JP2018094453A - Automatic fruit/vegetable sorting method and automatic fruit/vegetable sorting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic fruit/vegetable sorting method capable of efficiently sorting a lot of fruit/vegetables and an automatic fruit/vegetable sorting device capable of being installed with one or more other automatic fruit/vegetable sorting devices within a narrow space.SOLUTION: An automatic fruit/vegetable sorting method comprises: moving fruit/vegetable conveyors provided at two or more vertically apart stages, and conveying, at each one of stages, fruit/vegetable carriers each one of which receives and conveys one fruit/vegetable; measuring and classifying the fruit/vegetable on the fruit/vegetable conveyor at each one of stages during conveyance; and discharging the classified fruit/vegetable from the fruit/vegetable carrier on the fruit/vegetable conveyor at each stage, to a pool conveyor at a stage of the same height as that of the fruit/vegetable conveyor. An automatic fruit/vegetable sorting device comprises the fruit/vegetable conveyors each attached with many fruit/vegetable carriers onto an endless travelling body, and the pool conveyors, both of which are arranged at two or more stages vertically spaced apart. The pool conveyor at the upper stage may have a lateral width narrower than that of pool conveyor at the lower stage; or the pool conveyor at the upper stage may be arranged while being shifted to one side in a lateral width direction of the pool conveyor at the lower stage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention measures the shape, size, etc. of fruit vegetables while conveying the fruit vegetables, discriminates the fruit vegetables by class based on the measurement data, and continuously performs a series of operations until the identified fruit vegetables are sorted by class. The present invention relates to a fruit and vegetable automatic selection method that is automatically performed, and a fruit and vegetable automatic selection apparatus that can be used for the automatic selection.

  Fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, oranges, onions, kiwis, potatoes, etc., round fruit vegetables (round fruit vegetables) eggplants, long fruit vegetables such as pepper (long fruit vegetables), melons, raisins, etc. There are fruit vegetables that are easily damaged like fruit vegetables, peaches, and strawberries. These fruits and vegetables are brought into the fruit selection field after harvesting. The worker selects the presence / absence of scratches, coloring, deformation, etc. on the automatic selection device while the operator visually selects the shape and size. The sugar content and the like are measured with a measuring instrument, and the measured fruit vegetables are discriminated according to the equal class based on the measurement data, the fruit vegetables after the discrimination are classified according to the equal class, and the sorted fruit vegetables are packed and shipped. In the following description, the measurement by the measurement, the equal class discrimination after the measurement, and the classification after the discrimination are collectively referred to as selection, and the shape, size, etc. may be called the equal class.

  As an automatic vegetable vegetable sorting device used for the fruit vegetable sorting operation, there is an automatic vegetable vegetable sorting device previously developed by the present applicant (Patent Documents 1 to 5).

  In the conventional fruit and vegetable automatic sorting apparatus, a large number of fruit and vegetables mounting bodies are attached to an endless traveling body such as a chain and a timing belt, and the fruit and vegetables mounting body moves sideways along with the traveling rotation of the endless traveling body, and the fruit and vegetable mounting body in motion Can be automatically transported, the shape, size, etc. are measured with a measuring instrument during transport and determined according to a predetermined standard isoclass, and further transported by isoclass The determined fruit vegetables are sent out to the side of the fruit vegetable conveyance direction according to the determination result, and can be sorted by equal class.

  The fruit and vegetable mounting body is a belt conveyor type in which a belt is wound around a frame that can be attached to an endless traveling body so that the belt can be rotated in a reciprocating manner. The belt is fed in the direction (side of the fruit and vegetables conveyance direction), and the belt rotates backward to return to the original position during running after feeding.

  The fruit vegetable automatic sorting apparatus is a series from the fruit vegetable loading part to the fruit vegetable sorting part, and the total length is as long as several tens of meters. Since there is a limit to the number of fruit vegetable automatic sorting devices that can be sorted, two or more fruit vegetable automatic sorting devices are required to sort many fruit vegetables. In this case, a large installation space (fruit selection site) is required.

JP 2011-173122 A JP 2011-102175 A JP 2011-037550 A JP 2010-115654 A JP 2008-285328 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic fruit vegetable sorting method capable of efficiently sorting a large amount of fruit vegetables and an automatic fruit vegetable sorting apparatus capable of installing two or more fruit vegetable automatic sorting apparatuses in a narrow installation space.

  The method for automatically selecting fruit vegetables of the present invention conveys fruit vegetables one by one on a belt conveyor type fruit vegetable carrier (fruit vegetable carrier) of each stage of two or more stages of fruit and vegetable conveying bodies provided at intervals in the vertical direction, The fruits and vegetables that are being transported by each stage's vegetable transporter are individually measured by a measuring instrument, and the equal class of each fruit and vegetable is determined based on the measured data. It is sent to the belt conveyor type pool conveyor of the same height (including almost the same: the same) as the fruit vegetable transport body, and the individual fruit vegetables sent out are transferred and transferred by the pool conveyor of each stage. is there.

  The fruit vegetable automatic sorting apparatus according to the present invention is a fruit vegetable carrier in which a large number of belt conveyor type fruit vegetable carriers capable of carrying fruit vegetables one by one are attached to an endless traveling body, and a fruit vegetable carrier that is carried one by one on each fruit vegetable carrier. A measuring instrument that measures size, shape, etc., and classifying each fruit vegetable based on the data measured by the measuring instrument, and handing over each fruit vegetable that is sent out (sorted) from the fruit vegetable carrier by equal class It is a fruit and vegetable automatic sorting device equipped with a belt conveyor type pool conveyor that conveys in the above, wherein the fruit and vegetable transport body is arranged in two or more stages at intervals in the vertical direction, and the pool conveyor is in the transport direction side of each stage of the fruit and vegetable transport body Two or more stages are arranged with an interval in the upper and lower direction, and the pool conveyor of each stage is arranged in the conveying direction of the fruit and vegetable carrier for each equal class to be sorted, and the measuring instrument is Disposed of every fruit vegetable carrier, two-stage or more pools conveyor and is provided in a height that can take over the fruit vegetables fed from fruiting carrier stages each. The horizontal width of the upper level pool conveyor may be narrower than the horizontal width of the lower level pool conveyor, or the upper level pool conveyor may be shifted to the lateral side of the lower level pool conveyor. it can.

The fruit vegetable automatic selection method of the present invention has the following effects.
Since fruit vegetables are sorted by class while being transported by two or more stages of fruit and vegetable conveyers, it is possible to automatically sort and box many fruit vegetables in a narrow fruit selection field.

The fruit vegetable automatic sorting apparatus of the present invention has the following effects.
(1) Since the fruit and vegetable transporter is installed in two or more stages up and down, a smaller installation space is required than when arranging two rows horizontally.
(2) The horizontal width of the upper level pool conveyor is made smaller than the horizontal width of the lower level pool conveyor, or the upper level pool conveyor is shifted to the lateral side of the lower level pool conveyor. In such a case, the upper level pool conveyor is less likely to get in the way when removing fruit vegetables from the lower level pool conveyor.

1 is a schematic plan view of an entire fruit vegetable automatic sorting apparatus according to the present invention. The top view of the fruit and vegetables conveyance body in the fruit and vegetables automatic selection apparatus of this invention. The top view of the fruit vegetable automatic selection apparatus of this invention. The perspective view of the pool conveyor part of the fruit vegetable automatic selection apparatus of this invention. (A) (b) is a top view of the state which takes out fruit vegetables from a pool conveyor and packs them in a box. The side view of the pool conveyor part in this invention. The upper surface side perspective view which shows an example of the fruit vegetable carrier in this invention. The lower surface side perspective view of the fruit vegetable carrier of FIG. The upper surface side perspective view of the fruit and vegetables conveyance body in this invention. The lower surface side perspective view of the fruit and vegetables conveyance body of FIG. Arrangement explanatory drawing of the fruit and vegetable carrier, tracking switch, forward guide, and switching piece in the present invention. (A) is explanatory drawing in case the pin of the fruit vegetable carrier in this invention moves diagonally back, (b) is explanatory drawing in case the pin of fruit vegetable carrier passes, (c) is the vegetable carrier which moved diagonally backward. Explanatory drawing when a pin returns to an original position. The perspective view which shows the other examples of the fruit vegetable carrier in this invention.

(Embodiment)
[Basic form of automatic fruit vegetable sorting device]
As an example of the automatic fruit vegetable sorting apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, the automatic fruit vegetable sorting apparatus 1 is arranged in four rows, and the automatic fruit vegetable sorting apparatus 1 in each row is an upper vegetable transport body 2a and a lower fruit transport body 2b. Are arranged in two upper and lower stages.

  Each of the upper and lower fruit vegetable carriers 2a and 2b in each row of the automatic vegetable vegetable sorting apparatus 1 in FIG. 1 is a belt conveyor type, and has the same configuration and the same operation. The upper and lower pool conveyors 3a and 3b are both belt conveyor types, and have the same configuration and the same operation. The fruit and vegetable supply line 4 in the fruit and vegetable automatic sorting apparatus 1 in each row in FIG. 1 has the same configuration and operation. Therefore, in the following description, the upper-stage vegetable carrier 2a, the upper-layer pool conveyor 3a, and the fruit-feed supply line 4 of any one row of the automatic vegetable-separation apparatus 1 will be described, and the description of the other automatic vegetable-separation apparatus 1 will be omitted. To do.

  The fruit vegetable automatic sorting device 1 in each row is arranged in an orthogonal direction (including substantially orthogonal directions; the same applies hereinafter) to the side of the upper vegetable transport body 2a, the lower fruit transport body 2b, and the upper fruit transport body 2a. The upper pool conveyor 3a and the lower pool conveyor 3b arranged in the orthogonal direction to the side of the lower vegetable transporter 2b are provided. The upper pool conveyor 3a is measured while being transported by the upper fruit transporter 2a, is determined by the equal class, and takes over the fruit vegetables that are sent out (sorted) by the equal class. For example, Class A SS, Class A S, Class A M, Class A L, Class A LL, Class B SS, Class B S, Class B M, Class B L, Class B LL, Class C SS, ... Are arranged. The lower-level pool conveyor 3b takes over the fruits and vegetables sorted by the lower-level vegetable transport body 2b according to equal classes, and is arranged in the same number of classes as sorted by the lower-level fruit and vegetable transport bodies 2b.

[Fruit vegetable supply line]
In FIG. 1, the fruit and vegetable supply line 4 is arranged in front of each of the upper and lower fruit carrier 2a and the lower and lower fruit carrier 2b. The fruit vegetable supply line 4 includes a conveyor 4a, a damper 4b, a washing machine 4c, a sorting unit 4d, a container discharge line 4e, an upper supply unit 5a, and a lower supply unit 5b.

  The conveyer 4a conveys the container that contains the harvested fruit vegetables A and is carried into the fruit selection field. A roller conveyer, a belt conveyer, and other conveyers that are suitable for conveying containers are suitable. The damper 4b inclines the container conveyed with the conveyance conveyor 4a, and opens the fruit vegetables A in a container. The washing machine 4c is for washing fruit vegetables A. The distribution unit 4d spreads the cleaned fruit vegetables A horizontally and feeds them into the upper supply unit 5a and the lower supply unit 5b which are divided into two branches. A vibration type belt conveyor is suitable for the distribution unit 4d. The upper supply unit 5a conveys the fruit vegetables A up to the fruit and vegetables mounting area 24 of the upper fruit and vegetable transport body 2a, and is arranged up to the fruit and vegetables mounting area 24 of the upper fruit and vegetable transportation body 2a. The lower supply unit 5b conveys the fruit vegetables A up to the fruit and vegetables mounting area 24 of the lower fruit and vegetable transport body 2b, and is arranged up to the fruit and vegetables mounting area 24 of the lower fruit and vegetable transportation body 2b. A belt conveyor is suitable for the upper supply unit 5a and the lower supply unit 5b. The container discharge line 4e opens and moves the fruits and vegetables A and moves them to the outside of the fruits and vegetables supply line 4, and a conveyor such as a roller conveyor or a belt conveyor is suitable.

  All or part of the damper 4b, the washing machine 4c, the sorting unit 4d, and the container discharge line 4e need not be provided depending on circumstances. In that case, the worker H takes out the fruit vegetables A in the container that has been carried into the fruit selection site one by one by hand, or the worker H tilts the container to remove the fruit vegetables A in the container from the upper supply unit 5a and the lower part. The supply unit 5b can be opened.

[Fruit vegetable carrier]
In the upper part of FIG. 1, the vegetable carrier 2a has a large number of fruit carrier 7 (FIGS. 7 and 8) attached to two endless traveling bodies 21 (FIG. 2) as shown in FIGS. The two endless traveling bodies 21 are chains, and are circulated in parallel with two drive wheels H1 and two driven wheels H2 (FIG. 2). The two endless traveling bodies 21 travel by the rotation of the driving wheel H1, travel back from the upper side by the driven wheel H2, and circulate by traveling from the lower side to the upper side by the driving wheel H1 (return circulation traveling). is there. A timing belt or other endless rotating body can be used for the endless traveling body 21. In the case of a timing belt, the driving wheel H1 and the driven wheel H2 in FIG. 2 are pulleys.

  The length of the fruit vegetable carrier 2a varies depending on the size of the fruit selection field, but is usually several tens of meters, and in some cases, 100 m or more. In the case of FIG. 1, in order from the right side (the front side in the transport direction) to the left side (the front side in the transport direction), the worker H places the fruit vegetables A on the fruit carrier 7 and the shape and size of the fruit vegetables A being transported. A discrimination area 25 for measuring the sugar content and the like and discriminating by class, and a sorting area 26 for sending out the classified fruit vegetables A by class during transport and sorting them.

[Fruit vegetable carrier]
The fruit carrier 7 can have various shapes and structures. As an example, the fruit and vegetable carrier 7 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is a belt conveyor type in which four belts 11 are circulated around one frame 10. The fruit vegetable carrier 7 has a frame 10 attached to an endless traveling body 21 (FIGS. 9 and 10), and travels in the same direction when the endless traveling body 21 travels.

[Fruit carrier frame]
The frame 10 of the fruit vegetable carrier 7 (FIGS. 7 and 8) is made of various materials such as metal, hard resin, FRP, etc., and the two attachment pieces 13a and 13b are bent by bending the both sides of the flat plate 12 at substantially right angles. The formed side view “U” shape. The flat plate 12 is obliquely rearward, the attachment pieces 13a and 13b are also obliquely rearward and parallel, and when the attachment pieces 13a and 13b are attached to the two endless traveling bodies 21 (FIG. 9), The endless traveling body 21 is inclined rearward with respect to the traveling direction (the arrow direction in FIG. 9). Four elongated winding bases 15 (FIG. 7) are provided on the flat plate 12 in parallel. These four winding bases 15 are also inclined rearward in accordance with the oblique rearward direction of the flat plate 12. Rollers 16 (FIGS. 7 and 8) are rotatably attached to both ends of the four winding bases 15 in the longitudinal direction. Although the width and length of the winding base 15 vary depending on the shape and size of the fruit vegetables A to be placed, for example, a width of about 2 to 3 cm and a length of about 10 to 15 cm are suitable. The winding base 15 may be four or more or three or less. Four guide grooves 14 (FIG. 8) are opened in the flat plate 12 at regular intervals in parallel. These guide grooves 14 are also opened in the flat plate 12 in an obliquely rearward direction.

[Fruit carrier belt]
The belt 11 is wound around the upper surface of the winding table 15 -the outer periphery of the roller 16 -the bottom surface of the winding table 15. There is a recess (not shown) recessed downward on the upper surface of each winding base 15, and when the vegetable vegetable A is placed on the belt 11, the belt 11 loosens downward along the recess so that the vegetable vegetable A is stabilized. is there. Of the individual belts 11, a part (lower traveling part) 11 b that travels on the bottom side of the winding base 15 of the belt 11 from the tip side of the part (upper traveling part) 11 a (FIG. 7) that travels on the upper surface of the winding base 15. The slit 17 (FIG. 7) is opened over (FIG. 8). The slit 17 is opened at a substantially central portion in the width direction of each belt 11.

  The width of each belt 11 varies depending on the shape, size, etc. of the fruit vegetables A to be placed, but at least in the case of small or short fruit vegetables, it is wide enough to be placed one by one. Specifically, the width is the same or substantially the same as the width of the winding table 15 and the roller 16. For example, when the width of the winding table 15 and the roller 16 is about 2 to 3 cm, the width is set to the same level. When putting a long fruit vegetable A such as pepper or eggplant, it can be placed across two or more adjacent belts 11 as shown in FIGS. In the case of large fruit vegetables such as Saijo and melon, the width of the belt 11 is increased. The belt 11 is made of various materials such as Zuk, resin, and rubber, and is a flat belt having a flat surface on the fruit vegetables.

[Supporters for fruit carrier]
As shown in FIG. 7, a support 18 is fixed on the upper running portion 11 a of each belt 11. The support 18 serves as a guide for positioning when the fruit vegetables A are placed on the upper traveling part 11a of the belt 11, and supports the rear of the fruit vegetables A (FIGS. 7 and 9) placed on the upper traveling part 11a, It is also possible to prevent misalignment or overturning of the fruit vegetables A during the conveyance of the fruit vegetables. Further, when the belt 11 rotates and the fruit vegetables A are sent out to the pool conveyor 3a (FIG. 2), the fruit vegetables A can be pushed out by moving in the forward rotation direction along with the forward rotation of the belt 11.

[Fruits on the fruit carrier]
As shown in FIG. 7, a fruit vegetable mounting portion 19 (for example, a triangle mark in FIG. 7) can be provided on the upper surface of the upper running portion 11 a of the belt 11 and immediately before the support tool 18. The fruit and vegetable mounting part 19 is a place where the fruit and vegetable A is placed on the upper traveling part 11a, and a mark of an arbitrary shape is displayed or a receiving material made of a material that the fruit vegetable A is difficult to fall is pasted on the upper surface of the upper traveling part 11a. Alternatively, the belt 11 itself can be formed with a structure in which the fruit vegetables A are not easily displaced. The position of the fruit vegetable mounting part 19 is preferably in front of the support tool 18, and the position where the back side of the fruit vegetable A placed on the fruit vegetable mounting part 19 contacts the support tool 18 is preferable. Moreover, it is desirable to change the position of the fruit vegetables mounting part 19 according to the size of the fruit vegetables A to be mounted. For example, in the case of small fruit vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers, it is provided immediately in front of the support tool 18, and in the case of large fruit vegetables such as Saijo and melon, it is provided in front of the support tool 18. In the case of FIG. 13, a recess for placing fruit vegetables is provided on the support tool 18, and the depression is used as a fruit vegetable placing portion 19.

[Guide axis of fruit vegetable carrier]
Guide shafts 20 (FIG. 8) are fixed to the upper running portions 11 a of the four belts 11. The upper end of the guide shaft 20 is attached to the upper running portion 11a of the belt 11 via a mounting plate (not shown), and the lower end passes through the slits 17 (FIGS. 7 and 8) of the individual belts 11. 8 penetrates through the guide groove 14 of the flat plate 12 of the frame 10 and protrudes to the lower side of the frame 10 as shown in FIG. The guide shaft 20 can be reciprocally slid along the guide groove 14 and the slit 17, and the belt 11 can reciprocate in the same direction along with the reciprocating slide.

[Outgoing guide, switching piece]
As shown in FIGS. 11, 12A and 12B, the forward guide 27 and the switching piece 28 are arranged below the moving vegetable transport body 2a (fruit and vegetable transport line). The forward guide 27 is fixed, and the switching piece 28 is shown on the basis of the determination result in the determination unit 9a (FIG. 1) from the position where it is in a straight line on the same axis as the forward guide 27 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 12 (b), it can be reciprocated to a horizontal position. The reciprocating rotation (switching) of the switching piece 28 is performed based on a switching signal transmitted from the determination unit 9a according to the determination result in the determination unit 9a. The forward guide 27 and the switching piece 28 are paired, and are arranged corresponding to the position (fruit vegetable feed position) of each pool conveyor 3a shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, when the fruit vegetables A are placed across two or more belts 11, the two or more guide shafts 20 interlocking with the belts 11 are connected in the same direction by the forward guide 27. Allow moving in sync. For this purpose, the two or more switching pieces 28 are switched so as to be aligned with the forward guide 27 in synchronization.

[Recovery Guide]
A return guide 29 is also arranged below the fruit vegetable transport body 2a (fruit vegetable transport line) as shown in FIG. The return guide 29 is the original position before the fruit carrier A that has sent out the fruit vegetables A travels back and returns to the original position (fruit and vegetables mounting area 24: FIG. 1) before moving the guide shaft 20 forward and backward. The movement direction of the fruit vegetable carrier 7 relative to the last (earliest) forward guide 27 arranged in large numbers under the fruit vegetable carrier 2a as shown in FIG. 12 (c). It is arranged ahead. The return guide 29 in FIG. 12C is a triangle, and its slope is a guide surface 29a. The guide surface 29a guides the guide shaft 20 of the moving fruit vegetable carrier 7 in the direction of the arrow Z in FIG. 12C, and returns (returns) the guide shaft 20 to the original position before moving forward. It can be tilted. Along with the movement of the guide shaft 20, the belt 11 interlocked with the guide shaft 20 also rotates in the reverse direction to return the fruit and vegetable mounting portion 19 of the upper traveling portion 11a of the belt 11 to the state before being sent out. Including). The return guide 29 may have another shape, for example, a rod shape.

[Sending out fruit vegetables]
The fruit carrier 7 attached to the two endless traveling bodies 21 as shown in FIG. 2 moves in the same direction as the endless traveling body 21 moves in the direction of arrow X in FIG. As the fruit carrier 7 moves, the guide shaft 20 (FIG. 8) also moves in the same direction. Depending on the determination result, when the switching piece 28 is stopped in a line on the same axis as the forward guide 27 as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12A, the guide shaft 20 of the moving fruit carrier 7 is switched to the switching piece. 28, as the movement proceeds, it moves (forward movement) in the direction of the arrow Y in FIG. 11 and FIG. Along with this forward movement, the belt 11 of the vegetable carrier 7 also rotates (forward rotation) obliquely backward in the transport direction (in the direction of arrow Y in FIG. 2), and on the fruit vegetable mounting portion 19 on the upper traveling portion 11a of the belt 11. The fruits and vegetables A that have been placed are sent out in the direction of the arrow Y, and sent to the pool conveyor 3a (FIG. 1) arranged in the direction of the arrow Y.

  When the switching piece 28 is rotated upward as shown in FIG. 12B according to the determination result, the guide shaft 20 of the moving fruit carrier 7 passes between the switching piece 28 and the forward guide 27 (straight forward). Thus, the belt 11 of the fruit vegetable carrier 7 does not rotate, and the fruit vegetables A placed on the upper running portion 11a of the belt 11 are not sent to the side. When the fruit vegetable carrier 7 that has passed through the forward guide 27 arrives at the original sorting position, the switching piece is located on the other side of the forward guide 27 that has passed therethrough and is switched in line with the forward guide 27 as shown in FIG. 28, and moves diagonally rearward in the fruit and vegetable conveying direction along the forward guide 27 that is in line with the switching piece 28. With this movement, the belt 11 of the fruit vegetable carrier 7 rotates in the same direction, and the fruit vegetables A on the belt 11 are sent out to the pool conveyor 3a obliquely rearward in the fruit vegetable conveying direction corresponding to the forward guide 27. In this case, the fruit and vegetables A sent out to the pool conveyor 3a are difficult to fall because the feeding speed (inertia) in the transport direction is reduced.

  The vegetable carrier 7 continues to move in the direction of conveying the vegetable after sending out the vegetable A, and guides it to the return guide (return guide) 29 (FIG. 12C) while returning to the original position (position where the vegetable A is placed). As a result, it moves back (reverse movement) in the opposite direction to the forward movement. When the slide shaft 20 that moves along with this movement hits the return guide 29 in FIG. 12C, the guide shaft 20 moves along the guide surface (slope) 29a of the return guide 29 in the direction of arrow Z in FIG. Is returned to the original position before moving forward (moves backward). As the guide shaft 20 moves backward, the belt 11 of the vegetable carrier 7 moves in the same direction as the guide shaft 20, and the fruit mounting portion 19 provided on the upper traveling portion 11 a of the belt 11 returns to the original position where the vegetable A is placed. Returning, the fruit and vegetable mounting portions 19 of the individual belts 11 are aligned in a row or substantially in the original position before the forward rotation. By placing the fruits and vegetables A on the aligned fruits and vegetables mounting portion 19, the fruits and vegetables A are aligned and conveyed, and can pass through the measuring instrument 8 a in the same state every time, so that the measurement accuracy does not vary and the measurement accuracy is improved.

  The movement of the guide shaft 20 and the rotation of the belt 11 are performed when the guide shaft 20 is attached to the upper traveling portion 11a of the belt 11, but when the guide shaft 20 is attached to the lower traveling portion 11b of the belt 11. The movement of the guide shaft 20 and the rotation of the belt 11 are reversed.

[Belt unitization]
When a large number of narrow belts 11 are arranged as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, two or several adjacent belts 11 can be used as a set of units. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, fruit vegetables A are placed on one unit, and the support 18 of the unit on which the fruit vegetables A are placed is simultaneously rotated in the same direction (synchronous rotation). By moving several belts 11 of one unit in the same direction at the same time, fruit vegetables A on the unit can be sent out. When unitized, it is convenient to change the color of the support 18 and the belt 11 for each unit so that the unit on which the fruit vegetables A are placed can be easily identified.

[Other examples of fruit vegetable carrier]
The fruit vegetable carrier 7 in the present invention may have other shapes and structures. As an example, a vegetable carrier 7 shown in FIG. 13 has rollers 16 rotatably attached to both ends of one frame 10 in the front-rear direction, and a wide belt 11 can be reciprocally rotated on the outer periphery of the roller 16. It ’s going around. This fruit vegetable carrier 7 also has a support 18 attached on the upper running portion 11 a of the belt 11. The support 18 is attached to the upper traveling portion 11a of the belt 11 by a guide shaft 20 (not shown). The support tool 18 is formed with a vegetable-pitch-mounting portion 19 for placing the fruit and vegetable A in a single step.

[Tracking switch]
In the fruit and vegetable automatic sorting apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 11, a tracking switch SW is provided on the side of the fruit and vegetable transport body 2a in the fruit and vegetable transport direction and opposite to the arrangement side of the pool conveyor 3a (the worker H side in FIG. 1). is there. SW of FIG. 13 is a tracking switch, and when the worker H places the fruit vegetables A on the fruit vegetables mounting part 19 of the belt 11 of the fruit carrier 7, the scratches, colors, etc. of the fruit vegetables A are visually selected, and according to the results. To operate. The tracking switch SW is configured such that a large number of tracking switches SW are attached to two rotatable endless traveling bodies T for rotation and rotate together with the endless traveling body T for switches.

  The tracking switch SW is arranged in parallel with many fruit and vegetable carriers 7 in the fruit and vegetable mounting area 24 (FIGS. 2 and 11). A large number of tracking switches SW are mounted in a line in the traveling direction on an endless traveling body T for switches such as a chain and a timing belt. The switch endless traveling body T travels horizontally, folds from the top to the bottom at one folding position, and circulates by folding from the bottom to the top at the other folding position. The tracking switch SW is configured to circulate along with the circulating travel of the switch endless traveling body T. The tracking switch SW can be a set of two or more, and the worker H visually identifies the damage, color, deformation, etc. of the fruit vegetables A placed on the belt 11 of the fruit vegetable carrier 7 in the fruit vegetable mounting area 24, and Prior to discriminating the fruit vegetables A in the discrimination area 25 by operating the tracking switch SW, it is possible to perform pre-sorting. When the tracking switch SW is pressed, the signal is transmitted to the control unit in the discrimination area 25 to become fruit vegetable selection information.

  The tracking switch SW in FIG. 2 is arranged on the worker arrangement side (the side in the conveyance direction of the fruit and vegetable transport body 2a and on the front side) of the fruit and vegetables loading area 24, but the worker arrangement with the fruit and vegetable conveyance body 2a interposed therebetween. It can also be placed opposite the side. Although the illustrated tracking switch SW is a seesaw type switch, it may be a push type switch or other drive type switch. The tracking switch SW does not need to be provided in each fruit vegetable carrier 7, and for example, as shown in FIG. 11, a large number of tracking switches SW are attached to the switch endless traveling body T and rotate along with the rotation of the switch endless traveling body T. It can also be done.

[Pool conveyor]
The pool conveyor 3a (FIG. 1) is also a belt conveyor type in which a belt 33 circulates around the outer periphery of a rotating roller, and has a length and a width that allow a large number of fruit vegetables A to be pooled. The pool conveyor 3a is rotated every time the fruit vegetable A is sent out from the fruit vegetable carrier 7 so that the fruit vegetables A can be taken over one by one.

  The number of belts 33 of the pool conveyor 3a for each equal class is preferably a plurality of belts 33 arranged in the width direction as shown in FIG. The number of belts 33 of the upper pool conveyor 3a and the number of belts 33 of the lower pool conveyor 3b may be the same. However, when a plurality of conveyors having the same width are arranged, the lower conveyor as shown in FIG. The number of the belts 33 of the pool conveyor 3b is larger than the number of the belts 33 of the upper pool conveyor 3a, and the upper pool conveyor 3a is arranged at the center in the width direction of the lower pool conveyor 3b, so that the lower pool conveyor Both outer sides in the horizontal width direction of 3b can be protruded outward from the outer side in the width direction of the upper pool conveyor 3a.

  In order for the widthwise outer side of the lower pool conveyor 3b to protrude outward from the widthwise outer side of the upper pool conveyor 3a, the width of the belt of the lower pool conveyor 3b is set to the width of the belt of the upper pool conveyor 3b. It can also be wider. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the upper pool conveyor 3a is arranged on the outer side in the width direction of the lower pool conveyor 3b, and one side in the width direction of the lower pool conveyor 3b is located on the upper pool. It can also be made to protrude outward in the width direction of the conveyor 3a.

  In the case of FIG. 1, the pool conveyor 3a is arrange | positioned in parallel at two or more places of the side of the fruit vegetable transport body 2a so as to be orthogonal to the fruit vegetable transport body 2a. In FIG. 1, as many pool conveyors 3a as the number of equal classes of fruit vegetables A are provided, so that the fruit vegetables A can be sent out to the respective pool conveyors 3a by equal classes. The pool conveyor 3a can also be arranged slightly obliquely rearward or obliquely forward with respect to the fruit vegetable carrier 2a.

  It is not necessary for all the pool conveyors 3a to have the same number, width, length, etc. of the belts 33, and the pool conveyor 3a that takes over a large number of equal class fruits and vegetables A increases the number, widens the width, The length can be increased to ensure that many fruit vegetables A can be pooled. Even if the number of the belts 33 is reduced, the width of the belt conveyor 3a is reduced, or the width of the belt conveyor 3a is reduced, the fruit vegetables A can be reliably pooled.

  The pool conveyor 3a can be kept rotating at all times, but when the fruit vegetables A are not sent, the pool conveyor 3a is temporarily stopped and kept waiting, and when the fruit vegetables A are fed from the fruit carrier 7, it rotates by one fruit vegetable. It is also possible to control so as to secure a space for the fruit vegetables A. The rotation control of the pool conveyor 3a is performed by the control device based on the determination result. Here, when the fruit vegetables A are sent, it means that they are sent and before being sent.

[Fruit vegetables automatic sorting device]
What is illustrated as an example of the fruit vegetable automatic sorting apparatus of the present invention is the above-described fruit and vegetable transport body 2a arranged vertically to form an upper fruit transport body 2a and a lower fruit transport body 2b, and an upper fruit and vegetable transport body 2a and a lower stage. The pool conveyor 3a having the above-described configuration is arranged on the side of each of the fruit and vegetable transport bodies 2b in the fruit and vegetable transport direction to form an upper pool conveyor 3a and a lower pool conveyor 3b.

[Fruit vegetables loading area]
The fruit-pasting area 24 is a place (space) where the worker H manually places the fruit vegetables A one by one on the fruit-carrier carrier 7, and has a length that allows several workers H to be arranged.

[Discrimination area]
The discrimination area 25 is an area in which the shape, size, sugar content, etc. of the fruit vegetable A being carried on the fruit vegetable carrier 7 is measured, and measuring instruments 8a and 8b are arranged. The measuring instruments 8a and 8b can be arranged above the discrimination area 25 so that the fruit vegetables A being conveyed can be measured from above. Alternatively, the measuring instruments 8a and 8b can be arranged on the side of the discrimination area 25 so that the fruit vegetables A being conveyed are side by side. It can be measured from the side, or it can be placed directly below and measured from below. It can be arranged at two or more different positions so that it can be measured from different directions. As the measuring instruments 8a and 8b, an optical measuring instrument, an image measuring instrument, and other various measuring instruments can be used.

[Sorting area]
In the sorting area 26 of FIG. 1, the fruit vegetables A measured by the measuring instruments 8a and 8b in the discrimination area 25 and discriminated in the same class are sent to the side of the fruit transport direction, and the fruit vegetables A are sorted (sorted) by class. Is a place. In this sorting area 26, a rail-shaped forward guide 27 (FIG. 11) is arranged below the fruit and vegetable carrier 2a, 2b.

[Arrangement of fruit vegetable automatic sorting device]
In the fruit vegetable automatic sorting apparatus 1 according to the present invention, the above-described fruit vegetable automatic sorting apparatus is arranged vertically and arranged in four rows as a set. Among the four rows, the central two-row fruit and vegetables automatic sorting apparatus 1 is arranged with the fruit and vegetable carrier 2a and 2b facing each other, and the outer two-row fruit and vegetable automatic sorting apparatus 1 uses the pool conveyors 3a and 3b to automatically sort the central fruit and vegetables. The pool conveyors 3a and 3b of the apparatus 1 are arranged opposite each other.

  In FIG. 1, the upper pool conveyor 3a uses six belts 33, the lower pool conveyor 3b uses eight belts 33 having the same width as the belt 33 of the upper pool conveyor 3a, and the lower pool conveyor 3b. The side of the horizontal width direction is projected outward from the side of the width direction of the upper pool conveyor 3a. The lower pool conveyor 3b uses a wider belt than the upper pool conveyor 3a, so that the lateral width of the lower pool conveyor 3b is outside the lateral width of the upper pool conveyor 3a. It can also be made to protrude. As shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b), the upper pool conveyor 3a is shifted in the lateral width direction outside of the lower pool conveyor 3b, and the widthwise side of the lower pool conveyor 3b is located on the upper side. It can also be made to protrude outward from the width direction side of the pool conveyor 3a. The lower pool conveyor 3b uses a wider belt than the upper pool conveyor 3a, so that the lateral width of the lower pool conveyor 3b is outside the lateral width of the upper pool conveyor 3a. It can also protrude. The reason why the lateral width direction of the lower pool conveyor 3b protrudes outward from the width direction side of the upper pool conveyor 3a is that the upper pool conveyor 3a gets in the way when the fruit vegetables A of the lower pool conveyor 3b are taken out. This is in order not to become.

  The height of both the upper vegetable transport body 2a and the lower fruit transport body 2b is a height at which the worker H can place the fruit vegetables A. The height of the upper vegetable transport body 2a is determined by the operator H. The height is such that fruit vegetables A can be placed.

[Usage example of fruit vegetable automatic sorting device]
The usage example of the fruit vegetable automatic selection apparatus of this invention is demonstrated below.
In FIG. 1, fruit vegetables A put into a belt conveyor type conveyor 4 a are conveyed from the right side to the left side in FIG. 1, and sent to a washing machine 4 c for washing. The washed fruit vegetables A are distributed and sent to the belt conveyor type upper supply unit 5a and the belt conveyor type lower supply unit 5b while being spread laterally by vibration of the distribution unit (for example, vibration bell conveyor) 4d. Fruit vegetables A sent to the upper supply unit 5a and the lower supply unit 5b are conveyed from the right side to the left side in FIG.

  One fruit vegetable A supplied to the upper supply section 5a is placed on the fruit carrier 7 of the upper fruit transport body 2a that is running by a worker H standing next to the upper supply section 5a (fruit and vegetables mounting area 24). It can be placed one by one. One fruit vegetable A supplied to the lower supply section 5b is placed on the fruit carrier 7 of the lower fruit transport body 2b traveling by the worker H standing next to the lower supply section 5b (fruit application area 24). It can be placed one by one. The upper and lower fruit vegetable carriers 7 are the same. At this time, the operator H visually checks the fruit vegetables A to determine the presence / absence of scratches, deformation, coloring, etc., and places them on the fruit carrier 7, and presses the tracking switch SW (FIGS. 11 and 13) according to the determination results. For example, when there is a slight scratch on the fruit vegetable A that is placed, one of the tracking switches SW is pressed, and when there is a difficulty in coloring, the two tracking switches SW arranged side by side are pressed. Fruit vegetables A that cannot be sold as a product due to extreme scratches or extreme deformation are not placed on the fruit vegetable carrier 7.

  Fruit vegetables A placed on the upper vegetable carrier 7 are transported from the right side to the left side of FIG. 1 by the movement of the vegetable carrier 7 and when reaching the discrimination area 25, the shape, size, weight, Necessary items such as sugar content are measured, and the classifying unit 9a performs class classification based on the measurement data. Similarly, the fruit vegetables A placed on the lower vegetable carrier 7 are transported from the right side to the left side in FIG. 1 by the movement of the lower vegetable carrier 7, and the shape, size, weight, sugar content are measured by the lower measuring instrument 8 b. Necessary items such as the above are measured, and the discrimination unit 9b discriminates the equal class based on the measurement data. The upper measurement device 8a and the lower measurement device 8b are the same, and the upper determination unit 9a and the lower determination unit 9b are the same.

  The upper determined fruit vegetables A are transported to the sorting area 26, sent to the upper pool conveyor 3a according to the determination result, and taken out by the worker H one by one by the worker H next to the upper pool conveyor 3a. (FIGS. 3 and 5). The lower determined fruit vegetables A are also transported to the sorting area 26, and are sent out to the lower pool conveyor 3b in the sorting area 26 according to the determination result, and are taken out one by one by the worker H beside the lower pool conveyor 3b. And boxed (FIGS. 3 and 5). In this case, it is instructed which fruit carrier A of which vegetable carrier 7 is sent out to which pool conveyor 3a, 3b based on the discrimination result, and the switching piece 28 is switched to the course change position based on this instruction, and the fruit vegetables to be sent out. The guide shaft 20 of the belt 11 on which A is placed is guided by the forward guide 27. When the fruit vegetables A are placed across two or more belts 11, the two or more switching pieces 28 operate in synchronism, and the guide shafts 20 of the two or more fruit vegetables placing bodies 2a are almost in synchronism with each other. Guided in the direction.

  When the guide shaft 20 of the fruit vegetable carrier 7 is guided by the forward guide 27, the upper traveling portion 11a of the belt 11 of the fruit vegetable carrier 7 moves in the same direction as the guide shaft 20, and is placed on the upper traveling portion 11a of the belt 11. Fruit vegetables A are sent to the pool conveyors 3a and 3b (sorted by grade). Simultaneously with or immediately before the delivery, the pool conveyors 3a and 3b are rotated by one fruit vegetable to secure a space for placing only one fruit vegetable A so that the fruit vegetable A can be surely transferred, and the pool conveyor later. The fruits A sent out from 3a, 3b are prevented from colliding with the fruits A previously sent to the pool conveyors 3a, 3b. If the pool conveyors 3a and 3b are rotated before the fruit vegetables A are delivered, the delivered fruit vegetables A are drawn into the pool conveyors 3a and 3b, and the transfer from the fruit vegetable carrier 7 to the pool conveyors 3a and 3b is smooth and reliable. Done.

  When there is an instruction to pass the fruit carrier 7 as it is, the switching piece 28 does not operate and remains away from the forward guide 27, and the guide shaft 20 of the fruit carrier 7 carrying the fruit A is shown in FIG. It passes between the forward guide 27 and the switching piece 28 as shown in FIG. When it passes and is transported to the original sorting position of the fruit vegetable A, the switching piece 28 is switched to the course changing position based on the determination result, and the guide shaft 20 of the fruit vegetable carrier 7 is guided to the forward guide 27. Thus, the guide shaft 20 and the belt 11 of the fruit vegetable carrier 7 rotate in the same direction, and the fruit vegetable A is sent out to the pool conveyors 3a and 3b on the fruit vegetable conveyance side. When the fruit vegetable carrier 7 is directed diagonally backward in the conveyance direction of the fruit vegetable carriers 2a, 2b, the fruit vegetable A on the fruit vegetable carrier 7 is fed obliquely backward and the delivery speed is reduced, so that the pool conveyors 3a, 3b When it is fed out, the momentum is too strong due to the feeding inertia and it does not fall over or collide with the fruit vegetables A previously pooled on the pool conveyors 3a, 3b, so that the fruit vegetables A are hardly damaged.

  The fruit carrier 7 that has sent out the fruit vegetables A continues traveling as it is driven by the traveling rotation of the endless traveling body 21, and returns to the fruit and vegetables mounting area 24. Before returning, the guide shaft 20 is automatically returned to the original position before the fruit vegetables A are sent out by being guided by the return guide 29 arranged in the lower part of the fruit vegetable carriers 2a, 2b. Along with this return, the belt 11 of the fruit vegetable carrier 7 automatically returns to the original position before the fruit vegetables A are sent out, and the fruit vegetable mounting portions 19 (FIGS. 7 and 13) of the many belts 11 are aligned.

  The fruit vegetables A sent to the pool conveyors 3a and 3b are pooled until a certain quantity is reached, and then sent to the next work process by the rotation of the pool conveyors 3a and 3b.

  Many fruits and vegetables A are classified into equal classes by placing the fruits and vegetables A on the fruits and vegetables carrier 7, measuring and discriminating the fruits and vegetables A being conveyed, and repeatedly sending them to the pool conveyors 3 a and 3 b based on the discrimination results.

(Other embodiments)
In the above embodiment, the belt 11 reciprocates. However, in the present invention, the belt 11 may circulate and rotate in one direction. The fruit vegetable automatic selection method in this case is the same as that in the above embodiment except that the belt 11 rotates in one direction. In this case, the belt 11 is circulated and rotated in one direction by a motor or the like, and returns to the original position before placing the fruits and vegetables A before returning to the fruits and vegetables placement area 24 after the delivery of the fruits and vegetables. To return to.

  Although the said embodiment is a case where a fruit vegetable delivery direction is made into diagonally backward or diagonally forward, in this invention, it can also send out just beside. In this case, the belt 11 of the fruit vegetable carrier 7 can be wound in a direction orthogonal to the horizontal direction of the frame 10 (toward the side). The fruit vegetable carrier 7 can be attached to the endless traveling body 21 so that the belt 11 faces the side of the fruit vegetable conveyance direction.

  Even when the fruit vegetables A are fed diagonally backward, diagonally forward, or just beside, the speed reducer is provided between the belt 11 of the fruit vegetable carrier 7 and the pool conveyors 3a, 3b, and the fruit vegetables A fed from the belt 11 It is also possible to reduce the delivery speed so that the fruit vegetables A do not fall easily when they are transferred onto the pool conveyors 3a and 3b.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Fruit vegetable automatic sorter 2a Upper vegetable transport body 2b Lower fruit transport body 3a Upper pool conveyor 3b Lower pool conveyor 4 Fruit supply line 4a (Fruit supply line) Conveyor 4b (Fruit supply line) Damper 4c Washing machine 4d (of vegetable supply line) Sorting unit 4e Container discharge line 5a Upper supply unit 5b Lower supply unit 7 Fruit carrier 8a, 8b Measuring instrument 9a, 9b Discriminating unit 10 Carrier 11 frame 11 (fruit vegetable carrier) belt 11 a (belt) upper running part 11 b (belt) lower running part 12 (frame) flat plate 13 a, 13 b mounting piece 14 guide groove 15 winding base 16 roller 17 (belt ) Slit 18 Support tool 19 (fruit vegetable carrier) fruit vegetable mounting part 20 Guide shaft DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Endless traveling body 24 Fruit and vegetables mounting area 25 Discrimination area 26 Sorting area 27 Forward guide 28 Switching piece 29 Returning guide 29a (Return guide) Guide surface 33 (Pool conveyor) Belt A Fruits H Worker H1 Drive wheel H2 Drive wheel T Endless traveling body SW for switch Tracking switch

Claims (6)

Each fruit vegetable is placed on the fruit carrier and transported one by one. During the transportation, each fruit vegetable is measured to determine the equal class, and the identified fruit vegetables are sent to the pool conveyor on the side in the transport direction according to the classification result, and sorted according to the equal class. In the automatic fruit vegetable sorting method,
One or more fruits and vegetables are transported on the belt conveyor type fruit carrier carrier of each stage of two or more stages of fruit and vegetable transport bodies provided at intervals in the upper and lower sides, and the fruits and vegetables being transported individually by the fruit vegetable carrier of each stage Measure and discriminate the equal class of individual fruit vegetables based on the measured data, and the determined fruit vegetables from the fruit carrier of each stage of the vegetable transport body to the belt conveyor of each stage at the same or substantially the same height as the fruit transport body It is sent out to the pool conveyor of each type, and the pool conveyor at each stage intermittently rotates every time the fruit vegetables are sent out from the fruit carrier, and takes over the fruit vegetables.
The fruit vegetable automatic selection method characterized by this. Measured with a measuring instrument that measures the size, shape, etc. of fruit and vegetables during the conveyance of fruit and vegetables in the fruit and vegetable conveying body, with a lot of belt conveyor type fruit and vegetable carriers attached to the endless traveling body, and measured with the measuring instrument In an automatic fruit vegetable sorting device equipped with a belt conveyor type pool conveyor that determines the equal class of individual fruit vegetables based on the data and takes over the individual fruit vegetables sent out by class from the fruit carrier carrier (conveyed).
The fruit and vegetable transporter is arranged in two or more stages at intervals in the vertical direction,
The pool conveyor is arranged in two or more stages at intervals in the vertical direction on the side of the transport direction of the fruit and vegetable transport body of each stage,
Each stage's pool conveyor is arranged in the transport direction of the fruit vegetable transporter for each equal class to be sorted,
The measuring instrument is arranged for each stage vegetable transporter,
Two or more stages of pool conveyors are provided at a height that can take over the fruit and vegetables delivered from the fruit and vegetable carrier of each stage.
Fruit vegetable automatic sorting device characterized by that. In the fruit vegetable automatic sorting device according to claim 2,
Each stage of the fruit vegetable carrier is a height at which an operator can place the fruit vegetables, and the height of the uppermost fruit vegetable carrier is the height at which the operator can place the fruit vegetables by extending their hands upwards. Is,
Fruit vegetable automatic sorting device characterized by that. In the fruit vegetable automatic selection device according to claim 2 or claim 3,
Make the width of the upper level pool conveyor narrower than the width of the lower level pool conveyor, or the width of the lower level pool conveyor is wider than the width of the upper level pool conveyor. Protruding outwards,
Fruit vegetable automatic sorting device characterized by that. In the fruit vegetable automatic sorting device according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
As a set of fruit vegetable automatic sorting devices equipped with two or more stages of vegetable transporters and pool conveyors arranged above and below, two or more fruit vegetable automatic sorting devices are placed side by side,
The two or more sets of fruit vegetable automatic sorting devices are arranged such that the upper level pool conveyor and the lower level pool conveyor are opposed to each other back to back.
Fruit vegetable automatic sorting device characterized by that. In the fruit vegetable automatic selection device according to any one of claims 2 to 5,
A fruit supply unit is provided in front of the fruit and vegetable storage area of each stage's fruit and vegetable transport body, and a fruit and vegetable supply unit is provided in front of the fruit and vegetable storage area of each stage's fruit and vegetable transportation body,
Fruit vegetable automatic sorting device characterized by that.

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