JP2002272439A - Farm product-treating apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a farm product-treating apparatus capable of surely carrying out operation for separating skin of farm products and raising efficiency of the operation by separating the skin at one time. SOLUTION: Air B discharged from discharge nozzles 10 of a separating device 8 is blown to the side of Welsh onion A retained by a holding body 3 of a carrying device 2 and the skin of Ad of Welsh onion A is peeled by the air B discharged from the discharge nozzle 10 on the upper side and the skin Ad is successively peeled so as to attain a height blown by the air B discharged from the discharge nozzle 10 on the lower side. The air B discharged from the discharge nozzle 10 on the lower side is successively blown to the skin Ad of Welsh onion A peeled by the air B discharged from the discharge nozzle 10 on the upper side. Thereby, the skin Ad of the Welsh onion is peeled so as to attain the root part Ac and the skin Ad is hung down below the root part Ac or separated at one time. When the skin Ad is hung down below the root part of the Welsh onion A, the skin Ad is separated by pulling the skin Ad by a separating roller 23 of a removal device 21.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a crop processing apparatus used for separating unneeded or unedible skin of long crops such as leek, leek, and asparagus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an apparatus for processing green onions of the above-mentioned example, for example, a first nozzle group in which a leek held by a pair of holding plates is surrounded by a side wall plate and a partition plate and arranged obliquely in a row. The air discharged from the leek is sprayed from the leaves of the leeks to the stems, and the air discharged from the second nozzle group arranged in multiple stages and multiple rows is sprayed from the stalks of the green onions toward the roots, There is an apparatus (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-163) that blows air discharged from an arrayed third nozzle group toward the root of a green onion and peels off only the skin of the green onion.

[0003]

However, in the above-described apparatus, since the first and second nozzle groups are arranged at equal intervals in the vertical direction, the leek held by a pair of holding plates is used for the upper nozzle. When moving from the position opposing to the lower nozzle to the position opposing the lower nozzle, the air blown to the skin of the leek temporarily stops, and the air discharged from the lower nozzle is not peeled off to the height where it is blown. May be moved. Since the air discharged from the lower nozzle is positively blown to the hanging side of the skin, the air discharge force is not applied to the peeled part of the skin, and a peeling mistake is likely to occur. have.

[0004] When the epidermis is peeled off, a secretive liquid having high adhesiveness is secreted.
201664 No. 201664), it adheres to a half-cylindrical cover or belt or adheres to a rectifying plate, so that the contact resistance at the time of peeling is large, making it difficult to peel by the air discharge force. It also has the problem of becoming

[0005] In view of the above problems, the present invention ensures that the operation of separating the epidermis of agricultural crops is achieved by continuously blowing the gas discharged from a plurality of gas ejection sections arranged obliquely downward onto the epidermis of the agricultural crops. It is an object of the present invention to provide a crop processing apparatus capable of separating the epidermis all at once and improving the work efficiency.

[0006]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A crop processing apparatus that separates the epidermis of the crop by spraying the gas discharged from the gas discharge unit onto a side surface of the crop held in a substantially hanging posture by a holding unit, wherein the gas discharge unit transports the crop. A plurality of gas discharge units are arranged at predetermined intervals with respect to the direction of transport of the crop on the side of the transport path, and the gas discharge units are arranged obliquely from the upstream side to the downstream side of the transport path facing the side surface of the crop. It is characterized in that it is a crop processing device that has been manufactured.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the present invention is a crop processing apparatus in which the gas discharge portion is provided in a range from an upper side face to a lower side face of the crop. Features.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a crop processing apparatus for spraying a gas discharged from a gas discharge portion onto a side surface of a crop which is held in a substantially hanging posture by holding means to separate the epidermis of the crop. A crop processing apparatus provided with up-down moving means for vertically moving the gas discharge portion in opposition to the side surface of the crop held by the holding means.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a crop processing apparatus for spraying a gas discharged from a gas discharge section onto a side surface of a crop which is held in a substantially hanging posture by a holding means, to separate the epidermis of the crop. A crop processing apparatus provided with a rotation moving means for rotating and moving the gas discharge portion in the horizontal direction around the crop held by the holding means.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a crop which is provided with a gas discharge portion moving means for moving the gas discharge portion in the transport direction in opposition to the side surface of the crop. It is a processing device.

[0011]

According to the present invention, the gas discharged from the plurality of gas discharge units is sprayed in order from the upper end to the lower end of the side surface of the crop to be held and transported by the holding means, so that the gas is discharged from each gas discharge unit. The discharged gas is continuously and continuously blown onto the epidermis of the crop, so that the work of separating the epidermis of the crop can be performed reliably, and the entire length of the crop can be separated at a glance to improve work efficiency. Can be planned.

In addition, the gas discharged from the gas discharge unit is continuously blown to the outer skin of the crop while the gas discharge unit is vertically moved down to the side of the crop by the vertical moving means, or the lower gas discharge unit is used. Since the skin is peeled off to the height at which the discharged gas is blown to provide continuity, the work of peeling the skin can be performed smoothly.

[0013] Further, while rotating the gas discharge section in the horizontal direction around the crop by the rotation moving means,
Since the gas discharged from the gas discharge unit is sprayed substantially evenly on the outer peripheral surface of the crop, even if the outer skin is entangled with the outer peripheral surface of the crop, it can be peeled off smoothly, and the crop having various bending conditions can be removed. Ideal for separating the epidermis.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. The drawing shows a crop processing apparatus used for an operation of separating the skin of leek, which is an example of a crop. In FIG. 1, the crop processing apparatus 1 includes a leek A or a foreign substance such as soil or sand that remains thereon. A supply section a set on the transport path, a trimming section b, a separation section c,
The paper is conveyed around the removal section d and the collection section e to perform processing such as trimming the long leek A to a predetermined size and separating unnecessary epidermis Ad (or lower lobe). A transport device 2 for transporting the onion A while holding it in a substantially hanging posture on the transport path
Has been erected.

The above-described conveying device 2 comprises an endless belt 4 having a hanger-type or clamp-type holding body 3 for holding a leaf portion Aa of a green onion A without being crushed along a loop-shaped orbiting conveying path. The endless belt 4 is attached at a predetermined interval with respect to the entire length (for example, a chain or a belt), and the endless belt 4 is rotated in a conveying direction by a driving force of a motor with a reduction gear (not shown), and is held by a holding body 3. The leek A is circulated in the transport direction at a constant speed.

Further, the holding body 3 has a holding force or holding structure necessary to prevent the leaves Aa of the green onion A from crushing and preventing the leaves Aa from falling off, and moves back from the collection section e to the supply section a. Then, the onion A is opened to allow the holding of the leek A, and when the leek A is moved to the trimming section b, the closing operation is performed to hold the leek A, and the trimmed leek A is held one by one. When moving from the trimmed section b to the collecting section e, the closing operation is performed in a state of holding the green onion A and the orbit is moved around, and when moving to the collecting section e, the opening operation is performed in a state where the holding of the green onion is released, Collection conveyor 2 for processing the processed green onion A described below
5 and supplied or discharged to the next step (sorting step).

The above-mentioned load receiving conveyor 5 arranged on the side of the supply section a arranges and transports the green onions A received by each producer. Each of the conveyors 5, 7, and 25 is configured by a transport device such as a bucket conveyor, a belt conveyor, or a chain conveyor, and transports the green onion A at a constant speed. Alternatively, the green onion A may be directly placed on the supply conveyor 7 of the sorting device 6 without being placed on the load receiving conveyor 5.

The trimming device 6 arranged in the trimming section b described above is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application No.
The root Ac and the leaf Aa of the green onion A mounted on a mounting portion (for example, a bucket) of the supply conveyor 7 are trimmed while being transported. The green onions A conveyed by the receiving conveyor 5 are transferred to the supply conveyor 7 one by one by aligning them in substantially the same direction by artificial means (operator's hand) or mechanical means (conveyor). (A state in which the leaf Aa of A is directed toward the transport path). In addition, a separation device 8 described below may be provided in a stage preceding the sorting device 4.

The separating device 8 disposed in the separating section c described above.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a plurality of discharge nozzles 10 are provided on both sides of the conveyance path in the processing chamber 9 surrounding the separation section c, on both sides of the green onion A held by the holding body 3 described above. And a plurality of them arranged at predetermined intervals in the up-down direction and the transport direction in opposition to the surface (the range corresponding to the upper side surface of the leaf portion Aa, the side surface of the stem portion Ab, and the lower side surface of the root portion Ac). The discharge nozzles 10 are arranged in an inclined manner from the upstream side to the downstream side of the transport path, and are arranged in one row (or a plurality of rows) so as to become lower in order toward the lower side. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, the discharge nozzles 10 may be arranged in a staggered manner obliquely downward.

A substantially downwardly directed discharge nozzle 10 (shown by a phantom line in the figure) disposed at the upper portion on both sides of the transport path blows air B substantially perpendicularly to the skin Ac of the green onion A, and peels off. To assist. Further, the ejection nozzles 10 in a substantially downward state may be arranged between the ejection nozzles 10 arranged diagonally downward. In the embodiment, a single discharge nozzle 10 is arranged, but for example, a plurality of discharge nozzles 10 are combined as a single unit and arranged diagonally below,
They may be arranged in combination with a single discharge nozzle 10.

One end of the air supply passage 11 (branch passage branched into a plurality of lines) is connected to the discharge nozzles 10.
The other end of the air supply path 11 is connected via a valve 13 and a filter 14 to an air supply device 15 (air supply source) such as an air supply blower or a compressor. The discharge amount of the air B discharged from 10 is variably adjusted by the valves 12 and 13, and is set to a discharge amount suitable for peeling off only the epidermis Ad according to the type and growth state of the green onion A. In the embodiment, air B (atmosphere) is used.
A single gas such as butane gas or a composite gas may be used.

Further, as shown in FIG.
Is mounted on the support frame 16 disposed on the side of the transport path so as to be vertically rotatable, and the support frame 16 is mounted on the groove 17a of the mounting frame 17 so as to be vertically movable.
d is variably adjusted to a height and angle suitable for peeling off. For example, air B is blown obliquely downward on the peripheral surface of the green onion A, and the lower discharge nozzle 10 is moved toward the skin Ad of the green onion A peeled off by the air B discharged from the upper discharge nozzle 10. Is set or adjusted to the height and angle at which the air B discharged from the nozzle is continuously blown. Further, the discharge nozzle 10 may be variably driven to a desired height or angle by a driving unit such as a motor, a solenoid, an air cylinder, a cam mechanism, a screw feed mechanism, or the like.

The two support members 20 provided on both sides of the lower portion of the transport path are provided at a height opposed to the side surface of the root Ac of the green onion A held by the holder 3, and the root A of the green onion A is provided.
It is erected in parallel at an interval supported so that the c side is substantially suspended. That is, when the air B discharged from the discharge nozzle 10 is blown against the green onion A, the root Ac side of the green onion A is positively prevented from swinging in the width direction due to the wind pressure of the air B, and is substantially suspended. Guide to Further, one support member 20 may be provided on one side of the lower part of the transport path.

The removing device 21 disposed in the removing section d described above.
Is located at the center of the lower part of the processing chamber 22 surrounding the removal section d, below the root Ac of the green onion A held by the above-mentioned holding body 3, facing the side of the skin Ad hanging down below the root Ac, and a pair of A separation roller 23 is mounted on the shaft.

The above-mentioned separation roller 23 is inclined at an angle gradually increasing from the start end to the end, and is urged or in contact with the green onion A in a direction in which the skin Ad is clamped. A pressing member 24 having flexibility such as, for example, sponge rubber or urethane rubber, and contact resistance necessary for pulling and separating the skin Ad is wound around a part of the peripheral surface of the separation roller 23. That is, the pair of separation rollers 23 are synchronously rotated (inwardly rotated) in the direction in which the skin Ad of the green onion A is pulled substantially vertically by a motor with a speed reducer (not shown), and the skin dripped below the root Ac of the green onion A Ad is forcibly pulled in a substantially vertical direction to be separated, and the separated epidermis Ad is separated.
Is charged into a collecting unit (not shown) provided at the lower part of the apparatus, and is collected periodically.

The collecting conveyor 25 arranged on the side of the collecting section e supports the root Ac side of the green onion A held by the holding body 3 and slowly rolls the whole green onion A in the width direction. The processed green onion A released from the holding by the holding body 3 is placed one by one substantially horizontally or substantially obliquely on a placement part (for example, a bucket) of the collection conveyor 25, and is oriented in substantially the same direction. After being aligned, they are arranged and transported to the next step (for example, a sorting step).

The illustrated embodiment is configured as described above, and the operation of processing the green onion A by the crop processing apparatus 1 will be described below. First, the onions A... Conveyed by the load receiving conveyor 5 are held by the hand of a worker waiting at the side of the supply section a, and are aligned with the supply conveyor 7 of the trimming device 6 in the same direction. Place each book. The leek A placed substantially horizontally or diagonally is transported and supplied to the trimming device 6 disposed in the trimming section b, and is also transported by the trimming device 6 while transporting the leaf Aa and the root Ac of the leek A. Trim to specified dimensions. The cut and aligned leaves Aa of the green onion A are sequentially held by the holding body 3 of the transport device 2, and the green onion A is held in a substantially hanging posture.

Next, the green onion A held by the holding body 3
Is transported into the processing chamber 9 of the separation device 8 disposed in the separation section c, and while the leek A held by the holder 3 is moved in the transport direction, the air discharged from the discharge nozzles 10 on both sides is moved. B is sprayed on both sides of the green onion A, and only the unnecessary epidermis Ad is peeled off. In other words, the skin Ad of the green onion A is peeled off from the leaf Aa (white root) toward the tip of the root Ac by the air B discharged from the upper discharge nozzle 10, and the skin Ad is discharged from the lower discharge nozzle 10. To the height where the air B to be blown is continuously blown.

Subsequently, the air B discharged from the lower discharge nozzle 10 is sprayed on the skin Ad of the green onion A peeled off by the air B discharged from the upper discharge nozzle 10 to peel off the skin Ad. . Similarly,
By repeating the above-mentioned peeling operation several times, the epidermis Ad of the green onion A is peeled off to the root Ac, and is hung below the root Ac. Alternatively, the epidermis Ad is separated at a stroke.

Next, the green onion A from which the epidermis Ad was peeled off
Is transported into the processing chamber 22 of the removing device 21 disposed in the removing section d, and when the skin Ad hangs below the root Ac of the green onion A, the skin Ad is held between the pair of separation rollers 23. At the same time, it is forcibly pulled in a substantially vertical direction and separated. When moved to the collection section e, the holding by the holding body 3 is released, and the processed green onions A are placed one by one on the collection conveyor 25, and are aligned while being oriented in substantially the same direction. To the next process. Hereinafter, in the same manner as described above, the operation of trimming the leaves Aa and the root Ac of the green onion A and the operation of separating the epidermis Ad are continuously performed.

As described above, the discharge nozzle 1 of the separation device 8
The air B discharged from 0.
Is sprayed in order from the leaves Aa on the side of the green onion A to the root Ac, and the lower side discharge nozzle 10 is peeled off by the air B discharged from the lower side discharge nozzle 10 by the air B discharged from the lower side discharge nozzle 10. Air B discharged from
Is continuously sprayed, so that the gas is continuously and continuously sprayed onto the skin Ad of the green onion A, so that the operation of separating the skin Ad of the green onion A can be performed reliably and smoothly, and the skin Ad of the full length of the green onion A can be blown at once. And work efficiency can be improved.

FIGS. 6 and 7 show a second embodiment of the separation device 8 provided with an elevating mechanism 26 for vertically moving the discharge nozzle 10 vertically. The upper, middle and lower discharge nozzles 10
Rodless type lifting cylinder 2 arranged on both sides of the conveyance path
When the leek A held by the holder 3 moves to a position facing the discharge nozzles 10 in each stage, the discharge nozzles 10 in each stage are moved up and down the cylinder 27.
, The skin Ad of the green onion A is peeled off by the air B discharged from the upper discharge nozzle 10 and the skin Ad is moved to a height at which the air B discharged from the lower discharge nozzle 10 is blown. Since the peeling is performed to provide continuity, the skin Ad can be peeled off at a stroke, and the same operational effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show a separation device 8 having a circling mechanism 28 for circulating the discharge nozzle 10 in the conveying direction.
In the third embodiment, the orbiting mechanism 28 includes the discharge nozzle 1
The base end side of the support frame 29 is vertically movably attached to the groove 29a of the support frame 29, and the support frame 29 is provided between a pair of upper and lower endless belts 30 stretched on both sides of the transport path.

That is, the endless belt 30 is rotated by the driving force of a motor with a reduction gear (not shown) to
Moves around in the transport direction, facing the leek A held by the holding body 3. The air B discharged from the discharge nozzle 10 is vertically guided by the guide rail 31 inclined at an angle that decreases from the upstream side to the downstream side.
Is vertically dropped and peeled off while continuously spraying on the skin Ad of the green onion A, so that substantially the same operation and effect as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained. In addition, the discharge nozzle 10 has a leaf portion A of the green onion A due to the restoring force of the guide rail 31 and an elastic body (for example, a coil spring or rubber) provided on the return side.
The ascent is returned to the initial position substantially opposed to a. Further, as another example of the elevating means instead of the above-described elevating cylinder 27, support frame 29, and guide rail 31, it may be moved up and down by means such as a solenoid, an air cylinder, a screw feed mechanism, and a cam mechanism.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show a fourth embodiment of the separating device 8 provided with a rotating mechanism 33 for rotating the discharge nozzle 10 in the horizontal direction. The discharge nozzle 10 is held by the holder 3. Attached to both ends of a support frame 34 having a substantially arc shape when viewed from a plane facing the leek A,
4 are attached at predetermined intervals to the entire length of the endless belt 37 stretched on both sides of the conveyance path, and the outer peripheral edge of the support frame 34 is held by the receiving portion 35 so that the center of the arc is maintained. It is provided so as to be rotatable with respect to the horizontal direction about the portion.

That is, the endless belt 37 is rotated by the driving force of a motor with a speed reducer (not shown) so that the discharge nozzle 10 attached to the support frame 34 faces the green onion A held by the holder 3. While circulating in the transport direction, the driving force of the motor 36 with a speed reducer attached to the receiving portion 35
The discharge nozzle 10 attached to the support frame 34 is reciprocated in the horizontal direction around the green onion A held by the holder 3, and the air B discharged from the discharge nozzle 10 is
Since the skin Ad is peeled off by spraying substantially evenly on the side peripheral surface and the front and rear peripheral surface of the green onion A, substantially the same or higher operational effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained. Moreover, even if the skin Ad is entangled with the outer peripheral surface of the green onion A, it can be smoothly peeled off, and the green onion A has various bending conditions
It is most suitable for the work of separating the epidermis Ad. Alternatively, the discharge nozzle 10 may move up and down with respect to the vertical direction while rotating and moving in the horizontal direction.

Alternatively, while the green onion A is held in place by the holding body 3, the discharge nozzle 1
By rotating 0 horizontally, the skin Ad of the green onion A can be peeled off.

In the correspondence between the structure of the present invention and the above-described embodiment, the crop of the present invention corresponds to the long crop such as leek A, leek, and asparagus of the embodiment. The holding means corresponds to the holding body 3 of the transfer device 2, the gas discharge unit corresponds to the discharge nozzle 10, and the vertical moving means corresponds to the support frame. 29, the elevating cylinder 28, and the guide rail 31, and the rotation moving means is a support frame 34.
, The receiving part 35 and the motor 36, and the gas discharging part moving means corresponds to the endless bands 30 and 37. However, the present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment.

As a driving means in place of the motor 36 described above, for example, a solenoid, an air cylinder, a cam mechanism, a screw feed mechanism or the like may be used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a transport route of a crop processing apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a peeling operation by the separation device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing an example in which discharge nozzles are arranged obliquely.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing another example in which the discharge nozzles are arranged in a staggered manner.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view showing an attached state of a discharge nozzle.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a peeling operation by the separation device of the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing an arrangement state of discharge nozzles.

FIG. 8 is a side view showing a peeling operation by the separation device of the third embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a circulation operation of the discharge nozzle.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a peeling operation performed by the separation device according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a circulation operation of a discharge nozzle.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A: green onion Ad: epidermis B: air 1 ... crop processing device 2 ... transport device 3 ... carrier 6 ... trimming device 8 ... separation device 10 ... discharge nozzle 11 ... air supply path 12, 13 ... valve 14 ... filter 15 ... Air supply device 28 Lifting cylinder 29, 34 Support frame 30, 37 Endless belt 31 Guide rail 33 Rotating mechanism 35 Receiver 36 Motor

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A crop processing apparatus for spraying a gas discharged from a gas discharge portion onto a side surface of a crop which is held in a substantially hanging posture by a holding means to separate the epidermis of the crop, wherein the gas discharge portion is provided. A plurality of the crops are arranged at a predetermined interval in the transport direction of the crop on the side of the transport path for transporting the crops, and the gas discharge unit is directed from the upstream side to the downstream side of the transport path facing the side surface of the crops. Crop processing equipment arranged in an inclined manner. 2. The crop processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the gas discharge portion is provided in a range from an upper side face to a lower side face of the crop. 3. A crop processing apparatus for spraying a gas discharged from a gas discharge portion onto a side surface of a crop which is held in a substantially hanging posture by a holding means to separate a skin of the crop, wherein the gas discharge portion comprises A crop processing apparatus provided with up-down moving means for vertically moving the side surface of the crop held by the holding means. 4. A crop processing apparatus for spraying a gas discharged from a gas discharge portion onto a side surface of a crop held in a substantially hanging posture by a holding means to separate a skin of the crop, wherein the gas discharge portion includes A crop processing apparatus provided with a rotation moving means for rotating the crop held by the holding means in the horizontal direction about the crop. 5. The crop processing apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a gas discharging unit moving means for moving the gas discharging unit in the transport direction in opposition to the side surface of the crop.