A visual detection mechanism for potato seed piece cutting and grading treatment

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of visual detection mechanisms for potato cutting seed grading processing, it is related to visual detection technical field, including support frame, the upper portion of support frame is equipped with conveying module, the upper portion of conveying module is equipped with detection module, the lower portion of conveying module is equipped with grading module, conveying module includes several conveying round roller and several auxiliary round roller, conveying interval is formed between adjacent conveying round roller, detection interval is formed between adjacent auxiliary round roller, the width size of detection interval is greater than the width size of conveying interval, rely on the change of potato body bottom support stress state of widened detection interval, break the motion limitation of existing equidistant same width roll gap material only unidirectional translation conveying, realize the operation effect that size standard potato is slightly moved forward in detection station and cooperates sustained circumferential rotation, effectively solve the industry pain point that traditional equidistant conveying roller support limiting fixed, potato body bottom and side arc surface exist visual detection fixed blind area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of visual inspection technology, specifically to a visual inspection mechanism for potato seed cutting and grading. Background Technology

[0002] Before planting potatoes, a pre-processing procedure for seed cutting is required. Before cutting, the original potatoes need to be visually inspected for appearance defects, skin diseases, and the integrity of the eyes. At the same time, automated grading and sorting are carried out based on the size of the potatoes to remove unqualified potatoes that are oversized, damaged in appearance, or have damaged eyes, ensuring the uniformity of subsequent seed cutting processes. Currently, the industry generally uses a gantry-type visual inspection combined with a roller conveyor integrated equipment to complete this process. The visual inspection module completes the image acquisition of the potato appearance and size, and the substandard potatoes are removed and graded based on the inspection results.

[0003] In existing visual inspection and grading equipment for potato seed cutting, the conveyor rollers are mostly equidistantly arranged, uniformly sized conveyor rollers with consistent spacing between adjacent rollers. The inspection area and the conventional conveying area have identical roller structure and gap dimensions. Potatoes are conveyed linearly along these equidistant rollers, with an industrial camera above capturing images from one side. While these traditional devices can perform basic potato conveying, visual inspection, and grading, they suffer from several technical defects during actual production. These defects are as follows: 1. Conventional equidistant conveyor rollers provide fixed support and limit, causing potatoes to move only in a straight line in the same direction as the rollers. The bottom of the potato and the curved surface of the side of the rollers are blocked by the rollers for a long time. Industrial cameras can only capture images of one side of the potato's outer wall. Visual inspection has fixed imaging blind spots and cannot complete the all-round detection of the potato's outer wall, buds, and disease locations. The detection has a high rate of missed detection and false detection and cannot meet the needs of high-precision seed cutting inspection.

[0004] 2. Existing equipment mostly relies on back-end visual recognition signals to complete the grading operation. There is no front-end mechanical size screening structure. Small-sized unqualified potatoes occupy the conveying and inspection stations throughout the process, increasing the computing load of the vision module and the overall conveying load of the machine. This slows down the conveying and inspection cycle of the entire potato seed production line, resulting in low production efficiency.

[0005] 3. The existing equipment uses airflow grading treatment, which relies on exposed nozzles on the outside of the grading branch pipe to complete directional air jetting. Potato raw materials, along with soil and potato peel fragments, adhere to the outer walls of the conveying rollers and the rollers in the detection area for a long time. Conventional smooth conveying rollers and auxiliary rollers do not have self-cleaning structures. The continuous accumulation of residue will change the potato's support posture, affect the potato's rotation and conveying stability, and at the same time, it will block the camera's field of view and interfere with the detection accuracy. The equipment needs to be stopped frequently to manually wipe the roller residue, which greatly reduces the continuous automated operation time of the equipment.

[0006] Therefore, in view of this, the present invention proposes a visual inspection mechanism for potato seed cutting and grading to make up for and improve the shortcomings of the prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides a visual inspection mechanism for potato seed cutting and grading, thereby resolving the technical issues raised in the background section.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by this invention is as follows: a visual inspection mechanism for potato cutting and grading, used for visual inspection and grading of potato bodies, including a support frame, a conveying module mounted above the support frame, a detection module mounted above the conveying module, and a grading module mounted below the conveying module. The conveying module includes several conveying rollers and several auxiliary rollers. The auxiliary rollers are located within the detection area of ​​the detection module. A conveying interval is formed between adjacent conveying rollers, and a detection interval is formed between adjacent auxiliary rollers. The width of the detection interval is greater than the width of the conveying interval. Potato bodies smaller than the width of the detection interval fall directly downwards through the detection interval, while potato bodies larger than or equal to the width of the detection interval are placed between adjacent auxiliary rollers and rotate circumferentially due to the friction of the rollers, allowing the detection module to complete the full-area image acquisition of the potato body. After inspection, the potato bodies are graded by the grading module.

[0009] Furthermore, the conveying module includes a conveying bracket, a drive motor, and a transmission component. The drive motor is fixedly mounted on the side wall of the support frame. The output end of the drive motor is fixedly mounted to the end of the transmission component. The transmission component is driven and mounted on the outer wall of the conveying roller shaft near the feed end of the conveying bracket. The outer wall of the conveying bracket is rotatably mounted with a linkage component. The linkage component engages with the ends of all the conveying rollers and the auxiliary rollers respectively. The drive motor drives the end conveying rollers to rotate via the transmission component. The end conveying rollers drive all the conveying rollers and the auxiliary rollers to rotate synchronously and in the same direction through the linkage component.

[0010] Furthermore, the two ends of the conveying roller are tapered guide sections, and the middle part is a straight cylindrical section. The two ends of the conveying roller are rotatably mounted on the inner side wall of the conveying bracket. The conveying roller relies on the tapered guide sections at both ends to drive the potato body to gather towards the middle of the roller body.

[0011] Furthermore, the auxiliary roller is also provided with tapered guide sections at both ends, and the auxiliary roller is provided with an inwardly concave arc support section in the middle. The outer dimensions of the tapered guide sections at both ends of the auxiliary roller are the same as the dimensions of the tapered guide sections of the conveying roller.

[0012] Furthermore, the feeding end of the conveying module is provided with a feeding module, which includes a feeding frame and an inclined baffle. The feeding frame is fixedly mounted on the end of the support frame, and the inclined baffle is disposed between the feeding frame and the conveying bracket. The output end of the feeding frame is connected to the input end of the conveying bracket. The inclined baffle gradually contracts from the feeding frame toward the conveying bracket, and the width of the output port of the inclined baffle is equal to the width of the straight cylindrical section of the conveying roller.

[0013] Furthermore, the detection module includes a gantry support, a control top box, and an industrial camera. The gantry support is fixedly mounted on the outside of the conveyor support, the control top box is fixedly mounted on the top of the gantry support, and the industrial camera is fixedly mounted inside the control top box, with the lens of the industrial camera facing the detection area of ​​the conveyor module.

[0014] Furthermore, the grading module includes an air compressor and an air storage tank. The air compressor and the air storage tank are fixedly mounted on the bottom of the support frame. The output end of the air storage tank is symmetrically connected to a grading branch pipe. The output end of each grading branch pipe is fixedly mounted with a nozzle, and the nozzle is positioned facing the material conveying area of ​​the conveying bracket.

[0015] Furthermore, a diversion branch is internally connected to the side of the graded branch pipe near the detection module. The diversion branch pipe is distributed one-to-one with several auxiliary rollers and is internally connected. Several output grooves are opened circumferentially on the outer wall of the auxiliary rollers. The output grooves constitute the airflow output port inside the diversion branch pipe.

[0016] Furthermore, all the output sloping grooves are designed to be inclined, and the air outlet direction of the output sloping groove is adapted to the rotation direction of the auxiliary roller. The airflow is spirally ejected along the groove wall of the output sloping groove, and the outer wall of the auxiliary roller is symmetrically and inclinedly fitted with a paddle plate.

[0017] Furthermore, the support frame is equipped with a storage module on its side. The storage module includes a first storage frame, a second storage frame, and a third storage frame. The first storage frame is fixedly installed directly below the detection interval, the second storage frame is installed at the tail end of the conveyor bracket, and the third storage frame is installed on the side of the detection module.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: (1) This invention arranges auxiliary rollers in the detection area of ​​the conveying module and sets the detection interval between the auxiliary rollers to a differential roller gap structure that is wider than the conveying interval between conventional conveying rollers. By widening the detection interval, the stress state of the bottom support of the potato body is changed, breaking the limitation of the existing unidirectional translational conveying of materials in the equal-spaced and equal-width roller gap. This achieves the running effect of potatoes that meet the size requirements moving slightly forward at the detection station and rotating continuously in the circumferential direction. It effectively solves the problems of the fixed support of the traditional equal-spaced conveying rollers and the blind spot of visual detection on the bottom and side arc surfaces of the potato body. Addressing industry pain points in the region; by utilizing the concave arc support section in the middle of the auxiliary roller and the conical guide sections at both ends for coordinated positioning, the contact area of ​​the potato roller is reduced, further optimizing the force conditions for material rotation. Combined with the full-area imaging by the industrial camera inside the upper detection module, the imaging blind spots at the part of the potato body that is in contact with the roller are eliminated, and all-round visual inspection of the potato outer wall, buds, skin diseases, and cracks is completed. This significantly reduces the missed detection rate and false detection rate of potato appearance inspection before cutting and adapts to the high-precision pre-cutting inspection and processing needs of potatoes, improving the overall accuracy of the inspection operation.

[0019] (2) This invention uses a two-stage screening roller gap structure with different widths and dimensions of conveying and detection intervals to distinguish different specifications of potato bodies based on the interval size threshold. This enables the pre-positioning mechanical grading and screening of potato materials, achieving the effect of diverting and collecting small-sized unqualified seed potatoes and the smallest qualified seed potatoes in advance. This avoids the defects of all potato materials entering the back-end visual inspection station and occupying the conveying and inspection stations. Seed potatoes that are too small and smaller than the conveying interval threshold are directly removed in place, while compliant small seed potatoes with sizes between the two sets of intervals are directly collected into the first collection box. This eliminates the need for visual image recognition calculation and back-end airflow grading process, effectively reducing the image data processing load of the detection module, simplifying the workload of back-end grading operations, optimizing the conveying rhythm of the entire production line, reducing material congestion and station occupation problems, and significantly improving the integrated processing efficiency of potato feeding, conveying, and screening. This invention is suitable for large-scale industrial continuous processing of potato seed cutting.

[0020] (3) This invention uses an integrated built-in air path structure to connect the side of the graded branch pipe with the diversion branch pipe and the inner cavity of the auxiliary round roller, replacing the traditional external independent air jet nozzle supply layout. This achieves the air supply effect of guiding the high-pressure airflow inside the roller body and directional spraying from the circumferential inclined groove, avoiding the problem of the traditional graded air nozzle being exposed in the conveying area and easily sticking to the field soil and potato peel residue, causing blockage. Relying on the independent air path control logic, the built-in air path of the roller body is kept constant and continuous throughout the process. The outer graded nozzle is independently controlled by the electric control valve, distinguishing the two independent air sources of the self-rotation auxiliary cleaning air path and the material graded removal air path. This eliminates the problem of the graded air jet airflow drifting randomly and accidentally damaging the qualified potato body, and bumping and damaging the potato buds and skin. It optimizes the uniformity of the airflow distribution and the stability of the air supply, and improves the reliability of the airflow grading operation.

[0021] (4) This invention uses an output groove to be opened on the outer wall of the auxiliary roller in a circumferential direction and an inclined paddle plate to be arranged in conjunction with the synchronous rotation of the roller body. With the help of the spiral continuous airflow and the lateral thrust of the paddle plate, the bidirectional auxiliary limit push effect of the self-rotating potato is achieved, which avoids slippage, deviation and jamming of the potato in the detection station during the self-rotation process, and ensures that the potato body is conveyed in a uniform and stable manner. At the same time, the high-pressure airflow continuously sprayed from the inclined groove blows away the impurities attached to the outer wall of the roller body in real time, and realizes the synchronous self-cleaning function of the roller body during operation. It effectively solves the problems of potato raw materials carrying mud and sand residue adhering to the roller body, changing the material support posture after accumulation, interfering with the self-rotation stability and obstructing the camera's field of view. There is no need to stop the equipment to carry out manual wiping and cleaning operations, reducing the cost of manual operation and maintenance and the downtime of operation, ensuring the long-term stability of the roller body conveying posture, material self-rotation state and visual shooting field of view, and further improving the visual detection accuracy and the continuous automated operation time of the whole machine, and optimizing the overall processing continuity of potato cutting and grading. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a frontal three-dimensional structural diagram of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a rear-view stereoscopic structural diagram of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the frontal planar structure of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a top view schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the relevant components of the detection module of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a top view of the conveying roller and auxiliary roller of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a three-dimensional axial view of the conveying roller and the auxiliary roller of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the relevant components of the hierarchical module of the present invention; Figure 9 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram showing the positional relationship between the branch flow tube and the auxiliary roller of the present invention; Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the internal three-dimensional structure of the auxiliary roller of the present invention.

[0023] The numbers on the map are: 1. Support frame; 11. Potato body; 2. Feeding module; 21. Feeding frame; 22. Inclined baffle; 3. Conveying module; 31. Conveying support; 32. Drive motor; 33. Transmission component; 34. Conveying roller; 35. Auxiliary roller; 36. Linkage component; 37. Conveying interval; 38. Detection interval; 4. Detection module; 41. Gantry bracket; 42. Control top box; 43. Industrial camera; 5. Grading module; 51. Air compressor; 52. Air tank; 53. Grading branch pipe; 5301. Nozzle; 54. Diverter branch pipe; 55. Output slant; 56. Paddle plate; 6. Storage module; 61. First storage box; 62. Second storage box; 63. Third storage box. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention. Example 1

[0025] Please refer to Figure 1 - Figure 10 As shown, a visual inspection mechanism for potato seed cutting and grading is used to visually inspect and grade potato bodies 11. It includes a support frame 1, a conveying module 3 mounted above the support frame 1, a detection module 4 mounted above the conveying module 3, and a grading module 5 mounted below the conveying module 3. The conveying module 3 includes several conveying rollers 34 and several auxiliary rollers 35. The auxiliary rollers 35 are located within the detection area of ​​the detection module 4. A conveying interval 37 is formed between adjacent conveying rollers 34, and a detection interval 38 is formed between adjacent auxiliary rollers 35. The width of the detection interval 38 is greater than the width of the conveying interval 37. Potato bodies 11 smaller than the width of the detection interval 38 fall directly downwards through the detection interval 38. Potato bodies 11 with a size greater than or equal to the width of the detection interval 38 are positioned between adjacent auxiliary rollers 35 and rotate circumferentially due to roller friction, allowing the detection module 4 to acquire a full-area image of the potato body 11. After inspection, the potato body 11 is graded by the grading module 5. The conveying module 3 includes a conveying bracket 31, a drive motor 32, and a transmission component 33. The drive motor 32 is fixedly mounted on the side wall of the support frame 1. The output end of the drive motor 32 is fixedly mounted on the end of the transmission component 33. The transmission component 33 is driven and mounted on the outer wall of the conveying roller 34 near the feed end of the conveying bracket 31. The outer wall of the conveying bracket 31 is rotatably mounted with a linkage component 36. The linkage component 36 respectively engages with the ends of all the conveying rollers 34 and the auxiliary rollers 35. The drive motor 32 drives the end conveying roller 34 to rotate via the transmission component 33. The end conveying roller 34 drives all the conveying rollers 34 and the auxiliary rollers 35 to rotate synchronously and in the same direction via the linkage component 36.

[0026] It should be noted that the two ends of the conveying roller 34 are tapered guide sections, and the middle part is a straight cylindrical section. The two ends of the conveying roller 34 are rotatably mounted on the inner side wall of the conveying bracket 31. The conveying roller 34 drives the potato body 11 to gather towards the middle of the roller body by the tapered guide sections at both ends. The auxiliary roller 35 is also provided with tapered guide sections at both ends. The auxiliary roller 35 has an inwardly concave arc support section in the middle. The outer dimensions of the tapered guide sections at both ends of the auxiliary roller 35 are the same as the dimensions of the tapered guide sections of the conveying roller 34.

[0027] The feeding end of the conveying module 3 is provided with a feeding module 2, which includes a feeding frame 21 and an inclined baffle 22. The feeding frame 21 is fixedly mounted on the end of the support frame 1. The inclined baffle 22 is located between the feeding frame 21 and the conveying bracket 31. The output end of the feeding frame 21 is connected to the input end of the conveying bracket 31. The inclined baffle 22 gradually shrinks from the feeding frame 21 toward the conveying bracket 31. The width of the output port of the inclined baffle 22 is equal to the width of the straight cylindrical section of the conveying roller 34.

[0028] The detection module 4 includes a gantry support 41, a control top box 42, and an industrial camera 43. The gantry support 41 is fixedly mounted on the outside of the conveyor support 31, the control top box 42 is fixedly mounted on the top of the gantry support 41, and the industrial camera 43 is fixedly mounted inside the control top box 42, with the lens of the industrial camera 43 facing the detection area of ​​the conveyor module 3.

[0029] The grading module 5 includes an air compressor 51 and an air tank 52. The air compressor 51 and the air tank 52 are fixedly mounted on the bottom of the support frame 1. The output end of the air tank 52 is symmetrically connected to a grading branch pipe 53. The output end of each grading branch pipe 53 is fixedly mounted with a nozzle 5301. The nozzle 5301 is set towards the material conveying area of ​​the conveying bracket 31.

[0030] It should be noted that a diversion branch pipe 54 is internally connected to the side of the graded branch pipe 53 near the detection module 4. The diversion branch pipe 54 is distributed one-to-one with several auxiliary rollers 35 and is internally connected. Several output grooves 55 are opened circumferentially on the outer wall of the auxiliary rollers 35. The output grooves 55 constitute the airflow output port inside the diversion branch pipe 54. The output grooves 55 are all designed with inclination. The air outlet direction of the output grooves 55 is adapted to the rotation direction of the auxiliary rollers 35. The airflow is spirally sprayed out along the groove wall of the output grooves 55. The outer wall of the auxiliary rollers 35 is symmetrically and inclinationly fixedly equipped with a paddle plate 56.

[0031] The support frame 1 is equipped with a storage module 6 on its side. The storage module 6 includes a first storage frame 61, a second storage frame 62 and a third storage frame 63. The first storage frame 61 is fixedly installed directly below the detection interval 38, the second storage frame 62 is installed at the tail end of the conveying bracket 31 and the third storage frame 63 is installed on the side of the detection module 4.

[0032] Specifically, the width of the conveying interval 37 between adjacent conveying rollers 34 is first calibrated as the size threshold a, and the width of the detection interval 38 between adjacent auxiliary rollers 35 is calibrated as the size threshold b. Based on the structural design, the width of the detection interval 38 is ensured to be greater than the width of the conveying interval 37. Based on the two sets of differentiated roller gaps, the entire machine is coordinated with the modules to complete the entire process of potato body 11 grading and feeding, pre-screening, self-rotating full-area visual inspection, airflow grading, and zone collection.

[0033] When the machine is running, the drive motor 32 starts running. The output end of the drive motor 32 drives the conveying roller 34 on one side of the feed end to rotate in one direction through the transmission component 33. At the same time, the linkage component 36 assembled on the outer wall of the conveying bracket 31 engages synchronously with all the conveying rollers 34 and auxiliary rollers 35, so that all rollers keep rotating synchronously and in the same direction at a uniform speed, thus completing the power supply for the conveying of the whole machine.

[0034] It should be added that the transmission component 33 and the linkage component 36 both adopt the belt and pulley transmission mechanism in the prior art. The drive motor 32 drives the feed end conveying roller 34 to operate through the pulley and belt. Each conveying roller 34 and auxiliary roller 35 is equipped with a pulley at the roller end. Adjacent rollers form a linkage structure through the belt, thereby realizing that all conveying rollers 34 and auxiliary rollers 35 rotate synchronously and in the same direction.

[0035] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the batch of potato bodies 11 are uniformly guided and fed by the feeding module 2. After being discharged from the output end of the feeding frame 21, the potato bodies 11 are limited and guided by the inclined shrinking baffle 22. The potato bodies 11 are arranged in a single row according to the closing structure of the inclined baffle 22. At the same time, the width of the straight cylindrical section of the conveying roller 34 is matched to complete the centering and limiting of the material. The orderly potato bodies 11 are smoothly conveyed into the conveying module 3. During this process, the smaller potato bodies 11 with a size less than the threshold a are directly output downward through the conveying interval 37 between the adjacent conveying rollers 34. These potato bodies 11 with an excessively small size do not meet the seed cutting standard size and are unqualified seed cutting materials, and are directly rejected in the pre-process.

[0036] Medium-sized potatoes 11, with dimensions between threshold a and threshold b, cannot fall from the conventional conveying interval 37. After being conveyed by the rollers to the detection area below the detection module 4, they can directly pass through the interval between the conveying roller 34 and the auxiliary roller 35, or the detection interval 38 widened between the auxiliary rollers 35, and finally fall into the first collection frame 61 assembled directly below the detection interval 38 for collection. Potatoes 11 with this size range meet the minimum cutting processing standard, complete the primary screening and collection of qualified potatoes, and significantly reduce the load on the rear visual inspection and the overall conveying load.

[0037] Potatoes 11 that are larger than the threshold b and are of a standard or slightly larger size cannot pass through the detection interval 38. They are supported and positioned on the concave arc support sections of two adjacent auxiliary rollers 35. The widened roller gap and the concave arc support structure in the middle of the auxiliary rollers 35 reduce the material support contact area. Combined with the contact surface friction generated by the synchronous rotation of the auxiliary rollers 35, the conventional equidistant conveying rollers are broken to make the material move horizontally, and the potato body 11 is driven to continuously rotate circumferentially against the outer wall of the roller.

[0038] It should be noted that in the existing conventional cylindrical equal-diameter and equal-spaced conveyor roller structure, the potato body 11 is placed on the conventional conveyor rollers arranged in a continuous manner with equal diameter and equal spacing. The material as a whole only moves forward in one direction with the roller body, producing only weak, irregular small-amplitude rolling and roller surface slippage, and cannot achieve full and continuous self-rotation at the inspection station. The mechanical principle is as follows: adjacent conventional conveyor rollers rotate synchronously in the same direction, the potato body 11 is stably supported by the roller surface on both sides, the distance between the bottom support points of the material is constant, the center of gravity of the material always falls stably within the support range of the two roller bodies, the axial forward friction of the material is greater than the circumferential torsional friction, and finally the material moves forward at a uniform speed with the roller group and its own placement posture remains unchanged. In the existing visual inspection operation, the top and front surfaces of the potato body 11 can be aligned with the industrial camera 43 to complete the image acquisition, while the bottom and lower side of the potato body are continuously blocked by the roller body, forming a fixed visual inspection blind zone, which makes it impossible to achieve full surface image acquisition of the potato body 11.

[0039] By increasing the detection interval 38, the effective support width of the lower part of the potato body 11 is significantly narrowed, and most of the arc surface at the bottom of the potato body is suspended in the air. The force balance of the material is broken. Driven by the rotational friction of the auxiliary roller 35, the material abandons the single forward translational movement and achieves a small forward movement and constant circumferential rotation in place inside the detection station of the detection module 4. Compared with the defects of the conventional equidistant conveying roller, which has a fixed material posture and permanent obstruction of the bottom area, the auxiliary roller 35 with a widened roller spacing and concave arc roller surface achieves circumferential rotation during the continuous movement of the potato body 11. This allows the original roller body of the potato body to be attached to the bottom and the blind area of ​​the side wall to enter the field of view of the industrial camera 43 in turn, eliminating the visual fixed detection blind area and completing the imaging operation of the entire outer wall of the potato body.

[0040] While the equipment is operating, the air compressor 51 and air tank 52 at the bottom of the support frame 1 continuously output high-pressure air throughout the entire operation. The high-pressure airflow inside the air tank 52 is continuously introduced into the graded branch pipes 53, and one of the airflows is continuously diverted to the corresponding branch pipes 54. It is normally connected to the inner cavity of each auxiliary roller 35, and finally, the airflow is continuously and constantly ejected outward from the output slots 55 that are circumferentially inclined on the auxiliary rollers 35. The air outlet direction of the inclined output slots 55 is the same as that of the auxiliary rollers 35. The rotation directions of the rollers 35 are adapted to each other, so that the airflow is sprayed in a spiral around the circumference of the roller body. At the same time, the inclined paddle plates 56 symmetrically mounted on the outer wall of the auxiliary roller 35 rotate synchronously with the roller body. During the rotation, the paddle plates 56 adhere to the bottom side wall of the potato body 11 and apply lateral thrust. Together with the constant spiral airflow sprayed from the output inclined groove 55, the potato body 11 can be continuously conveyed to the next stage while rotating in the circumference, effectively avoiding the problem of slippage and jamming of the potato body 11 during the conveying process.

[0041] It should be added that the circumferential airflow continuously sprayed from the output chute 55 can continuously blow away the mud and potato peel residue adhering to the outer wall of the auxiliary roller 35, realizing the autonomous cleaning of the roller body during operation and avoiding the problems of residue accumulation changing the material support posture, obstructing the detection field of view, and reducing detection accuracy.

[0042] The nozzle 5301 at the end of the graded branch pipe 53 is equipped with an electric control valve to achieve independent on / off control. During the rotation detection stage of the potato body 11, the electric control valve at the nozzle 5301 remains closed, and no high-pressure airflow is ejected from the nozzle 5301. Only the air passage inside the auxiliary roller 35 is retained for continuous air supply.

[0043] The qualified potato body 11, meaning the size of the potato body 11 is greater than the threshold b, is continuously rotated. During this process, the industrial camera 43, which is installed inside the control box 42 at the top of the gantry support 41, is vertically facing the detection area and continuously collects images of the bottom, backlight side, and side wall of the potato body 11. This eliminates the visual detection blind spots caused by conventional fixed conveying rollers and completes all-round visual detection of skin diseases, bud damage, and skin cracks. The detection module 4 and the grading module 5 maintain electrical signal linkage. The industrial camera 43 collects images and compares and judges them in the background. If the potato body 11 is identified as having a size much greater than the size threshold b and exceeding the appearance defect standard, the system immediately sends a grading trigger signal. The nozzle 5301 at the end of the grading branch pipe 53 instantly sprays out a high-pressure airflow, blowing the substandard potato body 11 laterally away from the conveying station and finally collecting it into the third storage box 63 installed on the side of the detection module 4 to complete the waste collection.

[0044] If the industrial camera 43 detects that the size, appearance, and eyes of the potato body 11 meet the seed cutting processing standards but do not reach the jet trigger threshold of the grading module 5, then the nozzle 5301 at the front end of the grading module 5 remains closed. The qualified potato body 11 continues to be conveyed backward with the conveying roller 34 and the auxiliary roller 35. Finally, a high-pressure airflow is ejected through the nozzle 5301 at the tail end of the conveying bracket 31, which collects the potato body 11 that meets the seed cutting processing standards into the second collection frame 62 assembled at the tail end of the conveying bracket 31, thus completing the unified collection of qualified seed potatoes and completing the closed loop of the grading, detection, and collection process of the whole machine.

[0045] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A visual inspection mechanism for potato cutting and grading, used for visual inspection and grading of potato bodies (11), comprising a support frame (1), a conveying module (3) mounted above the support frame (1), a detection module (4) mounted above the conveying module (3), and a grading module (5) mounted below the conveying module (3), characterized in that: The conveying module (3) includes several conveying rollers (34) and several auxiliary rollers (35). The auxiliary rollers (35) are located in the detection area inside the detection module (4). A conveying interval (37) is formed between adjacent conveying rollers (34), and a detection interval (38) is formed between adjacent auxiliary rollers (35). The width of the detection interval (38) is greater than the width of the conveying interval (37). Potato bodies (11) smaller than the width of the detection interval (38) and larger than the width of the conveying interval (37) fall directly downward through the detection interval (38). Potato bodies (11) with a size greater than or equal to the width of the detection interval (38) are placed between adjacent auxiliary rollers (35) and rotate circumferentially by relying on the friction of the rollers, so that the detection module (4) can complete the full-area image acquisition of the potato body (11). After the detection is completed, the potato body (11) is graded by the grading module (5).

2. The visual inspection mechanism for potato seed cutting and grading according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conveying module (3) includes a conveying bracket (31), a drive motor (32), and a transmission component (33). The drive motor (32) is fixedly mounted on the side wall of the support frame (1). The output end of the drive motor (32) is fixedly mounted on the end of the transmission component (33). The transmission component (33) is driven and mounted on the outer wall of the conveying roller (34) near the feed end of the conveying bracket (31). The outer wall of the conveying bracket (31) is rotatably mounted with a linkage component (36). The linkage component (36) respectively engages with the ends of all the conveying rollers (34) and the auxiliary rollers (35). The drive motor (32) drives the end conveying roller (34) to rotate via the transmission component (33). The end conveying roller (34) drives all the conveying rollers (34) and the auxiliary rollers (35) to rotate synchronously and in the same direction via the linkage component (36).

3. The visual inspection mechanism for potato seed cutting and grading according to claim 2, characterized in that: The two ends of the conveying roller (34) are tapered guide sections, and the middle part is a straight cylindrical section. The two ends of the conveying roller (34) are rotatably mounted on the inner side wall of the conveying bracket (31). The conveying roller (34) drives the potato body (11) to gather towards the middle of the roller body by the tapered guide sections at both ends.

4. The visual inspection mechanism for potato seed cutting and grading according to claim 3, characterized in that: The auxiliary roller (35) is also provided with tapered guide sections at both ends. The auxiliary roller (35) is provided with an inwardly concave arc support section in the middle. The outer dimensions of the tapered guide sections at both ends of the auxiliary roller (35) are the same as the dimensions of the tapered guide sections of the conveying roller (34).

5. A visual inspection mechanism for potato seed cutting and grading according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding end of the conveying module (3) is provided with a feeding module (2). The feeding module (2) includes a feeding frame (21) and an inclined baffle (22). The feeding frame (21) is fixedly mounted on the end of the support frame (1). The inclined baffle (22) is located between the feeding frame (21) and the conveying bracket (31). The output end of the feeding frame (21) is connected to the input end of the conveying bracket (31). The inclined baffle (22) gradually shrinks from the feeding frame (21) toward the conveying bracket (31). The width of the output port of the inclined baffle (22) is equal to the width of the straight cylindrical section of the conveying roller (34).

6. A visual inspection mechanism for potato seed cutting and grading according to claim 1, characterized in that: The detection module (4) includes a gantry bracket (41), a control top box (42), and an industrial camera (43). The gantry bracket (41) is fixedly mounted on the outside of the conveyor bracket (31), the control top box (42) is fixedly mounted on the top of the gantry bracket (41), and the industrial camera (43) is fixedly mounted inside the control top box (42), with the lens of the industrial camera (43) facing the detection area of ​​the conveyor module (3).

7. A visual inspection mechanism for potato seed cutting and grading according to claim 1, characterized in that: The grading module (5) includes an air compressor (51) and an air storage tank (52). The air compressor (51) and the air storage tank (52) are fixedly mounted on the bottom of the support frame (1). The output end of the air storage tank (52) is symmetrically connected to a grading branch pipe (53). The output end of each grading branch pipe (53) is fixedly mounted with a nozzle (5301). The nozzle (5301) is set towards the material conveying area of ​​the conveying bracket (31).

8. A visual inspection mechanism for potato seed cutting and grading according to claim 7, characterized in that: The graded branch pipe (53) has a diversion branch pipe (54) connected inside the side near the detection module (4). The diversion branch pipe (54) is distributed one-to-one with several auxiliary rollers (35) and is internally connected. Several output grooves (55) are opened on the outer wall of the auxiliary rollers (35) along the circumferential direction. The output grooves (55) constitute the airflow output port inside the diversion branch pipe (54).

9. A visual inspection mechanism for potato seed cutting and grading according to claim 8, characterized in that: The output sloping grooves (55) are all designed to be inclined. The air outlet direction of the output sloping grooves (55) is adapted to the rotation direction of the auxiliary roller (35). The airflow is spirally sprayed out along the groove wall of the output sloping grooves (55). The outer wall of the auxiliary roller (35) is symmetrically and inclinedly fitted with a paddle plate (56).

10. A visual inspection mechanism for potato seed cutting and grading according to claim 1, characterized in that: The support frame (1) is equipped with a storage module (6) on its side. The storage module (6) includes a first storage frame (61), a second storage frame (62) and a third storage frame (63). The first storage frame (61) is fixedly installed directly below the detection interval (38). The second storage frame (62) is installed at the tail end of the conveying bracket (31). The third storage frame (63) is installed on the side of the detection module (4).

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