An automated intelligent grading device and method for pecan

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of agricultural product processing, in particular to a kind of automated intelligent grading equipment and method for Carya illinoensis, the grading equipment includes transmission mechanism, transmission mechanism includes the first drive assembly for driving movement of the conveying roller for bearing walnut;Visual inspection mechanism includes at least one visual camera for collecting the appearance image of Carya illinoensis to identify whether it exists damage, sorting execution mechanism includes the second drive assembly for driving movement of the multiple sorting rollers movably arranged.The present application realizes the consistency leap of sorting efficiency and quality by constructing the full-automation closed-loop system of transmission, detection, decision and execution, adopts the working mechanism of sorting roller autorotation and visual camera cooperation, makes walnut tumble naturally in the conveying process, realizes 360° dead angle image acquisition, fundamentally solves the missed detection and misjudgment problem caused by visual fatigue and detection blind area in traditional manual sorting.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of agricultural product processing, in particular to an automatic intelligent grading equipment and method for thin-shelled pecan. BACKGROUND

[0002] As a high economic value nut category, the market value of thin-shelled pecan is closely related to the appearance quality. Whether there are defects such as cracking and mold on the surface is a key factor to determine its grade and price. With the upgrading of consumption and the increasing demand for the quality of agricultural products, the traditional grading method has been difficult to meet the development needs of industrialization and standardization.

[0003] At present, the sorting of thin-shelled pecan mainly relies on the following methods:

[0004] 1. Manual sorting method is still the main choice of most small and medium-sized enterprises. This method relies on manual judgment and sorting by naked eye and experience. In the actual operation process, the sorting workers need to quickly distinguish a large number of nuts with similar shapes and close colors under high-intensity lighting, which is easy to cause visual fatigue and affect the accuracy of sorting.

[0005] 2. Mechanical screening realizes automation to a certain extent, but the function is relatively single. Such equipment mostly uses physical size or weight sorting principle for sorting. The size and weight sorting cannot identify the surface features such as color, texture and crack, affecting the quality after sorting.

[0006] 3. Primary image recognition sorting represents the development direction of technology, but there are still many technical difficulties in the specific implementation of the equipment. First of all, the detection dead angle problem is prominent. In the conventional conveying process of the conveying belt, the nuts are usually only partially exposed to the camera field of view, so that the defects on the bottom and side cannot be detected, resulting in high misjudgment rate. SUMMARY

[0007] In view of the problems in the prior art, the present application provides an automatic intelligent grading equipment for thin-shelled pecan.

[0008] The technical scheme adopted by the present application to solve its technical problems is: an automatic intelligent grading equipment for thin-shelled pecan, comprising a transmission mechanism, the transmission mechanism comprising a conveying roller for carrying nuts and a first driving assembly for driving the movement of the conveying roller;

[0009] a visual detection mechanism, comprising at least one visual camera arranged on one side of the transmission mechanism for collecting the appearance image of the thin-shelled pecan to identify whether it is damaged;

[0010] a sorting execution mechanism, comprising a plurality of sorting rollers movably arranged and a second driving assembly for driving the movement of the sorting rollers; the sorting rollers are internally provided with a cavity, and one side of the cavity is connected with a high-pressure air pump;

[0011] A control mechanism is electrically connected with the visual camera and the high-pressure air pump, and is used for controlling the start of the high-pressure air pump based on the visual analysis structure to blow the walnuts into the corresponding sorting box.

[0012] The application further provides a method for grading Carya illinoinensis, which uses the automatic intelligent grading equipment for Carya illinoinensis to perform grading, and comprises the following steps:

[0013] S1, a control terminal is communicatively connected with a control mechanism in the grading equipment, the control terminal is used for receiving detection data, setting grading parameters and monitoring the running state of the equipment, and walnuts are transported to a sorting execution mechanism through a conveying mechanism;

[0014] S2, in the conveying process, the walnuts are subjected to image acquisition through a visual detection mechanism;

[0015] S3, the control mechanism analyzes the acquired images, identifies surface defects of the walnuts and determines the grades of the walnuts;

[0016] S4, when the walnut reaches the sorting station corresponding to the target sorting box, the control mechanism controls the start of the high-pressure air pump in the corresponding sorting roller to blow the walnut into the target sorting box for grading.

[0017] The application has the following beneficial effects:

[0018] Firstly, the application realizes the consistency leap of sorting efficiency and quality by constructing a full-automatic closed-loop system of conveying, detection, decision and execution. The working mechanism of the sorting roller self-rotation and the visual camera cooperation is adopted, so that the walnuts naturally roll over in the conveying process, 360° image acquisition without dead angle is realized, and the problems of missed detection and misjudgment caused by visual fatigue and detection blind area in traditional manual sorting are fundamentally solved. In combination with the intelligent image recognition algorithm, surface defects such as cracks and mildew can be accurately identified, and accurate grading can be performed according to the defect severity, and the sorting accuracy is significantly improved.

[0019] Secondly, the application converts the horizontal movement of the sorting roller into self-rotation through the ingenious design of the friction plate and the rotating wheel, greatly simplifies the mechanical structure, reduces the manufacturing cost and the failure rate. The counterweight arranged in the sorting roller effectively improves the running stability and suppresses the vibration during high-speed start and stop. At the same time, the trigger type pneumatic sorting scheme based on physical contact conduction has rapid response and accurate control, realizes the on-demand supply of energy, and avoids the high energy consumption problem of continuous air blowing. The device has a solid structure and is easy to maintain, effectively reduces the long-term operation and energy consumption cost, and provides reliable support for large-scale and intensive production. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] The application will be further described below in combination with the drawings and embodiments.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 For the present invention Figure 1 Axis view;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the sorting roller of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 For the present invention Figure 3 Axis view;

[0025] Figure 5 This is a cross-sectional view of the sorting roller of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 This is an enlarged schematic diagram of point A in part 5 of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the counterweight block of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 8 This is the overall flowchart of the present invention.

[0029] In the diagram: 100-Conveyor roller; 110-First drive gear; 120-Motor; 130-Chain; 140-Second drive gear; 200-Sorting support frame; 210-Working box; 220-Vision camera; 230-Integrated conductive cover; 231-Circuit board; 232-Electrical contact; 240-Sorting box; 250-Transmission belt; 260-Sorting roller; 261-Inclined through hole; 262-Hollow shaft; 263-Conductive contact; 264-Counterweight; 2641-Air guide groove; 2642-Arc-shaped plate; 265-Cavity; 266-High-pressure air pump; 267-Universal connector; 270-Friction plate; 280-Rotating wheel; 281-Spring. Detailed Implementation

[0030] To make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects of this invention easier to understand, the invention will be further described below in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0031] like Figures 1-8 As shown, an automated intelligent grading device for thin-shelled pecans according to the present invention includes a transmission mechanism, which includes a conveyor roller 100 for carrying pecans and a first drive component for driving the motion of the driver.

[0032] A visual inspection mechanism includes at least one visual camera 220 disposed on one side of the transmission mechanism for acquiring images of the appearance of thin-shelled pecans to identify whether they are damaged.

[0033] The sorting actuator includes a plurality of movable sorting rollers 260 and a second driving assembly for driving the movement of the sorting rollers 260; the sorting rollers 260 are internally provided with cavities 265, and one side of the cavities 265 is connected to a high-pressure air pump 266;

[0034] The control mechanism is electrically connected to the visual camera 220 and the high-pressure air pump 266, and is used to control the start of the high-pressure air pump 266 based on the visual analysis structure to blow the walnuts into the corresponding sorting box 240.

[0035] The conveying mechanism is responsible for the continuous feeding of the walnuts. The first driving assembly includes a motor 120 for power output. The output head of the motor 120 provides power for the rotation of the conveying roller 100. The conveying roller 100 can make the length axis of the walnut parallel to the axis of the conveying roller 100. The conveying roller 100 conveys the walnuts to the space between the two sorting rollers 260. The sorting rollers 260 are provided with a concave edge protruding shape in the middle. The Pecan is mainly long oval. According to the shape of the walnut, the outer wall of the sorting roller 260 is rough. The sorting roller 260 can drive the walnut to rotate at the same time during the rotation of the sorting roller 260. The working box 210 can cover the sorting roller 260 inside to prevent the Pecan from flying out.

[0036] The output end of the motor 120 also drives the first driving gear 110 to rotate. The first driving gear 110 drives the second driving gear 140 to rotate through the chain 130. The second driving gear 140 transmits power to the transmission belt 250 through the shaft.

[0037] In this embodiment, the visual detection mechanism can collect the appearance image of the walnut. The visual camera 220 adopts an industrial camera with 20 million pixels, which can clearly capture the outer wall of the walnut. The rotation of the sorting roller 260 drives the walnut to rotate during the transportation of the walnut, so that the walnut rotates together. The cooperation with the visual camera 220 can monitor the walnut at 360° without dead angle. The visual camera 220 transmits the collected image to the control mechanism. The control mechanism identifies the image, performs grade analysis and makes a decision. When the walnut moves to the sorting station, the high-pressure air pump 266 in the target sorting roller 260 is started. The walnut is blown into the matching sorting box 240 through the airflow.

[0038] The full automation from conveying detection to sorting replaces manual grading, and the efficiency is improved by 5-8 times. Through the linkage of visual detection and start sorting, the grading consistency error is small. The gas pressure of the gas injection at the preset position is within the preset range. If the large fruit is misidentified through the small sorting place, the high-pressure air pump 266 with small power may not be able to directly blow out the corresponding walnut.

[0039] The walnuts are transported at a speed of 0.5 m / s, quickly identified by the visual camera 220, the high-pressure air pump 266 is a micro air pump, the air pressure is 0.1-0.3 MPa, which can be adjusted according to actual needs, and a short and strong air flow is generated when it is opened, which can quickly blow the corresponding walnuts out of the sorting roller 260 and fall into the sorting box 240.

[0040] As a preferred technical solution, the visual detection mechanism is installed above one end of the sorting support frame 200 close to the transmission mechanism, the second driving assembly includes a transmission belt 250 arranged in the middle of the sorting support frame 200, and the sorting roller 260 is arranged on both sides of the transmission belt 250 and moves with the transmission belt 250.

[0041] Specifically, the sorting roller 260 is arranged in pairs on both sides of the transmission belt 250, and the walnuts can drive the sorting roller 260 to move when the transmission belt 250 moves, the sorting support frame 200 is used for mounting and supporting the transmission belt 250 and other elements, forming a continuous detection and sorting assembly line, the efficiency is guaranteed, and the walnuts are detected and sorted first, and the space utilization rate is high. The symmetrical arrangement of the sorting roller 260 ensures the stability of the walnuts during transportation.

[0042] As a preferred technical solution, the sorting support frame 200 is fixedly provided with a friction plate 270 for self-rotation of the sorting roller 260 in the middle, a rotating wheel 280 is connected with the transmission belt 250, and the transmission belt 250 drives the sorting roller 260 to rotate through the rotating wheel 280 on both sides. When the transmission belt 250 moves, the rotating wheel 280 and the friction plate 270 are disengaged from friction to produce self-rotation to drive the sorting roller 260 to rotate.

[0043] In this embodiment, the horizontal movement of the sorting roller 260 is converted into rotation around its own axis by the friction between the fixed friction plate 270 and the rotating wheel 280 moving with the transmission belt 250. The sorting roller 260 can drive the long-oval thin-shell mountain walnut to rotate synchronously during rotation, which is conducive to the omnidirectional capture of information by the visual camera 220 and can more accurately and quickly sort the thin-shell mountain walnut;

[0044] A friction plate 270 made of wear-resistant rubber is fixedly installed on the sorting support frame 200. When the sorting roller 260 rotates to a preset position, the rotating wheels 280 at both ends of the sorting roller 260 will contact the friction plate 270. Under the action of friction, the rotating wheel 280 floats, thereby driving the sorting roller 260 to rotate constantly during movement.

[0045] Preferably, the end of the rotating wheel 280 is connected with a universal joint 267, a horizontal groove is arranged in the rotating wheel 280, the top of one end of the universal joint 267 arranged in the rotating wheel 280 is connected with the inner wall of the horizontal groove through a spring 281, and the outer diameter of the spring 281 is smaller than the inner diameter of the horizontal groove.

[0046] Specifically, the universal joint 267 allows relative rotation with the rotating wheel 280, and there is a certain angle tolerance. The spring 281 arranged in the rotating wheel 280 can provide a buffer and adapt to tension. When a hickory nut falls between the two sorting rollers 260, the spring 281 can play a buffering role. When a hickory nut falls between the two sorting rollers 260, the two sorting rollers 260 will be slightly tilted. Through the cooperation of the universal joint 267 and the rotating wheel 280, the sorting roller 260 can still stably rotate during slight tilting. The tilting of the sorting roller 260 is conducive to the hickory nut being blown out by the high-pressure air pump 266. The tilting angle of the sorting roller 260 can also be uploaded through the visual camera 220. The hickory nut can be evaluated through intuitive pictures and the tilting angle of the sorting roller 260. This is conducive to separating the inferior hickory nut with an empty shell from the complete hickory nut with a solid core, and ensuring the quality of the fruit.

[0047] Preferably, one end of the universal joint 267 arranged outside the rotating wheel 280 is fixedly connected with a hollow shaft 262, the hollow shaft 262 is connected with the sorting roller 260, and the high-pressure air pump 266 is arranged in the hollow shaft 262.

[0048] The hollow shaft 262 plays a connecting role and simultaneously installs the high-pressure air pump 266 in the hollow shaft 262, so that the structure is compact, and the high-pressure air pump 266 which is prone to damage is concentrated in the relatively fixed transmission component hollow shaft 262, thereby being conducive to the protection of the high-pressure air pump 266.

[0049] Preferably, a counterweight 264 is arranged in the sorting roller 260 and rotates, an arc-shaped piece 2642 of one side of the counterweight 264 extends into the hollow shaft 262, a gas guide groove 2641 for guiding gas is arranged in the middle of the counterweight 264, the sorting roller 260 is arranged in a shape of concave in the middle and convex on both sides, a cavity 265 in the sorting roller 260 is arranged on the side close to the high-pressure air pump 266, and a plurality of groups of inclined through holes 261 are arranged in the side wall of the sorting roller 260 and penetrate the cavity 265.

[0050] During rotation of the sorting roller 260, the arc-shaped piece 2642 of the counterweight 264 naturally droops on one side, so that the counterweight 264 can play a role in stabilizing the center of gravity regardless of how the sorting roller 260 rotates. During movement of the equipment, when the transmission belt 250 is rapidly started or stopped, due to the stabilizing role of the counterweight 264, the sorting roller 260 will not appear a situation of violent swinging.

[0051] The gas flow generated by the high-pressure gas pump 266 can be gathered by the gas guide groove 2641, so that the gas flow energy can be concentrated and sprayed out of the inclined through hole 261, and the counterweight 264 can always block the inclined through hole 261 in the lower half of the sorting roller 260, thereby reducing the waste of high-pressure gas.

[0052] The sorting roller 260 has a shape of protruding on both sides and concave in the middle, so that the pecan can be conveniently accommodated and stabilized, and the pecan will not slide out when the sorting roller 260 is inclined.

[0053] As a preferred technical solution, the control mechanism comprises a conductive integrated cover 230, and an electric circuit board 231 is arranged in the conductive integrated cover 230.

[0054] An electric contact 232 is arranged on the conductive integrated cover 230, and an electrically conductive contact 263 is arranged outside the hollow shaft 262, the electric contact 232 is in contact with the electrically conductive contact 263 when the sorting roller 260 moves to the sorting station, and the high-pressure gas pump 266 is powered.

[0055] The physical contact between the electric contact 232 and the electrically conductive contact 263 provides instantaneous power supply for the high-pressure gas pump 266, and only when the sorting roller 260 moves to the preset sorting station, the contacts are in contact, and the high-pressure gas pump 266 works, so that the response is rapid and the reliability is high.

[0056] The application also provides a pecan grading method, which comprises the following steps:

[0057] The method comprises a management computer, which is in communication connection with the control mechanism in the grading device, is used for receiving detection data, setting grading parameters and monitoring the running state of the device, and is used for conveying the pecan to the sorting execution mechanism through the conveying mechanism.

[0058] S1. In the conveying process, the visual detection mechanism is used for image acquisition of the pecan.

[0059] S2. The control mechanism analyzes the acquired image, identifies the surface defects of the pecan and determines the grade of the pecan.

[0060] S3. When the pecan moves to the sorting station corresponding to the target sorting box 240, the control mechanism controls the high-pressure gas pump 266 in the corresponding sorting roller 260 to start, and blows the pecan into the target sorting box 240 for grading.

[0061] The management computer communicates with the control mechanism, receives the visual detection data grading parameters, analyzes the quality of the hickory nuts by comprehensively analyzing the appearance of the hickory nuts and the inclination angle of the sorting roller 260 in multiple visual capture processes, digitizes the grading process, dynamically adjusts the parameters, monitors the equipment motion state in real time, and improves the operation and maintenance efficiency.

[0062] S4, the whole image acquisition from the hickory nuts to the visual camera 220, the control mechanism cooperates with the management computer to analyze the defects and grade, and finally moves the hickory nuts to the target sorting box 240 corresponding to the work position. The control mechanism starts the high-pressure air pump 266 to blow it into the sorting box 240. By installing industrial control software through the management computer, multiple standards such as "no defect", "slight crack", "serious crack" and "hollow" are set. When the visual detection hickory nut crack length is large, the control mechanism determines, and when it moves to the preset sorting box 240, the corresponding high-pressure air pump 266 is triggered to start.

[0063] As a preferred technical solution, the visual detection mechanism is used to acquire images of the hickory nuts. In the self-rotation process of the sorting roller 260, the visual camera 220 acquires images of the surface of the hickory nuts from multiple angles to obtain complete surface information.

[0064] An image recognition algorithm is used to detect the size defects of the cracks on the surface of the hickory nuts, and the grade of the hickory nuts is determined according to the severity of the defects.

[0065] In the self-rotation process of the sorting roller 260, the visual camera 220 acquires images of the surface of the hickory nuts from multiple angles such as the top and the side. Complete surface information is obtained. An image recognition algorithm is used to extract and match the features of the crack size defects. The grade is determined according to the defect area and depth. Multi-angle image acquisition eliminates the detection blind area, and the defect recognition accuracy is above 95%. The algorithm is adaptive to different defect types, and the grading standard is unified.

[0066] As a preferred technical solution, the control corresponding high-pressure air pump 266 of the sorting roller 260 includes: when the sorting roller 260 moves to the sorting work position, the power contact 232 and the conductive contact 263 are contacted and conducted to supply power to the corresponding high-pressure air pump 266, and at the same time, the high-pressure air pumps 266 in the adjacent two sorting rollers 260 are started to blow the hickory nuts out of the middle of the sorting roller 260.

[0067] When the sorting roller 260 moves to the sorting work position corresponding to the target sorting box 240, the power contact 232 and the conductive contact 263 are contacted and conducted, the control mechanism starts the high-pressure air pump 266 in the sorting roller 260 and the adjacent sorting roller 260, and two groups of air flow are sprayed from the two sides of the inclined through hole 261 to form a resultant force to blow the hickory nuts into the target sorting box 240 from the middle concave part of the sorting roller 260.

[0068] After the visual information collected by the visual camera 220 is transmitted to the management computer and control mechanism, the management computer and control mechanism energize the preset power contact 232 through the information processing result, and the rest of the power contact 232 is not energized. When the corresponding sorting roller 260 moves to the preset position, the power contact 232 is connected with the conductive contact 263, and the corresponding high-pressure air pump 266 works.

[0069] The above shows and describes the basic principles, main features and advantages of the present application. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present application is not limited to the above embodiments, and the above embodiments and descriptions in the specification are only to illustrate the principles of the present application. Without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application, various changes and improvements can be made to the present application, and these changes and improvements all fall within the scope of the present application. The scope of the present application is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An automated intelligent grading apparatus for pecan nuts, comprising: The method comprises the following steps: A transmission mechanism, which comprises a conveying roller for carrying walnuts and a first driving assembly for driving the movement of the conveying roller; A visual detection mechanism, which comprises at least one visual camera arranged on one side of the transmission mechanism for collecting appearance images of the hickory nuts to identify whether there is damage; A sorting execution mechanism, which comprises a plurality of sorting rollers arranged movably and a second driving assembly for driving the movement of the sorting rollers; The sorting rollers are internally provided with cavities, and one side of the cavities is connected with a high-pressure air pump; A control mechanism, which is electrically connected with the visual camera and the high-pressure air pump, is used for controlling the start of the high-pressure air pump based on visual analysis to blow the walnuts into corresponding sorting boxes; The visual detection mechanism is installed above one end of a sorting support frame close to the transmission mechanism, the second driving assembly comprises a transmission belt arranged in the middle of the sorting support frame, and the sorting rollers are arranged on both sides of the transmission belt and move with the transmission belt; A friction plate for self-rotation of the sorting rollers is fixedly arranged in the middle of the sorting support frame, a rotating wheel is connected with the transmission belt, and the transmission belt on both sides is driven to rotate by the rotating wheel, and when the transmission belt moves, the rotating wheel is separated from the friction plate to produce self-rotation to drive the sorting rollers to rotate; An end of the rotating wheel is connected with a universal joint, a horizontal groove is arranged in the interior of the rotating wheel, one end of the universal joint arranged in the interior of the rotating wheel is connected with the inner wall of the horizontal groove through a spring, and the outer diameter of the spring is smaller than the inner diameter of the horizontal groove.

2. The automated intelligent grading apparatus for Carya illinoensis according to claim 1, wherein, One end of the universal joint arranged outside the rotating wheel is fixedly connected with a hollow shaft, the hollow shaft is connected with the sorting roller, and the high-pressure air pump is arranged in the hollow shaft.

3. The automated intelligent grading apparatus for Carya illinoensis according to claim 2, wherein, A counterweight is arranged in the sorting roller to rotate, an arc-shaped piece on one side of the counterweight extends into the hollow shaft, a gas guide groove is arranged in the middle of the counterweight, the sorting roller is arranged in a shape of concave in the middle and convex on both sides, the cavity in the sorting roller is arranged close to the high-pressure air pump, and a plurality of inclined through holes are arranged in the side wall of the sorting roller and communicate with the cavity in the interior.

4. The automated intelligent grading apparatus for Carya illinoensis according to claim 3, wherein, The control mechanism comprises a conductive integrated cover, and a circuit board is arranged in the conductive integrated cover; An electric contact is arranged on the conductive integrated cover, and a conductive contact is arranged on the outside of the hollow shaft, the electric contact and the conductive contact are in contact and conductive when the sorting roller moves to the sorting station, and the high-pressure air pump is powered.

5. A method of grading Pecan nuts using the automated intelligent grading apparatus for Pecan nuts as claimed in claim 4, wherein, The method comprises the following steps: S1, a control terminal is communicatively connected with a control mechanism in a grading device, the control terminal is used for receiving detection data, setting grading parameters and monitoring the running state of the device, walnuts are conveyed to a sorting execution mechanism through a conveying mechanism; S2, image collection is performed on the walnuts by a visual detection mechanism during the conveying process; S3, the control mechanism analyzes the collected images, identifies the surface defects of the walnuts and determines the grades of the walnuts; S4, when the walnuts move to a sorting station corresponding to a target sorting box, the control mechanism controls the start of the high-pressure air pump in the corresponding sorting roller to blow the walnuts into the target sorting box for grading.

6. The method of sizing Carya illinoensis kernels according to claim 5, wherein, The walnuts are collected by the visual detection mechanism, the visual camera collects the surface images of the walnuts from multiple angles during the self-rotation of the sorting roller, and complete surface information is obtained. The image recognition algorithm is used to detect the defects of walnut surface, such as crack, mildew and worm, and the walnut grade is determined according to the defect severity.

7. The method of sizing Carya illinoensis kernels according to claim 6, wherein, The control of the high-pressure air pump of the corresponding sorting roller includes: when the sorting roller moves to the sorting station, the corresponding high-pressure air pump is powered through the contact conduction of the power contact and the conductive contact, and the high-pressure air pumps in the adjacent two sorting rollers are started to blow the walnut out from the middle of the sorting rollers.

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