JP2003274915A - Apparatus for cutting farm crop to equal size - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an apparatus for cutting farm crops each to an equal size accurately and securely cutting the given amount of the unnecessary parts of the farm crops and improving the accuracy of cutting to an equal size. <P>SOLUTION: This apparatus is such that detection light B with high luminance thrown from an illumination lump 13 is irradiated to the left stem part Ab of a green onion A put on the stand 3 of a conveyor 2, transmission light C that transmits through the inside of the stem part Ab to the upper surface of the root part Aa is imaged with an imaging camera 14 and the image information is output to an image processor 17. Based on the image information output from the image processor 17, the cutting position of the unnecessary part of the root part Aa is determined with a controller 18 for every green onions A. The rotary knife 20a of a cutting device 20 is moved to a position facing with the cutting position of the unnecessary part of the root Aa determined for every green onions A, and the root Aa of the green onion A is cut to an extent to have the given amount of a stem base Ad remain. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to, for example, leek, asparagus, cucumber, eggplant, carrot, potato, mandarin orange, apple,
The present invention relates to a crop trimming device used for trimming agricultural products such as persimmons (including fruit vegetables).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a device for cutting and slicing green onions in the above-mentioned example, for example, a root of green onions conveyed by a conveyor is
Device for cutting with a rotary blade that is arranged at a fixed position or moves to a fixed position (Japanese Patent No. 3118414, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-1)
No. 08657).

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned device, the rotary blade is pressed against the side surface of the root of the leek to cut out a predetermined amount, but the size and shape of the root vary depending on the growing condition of the leek. It is difficult to determine the size of the pedicle, where the fibers are dense, from the appearance and outer diameter of the root part, and the amount of excised pedicle may vary. In addition, when the amount of cutting the root pedicle is large, the internal liquid oozes out from the cut surface of the root, which accelerates the discoloration and decay, and the leeks lose their freshness in a short period of time. Also, if the amount of cutting off the pedicle of the root part is small, a large number of short hair roots remain on the root part, resulting in poor appearance and impaired commercial value. Moreover, when the unnecessary epidermis is peeled off to the root part, if there are many remaining parts of the epidermis connected to the root part, the epidermis will be stripped off or a part of the epidermis will remain on the root part, so the unnecessary epidermis There is a problem in that the post-treatment for peeling off the tape causes inconvenience.

In view of the above problems, the present invention detects transmitted light transmitted through an unnecessary portion of a crop with a transmitted light detecting means, and based on detection information output from the transmitted light detecting means, an unnecessary portion cutting position of the agricultural crop. It is an object of the present invention to provide a crop slicing device that can accurately and surely excise a predetermined amount of an unnecessary portion of a crop by deciding the cutting position determining means and can improve the slicing accuracy.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is a crop trimming device for cutting a predetermined amount of an unnecessary portion of a crop placed on a placing part by a cutting means, and detecting light transmitted through the inside of the crop. Detecting light irradiating means for irradiating unnecessary parts of the crop, transmitted light detecting means for detecting transmitted light transmitted through the unnecessary parts of the crop, and outputting detection information of the transmitted light, and the transmitted light detecting means. Based on the detection information output from the cutting position determining means for determining the unnecessary portion cutting position of the crop, based on the determination by the cutting position determining means, the cutting means for the unnecessary portion cutting position of the crop It is characterized in that it is a crop cutting and aligning device provided with the above-mentioned placing portion and relative moving means for moving the cutting means relative to each other at a position facing each other.

The above-mentioned agricultural products can be composed of long agricultural products such as leek, asparagus, cucumber, eggplant, carrot, potato, mandarin orange, apple and persimmon. The unnecessary part of the agricultural product is composed of, for example, the root portion Aa of the leek A and the pedicle Ad. Further, the mounting unit can be configured by, for example, a mounting table or a bucket of a transfer conveyor, a belt conveyor, a roller conveyor, a free tray, or the like. Further, the detection light irradiating means can be constituted by an illumination lamp for irradiating the detection light with high brightness necessary for transmitting the inside of the crop, for example, a halogen lamp, a xenon lamp, an ultraviolet lamp, a fluorescent lamp, an incandescent lamp or the like. . Further, the transmitted light detecting means can be configured by an optical detecting means such as a monochrome imaging camera, a color camera, a digital camera, a video camera or the like. Further, the cutting means can be constituted by, for example, a rotary blade, a fixed blade, scissors, a fluid spray type cutter, a laser cutter, or the like.

The cutting position determining means is the control device 18
(Personal computer), CPU, ROM, RA
It can be configured with a device including M. Further, the relative moving means can be composed of, for example, a motor, a solenoid, an air cylinder, a chain feeding mechanism, a screw feeding mechanism, a cam feeding mechanism or the like.

That is, the high-brightness detection light projected from the detection light irradiating means irradiates the unnecessary portion of the agricultural product placed on the mounting portion, and the transmitted light transmitted through the unnecessary portion of the agricultural product is detected as transmitted light. It is detected by the means and the detection information is output to the cutting position determining means. Further, based on the detection information output from the transmitted light detection means, the unnecessary portion cutting position of the crop is determined by the cutting position determining means, and the unnecessary portion cutting position of each crop and the cutting means are placed at positions facing each other. The placing part and the cutting means are relatively moved by the relative moving means, and a predetermined amount of the unnecessary portion of the agricultural product is excised by the cutting means.

As an embodiment, a plurality of sets of the detection light irradiating means, the transmitted light detecting means, and the cutting means can be arranged on a conveying path for conveying the agricultural products. In addition, one set of the detection light irradiation means, the transmitted light detection means, and the cutting means can be arranged on a conveyance path that conveys the agricultural produce. Further, between the detection light irradiation portion of the agricultural product irradiated with the detection light and the transmitted light emission portion where the transmitted light transmitted through the inside of the agricultural product is emitted, from the detection light irradiation means to the transmitted light detection means. A detection light blocking means (for example, a light blocking belt, a light blocking plate, a light blocking curtain, etc.) for blocking the detection light projected toward the light can be provided.

[0010]

According to the present invention, the transmitted light transmitted through the unnecessary portion of the agricultural product is detected by the transmitted light detecting means, and the unnecessary portion cutting position of the agricultural product is detected based on the detection information output from the transmitted light detecting means. Since the cutting position is determined by the cutting position determining means, it is possible to accurately determine the cut amount of the unnecessary portion according to the growth situation of the crop without being affected by the external shape and outer diameter of the crop, and the crop is unnecessary. It is possible to accurately and surely perform the work of cutting a predetermined amount of the portion, and improve the alignment accuracy.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The drawings show a crop trimming device used for trimming green onions, which is an example of a crop, and FIGS.
In this crop trimming device, the green onion A placed on the mounting table 3 of the conveyer conveyor 2 is arranged on the conveying path, which is arranged in the preceding stage of the peeling process for separating unnecessary epidermis of the green onion A. When it is conveyed to the pretreatment section a, the first trimming section b, and the second trimming section c, the root portion Aa of the leek A is trimmed to a state suitable for the peeling process.

In the above-mentioned transfer conveyor 2, a concave mounting table 3 on which a long green onion A is mounted in a posture substantially orthogonal to the transporting direction is provided, and the root Aa side is predetermined with respect to the left side of the mounting table 3. A cradle 3 that supports the projecting length (for example, about 3 cm)
a, a receiving portion 3b that supports the stem portion Ab in a substantially horizontal direction, and a receiving portion 3c that supports the leaf portion Ac in a substantially horizontal direction.
Further, the projecting dimension of the root portion Aa may be set to, for example, about 3 cm or more or below.

Further, the receiving portions 3a to 3c are attached to the lower portion of the conveying path at a predetermined interval with respect to the entire length of the revolving chain 4, and the revolving chain 4 is driven by a motor (not shown) with a speed reducer. Thus, it rotates in the carrying direction to move the mounting tables 3 ... Circularly continuously or intermittently in the carrying direction. In addition, the mounting tables 3 may be arranged as a plurality of sets,
The size and shape of the mounting table 3 and the installation interval may be changed.

The cleaning device 6 disposed in the pretreatment section a is a discharge nozzle connected to both an air supply source such as an air blower and a compressor, and a water supply source such as water and a tank. 6a is disposed on the upper left side of the conveyance path so as to face the upper surface of the root Aa of the leek A protruding to the left side of the mounting table 3, and air (atmosphere) discharged from the discharge nozzle 6a.
Then, water (tap water) is mixed and sprayed onto the upper surface of the root portion Aa obliquely from above to wash and remove foreign matter (such as mud and dust) covering the upper surface of the root portion Aa. Also, either air or water may be sprayed.

A gas such as nitrogen or an inert gas may be used instead of the above-mentioned air, and a liquid such as distilled water or a solvent may be used instead of water. Alternatively, it may be removed by wiping with a wiping tool such as a flexible elastic body or a brush. Furthermore, a plurality of the above-mentioned gas, liquid, and wiping tool may be combined.

On the other hand, the rough cutting device 7 arranged at the rear of the cleaning device 6 has a rotary blade 7a rotated by a motor (not shown), and a root portion of a green onion A protruding to the left side of the mounting table 3 of the conveyor 2. Arranged on the left side of the transport path facing the tip of Aa,
The root Aa tip and a long hair root protruding to the tip are attached to the rotary blade 7a.
Cut with and rough cut.

Since the trim aligning devices 10 arranged in the first trim aligning section b and the second trim aligning section c have the same configuration, the configuration and operation of one trim aligning apparatus 10 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 3, this device includes a light-shielding chamber 12 surrounding a root Aa and a stem Ab of a leek A placed on a mounting table 3.
Is disposed on the left side of the transport path to block outside light other than light (including transmitted light C) projected by the illumination lamp 13 described later.

An illuminating lamp 13 (for example, a halogen lamp) that emits a high-intensity detection light B necessary for passing through the root Aa and the stem Ac of the leek A is placed on the mounting table 3. A predetermined distance from the tip of the root Aa of the
stem A separated by a distance within the range of m to about 8 cm)
It is disposed inside the light-shielding chamber 12 so as to face the upper surface of b. It is preferable that the position is about 5 cm or about 8 cm away from the tip of the root Aa. Further, the illumination lamp 13 may be arranged at a position separated by, for example, approximately 5 cm or more or approximately 8 cm or less.

In addition, a monochrome imaging camera 14
One or more (for example, a CCD camera) are provided inside the light-shielding chamber 12 so as to face the upper surface of the root Aa of the leek A protruding to the left side of the mounting table 3, and the transmitted light C transmitted through the upper surface of the root Aa is imaged. .

Further, when the transmitted light C transmitted to the upper surface of the root portion Aa is imaged by the image pickup camera 14, a plate type or a drum type of a color arrangement (for example, blue) that makes the contrast between the root portion Aa and the background and the contour of the root portion Aa clear. The comparison member 15 of
It is arranged on the lower left side of the transport path so as to face the lower surface of the root Aa of the leek A protruding to the left side of the mounting table 3. The comparison member 15
Foreign matter that adheres to the top surface (for example, the onion epidermis or internal liquid, water droplets,
Dust etc. is wiped off with a wiping body (not shown). Also,
The comparison member 15 may be rotated continuously or intermittently in the direction in which the foreign matter is removed by the wiping body.

Further, the light shielding belt 16 for shielding the detection light B projected from the illumination lamp 13 is directed to the upper surface of the stem Ac and the upper surface of the root Aa irradiated with the detection light B projected from the illumination lamp 13. Is stretched between the transmitted light C and the transmitted light emitting portion where the transmitted light C is emitted, and is rotated in the conveying direction substantially in synchronism with the conveying speed of the conveyer 2 described above.
While pressing the root part Aa of the above against the receiving table 3a of the mounting table 3,
The detection light B projected from the illumination lamp 13 toward the imaging camera 14 is blocked.

The image processing device 17 connected to the above-described image pickup camera 14 receives the transmitted light C output from the image pickup camera 14.
Is binarized to output the image information of only the root portion Aa excluding the light shielding belt 16 to the control device 18. and,
The control device 18 (for example, a personal computer) connected to the image processing device 17 determines the cutting amount of the root portion Aa based on the image information output from the image processing device 17.

That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the transmission amount of the transmitted light B has a high transmittance when the fibers are coarse, and the transmittance decreases as the fibers are denser, so that the roots Aa and the stems Ab where the fibers are rough. The transmission amount of the transmitted light B transmitted through the pedicle Ad where the fibers are densely reduced is remarkably reduced as compared with the transmission amount of the transmitted light B transmitted through.

Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the boundary portion (cutting reference position) with the highest degree of separation is calculated based on the image density data obtained from the above-mentioned transmission amount, and the cutting reference position is used as a reference. , The cutting amount of the root portion Aa, for example, the position where the pedicle Ad is left about 2/3 is determined, the cutting position information determined for each of the above-mentioned leek A, and the mounting table 3 read by the address reading device 19a described later. The corresponding address information is stored. Further, the cutting amount of the root portion Aa can be changed, for example, to a position where about 2/3 or more of the pedicle Ad is left or a position where it is left below.

Further, address reading devices 19a and 19b for reading the address information set for each mounting table 3 or the address information that moves substantially corresponding to the mounting table 3 are arranged at the lower part of the conveyance path, and the image pickup camera 14 is provided. The address information read by the address reading device 19a provided in the image pickup section and the address reading device 19b provided in the cutting section of the cutting device 20 are output to the control device 18.

Incidentally, as another example of the identification means in place of the above-mentioned address information, for example, it is attached to the mounting table 3 itself or the mounting table 3 is provided.
A recording medium that moves substantially corresponding to (for example, a barcode, I
Specific information of D card, magnetic card, etc.) may be read, cutting position information and other measurement information may be recorded. Further, the time lag until the onion A whose unnecessary portion cutting position is determined reaches the cutting device 20 is measured, and when the time lag is measured, the rotary blade 20a of the cutting device 20 is timed.
May be moved to the unnecessary portion cutting position determined for each leek A, and a predetermined amount of the root Aa of the leek A may be cut off.

Since the cutting devices 20 arranged immediately after the imaging camera 14 in the first trimming section b and the second trimming section c have the same structure, the structure and operation of one cutting device 20 will be described. In this device, for example, a movable table 20c in which a rotary blade 20a inclined in two-dimensional directions in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction is arranged in the lower left part of the conveyance path so as to face the root part Aa of the leek A protruding to the left part of the mounting table 3. Attached to the movable table 20
The motor 20b fixed to c rotates at a high speed at a constant speed.

Further, the movable table 20c is attached to a supporting table 20d arranged on the lower left side of the conveying path, and is conveyed by a motor 20e (or a motor such as a stepping motor or a linear motor) having a movement amount detecting function fixed to the supporting table 20d. A predetermined movement amount (for example, approximately 0.
(25 mm unit) stepwise forward and backward, and as shown in FIG. 3, the rotary blade 20a moves stepwise at high speed in a direction facing the tip of the root Aa (for example, about 0.3 seconds).
To do. Also, cover the side and top of the rotary blade 20a with the cover 20.
Surrounded by f.

As another example of the cutting means in place of the rotary blade 20a, for example, a cutter or a wire cutter,
Band saws, scissors and the like may be used. Also, the motor 20
As another example of the moving means instead of e, for example, a solenoid, an air cylinder, a cam, a chain, or the like may be used.

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of a control circuit of the crop trimming device 1, wherein the control device 18 (for example, a personal computer) has a built-in CPU, ROM and RAM.
The CPU follows the program stored in the ROM (or PROM) to convey the conveyor 2, the cleaning device 6, the rough cutting device 7, the image pickup camera 14, the light shielding belt 16, the image processing device 17, and the address reading. Driving and stopping of the devices 19a and 19b and the cutting device 20 are controlled.

In the RAM, image information output from the image processing device 20, cutting position information determined for each leek A, address information of the mounting table 3 read by the address reading devices 19a and 19b, and the cutting device. The moving amount information of the rotary blade 20a output from 20 is stored in association with each other.

Based on the pulse signal output from the motor 20e, the control device 18 described above sets the stem of the root Aa as the cutting reference position with the tip of the root Aa aligned so as to project to the left side of the mounting table 3 by a predetermined amount. The moving distance of the rotary blade 20a until the disk Ad reaches a position where a predetermined amount is cut off (for example, in a state where about 2/3 remains) is calculated and calculated.

Further, the address reading device 19a reads the address information of the mounting table 3 which is moved to the image pickup section of the image pickup camera 14 and outputs the address information to the control device 18, and at the same time, the moving amount information and the address read. The address information of the mounting table 3 read by the device 19 is stored in the control device 18 in association with each other.

Further, the address information of the mounting table 3 moved to the cutting section of the cutting device 20 is read by the address reading device 19b, and the address information is output to the control device 18. The control device 18 controls the mounting table 3 output from the address reading device 19b.
And the address information stored in the RAM are compared to determine whether the address information is the same.

Further, the cutting position information corresponding to the address information read by the address reading device 19b is read from the RAM,
Based on the cutting position information stored in the RAM, the motor 20e is intermittently rotated by a predetermined amount to rotate the rotary blade 20
a, the pedicle Ad of the root portion Aa is excised by a predetermined amount (for example, approximately 2 /
Move gradually to the position where about 3 remains). Further, the disconnection information stored in the RAM is erased or overwritten when returning from the end side to the start side.

The illustrated embodiment is constructed as described above, and the root Aa of the leek A by the crop trimming device 1 will be described below.
The work of trimming is explained.

First, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the conveyed or harvested green onions A ... are aligned such that the root Aa side is leftward with respect to the conveying direction, and are reciprocally moved to the starting end side. The two mounting tables 3 ... Are mounted one by one substantially orthogonal to the transport direction. Further, the tip of the root portion Aa is pressed against an aligning portion (not shown) such as a belt or a plate, and is conveyed to the pretreatment section a while being aligned so as to project to the left side portion of the mounting table 3 by a predetermined length. Further, when the amount of protrusion of the root portion Aa is small, the entire length of the green onion A is moved to the left side portion of the conveyance path and corrected to a state in which it protrudes by a substantially predetermined amount.

Next, in the pretreatment section a, air and water discharged from the discharge nozzle 6a of the cleaning device 6 are sprayed on the upper surface of the root Aa to wash and remove foreign matter covering the upper surface of the root Aa, and the tip of the root Aa. Also, since the long hair root protruding at the tip is cut by the rotary blade 7a of the rough cutting device 7 to perform the rough cutting processing, when the image is captured by the imaging camera 14 described later, the imaging is not hindered by the foreign matter or the hair root as described above, Root Aa
The image information necessary for determining the unnecessary portion cutting position of is obtained.

Next, in the first cut-and-align section b, as shown in FIG. 3, the root Aa side of the green onion A is conveyed while being pressed against the receiving table 3a of the mounting table 3 by the light shielding belt 16 to illuminate it. The detection light B emitted from the lamp 13 is applied to the upper surface of the stem Ab of the green onion A placed on the mounting table 3, and the transmitted light C transmitted to the upper surface of the root Aa is imaged by the imaging camera 14, The image information is output to the image processing device 17.

On the other hand, the control device 18 controls the image processing device 17
Based on the image information output from the above, the unnecessary part cutting position of the root part Aa (the position where the pedicle Ad remains about 2/3) is set to the onion A.
Decide for each. Further, the cutting position information and the address information of the mounting table 3 read by the address reading device 19a are stored in the control device 18 in association with each other.

Next, the address information of the mounting table 3 is read by the address reading device 19b, and the mounting table 3 of the address information corresponding to the judgment is read.
Is moved to the cutting section, the control device 18 reads the cutting position information corresponding to the address information of the mounting table 3 read by the address reading device 22, and based on the cutting position information,
The motor 20e of the cutting device 20 is driven by a predetermined amount.

Further, based on the judgment by the control device 18, the rotary blade 20a of the cutting device 20 is moved stepwise to the unnecessary portion cutting position determined for each leek A, and as shown in FIG. The root part Aa is cut off so that the pedicle Ad remains about 2/3.

Next, in the second trimming section c, in the same manner as described above, the detection light B emitted from the illumination lamp 13 is emitted.
To the upper surface of the stem Ab of the green onion A placed on the mounting table 3, the transmitted light C transmitted to the upper surface of the root Aa of the green onion A is imaged by the imaging camera 14, and the image information thereof is obtained by the image processing device 17
Output to. Moreover, the control device 18 controls the image processing device 17
The unnecessary portion cutting position of the root portion Aa is determined based on the image information output from the above, and it is determined whether or not the pedicle Ad has been cut to a state in which about 2/3 remains. That is, when it is determined that the pedicle cutting has been completed, the rotary blade 20a of the cutting device 20 is not moved and the standby state or the rest state is maintained. The leek A, which has been determined to have undergone pelvic excision, is transported to the next step.

On the other hand, when it is determined that the pedicle Ad is left over the predetermined amount, the rotary blade 20a of the cutting device 20 is gradually moved to the unnecessary portion cutting position determined for each leek A, and the leek A is cut. The root part Aa of the above is cut off so that the pedicle Ad remains about 2/3, and the green onion A after the pedicle cutting is conveyed to the next step (for example, a peeling step or a sorting step). Hereinafter, in the same manner as described above, the trimming work of the leek A is continuously performed.

As described above, the high-intensity detection light B emitted from the illumination lamp 13 is applied to the left stem portion Ab of the leeks A placed on the placing table 3 of the conveyer 2 and the stem portion Ab is passed. The imaging camera 14 detects the transmitted light C passing through the inside of the root Aa, and based on the detection information output from the imaging camera 14, the controller 18 determines the unnecessary portion cutting position of the root Aa by the onion A. Since it is determined for each root, the amount of excision of the root portion Aa can be accurately determined according to the growth condition of the leek A without being influenced by the external shape and outer diameter of the leek A. It is possible to accurately and surely perform the cutting of a predetermined amount and improve the alignment accuracy.

In addition, the trimming device 10 for the first trimming section b.
Even if the root Aa of the leek A cannot be excised by a predetermined amount, the uncutting device 10 in the second cutting section c re-detects the unnecessary part cutting position of the root Aa, so that the pedicle Ad of the root Aa is detected. It is possible to perform highly accurate work of cutting a predetermined amount. In addition, since the pedicle Ad of the root Aa is cut into a state suitable for stripping off unnecessary epidermis, when the epidermis is peeled off to the root Aa, the remaining portion of the epidermis connected to the root Aa is small, The post-treatment can be easily done after peeling off.

FIG. 8 shows another example of the crop trimming device 1 provided with one trimming device 10, in which the detection light B projected from the illumination lamp 13 is placed on the table 3. The transmitted light C that irradiates the upper surface of the stem Ab of A and is transmitted through the upper surface of the root Aa of the leek A is imaged by the imaging camera 14, and the image information is output to the image processing device 17. Based on the image information output from the image processing device 17, the control device 18 determines the unnecessary portion cutting position of the root Aa, and based on the determination, the rotary blade 20a of the cutting device 20 moves the root Aa tip of the leek A. Since the root part Aa of the leek A is excised so that the pedicle Ad is left by a predetermined amount, the action and effect substantially the same as those of the above-described embodiments can be obtained. Moreover, since the configuration and structure of the entire apparatus are simplified, the apparatus can be manufactured at low cost, the installation space is small, and the layout can be easily performed.

Correspondence between the constitution of the present invention and the above-mentioned embodiment, the agricultural products (including fruit vegetables) of the present invention are the green onion A and asparagus of the embodiment, cucumber, eggplant, carrot, potato, mandarin orange, apple. , Persimmons, and the like, and likewise, unnecessary parts of agricultural products correspond to the root Aa of leeks A and the stalk Ad, and the mounting part is the mounting table 3 or bucket of the conveyor 2, the belt conveyor, the roller conveyor. , A free tray, etc., and the transmitted light detecting means corresponds to a monochrome imaging camera 19, a color camera, a digital camera, a video camera, etc.
The cutting position determining means is a device including a control device 18 (personal computer), CPU, ROM, RAM, C
Corresponding to the program stored in PU, the cutting means corresponds to the cutting device 20 and the rotary blade 20a and fixed blades, scissors, fluid spray type cutter, laser cutter, etc., and the relative moving means corresponds to the motor 20e and solenoid. It corresponds to an air cylinder, a chain feed mechanism, a screw feed mechanism, a cam feed mechanism, etc., and the detection light shielding means corresponds to the light shielding belt 16, the light shielding plate, the light shielding curtain, etc. It is not limited to only.

The construction of the crop trimming device 1 described above can be applied to the work of trimming the root portion Aa of the green onion A held substantially vertically, for example.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a crop trimming device including two trimming devices.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a leek trimming operation by the crop trimming device.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a transmissive cutting position detecting method.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a control circuit of the crop trimming device.

FIG. 5 is a characteristic diagram showing the amount of transmitted light that is transmitted to the upper surface of the root portion.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a transmission image and density projection data of a root portion.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing the cutting operation of the root portion by the cutting device.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing another example of the crop trimming device including one trimming device.

[Explanation of symbols]

A ... Leek Aa ... root Ad ... Stem board B: Detection light C ... transmitted light 1 ... Crop trimming device 2 ... Conveyor 3 ... Stand 10 ... Trimming device 13 ... Illumination lamp 14 ... Imaging camera 17 ... Image processing device 18 ... Control device 20 ... Cutting device 20a ... rotary blade

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Yukitsu Konishi             66, Takaoka-cho, Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture Ishii Industry Co., Ltd.             In the company (72) Inventor Tsutomu Takekuni             66, Takaoka-cho, Matsuyama City, Ehime Prefecture Ishii Industry Co., Ltd.             In the company F-term (reference) 4B061 AA01 AB06 BA02 BA03 BA12                       BA13 BB07 BB13 CB05 CB07                       CB13 CB16

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A crop trimming device that cuts a predetermined amount of unnecessary parts of a crop placed on a placing part by a cutting means, wherein detection light transmitted through the inside of the crop is applied to unnecessary parts of the crop. Detecting light irradiating means for irradiating, detecting transmitted light that has passed through unnecessary parts of the crop, and transmitting light detecting means for outputting detection information of the transmitted light, and based on detection information output from the transmitted light detecting means. The cutting position determining means for determining the unnecessary part cutting position of the crop, and the position where the cutting means faces the unnecessary part cutting position of the crop based on the determination by the cutting position determining means. A crop trimming device comprising: a placing unit and a relative moving unit that relatively moves the cutting unit. 2. The crop aligning device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of sets of the detection light irradiating means, the transmitted light detecting means, and the cutting means are arranged on a conveyance path for conveying the crops. 3. The crop trimming device according to claim 1, wherein one set of the detection light irradiating means, the transmitted light detecting means, and the cutting means is arranged on a conveyance path for conveying the crops. 4. The transmitted light from the detected light irradiating means is provided between the detected light irradiated portion of the agricultural product irradiated with the detected light and the transmitted light emitting portion where the transmitted light transmitted through the inside of the agricultural product is emitted. The crop trimming device according to claim 1, further comprising a detection light blocking means for blocking the detection light projected toward the detection means.