Determination device
The determination device automates coloration assessment in harsh environments, reducing worker burden and improving accuracy through imaging and reference-based determination, facilitating real-time feedback and corrective actions.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-08-27
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-11
AI Technical Summary
In production lines involving frying or baking processes, workers manually monitor product coloration in harsh environments, leading to worker burden and inefficiency.
A determination device that uses an imaging unit to photograph objects and a determination unit to assess coloration based on reference samples, automatically determining if the coloration is appropriate.
Automated coloration assessment reduces worker burden and improves accuracy by minimizing environmental impacts on judgment, enabling real-time feedback and corrective measures.
Smart Images
Figure 2026042513000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical Field]
[0001] The present invention relates to a determination device. [Background technology]
[0002] For example, in the process of manufacturing potato chips, potatoes, which are the material for potato chips, are cut, the cut potatoes are fried in a fryer, and then seasoned. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]
[0003] [Non-Patent Document 1] Asahi Student Newspaper, "Workshop: How are potato chips made?", [online], [Retrieved August 8, 2024], Internet<https: / / oshihaku.jp / nenkan / page / 13136165> Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] As described above, in production lines that include a frying or baking process, workers visually monitor products transported on a conveyor after the product ingredients are fried in a fryer or baked in an oven. The workers visually judge the color of the products, and if there is a problem with the overall color, they report the problem to a worker in an upstream process. If there is an individual problem (such as burnt spots), the defective product is removed from the production line in a downstream process. Because such work sites are in poor environments with high temperatures and humidity, there is a demand for a system to replace this judgment process.
[0005] An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide a determination device that can determine whether or not an object has been finished to an appropriate degree of coloring based on the coloring state of the object. [Means for solving the problem]
[0006] (1) A determination device according to one aspect of the present invention is a device for determining the degree of coloration of an object whose coloration state changes depending on the processing of the object, and includes an imaging unit that photographs the processed object transported by a transport unit and a sample relating to the degree of coloration of the object, and a determination unit that determines the degree of coloration of the processed object based on the image photographed by the imaging unit.
[0007] In a determination device according to one aspect of the present invention, a determination unit determines the degree of coloring of an object based on color information of the object in an image and color information of a reference sample in the image, thereby enabling the determination device to determine whether the coloring state of the object, which changes depending on processing conditions, is appropriate.
[0008] Furthermore, since materials remain hot after being processed in a fryer or oven, the working environment can become hot and humid. Working in such an environment places a burden on the worker. In contrast, this judgment device automatically judges the degree of coloring using the judgment unit, eliminating the need for workers to monitor the object near the fryer, etc., thereby reducing the burden on the worker.
[0009] (2) In the determination device of (1) above, the photographing unit may photograph the object and the sample so that they fit in the same frame. In this configuration, the object and the sample are photographed in the same environment and under the same conditions, so the influence of the photographing environment on the determination accuracy can be reduced. Therefore, for example, even if the lighting environment of the photographed object changes, the determination can be made properly without being affected by this.
[0010] (3) In the determination device of (1) or (2) above, the sample may contain a plurality of different shades of color. In this configuration, for example, when the shade is expressed on a 10-point scale, a shade of 4 to 6 can be determined as an appropriate shade, a shade above 6 can be determined as too dark, and a shade below 4 can be determined as too light.
[0011] (4) In any one of the determination devices (1) to (3) above, a notification unit may be provided that notifies whether the processing of the object is appropriate or not based on the determination result by the determination unit. In this configuration, the appropriateness of the processing of the object can be notified to the processing process, so that, for example, a worker in the processing process who processes the object can be notified of the determination result as it occurs and can adjust the processing conditions.
[0012] (5) In any one of the determination devices (1) to (4) above, the determination unit may divide the image into a plurality of regions and determine the degree of coloring of the object for each of the plurality of regions. In this configuration, since the degree of coloring is determined for each of the plurality of regions, if the degree of coloring density exceeds a reference value, the situation can be communicated to a worker in the processing step so that corrective measures can be taken. If the degree of coloring density does not exceed the reference value, the degree of coloring may be determined using the average value of the degree of coloring of each region. [Effects of the Invention]
[0013] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to determine whether or not the coloring degree of an object is appropriate based on the coloring state of the object. [Brief explanation of the drawings]
[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a production system including a determination device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the determination device. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a potato photographed by a camera. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a sample. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an image. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0015] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same or corresponding elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.
[0016] Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a production system including a determination device according to one embodiment. In this embodiment, the production system 1 shown in Fig. 1 is a system that produces, for example, potato chips (objects). As shown in Fig. 1, the production system 1 includes a washer 3, a peeler 4, a cutter 5, a fryer 6, a seasoning machine 7, a weighing machine 8, a packaging machine 9, and a determination device 10.
[0017] In the production system 1, potatoes are processed in the following order: washer 3, peeler 4, cutter 5, fryer 6, seasoning machine 7, weighing machine 8, and packaging machine 9. Potatoes are transported between each machine by a conveyor (transport unit) 11 (see Figure 3).
[0018] The washer 3 washes the potatoes that will be used to make potato chips. The peeler 4 peels the skins from the potatoes that have been washed by the washer 3. The cutter 5 cuts (slices) the potatoes that have been peeled by the peeler 4.
[0019] The fryer 6 fries the potatoes cut by the cutting machine 5. The fryer 6 fries the potatoes based on set parameters such as temperature and time. The set parameters can be set based on the physical properties of the potatoes (place of origin, season, moisture content, etc.). The seasoning machine 7 seasons the potatoes fried by the fryer 6. Potato chips are completed by seasoning the fried potatoes with the seasoning machine 7. The weighing machine 8 is a combination weighing machine. The weighing machine 8 weighs potato chips to a predetermined weight. The packaging machine 9 packages the potato chips weighed by the weighing machine 8.
[0020] The determination device 10 determines the degree of coloring of potatoes (objects) whose coloring state changes depending on the processing performed on the potatoes. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the determination device 10. As shown in Fig. 2, the determination device 10 includes a determination unit 20 and a camera (photographing section) 21.
[0021] The judgment unit 20 may include, for example, a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), a memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory), and a storage such as an SSD (Solid State Drive).
[0022] The camera 21 photographs the potatoes transported by the conveyor 11. The camera 21 may be a two-dimensional camera or a monocular camera (such as a CCD). As shown in FIG. 3, the camera 21 is disposed, for example, in a position where it photographs the conveyor 11 from diagonally above. In this embodiment, the camera 21 is disposed outside the area above the conveyor 11. Although one camera 21 is shown in FIG. 3, multiple cameras 21 may be provided. The camera 21 photographs the potatoes P transported by the conveyor 11 between the fryer 6 and the seasoning machine 7. In this embodiment, the camera 21 photographs, for example, the potatoes P immediately after being fried by the fryer 6.
[0023] Camera 21 photographs potatoes P after processing by fryer 6 and a sample S relating to the degree of coloring of potatoes P. In this embodiment, camera 21 photographs potatoes P and sample S so that they fit in the same frame. Camera 21 outputs the photographed photograph data to determination unit 20 (determination section 22).
[0024] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a sample. As shown in FIG. 4, the sample S includes multiple coloring levels with different shades. In this embodiment, the sample S includes three coloring levels C1, C2, and C3. For example, if the shade is expressed on a 10-point scale, a level below 4 can be set as being too light, levels 4 to 6 as being appropriate, and levels above 6 as being too dark. In this embodiment, the coloring level C1 is a color with a shade of less than 4. The coloring level C2 is a color with a shade of 4 to 6. The coloring level C3 is a color with a shade of more than 6. As shown in FIG. 3, the sample S is positioned within the angle of view of the camera 21. The sample S may be a color-printed color sample, or alternatively, it may be a sample S with different shades selected from actual potato chips fried in the fryer 6.
[0025] As shown in FIG. 2, the determination unit 20 includes a determination section 22, a notification section 23, and a storage section 24.
[0026] The determination unit 22 determines the degree of coloring of the potatoes P after processing, based on the image captured by the camera 21. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an image. As shown in FIG. 5, image G contains potatoes P and a sample S. That is, the potatoes P and the sample S are contained within the same frame. The determination unit 22 determines the degree of coloring of the potatoes P based on color information of the potatoes P in image G and color information of the sample S in image G, by image processing of the captured data output from the camera 21. The determination unit 22 may determine the degree of coloring of the potatoes P in a single image G, or may divide image G into a plurality of regions and determine the degree of coloring of the potatoes P for each of the plurality of regions.
[0027] The determination unit 22 excludes the conveyor 11 from the determination target in image G. The determination unit 22 calculates the average value of the color of the potatoes P in image G and determines the coloring degree of the potatoes P based on the average value. The determination unit 22 determines to which of the coloring degrees C1, C2, or C3 of the sample S the color of the potatoes P corresponds, based on the color information of the potatoes P in image G and the color information of the sample S in the image. The determination unit 22 outputs the determination result to the notification unit 23. The determination unit 22 stores the determination result in the memory unit 24.
[0028] The notification unit 23 notifies whether the treatment of the potatoes P is appropriate or not, based on the determination result by the determination unit 22. When the determination result by the determination unit 22 indicates that the color of the potatoes P is at coloring degree C2, the notification unit 23 determines that the treatment of the potatoes P is appropriate. When the determination result by the determination unit 22 indicates that the color of the potatoes P is at coloring degrees C1 or C3, the notification unit 23 determines that the treatment of the potatoes P is inappropriate. When the notification unit 23 determines that the treatment is inappropriate, it notifies the worker. The notification unit 23 transmits notification information to, for example, the worker's work terminal (personal computer, smartphone, tablet terminal, etc.) or the operation display unit of the upstream device.
[0029] The storage unit 24 stores the judgment results by the judgment unit 22. The storage unit 24 may store the judgment results for each image or for each lot. The information stored in the storage unit 24 can be viewed by an operator.
[0030] As described above, in the determination device 10 according to this embodiment, the determination unit 22 determines the degree of coloring of potatoes based on color information of the object in the image and color information of the reference sample in the image. This enables the determination device 10 to determine whether the coloring state of potatoes P, which changes depending on the processing conditions, is appropriate.
[0031] Furthermore, since the materials remain hot after being processed in a fryer or oven, the working environment can become hot and humid. Working in such an environment places a burden on the worker. In contrast, the determination device 10 automatically determines the degree of coloring using the determination unit 22, eliminating the need for the worker to monitor the potatoes P near the fryer or the like, thereby reducing the burden on the worker.
[0032] In the determination device 10 according to this embodiment, the camera 21 captures the potato P and the sample S so that they fit in the same frame. With this configuration, the potato P and the sample S are photographed in the same environment and under the same conditions, which reduces the impact of the photographing environment and other factors on the determination accuracy. Therefore, even if the lighting environment of the subject to be photographed changes, for example, the determination can be made properly without being affected by this.
[0033] In the determination device 10 according to this embodiment, the sample S includes a plurality of coloring degrees C1, C2, and C3 with different shadings. In this configuration, if the shading is expressed on a 10-point scale, for example, a coloring degree of 4 to 6 can be determined as being appropriate, a coloring degree exceeding 6 is too dark, and a coloring degree below 4 is too light.
[0034] The determination device 10 according to this embodiment includes a notification unit 23 that notifies whether the processing of the potatoes P is appropriate or not based on the determination result by the determination unit 22. With this configuration, the appropriateness of the processing of the potatoes P can be notified to the processing process, so that, for example, workers in the processing process that processes the potatoes P can be notified of the determination results one after another and can adjust the processing conditions.
[0035] In the determination device 10 according to this embodiment, the determination unit 22 may divide the image into a plurality of regions and determine the degree of coloring of the potatoes P for each of the plurality of regions. In this configuration, since the degree of coloring is determined for each of the plurality of regions, if the degree of coloring density exceeds a reference value, the situation can be communicated to a worker in the processing step so that corrective measures can be taken, and if the degree of coloring density does not exceed the reference value, the degree of coloring may be determined using the average value of the degree of coloring of each region.
[0036] In the determination device 10 according to this embodiment, the storage unit 24 stores the determination result by the determination unit 22. This allows the operator to adjust the setting parameters of the fryer 6 based on the determination result.
[0037] In the determination device 10 according to this embodiment, the camera 21 is placed outside the area above the conveyor 11. This prevents the steam and oil emitted from the potatoes P fried in the fryer 6 from affecting the image captured by the camera 21.
[0038] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
[0039] In the above embodiment, the object whose color state changes is a potato (potato chips) as an example. However, the object is not limited to a potato (potato chips).
[0040] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the degree of coloring of potatoes processed by the fryer 6 is determined. However, the degree of coloring may be determined for potatoes processed (colored) by the seasoning machine 7.
[0041] In the above embodiment, an example has been described in which the camera 21 captures images of the potato P and the sample S so that they fit in the same frame. However, the camera 21 may capture images of the potato P and the sample S separately. In this case, it is preferable to capture the image of the sample S in the same environment as the potato P.
[0042] In the above embodiment, the sample S includes multiple coloring degrees C1, C2, and C3. However, the sample S may include only one coloring degree (coloring degree C2), or may include two or four or more coloring degrees.
[0043] In the above embodiment, when the notification unit 23 determines that the processing of the potatoes P is inappropriate, the administrator who manages the processing of the potatoes P is notified that the processing is inappropriate. However, the determination device may also feed back the determination result to the fryer. In this case, the control unit that controls the fryer 6 adjusts the setting parameters based on the content of the feedback. [Explanation of symbols]
[0044] 10...determination device, 11...conveyor (transport unit), 21...camera (photographing unit), 22...determination unit, 23...notification unit, S...sample.
Claims
1. A determination device for determining a coloring degree of an object whose coloring state changes depending on a process performed on the object, comprising: an imaging unit that images the processed object transported by the transport unit and a sample relating to the degree of coloring of the object; a determination unit that determines the degree of coloring of the object after processing based on the image captured by the imaging unit.
2. The determination device according to claim 1 , wherein the photographing unit photographs the object and the sample so that they are contained in the same frame.
3. The determination device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the sample includes a plurality of different coloring levels.
4. The determination device according to claim 1 , further comprising a notification unit that notifies whether the processing performed on the object is appropriate based on the determination result by the determination unit.
5. The determination device according to claim 1 , wherein the determination unit divides the image into a plurality of regions and determines the degree of coloring of the object for each of the plurality of regions.