JP2000292359A - Internal quality inspection method of vegetable and fruit and its device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique for executing, easily and correctly, internal quality inspection of vegetables and fruits regardless of the sizes of the vegetables and fruits. SOLUTION: This device is equipped with a light source part 10 for projecting pulsing light to a sample 30 of vegetables and fruits through a light irradiation window 30, a light-receiving part 40 installed on the side of the vegetables and fruits, for detecting emitted pulsing light emitted from the surface of the vegetables and fruits, and an oscilloscope 60 used as a discrimination part for discriminating a grade, an internal browning degree, freshness or the like of the vegetables and fruits corresponding to a detection level at the light- receiving part 40. And, the light-receiving part 40 has a light-receiving window 42 for allowing emitted pulsing light emitted from at least an apparent diameter part on the circumference along a plane rectangular to the projecting direction, to enter a light-receiving element 43 selectively.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a non-destructive inspection of fruits and vegetables, such as apples, for non-destructive inspection of internal quality such as ripeness, freshness and internal defects. The present invention relates to an internal quality inspection method and an apparatus therefor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the inspection of fruits and vegetables, the grade and the like are determined mainly by judging the degree of ripeness of the fruits and vegetables based on the size and weight of the fruits and vegetables and the appearance shape and color at the time of harvest. Was. However, among fruits and vegetables, it is difficult to judge the internal quality such as ripeness by appearance such as shape and color.

[0003] In particular, some mature apples have a so-called "honey-filled state" in which the periphery of the apple core has a transparent nectar-filled portion extending along the vascular bundle, resulting in a unique flavor and taste. It is preferred as a luxury item. Such quantitative determination (gradation discrimination) of the apple-containing portion is performed by actually cutting out the extracted sample and visually inspecting it.

However, according to the sampling inspection method, all apples cut as sampled samples no longer have commercial value, so that not all apples can be inspected. On the other hand, there is no guarantee that the ripeness of the remaining apples other than the extracted sample is about the same as the ripeness of the test sample. For this reason, various techniques for non-destructively inspecting fruits and vegetables such as apples have been disclosed. For example, Reference 1: “Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-18615”
No. 9 discloses a technique for non-destructive measurement of honey symptom of apple fruit by light transmission of a single wavelength.

[0005] However, the technique described in Document 1 can effectively measure fresh apples immediately after harvesting. However, during long-term storage, the pulp and the entire flesh turn brown. For browned apples, the total amount of transmitted light was extremely small, and it was difficult to accurately determine the maturity and the like. In addition, there is a problem that a difference occurs in the determination depending on the color of the apple peel.

Therefore, the inventor according to the present invention has disclosed the following document 2:
In JP-A-8-201290, the internal quality is non-destructively accurate over a wide range of ripeness from nectar-containing ripeness to browned one without being affected by the color of apple peel. A technique that can be distinguished is disclosed.

Further, the inventor of the present invention disclosed in Reference 3:
No. 0-54794 "discloses a technique for measuring the intensity of pulsed light transmitted through fruits and vegetables. According to this technique, the grade, internal browning, freshness, and the like of the fruits and vegetables can be easily determined nondestructively without being affected by the color of the peel of the fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, since this technique uses pulsed light as a light source, there is a low risk of erroneous determination due to ambient light noise, and the technique is excellent in that ambient lighting can be brightened to perform work.

[0008] The amount of transmitted light pulsed light depends on the size of the fruits and vegetables. Therefore, according to the technique disclosed in Reference 3, the intensity of the detected pulse light is corrected according to the size of the fruit or vegetable. As a result, measurement errors can be eliminated irrespective of the size of fruits and vegetables, and more accurate internal quality inspection can be performed.

Reference 4: "Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-300689"
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-163,887 discloses a technique for non-contact measurement of fruits and vegetables, in which the absorbance measured laterally with respect to the light projection direction is normalized to two wavelengths, and then the sugar content and the like are detected by a calibration coefficient. . According to the technique disclosed in Document 4, by using two wavelengths for measurement, accurate and stable measurement can be performed even if the size of fruits and vegetables is different.

[0010]

However, the technique disclosed in the above-mentioned reference 3 is excellent in that an accurate internal inspection can be performed regardless of the size of the fruit or vegetable, but the detection pulse light intensity depends on the size of the fruit or vegetable. Needs to be corrected,
There was room for technical improvement. Further, in the technique disclosed in the above-mentioned Document 4, two-wavelength light must be used for the measurement, and the calibration coefficient must be calculated by performing the two-wavelength normalization. For this reason,
There has been a problem that the device configuration becomes complicated and the device becomes expensive.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a technique capable of easily and accurately inspecting the internal quality of fruits and vegetables regardless of the size of the fruits and vegetables.

[0012]

In order to achieve this object, according to the method for inspecting the internal quality of fruits and vegetables according to the first aspect of the present invention, a pulse light is projected on the fruits and vegetables and emitted from the surface of the fruits and vegetables. In detecting the intensity of the emitted pulse light, and determining the grade, internal browning degree, freshness, etc. of the fruits and vegetables in accordance with the detection level, of the emitted pulse light, the circumference of the emitted pulse light along a plane orthogonal to the projection direction This is a method for detecting the intensity of the emitted pulse light emitted from at least the apparent diameter portion.

The intensity of the emitted pulse light per unit area of the surface of the fruit or vegetable decreases as the size (ball size) of the fruit or vegetable increases. However, as described with reference to FIG. 1 in a later-described embodiment, the sum of the brightness of the entire circumference of the surface of the fruits and vegetables along a plane orthogonal to the projection direction of the pulse light is a ball. It is substantially constant regardless of size. As a result, the total brightness of the circumferential portion sandwiched by a fixed circumferential angle in the entire circumference is also constant regardless of the ball size. Therefore, by detecting the brightness of the circumferential portion, that is, the intensity of the emitted pulse light emitted from the circumferential portion, it is possible to perform the measurement excluding the influence of the ball size.

Therefore, in the present invention, the output pulse light emitted from the apparent diameter portion is detected. The circumferential angle connecting both ends of the apparent diameter and the axis varies slightly depending on the ball size. However, the error of this circumferential angle is small,
Practically no problem. That is, to detect the intensity of the emitted pulse light emitted from the apparent diameter portion, practically, to detect the intensity of the emitted pulse light emitted from the circumferential portion sandwiched by a certain circumferential angle. It is equivalent to that.

Therefore, according to the present invention, if the internal quality of fruits and vegetables is the same, the detected output pulse light intensity is
It is substantially the same regardless of the ball size. Accordingly, in the present invention, the internal quality inspection of the fruits and vegetables can be easily and accurately performed regardless of the size of the fruits and vegetables.

It is also possible to individually and strictly specify a circumferential portion having a constant circumferential angle for fruits and vegetables having different ball sizes, and selectively detect the intensity of the emitted pulse light at that portion. However, practically, it is much easier to detect the intensity of the emitted pulse light from the apparent diameter portion, and the detection accuracy is sufficient.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for projecting pulsed light from the top of a fruit or vegetable to the direction of the peduncle or vice versa. Fruits and vegetables usually have a shape that is almost symmetrical about the axis. Also, the internal structure of the fruits and vegetables is almost symmetrical with respect to the axis. In particular, the honey-containing portion is radially distributed about the axis in the cross section of the fruit or vegetable.

Therefore, when the pulse light is projected from the flower top or the stem portion along the axis, the pulse light is substantially uniformly scattered radially around the axis and passes through the flesh. Reach the surface of fruits and vegetables. As a result, the brightness of each point on the circumference of the fruit or vegetable becomes substantially equal, and a substantially uniform detection result can be obtained from any direction on the side of the fruit or vegetable. For this reason, more accurate inspection of the internal quality of fruits and vegetables can be performed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for detecting the intensity of pulsed light emitted from the whole circumference of the fruit or vegetable on the circumference. As described above, if the intensity of the emitted pulse light from the entire circumference is detected, more accurate inspection can be realized.

According to the apparatus for inspecting the internal quality of fruits and vegetables according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the light source unit for projecting pulsed light to the fruits and vegetables at the inspection position, and the optical axis of the light source unit at the inspection position. A light receiving unit that is provided on the side of the fruits and vegetables and detects the output pulse light emitted from the surface of the fruits and vegetables, and a determination unit that determines the grade of the fruits and vegetables, the degree of internal browning, freshness, and the like according to the detection level in the light receiving unit. With
The light receiving section is configured to detect the intensity of the outgoing pulse light emitted from at least an apparent diameter portion on a circumference along a plane orthogonal to the projection direction, of the outgoing pulse light.

With such a configuration, according to the present invention, if the internal quality of fruits and vegetables is the same, the detected output pulse light intensity is substantially the same regardless of the ball size. Accordingly, in the present invention, the internal quality inspection of the fruits and vegetables can be easily and accurately performed regardless of the size of the fruits and vegetables.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the light receiving section emits the light from the light receiving element and at least an apparent diameter portion of the outgoing pulse light on a circumference along a plane perpendicular to the projection direction. Outgoing pulsed light to selectively enter the light receiving element. According to this structure, the range of the surface of the fruit and vegetable that can be seen from the light receiving element can be easily limited to a region including the apparent diameter portion by the light receiving window.

According to the invention described in claim 6, the light-receiving unit includes: an imaging device that captures a side image of a fruit or vegetable with respect to the optical axis of the light source unit; The image processing apparatus is configured to detect the brightness in a measurement frame including at least an apparent diameter portion on a circumference along a plane orthogonal to the projection direction. According to this configuration, by detecting the brightness in the measurement frame, it is possible to easily detect the intensity of the emitted pulse light from a region including the apparent diameter portion on the surface of the fruit or vegetable.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when the fruits and vegetables are placed at the inspection position, the light source unit automatically emits light. In the present invention, the light receiving unit is provided on the side with respect to the projection direction of the pulse light. Therefore, a space can be secured above the light source unit. For this reason, fruits and vegetables can be easily placed at the inspection position. Therefore,
If the light source unit automatically emits light when the inspection object is placed, the inspection can be performed very easily. For example, an inspection can be easily performed simply by placing the fruits and vegetables with one hand and holding them without changing the fruits and vegetables.

As a means for automatically causing the light source section to emit light, a conventionally known arbitrary suitable method can be used. For example, it is preferable that a push button switch is provided at the inspection position, and when a fruit or vegetable is placed, the push button switch is pressed and the light source unit emits light. Further, for example, a monitoring device that monitors the presence or absence of fruits and vegetables at the inspection position may be provided, and the light source unit may emit light when the monitoring device detects the fruits and vegetables.

[0026]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, the basic principle of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view in the case where two fruits and vegetables having different sizes are artificially manufactured as spheres Φ1 and Φ2, respectively. Point 01 and point 0
2 is the center point of the spheres Φ1 and Φ2, respectively.

Here, as shown in FIG. 1, pulse light is projected from the bottom of the spheres Φ1 and Φ2 along the central axis C toward the upper side of the drawing. The projected pulse light reaches the surface of the sphere while being uniformly absorbed and scattered by minute cells inside fruits and vegetables such as apples and bubbles in the gaps. At this time, this pulse light has a height H from the bottom incident end.
It is assumed that the position uniformly reaches the circumference which is the intersection line between the plane orthogonal to the central axis C and the surface of the sphere.

Therefore, assuming that the total circumference of the circumference is L and the pulse light intensity (brightness) at a point p on the circumference is b, the brightness b is considered to be inversely proportional to the total circumference L. , And is represented by the following equation (1). b = k / L (1) where k is a proportional constant.

The total brightness B of the entire circumference is given by the following equation (2). ^{_{B = bΣ 0 2 π (ΔL}} ) = b × L ... (2) Further, substituting the equation (2) (1), the following equation (3). B = (k / L) × L = k (3)

Therefore, as shown in the above equation (3),
The total brightness B of the entire circumference is a constant value k regardless of the size of the sphere. That is, if the radius of the circumference is r, L
= 2πr, the use of r instead of L only changes the value of the proportionality constant k in equation (3). Also,
The range B of the total brightness shown in the above equation (2) is defined as the total circumference (0
２2π) and a constant circumferential angle, the sum of the brightness at the circumferential portion of the sector having the circumferential angle is a constant value regardless of the size of the sphere.

Furthermore, in practice, even if an apparent diameter is used instead of a constant circumferential angle, the angle between the ends of the diameter and the center point of the circumference is slightly different in the size of the fruits and vegetables. However, in practice, it can be regarded as a constant angle. For this reason, the sum of the brightness in the circumferential portion can be regarded as a substantially constant value. Therefore, by detecting the output pulse light emitted from the apparent diameter portion, the internal quality inspection of the fruits and vegetables can be easily and accurately performed regardless of the size of the fruits and vegetables.

[First Embodiment] Next, referring to FIG.
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a longitudinal section and a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the fruit and vegetable internal quality inspection device of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, this device includes a light source unit 10, an aperture plate 21, a light receiving unit 40, an amplifier 50 and an oscilloscope 60 as a determination unit.

The light source unit 10 is a means for projecting pulsed light to a sample 3 such as fruits and vegetables at the inspection position. The light source unit 10 includes the lamp 1 arranged in the light source box 14.
2 and a reflecting mirror (mirror) 13 and a lens 1 provided in an opening of the light source box 14 for converting pulsed light into parallel light.
1. Here, as the lamp 12, for example, a xenon flash discharge lamp, a laser or a light emitting diode driven by a pulse current, or a halogen incandescent lamp may be used. In this embodiment, 15W
Xenon flash lamp was used.

Further, in the first embodiment, the inspection position means that the sample 3 such as a fruit or vegetable is placed on the light irradiation window 20 of the aperture plate 21.
The position of the sample 30 when 0 is placed. The aperture plate 21 is provided so that the pulse light emitted from the light source unit 10 does not directly illuminate the detection site of the emitted pulse light on the sample surface. This is because if the detection position of the output pulse light is directly illuminated by the projection pulse light, it becomes difficult to perform an accurate inspection.

Although not disclosed in the present embodiment, the light source unit 10 automatically emits light when a sample is placed on the diaphragm plate 21 at the inspection position. here,
A push button (not shown) is provided below the aperture plate 21, and when a fruit or vegetable is placed on the aperture plate 21, the push button is pressed and the light source unit 10 emits light.
In this way, when the fruits and vegetables are placed, if the light source unit automatically emits light, without switching the fruits and vegetables,
Inspection can be easily performed simply by placing the fruits and vegetables with one hand and placing them.

When placing the fruits and vegetables on the fruits and vegetables, the pulse light is projected from the fruits and vegetables to the fruits and fruits in the direction of the fruits and fruits, or vice versa. It is good to put on. When placed in this manner, pulsed light is projected in the direction along the axis of the fruit or vegetable. As a result, it is possible to make the pulse light reach the circumference of the surface of the fruit or vegetable almost evenly.

The pulse light emitted from the light source unit 10 is projected onto the sample 30 through the light irradiation window 20. Here, the circular light irradiation window 20 has a diameter R1 smaller than the diameter of the sample 30.
= 40 mm. The pulsed light projected on the sample is radially and substantially uniformly scattered inside the sample, passes through the inside of the sample, and reaches the sample surface.

Then, the emitted pulse light emitted from the sample surface is detected by the light receiving section 40. The light receiving unit 40
The light source unit 10 is provided on the side of the sample at the inspection position with respect to the optical axis (the vertical direction in the drawing). If the light receiving unit 40 is provided on the side in the projection direction of the pulse light in this way, even if the light source unit 10 emits light when there is no fruit or vegetable at the inspection position, the pulse light directly hits the light receiving unit 40. And the occurrence of a failure can be suppressed.

In the first embodiment, the light receiving section 40 includes a light receiving element 43 disposed inside the light receiving box 41 and a light receiving window 42 as an opening of the light receiving box 41. The light receiving window 42 has a lateral distance L1 = 8 from the optical axis of the light source unit 10.
It is arranged at a position separated by 0 mm. Further, the light receiving element 43 is disposed at a position away from the light receiving window 42 by L2 = 100 mm.

Here, the arrangement relationship between the light receiving window 42 and the light receiving element 43 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 2 at a position AA at a height H = 35 mm from the position of the diaphragm plate 21. As shown in FIG. 3, the light receiving window 42 is an opening having a slit shape that is long and narrow in width, and emitted pulse light emitted from at least an apparent diameter portion on a circumference along a plane perpendicular to the projection direction. Is selectively arranged to be incident on the light receiving element.

The viewing angle θ over which the light receiving element 43 can be seen from the light receiving window 42 is equal to the distance L2 from the light receiving element 43 to the light receiving window 42.
And the width W1 of the light receiving window 42. The width W1 of the light-receiving window is the apparent diameter of a sample having an assumed maximum diameter placed at a detection position L1 = 80 mm away from the light-receiving window 42 at a height H = 35 mm from the diaphragm plate 21. Decide so you can look around. In the first embodiment, the assumed maximum diameter is 120 mm, and the width of the light receiving window 42 is W1 = 75 mm.
And The height of the light receiving window 42 was 10 mm.

The light receiving window 42 may be provided with a filter for selecting a suitable wavelength in accordance with the kind of fruits and vegetables to be measured. For example, when inspecting apples, it is preferable to use a near-infrared filter that blocks a wavelength of 650 nm or less in order to remove the influence of the color of the apple peel.

When a spherical sample is placed on the light irradiation window 20, the sample 30 is stable because its bottom fits into the light irradiation window 20 of the aperture plate 21. At this time, the sample 30 sinks by an amount fitting into the light irradiation window. The depth of this subduction is, when the sample diameter is the assumed maximum diameter of 120 mm,
3.4 mm, the sample diameter is assumed to be 80 mm minimum diameter
Is 5.4 mm. Therefore, in the case of the sample having the assumed minimum diameter, the height of H = 35 mm from the aperture plate 21 is approximately the position of the equator of the sphere.

The average diameter of the apple was about 9
In the case of 5 mm, the sink is 4.4 mm. In other words, the difference in subduction depth due to the size of the spherical sample is
It is within ± 1 mm of the average diameter. In contrast, ordinary apples have irregularities of about 1 cm at the flower top even though they are of the same size. Therefore, the difference in the submersion depth depending on the size of the sample can be ignored in practical use.

The detection signal from the light receiving section 43 is amplified by the amplifier 50 and input to the oscilloscope 60. Then, the oscilloscope 60 displays the waveform of the emitted pulse light. The output pulse light intensity is represented by the height of this waveform.

In determining the internal quality based on the height of the pulse waveform, a plurality of comparators may be provided to automatically determine the internal quality. The comparator operates based on a value of a preset judgment level. Then, the detected pulse waveform may be compared with the determination level, and the determination result may be automatically output, for example, for each grade of apple containing honey. Note that the configuration of the determination unit can use a conventionally known arbitrary and suitable technology such as the technology disclosed in the above-mentioned Document 3.

Next, a description will be given of the detection result of the emitted pulse light when a sample instead of fruits and vegetables is used. Here, a styrene foam sphere containing countless fine air bubbles very similar to the apple pulp structure was used as the sample 30. Then, emitted pulse light was detected for samples having a diameter of 10 mm from 70 mm to 120 mm in diameter.

First, the following Table 1 shows the detection results of the comparative example. In this comparative example, the brightness of a certain area on the surface of the sample 30 was detected. Therefore, in the comparative example, the shape of the light receiving window was a circle having a diameter of 10 mm. In the table below, the amount of light is conveniently represented by the height (cm) of a waveform in an oscilloscope. However, the display sensitivity of the oscilloscope was set to 10 mV / cm. As the display sensitivity, any suitable sensitivity may be selected according to the signal strength after amplification input to the oscilloscope.

[0049]

[Table 1]

From the above Table 1, it can be seen that the light amount per unit area decreases as the diameter of the sample 30 increases. The amount of light per unit area corresponds to the brightness b in the above equation (1).

Next, Table 2 below shows that the light receiving window 42 has a width W1.
7 shows the detection results in the case of a horizontally long slit shape of = 75 mm. Here, the amount of emitted pulse light from a band-like region including the apparent diameter on the sample surface was detected. In this case, the display sensitivity of the oscilloscope was switched to one-tenth of the sensitivity of the comparative example, and was set to 100 mV / cm.

[0052]

[Table 2]

From Table 2 above, it can be seen that the light amount is substantially constant regardless of the size of the sample 30. And
Since the variation of the light amount is about 4%, the light amount can be regarded as substantially constant. Therefore, if the internal quality of the fruits and vegetables is the same, the detected output pulse light intensities are substantially the same regardless of the ball size. Then, as the height of the waveform of the oscilloscope, the grade, the degree of internal browning, the freshness, and the like of the fruits and vegetables can be determined. Thereby, regardless of the size of the fruits and vegetables, the internal quality inspection of the fruits and vegetables can be easily and accurately performed.

[Second Embodiment] Next, referring to FIG.
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of the fruit and vegetable internal quality inspection apparatus according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, around the sample 30, three light receiving portions 40a, 40b and 40c
Are arranged at 120 ° intervals. Thus, by arranging the three light receiving sections, the intensity of the emitted pulse light emitted from the entire circumference of the sample 30 can be detected. As a result, it is possible to realize a more accurate inspection (for example, an inspection in a honey state).

[Third Embodiment] Next, referring to FIG.
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In order to continuously and efficiently inspect the internal quality of a large number of apples and the like, it is desirable to transport the apples on a belt conveyor and sequentially inspect the apples at a passing point during the transport.

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining the configuration of the third embodiment, and shows a state in which an apple being conveyed by a belt conveyor (not shown) is viewed from above. In the third embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, two light receiving units 40a and 40b are arranged facing each other on both sides in the transport direction of the belt conveyor. The detection results of the respective light receiving units 40a and 40b are amplified by amplifiers 81 and 82, respectively, and then added by an adder 83.
Is input to Then, the level determination section 84 determines the internal quality.

Then, fruits and vegetables such as apples are placed on a transport plate 70 which also serves as a diaphragm plate provided with an opening of a light irradiation window at the center, and is transported by a belt conveyor having an opening at the center. The upper surface of the transport tray 70 is covered with a flexible rubber sheet so as not to damage the fruits and vegetables.

Further, in the third embodiment, the light receiving section is installed below the belt conveyor between the two light receiving sections 40a and 40b. Then, it is detected by a photoelectric switch or the like that the fruit or vegetable on the transport plate 70 has come on the optical axis connecting the two light receiving sections 40a and 40b, and the light receiving section is made to emit light, and the emitted pulse light is detected. In addition, as a configuration of an electric circuit and an electric signal processing technique for determining the light emission timing and the like, any conventionally known arbitrary suitable one can be used.

[Fourth Embodiment] Next, referring to FIG.
A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the configuration of the fourth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, in the fourth embodiment, the light receiving unit includes a video camera 90 as an imaging device and an image processing device 91.

The video camera 90 captures a side image of the fruits and vegetables 30 with respect to the optical axis of the light source unit 10. In addition, the image processing device 91 includes, among side images when the light source unit 10 emits light,
The brightness in a measurement frame including at least an apparent diameter portion on a circumference along a plane orthogonal to the projection direction is detected. Note that the image processing device 91 can be easily realized by a normal image processing computer.

In FIG. 6, on the monitor screen 100, the band-shaped measurement frame 101 of the apple image 130 on the transport dish image 121 is displayed.
Part is shown. The width W2 of this measurement frame 101 is
It is determined to include 30 apparent diameter portions on a constant circumference. Then, if the sum of the brightness of all the pixels in the measurement frame 101 is obtained, the internal quality inspection can be performed irrespective of the ball size, as in the above embodiments.

In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the present invention is configured under specific conditions has been described. However, the present invention can be variously modified. For example, in the above-described embodiment, an example was described in which apples were used as fruits and vegetables, but in the present invention, fruits and vegetables are not limited thereto,
For example, the present invention can be applied to the determination of ripeness of melon or the like.

[0063]

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, the intensity of the emitted pulse light emitted from the apparent diameter portion is detected. Therefore, regardless of the size of the fruits and vegetables, the internal quality inspection of the fruits and vegetables can be easily and accurately performed. Therefore, in the present invention, there is no need to measure the ball size other than the internal quality inspection. Also, there is no need to correct the internal quality inspection according to the ball size. Further, since it is not necessary to measure or correct the ball size, the measurement circuit can be simplified.

Further, in the present invention, since the light receiving section is arranged on the side, there is no restriction that the light receiving section is arranged to face the light source section. Therefore, according to the present invention, the degree of freedom in designing the inspection apparatus is higher than when the light receiving section is arranged above the light source section. For this reason, it is easy to design a device that is easy to maintain and has high workability.

In particular, when inspecting manually, fruits and vegetables can be easily placed at the inspection position with one hand. In this case, if the light-receiving unit is automatically turned on by placing the fruits and vegetables, the inspection can be performed one after another while holding the fruits and vegetables with one hand, and the working efficiency can be greatly improved with a simple device. Can be.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a basic principle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a vertical section and a block diagram for explaining the configuration of the internal quality inspection apparatus for fruits and vegetables according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining a configuration of a fruit and vegetable internal quality inspection apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view and a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a fruit and vegetable internal quality inspection apparatus according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining a configuration of a fruit and vegetable internal quality inspection apparatus according to a fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 light source unit 11 lens 12 lamp 13 mirror 14 light source box 20 light irradiation window 21 aperture plate 30 sample 40, 40a, 40b, 40c light receiving unit 41 light receiving box 42 light receiving window 43 light receiving element 50 amplifier 60 oscilloscope 70 transport plate 81, 82 amplifier 83 adder 84 level discriminator 90 video camera 91 image processing device 100 monitor 101 measuring frame 121 apple image 131 transport dish image

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A pulse light is projected onto a fruit or vegetable to detect the intensity of the pulsed light emitted from the surface of the fruit or vegetable, and determine the grade, internal browning degree, freshness, etc. of the fruit or vegetable according to the detection level. In doing so, of the output pulse light, of the fruits and vegetables characterized by detecting the intensity of the output pulse light emitted from at least the apparent diameter portion on the circumference along the plane perpendicular to the projection direction Internal quality inspection method. 2. The method for inspecting the internal quality of fruits and vegetables according to claim 1, wherein the pulsed light is projected from the top of the fruits and vegetables to the direction of the fruits or vice versa. 3. The method for inspecting the internal quality of fruits and vegetables according to claim 1, wherein the intensity of the emitted pulse light emitted from the entire circumference of the fruits and vegetables is detected. 4. A light source unit for projecting pulsed light to fruits and vegetables at an inspection position, and an emission light provided at a side of the fruits and vegetables at the inspection position with respect to an optical axis of the light sources and emitted from the surface of the fruits and vegetables. A light receiving unit that detects pulse light, and a determination unit that determines the grade of the fruits and vegetables, the degree of internal browning, freshness, and the like in accordance with the detection level at the light receiving unit, wherein the light receiving unit includes An internal quality inspection apparatus for fruits and vegetables, wherein the intensity of emitted pulse light emitted from at least an apparent diameter portion on a circumference along a plane orthogonal to the projection direction is detected. 5. The light-receiving unit, comprising: a light-receiving element; and the emission pulse light, which is emitted from at least an apparent diameter portion on a circumference along a plane orthogonal to the projection direction, of the emission pulse light, 5. The apparatus for inspecting the internal quality of fruits and vegetables according to claim 4, further comprising a light receiving window for selectively entering the light receiving element. 6. The imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the light receiving unit captures a side image of the fruit or vegetable with respect to an optical axis of the light source unit, and the light receiving unit is orthogonal to the projection direction of the side image when the light source unit emits light. 5. The apparatus for inspecting the internal quality of fruits and vegetables according to claim 4, further comprising an image processing apparatus for detecting brightness in a measurement frame including at least an apparent diameter portion on a circumference along a plane. 7. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the light source automatically emits light when the fruits and vegetables are placed at the inspection position.