JP7375527B2 - Optical sorting device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an optical sorting device that sorts granular materials such as grains, beans, and resin pellets based on color and the like.

Particulate materials such as grains, beans, and resin pellets are sometimes sorted into good and defective products based on color, etc., and defective products are removed, or mixed foreign substances are removed.
For example, in Patent Document 1, an optical detection section is provided below a chute through which grains flow down, sandwiching the falling trajectory of the granular material falling from the chute, an ejector nozzle is provided further below the optical detection section, and an optical detection section is provided below a chute through which grains flow down. Optical particle sorting system that detects whether falling particles are good or defective, and removes particles determined to be defective from the falling particles using a high-pressure jet ejected from an ejector nozzle. An apparatus is disclosed.

The optical particulate matter sorting device described in Patent Document 1 uses jet air to remove defective products that have fallen from a chute, but some particulate matter that does not fall along a fixed flight trajectory due to disturbances in flight attitude in the air. Because of this, there is a possibility that the blast will not hit defective products and cause sorting errors.

In order to improve the sorting performance, the applicant has applied for Patent Document 2. This is provided with an optical detection slit and a sorting/removal slit in the chute of the part to be sorted.

Patent No. 6037125 Patent application No. 2019-209821

In an optical sorting device such as that disclosed in Patent Document 2, it is necessary to provide an optical detection section corresponding to the optical detection slit of the chute, and further to provide an ejector nozzle so as to correspond to the sorting and removal slit below the optical detection section. As a result, the overall size was large, and assembly was troublesome, making it unsuitable for mass production by hand or robots. In particular, such problems were noticeable when attached to a rice hulling machine.
There is also a need to make the distance between the optical detection slit and the sorting/removal slit as close as possible to make it more compact and to improve the sorting accuracy.

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an optical sorting device that is compact, easy to assemble, and suitable for mass production. The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a compact optical sorting device that has high sorting accuracy and makes the distance between the optical detection slit and the sorting and removal slit as close as possible.

The invention according to claim 1 of the present application has a slit for optical detection and a slit for sorting and removal arranged downstream of the slit for optical detection, and a chute through which objects to be sorted flow down the surface thereof, and an illumination section having a rear illumination section installed on the back side and irradiating light from an opening to the object to be sorted; and at least one of transmitted light and reflected light from the object to be sorted of the light irradiated by the illumination section. an optical inspection section that inspects objects to be sorted flowing down the surface of the chute; An optical sorting device comprising: an ejector nozzle that can eject onto the objects to be sorted flowing down the surface of the chute, and an ejector section that sorts and removes the objects to be sorted based on the inspection results of the optical inspection section; The chute includes a base member attached to the back side of the chute, at least the rear side illumination section and the ejector nozzle are attached to the base member, and the base member is configured such that the opening of the rear side illumination section is connected to the rear side illumination section. The ejector nozzle is installed so that it faces the optical detection slit, and the tip of the ejector nozzle faces the sorting/removal slit, and the base member or the rear illumination section is inserted into the optical detection slit. The optical sorting device is characterized in that it includes a positioning protrusion for positioning the base member with respect to the chute.
The invention according to claim 2 of the present application has a slit for optical detection and a slit for sorting and removal arranged on the downstream side of the slit for optical detection, and a chute through which the objects to be sorted flow down the surface, and a chute of the chute. an illumination section having a rear illumination section installed on the back side and irradiating light from an opening to the object to be sorted; and at least one of transmitted light and reflected light from the object to be sorted of the light irradiated by the illumination section. an optical inspection section that inspects objects to be sorted flowing down the surface of the chute; An optical sorting device comprising: an ejector nozzle that can eject onto the objects to be sorted flowing down the surface of the chute, and an ejector section that sorts and removes the objects to be sorted based on the inspection results of the optical inspection section; The chute includes a base member attached to the back side of the chute, at least the rear side illumination section and the ejector nozzle are attached to the base member, and the base member is configured such that the opening of the rear side illumination section is connected to the rear side illumination section. The ejector nozzle is installed so that it faces the optical detection slit and the tip of the ejector nozzle faces the sorting and removing slit, and the base member or the ejector nozzle is inserted into the sorting and removing slit to be inserted into the chute. The optical sorting device is characterized in that it includes a positioning protrusion for positioning the base member relative to the base member.
In the invention according to claim 3 of the present application, the base member is a rear housing, and the ejector section is configured based on the inspection results of the ejector nozzle, a manifold that distributes high-pressure air to the ejector nozzle, and the optical inspection section. and an electromagnetic valve for controlling distribution of the manifold, the rear lighting section, the ejector nozzle, and the manifold are housed in the rear housing, and the electromagnetic valve is disposed on the outer surface of the rear housing. 3. The optical sorting device according to claim 1, further comprising a valve.
In the invention according to claim 4 of the present application, a protrusion protrudes from the outer surface of the rear side housing, an engaging pawl is provided on the electromagnetic valve, and the engaging pawl is snap-engaged with the protruding piece. 4. The optical sorting device according to claim 3, wherein the electromagnetic valve is attached to the outer surface of the rear housing.
In the invention according to claim 5 of the present application, the base member is a rear housing, and the ejector section is based on the ejector nozzle, a manifold that distributes high-pressure air to the ejector nozzle, and an inspection result of the optical inspection section. and an electromagnetic valve for controlling the distribution of the manifold, the rear lighting unit and the ejector nozzle are housed in the rear housing, and the ejector nozzle and the ejector nozzle are installed outside the rear housing. 3. The optical sorting device according to claim 1, wherein the manifold and the electromagnetic valve are connected by an air hose.
In the invention according to claim 6 of the present application, the rear illumination section includes a light source and a reflection section that reflects light emitted from the light source toward the optical detection slit, and , the light source, the reflecting section, and the ejector nozzle are arranged in this order, the optical sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
In the invention according to claim 7 of the present application, a front housing is provided on the surface side of the chute, the lighting section has a front lighting section installed on the surface side of the chute, and the front housing is provided with a front housing. 7. The optical sorting device according to claim 1, wherein at least the front illumination section, the light receiving section, and the optical path are accommodated.
The invention according to claim 8 of the present application is a rice hulling sorting machine characterized by being equipped with the optical sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
Further, the following may be used as another invention.
Means 1 has a slit for optical detection, a slit for sorting and removal arranged downstream of the slit for optical detection, a chute through which the objects to be sorted flow down the surface, and a slit arranged on the back side of the chute. an illumination unit having a rear illumination unit that irradiates light from an opening to the object to be sorted; and a light receiving unit that receives at least one of transmitted light and reflected light from the object to be sorted of the light irradiated by the illumination unit. an optical inspection section having an optical path for sending at least one of the transmitted light and the reflected light to the light receiving section and inspecting objects to be sorted flowing down the surface of the chute; and an ejector unit that has an ejector nozzle that can eject onto the objects to be sorted flowing down and that sorts and removes the objects to be sorted based on the inspection results of the optical inspection unit, the back side of the chute. at least the rear illumination section and the ejector nozzle are attached to the base member, and the base member is configured such that the opening of the rear illumination section is connected to the optical detection slit. The optical sorting device is characterized in that the tip of the ejector nozzle is installed so as to face the sorting and removal slit.

Means 2 is characterized in that the base member or the rear illumination section includes a positioning protrusion that positions the base member with respect to the chute by being inserted into the optical detection slit. This is an optical sorting device according to means 1 .

The invention according to means 3 is characterized in that the base member or the ejector nozzle is provided with a positioning protrusion that positions the base member with respect to the chute by being inserted into the sorting and removal slit. This is the optical sorting device according to means 1 or 2 .

Means 4 is characterized in that the base member is a rear housing, and the ejector section includes the ejector nozzle, a manifold that distributes high-pressure air to the ejector nozzle, and a manifold that distributes high-pressure air to the ejector nozzle based on the inspection results of the optical inspection section. The rear lighting section, the ejector nozzle, and the manifold are housed in the rear housing, and the electromagnetic valve is attached to an outer surface of the rear housing. The optical sorting device according to any one of means 1 to 3, characterized in that:

Means 5 includes a projecting piece protruding from the outer surface of the rear housing, an engaging pawl provided on the electromagnetic valve, and a snap engagement of the engaging pawl to the protruding piece. 4. The optical sorting device according to means 4, wherein the electromagnetic valve is attached to the electromagnetic valve.

In means 6 , the base member is a rear housing, and the ejector section includes the ejector nozzle, a manifold that distributes high-pressure air to the ejector nozzle, and a distribution system of the manifold based on the inspection result of the optical inspection section. The rear illumination section and the ejector nozzle are housed in the rear housing, and the ejector nozzle and the manifold and the electromagnetic valve installed outside the rear housing are housed in the rear housing. The optical sorting device according to any one of means 1 to 3, characterized in that the valve is connected with an air hose.

In the means 7 , the rear illumination section includes a light source and a reflection section that reflects light emitted from the light source toward the optical detection slit, and the light source, the The optical sorting device according to any one of means 1 to 6, characterized in that a reflecting portion and the ejector nozzle are arranged in this order.

The means 8 includes a front housing on the surface side of the chute, the illumination section having a front illumination section installed on the surface side of the chute, and the front housing includes at least the front side housing. The optical sorting device according to any one of means 1 to 7, characterized in that an illumination section, the light receiving section, and the optical path are accommodated.

Means 9 is a rice hulling sorting machine characterized by being equipped with the optical sorting device according to any one of Means 1 to 8 .

According to the present invention, since air is blown through the sorting and removal slits onto the objects flowing down a stable trajectory on the chute surface, the objects to be removed can be reliably targeted to the objects to be removed without being affected by turbulence in the air flow. It is possible to apply a jet of air, making it difficult to make mistakes in sorting and improving accuracy.
Since the rear lighting section and ejector nozzle are attached to one base member, the rear lighting section and ejector nozzle can be easily installed at the same time by simply attaching the base member.As a result, it can be easily installed by hand or robot. It becomes possible to mass produce. In addition, as the device becomes smaller, the distance between the rear illumination part and the ejector nozzle, that is, the distance between the optical detection slit and the sorting and removal slit, becomes shorter. The trajectory of the mixed grains until reaching the target is difficult to change, increasing the sorting accuracy.

In addition, the base member or the rear illumination section is equipped with a positioning protrusion that positions the base member relative to the chute by being inserted into the optical detection slit, so positioning can be easily performed during installation. be able to.

In addition, the base member or the ejector nozzle includes a positioning protrusion that positions the base member relative to the chute by being inserted into the sorting and removal slit, so positioning can be easily performed during installation. Can be done.

In addition, by accommodating the front illumination section, the light receiving section, and the optical path within the front housing, assembly is further facilitated, and the front illumination section, the light receiving section, and the optical path are protected from dust and the like.

In addition, if the base member is a rear housing and the rear illumination section, ejector nozzle, and manifold are housed in the rear housing, the device can be further miniaturized and dust and the like are less likely to adhere to the rear illumination section.

In addition, by protruding the protrusion on the outer surface of the rear housing and providing the electromagnetic valve with an engaging pawl that snaps into engagement with the protrusion, the electromagnetic valve can be easily attached to the rear housing.

In addition, if the ejector nozzle and the manifold and electromagnetic valve installed outside the rear housing are connected with an air hose, a commercially available general manifold and electromagnetic valve can be used.

In addition, the rear illumination section includes a light source and a reflection section that reflects the light emitted from the light source toward the optical detection slit, and the light source, the reflection section, and the ejector nozzle are arranged in this order from the upstream side of the chute. Therefore, the distance between the optical detection slit and the sorting/removal slit can be further shortened, and compactness and sorting accuracy can be improved.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the sorting section according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a sectional view of an optical sorting device showing a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a chute according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of an optical sorting device showing a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of an optical sorting device showing a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an optical sorting device showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

[First embodiment]
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a sorter in the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an optical sorting device in the first embodiment, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a chute in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of the optical sorting device in the first embodiment.

In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, an optical sorting device 1 is installed in a sorting section 2 of a rice hulling sorter (not shown). The sorting section 2 is a secondary sorting section installed adjacent to the downstream side of a hulling section (not shown).
At the hulling section, the rice husks and brown rice are separated from the rice, and the rice husks are first sorted. The mixed grains (material to be sorted) made of brown rice that still contains foreign matter such as rice husks that have been subjected to the primary sorting are sent to the sorting section 2, where the optical sorting device 1 sorts out and removes only the foreign matter from the mixed grains.

A raw material hopper 3 is provided at the bottom of the sorting section 2, into which mixed grains are sent from the hulling section. A storage tank 4 is installed in the upper part of the sorting section 2 and above the optical sorting device 1 . The mixed grains fed into the raw material hopper 3 are transported to the storage tank 4 by the grain lifting section 5.

The mixed grains pumped to the storage tank 4 are supplied to the upper end of the chute 6 via the rotary valve 9. A brown rice discharge path 10 is connected below the chute 6 to discharge brown rice that is not removed by the ejector section 8 of the optical sorting device 1. A foreign matter discharge path 11 for discharging foreign matter removed by the ejector section 8 of the optical sorting device 1 is also connected below the chute 6 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the optical sorting device 1 includes an inclined chute 6 on the surface of which the mixed grains flow down. The optical sorting device 1 includes an optical inspection section 7 that is disposed facing the front and back sides of the chute 6. The optical sorting device 1 includes an ejector section 8 that discriminates between foreign matter a and brown rice b in the mixed grains based on the inspection results of the optical inspection section 7, and excludes only the foreign matter a from the mixed grains.

As shown in FIG. 3, an optical detection slit 12 is formed in the chute 6 so as to be perpendicular to the downstream direction of the mixed grains. A slit 13 for sorting and removal is formed in the chute 6 on the downstream side of the slit 12 for optical detection and perpendicular to the downstream direction of the mixed grains. The optical detection slit 12 and the selection/removal slit 13 are formed at close positions.
The widths of the optical detection slit 12 and the sorting and removal slit 13 are set depending on the size and weight of the mixed grains flowing down the chute 6, the removal ability of the ejector section 8, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 2, the optical inspection section 7 includes an illumination section 14 that irradiates light onto the mixed grains flowing down the surface of the chute 6. The optical inspection section 7 includes a light receiving section 15 such as a CCD camera that receives transmitted light and reflected light from the mixed grains irradiated with light by the illumination section 14 . The optical inspection section 7 includes an optical path 16 that sends transmitted light and reflected light to the light receiving section 15.

The light path 16 includes a plurality of reflectors and lenses, and the light receiving section 15 and the light path 16 are integrally housed inside the front housing 20 together with the front illumination section 14b.
The front housing 20 is installed at a position facing the optical detection slit 12 on the surface side of the chute 6, and the front illumination section 14b faces the optical detection slit 12.
Then, the light from the front illumination section 14b is irradiated onto a granular object (foreign object a or brown rice b) passing through the optical detection slit 12, and the reflected light from the granular object reaches the light receiving section 15 via the optical path 16. .

As shown in FIG. 4, the illumination section 14 includes a rear illumination section 14a installed on the back side of the chute 6, and a front illumination section 14b installed on the front side of the chute 6.
The rear illumination section 14a includes a light diffusing plate 17 that is a milky white transparent plate, a light source 18 such as an LED, and a reflecting section 19 that is a concave mirror.
The front side illumination section 14b is a light source such as an LED.

The light diffusing plate 17 is provided so that its surface direction is parallel to the downstream direction of the chute 6.
The light source 18 is provided directly above and close to the ejector nozzle 22 and is arranged to emit light in a direction opposite to the downstream direction of the chute 6. The light source 18 has a flat plate shape, and its surface direction is arranged parallel to the ejection direction in which the ejector nozzle 22 extends.
The reflecting section 19 reflects the light emitted from the light source 18 toward the light diffusing plate 17 .
With this arrangement, the ejector nozzle 22 and the rear illumination section 14a can be brought close to each other, and the optical detection slit 12 and the sorting/removal slit 13 can be brought close to each other.

The rear illumination section 14a includes an opening member 14a1 that emits light to the flowing mixed grains. The opening member 14a1 forms a positioning protrusion that protrudes from the rear housing 28, which is a base member. A light diffusing plate 17 is provided on the light source 18 side of the opening member 14a1.
By inserting the opening member 14a1, which is a positioning protrusion, into the optical detection slit 12, the rear housing 28, to which the rear lighting section 14a is attached, is positioned with respect to the chute 6.

In this embodiment, the positioning protrusion is the opening member 14a1 of the rear side illumination part 14a, but a similar configuration is provided in the part of the rear housing 28 to which the rear side illumination part 14a is attached, and the positioning protrusion is provided on the base member. It may be configured.

The ejector section 8 includes a plurality of ejector nozzles 22 , a manifold 23 that distributes high-pressure air to the ejector nozzles 22 , and an electromagnetic valve 24 that controls the ejection of air from the ejector nozzles 22 .
An air supply pipe 25 is connected to the manifold 23, and high pressure air is supplied to the manifold 23 from a compressor or the like through the air supply pipe 25.
Further, the electromagnetic valve 24 is connected to the light receiving section 15 of the optical inspection section 7 via a valve drive circuit board 26 and a signal processing board 27 (FIG. 2).

The tip 22a of the ejector nozzle 22 forms a positioning projection that projects from the rear housing 28, which is a base member.
By inserting the tip 22a of the ejector nozzle 22, which is a positioning protrusion, into the sorting and removal slit 13, the rear housing 28 to which the ejector part 8 is attached is positioned with respect to the chute 6.

In this embodiment, the positioning protrusion is the tip 22a of the ejector nozzle 22, but a similar configuration is provided in the rear housing 28 to which the ejector nozzle 22 is attached, and the positioning protrusion is formed on the base member. Also good.

A box-shaped rear housing 28 is attached to the back side of the chute 6 as a base member. Inside the rear housing 28, the rear lighting section 14a, the ejector nozzle 22, and the manifold 23 are integrally housed. That is, the rear side illumination part 14a, the ejector nozzle 22, and the manifold 23 can be unitized by the rear side housing 28, which is a base member.

The front surface of the rear housing 28 facing the back surface of the chute 6 is open so that the opening member 14a1 of the rear illumination part 14a, which is a positioning projection, and the tip 22a of the ejector nozzle 22 can be projected.
The rear surface of the rear housing 28 is provided with openings for communicating the manifold 23 and the electromagnetic valve 24, and the ejector nozzle 22 and the electromagnetic valve 24.

A hook portion 29 is formed at one end of the rear surface of the rear housing 28, and a projecting piece 30 projects from the other end of the rear surface.
A flange 31 is formed at one end of the front surface of the electromagnetic valve 24, and a locking pawl 32 that snaps into engagement with the protrusion 30 is provided at the other end of the front surface.

The electromagnetic valve 24 is tilted to insert the flange 31 into the hook portion 29, and then the electromagnetic valve 24 is rotated to snap the locking pawl 32 into the protrusion 30. Thereby, the electromagnetic valve 24 can be attached to the rear surface (outer surface) of the rear side housing 28 with one touch and mounted on the manifold 23.
When replacing the electromagnetic valve 24, the electromagnetic valve 24 can be easily removed from the rear housing 28 by swinging the locking pawl 32 and separating it from the protrusion 30.

The rear side of the chute 6 is assembled as follows.
The rear side illumination part 14a, the ejector nozzle 22, and the manifold 23 are housed in the rear side housing 28 to form a unit. The opening member 14a1 of the rear lighting section 14a and the tip 22a of the ejector nozzle 22, which are positioning projections, protrude from the front surface of the rear housing 28.

The opening member 14a1 of the rear lighting section 14a, which is a positioning protrusion, and the tip 22a of the ejector nozzle 22 are inserted into the optical detection slit 12 and the sorting/removal slit 13, respectively, and the rear housing 28 is positioned on the back side of the chute 6. mounted on.
The rear housing 28 is installed so that the opening member 14a1 of the rear illumination section 14a faces the optical detection slit 12, and the tip 22a of the ejector nozzle 22 faces the sorting and removal slit 13.

The rear housing 28 is further fixed by engagement of claws with the back surface of the chute 6 or by fasteners such as screws.
The electromagnetic valve 24 is attached to the rear surface of the rear housing 28 at an appropriate timing.

The rear housing 28, the valve drive circuit board 26, the signal processing board 27, and the power source 33 that drives the optical sorting device 1 are housed in a box 34, and the box 34 is installed on the back side of the chute 6 (see FIG. 1 and Figure 2).

The light from the rear illumination section 14a passes through the optical detection slit 12 and is irradiated onto the granular material passing above the optical detection slit 12, and the light transmitted through the granular material reaches the light receiving section 15 via the optical path 16.
The light from the front side illumination section 14b is irradiated onto the particulate matter passing above the optical detection slit 12, and the light reflected by the particulate matter reaches the light receiving part 15 via the optical path 16.

The light reception signal of the light receiving section 15 is sent to the signal processing board 27. The signal level of the received light signal is compared with a threshold value in the signal processing board 27, and it is determined whether the granular material is foreign material a or brown rice b.
The determination result by the signal processing board 27 is transmitted to the valve drive circuit board 26. The opening and closing of the electromagnetic valve 24 is controlled by a valve drive circuit board 26.

If the particulate matter is determined to be foreign material a, high-pressure air is ejected from the ejector nozzle 22 selected by the opening/closing control of the electromagnetic valve 24 when the particulate matter passes through the sorting and removal slit 13. The foreign matter a is removed from the surface of the chute 6 by high pressure air blown out from the ejector nozzle 22. The removed foreign matter a is discharged into the foreign matter discharge path 11.
The unremoved brown rice b is sent to the next process through the brown rice discharge path 10.

[Second embodiment]
A second embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 5. Note that descriptions of parts similar to those in the first embodiment will be omitted, and mainly different parts will be described.

In the second embodiment, the light sources 18 of the rear illumination section 14a are installed facing each other so as to emit light toward the ejector nozzle 22.
The reflecting section 19 is provided directly above and close to the ejector nozzle 22.
The light emitted from the light source 18 is reflected by the reflection section 19 toward the light diffusing plate 17, and is irradiated onto the mixed grains through the optical detection slit 12. That is, the light source 18, the reflection section 19, and the ejector nozzle 22 are arranged in this order from the upstream side of the chute 6 in the downstream direction of the chute 6.

The light source 18 is arranged closer to the ejector nozzle 22 so that the space (height in the downstream direction of the chute 6) can be smaller than that of the light source 18, and the light source 18 is disposed on the upstream side in the downstream direction of the chute 6. Thereby, the opening member 14a1 of the rear illumination section 14a can be brought closer to the ejector nozzle 22, and the distance between the optical detection slit 12 and the sorting/removal slit 13 can be further shortened. Therefore, sorting accuracy can be improved.

[Third embodiment]
A third embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. 6. Note that descriptions of parts similar to those in the first embodiment or the second embodiment will be omitted, and mainly different parts will be described.

In the third embodiment, the rear lighting section 14a and the ejector nozzle 22 are installed inside the rear housing 28, and the manifold 23 and the electromagnetic valve 24 are installed outside the rear housing 28. Specifically, it is provided outside the box 34.
A solenoid valve 24 is attached to the manifold 23 and connected to the ejector nozzle 22 by an air hose 35.
There is no need to provide the rear housing 28 with hooks, protrusions, etc. for attaching the electromagnetic valve 24.

[Other variations]
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Examples include the following:

In this embodiment, the optical sorting device separates brown rice from foreign substances such as rice husks, but it can also be used to sort other grains, beans, resin pellets, and the like.

In this embodiment, the rear illumination section does not include a light path or a light receiving section, but the present invention is not limited to this. The rear illumination section may include a light path and a light receiving section.

In this embodiment, the base member is a box-shaped rear side housing, but it is not something that is housed inside, but a plate-like thing that can be made into a unit by placing a rear side illumination part and an ejector nozzle on top of it. It's okay.

In the first and second embodiments, the protruding piece and the engaging pawl are provided only at one end of the rear housing and the electromagnetic valve, but the protruding piece and the engaging pawl are provided on both ends, and the protruding piece and the engaging claw are provided on both ends. A mating engagement claw may be provided. It is also possible to connect the rear housing and the electromagnetic valve using other fasteners.

In this embodiment, the positioning protrusion is provided so as to be inserted into both the optical detection slit 12 and the sorting/removal slit 13, but the present invention is not limited thereto. It may be provided to be inserted into either one.

In this embodiment, when positioning the base member in the chute, the positioning protrusion is inserted into the optical detection slit 12 and the sorting/removal slit 13, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the rear housing 28 can be attached to a location other than the slit on the back side of the chute 6 by hooking a claw or using a fixing tool such as a screw, but the engagement position of the claw and the hole for inserting the fixing tool are aligned. By doing so, the alignment may be performed automatically.

Each technical matter in any embodiment may be applied to other embodiments to form an example.

1 Optical sorting device 2 Sorting section 3 Raw material hopper 4 Storage tank 5 Grain frying section 6 Chute 7 Optical inspection section 8 Ejector section 9 Rotary valve 10 Brown rice discharge channel 11 Foreign matter discharge channel 12 Slit for optical detection 13 Slit for sorting and removal 14 Illumination Section 14a Rear side illumination section 14b Front side illumination section 15 Light receiving section 16 Light path 17 Light diffusing plate 18 Light source 19 Reflection section 20 Front side housing 22 Ejector nozzle 23 Manifold 24 Electromagnetic valve 25 Air supply pipe 26 Valve drive circuit board 27 Signal processing board 28 Rear side housing 29 Hook part 30 Projection piece 31 Flange 32 Locking claw 33 Power supply 34 Box 35 Air hose

Claims (8)

a chute having an optical detection slit and a sorting/removal slit arranged downstream of the optical detection slit, through which objects to be sorted flow down the surface;
an illumination section having a rear side illumination section installed on the back side of the chute and irradiating light from an opening to the objects to be sorted; Optical inspection that includes a light receiving section that receives at least one of the light beams, and an optical path that sends at least one of the transmitted light and the reflected light to the light receiving section, and inspects objects to be sorted flowing down the surface of the chute. Department and
an ejector unit having an ejector nozzle capable of ejecting onto the objects to be sorted flowing down the surface of the chute, and sorting and removing the objects to be sorted based on the inspection results of the optical inspection section;
In an optical sorting device equipped with,
comprising a base member attached to the back side of the chute,
At least the rear illumination section and the ejector nozzle are attached to the base member, and the base member is configured such that the opening of the rear illumination section faces the optical detection slit, and the tip of the ejector nozzle faces the optical detection slit. It is installed facing the slit for sorting and removal.
The base member or the rear illumination section includes a positioning protrusion that positions the base member with respect to the chute by being inserted into the optical detection slit.
An optical sorting device characterized by: a chute having an optical detection slit and a sorting/removal slit arranged downstream of the optical detection slit, through which objects to be sorted flow down the surface;
an illumination section having a rear side illumination section installed on the back side of the chute and irradiating light from an opening to the objects to be sorted; Optical inspection that includes a light receiving section that receives at least one of the light beams, and an optical path that sends at least one of the transmitted light and the reflected light to the light receiving section, and inspects objects to be sorted flowing down the surface of the chute. Department and
an ejector unit having an ejector nozzle capable of ejecting onto the objects to be sorted flowing down the surface of the chute, and sorting and removing the objects to be sorted based on the inspection results of the optical inspection section;
In an optical sorting device equipped with,
comprising a base member attached to the back side of the chute,
At least the rear illumination section and the ejector nozzle are attached to the base member, and the base member is configured such that the opening of the rear illumination section faces the optical detection slit, and the tip of the ejector nozzle faces the optical detection slit. It is installed facing the slit for sorting and removal.
The base member or the ejector nozzle includes a positioning protrusion that positions the base member with respect to the chute by being inserted into the sorting and removal slit.
An optical sorting device characterized by: The base member is a rear housing,
The ejector section includes the ejector nozzle, a manifold that distributes high-pressure air to the ejector nozzle, and an electromagnetic valve that controls distribution of the manifold based on the inspection results of the optical inspection section,
The rear lighting section, the ejector nozzle, and the manifold are housed in the rear housing, and the electromagnetic valve is attached to an outer surface of the rear housing. The optical sorting device according to claim 2 . A projecting piece is protruded from the outer surface of the rear housing, and an engaging claw is provided on the electromagnetic valve, and by snap-engaging the engaging claw with the projecting piece, the electromagnetic valve is attached to the outer surface of the rear housing. 4. The optical sorting device according to claim 3 , further comprising: an optical sorting device. The base member is a rear housing,
The ejector section includes the ejector nozzle, a manifold that distributes high-pressure air to the ejector nozzle, and an electromagnetic valve that controls distribution of the manifold based on the inspection results of the optical inspection section,
The rear lighting section and the ejector nozzle are housed in the rear housing, and the ejector nozzle is connected to the manifold and the electromagnetic valve installed outside the rear housing through an air hose. The optical sorting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The rear illumination section includes a light source and a reflection section that reflects light emitted from the light source toward the optical detection slit,
The optical sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the light source, the reflection section, and the ejector nozzle are arranged in this order from the upstream side of the chute. A front housing is provided on the surface side of the chute,
The lighting section includes a front lighting section installed on the surface side of the chute,
The optical system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the front side housing accommodates at least the front side illumination section, the light receiving section, and the optical path. Type sorting device. A rice hulling sorting machine comprising the optical sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 .