Fish and shellfish sorting system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a fish and shellfish sorting system and, more specifically, to a fish and shellfish sorting system which uses cameras to automatically sort fish and shellfish by size. The fish and shellfish sorting system, according to the present invention, comprises: a photographing unit having an upper camera for capturing an image of the top portion of fish or shellfish being transferred by a transfer means, and a side camera for capturing an image of a side portion of the fish or shellfish being transferred; an image processing unit for analyzing the images captured by the upper and side cameras to extract an image of the fish or shellfish; a calculation unit for analyzing the image of the fish or shellfish extracted by the image processing unit to estimate the volume of the fish or shellfish; and a control unit for sorting the fish or shellfish into a predefined size grade on the basis of the volume of the fish or shellfish estimated by the calculation unit and for generating a sorting signal for each size grade.

Description

Seafood sorting system

[0001] The present invention relates to a seafood sorting system, and more specifically, to a seafood sorting system that automatically sorts seafood by size and safely transports it to a subsequent process without damage.

[0002] Generally, the processing of seafood, such as fish, shellfish, and mollusks, relies entirely on manual labor for various stages of the manufacturing process, including pretreatment, sorting, processing, and packaging, because automation is difficult due to the flexible and irregular nature of the seafood.

[0003] However, as the sustainability of the workforce and processed seafood products is gradually declining due to factors such as the decrease and aging of the fishing population, active technological development is currently underway to automate seafood processing using robots and IoT technologies to address these issues.

[0004] Nevertheless, the process of sorting seafood by size (volume) has not been automated, and workers in the field still distinguish the sizes of seafood transported along the conveyor belt solely by visual inspection. This results in very poor work efficiency, and significant variations in the precision and speed of the sorting process occur depending on the workers' skill levels, thus requiring improvement.

[0005] In addition, although shellfish classified by size must be transported to sorting pallets using a gripping device, existing gripping devices have limitations in that they cannot stably grip shellfish without damage, as gripping is performed by lifting both sides of the shellfish, causing them to easily break or slip and fall out.

[0006] The problem information of the present invention is as follows.

[0007] Project ID: 2520000008

[0008] Ministry Name: Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries

[0009] Project Name: Development of Smart Technology for Fresh Seafood Distribution

[0010] Principal Investigator: Seo Jin-ho

[0011] Project Executing Organization Name: Pukyong National University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation

[0012] Name of Specialized Agency: Korea Institute of Marine Science & Technology Promotion

[0013] Project Period: 2024.01.01.~2024.12.31.

[0014] Project Title: Development of Smart Processing Technology for Seafood

[0015]

[0016] The present invention has been devised to solve the aforementioned problems and aims to provide a seafood sorting system capable of automatically and quickly and accurately sorting seafood by size without operator intervention, and safely transporting the sorted seafood to a subsequent process without damage.

[0017] The problems of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned problems will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

[0018] To achieve the above objective, the seafood sorting system of the present invention comprises: a shooting unit equipped with an upper camera for photographing the upper part of seafood transported through a transport means and a side camera for photographing the side part of the seafood transported; an image processing unit for extracting an image of seafood by analyzing the images captured by the upper camera and the side camera; a calculation unit for estimating the volume of seafood by analyzing the image of seafood extracted by the image processing unit; and a control unit for sorting seafood by pre-set size according to the volume value of seafood estimated by the calculation unit and outputting a sorting signal by grade.

[0019] Additionally, a sensor that detects fish or shellfish entering the above-mentioned camera unit and outputs a shooting signal may be further provided. In this case, the upper camera and the side camera perform shooting according to the shooting signal input from the sensor.

[0020] In addition, the above-described shooting unit acquires upper and side images of fish and shellfish using an upper camera and a side camera, the above-described image processing unit extracts object characteristics of fish and shellfish from the upper image through an image processing algorithm, the above-described computational unit calculates the maximum side width of fish and shellfish from the side image using the object characteristics extracted through the image processing unit, divides the fish and shellfish by height, calculates the side width and area for each height, calculates the unit volume for each height by assigning thickness to the calculated area for each height, and then estimates the total volume by summing the calculated unit volumes for each height, and the above-described control unit can select fish and shellfish according to a preset size grade based on the fish and shellfish volume data estimated through the computational unit.

[0021] Meanwhile, a grasping device may be installed around the above-mentioned conveying means to grasp fish and shellfish moving along the conveying means according to a sorting signal by grade input from the control unit and feed them into a sorting pallet of the corresponding size.

[0022] In this case, the gripping device may include a gripping robot, a body part installed on the gripping robot, a pair of grippers installed at the bottom of the body part to enable reciprocating movement over a certain distance and approaching each other to grip fish and shellfish, a driving unit that provides reciprocating movement force to the grippers, and a flexible material anti-escape barrier mounted on the grippers to prevent the gripped fish and shellfish from escaping from the grippers.

[0023] In addition, the gripper may be provided with a slider that reciprocates along the body portion by receiving left-right movement force from the drive unit, a frame portion coupled to the lower part of the slider and to which the anti-detachment is coupled, and an elastic coupling portion that allows the frame portion to be coupled to the slider so as to be movable up and down.

[0024] In this case, the bottom surface of the frame portion may be provided with a scooping portion formed to slope downward toward the gripping direction.

[0025] In addition, an uneven surface may be formed on the bottom surface of the frame portion to prevent shellfish passing through the scooping portion from flowing down to the scooping end.

[0026] Meanwhile, the above anti-detachment film can be formed of a silicone mesh.

[0027] Additionally, the gripper may further comprise a coupling member that detachably secures a detachment prevention film to the frame portion. In this case, the coupling member comprises a slit hole for mounting the detachment prevention film formed in the frame portion, a plurality of detachment prevention film assembly holes formed in the slit hole for mounting the detachment prevention film, and a plurality of fixing bolts that penetrate the detachment prevention film mounted in the slit hole for mounting the detachment prevention film and are fastened to the detachment prevention film assembly holes.

[0028] In addition, the gripper may further be provided with a cover member that is fitted into the frame portion to prevent external exposure of the coupling member.

[0029] Additionally, the elastic coupling member may comprise a fixed bracket coupled to the lower end of the slider, a vertical fitting projection formed vertically at the upper end of the frame member and penetrating the fixed bracket, a support member coupled to the upper end of the vertical fitting projection penetrating the support member to support the vertical fitting projection so as not to detach from the fixed bracket, and an elastic member fitted into the vertical fitting projection to provide elastic force to the frame member in the vertical direction.

[0030] In addition, the above-mentioned anti-slip device may be equipped with a pressure sensor that detects pressure transmitted from the grasped fish or shellfish in real time. In this case, the driving member stops operating when the pressure value input from the pressure sensor is greater than or equal to a set value.

[0031] The seafood sorting system of the present invention, configured as described above, automatically sorts seafood by estimating the total volume of seafood through precise analysis using an image processing algorithm, and the grasping device safely grasps the sorted seafood without damage and automatically feeds it into the corresponding sorting pallet according to the sorting grade, thereby having the effect of enabling the entire seafood sorting process to be performed quickly and accurately without operator intervention.

[0032] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description in the claims.

[0033] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the usage state of a fish and shellfish sorting system according to the present invention.

[0034] FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a fish and shellfish sorting system according to the present invention.

[0035] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a fish and shellfish sorting system according to the present invention.

[0036] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a gripping device constituting the present invention.

[0037] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a gripping device constituting the present invention.

[0038] FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a gripper constituting the present invention.

[0039] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view along line VII-VII of FIG. 4, showing the operating state of the gripper.

[0040] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view along the line VIII-VIII of Figure 4.

[0041] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a method for calculating the actual lateral width of a fish or shellfish from an upper image captured by an upper camera according to the present invention.

[0042] FIG. 10 is a drawing showing the state of seafood divided by height from a side image according to the present invention.

[0043] FIG. 11 is a drawing showing the side width and area of ​​shellfish by height from a side image captured by a side camera according to the present invention.

[0044] The features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments based on the accompanying drawings.

[0045] Prior to this, terms and words used in this specification and claims must be interpreted in a meaning and concept consistent with the technical spirit of the invention, based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the terms to best describe his invention.

[0046] Furthermore, the terms and words used in this specification and claims are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention.

[0047] For example, a singular expression includes a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, terms such as "include," "equip," or "have" are intended to specify the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0048] Furthermore, when a part such as a layer, membrane, region, or plate is said to be "above" another part, this includes not only the case where it is "directly above" the other part, but also the case where there is another part in between. Conversely, when a part such as a layer, membrane, region, or plate is said to be "below" another part, this includes not only the case where it is "directly below" the other part, but also the case where there is another part in between.

[0049] In addition, terms including ordinal numbers, such as "first," "second," etc., used in this specification may be used to describe various components, but said components are not limited by said terms, and said terms are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

[0050] Hereinafter, in describing an embodiment of the present invention in detail with reference to the drawings, the same reference numerals are used for identical components, and for clarity, only the different parts are described primarily to avoid duplication as much as possible.

[0051] The seafood subject to sorting in this invention may include, for example, fish, shellfish, and mollusks, and is particularly advantageous for sorting oyster meat from which the shell has been removed among shellfish.

[0052] As illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, the seafood sorting system according to the present invention includes a shooting unit (100) that photographs seafood transported at a constant speed through a transport means (A), an image processing unit (200) that extracts an image of seafood by analyzing an image obtained from the shooting unit (100), a calculation unit (300) that estimates the volume of seafood by analyzing the image of seafood extracted by the image processing unit (200), and a control unit (400) that outputs a sorting signal by grade according to the volume value of seafood.

[0053] The above-mentioned shooting unit (100) is equipped with a shooting room (110) installed on a transport means (A) such as a conveyor, an upper camera (120) installed inside the shooting room (110), a side camera (130), and lighting (140).

[0054] The above shooting room (110) is formed as a darkroom structure that can fundamentally block factors such as shadows or light scattering so as to obtain high-quality shooting images, and provides a place where an upper camera (120), a side camera (130), and lighting (140) are installed.

[0055] The upper camera (120) is installed at the top of the shooting room (110) and photographs the top of the fish and shellfish that have entered the shooting room (110).

[0056] The above-mentioned side camera (130) is installed on the side of the shooting room (110) and photographs the side of a fish or shellfish that has entered the shooting room (110).

[0057] Meanwhile, the present invention may further include a sensor (500) that detects fish and shellfish entering the shooting unit (100) and outputs a shooting signal. Since such a sensor (500) is a widely known technology, there is no need to specifically limit the sensing method, such as weight detection, infrared detection, or vibration detection.

[0058] The upper camera (120) and the side camera (130) are configured to perform shooting according to a shooting signal input from the sensor (500).

[0059] The arrangement of power lines and signal lines for the sensor (500) to operate the upper camera (120) and the side camera (130) can be easily configured by a person skilled in the art according to the operational relationship described below, so a detailed description is omitted.

[0060] The image processing unit (200) analyzes the upper image and the side image captured by the upper camera (120) and the side camera (130) through an image processing algorithm based on an image segmentation model, and extracts only the image of the fish and shellfish while excluding the background image.

[0061] Image segmentation models are artificial intelligence algorithms that classify each pixel of a given image into a specific class using a predetermined set of classes, and are widely known for their ability to effectively perform image segmentation.

[0062] Specifically, an image segmentation model is a computer vision technique that separates an image into multiple regions or objects, which can refer to the task of assigning each pixel within an image to a specific class or object.

[0063] Depending on the classification method, it can be broadly divided into fine-grained classification and object boundary distinction methods; here, fine-grained classification can, for example, distinguish each pixel in fish and shellfish into first, second, and third regions.

[0064] Furthermore, Object Boundary Delineation is a method that distinguishes objects from the background by accurately identifying the boundaries of objects in an image, which can represent the shape or location of objects more accurately.

[0065] Here, if the segmentation model of the image processing unit (200) of the present invention can extract only the image of fish and shellfish excluding the background image, it may be at least one of the detailed classification and object boundary distinction methods described above, and it is obvious that the scope of the rights of the present invention is not limited by this.

[0066] Specifically, the segmentation models mentioned above include FCN, the first fully convolutional network; U-Net, which offers excellent performance in medical image analysis; SegNet, an efficient model with low computational cost; DeepLab, which excels in edge processing; Mask R-CNN, which can perform object detection and segmentation simultaneously and has strengths in instance segmentation; PSPNet, which can effectively process objects of various sizes; and U-Net, which is excellent for object boundary extraction and background removal. 2It may be at least one of the following models: -Net, SeNet suitable for real-time image processing, HRNet which has strengths in high-resolution image segmentation, and Panoptic FPN which can perform instance and class segmentation simultaneously, and FCN, U-Net, SegNet, DeepLab, Mask R-CNN, PSPNet, U 2 Even if at least one of the models -Net, SeNet, HRNet, and Panoptic FPN is used in combination, it shall not be considered that the scope of the rights of the present invention is limited as a result.

[0067] However, to provide a more detailed explanation, for example, the image segmentation model of the image processing unit (200) in the present invention would be simpler to use the aforementioned object boundary distinction, and specifically, the image segmentation model of the image processing unit (200) is a model that extends the structure of U-Net, U 2- It can be NET.

[0068] Here, U-Net is a method that uses an encoder-decoder structure to progressively extract and restore image features, U 2 -Net can achieve more precise segmentation performance by adding further improvements to this.

[0069] U 2 -Net has a relatively lightweight structure that delivers excellent performance without consuming significant GPU resources, allowing for efficient use in real-time tasks or mobile environments.

[0070] Also U 2 -Net boasts high precision in object silhouette extraction and can separate object boundaries very accurately even in complex backgrounds, making it very useful for cleanly removing the background of fish and shellfish or extracting only the fish and shellfish.

[0071] The above-mentioned operation unit (300) estimates the volume of the fish and shellfish by analyzing the image of the fish and shellfish extracted by the image processing unit (200) through an image processing algorithm based on an image segmentation model.

[0072] The control unit (400) sorts seafood according to preset sizes based on the seafood volume value estimated by the calculation unit (300) and outputs a sorting signal by grade.

[0073] Meanwhile, a grasping device (600) may be installed around the above-mentioned conveying means (A) to grasp fish and shellfish moving along the conveying means (A) according to a sorting signal input by grade from the control unit (400) and drop them onto a sorting pallet (B) of the corresponding size.

[0074] As illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 8, the gripping device (600) may be equipped with a gripping robot (601), a body part (610) installed on the gripping robot (601), a pair of grippers (620), a driving unit (630) that provides reciprocating movement force to the grippers (620), and a detachment prevention barrier (640) mounted on the grippers (620) to prevent the gripped fish and shellfish from detaching from the grippers (620).

[0075] The above-mentioned gripping robot (601) is a device capable of moving the body part (610) back and forth between a gripping position and a sorting pallet (B). In this embodiment, a multi-joint robot is illustrated as an example, but it is not limited thereto and various forms and driving methods can be applied.

[0076] The above body part (610) is fixed to the gripping robot (601), and a gripper (620) is installed at the bottom.

[0077] A pair of the above-mentioned grippers (620) are installed so that they can move back and forth a certain distance in the left and right directions from the lower part of the body (610). Accordingly, when the grippers (620) approach each other, the fish or shellfish are grasped, and when they return to their original position, the grasping state is released.

[0078] In this case, the gripper (620) may be equipped with a slider (621) that moves back and forth along the body part (610) by receiving left and right movement force from the drive unit (630), a frame part (622) coupled to the lower part of the slider (621), and an elastic coupling part (623) that allows the frame part (622) to be coupled to the slider (621) so as to be movable up and down.

[0079] The above slider (621) is connected to the driving unit (630) and is fitted and coupled to the left or right end of the body part (610), respectively, and a guide groove (621a) that moves along the body part (610) is formed in the left and right directions.

[0080] A guide rail (611) corresponding to a guide groove (621a) formed in the slider (621) is formed in the body part (610), thereby helping to ensure stable left-right reciprocating movement of the slider (621).

[0081] The above frame portion (622) is a member with an open center, such as a picture frame, and may have a bottom surface (622a) that supports the captured fish and shellfish, and a front surface (622b), a top surface (622c), and a rear surface (622d) that extend from the bottom surface (622a).

[0082] In this case, the bottom surface (622a) of the frame part (622) may be provided with a scooping part (622e) formed to slope downward toward the gripping direction.

[0083] In addition, at least one uneven surface (622f) may be formed on the bottom surface (622a) of the frame portion (622) to prevent shellfish that have passed through the scooping portion (622e) from flowing back down toward the scooping portion (622e).

[0084] The above anti-detachment (640) is fixed to the frame portion (622) to close the space portion (S) formed in the center of the frame portion (622). Accordingly, the captured fish and shellfish can be stably maintained in a fixed state inside the frame portion (622) without falling out of the gripper (620) through the anti-detachment (640).

[0085] The above-mentioned anti-detachment (640) configured in this manner is formed of a flexible material so as not to damage fish and shellfish that have strong flexibility and irregular shape.

[0086] In this case, the above-mentioned anti-detachment (640) may be formed of a silicone mesh that is non-corrosive, harmless to the human body, and has its own elasticity, and it is preferable that the average size of the mesh gaps does not exceed the range of 0.2 to 0.3 mm so as to prevent the captured fish and shellfish from getting stuck and damaged in the mesh gaps while allowing for smooth moisture drainage.

[0087] Meanwhile, the gripper (620) may further be provided with a coupling member (624) that detachably fixes the anti-detachment (640) to the frame part (622) so that it can be replaced if the anti-detachment (640) fixed to the frame part (622) becomes contaminated.

[0088] In this case, the coupling member (624) may be provided with a slit hole (624a) for mounting a detachment prevention film formed on the front (622b) and rear (622d) of the frame part (622), a plurality of detachment prevention film assembly holes (624b) formed in the slit hole (624a) for mounting the detachment prevention film, and a plurality of fixing bolts (624c) that penetrate the detachment prevention film (640) mounted in the slit hole (624a) for mounting the detachment prevention film and are fastened to the detachment prevention film assembly holes (624b). A fixing bolt through hole (641) may also be formed in the detachment prevention film (640).

[0089] Accordingly, the above anti-detachment (640) is inserted into the slit hole (624a) for mounting the anti-detachment and is detachably coupled to the frame part (622) via a fixing bolt (624c) with its edge supported.

[0090] In addition, a protruding ridge (622h) may be formed along the front-rear direction on the bottom surface (622a) of the frame portion (622) to support the bottom of the anti-detachment (640). The protruding ridge (622h) supports the bottom of the anti-detachment (640) to prevent the anti-detachment (640) from detaching from the frame portion (622) or being deformed or damaged due to gripping pressure.

[0091] Additionally, a stepped portion (640a) that engages with the protruding ridge (622h) may be formed at the bottom of the above anti-detachment (640) to improve support.

[0092] Meanwhile, since the above-mentioned fixing bolt (624c) is exposed to the outside of the frame part (622), there is a high risk that it will corrode and have an adverse effect on hygiene. Taking this into account, a cover member (625) that prevents the external exposure of the fixing bolt (624c) may be attached to the above-mentioned frame part (622).

[0093] In this case, so that the anti-detachment (640) can be replaced smoothly, the cover member (625) may be formed of an elastic material and configured to be detachably coupled to the frame part (622) by an externally forced fit method.

[0094] The above elastic coupling part (623) may be provided with a fixed bracket (623a) coupled to the bottom of the slider (621), a vertical fitting projection (623b) formed vertically on the top of the frame part (622) and penetrating the fixed bracket (623a), a support member (623c) coupled to the top of the vertical fitting projection (623b) penetrating the support part to support the vertical fitting projection (623b) so as not to detach from the fixed bracket (623a), and an elastic member (623d) fitted into the vertical fitting projection (623b) to provide elastic force in the vertical direction to the frame part (622).

[0095] Accordingly, if an abnormal load or impact is applied to the frame part (622) due to operational errors of the gripping robot (601) or various unintended reasons during the gripping process, the elastic member (623d) is compressed and the fixed bracket (623a) descends vertically along the vertical fitting projection (623b), and in this process, the abnormal load or impact applied to the frame part (622) is absorbed. As a result, the gripper (620) can stably grip fish and shellfish while always maintaining a constant posture.

[0096] Meanwhile, the above-mentioned driving unit (630) may be equipped with a forward / reverse motor (631) installed in a body part (610), a power transmission member (632) coupled to the rotation shaft (631a) of the forward / reverse motor (631) to convert the rotational motion of the forward / reverse motor (631) into linear reciprocating motion of the gripper (620), and a control unit (not shown) that controls the driving of the forward / reverse motor (631).

[0097] In this embodiment, a pair of crank arms connecting the side of the rotation axis (631a) of the forward / reverse motor (631) and the gripper (620) are illustrated and described as the power transmission member (632), but are not limited thereto.

[0098] According to the present invention, the anti-detachment (640) may further be equipped with a pressure sensor (642) to detect pressure transmitted from the grasped fish and shellfish in real time.

[0099] In this case, the pressure sensor (642) outputs a gripping stop signal when the pressure value is greater than or equal to a set value. The control unit of the driving unit (630) stops the operation of the forward / reverse motor (631) only when the gripping stop signal is output from the pressure sensor (642), thereby preventing the phenomenon in which the shellfish attached to the anti-detachment (640) are compressed and damaged by excessive gripping pressure.

[0100] By using the seafood sorting system of the present invention configured in this way, seafood transported through the transport means (A) can be precisely and automatically sorted by size, and the sorted seafood can be safely transported by grasping it onto a sorting pallet (B) without damage.

[0101] First, when a fish or shellfish being transported along the transport means (A) enters the shooting unit (100), the sensor (500) detects the fish or shellfish entering the shooting unit (100) and outputs a shooting signal, and the upper camera (120) and the side camera (130) inside the shooting room each photograph the upper and side of the fish or shellfish.

[0102] At this time, the upper camera (120) and the side camera (130) do not perform shooting at the moment a shooting signal is input from the sensor (500), but after a certain amount of time has elapsed, taking into account the driving speed of the transport means (A), the distance from the sensor (500), and the average size of the fish and shellfish, shooting is performed at the moment when the center of the fish and shellfish passes through the focus area of ​​the upper camera (120) and the side camera (130).

[0103] In this way, the upper image and the side image captured by the upper camera (120) and the side camera (130) are processed in an image processing unit (200) to extract only the image of the fish and shellfish separated from the background through an image processing algorithm based on an image segmentation model.

[0104] For example, the image processing unit (200) converts the upper image and the side image into gray-level images, then binarizes them to generate a binarized image, sorts the values ​​of the given mask area for the binarized image in order of size, selects a value of an intermediate size, and changes the central value to remove noise from the binarized image, and then detects the outline of the fish or shellfish by connecting pixels of the same intensity in the binarized image from which the noise has been removed.

[0105] The operation unit (300) analyzes object information derived from the image processing unit (200) through an image processing algorithm based on an image segmentation model and estimates the volume of fish and shellfish in the following way.

[0106] First, the calculation unit (300) extracts object information such as the maximum width and arrangement angle of the fish and shellfish from the upper image, and calculates the actual maximum side width (L) of the fish and shellfish by substituting the arrangement angle (θ) measured in the upper image and the maximum side width (l) of the fish and shellfish measured in the side image into the following equation (1) so as not to affect the calculation of the width of the fish and shellfish according to the arrangement angle (θ) of the fish and shellfish on the conveying means (A) as shown in FIG. 9.

[0107] Equation (1): L×cosθ = l

[0108] As illustrated in FIG. 10, the calculation unit (300) calculates the actual maximum side width (L), then divides the fish and shellfish from the side image by height, and as illustrated in FIG. 11, calculates the side width and area for each height.

[0109] And, the calculation unit (300) estimates the total volume by adding the unit volumes for each height using the following equation (2) by adding thickness to the calculated area for each height.

[0110] In this case, when estimating the volume of complex three-dimensional shellfish, it is assumed that the area of ​​the shellfish always increases or decreases at a constant rate, even if the height changes. By using this method, it becomes possible to approximately model the three-dimensional shape of the shellfish and calculate its accurate volume.

[0111] (2)

[0112] In the above equation (2), A is the maximum area of ​​the fish and shellfish, a is the area of ​​the fish and shellfish at any height, L is the width of A, and l is the width of a. Also, h is the thickness, and Vn is the unit volume per height.

[0113] When the calculation unit (300) estimates and calculates the total volume value of the fish and shellfish in the manner described above, the control unit (400) sorts the fish and shellfish according to a preset grade based on the volume value of the fish and shellfish estimated by the calculation unit (300) and outputs a sorting signal by grade.

[0114] When the control unit (400) outputs a sorting signal by grade, the gripping robot (601) of the gripping device (600) waiting near the transport means (A) moves the body part (610) to a gripping position according to the sorting signal by grade input from the control unit (400).

[0115] Then, the control unit of the drive unit (630) drives the forward / reverse motor (631). Accordingly, as the rotation axis (631a) of the forward / reverse motor (631) rotates at a certain angle, the power transmission member (632) moves the grippers (620) on both the left and right sides in the gripping direction.

[0116] As the above grippers (620) move in the gripping direction, fish and shellfish are introduced into the inside of the frame part (622) through the bottom surface (622a) of the frame part (622) and are gripped.

[0117] At this time, the grippers (620) perform a scooping motion that supports the fish and shellfish through a scooping portion (622e) formed on the bottom surface (622a) of the frame portion (622), rather than a simple gripping motion that presses both sides of the fish and shellfish.

[0118] Accordingly, the above-mentioned seafood flows smoothly into the inside of the frame part (622) without damage through the scooping part (622e), and after passing through the scooping part (622e), it settles on the uneven part (622f) and does not flow down to the scooping part (622e).

[0119] If, during the gripping process, an abnormal load or impact is applied to the frame part (622) due to operational errors of the gripping robot (601) or various unintended reasons, the load or impact applied to the frame part (622) is absorbed by the elastic coupling part (623). Accordingly, the gripper (620) can stably grip fish and shellfish while always maintaining a constant posture.

[0120] In addition, when the shellfish is excessively gripped, the pressure sensor (642) installed on the anti-escape barrier (640) detects this and outputs a gripping stop signal to the control unit of the drive unit (630), and the control unit (400) stops the operation of the forward / reverse motor (631) to stop further gripping operation, thereby preventing damage to the shellfish.

[0121] Afterwards, when the gripping robot (601) moves the body part (610) to a pre-designated sorting pallet (B) according to the sorting signal of the control unit (400), the control unit (400) of the driving unit (630) drives the forward / reverse motor (631) in the opposite direction to move the gripper (620) back in the direction of release, and the fish and shellfish held by the gripper (620) are fed into the sorting pallet (B).

[0122] In this way, the seafood sorting system of the present invention automatically sorts seafood by precisely analyzing seafood moving along the conveying means (A) through an image processing algorithm to estimate the total volume of the seafood, and the grasping device (600) safely grasps the sorted seafood without damage and automatically feeds it into the corresponding sorting pallet (B) according to the sorting grade, so the entire process of sorting seafood can be performed quickly and accurately without the intervention of a worker.

[0123] Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described above with reference to the drawings, various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined by the following claims, and such changes should also be included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A shooting unit equipped with an upper camera for photographing the upper part of fish and shellfish being transported via a transport means, and a side camera for photographing the side of the fish and shellfish being transported; An image processing unit that extracts images of fish and shellfish by analyzing images captured by the upper camera and the side camera; A computational unit that analyzes the image of the fish and shellfish extracted by the image processing unit above to estimate the volume of the fish and shellfish; and A control unit comprising a fish and shellfish sorting by preset size according to the fish and shellfish volume value estimated by the above-mentioned operation unit and outputting a sorting signal by grade, Seafood sorting system.

2. In Paragraph 1, Further equipped with a sensor that detects fish and shellfish entering the above-mentioned shooting unit and outputs a shooting signal; The above upper camera and side camera are, Performing shooting according to the shooting signal input from the sensor, Seafood sorting system.

3. In Paragraph 1, The above-mentioned imaging unit is, Acquire top and side images of fish and shellfish using a top camera and a side camera; The above image processing unit is, The object characteristics of fish and shellfish are extracted from the upper image using an image processing algorithm; The above operation unit is, Calculate the maximum lateral width of the fish and shellfish from the side image using object features extracted through the image processing unit, divide the fish and shellfish by height, calculate the lateral width and area for each height, calculate the unit volume for each height by assigning thickness to the calculated area for each height, and then estimate the total volume by summing the calculated unit volumes for each height; The above control unit is, Sorts seafood according to preset size grades based on seafood volume data estimated through the computation unit, Seafood sorting system.

4. In Paragraph 1, Around the above-mentioned transport means, A gripping device installed that grips fish and shellfish moving along a conveying means according to a grade-specific sorting signal input from a control unit and feeds them into a sorting pallet of the corresponding size. Seafood sorting system.

5. In Paragraph 4, The above-mentioned gripping device is, Grafting robot; A body part installed on the above-mentioned gripping robot; A pair of grippers installed at the lower part of the above body so as to be able to reciprocate over a certain distance and approach each other to grasp fish and shellfish; A driving unit that imparts reciprocating movement force to the above-mentioned gripper; and A flexible anti-escaping barrier mounted on the gripper to prevent the grasped fish and shellfish from escaping from the gripper. Seafood sorting system.

6. In Paragraph 5, The above gripper is, A slider that moves back and forth along the body part by receiving left and right movement force from the above-mentioned driving unit; A frame portion coupled to the lower part of the slider and to which the anti-detachment is coupled; and A structure having an elastic coupling part that allows the above-mentioned frame part to be movably connected to a slider up and down, Seafood sorting system.

7. In Paragraph 6, On the bottom surface of the above-mentioned frame part, A scooping portion formed to slope downward toward the gripping direction, Seafood sorting system.

8. In Paragraph 7, On the bottom surface of the above-mentioned frame part, A surface with irregularities formed to prevent shellfish passing through the scooping section from flowing down to the scooping end, Seafood sorting system.

9. In Paragraph 5, The above anti-detachment film is, formed of a silicon mesh, Seafood sorting system.

10. In Paragraph 6, The above gripper is, Further comprising a coupling member that detachably fixes the anti-detachment to the frame; The above-mentioned connecting member is, A slit hole for mounting a detachment prevention film formed in a frame portion, a plurality of assembly holes for detachment prevention films (640) formed in the slit hole for mounting the detachment prevention film, and a plurality of fixing bolts that penetrate the detachment prevention film mounted in the slit hole for mounting the detachment prevention film and are fastened to the assembly holes for detachment prevention films. Seafood sorting system.

11. In Paragraph 10, The above gripper is, A cover member further provided with a frame portion fitted thereto to prevent external exposure of the connecting member, Seafood sorting system.

12. In Paragraph 6, The above elastic coupling part is, A fixed bracket attached to the bottom of the slider; A vertical insertion projection formed vertically at the top of the above frame portion and penetrating the above fixing bracket; A support member coupled to the upper end of a vertical fitting projection penetrating the support member, which supports the vertical fitting projection so as not to detach from the fixing bracket; and A structure having an elastic member that is fitted into the above-mentioned vertical fitting projection and imparts elastic force in the vertical direction to the frame portion. Seafood sorting system.

13. In Paragraph 5, The above anti-detachment film is, It is equipped with a pressure sensor that detects pressure transmitted from the captured fish and shellfish in real time; The above driving member is, Operation stops when the pressure value input from the pressure sensor exceeds the set value. Seafood sorting system.

Images