JP2003021598A - Vegetables and fruits evaluation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vegetables and fruits evaluation apparatus, capable of evaluating vegetables and fruits different in size or shape on a single feed line. SOLUTION: Vegetables and fruits 13, fed by the conveyor belt 11 of the feed line 10, are irradiated with a measurement light from a lamp 16, and the transmitted light from the vegetables and fruits 13 is received by a light- receiving part 21 and at least either one of the sugar level, acidity and maturity of the vegetables and fruits 13 is analyzed in an analysis part 22. A plurality of the lamps 16 are provided and the quantities of the measuring lights of the lamps 16 are regulated corresponding to the size of the vegetables and fruits 13 and a light-receiving window 20 for guiding the transmitted lights from the vegetables and fruits 13 to the light-receiving part 21 is provided to the feed line 10 and a transmitted light quantity regulation mechanism 23, capable of regulating the opening degree of the light receiving window 20 is provided to the light-receiving window 20.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention evaluates (measures) the internal quality such as sugar content, acidity and maturity of fruits and vegetables of different sizes optically and non-destructively using a single conveying line. For a device for doing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, near-infrared light (measurement light) is irradiated to fruits and vegetables, and the reflected light or transmitted light thereof is measured to measure the internal quality (sugar content, acidity) of the fruits and vegetables without destroying them. , Maturity, etc.) are known. Among the evaluation devices, the one utilizing reflected light is suitable for the measurement of thin peach of the epidermis, pear, apple, etc., and the measuring light passing through the thin epidermis is received by the light receiving part by being reflected by the flesh surface layer part, The internal quality is measured and evaluated by analyzing the reflected light. Since the reflected light type device receives the reflected light in the vicinity of the surface portion of the pulp, it has a drawback that only the internal quality near the epidermis can be obtained from the analysis of the obtained reflected light. On the other hand, the evaluation device that uses transmitted light is
It is suitable for measuring thick-skin citrus fruits, melons, watermelons, etc.The irradiation measurement light passes through the inside of the pulp and goes out from the opposite side, and the transmitted light is received and analyzed by the light receiving part to measure and evaluate internal quality . The transmitted light device analyzes light transmitted through the pulp of fruits and vegetables, and therefore has an advantage that the property of the pulp can be evaluated more accurately than the reflected light device. The evaluation device is incorporated in a fruit and vegetable conveying line and used for classification of fruits and vegetables.

[0004]

The transport line equipped with the conventional evaluation device is used only for watermelons for watermelons and for oranges for mandarin oranges. When measuring oranges on the line for watermelons, the amount of light to be irradiated is to be irradiated. Since the amount of light to be received is too strong and accurate measurement cannot be expected, on the contrary, when measuring watermelon with a line for oranges, the amount of light was too weak to expect accurate measurement. That is, the measurement becomes inaccurate when the light amount is too large or too small. For this reason, for example, even if the watermelon line was vacant in winter, it was difficult to use it for mandarin oranges. It should be noted that if only diversion of watermelon and mandarin orange at different harvest times is to be diverted, it can be dealt with by purchasing two evaluation devices and reassembling the devices each season. In addition to the necessity, in order to measure a large variety of products with one line, it is necessary to prepare the same number of evaluation devices, which results in enormous cost and it is difficult to secure a storage place.

[0005]

Therefore, the device of the present invention is
The fruits and vegetables 13 conveyed by the conveyor belt 11 of the conveyance line 10 are irradiated with the measuring light from the lamp 16 and the transmitted light transmitted through the fruits and vegetables 13 is received by the light receiving section 21, which is analyzed by the analyzing section 22 to at least the sugar content. In the apparatus for analyzing either acidity or maturity, the lamp 16 has a plurality of lamps, and the amount of measurement light of the lamp 16 is adjusted according to the size of the fruits and vegetables 13. 10 is provided with a light receiving window 20 for guiding the light transmitted through the fruits and vegetables 13 to the light receiving section 21, and the light receiving window 20 has a transmitted light amount adjusting mechanism 2 capable of adjusting the opening degree of the light receiving window 20.
3. An evaluation device for fruits and vegetables provided with 3. It is what

The present invention will be described in detail below. Reference numeral 10 is a conveyor line, 11 is a conveyor belt of the conveyor line, and 12 is a plurality of conveyor trays attached to the conveyor belt 11. The conveyor trays are arranged in a row at predetermined intervals in the length direction of the belt 11. Reference numeral 13 indicates fruits and vegetables placed on the tray 12, 13A indicates large fruits and vegetables, and 13B indicates small fruits and vegetables.

Reference numeral 14 is an evaluation device installed at an appropriate position on the transfer line 10, reference numeral 15 is a frame of the evaluation device 14, and a plurality of lamps 16 for near infrared light are attached to the frame 15. The lamp 16 can uniformly irradiate the fruits and vegetables 13 when the fruits and vegetables 13 placed on the tray 12 and conveyed pass a predetermined measurement point. In the embodiment, the fruits and vegetables 13 are radiated. A plurality of upper lamps 16A for irradiating the measuring light from above are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction Y orthogonal to the conveying direction X of the conveyor belt 11, and the fruits and vegetables 13
On the other hand, a plurality of side lamps 16B that irradiate the measurement light from the left and right directions are dispersedly arranged on the circumference around the measurement point.

The measurement light from the large number of lamps 16 arranged as described above is projected so as to be condensed at the center of the fruits and vegetables 13 through the projection slit 17 and the condenser lens 18, but at the time of projection. The amount of light is adjusted according to the size of the fruits and vegetables 13. In the present embodiment, the irradiation light amount is adjusted by changing the number of lamps 16 to be turned on by the control unit 30 (FIG. 8) according to the size of the fruits and vegetables 13 as shown in the table of FIG. is there. In addition, when adjusting the number of lights, so that you can project from various angles of fruits and vegetables 13,
For example, the lamps 16 are lit like every other one. Further, the angle of the lamp 16 may be changed according to the size of the fruits and vegetables 13 so that the lamp 16 collects light at the center of the fruits and vegetables 13. Further, the side lamp 16B may be slid up and down.

A vertical transmission hole 19 (FIG. 4) is provided at the bottom of the carrying tray 12. The irradiation light of the lamp 16 that irradiates the fruits and vegetables 13 passes through the inside of the fruits and vegetables 13 and is taken out from the transmission hole 19 of the tray 12.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a light receiving window provided on the transfer line 2,
Reference numeral 1 is a light receiving portion installed below the light receiving window 20. When the transport tray 12 reaches a predetermined measurement point, the light receiving window 20 overlaps with the transmission hole 19 of the transport tray 12 in the vertical direction, and guides the transmitted light passing through the transmission hole 19 to the light receiving unit 21. The transmitted light received by the light receiving unit 21 is analyzed by the analysis unit 22, and the internal quality (sugar content, acidity, ripeness, etc.) of the fruits and vegetables 13 is measured.

Reference numeral 23 denotes a transmitted light amount adjusting mechanism provided on the conveying line 10, and the transmitted light amount adjusting mechanism 23 shown in FIGS.
Is composed of a slide plate 24 slidably attached to the transfer line 10 and a plurality of throttle holes 25 having different diameters formed in the slide plate 24. The slide plate 24 is slid to form a throttle hole 25 of a desired size. By combining with the light receiving window 20, the aperture of the light receiving window 20 is adjusted and the light amount of the transmitted light is controlled. In addition, the transmitted light amount adjusting mechanism 23 is similar to that shown in FIGS.
As described above, a mechanism similar to the camera diaphragm may be used.

[0012]

The combination pattern is registered in advance in the control unit 30 as shown in the table of FIG. 10. For example, a large variety of fruits and vegetables 13, such as watermelon, requires a large amount of projected light so that 10 Since the lamp 16 is turned on and a large amount of transmitted light is required to be received, the light receiving window 20 is set to a large opening, and in the case of a small-sized mandarin orange, three lamps 16 are turned on and the light receiving window 20 is It is set to a small opening.

When carrying out the watermelon transport measurement, however, the item watermelon is selected, the slide plate 24 is slid to set the light receiving window 20 to a large opening, and the work is started. The sliding of the slide plate 24 is performed manually, but it is preferable that the slide plate 24 can be automatically driven by motor power depending on the item setting.

Then, the transport tray 12 on which the watermelon is placed
10 reaches a predetermined measurement position, as shown in the table of FIG. 10, ten lamps 16 are turned on and the measurement light is projected on the watermelon on the tray 12 from various angles evenly. The light passes through the inside of the tray 12 and is received by the light receiving unit 21 through the light receiving window 20 of the tray 12, and the internal quality (sugar content, acidity, maturity, etc.) is evaluated and measured by the analysis unit 22.

When carrying out measurement of mandarin oranges after carrying out watermelon carrying measurement, if the mandarin orange of the item of the control unit 30 is selected, three lamps 16 suitable for the mandarin orange measurement are selected and an appropriate light quantity is obtained. Since the adjustment is performed, all the settings can be easily changed from watermelon to mandarin orange by simply sliding the slide plate 24 to make the light receiving window 20 a small opening.

The light quantity of the lamp 16 can be adjusted by the power source resistance of the lamp 16 or the light shielding plate. However, when the items are frequently changed within a day, the light shielding plate is used. Is suitable for adjustment. This is because about 1 hour of warming up is required in order to stabilize the optical spectrum when adjusting the number of lamps 16 to be lit or adjusting with the power supply resistance. On the other hand, when the item switching frequency is low, adjustment by the number of lighting of the lamp 16 or adjustment by the power source resistance is suitable. This is because adjustment with the light shield is mechanically expensive.

[0017]

According to the present invention, the fruits and vegetables 13 conveyed by the conveyor belt 11 of the conveying line 10 are irradiated with the measuring light from the lamp 16 and the transmitted light transmitted through the fruits and vegetables 13 is received by the light receiving portion 21, In the analysis unit 22 which analyzes at least either sugar content, acidity or maturity,
The number of the lamps 16 is plural, and the light quantity of the measuring light of the lamps 16 is adjusted according to the size of the fruits and vegetables 13, and the transmission line 10 transmits the light transmitted through the fruits and vegetables 13. A fruit and vegetable evaluation device is provided with a light receiving window 20 that leads to a light receiving portion 21, and a transmitted light amount adjusting mechanism 23 that can adjust the opening degree of the light receiving window 20 in the light receiving window 20. According to this device, the light quantity of the measurement light and the light quantity of the transmitted light can be easily and appropriately adjusted according to the size of the fruits and vegetables 13, so that it is economical to evaluate the fruits and vegetables 13 of different varieties and sizes with a single transport line 10. Can be done Also,
The present invention is an apparatus for evaluating fruits and vegetables, wherein the amount of measuring light of the lamp 16 is adjusted by controlling the number of lights to be lit, and the amount of measuring light is changed without changing the intensity of each lamp 16. Therefore, the transmitted light transmitted through the fruits and vegetables 13 can be adjusted well. Further, according to the present invention, the lamp 16 is provided to the upper lamp 16A and the fruits and vegetables 13 which irradiate the fruits and vegetables 13 with measurement light from above when the fruits and vegetables 13 to be conveyed pass a predetermined measurement point. On the other hand, the side lamp 16B that radiates the measurement light from the left and right directions
Since it is a structured fruit and vegetable evaluation device,
The internal quality of the fruits and vegetables 13 can be measured more accurately. Also,
The present invention is an apparatus for evaluating fruits and vegetables, in which a plurality of the upper lamps 16A are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction Y orthogonal to the conveying direction X of the conveyor belt 11, and therefore, the internal quality of the fruits and vegetables 13 is evaluated. More accurate measurement is possible. Further, the present invention is an apparatus for evaluating fruits and vegetables in which the side lamps 16B are dispersedly arranged on the circumference centered on the measurement point, so that the internal quality of the fruits and vegetables 13 can be more accurately determined. Can be measured.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of an apparatus for evaluating fruits and vegetables according to the present invention.

2 is a side view of the device of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an arrangement state of side lamps.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing an arrangement state of an upper lamp and a side lamp.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a transmitted light amount adjusting mechanism using a slide plate.

6 is a front view of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a transmitted light amount adjusting mechanism using a camera-type diaphragm.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a transmitted light amount adjusting mechanism using a camera-type diaphragm.

FIG. 9 is a block circuit diagram.

FIG. 10 is a table showing a combination pattern of the opening degree of the light receiving window and the number of lighting lamps according to the size and variety of fruits and vegetables.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Conveying line, 11 ... Conveyor belt, 12 ... Conveying tray, 13 ... Fruits and vegetables, 13A ... Large fruits and vegetables, 13B ...
Small fruits and vegetables, 14 ... Evaluation device, 15 ... Frame, 16 ... Lamp, 16A ... Top lamp, 16B ... Side lamp, 17 ...
Projection slit, 18 ... Condensing lens, 19 ... Transmission hole, 20
... light receiving window, 21 ... light receiving portion, 22 ... analysis portion, 23 ... transmitted light amount adjusting mechanism, 24 ... slide plate, 25 ... diaphragm hole, 30 ...
Control unit.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A measuring light is emitted from a lamp 16 to fruits and vegetables 13 conveyed by a conveyor belt 11 of a conveying line 10, and a transmitted light transmitted through the fruits and vegetables 13 is received by a light receiving section 21, which is analyzed. 22. At least one of sugar content, acidity and maturity is analyzed at 22, and the lamp 16 is provided in plural and the quantity of the measuring light of the lamp 16 is adjusted according to the size of the fruits and vegetables 13. Further, a light receiving window 20 for guiding the light transmitted through the fruits and vegetables 13 to the light receiving section 21 is provided in the carrier line 10, and the light receiving window 20 has a transmitted light amount adjusting mechanism capable of adjusting the opening degree of the light receiving window 20. An evaluation device for fruits and vegetables provided with 23. 2. The fruit and vegetable evaluation device according to claim 1, wherein the light amount of the measuring light of the lamp 16 is adjusted by controlling the number of lights. 3. The upper portion of claim 1, wherein the lamp 16 irradiates the fruits and vegetables 13 with measuring light from above when the conveyed fruits and vegetables 13 pass through a predetermined measurement point. An apparatus for evaluating fruits and vegetables comprising a lamp 16A and a side lamp 16B for irradiating the fruits and vegetables 13 with measuring light from the left and right directions. 4. The upper lamp 16 according to claim 3,
A is a fruit and vegetable evaluation device in which a plurality of the fruits and vegetables are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction Y orthogonal to the conveying direction X of the conveyor belt 11. 5. The fruit and vegetable evaluation device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the side lamps 16B are dispersedly arranged on a circumference centered on the measurement point.