JP7664522B2 - Equipment for correcting bent leafy produce - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a device for correcting bends in harvested leafy produce.

Conventionally, perilla leaves are harvested as leafy agricultural products and stacked in a special cassette. The cassette with the stacked perilla leaves is then set in a processing device. The perilla leaves located at the top of the cassette are sucked up by a suction pad and sorted by size and for defective products, and then bound and packaged before being shipped (Patent Document 1).

In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, the task of stacking shiso leaves one by one in an aligned state in a cassette in order to make subsequent processes smoother is cumbersome. For this reason, it is desirable to automate the task of stacking shiso leaves in an aligned state in a cassette. However, many of the shiso leaves that are harvested and piled haphazardly are bent. The inventors of the present application have found that approximately 80% of the total are bent. Such bent shiso leaves can cause problems when processed by a processing device, and there is room for improvement.

JP 2019-59518 A

Therefore, the objective of the present invention is to provide a device for correcting bending of leafy agricultural products that can correct bending of harvested leafy agricultural products.

The device for correcting bent leafy produce of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a removal means for removing leafy produce one by one from a group of leafy produce and placing it on an inspection table; a camera for capturing images of the leafy produce placed on the inspection table by the removal means; a control unit for determining whether the leafy produce is bent based on the images captured by the camera; a lifting means for lifting leafy produce determined by the control unit to be bent; and a bend correction means for correcting the bends in the leafy produce lifted by the lifting means using an airflow.

According to the present invention, leaf-like produce that is determined to be bent by the control unit can be lifted by the lifting means, and the bend in the lifted leaf-like produce can be corrected by airflow.

The bending correction device for leaf-like agricultural products of the present invention may also include a bending correction means that includes a ventilation plate having a plurality of holes, and an airflow generating means that generates an airflow for sucking the leaf-like agricultural product that has been lifted and placed on one side of the ventilation plate in the ventilation direction by the lifting means from the other side of the ventilation plate in the ventilation direction.

As described above, the leaf-like produce is lifted by the lifting means to one side of the ventilation plate in the ventilation direction, and the bend can be corrected by sucking it in from the other side of the ventilation plate in the ventilation direction with the airflow generated by the airflow generating means.

In addition, in the device for correcting bent leafy agricultural products of the present invention, the airflow generating means may be equipped with one or more fans.

As mentioned above, by using a fan as an airflow generating means, it is easier to apply a uniform suction force to bent leaf-like produce, and the bends can be easily corrected.

The bending correction device for leaf-like agricultural products of the present invention may also be configured such that the control unit detects the position of the center of gravity of the uppermost leaf portion in the imaging direction of the bent leaf-like agricultural product imaged by the camera, and the lifting means is configured to suck and lift the leaf-like agricultural product using suction air, and to suck and lift the detected center of gravity of the leaf portion.

As described above, by adsorbing and lifting the center of gravity of the detected leaf portion, leafy agricultural products can be reliably adsorbed and lifted.

The bending correction device for leaf-like agricultural products of the present invention may also be configured such that the ventilation plate is disposed below the airflow generating means so that the ventilation direction is vertical, the lifting means penetrates the ventilation plate and is configured to be movable up and down, and the lifting means is moved upward so that the lower end of the lifting means that lifts the leaf-like agricultural product is positioned at the same level as the lower end of the ventilation plate or higher than the lower end.

As described above, by moving the lifting means upward so that the lower end of the lifting means that lifts the leafy produce is positioned at the same level as or higher than the lower end of the ventilation plate, the modified leafy produce can be sucked and held by the ventilation plate.

According to the present invention, by providing a bending correction means for correcting bending of leafy agricultural products by airflow, it is possible to provide a bending correction device for leafy agricultural products that can correct bending of harvested leafy agricultural products.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an entire system in which the bending correction device for leaf-like agricultural products of the present invention is installed. 1 is a perspective view showing a device for correcting bent leaf-like agricultural products, which lifts large leaves on a table to correct bent leaf-like agricultural products. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a removal means for lifting up perilla leaves piled haphazardly in a container and moving them to a table. This is a perspective view showing the state in which a camera is capturing an image of a large leaf on a table to perform an image assessment. (a) is a plan view showing a large leaf in a normal state, (b) is a plan view showing a large leaf bent in two, and (c) is a plan view of a large leaf facing up and bent on only one side. (a) is a plan view of a large leaf facing backwards with only one side bent, (b) is a plan view of a large leaf facing forwards with both sides bent, and (c) is a plan view of a large leaf facing backwards with both sides bent. FIG. FIG. FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing a state in which a large leaf is being imaged by a camera, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the position of the center of gravity of a bent portion of the image of the captured large leaf. FIG. 1A is a perspective view showing the state just before the lifting means adsorbs a large leaf on the table, and FIG. 1B is a front view showing the state after the large leaf has been adsorbed by the lifting means. (a) shows the state in which the large leaf lifted by the lifting means is being adsorbed by the airflow, (b) shows the state in which the bend is being straightened, and (c) shows the state in which the large leaf, whose bend has been straightened, is adsorbed to the metal mesh.

One embodiment of the bending correction device for leaf-like agricultural products according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, the leaf-like agricultural product will be described as a large leaf 1 having a leaf blade 1A and a petiole 1B as shown in FIG. 5(a).

Figure 1 shows a system incorporating a bend correction device 2, and includes the bend correction device 2 and a transport conveyor 3 that transports large leaves 1 that have been corrected by the bend correction device 2. The transport conveyor 3 is made up of a belt conveyor and is located behind the inspection table 5 (the far side of the page) in the front-to-rear direction, which will be described later. The large leaves 1 placed on the inspection table 5 are photographed by a camera 4 and judged by AI, and large leaves 1 that are judged to be normal are transported to be stacked in a cassette (not shown). Large leaves 1 that are judged to be bent are corrected by the bend correction device 2, and then handed over to the transport conveyor 3 and transported to the cassette (not shown).

The bend correction device 2 includes a removal means 6 for removing large leaves one by one from the stacked large leaves and placing them on the inspection table 5, a camera 4 for taking an image of the large leaves 1 placed on the inspection table 5 by the removal means 6, a control unit (not shown) for determining whether the large leaves 1 are bent based on the image taken by the camera 4, a lifting means 7 for lifting the large leaves determined by the control unit to be bent, and a bend correction means 8 for correcting the bends in the large leaves 1 lifted by the lifting means 7 using airflow. The cameras 4 are USB cameras located above each inspection table 5 and connected to the USB port of a personal computer (not shown) equipped with the control unit, but they may also be CCD cameras.

Three inspection tables 5 are provided at intervals in the left-right direction of the paper, and are configured to be rotatable by the power of an electric motor (not shown) so that the orientation of the large leaf 1 placed on them can be changed.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the removal means 6 is equipped with the same number (three) of suction pads 10 as the inspection table 5, a first electric motor 11 that moves the suction pads 10 in the vertical direction, and a second electric motor 12 that moves them in the forward and backward directions, in order to pick up the uppermost large leaves 1 among the large leaves 1 randomly stacked in a rectangular parallelepiped container 9 with an open top.

The three suction pads 10 are fixed at a predetermined interval to the lower end of the lower part 13A extending in the left-right direction of the arm 13 that is L-shaped when viewed from the front. An inverted L-shaped bracket 14 is connected to the upper end of the vertical part 13B extending upward of the arm 13, and the lower part 18A of the endless belt 18 wound around a pair of pulleys 16, 17 attached to both ends of a plate member 15 extending in the front-rear direction is sandwiched from above and below by the upper part 14A extending in the left-right direction of the bracket 14 and the lower part 19A extending in the left-right direction of the L-shaped movable member 19 attached to the plate member 15 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. The movable member 19 is configured to be engaged with a guide rail 20 attached to the plate member 15 and moved and guided in the front-rear direction. The front pulley 16 is a drive pulley that is driven and rotated by the second electric motor 12, and the endless belt 18 rotates by driving the second electric motor 12. This causes the arm 13 to move forward and backward, and the three suction pads 10 to move forward and backward.

The first electric motor 11 transmits power to a power transmission mechanism (not shown) via a belt-type reduction mechanism 21, allowing the plate member 15 to move up and down relative to a vertical plate member 22 that is fixed to a floor or the like and extends vertically. A vertically long guide rail 23 is attached to the vertical plate member 22, and the plate member 15 is engaged with this guide rail 23 to be guided for smooth movement in the vertical direction. Driving the first electric motor 11 moves the plate member 15 up and down. This causes the arm 13 to move up and down, and the three suction pads 10 to move up and down.

There are three lifting means 7, the same number as the number of inspection tables 5, and each lifting means 7 comprises a rod-shaped member 24 with a circular cross section, a suction pad 25 attached to the lower end of the rod-shaped member 24 for suctioning and holding the large leaf 1 on the inspection table 5, and a drive mechanism 26 for moving the rod-shaped member 24 in the vertical direction. The tip of the suction pad 25 is bellows-shaped, and when the suction pad 25 suctions the large leaf 1, it is partially compressed and deformed, allowing the large leaf 1 to be reliably sucked in.

2, each drive mechanism 26 includes an electric motor (not shown), a swing arm 28 connected to the drive shaft of the electric motor and swingably attached to the vertical member 27, a link 29 pivotally connected to the lower end of the swing arm 28, a plate member 30 pivotally connected to the lower end of the link 29, and a pair of upper and lower rod-shaped connecting members 32, 32 extending in the front-rear direction to connect the plate member 20 and an upper member 31 attached to the upper end of the rod-shaped member 24. Therefore, when the electric motor is driven to swing the swing arm 28 counterclockwise (left) from the up-down position shown in FIG. 2 about the front-rear axis X of the upper end, the lower end of the link 29 is lifted, and the rod-shaped member 24 moves straight upward via the plate member 30 and the connecting members 32, 32.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the bending correction means 8 includes a ventilation plate 33 and an airflow generating means 34 that generates an airflow to suck in the large leaf 1, which is lifted and placed by the lifting means 7 on one side of the ventilation plate 33 in the ventilation direction (the lower side in this embodiment), from the other side of the ventilation plate 33 in the ventilation direction (the upper side in this embodiment). Therefore, the bent large leaf 1 can be corrected by lifting it with the lifting means 7 and sucking it in from the other side of the ventilation plate 33 in the ventilation direction with the airflow generated by the airflow generating means 34.

As shown in Fig. 8, the ventilation plate 33 is composed of a mesh-like net member in which rectangular holes 33A are formed vertically and horizontally. A gap 33H is formed in the center of the ventilation plate 33, through which the rod-shaped member 24 of the lifting means 7 passes. The ventilation plate 33 is engaged and held at the lower end of a box-shaped cover member 35 whose lower side is open. The cover member 35 has four side plate portions 35A, 35B, 35C, and 35D, and a top plate portion 35E that closes the upper ends of the side plate portions 35A, 35B, 35C, and 35D. Openings 35c and 35d are formed in the opposing side plate portions 35C and 35D of the side plate portions 35A, 35B, 35C, and 35D, respectively, through which the front suction ports of the fans 34A and 34A described later enter. Additionally, the top plate portion 35E has a circular through hole 35e formed in its center through which the rod-shaped member 24 passes.

The airflow generating means 34 comprises two fans 34A, 34A, which are attached with their suction ports facing the openings 35c, 35d of the two side plate portions 35C, 35D constituting the cover member 35. Each fan 34A is arranged at an incline so that the suction center position of each fan 34A faces approximately the center of the ventilation plate 33, and each fan 34A is positioned radially inward toward its upper end, so that the amount of air sucked in from the ventilation plate 33 is uniform at any position on the ventilation plate 33. In addition, by providing two fans 34A, 34A, it is possible to reliably correct bent perilla 1 by suction from two directions.

The ventilation plate 33 is disposed below the fans 34A, 34A so that the ventilation direction is vertical, and the lifting means 7 is configured to penetrate the ventilation plate 33 and be movable up and down, and the suction pad 25 of the lifting means 7 that has lifted the large leaf 1 is moved upward so that the lower end of the suction pad 25 of the lifting means 7 is positioned above the lower end of the ventilation plate 33 (or is positioned at the same level as the lower end) (see FIG. 11(c)).

As shown in Figures 9(a) and (b), the control unit detects the center of gravity H of the leaf portion 1a located at the topmost surface in the imaging direction of the bent large leaf 1 captured by the camera 4, and the lifting means 7 is configured to suck and lift the large leaf 1 with suction air, and sucks and lifts the detected center of gravity H of the leaf portion 1a. By sucking and lifting the center of gravity H of the leaf portion 1a with the lifting means 7, the large leaf 1 can be reliably sucked and lifted.

Here, Fig. 5(a) shows a normal large leaf 1, and Figs. 5(b)-(c) and Fig. 6(a)-(c) show a bent large leaf 1. Fig. 5(b) shows a large leaf 1 folded in half, and Fig. 5(c) shows a large leaf 1 bent on only one side facing up. Fig. 6(a) shows a large leaf 1 bent on only one side facing down, Fig. 6(b) shows a large leaf 1 bent on both sides facing up, and Fig. 6(c) shows a large leaf 1 bent on both sides facing down. The bent large leaves shown in Figs. 5(b)-5(c) and Figs. 6(a)-6(c) can be reliably corrected by the bend correction device 2 of the present invention.

Each cover member 35 is supported by a pair of L-shaped support members 36, 36 fixed to the left and right ends of each vertical member 27. The three vertical members 27 are fixed to the lower end of a horizontal frame 37 extending left and right, and the left and right central part of the horizontal frame 37 is connected via multiple (three) connecting members to a horizontally elongated, plate-shaped movable member 39 placed in the left and right direction on a rectangular frame member 38. The multiple connecting members include a first connecting member 40 oriented vertically whose lower end is fixed to the horizontal frame 37, a second connecting member 41 shaped like an inverted L that is fixed to the back surface of the upper part of the first connecting member 40, and a third connecting member 42 shaped like an L that is overlapped and connected to the horizontal part of the upper end of the second connecting member 41. The lower surface of the third connecting member 42 is provided with an engagement piece 44 that engages with a guide rail 43 extending left and right attached to the upper surface of the movable member 39.

The upper surface of the movable member 39 is provided with a first drive unit having a drive pulley 46 at one left-right end (left end) that is driven and rotated by a third electric motor 45, a driven pulley 47 at the other left-right end (right end), and an endless belt 48 wound around the drive pulley 46 and the driven pulley 47. The vertical portion 42A of the third connecting member 42 is connected to the endless belt 48, and by driving the electric motor 45, the endless belt 48 rotates and the third connecting member 42 moves in the left-right direction. This allows the three lifting means 7 to move in the left-right direction.

A pair of left and right guide rails 49, 49 extending in the front-rear direction are attached to the upper surfaces of a pair of left and right plate parts 38A, 38B extending in the front-rear direction on both the left and right sides of the frame member 38. A pair of left and right engagement pieces 50, 50 that engage with these guide rails 49, 49 are attached to the lower surfaces of both left and right ends of the movable member 39. A drive pulley 52 driven and rotated by a fourth electric motor 51 is provided at the rear end of the lower surface of the left plate part 38A of the left and right plate parts 38A, 38B, and a driven pulley (not shown) is provided at the front end of the lower surface of the left plate part 38A on the left side. An endless belt 53 is wound around the drive pulley 52 and the driven pulley, and a bracket 54 suspended downward from the lower surface of the left end of the movable member 39 is fixed to the endless belt 53. Therefore, by driving the fourth electric motor 51, the endless belt 53 rotates and the bracket 54 moves in the front-rear direction. As a result, the movable member 39 can move forward and backward, thereby moving the three lifting means 7 forward and backward.

The procedure for correcting bent large leaves 1 using the bend correction device 2 configured as described above will now be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 3, suction pads 10, 10, 10 are moved to a container 9 in which harvested large leaves 1 are piled up haphazardly, and three large leaves 1, 1, 1 are suctioned. The suction pads 10, 10, 10 suctioning the large leaves 1, 1, 1 are then moved to the inspection tables 5, 5, 5, and the suction is turned OFF (released), causing the large leaves 1, 1, 1 to drop and be placed at approximately the center of the inspection tables 5, 5, 5. After this, as shown in FIG. 4, the large leaves 1, 1, 1 are captured by three cameras 4, 4, 4, and an image judgment is performed using AI. For example, a judgment is performed by classifying the front and back of the large leaves 1 on the image by semantic segmentation. If there is no problem with the judgment result (if it is normal), the inspection tables 5, 5, 5 are rotated to adjust the orientation of the large leaves 1, 1, 1 to a predetermined orientation (see FIG. 4).

The large leaves 1, 1, 1 whose orientation has been adjusted are sucked by the suction pads 25, 25, 25 of the lifting means 7. For normal large leaves 1 that are not bent, the suction pad 25 is moved to the approximate center of gravity of the large leaves 1 determined from the image captured by the camera 4, and for bent large leaves 1, the center of gravity H of the leaf part 1a located at the top of the image of the bent large leaves 1 in the image captured by the camera 4 is determined from the image captured by the camera 4, as shown in Figures 9(a) and (b), and the suction pad 10 is moved to the center of gravity H and sucked (see Figures 10(a) and (b)). The center of gravity H is determined by the front and back of the large leaves 1, whichever has the larger area that appears in the image. After the large leaves 1 are sucked, the fans 34A, 34A are operated to suck and the suction pads 25, 25, 25 are moved upward. As a result, the leaf portion 1b located on the underside of the large leaf 1 in the imaging direction, which is bent from the state shown in FIG. 11(a), is folded back toward the fan and becomes flat (see FIG. 11(b)). From this state, the suction pad 25 that is adsorbing the large leaf 1 is further moved until its bottom end is positioned above the ventilation plate 33 (or to a position equivalent to the bottom end). This maintains the state in which the large leaf 1 is attached to the ventilation plate 33 (see FIG. 11(c)). Note that even with a normal large leaf 1, after the large leaf 1 has been adsorbed, the fans 34A, 34A may be operated to suck and the suction pad 25 may be moved upward to keep the large leaf 1 attached to the ventilation plate 33.

While the large leaves 1 are still attached to the ventilation plate 33, the three suction pads 25, 25, 25 are moved to the right side of the conveyor 3 (see FIG. 1). After the movement, the suction pads 25, 25, 25 are turned off (released), and the large leaves 1, 1, 1 fall onto the conveyor 3 and are conveyed to a predetermined position. The conveyed large leaves 1 are loaded into a cassette (not shown). At this point, some of the large leaves 1 are facing up and some are facing down, and each is loaded into a different cassette (a cassette for the front and a cassette for the back). The large leaves 1 conveyed to the predetermined position by the conveyor 3 are photographed by a camera (not shown) and judged again whether they are normal leaves. If it is judged that the bent state has not been resolved, the large leaves 1 may be removed from the conveyor 3 by a removal means 56 equipped with suction pads 55 shown in FIG. 1. The removal means 56 is configured to be able to move the suction pad 55 in the front-rear, left-right, and up-down directions.

The device for correcting bent leafy produce according to the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

In the above embodiment, the bending correction device 2 for a perilla leaf 1 having a vertically extending petiole 1B has been described, but the device may be used to correct bending of various leaf-like agricultural products other than perilla leaves 1. For example, it can also be used for maple leaves, cherry blossom leaves, lettuce, etc.

In the above embodiment, the center of gravity H of the leaf portion 1a located at the top in the imaging direction of the bent large leaf 1 captured by the camera 4 is detected, and the lifting means 7 is configured to adsorb and lift the detected center of gravity H of the leaf portion 1a of the large leaf 1, but it does not have to be the center of gravity H as long as it is the leaf portion 1a located at the top in the imaging direction of the large leaf 1. Also, the bending position of the large leaf 1 may be determined, and a portion closer to the bending position than the center of gravity may be adsorbed and lifted.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the three suction pads 10 or 25 are configured to be able to move integrally in the front-back, left-right, and up-down directions, but each suction pad 10 or 25 may be able to move independently. The number of suction pads 10 or 25 may be any number other than three.

In addition, in the above embodiment, two fans 34A, 34A are provided, but any number of fans, such as one or three or more, may be provided. Furthermore, a vacuum pump may be used as an airflow generating means to create negative pressure and adsorb shiso leaves (leafy agricultural products).

In addition, in the above embodiment, a mesh member is used as the ventilation plate 33, but it may be, for example, a perforated plate, or any other configuration that is breathable in the thickness direction.

1...large leaf, 1A...leaf blade, 1B...stalk, 1a, 1b...leaf portion, 2...bending correction device, 3...transport conveyor, 4...camera, 5...inspection table, 6...removal means, 7...lifting means, 8...bending correction means, 9...container, 10...suction pad, 11...first electric motor, 12...second electric motor, 13...arm, 13A...lower portion, 13B...vertical portion, 14...bracket, 14A...upper portion, 15...plate member, 16, 17...pulley, 18...endless belt, 18A...lower portion, 19...movable member, 19A...lower portion, 20...guide rail, 20...plate member, 21...reduction mechanism, 22...vertical plate member, 23...guide rail, 24...rod-shaped member, 25...suction pad, 26...drive mechanism, 27...vertical member, 28...oscillating arm, 29...ring , 30... plate member, 31... upper member, 32... connecting member, 33... ventilation plate, 33A... hole, 33B... gap, 34... airflow generating means, 34A... fan, 35... covering member, 35A, 35B, 35C, 35D... side plate portion, 35E... top plate portion, 35c, 35d... opening, 35e... through hole, 36... support member, 37... horizontal frame, 38... frame member, 38A, 38B... left and right plates part, 39...movable member, 42A...vertical part, 43...guide rail, 44...engagement piece, 45...electric motor, 46...driving pulley, 47...driven pulley, 48...endless belt, 49...guide rail, 50...engagement piece, 51...fourth electric motor, 52...driving pulley, 53...endless belt, 54...bracket, 55...suction pad, 56...removal means, H...center of gravity position, X...front-rear axis

Claims (5)

A device for correcting bent leafy produce comprising: a removal means for removing leafy produce one by one from a group of leafy produce and placing it on an inspection table; a camera for capturing images of the leafy produce placed on the inspection table by the removal means; a control unit for determining whether the leafy produce is bent based on the images captured by the camera; a lifting means for lifting leafy produce determined by the control unit to be bent; and a bend correction means for correcting the bends in the leafy produce lifted by the lifting means using an airflow. The bending correction device for leaf-like agricultural products according to claim 1, characterized in that the bending correction means comprises an air vent plate having a plurality of holes, and an airflow generating means for generating an airflow for sucking the leaf-like agricultural products, which are lifted and placed on one side of the ventilation plate in the ventilation direction by the lifting means, from the other side of the ventilation plate in the ventilation direction. The device for correcting bent leafy produce according to claim 2, characterized in that the airflow generating means comprises one or more fans. The control unit detects the center of gravity of the uppermost leaf in the image capturing direction of the bent leaf-like agricultural product captured by the camera, and the lifting means is configured to suck and lift the leaf-like agricultural product using suction air, and is characterized in that the device for correcting bent leaf-like agricultural products described in any one of claims 1 to 3 sucks and lifts the detected center of gravity of the leaf-like agricultural product. The device for correcting bent leaf-like agricultural produce as described in claim 2, characterized in that the ventilation plate is positioned below the air flow generating means so that the ventilation direction is vertical, the lifting means is configured to pass through the ventilation plate and be able to move up and down, and the lifting means is moved upward so that the lower end of the lifting means which lifts the leaf-like agricultural produce is positioned at the same level as or higher than the lower end of the ventilation plate.