JP2011005464A - Article sorting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an agricultural product sorting device which can discharge an agricultural product from a transportation conveyer to a branched conveyer without rotating the agricultural products.SOLUTION: At the time of transferring an agricultural product from a bucket 6 to a branched conveyer by shifting an endless rotating belt 15 of a discharge mechanism 11 installed in the bucket 6 of a bucket conveyer to the aslant behind side of the bucket 6 while transferring the agricultural product to the branched conveyer side by rotating the endless rotating belt 15, the inertia force of the agricultural product P is lowered in the bucket transportation direction and the agricultural product P is transferred to the branched conveyer without being rotated.

Description

  The present invention relates to an article sorting device that discharges articles moving on a conveyor to a branch conveyor for each sorting section, and in particular, a discharge mechanism that can deliver articles such as agricultural products from the conveyor to the branch conveyor without rolling. The present invention relates to a provided article sorting apparatus.

  Articles to be selected include articles that have a shape that easily rolls when delivered to a branch conveyor, such as agricultural products that have a substantially spherical shape such as oranges, apples, pears, melons, lemons, sweet potatoes, radishes, An elliptical or cylindrical shape having a substantially circular cross-section along the short direction, such as a hood, can be exemplified. For non-agricultural products, a substantially spherical shape or a cross-section along the short direction is a substantially circular cross-section. For example, a ball for ball games can be exemplified.

  As an agricultural product sorting device, when agricultural products that have been classified on the same class are discharged for each class at a predetermined sorting discharge position, the agricultural products are orthogonal to the conveying direction of the bucket conveyor. A method of moving in a direction and delivering it to a fruit vegetable sorting basket has been proposed (Patent Document 1).

  Moreover, it replaces with the above-mentioned fruit vegetable selection basket, and the structure which has arrange | positioned diagonally toward the conveyance direction of the said bucket conveyor is also proposed (patent document 2).

  The discharge mechanism described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 described above has an agricultural product placement belt that rotates endlessly with the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the bucket conveyor as the discharge direction, and rotates the agricultural product placement belt in the forward direction. Thus, the agricultural product placed on the agricultural product placing belt is moved to the fruit vegetable sorting basket and the branching conveyor side and delivered. In the agricultural product sorting apparatus of Patent Document 1, when the agricultural product is delivered to the fruit and vegetable sorting basket, the agricultural product rolls by an inertial force composed of the combined force of the agricultural product placing belt and the bucket conveyor. There is a case.

  On the other hand, in the agricultural product sorting apparatus of Patent Document 2, since the branch conveyor extends obliquely along the direction of the inertial force, the agricultural product is rolled by driving the branch conveyor at the inertial speed of the agricultural product. It can be delivered to the branch conveyor without making it.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 06-023936 JP 2004-209397 A

  As described in Patent Document 2 described above, when the branch conveyor is disposed obliquely with respect to the transport direction of the bucket conveyor, it is required to discharge the agricultural products straight along the transport direction of the branch conveyor. However, since the shapes of the agricultural products are different, not all can be discharged straight with respect to the obliquely arranged branch conveyor, and the agricultural products may roll if the discharging direction is deviated.

  An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide an article sorting device that can discharge agricultural products from a conveyor to a branch conveyor without rolling them.

  An article sorting device that realizes the object of the present invention includes an article placement means having an article placement surface on which an article is placed, a bucket body portion that supports the article placement means, and the article placement. An article discharge mechanism for discharging articles placed on the placing means, a transfer conveyor for moving the plurality of buckets on an endless rotating track, and a sorting category determined article placed on the bucket for each sorting category A plurality of branching conveyors arranged on the side of the conveying conveyor to be received on the side, and the sorting unit determined articles placed on the bucket by driving the article discharging mechanism are arranged on the side of the conveying conveyor for each sorting category In the article sorting apparatus including the article discharge mechanism driving means for discharging to the plurality of branch conveyors, the article placing means is provided to be movable with respect to the bucket main body. When the article discharge mechanism is driven by the article discharge mechanism driving means, the article placement mechanism moves the article placement surface of the article placement means toward the branch conveyor in a discharge direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the bucket. However, a guide mechanism for moving the bucket backward in the conveying direction is provided.

  In the article sorting apparatus having the above-described configuration, the guide mechanism includes a guide member disposed obliquely with respect to the discharge direction, and the article discharge mechanism is guided by the guide member and is associated with the article discharge mechanism driving unit. The article placement which can be comprised by the slide member which moves integrally with the discharge | emission pin to match | combine, and the connection member which connects the said slide member and the said article mounting surface integrally, and consists of an endless rotation belt etc. While shifting the means obliquely backward with respect to the bucket conveying direction, the belt of the endless rotating belt is rotated to discharge the article to the branch conveyor.

  In the article sorting apparatus having the above-described configuration, the guide mechanism has a cam groove provided in the bucket body, and the article discharge mechanism moves the article placing unit along the bucket conveyance direction. A support means that is movably supported, a discharge pin that engages with the cam groove and moves to the branch conveyor side by engagement with the article discharge mechanism driving means, and the discharge pin and the article placement surface. And an endless rotating belt that can be connected to the article placing means and move in the bucket conveying direction while moving the article placing surface in the discharge direction. The article placement means such as the apparatus itself does not move in the discharge direction orthogonal to the bucket conveyance direction, shifts backward in the bucket conveyance direction, and the discharge direction of the article placement surface such as the endless rotating belt Discharging the articles to a branch conveyor in the movement.

  In the article sorting apparatus having the above-described configuration, the guide mechanism has a cam groove provided in the bucket main body, and the article discharge mechanism is arranged so that the article placing means moves along the bucket conveyance direction. A support means that is movably supported on the article, and is integrally connected to an article placement surface of the article placement means, is movable in the discharge direction, and is integral with the article placement means along the bucket conveying direction. Movable follower plate, a cam follower connected to the follower plate and engaged with the cam groove, and integrally connected to the follower plate, and engaged with the article discharge mechanism driving means, thereby the branch conveyor. As with the article sorting device having the above-described cam groove, the article placing means can be shifted and moved only in the bucket conveying direction. Rukoto can, by using the cam follower increases the degree of freedom of the movement mechanism of the article placing means.

  Further, in each of the above-described configurations, the cam groove extends at least from the discharge drive cam groove portion parallel to the discharge direction and the discharge drive cam groove portion toward the rear side in the bucket conveying direction and is inclined toward the branch conveyor side. A pair of cam grooves for shift drive or a pair of cam grooves for discharge drive that are spaced apart in the discharge direction and parallel to the discharge direction and spaced apart in the front and rear along the bucket conveying direction, and the pair of discharge drives And a shift driving cam groove portion that is connected to the opposite end of the cam groove portion and extends obliquely rearward in the bucket conveying direction and is inclined toward the branch conveyor.

  The branch conveyor is intermittently driven by a distance corresponding to one article when the article is transferred, pools the article, and ensures transfer of the article to be discharged next.

  According to the present invention, when an article having a shape that is easy to roll, for example, is discharged from a conveyor conveyor such as a bucket conveyor to a branch conveyor, the article placing means such as an endless rotating belt is shifted rearward in the bucket conveying direction. Thus, it is possible to cancel the inertia force in the bucket conveyance direction accompanying the bucket conveyance and prevent the article from rolling on the branch conveyor when the article is transferred to the branch conveyor.

  Articles with shapes that are easy to roll upon delivery to the branching conveyor, which is the object to be sorted, for example, in the form of roughly spherical shapes such as mandarin oranges, apples, pears and melons in agricultural products, lemons, sweet potatoes, radishes, An elliptical or cylindrical shape having a substantially circular cross-section along the short direction, such as a hood, can be exemplified. For non-agricultural products, a substantially spherical shape or a cross-section along the short direction is a substantially circular cross-section. For example, a ball for ball games can be exemplified.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, in addition to the effect of the present invention described above, since the article placement means is configured to directly discharge and shift obliquely rearward, the structure of the discharge mechanism can be simplified. .

  According to the invention of claim 3, in addition to the effect of the present invention described above, drive control of movement of the article placing means in the bucket transport direction and movement of the article placement surface in the discharge direction is performed using the cam groove. Therefore, the moving speed in the bucket conveying direction can be arbitrarily set, and the cam groove can be easily formed by laser processing or the like.

  According to the invention according to claim 4, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 3, the degree of freedom of the moving mechanism of the article placing means is increased by using the driven plate provided with the cam follower. When the discharge pin is engaged with the guide mechanism and the drive force of the discharge mechanism is taken out, the drive force take-out and the mechanism for shifting the article placement means can be configured separately.

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 5, it can be set as a simple cam groove structure.

  According to the invention of claim 6, the shift movement of the article placing means is stopped at the discharge drive cam groove portion through the shift drive cam groove portion, and the article is transferred to the branch conveyor there. It is possible to reliably prevent the article from being transferred. Further, since the inclination can be increased as compared with the case where the cam grooves are formed in a straight line, the shift speed can be increased, and as a result, the inertial force can be canceled even when the bucket conveying speed is high.

  According to the invention of claim 7, articles such as agricultural products can be pooled in an aligned state at predetermined intervals on the branch conveyor, and the next discharged article can be transferred without colliding with the previous article. Can be placed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Schematic of the whole apparatus which shows 1st Embodiment of the agricultural product selection apparatus by this invention. FIG. 1 shows a bucket of the bucket conveyor of FIG. 1 and a discharge mechanism provided in the bucket, wherein (a) is a top view showing an endless rotating belt as an agricultural product placing means in a standby position, and (b) is a front view. (C) is the AA arrow directional view of (a). FIG. 3 is a top view of the discharge mechanism shown in FIG. 2, and shows a state where an endless rotating belt that is an agricultural product placement unit rotates from a standby position to a discharge position, and the discharge mechanism moves rearward in the transport direction from the standby position. . 2nd Embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) is a top view of the discharge mechanism with which the bucket of a bucket conveyor and a bucket are equipped, and the endless rotation belt which is agricultural product mounting means shows the state of a standby position, ( (b) is a front view, (c) is a top view of a bucket main-body part, (d) is a BB arrow line view of (a). FIG. 5 is a top view of the discharge mechanism shown in FIG. 4, showing the state where the endless rotating belt, which is an agricultural product placing means, rotates from the standby position to the discharge position, and the discharge mechanism shifts backward from the standby position in the transport direction. . 3rd Embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) is a top view of the discharge mechanism with which the bucket of a bucket conveyor and a bucket are equipped, and the endless rotation belt apparatus which is an agricultural product mounting means shows the state of a standby position, (B) is a front view, (c) is a CC arrow view of (a), and (d) is a DD arrow view of (a). The top view of the bucket main-body part of the bucket shown in FIG. 6 is shown. FIG. 7 is a top view of the discharge mechanism shown in FIG. 6, in which an endless rotating belt device that is an agricultural product placement unit rotates from the standby position to the discharge position, and the discharge mechanism shifts backward from the standby position in the transport direction. Show. The 4th Embodiment of this invention is shown, (a) is an exploded top view of a back supporter, (b) is a figure which shows the state which assembled the back supporter of (a).

  A description will be given below based on an embodiment in which the article sorting apparatus according to the present invention is applied to an agricultural product sorting apparatus.

First Embodiment FIGS. 1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall configuration of an agricultural product sorting apparatus, FIG. 2 shows details of the bucket of FIG. 1, and FIG. The state shifted to the discharge position is shown. In FIG. 2A and FIG. 3, the back side of the endless rotating belt 15 and the back supporter 23 is shown in a transparent state, and the part of the back side that has been transmitted is indicated by a solid line.

  The agricultural product sorting apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a bucket conveyor 2 that is a transport conveyor that rotates endlessly between a drive unit 2a and a driven unit 2b. A container 5 containing agricultural products on the conveyor 4 is transported to the side of the bucket conveyor 2, and an agricultural product supply operator W 1 supplies (places) a spherical agricultural product such as melon in the container 5 to each bucket 6 of the bucket conveyor 2. )

  In this embodiment, the bucket conveyor 2 is connected to a later-described chain 13 that rotates endlessly with a later-described connecting shaft 12 whose longitudinal direction is a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the bucket 6 (hereinafter referred to as the bucket width direction). The bucket 6 is connected to the connecting shaft 12 so as to be movable in the bucket width direction, and the bucket 6 can be moved in the bucket width direction by the manual operation of the agricultural product supply worker W1 to be stopped at an arbitrary position.

  In the present embodiment, the agricultural product supply operator W1 visually determines a grade (excellent, excellent, etc.) that is one of the quality items of the agricultural product, and determines each grade in the bucket width direction for the bucket 6 on which the agricultural product is placed. A hand sorting method is adopted that moves to a predetermined position corresponding to the above.

  When the agricultural product placed at a predetermined grade position of the bucket 6 in the agricultural product supply unit 3 passes through the grade determination device 7, for example, by a plurality of photoelectric switches (not shown) composed of a combination of a light projecting element and a light receiving element. The predetermined grade position is detected, and the grade information detected together with the current position (bucket number) is transmitted to a processing device (not shown). As shown in FIG. 2 (b), a reflector 6a is provided on the rear end side of the bucket 6 in the bucket width direction so as to be movable up and down, and the reflector 6a is placed at the same position in the bucket width direction. When the light is raised to the upper position indicated by the dotted line and the light of the photoelectric switch is reflected by the reflecting plate 6a to perform ON detection, the reflecting plate 6a is lowered to the position indicated by the solid line, and the light of the photoelectric switch is allowed to pass. Therefore, the grade instructions differ depending on when the OFF detection is performed.

  The agricultural product on the bucket 6 that has passed through the grade determination device 7 is subsequently inspected by entering the inspection device 8 that measures the external size, internal quality, etc., and the inspection result information of the agricultural product is transmitted to the processing device to produce the agricultural product. The class (S, M, L, LL, etc.), which is another item of the quality, is determined, and the classification of each agricultural product is determined.

  A plurality of branch conveyors 9 are arranged between the inspection device 8 and the drive unit 2a on the side of the bucket conveyor 2. In this embodiment, for example, the four branch conveyors 9 are grouped, and a plurality of groups 9A, 9B,... Are arranged. Transferred from the bucket conveyor 2. Each branching conveyor 9 functions as a pool conveyor that pools agricultural products for packaging processing, and is intermittently driven with a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the bucket conveyor 2 as the conveying direction. The driving operation of the branch conveyor 9 is started in synchronism with the start of the discharge operation of the agricultural products from the bucket 6, and the agricultural product delivered to the branch conveyor 9 is conveyed by a predetermined feed distance α from the conveyance start end of the branch conveyor. Then, the driving of the branch conveyor 9 is stopped. By providing this predetermined feed distance α, when receiving the next agricultural product, it is possible to ensure a space between the previous agricultural product and the next agricultural product to be fed and the conveyance start end of the branch conveyor 9. This ensures that collisions with the agricultural products placed on it can be avoided. Therefore, the agricultural products pooled on each branch conveyor 9 are pooled in a state of being aligned at a predetermined interval.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the bucket conveyor 2 is configured by connecting a large number of buckets 6 to a chain 13 that rotates endlessly, and each bucket 6 is connected to the chain 13 that rotates endlessly via a connecting shaft 12. A discharge mechanism 11 that discharges toward the branch conveyor 9 in a state where agricultural products are placed is arranged on the bucket main body portion 10 of the frame structure that is connected in this manner.

  A connecting shaft 12 extending in the bucket width direction passes through the bucket body 10 of the bucket 6 so as to be rotatable and movable, and the bucket 6 can be moved along the connecting shaft 12 in the bucket width direction.

  The bucket 6 can be moved to an arbitrary position in the bucket width direction for setting the grade until it passes through the hand sorting area 3 and the grade determination device 7, and the bucket 6 is used to hold the set grade position. The position is not forcibly moved to a later-described offset position in the bucket width direction.

  Then, after passing the grade determination device 7, the inspection device 8 performs an inspection at a fixed position in the bucket width direction, and the bucket 6 is moved as close to the branch conveyor 9 as possible with respect to the branch conveyor 9 and the bucket 6 In order to be able to discharge agricultural products by the discharge mechanism 11, as shown in FIG. 1, a guide member 33 for returning the offset position to the bucket conveyor body is arranged immediately before the inspection device 8.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the guide roller 14 attached to one side (the side opposite to the branching conveyor 9) of the bucket body 10 is engaged with the guide member 33 for returning to the offset position, and the bucket 6 is transported in the transport direction. As it is done, the guide roller 14 is moved to the branch conveyor 9 side. When the bucket 6 passes through the region where the branch conveyor 9 is provided, the bucket 6 is held as close to the branch conveyor 9 as possible so that the offset position is maintained. A guide rail 34 of the mold is provided on the bucket conveyor body, and the guide roller 14 is engaged with the U-shaped groove of the guide rail 34. By providing the guide rail 34 up to just before the agricultural product supply unit 3, the bucket 6 can be moved while being held at a fixed position in the bucket width direction.

  The discharge mechanism 11 has a configuration in which an endless rotating belt 15 serving as an agricultural product placing unit having the bucket width direction as the transport direction is disposed at the upper end of the main body unit 10, and the first roller 16 and the second roller 17. The endless rotating belt 15 is bridged between the two. In the present embodiment, the first roller 16 side is the agricultural product discharge side, and the substantially central position in the bucket width direction is the standby position for the agricultural product P to be discharged.

  The length L1 of the main body 10 in the conveying direction of the bucket conveyor 2 (hereinafter referred to as the bucket conveying direction) is longer than the length L2 of the endless rotating belt 15, and the support shafts provided at both ends of the main body 10 in the bucket width direction. A first roller 16 and a second roller 17 are axially supported by 18 and 19 so as to be freely movable in the axial direction.

  Therefore, the endless rotating belt 15 is supported by the first roller 16 and the second roller 17 that are rotatably supported by the support shafts 18 and 19, and can be rotated. , 19 can be moved in the axial direction, that is, in the bucket conveying direction.

  The endless rotating belt 15 moves the upper surface belt portion 15a, which is an agricultural product placement surface on which the agricultural product P is placed, toward the first roller 16, and the agricultural product P reaches the discharge end of the endless rotating belt 15. The movement in the discharge direction is stopped, and then returned to the original standby position, for example.

  In this embodiment, when the produce P on the endless rotating belt 15 is discharged to the branching conveyor 9, the endless rotating belt 15 is moved in the discharge direction while moving the endless rotating belt 15 at the standby position shown in FIG. 15 is shifted to the rear side in the bucket conveyance direction and moved to the discharge position shown in FIG. 3, and the configuration of conveyance drive and shift drive of the endless rotating belt 15 will be described below with reference to FIG.

  The main body 10 is provided with a guide rod 20 along the bucket conveying direction in an inclined state toward the rear of the bucket conveyor 2 in the bucket width direction in the bucket width direction below the endless rotating belt 15. Two pieces are fixed in parallel in the front-rear direction, and a slide member 21 is slidably attached to the two guide rods 20. FIG. 2B shows a state in which the slide member 21 is located at a position in the bucket width direction farthest from the branch conveyor 9, and this state is set as a standby position. Therefore, the slide member 21 shifts and moves backward in the conveying direction of the bucket conveyor 2 while being guided by the slide guide rod 20 and approaching the branch conveyor 9.

  The slide member 21 passes through an opening 10b formed in the top plate 10a of the main body 10 and a slit (shown by a two-dot chain line) 15c parallel to the bucket width direction formed in the lower surface belt portion 15b of the endless rotating belt 15. The connecting member 22 reaching the upper surface belt portion 15a is fixed in parallel in the front and rear of the bucket conveying direction, and the upper surface belt portion 15a of the endless rotating belt 15 is fixed to the two connecting members 22, In this embodiment, the back supporter 23 which shows the mounting position of the agricultural product and supports the rear side in the discharging direction of the agricultural product to be mounted is integrally fixed to the upper surface belt portion 15a. By attaching the plate 24 to the upper surface of the back supporter 23 and screwing the mounting bolt 25 into the connecting member 22 through the back supporter 23 and the upper surface belt portion 15a, the back supporter 23 and the endless rotating belt 15 are integrated. While being fixed, the slide member 21 and the endless rotating belt 15 are integrally connected via the connecting member 22. Since the inclined slit 15c is formed in parallel with the guide rod 20, it is avoided that the connecting member 22 interferes with the lower surface belt portion 15b as the slide member 21 slides.

  Further, a discharge pin 26 is fixed downward on the slide member 21, and when the discharge pin 26 engages with a driving guide member 27 that drives the discharge mechanism 11 provided on the bucket conveyor 2, the bucket 6 As it moves in the transport direction, the discharge pin 26 moves from the standby position toward the discharge position on the branch conveyor 9 side. Since the slide member 21 moves while being guided by the guide rod 20, when the discharge pin 26 starts to engage with the guide member 27, the slide member 21 moves in the bucket width direction toward the branch conveyor 9 with respect to the main body 10. While moving backward in the bucket conveying direction.

  And the endless rotation belt 15 which moves integrally with the slide member 21 moves the upper surface belt portion 15a toward the branch conveyor 9 side, and transfers the agricultural products P on the upper surface belt portion 15a supported by the back supporter 23 to the branch conveyor. Transport to 9 side. At the same time, the endless rotating belt 15 is shifted rearward in the bucket conveyance direction, so that the agricultural product P placed on the endless rotation belt 15 is moved in the bucket width direction by the conveyance of the upper surface belt portion 15a (hereinafter, discharged). The inertia speed is the speed at which the endless rotating belt 15 shifts in the direction opposite to the bucket transport direction (hereinafter referred to as the shift speed). Have as.

  Therefore, the produce P on the endless rotating belt 15 actually has a combined speed of the speed that is the difference between the bucket conveying speed and the shift speed and the discharge speed as an inertia speed in the combining direction. It will be. Then, if the shift speed is made as close as possible to the bucket conveyance speed, the direction of the inertial speed of the produce P on the endless rotating belt 15 approaches the direction of the discharge speed, in other words, from the branch conveyor 9 as the discharge destination. Since the relative conveyance speed of the seen bucket 6 becomes small, it becomes a state close to delivery between stopped conveyors, and rolling can be prevented. Therefore, when the agricultural product P is discharged from the endless rotating belt 15 and the agricultural product P is transferred to the branching conveyor 9 where the intermittent driving is started, the agricultural product P does not roll. In this case, the conveyance speed of the branch conveyor 9 is made to coincide with the discharge speed of the endless rotating belt 15.

  The driving guide member 27 is arranged corresponding to each branch conveyor 9 and can be engaged with the discharge pin 26 of the bucket 6 which is positioned and conveyed at the offset position by a driving device 28 made of a motor or the like. It rotates so that it can move between an engagement position and a non-engagement position in which the discharge pin 26 is not engaged.

  When the sorting division of the agricultural products P on the bucket 6 approaches the corresponding branch conveyor 9, a discharge signal is input from the processing device to the drive device 28 of the drive guide member 27 corresponding to the branch conveyor 9, and the drive guide member 27 moves from the disengaged position to the engaged position, and the discharge pin 26 of the bucket 6 engages with the drive guide member 27. Then, the endless rotating belt 15 on the bucket 6 rotates in the discharging direction, shifts the rear end in the bucket conveying direction while moving the produce on the upper surface belt portion 15a to the branch conveyor 9 side, and the endless rotating belt 15 When the shift is completed, the transfer of the agricultural product P to the branch conveyor 9 is completed, and the agricultural product P is transferred to the branch conveyor 9 without rolling.

  The agricultural products P discharged to the branching conveyor 9 as a pool conveyor are conveyed by intermittent driving, and are packed in a packaging box by the packing operator 31 by the packing operator W2, as shown in FIG.

  On the other hand, since the discharge mechanism 11 after discharging the agricultural product P cannot be placed when the agricultural product P is transported to the agricultural product supply unit 3 with the endless rotating belt 15 remaining in the discharge completion position, for example, the most downstream. A standby position return guide member 32 that engages with the discharge pin 26 is arranged between the branch conveyor 9 located on the side and the drive unit 2a, and the upper surface belt portion 15a of the endless rotating belt 15 is moved to the original standby position. While the endless rotating belt 15 is shifted forward in the bucket conveying direction, it is returned to the original standby position.

  The agricultural product selected by the agricultural product selection apparatus of this embodiment is particularly advantageous for agricultural products that have a spherical appearance such as melon, peach, and tomato and are easily damaged by external impacts.

  In the above-described embodiment, the branch conveyor 9 is arranged in the direction along the bucket width direction, but may be arranged obliquely with respect to the conveying direction of the bucket conveyor 2.

Second Embodiment FIGS. 4 and 5 show a second embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the member similar to the member shown in above-mentioned FIGS. 1-3, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As in the first embodiment, the agricultural product sorting apparatus according to the present embodiment discharges the agricultural product P on the bucket 2 to the branch conveyor 9 by the bucket conveyor 2 including a plurality of buckets 6, with respect to the bucket body 10. The point that the produce P is moved in the bucket width direction while shifting the endless rotating belt device 40 constituting the mechanism 11 rearward in the bucket conveying direction is the same as in the first embodiment described above. A point constituted by two endless rotating belts 15A and 15B arranged in parallel in the bucket conveying direction, and a cam groove 48 provided on the cam groove plate 49 of the bucket body 10 for belt driving and shift driving for the endless rotating belt device 40. The point used is different.

  In the endless rotating belt device 40 of the present embodiment, a gap 15C is formed between the first endless rotating belt 15A and the second endless belt 15B in the bucket width direction in an apparatus frame 41 formed in a U-shaped cross section extending in the bucket width direction. The first endless rotating belt 15A and the second endless rotating belt 15B are assembled to the device frame 41 in a V-shaped cross section with the gap 15C as a trough (see FIG. 4). d)).

  The first endless rotating belt 15A is bridged between the first roller 16A and the second roller 17A arranged in the front and rear of the bucket width direction. Similarly, the second endless rotating belt 15B is composed of the first roller 16B and the second roller. 17B. The roller shafts 16C, 16D, 17C, and 17D of these rollers are attached to the apparatus frame 41.

  In order to shift the endless rotating belt device 40 in the bucket conveying direction, shift guide rods 42 and 43 are attached to both ends in the bucket width direction of the bucket body 10 along the bucket conveying direction, and this pair of shifting The side plates 41a and 41b before and after the apparatus frame 41 in the bucket transport direction are slidably passed through the guide rods 42 and 43, respectively.

  A slide guide rod 45 through which a slide member 44 slidably passes is arranged in parallel at the front and rear in the bucket transport direction between both ends in the bucket width direction at the lower part of the apparatus frame 41. The connecting rod 46 is erected upward from the slide member 44 through the gap 15C of the endless rotating belt device 40. The connecting rods 46 are arranged at intervals of two along the bucket width direction.

  On the other hand, the first endless rotating belt 15A and the upper surface belt portion 15a of the second endless rotating belt 15B are connected by a belt connecting plate 47, and two connecting rods 46 are fixed to the belt connecting plate 47. Yes. Therefore, when the slide member 44 is moved along the bucket width direction, the first endless rotating belt 15A and the second endless rotating belt 15B are moved in the bucket width direction via the two connecting rods 46 and the connecting plate 47. Will move. Further, the back supporter 23 is attached to the upper surface belt portion 15a of the first endless rotating belt 15A and the second endless rotating belt 15B in the same manner as in the first embodiment, the positioning of the placement position of the agricultural product P, and the agricultural product P The back support is performed. The back supporter 23 is fixed to a mounting plate 47a integrated with the belt connecting plate 47 with a screw or the like.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4C, the bucket main body portion 10 is provided with a cam groove plate 49 in which a cam groove 48 is formed below the slide member 44 provided on the apparatus frame 41. A discharge pin 50 attached downward from the slide member 44 is engaged with the cam groove 48.

  As shown in FIG. 4C, the cam groove 48 is connected to the discharge driving cam groove 51 extending along the bucket width direction, and the discharge driving cam groove 51, and is arranged on the discharge end side rearward in the bucket conveying direction. And a shift driving cam groove 52 formed obliquely in the direction.

  In a state where the endless rotating belt device 40 is located at the standby position, the discharge pin 50 is engaged with the opposite side of the branch conveyor 9 in the discharge drive cam groove portion 51 of the cam groove 48. Similarly to the first embodiment, when the discharge pin 50 engages with the guide member 27 provided on the bucket conveyor 2 corresponding to each branch conveyor 9, the inside of the discharge drive cam groove 51 is shifted in the shift drive cam groove 52. Therefore, the endless rotating belt device 40 does not move in the bucket conveying direction with respect to the bucket body 10, and the first endless rotating belt 15A and the second endless rotating belt 15B are moved. Only the upper surface belt portion 15a moves to the discharge end side, and the agricultural products P placed on the first endless rotating belt 15A and the second endless rotating belt 15B are supported by the back supporter 23 and branch in the bucket width direction. It moves straight toward the conveyor 9.

  When the engagement of the discharge pin 50 with the guide member 27 proceeds and the engagement state of the discharge pin 50 is shifted from the discharge drive cam groove 51 to the shift drive cam groove 52, the discharge pin 50 branches in the bucket width direction. 9 while moving toward the rear side in the bucket conveying direction. For this reason, the endless rotating belt device 40 shifts in the bucket conveyance direction in a state where the agricultural product P is placed.

  The timing at which the engagement of the discharge pin 50 from the discharge drive cam groove 51 to the shift drive cam groove 52 is the timing at which the agricultural product P on the endless rotating belt device 40 starts delivery to the discharge destination branch conveyor 9. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, the agricultural product P is transferred to the branch conveyor 9 in accordance with the end of the shift drive. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the agricultural product P from rolling on the branch conveyor 9 when it is transferred to the branch conveyor 9.

  FIG. 5 shows a state where the endless rotating belt device 40 is stopped by being driven to the discharge position, and the downstream protrusion 23b and the upstream protrusion of the tip 23a formed in an arc shape (concave shape) of the back supporter 23. The part 23c enters the branch conveyor 9 side from the discharge end. The conveying speed of the branch conveyor 9 is substantially equal to the discharge speed of the agricultural product P by the endless rotating belt device 40, and the downstream protrusion 23b and the upstream protrusion 23c of the back supporter 23 are disengaged and interfere with each other. When the agricultural product P is transported to a position where there is no such thing, the transport drive of the branch conveyor 9 is stopped. The downstream protrusion 23b and the upstream protrusion 23c of the back supporter 23 support the side surface of the agricultural product P when the agricultural product P is transferred to the branch conveyor 9, and prevent the agricultural product from rolling.

Third Embodiment FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 show a third embodiment of the present invention. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the member similar to the member shown in above-mentioned FIGS. 1-5, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the device guide frame 42 of the endless rotating belt device 40 is guided by the shift guide rods 42 and 43 of the bucket body 10, so that the endless rotating belt device 40 is The first endless rotating belt 15A and the second endless rotating belt 15B are moved in the bucket width direction while allowing the endless rotating belt device 40 to shift in the bucket conveying direction using a cam mechanism. Thus, the agricultural products P on the first endless rotating belt 15A and the second endless rotating belt 15B are discharged to the branch conveyor 9.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, two guide rods 45 that extend straight in the bucket width direction are arranged at intervals in front of the bucket body 10 in the bucket conveyance direction, and the bucket of the bucket body 10 is A cam groove plate 49 having a cam groove 48 formed at the rear in the conveying direction is disposed.

  In the present embodiment, the cam groove 48 formed in the cam groove plate 49 includes a first discharge driving cam groove portion 51A formed on one end side (opposite side of the branch conveyor 9) in the bucket width direction, and a first discharge driving cam. The shift drive cam groove 52 is formed to be connected to the other end of the groove 51A, and the second discharge drive cam groove 51B is formed to be connected to the other end of the shift drive cam groove 52. The shift drive cam groove 52 is formed in an inclined locus toward the discharge end side of the bucket 6 on the branch conveyor 9 side toward the rear in the bucket conveying direction as in the second embodiment. 51A and the second ejection drive cam groove 51B are formed in a locus extending straight along the bucket width direction, and are shifted in the bucket conveyance direction.

  A rectangular parallelepiped slide member 44 with a discharge pin 50 fixed downward is slidably supported by the two guide rods 45. On the upper surface of the slide member 44, a driven plate 61 that is movable only in the bucket conveying direction with respect to the slide member 44 is disposed. A long hole 62 that is long in the bucket conveying direction is formed in the driven plate 61, and a guide screw 63 having a retaining plate 63 a is screwed to the slide member 44 through the long hole 62. The driven plate 61 is guided by the guide screw 63 and is supported so as to be movable in the bucket conveying direction until the guide screw 63 comes into contact with both ends of the long hole 62.

  A cam follower 64 that engages with the cam groove 48 is attached to the rear end side of the driven plate 61 in the bucket conveying direction. The connecting rod 46 is attached to the front and rear in the bucket width direction upward from the driven plate 61, and the upper ends of the two connecting rods 46 are the upper surfaces of the first endless rotating belt 15A and the second endless rotating belt 15B. It is fixed to a belt connecting plate 47 that connects the belt portions 15a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6 (d), the follower plate 61 is slidably engaged with the lower frame portion 41c formed in the inverted U shape of the apparatus frame 41 in the bucket width direction, and with respect to the bucket conveyance direction. When the driven plate 61 moves in the bucket width direction, the first endless rotating belt 15A and the second endless rotating belt 15B are allowed to move, and the driven plate 61 moves in the bucket conveying direction. In doing so, it shifts together with the endless rotating belt device 40.

  Therefore, when the discharge pin 50 is engaged with the guide member 27, the slide member 44 is guided by the guide member 27 from the standby position shown in FIG. The plate 61 also engages with the guide screw 63 and moves integrally in the same direction. At that time, the belt connecting plate 47 moves in the same direction together with the two connecting rods 46, the upper surface belt portion 15a of the first endless rotating belt 15A and the second endless rotating belt 15B moves to the discharge end side, The agricultural product P placed is moved to the discharge end side.

  As the follower plate 61 moves, the cam follower 64 moves the first discharge drive cam groove 51A toward the discharge end. The first discharge drive cam groove 51A is parallel to the guide rod 45 that guides the slide member 44. Therefore, the driven plate 61 moves straight from the standby position in the bucket width direction.

  When the cam follower 64 advances from the first discharge drive cam groove 51 </ b> A to the shift drive cam groove 52, the cam follower 64 moves rearward in the bucket conveying direction, so that the follower plate 61 also follows the cam follower 64 in the locus of the shift drive cam groove 52. Following the above, it moves backward in the bucket conveying direction. Then, a shift operation is performed in which the endless rotating belt device 40 is moved together with the device frame 41 engaged with the driven plate 61 along the trajectory of the shift driving cam groove 52 in the bucket conveying direction. By this shift operation, the inertia force in the bucket conveyance direction with respect to the agricultural product P on the endless rotating belt device 40 is substantially canceled.

  In the present embodiment, the cam follower 64 reaches the end of the shift drive cam groove 52 and further advances to the second discharge drive cam groove 51B, and then on the first endless rotating belt 15A and the second endless rotating belt 15B. The agricultural product P is transferred to the branch conveyor 9. This is because, for all buckets 6, the time when the cam follower 64 reaches the end position of the shift driving cam groove 52 matches the timing when the agricultural product P is transferred to the branch conveyor 9. It is not always easy due to uncertain factors such as this. If the agricultural product P is transferred to the branch conveyor 9 while the endless rotating belt device 40 is being shifted backward in the bucket conveyance direction with respect to the bucket body 10, the agricultural product P is inevitably transferred. It becomes easy to transfer to the branch conveyor 9 in a state where it is thrown away in the shift direction. In order to avoid such a state, when the cam follower 64 reaches the end of the shift driving cam groove portion 52, the agricultural product P is not transferred to the branch conveyor 9, and the cam follower 64 is further moved as shown in FIG. 2. The agricultural product P is transferred to the branching conveyor 9 after it has advanced to the discharge drive cam groove 51B, that is, after the shifting operation of the endless rotating belt device 40 is completely stopped.

  In the present embodiment, as in the first and second embodiments, the back supporter 23 is attached to predetermined positions of the upper surface belt portion 15a of the first endless rotating belt 15A and the second endless rotating belt 15B, and the cam follower 64 is attached. Enters the second discharge driving cam groove 51B from the shift driving cam groove 52, the upper end belt 15a of the first endless rotating belt 15A and the second endless rotating belt 15B are further advanced onto the branch conveyor 9, The upstream product 23b and the downstream projection 23c of the tip 23a of the back supporter 23 support the agricultural product P discharged to the branch conveyor 9 in the front and rear directions in the bucket conveying direction, and prevent the agricultural product P from rolling.

  The configuration of the cam groove 48 of the present embodiment may be applied to the cam groove 48 of the second embodiment described above.

Fourth Embodiment FIG. 9 shows a third embodiment of the present invention.

  In the first, second, and third embodiments described above, as shown in the description of FIG. 5, the back supporter 23 determines the tip positions of the downstream protrusion 23 b and the upstream protrusion 23 c of the tip 23 a in the bucket width direction. In the same position (same length).

  On the other hand, in the fourth embodiment, when the upstream protrusion 23c is abolished or formed shorter than the downstream protrusion 23b and the agricultural product P is transferred to the branch conveyor 9, the upstream protrusion 23c is formed upstream of the distal end 23a. A part of the back supporter 23 does not collide with the agricultural product P.

  That is, when the agricultural product P is discharged from the back supporter 23, if the upstream protrusion 23c is long, the agricultural product P may come into contact with the long upstream protrusion 23c, and rotation in the arrow direction may occur. Therefore, the upstream projecting portion 23c is abolished or shortened so that a part of the back supporter 23 does not come into contact with the upstream side surface in the conveyance direction of the agricultural product P at the time of discharging, and the agricultural product P is fed to the branch conveyor 9 without giving unnecessary rotation. Can be discharged.

  Further, the back supporter 23 of the present embodiment has a two-divided structure in which the front end portion 23a and the rear end portion 23e are integrated with each other. The front end 23a is made of an elastic member such as rubber or hard sponge so that the agricultural products P such as fruits come into contact with each other. 23f is fitted. Needless to say, the back supporter 23 of the present embodiment can be applied to the above-described embodiments.

  Further, in each of the embodiments described above, the agricultural product is taken as an example of the article. However, the article to be selected is an article having a shape that easily rolls when delivered to the branch conveyor, for example, an agricultural product. , Apples, pears, melons, etc., can be roughly spherical shapes, lemons, sweet potatoes, radishes, turnips, etc. In this case, it is only necessary to have a substantially spherical shape or a substantially circular cross section along the transverse direction, and examples thereof include a ball for ball games.

P Agricultural product W1 Agricultural product supply worker W2 Agricultural product boxing worker 1 Agricultural product sorting device (article sorting device)
2 Bucket conveyor (conveyor)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 3 Agricultural product supply part 4 Container 5 Container conveyance conveyor 6 Bucket 7 Grade determination apparatus 8 Inspection apparatus 9 Branch conveyor 10 Bucket main body part 11 Discharge mechanism 12 Connection shaft 13 Chain 14 Guide roller 15 Endless rotation belt (article placing means)
15a Upper surface belt part (article placement surface)
15A, 15B Endless rotating belt (article placing means)
16 First roller 17 Second roller 18, 19 Support shaft 20 Guide rod 21 Slide member 22 Connection member 23 Back supporter 24 Plate material 25 Mounting bolt 26 Discharge pin 27 Driving guide member 28 Driving device 31 Packing portion 32 For returning to the standby position Guide member 33 Guide member 34 for offset position return Guide rail 40 Endless rotating belt device (article placing means)
41 Device frame 42, 43 Shift guide rod 44 Slide member 45 Slide guide rod 46 Connecting rod 47 Belt connecting plate 48 Cam groove 49 Cam groove plate 50 Discharge pin 51 Discharge drive cam groove portion 52 Shift drive cam groove portion 61 Drive plate 62 Long hole 63 Guide screw 64 Cam follower

Claims (7)

A bucket comprising an article placement means having an article placement surface on which an article is placed; and a bucket body portion that supports the article placement means;
An article discharge mechanism for discharging an article placed on the article placing means;
A conveyor for moving the buckets on an endless rotating track;
A plurality of branch conveyors arranged on the side of the conveyor for receiving the sorting category determined articles placed in the bucket for each sorting category;
Article discharge mechanism driving means for driving the article discharge mechanism to discharge the articles determined in the sorting section placed on the bucket to a plurality of branch conveyors arranged on the side of the transport conveyor for each sorting section. In the sorting device,
The article placing means is provided movably with respect to the bucket body,
When the article discharge mechanism is driven by the article discharge mechanism driving means, while moving the article placement surface of the article placement means toward the branch conveyor in a discharge direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the bucket, An article sorting device comprising a guide mechanism for moving the bucket in the rearward direction of conveyance.   The guide mechanism has a guide member disposed obliquely with respect to the discharge direction, and the article discharge mechanism is a slide that is guided by the guide member and moves integrally with a discharge pin that engages with the article discharge mechanism driving means. The article sorting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a member and a connecting member that integrally connects the slide member and the article placement surface.   The guide mechanism has a cam groove provided in the bucket body, and the article discharge mechanism includes a support means for supporting the article placement means movably on the bucket body along the bucket conveying direction. A discharge pin that engages with the cam groove and moves to the branch conveyor side by engagement with the article discharge mechanism driving means, and the discharge pin and the article placement surface are integrally connected to each other to place the article. 2. The article sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the article sorting apparatus comprises: a connecting means capable of moving in the bucket conveying direction integrally with the article placing means while moving a surface in the discharge direction.   The guide mechanism has a cam groove provided in the bucket body, and the article discharge mechanism includes a support means for supporting the article placement means movably on the bucket body along the bucket conveying direction. A driven plate that is integrally connected to the article placement surface of the article placement means, is movable in the discharge direction, and is movable integrally with the article placement means along the bucket conveyance direction; A cam follower connected to the driven plate and engaged with the cam groove, and a discharge integrally connected to the driven plate and moved together with the driven plate to the branch conveyor side by engagement with the article discharge mechanism driving means. The article sorting apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a pin.   The cam groove includes at least a discharge drive cam groove portion parallel to the discharge direction and a shift drive cam groove portion that extends obliquely rearward from the discharge drive cam groove portion in the bucket conveying direction and is inclined toward the branch conveyor side. The article sorting apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that:   The cam grooves are spaced apart in the front-rear direction along the bucket conveying direction and are displaced in the discharge direction, and are parallel to the discharge direction, and the pair of discharge drive cam groove parts 5. The article sorting device according to claim 3, further comprising a shift driving cam groove portion that is connected to the opposite ends of the belt and extends obliquely rearward in the bucket conveying direction and is inclined toward the branch conveyor.   7. The article sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the branch conveyor is intermittently driven by a distance corresponding to one article when the article is transferred.

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