JPS62668B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a sorting device for continuously determining the quality of seaweed, and more specifically, the present invention relates to a sorting device that continuously determines the quality of seaweed. This invention relates to a continuous determination and sorting device for seaweed that automatically sorts seaweed according to the determination information.

Nori can be classified into several grades based on its shape, which is usually referred to as ``dekiri''. In the seaweed industry, the quality of seaweed refers to the degree of holes,
These include chips, tears, and length and width. Naturally, this comes down to quality, but from the perspective of the seaweed market, there are various needs, whether for general consumers or commercial use. For example, in a sushi restaurant, it would be bad if there is a hole larger than a grain of rice, but in an onigiri restaurant, it doesn't matter if there is a hole that is a little larger, but it is more important that the vertical and horizontal dimensions are within standard values. It is. This is because when making seaweed rolls for sushi, if the rice grains stick out, the product value will be diminished.Onigiri, on the other hand, is originally a wilder food than rice balls, and is more As a manufacturer, this is because they use a machine line to make the seaweed, so if the length of the seaweed differs, it won't fit the machine and productivity will drop. As described above, the criteria for determining the quality of seaweed vary depending on the use and other factors. However, the current situation is that the seaweed industry is unable to meet such demands.

In other words, in the conventional technology, several sheets are sampled from one lot (for example, hundreds of thousands of sheets), and inspectors visually judge and sort each lot, but since seaweed is a natural product, it is natural to However, the degree of quality varies, and accurate sorting is impossible with such sampling tests. If accurate sorting is to be carried out, an inspector must visually judge the grade of each piece and then manually sort each piece accordingly. However, such judgment and sorting work requires considerable skill, and there is a limit to the sorting speed, making it impossible to sufficiently subdivide the grades.

In order to provide a supply that meets the needs of seaweed distribution, seaweed-related industries are continuously inspecting the seaweed to check the condition of holes, chips, etc., without relying on human hands.
There is a strong desire to develop a system for continuously determining and sorting seaweed that can perform various grading based on the degree of tearing or length and width, and automatically sort the seaweed accordingly.

But the problem here, as we all know, is that
Nori comes in the form of a thin sheet, has a large surface area, is lightweight, and has a sagging or curved surface, making it extremely difficult to handle when separated one by one. Due to this difficulty in handling, no equipment has been developed that can continuously judge the quality of seaweed one by one and automatically sort it.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned state of the art, and its purpose is to transport seaweed one by one in a flat spread state,
To provide a sorting device for continuously determining the quality of seaweed, which can determine the grade based on the quality and automatically sort the seaweed at high speed according to the grade determination information.

The present invention, which can achieve such objectives, consists of a combination of a doneness judgment device installed on the upstream side of a transfer path for transferring seaweed in a flat spread state and a sorting device installed on the downstream side. This is a sorting device for continuously determining the performance of seaweed, and the performance determining device is configured to irradiate the surface of the transported seaweed with light and determine the quality of the seaweed based on the transmitted light, and the sorting device is configured to A transport conveyor is provided with a suction path having a suction port along the belt to adsorb and transfer seaweed, and a transport conveyor is provided with an endless belt that can be ventilated and intersects at a fixed interval above the transport conveyor. The system is equipped with a sorting conveyor that is arranged in such a way that the sorting conveyor is arranged in such a way that the sorting conveyor is arranged in such a way that the sorting conveyor is arranged in such a way that the sorting conveyor is disposed in such a way that the sorting conveyor is disposed in such a way that the sorting conveyor is disposed in a manner similar to that of the sorting conveyor, and a transfer mechanism that creates an upward airflow from the transport conveyor side to the sorting conveyor side at the central part of the intersecting position of these conveyors, and that can freely control the generation and stop of the upward airflow. This is a sorting device that continuously determines the quality of seaweed.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in more detail based on the drawings. FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment of the seaweed continuous determination and sorting device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram thereof. The successive performance determination and sorting device for seaweed according to the present invention is a combination of a performance determination device 1 installed on the upstream side of a transfer path for transporting seaweed in a flat spread state and a sorting device 20 installed on the downstream side. Become.

Here, the doneness determination device 1 has a structure that irradiates light from the lower surface of the transported seaweed and determines the doneness of the seaweed based on the transmitted light. This performance judgment device 1
As is clear from FIG.
A light source 4 that continuously irradiates light onto the transported seaweed 2 from below, and a light source 4 that faces the light source 4 through the seaweed 2 and uses transmitted light to determine the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the seaweed 2. A first light receiving unit 6 that measures the state of hole formation, a second light receiving unit 7 that measures chips in the seaweed 2, a compressed gas injection unit 8 that forcibly opens cracks in the seaweed 2, and a It is equipped with a third light receiving section 9 and the like for measuring the opened tear. Here, the transport conveyors 3a and 3b each include a net-shaped endless belt 10 and the endless belt 1.
It has a horizontal support 11 that holds the 0 so that it does not sag, and is driven by a common motor 12 so that it can move in a loop at the same speed. and,
A large number of suction ports are formed in the horizontal support 11, and the suction allows the seaweed 2 to be transferred in a flat and spread state without scattering or bending. As described above, the light source 4 is installed below the gap between the transport conveyors 3a, 3b, and the measurement box 13 is installed above.
Inside the measurement box 13 are the first light receiving section 6, the second light receiving section 7, the compressed gas injection section 8, and the third light receiving section 6.
The light receiving section 9 and the like are housed therein. This measurement box 13 is
It functions to block external light so that it does not affect the determination of seaweed performance using light.

First, the first light receiving section 6 is an image sensor subdivided into 256 bits in this embodiment, and the lens system is divided into 256 sections with a predetermined width (for example, a length slightly exceeding the width of 200 mm of seaweed). It is now possible to measure the external dimensions of the seaweed and the condition of the holes. The second light-receiving section 7 consists of a chipping measurement sensor consisting of a large number of light-receiving element groups arranged in the width direction of the seaweed, and a sensor for determining a reference in the width direction provided slightly upstream of the sensor. Become. Further, the third light receiving section 9 is located close to the compressed gas injection section 8, and is adapted to measure a tear that is forcibly opened by the injection of compressed gas.

Next, the sorting device 20 includes a conveyor 21,
The sorting conveyors 22 are disposed above the conveyor 21 so as to intersect with each other at almost right angles with a gap therebetween, and at the intersection of the sorting conveyors 22, an upward airflow is created from the conveyor 21 side to the sorting conveyor 22 side. The configuration includes a transfer mechanism that can freely control the generation and stop of the upward airflow. In the present sorting device 20, the transfer mechanism transfers the seaweed to be sorted from the conveyor 21 to the sorting conveyor 22 by generating and stopping the upward air current, and the sorting conveyor 22 transfers the seaweed to the conveyor 2.
They are transferred to the side of No. 1 and sorted.

The conveyor 21 includes first and second main rollers 2
It has a net-like endless belt 25 which is hung between 3 and 24. The rotation of the motor 26 causes the endless belt 25 to move in a loop in the direction indicated by the arrow. In addition, two main rollers 23, 24
A horizontal holder is provided between them so that the endless belt 25 runs without slack. In this embodiment, this horizontal holding body is provided on the upper surface of the plane support plate 34.
This structure has three horizontal holding guide members 35a and 35b extending parallel to the longitudinal direction of the conveyor 21. These three horizontal holding guide members 35
a and 35b are shaped like hollow round pipes, and a suitable gap is formed around the periphery so that the entire lower surface of the endless belt 25 does not come into close contact with the horizontal holder, and the horizontal level of the endless belt 25 is maintained. fulfill a function. The horizontal holding guide member 35a at the center has a structure in which a large number of suction ports 36 are bored in its upper surface, and the inside thereof constitutes a part of a suction path and is constantly sucked and exhausted. As a result, the seaweed 2 transported on the endless net-like belt 25 is
It is suctioned and fixed onto the endless belt 25, and is kept in such a state that it will not scatter or shift its position.

The sorting conveyor 22 is connected to the endless belt 2 of the transport conveyor 21 from the upper surface of the pedestal (not shown).
A plurality of conveyors 5 are suspended in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor 21 with a slight gap between them and the upper surface of the conveyor 21 . Now, this sorting conveyor 22 has a structure in which a net-like endless belt 41 is stretched between two rollers 40, and although it is not shown in the drawing, one roller is connected to a sudden start/stop motor via a forward/reverse clutch. be combined. The endless belt 41 is structured so that it can be instantaneously rotated in either forward or reverse direction from a stopped state by the operation of the clutch.

The transfer mechanism is located at the intersection of the transport conveyor 21 and the sorting conveyor 22, and as shown in FIG. It is composed of a compressed air supply path 46 communicating with the blow-up port 45, an electromagnetic valve 47 provided in the middle thereof, and a compressed air source such as an air compressor (not shown). and,
By turning on and off the electromagnetic valve 47, the blow-up flow (upward flow) of compressed air is started and stopped at a substantially central position directly below the sorting conveyor.

Further, a gear-shaped rotor 50 is attached to the rotation shaft of the second main roller 24 in the conveyor 21, and a light emitting element 5 is mounted so as to sandwich the gear-shaped portion.
1 and the light-receiving element 52 are located facing each other and constitute a moving distance detection system of the endless belt 25. Light emitting element 5
By counting the number of times the light reaching the light receiving element 52 from the rotor 50 is blocked by the gear-shaped portion of the rotor 50, the moving distance of the endless belt 25 can be determined regardless of fluctuations in the rotational speed of the motor 26. It can be detected accurately.

Now, the operation of the seaweed continuous determination and sorting device having such a configuration is as follows. The seaweed 2 to be sorted is first transported by the conveyor 3a of the doneness judging device 1, and when it reaches the part where various measuring devices are set, it is spread out flatly. Here, the light source 4 emits light (for example, monochromatic light with a wavelength of 660 μm) over a predetermined length and full width of the lower surface of the seaweed.
is irradiated. Then, the vertical and horizontal dimensions of the seaweed 2 and the state of the holes are measured by the first light receiving section 6, and the second light receiving section 7
The chips in the seaweed 2 are measured, and the third light receiving section 9
The tears (tears) in the seaweed are measured.

First, in the first light receiving section 6, as shown in FIG. 3, a 256-bit image sensor 60 is scanned horizontally at the same time as the nori travels, and the number of light beams leaking due to the holes 61 is measured. . Image sensor 6
For an output of 0, a transparent signal indicating that there is no seaweed appears at the beginning and end of the entire field of view (256 bits), and a hole signal 62 (if there is a hole) appears in the middle.
appears. This type of seaweed image signal is
9 shift registers (N+0 to N
+8). In Figure 3, the symbol A
The hole signal is stored as shown in . Then, by ANDing the bits in the dotted line part as shown by symbol B, the hole signal A of the 10th and 11th bits of the N+8 and N+7 lines passes through the dotted line part B at the 11th clock after the 7th scan, and It can be detected by the circuit 63. Therefore, by changing the AND range, it is possible to arbitrarily change the size or shape of the hole. The shape of the holes can be graded into multiple grades based on the size of the holes, their number, or their hole ratio (the ratio of the total area of the holes to the total area of the seaweed).

Dimension measurement is also performed by the first light receiving section 6. The vertical length can be measured by counting the number of scans from the start to the end since the image sensor scans horizontally at 1 mm intervals, and the horizontal length can be measured by blocking light with one scan. It can be measured by counting the number of luminous fluxes, converting them to length, and taking the average of several times.

In the second light-receiving section 7, for example, a light-receiving element (solar cell, etc.) with a minimum unit of 5 mm square is used, and depending on how many light-receiving elements successively receive light when the seaweed is chipped, the number of chips (front chipping, back chipping) is determined. , horizontal chipping, etc.) can be measured. In addition, this portion can also be measured by extracting an output analog signal using an elongated light-receiving element.

In the third light receiving unit 9, compressed gas (usually air) is sprayed from above the seaweed using the compressed gas injection unit 8 to forcibly open the torn parts of the seaweed.
The size of the tear is detected by receiving light from a light source that passes through the open part. Based on such measurement results, one of various types of grading information is assigned to each seaweed.

The seaweed for which the judgment results were obtained in this way is
It is sent to the sorting device 20 on the downstream side in a flat spread state. At this time, the endless belt 25
As mentioned above, it has a net-like breathable structure, and as shown in detail in Fig. 4,
The seaweed 2 is moved while being held horizontally without sagging by the three horizontal holding guide members 35a and 35b, and the seaweed 2 placed thereon is sucked by the suction port 36 formed in the central horizontal holding guide member 35a. Because the material is attracted, the material is held in a fixed position and transported without shifting. A performance determination device 1 located upstream of this device
Based on the determination signal from the controller, it is determined which sorting conveyor is to be driven for the transported seaweed, and when the seaweed reaches directly below the corresponding sorting conveyor, the transfer mechanism is activated. . That is, the electromagnetic valve 47 opens and compressed air is injected upward from the blow-up port 45, and the rising airflow transfers the seaweed from the conveyor 21 side to the sorting conveyor 22 side. The situation is shown in Part 5.
As shown in the figure. First, the center portion of the seaweed 2 is pushed up by the blowing up of compressed air from the blow-up port 45. At this time, since there are gaps in most of the lower surface of the endless belt 25, the ends of the seaweed 2 do not come into close contact with the endless belt 25, and the seaweed 2 moves smoothly upward. Since it is blown up in the center, it moves straight upward without losing its posture. Then, the center portion of the seaweed 2 comes into contact with the lower surface of the endless belt 41 of the sorting conveyor 22, and thereafter, the peripheral portions are also sequentially pressed against the lower surface of the endless belt 41. At this time, the endless belt 41
is made of a material with good air permeability and has a gap formed behind it, so that almost the entire lower surface of the seaweed 2 is quickly pressed against the lower surface of the endless belt 41. In such a state, the forward/reverse clutch operates as described above to rotate the endless belt 41.
suddenly moves in one direction (specific direction according to the judgment signal)
The seaweed that is in close contact with the endless belt 41 is blown away in a fixed direction as shown by the imaginary line. This is how the seaweed is sorted.

A more detailed control operation of this device will be explained using the time chart shown in FIG. The seaweed passed through the doneness judging device 1 and judged there is conveyed as it is to the sorting device 20. Now, let us assume that the judgment result of the seaweed 2 that is being judged right below the doneness judging device 1 is that it is to be sorted by the nth sorting conveyor. At this time, it takes a certain period of time T for the seaweed 2 located directly below the doneness determining device 1 to reach the position directly below the n-th sorting conveyor. As previously mentioned, a clock pulse proportional to the conveyor speed is generated by the endless belt travel distance detection system in conjunction with the second main roller 24 of the transport conveyor 21. Assuming that the endless belt 25 moves by a distance d between the clock pulse generated from the light receiving element 52 and the next clock pulse, and also assuming that the distance from the finish judging device 1 to the n-th sorting conveyor is D, the clock pulse The target sorting conveyor position is reached at the D/d-th mark. Therefore, if the judgment signal is shifted by D/d clock pulses using a shift register or the like and then output, the shift register signal S is sent from the shift register just when it reaches the corresponding n-th sorting conveyor. can be generated. The first timer is activated by this shift register signal S to generate a first timer signal _T1 having a variable pulse width.
On the other hand, an optical sensor (not shown) is provided in front of each sorting conveyor, so that the passage of the seaweed 2 can be detected and the position of the seaweed can be confirmed. Then, the first timer signal _T1 is synchronized with the end of the photo signal P indicating the presence and passage of seaweed, and it is ensured that the seaweed has passed, and the position of the seaweed is reliably determined during the n-th sorting. center of the conveyor. Then, the second timer is activated by the synchronization signal, and the sorting operation is performed within the period of the second timer signal _T2 . That is, the solenoid valve 47 for blowing up compressed air is operated, and the forward/reverse clutch is operated. In this way, the seaweed judged by the doneness judging device 1 is sorted by driving a desired sorting conveyor in accordance with the judgment signal.

Although the most preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the seaweed completion judging and sorting device having such a structure, and various modifications may be made within the scope of the claims. It goes without saying that this is possible. In this example,
The system configuration is such that the performance judgment device and the sorting device are completely separated. This is advantageous because there is a high degree of freedom in system configuration, and if the number of grades to be sorted increases, an optimal system can be constructed by adding more sorting devices.

Since the present invention is a sorting device for continuously determining the performance of seaweed constructed as described above, the performance of the seaweed is measured by the performance evaluation device and its grade is determined one by one, and the evaluation information is used to quickly and efficiently determine the quality of the seaweed. Moreover, it has the excellent effect of being able to automatically and continuously sort the seaweed accurately and without damaging the seaweed.

In addition, in the present invention, the transport conveyor has a ventilated structure and is provided with a suction path along which suction ports are arranged to adsorb and transport, so even if the seaweed is lightweight and thin, it can be easily handled. It can be stably held in a fixed position without shifting or scattering, making it possible to transfer at high speed.It also has the effect of enabling high-speed sorting because it can be done only by starting and stopping the updraft without any sorting mechanical action. be.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing an embodiment of the seaweed continuous determination and sorting device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram thereof, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the structure and operation of the first light receiving section, and FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the transfer status of seaweed, FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the transfer status of seaweed from the transport conveyor side to the sorting conveyor side, and FIG. 6 is a time chart of the operation of this apparatus. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Completion determination device, 2... Seaweed, 3a, 3b... Conveyor, 4... Light source, 6... First light receiving section, 7...
2nd light receiving part, 8... compressed gas injection part, 9... third
20... sorting device, 21... conveyor, 22... sorting conveyor, 45... compressed air blow-off port, 46... compressed air supply path, 47... electromagnetic valve, 50... gear-shaped rotor, 51... light emitting element, 5
2... Light receiving element.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. Comprised of a combination of a doneness judging device installed on the upstream side of a transfer path for transferring seaweed in a flat spread state and a sorting device installed on the downstream side, the doneness judging device comprises: The sorting device has a structure in which the surface of the transported seaweed is irradiated with light and the quality of the seaweed is determined based on the transmitted light. A conveyor is provided to adsorb and transfer the seaweed, a sorting conveyor is provided with a ventilated endless belt and is disposed so as to intersect at a fixed interval above the conveyor, and the center of the intersecting position thereof. A continuous determination and sorting device for seaweed, characterized in that it has a structure that creates an upward airflow from a transport conveyor side to a sorting conveyor side and a transfer mechanism that can freely control the generation and stop of the upward airflow. 2. The doneness judgment device consists of a transport conveyor that transports the seaweed while holding it by suction, a light source that continuously irradiates the transported seaweed with light, and a light source that faces the light source through the seaweed and uses transmitted light to measure the length and width of the seaweed. A first light-receiving part that measures the dimensions and the state of hole formation, a second light-receiving part that measures chips in the seaweed, a compressed gas injection part that forcibly opens cracks in the seaweed, and a compressed gas injection part that forcibly opens cracks in the seaweed. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a third light-receiving section for measuring the applied tear. 3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein one or more sorting conveyors are arranged in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor. 4. The sorting conveyor has a structure that allows it to start and stop in either the forward or reverse direction, and is configured to distribute the transferred seaweed to be sorted to both sides of the conveyor. , the apparatus according to item 2 or 3. 5. The transfer mechanism is provided with a compressed air outlet located below the endless belt of the conveyor, a compressed air supply path communicating with the outlet, and an on-off valve provided in the middle. Apparatus according to scope 1, 2, 3 or 4.