JP2013116778A - Article sorting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem that, when sorting a heavy article such as a melon in an article sorting device 1, the article is liable to fall due to a large effect of inertia based on a conveying force of a conveyance line 2.SOLUTION: An article sorting device 1 includes a conveyance line 2 arranging many conveying unit 3 on which articles M are placed in rows to be conveyed and a sorting line 4 branched from the conveyance line 2 in a sorting direction Y orthogonal to a conveying direction X of the conveyance line. The article M on each conveying unit 3 is transferred to the sorting line 4 by being fed in an oblique direction along a resultant force F by the resultant force F of a feeding force Fx in the conveying direction X by the conveyance line 2 and a feeding force Fy in the sorting direction Y by each conveying unit 3. A width direction regulation part 45 regulating the movement of the article M fed in the oblique direction along the resultant force F in the width direction of the sorting line 4 is provided at a feeding start end side of the sorting line 4.

Description

  The present invention relates to an article sorting apparatus including a conveyance line that conveys a large number of conveyance units on which articles such as fruits and vegetables are placed and arranged in a line, and a sorting line that is branched in an intersecting direction.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there are various types of article sorting apparatuses for sorting articles that are continuously conveyed on a conveyance line into predetermined groups.

  As a typical example of this kind of article sorting apparatus, Patent Document 1 discloses a structure of a cross belt conveyor. The cross-belt type conveyor includes a transport line that transports a large number of transport units arranged in a line, and a sorting line that branches in an orthogonal direction. Each transport unit is provided with a cross belt sorter that feeds articles such as fruits and vegetables placed on the upper surface thereof toward a sorting line. In this case, when the transport unit on which the article to be sorted arrives at a predetermined sorting location in the transport line, the article is sent out toward the sorting line by the operation of the cross belt sorter.

JP 2003-53275 A

  By the way, in the conventional article sorting apparatus, it is often performed to sort articles such as melon, tomato, peach or pear. However, in the article sorting apparatus of Patent Document 1, when the article is delivered from the conveyance line to the sorting line, the movement of the article along the conveyance line (movement in the conveyance direction) is rapidly regulated by the cross belt sorter. Due to the inertial action along the transport line, there is a high risk that the article will move vigorously in an oblique direction on the sorting line and fall down, causing damage to the article. In particular, when sorting heavy objects such as melons, the influence of inertia based on the conveying force of the conveying line is large, and it is easy to fall over.

  This invention makes it a technical subject to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide an article sorting apparatus that can efficiently convey and sort articles without damaging the articles.

  The invention of claim 1 includes a transport line that transports a large number of transport units on which articles are placed in a line, and a sorting line that branches from the transport line in a sorting direction perpendicular to the transport direction. By the resultant force of the feeding force in the carrying direction by the carrying line and the feeding force in the sorting direction by each carrying unit, the articles on each carrying unit are sent in an oblique direction along the resultant force and delivered to the sorting line. An article sorting apparatus configured as described above, wherein a width for restricting movement of the article sent in an oblique direction along the resultant force in the width direction of the sorting line is provided on a feeding start end side of the sorting line. It has a direction control part.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the article sorting apparatus according to the first aspect, the width direction regulating portions are provided on both sides in the width direction of the sorting line, and the downstream side in the transport direction of the both width direction regulating portions. The feed start end position of the one is closer to the transport line than the feed start end position of the one upstream in the transport direction.

  The invention of claim 3 is the article sorting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the both width direction restricting portions are a pair of inclined bases having inclined surfaces that rise as they leave the center in the width direction, The rear surface side of the sorting belt constituting the sorting line is brought into contact with the inclined surfaces of the two tilting tables, and the sorting belt is configured to pass between the two tilting tables in a V-shaped cross section. is there.

  According to the invention of the present application, the transport line includes a transport line that transports a large number of transport units on which articles are placed, and a sorting line that branches from the transport line in a sorting direction orthogonal to the transport direction. The article on each of the transport units is sent in an oblique direction along the resultant force and delivered to the sorting line by the resultant force of the feeding force in the carrying direction by the line and the feeding force in the sorting direction by each of the transport units. A width direction restriction that restricts movement of the article that is sent in an oblique direction along the resultant force in the width direction of the sorting line at a feed start end side of the sorting line. Because of the presence of the width direction restricting portion, the articles sent in the oblique direction along the resultant force are in the width direction of the sorting line. Can regulate to dynamic, can be reliably reduced the risk of the article by the action of said resultant force is falling progressed vigorously the sorting line upward in an oblique direction. As a result, articles that are easily damaged by falls or the like (for example, melon, tomato, etc.) can be safely sorted. In particular, a high effect is exhibited when a heavy object such as melon having a large influence of inertia is an article.

It is a schematic plan view of an article sorting apparatus. It is a side view explaining the drive mode of a cross belt sorter, (a) is a figure before sending out, (b) is a figure which shows the state after sending out. It is a schematic plan view of the article | item sorting apparatus in the state which abbreviate | omitted the conveyance unit. It is a schematic sectional drawing of a sorting conveyor. (A)-(c) is a schematic plan view explaining a series of flows of a classification mode.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, an outline of the article sorting apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. The article sorting apparatus 1 sorts articles M such as melons, tomatoes, peaches or pears into groups according to grades (quality) or classes (size and shape), and arranges a large number of transport units 3 in a line. A transport conveyor 2 (transport line) for transporting and at least one sorting conveyor 4 (sorting line) branched from the transport conveyor 2 are provided. Each sorting conveyor 4 is configured to be intermittently driven for the purpose of transporting the articles M sent from the transport conveyor 2 while temporarily retaining them. The articles M staying on the sorting conveyors 4 are packed (boxed) in a packaging container such as a transparent synthetic resin packaging pack or cardboard box, for example, by an operator's manual operation.

  As shown in FIG.1 and FIG.3, the conveyance conveyor 2 is equipped with the left-right paired traveling rail 5 extended along the longitudinal direction. On these traveling rails 5, a carriage type transport unit 3 group is disposed so as to be able to travel. Although not shown in the figure, driving sprockets and driven sprockets are respectively arranged at both longitudinal ends of the conveyor 2. Each transport unit 3 is connected to an endless chain wound around both sprockets at a predetermined pitch interval. By driving both sprockets and endless chain, the transport unit 3 group circulates on the transport conveyor 2. The transport unit 3 group of the embodiment moves along the transport direction X on the upper side of the transport conveyor 2. The position of each transport unit 3 is measured by counting the driving amount of the driving sprocket with, for example, a rotary encoder (not shown).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each transport unit 3 is a transport unit in a sorting direction Y that intersects the transport direction X at a predetermined sorting point So (a branching point with the sorting conveyor 4) in the transport conveyor 2. 3 is provided with a cross belt sorter 10 as a sorting mechanism for delivering the article M on the No. 3. The cross belt sorter 10 according to the embodiment includes a rotation roller pair 14 rotatably supported between a pair of frame plates 11 in the transport unit 3 and a cross belt as an endless belt wound around the rotation roller pair 14. 13. The rotating roller pair 14 extends in parallel with each other along the transport direction X. For this reason, the cross belt 13 can rotate in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction X. In other words, in the embodiment, the sorting direction Y is orthogonal to the transport direction X.

  The cross belt 13 according to the embodiment is divided into two in the transport direction X, and is configured to rotate in pairs. On the lower surface side of the cross belt 13, a belt drive shoe 16 that reciprocates in the direction intersecting the transport direction X to rotate the cross belt 13 is attached. A guide pin 17 projects downward from the lower surface side of the belt drive shoe 16. In this case, when the belt drive shoe 16 is moved in the direction opposite to the sorting direction Y, the upper surface side of the cross belt 13 is moved in the sorting direction Y in conjunction therewith. The article M is placed on the upper surface side of the cross belt 13. Therefore, the article M on the cross belt 13 is carried out toward the sorting conveyor 4 by the revolving movement in the sorting direction Y on the upper surface side of the cross belt 13.

  A support plate 18 that supports the upper surface side of the cross belt 13 from below is disposed inside the cross belt sorter 10. The support plate 18 is for receiving the weight of the article M on the cross belt 13 and is fixed to the inner surfaces of the pair of frame plates 11. Further, on the upper surface side of the cross belt 13, there is provided an extrusion protrusion 19 for extruding the article M in the sorting direction Y during the revolving movement.

  As shown in FIG. 4, an upwardly open groove-like path 21 extending along the transport direction X is provided at a position near the sorting conveyor 4 between the pair of travel rails 5 in the transport conveyor 2. The guide pin 17 of each transport unit 3 is fitted into the groove-shaped path 21 from above. The guide pins 17 are guided in the transport direction X by movement of each transport unit 3 along the transport direction X. On the other hand, a guide plate 22 that guides the guide pins 17 in the direction opposite to the sorting direction Y by the movement of the transport unit 3 along the transport direction X is disposed at the sorting location So in the transport conveyor 2. The guide plate 22 is inclined in an oblique direction away from the sorting conveyor 4 as it goes to the transport downstream side of the transport conveyor 2 in plan view. One end of the guide plate 22 near the sorting conveyor 4 faces a communication gap 23 formed at an appropriate location in the groove-like path 21.

  A switching piece 24 that can be turned up and down by driving the electromagnetic solenoid 25 is disposed at the communication gap 23. In the vicinity of the guide plate 22, an auxiliary belt 26 wound around the drive pulley 27 and the driven pulley 28 is disposed. A portion of the auxiliary belt 26 on the transport upstream side of the transport conveyor 2 overlaps the flat surface on the transport upstream side of the guide plate 22. The auxiliary belt 26 is configured to circulate and move by driving of a drive motor 29 connected to the drive pulley 27. The auxiliary belt 26 of the embodiment constantly circulates counterclockwise in the plan view of FIG. Accordingly, the portion of the auxiliary belt 26 that overlaps the guide plate 22 moves in an oblique direction along the guide plate 22.

  When the switching piece 24 is turned upward, the groove-shaped path 21 is blocked by the switching piece 24, and the guide pin 17 hits the switching piece 24. Then, the guide pin 17 slides in an oblique direction along the guide plate 22 by the movement along the conveyance direction X of the conveyance unit 3 and the feeding action of the auxiliary belt 26. As the guide pin 17 moves in the oblique direction, the belt drive shoe 16 moves in the direction opposite to the sorting direction Y, and in conjunction with this, the upper surface side of the cross belt 13 moves in the sorting direction Y. As a result, the article M on the cross belt 13 is sent out toward the relay conveyor device 40. When the switching piece 24 is rotated downward, the guide pin 17 advances along the groove-like path 21 as it is along the conveyance direction X of the conveyance unit 3. A combination of the groove-shaped path 21, the guide plate 22, the communication gap 23, the switching piece 24, and the auxiliary belt 26 constitutes a guide means 20 for the guide pin 17.

  Note that a determination unit 30 that determines the grade of the article M is arranged on the upstream side of the conveyance conveyor 2 with respect to the upstreammost sorting portion So. The determination means 30 is employed according to the purpose of sorting and the type of the article M. For example, when sorting by size or shape, an optical sensor or an image processing device may be employed. When sorting by quality, a saccharimeter or the like is sufficient. Although not shown, a return guide plate for returning the guide pins 17 of each transport unit 3 to the position of the grooved path 21 is disposed further downstream than the most downstream sorting portion So in the transport conveyor 2. ing.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, each conveyance unit 3 is provided with a gripping member 50 that grips an article M placed on the upper surface side of the cross belt 13. The gripping member 50 is configured to elastically grip the article M during transport on the transport conveyor 2 and release the grip by the article M feeding action of the cross belt sorter 10 when reaching the sorting location So. . The gripping member 50 of the embodiment is made of a material such as elastic metal or synthetic resin and is formed in a substantially C shape in plan view. Accordingly, the lower side of the article M such as melon is held by the holding member 50 and is stably held. Further, the gripping member 50 of the embodiment can be deformed so as to expand the tip opening side 50a when the article M of the cross belt sorter 10 is sent out, and after the article M is sent out, the tip opening side 50a is elastically restored. Is configured to close.

  The gripping member 50 of the embodiment is attached to the transport unit 3 side separately from the cross belt sorter 10. In this case, a shaft support plate 51 protruding upward from between the pair of cross belts 13 is erected at the center of the upper surface of the support plate 18 provided in the cross belt sorter 10. A base end side 50b of a gripping member 50 having a substantially C-shape in plan view is pivotally supported on the upper side of the shaft support plate 51 so as to be rotatable. That is, the gripping member 50 is configured to be rotatable such that the distal end opening side 50a contacts and separates from the sorting conveyor 4 on the transport unit 3 with the proximal end side 50b opposite to the distal end opening side 50a as a rotation fulcrum. (See FIG. 2).

  When the article M on the transport unit 3 that has reached the sorting location So is carried out to the sorting conveyor 4 by the revolving movement of the cross belt 13, the pushing force Fy in the sorting direction Y by the cross belt sorter 10 is applied to the article M. By acting, the front end opening side 50a of the gripping member 50 that elastically grips the article M is pushed and spread. Then, the article M finally leaves the gripping member 50 and transfers to the sorting conveyor 4 (see FIGS. 5A to 5C). After the delivery of the article M, the distal end opening side 50a of the gripping member 50 is closed by the elastic restoring force (see FIG. 5C). At the time of delivery of the article M, the pushing force Fy described above and the moving force Fx (inertia) in the carrying direction X by the carrying conveyor 2 act on the article M (see FIG. 5A). It slides in an oblique direction along the resultant force F of Fx and the pushing force Fy and transfers to the sorting conveyor 4.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the sorting conveyor 4 includes a pair of substantially parallel conveyor frames 41. Although not described in detail, a drive pulley and a driven pulley are arranged at both ends of each sorting conveyor 4 in a distributed manner. A sorting belt 42 is wound around both pulleys. Both pulleys and the sorting belt 42 are configured to be driven by power transmission from an electric motor that is a drive source, and to move the upper surface side of the sorting belt 42 in the sorting direction Y.

  On the feed start end side of the sorting conveyor 4, the article M sent in an oblique direction along the resultant force F moves in the width direction of the sorting conveyor 2 (a direction perpendicular to the sorting direction Y, a direction parallel to the transport direction X). It has the width direction regulation part 45 which regulates. In the embodiment, the width direction restricting portions 45 are provided on both sides of the sorting conveyor 4 in the width direction. In this case, the pair of width direction restricting portions 45 is configured as a pair of inclined bases 46 and 47 having inclined surfaces 46a and 47a that rise as they leave the center in the width direction.

  As shown in FIG. 4, both of the inclined bases 46 and 47 protrude higher than the surface side of the sorting belt 42 on which the article M is placed. For this reason, on the feed start end side of the sorting conveyor 4, the sorting belt 42 has its back side abutted against the inclined surfaces 46 a and 47 a of both inclined bases 46 and 47, and the both inclined bases 46 and 47 in the form of a V-shaped cross section. Will pass between. In the embodiment, the inclined bases 46 and 47 are attached on the bracket pieces 48 fixed to the inner surface side of each conveyor frame 41 so that the inclined surfaces 46a and 47a face each other.

  As can be seen from FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the feed start end position 47b of the tilt base 47 located on the downstream side in the transport direction X of both the tilt bases 46 and 47 is the feed start end position 46b of the tilt base 46 located on the upstream side in the transport direction X. Rather than the conveyor 2. For this reason, on the feed start end side of the sorting conveyor 4, the articles M sent out in the oblique direction along the resultant force F do not hit the inclined base 46 near the upstream in the transport direction X, and the downstream side in the transport direction X of the sorting belt 42. It will be received by the part which overlaps with the tilting table 47. In addition, the feeding start end side of each of the inclined bases 46 and 47 is formed as an uphill that rises as it advances in the sorting direction Y in order to smoothly guide the sorting belt 42 onto the inclined surfaces 46a and 47a. On the other hand, the feeding end side of each of the inclined bases 46 and 47 is formed as a downward slope that descends as it advances in the sorting direction Y in order to smoothly descend from the inclined surfaces 46a and 47a.

  A buffer 43 that absorbs the resultant force F applied to the article M delivered from the sorting location So and receives the article M is provided on the front side of the sorting belt 42. The buffer body 43 is made of a material having elasticity, such as a sponge-like porous material, and has a polygonal cross section. As the buffer body 43 of the embodiment, for example, a flexible low resilience urethane foam, rubber, sponge, synthetic resin, or the like can be used. The buffer bodies 43 are provided in a plurality of rows in the width direction parallel to the transport direction X (perpendicular to the sorting direction Y) in the sorting conveyor 4. In the embodiment, four rows of cushioning bodies 43 are provided at appropriate intervals in the width direction, and are configured in a set of two rows. All of the buffer bodies 43 are affixed over the entire surface of the sorting belt 42.

  Each set of buffer bodies 43 is provided in correspondence with the inclined bases 46 and 47. In each set of shock absorbers 43, the height of the shock absorber 43 on the center side in the width direction is set lower than the height of the shock absorber 43 on the outer side in the width direction. One of the reasons for making the height dimensions of each pair of buffer bodies 43 different is that when the article M is a spherical heavy object such as melon, the sorting belt 42 is inclined toward the downstream in the conveying direction X. When receiving the article M at the portion that overlaps the base 47, both the pair of cushions 43 are brought into contact with the outer shape of the article M, and the resultant force F applied to the article M is reliably absorbed (relaxed) by the elastic restoring force. ) To cancel. Another reason is to prevent the article M from rolling in the sorting direction Y on the sorting belt 42 when the article M is a spherical heavy article such as melon.

  In the above configuration, when the article M on each transport unit 3 that has reached the sorting location So is unloaded to the sorting conveyor 4 by the cross belt 13, the moving force Fx (inertia) in the transport direction X by the transport conveyor 2; The pushing force Fy in the sorting direction Y by the cross belt sorter 10 acts on the article M (see FIG. 5A). The pushing force Fy pushes and spreads the distal end opening side 50a of the holding member 50 that has elastically held the article M. Then, the article M finally leaves the gripping member 50, slides in an oblique direction along the resultant force F of the moving force Fx and the pushing force Fy, and transfers to the sorting conveyor 4 (see FIG. 5B). After the delivery of the article M, the tip opening side 50a of the gripping member 50 is closed by the elastic restoring force (see FIGS. 5B and 5C).

  Here, the feed start end position 47b of the tilt base 47 closer to the downstream in the transport direction X is closer to the transport conveyor 2 than the feed start end position 46b of the tilt base 46 near the upstream in the transport direction X. On the start end side, the article M sent in an oblique direction along the resultant force F does not collide with the inclined base 46 on the upstream side in the transport direction X, and overlaps with the inclined base 47 on the downstream side in the transport direction X of the sorting belt 42. Once accepted. Next, the article M absorbs (relaxes) rolling (movement in the width direction) by the elastic restoring force of both the inclined surfaces 46a and 47a and the buffer body 43 while swinging between the inclined surfaces 46a and 47a of the both inclined bases 46 and 47. ) Then, the article M passes between the inclined bases 46 and 47 while being held in a stable posture at the cross-sectional V-shaped portion of the sorting belt 42, and finally is held in a stable posture by the buffer body 43. Then, it is conveyed in the sorting direction Y by the sorting conveyor 4 (see FIG. 5C).

  Therefore, when the articles M are transferred from the transport conveyor 2 to the sorting conveyor 4, the articles M sent in an oblique direction along the resultant force F are caused by the presence of the inclined bases 46 and 47 as the width direction restricting portions 45. The movement of the article M in the width direction can be restricted, and the effect of the resultant force F can reduce the risk of the articles M moving forward on the sorting conveyor 4 in an oblique direction and falling down. As a result, articles M (for example, melons, tomatoes, etc.) that are easily damaged by falls or the like can be safely sorted. In particular, when a heavy article such as melon having a large influence of inertia is the article M, a high effect is exhibited.

  Further, the feed start end position 47b of the tilt base 47 near the downstream in the transport direction X is closer to the transport conveyor 2 than the feed start end position 46b of the tilt base 46 near the upstream in the transport direction X. On the side, the article M sent in an oblique direction along the resultant force F does not collide with the inclined base 46 on the upstream side in the conveyance direction X. After the article M is received by the portion of the sorting belt 42 that overlaps the inclined base 47 closer to the downstream in the conveying direction X, the section V-shaped portion of the sorting belt 42 (between the inclined surfaces 46a and 47a of the two inclined bases 46 and 47). ), The article M can be held in a stable posture while restricting rolling (movement in the width direction). Accordingly, the delivery of the article M from the transport conveyor 2 to the sorting conveyor 4 can be performed smoothly.

  Further, according to the embodiment, the width direction restricting portion 45 is a pair of inclined bases 46 and 47 having inclined surfaces 46 a and 47 a that rise as they move away from the center in the width direction, and the sorting belt 42 that constitutes the sorting conveyor 4. Since the rear surface side of each of the two is brought into contact with the inclined surfaces 46a and 47a of the two inclined bases 46 and 47, the sorting belt 42 is configured to pass between the two inclined bases 46 and 47 in a V-shaped cross section. Only by the presence of the inclined bases 46 and 47, the sorting belt 42 can be easily transformed into a V-shaped cross section, and the manufacturing cost and running cost can be reduced.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be widely applied as an article sorting apparatus that conveys and sorts various types of articles other than agricultural products. Depending on the type and size of the article, the width of the sorting conveyor 4 and the number of guide plates 22 and switching pieces 24 can be set as appropriate. In addition, the structure of each part is not limited to embodiment of illustration, A various change is possible in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention.

M Article So Sorting location X Transport direction Y Sort direction 1 Article sorter 2 Transport conveyor 3 Transport unit 4 Sort conveyor 10 Cross belt sorter (sorting mechanism)
13 Cross belt 20 Guide means 42 Sorting belt 43 Buffer body 45 Width direction restricting portions 46, 47 Inclined base

Claims (3)

A transport line that transports a large number of transport units for placing articles in a line, and a sorting line that branches from the transport line in a sorting direction perpendicular to the transport direction, and the transport direction by the transport line Articles configured to send out articles on each of the transport units in an oblique direction along the resultant force and deliver them to the sorting line by a resultant force of the feed force of each of the transport units in the sorting direction. A sorting device,
On the feed start end side of the sorting line, there is a width direction restricting portion that regulates movement of the article sent in an oblique direction along the resultant force in the width direction of the sorting line.
Article sorting equipment. The width direction restricting portion is provided on both sides of the sorting line in the width direction,
The feed start end position of the downstream side in the transport direction among the width direction regulating portions is closer to the transport line than the feed start end position of the upstream side in the transport direction,
The article sorting apparatus according to claim 1. The both width direction restricting portions are a pair of inclined bases having an inclined surface that rises away from the central side in the width direction, and the rear surfaces of the sorting belts constituting the sorting line are inclined surfaces of the two inclined bases. The sorting belt is configured to pass between the inclined bases in the form of a V-shaped cross section.
The article sorting apparatus according to claim 2.

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