JP2005177595A - Agricultural product sorting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an agricultural product sorting apparatus capable of restricting a sorting work area small by reducing the number of sorting zones when a plurality of workers carry out sorting work. <P>SOLUTION: The agricultural product sorting apparatus 1 comprises provided with bring-in conveyers 2 and 2 receiving an article P targeted for sorting and bringing in to an assorting work position so as to allow diffusion for the sorting, and a screening conveyer having a plurality of sorting zones 13 specified by an area sensor for receiving the article targeted for sorting at the sorting work position of the bring-in conveyers 2 and 2, in which the screening conveyer 4 has a separate zone 14 separately specified by the area sensor beside the plurality of sorting zones 13, and also exclusive transfer means 8 transferring the article targeted for sorting to the separate zone 14 are provided over the whole range of the sorting work position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an agricultural product sorting apparatus for manually sorting agricultural products by grade based on visual determination.

  In order to sort agricultural products by grade classification based on visual judgment of quality, etc., as shown in Patent Document 1, it was sorted into a carry-in conveyor that carries a sorting object (selected item) to a grade sorting work position and a corresponding classification. 2. Description of the Related Art Agricultural product sorting apparatuses including a sorting conveyor for transferring an object to a sorting discharge unit are known. The objects to be sorted (sorted objects) received on the carry-in conveyor are carried to the sorting work position so that they can be spread (diffused), and the worker sorts them by visual judgment, and is specified on the sorting conveyor at this sorting work position. The object in the sorting zone is dealt with by a signal from an area sensor (area detection means) or the like that is transferred to the sorting discharge unit by being input to the sorting zone and detects which sorting zone the sorting object has entered. Classification can be performed along the classification.

However, since the agricultural product sorting apparatus having the above configuration requires a number of sorting zones equal to the number of sections to be sorted on the sorting conveyor, when there are many sorting workers, the sorting conveyor having a large number of sorting zones is long. There is a problem that a large sorting work area is required.
JP-A-8-10718

  The problem to be solved is to provide an agricultural product sorting apparatus that can reduce the total number of sorting zones and keep the sorting work area small when sorting by a plurality of workers.

  The invention according to claim 1 is configured to receive an object to be sorted (sorted object) and carry it to the grade sorting work position so as to be diffusible for the grade sort, and sort at the grade sort work position of the carry-in conveyor. In an agricultural product sorting apparatus including a sorting conveyor formed with a plurality of sorting zones specified by an area sensor (area detection means) for receiving an object (sorted object), the sorting conveyor includes the sorting zones. In addition to this, a separate frame zone that is separately specified by an area sensor (area detection unit) is formed, and a dedicated transfer unit that transports the sorting object to this separate frame zone is provided in the entire range of the sorting work position. To do.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first aspect, the separate frame zone is arranged downstream of all other sorting zones.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first aspect, the separate frame zone is arranged upstream of all other sorting zones.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first aspect, the separate frame zone is mixed with other sorting zones and arranged within a work range of a plurality of workers.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first aspect, the carry-in conveyor is characterized in that a residual lane for transporting the sorting object to its end is formed within the width thereof.

The agricultural product sorting apparatus of the present invention has the following effects.
In the agricultural product sorting apparatus, since the carry-in conveyor can carry the sorting object to the sorting work position and can be received in the sorting zone of the sorting conveyor corresponding to the plurality of sorting sections, the loading conveyor and the sorting conveyor Thus, sorting according to a plurality of sorting categories can be performed according to the operator's sorting operation at the sorting work position. A separate frame zone is separately formed on the sorting conveyor, and dedicated transfer means to reach the separate frame zone is provided in the entire range of the sorting work position. The sorting object can be transferred to another frame zone of the sorting conveyor via the means. Therefore, when sorting by multiple workers, it is possible to sort by sharing a single separate zone without having to arrange all the sorting zones individually. As a result, it is possible to sort multiple sections including sections with a small number of claims (claim 1).

  In the configuration in which the separate frame zone is arranged downstream of all other sorting zones, the dedicated transfer means and the sorting conveyor move in the same direction, so the carry-in conveyor is arranged in the same direction as the sorting conveyor. By doing so, dedicated transfer means can be configured by the carry-in conveyor, and when the sorted agricultural products are received in another frame zone and when they are received in another sorting zone, it is almost the same timing regardless of the classification It is transported by. Therefore, it is possible to respond quickly without incurring time loss for switching the area sensor at the time of replacement of goods (claim 2).

  In the configuration in which the separate frame zone is arranged upstream of the other sorting zones, the dedicated transfer means can be simply configured by a single conveyor, and the separate frame zone is always at the upstream position of all the sorting zones. Since the seats are vacant, it is possible to configure to automatically put the transported material into the separate frame zone by a dedicated transport means having a simple configuration (claim 3).

  In the configuration in which the separate frame zone is mixed with other sorting zones and arranged within the work range of a plurality of workers, the separate work zone is arranged at a position where the hands of the plurality of workers can reach, so that the plurality of work Therefore, it is possible for the operator to perform a shift operation to another frame zone, so that the burden on the operator can be distributed (claim 4).

  For the carry-in conveyor, in the configuration in which the remaining lane for transferring the sorting object to its end is formed within the width, by sorting into the remaining lane on the carry-in conveyor, in addition to sorting by the sorting conveyor, At the end of the residual lane, it can be handled as a sorting category by residual. Therefore, when there is a difference in the sorting frequency ratio between the sections, by assigning the section with the maximum ratio to the remaining lane, it is possible to reduce the load on the sorting conveyor and reduce the burden of the sorting operation of the operator. (Claim 5).

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view of an agricultural product sorting apparatus according to a first example of the present invention. The agricultural product sorting apparatus 1 arranges the carry-in conveyors 2 and 2 for carrying the received sorting objects P. 3 and 3 (spaces for grade workers 3 and 3) are arranged, and on the inner side, a sorting conveyor 4 that moves in the same direction along both the carry-in conveyors 2 and 2 is arranged in the center. Sorting sensors 5 and 6 are arranged at the terminal ends of the left and right carry-in conveyors 2 and 2 and the delivery destination of the sorting conveyor 4, respectively.

  The carry-in conveyors 2 and 2 are formed as an outer belt portion 7 and an inner belt portion 8 for forming the sorting object so that the left and right sides are similarly wide so that the sorting object can be sorted and transferred in the width direction. The width dimension is configured to be secured. A feed portion 9 for receiving the agricultural products to be sorted is provided at the start end position, and a guide 10 is formed at the end position to bring the residue to the outer band 7. The sorting conveyors 12 and 12 such as a narrow slat receiving plate type (hereinafter referred to as a keyboard type) and a cup type are connected so as to be automatically transferred to the sorting sensors 5 and 5 via the alignment belts 11 and 11 for the purpose. The sorting sensors 5 and 6 detect the outer shape by imaging means incorporated in the apparatus, classify them into predetermined grades (for example, L, M, and S), transmit the detection results to a control unit outside the figure, and perform the control. The unit is configured to output a preset division signal.

  The outer belt portion 7 of the carry-in conveyor 2 assigns a section A (for example, “excellent”) having a particularly high sorting frequency as a residual lane for performing predetermined processing after discharging from the end. The inner belt portion 8 assigns a section B (for example, “normal”) having a low sorting frequency as dedicated transfer means for sorting different frames in common to all workers.

  The sorting conveyor 4 is configured by a sorting conveyor that can be sorted and discharged to the sorting sensor 6 and forms a plurality of sorting zones 13 that are specified by the area sensor for the sorting work range that the operator can reach. The sorting zones 13 are arranged so that the divisions C and D (for example, “excellent” and “good”) having a medium sorting frequency are shared for each worker or partially shared by a plurality of workers. A separate frame zone 14 is arranged at the most downstream position for sorting a section with a particularly small sorting frequency. This separate frame zone 14 is set as a special sorting area for receiving the transferred material transferred from the inner belt portion 8 of the carry-in conveyor 2 as a dedicated transfer means.

By the agricultural product sorting apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration, the agricultural products to be sorted received at the starting end of the carry-in conveyor 2 are widely deployed and carried to the sorting work position. By visual judgment, the operator sorts into the corresponding sections C and D by the sorting zone 13 of the sorting conveyor 4, and sorts the one corresponding to the separate frame zone 14 into the inner belt portion 8 on the carry-in conveyor. The operator who is in charge of the end position of the inner belt portion 8 moves to another frame zone 14 of the sorting conveyor. Further, those that do not correspond to any of the above are sorted into the outer belt portion 7 on the carry-in conveyor 2 and are sequentially sent from the end to the sorting sensor 5 via the alignment belt 11.

  In this way, the agricultural product sorting apparatus 1 can receive the sorting conveyor 4 in the plurality of sorting zones 13 corresponding to the plurality of sorting sections, so that the plurality of sorting zones 13 are workers at the sorting work position. Agricultural products can be sorted along a plurality of sorting categories according to the sorting operation. In addition, a separate frame zone 14 is separately formed on the sorting conveyor 4 and the dedicated transfer means 8 is provided at the sorting work position for the separate frame zone 14, so that the operator sorts on the dedicated transfer means 8. The agricultural products can be transferred to the separate frame zone 14 of the sorting conveyor 4 through the dedicated transfer means 8.

  Therefore, since the sorting operation for the separate frame zone 14 can be performed by the sorting operation for the dedicated transfer means 8, when sorting by a plurality of workers, in addition to the individual sorting zones 13 for each worker, a single separate frame is used. Since the zone 14 can be shared, the configuration size of the sorting device can be reduced and the configuration can be made compact.

  In the above configuration, since the dedicated transfer means 8 and the sorting conveyor 4 are aligned and moved in the same direction, a part of the loading conveyor 2 is arranged by arranging the loading conveyor 2 in the same direction along the sorting conveyor 4. Functions as dedicated transfer means 8, and when the sorted agricultural products are received in another frame zone 14 and when they are received in other sorting zones 13... Therefore, it is possible to respond quickly without incurring a time loss for switching the area sensor when changing the load.

  The carry-in conveyor 2 sorts the remaining lanes (bands) 7 on the carry-in conveyor 2 because the remaining lanes (bands) 7 for transferring the objects to be sorted to the end thereof are formed within the width. Thus, in addition to the sorting by the sorting conveyor 4, it is possible to handle as a sorting section by the remaining operation at the end of the remaining lane (band) 7. Therefore, when there is a difference in the ratio of the sorting frequency between the sections, the maximum ratio of the sections is assigned to the remaining lane (band) 7, thereby reducing the load on the sorting conveyor 4 and the burden of the operator's sorting operation. Can be reduced.

Next, another configuration example of the agricultural product sorting apparatus will be described. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the agricultural product sorting apparatus 21 of the second example of the present invention. In the following description, the same members as those described above are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
The agricultural product sorting apparatus 21 includes a carry-in conveyor 2, a sorting conveyor 4 disposed along the carry-in conveyor 2, and a reverse conveyor 22 as dedicated transfer means that runs backward along the sorting conveyor 4, and is lined up along the carry-in conveyor 2. A plurality of worker seats 3 are arranged.

  The sorting conveyor 4 is constituted by a sorting conveyor that can be sorted and discharged, such as a keyboard type conveyor that reaches the sorting sensor 6, and a plurality of sorting zones 13 that are specified by the area sensor for the sorting work range that can be reached by the operator. Form. In this sorting zone 13..., Sections C and D (for example, “excellent” and “good”) having a medium sorting frequency are arranged for each worker, and for sorting the section having a low sorting frequency at the most upstream position. Another frame zone 23 is arranged. This separate frame zone 23 is set as a special sorting area for receiving the transferred products transferred from the reverse conveyor 22 as the dedicated transfer means.

  According to the agricultural product sorting device 21 configured as described above, the agricultural products P to be sorted received at the start end of the carry-in conveyor 2 are those corresponding to the sorting zones 13 of the sorting conveyor 4 according to the operator's visual judgment. Those corresponding to the other zone 23 can be sorted on the reverse conveyor 22 as a dedicated transfer means. The reverse conveyor 22 is transferred toward the uppermost stream side separate zone 23 toward the start end side of the sorting conveyor 4.

  In this case, since the separate frame zone 23 is arranged upstream of the other sorting zones 13 and the separate frame zone 23 is always vacant, the worker can mechanically and separate the separate frame with a simple automatic loading / unloading mechanism. The transferred material can be transferred from the dedicated transfer means to the zone 23.

  Further, the arrangement of the separate frame zone 23 is mixed with the other sorting zones 13... And configured within the work range of a plurality of workers, and the dedicated transfer means is configured so that the entire range of sorting work positions is collected at the position of the separate frame zone. By doing so, it becomes possible to perform the transfer operation to another frame zone by a plurality of related workers, so that the burden on the workers can be distributed.

  Next, an example of a color selection method for fruits and the like woven into the selection sensors 5 and 6 will be described. FIG. 3 is a characteristic diagram showing a grade determination method based on a sensor output example for color selection. A plurality of threshold values, for example, two threshold values A and B, are set for color selection grade determination, and comprehensive determination is made based on numerical values of the respective threshold values. For example, if there is a threshold A or higher, “good”, if there is no threshold A or higher, and if the threshold B or higher is equal to or higher than a predetermined ratio, “excellent”. Note that if the threshold value B is equal to or less than a predetermined ratio, it is determined as “excellent”.

  Since the conventional determination method is based on a single threshold value, the determination largely changes depending on how the set value is determined. However, according to the above method, color selection is performed based on both the degree of coloring and the area. Judgment is possible. Accordingly, it is possible to improve the identification accuracy such as the cucumber belly white and the yellow discoloration of sudachi.

Next, the configuration of the two-row type fruit sorting machine will be described.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-80123, the conventional multi-row type fruit sorting machine mainly includes a receiving part 31 for receiving a fruit storage container from a farmer, a grade sorting part 32 by a grade evaluator, and a weight type class sorting. The unit 33 and the classifying and extracting units 34 and 34 are included.

Among these, the load receiving unit 31 has a load receiving conveyor 35 in the form of a roller conveyor, and the conveyor 35 is branched and connected to take-out conveyors 37 and 37 arranged in parallel with the grade evaluation conveyor 36 set in two strips. The grade evaluation conveyor 36 of the grade selection unit 32 is in the form of a belt conveyor, one of which is excellently divided into the other and connected to the selection conveyor 38 in the subsequent class selection unit 33.

In many cases, the grade evaluation conveyor 36 and the sorting conveyor 38 are configured in series, and these are linked to a sorting cup portion 39, 39,... The sorting cup portions 39, 39,... Can be maintained in a horizontal posture by the sliding contact support of the non-illustrated guide rail, and can fall down to the side due to the absence of the rail and discharge the fruit at a desired position. It is a configuration.

Reference numeral 41 denotes a weight detector disposed for each strip. The weight detection data is sent to the control unit 42. In this control unit 42, the detection data is compared with class data set and stored in advance, and while determining which class, for example, 4L, 3L, 2L, L, M, S, 2S, this fruit belongs to, In this configuration, the rail at the specified grade / class designation position is made absent and a rail control signal to turn the sorting cup unit 39 over can be output.

  In addition, as for the grade in the selection conveyor 38, as above-mentioned, one is set to a superior grade and the other is set to a superior grade. Fruit stock tables 43, 43,... Are arranged in the classifying take-out sections 34, 34 of the sorting conveyor 38 by class and level, respectively. At each end of the table 43, there is provided a cardboard box a elevating frame 46 which is supported by the column 44 so as to be movable up and down and is moved up and down by an expansion and contraction operation of the air cylinder mechanism 45. The elevating frame 46 is configured to receive a cardboard box by disposing a roller 47 on the horizontal part of the L-shaped frame part, and when it is raised, the height of the supply port of the cardboard box and the table 43 is set to be substantially the same. At the time of lowering, the roller 47 is configured to be fitted as much as possible with the roller portion of the relay roller conveyor 48 for product feeding disposed near the lower portion. The end of the relay roller conveyor 48 is connected to a product conveyor 49. The product conveyor 49 is arranged in parallel with the sorting conveyor 48 and is configured to receive and transfer the cardboard boxes from the respective classification take-out portions 34.

The empty cardboard box is configured to be able to be supplied from the unillustrated box-making machine such as the mezzanine floor to the classifying and extracting sections 34 and 34 through the distribution conveyor 50. The distribution conveyor 50 is provided in a plurality of upper and lower stages, and a lower cardboard box a can be supplied to the upper distribution conveyor 50a, and a high cardboard box b can be supplied to the lower distribution conveyor 50b. It is the structure provided as follows.

In the conventional fruit sorting machine, the container carried from the farmhouse is transferred by the load receiving conveyor 35 and the take-out conveyors 37, 37 of the load receiving portion 31. The grader evaluates the grade of the fruit by taking out one fruit from the container and placing it on the sorting cups 39, 39,... Corresponding to a predetermined grade. The weight of the fruit on the conveyor 36 is detected by a weight measuring device 41 for each cup unit, and the detection signal is input to the control unit 42. The control unit 42 determines which class it belongs to, and when the fruit reaches the classifying / extracting units 34, 34 of a predetermined class / class, the non-illustrated rail is operated to discharge the fruit by overturning.

The fruit stays on the fruit stock table 43 and is boxed by a boxing worker. The worker selects and takes out a predetermined box supplied by the multistage distribution conveyor 50, and puts it on the lifting frame 46 and waits. The elevating frame 46 is raised and waited to continue the boxing operation, but when the first stage of boxing is completed, a partition material outside the figure is added so that the second stage can be supplied.

When boxing for one box is completed in this way, the lifting frame 46 is lowered, transferred to the surface of the relay roller conveyor 48, transferred, and transferred to the product conveyor 49. On the way, when the cardboard box is full, the corresponding box is taken out from the distribution conveyor 50 and is dealt with.

When the conventional fruit selection machine is configured in a two-row double drop method as shown in FIG. 5, the problem is that the traffic of the workers is hindered between the work places of the articles 101a and 101b. There is. Further, in the case where the sorting machine is configured in a two-piece single drop method with the sorting conveyors 38c and 38d as shown in FIG. Since the second line 102b starts to be discharged after the process is completed, there is a problem that the fruit selection machine becomes long.

Therefore, as shown in the plan view (a) of the first example and the classification extraction section sectional view (b), the two-row type fruit sorting machine in FIG. The classifying and extracting portions 34 and 34 are arranged with a difference in height between the first and second strips 34a and 34b. That is, the grade conveyors 36a and 36b and the sorting conveyors 38a and 38b constituting the grade sorting sections 32a and 32b and the classification take-out sections 34a and 34b are provided with a height difference, and these are connected to the front and rear. By comprising in this way, since the full length of a fruit selection machine can be comprised short, space saving can be achieved and work efficiency can be improved by shortening the movement distance of an operator. In addition, the specific configuration is such that the cup conveyor that moves by connecting the cups is provided with different heights of the mounting bases 52a and 52b, and among the stock table 43 that receives the objects to be sorted taken out by each cup rollover, The attachment base 52a side is higher than the cup height position of the cup conveyor formed on the attachment base 52b, and is configured to receive the object to be sorted. In addition, about the structure which is common in FIG. 5, a common code | symbol is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 8 which is a plan view (a) of the second example, a sectional view of the grade selection section (b), and a sectional view of the classification take-out section (c), The line 36c and the second line 36d have the same height, and an inclined guide part 53 is provided in front of the weight detector 41, and the classification take-out part is arranged with a height difference. By configuring in this way, the class selection unit can be supplied from either the left or right side, and the classification take-out unit can save space and improve work efficiency as described above.

  As in the prior art, when the fruit sorting machine is configured in a two-row double drop method, there is a problem that the movement of workers between the work places of the respective sections 101a and 101b is hindered. If the fruit dropping machine is configured in the single drop method, the first line 102a and the second line 102b have a difference in length, and the discharge of the second line 102b starts after the discharge port of the first line 102a ends. However, the above configuration can solve these problems.

  The agricultural product sorting apparatus according to the present invention can reduce the sorting work area by reducing the total number of sorting zones when sorting by a plurality of workers.

It is a top view of the agricultural product sorting apparatus of the 1st example of the present invention. It is a top view of the agricultural product sorting apparatus of the 2nd example of the present invention. It is a characteristic view which shows the grade determination method by the sensor output example for color selection. It is a flowchart. It is a top view in the case of the conventional 2 item | stripes both drop method. It is sectional drawing of a classification taking-out part of the conventional 2-row double drop method. It is a top view in the case of the conventional 2 strip piece drop method. It is sectional drawing of the classification extraction part of the conventional 2 piece piece dropping method. It is a top view of the 2 items type fruit selection machine of the 1st example. It is sectional drawing of the discharge part of the 2 type | formula fruit selection machine of a 1st example. It is a top view of the 2 type | formula fruit selection machine of a 2nd example. It is a grade selection part sectional view of the 2 items type fruit sorter of the 2nd example. It is sectional drawing sectional drawing of the 2 type | formula fruit selection machine of a 2nd example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Agricultural product sorter 2 Carry-in conveyor 3 Workers seat 4 Sorting conveyor 7 Outer belt (residual lane)
8 Inner belt (dedicated transfer means)
10 Guide 11 Alignment Belt 12 Sorting Conveyor 13 Sorting Zone 14 Separate Frame Zone 21 Agricultural Product Sorting Device 22 Backward Conveyor (Dedicated Transport Means)
23 Separate Zone A, B, C, D Division P Target

Claims (5)

A carry-in conveyor which receives a sorting object (sorted object) and carries it to the class sorting work position in a diffusible manner for sorting the class, and a sorting object (sorted object) at the class sorting work position of the carry-in conveyor. In an agricultural product sorting apparatus including a sorting conveyor having a plurality of sorting zones specified by an area sensor (area detection means) for receiving,
In addition to the plurality of sorting zones, a separate frame zone that is separately specified by an area sensor (area detection means) is formed on the sorting conveyor, and dedicated transfer means for transferring the sorting object to the separate frame zone is sorted. Agricultural product sorting apparatus characterized by being provided in the entire range of positions.   2. The agricultural product sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the separate frame zone is arranged downstream of all other sorting zones.   2. The agricultural product sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the separate frame zone is arranged upstream of all other sorting zones.   2. The agricultural product sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the separate frame zone is mixed with other sorting zones and arranged within a work range of a plurality of workers.   2. The agricultural product sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carry-in conveyor is formed with a residual lane in the width for transferring the sorting object to its end.

Images