JPH09206695A - Grain classifier - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To feed grains uniformly and stably onto the inspection positions and carry out the judgement for whether grains are good or not and the classification of defective grains effectively and with high accuracy. SOLUTION: A grain classifier is provided with a rotary valve 24 and a belt conveyor 22. An opening 34 is formed on a secondary classification feed section 30 of the rotary valve 24, and grains are dropped and fed one by one. A hard tube 46 is disposed on the belt conveyor 22, and carrying lines R1-R3 corresponding to the secondary classification feed section 30 are formed to guide the grains respectively line by line. The grains are discharged from the rotary valve 24 to the belt conveyor 22 and carried thereon, and dropped freely form a terminal section and fed to the inspection and classification positions. The grains, therefore, can be fed uniformly and stably. Particularly on a secondary classification carrying line 44, the grains are dropped and fed one by one and carried while being guided to the carrying lines R1-R3, and fed more uniformly and stably.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a grain sorter, and more particularly, to moving a grain or a group of grains along a predetermined movement path to determine whether or not the grain is defective. Alternatively, the present invention relates to a grain sorter that determines and sorts whether or not a defective product is included in the grain group. The grains are rice, wheat,
Means granular grains such as soybeans.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a predetermined refining process after harvesting rice or the like, it is necessary to select good products that can be commercialized and defective products that cannot be commercialized. In particular, with regard to white rice, foreign matter or rice that has changed color to brown, black, or the like may reduce the commercial value unless it is removed as defective products in advance. Also, in many grains other than white rice,
If there is a defective product or foreign matter that has changed color due to damage, etc.,
There is a possibility that the commercial value will be reduced.

Therefore, a grain sorter has been proposed which sorts grains such as rice according to the reflectance of the surface. As this grain sorter, a supply unit that feeds the grain to the sorting unit, an imaging unit that images the grain under a predetermined light amount, and a determination that determines whether the product is defective based on the imaged image There is a grain sorter including a unit and a sorting unit that sorts grains that are determined to be defective.

In this grain sorter, the grain slides and slides in a predetermined groove of a thin channel material (a so-called chute) provided in a supply section, and the grain travels on a predetermined path from the end of the supply section. It is designed to fall. The fallen kernel is imaged at an inspection position in the middle of the fall path by an imaging unit composed of a photoelectric sensor or the like, and by comparing the density of the imaged image with a predetermined threshold value regarding the density, the kernel is determined to be defective. It was determined whether the product was good. Further, the kernel determined to be defective is extracted and selected from a predetermined falling path by jetting air from a high-pressure air valve.

[0005]

By the way, in the conventional grain selecting machine, since the grains are slid and conveyed by the fine channel material (chute) and fed to the inspection position as described above, they are fed to the inspection position. It was difficult to supply the grains regularly (uniformly and stably) because the amount of the grains supplied was likely to vary. In particular, in the configuration in which the grain is slid and conveyed by such a thin channel material (chute) and sent to the inspection position, it is difficult to change (adjust) the supply amount of the grain to be sent to the inspection position. For this reason, there is room for improvement, such as deterioration of workability, in order to determine whether or not grains such as rice are defective and to sort out defective products with high accuracy.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and the grains are regularly (uniformly and stably).
It can be sent to the inspection position, and the supply amount of the grains sent to the inspection position can be easily changed (adjusted). This makes it possible to judge whether the grains are defective or not and select the defective products. It is an object of the present invention to provide a grain sorter that can perform with high accuracy and efficiency.

[0007]

A grain sorter according to the invention of claim 1 is configured to move a grain or a grain group after being conveyed by a belt conveyor along a predetermined movement path,
It is determined whether or not the grain is a defective product or a defective product is included in the grain group by the determination unit provided corresponding to the movement route, and the downstream side of the determination unit. A grain sorter that sorts the grain or a grain group by a sorting means provided corresponding to the movement path, and the grains in rows arranged adjacent to each other in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the belt conveyor. The present invention is characterized in that it is provided with a guide rail means that forms a grain transport path and guides the fed grain in each row along the transport direction of the belt conveyor.

In the grain sorting machine according to the first aspect, the grain for sorting is supplied onto the belt conveyor, further conveyed by the belt conveyor, and then freely dropped from the end to be supplied to the judging means and the sorting means. To be done.

In this case, the grain supplied to the belt conveyor is conveyed while being guided by each line of the grain conveying path formed in a line by the guide rail means. Therefore, the so-called arrangement of grains is made uniform, so that the grains can be regularly (uniformly and stably) supplied to the determination unit and the selection unit. Further, by changing (increasing or decreasing) the number of rows of the grain conveying path formed by the guide rail means, the amount of grains conveyed by the belt conveyor can be set appropriately. Therefore, it is possible to determine with high accuracy whether or not a grain such as rice is defective without deteriorating workability.

As described above, in the grain sorting machine according to the first aspect, the grain can be sent to the judging means and the sorting means regularly (uniformly and stably), and further sent to the judging means and the sorting means. Change (adjust) the amount of grain supply
This makes it possible to determine whether or not the grain is a defective product and to select the defective product efficiently with high accuracy.

The grain sorting machine according to the invention of claim 2 is provided corresponding to the moving route while moving the grain or the grain group after being conveyed by the belt conveyor along a predetermined moving route. The determination means determines whether the grain is a defective product or whether the grain group includes a defective product, and is provided corresponding to the movement path on the downstream side of the determination means. A grain sorter that sorts the grain or a grain group by a sorting means, which is arranged immediately above the belt conveyor, and the grain for sorting is supplied drop by drop onto the belt conveyor one by one. It is equipped with a rotary valve that

In the grain sorting machine according to the second aspect, the grain for sorting is dropped and supplied onto the belt conveyer by the rotary valve, further conveyed by the belt conveyer, and then freely dropped from the end to determine and sort. Supplied to the means.

In this case, the grains are dropped and supplied from the rotary valve onto the belt conveyor one by one. Therefore, the so-called arrangement of grains is made uniform, so that the grains can be regularly (uniformly and stably) supplied to the determination unit and the selection unit. Further, if the operating speed of the rotary valve is changed as desired, the amount of grains dropped and supplied to the belt conveyor can be suitably set.
Therefore, it is possible to determine with high accuracy whether or not a grain such as rice is defective without deteriorating workability.

As described above, in the grain sorting machine according to the second aspect, the grain can be sent to the judging means and the sorting means regularly (uniformly and stably), and further sent to the judging means and the sorting means. Change (adjust) the amount of grain supply
This makes it possible to determine whether or not the grain is a defective product and to select the defective product efficiently with high accuracy.

The grain sorting machine according to the invention of claim 3 is provided corresponding to the moving route while moving the grain or the grain group after being conveyed by the belt conveyor along a predetermined moving route. The determination means determines whether the grain is a defective product or whether the grain group includes a defective product, and is provided corresponding to the movement path on the downstream side of the determination means. A grain sorter that sorts the grain or a grain group by a sorting means, which is arranged immediately above the belt conveyor, and the grain for sorting is supplied drop by drop onto the belt conveyor one by one. And a rotary valve that is provided corresponding to the rotary valve, and forms a column-shaped grain conveying path that is adjacent along the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the belt conveyor, and is dropped and supplied from the rotary valve. Is characterized by comprising a guide rail means for guiding in each column, the the kernels along the conveying direction of the belt conveyor.

In the grain sorting machine according to the third aspect, the grain for sorting is dropped and supplied onto the belt conveyer by the rotary valve, further conveyed by the belt conveyer, and then freely dropped from the end to determine and sort. Supplied to the means.

In this case, grains are dropped and fed from the rotary valve onto the belt conveyor one by one, and the fed grains are arranged in rows by the guide rail means. It is transported while being guided by each.
Therefore, the so-called arrangement of grains is made uniform, and
Grains can be regularly (uniformly and stably) supplied to the judging means and the selecting means. Therefore, it is possible to determine with high accuracy whether or not a grain such as rice is defective without deteriorating workability.

As described above, in the grain sorting machine according to the third aspect, the grain can be sent to the judging means and the sorting means regularly (uniformly and stably), and further sent to the judging means and the sorting means. Change (adjust) the amount of grain supply
This makes it possible to determine whether or not the grain is a defective product and to select the defective product efficiently with high accuracy.

[0019]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a grain sorter 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Also,
FIG. 2 shows a schematic overall configuration diagram of the grain sorter 10.

The main body 12 of the grain sorting machine 10 is constructed in a box shape, and the raw material supply hopper 14 for storing and feeding the grain G to be sorted (primary sorting) and the re-sorting at the top. Reselection hoppers 16 that store and supply the grain G that is the target of (secondary selection) are installed adjacent to each other. The lower parts of the raw material supply hopper 14 and the reselection hopper 16 are both formed so that the cross-sectional opening area becomes gradually smaller, and the lowermost part of the material supply hopper 14 and the re-selection hopper 16 have a suitable diameter for supplying the grain G. It is said to be a mouth. A filter 18 is provided on the upper surface of the reselection hopper 16, and a supply pipe 20 through which the grains G to be reselected is fed is connected to a side surface of the reselection hopper 16.

Raw material supply hopper 14 and reselection hopper 16
Immediately below the (grain supply port), a rotary valve 24 for supplying a predetermined amount of the kernel G to the belt conveyor 22 described later at predetermined intervals is provided. As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the rotary valve 24 is formed in a generally cylindrical shape as a whole and is structured to rotate in the direction of arrow A around the rotary shaft 26. Two
8 and a secondary sorting supply unit 30 as a small amount supply unit are integrally provided.

As shown in FIG. 7, the primary sorting supply unit 28 has a regular hexagonal cross section perpendicular to the rotary shaft 26, and the blade 32 having a predetermined dimension longer than the length of one side of the regular hexagon has the regular hexagonal shape. It is fixed to each side of the prism. Primary sorting supply section 28
The blade 32 can store a predetermined amount of grain G, and the rotary valve 24 rotates in the direction of arrow A, so that the stored predetermined amount of grain G is dropped and supplied at a predetermined timing. It is possible to

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, the rotary valve 2
In the secondary sorting supply unit 30 having a cylindrical shape of No. 4, a total of three grain supply trajectories L1 are provided at predetermined intervals along the rotation axis 26.
~ L3 is set, and each grain supply trajectory Ln (n: 1
As shown in FIG. 8, four holes 34 each having a size of about one grain G are formed at intervals of about 90 degrees in FIGS. As a result, one grain G can be stored in each hole 34, and the rotary valve 24 rotates in the direction of arrow A, whereby the stored grain G for each grain supply orbit at a predetermined timing. It is possible to drop and feed each one downward.

A drive motor 36 is connected to the rotary valve 24, and the rotary valve 24 is rotated by the drive of the drive motor 36. Therefore, the drop supply amount of the grain G can be changed by controlling the drive motor 36 and appropriately changing the rotation speed of the rotary valve 24.

A belt conveyor 22 is installed below the rotary valve 24. As shown in detail in FIGS. 4 and 5, the belt conveyor 22 is composed of rollers 38, 40 and a belt 41 wound around these rollers, and is provided so that the belt 41 is located on a horizontal plane. There is. Further, the belt conveyor 22 is provided with the primary sorting conveying paths 42 and 2 corresponding to the primary sorting supplying part 28 and the secondary sorting supplying part 30 of the rotary valve 24 described above.
The next sorting conveyance path 44 is set. In the secondary sorting conveyance path 44, four hard tubes 46 as guide rail means are arranged near the surface of the belt 41 in parallel at a predetermined interval in the conveyance direction, whereby a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction. Conveying paths R1 to R3 that are adjacent to each other along the line are formed. Each transport path Rn (n: 1 to 3) is formed at a position corresponding to each grain supply trajectory Ln (n: 1 to 3) of the secondary sorting supply unit 30 of the rotary valve 24,
The grain G from each grain supply path Ln is transferred to the corresponding transport path R.
It is configured to drop onto n and to be conveyed while being guided along the conveying path Rn for each row.

The hard tube 46 is supported by a supporting member 48 and a hanging member (not shown), and the conveying path R1.
Even if the grain G is conveyed along R3, the position is not displaced. However, the hard tube 46 can be removed when the grain G accumulated in the transport paths R1 to R3 is cleaned to remove the residue (for example, rice bran). In this manner, maintenance is facilitated for the convenience of cleaning.

A drive motor 50 is connected to the belt conveyor 22 (roller 38), and the belt conveyor 22 is rotated by the drive of the drive motor 50.
Therefore, by controlling the drive motor 50 and appropriately changing the rotation speed of the belt conveyor 22, it is possible to change the conveyance amount of the grain G and the free fall trajectory after the conveyance.

The rotation speed of the belt conveyor 22 is
It is adjusted according to the transport amount of the grain G and the free-fall trajectory after transport. That is, when the grains G supplied at one time from the primary sorting supply section 28 of the rotary valve 24 fall onto the belt conveyor 22, the grains G are scattered almost uniformly on the primary sorting transport path 42. The amount of the grain G supplied by the valve 24 is adjusted together with the supply amount, and further, the free fall trajectory after the conveyance is adjusted so as to be appropriately guided to the sorting cylinder 66 described later.

Grain G supplied to the belt conveyor 22
Is transported along the primary sorting transport path 42 or the secondary sorting transport path 44 and then falls freely from one end of each transport path. The falling direction (belt in FIGS. 2 and 3) A front camera 52 and a rear camera 54 as determination means for photographing the falling kernels G from both front and back sides are disposed in the lower left direction of the conveyor 22).

Front camera 52 and rear camera 54
Is a line sensor camera each having 512 pixels, and captures a predetermined linear area wider than the width of the trajectory of the grain G falling from the belt conveyor 22. As shown in detail in FIG. 3, the central axis of the visual field of the front camera 52 is substantially horizontal, and a pair of fluorescent lamps 56 and 58 are arranged at positions symmetrical with respect to the central axis of the visual field. On the other hand, the central axis of the field of view of the rear camera 54 is slightly inclined downward, and the pair of fluorescent lamps 6 are placed at positions symmetrical with respect to the central axis of this field of view.
0 and 62 are arranged.

In this case, the fluorescent lamp 56 is located on the extension line of the visual field center axis of the rear camera 54, and the fluorescent lamp 60 is located on the extension line of the visual field center axis of the front camera 52. Fluorescent lamp 6 on rear camera 54
In order to prevent light from 0 from directly entering the front camera 52, colorimetric plates 63 of a predetermined color are attached to the surfaces of the fluorescent lamps 56 and 60, respectively. These colorimetric plates 63
In the selection of the present embodiment, has the same reflectance as that of white rice that is considered to be good.

The grain G that has fallen from the belt conveyor 22 is located at the center of the visual field of the front camera 52 and the rear camera 5.
4 is configured to be photographed by the front camera 52 and the rear camera 54 when reaching near the intersection of the center axes of the visual fields 4. In addition, at the position taken by these cameras,
A reference plate 64 having a reference density (reference density) is arranged in advance.

The area photographed by the front camera 52 and the rear camera 54, which are line sensor cameras, is divided into 16 areas, and each divided area is divided into 16 leaf springs 76 and leaf springs 76 described later. The sorting operation of the grain G is controlled in correspondence with the solenoid 78 for driving.

Below the front camera 52 and the rear camera 54, a sorting cylinder 66 and an ejector 6 as sorting means are provided corresponding to the grain G falling from the belt conveyor 22.
8 are installed.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 3 to 5, the selection cylinder 6
6, a non-defective product passage 70, a reselection passage 72, and a defective product passage 74 are provided. The non-defective product path 70 corresponds to the primary sorting transport path 42 and the secondary sorting transport path 44 of the belt conveyor 22, and is transported along the primary sorting transport path 42 or the secondary sorting transport path 44. The grain G that is freely dropped from one end of each transport path after the movement is provided at a position where the grain G can enter the track without change, and can receive the grain G determined to be non-defective. On the other hand, re-selection passage 7
Numeral 2 corresponds to the primary sorting conveyance path 42 of the belt conveyor 22, and a grain G that is freely dropped from one end of the conveyance path after being conveyed along the primary sorting conveyance path 42 is ejected by an ejector 68 described later. Is provided at a position where it can enter when it is flipped, and can receive the grain G determined to be re-selected in the primary sorting. Further, the defective product path 74 corresponds to the secondary sorting conveyance path 44 of the belt conveyor 22, and the grains that fall freely from one end of the conveyance path after being conveyed along the secondary sorting conveyance path 44. The grain G is provided at a position where it can enter when hit by an ejector 68 described later, and can receive the grain G determined to be defective in the secondary sorting.

The non-defective product passage 70 and the defective product passage 74 are guided to the outside of the main body 12 and their end portions are exposed, so that the fed grain G can be taken out.

On the other hand, the ejector 68 is located above the sorting cylinder 66 (passage for good product 70), and is provided corresponding to the free fall orbit of the grain G. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the ejector 68 is provided with 16 L-shaped leaf springs 76 and solenoids 78 respectively corresponding to the leaf springs 76. Each leaf spring 76 has a predetermined elasticity, one end of the L-shape is fixed to the support member 80, and the other end hangs downward. Also, each solenoid 78
Is fixed to the support member 80 so that the plunger 82 is perpendicular to the back surface of the corresponding leaf spring 76.
6 can be pressed. When the ejector 68 is actuated, the leaf spring 76 elastically deforms to enter the free fall orbit of the grain G, and the freely falling grain G can be ejected from the free fall orbit.

In the ejector 68 having the above-described structure, as described above, when the grains G freely falling from the belt conveyor 22 are photographed by the front camera 52 and the rear camera 54 and the video signal level of the image at this time is lower than a predetermined level. If so, a voltage of about 36 volts is instantaneously applied to the solenoid 78 of the channel corresponding to the area where these images were taken. By this application, the plunger 8
2 momentarily hits the leaf spring 76 corresponding to the solenoid 78, and the falling grain G is repelled by the leaf spring 76. As a result, the grain G is transferred to the reselection passage 72 of the selection cylinder 66.
Alternatively, it is configured to be repelled into the defective product passage 74.

An injector 84 is connected to the end of the reselection passage 72 of the sorting cylinder 66. Further, a high pressure blower 88 is connected to one end of the injector 84 via a pipe 86, and high pressure air is discharged. The above-mentioned supply pipe 20 is connected to the other end of the injector 84 via a pipe 90. As a result, the grains G that have fallen from the reselection passage 72 are ejected by the injector 84 and are conveyed to the reselection hopper 16 through the supply pipe 20 for secondary sorting.

A control section 92 is provided at the upper corner of the main body 12 of the grain sorter 10 having the above-described configuration, and includes the drive motor 36, the drive motor 50, and the front camera 5 described above.
2 and the rear camera 54, the ejector 68, or the like are connected to control each unit.

On the other hand, on the side surface of the main body 12 of the grain sorter 10, an operator places a front camera 52 and a rear camera 5 on the side.
4, a dial 94 for designating various parameters such as the level (threshold rate) of the video signal, an operation section 98 having buttons 96 for instructing start / stop of execution of various processes, etc. are provided. There is.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described. In order to perform the grain selection in the grain selection device 10 having the above configuration, the teaching process for the initial setting is performed at the time of the initial introduction of the grain selection device 10 or at every predetermined time. That is, when the operator gives an instruction to start the teaching process by operating a predetermined button or automatically at a predetermined time, first, the front camera 52 and the rear camera 5 are started.
A predetermined photographing target area is photographed by 4, and the teaching process is performed based on the video signal of the photographed image. Further, when the operator specifies a desired threshold rate by dialing and then instructs the start of the threshold setting process by a button operation, the threshold setting process is started to be executed. In the threshold value setting process, first, similarly to the teaching process, a predetermined photographing target area is photographed by the front camera 52 and the rear camera 54, and the threshold value setting process is performed based on the video signal of the photographed image.

Next, a grain sorting process is performed. That is, when the grain G to be selected is fed to the raw material supply hopper 14 by the operator or a predetermined grain feeder,
The supplied grain G is a raw material supply hopper 14 (grain supply port)
Of the primary sorting of the rotary valve 24
It is stored between the blades 32 of 8.

On the other hand, the rotary valve 24 is rotating in the direction of arrow A at a predetermined angular velocity, and when the rotary valve 24 rotates by a predetermined angle or more from the position shown in FIG. Next sorting conveyance path 42
Is supplied to. At this time, since the rotation angular speed of the rotary valve 24 and the transport speed of the belt conveyor 22 are appropriately set in advance, the grains G are scattered substantially uniformly on the primary sorting transport path 42.

Then, after a predetermined time, the grain G supplied to the primary sorting conveyance path 42 freely falls from one end side of the belt conveyor 22, and is photographed by the front camera 52 and the rear camera 54 during the fall. .

Here, the following primary sorting process is performed on the grains G falling from the primary sorting transport path 42.

The video signals for the image including the grain G captured by the front camera 52 and the rear camera 54 are sent to the control unit 92, respectively. The control unit 92 detects a defective product by detecting a pixel having a video signal level lower than the set threshold value based on the video signal for the captured image including the grain G. Further, a channel to which the pixel belongs, that is, a channel corresponding to a region where a defective product falls can be specified.

Thus, a voltage of 36 volts is instantaneously applied to the solenoids 78 provided corresponding to the respective channels. As a result, the plunger 82 of the channel determined to have passed the grain G (grain group) including the defective product pops out, and the leaf spring 76 of the channel is elastically deformed in the direction of the free fall trajectory of the grain G. Jump out. Here, the leaf spring 76 that pops out repels the grain G (grain group) that falls in the region corresponding to the same channel, and this grain G (grain group) is the reselection passage of the selection cylinder 66. It is played to 72.

On the other hand, when no pixel whose video signal level is lower than the set threshold value is detected, it is judged that the falling grain G (grain group) does not include a defective product. Therefore, the solenoid 78 is not energized, and the leaf spring 76 is not elastically deformed and popped out as described above. Therefore, free-falling grain G (grain group)
Is not repelled by the leaf spring 76,
6 falls into the non-defective item passage 70 and is taken out of the apparatus.

Next, the secondary selection process for the grain G determined to be re-selected by the above-mentioned primary selection process (hereinafter referred to as re-selection target grain G) will be described.

The re-selection target grain G that has been repelled by the leaf spring 76 and dropped in the re-selection passage 72 reaches the injector 84. Since the high-pressure air from the high-pressure blower 88 is discharged from the injector 84, the re-selection target grain G is blown off by the high-pressure air and is conveyed to the re-selection hopper 16 via the pipe 90 and the supply pipe 20. .

The re-selection target grain G conveyed to the re-selection hopper 16 is supplied to the rotary valve 24 for the secondary selection supply section 30.
Drops one by one from the grain supply port corresponding to each row, and enters the hole 34 of the secondary sorting supply unit 30.

On the other hand, the rotary valve 24 is rotating in the direction of arrow A at a predetermined angular velocity, and the re-selection target grain G that has entered the hole 34 is conveyed by the belt conveyor 22 for secondary sorting as the rotary valve 24 rotates. Corresponding transport path Rn of path 44
(N: 1-3).

The re-selection target grain G supplied to the secondary sorting conveyance path 44 is fed to the belt conveyor 22 after a predetermined time.
Free fall again from one end side of, and the front camera 52 and the rear camera 54 take an image in the middle of the fall.

Here, the secondary sorting process is performed on the re-selected grain G falling from the secondary sorting transport path 44. In the second sorting process, substantially the same process as the above-described first sorting process is performed, except that the target is one grain G to be reselected or a group of grains.

When a defective product detection signal is received as described above, a solenoid driving timing signal is sent and a voltage of 36 V is instantaneously applied to the solenoid 78 corresponding to the channel. As a result, the plunger 82 of the channel corresponding to the free fall trajectory of the re-selection target grain G determined to be defective is popped out, and the leaf spring 7
6 is elastically deformed in the direction of the free fall trajectory of the grain G and pops out. The leaf spring 76 that has popped out repels the re-selection target grain G that has been determined to be a defective product, and the re-selection target grain G falls into the defective product passage 74 of the selection cylinder 66 and is taken out of the apparatus.

On the other hand, if no defective product detection signal is received, the re-election target grain G is determined to be non-defective,
It is not repelled by the leaf spring 76, falls freely into the non-defective product passage 70 of the selection cylinder 66, and is taken out of the apparatus in the same manner as described above.

As described above, in the grain sorter 10 according to the present embodiment, the belt conveyor 22 provided on the horizontal surface is provided.
Since the grains G are dropped and supplied by the rotary valve 24, the so-called arrangement of the grains G is uniformed. Therefore, the kernels G can be regularly (uniformly and stably) supplied to the judging means including the front camera 52 and the rear camera 54 and the sorting means including the sorting cylinder 66 and the ejector 68. Further, if the rotation speed of the rotary valve 24 is changed as desired,
It is possible to suitably set the amount of grains dropped and supplied to the apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently determine with high accuracy whether or not a grain such as rice is defective without deteriorating workability.

In the grain sorter 10, a large quantity of grains G is dropped onto the belt conveyor 22 (primary sorting transport path 42) by the primary sorting supply section 28 (large quantity supply section) of the rotary valve 24. Supplied and rotary valve 2
A small amount of grains G is dropped and supplied onto the belt conveyor 22 (secondary conveying path 44) by the secondary sorting supply section 30 (small quantity supplying section). That is, different amounts of grain G are simultaneously supplied and simultaneously conveyed on the same (single) belt conveyor 22.

Accordingly, the primary sorting (coarse sorting) and the secondary sorting (fine sorting) can be performed simultaneously in parallel,
The grain G can be sorted efficiently with higher accuracy, which is more effective.

Further, in this case, in the secondary sorting supply unit 30 (small amount supply unit) of the rotary valve 24, the grains G are dropped and supplied onto the belt conveyor 22 (secondary sorting transport path 44). And further, the supplied grain G is
In the belt conveyor 22 (secondary sorting transport path 44), the hard tubes 46 are transported while being guided in each row of the transport paths R1 to R3 formed in a row, so that the arrangement of the grains G is even more uniform. And the grain G can be supplied more uniformly and stably. Therefore, the secondary selection (fine selection) of the grain G can be performed with higher accuracy and efficiency, which is more effective.

Furthermore, in the grain sorting machine 10 according to the present embodiment, the transport amount of the grain G and the free fall trajectory after transport can be changed by appropriately changing the rotation speed of the belt conveyor 22. Therefore, the grain G after being conveyed can be appropriately guided to the inspection / sorting position of the sorting cylinder 66 or the like.
The free fall trajectory of the can be easily adjusted. Therefore, complicated adjustment work such as moving and adjusting the arrangement position of the belt conveyor 22 or the like to adjust the free fall trajectory of the grain G after transportation is completely unnecessary, and is extremely efficient and greatly workable. The performance is improved.

Furthermore, in the grain sorting machine 10 according to the present embodiment, instead of sorting the defective grain with high pressure air as in the conventional case, the solenoid 78 is electrically driven and the leaf spring 76 is flipped. As a result, the defective grain G is selected, so that it is not necessary to provide an expensive compressor for supplying high-pressure air and requiring a storage space.
Thus, the price and size of the grain sorter 10 can be reduced.

The grain sorter 10 according to the present embodiment.
Then, in the secondary sorting supply unit 30 of the rotary valve 24,
The row grain supply path is set, and 2 of the belt conveyor 22 is set.
Although the configuration is such that three rows of transport paths are formed in the secondary sorting transport path 44, the number of these rows is not limited to three, and the number of rows of grain G to be secondly sorted (fine sorted) depends on the amount. And set appropriately.

Further, the grain sorter 10 according to the present embodiment
Then, the hard tube 46 as the guide rail means is configured to form the adjacent row-shaped transport paths R1 to R3 along the direction orthogonal to the transport direction, but as the configuration of the guide rail means for guiding the grain G, Is not limited to this. For example, like the belt 100 shown in FIG.
Guide protrusions 102 are integrally formed at predetermined intervals in parallel with the transport direction on the surface corresponding to the next sorting transport path 44,
Thereby, it may be configured to form the column-shaped transport paths R1 to R3 that are adjacent to each other along the direction orthogonal to the transport direction.
Also in this belt 100, the grain G has the guide protrusion 10
Since the transportation is performed while being guided in each of the transportation paths R1 to R3 that are formed in a row by 2, the arrangement of the grain G is uniform, and the grain G can be uniformly and stably supplied.

The grain sorter 10 according to the present embodiment
Then, a primary sorting process for sorting grain groups including defective products,
The two steps of the secondary sorting process of sorting the grain G determined to be defective one by one were performed, but when there is a large amount of the grain G to be sorted, the processing efficiency of the sorting process is high. In order to improve the above, the process of selecting a grain group including a defective product may be performed in a plurality of steps, and the total number of steps may be three or more.

[0067]

As described above, the grain sorter according to the present invention can feed the grains to the inspection position regularly (uniformly and stably), and further supply the amount of the grains fed to the inspection position. Can be easily changed (adjusted), which has an excellent effect that it is possible to judge whether or not a grain is a defective product and to select a defective product efficiently with high accuracy. .

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a grain sorter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic overall configuration diagram of a grain sorter according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing a correspondence relationship between a terminal end portion of a belt conveyor, a sorting cylinder, an ejector and the like of the grain sorting machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a corresponding relationship among a rotary valve, a belt conveyor, a sorting cylinder, an ejector, etc. of the grain sorting machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a correspondence relationship between a rotary valve, a belt conveyor, a selection cylinder and the like of the grain sorting machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a rotary valve of the grain sorter according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a primary sorting supply section of a rotary valve of a grain sorting machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the secondary sorting supply unit of the rotary valve of the grain sorting machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an ejector of the grain sorting machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a side view of an ejector of the grain sorting machine according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing another example of the belt conveyor of the grain sorter according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 Grain Sorting Machine 22 Belt Conveyor 24 Rotary Valve 28 Primary Sorting Supply Section 30 Secondary Sorting Supply Section 41 Belt 42 Primary Sorting Transport Path 44 Secondary Sorting Transport Path 46 Hard Tube (Guide Rail Means) 52 Front camera (determination means) 54 Rear camera (determination means) 66 Sorting cylinder (sorting means) 68 Ejector (sorting means) 70 Passage for good products (sorting means) 72 Passage for reselection (sorting means) 74 Passage for defective products (sorting means) 76 leaf spring (selection means) 78 solenoid (selection means) 100 belt 102 guide protrusion (guide rail means)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. While the grain or the grain group after being conveyed by a belt conveyor is moved along a predetermined movement route, the determination unit provided corresponding to the movement route determines that the grain is defective. It is determined whether or not there is a defective product in the grain group, and the grain or the grain group by the selection means provided corresponding to the movement path on the downstream side of the determination means. Is a grain sorter for sorting the, forming a column-shaped grain transport path adjacent along the direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the belt conveyor, the fed grain in the transport direction of the belt conveyor A grain sorter comprising guide rail means for guiding along each row. 2. The grain is a defective product by a determination means provided corresponding to the movement route while moving the grain or the grain group after being conveyed by a belt conveyor along a predetermined movement route. It is determined whether or not there is a defective product in the grain group, and the grain or the grain group by the selection means provided corresponding to the movement path on the downstream side of the determination means. A grain sorting machine for sorting, wherein the grain sorting machine is arranged immediately above the belt conveyor, and is equipped with a rotary valve for dropping and feeding the grain for sorting for each grain onto the belt conveyor. Grain sorter. 3. A grain or a grain group after being conveyed by a belt conveyor is moved along a predetermined movement route, and the grain is judged as a defective product by a determination means provided corresponding to the movement route. It is determined whether or not there is a defective product in the grain group, and the grain or the grain group by the selection means provided corresponding to the movement path on the downstream side of the determination means. Is a grain sorting machine for sorting, arranged directly above the belt conveyor, the rotary valve for dropping and feeding the grain for sorting on the belt conveyor for each grain, corresponding to the rotary valve. Is provided and forms an adjacent column-shaped grain transport path along a direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the belt conveyor, and transports the grain dropped and supplied from the rotary valve of the belt conveyor. Grain sorter, characterized in that it includes a guide rail means for guiding each row along the direction.