JPH0330880A - Small-sized sorter and coloration measuring method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform the sorting and shipment regulation of a harvest simultaneously with harvesting by using a small-sized sorter consisting of a sorting part equipped with a color sensor and an electronic balance and a computer control part. CONSTITUTION:A color sensor 9 outputting the signal corresponding to the color of the light applied to an object to be measured from a floodlight projector 7 and reflected therefrom and an electronic balance 6 are provided under the turntable 3 of a sorting part 1. When the object to be measured is placed on a receiving tray 4, the fruit apex thereof required in the measurement of coloration is fitted in the hole 5 provided to the center of the receiving tray 4 to become a state capable of being measured by the color sensor 9. The turntable 3 is possible to stop and rotateby a variable speed motor and the object to be measured completed in the measurement of its wt. by the electronic balance 6 becomes a coloration measurable state only by rotating the turntable 3 by a specified angle. The measured result is sent to a computer control part 2 and the object to be measured is classified on the basis of preset standards by wt. and coloration and, when the receiving tray 4 comes to the delivery port corresponding to said standards, the receiving tray 4 is inclined by a delivery motor 11 to deliver the object to be measured to the outside.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is mainly concerned with determining the ripeness (coloring degree) and weight of vegetables and fruits.
This relates to a small sorting machine that allows sorting on the spot after harvesting.

[Conventional technology] Conventionally, vegetables, fruits, etc. are sorted in bulk by transporting the harvested products from the harvesting farmers to the joint fruit sorting plant.

However, harvested produce is generally subject to severe physical damage during transportation, so methods to eliminate this transportation process have been considered. In addition, to prevent this loss, unripe fruits were often harvested, which were harder than ripe fruits.Consumers had a preference for highly ripe fruits in terms of taste, nutrition, and softness. It is rare.

Furthermore, conventionally, the sorting method is based on weight or the difference in the distance between two belts, and the degree of ripeness is determined visually by the surface color, making it difficult to standardize. Ta. There is a color measurement/discrimination device using a color sensor that uses a color difference meter, but it is complicated and expensive.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In view of the above points, the present invention aims to improve the ripeness and weight of the harvest by 4111 at the time of harvest without impairing the quality.
The aim is to provide a small sorting machine that can uniformly sort the harvest based on the results, thereby omitting the transportation process to a joint fruit sorting facility and preventing variations in grades and specifications caused by individual measurements. It is something to do.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the small-sized sorting machine of the present invention has a turntable for rotating 1 pI constant objects that can be tilted by a dispensing motor along the upper surface of the turntable that is rotated by a variable speed motor. A plurality of receiving trays are arranged, a hole is provided that passes through the central part of the receiving tray and the corresponding part of the turntable, and a heavy measuring device placed on the receiving tray is placed below the turntable. A light source that irradiates light to the object through the hole and a color sensor that receives reflected light from the object and outputs a signal according to the color thereof are provided, and a variable speed motor, a payout motor weight measuring device, a light source and a color sensor are provided. The present invention is characterized in that the color sensor can be controlled by a computer, and that the computer can sort and dispense objects to be measured based on the data measured by the fl JPI meter and the color sensor.

When measuring the object to be measured using a color sensor, the projection angle with respect to the vertical axis of the object to be measured is 75''~
The present invention is characterized by comprising a step of projecting light with the light projection center shifted from the center of the object to be measured at an angle of 85 degrees, and a step of receiving the light at an angle of 40'' to 50 degrees with respect to the vertical axis.

[Function] Since the small-sized sorter of the present invention is small, it can be installed near the harvest site. Since there is a hole in the center of the tray, when the object to be measured is placed on the tray, the top of the fruit will fit into the hole and be exposed below the turntable, so the top of the fruit, which is necessary for color measurement, will be stable. can get. Measurements can then be made using a color sensor installed below the turntable.

In addition, the turntable equipped with a holder can be stopped and rotated by a variable speed motor, and a weight Δp1 is provided at the bottom of the turntable along the periphery. Once the measurement has been completed, the next colorimeter Δp1 can be measured by simply rotating the turntable by a certain angle.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example in which the present invention is applied to tomato selection will be described based on the accompanying drawings.

The compact sorting machine of the present invention is broadly divided into a sorting section 1 and a computer control section 2. The sorting section 1 is provided with a turntable 3 rotated by a variable speed motor and a receiver 4 on the circumference of the turntable 3 at a position dividing the circumference of the turntable 3 into eight equal parts. A hole 5 having a diameter of 30+o+w is provided in the center of the tray 4 and the turntable corresponding thereto, passing through both vertically. An electronic balance 6 connected to a computer is installed at the bottom of the tray 4 at the supply point A of the turntable 3, and a halogen lamp projector 7 and an amorphous silicon are installed at the bottom of the position 1/8 turn of the turntable 3 from that position. A color sensor 9 is provided.

The actual sorting is carried out as follows using a small sorting machine consisting of the sorting section 1 as described above and the computer control section 2 that drives and controls it.

When a tomato is placed on the tray 4 at the supply point A with its top facing downward as shown in FIG. 2, the electronic balance 6 first measures the weight of the tomato. Thereafter, the turntable 3 is rotated 1/8 of a turn, and the coloring of the top of the tomato fruit is measured from below the saucer, as shown in FIG.

Measurement is performed by applying light from a halogen lamp projector 7 to the top of the fruit from the side, and using an amorphous silicon color sensor 9 via a condensing lens 8 of a light receiver.

In this case, the surface of the tomato is a convex surface with different curvatures, and the angle of incidence and angle of reflection of light are not constant.

Generally, when the reflection angle is flat, the receiver is placed directly below the object to be measured and the light is emitted from a 45° angle. It becomes easier to enter the receiver. Therefore, as shown in Figure 2, the light projection angle with respect to the vertical axis is increased to around 80'(75' to 85°), and the center of the light projection is shifted from the center of the tomato. around 45° (40°
~50°) to prevent white light other than the reddish component from entering the light receiver and reducing the discrimination ability of the color sensor.

To judge the ripeness of tomatoes, the degree of redness is determined by measuring the surface color of a 30 mm diameter area at the top of the fruit using an integrated color sensor that detects green components. This is because previous research has revealed that the degree of ripeness of vegetables and fruits most closely corresponds to the degree of coloration of the top of the fruit.

For color measurement, other than the method of exposing the top of the fruit from the hole 5 of the turntable 3, the method is to place the tomato on the tray 4 with the bottom of the tomato facing down and the top of the fruit up, and then expose the fruit from the top of the turntable. A method of measuring color by projecting light onto the top of the fruit is also considered, but since the position of the top of the fruit varies depending on the individual tomato, the measurement point cannot be stabilized.

Measurement results are sent each time to a connected computer.

When the color meter aPI is completed, it will be divided into preset weights,
When the tomatoes are sorted based on the coloring criteria and the tray is rotated to the dispensing port corresponding to the criteria, the dispensing motor 11
is driven, the tray is tilted, and the tomatoes are delivered to the outside of the tray. Tomatoes are placed on the tray and measured sequentially each time it comes to the supply point. At the end of the work, the number and total weight of tomatoes dispensed from each outlet are displayed on the computer.

[Effects of the invention] Because the small-sized sorting machine of the present invention is small, sorting can be performed at the harvesting farm, and the process of transporting to the communal fruit sorting facility can be omitted, and quality deterioration due to vibration and impact during transportation can be avoided. can be avoided.

In addition, since weight and ripeness are determined by computer based on standards predetermined by the region, it is possible to standardize the grades and standards for each production area, even if the selection is made by individual farmers.

Furthermore, using a computer, it is possible to program all color change predictions of harvested products, taking into consideration distribution and transportation conditions to the market.

This makes it possible to select harvests that will be fully ripe when they reach the hands of consumers in various regions, making it possible to supply ripe vegetables and fruits that meet market needs.

In addition, since it can be done online using a computer, the above-mentioned selection criteria and program modifications can be instantly communicated to each farmer, making it possible to select crops and adjust shipments in response to market product trends and price movements.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing an embodiment of the small-sized sorting machine of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a state diagram of tomato coloring measurement. 1... Sorting section, 2... Computer control section, 3...
・Turntable, 4... saucer, 5... hole, 6.
...Electronic balance, 7...Halogen lamp floodlight, 8...
- Condensing lens, 9... Amorphous silicon color sensor, 10... Light receiver, 11... Dispensing motor.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A plurality of trays for the object to be measured, which can be tilted by a dispensing motor, are arranged along the periphery of the upper surface of the turntable that is rotated by a variable speed motor, and the central part of the tray and the corresponding part of the turntable are Provide a hole that passes through the
A weight measuring device is placed below the turntable, a light source that irradiates light through the hole onto the object to be measured placed on the tray, and a color that receives reflected light from the object to be measured and outputs a signal according to the color of the object. Equipped with a sensor, variable speed motor, dispensing motor,
A weight measuring device, a light source, and a color sensor can be controlled by a computer, and the object to be measured can be sorted by grade and delivered based on data measured by the weight measuring device and color sensor. A small sorting machine. (2) For the object to be measured, set the projection angle to the vertical axis at 75
The process of projecting light by shifting the light projection center from the center of the object to be measured at a angle of 40° to 50° with respect to the vertical axis.
A method for measuring the color of an object to be measured using a color sensor, which includes a step of receiving light as a temperature.