JP3606863B1 - Color sorter - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a color selection device capable of selecting a selection object having a relatively fine and thin eye and a small mass, which could not be selected conventionally.
A color sorting device that sorts objects having a predetermined color in a selection object W, which is provided with an inclination angle α and causes the object W to be slid downward to fly out in a predetermined direction. A predetermined distance from the chute 1, a cover 2 provided at a predetermined interval with respect to the chute surface and covering at least a part of the chute surface, and a lower end of the chute so that the trajectory of the object W jumping out from the lower end of the chute can be monitored. Inspection means 3 that is provided with an opening and inspects the color of the object W, and determination means that is connected to the inspection means and determines whether the object has a predetermined color based on the color of the object W obtained by the inspection means; And a separating means 4 that is provided at a predetermined interval from the lower end of the chute and that blows off the object W determined to have a predetermined color by the determining means and causes the object W to fall on a trajectory different from the trajectory falling from the chute. Was the color sorting apparatus.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a color sorting device for sorting the quality of sorting objects having various shapes and sizes such as blue glue and basil in addition to tea.

Conventionally, in order to remove defective products of different colors from foods such as rice and tea, a corrugated plate (chute) with a plurality of rows of V-shaped or U-shaped longitudinal grooves provided in the width direction is inclined at a constant angle. Then, the sorting object is slid down from the upper end and supplied to a color identification sensor which is an inspection means provided below the chute. For those judged to be defective by the sensor, separation means such as an ejector that injects compressed air is used. A color sorter that has a structure in which defective products are dropped on a track different from that of non-defective products is used.
Hereinafter, based on FIGS. 6-8, it demonstrates about the outline of the color selection apparatus which is the object of this invention.

The color sorting device has a chute (C1, C2) inclined at a certain angle with respect to the horizontal direction in order to cause the sorting object W to jump out in a certain direction, and an inspection means (S1) for inspecting the color of the sorting object W. , S2), a determination unit J connected to the inspection unit and analyzing the signal from the inspection unit to detect the presence or absence of a defective product (see FIG. 8), and when the defective unit is detected by the determination unit J It consists of separation means (V1, V2) for injecting compressed air onto the defective product to sort out the defective product from non-defective products, and these are provided on the frame P via a stay (not shown). The inspection means (S1, S2) and the separation means (V1, V2) are attached to the upper side of the dropping trajectory of the sorting object W at a position spaced from the lower end of the chute (C1, C2). In the examples shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the chute, the inspection means, and the separation means are cascaded in two stages. 6-8, as the chutes C1 and C2, as shown in FIG. 6B, a metal plate is bent into a corrugated shape and a large number of vertical grooves having a substantially V-shaped cross section are formed in the width direction of the machine. As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, an electromagnetic feeder as a supply means F is provided above the starting end portion, and the sorting object W is dropped and supplied to each vertical groove from there almost uniformly. It is like that. The inspection means S1, S2 and the separating means V1, V2 are attached in parallel at positions corresponding to the respective longitudinal grooves, and each operates independently. In the examples shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the inspection means S1 and S2 are formed by arranging photosensors, which are conventionally known photoelectric conversion elements, in parallel in the chute width direction. The inspection means S1 and S2 are adapted to detect the color and tone of the selection object W falling from the chute and are provided with an output circuit, and the detected value is transmitted to the determination means J in the form of an electric signal. It is supposed to be. The separating means V1 and V2 include an ejector having a plurality of injection holes arranged in the width direction of the chute, a solenoid valve (not shown) connected to each of the injection holes, and a compressor for supplying compressed air to them. Each of the injection holes is arranged toward the sorting object W that falls along the dropping trajectory through the lower end of the longitudinal groove of the chute. Each solenoid valve is electrically connected to a corresponding photosensor, and as shown in FIG. 8, a defective product whose color or tone is different from that of the non-defective product W1 by the judging means J based on signals from the inspection means S1 and S2. When W2 is detected, it is transmitted to the solenoid valves of the separating means V1 and V2, and the solenoid valve is opened. By blowing compressed air from the injection hole corresponding to the defective product W2, the defective product is rejected. It is removed from the drop trajectory of W1 and dropped along another trajectory to be selected as non-defective product W1.
However, in the color sorting apparatus as described above with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8, it is necessary to change the shape and size of the groove of the chute according to the shape and size of the sorting target, and the sorting target is the chute. It is difficult to say that the width direction of the chute is efficiently used, and in order to increase the processing capacity, the size of the machine is made extremely large especially in the width direction. There was a problem that it was necessary.

As an apparatus capable of solving such a problem, a chute having a plane portion corresponding to the width of the electromagnetic feeder serving as a supply means is used, and a fall range below the plane chute is substantially equal to a predetermined number in the width direction. There has already been provided a device in which a photoelectric inspection means and an air nozzle are arranged for each division and sorting is performed for each division in each division (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
However, each of the above conventional techniques still has the following problems.

  One of the problems is that a sorting object that is easily charged with static electricity adheres to the chute when it is dry in winter and does not slide, resulting in a significant drop in sorting performance. In other words, since the object to be sorted does not slide smoothly on the chute, a sufficient fall speed cannot be obtained, and it is not possible to fall with a falling trajectory normally followed by a good product, and therefore it is a good product. Nevertheless, there are frequent cases in which the product is collected as a defective product, and there is a problem that sufficient sorting accuracy cannot be obtained. Especially so-called powdery sorts such as green tea and deep-steamed tea, such as green tea with relatively fine eyes or many powdered parts, blue glue and basil, etc., with relatively fine eyes and thin and fine mass In the case of the object, the influence of the static electricity was great, and most of the selection objects supplied to the upper end of the chute remained on the chute adhering to the chute and could not slide down. This problem becomes more noticeable when the electromagnetic feeder is used as a supply means for supplying the sorting object to the upper end of the chute and the sorting object is charged by being shaken by the vibration of the electromagnetic feeder.

One measure for effectively preventing the above problem is to increase the inclination angle of the chute with respect to the horizontal plane. Here, when the inspection means is a photosensor, the focus is set near the lower end surface of the chute, so that the selection target converges at the lower end of the chute, that is, the selection target slides along the chute surface. If it falls, the sorting object can be accurately sorted. On the other hand, if the sorting object still jumps even at the lower end of the chute and does not converge, it jumps out from the lower end of the chute. Since the inspection means is out of focus with respect to the selected object, it causes false detection.
In other words, in order to accurately determine the quality of an object to be dropped from the lower end of the chute using a photosensor, the selected object slides along the surface of the chute at least at the lower end of the chute due to sensor detection limitations. When the slope of the chute with respect to the horizontal plane is steep, it is necessary to fall down, and the ratio that the selection target jumps on the chute surface but does not converge but reaches the lower end of the chute and jumps out of the chute chute. Then, the sorting object cannot be surely captured by the photo sensor, and there is a problem that the quality judgment of the sorting object cannot be accurately performed. Therefore, the inclination angle of the chute with respect to the horizontal plane may be increased more than a certain level. It was difficult. In the example described above with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8, the chute inclination angle α is approximately 54 ° and β is 45 ° (see FIG. 7).

However, a technique for performing an inspection means for performing color selection using a CCD camera has already been proposed in Patent Document 1 and the like. That is, the tea leaves falling from the chute are picked up by a CCD camera to obtain a digital image, and the color is determined based on the image, thereby selecting a good product and a defective product. In this CCD camera, an imaging region is provided in a line in the width direction of the chute immediately below the chute, and color determination is performed for the entire imaging region.
However, in the apparatus described in Patent Document 2, since the efficiency in the width direction of the chute is poor as in the example described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8 above, it can contribute to increase the sorting accuracy. It is difficult to increase the processing capacity of the apparatus. Furthermore, even if the inclination angle of the chute can be increased compared to the case where a photo sensor is used, it is still accurate if the selection object jumps on the chute surface but does not converge but jumps out of the chute chute. It was difficult to blow off defective products, and there was a certain limit to the tilt angle of the chute.

  As is clear from the above, in short, until now, green tea, deep steamed tea, etc., with relatively fine eyes, or green tea with many powdered parts, blue glue, basil, etc., the eyes are relatively fine, Moreover, a color sorting apparatus that can sort a thin and small mass to be sorted has not been put into practical use for a long time.

In addition, in a conventional apparatus using a longitudinal grooved chute (see the example described above with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8 and Patent Document 1), when selecting various selection objects, the shape of the selection object, etc. Accordingly, it is necessary to appropriately change the cross-sectional shape of the longitudinal grooves of the chute, the width and the arrangement pitch of the longitudinal grooves, and there is a problem that the versatility of the apparatus is lacking.
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-21163 JP 2003-275690 A

  Accordingly, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and not only green tea with relatively coarse eyes such as finished tea and rough tea, but also green tea with a relatively fine or powdery portion such as strawberry tea and deep steamed tea. Until now, it is an object to provide a color sorting device that can sort green tea of any shape. Another object of the present invention is to provide a color sorting apparatus that can sort a sorting object having a relatively fine eye, such as blue glue and basil, which could not be sorted conventionally, and which is thin and has a small mass.

  It is another object of the present invention to provide a color sorting device with higher sorting accuracy and processing capability. Others An object of the present invention is to provide a highly versatile color sorting device that can sort sorting objects of all shapes and sizes with a single device.

  As a result of various studies to solve the above problems, the inventor of the present invention, in a color selection apparatus in which the inspection means is based on image processing using a CCD camera, a chute for sliding down the selection object is provided in the longitudinal groove. If there is a flat surface with a cover that covers the top surface, and if the slope of the chute with respect to the horizontal plane is steeper than before, the object to be sorted will slide down on the chute smoothly. Thus, even if the selection object tends to be charged with static electricity, the selection object supplied to the upper end of the chute does not continue to stay on the chute and is continuously pushed downward by the subsequent selection object. The object to be sorted has a relatively fine eye, is thin and has a small mass, and the object to be sorted slides downward from the upper end of the chute. Even if it floats from the surface of the chute when going on, it is found that the object to be sorted can surely slide down along the surface of the chute by suppressing this with the cover, and the present invention is completed.

The color sorting device of the present invention that can solve the above-mentioned problems is (1) a color sorting device that sorts objects having a predetermined color in a selection object, and is provided with a predetermined inclination angle with respect to a horizontal plane. A chute that causes a selection object that is slid down from the upper part thereof to jump out in a predetermined direction, and a cover that is provided at a predetermined interval with respect to the surface of the chute and covers at least a part of the surface of the chute An inspection means for inspecting the color of the selection object, provided at a position spaced apart from the lower end of the chute so as to monitor the trajectory of the selection object jumping out from the lower end of the chute, A determination unit that is electrically connected to the inspection unit and determines whether the selection target has a predetermined color based on the color of the selection target obtained by the inspection unit; Provided at a position spaced from the lower end of the chute by a predetermined interval, the selection object determined to have a predetermined color by the determination means is blown, and the blown selection object is different from the trajectory falling from the chute And a separating means for dropping the liquid.
It should be noted that the cover provided in the color sorting apparatus of the present invention is such that the sorting object slides downward from the upper end of the chute when the sorting object has relatively fine eyes and is thin and has a small mass. When falling, it may float from the surface of the chute, so that the width of the fall trajectory of the selection target is reduced and the selection target surely slides down along the chute surface The main purpose is to do. In the case of such a selection object, since the rebound coefficient is small, even if it comes up from the surface of the temporary chute, once it hits the cover and is suppressed, the selection object does not repeatedly vibrate. It slides down along the surface.
Therefore, the above configuration of the present invention is, for example, a selection object such as beans, each small piece is relatively heavy and large and has a large so-called rebound coefficient, and is repeatedly rebounded after being supplied to the upper end of the chute. In order to absorb the vibration energy of each of the objects, an example in which the upper surface of the chute having a plurality of U-shaped longitudinal grooves in the width direction is covered with a flexible material such as a vinyl film at a predetermined interval, Both configuration and effect are different.

  In the color sorting apparatus of the present invention (1), (2) the chute is formed as a flat chute having a flat portion corresponding to the supply width of the sorting object, and the cover is formed on the surface of the chute. It consists of a plate-like body that is provided at a predetermined interval with respect to the chute and extends in at least a part of the width direction and the longitudinal direction of the chute. It is preferable that it is configured to slide down along.

  In the color selection device of the present invention (1) or (2), (3) the inclination angle of the chute with respect to the horizontal plane is more preferably about 60 ° to 85 °.

  Here, in the color selecting apparatus having the configuration according to any one of the present inventions (1) to (3), (4) the selection target is further above the supply means for supplying the selection target to the upper part of the chute. It is preferable that a static eliminator for preventing charging of the object is provided.

  Furthermore, in the color selecting apparatus having the structure according to any one of the present inventions (1) to (4), (5) the chute is provided in a plurality of upper and lower stages, and the cover, the inspection means, and the chute are provided on each chute. More preferably, a separating means is provided.

  Incidentally, the “planar chute” or “planar” referred to in the present invention naturally includes those which are not completely flat but formed substantially in a plane. Therefore, for example, the surface of the chute or the inner surface of the cover has a completely flat shape, and at least a part of the chute or the cover in the longitudinal direction has an appropriately shaped protrusion extending in parallel with the direction in which the object to be slid down falls. It also includes those arranged with appropriate intervals in the width direction of the cover. Further, the side surface shape of the chute or cover is not necessarily formed in a straight line from the upper side to the lower side, but includes a shape in which a part thereof is slightly bent.

  According to the present invention, not only green tea with relatively coarse eyes such as finished tea, rough tea, but also green tea with various shapes, such as strawberry tea and deep-steamed tea, with relatively fine eyes or many powdered portions. Green tea can be selected. Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to sort a sorting object such as blue glue or basil that has a relatively fine eye, is thin, and has a small mass. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to select a selection object having any shape and size including a selection object that can be selected conventionally.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to accurately sort various objects to be sorted, which have not been conventionally sorted, and have relatively fine eyes and are thin and have a small mass, and have been blown off as defective products. Since there are very few good products mixed in, so-called yield can be greatly improved.

  According to the present invention, even if the selection object is easily charged with static electricity, the soot adhering to the chute does not continue to stay, so that even such a selection object can be accurately selected. Further, by providing a static elimination device further above the supply means to alleviate electrification of the sorting object, the sorting object can be slid down from the upper end of the chute more smoothly, and the sorting accuracy is further improved. I can do it.

  According to the present invention, since the selection target can be flowed to the chute at a higher density than before, the processing capacity per machine size can be dramatically increased. That is, according to the present invention, since the selection target can be flowed over the entire width direction of the chute, the width direction of the chute can be used efficiently, and by using a CCD camera as an inspection means, there is no gap in the width direction of the chute. Since the same effect as that obtained by arranging the pixels can be obtained, any defective product can be detected without passing anywhere on the plane chute, and the same as the pixel arrangement pitch in the chute width direction of the CCD camera. If the ejection holes of the ejector and the solenoid valve connected thereto are provided at a pitch or an integer multiple of the pitch, the detected defective product can be accurately selected as a non-defective product. For example, the superiority of the processing capability is determined by the amount of sorting objects that can be sorted per unit time.

  According to the present invention, since it is not necessary to change the shape and size of the chute itself and the cross-sectional shape and size of the longitudinal groove of the chute according to the sorting object, a highly versatile color sorting device is provided. I can do it.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the color selection device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view in which main components of the color selection apparatus of the present invention are extracted and shown, and FIG. 2 is a central sectional view of the color selection apparatus of FIG.

  Sorting objects to be sorted using the color sorting apparatus of the present invention include not only relatively coarse green tea such as finished tea and rough tea, but also relatively fine or powdery eyes such as strawberry tea and deep steamed tea. In addition to green tea with various shapes including green tea with many parts, blue glue and basil, etc. are relatively thin, thin, and very small mass objects that have a small rebound coefficient. It is done.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the color sorting apparatus of the present invention has a chute 1 inclined at a certain angle with respect to the horizontal direction in order to cause the sorting object W to jump out in a given direction, and the surface of the chute 1. A cover 2 provided at a predetermined interval and covering at least a part of the surface of the chute 1, an inspection means 3 for inspecting the color of the sorting object W, and a signal from the inspection means connected to the inspection means For detecting the presence or absence of a defective product by the analysis, and a separating means for selecting the defective product from the non-defective product by injecting compressed air to the defective product when the defective product is detected by the determination device 5 These are provided on a frame (not shown) or the like via a stay as appropriate. The inspection means 3 and the separation means 4 are attached to the upper side of the dropping track of the sorting object W at a position spaced apart from the tip of the chute 1. The inspection means 3 comprises a CCD camera, which will be described later.

The chute 1 is formed as a flat chute having a flat portion corresponding to the supply width of the sorting object W. A supply means (not shown) is provided above the start end portion of the chute 1, and the sorting object W is dropped and supplied substantially uniformly in the width direction of the chute 1 from here.
In the case of the present invention, the inclination angle α of the chute 1 with respect to the horizontal plane is preferably 60 ° to 85 °. In particular, about 65 ° to 75 ° is preferable. At this time, even if the sorting object W stays on the provisional chute 1, it is swept away by the sorting objects W that come one after another, so that the sorting object W smoothly slides downward as a whole. .

  Next, the cover 2 narrows the width of the drop trajectory of the sorting object W that has been lifted from the surface of the chute 1 so that the sorting object W surely slides down along the surface of the chute 1. This is the main purpose. That is, when the sorting object W has a relatively fine eye, is thin, and has a very small mass, the sorting object W slides downward from the upper end of the chute 1 from the surface of the chute 1. In some cases, the cover 2 is used to suppress this. In addition, in the case of such a selection object W, since the rebound coefficient is small, even if it comes up from the surface of the chute 1, once it is suppressed by the cover 2, the selection object W is placed on the surface of the chute 1. Along and slide down. As shown in FIG. 2, the distance h2 between the inner surface of the cover 2 and the surface of the chute 1 is set to be narrower than the height h1 of the side surface of the chute 1; It is adjusted to a value that does not clog. In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cover 2 is formed so as to cover the entire width direction of the chute 1 and the position from the upper end of the chute 1 to the lower side by a predetermined distance to the lower end of the chute 1. It consists of a flat and hard plate. In the present invention, the cover 2 is made of various metals, plastic, acrylic, polycarbonate or the like. The distance between the inner surface of the cover 2 and the surface of the chute 1 at the upper end portion of the cover 2 is higher than the distance h2 between the inner surface of the cover 2 and the surface of the chute 1 on the lower side of the cover 2. It is formed to gradually expand toward the part. Therefore, since the cover 2 has the above shape, it is easy to supply the sorting object W from above the chute 1, and the sorting object W supplied on the chute 1 floats from the surface of the chute 1. This makes it easier to suppress this.

  In the color selection apparatus of the present invention, the detection principle of color selection itself is substantially the same as that conventionally known. The inspection means 3 detects the selection object W that slides down the chute 1 and jumps out from the lower end of the chute. The color is instantaneously determined by the individual inspection, and the determination unit 5 determines whether the product is good or defective based on the determined color, and the separation unit 4 is used to select the good product and the defective product.

In the case of the color selecting apparatus of the present invention, a CCD camera is used as the inspection means 3, which monitors an imaging region that is directly below the chute 1 and corresponds to the entire width direction of the chute. In the CCD camera, a plurality of pixels are arranged in the width direction of the chute 1 without a gap. This situation corresponds to a large number of photosensors arranged in the chute width direction. In the CCD camera, an electric charge proportional to the amount of received light is stored for each pixel, and the color of each pixel is grasped by reading this pixel by pixel with a readout pulse.
As shown in FIG. 2, the voltage for each pixel corresponding to the color is compared with a predetermined threshold value or allowable range value by the determining means 5, and if it exceeds the threshold value or allowable range value in the determining means 5, the defective product W <b> 2. At the same time, the electromagnetic valve connected to the ejection hole of the ejector of the separating means 4 corresponding to the pixel in which the defective product W2 is detected is opened and detected by injecting compressed air from the ejection hole. The defective product W2 is blown away and selected from the non-defective product W1. The defective product W2 blown off falls along a track different from the track followed by the non-defective product W1, and is collected in the defective product collection box 6. These series of operations are performed instantaneously, for example, on the order of ms or μs.

  Here, the separating means 4 includes an ejector having a plurality of injection holes arranged in the width direction of the chute 1 illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, a solenoid valve (not shown) connected to each of the injection holes, and These are constituted by a pneumatic feed pump (not shown) for supplying compressed air to these. In the present embodiment, for the convenience of the determination unit 5, a predetermined range of the falling range in the width direction of the selection target W below the chute 1 is associated with the pixel arrangement in the chute width direction of the CCD camera serving as the inspection unit 3. In addition to being divided substantially evenly, the injection holes are arranged toward the sorting object W falling from the chute 1 for each division. Each injection hole and the solenoid valve connected thereto can be opened independently based on a command from the determination means 5 to inject compressed air. In the apparatus of the present invention, since the inclination angle of the chute 1 with respect to the horizontal plane is stronger than that conventionally known, the falling speed of the object to be selected is high, so that the determination means 5 determines that the defect is defective based on the signal from the inspection means 3. At the moment, the separation means 4 is driven almost immediately without delay, and the defective product W2 is blown off on a track different from the normal dropping track, so that the non-defective product W1 and the defective product W2 are reliably selected.

Next, an embodiment of the color selection device of the present invention will be given and will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an outline of the color selection apparatus of the present embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a central sectional view of the color selection apparatus of FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the color sorting device according to the present embodiment includes chutes 11 and 12 that are inclined at a certain angle with respect to the horizontal direction in order to cause the sorting object W to jump out in a certain direction. Covers 21 and 22 that cover at least a part of the surface of the chutes 11 and 12, provided at a predetermined interval with respect to the surface of 12, and inspection means 31 and 32 for inspecting the color of the selection object W A determination means 5 connected to the inspection means for detecting the presence or absence of a defective product by analyzing a signal from the inspection means; and when a defective product is detected by the determination means 5, compressed air is injected to the defective product Separating means 41, 42 for sorting out defective products from non-defective products are provided on the frame 7 via a stay (not shown). Further, the inspection means 31 and 32 and the separation means 41 and 42 are attached to the upper side of the dropping trajectory of the sorting object W at a position spaced apart from the tips of the chutes 11 and 12. In this embodiment, the chute, the inspection means, and the separation means are cascaded in two stages.

First, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, static elimination for preventing electrification of the sorting object W is provided above the electromagnetic feeder serving as the supply means 8 that supplies the sorting object W to the upper end of the first chute 11. A device 9 is provided.
The static eliminator 9 removes static electricity from a charged body using air ions generated by generating corona discharge in the air, and is conventionally known as described in JP-A-9-63788. It is. In the present embodiment, a voltage application type device is used as the static elimination device 9. The static elimination device 9 will be described below. The static elimination device 9 includes a static elimination electrode unit illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, an AC high voltage power source (not shown), and a high voltage cable connecting both. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the static elimination electrode portion has a large number of needle-like discharge electrodes arranged in the longitudinal direction of the handle portion of the rod-like insulator, and a ground electrode facing the discharge electrode with a gap therebetween. The both ends of the handle portion of the insulator are supported via an insulating material.
In such a static eliminator, a high electric field is formed between the discharge electrode and the ground electrode by applying an AC high voltage from the AC high-voltage power source to the discharge electrode via a high-voltage cable, and the tip of the discharge electrode The electric field is concentrated on the corona discharge and corona discharge is generated to generate air ions. The neutralization is performed by neutralizing the charge of the charged body with the air ions. At this time, since the voltage applied to the discharge electrode is alternating current, positive air ions and negative air ions are generated alternately. When the charged body is negatively charged, it is neutralized by positive air ions, and when the charged body is positively charged, it is neutralized by negative air ions.

Next, regarding the inclination angles α and β of the chutes 11 and 12 with respect to the horizontal plane, in this embodiment, the inclination angle α of the first chute 11 is about 70 °, while the inclination angle β of the second chute 12 is this. The angle is set to be slightly looser, so that the sorting object W dropped from the lower end of the first chute 11 can be received by the upper part of the second chute 12 without difficulty.
Here, in the conventionally known color sorting apparatus, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, the sorting object W that has fallen from the first-stage chute C1 is once provided on the second-stage chute C2. Since the initial velocity of the sorting object W sliding down the second-stage chute C2 is zero because it is configured to collide with the plate T, the first-stage chute 11 is used in the color sorting apparatus of this embodiment. Since the sorting object W that has fallen from the top moves to the upper part of the second stage chute 12, in order to keep the falling speed of the sorting object W falling from the lower end of the second stage chute 12 at a predetermined level, The overall length of the second-stage chute 12 can be made relatively shorter than that of the conventional one, which can contribute to downsizing of the entire apparatus.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a lamp L made of a fluorescent lamp or the like and a dark background plate M typified by black are disposed below the chutes 11 and 12 over the entire width direction of the chute. ing. The background plate M is provided at a position facing the inspection means 31 and 32 and the fluorescent lamp L made of a CCD camera, with the trajectory of the selection object W falling from the chutes 11 and 12 interposed therebetween. As a result, when the determination means 5 performs image processing based on the signal from the CCD camera, only the level of the selection object W becomes relatively high, and the selection object W and the background can be clearly distinguished. Therefore, it is possible to prevent misjudgment and improve the sorting accuracy.

The covers 21 and 22 are provided for correcting the trajectory of the sorting object W.
If the object to be sorted has a relatively fine eye, thin mass, and a small rebound coefficient, even if the object to be sorted strikes the inside of the cover, the bounce will immediately converge and surely slide down the chute surface. Will go. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in this embodiment, the covers 21 and 22 also cover the chutes 11 and 12 in the width direction of the chutes 11 and 12, and from the positions facing the lower side by a predetermined distance from the upper ends of the chutes 11 and 12. It consists of a flat plate and a hard plate-like body formed so as to cover up to the lower end of 12. In this embodiment, the covers 21 and 22 are made of polycarbonate or plastic. The distance between the inner surfaces of the covers 21 and 22 and the surfaces of the chutes 11 and 12 at the upper ends of the covers 21 and 22 is the distance between the inner surfaces of the covers 21 and 22 and the surfaces of the chutes 11 and 12 below the covers 21 and 22. Compared to the distance h2, the cover 21 and 22 are formed so as to gradually expand toward the upper end portion. In this embodiment, the distance between the inner surface of the cover and the surface of the chute is approximately 10 to 15 mm depending on the object to be selected.

  The inspection means 31 and 32 are CCD cameras in this embodiment. In a CCD camera, a large number of pixels are arranged in the width direction without any gaps, and by using each of the pixels arranged in the width direction as an inspection means, the arrangement pitch of the ejectors in the width direction of the chute is markedly higher than before. Can be packed. In this embodiment, the entire chute width having a width of about 600 mm is monitored by a single CCD camera.

  As in the above-described embodiment, the separating means 41 and 42 include an ejector having a large number of injection holes arranged in the width direction of the chutes 11 and 12, a solenoid valve (not shown) connected to each of the injection holes, and compressed air. It is comprised by the pneumatic feed pump etc. which are not shown in figure. The ejection holes of the ejector are provided in a shape corresponding to each pixel in the width direction of the chutes 11 and 12 of the CCD camera, that is, an arrangement pitch of each pixel in the chute width direction or an arrangement pitch that is an integral multiple of the arrangement pitch. Each injection hole and the solenoid valve connected thereto are independently opened based on a command from the determination means 5 to inject compressed air onto the selection target W.

Next, the operation of the color selection device of this embodiment will be described.
First, the sorting object W is supplied to the upper end of the first chute 11 while being appropriately vibrated by the electromagnetic feeder as the supply means 8. At that time, the sorting object W is supplied to the upper end of the first chute 11 so as to be evenly dispersed by a predetermined amount in the width direction of the chute. Here, the electromagnetic feeder always vibrates the sorting object W, but the degree of charging of the sorting object W is alleviated by the action of the static eliminating device 9 provided further above the supply means 8. .
The sorting object W supplied to the upper end of the first chute 11 slides down the chute surface downward. Here, the sorting object W has relatively fine eyes, is thin, and has a very small mass. When the sorting object W slides downward from the upper end of the chute, the sorting object W moves from the chute surface. Even if it floats up, its fall trajectory is suppressed by the cover, and the sorting object W surely slides down along the surface of the chute. The selection object W that slides down on the first chute 11 and jumps out from the lower end of the chute increases the fall speed and passes in front of the inspection means 31. In the CCD camera as the inspection means, the color of the surface of the selection object W is inspected, and the signal is sent to the determination means 5. The determination means 5 is composed of, for example, a microcomputer, and determines the quality of the selection object W by image processing based on a signal from the CCD camera. When a defective product is detected by the determination unit 5, the determination unit 5 simultaneously opens the solenoid valve connected to the ejection hole of the ejector corresponding to the pixel where the defective product is detected, and injects compressed air from the injection hole. Then, the defective product is blown away and selected from non-defective products.
As described above, the sorting object W that is determined to be defective by the inspection unit 31 and the determination unit 5 and blown off by the ejector 41 during the fall from the first chute 11 is different from the normal fall track followed by the non-defective product. Are dropped and collected in a defective product collection box (not shown).

On the other hand, when the first chute 11 is dropped, the sorting object W that is not determined as a defective product and is determined as a defective product when falling from the second chute 12 is blown off by the ejector 42 and is normally dropped. The fall trajectory is different from the trajectory and is collected in a defective product collection box (not shown). A non-defective product that has not been determined to be defective by any of the inspection means 31, 32 falls from the lower end of the second chute 12 and is collected in a non-defective product collection box (not shown).
Therefore, in this embodiment, since the two-stage sorting is performed, the sorting object W is blown off by the ejector and separated from the non-defective product if it is determined that it is a defective product in either of the inspections by the inspection means 31 and 32. In addition, if it is not determined as a defective product in any inspection, the product is collected as a defective product, so that the sorting object W can be sorted with high accuracy.

Thus, according to the present embodiment, it becomes possible to sort objects to be sorted that could not be sorted in the past, and to sort objects of any shape and size including those that could be sorted conventionally. It became possible to sort well. Furthermore, the color sorting apparatus of the present embodiment has a remarkably higher processing capacity per machine size than before.
According to an example, it was possible to obtain a color sorter that can sort deeply steamed tea that could not be sorted in the past with very high accuracy. In addition, it has become possible to increase the processing capacity, which was conventionally 90 kg / h, to 180 kg / h, which is twice as much.

The present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above examples, and various design changes are possible.
For example, in the above examples, defective products are blown out using an ejector, but conversely, good products may be blown out. In each of the above examples, the collection box is used as a means for collecting the good and defective products after sorting. However, the collecting means is not limited to this. For example, the sorted good products are passed to the next process and the defective products are discarded. You may comprise from conveyance means, such as a vibration conveyor and a belt conveyor which convey to an installation. In addition, in each of the above examples, the selection object is inspected from one surface by the inspection means, but the selection object may be inspected from both the front and back surfaces. At this time, two inspection means are provided to face each other with a trajectory of the selection object falling from the chute so that the selection object can be inspected from both sides. The inspection means itself is not limited to the CCD camera, and may be a photo sensor array in which a number of conventionally known photo sensors are arranged in the width direction of the chute. At this time, it is preferable that the arrangement pitch of the photosensor array is smaller than that of the conventional one.

Next, the shape and size of the chute and the cover are not limited to those described in the above examples, and various design changes can be made.
For example, as for the front (upper) surface shape of the chute, even if it is not a perfect plane, as shown in A, a-1, and a-2 in FIG. Protrusions having an appropriate shape extending in parallel with the sliding-down direction may be arranged at appropriate intervals in the chute width direction. Alternatively, as shown in A, a-3 and a-4 of FIG. 5, the longitudinal direction is parallel to the direction in which the object to be slid down, and a rectangular or inverted U-shaped cross section with both ends opened is provided. You may make it comprise a chute | shoot by arrange | positioning a tubular body of a bottom in the width direction of a color selection device without multiple rows clearance. Furthermore, the side surface shape of the chute may be a shape (1b, 1b ′) in which the lower end portion is bent with respect to the upper portion as shown in FIG.
The shape of the cover is not limited to the shape illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, and the distance between the inner surface of the cover and the surface of the chute is appropriately narrowed as shown in FIG. Then, the narrow paths 2c and 2c ′ may be provided near the longitudinal center of the chute or at the lower end of the chute. Or even if the inner surface shape of the cover is not a perfect plane, it extends in parallel with the direction in which the object to be slid down, as shown in FIG. Protruding projections 2d having appropriate shapes may be arranged with appropriate intervals in the chute width direction.

  In addition, although the chute is provided in the upper and lower two stages in the above embodiment, the number of stages of the chute is not limited to this, even if it is a structure of only one stage, conversely, it may be a multistage structure of three or more stages. I do not care. In the above embodiment, the two-stage sorting is performed. However, the same sorting is repeated twice, and more reliable sorting is performed by sorting defective products with different judgment criteria at the top and bottom. You can also

It is the perspective view which extracted and showed the main components of the color selection apparatus of this invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the center of the color selection device of FIG. 1. It is a perspective view which shows the outline of the color selection apparatus of a present Example. It is a center side sectional view of the color selection device of FIG. It is a figure which shows another structural example of a chute | shoot and a cover. It is a perspective view which shows the outline of the conventionally known color selection apparatus. It is a center sectional side view of the color selection apparatus of FIG. It is a side view which shows the selection principle of a color selection apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

W Sorting object 1 Chute 2 Cover 3 Inspection means 4 Separation means 5 Determination means

Claims (5)

A color sorting device for sorting objects having a predetermined color in a sorting object,
A chute that is provided with a predetermined inclination angle with respect to a horizontal plane and causes a selection target that is slid down downward from the upper part thereof to jump out in a predetermined direction;
A cover provided at a predetermined interval with respect to the surface of the chute, and covering at least a part of the surface of the chute;
Inspecting means for inspecting the color of the sorting object, provided at a position spaced apart from the lower end of the chute so as to monitor the trajectory of the sorting object that has jumped out from the lower end of the chute,
A determination unit that is electrically connected to the inspection unit and determines whether the selection target has a predetermined color based on the color of the selection target obtained by the inspection unit;
It is provided at a position spaced apart from the lower end of the chute and blows away the selection object determined to have a predetermined color by the determination means, and the blown selection object is different from the fall trajectory from the chute. Separating means for dropping on the trajectory;
A color sorting device characterized by comprising: The chute is formed as a flat chute having a width corresponding to the supply width of the sorting object,
The cover is provided with a predetermined interval with respect to the surface of the chute, and is composed of a plate-like body that covers at least a part of the chute, and controls the sliding track of the sorting object so that the sorting object is the 2. The color selecting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the color selecting apparatus is configured to slide down along the surface of the chute.   The color selection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an inclination angle of the chute with respect to a horizontal plane is not less than 60 ° and not more than 85 °. The neutralization device for preventing the electrification of the sorting object is provided above the supply means for supplying the sorting object to the upper part of the chute. The color sorter described in 1.   The color sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the chute is provided in a plurality of upper and lower stages, and each chute includes the cover, the inspection unit, and the separation unit.

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