Automatic tomato sorting device

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic tomato sorting device which is composed of a conveying device, a detecting device and a sorting device. Tomatoes are conveyed to the detection device through the conveying device to be detected, and then are sorted through the sorting device. The detection device comprises a detection base and a detection head, a spherical temporary storage groove is formed in the middle of the detection base, and the detection head is arranged above the temporary storage groove in a lifting mode and composed of a camera and a light supplementing lamp. A plurality of detection air holes are formed in the groove walls of the two opposite sides of the temporary storage groove, during detection, the air holes blow air to extrude the tomatoes, and the camera shoots the tomato deformation degree so as to detect the softness and hardness of the tomatoes. Through the unique design of the detection device, the hardness of the tomatoes can be efficiently and accurately detected, and a powerful basis is provided for automatic sorting of the tomatoes. The tomato sorting device is ingenious in structure, hardness detection is achieved in the mode that gas extrusion is combined with camera shooting, sorting efficiency and accuracy are improved, the automation level of tomato sorting can be improved, and the tomato sorting device has good application prospects in the field of fruit and vegetable sorting.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a sorting device, and more specifically to an automatic tomato sorting device. Background Technology

[0002] Tomatoes, widely cultivated and used globally, hold an important position in both the fresh food and processing industries, with varying ripeness requirements for different applications. Currently, ripeness assessment and sorting of tomatoes are mostly done manually, which suffers from low efficiency.

[0003] Therefore, existing technologies use image recognition to detect characteristics such as ripeness and size of tomatoes. However, simply taking pictures cannot effectively detect the firmness of tomatoes. Therefore, existing technologies use a squeezing plate to detect the firmness of tomatoes. However, this method has two problems. First, because the tomatoes are squeezed during the detection process, it will affect the quality of the tomatoes after detection and increase the cost of discarding tomatoes. Second, it requires a high-precision pressure sensor to be installed on the squeezing plate, which leads to a high overall equipment cost. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, the purpose of this invention is to provide an automatic tomato sorting device that can effectively achieve low-cost sorting.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: an automatic tomato sorting device, comprising a conveying device, a detection device, and a sorting device. Tomatoes enter through the conveying device, are conveyed to the detection device for detection, and are sorted by the sorting device after detection. The detection device includes a detection base and a detection head. A spherical temporary placement groove is formed in the center of the detection base. The detection head is vertically and flexibly positioned above the temporary placement groove. The detection head is composed of a camera and a supplementary light. Several detection air holes are formed on the opposite sides of the temporary placement groove. Air is blown from the detection air holes toward the tomatoes. During detection, the gas output from the detection air holes squeezes the tomatoes, and the camera captures the degree of deformation of the tomatoes, thereby detecting the firmness of the tomatoes.

[0006] As a further improvement of the present invention, a top-out hole is provided in the center of the temporary storage tank, and a top-out column is provided in the top-out hole that can be raised and lowered, so that after the tomato detection is completed, the detected tomato can be pushed out of the temporary storage tank by the rising of the top-out column. A secondary supplementary light is provided at the top of the top-out column to provide supplementary light to the tomato when the detection head descends.

[0007] As a further improvement of the present invention, the detection head includes a lifting column, a light shield, and a camera set inside the light shield. The camera captures tomato images, and the ripeness and size of the tomatoes are detected by recognizing the color and size of the tomato images and comparing them with standard images.

[0008] As a further improvement of the present invention, the sorting device includes a plurality of discharge rollers and baffles corresponding to the discharge rollers one by one. The ends of the plurality of discharge rollers are connected to the temporary storage trough. The baffles are rotatably disposed on the ends of the discharge rollers so as to open or close the discharge rollers by flipping them.

[0009] As a further improvement of the present invention, the conveying device includes a storage funnel and a conveying track. The storage funnel is located above one end of the conveying track, and the other end of the conveying track extends to the detection device. The conveying track has a long U-shaped groove structure. The bottom of the groove of the conveying track is provided with several supporting air holes. The several supporting air holes are connected to an external air source to blow air upwards to support the tomatoes. The groove wall of the conveying track is provided with several side air columns. The several side air columns keep the tomatoes in the middle position by blowing air.

[0010] As a further improvement of the present invention, the conveying track is tilted at a certain angle so that the tomatoes are conveyed by gravity.

[0011] As a further improvement of the present invention, the groove wall of the conveying track is provided with a number of conveying air columns spaced apart from each other, and the number of conveying air columns push the tomatoes to move and convey them in the conveying track by means of inclined blowing air.

[0012] As a further improvement of the present invention, both the side air column and the conveying air column are hollow cylindrical structures, and an air passage is provided inside the hollow cylinder. The end of the air passage facing the inside of the conveying track expands outward to form a frustum shape.

[0013] As a further improvement of the present invention, the side air column and the conveying air column are coaxially provided with a suction funnel at one end facing away from the inside of the conveying track. The small end of the suction funnel is connected to the end of the air passage and communicates with it. The outer walls of the side air column and the conveying air column are fixed to the groove wall of the conveying track by a sealing film.

[0014] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: Compared with the tomato sorting technology in the background art, this invention has significant advantages. Traditional manual sorting methods are inefficient and cannot meet the needs of modern large-scale production. While existing technologies using image recognition combined with a squeezing plate to detect the firmness of tomatoes attempt automation, they have many drawbacks. On the one hand, the squeezing plate affects the quality of the tomatoes, increasing waste costs; on the other hand, high-precision pressure sensors increase equipment costs. This invention utilizes air blowing through detection holes to squeeze the tomatoes, combined with a camera capturing the degree of deformation to detect firmness, avoiding direct squeezing of the tomatoes, ensuring tomato quality, and reducing waste costs. Simultaneously, it eliminates the need for expensive high-precision pressure sensors, effectively reducing equipment costs. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the automatic tomato sorting device of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the detection head; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure for delivering the air column. Detailed Implementation

[0016] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0017] Reference Figure 1 As shown, the automatic tomato sorting device of this embodiment includes a conveying device 1, a detection device 2, and a sorting device 3. Tomatoes enter from the conveying device 1, are conveyed to the detection device 2 for detection, and are then sorted by the sorting device 3 after detection. The detection device 2 includes a detection base 21 and a detection head 22. A spherical temporary placement groove is provided in the middle of the detection base 21. The detection head 22 is vertically and flexibly positioned above the temporary placement groove and is composed of a camera and a supplementary light. Several detection air holes are provided on the opposite sides of the temporary placement groove. During detection, the detection air holes output gas to squeeze the tomatoes, and the camera captures the degree of deformation of the tomatoes, thereby realizing the detection of the tomato's hardness. The detection air holes blow air to squeeze the tomatoes, and the camera captures the tomato deformation image. The hardness is determined by analyzing the degree of deformation. Compared with the low efficiency of manual sorting in the background technology and the problems of existing detection methods affecting tomato quality and high cost, this solution uses non-contact gas squeezing to detect hardness, which not only ensures tomato quality but also reduces costs. Specifically, the sorting device of this embodiment has the following sorting process: First, tomatoes enter the conveyor 1 and roll onto the spherical temporary storage tank. Due to the spherical surface, the tomatoes cannot continue rolling, and the detection head 22 descends, capturing an image of the tomato using a camera. By recognizing and comparing these images, the ripeness and size of the tomatoes are determined. The camera then captures another image as a base image. At this point, an external device is activated, causing gas to be ejected from the detection vents to compress the tomato. The camera then captures an image of the deformed tomato. The two images are compared to determine the amount of deformation. The degree of deformation determines the tomato's firmness; greater deformation indicates a softer tomato, and less deformation indicates a harder tomato. This method, compared to the pressure plate method used in existing technologies, ensures tomato quality. Furthermore, the added equipment only involves adding vents to the walls of the temporary storage tank and adding a judgment algorithm to the camera, making it more cost-effective than the pressure plate method.

[0018] Furthermore, refer to Figure 1 As shown, a push-out hole 23 is opened in the center of the temporary storage tank. A push-out column 24 is vertically mounted inside this hole 23. After the tomato inspection is completed, the push-out column 24 rises to push the inspected tomato out of the temporary storage tank. A secondary supplementary light is installed at the top of the push-out column 24 to provide supplementary lighting to the tomato when the inspection head 22 descends. After inspection, the push-out column 24 rises to push the tomato out. The supplementary lighting during inspection helps to make the captured image clearer and facilitates accurate inspection.

[0019] Furthermore, refer to Figure 2 As shown, the detection head 22 includes a lifting column 221, a light shield 222, and a camera disposed within the light shield 222. The camera captures images of tomatoes, and the ripeness and size of the tomatoes are detected by recognizing the color and size of the tomato images and comparing them with standard images. The system analyzes the color and size of the captured images to obtain ripeness and size information.

[0020] Furthermore, refer to Figure 1 As shown, the sorting device 3 includes several discharge rollers 31 and baffles 32 corresponding to each discharge roller 31. The ends of the discharge rollers 31 are connected to temporary storage troughs. The baffles 32 are rotatably mounted on the ends of the discharge rollers 31, opening or closing them by flipping them. The baffles 32 are controlled to flip based on the detection results, diverting tomatoes with different detection results to the corresponding discharge rollers 31, thus achieving automatic sorting and solving the problem of low efficiency in manual sorting in the prior art.

[0021] Furthermore, refer to Figure 1As shown, the conveying device 1 includes a storage funnel 11 and a conveying track 12. The storage funnel 11 is positioned above one end of the conveying track 12, and the other end of the conveying track 12 extends to the detection device 2. The conveying track 12 has a long, U-shaped trough structure. Several supporting air holes 121 are provided at the bottom of the trough, connected to an external air source. Air is blown upwards to support the tomatoes. Several side air columns 122 are provided on the trough wall to keep the tomatoes in the center position through air blowing. The supporting air holes 121 blow air to lift the tomatoes, and the side air columns 122 blow air to ensure the tomatoes are conveyed in the center of the track, avoiding collision damage and solving the problem of potential damage to tomatoes during the conveying process in the prior art.

[0022] Furthermore, the conveyor track 12 is tilted at a certain angle, allowing the tomatoes to be transported by gravity. Utilizing gravity to transport the tomatoes reduces additional power consumption.

[0023] Furthermore, refer to Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the walls of the conveying track 12 are provided with several conveying air columns 123 spaced apart from each other. The conveying air columns 123 propel the tomatoes horizontally within the conveying track 12 by tilting the air column. The tilting air column generates a horizontal force to propel the tomatoes forward, ensuring smooth conveying and solving the problem that gravity conveying may be hindered by the slope.

[0024] Furthermore, refer to Figure 3 As shown, both the side air column 122 and the conveying air column 123 are hollow cylindrical structures. An air passage 124 passes through the hollow cylinder, and the end of the air passage 124 facing the inside of the conveying track 12 expands outward to form a frustum shape. The frustum shape design makes the blown gas more dispersed and uniform, and better acts on the tomato, improving the conveying and positioning effect.

[0025] Furthermore, refer to Figure 3 As shown, a suction funnel 125 is coaxially mounted at one end of the side air column 122 and the conveying air column 123 facing away from the interior of the conveying track 12. The small end of the suction funnel 125 is connected to and communicates with the end of the air passage 124. The outer walls of the side air column 122 and the conveying air column 123 are fixed to the groove wall of the conveying track by a sealing membrane. The suction funnel 125 can obtain a larger gas extraction area, and the sealing membrane ensures the airtightness of the device and improves the overall performance.

[0026] In summary, this solution achieves efficient, non-destructive, and low-cost tomato sorting through the coordinated operation of a conveying device, a detection device, and a sorting device. It employs methods such as gas compression to detect hardness and multi-dimensional image processing to assess ripeness and size. Furthermore, the various design features of the conveying device ensure the safety and smooth transport of tomatoes. Compared to previous technologies, this solution demonstrates significant advantages in sorting efficiency, tomato quality protection, and cost control.

[0027] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. All technical solutions falling within the scope of the present invention's concept are within the scope of protection of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, any improvements and modifications made without departing from the principles of the present invention should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic tomato sorting device, comprising a conveying device (1), a detection device (2), and a sorting device (3), wherein tomatoes enter from the conveying device (1), are conveyed to the detection device (2) for detection, and are sorted by the sorting device (3) after detection, characterized in that: The detection device (2) includes a detection base (21) and a detection head (22). The detection base (21) has a spherical temporary placement groove in the middle. The detection head (22) is raised and lowered above the temporary placement groove. The detection head (22) is composed of a camera and a supplementary light. Several detection air holes are opened on the opposite sides of the temporary placement groove. Several detection air holes blow air towards the tomato. During detection, the gas output from the detection air holes is used to squeeze the tomato. The camera captures the degree of deformation of the tomato to realize the detection of the tomato's softness and hardness.

2. The automatic tomato sorting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The temporary storage tank has a top-out hole (23) in the center. A top-out column (24) is provided in the top-out hole (23) and can be raised and lowered. After the tomato is tested, the tested tomato is pushed out of the temporary storage tank by the rising of the top-out column (24). The top of the top-out column (24) is provided with a secondary supplementary light to provide supplementary light to the tomato when the testing head (22) descends.

3. The automatic tomato sorting device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The detection head (22) includes a lifting column (221), a light shield (222), and a camera set inside the light shield (222). The camera captures tomato images, and the ripeness and size of the tomatoes are detected by recognizing the color and size of the tomato images and comparing them with standard images.

4. The automatic tomato sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The sorting device (3) includes several discharge rollers (31) and baffles (32) corresponding to each discharge roller (31). The ends of the several discharge rollers (31) are connected to the temporary storage trough. The baffles (32) are flipped and set on the ends of the discharge rollers (31) so as to open or close the discharge rollers (31) by flipping.

5. The automatic tomato sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The conveying device (1) includes a storage funnel (11) and a conveying track (12). The storage funnel (11) is located above one end of the conveying track (12), and the other end of the conveying track (12) extends to the detection device (2). The conveying track (12) has a long U-shaped groove structure. The bottom of the groove of the conveying track (12) is provided with several supporting air holes (121). The several supporting air holes (121) are connected to an external air source to blow air upwards to support the tomatoes. The groove wall of the conveying track (12) is provided with several side air columns (122). The several side air columns (122) keep the tomatoes in the middle position by blowing air.

6. The automatic tomato sorting device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The conveying track (12) is tilted at a certain angle so that the tomatoes are conveyed by gravity.

7. The automatic tomato sorting device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The groove wall of the conveying track (12) is provided with several conveying air columns (123) spaced apart from each other. The several conveying air columns (123) push the tomatoes to move and transport them in the conveying track (12) by tilting the air.

8. The automatic tomato sorting device according to claim 7, characterized in that: Both the side air column (122) and the conveying air column (123) are hollow cylindrical structures. An air passage (124) is provided inside the hollow cylinder. The end of the air passage (124) facing the inside of the conveying track (12) expands outward to form a frustum shape.

9. The automatic tomato sorting device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The side air column (122) and the conveying air column (123) are coaxially provided with a suction funnel (125) at one end facing away from the inside of the conveying track (12). The small end of the suction funnel (125) is connected to the end of the air passage (124) and communicates with each other. The outer walls of the side air column (122) and the conveying air column (123) are fixed to the groove wall of the conveying track by a sealing membrane.

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