JP2737740B2 - Massive fruits and vegetables sorting equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention measures the appearance of citrus fruits such as mandarin oranges and other long fruits and vegetables such as carrots and cucumber, and transports them by a predetermined distance to each one. The present invention relates to an apparatus for sorting lumpy fruits and vegetables automatically discharged based on a measurement value signal (sorting information).

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the grades and ranks of bulk fruit and vegetables used in fruit sorting fields and the like are measured in units of one unit, and the fruits and vegetables are conveyed to one unit as appropriate and the measured values are sorted at a sorting position. As a sorting device for receiving and discharging a signal, for example, a belt or a slat-shaped receiving plate is used as a sorting device.
Automatically measuring the outer diameter, color and luster etc. of the fruits and vegetables placed individually on the camera using a camera sorter, and desirably transporting the fruits and vegetables in synchronization with the signal (sorting information) based on the measured values. When the sorting position is reached, the signal is input to the control means, and the operation of the control means causes the transport means to move so as to adopt an automatic sorting (sorting) method in which fruits and vegetables are dropped and discharged to a lower or side discharge conveyor. It has become to.

[0003] In this case, as an automatic sorting device, the fruits and vegetables to be fed out to one destination are simply placed on a narrow belt conveyor, and the nozzles of discharge means (air blowing nozzle device) provided on one side of the conveyor. Conveyor chains are used to blow down fruits and vegetables on the belt that have moved synchronously from the measurement position with high-pressure air (air jet) that blows from the conveyor. A holder (attachment) that supports a plurality of narrow slat-like receiving plates in a tiltable manner in units of one unit is sequentially arranged on one side of the slat-like receiving plate. When the number of slats is reached, the sorting conveyor conveys fruits and vegetables downward by inclining only the number of slat-shaped trays received due to the sorting signal input synchronously. Location has also appeared (KOKOKU 1
No. 24551).

[0004]

However, in the discharge mechanism of the conventional automatic sorting apparatus as described above, for example, in the former type in which fruits and vegetables are blown off from one side of a belt conveyor by an air jet, the peel of the pericarp such as tangerine is soft. With fresh fruits and vegetables, the epidermis was easily damaged, and the noise associated with air blowing was so intense that it was not an optimal device.

In the latter type, in which the fruits and vegetables placed on a plurality of slat-shaped receiving plates attached to a plurality of holders connected to one side of the traveling chain are tilted and dropped, the slat-shaped receiving plate is placed on the holder. Due to the single support, the stability of the fruits and vegetables transferred from the feeding side to the slat-shaped receiving plate is poor. Even if the center part is slightly depressed, the machine is stable on long transport paths due to mechanical vibrations, etc.
It is difficult to move, and there is a possibility that it will jump out and fall on the way. In addition, the discharging operation of the slat-shaped receiving plate is also configured such that the stopper is simply disengaged from the horizontal position to the vertical position and is rotated by about 90 ° at a stroke, so that the discharging conveyor arranged below has at least the length of the slat-shaped receiving plate. It must be located below and separated by a distance, and the head is large. Therefore, the fruits and vegetables on the slat-shaped receiving plate are subjected to a rotating movement and a falling movement, and a large drop impact is exerted on the lower discharge conveyor, so that a discharge mechanism suitable for high-speed operation has not yet been achieved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, the present invention conveys a mass of fruits and vegetables such as tangerines on a belt conveyor which is conveyed one by one by a clamping arm rod of a sliding piece which is shifted from both left and right sides of a large number of traveling support shafts. The above-mentioned problem is caused by grasping and holding, holding the state appropriately for the transport path, expanding the sliding piece at both sides at a predetermined position, and releasing the fruits and vegetables held by the holding arm rod and allowing them to fall naturally. It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for sorting bulky fruits and vegetables that solves the above problem.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a sorting apparatus for conveying a mass of fruits and vegetables fed one by one to a predetermined position. , A sliding piece having a holding arm rod projecting from a lower end slidably provided on both sides of each of the holding support shafts, and at least a portion toward the carrier portion of the traveling chain. On both sides of the position, there is a pinching guide rail that moves in parallel against the spring that constantly presses both sliding pieces outward, and a clump of fruits and vegetables is held by the holding parts of the opposing holding arm rod ends closer to both sides. And a sliding stopper which is movable inward only with respect to the holding support shaft, and a sliding signal stopper mechanism above the sliding stopper mechanism. Remove the stopper lock The stopper release means is arranged from the machine frame side, and the fruits and vegetables gripped by the holding arm rods of the two sliding pieces that have moved inward due to the contact restriction of the holding guide rail are maintained at an appropriate distance, and the stopper mechanism is engaged. When the stop is released, both sliding pieces are moved outward by spring rebound to release fruits and vegetables.

In this case, the stopper mechanism for restricting sliding is
It comprises a rack engraved on the holding support shaft, an operating cam which engages with the rack and a rocking body with a locking pin for the operating cam which is swingably disposed on the sliding piece.

Further, the holding arm rod comprises a holding body of narrow width made of a leaf spring and an arc-shaped holding portion at a lower end.

Further, the stopper releasing means is a solenoid mechanism which operates upon receiving a predetermined signal.

As described above, each sliding piece, in which the means for directly transporting the fruits and vegetables fed to one piece, is slidable on both sides of the holding support shaft which is provided at a fixed interval between the left and right running chains. A clamping arm rod protrudes from the body, and both sliding pieces are laid out on both sides of the carrier part from the front position toward the carrier part. The sliding piece itself is provided with a stopper mechanism for restricting sliding and is used as a detent. The stopper is released from the stopper to release the stopper. Is carried out by the stopper release means installed at a predetermined position, so that fruits and vegetables addressed to one piece whose appearance (color, scratches, dirt, etc.) and shape, dimensions, etc. are measured by a separate measuring device in the previous process are conveyed by the feeding conveyor. Medium, the feed con A pair of sliding piece of the mounting of the clamping supporting shaft passed plugged between the running chain upper position of ya is,
Since the outside is regulated by the guide rail for sandwiching the portion from the return portion side to the carrier portion with a wide interval and faces the upper portion of the feed conveyor in parallel while gradually narrowing the interval, the clamping arm bar of the sliding piece body The fruits and vegetables are clamped so as to hold the fruits and vegetables in the arc-shaped holding portion, so that the fruits and vegetables are gripped while being slightly lifted from the feeding conveyor surface. That is, the fruits and vegetables on the feeding conveyor are separated from the feeding surface by a pair of holding arm bars and switched to the running of the running chain, and while maintaining this state, they are transported by an appropriate distance (discharge position).

In this case, when the clamping arm rod is clamped, the sliding piece itself is claw-engaged with the moving portion of the rack of the clamping support shaft by the claw of the operating cam disposed at the rear of the sliding piece itself. In order to exhibit a kind of non-return operation of a ratchet mechanism that moves only inward (inward direction), the sliding piece that has once moved inward against the spring by the pinching guide rails returns to the outside while maintaining that state. Do not invite.

When the sliding piece of the pair of holding arm rods holding the fruits and vegetables reaches a predetermined discharge position by traveling of the traveling chain, the sorting information obtained by the measuring device is synchronized with the conveyance to the stopper releasing means. When the stopper is released and the stopper releasing means is actuated to push down the tip of the rocking body disposed on the upper part of the sliding piece with the actuator that can be lowered, the rotation of the rocking body raises the locking pin at the rear end. Since the engagement with the operating cam is released and the prevention of the check of the sliding piece is released, the sliding piece and the spring interposed on the holding shaft side are pushed outward at once by the resilience of a spring interposed therebetween.
Therefore, the fruits and vegetables grasped by the holding arm rods of both sliding pieces are released and fall, and are automatically guided to a separate discharge conveyor installed below. A single fruit and vegetable is gripped by several clamping arms because the holding arm itself is narrow and has a narrow space and is tightly protruded. For this reason, long fruits and vegetables such as ginseng can be gripped not only by gripping spherical fruits and vegetables such as tangerines but only by increasing the number of supports.

In the sliding piece projecting the holding arm rod, there is no laying guide rail at the transition point to the return portion side of the traveling chain, and conversely, a standby for increasing the interval between the sliding pieces. The guide rail is laid and switched, and the interval between the holding arm rods is widened until the guide rail comes again to the position of the carrier portion.

[0015]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings of the embodiments.

FIGS. 1 (A) and 1 (B) show a mass sorting of fruits and vegetables, for example, a standard sorting mode (2S, S, M, L, 2) of Unshu mandarin oranges.
L and 3L) and an example of a fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus in which a discharge conveyor is disposed orthogonal to a conveying path.
Numeral 1 is a feeding conveyor of a narrow belt for feeding one by one through a well-known measuring device 2 for measuring the appearance (color, scratches, dirt, etc.), shape and size of fruits and vegetables in a pre-process one by one. ,
A pair of sprockets 4 are provided above and below a front part 1a of the feed conveyor 1 at both front and rear sides of a machine frame 3 forming a transport path.
4 and the carrier 5a side of the running chain 5 is guided in the groove of the pull-out type groove rail 6 which is the machine frame side laid in the longitudinal direction to prevent the chain from bending (FIG. 2).
reference). A large number of prism-shaped clamping support shafts 7 are provided at regular intervals between the opposing traveling chains 5, and the groove rails 6 bent on the respective link plates 5c are inserted into laterally protruding receiving portions 5d. It becomes a frame and becomes the transport path main body 5 'as a whole. 8 is a rack 9 engraved on both sides of the holding support shaft 7
The sliding pieces 8 are slidably fitted in grooves at respective positions, and each sliding piece 8 has a lower portion having a protruding amount close to the conveying surface of the feeding conveyor 1 and a clamping arm rod made of a narrow leaf spring. 10, a horizontal arc-shaped holding portion 11 is attached to the lower end of the holding arm rod 10, and the opposite arc-shaped holding portion 11 moved inside the holding support shaft 7 constitutes a fruit and vegetables holding portion 11A. (See FIG. 3). Further, an operation cam 13 is provided with a pivot 12 at a rear portion in the slide groove 8a of the slide piece 8, and a lower claw portion 13a of the operation cam 13 is attached to the rack 9 on the upper surface of the support shaft 7 for holding. The ratchet mechanism is claw-engaged as a non-return claw so that it moves only in one direction, and an engaging step 13b provided on the upper shoulder of the operation cam 13 is attached to the front part of the sliding piece 8 The operating cam 13, the rack 9, and the rocking body 15 form a sliding-regulating stopper mechanism 17 by engaging with a locking pin 16 provided on a frame groove rear portion 15 a of the rocking body 15 pivotally mounted with the fulcrum shaft 14. 18 is a receiving pin 19 arranged at the center of the frame groove of the rocking body 15
The lower end, whose upper end is stopped, is inserted into the stopper hole 20 at the center side of the sliding piece 8.
This is a swing return spring that is diagonally stretched over the spring.

Reference numeral 21 denotes a compression spring interposed between the inner end surface of the sliding piece 8 and a spring receiving step 22 protruding below the center of the holding support shaft 7. The sliding piece 8 is always moved outward. The sliding piece 8 is provided with the stopper mechanism 17.
At a predetermined position. Reference numeral 23 denotes a stopper releasing means protruded from the machine frame 3 above the center of the transport path. The stopper releasing means 23 comprises a solenoid 24 which operates upon receiving a sorting signal from the measuring device. In this configuration, the pressing body portion 24b at the lower end faces the tip portions 15b, 15b of the swinging members 15, 15 facing left and right.

Reference numeral 25 denotes a pinch for sequentially narrowing the facing distance between the two sliding pieces 8 laid from the front position toward the carrier portion 5a from the return portion 5b side of each of the left and right traveling chains 5 to both side positions of the carrier portion 5a. With the contact guide rail, the outer end surfaces of the sliding piece 8 that oppose the guide rail 25 at both sides of the support shaft 7 at a predetermined interval are slidably contacted with each other.

Reference numeral 26 denotes a plurality of discharge conveyors arranged orthogonally at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction (conveying direction) below the carrier portion 5a of the traveling chain 5 at the front position of the conveying path. Is, for example, 2S,
It is assumed to be six corresponding to the class number such as S, M, L, 2L, 3L, and the like. 27 is a drive motor of the traveling chain 5.

Next, a description will be given of this operation. First, fruits and vegetables A such as tangerines on the feeding conveyor 1 which have been fed to one piece by a separate appropriate means (not shown), which is a pre-process, are provided halfway. A signal of an equivalent class value calculated by appropriately processing an image of a camera image captured by the measuring device 2 by a computer through a measuring device (camera type classifier) 2 for measuring the outer shape. Is input to the stopper releasing means 17 of the sorting device disposed in front in synchronization with the transport speed.

Here, if the fruits and vegetables A are sent to the front part 1a of the feeding conveyor 1 via the measuring device 2, the traveling chain 5 of the sorting device located above the feeding conveyor 1 will be described.
The holding arm rods 10 of the sliding pieces 8 of the holding support shaft 7 are laid from the inclined portion from the upper return portion 5b to the lower carrier portion 5a of the conveying path to the entrance of the carrier portion. The two sliding pieces 8 come into contact with the pinching guide rails 25 that sequentially narrow the facing distance, and are regulated, and the center of the support shaft 7 moves from both sides to the center. Here, since the carrier portion 5a of the traveling chain 5 is parallel to the feeding conveyor 1 at a position close to the feeding conveyor 1, one or several clamping arm rods 10 face both sides of the fruits and vegetables A on the feeding conveyor 1. The fruits and vegetables A are automatically sandwiched between the arc-shaped holding portions 11 at the lower end. In this case, the movement of the sliding piece 8 with respect to the holding shaft 7 is
Since the operation cam 13 of the slide restricting stopper mechanism 17 moves in only one direction (inward direction) against the rack 9 of the support shaft 7 against the repulsion of the spring 21, the operation cam 13 is inwardly pinched. It moves smoothly only by the regulation of the guide rail 25, and does not move in the opposite direction (outward direction) (see FIG. 2).

In this state, if the two sliding pieces 8 are further moved inwardly at the position of the carrier portion 5a and the fruit and vegetables A are held by the holding portion 11, the holding portion 11 has an arc-shaped holding surface, and this arc is formed. The lower part enters the lower part of the arc of the massive (spherical) fruit and vegetable A, and has a kind of holding action, so that the fruit and vegetable A when gripped is slightly floating above the one surface of the feeding conveyor. That is,
The fruits and vegetables A gripped by the holding portion 11 of the holding arm rod 10 are conveyed a predetermined distance forward while being lifted from one surface of the feeding conveyor. It is sufficient that the fruits and vegetables A can be securely held by the holding arm rod 10 without floating from the one side of the feeding conveyor.
It is sufficient that the end of the feeding conveyor 1 is located at a position where the fruits and vegetables A are transferred to the holding arm rod 10 side.

Next, the fruits and vegetables A gripped by the holding arm rods 10 of the two sliding pieces 8 are conveyed by an appropriate distance as the traveling chain 5 rotates in this state. Here, when the stopper release means 23 reaches the position of the stopper release means 23 above the conveyance path which receives the sort signal due to the measurement value of the measuring device 2 in the previous process, the stopper release means 23 operates with a predetermined sort signal, and the solenoid 24 When the actuator 24a descends and presses each tip 15b of both rocking members 15 of both sliding pieces 8 disposed on the left and right,
The two rocking members 15 have the fulcrum shafts 14 respectively, and the rear end portions where the front end portions 15b are tilted inward and downward toward the opposite side are raised, and the locking pins 16 disposed on the frame groove rear portions 15a are rotated upward.
The locking pin 16 is disengaged from the engaging step 13b of the operation cam 13 on the sliding piece 8 side, and the reverse locking action between the lower claw 13a and the rack 9 of the support shaft 7 is released, so that the sliding piece 8 Return (outside)
Movement becomes possible.

Accordingly, the sliding piece 8 is instantaneously returned to the outside standby position by the repulsion of the spring 21 mounted between the inner end face thereof and the spring receiving step portion 22 of the support shaft 7 which is the fixed side.
That is, both sliding pieces 8 are pushed and spread while moving on the axis of the support shaft 7 to both outsides, and the fruits and vegetables A gripped by the holding arm rods 10 of the both sliding pieces 8 are released, and the lower portion thereof is released. At the appropriate position of a group of discharge conveyors 26 that are separately installed, and are sorted and discharged. In this case, the outer regulation of the two sliding pieces 8 extended to the left and right is stopped by a separate guide receiving rail 28.

If the fruits and vegetables A to be clamped do not come to the holding arms 10 that have reached the carrier portion 5a, the holding arms 1
Numeral 0 denotes a maximum regulating position (interval distance) inward by the clamping guide rail 25. A sliding regulating stopper in which the lower claw portion 13a of the operation cam 13 engages with the rack 9 is effective, and the stop state is established at that position. keep.

In the remaining running portion from the end position of the carrier portion 5a to the return portion 5b side, the support shaft 7
The sliding piece bodies 8 whose opposing gaps are widened to the left and right move while keeping the opposing gaps widened, and when moving again to the carrier portion 5a side, the sliding piece bodies 8 face each other due to the restriction of the guide rails 25 laid on both sides. The interval may be reduced sequentially.

[0027]

As described above, the apparatus for sorting bulky fruits and vegetables according to the present invention has sliding pieces on both sides of a holding support shaft which is inserted at a fixed interval between opposing running chains, and has a sliding piece at its lower end. A fruit and vegetable gripping part is formed by both projecting holding arm rods, and the spacing between the two sliding pieces is adjusted from the outside by the carrier part. The sliding piece is provided with a stopper mechanism for restricting sliding so as to grip the fruits and vegetables on the feed conveyor narrower and below and maintain the appropriate distance, so that the fruits and vegetables to be fed one by one are successively spaced on the feed conveyor. Is automatically gripped and gripped by each gripping arm rod while narrowing, so that reliable and stable transport can be performed, which is suitable for high-speed operation. In addition, since the holding arm rod group is formed as a 100-legged leg projecting finely, for example, on the order of a plate unit of the chain, one or several holding arm rods can be finely held by one or several holding arm rods for secure gripping. You. That is, spherical fruits and vegetables such as tangerines are clamped by several clamping arms, and long fruits and vegetables such as carrots and cucumber are clamped by a plurality of clamping arms in the longitudinal direction, so that various fruits and vegetables are impossible. Not available. Furthermore, since the fruits and vegetables are gripped from both sides with the holding arm rods that gradually narrow the gap, the fruits and vegetables can be gently sandwiched and can be gripped regardless of the size of the fruits and vegetables without damaging even the fruits and vegetables with soft outer skin. .

In addition, since the sliding piece is moved and stopped in the axial direction with respect to the support shaft during travel by restricting the position of the guiding guide rail laid outside the sliding piece, the sliding piece is smooth and free from malfunction. A stopper mechanism with a simple structure that can move and maintain the holding arm rod of the sliding piece that grips the fruits and vegetables in only one direction by engaging the claw of the operating cam incorporated into the rack on the supporting shaft surface and the sliding piece side. Therefore, the positioning can be performed compactly, easily and reliably, and the sliding piece that has once moved inward can be continuously clamped without shifting.

Further, the fruits and vegetables reaching the sorting position are dropped by the stopper releasing means for pushing the rocking member for releasing the pin engagement of the operation cam of the stopper mechanism with the actuator of the solenoid, and the sliding piece itself is spring-loaded. Because of the configuration in which the fruits and vegetables are pushed back outward, the grasped fruits and vegetables can be dropped at a predetermined location at once. This can be achieved by sorting (sorting) by arranging the stopper release means above the transport path and operating it with a predetermined sorting signal.
Device. In addition, since the gripping and separating of fruits and vegetables is only by moving the left and right clamping arm rods, a discharge conveyor can be installed just below the gripping position, separating the discharge rotation width of the tray required by the conventional tray method. This has the effect of minimizing the discharge head and minimizing the drop impact.

[Brief description of the drawings]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a view showing a main part of one embodiment of a bulk fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus according to the present invention, wherein (A) is a schematic side view and (B) is a schematic plan view.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of a laying state of a traveling chain of a sorting device with respect to a groove rail.

FIG. 3 is a front view in which the fruits and vegetables are gripped by clamping arm rods of sliding pieces opposed to each other.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of laying of the guide rails for sandwiching.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a holding support shaft, a sliding piece, a holding arm rod and a stopper mechanism for restricting sliding.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view in which a sliding piece is slid inward with a guide rail for holding and a fruit or vegetable is held with a holding arm rod.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing release of a stopper of a stopper mechanism for restricting sliding of the sliding piece body.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing the operation of the operation cam.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view in which both sliding pieces move to both outer sides and release gripping of fruits and vegetables.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view in which a sliding piece body with respect to a holding support shaft is moved inward by a holding guide rail, and fruits and vegetables are held by a holding arm rod.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of holding the fruits and vegetables by the holding arm rod and performing predetermined conveyance.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 5 traveling chain 7 holding support shaft 8 sliding piece 9 rack 10 holding arm rod 11 arc-shaped holding part 11A fruit and vegetable holding part 13 operating cam 15 rocking body 16 locking pin 17 sliding stopper mechanism 21 spring 23 stopper release Mechanism 25 Guide rail for pinching

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A sorting apparatus for transporting a lump of fruits and vegetables fed to one piece to a predetermined position, comprising: a transport path main body having a large number of clamping support shafts arranged at predetermined intervals in an endless running chain which is opposed to the left and right. A sliding piece body having a holding arm rod protruding from a lower end slidable on both sides of each of the holding support shafts; and two sliding pieces on both sides of at least a front position toward the carrier portion of the traveling chain. In addition to a pinching guide rail that moves inward against a spring that constantly presses the body outward, the pinching arm rail end portion that is closer to both sides constitutes a bulky fruit gripping portion, and The sliding piece has a sliding stopper mechanism movable only inward with respect to the holding shaft, and a stopper lock is released above the sliding stopper mechanism due to a predetermined signal. Stopper release means Is placed from the machine frame side, and the fruits and vegetables gripped by the clamping arm rods of both sliding pieces that move inward due to the contact regulation of the clamping guide rail are maintained at an appropriate distance, and both are released by releasing the locking of the stopper mechanism. An apparatus for sorting fruit and vegetables, wherein the sliding piece is moved outward by a spring and releases fruits and vegetables. 2. A locking mechanism for a sliding control, comprising a rack engraved on a holding shaft, an operating cam engaged with a claw on the rack, and an operating cam swingably disposed on a sliding piece body. 2. The apparatus for sorting lumpy fruits and vegetables according to claim 1, comprising a rocking body with pins. 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the holding arm rod has a narrow-width leaf spring holding arm body and an arc-shaped holding portion at a lower end. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said stopper releasing means is a solenoid mechanism which operates upon receiving a predetermined signal.