JP3244974U - Egg sorting and packaging equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide an egg sorting and packaging device that can prevent abnormal eggs from being mixed into a second container when eggs packed in a first container are repacked into a second container. [Solution] An egg sorting and packaging device that re-sorts eggs packed in a first container according to the properties of the eggs and repacks them into a second container, the egg transporter transporting the eggs transferred from the first container. A conveyor, a plurality of packaging stations that pack the eggs transported by the egg transport conveyor into second containers, an inspection device that inspects the properties of the eggs on the egg transport conveyor, and an inspection device that inspects the properties of the eggs based on the inspection results of the inspection device. a distribution control unit that determines a packaging station as a distribution destination set at the packaging station, and determines a distribution position in accordance with a second container set at the packaging station. [Selection diagram] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an egg sorting and packaging device.

In order to improve the operational efficiency of egg washing, sorting and packaging facilities (also known as GP centers), there are an increasing number of cases in which the G process (egg washing, sorting, grading) and P process (wrapping, packing) are separated. Contamination of products with cracked or broken eggs has become an issue.

In order to manufacture safe egg products at low cost, GP centers are becoming increasingly centralized, and in many cases eggs are processed using large-capacity egg washing, sorting, and packaging equipment that has a weight sorting function.

Containers for shelled egg products come in various quantities, such as 4-packs, 6-packs, 8-packs, 10-packs, 12-packs, and 15-packs, and are made of materials such as resin, paper mold, etc. There are small differences in color, shape, etc. Furthermore, there are many types of labels, such as in-labels that are placed inside containers and labels that are affixed to the outside of the pack, which requires frequent setup changes for each egg product and shipping destination, reducing the operating rate of high-capacity egg washing, sorting, and packaging equipment. There is a tendency.

Therefore, there are increasing cases where the above-mentioned G process and P process are operated separately. The eggs packed into intermediate containers in step G are temporarily stored at a temporary storage location. After that, once the products and quantities to be manufactured are determined, the intermediate containers filled with the necessary eggs are taken out from the temporary storage area and transported to the packaging line for processing, where the eggs are transferred to the product containers. In the G process, abnormal eggs such as cracked eggs, dirty eggs, internally abnormal eggs, etc. are basically sorted out and removed, but eggs may be destroyed during processes such as packaging in intermediate containers, temporary storage, transportation, and transfer. There is a risk that an abnormality will occur, resulting in abnormal eggs being mixed into the product container. Various devices have been put into practical use that inspect products in the process after they have been packed into product containers, such as packs, but these require unnecessary work such as rework.

Although there are cases in which a sorting and packaging device having a weight sorting function is used in the P process, it is expensive and is not widely used.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-65959

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an egg sorting and packaging device that can prevent abnormal eggs from entering the second container when the eggs packed in the first container are repacked into the second container.

The egg sorting and packaging apparatus of the present invention is an egg sorting and packaging apparatus that re-sorts eggs packed in a first container according to the properties of the eggs and refills them into a second container,
an egg transport conveyor that transports the eggs transferred from the first container;
a plurality of packaging stations for packing eggs transported by the egg transport conveyor into the second container;
an inspection device that inspects the properties of the eggs on the egg conveyor;
A distribution control unit that determines the packaging station as a distribution destination set to the corresponding property based on the inspection result of the inspection device, and determines the distribution position in accordance with the second container set at the packaging station. and.

According to this configuration, the properties of the eggs are inspected on the egg conveyor that conveys the eggs to the packaging station, and the eggs are repacked into the second container based on the inspection results, so abnormal eggs do not get mixed into the second container. This can be effectively prevented.
In the present invention, the "characteristics" of eggs include not only the external appearance (dirt, cracks, eggshell color, etc.) but also internal abnormalities, freshness, presence or absence of fertilization, termination of hatching, sex, etc.

Furthermore, in the egg sorting and packaging apparatus according to the present invention, the egg transport conveyor includes a multi-row transport conveyor that takes out the eggs from the first container and transports them in a plurality of rows, and a multi-row transport conveyor that takes out the eggs from the first container and transports them in a plurality of rows; and a single-row conveyor that conveys the objects in a single line.

According to this configuration, various inspection devices can be provided at appropriate positions on the egg transport conveyor. For example, a dirty egg inspection device and a cracked egg inspection device are installed on a multi-row conveyor, and an internal abnormal egg inspection device is installed on a single-row conveyor.

Further, in the egg sorting and packaging device according to the present invention, the inspection device includes a dirty egg inspection device, a cracked egg inspection device, an internal abnormality egg inspection device, an eggshell color discrimination device, a severely damaged egg detection and removal device, an edge inspection device, It may be configured to include one or more of the following: a freshness inspection device, a fertile egg discrimination device, a hatched egg discrimination device, and an egg sex discrimination device.

According to this configuration, various abnormal eggs can be inspected.

Further, in the egg sorting and packaging apparatus according to the present invention, the plurality of packaging stations include packaging stations corresponding to a plurality of packaging patterns so that packaging processing can be performed by selecting from a plurality of types of the second containers. , it may be configured as follows.

According to this configuration, eggs can be packed into a plurality of types of second containers at one packaging station.

A plan view conceptually showing the overall configuration of an egg sorting and packaging device according to the present embodiment A functional block diagram showing an example of the functions of the egg sorting and packaging device according to the present embodiment

Hereinafter, one embodiment of an egg sorting and packaging apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in each figure, the dimensional ratio in the drawing and the actual dimensional ratio do not necessarily match, and the dimensional ratio between the drawings also does not necessarily match.

FIG. 1 is a plan view conceptually showing the overall configuration of an egg sorting and packaging device. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing an example of the functions of the egg sorting and packaging apparatus. The egg sorting and packaging device 100 includes an egg loading device 1, a multi-row conveyor 2, a first inspection device 3, a second inspection device 4, a third inspection device 5, a single-row conveyor 6, and a control system. device 7, first packaging station 8, first type container feeding device 9, second type container feeding device 10, third type container feeding device 11, fourth type container feeding device 12, and fifth type container feeding device Container feeding device 13, second packaging station 14, in-pack label loading device 15, pack merging device 16, pack sealing device 17, label pasting device 18, pack rotating table 19, and tray stacking device 20.

The egg mounting device 1 sucks eggs with a suction cup, takes them out of an intermediate container (an example of a first container), and transfers them to a multi-row conveyor 2. The intermediate container is a container filled with eggs that have been washed and size-sorted in the previous process.

The multi-row conveyor 2 transports eggs in multiple rows. Although the multi-row conveyor 2 is not particularly limited, it transports eggs in six rows, for example. The multi-row conveyor 2 includes an egg feeding conveyor 2a, an orientation device 2b, and an egg checking conveyor 2c. The egg feeding conveyor 2a conveys eggs transferred from the intermediate container by the egg loading device 1 in multiple rows. The orientation device 2b conveys the eggs to the egg checking conveyor 2c while aligning the orientations (acute ends and blunt ends) of the eggs. The egg inspection conveyor 2c rotates and conveys eggs with their long axes oriented horizontally for inspection. Note that the multi-row conveyor 2 according to this embodiment does not have an egg weight measuring section.

The first inspection device 3 is, for example, a dirty egg inspection device, and inspects the presence or absence of dirt on the surface of the eggshell. The first inspection device 3 is arranged on the egg inspection conveyor 2c.

The second inspection device 4 is, for example, a cracked egg inspection device that inspects cracks in eggshells. The second inspection device 4 is arranged on the egg inspection conveyor 2c.

The first inspection device 3 and the second inspection device 4 include, for example, an imaging unit that captures an image of an egg, a processing unit that processes and analyzes the image captured by the imaging unit, and an image analysis result of the image analysis in the processing unit. It has a determination unit that determines whether or not the product is a good product and the level of a defective product, a signal generation unit that generates a signal according to the result of the determination unit, and a communication unit that sends the signal to the control device 7.

The third inspection device 5 is, for example, an internal abnormality egg inspection device that inspects internal abnormalities such as bloody eggs, rotten eggs, and non-yolk eggs. The third inspection device 5 is arranged on the single-row conveyor 6. The third inspection device 5 includes, for example, an imaging unit that irradiates light (for example, strong light from a halogen light source) from one side of the egg in an environment where disturbance light is blocked, and captures the transmitted light (image); a processing unit that analyzes the image (image); a determination unit that determines whether the egg is a good product or a defective product level based on the image analysis result in the processing unit; a signal generation unit that generates a signal according to the result of the determination unit; It has a communication section that sends the signal to the control device 7.

The single-row conveyor 6 transports the eggs received from the multi-row conveyor 2 to packaging stations 8, 14 for distribution. The sorting and packaging device 100 includes an egg transfer device 6a for transferring eggs from the multi-row conveyor 2 to the single-row conveyor 6.

The single-row conveyor 6 includes a plurality of openable and closable egg seats (not shown) for conveying eggs. Moreover, the single-row conveyor 6 is equipped with an egg detection sensor (not shown) that detects the presence or absence of eggs in the conveyed egg tray. The single-row conveyor 6 also includes a rotary encoder (not shown) for detecting the amount of movement of the single-row conveyor 6. In addition, a plurality of opening mechanisms (not shown) are arranged on the single-row conveyor 6 in accordance with the egg release positions for opening the transport egg seats in order to release the eggs to the packaging stations 8 and 14. . Note that the single-row conveyor 6 according to this embodiment does not have an egg weight measuring section.

The control device 7 controls each section 1-6, 8-20. Specifically, the control device 7 includes a property reading section 7a that reads the test results of the first to third test devices 3 to 5. The control device 7 also includes a setting input section 7b for inputting settings for packaging stations 8 and 14 to which eggs are to be distributed for each property. The control device 7 also includes a container selection unit 7c that selects a second container to be processed from among a plurality of types of second containers.

The control device 7 also includes a distribution control section 7d that manages the read test results in synchronization with the eggs to be transported. The distribution control unit 7d determines packaging stations 8, 14 as distribution destinations set to the corresponding properties based on the inspection results of the first to third inspection devices 3 to 5, and sets the packaging stations 8, 14 to the packaging stations 8, 14. Determine the dispensing position according to the container being used. The control device 7 includes an operation control section 7e that operates the corresponding opening mechanism when the corresponding conveyance egg seat reaches the target position.

The first packaging station 8 transports an empty second container (for example, a tray), receives the eggs released from the single-row conveyor 6, and fills the second container waiting below with eggs one row at a time. , send it to the next process.

The first type container feeding device 9 supplies empty first type containers containing eggs (for example, 30 egg plastic trays) to the first packaging station 8 .

The second type container supply device 10 supplies empty second type containers (for example, 40 egg mold trays) containing eggs to the second packaging station 14 .

The third type container supply device 11 supplies empty third type containers (for example, packs of 10) containing eggs to the second packaging station 14 .

The fourth type container supply device 12 supplies empty fourth type containers (for example, mold packs) containing eggs to the second packaging station 14 .

The fifth type container supply device 13 supplies empty fifth type containers (for example, six packs) containing eggs to the second packaging station 14 .

The second packaging station 14 transports empty second containers (e.g. packs or trays) and receives the eggs discharged from the single-row conveyor 6, placing the eggs one row at a time into a second container waiting below. packed and sent to the next process. The second packaging station 14 is compatible with a plurality of packaging patterns so that it can perform packaging processing on a second container selected from a plurality of types of second containers.

The in-pack label inputting device 15 inputs an in-pack label to be placed in a pack into a pack passing through with the lid open, as necessary.

The pack merging device 16 merges packs with open lids sent out from the plurality of second packaging stations 14 to one terminal device (pack sealing device 17, labeling device 18, pack rotating table 19). let Note that the pack merging device 16 is not necessarily required, and terminal devices may be arranged for each second packaging station 14.

The pack sealing device 17 closes the lid of the pack and fastens it by ultrasonic welding or sealing tape.

The label application device 18 applies a label to the top or side surface of the pack.

The pack carousel 19 temporarily stores pack products. Note that the pack rotating table 19 is just one example, and the pack may be received and stored by a conveyor such as an active belt, or may be automatically packed into a shipping container by an automatic boxing device or the like.

The tray stacking device 20 stacks trays filled with eggs. Note that the tray stacking device 20 is just one example, and the trays may be stacked on a conveyor. A device for automatically loading trays onto racks or pallets may be arranged downstream of the tray stacking device 20.

As described above, the egg sorting and packaging apparatus 100 does not have an egg weight measuring section and has a simple configuration. Accordingly, the configuration of the control device 7 is also simple. As a result, it can be realized at a lower cost than a sorting and packaging device having a weight sorting function.

Note that the egg sorting and packaging apparatus 100 is not limited to the configuration of the embodiment described above, nor is it limited to the effects described above. Moreover, it goes without saying that the egg sorting and packaging apparatus 100 can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, each of the configurations and methods of the plurality of embodiments described above may be arbitrarily adopted and combined, and furthermore, one or more of the configurations and methods of the various modification examples described below may be arbitrarily selected. Of course, the present invention may be employed in the configurations, methods, etc. according to the embodiments described above.

(1) In the above embodiment, the egg sorting and packaging apparatus 100 includes the first to third inspection devices 3 to 5, but is not limited thereto. The egg sorting and packaging device 100 includes inspection devices other than the first to third inspection devices 3 to 5 described above (for example, eggshell color discrimination device, broken egg detection and removal device, edge inspection device, freshness inspection device, fertilized egg The present invention may be configured to include one or more of the following: a discrimination device, a device for discriminating hatched eggs, a device for determining sex within an egg, etc.).

(2) In the above embodiment, the egg sorting and packaging apparatus 100 includes the first to fifth type container supply devices 9 to 13, but is not limited thereto. The egg sorting and packaging apparatus 100 is equipped with a container supply device that supplies 4-packs, 8-packs, 12-packs, 20-egg trays, 45-egg mold trays, 54-egg mold trays, hatcher trays, etc. But that's fine. Furthermore, not all of the first to fifth type container supply devices 9 to 13 described above are necessary, and the number of types may be reduced depending on the application. Furthermore, one packaging station 8, 14 may be equipped with not only two types but three or more types of container supply devices.

(3) In the above embodiment, the single-row conveyor 6 of the egg sorting and packaging apparatus 100 is equipped with an egg detection sensor (not shown) that detects the presence or absence of eggs in the egg tray. but not limited to. A configuration may be adopted in which the egg detection sensor is not provided, and the egg presence/absence information is read at the same time as the test results are read from any of the equipped test devices.

(4) In the above embodiment, the size-sorted eggs packed in the intermediate container (first container) are re-sorted according to their properties and refilled into the second container. Not limited. The unsized eggs packed in the first container may be used to refill the second container. For example, the efficiency of the hatching process can be improved by processing eggs that have been heated for a certain period of time in a setter tray using a sorting and packaging device 100 equipped with an unhatched egg discrimination device to sort out only normal eggs and pack them into a hatcher tray. . Alternatively, if the eggs are processed using a sorting and packaging device 100 equipped with an in-egg sex discrimination device to select only the eggs that will become female chicks and packed into a hatcher tray, not only will the efficiency of the hatching process be improved, but the male chicks will also be killed. can be prevented.

1: Egg loading device 2: Multi-row conveyor 2a: Egg feeding conveyor 2b: Orienting device 2c: Egg checking conveyor 3: First inspection device 4: Second inspection device 5: Third inspection device 6: Single-row conveyor 6a :Egg transfer device 7:Control device 7a:Property reading section 7b:Setting input section 7c:Container selection section 7d:Distribution control section 7e:Operation control section 8:First packaging station 9:First class container supply device 10: Second type container supply device 11: Third type container supply device 12: Fourth type container supply device 13: Fifth type container supply device 14: Second packaging station 15: In-pack label loading device 16: Pack merging device 17: Pack sealing device 18: Label pasting device 19: Pack rotating table 20: Tray stacking device 100: Sorting and packaging device

Claims (4)

An egg sorting and packaging device that re-sorts eggs packed in a first container according to the properties of the eggs and refills them into a second container,
an egg transport conveyor that transports the eggs transferred from the first container;
a plurality of packaging stations for packing eggs transported by the egg transport conveyor into the second container;
an inspection device that inspects the properties of the eggs on the egg conveyor;
A distribution control unit that determines the packaging station as a distribution destination set to the corresponding property based on the inspection result of the inspection device, and determines the distribution position in accordance with the second container set at the packaging station. An egg sorting and packaging device comprising: The egg transport conveyor includes a multi-row transport conveyor that takes out eggs from the first container and transports them in multiple rows, and a single-row transport conveyor that transports eggs transferred from the multi-row transport conveyor in a single row. The egg sorting and packaging apparatus according to claim 1. The inspection devices include a dirty egg inspection device, a cracked egg inspection device, an internally abnormal egg inspection device, an egg shell color discrimination device, a severely damaged egg detection and removal device, an end inspection device, a freshness inspection device, a fertile egg discrimination device, and a device for discriminating eggs that have stopped hatching. The egg sorting and packaging device according to claim 1 or 2, comprising one or more inspection devices selected from a discrimination device and an in-ovo sex discrimination device. The egg selection packaging according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of packaging stations include packaging stations corresponding to a plurality of packaging patterns so that packaging processing can be performed by selecting from a plurality of types of the second containers. Device.