Granular material quality measurement device

Abstract

To provide a chute-type granular material inspection device that can excellently perform a quality inspection for granular materials without human intervention even when the number of samples is large.SOLUTION: A chute part is in a state where granular materials are stacked in the height direction in at least a predetermined number of layers on a sliding-down surface, and includes a layer number control structure that allows the granular materials to slide down to a lower end while maintaining the stacked state. A quality detector irradiates light onto the granular materials in the middle of sliding down the chute part or the granular materials in the middle of falling from the lower end of the chute part and falling through the air, receives at least one of reflected light and transmitted light, and detects the quality of the granular materials.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a quality measuring device used in an in-line inspection device or the like in a grain processing facility, and more particularly to a granular material quality measuring device for measuring the quality of granular materials, such as color tone and whiteness. [Background technology]

[0002] As prior art relating to devices for measuring the quality of granular material, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3 are known.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a rice grain quality measuring device equipped with a gloss measuring device and a whiteness measuring device. The optical measuring device measures the gloss of the rice grain by irradiating the surface of the rice grain on a sample plate placed on a table with light for measuring gloss and receiving the reflected light. The whiteness measuring device measures the whiteness of the rice grain by irradiating the rice grain on a sample plate placed on a table with light for measuring whiteness and receiving the reflected light from the rice grain on the sample plate through the sample plate.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a chute-type grain quality measuring instrument. This grain quality measuring instrument is equipped with an inlet, a grain supplying device, a chute, an imaging device, a control device, and the like. A number of flow grooves are provided on the surface of the chute, and grains flow down the flow grooves one by one. Both reflected and transmitted images of the grains released from the chute are captured by a single imaging device using a reflecting mirror.

[0005] Patent Document 3 discloses an apparatus in which a light-transmitting window is provided in a cylindrical or trough-shaped channel and arranged at an angle, light is irradiated through the window onto granular products flowing down the channel, and reflected light is received to measure whiteness. This measuring apparatus has a baffle plate arranged inside the channel, and the baffle plate guides the product above the window, thereby maintaining a minimum depth of the product above the window. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-188909 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6884936 [Patent Document 3] Special Publication No. 2012-525575 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] The device in Patent Document 1 mentioned above is a compact measuring device that can measure the whiteness and gloss of rice grains, but during measurement, manual work is required, such as placing the sample on a sample tray and setting it on a table, etc. Therefore, there is a problem that it is not suitable for use when there are a large number of samples or for in-line inspection.

[0008] On the other hand, the device of Patent Document 2 is an apparatus in which a sample is introduced from an inlet and the quality of the sample is measured by the imaging unit via a chute, and therefore has an effective structure when there are a large number of samples or for in-line inspection. However, the device of Patent Document 2 is configured such that the grains are accommodated one by one in an inclined flow-down groove formed on the surface of the chute and flow down, and the quality of the grains is measured by the imaging unit. Therefore, there is a problem in that it is not possible to perform an excellent whiteness measurement by irradiating light onto grains in a multi-layered state as in the device of Patent Document 1.

[0009] In addition, the device of Patent Document 3 has a light-transmitting window in a cylindrical or trough-shaped channel, and uses a baffle plate to collect the product on the window and maintain a minimum depth of the product above the window, so the width of the window that can be measured is narrowed to a part of the bottom or side of the cylindrical or trough-shaped channel. Therefore, even if there are a large number of samples, it is difficult to measure over a wide range.

[0010] Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art described above, and aims to provide a chute-type granular material inspection device (granular material quality measuring device) that can perform quality inspection of granular material effectively without human intervention, even when there are a large number of samples. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, the granular material quality measuring device of the present invention has a chute section that is arranged at an angle and slides granular material supplied from an upper end to a lower end and drops it into the air from the lower end, and a quality detector that irradiates light to the granular material while it is sliding down the chute section or to the granular material that has fallen from the lower end of the chute section and is falling into the air, and receives at least one of the reflected light and the transmitted light to detect the quality of the granular material. The chute section has a sliding surface along which the granular material slides from the upper end to the lower end. At least a portion of the chute section has a layer number control structure that stacks the granular material on the sliding surface in the height direction by a predetermined number of layers or more and slides the granular material to the lower end while maintaining the stacked state.

[0012] As the quality detector, for example, a whiteness detector can be used.

[0013] According to the above-mentioned granular material quality measuring device, it is possible to provide a chute-type granular material inspection device that can perform quality inspection of granular material effectively without manual intervention, even when a large number of samples are involved.

[0014] In the above-mentioned granular material quality measuring device, for example, the chute section is configured to drop the stacked granular materials into the air from its lower end, in which case the quality detector can irradiate light onto the granular materials that have fallen from the lower end of the chute section and are stacked in layers in the air in the direction of the optical axis of the light, and receive at least one of the reflected light and the transmitted light.

[0015] In the above-mentioned granular material quality measuring device, for example, the sliding surface of the chute section may be provided with a slit, in which case the quality detector can irradiate light from at least one of the front side and the back side of the chute section onto the piled granular material as it slides down the sliding surface, and receive at least one of the reflected light and the transmitted light.

[0016] The chute section may be, for example, flat. In this case, the chute section may have, as the layer number control structure, at least one of a groove having a predetermined cross-sectional shape formed on the sliding surface along the sliding direction and a structure for setting the friction coefficient of the sliding surface against granular matter within a predetermined range.

[0017] The quality detector may be configured to irradiate light to a preset detection position below the lower end of the chute, for example, within a predetermined distance from the lower end of the chute.

[0018] The above-mentioned layer number control structure may be configured to include a layer number switching unit that switches in a time series between a state in which the granular material is stacked in the height direction on the sliding surface to a predetermined number of layers or more, and a state in which the number of layers of the granular material stacked on the sliding surface is less than the predetermined number of layers.

[0019] The layer number switching unit that switches the above states chronologically can be configured to include, for example, at least one of a mechanism for changing the inclination of the chute section, a mechanism for changing the width of the sliding surface, and a mechanism for controlling the flow rate of granular material flowing from the upper end of the chute section onto the sliding surface.

[0020] When the granular material quality measuring device includes a layer number switching unit that switches the above states in a chronological order, it may further include a second detector. The second detector can detect the quality of the granular material by irradiating a second light onto the granular material that slides down the sliding surface in a state where it is stacked with less than a predetermined number of layers, falls from the lower end of the chute, and falls through the air, and receiving at least one of the reflected light and the transmitted light.

[0021] The chute section may also include a second sliding surface. In this case, the layer number control structure may be configured to slide the granular material on the second sliding surface to the bottom end of the second sliding surface while maintaining the granular material stacked in less than a predetermined number of layers.

[0022] When the chute portion includes the above-mentioned second sliding surface, the layer number control structure can set, for example, the width of the second sliding surface to be wider than the width of the first sliding surface.

[0023] In addition, when the chute section has the above-mentioned second sliding surface, the layer number control structure may have a flow control mechanism that makes the flow rate of the granular material supplied to the upper end of the second sliding surface smaller than the flow rate of the granular material supplied to the upper end of the above-mentioned sliding surface.

[0024] As the flow rate control structure, for example, a shutter disposed at least on the upper end of the second sliding surface can be used.

[0025] When the chute section includes the second sliding surface, the second sliding surface may be arranged side by side on the same plane as the above-mentioned sliding surface. In this case, the lower end of the sliding surface and the lower end of the second sliding surface may be arranged side by side.

[0026] Furthermore, when the chute section includes the second sliding surface, the chute section may further include a third detector. The third detector directly irradiates the granular material with a second light as it falls from the lower end of the second sliding surface and falls through the air, and receives the reflected light to detect a characteristic of the granular material that is different from the whiteness of the granular material. Effect of the Invention

[0027] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a chute-type granular material inspection device that can effectively inspect the whiteness of granular material without manual intervention even when a large number of samples are involved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0028] [Figure 1]1(a), (b) and (c) are a perspective view, a front view and a side view of a granular material quality measuring device 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1(c) is a cross-sectional view of FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a perspective view of a chute unit 20 of a granular material quality measuring device 1 according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a particulate matter quality measuring device 1 according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2(a) is a top view of the granular material quality measuring device 1 of the first embodiment, showing a state in which granular material is sliding down on the chute portion 20, and FIG. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA. [Figure 6] 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a granular material slides down on a chute portion 20 of the granular material quality measuring device 1 of the first embodiment and falls from the lower end of the chute portion 20 into the air. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 1(a) is a top view showing a U-shaped groove provided in a chute portion 20 of a granular material quality measuring device 1 of the first embodiment, and FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 2(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a chute inclination adjustment device 70 of the granular material quality measuring device 1 of the first embodiment, and FIG. 2(b) is an explanatory diagram showing how the inclination angle θ of the chute section changes. [Figure 9] 1(a) to 1(e) are diagrams showing an example of the configuration of a supplying device 10 of a granular material quality measuring device 1 of a first embodiment. [Figure 10] 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of illumination devices 33, 34 of the particulate matter quality measuring device 1 of the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] 2 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen of the particulate matter quality measuring device 1 of the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a chute portion 20 of a granular material quality measuring device 1 according to a second embodiment. [Figure 13] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a state in which a granular material slides down on a chute portion 20 of a granular material quality measuring device 1 of a second embodiment and falls from the lower end of the chute portion 20 into the air. FIG. [Figure 14]13(a) to 13(c) are diagrams showing the state of granular material when the sliding flow rate is changed over time on the chute section 20 of the granular material quality measuring device 1 of the third embodiment. [Figure 15] 13(a) is a perspective view of a chute portion 20 of a granular material quality measuring device 1 of a fourth embodiment, and FIG. 13(b) is a top view showing the state of granular material sliding down on the chute portion 20. FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is a front view showing a supplying device 10 provided with a shutter 11 of a particulate matter quality measuring device 1 according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 17] 13(a) is a perspective view of a chute portion 20 of another configuration of the granular material quality measuring device 1 of the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 13(b) is a top view showing the state of granular material sliding down on the chute portion 20. FIG. [Figure 18] 13(a) is a perspective view of a chute portion 20 of still another configuration of the granular material quality measuring device 1 of the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 13(b) is a top view showing the state of granular material sliding down on the chute portion 20. FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a chute portion 20 having slits of a granular material quality measuring device 1 according to a fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0029] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0030] <<First embodiment>> A particulate matter quality measuring device 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Figs.

[0031] Fig. 1(a), (b) and (c) are a perspective view, a front view and a side view of a granular material quality measuring device 1 of a first embodiment. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 1(c). Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a chute unit 20. Fig. 4 is a block diagram of the granular material quality measuring device 1.

[0032] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the granular material quality measuring device 1 of the first embodiment is configured to include a chute section 20, a supply device 10, a detector 30, a discharge device 40, a control device 50, and a frame 80 that supports these.

[0033] The granular material quality measuring device 1 also includes a layer number control structure for stacking the granular material sliding down the sliding surface of the chute section 20 in a height direction of at least a predetermined number of layers as shown in Figures 5 and 6, and for allowing the granular material to slide down to the bottom end of the chute section 20 while maintaining the stacked state. The layer number control structure will be made clear in the following explanation.

[0034] The chute section 20 is supported by a frame 80 in a state inclined at a predetermined angle. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 3, the chute section 20 has a planar sliding surface 21 that allows granular material to slide down, and side walls 22 provided on both sides of the sliding surface. The side walls 22 prevent the granular material from spilling out from both sides of the sliding surface.

[0035] The sliding surface 21 preferably has a structure for controlling the number of layers, which sets the coefficient of friction of the sliding surface 21 against the granular matter within a predetermined range. For example, the sliding surface 21 is provided with an uneven structure of a predetermined pattern. The sliding surface 21 may also have a fine uneven structure formed by roughening. By increasing the coefficient of friction between the sliding surface 21 and the granular matter sliding down the sliding surface 21, the granular matter can be stacked in the height direction on the sliding surface 21 by more than a predetermined number of layers, and can be slid down while maintaining that state.

[0036] Also, as shown in Figs. 7(a) and (b), one or more grooves having a U-shaped cross section may be formed in the sliding surface 21 along the sliding direction, so that the contact area between the inner wall of the U-shaped groove and the granular material is increased compared to a flat surface, and the friction coefficient between the inner wall of the U-shaped groove and the granular material is increased compared to the friction coefficient between the flat sliding surface 21 and the granular material. This allows the granular material to be stacked in the U-shaped groove in the height direction to a predetermined number of layers or more, and the U-shape can be slid down while maintaining this state. The cross-sectional shape of the groove is not limited to a U-shape, and may be another shape, such as a groove with a flat bottom. Also, the width of the groove is illustrated in Figs. 7(a) and (b) as a size in which 4 to 5 granular material grains are lined up at the widest part at the top of the groove in the depth direction, but is not limited to this groove width. The groove width may be any size that allows the granular material to pile up in the groove in the height direction to a predetermined number of layers or more and slide down while maintaining that state, and may be designed according to the particle size, shape, etc. For example, it may be a U-shaped groove with a groove width of 5 mm, or a groove with a width of 10 mm and a depth of about 10 mm with a flat bottom.

[0037] In order to increase the coefficient of friction between the inner wall of the groove and the granular material, a groove having a structure in which the groove width gradually narrows downward in the sliding direction may be provided on the sliding surface 21. By using such a groove, as the granular material slides down inside the groove of the sliding surface 21, the density of the granular material gradually increases and the contact area with the inner wall of the groove also increases, so that the coefficient of friction can be gradually increased.

[0038] Also, as a layer number control structure, it is preferable to have a structure in which a chute inclination adjustment device 70 for changing the inclination of the chute section 20 is disposed between the chute section 20 and the frame 80. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 2, the upper end of the chute section 20 is rotatably fixed to a columnar frame 80a of the frame 80 by a fulcrum shaft 71. A housing 35 of the detector 30 is fixed to the upper surface side (front side) and back surface side (rear side) near the lower end of the chute section 20. The chute section 20 and the housing 35 are fixed to each other while maintaining a positional relationship. The chute inclination adjustment device 70 is connected to the housing 35 on the rear side.

[0039] The chute inclination adjustment device 70 adjusts the distance between the chute section 20 and the detector 30 and the columnar frame 80a while maintaining the relative positional relationship between the chute section 20 and the detector 30. As a result, the chute section 20 rotates about the fulcrum shaft 71, changing the inclination angle.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 8(a), the chute inclination adjustment device 70 includes a driving source 72 having one end fixed to a columnar frame 80a via a fixture 73, and a screw shaft 75 fixed to the rotation shaft of the driving source 72. The driving source 72 may be an electric gear motor, a stepping motor, or the like. Meanwhile, a stay 78 is fixed to the housing 35 of the detector 30. A long hole 78a is provided in the stay 78, and a pin 77a is inserted into the long hole 78a. The pin 77a is fixed to the tip of an L-shaped plate 77. A through hole is provided in the base of the plate 77, and a nut 76 is fixed to the through hole. The screw shaft 75 is inserted into the through hole and the nut 76, and is screwed into the nut 76.

[0041] With this structure, when the control unit 52 of the control device 50, which will be described later, operates the driving source 72, the driving source 72 rotates the screw shaft 75. As a result, the positions of the nut 76 and the plate 77 fixed to the nut 76 change in the axial direction of the screw shaft 75 toward or away from the columnar frame 80a depending on the rotation direction of the screw shaft 75. This changes the distance between the stay 78 and the fixing device 73. As a result, the chute unit 20 can be tilted around the fulcrum axis 71 to change the tilt angle θ, as shown in FIG. 8(b).

[0042] Next, the supply device 10 will be described.

[0043] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the supply device 10 is supported by a frame 80 near the upper end of the chute section 20, and supplies the granular material to be measured onto the chute section 20.

[0044] The granular material can be any granular material, such as brown rice or white rice for which the whiteness is to be measured, or parboiled rice, corn, cereals, or resin pellets for which the color is to be measured.

[0045] As an example of the supply device 10 of the granular material quality measuring device 1 of FIG. 1, a hopper having an inlet 10a can be used.

[0046] The supply device 10 may be provided with a supply amount adjustment mechanism as a layer number control structure for adjusting the amount of granular material (supply amount per unit time) supplied to the chute section 20. The supply amount adjustment mechanism can balance the amount of granular material supplied from the supply device 10 to the chute section 20 with the amount of granular material that slides down the chute section 20 after being piled up to a predetermined depth on the chute section 20 and falls from the bottom end. This allows the supply device 10 to supply to the chute section 20 the amount of granular material required to pile up the granular material in a predetermined number of layers on the chute section 20.

[0047] The supply device 10 equipped with a supply amount adjustment mechanism may be, for example, a structure equipped with a shutter 11 for controlling the amount of granular material dropping from a hopper, as shown in Figures 9(a) and (b). Also, a vibration feeder or a belt conveyor capable of adjusting the flow rate may be used as the supply device 10, as shown in Figures 9(c) and (d). Also, a hopper equipped with a cascade-shaped slider (alignment plate) and a shutter may be used as the supply device 10, as shown in Figure 9(e).

[0048] Additionally, the supply device 10 may be provided with a structure capable of storing granular material.

[0049] When the granular material quality measuring device 1 is an inline device incorporated into a rice polishing / measuring line in which multiple devices such as rice polishing devices and measuring devices are connected via a conveying device or the like, the supplying device 10 may be directly connected to the conveying device that conveys the granular material from the previous rice polishing device or inspection device.

[0050] As described above, the granular material quality measuring device 1 preferably has a layer number control structure that includes a structure (such as a concave-convex structure or a U-shaped groove) for setting the coefficient of friction of the sliding surface 21 against the granular material within a predetermined range, a chute inclination adjustment device 70, and a mechanism for adjusting the supply amount of the supply device 10, but it does not necessarily have to have all of these and it will suffice if it has one or more of them.

[0051] As described in Patent Document 1, the number of layers of granular material piled up on the chute section 20 is desirably about 8 to 12 layers in order to measure the whiteness.

[0052] Next, the detector 30 will be described.

[0053] The detector 30 measures the whiteness of the granular material by irradiating the granular material that has fallen from the chute section 20 with illumination light and receiving the reflected light. As shown in Fig. 6, when the granular material slides down the chute section 20, it is stacked in the height direction by more than the predetermined number of layers as described above, and the stacked state is maintained immediately after it falls into the air from the chute section 20. Therefore, by irradiating light onto the granular material that is maintained in the stacked state while falling through the air, it is possible to calculate the whiteness in the same way as the measurement method in Patent Document 1, in which the granular material is placed in a sample dish to a predetermined depth, irradiated with light, and the reflected light is measured.

[0054] Specifically, the detector 30 includes lighting devices 33 and 34 that irradiate light onto granular objects, image sensors 31a, 31b, 32a, and 32b that capture the light reflected by the granular objects, and a background (reference board). The background is a portion that reflects the reflected light that serves as a reference when calculating whiteness and color tone, or a light source that emits light that serves as a reference. The background is a white board or black board placed at the edge of the field of view of the image sensors 31a, 31b, 32a, and 32b or a portion that serves as the background, or an LED of a predetermined wavelength. In addition, a reference mark for correcting the amount of light, the camera position, and the measured value may be provided.

[0055] Illumination devices 33 and 34 are configured to irradiate light onto detection area T, which is a predetermined distance L downward from the lower end of chute section 20, within the range in which the granular objects are maintained in an overlapping state while falling through the air. This allows light to be irradiated onto detection area T within the range in which the granular objects are maintained in a state in which multiple layers are overlapped in the air in the direction of optical axes 33a and 34a of the irradiated light. Illumination device 33 is disposed on the upper surface side of chute section 20, and illumination device 34 is disposed on the back surface side, and irradiate light onto the detection area from the upper surface side and the back surface side.

[0056] In the granular material quality measuring device 1 of this embodiment, granular material falls from the entire width of the lower end of the chute section 20, so that the granular material falls over a width equivalent to the width of the lower end of the chute section 20. Thus, a linear area at a distance L from the lower end across the entire width of the chute section 20 is set as a detection area T, and the lighting devices 33 and 34 irradiate light onto the entire linear detection area T, and the reflected light from the entire linear detection area T can be received (imaged) by the image sensors 31a, 31b, 32a, and 32b.

[0057] This allows the whiteness of granular material sliding down the full width of the chute section 20 to be measured from both sides in a single image capture, enabling the whiteness to be measured efficiently.

[0058] The image processing calculation unit 51 of the control device 50 compares the intensity of the reflected light of the granular matter captured by the image sensors 31a, 31b, 32a, and 32b with the intensity of the reflected light of the reference plate, and calculates the whiteness. The method of calculating the whiteness by the image processing calculation unit 51 is not limited to this method, and any calculation method may be used.

[0059] When measuring whiteness, it is preferable that the light irradiated onto the granular matter by the illumination devices 33 and 34 is blue light.

[0060] Here, the detector 30 is configured to be capable of measuring not only whiteness but also other quality items, such as the percentage of regular grains, the percentage of grains with a certain color, the percentage of dead rice, the percentage of cracked grains, the percentage of broken rice in the case of rice, the percentage of white immature rice in the case of rice, the length distribution of the granular objects being inspected, and the width distribution of the granular objects being inspected, along with the whiteness.

[0061] In this case, the illumination devices 33, 34 of the detector 30 have a structure in which red light source 3a, green light source 3b, and blue light source 3c, all of which are LED or laser light sources, are repeatedly arranged in this order parallel to the width direction of the chute section 20, as shown in Fig. 10. The light sources 3a, 3b, and 3c irradiate red light, green light, and blue light, respectively, toward a linear detection area T at a predetermined distance from the lower end of the chute section 20 (see Fig. 6).

[0062] The image sensors 31a, 31b, 32a, and 32b are, for example, CCD cameras capable of detecting red light, green light, and blue light individually.

[0063] Both image sensors 31a and 31b are disposed on the upper surface side of chute section 20, and capture images of linear measurement positions located a predetermined distance from the bottom end of chute section 20 through an optical path formed by housing 35 and a mirror. Similarly, image sensors 32a and 32b are disposed on the back surface side of chute section 20, and capture images of linear measurement positions located a predetermined distance from the bottom end of chute section 20 through an optical path formed by housing 35 and a mirror.

[0064] Control unit 52 controls the on / off of lighting devices 33 and 34 according to a predetermined pulse sequence. As a result, when lighting device 33 is on, image sensors 31a and 31b can capture reflected light images of red light, green light, and blue light irradiated from lighting device 33 onto granular material falling from chute unit 20 from the upper surface side of chute unit 20. Furthermore, when lighting devices 33 and 34 are on, image sensors 31a and 31b can capture both reflected light and transmitted light images (hereinafter referred to as reflected light transmitted light images) of red light, green light, and blue light of granular material falling from chute unit 20.

[0065] Similarly, when lighting device 34 is on, image sensors 32a and 32b can capture reflected light images of red, green, and blue light, respectively, irradiated from lighting device 34 onto the back side of granular material falling from chute section 20. Furthermore, when lighting devices 33 and 34 are on, image sensors 32a and 32b can capture reflected light and transmitted light images of red, green, and blue light, respectively, of granular material falling from chute section 20, from the back side of chute section 20.

[0066] The image processing calculation unit 51 compares the pixel values ​​(received light intensity) of the reflected light image of the blue light of the granular material captured by the image sensors 31a and 31b with the pixel values ​​(received light intensity) of the reflected light image of the reference plate to calculate the whiteness. It is also possible to calculate the whiteness from the pixel values ​​of the reflected light image of the blue light captured this time by using the relationship between the whiteness obtained in advance and the pixel values ​​(received light intensity) of the reflected light image of the blue light of the granular material. In this case, the whiteness can be calculated without using the reflected light image of the reference plate. When calculating the whiteness using the above relationship, it is desirable to prepare the above relationship for each brightness of the illumination light, when the illumination light is always adjusted to a constant brightness, or when the brightness of the illumination light changes. It should be noted that there are various known methods for calculating the whiteness, and these can be used (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0067] In addition, the image processing calculation unit 51 uses the green light reflected light image and the green light reflected light transmitted light image, and the blue light reflected light image and the blue light reflected light transmitted light image of the upper surface side and the back surface side captured by the image sensors 31a, 31b, 32a, and 32b to identify dead rice by a known method (see, for example, JP 2021-104476 A). Similarly, the image processing calculation unit 51 uses the red light reflected light image and the red light reflected light transmitted light image, and the blue light and / or green light reflected light image and the blue light and / or green light reflected light transmitted light image to identify white immature rice by a known method (see, for example, JP 2021-104476 A).

[0068] In addition, when determining whether the granular material is regular, broken, colored, or broken, a near-infrared light source (wavelength 800 to 1000 nm) is added to the lighting devices 33 and 34, and the image sensors 32a and 32b are used that can capture near-infrared light in addition to visible light. The granular material falling from the chute section 20 is irradiated with a first wavelength light (blue light or green light), a second wavelength light (red light), and a third wavelength light (near-infrared light), and the reflected light and / or transmitted light of these lights are captured by the image sensors 32a and 32b. By combining the captured images of the first to third wavelength lights, the image processing calculation unit 51 determines whether the granular material is regular, broken, colored, or broken by a known method (for example, see JP 2008-302314 A).

[0069] The control unit 52 of the control device 50 controls the on / off of the above-mentioned lighting devices 33, 34 and controls the image capture of the image sensors 31a, 31b, 32a, 32b. While the granular material to be inspected is continuously dropped down the chute section 20, images of each color of light are captured at predetermined time intervals, and the image processing and calculation unit 51 calculates the whiteness and the percentage of other inspection items (dead rice, white immature rice, etc.).

[0070] The image processing and calculation unit 51 displays the measurement results on a display unit 61 of the operation device 60. As shown in FIG. 1(a), the operation device is disposed on the front side of the housing 35. The housing 35 covers the image sensors 31a, 31b, 32a, 32b, etc. of the detector 30 and is fixed to the chute unit 20.

[0071] An example of the measurement results displayed on the display unit 61 is shown in Fig. 11. In addition to the numerical values ​​of whiteness, etc., the percentage of dead rice, white immature rice, etc. is displayed numerically and as a histogram.

[0072] The discharge device 40 will now be described.

[0073] The discharge device 40 has an opening at a position where the granular material falling from the chute section 20 reaches, and receives the fallen granular material. The discharge device 40 shown in Figs. 1(a) and (b) is a hopper, for example. When the granular material quality measuring device 1 is an in-line device, the discharge device 40, under the control of the control section 52, discharges the received granular material to a conveying device that conveys the material to an apparatus for the next process. When the granular material quality measuring device 1 is not an in-line device, the operator manually removes the granular material from the discharge device 40.

[0074] The control device 50 will now be described.

[0075] As already explained, the control device 50 includes the image processing calculation unit 51 and the control unit 52. The control unit 52 controls the amount of granular material supplied by the supply device 10 to the chute unit 20, controls the adjustment of the inclination angle θ of the chute unit 20 by the chute inclination adjustment device 70, controls the on / off of the lighting devices 33 and 34, and controls the discharge of the discharge device 40.

[0076] The image processing and calculation unit 51 receives measurement condition settings from a user via the input / output unit 62 of the operation device 60. The image processing and calculation unit 51 also calculates values ​​of inspection items such as whiteness from images captured by the image sensors 31a, 31b, 32a, and 32b, displays the values ​​on the display unit 61, and outputs the calculation results to the outside as necessary.

[0077] The control device 50 includes a processor (e.g., a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) and a CPU (Central Processing Unit)) and a memory in which a program is stored in advance, and the processor executes the program stored in the memory to realize the functions of the image processing calculation unit 51 and the control unit 52 by software. Note that the control device 50 can also be realized by hardware, in which case a circuit design can be performed to realize the functions of the image processing calculation unit 51 and the control unit 52 using a custom IC such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or a programmable IC such as an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array).

[0078] As described above, the granular material quality measuring device 1 of the first embodiment is a chute-type granular material inspection device, which can effectively inspect the whiteness, etc. of granular material without manual intervention, even when a large number of samples are involved.

[0079] <<Second embodiment>> A particulate matter quality measuring device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figs.

[0080] The granular material measuring device of the second embodiment has a similar configuration to the granular material quality measuring device 1 of the first embodiment, but differs from the first embodiment in that a slit 25 is provided on the sliding surface 21 of the chute section 20 parallel to the width direction of the chute section 20, as shown in Figures 12 and 13.

[0081] The width of the slit 25 in the sliding direction of the chute section 20 is larger than the diameter of the granular material, but since the granular material slides down the chute section 20, it does not fall into the slit 25 due to inertia, but passes over the slit 25 and flows down the sliding surface 21 of the chute section 20.

[0082] Therefore, no window member is disposed in the slit 25, and the slit 25 is an empty space. This allows illumination light to be directly irradiated onto the granular material from the rear surface side of the chute section 20 through the slit 25.

[0083] 13, the detection area T of the detector 30 is set to the granular matter above the slit 25. The illumination device 33 on the upper side of the chute section 20 is arranged to irradiate the detection area T with illumination light from above, and the light that has passed through the granular matter in the detection area T passes through the slit 25. On the other hand, the illumination device 34 on the back side of the chute section 20 is arranged to irradiate the detection area T with illumination light through the slit 25.

[0084] Image sensors 31a, 31b on the upper surface of chute section 20 are arranged to receive (image) reflected light that is irradiated onto detection area T from illumination device 33 and reflected by granular matter in detection area T, and transmitted light that is irradiated onto detection area T from illumination device 34 on the back surface side through slit 25 and passes through the granular matter in detection area T. Meanwhile, image sensors 32a, 32b on the back surface of chute section 20 are arranged to receive (image) reflected light that is irradiated onto detection area T from illumination device 34 through slit 25, reflected by the granular matter in detection area T and passes through slit 25, and transmitted light that is irradiated onto detection area T from illumination device 32 on the upper surface side, passes through the granular matter in detection area T and passes through slit 25.

[0085] This allows inspection items such as whiteness to be measured for granular matter sliding down the chute portion 20 in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

[0086] Other configurations, operations and effects of each part of the granular matter quality measuring device of the second embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0087] <<Third embodiment>> A particulate matter quality measuring device according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0088] The granular material quality measuring device of the first and second embodiments is configured to measure whiteness and multiple inspection items other than whiteness for granular materials stacked using a layer number control structure, as shown in Figures 5 and 6, but some inspection items other than whiteness can be measured more accurately if the number of stacked granular materials is less than a predetermined number.

[0089] Therefore, in the third embodiment of the granular material quality measuring device, the control unit 52 controls the layer number control structure to change the flow rate of granular material sliding down on the chute section 20 in a time series manner, and measurements are performed at a sliding flow rate appropriate for each inspection item.

[0090] Specifically, the control unit 52 changes the flow rate supplied from the supply device 10 to the chute unit 20, or changes the inclination of the chute unit 20 by the chute inclination adjustment device 70. As a result, as shown in Figures 14(a) to (c), a large flow rate (Figure 14(c)) that causes the granular material described in the first embodiment to be stacked in a predetermined number of layers or more, a medium flow rate (Figure 14(b)) that causes the number of stacked layers of the granular material to be less than a predetermined number of layers (here, one layer of granular material), and a flow rate (Figure 14(a)) that causes the number of stacked layers of the granular material to be less than a predetermined number of layers (here, one layer of granular material) and that prevents the granular material from contacting each other are sequentially realized.

[0091] A high flow rate corresponds to the state shown in Figures 5 and 6 described in the first embodiment. A medium flow rate corresponds to a state in which the individual granules are not completely separated but do not overlap, and the surfaces of the granules are visible. A low flow rate corresponds to a state in which the individual granules are separated and the outlines are visible.

[0092] When the control unit 52 changes the flow rate supplied from the supply device 10 to the chute unit 20, the flow rate can be switched sequentially to small, medium, and large as shown in Figures 14(a) to (c) by sequentially switching the flow rate to be supplied to predetermined small, medium, and large. The order of switching the supply flow rate may be reversed (large, medium, small).

[0093] Furthermore, when the control unit 52 changes the inclination angle θ (see FIG. 8(b)) using the chute inclination adjustment device 70, the inclination angle θ can be switched sequentially to predetermined small, medium, and large, thereby switching the sliding flow rate sequentially to small, medium, and large as shown in FIG. 14(a) to (c). The order of switching the inclination angle θ may be reversed (large, medium, small).

[0094] As described in the first embodiment, the state of the granular material as it slides down the chute section 20 is maintained even immediately after it falls from the chute section 20 into the air, so with the granular material quality measuring device of the first embodiment, the detector 30 images the granular material in the inspection area T as it falls into the air from the lower end of the chute section 20, and the image processing and calculation section 51 can measure or determine each inspection item.

[0095] In addition, with the granular material quality measuring device of the second embodiment, the detector 30 can capture an image of the granular material in the inspection area T as it slides down the slit 25 in the chute section 20, and the image processing and calculation unit 51 can measure or judge each inspection item.

[0096] In the high flow rate state of Fig. 14(c), as explained in the first embodiment, it is possible to measure whiteness with high accuracy, and the image processing and calculation unit 51 measures whiteness and color tone from the images captured by the image sensors 31a, 31b, 32a, and 32b in the high flow rate state of Fig. 14(c) as explained in the first and second embodiments. In addition, the medium flow rate state of Fig. 14(b) is suitable for inspecting the appearance (diseases, insect damage, coloring, gloss, etc.) and interior (transparency, powderiness, etc.) of granular matter, so the image processing and calculation unit 51 judges the size (appearance), coloring, dead rice, cracks, and white immaturity from the images captured by the image sensors 31a, 31b, 32a, and 32b in the medium flow rate state of Fig. 14(b). The low flow rate state of Figure 14(a) is suitable for measuring the shape of granular objects (size, immatureness, brokenness, deformed shape, etc.), so the image processing calculation unit 51 measures or determines the length, width, brokenness, and size (shape) of the granular objects from the images captured by the image sensors 31a, 31b, 32a, 32b in the low flow rate state of Figure 14(a).

[0097] Thus, in the third embodiment, the control unit 52 functions as a layer number switching unit that switches in a chronological order between a state in which the granular material is stacked in the height direction on the sliding surface 21 by a predetermined number of layers or more (Figure 14(c)) and a state in which the granular material is not stacked on the sliding surface 21 (Figures 14(a), (b)).

[0098] As a result, the particulate matter quality measuring device of the third embodiment can not only measure the whiteness with high accuracy, but also improve the measurement accuracy and judgment accuracy for other test items.

[0099] In the third embodiment, the number of layers of stacked granular material is switched over time by adjusting the supply amount of the supply device 10 and the inclination angle θ of the chute section 20. However, the side wall 22 of the chute section 20 may be made movable, and the width of the sliding surface of the chute section 20 may be narrowed or widened to change the width of the sliding surface and sequentially switch the sliding flow rate between small, medium, and large.

[0100] Also, like the first embodiment, the granular matter quality measuring device of this embodiment is configured to measure and determine whiteness and other inspection items using images captured by the same detector 30, but it may be configured to include a detector 30 that measures whiteness and a detector that measures other inspection items separately. This increases the degree of freedom in the wavelength of the detector's light source and the detector's arrangement, which may improve the detection accuracy of the detector 30 that measures whiteness and the detector that measures other inspection items.

[0101] <<Fourth embodiment>> A particulate matter quality measuring device according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Figs.

[0102] In the granular material quality measuring device of the third embodiment described above, the control unit 52 is configured to change the flow rate of granular material sliding down the sliding surface 21 of the chute section 20 to a small flow rate, a medium flow rate, and a large flow rate in a time series, but in the granular material quality measuring device of the fourth embodiment, partition plates 131, 132 are arranged parallel to the sliding direction on the sliding surface 21 of the chute section 20 to divide the surface into first to third sliding surfaces 121 to 123. This simultaneously achieves a large flow rate on the first sliding surface 121, a medium flow rate on the second sliding surface 122, and a small flow rate on the third sliding surface 123 in the chute section 20.

[0103] In the configuration shown in FIG. 15(a), the partition plates 131 and 132 are arranged so that the widths of the first sliding surface 121, the second sliding surface 122, and the third sliding surface 123 are uniform.

[0104] 16, at the upper end of the chute section 20, three supply devices 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3 are arranged as the supply device 10, corresponding to a first sliding surface 121, a second sliding surface 122, and a third sliding surface 123. Supply device 10-1 supplies granular material to the first sliding surface 121, supply device 10-2 supplies granular material to the second sliding surface 122, and supply device 10-3 supplies granular material to the third sliding surface 123.

[0105] The supply device 10-1, the supply device 10-2, and the supply device 10-3 are all supply devices as shown in Figs. 9(a)-(e) in which the supply amount can be adjusted. In Fig. 16, hoppers equipped with shutters 11-1-11-3 are illustrated as the supply devices 10-1-10-3 as an example. The control unit 52 controls the supply device 10-1 so that the supply amount is the largest, the supply device 10-2 so that the supply amount is the next largest, and the supply device 10-3 so that the supply amount is the smallest. For example, as shown in Fig. 16, the control unit 52 adjusts the opening degree of the shutters 11-1-11-3.

[0106] As a result, as shown in Figure 15 (b), it is possible to simultaneously achieve a state in which a predetermined number of layers or more of granular material are piled up on the first sliding surface 121, a single layer of granular material is present on the second sliding surface 122, and a single layer of granular material is present on the third sliding surface 123, without the granular material touching each other.

[0107] In the configuration shown in FIG. 17(a), the partition plates 131 and 132 are arranged so that the first sliding surface 121 has the narrowest width and the third sliding surface 123 has the widest width.

[0108] At the upper end of the chute section 20, three supply devices 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3 are arranged as the supply device 10, and supply device 10-1 supplies granular material to the first sliding surface 121, supply device 10-2 supplies granular material to the second sliding surface 122, and supply device 10-3 supplies granular material to the third sliding surface 123.

[0109] Supply device 10-1, supply device 10-2, and supply device 10-3 may have a structure (e.g., a hopper) in which the supply amount cannot be adjusted, and supply the same supply amount of granular material to first to third sliding surfaces 121 to 123. As shown in Fig. 17(b), first sliding surface 121 has the narrowest width, so that a predetermined number of layers or more of granular material are piled up, and on second sliding surface 122, the granular material is in one layer, and on third sliding surface 123, the granular material is in one layer, and does not contact each other.

[0110] In addition, in the configuration shown in Figure 18(a), at the upper end of the chute section 20, the first sliding surface 121 is widest and the third sliding surface 123 is narrowest, and in the lower region that is a predetermined distance or more away from the upper end of the chute section 20, the partition plates 131, 132 are arranged so that the first sliding surface 121, the second sliding surface 122 and the third sliding surface 123 have equal widths.

[0111] At the upper end of the chute section 20, there is disposed a supply device 10 which supplies granular material with a uniform flow rate distribution in the width direction of the chute section 20, and below there are disposed feeders 210-1, 210-2, 210-3 which receive the supplied granular material and supply it to the upper ends of the first sliding surface 121, the second sliding surface 122, and the third sliding surface 123. The widths of the feeders 210-1, 210-2, 210-3 are equal to the widths of the upper ends of the first to third sliding surfaces 121, 122, 123.

[0112] Thus, feeder 210-1 receives the greatest amount of granular material per unit time and supplies it to the first sliding surface 121, feeder 210-3 receives the least amount of granular material per unit time and supplies it to the third sliding surface 123, and feeder 210-2 receives an amount of granular material between feeders 210-1 and 210-3 and supplies it to the second sliding surface 122.

[0113] At the upper end of the chute section 20, three supply devices 10-1, 10-2, and 10-3 are arranged as the supply device 10, and supply device 10-1 supplies granular material to the first sliding surface 121, supply device 10-2 supplies granular material to the second sliding surface 122, and supply device 10-3 supplies granular material to the third sliding surface 123.

[0114] The first sliding surface 121, the second sliding surface 122 and the third sliding surface 123 have uniform widths in the lower region that is a predetermined distance or more away from the upper end, so that at the first sliding surface 121, where the granular material is supplied at the highest supply flow rate, more than a predetermined number of layers of granular material are piled up, as shown in Figure 18(b), at the third sliding surface 123, where the supply flow rate is the smallest, the granular material is in a single layer that is not in contact with each other, and at the second sliding surface 122, the granular material is in a single layer.

[0115] The image sensors 31a, 31b, 32a, and 32b of the detector 30 capture reflected images of granular matter dropping into the air from the lower end of the chute portion 20, as in the first embodiment.

[0116] The image processing calculation unit 51 measures or judges different predetermined inspection items using the images of the areas of the captured image corresponding to the first to third sliding surfaces 121 to 123. That is, the image processing calculation unit 51 calculates the whiteness from the area of ​​the image of the granular matter that has fallen from the first sliding surface 121, judges the appearance of the granular matter (whether or not it is colored to a degree equal to or greater than a predetermined degree) from the area of ​​the image of the granular matter that has fallen from the second sliding surface 122, and measures the shape of the granular matter (size, immature, broken, deformed, etc.) from the area of ​​the image of the granular matter that has fallen from the third sliding surface 123.

[0117] The granular material quality measuring device of the fourth embodiment can simultaneously measure and judge a plurality of test items using granular materials that slide down in a layered state appropriate for each test item, thereby improving both the measurement accuracy and the measurement efficiency.

[0118] Other configurations, operations and effects of each part of the granular matter quality measuring device of the fourth embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment, so description thereof will be omitted.

[0119] It is also possible to provide a slit 25 in the chute section 20 of the granular material quality measuring device of the fourth embodiment as shown in Fig. 19. This makes it possible to measure or judge the granular material on each of the first to third sliding surfaces 121-123 through the slit 25 as in the second embodiment.

[0120] Furthermore, the chute section 20 of the granular material quality measuring device in the fourth embodiment has a structure in which the first to third sliding surfaces 121 to 123 are arranged side by side on the same plane, but this embodiment is not limited to this structure. By cutting the chute section 20 at the positions of the partition plates 131 and 132, it is also possible to make the first to third sliding surfaces 121 to 123 independent as separate chute sections.

[0121] Thus, by disposing the chute inclination adjustment device 70 for each of the first to third sliding surfaces 121-123, the inclination angle of each of the first to third sliding surfaces 121-123 can be changed independently.

[0122] Therefore, in the above-mentioned fourth embodiment, the number of stacked layers of granular material sliding down was controlled by adjusting the amount of granular material supplied from the supply device 10 to the first to third sliding surfaces 121-123, but it is possible to control the number of stacked layers of granular material sliding down by setting the inclination angles of the first to third sliding surfaces 121-123 to different angles.

[0123] In addition, even when the inclination angles of the first to third sliding surfaces 121-123 are adjusted independently, it is preferable that the lower ends of the first to third sliding surfaces 121-123 or the positions of the slits 25 are arranged side by side. This allows one detector 30 to capture images of granular matter falling from the sliding surfaces of the first to third sliding surfaces 121-123 or granular matter passing through the slits 25.

[0124] The features of the particulate matter measuring device of this embodiment will be summarized below. (1) The granular material measuring device of this embodiment is arranged at an angle and comprises a chute section which allows granular material supplied from the upper end to slide down to the lower end and then drop into the air from the lower end, and a quality detector which irradiates light onto the granular material as it slides down the chute section, or onto the granular material as it falls from the lower end of the chute section and falls into the air, and receives at least one of the reflected light and transmitted light to detect the quality of the granular material. The chute portion has a sliding surface along which the granular material slides from the upper end to the lower end. At least a portion of the chute section is equipped with a layer number control structure that stacks the granular material in the height direction on the sliding surface at a predetermined number of layers or more and allows the granular material to slide down to the bottom end while maintaining the stacked state. As the quality detector, for example, a whiteness detector can be used.

[0125] (2) In the granular material quality measuring device described in (1) above, the chute portion may be configured to drop the stacked granular material from the lower end into the air. In this case, the quality detector irradiates light onto the granular matter which falls from the lower end and is stacked in multiple layers in the air in the direction of the optical axis of the light, and receives at least one of the reflected light and the transmitted light.

[0126] (3) In the granular material quality measuring device described in (1) above, the sliding surface may be configured to have a slit. In this case, the quality detector can irradiate light from at least one of the front and back sides of the chute section onto the stacked granular material as it slides down the sliding surface, and receive at least one of the reflected light and transmitted light.

[0127] (4) In the granular material quality measuring device described in (1) above, the chute section may be flat. In this case, the layer number control structure may include at least one of a groove having a predetermined cross-sectional shape formed in the sliding surface along the sliding direction, and a structure for setting the friction coefficient of the sliding surface against the granular material within a predetermined range.

[0128] (5) In the granular material quality measuring device described in (2) above, the quality detector may be configured to irradiate the light to a preset detection position below the lower end of the chute section. In this case, the detection position is located within a predetermined distance from the lower end of the chute section.

[0129] (6) In the granular material quality measuring device described in (1) to (5) above, the layer number control structure can also be configured to include a layer number switching unit that switches in a time series between a state in which the granular material is stacked in the height direction on the sliding surface in a number equal to or greater than a predetermined number of layers, and a state in which the number of layers of the granular material stacked on the sliding surface is less than the predetermined number of layers.

[0130] (7) In the granular material quality measuring device described in (6) above, the layer number switching unit may be configured to include at least one of a mechanism for changing the inclination of the chute section, a mechanism for changing the width of the sliding surface, and a mechanism for controlling the flow rate of the granular material flowing from the upper end of the chute section onto the sliding surface.

[0131] (8) The granular material quality measuring device described in (6) above may further include a second detector. In this case, the second detector can detect the quality of the granular material by irradiating a second light onto the granular material as it slides down the sliding surface with the number of stacked layers of the granular material being less than the predetermined number of layers, falls from the lower end of the chute section, and falls through the air, and receiving at least one of the reflected light and the transmitted light.

[0132] (9) In the granular material quality measuring device described in (1) to (5) above, the chute portion may be configured to include a second sliding surface. In this case, the layer number control structure can be configured to allow the granular material to slide down to the lower end while maintaining the number of stacked layers of the granular material on the second sliding surface less than the predetermined number of layers.

[0133] (10) In the granular material quality measuring device described in (9) above, the layer number control structure can set the width of the second sliding surface to be wider than the width of the sliding surface.

[0134] (11) In the granular material quality measuring device described in (9) above, the layer number control structure may be configured to include a flow control mechanism that makes the flow rate of the granular material supplied to the upper end of the second sliding surface smaller than the flow rate of the granular material supplied to the upper end of the sliding surface.

[0135] (12) In the granular matter quality measuring device described in (11) above, the flow rate control mechanism may include a shutter disposed at least at an upper end of the second sliding surface.

[0136] (13) In the granular material quality measuring device described in (9) above, the second sliding surface may be arranged side by side on the same plane as the sliding surface. In this case, the lower end of the sliding surface and the lower end of the second sliding surface can be arranged side by side.

[0137] (14) The granular material quality measuring device described in (13) above may further include a third detector. The third detector can detect the quality of the granular material by irradiating the granular material with a second light while the granular material falls from the lower end of the second sliding surface and falls through the air and receiving at least one of the reflected light and the transmitted light. [Explanation of symbols]

[0138] 3a red light source 3b green light source 3c blue light source 10 Feeding device 10a Inlet 11 Shutter 20 Shooting Club 21 Sliding surface 22 Side wall 25 Slit 30 Detector 31a Image sensor 31b Image sensor 32a Image sensor 32b Image Sensor 33 Lighting Equipment 33a optical axis 34 Lighting Equipment 34a optical axis 35 Case 40 Ejector 50 Control device 51 Image processing and calculation section 52 Control section 60 Operating device 61 Display section 62 Input / output section 70 Chute inclination adjustment device 71 Pivot Axis 72 Power Source 73 Fixtures 75 Axis 76 Nut 77 Plate 77a Pin 78 Stay 78a long hole 80 frames 80a column frame 121 First sliding surface 122 Second sliding surface 123 Third sliding surface 131 Partition 132 Partition 210 Feeder L distance T detection area

Claims

1. A chute section that is arranged at an angle and slides granular material supplied from an upper end to a lower end and drops the material from the lower end into the air; a quality detector that irradiates light onto the granular material while it is sliding down the chute section, or onto the granular material while it has fallen from the lower end of the chute section and is falling through the air, and receives at least one of reflected light and transmitted light to detect the quality of the granular material, The chute portion has a sliding surface along which the granular material slides from the upper end to the lower end, A granular material quality measuring device characterized in that at least a portion of the chute section is equipped with a layer number control structure that stacks the granular material in the vertical direction on the sliding surface at a predetermined number of layers or more, and allows the granular material to slide down to the bottom end while maintaining the stacked state.

2. 2. The granular material quality measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the chute unit drops the piled granular material from the lower end into the air, The quality detector is a granular material quality measuring device characterized by irradiating light onto the granular material which falls from the lower end and is stacked in multiple layers in the air in the direction of the optical axis of the light, and receiving at least one of the reflected light and transmitted light.

3. 2. The granular material quality measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the sliding surface is provided with a slit; The quality detector is a granular material quality measuring device characterized by irradiating light from at least one of the front and back sides of the chute section onto the stacked granular material as it slides down the sliding surface, and receiving at least one of the reflected light and transmitted light.

Images