JP2022143214A - Sorting machine - Google Patents

Abstract

To remove mud of taros with significant differences in size and highly efficiently sort them by size.SOLUTION: A sorting machine for sorting taros by size includes a screw conveyor formed of a pair of left/right screws rotating inward against each other, and a screen provided close to the underside of the screw conveyor. When conveying non-sorted taros from the front end to the rear end of the screw conveyor, while removing mud therefrom, the sorting machine sorts taros with large diameters on an upper surface side of the screw conveyor and taros with small diameters on the screen, on the lower surface side of the screw conveyor.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a sorting machine.

In recent years, vegetables have been cultivated in various parts of Japan as rice paddy conversion. Taro, in particular, is best cultivated in fields with high water content, so crops are being shifted to paddy fields. However, taro harvesting is mostly done manually, and there is a strong demand for labor saving through mechanization.

So far, there are machines that remove mud while picking up onions, potatoes, etc., but there are no machines that remove mud while picking up taro. It is necessary to improve the desludging capacity of existing machines in conditions where there is a lot of mud mixed in, such as when it is necessary to pick up even small-diameter potatoes such as taro, or when using in wet fields. In addition, taros in particular have irregular shapes, such as spindle-shaped or multiple-connected taros. Since it is difficult to move, clogging is likely to occur, making it difficult to remove mud with existing machines.

In taro, child potatoes grow by branching from the parent potato, and grandchild potatoes are further branched and grown from the child potatoes. It is a crop known to be small. For example, it is known that in a certain cultivar of taro, the ratio of the minor axis of child and grandchild potatoes to the average minor axis of the parent potato at the time of harvest is about 1/7 to 5/7. The term "minor diameter" used herein refers to the maximum length when the length is measured in the direction perpendicular to the long axis direction of the taro. However, the long axis means the length corresponding to the long axis of the spheroid when the taro is modeled as a spheroid.

As a technology related to a conventional tuber mud removal device, Patent Document 1 discloses that it is intended to improve efficiency and save labor in the work of removing soil clods, in which spiral projections are formed on the peripheral surface of one roller and the other A technology is disclosed in which a clod is caught and pulverized and removed while conveying agricultural products by roll-in rotation of biaxial rollers having a flat surface without unevenness on the peripheral surface of the roller.

Patent Literature 2 discloses a technique of dropping soil adhering to taro from a large number of wire rods with respect to a manually operated taro separating apparatus.

In Patent Document 3, excavated soil containing boulders excavated by a cutter head of a shield excavator is separated into boulders and excavated soil containing small-diameter gravels by a screen bar during transportation, and the boulders are discharged from a boulder discharge port. A soil discharging device is disclosed in which the excavated earth and sand can be discharged separately by a screw feeder.

JP-A-2004-242568 Registered Utility Model No. 3138737 JP 2013-241740 A

In the biaxial roller of Patent Document 1, the crop is conveyed by spiral projections, but it is considered difficult to collectively convey all the different-sized potatoes such as taro, child potato, and grandchild potato. . For example, in order to transport parent potatoes, the height of the helical projection is thought to be about 1/3 of the minor axis of the parent potato. Since the minor axis ratio is as small as about 1/7 at the minimum, there is a concern that the small tubers may be removed from the gap between the rollers together with the earth and sand.

In the method of Patent Document 2 in which the soil is dropped from the gaps between a large number of wires, even if one taro is separated and the parent potatoes are removed by hand, the child potatoes and grandchild potatoes are gathered together with the soil and remain on the wire. , there is a concern that manual assistance is required to drop the soil under the wire, which increases labor.

In Patent Literature 3, a screen bar catches boulders, and a screw feeder conveys excavated earth and sand containing small-diameter gravel that has fallen from a gap between the screen bars. The boulders caught by the screen bar are intermittently discharged from the boulder outlet, and continuous operation is not possible. The curved concave groove on the lower surface of the screw auger is for conveying all the earth and sand by the screw auger.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above problems, the present invention provides a sorter capable of efficiently sorting taro, which has a remarkable size difference, into large and small taro according to size and removing sludge.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, there is provided a sorting machine for sorting taro according to size, comprising a screw conveyor comprising a pair of left and right screws rotating inwardly relative to each other when viewed from above; and a screen provided close to the lower surface of the screw conveyor, and when conveying unsorted taro from the front end to the rear end of the screw conveyor while removing mud, taro with a large short diameter is on the upper surface side of the screw conveyor. and sorting taro with a small short diameter on the screen on the lower surface side of the screw conveyor.

The screw may be formed by providing a helical groove in a cylindrical bar material, and may be configured so that the section of the helical crest in the length direction does not have an acute-angled portion.

A notch may be provided in the length direction of the screw.

The width of the gap between the spiral grooves of the screw facing each other may be equal to the minor axis of the largest one of the small-diameter taros. Alternatively, the width of the gap between the spiral grooves of the screw is provided so as to gradually increase from the front end to the rear end of the screw conveyor, and the width of the gap between the spiral grooves at the front end of the screw conveyor is such that the width of the gap between the spiral grooves of the screw is small. The width of the gap between the spiral grooves at the rear end of the screw conveyor may be equal to the short diameter of the smallest one, and the width of the gap between the spiral grooves at the rear end of the screw conveyor may be equal to the short diameter of the largest one of the small diameter taros.

The screw conveyor is a first screw conveyor, the screen is a plurality of second screw conveyors, and the plurality of second screw conveyors are formed by forming spiral grooves on a cylindrical bar. and the width of the gap between the opposing spiral grooves of the second screw is smaller than the minor axis of the smallest one of the small-diameter taros.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a sorter that efficiently sorts taro, which has a marked difference in size, into large and small taro according to size and removes mud.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows typically the outline of the taro harvesting system concerning embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the outline of the positional relationship of a screw conveyor and a screen in the sorting machine concerning embodiment of this invention. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of sorting of taro by a sorter according to the present embodiment. FIG. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a schematic diagram showing an overview of sorting of taro by the sorter according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a schematic diagram showing an overview of sorting of taro by the sorter according to the present embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the outline of a screw conveyor in the sorting machine concerning a modification. It is a schematic diagram which shows the outline of several 2nd screw conveyors in the sorting machine concerning a modification. It is a schematic diagram which shows the outline of another example of the screw conveyor in the sorting machine concerning this Embodiment. It is a schematic diagram which shows the outline of another example of the screw conveyor in the sorting machine concerning this Embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an overview of sorting of bound taro by the sorter according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a schematic diagram showing an overview of sorting of bound taro by the sorter according to the present embodiment.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view (FIG. 1(a)) and a plan view (FIG. 1(b)) schematically showing an outline of a taro harvesting system 1 according to this embodiment.

A taro harvesting system 1 according to this embodiment has a picker 3 , a sorter 4 , and a container vehicle 5 . The picker 3 has a self-propelled function and pulls the container car 5 behind it. The sorting machine 4 is attached to the picker 3 and moves integrally with the picker 3. - 特許庁In this specification, the forward direction of the picker 3 (the direction of the thick arrow in FIG. 1) is simply referred to as the front, and the opposite direction, the rearward direction of the picker 3, is simply referred to as the rear.

In this embodiment, the taro harvesting system 1 picks up taro A dug up near the ground surface of a field by an arbitrary taro digging device, and stores the taro A in a container car 5 . Depending on the arbitrary taro digging device, although some parent potatoes, which are taro A, are separated from child potatoes and grandchild potatoes and dug up to the ground surface, the separation of the parent potatoes, child potatoes and grandchild potatoes is completely performed. It is not intended to be sorted out and accommodated. In the present invention, by providing a sorter 4 between the picker 3 and the container car 5, the parent potato, which is the taro A dug up near the ground surface of the field, and the child potato and grandchild potato are sorted. Then, it is separated and accommodated in the container car 5.

The picker 3 has crawlers 10 , slat conveyors 12 , guide plates 13 , gauge arms 14 , gauge wheels 15 and chutes 16 .

Left and right ends of the picker 3 are provided with left and right crawlers 10 with track belts to facilitate maneuvering in wet fields. The left and right crawlers 10 are connected to a power (not shown), and the left and right crawlers 10 are rotated using the driving force of the power, thereby making the picker 3 self-propelled. A vehicle body as a structure of the picker 3 is provided between the left and right crawlers 10, and all components of the picker 3 are attached to the vehicle body.

A front end of the slat conveyor 12 is provided in front of the picker 3 so as to be buried at an arbitrary depth (plowing depth), and a rear end of the slat conveyor 12 is provided so as to extend to the rear of the picker 3 . At the front left end position from the front end of the slat conveyor 12, in the groove portion corresponding to the groove of the ridge of the field (hereinafter referred to as the ridge groove), a gauge that runs in the ridge groove is installed so as to keep the plowing depth at the front end of the slat conveyor 12 constant. A ring 15 is provided.

The slat conveyor 12 has a configuration in which both ends of each of a plurality of slats 12a are sandwiched between left and right conveyor chains (not shown). rotate to The direction of rotation is the direction in which the slat 12 a moves from the front to the rear of the picker 3 on the upper surface (conveyance surface) of the slat conveyor 12 . As a result, the dug-up taro A, which contacts the front end of the slat conveyor 12, can be picked up as the picker 3 moves forward so as to be put on the upper surface (conveying surface) of the slat 12a. In addition, the taro A is conveyed backward while being placed on the conveying surface. A plurality of slats 12a are provided such that each has a gap therebetween. By setting the width of the gap to be smaller than the minor axis of the taro A, only the mud and gravel adhering to the taro A can be dropped without the taro A falling.

The conveyor chain is connected to the power of the picker 3 by gears and chains (not shown) and driven to rotate.

The guide plate 13 is provided on the left side of the front end of the slat conveyor 12, and plays a role of guiding the dug up taro A on the outside in the width direction of the slat conveyor 12 so that it can come into contact with the front end of the slat conveyor 12. . Therefore, the guide plate 13 is provided so that the front end is located outside the width direction of the slat conveyor 12 and the rear end is adjacent to the left side of the front end of the slat conveyor 12 .

The rear end portion 12b of the slat conveyor 12 is rotatably connected to the vehicle body 11. By changing the angle of the slat conveyor 12 by such rotation, the plowing depth at the front end of the slat conveyor 12 can be adjusted. can.

To change the angle of the slat conveyor 12, the gauge wheel 15 is grounded on the ridge at the front left end position of the front end of the slat conveyor 12, and the gauge arm 14 is connected between the gauge wheel 15 and the front end side and the rear end side of the slat conveyor 12. and

Specifically, the gauge arm 14 has a front arm 14a, a rear arm 14b, and a cylinder 14c. A cylinder 14 c provided on the rear arm 14 b is connected to the front end side of the slat conveyor 12 .

The gauge wheel 15 is grounded on the ground and supports the weight of the gauge arm 14 and the slat conveyor 12. - 特許庁The operator adjusts the distance between the gauge arm 14 and the front end of the slat conveyor 12 by operating the cylinder 14c to expand and contract, thereby rotating the slat conveyor 12 around the rear end 12b of the slat conveyor 12. , the angle can be adjusted.

Behind the picker 3, a chute 16 for delivering the picked taro A to the sorter 4 is provided. The front end of the chute 16 is adjacent to the rear end of the slat conveyor 12 , the width narrows toward the rear end of the chute 16 , and the rear end of the chute 16 is adjacent to the sorter 4 .

The taro A that is picked up and conveyed by the picker 3 and reaches the sorter 4 from the chute 16 is divided into taro A with a large minor axis (hereinafter, large potato B) and taro A with a small minor axis (hereinafter, small potato C). , with mud and gravel attached. The sorter 4 removes mud and gravel from the taro A (hereinafter referred to as sludge removal), and sorts the large sweet potato B and the small sweet potato C. In addition, the large potato B is a taro A with a large short diameter, and may include, for example, a parent potato. In addition, the small potato C is a taro A with a small minor axis, for example, a child potato or a grandchild potato branched and grown from the parent potato, and the minor axis is smaller than the average minor axis of the parent potato. Child or grandchild potatoes with a ratio of about 1/7 to 5/7 may be included.

The sorting machine 4 has a screw conveyor 20 , a screen 21 , a pressing belt 22 , a first shooter 23 and a second shooter 24 . In this embodiment, the two sorting machines 4 are provided in parallel in the left-right direction, but the number and arrangement are not limited to this example. In the following description, one sorter 4 out of the two sorters 4 will be described, but the configuration of the other sorters 4 can be similarly configured.

The front end of screw conveyor 20 is provided adjacent to the rear end of chute 16 . The screw conveyor 20 consists of a left screw 30 and a right screw 31 which are motively connected to rotate inwardly of each other when viewed from above. In this specification, when the screw conveyor 20 is viewed rearward from the forward side in the traveling direction of the picker 3, the left side is defined as the left screw 30, and the right side as the right screw 31. The configuration and functions of the sorting machine 4 will be described later.

The taro A transported from the chute 16 to the sorter 4 is transported on the upper surface of the screw conveyor 20 (upward transport, described later), or transported between the screw conveyor 20 and the screen 21 (downward transport, described later). be. The taro A that is conveyed upward drops from the rear end of the screw conveyor 20 , passes through the first chute 23 , and drops into the first container 40 on the container car 5 . The taro A that is conveyed downward drops from the rear end of the screen 21 , passes through the second chute 24 , and drops into the second container 41 on the container car 5 . Therefore, large and small taro A are sorted into the first container 40 or the second container 41 and collected.

The container car 5 has the first container 40 and the second container 41 placed on a truck 42 , and the truck 42 is connected to the vehicle body 11 of the picker 3 to be towed.

The screw conveyor 20 does not necessarily have to be inclined so that the rear end is upward with respect to the front end as shown in FIG. And in order to lift the taro A to the height of the inlet of the second container 41, it is preferable that the rear end is positioned above the front end. In this case, by providing the pressing belt 22, the taro A conveyed upward can be prevented from rolling on the upper surface of the screw conveyor 20 from the rear end side to the front end side.

The pressing belt 22 is provided on the upper surface side of the screw conveyor 20 so that the conveying surface of the screw conveyor 20 and the lower surface of the pressing belt 22 are substantially parallel to each other. A plurality of pressing plates 50 are provided on the pressing belt 22 at regular intervals so as to be substantially perpendicular to the endless belt portion 51 . The length of the belt portion 51 is approximately the same as the length of the screw conveyor 20 , and rotating ends 52 are provided at the front and rear ends of the belt portion 51 . When the rotating end 52 rotates, the belt portion 51 rotates, and the holding plate 50 provided on the belt portion 51 rotates. The direction is the same as the conveying direction, and the speed is about the same.

The rotating end 52 may be connected to the power of the picker 3 by gears, sprockets and chains (not shown) to drive the rotation.

Side plates (not shown) may be provided at both ends of the sorter 4 in order to prevent the taro A to be conveyed from falling from both ends of the screw conveyor 20 of the sorter. In this case, it is preferable to provide the vertical side plates with a slight gap from the screw conveyor 20 on both sides of the two sorters 4 so that the potatoes do not drop from the sides.

Attachment of the sorter 4 to the picker 3 and connection of the container car 5 are not particularly limited. For example, the sorter 4 may be attached to the vehicle body 11 of the picker 3 via the support frame 54 . Also, the container car 5 may be connected to the car body 11 of the picker 3 via a towing rod 55 .

Next, the sorting machine 4 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the positional relationship between the screw conveyor 20 and the screen 21 in the sorting machine 4 according to this embodiment. 2(a) is a top view of the screw conveyor 20 and the screen 21, FIG. 2(b) is a side view, and FIG. 2(c) is a bottom view. However, the illustration of the first shooter 23 and the second shooter 24 in the bottom view of FIG. 2(c) is omitted for ease of viewing. FIG. 2(d) is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 2(a) and viewed in the direction of the arrow.

In the screw conveyor 20 , the left screw 30 is a cylindrical rod with a left-handed (S-wound) helical groove 60 , and rotates clockwise when viewed from the front end of the screw conveyor 20 . The right screw 31 is a cylindrical rod with a right-handed (Z-wound) helical groove 60 and rotates counterclockwise when viewed from the front end of the screw conveyor 20 . The groove shape of the spiral groove 60 may be, for example, an arc. The groove shape being an arc means that the helical groove 60 has an arc shape in a cross section of the screw cut parallel to the rotation axis of the screw.

The left screw 30 and the right screw 31 are provided so that the positions of the spiral grooves 60 are aligned with each other. Therefore, a wide first gap 61 is formed at positions where the spiral grooves 60 face each other.

The screw conveyor 20 may be connected to the power of the picker 3 by means of gears, sprockets and chains (not shown) and driven to rotate.

A screen 21 is provided along the length direction of the left screw 30 and the right screw 31 on the lower surface side of the screw conveyor 20 . The screen 21 has a plurality of screen bars 62 each provided from the front end of the screw conveyor 20 to just before the rear end of the screw conveyor 20 . However, the front of the rear end may be the front of the second shooter 24 by a length of about the front-to-rear width thereof, for example.

The screen 21 is spaced apart by a predetermined distance so as not to contact the screw conveyor 20 . The distance will be described later.

Next, the upward and downward conveying in the sorting machine 4 according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5. FIG. Also, the function of separating the large sweet potato B and the small sweet potato C in the bound state will be described.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a mechanism in which the taro A is sorted into the large sweet potato B and the small sweet potato C by the sorter 4. As shown in FIG. However, all of them are side views of the sorter 4, and FIGS. 3(a) to 3(c) are in chronological order when the taro A is conveyed over time.

The unsorted taro A introduced from the rear end of the chute 16 is placed at the front end of the upper surface of the screw conveyor 20 and straddling the left screw 30 and the right screw 31 . The taro A thrown into the front end of the screw conveyor 20 is then rotated along with the rotation of the left screw 30 and the right screw 31 so that the helical ridge 63 (the part where the helical groove 60 is not provided in the outer peripheral part of the cylindrical bar) is formed. ), and conveyed from the front end of the screw conveyor 20 toward the rear end.

When the large potato B is placed on the front end of the screw conveyor 20 , the large potato B is conveyed on the upper surface of the screw conveyor 20 from the front end to the rear end by the rotation of the left screw 30 and the right screw 31 . Conveyance on the upper surface of the screw conveyor 20 is referred to as upward conveyance. During upward transportation, the large potato B does not drop from the first gap 61 because its short diameter is larger than the width of the first gap 61 as shown in FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line YY in FIG. 3(b) in the direction of the arrows.

Further, when the small potato C is placed on the front end of the screw conveyor 20, as shown in FIG. A small potato C whose short diameter is smaller than the width of 61 falls. In this case, the small potato C is conveyed so as to stay in the first gap 61, or falls on the screen 21 without staying in the first gap 61 and is conveyed on the screen 21. can be carried by Note that FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view seen in the direction of the arrow at the ZZ position in FIG. 3(b). Mud and gravel that have fallen from the first gap 61 fall toward the ground from the second gap 64, which is a gap between a plurality of screen bars 62 in the screen 21. and the screen 21 and does not fall through the second gap 64 . The small tuber C remaining in the first gap 61 and the small tuber C between the lower surface of the screw conveyor 20 and the screen 21 are pushed by the helical crest 63 as the left screw 30 and the right screw 31 rotate. and conveyed on the screen 21 from the front end to the rear end of the screw conveyor 20 . Conveyance in the first gap 61 or the lower surface of the screw conveyor 20 is referred to as downward conveyance.

When the large sweet potato B conveyed upward reaches the rear end of the screw conveyor 20 , it drops into the first shooter 23 and passes through the first shooter 23 to be accommodated in the first container 40 . Also, the small potatoes C conveyed downward fall into the second shooter 24 ( FIG. 3( c )), pass through the second shooter 24 and are accommodated in the second container 41 .

Here, the outer diameters of the left screw 30 and the right screw 31 (indicating the diameter of the outer circumference of the cylindrical bar), the pitch of the spiral groove 60, the depth of the spiral groove 60, the width of the spiral crest 63, the first gap The width of 61, the distance between the spiral ridge 63 and the screen 21, the width of the second gap 64, etc. can be determined from the short diameter of the taro A to be screened as the small potato C in the taro A to be screened. can.

As described above, in a certain cultivar of taro A, the minor diameter of small potato C is 5/7 that of large potato B at maximum. Therefore, the large potato B and the small potato C are clearly distinguished in size. Therefore, the largest short diameter of the small tubers C is set as the classification point, and the width of the first gap 61 is made equal to the classification point. In this case, the classification point refers to a threshold at which taro A having a short diameter equal to or less than that length is sorted out as small sweet potato C.

In order to make the width of the first gap 61 equal to the classification point, the outer diameters of the left screw 30 and the right screw 31, the pitch of the helical groove 60, the depth of the helical groove 60, and the width of the helical crest 63 are , the width of the gap between the left screw 30 and the right screw 31, and the like are determined as appropriate.

Specifically, for example, the width of the first gap 61 is a value slightly larger than the value of the minor axis of the largest taro A to be sorted as the small potato C, and the small potato with the largest minor axis is the first gap 61 It may be a width that can pass through and fall.

Also, for example, the width of the second gap 64 is a value slightly smaller than the value of the minor axis of the smallest taro A to be sorted as the small potato C, and the small potato with the smallest minor axis falls from the second gap 64 A width that does not

Further, for example, the width of the first gap 61 may be changed by adopting a structure in which the distance between the rotation axes of the left screw 30 and the right screw 31 (the distance between the axes) can be changed. In this case, the value of the width of the first gap 61 can be changed based on the value of the minor axis of the maximum small potato C to be sorted out by downward transportation due to the difference in the variety. As for the maximum value of the changeable inter-axis distance, the width of the first gap 61 may be equal to the diameter of the circumscribed circle of the spiral groove 60 . In this case, the cross-sectional shape of the spiral groove 60 is a circular arc, and the first gap 61 has a shape close to a circle so that the taro, which is smaller than the width of the first gap 61, can easily pass.

The rotation speed of the left screw 30 and the right screw 31 is set to a rotation speed at which the taro A can be smoothly conveyed by the screw conveyor 20, and the conveying speed of the taro A by the screw conveyor 20 is faster than the work speed of picking up the taro A by the picker 3. You may make it

Furthermore, by making the width of the gap between the spiral crest 63 and the screen 21 and the width of the second gap 64 smaller than the length of the smallest of the short diameters of the small potatoes C, the smallest small potatoes C are the first It can be conveyed downward without falling from the second gap 64 .

In this case, the width of the gap between the spiral ridge 63 and each screen bar 62 may be set to be less than half the minor axis of the smallest one of the small potatoes C. As a result, the small potatoes C on the screen 21 can be made to enter the inside of the spiral groove 60 regardless of the size, and fall from the gap between the spiral crest 63 and the screen bar 62 to the front end side of the screw conveyor 20. The small tubers C can be conveyed downward between the spiral groove 60 and the screen bar 62 without doing so.

Also, one screen bar 62a may be provided below the screw conveyor 20 and positioned at the center of the left screw 30 and the right screw 31 . The distance between the screen bar 62a provided in the center and the left screw 30 and the right screw 31 can be made small, and downward conveyance can be improved, which is preferable.

When the side plates are provided, the number of screen bars 62 does not come into contact with the vertical side plates, and they are arranged so as to cover the lower half of the screw conveyor so that small potatoes do not fall from the gap between the screen bars 62 and the side plates. The number and diameter of the tube are determined so that the small tubers do not fall from the gap between the screen bar 62 and the side plate.

In the above embodiment, the taro A that slips through the first gap 61 of a predetermined size and falls and the taro A that does not fall are separated, but the present invention is not limited to this. Depending on the modified example of the present invention, the type and stage of separation may be changed as appropriate.

Modifications of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 6 to 11. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration for drawing small potatoes C passing through the first gap into a first gap 61 that separates them into a plurality of parts according to their size in the screw conveyor 20 according to this modification. It is a diagram.

As shown in FIG. 6, in this modified example, the spiral groove 60 is provided so that the depth and width of the left screw 30 and the right screw 31 gradually increase from the front end to the rear end. As a result, the width of the first gap 61 is narrow on the front end side of the screw conveyor 20 and wide on the rear end side.

By setting the width of the first gap 61 in this manner, the relatively small first gap 61 formed by the spiral groove 60 on the front end side of the screw conveyor 20 can cut the small potato C with a relatively small short diameter. A relatively large first gap 61 formed by the spiral groove 60 on the rear end side of the screw conveyor 20 allows the small potato C with a relatively large short diameter to fall through the first gap 61. It can be dropped from 61. As a result, the small potatoes C, which vary in size, can be further sorted into a plurality of stages according to size.

At this time, the width of the first gap 61 on the front end side should be about the smallest of the minor diameters of the small tubers C, and the width of the first gap 61 on the rear end side should be the classification point.

In this modification, the small potatoes that have passed through the first gaps of different sizes may be dropped into corresponding individual containers by shooters and sorted, or may be rotated and conveyed by a second screw conveyor to be described later. It may be dropped into corresponding individual containers and sorted while being further desludged.

By the way, in the present embodiment, the screen 21 catches the small potato C that has fallen through the first gap 61, and the small potato C is conveyed downward between the lower surface of the screw conveyor 20 and the screen 21. Unlike the upward transport in which sludge is efficiently removed as well as the transport by the rotation of the right screw 30 and the right screw 31, in the downward transport, although the transport is possible, it is not possible to merely slide over the plurality of screen bars 62. There is concern that there is not enough mud.

In a modification for solving the above concerns, as shown in FIG. 7, a first screw conveyor 67 as the screw conveyor 20 in the above embodiment and a plurality of screen bars 62 of the screen 21 in the above embodiment , and a plurality of second screw conveyors 70 . The second screw conveyor 70 will be described below with reference to FIG.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the sorting machine 4 according to the modified example having a first screw conveyor 67 and a plurality of second screw conveyors 70 . 7(a) is a top view of the first screw conveyor 67 and the second screw conveyor 70, FIG. 7(b) is a side view, and FIG. 7(c) is a bottom view. However, the illustration of the first shooter 23 and the second shooter 24 in the bottom view of FIG. 7(c) is omitted for ease of viewing. FIG. 7(d) is a cross-sectional view taken along line WW in FIG. 7(a) and viewed in the direction of the arrow.

The first screw conveyor 67 has the same configuration as the screw conveyor 20 in the above embodiment, and has a first left screw 68 and a first right screw 69 . The first left screw 68 and the first right screw 69, like the left screw 30 and the right screw 31 in the screw conveyor 20, rotate inward with respect to each other, and move the taro A backward from the front end as they rotate. transport to the edge. Other than that, the configuration and function of the first screw conveyor 67 are the same as those of the screw conveyor 20, and description thereof is omitted.

A plurality of second screw conveyors 70 are provided on the lower surface side of the first screw conveyor 67 and each have a second left screw 71 and a second right screw 72 . The second left screw 71 and the second right screw 72, like the left screw 30 and the right screw 31 in the screw conveyor 20, rotate inward with respect to each other, and push the small potato C from the front end as it rotates. Transport to rear end.

The second left screw 71 and the second right screw 72 are provided with left-handed (S-wound) and right-handed (Z-wound) helical grooves 73 in the same manner as the left screw 30 and the right screw 31 in the screw conveyor 20. It is a substantially cylindrical bar. The second left screw 71 and the second right screw 72 are provided so that the positions of the spiral grooves 60 are aligned with each other. Therefore, a wide third gap 74 is formed at positions where the spiral grooves 60 face each other.

The second screw conveyor 70 may be connected to the power of the picker 3 by gears, sprockets and chains (not shown) and driven to rotate.

With the rotation of the second left screw 71 and the second right screw 72, the small potato C is conveyed while rolling and desludged. Mud and gravel are drawn into the third gap 74 and fall to the ground surface. At this time, by setting the width of the third gap 74 to be smaller than the smallest of the short diameters of the small potatoes C, only mud and gravel fall from the third gap 74, and the small potatoes C do not fall. It stays on the upper surface of the second screw conveyor 70 .

After that, the large sweet potato B conveyed upward on the first screw conveyor 67 falls to the first shooter at the rear end of the first screw conveyor 67 and is accommodated in the first container 40 . Further, the small potatoes C conveyed downward on the second screw conveyor 70 drop to the second shooter and are accommodated in the second container 41 .

In addition, in the above modification, a plurality of second screw conveyors 70 are provided, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, below the first screw conveyor 67, one second screw conveyor 70 is provided below each of the first left screw 68 and the first right screw 69, and these second screw conveyors A screen bar 62 may be provided to form a third gap 74 with 70 . Further, in the above case, instead of the screen bar 62, a punching metal, a net, or the like that forms the third gap 74 may be used. In addition, the number and arrangement of the second screw conveyor 70 and these screen bars 62 and punching metals can be changed.

With the configuration described above, the large sweet potato B and the small sweet potato C can be sorted and desludged. However, there is a concern that the mud adhering to the surface cannot be sufficiently removed only by rotating and conveying the taro A on the screw conveyor 20 .

In order to eliminate the above concerns and to further promote desludging of the taro A transported in the sorter 4, it is preferable to provide unevenness in the spiral crest 63 and the spiral groove 60 in the screw conveyor 20. The configuration as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. Although the screw conveyor 20 will be described below, the first screw conveyor 67 and the second screw conveyor 70 in the modified example can also be configured in the same manner to obtain the same effect.

8 and 9 are schematic diagrams showing an example of a configuration for further promoting desludging of taro A transported in the sorter 4 in the screw conveyor 20 according to the above-described embodiment. Since the configuration of the sorting machine 4 other than the screw conveyor 20 is the same as described above, its illustration is omitted.

In the examples of FIGS. 8 and 9, the taro A is separated from the mud adhering to the surface of the taro A by providing the spiral crest 63 and the spiral groove 60 with irregularities. 8 and 9, a plurality of notches 80 are provided in the longitudinal direction of the left screw 30 and the right screw 31. As shown in FIG. Note that dimensions other than the notch 80 can be determined in the same manner as described above.

In FIG. 8, a notch 80 is provided in the spiral thread 63 in the longitudinal direction of the left screw 30 and the right screw 31 so that the cross section has a substantially gear-shaped cross section. FIG. 8(a) is a top view of such a screw conveyor 20, and FIG. 8(b) is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 8(a) taken along line S--S in the direction of the arrows. According to the cut 80, the substantially gear-shaped uneven portion of the helical ridge 63 easily meshes with the irregular surface unevenness of the taro A. That is, the spiral thread 63 has substantially gear-shaped unevenness, and the unevenness scrapes off the mud adhered to the potato being conveyed while rotating, so that the mud attached to the surface of the taro A is further separated. can be done.

In addition, since the spiral thread 63 has substantially gear-shaped unevenness, it can be expected that the unevenness scrapes off mud or the like from the bonding portion of the large potato B and the small potato C while rotating, and weakens the bonding.

In FIG. 9, notches 80 are provided in the spiral groove 60 in addition to the spiral crest 63 . FIG. 9(a) is a top view of such a screw conveyor 20, and FIG. 9(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line TT in FIG. 9(a). By providing a cut 80 in the spiral groove 60, the unevenness of the screw conveyor 20 due to the cut 80 and the unevenness of the surface of the sweet potato A are easily engaged with each other, and the small sweet potato C passing through the first gap 61 adheres to the surface. It can also remove dirt.

By the way, while the taro A is picked up by the picker 3, there are cases where the parent potato and the child tubers branched and grown from the parent potato are bound to each other.

In FIG. 10, the bound potato D in which the large potato B and the small potato C are bound together is conveyed from the front end to the rear end on the upper surface of the screw conveyor 20, and the small potato C of the bound potatoes D is placed in the first gap 61. (FIGS. 10(b) and 11). Note that FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view seen in the direction of the arrow at the UU position in FIG. 10(b). The small potato C drawn into the first gap 61 finally falls to the lower surface side of the screw conveyor 20 while being separated from the large potato B by the rotation of the left screw 30 and the right screw 31. and then conveyed downward (FIG. 10(c)). On the other hand, the large sweet potato B having a short diameter larger than the width of the first gap 61 does not fall through the first gap 61 and stays on the upper surface of the screw conveyor 20 and is conveyed upward (FIG. 10(c)). As a result, the bound potatoes D are sorted into large potatoes B and small potatoes C.

In the sorting machine 4 according to the present embodiment, the left screw 30 and the right screw 31 have a structure in which the helical groove 60 is formed on the cylindrical rod material, so that the helical ridge 63 is formed in the cross section in the length direction. It can have no acute angles and consist only of obtuse angles. According to such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the taro A falling from the chute 16 onto the upper surface of the screw conveyor 20 from being damaged by the sharp-angled portion of the spiral crest 63 .

In addition to the above, as an example of the configuration of the screw conveyor 20, the left screw 30 and the right screw 31 are configured such that a core material such as metal or resin provided along the rotating shaft is covered with rubber, which is an elastic member. may be formed. It is preferable that the core material is covered with rubber, which is the elastic member, even at the deepest position of the spiral groove 60 so that the core material is not exposed on the surfaces of the left screw 30 and the right screw 31 . Moreover, it is preferable that the spiral groove 60 is shallow and narrow so that the first gap 61 is shorter than the classification point. By configuring in this way, since the left screw 30 and the right screw 31 are made of rubber, the spiral groove 60 is deformed when the small potato C is pulled in, and the width of the small potato larger than the width of the first gap 61 is deformed. It becomes possible to attract C. As a result, it is possible to efficiently draw the small potato C having a shorter diameter than the classification point into the first gap 61, and also to draw the small potato C having the size of the classification point into the first gap 61. can be done.

Although one example of the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this example. It is obvious that a person skilled in the art can conceive various modifications or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and these are also within the technical scope of the present invention. be understood to belong to

For example, in the above embodiment, the picker 3 has power and pulls the container car 5, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, the picker 3 may not have power for self-propulsion, and the picker 3 and the container car 5 may be towed by an arbitrary tractor. In this case, the screw conveyor 20 or the like connected to the power of the picker 3 and driven to rotate may be connected to the power of the tractor.

According to the sorting machine 4 as described above, the taro A, which is significantly different in size, can be desludged and efficiently sorted into the large sweet potato B and the small sweet potato C.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used in a taro sorting machine.

A Taro B Large potato C Small potato D Bound potato 1 Taro harvesting system 3 Picker 4 Sorting machine 5 Container car 10 Crawler 12 Slat conveyor 13 Guide plate 14 Gauge arm 15 Gauge wheel 16 Chute 20 Screw conveyor 21 Screen 22 Holding belt 23 No. First shooter 24 Second shooter 30 Left screw 31 Right screw 40 First container 41 Second container 42 Truck 50 Holding plate 51 Belt portion 52 Rotating end 54 Support frame 55 Traction rod 60 Spiral groove 61 First gap 62 Screen bar 63 helical thread 64 second gap 67 first screw conveyor 68 first left screw 69 first right screw 70 second screw conveyor 71 second left screw 72 second right screw 73 helical groove 74 third gap

Claims (6)

A sorter for sorting taro according to size,
A screw conveyor comprising a pair of left and right screws rotating inwardly from each other when viewed from above, and a screen provided on the lower surface of the screw conveyor,
When transporting unsorted taro from the front end to the rear end of the screw conveyor while removing mud,
Taro with a large diameter is sorted on the upper surface side of the screw conveyor,
Characterized by sorting taro with a small diameter on the screen on the lower surface side of the screw conveyor,
Sorting machine. 2. The sorting machine according to claim 1, wherein said screw is formed by providing a spiral groove in a cylindrical rod material, and the spiral thread has no acute-angled portion in a cross section in the longitudinal direction. 3. Sorter according to claim 2, characterized in that the screws are provided with notches in the length direction. 4. The sorter according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the width of the gap between said spiral grooves of said screw facing each other is equal to the minor axis of the largest one of said small-diameter taros. The width of the gap between the spiral grooves of the screw is provided so as to gradually increase from the front end to the rear end of the screw conveyor, and the width of the gap between the spiral grooves at the front end of the screw conveyor is the smallest among the small-diameter taros. The width of the gap between the spiral grooves at the rear end of the screw conveyor is equal to the minor axis of the largest one of the small-diameter taros, according to claim 2 or 3. Sorting machine. The screw conveyor is a first screw conveyor,
The screen is a plurality of second screw conveyors,
The plurality of second screw conveyors have left and right second screws formed by providing spiral grooves on cylindrical bars, and the width of the gap between the spiral grooves facing each other in the second screws is The sorter according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is smaller than the shortest diameter of the smallest taro with a small diameter.

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