JP2006076669A - Sorting accumulation facility for article - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a facility capable of sorting articles such as strawberries to be packed, and improving efficiency of picking-up work of the articles irrespective of its simple configuration. <P>SOLUTION: This sorting accumulation facility 1 is provided with an article supply part 4 for supplying article A to an empty pan P for conveyance, a determining part 5 for determining division of articles A on each pan P for conveyance, a selection means 7 for sorting each pan P for conveyance after determination per article A in the same division, and an accumulation part 6 for accumulating pans P for conveyance sorted by the selection means 7 in order from the upstream side of conveyance on a conveyance conveyor line 2 for conveying the pan P for conveyance on which the article A is loaded. The accumulation part 6 is provided with an accumulation conveyor 31 on which the pan P for conveyance sorted by the selection means 7 is fed. A speed damping path 32 for stopping travel of the pan P for conveyance passing through the accumulation conveyor 31 or decelerating the pan P for conveyance is connected with the downstream side of conveyance of the accumulation conveyor 31. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a sorting and accumulating facility for sorting and packing articles such as fruits and vegetables in the same category (grade and class).

  Conventionally, various equipment has been proposed for sorting and packing articles such as fruits and vegetables by the same grade (classification by quality such as sugar content and acidity) and class (classification by size). Yes.

  For example, Patent Document 1 includes a transport conveyor line that transports a transport pan on which articles are placed, and a return conveyor line that connects both ends of the transport conveyor line. An article supply unit for supplying articles to the bread for use, a judgment part for judging the classification of grades and the like in the articles on each transport pan, and each transport bread after the judgment are sorted for each article of the same category A configuration of an article sorting facility in which a sorter for collecting and a stacking unit for stacking transport bread sorted by the sorter is disclosed.

  In this case, the stacking unit includes a multi-row parallel stacking conveyor that is branched and connected to the transport conveyor line. Stopper means for temporarily blocking the movement of the transfer pan flowing on the stacking conveyor are provided in the middle and the most downstream of each stacking conveyor. In addition, the sorter is arranged at each intersection with each stacking conveyor in the transport conveyor line.

  When sorting the articles, first, the transport pan on which the articles are placed is transported from the article supply unit along one transport conveyor line at appropriate intervals. Next, after the determination unit determines the classification such as the grade of the articles on each transport pan, the transport pan on which the articles of the predetermined section are placed is sorted by a sorter so as to be branched and transported to a specific stacking conveyor.

  On each stacking conveyor, the first stopper means located in the middle of the stacking conveyor is temporarily dammed in a state where the transfer breads sorted by the sorter are arranged in a line. When the number of dams of the transport pan reaches a predetermined number, the dammed state by the first stopper means is released, and the group of accumulated transport pans is sent to the downstream side of the stacking conveyor.

The movement of the transport bread group is again dammed by the second stopper means located at the most downstream part of the stacking conveyor. Accordingly, a group of transporting pans that have passed through the first stopper means are stored in a line in a box waiting area between the stopper means of the stacking conveyor. Then, articles are picked up and packed manually from each conveyance pan in the boxing standby area. The transport pan that has been emptied returns to the article supply unit again via the return conveyor line (circulated and transported).
JP 2000-1226697 A

  However, according to the article sorting facility of Patent Document 1, a group of transfer pans that have been dammed by the first stopper means are released into the boxing standby area of the accumulation conveyor by releasing the dammed state by the first stopper means. They are fed together and arranged in a line in order from the downstream side in the boxing standby area.

  For this reason, in order to manually pick up articles from all the transport pans that have been fed into the boxing area, the operator must follow the boxing waiting area of the stacking conveyor (the direction in which the transport pans are arranged). Therefore, there is a problem that it takes time and effort to pick up the article, which is troublesome and leads to a reduction in work efficiency.

  Further, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, it is desired to automate the damming operation and the damming release operation of each stopper means by providing two stopper means for one stacking conveyor to increase the number of parts. In that case, a control system for controlling the driving of each stopper means must also be constructed. For this reason, there also existed a problem that structure became complicated and manufacturing cost increased.

  Therefore, the present invention has a technical problem to provide an article sorting and accumulating facility that can solve the above-described problems and can improve the efficiency of picking up an article while having a simple configuration. It is.

  In order to solve this technical problem, the invention according to claim 1 is an empty transport pan in order from the transport upstream side in a transport conveyor line that transports a transport pan on which articles such as fruits and vegetables are placed. An article supply unit for supplying articles, a determination unit for determining a classification of grades and the like of articles on each transport pan, and for classifying each transport pan after determination for each article in the same category An article sorting and accumulating facility comprising sorting means and an accumulating unit for accumulating the conveying bread sorted by the sorting means, wherein the accumulating unit includes the conveying pan sorted by the sorting means Is provided, and a speed attenuation path for stopping or decelerating the transport pan that has passed through the accumulation path is provided in the accumulation path.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the article sorting and collecting facility according to the first aspect, a friction member made of a material having a large friction coefficient is provided along the conveying direction in the speed attenuation path. .

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the equipment for sorting and accumulating articles according to the first or second aspect, the stacking path is constituted by a stacking conveyor into which transporting breads sorted by the sorting means are introduced in a line. On the other hand, the speed attenuation path is constituted by a slow-feed conveyor that is connected to the transport downstream side of the stacking conveyor and is driven at a lower speed than the stacking conveyor.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a speed attenuation path for stopping or decelerating the transport pan that has passed through the stacking path is connected to the transport downstream side of the stacking path in the stacking unit. The transport pan sent to the abruptly stops moving or decelerates, or the subsequent transport pan collides with the first transport pan on the speed attenuation path, so Conveyance pan congestion can be generated (conveying pans are accumulated) with the vicinity of the upstream side of the speed attenuation path in the vicinity of the conveyance center.

  Accordingly, if an operator is kept waiting near the upstream side of the conveyance of the speed attenuation path, the operator can hardly move along the arrangement direction of the conveyance pans as in the prior art. Can engage in pick-up work. As a result, the burden on the operator during sorting / packing operations can be reduced, and the working efficiency is improved.

  In addition, since the articles placed on each conveyance pan are picked up from the conveyance pan that is stopped or decelerated on the speed attenuation path, there is almost no risk of losing the articles, and the pick-up work The effect that it is easy to execute is also produced.

  The inventions of claims 2 and 3 are more specific than the invention of claim 1. In the configuration of claim 2, since a friction member made of a material having a large friction coefficient is provided along the conveyance direction in the speed attenuation path, the structure for stopping or decelerating the conveyance pan is extremely simple and breaks down. Not only is it difficult, but the number of parts is small. Thereby, there exists an effect that it can contribute to suppression of the cost for installation, and running cost (maintenance management cost).

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, since a slow feed conveyor that is driven at a lower speed than the stacking conveyor is connected to the downstream side of the stacking conveyor as the stacking path, the feed between the stacking conveyor and the slow feed conveyor is performed. Due to the difference in speed, the conveyance speed can be lowered and the jam of the conveyance pan can be generated with the vicinity of the conveyance upstream side of the slow-feed conveyor as a center. Therefore, the same effect as that of the first aspect of the invention can be obtained.

  In addition, since the slow-feed conveyor is driven at a low speed, it waits for the transport pans that have been picked up and emptied to accumulate on the slow-feed conveyor, or transports that have been emptied. Even if the operator does not manually push the pan to the downstream side of the transport, the empty transport pan can be automatically inherited and transported to the downstream line.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Embodiments embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings (FIGS. 1 to 8).

  1 to 6 show a first embodiment of a sorting and accumulating facility according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an article sorting facility to which the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the arrangement relationship between a stacking conveyor and a return conveyor, and FIG. 3 is an arrangement of a transfer conveyor line, a return conveyor line, and an empty bread standby unit. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the relationship, FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the sorting means, FIG. 5 is an enlarged plan view of an essential part showing an example of a speed attenuation path, and FIGS. 6 (a) to 6 (c) are for conveyance on an accumulation conveyor. It is a schematic explanatory drawing which shows an example of the conveyance aspect of a bread.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the sorting and accumulating facility 1 of the first embodiment includes a substantially U-shaped conveying conveyor line 2 in a plan view that conveys a conveying pan P on which articles A such as strawberries are placed in a line. And a reverse conveyor line 3 having a reverse S-shape in plan view that connects between the beginning and the end of the conveying conveyor line 2.

  The conveyance conveyor line 2 includes, in order from the upstream side of conveyance, an article supply unit 4 for supplying articles A to empty conveyance pans P, and grades of articles A on the conveyance breads P (depending on quality such as sugar content). Classification) and class (classification by size), a classifying unit 7 for classifying each transport pan P after the classification for each article A in the same category, and classifying by the classifying unit 7 An accumulating unit 6 is provided for accumulating the transported bread.

  First, the configuration of the transport pan P will be described. The conveyance pan P, which is an injection molded product made of a synthetic resin material, has a dish shape with the upper surface recessed downward. A through hole PH (see FIG. 2) having a hole diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the article A is formed at the center of the transport pan P. An identification mark (for example, a bar code or the like) for identifying individual breads is attached to the outer surface of the transport pan P.

  The article supply unit 4 arranged on the upstream side of the transport conveyor line 2 includes a load receiving conveyor 11 arranged in parallel with the transport upstream path 2a of the transport conveyor line 2, and a feeding device connected to the upstream side of the transport upstream path 2a. 12. In the article supply unit 2, an article A to be sorted is sent from the cargo receiving unit (not shown) by the cargo receiving conveyor 11. On the other hand, the empty transport pan P sent back to the feeding device 12 along the return conveyor line 3 from the later-described empty bread standby unit 8 is intermittently spaced at a predetermined pitch on the transport upstream path 2a of the transport conveyor line 2. Sent out. The worker M places the articles A one by one on the empty transport pans P that are transported in a line at predetermined pitch intervals by the transport upstream path 2a.

  The determination unit 5 is more than the two load cell type weighing means 14, 15 disposed on the upstream side and the downstream side across the place where the article A is placed in the transport upstream path 2 a and the second weighing means 15. And an optical quality measuring means 16 disposed on the downstream side.

  The first measuring means 14 on the upstream side is for measuring the weight of the transport pan P itself (empty state). The second measuring means 15 on the downstream side is for measuring the total weight of the transport pan P and the article A placed thereon.

  The quality measuring means 16 is composed of a light projecting part and a light receiving part (both not shown) arranged so as to face each other at the upper and lower parts across the transport upstream path 2a. The light projecting unit is for irradiating the article A with light through the through hole PH of the conveyance pan P. The light receiving unit is for receiving light transmitted or reflected by the article A.

  Each of the weighing means 14 and 15 and the quality measuring means 16 is provided with a code reader (not shown) for reading the identification mark displayed on the outer surface of each conveying pan P.

  Measurement data by both weighing means 14 and 15, optical data received by the light receiving unit of the quality measuring means 16, and ID data of the transport pan P read by the code readers of both the weighing means 14 and 15 and the quality measuring means 16 The (unique data specifying the transport pan P) is transmitted to a control device (not shown). The control device discriminates the class (L size, M size, MS size, etc.) of the article A placed on a specific transport pan P from the difference between the two types of measurement data that match the ID data, The grade (excellent, excellent, good, etc.) of the article A is discriminated from the optical data with the same ID data by a predetermined calculation process.

  The determination results as described above, that is, the ID data for specifying the transport pan P and the determination data regarding the grade and class of the article A placed on the specific transport pan P are mounted on the control device. It is stored in a readable / writable memory (RAM) as needed. Note that the determination unit 5 executes the discrimination of the grade and class of the article A by calculation processing of the imaging data of the article A taken by, for example, a color camera, instead of the measuring means 14 and 15 and the quality measuring means 16 described above. The image processing apparatus may be provided.

  The transporting pan P that has undergone the determination step is U-turned from the transport upstream path 2a of the transport conveyor line 2 and moved to the transport downstream path 2b. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, in the transport downstream path 2 b of the transport conveyor line 2, a plurality of stacks that are long in the direction intersecting the longitudinal direction of the transport downstream path 2 b in the plan view (the orthogonal direction in the embodiment). The conveyor lines 17 are branched and connected so as to be arranged in parallel at appropriate intervals.

  In this embodiment, the stacking unit 6 is configured by a total of eight pairs of stacking conveyor lines 17 including a pair of stacking conveyor lines 17 arranged in parallel in two rows. The accumulation conveyor line 17 need only have at least the number of combinations of grades and classes. For example, when there are two kinds of articles A and three kinds of classes, six rows of integrated conveyor lines 17 are required.

  At each intersection of the conveying conveyor line 2 with the accumulation conveyor line 17 pair, a sorting means 7 is provided for distributing only the conveying bread P on which the articles A of a predetermined section are placed to the specific accumulation conveyor line 17. (In the embodiment, there are 8 locations, see FIGS. 1 and 4).

  Each sorting means 7 includes a pair of pivot diverter type sorters 18 as a sorting mechanism, and a code reader 19 disposed immediately before the pair of sorters 18 (upstream side). Each sorter 18 receives an operation command from the control device when the transport pan P whose ID data has been read by the code reader 19 passes through the intersection with the accumulation conveyor line 17 pair corresponding to the determination result. It is comprised so that distribution rotation may be carried out. Therefore, only the transporting pans P on which the articles A of the same section (same grade and class) are placed are collected on the pair of integrated conveyor lines 17 in two rows.

  As for which of the pair of sorters 18 is to be distributed and rotated (to which of the adjacent stacking conveyor lines 17 the transport pan P is sorted), the transport pans accumulated in the adjacent stacking conveyor lines 17 are determined. It is set so that the control device determines according to the number of P.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 5, and 6, each stacking conveyor line 17 includes a stacking conveyor 31 serving as a stacking path through which transporting pans P sorted by each sorter 18 are fed, and downstream of the stacking conveyor 31. And a speed attenuation path 32 connected to the side. The speed attenuation path 32 is for stopping or decelerating the transfer pan P that has passed through the corresponding accumulation conveyor 31.

  In this embodiment, a plate-like friction member 33 made of a material such as rubber having a large friction coefficient is provided between each stacking conveyor 31 and the corresponding U-turn path 20 (see FIGS. 2, 5, and 6). Is disposed so as to extend along the transport direction, thereby configuring the speed attenuation path 32. In addition, work shelf boards 34 and 34 that extend long along the conveying direction are arranged on both sides of the pair of stacking conveyors 31 and 31.

  The packing (boxing) of the articles A in the same section is manually performed at each pair of the accumulation conveyor lines 17. That is, the worker M picks up the articles A from the transport pans P on the respective accumulation conveyor lines 17 and stores them in a packaging container C (see FIG. 5) such as a transparent synthetic resin packaging pack or cardboard box. .

  In this case, the conveyance aspect of the conveyance bread P by each accumulation conveyor line 17 is as follows, for example (refer FIG. 6 (a)-(c)). The worker M is waiting in advance near the upstream side of the conveyance of the speed attenuation path 32. In FIGS. 6A to 6C, for convenience of explanation, reference numerals P <b> 1 to P <b> 3 are assigned to the transport pan P in the transport order.

  First, the transport pan P1 (the product A is placed) sorted by the sorter 18 is moved to the transport downstream side by the stacking conveyor 31 corresponding to the sorter 18 (see FIG. 6A). When the transporting pan P1 reaches the speed attenuation path 32, a direction opposite to the transporting direction of the transporting pan P1 by the stacking conveyor 31 is between the contact surfaces of the transporting pan P1 and the friction member 33 of the speed attenuation path 32 ( A frictional force is generated in a direction that hinders the movement of the conveyance pan P1 toward the conveyance downstream side. The resistance caused by the frictional force causes the movement of the transport pan P1 to be braked, and the transport pan P1 stops near the upstream end of the speed damping path 32 (friction member 33) (FIG. 6 ( a)).

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 6B, the succeeding transport pan P <b> 2 that has flowed on the accumulation conveyor 31 after the transport pan P <b> 1 is near the upstream end of the speed attenuation path 32. It collides with the preceding transport pan P1 that has stopped (collises from the rear (transport upstream side)).

  If it does so, the preceding conveyance pan P1 which collided will be extruded ahead (conveyance downstream side) by the effect | action of the external force by a collision. At the same time, a frictional force in the direction opposite to the conveying direction of the conveying pan P1 acts between the contact surfaces of the conveying pan P1 and the friction member 33. Therefore, the conveying speed of the conveying pan P1 based on the external force caused by the rear impact. Is gradually attenuated, and the transporting pan P1 stops after moving on the speed attenuation path 32 (friction member 33) by an appropriate distance to the transport downstream side.

  On the other hand, a brake is applied to the transport pan P2 following the rear-end collision by applying a frictional force by the friction member 33 and a reaction force by the rear-end collision in a direction that inhibits the movement of the transport pan P2 toward the downstream side of the transport. Therefore, after the rear-end collision, the transfer pan P2 stops near the boundary between the stacking conveyor 31 and the speed attenuation path 32 (see FIG. 6B).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6C, the transport pan P <b> 3 that has flowed on the stacking conveyor 31 after the transport pan P <b> 2 is stopped near the boundary between the stacking conveyor 31 and the speed attenuation path 32. It collides with the transport pan P2. The transported bread P2 that has been subjected to the collision collides with the transporting pan P1 that stops in front of it in a so-called ball hitting phenomenon. As a result, the conveyance pans P1 and P2 are further pushed forward on the speed attenuation path 32 (friction member 33) and then stopped.

  Also in this case, since the frictional force due to the friction member 33 and the reaction force due to the rearward collision are applied to the rearward transporting pan P3 in the direction that impedes the movement, the transporting pan P3 is moved to the stacking conveyor after the rearward collision. It stops near the boundary between 31 and the velocity attenuation path 32.

  As is clear from the above transport mode, the group of transport pans P on which the articles A of the same section are placed are congested so as to be aligned in a line with the vicinity of the transport upstream side of the speed attenuation path 32 as the center. Will be collected. Therefore, if the worker M is kept waiting near the upstream side of the conveyance of the speed attenuation path 32, the worker M moves along the stacking conveyor line 17 (along the arrangement direction of the conveyance pans P). It is possible to engage in the pick-up work for the article A with little movement. Thereby, the burden of the worker M at the time of sorting / packing work can be reduced, and work efficiency can be improved.

  Further, since the articles A in the same section are picked up from the conveyance pan P stopped on the speed attenuation path 32 (friction member 33), there is almost no risk of losing the articles A, and the pickup operation is easy to execute. . Therefore, when the sorting and accumulating facility 1 of the present invention is employed, productivity can be improved while reducing the burden on the operator.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the plate-like friction member 33 is arranged so as to extend along the transport direction, the speed attenuation path 32 is configured, so that the transport pan P is stopped or decelerated. The structure is extremely simple and not easy to break down, and the number of parts is small. Thereby, it can also contribute to suppression of the installation cost and running cost (maintenance management cost) for selection collection equipment 1 introduction.

  After the series of sorting / packing processes as described above, the empty transport pan P accumulates on the speed damping path 32 (friction member 33) and reaches the U-turn path 20 on the downstream side of the transport. The empty transport pan P is inherited by the U-turn path 20 and is transported toward the return conveyor 21. Note that when the transport pan P that has been emptied gathers to some extent on the speed attenuation path 32 (friction member 33), the operator M pushes the group of empty transport pans P to the downstream side of the transport by hand. Thus, the group of the empty transport pans P may be transferred to the U-turn path 20 in succession.

  7 and 8 show another example of the velocity attenuation path of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a main part enlarged plan view showing a second embodiment of the speed attenuation path, and FIG. 8 is a main part enlarged plan view showing a third embodiment of the speed attenuation path.

  In the second embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a belt-type slow-feed conveyor 35 driven at a lower speed than the stacking conveyor 31 is replaced with the friction member 33 between the stacking conveyor 31 and the U-turn path 20 corresponding thereto. Is provided. The slow-feed conveyor 35 of the second embodiment is configured by winding a pair of belts 38 around a horizontal cylindrical rear pulley 37 as well as a horizontal cylindrical front pulley 36. Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

  If comprised in this way, due to the difference in feed speed between the accumulation conveyor 31 and the slow-feed conveyor 35, the transfer pan P that has been transferred to the slow-feed conveyor 35 will be rapidly decelerated. The transporting pan P is transported by the slow-feeding conveyor 35 in a state where it hits the preceding transporting pan P on the slow-feeding conveyor 35 or comes close to the preceding transporting pan P (the arrangement interval is narrowed). The As a result, the conveyance speed can be lowered and the congestion of the conveyance pan P can be generated around the conveyance upstream side of the slow-feed conveyor 35 (speed attenuation path).

  Therefore, as in the first embodiment, if the worker M is waiting near the upstream side of the conveyance of the slow-feed conveyor 35 (speed attenuation path), the worker M moves along the stacking conveyor line 17. Since it is possible to engage in the pick-up work for the article A, the burden on the worker M during sorting / packing work is reduced, and work efficiency can be improved.

  Further, since the slow-feed conveyor 35 is driven at a low speed, it waits for the transport pan P, which has been picked up by the article A to be emptied, to accumulate on the slow-feed conveyor 35, or is empty. Even if the operator M does not manually push the pan P to the downstream side of conveyance, the empty conveyance pan P can be automatically inherited and conveyed to the U-turn path 20.

  In the third embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the U-turn path 20 is connected to the downstream side of the belt-type stacking conveyor 31 in each stacking conveyor line 17. That is, the conveyance pan P is directly transferred from the stacking conveyor 31 to the U-turn path 20. A long fixed friction plate 40 (friction member) is provided along the transport direction between the pair of belts 39 and 39 on the downstream side of the accumulation conveyor 31.

  Similar to the friction member 33 of the first embodiment, the fixed friction plate 40 is a plate-shaped member made of a material such as rubber having a large friction coefficient. The arrangement of the friction plate 40 is set so that the upper surface of the friction plate 40 is located on the same plane as the upper surfaces of both the belts 39 and 39 (the contact surface with the conveyance pan P). Therefore, the bottom surface of the transport pan P sent to the transport downstream side of the accumulation conveyor 31 comes into contact with both the top surfaces of both belts 39 and 39 and the top surface of the friction plate 40.

  In 3rd Embodiment, the location where the friction board 40 is arrange | positioned among the accumulation conveyors 31 is equivalent to a speed attenuation | damping path | route. Further, the upstream side of the place of the friction plate 40 in the accumulation conveyor 31 corresponds to the accumulation path described in the claims.

  If comprised in this way, when the conveyance pan P reaches | attains the location (speed attenuation | damping path | route) of the friction plate 40 in the accumulation conveyor 31, between the contact surfaces of the conveyance pan P and the friction plate 40, the accumulation conveyor 31 will be provided. As a result, a friction force in the direction opposite to the conveying direction of the conveying pan P is generated, so that the conveying pan P slips with respect to both belts 39, 39 of the accumulation conveyor 31, and the conveying speed is attenuated.

  Then, since the transport pan P that has reached the location of the friction plate 40 is rapidly decelerated, the subsequent transport pan P is the preceding transport pan located at the location of the friction plate 40. In the state where it hits P or approaches the preceding transport pan P (the arrangement interval is narrowed), it is transported by the accumulation conveyor 31. As a result, the conveyance speed can be lowered and the congestion of the conveyance pan P can be generated with the vicinity of the conveyance upstream side of the location of the friction plate 40 (speed attenuation path) as the center.

  Therefore, as in the first and second embodiments, if the worker M is kept waiting near the upstream side of the conveyance of the location of the friction plate 40 (speed attenuation path), the worker M is put on the accumulation conveyor line 17. Since it is possible to engage in the pick-up work of the article A with almost no movement along, the burden on the worker M at the time of sorting / packing work is reduced, and work efficiency can be improved.

  Also, the transport pan P that has been emptied by picking up the article A slips at the location of the friction plate 40 in the stacking conveyor 31, but automatically with respect to the U-turn path 20 as in the second embodiment. Inherently transferred.

  It is also possible to provide the fixed friction plate 40 shown in the third embodiment between the belts 38 of the slow feed conveyor 35 in the second embodiment. In this case, due to the difference in feed speed between the stacking conveyor 31 and the slow feed conveyor 35 and the synergistic effect of the frictional force generated by the friction plate 40, the transport pan P is substantially centered around the transport upstream side of the slow feed conveyor 35. It can cause traffic jams.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, in this embodiment, the worker M on both sides across the pair of stacking conveyor lines 17 can be transported to both of the two stacking conveyor lines 17. Since the articles A of the same section can be picked up from the transporting pan P, it is possible to improve the efficiency of the packing work.

  On the other hand, the downstream end of the transport downstream path 2b that is not branched is directly connected to a position of an empty bread standby section 8 to be described later in the return conveyor line 3. The empty conveyance pan P on which the article A is not placed in the article supply unit 4 is directly returned to the empty pan standby unit 8 described later from the conveyance downstream path 2b, and returns to the article supply unit 4 again (circulated and conveyed). It will be.

  In this way, if the downstream end of the transport downstream path 2b that does not pass through the stacking unit 6 is directly connected to the empty pan standby unit 8 to be described later, an empty transport pan on which the article A has not been placed. P can be reused quickly without causing P to be mixed into the stacking unit 6 (each stacking conveyor line 17). Moreover, it can also contribute to efficient operation of the entire sorting and collecting facility 1.

  The packing work is not limited to manual work, and can be performed using an automatic boxing device or the like. Further, it may be set so that the transporting pans P on which the different groups of articles A are placed are sorted and collected with respect to each stacking conveyor line 17. Of course, it may be set so that the transport pans P in which the articles A of the same section are placed on a plurality of pairs of the integrated conveyor lines 17 are collected. The sorting mechanism is not limited to the pivot diverter type sorter 18, and a shoe sorter or the like may be employed.

  A return conveyor 21 connected to the downstream side of each stacking conveyor line 17 via a U-turn path 20 is disposed so as to overlap with the stacking conveyor line 17 positioned above in plan view. On the other hand, the return upstream path 3a of the return conveyor line 3 is arranged in parallel with the transport downstream path 2b in a plan view at a position near the transport downstream path 2b in the lower part of the stacking conveyor group 17 and is three-dimensional with the stacking conveyor line 17 group. It is arranged to intersect. The downstream sides of the return conveyors 21 are joined and connected to the return upstream path 3a of the return conveyor line 3.

  In this embodiment, the return upstream paths 3a are arranged in two rows in parallel. One return upstream path 3a is connected to the return conveyor 21 pair corresponding to the stacking conveyor line 17 pair located on the right side in FIG. A return conveyor 21 located on the left side of FIG. 1 is connected to the other return upstream path 3a.

  The downstream side of the return upstream path 3 a is connected to an empty bread standby unit 8 disposed below the transport downstream path 2 b of the transport conveyor line 2. The empty bread standby unit 8 is for temporarily storing (storing) a large number of conveying breads P that have passed through the conveying conveyor line 2 and are emptied. As shown in FIG. 1, the empty bread standby unit 8 is arranged in parallel so as to overlap with the transport downstream path 2 b of the transport conveyor line 2 in plan view.

  The empty bread waiting unit 8 of this embodiment includes a group of stock conveyors 22 in which a plurality of (six in the embodiment) conveyors are arranged in parallel. The stock conveyor 22 group constitutes a midway part of the return conveyor line 3. The empty transport pan P sent from the return upstream path 3a to the empty pan standby section 8 is a stock conveyor that is empty by a sorter (not shown) according to the stock status of the transport pan P in each stock conveyor 22. 22 is appropriately distributed.

  It should be noted that the previous determination data relating to the transport pan P transported to the empty pan standby unit 8 (determination data regarding the grade and class of the article A placed on the transport pan P) is that the transport pan P is empty. It is set to be erased when it arrives at the bread waiting unit 8.

  The downstream side of each stock conveyor 22 is connected to a return downstream path 3b that is U-turned and extends parallel to each stock conveyor 22. The downstream side of the return downstream path 3 b is connected to a feeding device 12 positioned on the upstream side of the transport upstream path 2 a in the transport conveyor line 2.

  Accordingly, the empty transfer pan P transferred to the return conveyor 21 via the U-turn path 20 is temporarily stored in the empty bread standby unit 8 via the return upstream path 3 a of the return conveyor line 3. Then, it is conveyed to the feeding device 13 via the return downstream path 3b, and returns to the article supply unit 2 (circulated and conveyed) again.

  In this embodiment, the arrangement height positions of the load receiving conveyor 11, the transfer conveyor line 2, and the respective accumulation conveyor lines 17 are all at a height position of a person's waist in order to improve the work efficiency of the worker M. (For example, about 1100 mm from the floor). And the arrangement | positioning height position of each return conveyor 21, the return conveyor line 3, and the empty bread waiting part 8 is set to about 400 mm from the floor surface.

  Note that an empty pan cleaning device 25 for cleaning an arbitrarily extracted one of the transport pans P waiting in the empty bread standby unit 8 is provided at a location near the upstream side of the empty bread standby unit 8. Branch connected. As the empty pan cleaning device 25, various types such as a brush type, an air spray type, a liquid spray type, and an immersion type can be adopted.

  The tip end portion (downstream side) of the payout conveyor 26 protruding from the empty bread cleaning device 25 so as to extend along the return downstream path 3b of the return conveyor line 3 faces the middle part of the return downstream path 3b. The cleaned transport pan P is returned from the tip of the delivery conveyor 26 and sent out to the downstream path 3b.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and can be widely applied to various types of articles other than agricultural products such as strawberries. Various types of conveyors such as a belt type and a roller type can be adopted as various conveyors such as a transfer conveyor line.

  The speed attenuation path only needs to be in the stacking path in the stacking unit. However, when the speed decay path is provided on the upstream side of the stacking path, the transport pan may overflow (store) on the transport conveyor line. . Therefore, it is preferable to provide the velocity attenuation path in the middle of the accumulation path, the downstream side of the conveyance, or the like.

  The friction member 33 and the friction plate 40 are not limited to rubber materials, and have a function of making the conveyance pan P difficult to slide by using another material having a large friction coefficient or making the surface shape into a concavo-convex shape. Just do it. In addition, the friction member 33 and the friction plate 40 are not limited to a long plate shape, and may be embodied in various forms such as a plurality of wires.

It is a schematic plan view of the article selection equipment according to the present invention. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the arrangement | positioning relationship of an accumulation conveyor and a return conveyor. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the arrangement | positioning relationship of a conveyance conveyor line, a return conveyor line, and an empty bread standby part. It is a schematic plan view of a selection means. It is a principal part enlarged plan view which shows an example of a velocity attenuation | damping path | route. (A)-(c) is a schematic explanatory drawing which shows an example of the conveyance aspect of the bread for conveyance on an accumulation conveyor. It is a principal part enlarged plan view which shows 2nd Embodiment of a velocity attenuation | damping path | route. It is a principal part enlarged plan view which shows 3rd Embodiment of a velocity attenuation | damping path | route.

Explanation of symbols

A article M worker P transport pan 1 article sorting equipment 2 transport conveyor line 2a transport upstream path 2b transport downstream path 3 return conveyor line 3a return upstream path 3b return downstream path 4 article supply section 5 determination section 6 stacking section 7 sorting means 8 Empty Bread Waiting Section 17 Stacking Conveyor Line 20 U-Turn Path 21 Return Conveyor 31 Stacking Conveyor as Stacking Path 32 Speed Damping Path 33 Friction Member 35 Slow Feeding Conveyor as Speed Damping Path 40 Friction Plate

Claims (3)

An article supply unit for supplying articles to empty transport pans in order from the transport upstream side in a transport conveyor line for transporting transport pans on which articles such as fruits and vegetables are placed, and each transport pan The determination unit for determining the classification of grades and the like in the upper article, the sorting means for sorting each judged bread for each article in the same section, and the transport bread sorted by this sorting means are integrated. A sorting and collecting facility for articles comprising a stacking unit for
The stacking unit includes a stacking path through which the transporting pans sorted by the sorting unit are sent, and a speed attenuation path for stopping or decelerating the transporting pan that has passed through the stacking path in the stacking path. A facility for sorting and collecting articles, characterized in that   2. The article sorting and accumulating facility according to claim 1, wherein a friction member made of a material having a large friction coefficient is provided along the conveyance direction in the speed attenuation path.   The accumulation path is constituted by an accumulation conveyor into which the transfer pans sorted by the sorting means are introduced in a row, while the speed attenuation path is connected to the conveyance downstream side of the accumulation conveyor and the accumulation The equipment for sorting and accumulating articles according to claim 1, wherein the equipment is configured by a slow-feed conveyor that is driven at a lower speed than the conveyor.

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