Measuring instrument

Abstract

To provide a measuring machine capable of outputting each measurement result with a plurality of measurement units by reducing time as much as possible when measuring a measured object, and facilitating measurement work.SOLUTION: A grain external appearance quality inspection device 1 measures grains M1 with a grain determination unit 3, a volume weight measurement unit 4 and a moisture measurement unit 5, and outputs each measurement result. A distribution unit 6 has a grain throwing port 2b to throw the grains M1 into in one end, and a first introduction port 81a, a second introduction port 82a and a third introduction port 83a to introduce the grains M1 into the grain determination unit 3, the volume weight measurement unit 4 and the moisture measurement unit 5 at the other end side, and distributes the grains M1 thrown from the grain throwing port 2b into the first introduction port 81a, the second introduction port 82a and the third introduction port 83a while guiding them to a downstream side.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a measuring instrument that outputs measurement results while performing a plurality of measurements on a measurement object, such as a granular or powdery material, in parallel.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, rice grains produced by producers are subjected to quality inspections, and for this inspection, for example, a grain discriminator disclosed in Patent Document 1 is used. The grain discriminator includes a rotating plate with a tilted rotation axis, a data detection unit disposed on the outer peripheral portion of the rotating plate, and a data discrimination unit connected to the data detection unit. A large number of accommodation recesses that open outward and can accommodate one grain of rice are provided at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral edge of the rotating plate, and each accommodation recess is adapted to convey grains one by one to the data detection unit by the rotation of the rotating plate. The data detection unit is adapted to detect received light data by irradiating light onto the grains accommodated in the accommodation recesses and imaging the state of the grains. Then, the data discrimination unit performs a quality determination of each grain based on the received light data obtained by the data detection unit, and each grain is discriminated into four types: dead rice, colored grains, cracked grains, and crushed grains.

[0003] By the way, in addition to each index for knowing the quality of rice grains such as that in Patent Document 1, there are important indexes for knowing the quality of rice grains, such as the moisture content value and the bulk density. Generally, these moisture content values and bulk densities are measured using a moisture meter and a bulk density measuring device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, when determining the quality of the produced rice grains, after performing the discrimination operation with a grain discriminator and then measuring the moisture content value and the volume weight of each rice grain in order using a moisture meter and a volume weight measuring device, it will take a lot of time to complete all the inspections. In addition, when measuring a large number of grains such as rice grains in sequence in each measuring instrument, a large number of grains must be sequentially loaded into each measuring instrument, and there is also a problem that the work is complicated. Such problems are not limited to the measurement of grains such as rice grains, but can also be said to apply to cases where a plurality of measuring machines are used to perform measurements on other objects to be measured and obtain respective measurement results.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of such points, and the object thereof is to be able to output the measurement results by a plurality of measurement units without spending as much time as possible when measuring an object to be measured, and moreover, to provide a measuring machine with simple measurement work.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a measuring machine The main body case in which a plurality of measurement units are provided, and the object to be measured input into the measuring machine is introduced into each measurement unit separately so that the measurements in each measurement unit are performed in parallel.

[0008] Specifically, measures were taken as follows for a measuring machine configured to measure with a plurality of measurement units and output respective measurement results.

[0009] That is, the first invention The measuring instrument to be formed is Provided at the upper part of the main body case One input port for inputting the object to be measured being and and distribution means for distributing The object to be measured put into the input port is sent to each of the measurement units are provided. and a drawing-out part provided at the lower part of the main body case. The distribution means is configured to guide each object to be measured input from the input port to each of the measurement units while flowing it downward to the downstream side, and the drawing-out part is provided on the side surface of the main body case so as to be able to be drawn out from the inside of the main body case to take out the object to be measured outside the measuring instrument It is characterized by this.

[0010] In the second invention, in the first invention, the distribution means has an inlet at one end, and a main guide passage that guides each object to be measured introduced from the inlet while flowing it downward to the downstream side, and an upper end that opens at a middle portion of the main guide passage. On the other hand, each of the lower ends has the respective inlets, and includes a plurality of branch guide passages that guide each object to be measured guided by the main guide passage to the respective measurement units.

[0011] In the third invention, in the second invention, the main guide passage extends linearly obliquely downward from one end to the other end, and the respective branch guide passages are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval along the extension direction of the main guide passage.

[0012] In the fourth invention, in the third invention, each of the branch guide passages is provided with a shutter mechanism capable of switching the branch guide passage between a closed state and an open state.

[0013] In the fifth invention, in any one of the first to fourth inventions, the object to be measured is a grain, and each measurement unit includes three types: a bulk density measurement unit capable of measuring the bulk density, a moisture measurement unit capable of measuring the moisture content value of the grain, and a grain discrimination unit capable of discriminating the type of the grain.

Advantages of the Invention

[0014] In the first invention, when an object to be measured is put into the inlet provided in the measuring machine, the distribution means divides the object to be measured and introduces it into each measurement unit respectively. Therefore, each measurement unit can perform measurements in parallel, and the time spent to complete all inspections can be shortened. In addition, since the distribution means distributes the object to be measured to each measurement unit by one input operation of the object to be measured by the measurer, there is no need for the measurer to input the object to be measured for each measurement unit, and a measuring machine with good work efficiency can be achieved.

[0015] In the second invention, after the object to be measured introduced from the inlet flows down the main guide passage by its own weight and reaches the upper end openings of the respective branch guide passages, it either falls through each branch guide passage by its own weight or is introduced into each measuring unit while being guided by each branch guide passage by its own weight. Therefore, the object to be measured can be distributed to each measuring unit with a simple structure, and a low-cost measuring machine can be achieved.

[0016] In the third invention, since the horizontal dimension intersecting the extending direction of the main guide passage in the distribution means is shortened, the entire measuring machine can be made into a compact shape.

[0017] In the fourth invention, when the shutter mechanism is switched to the closed state and the object to be measured is introduced into the inlet, the object to be measured gradually accumulates from the side of the branch guide passage located upstream of the main guide passage. That is, when the object to be measured accumulates in the branch guide passage up to its upper end opening position, the object to be measured flowing down the main guide passage flows over the branch guide passage in which the object to be measured has accumulated up to the upper end opening position and accumulates in the branch guide passage located downstream of that branch guide passage. Then, when the shutter mechanism is opened at a predetermined timing in a state where the object to be measured has accumulated in all the branch guide passages, the object to be measured is simultaneously introduced into each measuring unit through each inlet. In this way, since the introduction of the object to be measured into each measuring unit can be performed simultaneously in a state where a predetermined amount of the object to be measured is divided for each measuring unit, each measurement can be efficiently performed under uniform measurement conditions.

[0018] In the fifth invention, the bulk density, moisture content value, and appearance quality of grains can be efficiently known in a short time with one measuring machine.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0019]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0020] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the following description of the preferred embodiments is merely illustrative in nature.

[0021] FIG. 1 shows a grain appearance quality inspection device 1 (measurement machine) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The grain appearance quality inspection device 1 inspects the quality and the like of a large amount of grains M1 (objects to be measured) which are paddy rice, and not only discriminates whether each grain M1 is a dead rice, a colored grain, a cracked grain, a crushed grain, a white immature grain, etc., but also measures the moisture content value and the volume weight of each grain M1.

[0022] The grain appearance quality inspection device 1 includes a main body case 2 having a box shape with a substantially fan-shaped cross section at the upper part on the front side of the device. On the upper part of the main body case 2, an operation panel 2a and a grain inlet 2b (inlet) are provided in order from the front side of the device.

[0023] At the lower part of the main body case 2, a first drawer part 2c, a second drawer part 2d, and a third drawer part 2e that can be pulled out from the inside of the main body case 2 are provided. The first drawer part 2c and the second drawer part 2d are provided separately on one side and the other side in the width direction of the front of the device, and the third drawer part 2e is provided on the side surface on the other side in the width direction of the device.

[0024] In the upper and lower central regions on the front side of the device and on the other side in the width direction of the main body case 2, most of the regions are open for easy access to the inside of the main body case 2. In the open region, a pair of cover doors 2f having an L-shaped cross section are attached via a pair of hinge parts 2g so as to be openable and closable to cover the corner corresponding to the second drawer part 2d of the main body case 2.

[0025] Inside the main body case 2, as shown in FIG. 2, a grain discrimination unit 3 (measurement unit) capable of discriminating the type of grain M1, a bulk density measurement unit 4 (measurement unit) capable of measuring the bulk density of grain M1, a moisture measurement unit 5 (measurement unit) capable of measuring the moisture content value of grain M1, and a control unit 9 for performing various controls are arranged. A main guide passage 7 is arranged between the grain inlet 2b and the bulk density measurement unit 4.

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the main guide passage 7 has a substantially rectangular tube shape extending linearly obliquely downward from one end side to the other end side in the width direction of the device. At its upstream side, a hopper part 7a having the grain inlet 2b at the upper end and gradually reducing in diameter toward the downstream side is provided.

[0027] At the lower part of the hopper part 7a, an upstream shutter mechanism 7b that can switch the main guide passage 7 between a closed state and an open state by a rotational operation is arranged. When the upstream shutter mechanism 7b is closed, a large amount of grain M1 introduced from the grain inlet 2b accumulates in the hopper part 7a. When the upstream shutter mechanism 7b is opened, the main guide passage 7 guides a large amount of grain M1 while allowing it to flow downstream.

[0028] Below the main guide passage 7, a first branch guide passage 81 (branch guide passage), a second branch guide passage 82 (branch guide passage), and a third branch guide passage 83 (branch guide passage) are provided for introducing the grains M1 guided by the main guide passage 7 into the grain discrimination unit 3, the bulk density measurement unit 4, and the moisture measurement unit 5, respectively. The first branch guide passage 81, the second branch guide passage 82, and the third branch guide passage 83 are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval along the extension direction of the main guide passage 7.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 2, the first branch guide passage 81 has a substantially V-shaped configuration that gently curves in a side view, with the upper end opening at a position near the upstream end of the main guide passage 7, while having a first inlet 81a (inlet) for introducing the grains M1 into the grain discrimination unit 3 at the lower end.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 3, the first branch guide passage 81 includes a first guide portion 81d having a vertically extending rectangular tube shape located on the upstream side, and a second guide portion 81e having a substantially triangular shape in a front view located in the middle portion. The lower part of the first guide portion 81d enters the upper opening portion of the second guide portion 81e.

[0031] Below the first guide portion 81d, a first shutter mechanism 81b (shutter mechanism) is provided that can switch the lower end opening of the first guide portion 81d between a closed state and an open state by the rotational movement of the first solenoid 81c. When the grains M1 enter the first guide portion 81d from the upper end opening with the first shutter mechanism 81b closed, the grains M1 accumulate in the first guide portion 81d.

[0032] The second branch guide passage 82 has a cylindrical shape with the cylinder center line extending in the vertical direction and has a substantially pen shape in a front view. The upper end opens at the central portion of the main guide passage 7, while having a second inlet 82a (inlet) for introducing the grains M1 into the bulk density measurement unit 4 at the lower end.

[0033] A level sensor 84 is disposed near the upper end opening of the second branch guide passage 82.

[0034] On the side of the second branch guide passage 82, a support plate 82c having a substantially L-shaped cross section is suspended, and a second shutter mechanism 82b (shutter mechanism) is attached to the upper region of the support plate 82c.

[0035] The second shutter mechanism 82b includes a supply-side shutter plate 82d having a substantially L-shaped cross section when viewed from the front, and a second solenoid 82e having a rotating shaft extending in the horizontal direction that supports the supply-side shutter plate 82d so as to be rotatable forward and backward. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the second solenoid 82e switches the second inlet 82a between a closed state and an open state by its forward and backward rotation operations.

[0036] When the grains M1 enter from the upper end opening of the second branch guide passage 82 with the second shutter mechanism 82b closed, the grains M1 accumulate in the inner region as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. When the grains M1 accumulated in the second branch guide passage 82 reach the upper end opening position of the second branch guide passage 82, the level sensor 84 detects that the second branch guide passage 82 is in a full state.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 10, the third branch guide passage 83 has a substantially triangular shape when viewed from the side, and while the upper end opens toward the downstream end of the main guide passage 7, it has a third inlet 83a (inlet) for introducing the grains M1 into the moisture measurement unit 5 on the lower side.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 2, the main guide passage 7, the first branch guide passage 81, the second branch guide passage 82, and the third branch guide passage 83 constitute the distribution unit 6 (distribution means) of the present invention. That is, the distribution unit 6 has one grain inlet 2b for introducing a large amount of grains M1 at one end, while having a first inlet 81a, a second inlet 82a, and a third inlet 83a for introducing the grains M1 into the grain discrimination unit 3, the volume weight measurement unit 4, and the moisture measurement unit 5 at the other end, and distributes the large amount of grains M1 introduced from the grain inlet 2b to the first inlet 81a, the second inlet 82a, and the third inlet 83a while guiding them to the downstream side.

[0039] The grain discrimination unit 3 is disposed at a position corresponding to the first extraction part 2c. As shown in FIG. 2, the grain discrimination unit 3 includes a first measurement case 3a having a measurement space S1 that opens upward inside, and a rotating plate 3b with an inclined rotation axis is disposed in the measurement space S1.

[0040] The rotating plate 3b accommodates each grain M1 introduced into the measurement space S1 of the first measurement case 3a through the first inlet 81a one by one in a plurality of accommodation recesses provided at predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral edge portion, and conveys them by a rotating operation.

[0041] A data detection part and a data discrimination part (not shown) are disposed on the outer peripheral portion of the rotating plate 3b. After imaging each grain M1 conveyed by the rotating plate 3b one by one to detect received light data, the quality of each grain M1 is determined based on the detected received light data, and each grain M1 is discriminated into five types: dead rice, colored grains, cracked grains, crushed grains, and white immature grains.

[0042] On the side of the first measurement case 3a, a first discharge passage part 3c is provided, one end of which communicates with the measurement space S1 and the other end opening corresponds to the first extraction part 2c. The first discharge passage part 3c discharges each grain M1 that has completed measurement in the measurement space S1 to the first extraction part 2c in sequence.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 5, the volume weight measurement unit 4 is disposed between the second branch guide passage 82 and the second extraction part 2d, and includes an elongated cylindrical weighing tank 41 whose cylinder center line extends in the vertical direction, a support mechanism 42 for supporting the weighing tank 41, and a folding mechanism 43 attached to the lower region of the support plate 82c.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 6, the support mechanism 42 includes a support bracket 44 that is substantially L-shaped in side view, and a load cell 45 for supporting the weighing tank 41 is attached to the upper surface of the support bracket 44.

[0045] On the outer peripheral surface of the measuring tank 41, a support frame 46 having a substantially L-shaped cross section is attached, and a third shutter mechanism 47 is attached to the support frame 46.

[0046] The third shutter mechanism 47 includes a discharge-side shutter plate 47a having a substantially L-shaped cross section in a front view, and a third solenoid 47b having a rotation shaft extending in the horizontal direction that supports the discharge-side shutter plate 47a so as to be rotatable forward and backward. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the forward and backward rotation operation of the third solenoid 47b switches the lower end opening of the measuring tank 41 between a closed state and an open state.

[0047] Then, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, when the second shutter mechanism 82b is opened with the third shutter mechanism 47 closed and the grain M1 accumulated in the second branch guide passage 82, the grain M1 accumulated in the second branch guide passage 82 drops and enters the measuring tank 41 from the upper end opening and accumulates.

[0048] The load cell 45 can measure the weight of the measuring tank 41 and the grain M1 accumulated in the measuring tank 41.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 5, the folding mechanism 43 includes a folding plate 43a having a substantially V-shaped cross section that gently bends in a plan view and a substantially V-shaped cross section at the tip side, and a fourth solenoid 43b having a rotation shaft extending in the vertical direction that supports the folding plate 43a so as to be rotatable forward and backward. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the forward and backward rotation operation of the fourth solenoid 43b can fold and remove the grain M1 that jumps out from the upper end opening of the measuring tank 41.

[0050] In the upper region of the measuring tank 41, as shown in FIG. 5, a pair of guide plates 49 extending in a mountain shape in a side view are provided.

[0051] The two guide plates 49 cover the load cell 45 and the third shutter mechanism 47, and guide the grain M1 that falls from the second inlet 82a of the second branch guide passage 82 and does not enter the upper end opening of the measuring tank 41, and the grain M1 cut during the cutting operation by the folding mechanism 43 so as not to enter the load cell 45 and the third shutter mechanism 47, and guide it to the second outlet portion 2d.

[0052] And as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when the third shutter mechanism 47 is opened, the measuring tank 41 is configured such that the grain M1 falls from the lower end opening of the measuring tank 41 and is discharged to the second outlet portion 2d.

[0053] The moisture measurement unit 5 is disposed at a position corresponding to the third outlet portion 2e, and as shown in FIG. 10, includes a second measurement case 51 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape with an accommodation space S2 inside.

[0054] At a position corresponding to the third inlet 83a of the third branch guide passage 83 in the second measurement case 51, a grain inlet 51a (inlet) for introducing the grain M1 flowing down the third branch guide passage 83 into the accommodation space S2 is formed, and the third inlet 83a is located at a position corresponding to the upper half region of the grain inlet 51a.

[0055] In the region of the accommodation space S2 of the second measurement case 51 corresponding to the grain inlet 51a, there are provided a storage plate 58 having a substantially L shape in a front view for temporarily storing the grain M1 introduced from the grain inlet 51a into the accommodation space S2, and a feeder 52 disposed above the storage plate 58 for transferring each grain M1 accumulated on the storage plate 58 by a rotating operation while maintaining a predetermined interval.

[0056] A part of the grain M1 introduced from the grain inlet 51a into the accommodation space S2 falls through the gap between the third inlet 83a and the storage plate 58, exits the outside of the second measurement case 51 through the lower half region of the grain inlet 51a, and is discharged to the second outlet portion 2d (see arrow X1).

[0057] On the opposite side of the grain inlet 51a in the feeder 52, a shooter 53 extending obliquely downward is disposed, and the shooter 53 supplies each grain M1 transferred by the rotational movement of the feeder 52 one by one to the downstream side of the apparatus.

[0058] At the lower part of the second measurement case 51, a second discharge passage portion 51b extending vertically is provided, and the second discharge passage portion 51b discharges each grain M1 that accumulates on the storage plate 58 by rotating the feeder 52 in the reverse direction from the gap between the feeder 52 and the storage plate 58 to the second extraction portion 2d (see arrow X2).

[0059] A moisture measurement mechanism 54 is disposed in a region of the accommodation space S2 of the second measurement case 51 that is far from the grain inlet 51a.

[0060] The moisture measurement mechanism 54 includes a first electrode roll 55 and a second electrode roll 56 made of metal that are arranged side by side in the radial direction of the roll obliquely below the shooter 53 such that the rotation axes C1 and C2 extend in the same horizontal direction, and a drive motor 57 disposed above the first electrode roll 55. The outer diameter of the first electrode roll 55 is set smaller than the outer diameter of the second electrode roll 56.

[0061] The drive motor 57 rotates the first electrode roll 55 and the second electrode roll 56 in opposite directions via a gear box (not shown). The grains M1 supplied between the first electrode roll 55 and the second electrode roll 56 via the shooter 53 are sandwiched between the first electrode roll 55 and the second electrode roll 56 that rotate in opposite directions and pass through while being crushed and fall downward.

[0062] The moisture measurement mechanism 54 includes a resistance detection unit (not shown) connected to the first electrode roll 55 and the second electrode roll 56, and the resistance detection unit detects the resistance value between the first electrode roll 55 and the second electrode roll 56 when the grains M1 are crushed by the first electrode roll 55 and the second electrode roll 56.

[0063] At the lower part of the second measurement case 51, a third discharge passage portion 51c extending vertically is provided, and the third discharge passage portion 51c discharges the crushed grain M1 that has passed through the first electrode roll 55 and the second electrode roll 56 to the third extraction portion 2e in sequence (see arrow X3).

[0064] The control unit 9 is connected to the upstream shutter mechanism 7b. As shown in FIG. 3, with the upstream shutter mechanism 7b closed and a large amount of grain M1 being introduced from the grain inlet 2b and accumulating in the hopper portion 7a, by outputting an open signal to the upstream shutter mechanism 7b, as shown in FIG. 4, a large amount of grain M1 flows down from the hopper portion 7a to the main guide passage 7 and the grain M1 is distributed to the first branch guide passage 81, the second branch guide passage 82, and the third branch guide passage 83.

[0065] Also, the control unit 9 is connected to the first shutter mechanism 81b. With the first shutter mechanism 81b closed and a large amount of grain M1 accumulating in the first guide portion 81d of the first branch guide passage 81, by outputting an open signal to the first shutter mechanism 81b, a large amount of grain M1 accumulating in the first guide portion 81d of the first branch guide passage 81 is introduced into the measurement space S1 of the grain discrimination unit 3.

[0066] Furthermore, the control unit 9 is connected to the second shutter mechanism 82b. With the second shutter mechanism 82b closed and a large amount of grain M1 accumulating in the second branch guide passage 82, by outputting an open signal to the second shutter mechanism 82b, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a large amount of grain M1 accumulating in the second branch guide passage 82 is introduced into the measuring tank 41 of the volume weight measurement unit 4.

[0067] Also, the control unit 9 is connected to the folding mechanism 43. With a large amount of grain M1 accumulating in the measuring tank 41, by outputting an operating signal to the fourth solenoid 43b to rotate the folding plate 43a, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the grain M1 that jumps out from the upper end opening of the measuring tank 41 is removed.

[0068] Further, the control unit 9 is connected to the load cell 45, calculates the weight WA immediately after a large amount of grain M1 is put into the measuring tank 41, and the weight WB after the grain M1 that jumps out from the upper end opening of the measuring tank 41 is scraped off and removed by the scraping mechanism 43, respectively, and determines whether WA - WB > 0. When WA - WB > 0, the volume weight (g / L) is calculated from the weight WB and the volume of the measuring tank 41. On the other hand, when WA - WB > 0 is not satisfied, an error display is caused to be displayed on the operation panel 2a on the assumption that the measuring tank 41 is not filled with the grain M1.

[0069] Further, the control unit 9 is connected to the third shutter mechanism 47, and outputs an open signal to the third shutter mechanism 47 in a state where the third shutter mechanism 47 is closed and a large amount of grain M1 is accumulated in the measuring tank 41, so that, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a large amount of grain M1 accumulated in the measuring tank 41 is dropped from the lower end opening of the measuring tank 41 and discharged to the second drawing portion 2d.

[0070] Further, the control unit 9 is connected to the grain discrimination unit 3, outputs an operation signal to the grain discrimination unit 3 to rotate the rotary plate 3b, and causes an imaging process and a discrimination process of each grain M1 to be performed in a data detection unit and a data discrimination unit (not shown) to discriminate whether each grain M1 is a dead rice, a crushed grain, or the like.

[0071] Further, the control unit 9 is connected to the moisture measurement unit 5, outputs an operation signal to the moisture measurement unit 5 to rotate the feeder 52, the first electrode roll 55, and the second electrode roll 56, detects the resistance value of the grain M1 sandwiched and crushed between the first electrode roll 55 and the second electrode roll 56, and obtains the moisture content value of each grain M1 by calculation from the detected resistance value.

[0072] Next, the quality inspection and the like using the grain appearance quality inspection apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

[0073] First, after the measurer turns on the power of the grain appearance quality inspection device 1, a large amount of grains M1 are put into the grain inlet 2b. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, since the upstream shutter mechanism 7b is in the closed state, the grains M1 accumulate in the hopper portion 7a of the main guide passage 7.

[0074] Next, the measurer presses the measurement start button on the operation panel 2a. Then, the upstream shutter mechanism 7b opens, and a part of the grains M1 accumulated in the hopper portion 7a starts to flow down the main guide passage 7.

[0075] The grains M1 flowing down the main guide passage 7 enter the first branch guide passage 81 as shown in FIG. 4. When the first guide portion 81d of the first branch guide passage 81 is full, they pass through the first branch guide passage 81 and enter the second branch guide passage 82.

[0076] After that, when the second branch guide passage 82 is filled with the grains M1, the level sensor 84 detects the full state of the second branch guide passage 82, and the upstream shutter mechanism 7b returns to its original position and becomes in the closed state. On the other hand, the grains M1 flowing down the main guide passage 7 pass through the second branch guide passage 82 and enter the third branch guide passage 83. After being guided by the third branch guide passage 83, they are introduced into the moisture measurement unit 5 through the third inlet 83a, and the measurement of the moisture content value of each grain M1 by the moisture measurement unit 5 is started. Each grain M1 after measurement is guided to the third discharge passage portion 51c and discharged to the third extraction portion 2e.

[0077] On the other hand, when the grains M1 accumulate in the first branch guide passage 81 and the second branch guide passage 82, the first shutter mechanism 81b and the second shutter mechanism 82b open simultaneously. The lower end opening of the first guide portion 81d of the first branch guide passage 81 becomes in the open state, and the second inlet 82a opens.

[0078] When the first shutter mechanism 81b opens and the lower end opening of the first guide portion 81d of the first branch guide passage 81 is in an open state, the grain M1 accumulated in the first guide portion 81d of the first branch guide passage 81 flows down, is introduced into the grain discrimination unit 3 through the first inlet 81a, and the quality determination of each grain M1 is performed by the grain discrimination unit 3. Each measured grain M1 is guided to the first discharge passage portion 3c and discharged to the first extraction portion 2c.

[0079] Also, when the second shutter mechanism 82b opens and the second inlet 82a of the second branch guide passage 82 opens, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the grain M1 accumulated in the second branch guide passage 82 flows down and enters the inner region of the measuring tank 41 from the upper end opening of the measuring tank 41.

[0080] When the grain M1 accumulated in the first guide portion 81d of the first branch guide passage 81 flows down and the first guide portion 81d of the first branch guide passage 81 becomes empty, and when the grain M1 accumulated in the second branch guide passage 82 flows down and the second branch guide passage 82 becomes empty, the first shutter mechanism 81b and the second shutter mechanism 82b return to their original positions to close the first branch guide passage 81 and the second inlet 82a of the second branch guide passage 82.

[0081] When the grain M1 accumulates in the measuring tank 41, the load cell 45 measures the weight WA of the measuring tank 41 and the grain M1 accumulated in the measuring tank 41. Then, when the measurement of the weight WA is completed, the folding mechanism 43 operates, and the grain M1 that jumps out from the upper end opening of the measuring tank 41 is folded by the rotational movement of the folding plate 43a.

[0082] When the folding operation of the folding mechanism 43 is completed, the load cell 45 measures the weight WB of the measuring tank 41 and the grain M1 accumulated in the measuring tank 41. Then, when the measurement of the weight WB is completed, the third shutter mechanism 47 opens and the lower end opening of the measuring tank 41 becomes open, and the grain M1 located in the inner region of the measuring tank 41 falls and is discharged to the second extraction portion 2d. Incidentally, the third shutter mechanism 47 returns to its original position and closes the lower end opening of the measuring tank 41 when a predetermined time has elapsed.

[0083] When the measurement of the weight WB by the load cell 45 is completed, the control unit 9 calculates the volume weight from the weights WA and WB and the volume of the measuring tank 41.

[0084] After that, the control unit 9 repeatedly measures each of the measurements of the grain discrimination unit 3, the volume weight measurement unit 4, and the moisture measurement unit 5 a preset number of times. For example, if it is set by the operator to perform each measurement three times by operating the operation panel 2a, each of the above measurements is performed three times.

[0085] After that, the control unit 9 causes the display monitor provided on the operation panel 2a to display the measurement results of the grain discrimination unit 3, the volume weight measurement unit 4, and the moisture measurement unit 5, and then ends the measurement operation.

[0086] As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, when a large amount of grains M1 are introduced into the grain inlet 2b provided in the grain appearance quality inspection device 1, the distribution unit 6 divides the grains M1 and introduces them into the grain discrimination unit 3, the volume weight measurement unit 4, and the moisture measurement unit 5, respectively. Therefore, the grain discrimination unit 3, the volume weight measurement unit 4, and the moisture measurement unit 5 can perform the measurements in parallel, and the time required to complete all the inspections can be shortened. In addition, since the distribution unit 6 distributes each grain M1 to the grain discrimination unit 3, the volume weight measurement unit 4, and the moisture measurement unit 5 by a single operation of introducing a large amount of grains M1 by the operator, there is no need for the operator to introduce the grains M1 into each of the grain discrimination unit 3, the volume weight measurement unit 4, and the moisture measurement unit 5, and the grain appearance quality inspection device 1 with good work efficiency can be obtained.

[0087] In addition, the grains M1 fed from the grain inlet 2b flow down the main guide passage 7 by their own weight, and then, when they reach the upper end openings of the first branch guide passage 81, the second branch guide passage 82, and the third branch guide passage 83 respectively, they either fall through the first branch guide passage 81, the second branch guide passage 82, and the third branch guide passage 83 by their own weight, or are introduced into the grain discrimination unit 3, the bulk density measurement unit 4, and the moisture measurement unit 5 while being guided by the first branch guide passage 81, the second branch guide passage 82, and the third branch guide passage 83 respectively by their own weight. Therefore, the grains M1 can be distributed to the grain discrimination unit 3, the bulk density measurement unit 4, and the moisture measurement unit 5 with a simple structure, and the grain appearance quality inspection device 1 can be made at low cost.

[0088] In addition, since the first branch guide passage 81, the second branch guide passage 82, and the third branch guide passage 83 are arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval along the extension direction of the linear main guide passage 7, the horizontal dimension of the distribution unit 6 that intersects the extension direction of the main guide passage 7 becomes shorter, and the entire grain appearance quality inspection device 1 can be made into a compact shape.

[0089] Also, when the first shutter mechanism 81b and the second shutter mechanism 82b are switched to the closed state to introduce the grain M1 into the grain inlet 2b, the grains M1 gradually accumulate from the side of the first branch guide passage 81 located upstream of the main guide passage 7. That is, when the grains M1 accumulate in the first branch guide passage 81 up to its upper end opening position, the grains M1 flowing down the main guide passage 7 cross over the first branch guide passage 81 where the grains M1 have accumulated up to the upper end opening position and flow down, and accumulate in the second branch guide passage 82 located downstream of the first branch guide passage 81. When the second branch guide passage 82 is filled with the grains M1, the grains M1 flowing down the main guide passage 7 pass through the second branch guide passage 82 and enter the third branch guide passage 83. After being guided by the third branch guide passage 83, they are introduced into the moisture measurement unit 5 through the third inlet 83a, and the measurement of the moisture content value of each grain M1 by the moisture measurement unit 5 is started. On the other hand, when the first shutter mechanism 81b and the second shutter mechanism 82b are opened at a predetermined timing while the grains M1 are accumulated in the first branch guide passage 81 and the second branch guide passage 82, the grains M1 are simultaneously introduced into the grain discrimination unit 3 and the volume weight measurement unit 4 through the first inlet 81a and the second inlet 82a. In this way, it becomes possible to simultaneously introduce the grains M1 into the grain discrimination unit 3 and the volume weight measurement unit 4 in a state where a predetermined amount of the grains M1 is separated for the grain discrimination unit 3 and the volume weight measurement unit 4, so that each measurement can be efficiently performed under the same measurement conditions.

[0090] Furthermore, the grain appearance quality inspection device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention can efficiently and quickly know the volume weight, moisture content value, and appearance quality of the grains M1 with one device.

[0091] In the embodiments of the present invention, a large amount of cereal grains M1 are measured by the cereal grain discrimination unit 3, the bulk density measurement unit 4, and the moisture measurement unit 5, respectively. However, other granular materials, powder materials, or other objects to be measured may be measured by each measurement unit. Further, the measurement unit is not limited to the case of measuring with the above three types of measurement units, and the measurement may be performed by a measurement unit that performs other verifiable measurements.

[0092] In the embodiments of the present invention, the number of branch guide passages of the distribution unit 6 is three. However, the number may be two or four or more according to the number of measurement units to be measured.

[0093] In the embodiments of the present invention, the first solenoid 81c, the second solenoid 82e, the third solenoid 47b, and the fourth solenoid 43b are used to operate the upstream shutter mechanism 7b, the first shutter mechanism 81b, the second shutter mechanism 82b, the third shutter mechanism 47, and the folding mechanism 43. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other drive sources such as a gear motor may be used to operate them.

[0094] In the embodiments of the present invention, the first shutter mechanism 81b and the second shutter mechanism 82b are configured to open simultaneously. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the opening and closing timings of the first shutter mechanism 81b and the second shutter mechanism 82b can be appropriately changed according to the type and quantity of the object to be measured, or the measurement frequency, etc.

[0095] In the embodiments of the present invention, after the upstream shutter mechanism 7b is opened, the level sensor 84 detects the full state of the second branch guide passage 82, and the upstream shutter mechanism 7b returns to its original position and becomes in a closed state. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and after the upstream shutter mechanism 7b is opened, the upstream shutter mechanism 7b may return to its original position and become in a closed state when a predetermined time elapses.

[0096] Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present invention, although each measurement is performed three times each using the three measurement units of the grain discrimination unit 3, the volume weight measurement unit 4, and the moisture measurement unit 5, the number of measurements of each measurement unit does not have to be the same, and each measurement unit may be configured to perform measurements a different number of times as necessary. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which one of the measurement units performs one measurement while the other measurement units perform multiple measurements.

Industrial Applicability

[0097] The present invention is suitable for, for example, a measuring machine that outputs measurement results while simultaneously performing a plurality of measurements on a measurement object that is a large amount of granular or powdery material.

Explanation of Signs

[0098] 1 Grain Appearance Quality Inspection Device (Measuring Machine) 2b Grain Inlet 3 Grain Discrimination Unit (Measurement Unit) 4 Volume Weight Measurement Unit (Measurement Unit) 5 Moisture Measurement Unit (Measurement Unit) 6 Distribution Unit (Distribution Unit) 81a First Inlet 82a Second Inlet 83a Third Inlet M1 Grain (Measurement Object)

Claims

1. A measuring instrument in which the plurality of measuring units are provided inside a main body case so as to measure an object to be measured with the plurality of measuring units and output measurement results respectively, One input port provided at the upper part of the main body case into which the object to be measured is input, Distribution means for distributing the object to be measured input into the input port to each of the measuring units, A lead-out part provided at the lower part of the main body case, The distribution means is configured to guide each object to be measured input from the input port to each of the measuring units while flowing the object to be measured downstream, The lead-out part is provided on the side surface of the main body case so as to be able to be led out from the inside of the main body case in order to take out the object to be measured outside the measuring instrument. A measuring instrument characterized by this.

2. In the measuring instrument according to Claim 1, The distribution means has the input port at one end, and a main guide passage for guiding each object to be measured input from the input port while flowing it downstream, and an upper end opens at a middle part of the main guide passage, while each has a respective inlet at the lower end, and a plurality of branch guide passages for guiding each object to be measured guided by the main guide passage to each of the measuring units. A measuring instrument characterized by this.

3. In the measuring instrument according to Claim 2, The main guide passage extends linearly obliquely downward from one end to the other end, Each of the branch guide passages is arranged in parallel at a predetermined interval along the extension direction of the main guide passage. A measuring instrument characterized by this.

4. In the measuring instrument according to Claim 3, A shutter mechanism capable of switching each branch guide passage between a closed state and an open state is provided in each branch guide passage. A measuring instrument characterized by this.

5. In the measuring instrument according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, The object to be measured is a grain, Each of the measuring units includes three types: a bulk density measuring unit capable of measuring the bulk density, a moisture measuring unit capable of measuring the moisture content value of the grain, and a grain discrimination unit capable of discriminating the type of the grain. A measuring instrument characterized by this.

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