ES2824348A1 - MACHINE FOR DYNAMIC FRUIT WEIGHING (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding) - Google Patents

Abstract

Machine for dynamic fruit weighing characterized in that it comprises blowing nozzles (9) connected to a pneumatic circuit, located on the tray unloading area (2), controlled by the automaton (8) and that selectively perform a discharge of air, with a determined inclination and orientation, on the fruit-carrying trays (2) during their tilting; said pressure air discharge guaranteeing the fall of the pieces of fruit contained in the trays (2) towards the exit conveyors. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)

Description

DESCRIPTION

Machine for dynamic fruit weighing

Technique sector.

The present invention refers to a machine for dynamic fruit weighing, suitable for obtaining groups of fruit pieces with a predetermined weight. This machine is used for weighing fruit, prior to packaging.

Prior state of the art

Currently, machines for dynamic fruit weighing are widely known in the market, such as the one described in national patent ES2117563B1, the purpose of which is to group a variable number of pieces of fruit, so that their total weight reaches a default value. A typical example is citrus fruits, such as oranges, tangerines or lemons, which are sold in mesh bags with a certain weight.

Specifically, the machine described in the aforementioned national patent comprises: closed-circuit transport lines provided with conveyor chains for moving buckets or trays carrying pieces of fruit to be weighed, a feeder that unloads pieces of fruit to be weighed in said containers, a dynamic weighing zone of each of the trays in which the weight of the fruit contained in said trays is determined; a selective unloading zone for the pieces of fruit transported by the trays on exit conveyors that discharge when said pieces of fruit reach a predetermined weight; means for selective tilting of the fruit-carrying trays on the outlet conveyors, and an automaton that selectively operates the means for tilting the trays on the conveyors to obtain a determined weight.

The dynamic weighing zone, generally using load cells, allows to quickly and accurately determine the weight of the fruit contained in each of the trays, also quickly carrying out the transport of the trays containers of the pieces of fruit to the area of selective unloading of the same in the exit conveyors. This allows the working speed of the machine to be high and that the tilting of the selected trays, as well as the unloading of the pieces of fruit contained in them, must be carried out quickly on the selected exit conveyor to achieve a determined heavy.

A drawback of these machines for dynamic fruit weighing is that failures can occur in the unloading of the fruits contained in the trays onto the outfeed conveyors, due in part to the high operating speed, and the short time it takes. It has to perform the overturning of the tray, the fall of the pieces of fruit contained in it on an exit conveyor, and the return of the tray to its horizontal position.

A solution to this drawback would be to considerably reduce the working speed of the machine, however this solution is not contemplated since it goes against the performance of said weighing machine.

It should be mentioned that the applicant is unaware of the existence on the market of machines for dynamic fruit weighing that have characteristics aimed at satisfactorily solving the aforementioned problem, without the need to reduce the working speed and consequently the performance of the machine.

Explanation of the invention

The machine for the dynamic weighing of fruit object of this invention, being of the type described above and collected in the preamble of the first claim, has some constructive details that guarantee that the pieces of fruit contained in the trays fall towards the exit conveyors when These trays are dumped, eliminating the problems that are currently posed by errors in unloading and difficulties in completing the weighing, although the combinations of weighing carried out by the automaton to group a certain weight of pieces of fruit were adequate.

To satisfactorily resolve the problematic answer above, this The machine has the particularity of comprising blowing nozzles connected to a pneumatic circuit, located on the unloading areas of the trays, controlled by the automaton and which selectively discharge pressurized air onto the fruit-carrying trays, during the tilting of said trays, said pressure air discharge guaranteeing the fall of the fruit pieces from the overturned tray towards the exit conveyors.

In one embodiment of the invention, the means for selective tilting of the trays comprise pneumatically actuatable stops, the actuation of the tilting means of any one of the trays and the discharge into their interior of the jet of pressurized air being carried out simultaneously. guarantees the fall of the piece or pieces of fruit contained in said tray towards one of the exit conveyors.

The aforementioned blowing nozzles are arranged with a certain inclination, suitable so that in the overturning position of the trays, the pressurized air projected into the tray circulates inside said tray in a suitable direction to push the part o pieces of fruit and collaborate with the force of gravity when it comes out of the tray.

Brief description of the content of the drawings.

To complement the description that is being made and in order to facilitate the understanding of the characteristics of the invention, the present specification is accompanied by a set of drawings in which, by way of illustration and not limitation, the following has been represented:

- Figure 1 shows a schematic elevation view of an embodiment of the machine for dynamic fruit weighing according to the invention, in which some of the trays located in the closed circuit of one of the transport lines can be seen from the trays, the feeder of fruit pieces to the trays, the dynamic weighing area and the selective unloading area of the trays on the exit conveyors.

- Figure 2 shows a schematic plan view of a portion of the machine in which four transport lines of the trays can be seen, and four exit conveyors arranged transversely below the unloading area of the trays.

Figure 3 shows a detail in elevation of a portion of the tray unloading area in which two consecutive trays of one of the transport lines are observed, one of them having been represented in the tilting position; favoring the pressurized air, projected by the pneumatic nozzles into said tray, the discharge of the pieces of fruit contained in said tray.

Detailed exposition of embodiments of the invention.

Figure 1 shows schematically an elevation view of the machine for dynamic fruit weighing in which the closed circuit defined by the transport lines (1) responsible for moving the trays (2) in a horizontal position can be observed.

In said figure 1 the following are schematically represented: the feeder (3) in charge of supplying the pieces of fruit to the trays (2), a dynamic weighing zone (4) of the trays in which the weight of the fruit contained is determined. in each of said trays (2), and a selective unloading zone (5) of the trays towards exit conveyors (6) located below the transport lines (1) and oriented in a transverse direction with respect to the direction advancement of the trays (2).

This figure also shows the automaton (8) in charge of controlling the general operation of the machine.

Figure 2 shows the arrangement of the transport lines (1) of the trays (2) above the outlet conveyors (6), in the selective discharge area (5) of the trays (2).

In this specific example, four transport lines (1) and four exit conveyors (6) have been represented. On the exit conveyors (6) the pieces of fruit unloaded by the trays (2) accumulate and when said Fruit pieces add a predetermined weight, according to the weights to be obtained, are extracted from the machine by the corresponding exit conveyor (6).

The selective unloading area (5) of the trays (2) has selective tilting means (7) of said trays, controlled by the automaton (8), so that when the pieces of fruit contained in a tray (2 ) determined are going to form part of a weighing, in any one of the exit conveyors (6), the selective tilting means (7) cause the tray (2) in question to overturn on said exit conveyor (6).

On said selective discharge zone (5) there are the blowing nozzles (9) that discharge air under pressure, with a certain inclination and orientation, on those trays (2) that are in a tilting position, facilitating said discharge of pressurized air the fall of pieces of fruit contained in said trays (2), as shown in figure 3.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in figure 3, the selective tilting means (7) of the trays (2) comprise pneumatically actuable stops, specifically by means of double-acting cylinders, the actuation of the selective tilting means being carried out simultaneously (7) and the respective blowing nozzles (9).

Once the nature of the invention has been sufficiently described, as well as an example of a preferred embodiment, it is stated for the appropriate purposes that the materials, shape, size and arrangement of the elements described may be modified, as long as this does not imply an alteration. of the essential characteristics of the invention that are claimed below.

Claims (2)

claims 1. - Machine for dynamic fruit weighing; comprising transport lines (1) in a closed circuit of trays (2) for moving the pieces of fruit to be weighed, a feeder (3) that unloads pieces of fruit into said trays (2), a weighing area dynamic (4) of each of the trays (2); an unloading zone (5) with selective tilting means (7) of the fruit-carrying trays (2) on exit conveyors (6) and an automaton (8) that controls the operation of the machine and the means selective tilting (7) of the trays (2); characterized in that it comprises blowing nozzles (9) connected to a pneumatic circuit, located on the unloading area of the trays (2), controlled by the automaton (8) and that selectively discharge air, with an inclination and determined orientation, on the fruit-carrying trays (2) during their tilting; said discharge of pressurized air guaranteeing the fall of the pieces of fruit contained in the trays (2) towards the outlet conveyors (6). 2. - Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the selective tilting means (7) of the trays (2) comprise pneumatically operable stops, simultaneously performing the actuation of the selective tilting means (7) and the respective blowing nozzles (9).