Visual identification system and multistage screening visual selector

Abstract

The invention discloses a visual identification system and a multistage screening visual selector, and the visual identification system comprises an image obtaining device and a lens assembly. The lens assembly comprises at least one reflecting lens unit, and the at least one reflecting lens unit is adjacent to each column of materials conveyed by the conveying belt and is obliquely and upwards arranged in the space, so that when the materials pass through the reflecting lens units, the materials are imaged on the reflecting lens units; the image acquisition equipment comprises first image acquisition equipment, and the first image acquisition equipment is used for simultaneously shooting the material and the reflecting lens unit so as to directly acquire an image reflecting the surface characteristics of the material and indirectly acquire an image reflecting the surface characteristics of the material through an image in the reflecting lens unit. The shooting visual angle of the first image acquisition equipment is increased through the reflection lens unit so as to increase the range of the first image acquisition equipment capable of acquiring the surface characteristics of the material.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of screening technology, and in particular to a visual recognition system for identifying materials and a multi-stage screening visual selection machine for screening materials. Background Art

[0002] The prior art screening and selection machines used for screening materials (such as nuts, fruits, etc.) generally include: a conveying platform, a visual recognition system and a rejection mechanism; the conveying platform includes a conveyor belt for conveying materials and a conveyor roller supporting and driving the conveyor belt; the image acquisition device in the visual recognition system (the core component of the image acquisition device is a camera or a video camera, and the image acquisition device also includes auxiliary components, such as a backlight panel, a light source, etc.) is used to photograph the materials on the conveyor belt to obtain images for reflecting the surface characteristics of the materials (including appearance characteristics, surface quality, color characteristics, etc.), the image processing and analysis system in the visual recognition system (such as an image processing and analysis program installed in a computer) is used to process and analyze the acquired images and finally classify the materials into different grades according to the surface characteristics, the rejection mechanism separates materials of the same grade from other materials by changing the conveying trajectory of the materials, and the material receiving mechanism is used to receive materials of the same grade.

[0003] The visual recognition system of traditional multi-stage screening equipment is usually equipped with only a single image acquisition device. It is easy to understand that due to limitations such as the shooting range and capabilities of cameras and video cameras, as well as the appearance characteristics of the materials (such as spherical materials or quasi-spherical materials), it is difficult to obtain more comprehensive surface feature information of the materials using a single image acquisition device.

[0004] In order to obtain more comprehensive surface feature information of a material, the prior art attempts to configure multiple sets of image acquisition devices to photograph the material from different angles to obtain more comprehensive surface feature information of the material. However, this method of obtaining more comprehensive surface image features of a material by using multiple sets of image acquisition devices has the following problems:

[0005] 1. Each set of image acquisition equipment occupies a certain installation space due to the presence of components such as cameras (camcorders), backlight panels, light sources and control modules. Therefore, it is difficult to obtain sufficient installation space for multiple sets of image acquisition equipment, and the installation is greatly restricted or even impossible.

[0006] 2. Even if multiple sets of image acquisition devices can be installed in a limited space, there is a risk of mutual interference between the light emitted by the light sources in different image acquisition devices, which affects the shooting effect and makes it difficult for the acquired images to clearly and accurately reflect the surface characteristics of the material.

[0007] 3. It is easy to understand that adding more sets of image acquisition equipment will inevitably increase costs. Summary of the invention

[0008] In view of the above problems existing in the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a visual recognition system and a multi-stage screening machine to solve the problems in the prior art.

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following scheme.

[0010] A visual recognition system, comprising: an image acquisition device and a lens assembly;

[0011] The lens assembly includes at least one reflective lens unit, at least one of the reflective lens units is adjacent to each column of materials conveyed by the conveyor belt and is arranged tilted upward in space, so that: when the materials pass through the reflective lens unit, the materials are imaged on the reflective lens unit;

[0012] The image acquisition device includes a first image acquisition device, which simultaneously photographs the material and the reflective lens unit to directly acquire an image reflecting the surface characteristics of the material and indirectly acquires an image reflecting the surface characteristics of the material through the image in the reflective lens unit. Thus, the shooting angle of the first image acquisition device is increased by means of the reflective lens unit to increase the range in which the first image acquisition device can acquire the surface characteristics of the material.

[0013] Preferably, the first image acquisition device is located above the conveyor belt.

[0014] Preferably, at least one reflector unit is arranged on each side of each column of materials.

[0015] Preferably, a plurality of the reflective lens units are arranged on each side of each column of material, and the plurality of reflective lens units on each side of each column of material are arranged along the circumferential direction.

[0016] Preferably, the spatial posture and position of each of the reflector units on each side of each column of materials are adjustable.

[0017] Preferably, the plurality of reflective lens units on each side of each column of materials are hinged in sequence through a ball joint assembly so that the spatial posture and position of the reflective lens units are adjustable.

[0018] Preferably, the mirror surface of the reflective lens unit is a plane.

[0019] Preferably, the mirror surface of the reflective lens unit is a convex surface.

[0020] Preferably, the image acquisition device further comprises a second image acquisition device, the second image acquisition device is located below the conveyor belt, and the conveyor belt is configured to be transparent; wherein:

[0021] The second image acquisition device shoots toward the material from below via the conveyor belt to obtain images of surface features of the material.

[0022] Preferably, the image acquisition device comprises a video camera or a still camera.

[0023] The present invention also discloses a multi-stage screening and selection machine, comprising a conveying platform, a rejection system, a material receiving mechanism, and the above-mentioned visual recognition system.

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the visual recognition system and multi-stage screening machine provided by the present invention have the following advantages:

[0025] 1. Use the reflective lens unit to image the material. Use a single set of image acquisition equipment to shoot the material and the reflective lens unit. On the one hand, it can increase the field of view. On the other hand, it can reduce the distortion of the low-latitude area of ​​the material in the image, so that the visual recognition system can obtain the surface characteristics of the material more comprehensively and accurately.

[0026] 2. By increasing the number of reflective lens units, the surface features of the material can be acquired from more viewing angles. Compared with the traditional solution of increasing the viewing angle by increasing the number of image acquisition devices, the present invention avoids the problem of difficulty in installing the equipment due to insufficient installation space, the problem of mutual interference among numerous light sources, and the problem of increased costs.

[0027] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention.

[0028] This summary of various implementations or examples of the technology described in this disclosure is not a comprehensive disclosure of the entire scope or all features of the disclosed technology. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] In the drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, the same reference numerals may describe similar parts in different views. The same reference numerals with letter suffixes or different letter suffixes may represent different instances of similar parts. The accompanying drawings generally illustrate various embodiments by way of example and not limitation, and together with the specification and claims, are used to illustrate the embodiments of the invention. When appropriate, the same reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or similar parts. Such embodiments are illustrative and are not intended to be exhaustive or exclusive embodiments of the present apparatus or method.

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the multi-stage screening machine provided by the present invention.

[0031] Figure 2 for Figure 1 An enlarged view of detail A.

[0032] Figure 3 This is a front view of the visual recognition system provided by the present invention.

[0033] Figure 4 This is a top view of the visual recognition system provided by the present invention.

[0034] In the figure:

[0035] 10- conveying platform; 11- conveyor belt; 211- first image acquisition device; 2111- first camera; 212- second image acquisition device; 2121- second camera; 22- lens assembly; 221- reflective lens unit; 30- rejecting mechanism; 40- material receiving mechanism; 100- material; 101- low latitude area; 102- pit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the embodiment of the present invention clearer, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings of the embodiment of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiment is a part of the embodiment of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the described embodiment of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0037] Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the present invention should be understood by people with ordinary skills in the field to which the present invention belongs. The words "first", "second" and similar words used in the present invention do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. "Include" or "comprise" and similar words mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word include the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. "Connect" or "connected" and similar words are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Up", "down", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0038] In order to keep the following description of the embodiments of the present invention clear and concise, detailed descriptions of well-known functions and well-known components are omitted.

[0039] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the present invention discloses a visual recognition system and a multi-stage screening machine including the visual recognition system, such as Figure 1As shown, the multi-stage screening machine includes a conveying platform 10, a rejecting mechanism 30 and a material receiving mechanism 40 in addition to the visual recognition system. The visual recognition system disclosed in the present invention is dedicated to obtaining surface feature information (surface features include but are not limited to: shape features, surface quality, color features) of spherical or quasi-spherical materials 100 in a more comprehensive, clear and accurate manner, so that the grade (for example, excellent grade) of the material 100 can be accurately classified through image analysis and processing programs (the programs are installed in the computer system) in the visual recognition system.

[0040] The conveying platform 10 includes a platform body, a conveying roller installed on the platform body, and a conveying belt 11 installed on the conveying roller. The conveying belt 11 may include multiple conveying belts 11, which are arranged in parallel. Each row of conveying belts 11 can be responsible for conveying one or more rows of materials 100. In the present invention, the conveying belt 11 is preferably configured to be transparent so that the visual recognition system can also obtain surface feature information of the material 100 from the bottom of the conveying belt 11 through the conveying belt 11.

[0041] A visual recognition system and a rejection mechanism 30 are arranged in sequence along the direction in which the material 100 is conveyed by the conveyor belt 11. A material receiving mechanism 40 is arranged on both sides of the rejection mechanism 30. When the material 100 on the conveyor belt 11 passes through the visual recognition system, an image acquisition device in the visual recognition system (its core component is a camera or a video camera, and its auxiliary equipment includes a backlight panel, a light source, etc.) photographs the material 100 to obtain an image reflecting the surface characteristics of the material 100. Then, the image reflecting the surface characteristics of the material 100 is acquired by an image analysis and processing program in the visual recognition system, and the corresponding material 100 is graded based on the surface characteristic information of the material 100 reflected in the image. When the graded material 100 passes through the rejection mechanism 30, the rejection mechanism 30 changes the conveying trajectory of the material 100, and then the material 100 is received by the corresponding material receiving mechanism 40, thereby realizing the screening and collection of the material 100 by grade.

[0042] Since the image analysis and processing program classifies the material 100 by analyzing the surface characteristics of the material 100 reflected in the image, whether the image obtained by the image acquisition device can more comprehensively and accurately reflect the surface characteristics of the material 100 determines the screening effect of the visual selection machine.

[0043] The image obtained by using a single set (set) of image acquisition devices is difficult to fully and accurately reflect the surface characteristics of the material 100. Specifically, the reason why the image is difficult to fully reflect the surface characteristics of the material 100 is that the surface of the material 100 facing away from the camera (or video camera) cannot be photographed by the camera, and therefore, the surface characteristics of the back of the material 100 cannot be presented in the image; the image is difficult to accurately reflect the surface characteristics of the material 100 in particular in that the surface of the low-latitude region 101 of the material 100 cannot be presented in proportion in the image, and the surface of the region appears to be compressed in the image. If there are defects such as cracks and notches in the low-latitude region 101, the defects are not easy to be identified in the image. In other words, a single set of image acquisition devices has the defects of a small stereoscopic viewing range and distorted images of the low-latitude region 101 in terms of acquiring images of the material 100. However, using multiple sets of image acquisition devices to shoot the material 100 from different angles has the problems of insufficient installation space, mutual interference between light, and high cost.

[0044] In the present invention, if Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the method of expanding the viewing range and reducing the distortion of the low-latitude area 101 of the material 100 by adding a lens assembly 22 in the vicinity of the material 100 is used instead of increasing the number of image acquisition devices to expand the viewing range and reduce the distortion of the low-latitude area 101 of the material 100. Specifically, a first image acquisition device 211 is arranged above the conveyor belt 11, and a second image acquisition device 212 is arranged below the conveyor belt 11. The conveyor belt 11 is configured to be transparent. The lens assembly 22 includes at least one reflective lens unit 221. The first image acquisition device 211 is used to photograph the material 100 from above the material 100 by means of a first camera 2111 and auxiliary components (such as a backlight plate, a light source, etc., not shown in the drawings), and the second image acquisition device 212 is used to photograph the material 100 from below the material 100 through the conveyor belt 11 by means of a second camera 2121 and auxiliary components (such as a backlight plate, a light source, etc., not shown in the drawings). The reflective lens unit 221 is arranged adjacent to the material 100 and tilted in space, and the arrangement position and spatial posture of the reflective lens unit 221 should at least satisfy the following requirements: the low-latitude region 101 of the material 100 corresponding to the angle (or viewing angle) of the reflective lens unit 221 should be able to form an image with less distortion in the reflective lens unit 221, while the high-latitude region of the material 100 (i.e., the top and bottom regions of the material 100) does not necessarily have to be imaged in the reflective lens unit 221 or the image may be distorted (because the images of the top and bottom regions of the material 100 obtained by directly photographing the material 100 using the first camera 2111 of the first image acquisition device 211 and the second camera 2121 of the second image acquisition device 212 are undistorted).

[0045] It should be noted that although Figure 3 The position of the first camera 2111 is shown to be directly above the material 100, however, this should not be understood as a limitation on the relative position of the first camera 2111 and the material 100. In fact, the first image acquisition device 2111 can be arranged at any position where the installation space allows and can simultaneously capture the material 100 and the reflective lens unit 221.

[0046] In the present invention, when the material 100 passes through the reflective lens unit 221, the first camera 2111 of the first image acquisition device 211 simultaneously photographs the material 100 and the reflective lens unit 221. Therefore, the image acquired by the first image acquisition device 211 includes both the image information obtained by directly photographing the material 100 and the image information of the image in the reflective lens unit 221 acquired by photographing the reflective lens unit 221. Therefore, in the present invention, the surface feature information of the material 100 reflected by the image acquired by the first image acquisition device 211 is more comprehensive and accurate. The specific reason is that: since the image formed by the reflective lens unit 221 includes the image information of the first image acquisition device 211, the image information of the material 100 is more comprehensive and accurate. The first camera 2111 cannot obtain the surface features of the back side of the material 100 (the side of the material 100 facing away from the first camera 2111) by directly photographing the material 100. Therefore, the image obtained by the first image acquisition device 211 also includes at least part of the surface features of the back side of the material 100. For another example, since the low-latitude area 101 of the material 100 reflected in the image formed by the reflective lens unit 221 is not excessively distorted, the distortion of the image obtained by the first image acquisition device 211 in reflecting the surface features of the low-latitude area 101 of the material 100 is greatly improved. Therefore, the surface features of the material 100 reflected in the image are more accurate, such as Figure 3 As shown, if there is a pit 102 defect in the low-latitude area 101 of the material 100, it can be accurately identified from the image of the reflective lens unit 221 in the image. Based on the above, it can be known that using the reflective lens unit 221 to image the material 100 and using a single set of image acquisition equipment to shoot the material 100 and the reflective lens unit 221 can increase the viewing range on the one hand and reduce the distortion of the low-latitude area 101 of the material 100 in the image on the other hand.

[0047] In some preferred embodiments, Figure 2 As shown, reflective lens units 221 are arranged on both sides of each column of materials 100. In some more preferred solutions, such as Figure 4As shown, a plurality of reflective lens units 221 are arranged on each side of each column of material 100, and the plurality of reflective lens units 221 on each side of each column of material 100 are arranged along the circumferential direction. In this way, the surface features of the material 100 can be more comprehensively and accurately reflected in the acquired image. In some more preferred schemes, the spatial posture and position of each reflective lens unit 221 on each side of each column of material 100 are adjustable, so that the reflective lens unit 221 can be adjusted to a more suitable position and spatial angle, and can adapt to materials 100 of different types and sizes. Preferably, each reflective lens unit 221 is mounted on a base plate (not shown) to facilitate the installation of the reflective lens unit 221 and the interconnection between the reflective lens units 221. Preferably, the plurality of reflective lens units 221 on each side are hinged in sequence by a ball joint assembly (that is, the hinge is achieved by the cooperation of the ball bowl component and the ball head component) so that the spatial posture and position of the reflective lens unit 221 are adjustable. As shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown, the reflective lens unit 221 in the lens assembly 22 is mounted on a beam above the conveyor belt 11 through a connecting component so that its position and height can be adjusted.

[0048] In addition, although exemplary embodiments have been described in the present invention, the scope includes any and all embodiments based on the present invention with equivalent elements, modifications, omissions, combinations (e.g., various embodiments intersecting schemes), adaptations or changes. The elements in the claims will be interpreted broadly based on the language adopted in the claims, and are not limited to the examples described in this specification or during the implementation of this application, and their examples will be interpreted as non-exclusive. Therefore, this specification and examples are intended to be considered as examples only, and the true scope and spirit are indicated by the following claims and the full scope of their equivalents.

[0049] The above description is intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive. For example, the above examples (or one or more of them) can be used in combination with each other. For example, a person of ordinary skill in the art can use other embodiments when reading the above description. In addition, in the above-mentioned specific embodiments, various features can be grouped together to simplify the present invention. This should not be interpreted as an intention that a disclosed feature that is not required to be protected is necessary for any claim. On the contrary, the subject matter of the present invention may be less than all the features of a specific disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are incorporated into the specific embodiments as examples or embodiments, wherein each claim is independently used as a separate embodiment, and it is considered that these embodiments can be combined with each other in various combinations or arrangements. The scope of the present invention should be determined with reference to the attached claims and the full scope of equivalent forms granted by these claims.

[0050] The above embodiments are only exemplary embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention is defined by the claims. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications or equivalent substitutions to the present invention within the essence and protection scope of the present invention, and such modifications or equivalent substitutions shall also be deemed to fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A visual recognition system, characterized in that: include: Image acquisition equipment and lens assembly; The lens assembly includes at least one reflective lens unit, at least one of the reflective lens units is adjacent to each column of materials conveyed by the conveyor belt and is arranged tilted upward in space, so that: when the materials pass through the reflective lens unit, the materials are imaged on the reflective lens unit; The image acquisition device includes a first image acquisition device, which simultaneously photographs the material and the reflective lens unit to directly acquire an image reflecting the surface characteristics of the material and indirectly acquires an image reflecting the surface characteristics of the material through the image in the reflective lens unit. Thus, the shooting angle of the first image acquisition device is increased by means of the reflective lens unit to increase the range in which the first image acquisition device can acquire the surface characteristics of the material.

2. The visual recognition system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first image acquisition device is located above the conveyor belt.

3. The visual recognition system according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one reflector unit is arranged on each side of each column of materials.

4. The visual recognition system according to claim 3, characterized in that: A plurality of the reflective lens units are arranged on each side of each column of materials, and the plurality of reflective lens units on each side of each column of materials are arranged along the circumferential direction.

5. The visual recognition system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The spatial posture and position of each of the reflective lens units on each side of each column of materials are adjustable.

6. The visual recognition system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The plurality of reflective lens units on each side of each column of materials are hinged in sequence through a ball joint assembly so that the spatial posture and position of the reflective lens units are adjustable.

7. The visual recognition system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mirror surface of the reflective lens unit is a plane.

8. The visual recognition system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mirror surface of the reflective lens unit is a convex surface.

9. The visual recognition system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The image acquisition device further includes a second image acquisition device, the second image acquisition device is located below the conveyor belt, and the conveyor belt is configured to be transparent; wherein: The second image acquisition device shoots toward the material from below via the conveyor belt to obtain images of surface features of the material.

10. The visual recognition system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The image acquisition device includes a video camera or a camera.

11. A multi-stage screening machine, comprising a conveying platform, a rejection system, and a material receiving mechanism, characterized in that: It also includes the visual recognition system as described in any one of claims 1 to 10.

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