JP2005088962A - Individual information management system for agricultural product - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an individual information management system for agricultural products, whereby individual labels can securely and efficiently be affixed to only agricultural products that need to be labeled, and the individual information of agricultural products can efficiently be managed. <P>SOLUTION: The system includes: an individual-label affixing means which affixes an individual label to each of agricultural products conveyed by a conveying means; and a labeling need determining means which is provided in a stage before the individual label affixing means and which determines whether each agricultural product conveyed on the conveying means needs to be labeled or not and, then outputs a determination signal. The system starts the labeling operation of the individual-label affixing means based upon the determination signal from the labeling need determination means. The labeling need determination means has a labeling need setting part in which whether or not labeling is needed is set in advance in accordance with information about the sorting of agricultural products. In a stage before the individual-label affixing means is a height information detecting means which detects a part of each agricultural product, to which an individual label is affixed in the direction of its height. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention is an individual product of an agricultural product that can reliably paste an individual label for managing unique information of agricultural products such as melons, apples, and tomatoes to a predetermined agricultural product, and can efficiently manage the individual information of agricultural products. Information management system.

  Generally, by arranging an individual label such as a bar code seal for managing the article on the article and managing information on the article (for example, sorting information and history information of producers, etc.) Performing management and the like is known, for example, in the distribution field of food such as meat. In addition, for agricultural products, information on individual agricultural products is managed in a fruit selection field or the like. As a specific method thereof, for example, “Fruit and vegetable sorting method and apparatus” disclosed in Patent Document 1 or Patent “Article information management apparatus and information management method” disclosed in Document 2 has been proposed.

  The sorting device of Patent Document 1 reads the agricultural product placed on a saucer having a barcode printed with a unique number, the unique information of the saucer is read by the first reading device, and the sorting information detection means on the saucer. The sorting information of the agricultural product is detected, and this sorting information is stored in correspondence with the unique information of the tray. When sorting, the unique information of the saucer is read by the second reading device, the sorting information stored together with the unique information is read, and the agricultural products are stored for each saucer based on the read sorting information. Agricultural products on the receiving tray are sorted and discharged onto the conveyor, and are picked out from the receiving tray and boxed by a boxing robot or manual operation.

In addition, the information management apparatus of Patent Document 2 directly assigns unique information to an article such as an agricultural product with transparent ink or the like, measures the article to which the unique information is given by a measuring device, and assigns the unique information to the article itself. Information is detected and information on each item is managed. Unique information is directly applied to the item with transparent ink, etc., so that the unique information does not affect the measurement of the item. is there. Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a “print defective product exclusion device” that provides an alarm device that emits a sound or light after eliminating a defective product when a mistake in assigning unique information occurs.
Japanese Patent No. 2730765 JP 2001-347229 A Japanese Patent No. 2903148

  However, in the sorting apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the unique information of the saucer on which the produce on the sorting line is loaded is read by the first reading device and the second reading device, and the information on the saucer is read based on the read unique information. Since this is a method for managing the information of agricultural products, it is possible to read the sorting information of the agricultural products placed on the sorting line by reading the unique information on the tray.

  However, with regard to agricultural products after they are taken out of the tray and boxed, the varieties, classes, or production areas are displayed on the cardboard boxes in which the agricultural products are boxed. If it is taken out from the cardboard box, not only the individual quality cannot be grasped, but it becomes necessary to manage separately so as not to be mixed with those of other different varieties. In addition, on the sorting line, it is difficult to manage individual agricultural products if they are taken out from the tray, and it is difficult to reliably and efficiently manage individual information of agricultural products in this sorting device. have.

  On the other hand, in the information management apparatus of Patent Document 2, transparent ink or the like is directly applied to the surface of the article. For example, when the article is an agricultural product such as fruit or vegetable, the surface is uneven. Since this is not the case, reading mistakes are likely to occur, and when there is a large amount of information, a predetermined space for providing unique information is required, and the size of the agricultural product is limited, and mistakes are also likely to occur.

  In addition, since the unique information is formed with transparent ink or the like, the unique information is not visually recognized, and it is necessary to be careful not to erase the unique information when taking it out of the cardboard box. There is a possibility of inviting a state where it cannot be performed. Furthermore, since the applied ink is not visually recognized when a transparent ink or the like is applied, the wiping operation takes time, which makes the management operation including the operation of applying the unique information of the article troublesome and reliable. In addition, there is a problem that it is difficult to perform efficient management work.

  By the way, in the information management device of Patent Document 2, it is conceivable to provide an alarm device that emits a sound or light after eliminating defective products, as in Patent Document 3, when a mistake in adding unique information occurs. In the case of such a device, since it is merely inspecting whether or not the label is stuck and an alarm is issued, after the labeling is performed on the transport line, the label is not stuck again. The repair cannot be performed automatically, and it is still difficult to efficiently manage the unique information of the article.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to reliably and efficiently affix an individual label only to agricultural products that require labeling, and to efficiently manage information on individual agricultural products. It is to provide an individual information management system for agricultural products. Another object of the present invention is to provide an individual information management system for agricultural products that can automatically perform an operation for reattaching an individual label to an agricultural product that requires labeling in addition to the above purpose.

  In order to achieve this object, the invention described in claim 1 of the present invention is an individual information management system for agricultural products that manages individual agricultural products based on the information of the individual labels affixed to the agricultural products. An individual label affixing means for affixing an individual label to the agricultural product to be received, and whether or not to affix an individual label to each agricultural product that is provided in the preceding stage of the individual label affixing means and is conveyed on the conveying means Label application necessity determination means for determining and outputting a determination signal, and starting the label application operation of the individual label application means based on the determination signal of the label application necessity determination means .

  And the label sticking necessity determination means has a label sticking necessity setting part in which the necessity of labeling is set in advance according to the sorting information of agricultural products, as in the invention according to claim 2, Agricultural produce sorting information stored in association with the receiving tray is read for the produce on the receiving tray that is transported on the transport means, and the label pasting necessity set in the label pasting necessity setting section is determined according to the read sorting information. It is characterized by determining.

  Further, the invention according to claim 3 is provided with height information detecting means for detecting the height of the labeling position of the produce on the tray measured by the measuring means on the conveying means before the individual label attaching means. The operation of the individual label pasting means is controlled based on the detection result of the height information detecting means.

  The invention according to claim 4 is obtained by the sorting information obtaining means for placing the produce on the tray having the unique information and obtaining the unique information of the saucer and the sorting information of the produce on the saucer. It is characterized in that the sorting information of agricultural products on the saucer is managed in association with each other.

  Further, in the invention according to claim 5, the label sticking necessity judging means reads the unique information of the saucer for the agricultural product on the saucer transported on the transport means, and is stored in association with the unique information of the saucer. It is characterized by reading the sorting information of agricultural products.

  In addition, the invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the height information detecting means detects the height of the labeling position based on the sorting information of the produce on the tray acquired by the sorting information acquiring means. And

  Further, the invention according to claim 7 is an individual label inspection means for inspecting an attachment state of an individual label placed after the individual label application means and attached to an agricultural product, and an individual label application state by the individual label inspection means And an individual label correcting means for returning the produce to the preceding stage of the label application necessity determining means when the product is inspected as defective, and the individual label inspection means is configured to check the label when the individual label is applied. It is characterized in that it is performed based on a determination signal from the sticking necessity determination means.

  Furthermore, the invention described in claim 8 is characterized in that the tray on which the agricultural product is placed is transported on the transport means at an indefinite interval.

  First, according to the invention described in claim 1, since the label sticking operation of the individual label sticking means is started based on the determination signal regarding the necessity of label sticking of the label sticking necessity judging means, Individual labels can be reliably and efficiently applied only to the determined agricultural products by the label application operation of the individual label application means, and individual management of individual agricultural products can be performed efficiently based on the individual labels.

  Further, according to the invention described in claim 2, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, the label sticking necessity determining means performs label sticking according to the sorting information of the produce stored in association with the tray. In order to select and determine whether labeling is required or not set in the necessity setting unit, the farm products on the tray are individually selected based on the necessity according to the sorting information set in the labeling necessity setting unit in advance. Labels can be affixed, and individual labels can be affixed more reliably to agricultural products that have been designated as requiring labeling.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, the height information of the agricultural product is detected by the height information detecting means and output to the individual label pasting means. Since the operation of the sticking means is controlled, the label sticking position of the individual label sticking means can be accurately set according to the height information of the agricultural product, and the individual label is reliably and well attached to the predetermined position of the agricultural product. be able to.

  According to the invention described in claim 4, in addition to the effects of the inventions described in claims 1 to 3, the agricultural product is placed on a saucer having unique information, and the unique information of the saucer and the produce on the saucer Since the sorting information of the produce on the tray obtained by the sorting information obtaining means for obtaining the sorting information of the tray is managed in association with each other, it is ensured that the specific information of the saucer and the sorting information of the produce on the tray are It can be linked, etc., and individual agricultural products can be managed reliably.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 4, the label sticking necessity determining means provides the unique information of the saucer on the produce on the saucer conveyed on the conveyer means. Read and read the sorting information of the agricultural product stored in association with the specific information of the saucer, so that the specific information of the saucer and the sorting information of the agricultural product can be reliably read out in a linked state, and each agricultural product can be further read. It can be managed reliably.

  Further, according to the invention described in claim 6, in addition to the effects of the invention described in claims 3 to 5, the height information detecting means adds to the sorting information of the produce on the saucer acquired by the sorting information acquiring means. Since the height of the label application position is detected based on this, the label application position of the agricultural product can be accurately detected, and the individual label can be applied more reliably to the predetermined position.

  Further, according to the invention described in claim 7, in addition to the effects of the inventions described in claims 1 to 6, the preceding stage of the label application necessity determination means when the individual label affixing state is defective in the individual label inspection means. Since the individual label correction means is provided to return the product to a predetermined position, the individual label can be reapplied by returning the agricultural product with a poor application state to the predetermined position in front, and the individual label can be automatically reapplied. In addition to being able to perform efficiently, since the inspection of the individual label inspection means is performed based on the determination signal of the label application necessity determination means, the individual label inspection means can be operated and inspected only for agricultural products that require labeling. The inspection means can be operated efficiently.

  Further, according to the invention described in claim 8, in addition to the effects of the invention described in claims 1 to 7, the tray on which the agricultural product is placed is conveyed on the conveying means at irregular intervals. It can be configured as a free tray type, can increase the efficiency of transporting agricultural products by the transport means, and can improve the efficiency of sorting work and the like.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIGS. 1-6 shows one Embodiment at the time of applying the individual information management system of the agricultural product concerning this invention to a selection apparatus, FIG. 1 is the schematic block diagram, FIG. 2 is the memory | storage part of the arithmetic processing unit. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example, FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a setting unit of the label signal control device, FIG. 4 is a front view of a tray on which agricultural products are placed, FIG. 5 is a front view of the agricultural products, and FIG. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the distribution route of the agricultural products using a management system.

  In FIG. 1, the sorting device 1 has a sorting conveyor 2 (conveying means) for transporting agricultural products W from the upstream side to the downstream side as indicated by arrows A. The sorting conveyor 2 is configured as a free tray type and produces agricultural products. The tray 3 on which W is placed is transported at indefinite intervals in the front-rear direction. A measuring device 4 (measuring means) for measuring the produce W on the tray 3 is arranged at a measurement position on the upstream side of the sorting conveyor 2 and a barcode 5 as unique information given to the tray 3. A tray information reading device 6 including a bar code reader or the like for reading is arranged. Note that the tray 3 is formed in, for example, a cylindrical shape having a concave mounting portion opening in the center portion, and a barcode seal is attached to the outer peripheral surface of each tray 3 so that the barcodes having different numbers are provided. 5 is given.

  The measuring device 4 includes a measuring device that irradiates the produce W on the tray 3 with light and measures the appearance, internal quality, and the like of the produce W by reflected light, transmitted light, and the like. The processed image data (measurement data) is input to the arithmetic processing unit 7 and appropriately processed, so that sorting information such as the grade and class (referred to as an equal class) of the captured agricultural product W is determined (measured). It has become. The arithmetic processing unit 7 includes an arithmetic processing unit (not shown) such as a CPU and a storage unit 7a, and the storage unit 7a has an isoclass of the agricultural product W determined by the arithmetic processing unit 7 and a saucer information reading device. The bar code 5 and the like read at 6 are stored as will be described later, for example, in the form shown in FIG. The arithmetic processing unit 7 is connected to the tray information reading unit 6, and is connected to the database 8 such as a host computer in a selection site where the sorting unit 1 is accessible via the Internet, and a label signal control described later. The device 17 and the sorting control device 21 are connected.

  A label sticking device 10 (individual label sticking means) is arranged at a label sticking position on the downstream side of the measuring device 4 of the sorting conveyor 2. The label sticking device 10 is rotatable and can be moved up and down as indicated by an arrow B, for example. And a plurality of label attaching portions (not shown). And this label sticking apparatus 10 is connected to the sticking machine control apparatus 11, and according to the control signal of this sticking machine control apparatus 11, the label sticking part rotates or moves up and down on the surface of the produce W on the tray 3 in a predetermined manner. The individual label 12 is affixed to the label affixing position on the surface of the agricultural product W by contacting with pressure.

  In addition, the label sticking apparatus 10 is not limited to rotating and moving up and down, and an appropriately structured sticking apparatus capable of sticking the individual label 12 to the surface of the agricultural product W can be used. For example, a plurality of units (for example, two units) can be arranged in parallel along the transport direction (a). In the case where a plurality of label sticking devices 10 are arranged side by side, any one of the plurality of label sticking devices 10 is operated to prevent the sorting conveyor 2 from being stopped when the individual label 12 is replaced. In addition, by associating the conveyance of the tray 3 and the operation of the plurality of label applicators 10, it is possible to improve (speed up) the work efficiency of the individual label 12 affixing operation.

  Then, on the upstream side of the label sticking device 10 and on the downstream side of the measuring device 4, a necessity judgment reading device 13 (label sticking necessity judgment means) for judging whether or not label sticking is necessary and the tray 3. The height detection device 14 (height information detection means) for detecting the height information of the agricultural product W is arranged, and the state of the individual label 12 applied to the agricultural product W is inspected downstream of the label application device 10. A label inspection device 15 (individual label inspection means) is disposed, and a label correction device 16 (label correction means) is provided between the downstream side of the label inspection device 15 and the upstream side of the necessity determination reading device 13. Has been placed.

  That is, the necessity determination reading device 13 is constituted by a barcode reader or the like that reads the barcode 5 of the tray 3 on which the produce W is placed, and the read signal is a label signal control device 17 (label application necessity determination means). ) Is output. Then, the barcode 5 (the tray information) of the tray 3 at the necessity determination position of the sorting conveyor 2 read by the necessity determination reading device 13 is input to the label signal control device 17, and the label signal control device 17. Thus, it is determined whether or not the individual label 12 needs to be attached to the agricultural product W on the tray 3 (necessity of label application). The label signal control device 17 includes a setting unit 17a (label application necessity setting unit) for setting whether label application is necessary. The setting unit 17a includes a calculation unit as shown in FIG. Corresponding to each classification information such as the equal class determined by the processing device 7, whether or not the individual label 12 is required is set in advance by an input operation of an input device (not shown). The necessity of labeling can be set so that the individual label 12 is not affixed to, for example, lower grades (out of grade) or small-sized agricultural products.

  The height detection device 14 is configured by a laser height detector or the like that irradiates laser light downward, for example, and detects the height dimension (height information) of the labeling position of the produce W by the reflected light. Has been. The operation of the height detection device 14 is controlled by, for example, the sticking machine control device 11, and the label sticking position is shifted by a predetermined distance from the center of the produce W (the receiving tray 3) with the laser light directed downward. By spot-irradiating (for example, a shoulder part slightly away from the fruit stem), the height information (height dimension) of the labeling position of each agricultural product W having a different external shape can be accurately captured. Yes.

  Even if the height detection device 14 is not fixedly arranged, for example, class information indicating the size of the sorting information obtained by the measurement of the measurement device 4 at the time of control by the applicator control device 11, for example. Based on this, it is possible to detect the height information of the label sticking position of each agricultural product W and send this height information to the sticking machine control device 11. In addition, the height detection device 14 is not limited to the laser height detector, and other appropriate height detection devices that detect the height of the agricultural product W by irradiating light such as infrared rays from the side, for example, may be used. You can also.

  Further, the label inspection device 15 is configured by a bar code reader or the like that reads information (individual number 12a described later) of the individual label 12 affixed to the produce W on the tray 3, and the read signal is the label signal control device. 17 is output. Further, at the label inspection position, a tray information reading device 18 including a barcode reader or the like that reads the barcode 5 of the tray 3 at the inspection position corresponding to the label inspection device 15 is disposed. A read signal is also input to the label signal control device 17.

  The label inspection apparatus 15 does not have the individual label 12 attached due to a mistake in attaching the label attaching apparatus 10 to the agricultural product W on the tray 3 at the inspection position, even though the individual label 12 needs to be attached. In this case or when the attached individual label 12 cannot be read, an operation signal is output from the label signal control device 17 to the discharge device 16b of the label correction device 16 described later.

  The label correction device 16 is arranged between the downstream side of the measuring device 4 and the downstream side of the label inspection device 15 of the sorting conveyor 2 on the upstream side of the reader 13 for determining whether the sorting conveyor 2 is necessary. The return conveyor 16a that conveys the tray 3 on which the agricultural product W is placed, and the discharge device 16b disposed on the sorting conveyor 2 on the downstream side of the label inspection device 15 that is upstream of the return conveyor 16a. Yes. The discharge device 16b is operated by a control signal (a re-sticking signal described later) from the label signal control device 17, whereby the tray 3 on the sorting conveyor 2 is pushed and supplied to the upstream side of the return conveyor 16a. It is transported to the upstream side of the sorting conveyor 2 (downstream side of the returning conveyor 16a) by the return conveyor 16a and is supplied at a predetermined timing immediately before the necessity judging reader 13 of the sorting conveyor 2. .

  The label signal control device 17 includes an arithmetic processing unit (CPU) and a storage unit (not shown) in addition to the setting unit 17a, and is connected to the arithmetic processing device 7. The arithmetic processing device 7 will be described later. Linked tray information (barcode information of the tray 3) and sorting information are input and connected to the database 8 to output the linked tray information and individual label information to the database 8. It has become. Further, the database 8 is input with the barcode information and sorting information of the tray 3 in correspondence with each other from the arithmetic processing unit 7. As described above, in the database 8, the sorting information and the individual label information can be stored in correspondence (linked) with each other based on the barcode information of the tray 3. Further, the label signal control device 17 outputs a label sticking necessity signal to the sticking machine control device 11 and receives an inspection signal (read signal of the individual label 12) from the label inspection device 15 to receive the label sticking. The condition is judged as good or bad. That is, the label signal control device 17 performs the determination of whether or not the label is required and the quality determination of the attached individual label 12 in parallel.

  A sorting tray information reading device 19 is arranged at the start end of the sorting position downstream of the discharging device 16b of the sorting conveyor 2, and a discharging device 20a is provided on the downstream side of the receiving information reading device 19, respectively. Storage conveyors 20 for each class are arranged. A plurality of the storage conveyors 20 are arranged in a state in which the conveyance direction D is directed in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction A of the sorting conveyor 2, for example. The discharge device 20 a provided on the starting end side of each storage conveyor 20 is operated by a control signal (sort discharge signal) of the sorting control device 21 connected to the arithmetic processing device 7.

  When the bar code 5 of the predetermined tray 3 on which the produce W is placed is read by the tray information reading device 19 at the sorting position, the equal class of the produce W corresponding to the barcode 5 of the read tray 3 is sorted. The control device 21 reads out from the storage unit 7a of the arithmetic processing device 7, and outputs a predetermined sorting discharge signal from the sorting control device 21 so that the discharging device 20a corresponding to the equal class is activated. In addition, on the downstream side of the storage conveyor 20, for example, a boxing robot (not shown) is arranged and picks up the agricultural products W for each equal class on the tray 3 stored in a predetermined amount and packs them in a cardboard box or by hand. Agricultural products W for each class are packed in cardboard boxes.

  Further, sensors (not shown) for detecting the presence or absence of the tray 3 on the sorting conveyor 2 are arranged at the measurement position, necessity determination position, height information detection position, label inspection position, and sorting position of the sorting conveyor 2, respectively. Yes. And when the tray 3 is detected by this sensor, predetermined operations (measurement operation, necessity determination operation, height information detection operation, label inspection operation, and sorting operation) are performed at each position. These are executed by commands from the arithmetic processing unit 7 and the control units 11, 17, 21 and the like. That is, for example, the measurement operation is performed by the arithmetic processing device 7, the necessity determination operation and the label inspection operation are performed by the label signal control device 17, the height information detection operation is performed by the pasting machine control device 11, and the sorting operation is further performed by the sorting control. It is executed by the device 21.

  Note that the data is transmitted to the database 8 simultaneously with the storage of various types of information in the storage unit 7a of the arithmetic processing unit 7, and is also stored in the storage unit (not shown) of the database 8. In the above example, the storage unit 7a capable of storing various types of information in the form as shown in FIG. 2 is constructed in the arithmetic processing device 7. However, the storage unit having the same form as the storage unit 7a is, for example, an arithmetic process. It is also possible to construct the database 8 connected to the device 7 through a communication line or the like or the storage unit of the label signal control device 17. Further, the control device such as the arithmetic processing unit 7 and the database 8 and the label signal control device 17 is not limited to a separate configuration, and for example, the arithmetic processing device 7 and the database 8 can be integrated, or the storage unit 7a. The storage form of each information and the setting form of the setting unit 17a are examples, and can be changed as appropriate.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the receiving tray 3 on which the pasted agricultural product W has been attached is attached with a barcode 5, and the individual label 12 is pasted at the labeling position on the surface of the agricultural product W. ing. At this time, as the information of the individual label 12 affixed to the agricultural product W, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, an individual number 12a, an Internet homepage address (referred to as URL) 12b, and a selection field where the agricultural product W is selected. Number 12c etc. are used, and these are printed on the label with a predetermined ink.

  Next, an example of specific individual information management of the agricultural product W in the sorting device 1 will be described. When a predetermined number of agricultural products W are carried into a fruit selection area from a predetermined producer, for example, by an input device (not shown) provided on the starting end side of the sorting conveyor 2, the producer name, harvest date, fruit selection date (delivery date) ), Information about the consignment such as the field, product type, item, number, etc. (reception information) is input, and this consignment information is stored in the third memory of the storage unit 7a provided in the arithmetic processing unit 7 as shown in FIG. The data is stored in the part 7a-3 as the write data 3.

  When the receipt information of the agricultural products W to be input to the sorting conveyor 2 is input, the agricultural products W are placed one by one on the tray 3 on the starting end side of the sorting conveyor 2, for example, by an operator, and the tray on which the agricultural products W are placed. 3 is conveyed downstream by the sorting conveyor 2. At this time, since the sorting conveyor 2 is configured as a free tray type, the tray 3 is conveyed on the sorting conveyor 2 at an indefinite interval. And when this saucer 3 is conveyed to a measurement position, the barcode 5 of the saucer 3 will be read by the saucer information reader 6, and it will be memorize | stored in the address memory of the 1st memory | storage part 7a-1 of the said memory | storage part 7a.

  Further, the appearance and internal quality of the produce W on the saucer 3 conveyed to the measurement position are measured by the measurement device 4, and this measurement data is input to the arithmetic processing device 7 to determine the grade, class, sugar content, etc. of the produce W. Determined. The determined grade, class, etc. (sorting information) is written data 1 in the first storage unit 7a-1 of the storage unit 7a in correspondence with the barcode 5 (destination information) of the read tray 3. Is memorized. As a result, the sorting information determined by the arithmetic processing device 7 is written in a predetermined address memory in a state corresponding to the tray information of the tray 3 on which the produce W is placed (referred to as a link state), for example, As shown in FIG. 2, when the grade of the produce W placed on the saucer 3 having the barcode 5 of “0003” is “excellent”, the class is “M”, and the sugar content is “14 °”, the address memory The numbers “0003” are stored as “excellent”, “M”, and “14 degrees”.

  In this way, the tray 3 on which the produce W whose sorting information is stored in the first storage unit 7a-1 of the storage unit 7a is transported to the downstream side by the sorting conveyor 2 and transported to the necessity determination position. The The agricultural product W on the tray 3 conveyed to the necessity determination position is read by the necessity determination reader 13 with the barcode 5 of the tray 3, and the read signal is input to the label signal control device 17 to be an individual label. It is determined whether or not labeling is necessary, that is, whether or not labeling is necessary. If labeling is necessary, a “necessary” signal is output to the pasting machine controller 11. To do.

  The label signal control device 17 determines whether or not the label is required, among the sorting information output from the arithmetic processing device 7 and stored in a storage unit (not shown) in the label signal control device 17. The sorting information corresponding to the barcode 5 of the tray 5 read in 13 is performed by selecting a “necessary” signal or a “no” signal corresponding to each sorting information stored in the setting unit 17a in advance.

  That is, in FIG. 2, when the tray 3 having the barcode 5 of “0002” is read by the reader 13 for necessity determination, it is read that the sorting information of “0002” is “excellent” and “L”. As shown in FIG. 3, a “required” signal corresponding to “excellent” and “L” as the class / class is selected, and the tray 3 having the barcode 5 of “0006” is read by the necessity determining reader 13. In this case, a “necessary” signal corresponding to “excellent” or “S” is displayed, and when the tray 3 having the barcode 5 of “0007” is read by the necessity determining reading device 13, “good” “2L”. A “NO” signal is selected in accordance with. 3 is merely an example, and is not described in the setting unit. For example, it is possible to set “No” for labeling only for out-of-order grades. “No” can be set, and everything else can be set as “necessary”.

  Then, the agricultural product W on the tray 3 that has been determined whether or not labeling is necessary at the necessity determination position is conveyed further downstream on the sorting conveyor 2 to the height information detection position. The agricultural product W on the tray 3 conveyed to the height information detection position is moved by the height detection device 14 to the height of the labeling position of the agricultural product W (the height from the conveying surface on the sorting conveyor 2 or the labeling device). The height information from the reference position of 10 is detected, and the height information is input to the sticking machine control device 11 and linked to the label necessity determination signal input from the label signal control device 17 by the sticking machine control device 11. Is done. And the produce W on the saucer 3 that has passed the necessity determination position and the height information detection position is conveyed by the sorting conveyor 2 to the label attaching position, and the produce W on the saucer 3 determined to require label attachment The individual label 12 is affixed to the affixing position (height) by the operation of the label affixing device 10.

  The sticking of the individual label 12 to the agricultural product W by the label sticking device 10 is determined by the label signal control device 17 as being necessary for label sticking, and when the “necessary” signal is input to the sticking machine control device 11, the control device 11. Thus, the label sticking device 10 is operated, that is, the label sticking portion in which the predetermined individual label 12 is set is moved up and down by the height information detected by the height detecting device 14. The timing for starting the operation of the label sticking apparatus 10 is performed after a predetermined time synchronized with the conveying speed of the sorting conveyor 2 from the reading by the necessity determining reading apparatus 13, so that the necessity determining reading apparatus 13. A predetermined individual label 12 is affixed to the agricultural product W on the saucer 3 read in.

  On the other hand, the produce W on the receiving tray 3 that is determined to be unapplied by the label signal control device 17 is conveyed downstream without passing through the label attaching position as it is without the label attaching device 10 being operated. In the case of the produce W that does not require labeling, the height detection device 14 is activated when the label signal control device 17 determines that the label is not applied and a “NO” signal is input to the applicator control device 11. Although the height information detection position is passed through without any change, it is also possible to disable the detection signal by operating the height detection device 14.

  The produce W on the saucer 3 to which the individual label 12 is attached at the label application position is further transported to the downstream label inspection position, and the label inspection device 15 provided at the inspection position causes the produce W on the tray 3 to be labeled. For the agricultural product W, the individual number 12a of the attached individual label 12 is read. When the individual number 12a is properly read by the label inspection device 15, the read individual number 12a is transferred to the second storage unit 7a-2 of the storage unit 7a of the arithmetic processing unit 7 via the label signal control device 17. It is stored as write data 2 in FIG.

  At this time, the barcode 5 of the saucer 3 on which the agricultural product W read by the label inspection device 15 is placed is read by the saucer information reading device 18 arranged at substantially the same position as the label inspection device 15. The individual number 12a is stored in the number position of the address memory of the first storage unit 7a-1 of the storage unit 7a corresponding to the barcode 5, that is, the individual number 12a is stored in the barcode 5 of the tray 3 in a linked state. Thereby, the sorting information, the individual number 12a information of the individual label 12, and the receiving information are stored on the barcode 5 of the tray 3, and the first storage unit 7a-1, the second storage unit 7a-2 and the third storage unit 7a. It is stored in a linked state in the storage unit 7a-3.

  When the label inspection device 15 cannot read the individual number 12a of the individual label 12 of the agricultural product W regardless of the necessity of labeling, that is, the individual of the agricultural product W on the tray 3 due to a labeling error of the labeling device 10 or the like. When the label 12 is not attached, or when the attached state is not good and the information such as the individual number 12a cannot be read normally, a signal (label attachment failure signal) indicating these is given. The label signal control device 17 receives the label application failure signal and outputs a reattachment signal to operate the label correction device 16.

  The operation of the label correction device 16 is first performed by the discharge device 16b in response to the re-sticking signal from the label signal control device 17, and the receiving tray 3 on which the produce W with the individual label sticking failure is placed by the operation of the discharge device 16b. It is discharged from the conveyor 2 to the upstream side of the return conveyor 16a. And the agricultural product W on the receiving tray 3 discharged | emitted to this return conveyor 16a is conveyed downstream (return direction of the selection conveyor 2) by the return conveyor 16a, and between the measurement position of the selection conveyor 2 and a necessity determination position. For example, it is supplied manually (or automatically) and returned.

  At this time, the supply (return) of the receiving tray 3 to the sorting conveyor 2 by the return conveyor 16a is supplied so as to be positioned between the receiving trays 3 before and after being conveyed on the selecting conveyor 2, and the sorting conveyor 2 is stopped. However, it is of course possible to stop the sorting conveyor 2 instantaneously and feed it onto the sorting conveyor 2 in the meantime. The tray 3 on which the produce W returned by the return conveyor 16a is placed on the sorting conveyor 2 is again supplied to the labeling device 10 via the necessity determination reading device 13 and the height detection device 14, and the tray is received. The individual label 12 is affixed to the surface of the agricultural product W on 3 and conveyed downstream, and supplied to the sorting position.

  On the other hand, when the produce W on the tray 3 is not labeled, the label signal control device 17 does not output an operation signal to the label inspection device 15, and the label inspection device 15 is in an inoperative state. The inspection of the individual label 12 of the agricultural product W is omitted, and the receiving tray 3 passes through the label inspection position and is supplied to the sorting position.

  As a result, the agricultural product W to which the individual label 12 is not attached although it is necessary to apply the label, the individual label 12 is attached with a deviation from the label attaching position, or two pieces are attached and the individual number 12a of the individual label 12 etc. Is not properly read, and the individual label 12 is normally pasted by the correction work and is transported on the sorting conveyor 2 and transported to the sorting position. It is reliably prevented from being conveyed.

  In addition, when the individual label 12 is stuck on the surface of the agricultural product W or two sheets are attached, the individual label 12 is peeled off on the return conveyor 16a of the label correction device 16 and again on the sorting conveyor 2. In this case, since the individual label 12 is mechanically affixed to the agricultural product W in an easily visible state, the transparent ink is directly printed on the surface of the agricultural product W as shown in Patent Document 2. Compared with the case where it does, the peeling (correction) work can be performed easily.

  Then, the tray 3 on which the agricultural product W to which the individual label 12 is reliably attached in this way is placed is transported by the sorting conveyor 2 and transported to the sorting position, and the barcode 5 of the tray 3 is received by the tray information reading device 19. Is sorted and stored on each storage conveyor 20 as follows. That is, when the bar code 5 of the pan 3 is read by the pan information reading device 19, the sorting information stored in the address memory number of the first storage unit 7a-1 of the storage unit 7a corresponding to the bar code 5 is displayed. For example, it is read from the storage unit 7a of the arithmetic processing unit 7 to the sorting control device 21, and a sorting discharge signal corresponding to the sorting information is output from the sorting control device 21 to a predetermined discharging device 20a. Operate. And by operation | movement of this discharge | emission apparatus 20a, the saucer 3 with which the agricultural product W was mounted is discharged | emitted on the predetermined | prescribed storage conveyor 20, and is stored in the state with the agricultural product W with the individual label 12 as mentioned above. It will be shipped in a box.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of how to use the individual label 12 affixed to the agricultural product W in the distribution channel. This will be described below. First, the agricultural products W to be labeled, which are sorted and shipped while being managed by the sorting device 1, are boxed with the individual labels 12 indicating the individual information attached thereto, so that the intermediate traders and consumers in the market Will be shipped to For example, when it is desired to know the receipt information of the agricultural product W to be sold at a store or the like which is an intermediate trader, or when it is desired to know the receipt information of the agricultural product W purchased by the consumer, the personal computer 22 at the store or at home. The URL 12b printed on the individual label 12 of the agricultural product W is input via the communication means 23 such as the Internet, and the database 8 of the fruit selection field is accessed.

  At this time, by inputting the individual number 12a of the individual label 12, the individual of the first storage unit to the third storage unit of the storage unit of the database 8 stored in the same form as the storage unit 7a of the arithmetic processing unit 7 Various information corresponding to the number 12 a is immediately displayed on the screen of the personal computer 22. Thereby, it is possible to consume the product W purchased by the consumer with peace of mind while confirming the receipt information, sorting information, etc. of the harvested product, the field, etc., and the individual label 12 affixed to the product W, for example, the harvest It is possible to efficiently manage individual information from consumption to consumption.

  Thus, in the sorting apparatus 1 of the above embodiment, the necessity judging reading device 13 for judging whether or not the label is attached is arranged at the necessity judging position of the sorting conveyor 2, and for this necessity judging. Whether or not labeling is necessary is determined by the label signal control device 17 based on the reading signal of the reading device 13 and control is performed such that the operation of the labeling device 10 is started when labeling is necessary. The individual label 12 can be reliably and efficiently applied by the label applicator 10 only to the produce requiring labeling by the reading device 13 and the label signal control device 17, and the individual produce W is based on the individual label 12. Can be efficiently managed.

  Further, since it is determined whether label application is necessary or not based on the necessity for each sorting information set in the setting unit 17a of the label signal control device 17, the necessity is set in advance in the setting unit 17a according to the sorting information. By doing so, the label signal control device 17 can automatically determine whether label application is necessary, and the individual label 12 can be more reliably applied to the agricultural product W set (determined) as label application required. Further, since the height detection device 14 is arranged on the downstream side of the necessity determination position and the operation of the label application device 10 is controlled by the height information of the height detection device 14, the label application of the label application device 10 is performed. The position can be accurately set according to the height information of the agricultural product W, and the individual label 12 can be reliably and satisfactorily applied to the predetermined label attaching position of the agricultural product W.

  Furthermore, since the inspection of the label inspection device 15 is performed based on the necessity determination signal read by the necessity determination reading device 13 and determined by the label signal control device 17, the label inspection device 15 is produced as a label-required produce. The labeling device 10 and the height detection device 14 can be operated only when labeling is required, and each device arranged in the selection field can be efficiently operated. Can be operated. In addition, since the sorting conveyor 2 that transports the tray 3 on which the agricultural product W is placed is a free tray type, and the interval between the front and the back can be set indefinitely, in the sorting conveyor 2 as compared with a bucket type conveyor or the like that is set to be constant. It becomes possible to increase the conveyance efficiency of the agricultural products W and increase the processing capacity of the sorting work.

  Furthermore, a label inspection device 15 is arranged on the downstream side of the label sticking device 10, and label correction is performed between the downstream side of the inspection device 15 and the upstream side of the necessity determination reading device 13 on the downstream side of the measuring device 4. Since the device 16 is disposed, the label inspection device 15 inspects the state of the individual label 12 of the agricultural product W on the tray 3 and checks whether the individual label 12 is stuck poorly by the return conveyor 16a. It is possible to return to the previous stage of the determination reading device 13, and the individual label 12 can be reliably re-applied to the agricultural product W in which the individual label 12 is poorly attached due to an error in attaching the individual label 12. As a result, the agricultural product W with no individual label 12 attached or poorly read is not transported as it is on the sorting conveyor 2 and supplied to the sorting position, and when the agricultural product W is taken out at the time of boxing or on the sorting conveyor 2 Even if it is taken out, it is possible to accurately and immediately grasp the equal class by the individual label 12, and the agricultural product W can be processed accurately.

  Further, the barcode 5 of the saucer 3 on which the produce W is placed and the sorting information of the produce W on the saucer 3 obtained by the measuring device 4 are output to the label signal control device 17 via the arithmetic processing unit 7. Since the barcode 5 of the saucer 3 and the individual number 12a of the individual label 12 linked by the label signal control device 17 are also stored in the storage unit of the database 8 together with the storage unit of the database 8. For example, in the database 8, the sorting information can be easily obtained from the individual label 12.

  In particular, the barcode 5 of the tray 3 in the linked state, the sorting information of the agricultural product W, and the information of the individual label 12 are stored in the linked state with the receiving information of the agricultural product W such as the producer, harvest date, fruit selection date, field, etc. 7, for example, sorting information, receiving information, etc. can be searched by the information of the individual label 12. As a result, individual information management of individual agricultural products W can be reasonably and reliably performed in the fruit selection site where the sorting device 1 is installed, and the individual label 12 is affixed while taking advantage of the advantages of the conventional sorting device. Can be associated with the attached individual label 12 to manage the individual information of the agricultural product W, and efficient and rational information management of each agricultural product can be performed.

  Further, by providing a label correction device 16 including a return conveyor 16a and a discharge device 16b on the downstream side of the label inspection device 15, the agricultural product W with poor sticking of the individual label 12 is added to the agricultural product W supplied to the sorting position. Since it can be eliminated, it is possible to obtain an individual information management system with excellent versatility, for example, it can be easily attached to the sorting device 1 of an existing fruit selection field while simplifying the configuration of the label correction device 16. it can. Further, since the label inspection device 15 serves both for reading the information of the individual label 12 and checking the defective attachment of the individual label 12, the label inspection device 15 can be operated efficiently and the configuration of the inspection device 15 itself can be simplified. An inexpensive individual information management system can be obtained.

  And since it can be easily made into a database by storing the barcode 5 of the saucer 3 obtained by the sorting device 1, the sorting information of the agricultural product W, the cargo receiving information of the agricultural product W, etc. in a predetermined storage unit of the selection field, For example, when a worker at the selection hall inputs predetermined information, other related information can be retrieved immediately, and management operations can be made more efficient, and the URL 12b is described in the individual label 12. As a result, it is possible to easily and immediately grasp the receipt information of the agricultural product W on the Internet at the consumer, the store, etc., and the consumer can consume the agricultural product W with peace of mind.

  In the above embodiment, the bar code 5 of the receiving tray 3 and the sorting information of the produce W on the receiving tray 3 are linked and stored, whereby the sorting information associated with the receiving tray 3 is stored, and the barcode 5 However, the present invention is not limited to this method. For example, the receiving tray 3 itself is provided with a storage medium such as an IC card / IC tag, and the agricultural product on the receiving tray 3 is stored in the storage medium. Various sorts of information may be obtained by storing W sorting information and the like and reading the stored information on the storage medium of the tray 3.

  The various data stored in the storage unit 7a is an example. For example, the bar code 5 of the tray 3 and the sorting information of the produce W and the information of the individual label 12 are stored in a linked state. It is possible to prevent the capacity of the storage unit 7a from increasing, and it is also possible to store various other information in a predetermined storage unit, such as storing used fertilizer or the like as information. Further, in the boxing unit on the downstream side of the storage conveyor 20, the number of the box provided for each box and the individual number 12a of the individual label 12 of the individual agricultural product stored in the box are linked to the storage unit. Further, it is also possible to store the box number and the shipping information given at the shipping stage, the shipping date (shipping destination) (market), the vehicle number, etc., linked together and stored. In this way, by inquiring the box number for the box number, etc., it is possible to know the information of each agricultural product W contained in the box without opening the lid of the box. It is possible to know the number of the box that contains the agricultural product W to which the label 12 is attached and the shipping information.

  The present invention can also be applied to individual labels affixed to various industrial products other than agricultural products.

Schematic configuration diagram of a sorting device using an individual information management system for agricultural products according to the present invention Explanatory drawing of the memory | storage part of the arithmetic processing unit Explanatory drawing of the setting unit of the label signal control device Front view of saucer on which the produce is placed Front view of the agricultural product Illustration of distribution channels using the same individual information management system

Explanation of symbols

1 ... Sorting device 2 ... Sorting conveyor 3 ... Sampling tray 4 ... Measurement Device 5 ... Bar code 6 ... Dish information reading device 7 ... Processing unit 7a ... ... Storage unit 7a-1 ......... First storage unit 7a-2 ...... Second storage unit 7a-3 ......... Third storage unit 8 ....・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Database 10 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Label sticking device 11 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Applicator control device 12 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Individual label 12a ・.... Individual number 12b ... URL
12c ..... Selection field number 13 .... Reading device for necessity determination 14 ...... Height detection device 15 ....・ ・ ・ Label inspection device 16 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Label correction device 16a ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Return conveyor 16b ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Discharge device 17 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・-Label signal control device 17a ... Setting unit 18, 19 ... Receptacle information reading device 20 ... ... Storage conveyor 22 ...・ PC 23 ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Communication means W ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ ・ Agricultural products

Claims (8)

An individual information management system for agricultural products that manages individual agricultural products based on information on individual labels affixed to agricultural products,
An individual label affixing unit for affixing an individual label to the agricultural product conveyed by the conveying unit, and an individual label affixed to each individual agricultural product that is provided on the preceding stage of the individual label affixing unit Label application necessity determination means for determining whether or not to output a determination signal, and starting a label application operation of the individual label application means based on the determination signal of the label application necessity determination means An individual information management system for agricultural products.   The label sticking necessity determination means has a label sticking necessity setting section in which the necessity of label sticking is set in advance according to the sorting information of the produce, and is a tray for the produce on the saucer that is transported on the transport means. The classification information of the agricultural product memorize | stored in association with is read, and the necessity of label sticking set to the label sticking necessity setting part according to the read sorting information is determined. Individual information management system for agricultural products.   A height information detecting means for detecting the height of the label sticking position of the produce on the tray measured by the measuring means on the conveying means is provided in the preceding stage of the individual label sticking means, and the detection result of the height information detecting means The individual information management system for agricultural products according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the operation of the individual label affixing means is controlled based on the control.   The produce is placed on a saucer having unique information, and the unique information of the saucer is associated with the sort information of the produce on the saucer acquired by the sort information acquisition means for acquiring the sort information of the produce on the saucer. The individual information management system for agricultural products according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the individual information management system is for agricultural products.   The label sticking necessity judging means reads the unique information of the saucer for the produce on the saucer transported on the transport means, and reads the sorting information of the produce stored in association with the unique information of the saucer. The agricultural product individual information management system according to claim 4.   6. The height information detecting means detects the height of the labeling position based on the sorting information of the produce on the saucer acquired by the sorting information acquiring means. Individual farming information management system.   Individual label inspection means for inspecting the application state of the individual label placed after the individual label application means and attached to the agricultural product, and when the individual label application means inspects that the individual label application state is defective, An individual label correction unit that returns to the previous stage of the label application necessity determination unit, and the individual label inspection unit, based on the determination signal of the label application necessity determination unit, when inspecting the application state of the individual label The farm product individual information management system according to claim 1, wherein the farm product individual information management system is performed.   The individual information management system for agricultural products according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the trays on which the agricultural products are placed are conveyed at an indefinite interval on the conveying means.

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