JP2002205815A - Uniform dispersing device for agricultural products - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a uniform dispersing feeder for agricultural products capable of obtaining stable dispersing operation in the width direction of conveyance to uniformly feed the agricultural products to a plurality of lined-up conveyors. SOLUTION: This uniform dispersing device for agricultural products has a roller conveyor that forms a conveying way where a large number of rollers 21 connected along an endless track conveys the agricultural products placed thereon while rotating and revolving; spiral projections 213 provided on the surfaces of the rollers in order to move the agricultural products on the conveying way in a width direction by the rotation of the rollers; an image pickup camera 25 for detecting the deviation of the agricultural products by measuring the areas of the agricultural products in a center part area 24; and a roller self-rotation control device 5 for controlling the rotating direction of the rollers 21 provided with the projections, on the basis of detected information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to the production of agricultural products such as fruits such as tangerines and persimmons, vegetables such as onions and potatoes, as well as grade factors such as size and weight, and grade factors such as scratches, ripeness and sugar content. In a fruit sorting facility that sorts and packs into predetermined sections according to the above, in order to supply the received and delivered agricultural products to a plurality of processing devices (sorting conveyors) almost uniformly, for example, from a narrow supply side to a wide width, The present invention relates to a device for evenly distributing agricultural products in a fruit sorting device installed so as to evenly supply to a discharge side.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an apparatus for uniformly distributing agricultural products used in a fruit sorting facility, an apparatus for horizontally moving agricultural products supplied from a preceding process on a transport path has been proposed.

[0003] For example, a plurality of rollers are interposed between a pair of left and right conveyor chains to drive and rotate (revolve) downstream of the conveyance, and a roller conveyor is configured to rotate the rolls. (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-242818) in which fruits are received from a simple roller conveyor and diffused in the width direction by a vibrating conveyor. A roller having a diffusion roller conveyer having a helical ridge formed on the outer periphery of the roller surface is weak because the roller has a weak diffusion movement action in the lateral direction of conveyance (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-329).
No. 04, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-26551) and the like. However, these existing proposals are not suitable as a conveyor for feeding the agricultural products supplied to a narrow area to the downstream rowing conveyor evenly on the terminal side regardless of whether the supply is excessive or not. was there. For example, in the case of a roller conveyor that revolves on its own, the fruits roll by the rotation of the rollers, so that the fruits in a stacked state fall into gaps generated in the lower fruit group and are transported in a diffused state, Since the roller has a cylindrical shape, it has a weak effect of diffusing in the lateral direction of conveyance, and is not suitable for uniformly spreading agricultural products supplied to a narrow width region over a wide width region. In addition, the system of returning overflowing agricultural products to the upstream side is a mechanism to flow many agricultural products in the originally useless transport process, so it becomes a facility with low treatment efficiency and also causes damage to agricultural products. There are inconveniences.

In Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-242818, the conveying lateral movement effect given to the agricultural product by the vibrating conveyor has a diffusion effect when the agricultural product is supplied in a large amount and when the agricultural product is supplied in a small amount. Also, differences occur depending on the size, shape, hardness and the like of the agricultural product, and a stable diffusion action cannot be obtained. In contrast to the above,
No. 904 and Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-26651, agricultural products are mechanically engaged with the helical surface ridges, so that the agricultural products move to the outside in the transport lateral direction by the rotation of the rollers. In this respect, it is excellent as a diffusion device. However, the rotation speed of the rollers and the pitch of the spiral are fixed based on the typical shape and size of the agricultural product that is the object to be conveyed. Then, there is a problem that an ideal diffusion action cannot always be obtained.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the conventional apparatus.

[0006] In addition, in the sorting facility, there are various items for measuring elements of the sorting category, such as measurement of external quality and size by recent appearance imaging of each agricultural product, measurement of internal quality by internal transmitted light, and the like. On the other hand, in view of the fact that high speed and high efficiency of the sorting process are required on the other hand, in order to efficiently sort a large amount of agricultural products in the shortest possible time, the sorting element (the element that determines the sorting category)
In order to measure the number of products, a large number of sorting conveyors, which separate agricultural products one by one in the transport direction and transport them in a row, are often arranged side by side, and a pre-stage device that supplies agricultural products to such a plurality of sorting conveyors In order to optimize the distribution of agricultural products in the horizontal direction for a plurality of lined conveyors, there is a problem that a simple diffusion method cannot be sufficiently achieved. Therefore, the present invention solves the point that the method of simply spreading a large number of agricultural products supplied to the narrow width direction area in the width direction is not sufficient, and as much as possible to a plurality of row conveyors. It is another object of the present invention to provide a device for uniformly distributing agricultural products that can supply agricultural products.

[0007] Still another object of the present invention is to disperse the agricultural products in the transport lateral direction from the starting end (supply side) to the end side (discharge side) evenly with a short machine length. To provide a device that can perform

[0008]

The above objects can be achieved by the following inventions. (1) A roller conveyor that forms a transport path for transporting agricultural products while a number of rollers connected along an endless track rotate and revolve, and a roller for moving agricultural products on the transport path in the transport lateral direction by the rotation of the rollers. A spiral ridge provided on the surface, a bias detection unit for agricultural products that measures the amount of agricultural products in a predetermined area predetermined on the transport path and detects a bias of a set of agricultural products on the transport path, A roller rotation control means for controlling at least the rotation direction of the roller provided with the ridges based on detection information from the bias detection means; In the above, the control of the rotation of the rollers provided with the ridges on the surface is performed by fixing a sprocket for roller rotation to one end of each roller, attaching a rotation chain to the sprocket, further rotating the roller and A revolving chain can be connected to both ends of a roller shaft having a sprocket penetrated in the axial direction, and the roller can be rotated forward, reverse, or stopped by the speed difference between the revolving chain and the rotation chain. . With this configuration, the ridged roller is rotated in the same direction by the rotation roller chain, but there is an advantage that the roller rotation control means can be formed with a simple configuration and at low cost. (2) The above-mentioned invention (1), wherein at least one roller having no ridge is arranged between each adjacent ridged roller in the transport direction to form a roller conveyor.
An apparatus for evenly distributing agricultural products as described. In the above configuration, the ridges on the roller surface may be, for example, those in which the spirals of the ridges are formed in opposite directions from the center part in the roller axis direction (transverse direction of agricultural products) toward both ends. According to this, for example, the agricultural product can be diffused from the central portion to both ends by forward rotation of the ridged roller, and by reversely rotating, the agricultural products at both ends can be brought to the central portion side. it can. The direction of the helix of the ridge is not limited to the above, and may be wound in the same direction over the entire roller. Agricultural products can be brought to one side in the lateral direction, and the agricultural products can be brought to the opposite side by reversing. (3) Each of the ridged rollers adjacent in the transport direction includes one group of rollers provided with a ridge on one side from the intermediate portion in the transport lateral direction, and one roller group provided with a ridge on the other side from the intermediate portion in the transport lateral direction. The apparatus for evenly distributing agricultural products according to the invention (1), wherein the roller conveyor is configured by alternately adjoining the other roller group provided with the rollers. In addition, the ridges of the ridged roller are not limited to those provided over the entire length of the roller, and as in the present invention (3),
It is also possible to provide a ridge only from the roller end to the center. According to this configuration, the lateral movement force acts on the roller only in the portion where the ridge is formed, and the lateral movement force does not act on the portion without the ridge. Therefore, it is possible to correct the bias of the gathering state of the agricultural products from one end to the center of the roller, so that it is possible to realize finer gathering bias control. Further, even if the rollers with the ridges are adjacent to each other, the ridge portions do not overlap between the adjacent rollers, so that there is no interference with the lateral movement force applied to the agricultural products, and the stable operation of the apparatus can be ensured. The risk of damage can be prevented. The means for controlling the rotation of the rollers in the present invention (3) include a roller group in which a rotation sprocket is fixedly mounted on one end only, and a rotation sprocket which is fixed only on the other end. The other fixed roller group and the other roller group are alternately arranged on the sailboat, and revolving chains are connected to both ends of the roller shaft through which each roller penetrates, and further, one roller group and the other roller group are connected. The endless rotation chains to be rotated can be hung on the respective rotation sprockets, and the rollers can be rotated forward, backward, or stopped by the speed difference between the rotation chain and the rotation chain. In this way, it is possible to correct the bias of the collection of agricultural products in various combinations between the central portion and the both side portions in the transport lateral direction. (4) The apparatus for evenly distributing agricultural products according to the invention (3), wherein the one roller group and the other roller group of the roller conveyor have windings of the ridges wound in opposite directions. (5) The apparatus for evenly distributing agricultural products according to the invention (3), wherein the one roller group and the other roller group of the roller conveyor are wound in the same direction as the helix of the ridge. According to the inventions (4) and (5), since the moving force in the transport lateral direction does not act on the portion having no ridges, the agricultural products are gathered between one end and the center of the roller. Can correct the bias. The winding direction of the ridge may be the same or opposite for one group and the other group by controlling the rotation direction (forward rotation, reverse rotation, and stop) of the roller.
According to the configuration of the invention (4) having the opposite direction, the roller of the same standard can be used simply by being installed in the opposite direction.
There is an advantage that the number of parts having different required standards can be reduced. (6) The invention described in the above aspect (1), wherein the deviation detecting means for collecting agricultural products in a predetermined area on the conveying path of the roller conveyor has an image pickup means for photographing at least an area in the center in the lateral direction of the conveying path. The apparatus for evenly dispersing agricultural products according to any one of (5) to (5). (7) The bias detection means for agricultural products in a predetermined area on the transport path of the roller conveyor captures an image of a central area and a lateral area obtained by dividing the transport path into three in the transport lateral direction. The apparatus for evenly dispersing agricultural products according to any one of the above inventions (1) to (5). (8) The invention according to the above-mentioned inventions (1) to (4), wherein the roller rotation control means controls the rotation of the roller in the forward and reverse rotation directions including stop, and the rotation speed as necessary. (7) The apparatus for uniformly dispersing agricultural products according to any of (7). (9) The invention according to (1) to (8), wherein the bias detecting means for the agricultural product in the predetermined area on the transport path is disposed downstream of the intermediate position in the transport direction of the transport path on the roller conveyor. An apparatus for evenly distributing agricultural products according to any one of the above. (10) Connect the start ends of a plurality of rowing conveyors to the end of the conveyance path of the roller conveyor in parallel in the conveyance horizontal direction, and on the conveyance path of the roller conveyor or a connection between the roller conveyor and the rowing conveyor. A partitioning means for guiding agricultural products to each rowing conveyor, a transporting number detecting means for detecting the number of transported agricultural products transported on each rowing conveyor per unit time, and a number detected by the transporting number detecting means. And the partitioning control means for switching the number of guides to each of the rowing conveyors by comparing with the adjacent rowing conveyors. Of equal distribution equipment. In the above configuration, the partitioning means is, for example, using a rocking plate that can widen or narrow the frontage of the entrance side of the rowing conveyor with respect to the transport path on the roller conveyor, and The number of passing products per unit time is detected by, for example, a photoelectric type agricultural product passing number detecting device provided on the side, and based on this detection information, when there is a side where the number of passing of the adjacent rowing conveyor is large and a side where the number is small, the larger one is used. , And the partitioning means can be oscillated by the partitioning control means so as to increase the number of smaller ones. The partitioning means can be provided at a downstream portion on the roller conveyor or at a connecting portion provided with a chute plate or the like for connecting the roller conveyor to the rowing conveyor.

[0009] The apparatus for evenly distributing agricultural products of the present invention comprises:
Typically, it is used in combination with individual rowing conveyors connected to a plurality of sorting conveyors in an agricultural product sorting facility to exhibit particularly excellent effects, but is not limited thereto.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiment 1 This embodiment shows an example in which the apparatus of the present invention is applied to a fruit sorting facility. Specifically, FIG. 1 to FIG. Is done.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a fruit sorting facility of the present embodiment. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an agricultural product (for example, a tangerine: hereinafter referred to as "tangerine") M brought from a producer to the sorting facility.
Conveyor, which is the starting end of the entire sorting facility, which is installed so as to be sorted, 2 is a uniform dispersion device which is a characteristic component of the present invention, 3 is a rowing conveyor device connected to the sorting conveyor 4 It is.

Although the configuration of the above-mentioned supply conveyor 1 is not particularly limited, it is constituted by, for example, a belt conveyor (or a roller conveyor) 11, and a large number of tangerines M are randomly transferred in the transport lateral direction (width direction). Figure 1
The oranges M are sent from the upper side to the lower side in FIG. Details of the equal distribution device 2 will be described later.

In this example, the rowed conveyor device 3 is such that the transport path is divided into four rows by partition walls 311 and side walls 312 and a linear conveyor 31 formed by a belt conveyor, and a space for optical measurement is set on a track. A curved conveyor 32 that forms a curved conveying path for transferring the material to and from the sorting conveyor 4 that is provided along the curved conveyor;
And an alignment conveyor 33 composed of a belt conveyor that guides in the width direction with a guide rail (not shown) in the width direction, and aligns the conveyor in a line in the horizontal direction. The end of the alignment conveyor 33 is the starting end of the sorting conveyor 4. Nikan M
Are connected so that Reference numerals 36, 37, and 38 denote downward inclined plates for stably and gently connecting the respective conveyors (the linear conveyor 31, the curved conveyor 32, and the alignment conveyor 33). In addition, the linear conveyor 31 of the rowing conveyor device 3 in the present embodiment varies the distribution rate of the cans M only to each transport path based on the number count sensor 34 provided for each transport path and the detection information by this. And a swing switching plate 35, which counts the number of oranges M passing through each transport path, and calculates the difference between the number of oranges M passing through adjacent transport paths per unit time. Mandarin orange M which oscillates 35 and distributes it to each transport path
The amount of variation is finally corrected. This state is well shown in FIG. 3, in which a swinging tip extending upstream from the starting end of the partition wall 311 partitioning the four rows of transport paths on the upstream side of the transport path is, for example, about 30 ° on both sides. Swing (the swing limit is indicated by a broken line)
It is oscillated by a driving means (not shown) (for example, a stepping motor) so that the distribution ratio between the adjacent transport paths (the linear conveyor 31) can be changed and controlled. For example, if the number of tangerines M passing through the transport path on the right end of FIG. 3 and the transport path on the left side thereof are substantially the same, the swing switching plate 35 is assumed to be in a straight position on the upstream side and the distribution ratio of these adjacent transport paths is determined. If the number of passages through the canister M at the right end transport path is smaller than a predetermined level difference, the swing switching plate 35 is swung to the left to increase the distribution ratio to the right end transport path. On the other hand, when the difference is larger than the predetermined level, the swing switching plate 35 is swung to the right to lower the distribution ratio to the rightmost conveyance path, thereby equalizing the distribution rates of the two conveyance paths. it can. The distribution ratio can be similarly changed and controlled between other adjacent conveyance paths. Next, the uniform distribution device 2 which is a characteristic configuration of the present example will be described. Details of this device in the present example are shown by FIGS. A roller 21 is rotatably fitted on a roller shaft 211 suspended between a pair of left and right revolving chains 22, and the rollers 21 are connected to each other in the transport direction. As a whole, a roller conveyor is formed. In this manner, the plurality of connected rollers 21 rotate (revolve) according to the rotation of the revolving chain 22 along the endless track. Further, these rollers 21 have a small-diameter sprocket 212 attached to the vicinity of one end thereof (fixed to a shaft so as to rotate integrally), and rotate on an endless orbit along the revolving chain 22. The diversion chain 23 is engaged with the sprocket 212 along the side,
By rotating the rotation chain 23 at a constant speed, a high speed, or a low speed relative to the rotation speed of the revolution chain 22, the rotation state of the roller 21 is stopped, forwardly or reversely rotated. I have. Here, the forward rotation refers to the rotation of the roller conveyor in the direction in which the oranges M are transported in the transport direction in the same manner as the revolving motion of transporting the oranges M in the transport direction (see FIG. 4A). Refers to the rotation of the direction. The rotation stop refers to a state in which the roller 21 performs only revolution and does not rotate.

The roller conveyor formed by the rollers 21 in this embodiment includes a group of rollers 21a provided with a spiral ridge 213 on the surface and a group of rollers 21a provided with no ridge on the surface. The group of the non-rollers 21b is alternately arranged along the transport direction.
The roller is provided so that the winding direction is turned back at the center in the generatrix direction of the roller to be in the opposite direction. Therefore, in the configuration of the present example, by rotating the roller 21 in the normal rotation direction, the oranges M existing in the central portion move toward the left and right end portions, respectively (see FIGS. 4B and 4C). 4), by rotating in the reverse direction, the oranges M existing on the left and right end sides move toward the center (see FIG. 4C).

In FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, reference numeral 24 denotes an image pickup area in the uniform dispersion device. In this example, the image pickup area is located at a position slightly downstream (end side) from the middle of the conveying surface of the roller conveyor.
The transport area is divided into three in the width direction (transverse lateral direction), and the central area thereof is defined as an imaging area. This imaging area 24 is a substantially planar square area (see FIGS. 1 and 3), and as shown in FIG. 2, the imaging area 25 is imaged using an imaging device 25 such as a CCD camera. The image obtained as a result of this imaging is the oranges M hatched in FIG. 3 (both part and whole), and whether the amount of oranges M distributed in this area 24 is large or small (coarse and dense). degree)
Can be determined as a simple method by dividing the area of the hatched portion by the area of the area. CCD
In the case of an image pickup unit of a type that performs pixel recognition such as a camera,
If the total number of pixels in which the hatched portion is recognized is divided by the total number of pixels in the area, it is possible to simply and quickly detect the degree of density of the oranges M as a result of the image processing substantially continuously. It is difficult to accurately grasp the distribution of the center and both sides in the width direction with this method, but if the total supply is roughly known, then the target of this example requires such strict uniform dispersion. However, even this method can achieve industrially effective uniform dispersion. In the state of FIG. 3, it can be seen from the relationship with the total supply that the distribution at the center is smaller than that at both sides, so that the roller 21 is controlled to change the rotation direction of the rotation roller chain 23 and rotate in the reverse direction. By doing so, the tangerines M on both sides can be biased toward the center, so that they can be evenly distributed in the width direction and sent to the next row of conveyor devices 3. At this time, if it is determined that the distribution cannot be sufficiently dispersed evenly because the transport length from the central area 24 is short, the swing switching plate 35 provided at the start end of the rowing conveyor device 3 is used. If the control is performed so as to change the distribution ratio by swinging, there is also an advantage that the feed amount to the rowed conveyor device 3 can be fed to the four-line linear conveyor 31 at an average distribution ratio in this example.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the above-described components and a control device 5 for controlling the components. The control device 5 including a microprocessor unit (MPU) 51 is a CCD that captures an image of the central area 24. A / A
This signal is D-converted, this signal is taken in via an input interface (IF) 52, and a predetermined arithmetic processing shown in FIG. 6, for example, is performed to determine the rotation direction or rotation stop of the rotation chain 23, and output interface 53 The control command is sent to the roller conveyor drive control unit 6 through the controller, and the rotation speed of, for example, the motor that is the roller conveyor drive unit 7 is
The rotation direction is changed so as to be forward or reverse, or changed to a speed at which no rotation is performed, and the roller M on the conveyance path is moved in the width direction as necessary by the forward rotation, reverse rotation, and non-rotation of the roller 21. It can be moved in a determined direction. It should be noted that the display device 54,
It goes without saying that an external input device 55 such as a keyboard can be connected, and additional storage devices such as a ROM and a RAM are provided.

The predetermined arithmetic processing shown in FIG. 6 is performed, for example, as follows. That is, step 1 (S
1: In the following, steps are similarly indicated by "S" and "number". For example, from the amount of oranges M supplied manually to the supply conveyor 1, the width direction is set on the conveying path of the roller conveyor. Settings such as calculating the degree of distribution when the image is evenly spread.

Next, after confirming that the revolution chain 22 has started rotating in S2, the central imaging area 24 is confirmed in S3.
Performs image capture, binarization processing (S4), calculates an area values S ₁ tangerine M in the central imaging area 24 (S
5). Then, compared with the boundary value A condition set in S1 (S _1> = A) to (S6), If so (Y), the
A forward (rotation) signal (G) is output, otherwise (N), a reverse (rotation) signal (B) is output (S7, S7)
8).

The above operation is continued until the rotation of the revolving chain 22 is stopped. When the rotation of the chain 22 is stopped, the flow ends.

The above flow is described with reference to the roller 21.
Is described only in the case of normal rotation or reverse rotation. This is because, in the present example, the initial setting is such that the orbiting chain 22 and the rotation chain 23 are rotated at a constant speed in normal times.

In this embodiment, a case is described in which a ridge 213 is provided over the entire length of the roller 21 in the generatrix direction, and a rotation chain 23 that rotates on the same endless track as the revolution chain 22 is used. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is possible to provide an endless rotating chain that engages with the sprocket 212 of the roller 21 only in the orbit range where the roller 21 is controlled to rotate forward and reverse. Also, the case where the change control is performed only on the rotation direction of the rotation of the roller 21 has been described. You can also control it.

Embodiment 2 This embodiment is shown in FIGS. 7 to 9. The distribution of the tangerines M is determined not only by the center area 24 in the width direction of the roller conveyor but also by one area (in this example, the right side area 241 in the transport direction). ) Also has a feature in which the distribution state of the oranges M is detected by imaging. Other configurations are the same as the first embodiment,
The same components are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In this example, the arithmetic processing performed by the control device is as shown in FIG.
Two areas 2 changed to S51 and S61 to S67
The rotation direction of the roller 21 is determined by comprehensively determining the result of the image pickup information from the image sensor 4,241.

FIG. 9 shows the direction of rotation given to the roller 21 by comparing the state of the two areas 24 and 241 with a preset initial value A. As can be seen from FIG. 9, according to the present example, there is an advantage that more accurate equal dispersion control can be performed as compared with the first embodiment.

Embodiment 3 This example is shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. The feature of this example is that, as shown in FIG. 10, the roller 21 is a group of one roller 21 c provided with a ridge 2131 only at one end from the axial center, and Ridge only on side 2
The other group of rollers 21d provided with 132 is located alternately in the transport direction. However,
It is necessary to provide such that the ridges 2131 and 2132 of the rollers of both groups do not interfere with each other at the center.

Also, by providing as described above, the one group of rollers 21c and the other group of rollers 21c
d are sprockets 2121 and
2122 are mounted on the shaft, and the rotation chains 2
31 and 232 are engaged.

Then, on the transport path of the roller conveyor,
An image is captured for each of the three areas divided into three in the width direction, and based on the captured image, one of the rollers (21c or 21d) is rotated in the forward or reverse direction, or both. By rotating the group of rollers (21c or 21d) in the forward or reverse direction,
The distribution of the oranges M in the width direction with higher accuracy can be achieved. Other configurations are the same as the first embodiment.

For the control flow, for example, two sets described in FIG. 8 may be provided and controlled independently. For example, the rotation of the one group of rollers 21c is changed and controlled in the distribution state between the left area and the center area, and the rotation of the other group of rollers 21d is controlled in the distribution state between the right area and the center area. Can be changed.

Each roller 21 controlled as described above
FIG. 11 shows the direction of forward rotation or reverse rotation when both c and 21d rotate, the distribution state of the oranges M in the transport lateral direction (width direction), and the moving direction of the oranges M. When only one of the rollers (21c or 21d) rotates, the direction of movement of the oranges M is between one side and the center.

According to the present embodiment, the distribution of the tangerines M in the width direction with high accuracy can be equalized, which is excellent as a uniform dispersion device. As can be seen from FIG. 10, the rollers 21c and 21d are symmetrical with respect to the radial cross section at the intermediate position in the axial direction.
There is also an advantage that 1 can be commonly used simply by reversing the direction.

[0031]

According to the above invention (1), the agricultural product is diffused in the transport lateral direction, or the agricultural product is moved in the transport lateral direction from an area having a dense distribution to an area having a coarse distribution, and the width of the terminal portion thereof is reduced. In this case, the agricultural products can be discharged uniformly in the direction, and typically, the agricultural products can be evenly supplied to a plurality of downstream conveyors connected downstream. In addition to the above inventions (2) to
According to (8), the following effects can be obtained.

According to the above invention (2), depending on the winding direction of the spiral ridge, when the spiral winding direction of the ridge is reversed from the center of the roller toward both ends, for example, ,
Agricultural products can be diffused from the center to both ends by forward rotation of the ridged roller, and by reversely rotating,
Agricultural products at both ends can be moved to the center. Further, when the direction of the spiral winding of the ridge is the same direction over the entire roller, the agricultural product can be brought to one side in the transport lateral direction by forward rotation, and the agricultural product can be brought to the opposite direction by reverse rotation.

According to the invention (3), the transporting lateral movement force is exerted by the rotation of the roller at a portion where the ridge of the roller with which the agricultural product is engaged is formed (one side from the central portion). At the end of the roller), and in the area without the ridges, the lateral movement force does not substantially act. Therefore, the bias of the gathering state of the agricultural products from one end of the roller to the center is reduced. Finer set bias control than correction can be realized. Also, even if the rollers with the ridges are adjacent in the transport direction, the rollers of the one group having the ridges on one side and the other group having the ridges on the other side do not overlap even if they are adjacent. Therefore, it is possible to ensure stable operation of the apparatus and prevent the possibility of damage to the agricultural products without interfering with the lateral movement force applied to the agricultural products.

The above inventions (4) and (5) can constitute the above invention (3), and particularly, the invention (4)
According to this, there is an advantage that rollers of the same standard can be shared for one group and for the other group.

According to the invention (6), generally, in a diffusion device for diffusing agricultural products from the central portion where a large amount of agricultural products are supplied to both ends of the roller, the distribution state of the agricultural products in the central portion is observed. By detecting excessive or insufficient diffusion, the diffusion effect can be increased or, conversely, the diffusion effect can be reduced. The rotation can also be controlled.

[0036] According to the invention (7), 3
The distribution state of the agricultural products in each of the divided areas can be detected to detect the uniform state or the non-uniform state of the distribution of the agricultural products in these areas. In particular, the ridged rollers according to the inventions (3) to (5) can be used. The method of performing the rotation control described above can effectively contribute to appropriately moving the agricultural product in the transport lateral direction between the three areas in order to eliminate the uneven state.

According to the invention (8), by controlling the rotation direction of the ridged roller in the forward direction, the reverse direction, and the stop direction, it is possible to control the movement of the agricultural product in the horizontal direction. In addition, in addition to the above, when the rotation speed is variably controlled, it is possible to appropriately control the movement of the produce between the areas according to the degree of distribution of the produce in each area divided in the transport lateral direction. it can.

According to the invention (9), the distribution of the agricultural products in the transport lateral direction can be equalized at a position close to the discharge side.

According to the invention (10), it is possible to realize more finely controlling the equal distribution to a plurality of lined-up conveyers, typically, in conjunction with the movement of the agricultural product in the transport lateral direction.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a partial outline of a fruit sorting facility including an equal distribution device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the uniform dispersion device and the rowing conveyor device of FIG. 1;

4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a structure of a roller of the uniform dispersion device in FIG. 3, a structure of a roller conveyor configured by the roller, and a state in which mandarins M are moved in a conveying lateral direction by rotation. FIG. 2 is a partial plan view of the roller conveyor, FIG. 2B is a front view thereof, and FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a control system used in the apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure for determining a rotation direction of a roller in the uniform dispersion apparatus of the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an imaging area according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a flowchart showing a procedure for determining a rotation direction of a roller in the uniform dispersing apparatus of the apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a view for explaining the state of the rotation of the rollers and the lateral movement of tangerines determined by the procedure of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a structure of a roller in a uniform dispersion device according to a third embodiment of the present invention and a structure of a roller conveyor configured by the roller.

FIG. 11 is a view for explaining a state in which the roller conveyor of FIG. 10 rotates in the rotation direction and the tangerine moves in the transport lateral direction.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Supply conveyor 11 ... Belt conveyor 12 ... Downward inclined plate 2 ... Uniform dispersion | distribution apparatus 21 (21a, 21b, 21c, 21d) ... Roller 211 ... Roller shaft 212 (2121) , 2122) ··· Sprocket 213 (2131, 1322) ··· Protrusion 22 ··· Revolution chain 23 (231,232) ··· Rotation chain 24 ··· Central area 241 ··· Right side area 25 ··· CCD camera 3 ··· Lined conveyor device 31 ··· Linear conveyor 311 ··· Partition wall 312 ··· Side wall 32 ··· Curved conveyor 33 ··· Arrangement conveyor 34 ··· Count sensor 35 · ..Swing switching plates 36, 37, 38... Downward inclined plates 4... Sorting conveyor 5... Control device 51... MPU 52. Esu 53 ... output interface 54 ... display 55 ... external input device 6 ... drive controller 7 ... roller conveyor drive unit

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Yasuhiko Kume 630 Shinagase-cho, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka Prefecture F-term in Maki Corporation (reference) 3F033 GA06 GB08 GD08 GE01 GE08 3F034 JA01 JB05 JC02 3F079 AC06 BA11 CA21 CA29 CA34 CA42 DA13 DA16 EA01 3F081 AA46 BA02 BD16 CC01 CC12 EA09 EA13 EA18 FA03 FB02 FB03

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A roller conveyor for forming a transport path on which agricultural products are placed and transported while a number of rollers connected along an endless track rotate and revolve, and a transport apparatus for transporting agricultural products on the transport path by rotating the rollers. A spiral ridge provided on the roller surface for moving the roller, and an agricultural product for measuring the amount of agricultural products in a predetermined area on the transport path and detecting the bias of the aggregate of agricultural products on the transport path. A uniform distribution apparatus for agricultural products, comprising: a set of deviation detection means; and roller rotation control means for controlling at least the rotation direction of the roller provided with the ridges based on detection information from the deviation detection means. . 2. The roller roller conveyor according to claim 1, wherein at least one roller having no ridge is disposed between each of the adjacent ridged rollers in the transport direction. Equipment for equal distribution of agricultural products. 3. Each of the rollers provided with the ridges adjacent in the transport direction includes one roller group provided with a ridge on one side from an intermediate portion in the transport lateral direction, and one roller group from the intermediate portion in the transport lateral direction to the other side. 2. The apparatus for uniformly distributing agricultural products according to claim 1, wherein the roller conveyor is configured such that the other roller group provided with the ridges is alternately arranged adjacent to each other. 4. The apparatus for uniformly distributing agricultural products according to claim 3, wherein the one roller group and the other roller group of the roller conveyor are formed such that the spiral direction of the ridge is wound in the opposite direction. 5. The apparatus for uniformly distributing agricultural products according to claim 3, wherein the one roller group and the other roller group of the roller conveyor are wound in the same direction as the helix of the ridge. 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said bias detecting means for detecting the deviation of the set of agricultural products within a predetermined area on the conveying path of the roller conveyor has an image pickup means for photographing at least an area in the center in the lateral direction of the conveying path. 6. The apparatus for evenly distributing agricultural products according to any one of claims 1 to 5. 7. A bias detection means for agricultural products in a predetermined area on a transport path of the roller conveyor captures an image of a central area and a lateral area obtained by dividing the transport path into three sections in the transport lateral direction. An apparatus for evenly distributing agricultural products according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said roller rotation control means controls the rotation of the roller in the forward and reverse rotation directions including stop, and the rotation speed as required. 8. The apparatus for uniformly dispersing agricultural products according to any one of 7 above. 9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bias detection means for the agricultural products in a predetermined area on the transport path is disposed downstream of an intermediate position in the transport direction of the transport path on the roller conveyor. A device for evenly distributing agricultural products according to the above. 10. The end of the conveying path of the roller conveyor is connected to the starting end of a plurality of rowing conveyors arranged side by side in the conveying horizontal direction, and is connected to the conveying path of the roller conveyor or between the roller conveyor and the rowing conveyor. In the transfer section, partition means for guiding agricultural products to each rowing conveyor, transport number detecting means for detecting the number of transported agricultural products transported on each rowing conveyor per unit time, and the transport number detecting means Partitioning means for comparing the number of detections between adjacent rowing conveyors and switching the number of guides to each rowing conveyor is provided, wherein the agricultural product according to any one of claims 1 to 9 is provided. Dispersion equipment.