JP7609765B2 - Rice hulling plant - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a rice hulling plant.

A conventional rice hulling plant is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication No. 7-47146 (Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 describes that an imaging means is provided for imaging the surface of a swaying sorting plate, and the distribution state of the husks and brown rice is evaluated based on the imaging information, and the inclination angle of the swaying sorting plate and the partition plate are controlled.

Special Publication No. 7-47146

However, in the above-mentioned document, binary image information of the unhulled and brown rice is created and image processing is performed so that each grain can be evaluated, which requires improving the computational processing capacity of the image data, and the device is complex and expensive.

In view of this situation, the present invention aims to provide a rice hulling plant that is simple and inexpensive and has improved sorting accuracy.

The rice hulling plant of this invention, which separates rice grains after hulling with a dehulling roll into rice and brown rice on a oscillating sorting plate, includes an imaging means for capturing an image of the distribution of rice grains and brown rice on the oscillating sorting plate and capturing the image as imaging information, a determination unit for comparing the imaging information with a recommended distribution area including recommended distribution image information in which a recommended distribution state is stored in advance, and a sorting control means for sorting rice grains and brown rice so as to approach the recommended distribution area based on the determination result of the determination unit.

The recommended distribution area including the recommended distribution image information for unhulled rice and brown rice is stored, the distribution state of unhulled rice and brown rice is imaged on the upper surface of the oscillating sorting plate by an imaging means, the deviation between the layer (group) of unhulled rice and the layer (group) of brown rice is read from the image data, and automatic judgment and sorting control are performed, so that a simple judgment method is used while improving sorting accuracy, and an inexpensive rice hulling plant can be provided.

Preferably, the sorting control means includes an inclination angle adjustment control means for adjusting the inclination angle of the oscillating sorting plate.

By adjusting the inclination angle of the oscillating sorting plate, it is possible to improve sorting efficiency and accuracy.

More preferably, the rice hulling plant includes a husking process as a pre-process of the oscillating sorting using the oscillating sorting plate, and is characterized in that if the recommended distribution range is not reached even after adjusting the inclination angle of the oscillating sorting plate using the inclination angle adjustment means for a predetermined period of time, a husking rate control is executed to adjust the husking rate in the husking process.

If the recommended distribution range is not reached even after performing tilt angle adjustment using tilt angle adjustment control for a specified period of time, it becomes possible to improve sorting efficiency and sorting accuracy by implementing dehulling rate control to adjust the dehulling rate.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the rice hulling plant includes a feed rate adjustment process for adjusting the amount of grains fed to the oscillating sorting plate as a post-hulling process, and is characterized in that if the recommended distribution range is not reached even after a predetermined period of husking rate control in the husking process, the feed rate adjustment process is executed.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, if the amount of grains supplied to the oscillating sorting plate is adjusted in the supply amount adjustment process but does not reach the recommended distribution range, the oscillating sorting machine is stopped and manual readjustment is performed, and then automatic control is started again.

The sorting control means may store the recommended distribution image information according to the grain variety.

The recommended distribution image information is stored according to the grain variety, making it possible to accommodate multiple varieties.

The selection control means may include a machine learning algorithm.

The sorting control method uses machine learning algorithms, improving sorting accuracy.

The system stores recommended distribution image information for unhulled rice and brown rice, captures an image of the distribution of unhulled rice and brown rice on the oscillating sorting plate using an imaging means, reads the deviation between the recommended distribution image information and the captured image data of the layer (group) of unhulled rice and the layer (group) of brown rice, and automatically determines and controls sorting so that the distribution of unhulled rice and brown rice on the top surface of the oscillating sorting plate approaches the recommended distribution image information, thereby providing a simple and inexpensive rice hulling plant with improved sorting accuracy.

1 is a flow sheet of a rice hulling plant according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a rice hulling plant. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a dehusking winnowing device. A diagram showing the configuration of the husking roll pressure adjustment mechanism. A diagram showing the configuration of the husking roll pressure adjustment mechanism. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of a roll swinging unit. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing the sorting state and angle adjustment in the sorting main body. FIG. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the rice hulling plant. FIG. 2 illustrates a wind monitor. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing undesirable sorting states in a rocking sorting plate. 1 is a flowchart showing the process of a rice hulling plant. 1 is a flowchart showing the process of a rice hulling plant.

Below, we will explain the form for implementing the present invention with reference to the drawings. First, we will explain a rice hulling plant according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 1 is a flow sheet of a rice hulling plant, and Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the exterior of the rice hulling plant.

As shown in Figure 1, the rice hulling plant 1 is equipped with a raw material elevator 10, a roll tank 11, a dehusking and winnowing device 12, a mixed grain elevator 13, a mixed rice tank 14, a rocking sorting device 15, and a brown rice elevator 16. By supplying rice as the raw material, the plant performs dehusking and sorting while controlling each part with an equipment control device 18 (see Figure 2), and produces brown rice.

As shown in FIG. 2, the rice hulling plant 1 is configured with a husking/winnowing device 12 mounted above a trembling sorting device 15, and a work floor 2a is provided around the outer periphery of the upper part of the trembling sorting device 15, projecting outward laterally, and a staircase 2b is provided for ascending and descending to the work floor 2a.

First, the configuration of each part will be explained with reference to each drawing and following the flow of Figure 1. As shown in Figure 1, the raw material elevator 10 transports raw rice that has undergone the rough screening process in the previous process upward by supplying it to the supply port 10a. The transported rice flows out from the raw material outlet 10b formed at the top end of the raw material elevator 10 and falls into the roll tank 11.

The roll tank 11 is used to temporarily store raw rice and has the function of supplying a fixed amount of rice to the dehusking/winnowing device 12 via a raw material supply mechanism 11b provided at its outlet 11a.

The raw material supply mechanism 11b is also electrically connected to the equipment control device 18 (see FIG. 8) and is configured to supply an amount of rice grains to the husking and winnowing device 12 according to a raw material supply amount control signal transmitted from the equipment control device 18.

The dehusking and winnowing device 12 is equipped with a roll-type dehusking section 25 that performs the dehusking process on the supplied rice grains, and a winnowing section 26 that removes rice husks and unripe rice from the processed material after the dehusking process.

The roll-type husking section 25 is the section that performs the husking process by pressing the rice between a pair of built-in husking rolls 20L, 20R (see Figure 3).

More specifically, the rice grains supplied from the roll tank 11 are dropped onto a pair of husking rolls 20L, 20R in the roll-type husking section 25 through the raw material passage 21 shown in Figure 3. The husking rolls 20L, 20R rotate inward at different speeds driven by the husking roll motor 20a (see Figure 4), and the dropped rice grains are clamped and pressed against the husking rolls 20L, 20R, causing friction to perform the husking process.

The roll-type husking section 25 is also provided with a husking roll pressure adjustment mechanism 20b (see Figure 4) that moves the husking roll 20L closer to or farther away from the fixed husking roll 20R, making it possible to adjust the pressure on the rice passing between the husking rolls 20L and 20R. This husking roll pressure adjustment mechanism 20b is equipped with an air pressure adjustment section 28a, an air cylinder 28b, and a roll rotation section 28c.

The air pressure adjustment unit 28a is electrically connected to the equipment control device 18, and by receiving a pressure adjustment signal sent from the equipment control device 18, it adjusts an internal regulator (not shown) and controls the pressure of the compressed air supplied to the air cylinder 28b.

The air cylinder 28b is connected to the air pressure adjustment unit 28a via the air tube 20c, and expands and contracts the piston rod 28d (see Figure 6) according to the pressure of the compressed air supplied.

The roll rotation unit 28c is a mechanism for moving the husking roll shaft 17L around a rotation trajectory centered on the rotation shaft 29a shown in FIG. 5 by extending and retracting the piston rod 28d of the air cylinder 28b.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6 (A), the roll rotation section 28c includes a rotation shaft 29a, a cylindrical rotation shaft outer cylinder 29b through which the rotation shaft 29a is inserted, a cylindrical dehusking roll shaft outer cylinder 29d through which the dehusking roll shaft 17L that rotates the dehusking roll 20L is inserted, and an outer cylinder connecting piece 29e that connects the two outer cylinders 29b and 29d.

The tip of the piston rod 28d mentioned above is connected to the outer circumferential surface of the outer cylinder body 29d of the husking roll shaft. When the piston rod 28d extends and retracts, the husking roll shaft 17L rotates on an arc around the pivot shaft 29a as shown in Figures 6(A) and (B), making it possible to adjust the pressure on the rice passing between the husking rolls 20L and 20R.

Returning to the explanation of FIG. 3, the processed material that has been dehusked by the dehusking rolls 20L, 20R is guided by the guide plates 22a, 22b and falls from the drop port 23 into the winnowing section 26. The processed material includes brown rice and rice husks produced by the dehusking process, as well as unhusked rice and rice bran.

In the winnowing section 26, the air inside is moved by the suction force of the intake fan 24 (see Figure 1) installed at the bottom of the husking winnowing device 12, and this moving air removes the rice husks and rice bran.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the air selection section 26 generates an airflow inside the air selection section 26 by sucking air from inside the air selection section 26 using the aforementioned intake fan 24 through a suction port 27 that opens at approximately the center of the air selection section 26, while also allowing air to flow in through an air inlet 37 formed below the dehusking air selection device 12.

In addition, the inside of the wind selection section 26 is configured with partitions to form air flow paths so that the treated materials can be properly separated, and the separated treated materials can be transported out as appropriate.

In other words, the wind selection section 26 is equipped with a wind selection guide plate 32 formed from multiple plate-like bodies intermittently erected on the rear wall 30, extending from the lower left side of the internal space 31 to the upper right direction, an arc-shaped guide plate 33 that guides the airflow that reaches the upper right tip of the wind selection guide plate 32 downward, and a suction port guide plate 34 that guides the airflow guided downward along the arc-shaped guide plate 33 to the underside of the wind selection guide plate 32.

The wind selection guide plate 32 is broadly composed of three parts. That is, the first wind selection guide plate 32a is disposed at a low position on the left end in the figure, the second wind selection guide plate 32b is disposed at approximately the center of the wind selection guide plate 32, and the third wind selection guide plate 32c is disposed from the middle to the upper right end and has a tip curved in an arc downward, and is disposed at a distance from each other.

The first wind selection guide plate 32a is a guide plate for guiding the air flow entering from the air inlet 37 to the left side of the wind selection section 26.

The second wind selection guide plate 32b and the third wind selection guide plate 32c are guide plates that form a selection air passage 32d between themselves and the guide plate 22b, and are used to wind select the material to be processed while guiding it together with the airflow.

In addition, a wind power adjustment valve 66 that adjusts the air volume of the wind duct is provided at the bottom of the selection wind duct 32d. The wind power adjustment valve 66 is an automatic valve whose opening is adjusted by a motor according to the processing volume.

Between the first winnowing guide plate 32a and the second winnowing guide plate 32b, a first removal section 35 is provided to remove brown rice and unhulled rice (hereinafter referred to as "first grain") that are not easily swept away by the air current, and the first grain can be removed from the back side of the winnowing device 12 by driving a first removal auger 35a arranged in the first removal section 35. In addition, a supply port 13a (Figure 1) of the mixed grain elevator 13 is arranged on the back side of the first removal section 35, and the removed first grain is transported upward by the mixed grain elevator 13 (Figure 1) to be put into the mixed rice tank 14.

In addition, a second removal section 36 is provided between the second wind selection guide plate 32b and the third wind selection guide plate 32c to remove the scallions that are somewhat easily swept away by the air current. By driving the second removal auger 36a arranged in the second removal section 36, the scallions are transported to the front side of the page in Figure 3 and removed from the second removal outlet 36c (see Figure 2) provided on the left side of the rice hulling plant 1 via the second drop path 36b.

When the rice husks, which are most easily carried away by the air current, reach the upper right end of the winnowing guide plate 32, they are guided together with the air current by the arc-shaped guide plate 33 and reach the dust separation chamber 38. This dust separation chamber 38 is a space with a relatively large cross-sectional area surrounded by the third winnowing guide plate 32c, the arc-shaped guide plate 33, and the suction port guide plate 34, and reduces the speed of the air current to allow the rice husks to be separated from the air current by gravity.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lower part of the dust separation chamber 38 is provided with a rice husk removal section 39 for removing the rice husks separated by gravity. The rice husks can be removed from the back side of the husking/winnowing device 12 by driving the rice husk removal auger 39a arranged in the rice husk removal section 39.

The airflow from which the rice husks have been separated passes through the exhaust port 40 between the curved tip of the third winnowing guide plate 32c and the suction port guide plate 34, and is sucked in through the suction port 27 while traveling along the underside of the third winnowing guide plate 32c.

As shown in FIG. 1, the first grain that has been subjected to the dehusking process is transported upward by the mixed grain elevator 13 and stored in the mixed rice tank 14.

The mixed rice tank 14 is used to temporarily store the first rice grains, and has the function of supplying a fixed amount of the first rice grains to the oscillating sorting device 15 via the first rice grain supply mechanism 14b provided at the outlet 14a.

The first item supply mechanism 14b is also electrically connected to the equipment control device 18 and supplies the first item to the oscillating sorting device 15 in an amount according to a first item supply amount control signal transmitted from the equipment control device 18.

The oscillating sorting device 15 has a sorting body 51 (Fig. 7(B)) that is inclined in both the front-rear and left-right directions disposed within a space that is substantially enclosed by an outer casing 50.

The sorting body 51 is made up of multiple stacked flat oscillating sorting plates 51a (Fig. 7(B)) with irregularities on the upper surface.

The sorting main body 51 is connected to a swinging drive unit disposed at the bottom of the sorting main body 51. By driving the swinging drive unit, the sorting main body 51 (each swinging sorting plate 51a) swings, and as shown in FIG. 7(A), the rice is sorted into a brown rice layer made of brown rice, a mixture layer made of brown rice and unhulled rice, and an unhulled rice layer made of unhulled rice.

The sorting body 51 is also connected to a sorting body angle adjustment mechanism 52 (see FIG. 8) disposed at the bottom of the sorting body 51, and as shown in FIG. 7(B), the sorting body 51 (each oscillating sorting plate 51a) is configured to be able to adjust the tilt angle in the left-right direction.

This sorting body angle adjustment mechanism 52 is electrically connected to the equipment control device 18 and adjusts the inclination angle of the sorting body 51 to an angle according to the angle adjustment signal sent from the equipment control device 18.

In other words, the sorting body angle adjustment mechanism 52 operates as an inclination angle adjustment means for adjusting the inclination angle of the oscillating sorting plate 51a. As a result, it is possible to improve sorting efficiency and sorting accuracy.

Referring also to FIG. 7(A), the brown rice partition plate 53a is a partition plate that separates brown rice from a mixture of brown rice and unhulled rice, and the unhulled rice partition plate 53b is a partition plate that separates a mixture of brown rice and unhulled rice from unhulled rice. The brown rice partition plate 53a and the unhulled rice partition plate 53b are connected to each other by a connecting bar 53c that spans between them.

In addition, a partition position adjustment mechanism 54 is connected to the brown rice partition plate 53a, and by driving the partition position adjustment mechanism 54, the position of the brown rice partition plate 53a and the unhulled rice partition plate 53b, which is connected by a connecting bar 53c, can be adjusted.

This partition position adjustment mechanism 54 is composed of a position adjustment motor 54a, a rotating shaft 54b attached to the drive shaft of the position adjustment motor 54a, and a connecting piece 54c that is connected to the brown rice partition plate 53a while being screwed into a male threaded area formed on the rotating shaft 54b.

The position adjustment motor 54a is electrically connected to the equipment control device 18, and rotates the drive shaft by a predetermined amount by receiving a position adjustment signal from the equipment control device 18. The rotating shaft 54b rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the drive shaft 54a, moving the screwed connecting piece 54c in the left-right direction, and moving both the brown rice partition plate 53a and the unhulled rice partition plate 53b.

A sorting status detection sensor 55 for detecting the sorting status of unhulled rice is provided at the upper end of the unhulled rice partition plate 53b, and the sorting status detection sensor 55 is electrically connected to the equipment control device 18. This sorting status detection sensor 55 receives infrared light reflected by the mixture and unhulled rice flowing down while being sorted, generates a signal according to the amount of light, and transmits it to the equipment control device 18 as a sorting status signal.

The equipment control device 18 calculates the boundary position between the mixture and unhulled rice from the sorting status signal sent from the sorting status detection sensor 55, and moves the position of the unhulled rice partition plate 53b to the boundary position by driving the position adjustment motor 54a.

The position in Figure 7(A) corresponds to the position of the lower end of the oscillating sorting plate 51a shown in Figure 1, and the three outlets A to C at the lower end of the oscillating sorting plate 51a shown in Figure 1 correspond to the outlets for the brown rice layer, the mixture layer, and the rice grain layer, respectively.

Next, a camera (imaging means) for capturing an image of the distribution of unhulled rice and brown rice on the upper surface of each oscillating sorting plate 51a of the sorting main body 51 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, the camera 59, which is provided at the position shown in FIG. 7(B), is configured to capture an image of the discharge section at the lower end of the sorting main body 51, from which the brown rice layer of the sorting main body 51, the mixed layer of brown rice and unhulled rice, and the unhulled rice layer of unhulled rice have been sorted as described in FIG. 7(A).

Here, the brown rice layer and the unhulled rice layer are collected as they are, and the mixture layer is circulated as described later and separated into the brown rice layer and the unhulled rice layer.

The imaging unit 60 is shown in Figures 7(A) and (C). As shown in Figures 7(A) and (C), the discharge section at the end of the sorting main body section 51 is used as the imaging unit 60. Then, the above-mentioned components are adjusted so that the ratio of the brown rice layer, the mixture layer, and the unhulled rice layer in this imaging unit 60 matches the ratio in a specified master image (recommended distribution image information).

Here, as shown in FIG. 7(C), the ratio in the master image is set to a state where the brown rice layer and the mixed layer and the rice husk layer are in a ratio of approximately 9:1 at the discharge section on the upper surface of the oscillating sorting plate 51a. This is based on the empirical rule that such adjustments make the sorting state of the oscillating sorting plate 51a and the performance of the rice hulling plant 1 most stable.

In reality, the sorted items are processed at high speed, so when photographing, the shutter speed of the camera 59 is adjusted and green light is used to capture the images under appropriate conditions.

Up to this point, we have explained the sorting state of non-glutinous rice and glutinous rice. Wheat and barley do not undergo dehusking because a oscillating sorting machine is used to remove impurities. Therefore, the only imaging criterion on the oscillating sorting plate 51a is whether the kernel layers are neatly spread out at the end. Therefore, a green light is not necessary for wheat and barley.

Next, we will explain the control details of this embodiment, in which the imaging unit 60 of the rice hulling plant 1 is imaged using the camera 59, and the image is compared with a pre-set master image to perform the desired sorting.

In this embodiment, in a rice hulling plant 1 in which grains processed by the hulling rolls 20 are separated into unhulled rice and brown rice, or into granulated rice and impurities, on a rocking sorting plate 51a, a camera 59 that images the upper surface of the rocking sorting plate 51a captures a distribution image of unhulled rice and brown rice, etc., and reads it as image information. This is compared with a master image and multiple OK/NG images previously stored in memory 64 (see Figure 8), and judged by the judgment unit 62 (see Figure 8), and sorting control is performed based on the judgment result to approach the recommended distribution image information. The judgment unit 62 is composed of a CPU. Therefore, the judgment unit 62 operates as a sorting control means.

Note that for multiple OK/NG images, the judging accuracy can be improved by adding or changing them as necessary.

This configuration allows for a simple judgment method while improving sorting accuracy and making the device inexpensive.

Next, a specific sorting method will be described. Figures 11 and 12 are flow charts that explain the sorting control performed by the sorting control means in this embodiment to separate unhulled rice from brown rice in the rice hulling plant 1. Here, the sorting control means includes a rocking sorting process using the rocking sorting plate 51a, a subsequent husking process, and a subsequent supply amount adjustment process.

Referring to FIG. 11, in order to start the rice hulling plant 1, the start-up conditions are determined (step S10; hereafter, steps are omitted). These start-up conditions are explained. Here, we will explain the case where non-glutinous rice is used as the grain variety.

There are five start-up conditions, which are as follows: First, it is determined whether the roll pressure of the husking roll 20 is the standard pressure (e.g., 0.35 MPa), whether the wind power adjustment valve 66 is in the home position (this can be determined by the value of the potentiometer (see Figure 9)), whether the sorting angle position of the oscillating sorting plate 51a is in the standard position (whether LS15 is ON), whether the various switching valves are in the standard position (number 2 is circulation, and whether the remaining rice is circulating), and whether the supply amount to the oscillating sorting plate 51a is the lower limit LS standard.

Note that the standard sorting angle position of the oscillating sorting plate 51a is LS15, which is located halfway between the upper end (LS13) and the lower end (LS14). The standard position of the supply amount to the oscillating sorting plate 51a is the encoder value based on the lower limit LS (for example, 50 is the standard value).

If the start conditions are not met (NG in S10), the rice hulling plant 1 will not start, and a message indicating that start is not possible will be displayed on a touch panel (not shown). If the start conditions are met in S10 (OK in S10), a wind force check is performed (S11). If the wind force check reveals that the wind force is within the appropriate range (OK in S11), wind force control continues, and the oscillating sorting plate 51a is normally controlled (S12). That is, normal control is performed until the grain layer spreads over the oscillating sorting plate 51a and the brown rice is discharged.

If the wind power confirmation in S11 is not appropriate (NG in S11), feedback control is performed, wind power adjustment is performed (S13), and the process returns to S11. This wind power adjustment is performed by referring to the wind power monitor 68 shown in FIG. 9. Here, the wind power monitor 68 is classified into idle (yellow), too strong (red), appropriate (green), too weak (red), and stopped (black), and is controlled to be appropriate (green).

The control conditions here are as follows when the dehusking roll 20 is pressed: The wind force monitor 68 performs feedback control so that it converges to the appropriate value (green), and the motor is controlled based on the average value of the potentiometer (e.g., average of 40 times in 10 seconds). The motor is controlled every 2 seconds (timer value, changeable), and the wind force check interval is every 30 seconds.

Once these checks have been completed, the imaging unit 60 shown in FIG. 7(C) is imaged by the camera 59, and the imaged result is compared with a preset master image (S14). If the comparison result between the master image and the multiple OK and NG images is good (OK in S14), the rice layer is monitored (S15). If the rice layer monitoring result is good (OK in S15), the process returns to S14 and the image is compared with the master image again (S14), and if it is OK, the rice layer is monitored again (S15). Here, S14 to S15 are repeated. The rice hulling plant 1 is stopped depending on whether the raw material runs out or if it is necessary to interrupt or end the work.

Here, the judgment unit 62 (sorting control means) includes a machine learning algorithm, and the master image for sorting control is determined using the machine learning algorithm. That is, about 50 images each of the following are stored in advance in the memory 64: a preferable image on the oscillating sorting plate 51a as shown in FIG. 7(C), a master image and an image similar to the master image (OK image), and an unfavorable sorting result image (NG image) as shown in FIG. 10(A) and FIG. 10(B). The sorting conditions are changed based on the comparison between the images and the master image.

If the comparison with the master image in S14 is unfavorable (NG in S14), or if monitoring of the rice layer is unfavorable in S15 (NG in S15), it is determined whether the rice layer is wide (S16). If the rice layer is wide ("Wide" in S16), the sorting angle of the oscillating sorting plate 51a is lowered (DOWN) for 2 seconds (S17), and this is compared with the master image every 30 seconds (S21).

Here, the rice grain layer being "wide" means that, while the rice grain layer should be approximately 1/10 of the rice grain volume (Figure 7(C)), it is actually wider, at approximately 2/10 of the rice grain volume, as shown in Figure 10(A).

In S21, if the comparison result is favorable (OK in S21), the process returns to S14. If the comparison with the master image is unfavorable (NG1 in S21), the process returns to S17, the sorting angle is lowered (DOWN) for 2 seconds, and the image is compared with the master image again every 30 seconds (S21). This process is repeated a maximum of five times (S22).

If the paddy layer is judged to be "narrow" in S16 as shown in FIG. 10(B), the sorting angle of the oscillating sorting plate 51a is made flat (UP) for 2 seconds (S18), and after 30 seconds has elapsed, it is compared with the master image (S19). If the comparison result is good (OK in S19), the process returns to S14. If the comparison with the master image is unfavorable (NG1 in S19), the process returns to S18 and the sorting angle is increased for 2 seconds. This is repeated up to 5 times (S20), and the image is compared with the master image again (S19).

As described above, in this embodiment, sorting control is performed by performing tilt angle adjustment control to adjust the tilt angle of the oscillating sorting plate 51a. As a result, it is possible to improve sorting efficiency and sorting accuracy. This is included in the oscillating sorting process.

If the comparison with the master image is still unfavorable in S19 (NG2 in S19), the roll pressure is reduced (-0.03 MPa) and a comparison with the master image is made after one minute (S24). If the comparison result is favorable (OK in S24), return to S14. If the comparison with the master image is unfavorable (NG1 in S24), return to S23. This is repeated up to five times (or up to an upper limit) (S32).

If the comparison with the master image is still unsatisfactory in S21 (NG2 in S21), the roll pressure of the dehusking roll 20 is increased (UP) by +0.03 MPa (S25) in order to increase the dehusking rate. One minute after this, it is compared with the master image (S26). If the comparison result is good (OK in S26), the process returns to S14. If the comparison with the master image is unsatisfactory in S26 (NG1 in S26), the roll pressure is increased (+0.03 MPa) up to a maximum of five times or up to the upper limit (S27), and the result is compared with the master image again (S26). This is what is included in the dehusking process.

As described above, in this embodiment, if the recommended distribution range shown in the master image is not reached even after the tilt angle adjustment means has been performing the tilt angle adjustment for a predetermined period of time, the roll pressure of the dehusking roll 20 is changed to perform dehusking rate control to adjust the dehusking rate. As a result, it becomes possible to improve sorting efficiency and sorting accuracy.

If the comparison with the master image is still unfavorable in S24 (NG2 in S24), the supply amount to the oscillating sorting plate 51a is increased for three seconds (S33), and a comparison with the master image is made after one minute (S34). This is repeated a maximum of five times, or until it is fully open (S35). If the comparison result is favorable in S34 (OK in S34), return to S14.

On the other hand, if the comparison with the master image is still unfavorable in S26 (NG2 in S26), the supply amount to the oscillating sorting plate 51a is reduced for three seconds (S28), and the image is compared with the master image one minute later (S29).

If the comparison result is good (OK in S29), return to S14. If the comparison with the master image is not good (NG1 in S29), return to S28, reduce the supply amount to the oscillating sorting plate 51a for three seconds, and compare it with the master image again (S29). This is repeated a maximum of five times, or until it is fully closed (S30). This is included in the supply amount adjustment process.

As described above, according to this embodiment, if the recommended distribution image cannot be obtained even after changing the husking rate, a process is performed to reduce the amount of food supplied to the oscillating sorting plate 51a.

Normally, the processing up to this point will produce an image similar to the master image, but if the comparison with the master image is still unfavorable in S34 (NG2 in S34), the oscillating sorting plate 51a is temporarily stopped and an announcement is made on a touch panel (not shown) (S31). After checking the state of the oscillating sorting plate 51a, it is manually readjusted, and sorting machine control is resumed (control is resumed from F under S12 in FIG. 11).

As described above, in this embodiment, if the desired recommended distribution image cannot be obtained even when the supply amount to the oscillating sorting plate 51a is reduced, the oscillating sorting plate 51a is temporarily stopped.

In the above embodiment, the master image as the recommended distribution image information is described as being of non-glutinous rice, but other grain varieties may be used. Examples of other grain varieties include glutinous rice, wheat, barley, feed rice, and malted barley. Such selection of grain varieties is performed on a touch panel (not shown) before starting up the rice hulling plant 1.

In the above embodiment, the ratio in the master image is set to a state in which the brown rice layer and mixture layer and the rice husk layer are in a ratio of approximately 9:1 at the discharge section on the upper surface of the oscillating sorting plate, but strictly speaking, it is best for the rice husk layer area (right end of the oscillating sorting plate 51a) in the case of non-glutinous rice to have about 1 cm of the sorting plate surface (base material) visible.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the case where the method is applied to a specific grain has been described, but it is also possible to select any new grain, visually set multiple suitable master images and unsuitable images, and use them to select any grain. In this case, the determination unit performs deep learning.

In the above embodiment, a partition plate for separating brown rice and unhulled rice is provided at the outlet of the oscillating sorting plate, but this is not limiting and may not be provided.

In the above embodiment, the dehulling method is described as being a roll type, but it is not limited to this and may be an impact type, etc.

In the above embodiment, the order of steps to obtain the master image is to change the sorting angle of the oscillating sorting plate, improve the husking rate, and change the amount of grain supplied to the oscillating sorting plate. However, this is not limiting, and the order may be changed depending on the type of grain.

In addition, the control time and number of times for each process, the roll pressure value, etc. may be changed as desired depending on the operating conditions.

1 Rice hulling plant 10 Raw material lifting machine 11 Roll tank 12 Dehusking winnowing device 13 Mixed grain lifting machine 14 Mixed rice tank 15 Oscillating winnowing device 16 Brown rice lifting machine 17 Dehusking roll shaft 18 Equipment control device 20L, 20R Dehusking roll 21 Raw material passage 24 Intake fan 26 Winnowing section 32 Winnowing guide plate 37 Air inlet 51 Sorting main body 51a Oscillating sorting plate 52 Sorting angle adjustment mechanism 55 Sorting status detection sensor 59 Camera (imaging means)
60 imaging unit 62 determination unit 64 memory 68 wind force monitor

Claims (8)

A rice hulling plant separates the grains after husking with a husking roll into husked rice and brown rice on a rocking sorting plate.
An imaging means for capturing an image of the distribution of the unhulled rice and the brown rice on the oscillating sorting plate as imaging information;
a determination unit for comparing a recommended distribution region including recommended distribution image information in which a recommended distribution state is stored in advance with the imaging information and making a determination;
A sorting control means for sorting the unhulled rice and the brown rice so as to approach the recommended distribution range based on the judgment result of the judgment unit ,
The recommended distribution state is characterized in that when the rice is sorted into a brown rice layer consisting of brown rice, a mixed layer consisting of brown rice and unhulled rice, and an unhulled rice layer consisting of unhulled rice, the ratio of the brown rice layer and the mixed layer to the unhulled rice layer is a predetermined ratio . The rice hulling plant according to claim 1, characterized in that the sorting control means includes an inclination angle adjustment means for adjusting the inclination angle of the oscillating sorting plate. The rice hulling plant includes a husking process as a pre-process of the rocking sorting process by the rocking sorting plate,
A rice hulling plant as described in claim 2, characterized in that if the recommended distribution range is not reached even after adjusting the inclination angle of the oscillating sorting plate by the inclination angle adjustment means for a predetermined period of time, a hulling rate control is executed to adjust the hulling rate in the hulling process. The rice hulling plant includes a supply amount adjustment process for adjusting the amount of the grains supplied to the oscillating sorting plate as a process subsequent to the husking process,
4. The rice hulling plant according to claim 3, further comprising a step of: executing the supply amount adjustment step when the recommended distribution range is not reached even after a predetermined period of time of controlling the hulling rate in the hulling step. The hulling plant according to claim 4, characterized in that if the recommended distribution range is not reached even after the supply amount of the grains to the oscillating sorting plate is adjusted in the supply amount adjustment process, the oscillating sorting process is temporarily stopped. The hulling plant according to claim 1, characterized in that the sorting control means stores the recommended distribution image information according to the grain variety. The rice hulling plant according to claim 6, wherein the varieties of grains include rice, non-glutinous rice, glutinous rice, feed rice, wheat, barley, and malting barley. The rice hulling plant of claim 1, characterized in that the sorting control means includes a machine learning algorithm.

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