preset position using the moving unit according to the size of the determined fruit; and opening the shutter provided on the front of the light-receiving unit, so that the light-receiving unit receives the light emitted from the light-emitting unit and passing through the fruit.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the quality of fruit can be measured without destroying the fruit using near-infrared spectroscopy.

In addition, the quality of the fruit can be measured more accurately by measuring the light transmitted through the fruit by varying the positions of the light emitting part and the light receiving part depending on the size of the fruit.

In addition, in order to uniformly control the amount of light passing through the fruit, the distance between the light emitting and receiving parts is adjusted according to the size of the fruit, and by maintaining the amount of light passing through the fruit uniformly, the quality of the fruit can be measured more accurately. There is a possible effect.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

The summary set forth above as well as the detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present application set forth below may be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings for the purpose of illustrating the invention. However, it should be understood that the present application is not limited to the exact arrangement and means shown.
1 is a schematic diagram of a fruit quality measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a reference diagram for explaining the wavelength band of light emitted by the light emitting unit of the fruit quality measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a reference diagram for explaining the operating state of one component of the fruit quality measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a step diagram illustrating a method of measuring fruit quality using a fruit quality measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a fruit quality measuring device according to a modified example of the present invention, and Figure 6 is a step diagram illustrating a method of measuring fruit quality using a fruit quality measuring device according to a modified example.
Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a fruit quality measuring device according to another modification of the present invention, and Figure 8 is a step diagram illustrating a method of measuring fruit quality using a fruit quality measuring device according to a modified example.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, the attached drawings are merely explained to more easily disclose the content of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope of the attached drawings. Those skilled in the art can easily understand this. You will find out.

In addition, in describing the embodiments of the present invention, it is clear in advance that the same names and the same symbols are used for components having the same function, but that they are not substantially the same as the components of the prior art.

Additionally, the terms used in this application are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this application, terms such as “comprise” or “have” are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but are not intended to indicate the presence of one or more other features. It should be understood that it does not exclude in advance the possibility of the existence or addition of elements, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Hereinafter, the fruit quality measuring device according to the present invention and the fruit quality measuring method using the same will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. In the description with reference to the attached drawings, identical or corresponding components are indicated by the same drawing numbers. will be given and any redundant explanation will be omitted.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a fruit quality measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to Figure 1, the fruit quality measuring device according to this embodiment irradiates light to a moving fruit 10 and measures the fruit 10. The quality (sugar content) of the fruit 10 can be measured by analyzing the light transmitted through, and the fruit quality measuring device according to this embodiment includes a photographing unit 120, a light emitting unit 230, a light receiving unit 240, and It may include a spectral analysis unit 250.

The photographing unit 120 photographs the moving fruit 10 and determines the size of the moving fruit 10. At this time, the fruit 10 may be moved by the conveyor 30. The conveyor 30 may include a driving wheel and a driven wheel installed on a frame, and may include a belt that is travelably supported on the driving wheel and the driven wheel, and a drive motor for driving the driving wheel. As the conveyor 30, various types of conveyors 30 as well as the belt-type conveyor 30 described above may be used.

The fruit 10, which is the subject of quality measurement, is input into the conveyor 30 through an input portion on one side of the conveyor 30 and moves along the conveyor 30, and a photographing unit (to be described later) is provided along the line of the conveyor 30. 120), a light emitting unit 230, a light receiving unit 240, and a spectral analysis unit 250 are provided to measure the quality of the fruit 10 moving along the conveyor 30, and the measured fruit 10 is transferred to the conveyor. It is discharged to the outside of the conveyor (30) through the discharge part on the other side of (30). At this time, the fruit 10 may be seated and moved by a free tray or transfer cup provided on the conveyor 30.

The photographing unit 120 photographs the moving fruit 10 and determines the size of the fruit 10. The photographing unit 120 may be a camera for acquiring a two-dimensional RGB image. In this case, the photographing unit 120 may be a CCD camera. Specifically, the image of the fruit 10 input by the imaging unit 120 is measured, image data is acquired, and the background, which is an area excluding the fruit 10 to be analyzed, is removed from the acquired image data, A region of interest (ROI) image, which is the target of size determination, is acquired, and the shape of the fruit 10 is measured in the ROI image to determine the size of the fruit 10.

At this time, the first sensor unit 110 may be provided on the line of the conveyor 30 prior to the imaging unit 120. The first sensor unit 110 is provided on the conveyor 30 line to precede the photography unit 120, and places the fruit in the 'photography area', which is the area where the fruit 10 moving by the photography unit 120 is photographed. Senses whether (10) enters. When the moving fruit 10 is detected by the first sensor unit 110, the first sensor unit 110 transmits a generated signal to the photographing unit 120, and the photographing unit 120 detects the fruit entering the photographing area. (10) is photographed multiple times and the size of the moving fruit (10) is determined using the captured images.

At this time, the size of the moving fruit 10 may have a radius of about 40 to 55 mm. The size of this fruit 10 takes into account the average size of fruits 10 such as commercial apples and pears.

The light emitting unit 230 radiates near-infrared rays toward the fruit 10 that is moving while being vertically spaced from the direction of movement of the fruit 10 on the line of the conveyor 30, and the light irradiated by the light emitting unit 230 is directed to the fruit 10. The light passes through 10 and is received by a light receiving unit 240, which will be described later.

At this time, to prevent external light from illuminating the light emitting unit 230 or the light receiving unit 240, the light emitting unit 230 and the light receiving unit 240 may be provided inside a case (not shown) to form a dark room, and the conveyor (30) may be installed to penetrate the case (not shown).

Referring to FIG. 2, the wavelength range of near-infrared rays emitted by the light emitting unit 230 may be 714.17 nm. Specifically, the graph in FIG. 2 is a graph analyzing the intensity of transmitted light when light of different wavelength bands was irradiated to fruit 10 with a radius of about 40 to 55 mm, when 714.17 nm of near-infrared ray was irradiated. The maximum peak is detected, and the light emitted by the light emitting unit 230 of the fruit quality measuring device of this embodiment is determined to be 714.17 nm.

The light receiver 240 is arranged to face the light emitter 230 at a vertical distance from the moving direction of the fruit 10 on the conveyor 30 line, and is irradiated by the light emitter 230 to penetrate the fruit 10. Receives one light.

The light receiving unit 240 measures the spectrum by receiving the light passing through the fruit 10, converts the measured image spectrum into an electronic signal, and transmits it to the spectral analysis unit 250, which will be described later.

The spectral analysis unit 250 determines the sugar content of the fruit 10 by analyzing the spectral image spectrum obtained from the light receiving unit 240.

At this time, the fruit quality measuring device according to this embodiment uses the sugar content information determined by the spectroscopic analysis unit 250, and uses a rating board to determine the grade of the fruit 10 based on the grade information according to the sweetness information. May further include government (270).

Meanwhile, the fruit quality measuring device according to this embodiment may be provided with a plurality of light emitting units 230 and light receiving units 240.

Specifically, a plurality of light emitting units 230 are provided on the conveyor 30 line along the moving direction of the fruit 10, and the light receiving units 240 are configured to correspond to the number of light emitting units 230. It may be provided in plural form opposite to . At this time, a plurality of light receiving units 240 and light emitting units 230 may be provided inside the housing.

Referring to FIG. 1, the fruit quality measuring device according to this embodiment may be provided in three pairs of three light emitting units 230 and three light receiving units 240, and the light emitting units 230 and light receiving units 240 may be provided in three pairs. It can be provided to cross. Specifically, a first light emitting unit (230A), a second light receiving unit (240B), and a third light emitting unit (230C) are provided along the moving direction of the fruit 10, and the moving direction of the fruit 10 is located on the opposite side to face them. Accordingly, a first light-receiving unit 240A, a second light-emitting unit 230B, and a third light-receiving unit 240C may be provided.

Meanwhile, a light blocking wall 280 may be provided between the plurality of light emitting units 230 and the light receiving units 240 to block light emitted from the light emitting units 230. The light blocking wall 280 is installed between the light emitting unit 230 and the light receiving unit 240, so that the light emitted by the light emitting unit 230A does not cause light interference to the adjacent light receiving unit 240B rather than the opposing light receiving unit 240A. prevent it from affecting

At this time, the second sensor unit 210 may be provided on the line of the conveyor 30 before the light emitting unit 230 and the light receiving unit 240. The second sensor unit 210 is provided on the conveyor 30 line to precede the light emitting unit 230 and the light receiving unit 240, and is an area where near infrared rays are irradiated to the moving fruit 10 by the light emitting unit 230. It senses whether the fruit 10 enters the 'light irradiation area'. When the moving fruit 10 is detected by the second sensor unit 210, the second sensor unit 210 transmits a generated signal to the light emitting unit 230, and the light emitting unit 230 enters the light irradiation area. Near-infrared rays are irradiated toward the fruit 10, and the light-receiving unit 240 receives the near-infrared rays irradiated by the light emitting unit 230 and transmitted through the fruit 10, and the transmitted spectrum is analyzed through the spectral analysis unit 250. do.

Meanwhile, referring to FIGS. 1 and 3 , a shutter 260 may be provided on the front of the light receiving unit 240 to selectively block light emitted from the light emitting unit 230.

The shutter 260 is provided on the front of the light receiving unit 240 and moves up and down so that the light emitted from the light emitting unit 230 and passing through the fruit 10 is selectively irradiated to the light receiving unit 240. Specifically, when the shutter 260 is closed, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 230 and transmitted through the fruit 10 is blocked by the shutter 260 and cannot be emitted to the light receiving unit 240, and the shutter 260 is blocked. When it moves upward and opens, the light irradiated from the light emitting unit 230 and transmitted through the fruit 10 is irradiated to the light receiving unit 240 and is received by the light receiving unit 240.

Meanwhile, the spectral analysis unit 250 may be provided in plurality to correspond to the number of the light emitting unit 230 and the light receiving unit 240. According to this embodiment, there are three spectral analysis units 250 (250A, 250B). , 250C) is provided and can be electrically connected to the light receiving units 240A, 240B, and 240C, respectively.

Meanwhile, referring to Figures 1 and 3, the fruit quality measuring device according to this embodiment may be arranged so that the distances between the plurality of light emitting units 230 and the center of the fruit 10 are different from each other, and the plurality of light receiving units The distance between the center of the fruit 240 and the fruit 10 may be different from each other. That is, the front end of the plurality of light emitting units 230 and the center of the fruit 10 are spaced apart from the moving fruit 10 so that the distances are different from each other, and the front end of the plurality of light receiving units 240 and the center of the fruit 10 are spaced apart from each other. They are arranged to be spaced apart from the moving fruit 10 so that the distance from the center is different.

The fruit quality measuring device according to this embodiment has three light emitting units 230 (first light emitting unit 230A, second light emitting unit 230B, and third light emitting unit 230C) and three light receiving units 240. (a first light receiver 240A, a second light receiver 240B, and a third light receiver 240C) are provided, and hereinafter, different distances between the front end of the plurality of light emitters 230 and the center of the fruit 10 will be described. And the different distances between the front end of the plurality of light receiving units 240 and the center of the fruit 10 will be described in detail.

Considering that the radius of the fruit (10, for example, an apple) to be measured is about 40 to 55 mm, the distance section between the first light receiving unit 240A to the third light receiving unit 240C is selected as 15 mm, and the first light receiving unit 240A is selected as 15 mm. The distance section between the light emitting unit 230A to the third light emitting unit 230C is set to 20 mm.

The distance between the front end of the light emitting unit 230 and the light receiving unit 240 and the surface of the fruit 10 considering the above-mentioned selection interval is shown in the table below.

[Table 1]

Based on this, the intensity of light from the light emitting unit 230 is set to 714.17 nm, the intensity of the transmitted light is measured after irradiating light to the fruit 10, and the resulting value is converted to a coefficient of variation (CV). is as shown in the following table.

[Table 2]

<CV (%) for each section according to the light intensity of the emitting part (714.17nm)>

In order to increase the accuracy of the measurement value in this way, the average value of CV according to the distance is calculated by measuring multiple times (5 times), as shown in the table below.

[Table 3]

The coefficient of variation (CV) is cv= σ/μ (σ: standard deviation, μ: average). The lower the CV value, the more uniform it is, so the lowest average CV value is ranked as shown in the table below.

[Table 4]

Three distance ranges with small CV (%) values were selected as the optimal distance, and considering that the radius of the largest fruit (10) was 55 mm, the radius of the largest apple (55 mm) was added to the selected optimal distance range. The added value is determined as the distance between the center of the fruit 10 and the light emitting unit 230 or the light receiving unit 240.

The distance between the center of the fruit 10 and the light emitting unit 230 and the distance between the center of the fruit 10 and the light receiving unit 240 according to the above-mentioned standards are shown in the following table.

[Table 5]

Accordingly, the distance (D1) between the center of the fruit 10 and each of the plurality of light emitting units 230 and the distance (D2) between the center of the fruit 10 and each of the plurality of light receiving units 240 of this embodiment finally determined are as follows: The same (see Figure 3).

- Type 1:

Distance (D1) between the first light emitting unit 230 and the center of the fruit 10: 135 mm

Distance (D2) between the center of the fruit (10) and the first light receiving unit (240): 75mm

- Type 2:

Distance (D1) between the second light emitting unit 230 and the center of the fruit 10: 125 mm

Distance (D2) between the center of the fruit (10) and the second light receiving unit (240): 75mm

- Type 3:

Distance between the third light emitting unit 230 and the center of the fruit 10 (D1): 135 mm

Distance (D2) between the center of the fruit (10) and the third light receiving unit (240): 80mm

According to the above results, the plurality of light emitting units 230 and the plurality of light receiving units 240 are arranged to be spaced apart from the center of the moving fruit 10, and the quality of the moving fruit 10 is measured.

Figure 4 is a step diagram for explaining a method of measuring fruit quality using a fruit quality measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method of measuring fruit quality will be described with reference to Figure 4.

The method for measuring fruit quality according to this embodiment includes the steps of moving fruit 10 using a conveyor 30; A fruit 10 size determination step of determining the size of the fruit 10 by photographing the moving fruit 10 using the photographing unit 120; And near-infrared rays are irradiated to the fruit 10 moving below the light emitting unit 230, the light receiving unit 240 receives the light passing through the fruit 10, and the spectral analysis unit 250 receives the light from the light receiving unit 240. It may include a step of determining the sweetness of the fruit 10 by analyzing the obtained spectroscopic image spectrum to determine the sweetness of the fruit 10.

Specifically, the fruit 10 is input through the input portion of the conveyor 30 and the fruit 10 is moved along the conveyor 30. The first sensor unit 110 senses whether the moving fruit 10 enters the imaging area by the photographing unit 120, and when it is determined whether the fruit 10 enters the photographing area, the photographing unit 120 The size of the fruit 10 is determined by photographing the fruit 10.

The fruit 10 that has passed the photographing area by the imaging unit 120 continues to move along the conveyor 30, and the fruit 10 along which the second sensor unit 210 moves is exposed to light by the light emitting unit 230. It senses whether the fruit 10 is entering the light irradiation area, and when it is determined whether the fruit 10 has entered the light irradiation area, the light emitting unit 230 irradiates near-infrared rays to the moving fruit 10, and the light receiving unit 240 detects the fruit 10. The light that has passed through is received, and the spectral analysis unit 250 analyzes the spectral image spectrum obtained from the light receiving unit 240 to determine the sugar content of the fruit 10.

At this time, the plurality of light emitting units 230 may be formed at a distance of 135 mm, 125 mm, and 135 mm, respectively, from the center of the fruit 10, and the plurality of light receiving units 240 corresponding to the plurality of light emitting units 230 may be positioned at a distance of 135 mm, 125 mm, and 135 mm, respectively, from the center of the fruit 10. (10) It can be formed at a distance of 75mm, 75mm, and 80mm from the center, respectively.

Meanwhile, as the fruit 10 moves, a plurality of light emitting units 230 are sequentially activated to emit light toward the moving fruit 10, and as the light emitting unit 230 is activated, the light emitting unit 230 emits light. The shutters 260 provided on the front of the light receiving unit 240 arranged to face each other are sequentially opened, and the light receiving unit 240 receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit 230 and transmitted through the fruit 10.

The light receiving unit 240 measures the spectrum and transmits the measured image spectrum to the spectral analysis unit 250. At this time, the spectral analysis unit 250 may be provided in plural numbers to correspond to the number of the light receiving unit 240, The analysis unit 250 determines the sugar content of the fruit 10 by analyzing the acquired spectral image spectrum.

According to this embodiment, three light-emitting units 230 and three light-receiving units 240 are provided to obtain three predicted sugar content values, and the sweetness value that is finally determined is a sensing appropriate for the size of the fruit 10 among the three predicted sugar content values. The sugar content can be determined by the value.

However, the determination of the sweetness value of the fruit 10 is not limited to the above-mentioned method, and the sweetness value of the fruit 10 is determined by using the average value of the three sensing predicted values measured by the plurality of light receiving units 240A, 240B, and 240C. It is also possible to determine .

Meanwhile, the step of determining the sweetness of the fruit 10 includes determining whether the fruit 10 moving by the second sensor unit 210 enters the light irradiation area by the light emitting unit 230; and activating one of the plurality of light emitting units 230 by sensing of the second sensor unit 210 according to the size of the determined fruit 10.

Specifically, the size of the moving fruit 10 is determined based on the image captured by the photographing unit 120, and the moving fruit 10 by the second sensor unit 210 enters the light irradiation area. If it is determined that it is, any one of the first to third light emitting units 230A to 230C is activated depending on the size of the determined fruit 10, and the first light emitting unit 230 corresponding to the activated light emitting unit 230 is activated. The shutter 260 provided on the front of any one of the light receivers 240A to 240C is opened so that the light receiver 240 receives the light passing through the fruit 10, and the measured sensing value is used. This determines the sugar content value of the fruit (10).

Compared to the previous embodiment, when the radius of the fruit 10 is 53 mm, it is close to 55 mm, so the distance between the surface of the fruit 10 and the light emitting unit 230 and the distance between the surface of the fruit 10 and the light receiving unit 240 are closest. Therefore, since it belongs to type 2 among the fixed distances selected in [Table 5], the second light emitting unit 230B is activated and the second shutter 260B located in front of the second light receiving unit 240B is opened to activate the second light receiving unit 240B. (240B) receives the light transmitted through the fruit 10 and determines the sweetness value of the fruit 10 using the measured sensing value. On the other hand, when the radius of the fruit 10 is 42 mm, it is close to 40 mm, and the distance between the surface of the fruit 10 and the light emitting part 230 and the distance between the surface of the fruit 10 and the light receiving part 240 are the farthest, [Table 5] Since it belongs to type 3 among the selected fixed distances, the third light emitting unit 230C is activated and the third shutter 260C located in front of the third light receiving unit 240C is opened so that the third light receiving unit 240C displays the fruit ( The sweetness value of the fruit 10 is determined using the measured sensing value by receiving the light transmitted through 10).

According to this embodiment, the quality of the fruit 10 can be checked by measuring the light transmitted through the fruit 10 by varying the positions of the light emitting part 230 and the light receiving part 240 according to the size of the fruit 10. There is an effect that can be measured accurately.

Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a fruit quality measuring device according to a modified example of the present invention, and Figure 6 is a step diagram illustrating a method of measuring fruit quality using a fruit quality measuring device according to a modified example. According to this embodiment, a plurality of Since the spectral analysis unit 250 is integrated and connected to the light receiving unit 240, there is an advantage in that all spectra transmitted through the fruit 10 can be obtained through one spectral analysis unit 250. Since the other components and the method of measuring the quality of the fruit 10 are the same as the previous embodiment, the detailed description will be replaced with the previous embodiment.

Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a fruit quality measuring device according to another modification of the present invention, and Figure 8 is a step diagram illustrating a method of measuring fruit quality using a fruit quality measuring device according to a modified example, showing Figures 7 and 8. For reference, the fruit quality measuring device according to this embodiment may further include a moving part for moving the light receiving part 240 in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the fruit 10. The moving unit is used to move the light receiving unit 240 in a straight line and may include an LM guide and a motor for driving it.

According to this embodiment, there is an advantage in that the spectrum of fruits 10 of different sizes can be measured while varying the distance of the light receiver 240 using a pair of light receiving units 240 and light emitting units 230, and the specific details are as follows: The measurement method is as follows.

The fruit 10 is input through the input portion of the conveyor 30 and the fruit 10 is moved along the conveyor 30. The first sensor unit 110 senses whether the moving fruit 10 enters the imaging area by the photographing unit 120, and when it is determined whether the fruit 10 enters the photographing area, the photographing unit 120 The size of the fruit 10 is determined by photographing the fruit 10.

The fruit 10 that has passed the photographing area by the imaging unit 120 continues to move along the conveyor 30, and the fruit 10 along which the second sensor unit 210 moves is exposed to light by the light emitting unit 230. It senses whether the fruit 10 has entered the light irradiation area, and when it is determined whether the fruit 10 has entered the light irradiation area, the light receiving unit 240 is moved to a preset position using a moving unit according to the determined size of the fruit 10.

When the light receiving unit 240 moves to a preset position, the light emitting unit 230 radiates near infrared rays to the moving fruit 10. At this time, the shutter 260 provided on the front of the light receiving unit 240 is opened so that the light emitted from the light emitting unit 230 and transmitted through the fruit 10 is irradiated to the light receiving unit 240. When the light receiving unit 240 receives the light that has passed through the fruit 10, the spectral analysis unit 250 analyzes the spectral image spectrum obtained from the light receiving unit 240 to determine the sugar content of the fruit 10.

At this time, the light receiving unit 240 may be positioned at 75 mm, 75 mm, and 80 mm from the center of the fruit 10, respectively, depending on the size of the fruit 10 to be determined. The position of the light receiver 240 may be located at different distances depending on the size of the fruit 10 to obtain uniform sensing values.

According to this embodiment, the quality of the fruit 10 can be measured more accurately by measuring the light transmitted through the fruit 10 by varying the position of the light receiver 240 according to the size of the fruit 10, There is an effect in that the sugar content of fruits 10 having different sizes can be measured using one light emitting unit 230 and one light receiving unit 240.

In addition, in order to uniformly control the amount of light transmitted through the fruit 10, the distance between the light emitting part 230 and the light receiving part 240 is adjusted according to the size of the fruit 10, and the light transmitted through the fruit 10 By maintaining the amount uniformly, there is an effect of measuring the sugar content of the fruit 10 more accurately.

As described above, preferred embodiments according to the present invention have been examined, and the fact that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms in addition to the embodiments described above without departing from the spirit or scope thereof is recognized by those skilled in the art. It is self-evident to them. Therefore, the above-described embodiments are to be regarded as illustrative and not restrictive, and thus the present invention is not limited to the above description but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

10: Fruit
30: Conveyor
110: first sensor unit
120: Filming Department
210: Second sensor unit
230, 230A, 230B. 230C: Light emitting part
240, 240A, 240B, 240C: Light receiving unit
250, 250A, 250B, 250C: Spectral analysis section
260, 260A, 260B 260C: Shutter
270: Rating panel
280: light blocking wall
290: Moving part

Claims (12)

A fruit quality measuring device for measuring the quality of moving fruit, comprising:
A photographing unit that photographs the moving fruit and determines the size of the fruit;
a light emitting unit that is vertically spaced from the direction of movement of the fruit and irradiates near-infrared rays toward the moving fruit so that the irradiated light penetrates the fruit;
a light receiving unit that is vertically spaced from the direction of movement of the fruit and is disposed to face the light emitting unit to receive light transmitted through the fruit; and
A spectral analysis unit that determines the sweetness of the fruit by analyzing the spectral image spectrum obtained from the light receiving unit.
According to paragraph 1,
The light emitting units are provided in plural numbers along the moving direction of the fruit, and the light receiving units are provided in plural numbers to correspond to the number of light emitting units,
A fruit quality measuring device, characterized in that a light blocking wall is provided between the plurality of light emitting units and the light receiving unit to block light emitted from the light emitting units.
According to paragraph 2,
A fruit quality measuring device, characterized in that a shutter is provided on the front of the light receiving unit to selectively block light emitted from the light emitting unit.
According to paragraph 3,
The plurality of light emitting units are arranged to be spaced apart from the moving fruit such that the distance between the front end of the light emitting unit and the center of the fruit is different from each other,
A fruit quality measuring device, characterized in that the plurality of light-receiving units are spaced apart from the moving fruit such that the distance between the front end of the light-receiving unit and the center of the fruit is different from each other.
According to paragraph 3,
a first sensor unit provided to precede the photographing unit to sense whether a moving fruit enters the photographing area by the photographing unit; and
A fruit quality measuring device further comprising a second sensor unit provided to precede the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit to sense whether the moving fruit enters the light irradiation area by the light emitting unit.
According to paragraph 1,
A fruit quality measuring device, characterized in that it further comprises a moving part for moving the light receiving part in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the fruit.
A method of measuring fruit quality using the fruit quality measuring device according to paragraph 1,
Moving fruit using a conveyor;
A fruit size determination step of determining the size of the fruit by photographing the moving fruit using the photographing unit; and
The fruit sweetness level irradiates near-infrared rays to the fruit moving behind the light emitting unit, the light receiving unit receives light transmitted through the fruit, and the spectral analysis unit determines the sweetness of the fruit by analyzing the spectroscopic image spectrum obtained from the light receiving unit. A method for measuring fruit quality, including a judgment step.
In clause 7,
The light emitting unit and the light receiving unit are provided in plural numbers along the moving direction of the fruit,
a light blocking wall provided between the plurality of light emitting units and the light receiving units to block light emitted from the light emitting units; and
A method for measuring fruit quality, further comprising a plurality of shutters provided in front of the light receiving unit to selectively block light emitted from the light emitting unit.
According to clause 8,
The fruit size judgment step is,
determining whether the fruit moving by the first sensor unit enters the photographing area by the photographing unit; and
It further includes activating the photographing unit by sensing the first sensor unit,
The steps to determine fruit sweetness are:
determining whether the moving fruit enters the light irradiation area by the light emitting unit by using the second sensor unit;
The plurality of light-emitting units are sequentially activated according to the movement of the fruit, and as the light-emitting units are activated, the shutter provided on the front of the light-receiving unit opposite the light-emitting unit is sequentially opened to emit light from the activated light-emitting unit. A method for measuring fruit quality, characterized in that it further comprises a step of allowing the light receiver to receive light that has transmitted through the fruit.
According to clause 8,
The fruit size judgment step is,
determining whether the fruit moving by the first sensor unit enters the photographing area by the photographing unit; and
It further includes activating the photographing unit by sensing the first sensor unit,
The steps to determine fruit sweetness are:
determining whether the moving fruit enters the light irradiation area by the light emitting unit by the second sensor unit; and
Activating one of the plurality of light emitting units by sensing of the second sensor unit according to the size of the determined fruit, characterized in that it further comprises a.
According to clause 10,
The steps to determine fruit sweetness are:
Opening the shutter provided on the front of one of the plurality of light-receiving units according to the size of the fruit to be determined, allowing the light-receiving unit to receive the light emitted from the light-emitting unit and passing through the fruit, further comprising: Characterized by a method for measuring fruit quality.
In clause 7,
A moving part for moving the light receiving part in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the fruit; and
It further includes a plurality of shutters provided on the front of the light receiving unit to selectively block light emitted from the light emitting unit,
The fruit size judgment step is,
determining whether the fruit moving by the first sensor unit enters the photographing area by the photographing unit; and
It further includes activating the photographing unit by sensing the first sensor unit,
The steps to determine fruit sweetness are:
moving the light receiving unit to a preset position using the moving unit according to the size of the determined fruit; and
A method for measuring fruit quality, further comprising: opening the shutter provided on the front of the light receiving unit, so that the light receiving unit receives the light emitted from the light emitting unit and transmitted through the fruit.

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