JP2007021383A - Sorting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sorting machine capable of enhancing a sorting performance. <P>SOLUTION: In the color sorting machine 10, grains G paid out by a pay out roll 26 and freely dropped off are photographed by a camera 28 and the grains G determined as poor grains based on an image photographed by the camera 28 and freely dropped off below a position to be photographed by the camera 28 is flicked out from a free dropping off track by an ejector 40, thereby, the grains G are sorted to good grains and poor grains. The grains G are guided by a guide groove 26A on a peripheral surface of the pay out roll 26, thereby, the grains G can be suppressed from being paid out not along a circumferential direction of the pay out roll 26 and a free dropping off direction of the grains G from the pay out roll 26 can be suppressed from being deviated in left/right directions. Thereby, the grains G determined as the poor grains can be certainly flicked out from the free dropping off track and the sorting performance can be enhanced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a sorter for sorting particles.

  As the color sorter, while the grain fed out by the rotating feeding roll freely falls, the grain is photographed by the front camera and the rear camera, and the image of the grain photographed by the front camera and the rear camera ( There is one that sorts a grain into a non-defective product and a defective product by the ejector flipping the grain determined to be defective based on the color) below the imaged position of the kernel (for example, Patent Document 1). reference).

However, in this color sorter, since the peripheral surface of the feeding roll is uniformly smooth, the grain is fed out without being along the circumferential direction of the feeding roll. The free fall direction of the grains tends to shift in the axial direction of the feeding roll. For this reason, the ejector cannot reliably play the grain judged to be defective based on the grain images photographed by the front camera and the rear camera, and the sorting performance may be lowered.
JP 2003-156447 A

  An object of the present invention is to obtain a sorter capable of improving sorting performance in consideration of the above facts.

  The sorter according to claim 1 is a feeding roll having a circular outer shape in cross section and rotated to feed and drop the granules supplied from above, and provided with guide grooves along the circumferential direction on the circumferential surface. And an image pickup means for picking up the particles that are fed out and dropped by the feed roll, and an image of the particles picked up by the image pickup means for picking up the particles that are dropped below the position to be imaged by the image pickup means. Sorting means for sorting.

  In the sorting machine according to the first aspect, the feeding roll having a circular outer shape in cross section is rotated, and the granules supplied from the upper side of the feeding roll are fed out by the feeding roll and dropped. Further, the imaging unit picks up the particles that are fed and dropped by the feeding roll, and selects the particles that are dropped below the position to be imaged by the imaging unit based on the image of the particles picked up by the imaging unit. Means sort out.

  Here, the guide groove along the circumferential direction of the feeding roll is provided on the peripheral surface of the feeding roll. For this reason, it can suppress that a granule is drawn out without being along the peripheral direction of a feeding roll because a granule is guided by a guide groove, and the fall direction of a granule from a feeding roll goes to the axial direction of a feeding roll. Shifting can be suppressed. Thereby, based on the image of the granular material imaged by the imaging means, the sorting means can reliably sort the granular material, and the sorting performance can be improved.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a color sorter 10 as a sorter according to an embodiment of the present invention as seen from the front side, and FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of the color sorter 10 as seen from the right side. It is shown in the figure. Further, FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the main part of the color sorter 10 as seen from the front diagonal right side, and FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the color sorter 10 as seen from the diagonal front left side. It is shown.

  The color sorter 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the entire circumferential surface of the color sorter 10 is covered with a cover 12 partially illustrated in FIG.

  On the left side of the color sorter 10, a funnel-shaped supply hopper 14 is fixed as an input part on the outer side of the lower side, and the grain G (rice milling machine) as a granule from the upper side is fixed to the supply hopper 14. In addition, rice grains such as white rice, brown rice, and soy beans from the detaching machine are also introduced), whereby the grain G is supplied to the color sorter 10.

  On the outer side of the left side of the color sorter 10, a first elevator 16 as a first graining means is provided inside the supply hopper 14. The lower end of the first elevator 16 is connected to the lower end of the supply hopper 14, and the first elevator 16 conveys the grain G put into the supply hopper 14 from the lower end to the upper end.

  In the upper part of the color sorter 10, a substantially rectangular cylindrical first tank 18 as a first supply means is provided on the left rear side, and the first tank 18 extends to the upper end of the first elevator 16. The conveyed grain G is supplied from the upper side. Moreover, the lower part of the 1st tank 18 is made into the funnel shape.

  The rear portion of the color sorter 10 is provided with a vibration feeder 20 (straight forward feeder) as a sending means below the first tank 18, and the trough (basin) of the vibration feeder 20 has an upper surface and a front surface. It is an open rectangular parallelepiped box. A partition wall 20 </ b> A is provided in the trough of the vibration feeder 20, and the partition wall 20 </ b> A is centered in the left-right direction in the trough of the vibration feeder 20 with the first sending unit 22 on the left side and the second sending unit 24 on the right side. Partitioning. The lower end of the first tank 18 is disposed immediately above the bottom surface of the first delivery unit 22, and the bottom surface of the first delivery unit 22 and the lower end of the first tank 18 are slightly separated from each other. The trough of the vibration feeder 20 has a bottom wall top surface (bottom surfaces of the first delivery unit 22 and the second delivery unit 24) reciprocally vibrated in the front-rear direction, and is supplied to the first tank 18 from the lower end of the first tank 18. The grains G that have flowed down to the bottom surface of the first delivery unit 22 are sent out from the rear side to the front side through the bottom surface of the first delivery unit 22 while being aligned while being vibrated (uniformly scattered). It flows down from the front end of 22 by a predetermined amount.

  On the front side (downstream side) of the vibration feeder 20, a feeding roll 26 having a circular outer shape (roll shape) as a feeding means is provided. As shown in detail in FIGS. 5A and 5B, a plurality of guide grooves 26 </ b> A having an inverted trapezoidal cross section are formed on the circumferential surface of the feeding roll 26 at equal intervals in the left-right direction (axial direction of the feeding roll 26). The guide groove 26A is formed along the circumferential direction of the feeding roll 26 and over the entire circumference of the feeding roll 26, and the width in the left-right direction is substantially the same as or slightly longer than the major axis of the grain G. Yes. The feeding roll 26 is rotated about the central axis in the direction from the rear side toward the front side, and the feeding roll 26 flows down from the grain G flowing down from the front end of the first sending part 22 and from the front end of the second sending part 24 as described later. The grain G is fed while being guided to the guide groove 26 </ b> A by the feeding roll 26, and freely falls along the free fall trajectory P to the front side of the feeding roll 26. The peripheral surface of the feeding roll 26 is configured such that the grain G does not slide so much.

  Below the feeding roll 26, a camera 28 (CCD camera) as an imaging means is provided on the front side (or rear side) of the free fall trajectory P of the grain G from the feeding roll 26. The camera 28 is a line sensor camera having 512 pixels, for example, and the visual field center axis Q of the camera 28 is substantially horizontal and is directed to the free fall orbit P of the grain G. When the grain G that freely falls from the feeding roll 26 via the delivery part 22 reaches the vicinity of the visual field center axis Q, and when the grain G that freely falls from the feeding roll 26 via the second delivery part 24, the grain center axis Q When the vicinity is reached, a predetermined linear region wider than the lateral width of the free fall trajectory P from the feeding roll 26 of the grain G that has passed through the first sending unit 22 and the second sending unit 24 is set to the front side (one side). ) To capture (capture).

  Between the camera 28 and the free fall orbit P of the grain G, a pair of fluorescent lamps 30 and 32 are provided as illumination means, and the pair of fluorescent lamps 30 and 32 is a visual field center axis Q of the camera 28. Are arranged symmetrically on the upper side and the lower side to illuminate the grain G that freely falls along the free fall trajectory P.

  On the visual field center axis Q of the camera 28, a colorimetric plate 34 (reflecting plate) as a reflecting means is provided on the side opposite to the camera 28 of the free fall trajectory P of the grain G. The light reflectance is the same as that of the grain G, which is determined to be a good grain, so that the camera 28 can detect a predetermined amount of light and output a signal (video signal) of a predetermined level. .

  Between the free fall trajectory P of the grain G and the colorimetric plate 34, a pair of fluorescent lamps 36 and 38 are provided as additional illumination means. The grains G that are symmetrically arranged on the upper side and the lower side with respect to the central axis Q and fall freely along the free fall trajectory P are illuminated. The pair of fluorescent lamps 36 and 38 can be omitted.

  The shooting area of the camera 28 is divided into a plurality of parts in the left-right direction, and based on an image including the grain G (color of the grain G) shot in each divided shooting area of the camera 28, It is determined that the grain G in the divided photographing area where the pixel whose output signal level is lower than the threshold value (threshold level) is not detected is a good grain (for example, white grain) as the first grain. It is determined that the grain G in the divided photographing region where the pixel whose output signal level is lower than the threshold is detected is a defective grain as the second grain (for example, a colored grain such as a damaged grain due to illness or insect eating). The

  On the front side (or rear side) of the free fall trajectory P of the grain G, an ejector 40 as a sorting means is provided below the camera 28. The ejector 40 is of a flapper type (air nozzle and electromagnetic). It may be an air nozzle type using a valve). The ejector 40 includes a plate spring 42 having an L-shaped plate shape having elasticity, and a solenoid 44 corresponding to the plate spring 42. The ejector 40 includes a plurality of divided shooting areas divided in the left-right direction of the camera 28 and upper and lower parts. Correspondingly, a plurality of leaf springs 42 and solenoids 44 are provided in the left-right direction. The leaf spring 42 has an upper portion disposed above the solenoid 44 and a lower portion disposed between the plunger 44A of the solenoid 44 and the free fall trajectory P of the grain G, and the grain G is defective. The solenoid 44 of the channel corresponding to the upper and lower divided shooting areas of the camera 28 determined to be a grain is actuated (a voltage of a predetermined (for example, 36 V) is instantaneously applied), and the plunger 44A becomes the lower part of the leaf spring 42 Is pressed (pressed) momentarily, the leaf spring 42 is elastically deformed and enters the free fall trajectory P in the lower portion, and the grain G that freely falls below the position to be photographed by the camera 28 is free fall. It is ejected from the track P to the rear side. As a result, the grain G is primarily sorted into good grains that continue to fall freely along the free fall trajectory P and defective grains that are ejected from the free fall trajectory P by the ejector 40.

  Below the left side portion of the ejector 40, a cylindrical first good grain sorting cylinder 46 and a first defective grain sorting cylinder 48 constituting a sorting means are provided. The upper surface of the first good grain sorting cylinder 46 intersects the free fall orbit P of the grain G that has passed through the first delivery part 22 of the vibration feeder 20, and the upper surface of the first defective grain sorting cylinder 48 is the first good grain. It is arranged on the rear side of the sorting cylinder 46, and the first good grain sorting cylinder 46 is judged to be a good grain through the first delivery unit 22, and continues to fall freely along the free fall trajectory P (primary good Grain) flows in from the upper side, and the grain G (primary defective grain) which is judged to be defective grain through the first delivery part 22 and is ejected from the free fall orbit P to the rear side in the first defective grain sorting cylinder 48. It flows in from the upper side.

  Below the lower end of the first defective particle sorting cylinder 48, a first defective particle collection box 50 constituting a collecting means is provided. The first defective grain collection box 50 has a box shape with an open upper surface, and the first defective grain collection box 50 has a grain G (primary defective grain) determined as a defective grain from the first defective grain sorting cylinder 48. ) Is collected.

  Outside the rear surface of the color sorter 10, there is provided a second elevator 52 as a second granulating means that constitutes a repeating means. The lower end of the first good grain sorting cylinder 46 is connected to the lower end of the second elevator 52, and the second elevator 52 uses the grain G (primary good) determined to be good grains from the first good grain sorting cylinder 46. Grain) from the lower end to the upper end.

  In the upper part of the color sorter 10, a second tank 54 having a substantially rectangular cylindrical shape as a second supply means constituting a repeating means is provided on the rear side of the right part. 2 The grain G (primary good grain) conveyed to the upper end of the elevator 52 is supplied from the upper side. Moreover, the lower part of the 2nd tank 54 is made into the funnel shape.

  The lower end of the second tank 54 is disposed immediately above the bottom surface of the second delivery unit 24 of the vibration feeder 20, and the lower end of the second tank 54 and the bottom surface of the second delivery unit 24 are slightly separated from each other. Therefore, the grains G (primary good grains) supplied to the second tank 54 and flowing down from the lower end of the second tank 54 to the bottom surface of the second delivery unit 24 are arranged while being vibrated (evenly scattered). ), The bottom surface of the second delivery unit 24 is delivered from the rear side to the front side, and is flown down from the front end of the second delivery unit 24 by a predetermined amount.

  Thereby, the grain G (primary good grain) flowing down from the front end of the second delivery unit 24 is fed out by the feeding roll 26 and freely falls along the free fall trajectory P to the front side of the feeding roll 26. When the camera 28 is photographed from the front side when it reaches the vicinity of the visual field center axis Q, the grain G of each divided photographing area of the camera 28 is based on an image including the grain G photographed in each divided photographing area. Whether it is a good grain or a bad grain, and is secondarily sorted into a good grain that continues to fall freely along the free fall trajectory P and a faulty grain that is ejected from the free fall trajectory P by the ejector 40. The

  Below the right side portion of the ejector 40, a cylindrical second good grain sorting cylinder 56 and a second defective grain sorting cylinder 58, which constitute the sorting means, are provided. The upper surface of the second good grain sorting cylinder 56 intersects the free fall trajectory P of the grain G that has passed through the second delivery unit 24, and the upper surface of the second defective grain sorting cylinder 58 is the second good grain sorting cylinder 56. The grain G (secondary good grain) which is arranged on the rear side and is judged to be good grain through the second delivery unit 24 and continues to fall freely along the free fall trajectory P is arranged in the second good grain sorting cylinder 56. The grain G (secondary defective grain) that has flowed from the upper side and is judged as a defective grain through the second delivery unit 24 and ejected rearward from the free fall orbit P to the second defective grain sorting cylinder 58 from the upper side. Inflow.

  Below the lower end of the second defective particle sorting cylinder 58, a second defective particle collection box 60 constituting a collecting means is provided. The second defective grain collection box 60 has a box shape with an open upper surface, and the second defective grain collection box 60 has a grain G (secondary defect) determined as a defective grain from the second defective grain selection cylinder 58. Grain) is collected and collected.

  A good grain collection box 62 constituting a collecting means is provided below the lower end of the second good grain sorting cylinder 56. The good grain collection box 62 is formed in a box shape with an open upper surface, and the grain G (secondary good grain) determined to be good grains from the second good grain sorting cylinder 56 flows into the good grain collection box 62. To be collected.

  An operation panel 64 serving as an operation unit is provided on the upper front portion of the color sorter 10. In the operation panel 64, the color sorter 10 (first elevator 16, second elevator 52, vibration feeder 20, feeding roll 26 is provided. Camera 28, fluorescent lamps 30, 32, 36, 38, ejector 40, threshold value for determining good and bad grains, and the like.

  Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

  In order to select the grain G in the color sorter 10 having the above configuration, teaching processing for initial setting is performed at the time of initial introduction of the color sorter 10 or at a predetermined time. That is, when the operator instructs the start of the teaching process by operating the operation panel 64 or automatically every predetermined time, first, a predetermined shooting target area is shot by the camera 28, and an output signal from the camera 28 is output. A teaching process is performed based on this. Further, when the operator designates a desired threshold rate by operating the operation panel 64 and then instructs the start of the threshold setting process by operating the operation panel 64, the threshold setting process is started. In the threshold setting process, first, as in the teaching process, a predetermined shooting target area is shot by the camera 28, and the threshold setting process is performed based on an output signal from the camera 28.

  Next, the color selection process of the grain G shown in FIG. 5 is implemented.

  That is, when the grain G to be selected is input to the supply hopper 14 by the operator or a predetermined grain input machine, it is conveyed by the first elevator 16 and supplied to the first tank 18. The grain G is supplied to the first delivery unit 22 of the vibration feeder 20. Thereby, the grain G flows down from the front end of the 1st sending part 22, and falls freely along the free fall track | orbit P to the front side of the delivery roll 26. FIG.

  The grain G that freely falls along the free fall trajectory P is captured by the camera 28 from the front side, and it is judged whether it is a good grain or a bad grain. While (primary good grains) continue to fall freely along the free fall trajectory P, the grains G (primary fault grains) determined to be defective grains are ejected from the free fall trajectory P by the ejector 40, and the grains G Primary selection is made into good and bad grains.

  The grain G (primary defective grain) ejected from the free fall trajectory P flows into the first defective grain sorting cylinder 48 and is collected in the first defective grain collection box 50.

  The grains G (primary good grains) that continue to fall freely along the free fall trajectory P are supplied to the second tank 54 by flowing into the first good grain sorting cylinder 46 and being transported by the second elevator 52. Then, it is supplied to the second delivery unit 24 of the vibration feeder 20. Thereby, the grain G (primary good grain) flows down from the front end of the 2nd sending part 24, and falls freely along the free fall track P to the front side of the feed roll 26.

  The grain G (primary good grain) that freely falls along the free fall trajectory P is photographed by the camera 28 from the front side, and is judged to be good grain by judging whether it is good grain or defective grain. Grained grains G (secondary good grains) continue to fall freely along free fall trajectory P, while grains G (secondary faulty grains) judged to be defective grains are ejected from free fall trajectory P by ejector 40. Thus, the grain G is secondarily sorted into good grains and bad grains.

  The grain G (secondary defective grain) ejected from the free fall trajectory P flows into the second defective grain sorting cylinder 58 and is collected in the second defective grain collection box 60.

  The grains G (secondary good grains) that continue to fall freely along the free fall trajectory P flow into the second good grain sorting cylinder 56 and are collected in the good grain collection box 62.

  In the color sorter 10, while the grain G (secondary good grain) collected in the good grain collection box 62 is regarded as a good grain, it is collected in the first defective grain collection box 50 and the second defective grain collection box 60. The made grain G (primary defective grain and secondary defective grain) is regarded as a defective grain.

  Here, a guide groove 26 </ b> A is provided on the peripheral surface of the feeding roll 26 along the circumferential direction of the feeding roll 26 and over the entire circumference of the feeding roll 26. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the grain G from being fed along the circumferential direction of the feeding roll 26 by being guided by the guide groove 26 </ b> A, and the free fall direction of the grain G from the feeding roll 26. Can be prevented from shifting in the left-right direction (axial direction of the feeding roll 26).

  For this reason, the grain G that freely falls below the position to be photographed by the camera 28 is freely moved by the leaf springs 42 of the ejectors 40 corresponding to the divided photographing areas of the camera 28 and the upper and lower sides where the grain G is determined to be defective. It can be reliably ejected from the falling track P to the rear side, and the sorting performance can be improved.

  In addition, for this reason, the grain G fed from the feeding roll 26 via the first feeding section 22 of the vibration feeder 20 and the vibration feeder can be provided without providing a partition that partitions the feeding roll 26 at the center in the left-right direction (position of the partition wall 20A). It is possible to prevent the grain G fed from the feeding roll 26 from passing through the 20 second delivery sections 24.

  The color sorter 10 is configured such that the camera 28 is provided on the front side of the free fall trajectory P from the feed roll 26 of the grain G, but the front side of the free fall trajectory P from the feed roll 26 of the grain G. The camera 28 may be provided on the rear side. In this case, the visual field center axis Q of the rear camera 28 is tilted and directed to the free fall orbit P of the grain G, and the pair of fluorescent lamps 36 and 38 are relative to the visual field center axis Q of the rear camera 28. It is symmetrically arranged on the upper side and the lower side.

  Moreover, in this color sorter 10, although the granule of this invention was set as the grain G, it is good also as a structure which used the granule of this invention as the granulated plastic piece.

It is the schematic diagram seen from the front side which shows the color sorter | selector which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the schematic diagram seen from the right side which shows the color sorter | selector which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view seen from the front diagonal right side which shows the principal part of the color sorter | selector which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the perspective view seen from the front slanting left side which shows the color sorter | selector which concerns on embodiment of this invention. (A) is the perspective view seen from the front diagonal right side which shows the vibration feeder and feeding roll in the color sorter | selector which concerns on embodiment of this invention in detail, (B) concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows in detail the guide groove of the feeding roll in a color sorter.

Explanation of symbols

10 Color sorter (sorter)
26 Feeding roll 26A Guide groove 28 Camera (imaging means)
40 Ejector (sorting means)
G grain (grain)

Claims (1)

A rolling roll having a cross-sectional outer shape that is circular and rotated, feeds and drops the granules supplied from above, and is provided with guide grooves along the circumferential direction on the circumferential surface;
Imaging means for imaging the granules that are fed and dropped by the feeding roll;
A sorting unit that sorts particles that fall below a position to be imaged by the imaging unit based on an image of the particles captured by the imaging unit;
Sorting machine equipped with.

Images