Fruit and vegetable sorting equipment

Abstract

To provide a selector which can accurately determine the appearance quality of fruits and vegetables.SOLUTION: A tomato T selector includes: a conveyor 10 which transports tomatoes T in a single line; a camera 21 which captures images of the tomatoes T transported by the conveyor 10; and an air nozzle 41 which jets air to the tomatoes T transported by the conveyor 10. The air nozzle 41 jets the air to an angular field range of the camera 21.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sorting device for sorting fruits and vegetables. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, fruit and vegetable collection and shipping facilities have used sorting devices to sort fruit and vegetables brought in by producers into different grades. The fruit and vegetable sorting devices include a conveyor that transports the fruit and vegetables, a judging device that is provided on the route along which the conveyor transports the fruit and vegetables and that judges the grade of the fruit and vegetables, and a sorting device that sorts the fruit and vegetables into the judged grades.

[0003] For example, the high-speed sorting device described in Patent Document 1 is a sorting device that selects and sorts predetermined items from a group of multiple items, and includes a conveyor that transports the items, a determination device that determines the sorting conditions for the items, and a compressed air injection nozzle that injects compressed air from a direction approximately perpendicular to the conveyor's direction of travel, and the compressed air injection nozzle is controlled to inject compressed air at the items in accordance with the sorting conditions determined by the determination device. By injecting compressed air at the items, such a high-speed sorting device can perform sorting work quickly and reliably. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-120162 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In a fruit and vegetable sorting device, the grades that define the sorting criteria for the fruit and vegetable are determined based on the external and internal quality of the fruit and vegetable. The external quality of the fruit and vegetable is determined by a computer based on images of the fruit and vegetable taken by a camera installed along the fruit and vegetable transport path. However, since fruit and vegetable are natural products, they may have dirt or dust on their surfaces. This dirt or dust may appear in the images, making it difficult to accurately determine the external quality of the fruit and vegetable.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a fruit and vegetable sorting device that can accurately determine the appearance quality of fruit and vegetable. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the sorting device of the present invention comprises a conveyor that transports fruits and vegetables in a single line, a camera that captures images of the fruits and vegetables being transported by the conveyor, and an air nozzle that sprays air toward the fruits and vegetables being transported by the conveyor, and is characterized in that the air nozzle sprays the air toward the field of view of the camera.

[0008] The conveyor rotates the fruits and vegetables within the field of view of the camera.

[0009] The air nozzle may be disposed above the conveyor, upstream or downstream of the camera. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The sorting device of the present invention can accurately determine the appearance quality of fruits and vegetables. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic side view of a judgment area provided in a tomato sorting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2]Schematic diagram of the rotating conveyor in the evaluation area [Figure 3] (a) A side view illustrating the manner in which tomatoes T are conveyed. (b) A side view illustrating the manner in which tomatoes T are conveyed. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic side view of a judgment area provided in a tomato sorting device according to a second embodiment of the present invention; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, a sorting device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] [First embodiment]

[0014] An embodiment of the present invention is a sorting device for tomatoes T, which are fruits and vegetables, and includes a supply area where received tomatoes T are supplied, a judgment area (Figure 1) where the grades of the supplied tomatoes T are judged, and a sorting area where the tomatoes T are sorted by grade.

[0015] The supply area has a conveyor that transports tomatoes T, and workers take tomatoes T stored in baskets and supply them to the conveyor.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the evaluation area includes a conveyor 10 that transports tomatoes T in a single file. The conveyor 10 receives tomatoes T transported from the supply area and rotates and transports the tomatoes T while placing them one by one on a placement section. Specifically, the conveyor 10 in the evaluation area includes rotating bodies 11 arranged in a line at equal intervals in the transport direction, and the rotating bodies 11 are configured to move in a circular manner in the transport direction. The spacing between the rotating bodies 11 is not particularly limited, but is set to a sufficient distance so that tomatoes T that meet the standard can be placed straddling the rotating bodies 11. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the rotating body 11 includes a shaft 12 arranged in a horizontal position and a pair of wheels 13 through which the shaft 12 passes. The wheels 13 are formed in a truncated cone shape, and the pair of wheels 13 are configured by opposing each other with the inclined surfaces of the two wheels 13 facing inward. As shown in FIG. 1, the rotating body 11 (a pair of wheels 13) rotates by moving on rails 14 extending below it. As the rotating body 11 rotates, the tomatoes T placed between the rotating body 11 are rotated and transported. In this embodiment, the tomatoes T are placed between the front and rear pair of wheels 13, and the pair of wheels 13 function as a placement unit. The rotating body 11 and the rails 14 also function as a rotation mechanism that rotates the tomatoes T. Note that a tray may be provided between one pair of wheels 13 and the other pair of wheels 13 behind them, so that tomatoes T that are smaller than those that fit between the front and rear pair of wheels 13 can be received.

[0017] In the evaluation area, an appearance quality evaluation device 20 and an internal quality evaluation device 30 are provided on the path along which the tomatoes T are transported by the conveyor 10.

[0018] The appearance quality determining device 20 is a device for determining the appearance quality of the tomatoes T, and includes a camera 21 that captures images of the tomatoes T being rotated and conveyed, and a computer (not shown) that determines the appearance quality based on the images of the tomatoes T acquired from the camera 21. The camera 21 is disposed above the conveyor 10 and is set up so that a predetermined range of the conveyor 10 is included in its angle of view. Specifically, the range over which the tomatoes T move during one rotation falls within the angle of view of the camera 21, and the camera 21 continuously captures images at a predetermined rate. In this way, the camera 21 generates images of the top, front, bottom, and back of the tomatoes T. The computer determines the appearance quality based on the multiple images acquired from the camera 21.

[0019] The internal quality determination device 30 is a device that determines the internal quality of tomatoes T, and is equipped with a light source 31 (Figure 2) that irradiates measurement light onto tomatoes T being transported, a light receiving unit 32 (Figure 2) that receives the measurement light that has passed through the tomatoes T, a spectrometer (not shown) that splits the received measurement light into predetermined wavelengths, and a computer (not shown) that determines the internal quality based on the brightness of the split measurement light.

[0020] The computer of the external quality judgment device 20 and the computer of the internal quality judgment device 30 are communicatively connected to a main computer, and the main computer obtains the judgment results of the external quality and internal quality from the computer of the external quality judgment device 20 and the computer of the internal quality judgment device 30 and determines the class.

[0021] The sorting area is equipped with a sorting conveyor that sorts and discharges the tomatoes T transported from the judging area, and a pool section for each grade that is provided along the sorting conveyor. The sorting conveyor can communicate with the main computer, and transports the tomatoes T to the pool section specified by the main computer and discharges them.

[0022] 1, the sorting device of this embodiment is provided with an air blower 40 in the judgment area. The air blower 40 is a device that blows air onto tomatoes T being rotated and transported by a conveyor 10, and is equipped with an air nozzle 41. The air nozzle 41 is provided above the conveyor 10 on the upstream side of the camera 21, and is installed with its nozzle opening facing downward and downstream of the conveyor 10 so that the air is blown onto tomatoes T moving within the field of view of the camera 21. The air nozzle 41 is connected to a blower main body 43 via a hose 42, and sprays air supplied from the blower main body 43.

[0023] In the sorting device of this embodiment, air is sprayed from the air nozzle 41 onto the rotating and transported tomatoes T, thereby removing dirt and dust from the entire surface of the tomatoes T. Because such air nozzle 41 is provided upstream of the camera 21, the surface of the tomatoes T that enter the angle of view of the camera 21 is free of dirt and dust, making it possible to more accurately determine the appearance quality of the tomatoes T.

[0024] Also, as shown in Figure 3, depending on the size of the tomatoes T, two tomatoes T may be placed on one placement section, resulting in a double-loaded state. However, by blowing air onto the tomatoes T during transport, the double-loaded tomatoes T can be distributed and placed on the front and rear placement sections.

[0025] Furthermore, by arranging the air nozzle 41 immediately upstream of the camera 21, air is blown onto the tomato T within the angle of view of the camera 21. Here, some tomatoes T that are small in size compared to the distance between the front and rear placement sections may not come into contact with the rollers 13 and may not rotate within the angle of view of the camera 21. However, by blowing air onto the tomato T within the angle of view of the camera 21, the tomato T is urged against the rollers 13, and the tomato T comes into contact with the rollers 13 and is rotated and conveyed, making it possible to capture an image of the entire circumference of the tomato T.

[0026] [Second embodiment]

[0027] 4, the sorting device according to the second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it includes a rotary conveyor 15 as a rotation mechanism and in the installation position of the air nozzle 41. Below, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described, and descriptions of the points in common with the first embodiment will be omitted as appropriate.

[0028] As in the first embodiment, the determination area of ​​this embodiment includes a conveyor 10 (hereinafter referred to as the transport conveyor 10) that transports tomatoes T in a single file. In this embodiment, a rotary conveyor 15 is provided below the transport conveyor 10. The rotary conveyor 15 is a belt conveyor that rotates the tomatoes T on the placement section in conjunction with the rotation of the rotator 11, and extends below the transport conveyor 10 in the transport direction of the transport conveyor 10. The extension range of the rotary conveyor 15 extends from upstream of the angle of view of the camera 21 to the angle of view of the camera 21. The rotary conveyor 15 of this embodiment is disposed so as to abut against the lower part of the rotator 11 (a pair of wheels 13) of the transport conveyor 10, and is rotationally controlled by a main computer (not shown) so that the belt 16 moves in the transport direction of the conveyor 10. As a result, in this embodiment, the rotator 11 and the tomatoes T rotate in the opposite direction to that in the first embodiment. Here, the moving speed of the rotary conveyor 10 is adjusted to a speed at which the rotating body 11 rotates so that a large-sized tomato T rotates once within the field of view of the camera 21.

[0029] The air nozzle 41 of this embodiment is provided downstream of the camera 21 on the transport path of the transport conveyor 10, and sprays air toward the angle of view of the camera 21.

[0030] As in the first embodiment, the sorting device of this embodiment blows air onto the tomatoes T moving within the field of view of the camera 21 in the judgment area, thereby removing dirt and dust adhering to the tomatoes T. Furthermore, since air is blown in accordance with the rotation direction of the rotor 11 relative to the tomatoes T (in the same direction as the rotation direction), two tomatoes T can be dispersed and positioned front and back. Furthermore, since the tomatoes T can be biased against the rotor 11, even small tomatoes T can be rotated within the field of view.

[0031] The sorting device of this embodiment has been described above, but this embodiment may be modified as follows.

[0032] [Variation 1] In the above embodiment, in the evaluation area, images of the fruit or vegetable being rotated and transported by the conveyor 10 are captured from above at a predetermined rate to obtain images of the entire circumference of the fruit or vegetable, and the appearance quality of the fruit or vegetable is evaluated based on the images of the entire circumference. However, this is not a limitation. For example, an upper camera may be provided above the conveyor transporting the fruit or vegetable, and right and left cameras may be provided on the left and right sides of the conveyor. The upper, right, and left cameras may capture images of the fruit or vegetable transported in a fixed orientation, and the appearance quality may be evaluated based on the multiple images generated by each camera. In such a modification, the conveyor in the evaluation area may be, for example, a plurality of trays connected in the transport direction of the fruit or vegetable, each having a placement portion on which the fruit or vegetable is placed. The air nozzle 41 is installed upstream of the upper, right, and left cameras. [Explanation of symbols]

[0033] 10 Conveyor 20 Appearance quality evaluation device 21 Camera 30 Internal quality determination device 41 Air nozzle T Tomato (fruit and vegetable)

Claims

1. A conveyor that transports fruits and vegetables in a single line; a camera that captures images of the fruits and vegetables being transported by the conveyor; an air nozzle that sprays air onto the fruits and vegetables being transported by the conveyor; Equipped with the air nozzle injects the air toward a field of view range of the camera, The conveyor rotates the fruits and vegetables within the field of view of the camera.

2. The fruit and vegetable sorting device according to claim 1 , wherein the air nozzle is disposed above the conveyor, upstream or downstream of the camera.

Images