JP3714326B2 - Fruit and vegetable sorting device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus that sorts fruits and vegetables such as apples, mandarin oranges, tomatoes and potatoes according to size and weight and quality such as color and luster.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a prior art, there is JP-A-1-231882.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In this prior art, a supply unit for fruits and vegetables is arranged on the upstream side of the linear conveyor, and a distribution unit for distributing the fruits and vegetables according to quality and size is arranged on the downstream side of the conveyor. An unsorted conveyor for transporting unsorted fruits and vegetables is provided, and the supply section of the conveyor is a supply section classified by quality according to the quality along the transport direction. In addition, an address reader that reads the placement address of fruits and vegetables is provided, a size lead sensor is provided between the supply unit and the distribution unit of the conveyor, and a plurality of distribution unit tables corresponding to quality and size are provided in the distribution unit The fruits and vegetables are distributed according to quality and size.
[0004]
In this way, the worker in the supply unit visually determines the quality of the fruits and vegetables conveyed by the unsorted conveyor and places them in the corresponding quality section of the conveyor. Since there is no consideration about the work range that can be replaced at the position, when setting multiple grades, the operator must perform the transfer work while moving along the conveyor conveyance direction, There was a problem that fatigue increased and an empty part where fruits and vegetables could not be placed was formed on the conveyor, and the sorting efficiency did not increase.
[0005]
Therefore, the present invention sets a quality placement area of a length that allows the operator to place the fruits and vegetables at a fixed position in the supply section on the upstream side of the conveyor, and these quality placement areas are divided into a plurality of quality areas. Thus, the drawbacks of the conventional apparatus are solved, and the sorting efficiency is improved.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention takes the following technical means in order to solve such problems of the prior art. That is, the conveyance start end side of the conveyor 1 attached to Sanjo is the fruit and vegetable supply unit 2, the conveyance end side is the sorting and distribution unit 3, and unsorted at positions adjacent to the outside of the supply unit 2 of the conveyor 1 on both the left and right sides An unsorted transport conveyor for transporting fruits and vegetables is provided, and the supply unit 2 of the conveyor 1 is made up of a plurality of quality placement areas 2a and 2a, and an operator having the length of the quality placement areas 2a and 2a at an intermediate position The quality placement areas 2a and 2a are divided into a plurality of quality zones a, b , c, and d so that the fruits and vegetables can be placed in the entire region without walking substantially. , c, quality sensor 4a for fresh produce at a boundary portion d detects quality whether it is placed on the conveyor 1, 4b, 4c, 4d each Re Re each place, said quality sensor 4a, 4b, 4c , 4d and second quality to detect the shape or weight of fruits and vegetables In sorting apparatus of the fruit or vegetable to retrieve from the sorting distributor 3 on the basis of the detection information of the capacitors 5 to the selection extraction portion 6a,
A plurality of quality placement areas 2a and 2a provided in the supply section 2 of the central conveyor 1 have different quality zones c and d on the start side and the end side, respectively. A plurality of quality placement areas 2a, 2a provided in the supply unit 2 have different quality zones a, b on the start side and end side, respectively, according to the quality ratio of unselected fruits and vegetables. The fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus is characterized in that the quality zones a, b, c and d can be changed by a setting device .
[0007]
Accordingly, the unsorted transport conveyor 13 is moved to the front quality zones a and b or the distant quality zones c and d among the plurality of quality placement areas 2a and 2a of the supply unit 2 on the transport start end side of the conveyor 1. The operator places the unselected fruits and vegetables to be conveyed while visually judging the quality of the unselected fruits and vegetables. At this time, if the worker is positioned at the intermediate position in the length direction of the quality placement areas 2a and 2a, all the quality fruits and vegetables visually judged by the worker without walking are placed in the entire quality placement areas 2a and 2a. Can be mounted and supplied easily and efficiently.
[0008]
Next, when the fruits and vegetables placed in the quality zones a, b, c or d in the quality placement areas 2a and 2a pass through the boundaries of the quality zones a, b, c or d, the quality The first quality is detected by the sensors 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d. Further, the shape or weight of the fruit or vegetable is detected by the second quality sensor 5. Based on the detection information of the quality sensors 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d and the second quality sensor 5, the fruits and vegetables are taken out from the sorting / distributing unit 3 to the sorting / extracting unit 6a.
[0009]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention sorts fruits and vegetables into a large number of quality categories based on the quality determined by the visual inspection of the worker and the detection quality of the second quality sensor 5 and takes them out to the sorting and unloading section. The plurality of quality placement areas 2a, 2a divided into a plurality of quality zones a, b, c, d are provided side by side on the front side and the far side, so the length of the placement areas 2a, 2a In addition, when the operator is located in the middle portion in the length direction of the quality placement areas 2a and 2a, it is possible to place and supply fruits and vegetables in the entire area with almost no walking. Moreover, it can be efficiently placed and supplied to the conveyor 1, and the sorting efficiency can be improved by preventing empty conveyance of the conveyor.
Further , a plurality of quality placement areas 2a and 2a provided in the supply unit 2 of the central conveyor 1 have different quality zones c and d on the start and end sides, respectively, and conveyors on both the left and right sides. A plurality of quality placement areas 2a and 2a provided in one supply unit 2
The quality zones a and b of the different quality are used as the quality zones a and b on the start side and the end side, respectively, and the quality zones a, b, c and d can be changed with a setting device in accordance with the quality ratio of unselected fruits and vegetables. Can improve the efficiency of sorting .
[0010]
[Embodiment]
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention shown in the drawings will be described. First, the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 2 will be described. The conveyor 1 is composed of a supply unit 2 on the start end side and a sorting / distribution unit 3 on the end side in a form in which fruits and vegetables are loaded and transported to the end side by placing devices (not shown) such as many cups. The supply unit 2 of the conveyor 1 is divided into quality placement areas 2a and 2a adjacent to each other in the transport direction, and the length of the quality placement areas 2a and 2a in the transport direction is, for example, about 160 cm to 200 cm. Thus, when the operator 15 is at a substantially intermediate position in the longitudinal direction, the fruits and vegetables can be placed and supplied in the entire areas of the quality placement areas 2a and 2a without walking. The quality placement areas 2a and 2a are divided into quality zones of excellent a, excellent b, good c, and average d, and an operator 15 visually observes the cups in the quality zones a and b. Place the determined fruits and vegetables. Quality sensors 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d are provided at the boundary portions of the quality zones of “excellent a”, “excellent b”, “good c”, and “d”, respectively, and are placed on the conveyor 1. The quality is detected when the fresh fruits and vegetables pass. The detection action of the quality sensors 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d will be described. When the fruits and vegetables are placed on the cup in the quality zone of the level d and pass the quality sensor 4d, the quality is determined to be the level d. When the quality of the cup fruits and vegetables is determined once and then passes through the end-side quality sensors 4c, 4b, 4a, it is checked whether the quality has already been determined at the conveyance start end side, and the quality determination is performed at the start end side. If it is determined, the quality determination is not performed again, and the determination quality once changed is not changed. In addition, when the fruits and vegetables are placed on the cup in the quality zones of other good c, excellent b, and excellent a, the quality is similarly determined.
[0011]
A second quality sensor 5 for detecting a second quality such as shape, color or weight is provided at the boundary between the supply unit 2 and the sorting / distributing unit 3 of the conveyor 1. In addition, the second quality sensor 5 detects the first quality of each of the excellent quality a, excellent b, good c, and average d at the opposite position of the sorting and distributing unit 3 on the conveyor terminal side of the conveyor 1. A large number of sorting / extracting sections 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, which are distinguished from each other based on the second quality, are configured. An unsorted conveyor 13 for conveying unsorted fruits and vegetables is arranged along the outside of the supply unit 2 of the conveyor 1.
[0012]
Further, a moving distance detector 8 is provided at a drive sprocket (not shown) of the chain of the conveyor 1. When the chain drive sprocket of the conveyor 1 rotates, the moving distance detector 8 outputs a pulse signal from an encoder (not shown), and the fruits and vegetables of the cups of the conveyor 1 are detected by the quality sensors 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d. When the quality is determined in (1), the measurement of the moving distance is started. When the cup moves to the end side and reaches the second quality sensor 5, the determined quality is input to the arithmetic control unit 7.
[0013]
Next, based on FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the fruits and vegetables sorting and taking out control will be described. The quality sensor 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d detects the first quality of the fruits and vegetables and inputs it to the second arithmetic control unit 9, and the movement of the cup on which the fruits and vegetables with the detected first quality are placed. The distance is detected by the movement distance detector 8 and input to the second calculation control unit 9. Next, the detection information of the quality sensors 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d input to the second arithmetic control unit 9 is the data output device 10 and the data input when the cup moves to the second quality sensor 5. The data is input to the arithmetic control unit 7 via the device 11.
[0014]
Next, the second quality sensor 5 detects the shape or weight of the fruit and vegetable, and moves the second quality sensor 5 from the second quality sensor 5 to the conveyance end side with respect to the cup on which the fruit and vegetable of the second quality are detected. The distance is detected by the movement distance detector 8. These pieces of detection information are input to a calculation control unit 7 including a CPU including a control unit, a calculation unit, and a register unit, and a memory unit including a program memory and a calculation memory.
[0015]
The arithmetic control unit 7 sorts the fruits and vegetables based on the first quality detection information and the second quality detection information, and then outputs a sort command signal to the sorting / extracting device 12 so that the cups of the conveyor 1 A sorting drive device (not shown) is driven to extract fruits and vegetables. Next, the operation will be described.
[0016]
When unsorted fruits and vegetables are placed on the unsorted conveyor 13 and conveyed, the operator visually determines whether these fruits and vegetables are of excellent a, excellent b, good c, or average d quality. If the quality is excellent a, the a quality zone of the supply section 2a, if the quality is excellent b, the b quality zone of the supply section 2a, if the quality is good c, the supply section If the quality is normal d in the c quality zone of 2a, each is placed and supplied to the cup of the conveyor 1 in the d quality zone of the supply unit 2a.
[0017]
Therefore, the fruits and vegetables are placed on the cup in the quality zone of the supply unit 2a, the quality sensor 4a detects that the quality is excellent, and the movement distance detector 8 on which the fruits and vegetables are placed. Are sequentially detected and input to the second arithmetic control unit 9. Next, these pieces of detection information are input to the calculation control unit 7 via the second calculation control unit 9. Next, when the cup on which the fruits and vegetables are placed is conveyed and reaches the second quality sensor 5 , the weight or shape of the fruits and vegetables is detected.
[0018]
Thus, the total quality considering the detection information of the quality sensors 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d and the second quality sensor 5 is determined by the arithmetic control unit 7, and the discharge position of the sorting / distributing unit 3 from the second quality sensor 5 is determined. Is detected by the moving distance detector 8 and a control command signal for sorting and taking out is output. When the cup of the conveyor 1 reaches the sorting and taking out position, the cup take-out drive device (not shown) is actuated. The fruits and vegetables are taken out to the sorting / distributing unit 3 to be operated. In the same way, the first and second quality sensors 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d detect the first quality of the fruits of fruits of excellent b, good c, and average d, and then the second quality sensor 5 The quality is detected, the total quality is determined based on these qualities, and the quality is extracted from the sorting / distributing unit 3 of the corresponding quality.
[0019]
Next, the difference between FIG. 3 and the embodiment of FIG. 1 will be described. The conveyor 1 is composed of three sorting lines, and the supply portion 2 on the start end side of the conveyor 1 is divided into adjacent quality placement areas 2a and 2a, and the quality loading of the central conveyor 1 is performed. In the storage areas 2a and 2a, the start end side is a quality zone of quality d, the end side is a quality zone of good quality c, and the supply on the start end side of the conveyor 1 and the conveyor 1 on both the left and right sides Part 2 sets the quality zone of the quality according to the quality ratio of the unsorted fruits and vegetables, and sets the quality zone according to the quality ratio of the unsorted fruits and vegetables. To improve efficiency. The excellent quality zone is a configuration that can be freely changed by an operator with a setting device (not shown).
[0020]
Next, the difference between FIG. 4 and the embodiment of FIG. 1 will be described. The conveyor 1 is composed of two left and right sorting lines, and the supply section 2 on the start end side of the conveyors 1 and 1 is divided into adjacent quality placement areas 2a and 2a. In each of 2a and 2a, quality zones of “excellent a”, “excellent b”, “good c”, and “d” are set. In the quality placement areas 2a, 2a, containers 14, 14,... Containing unsorted fruits and vegetables are arranged, and the workers 15, 15,. It is the structure which takes out and visually determines quality and mounts it in the cup of the conveyor 1 which is passing the applicable quality zone. Then, as described above, the overall quality is determined based on the detection quality of the quality sensors 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d and the second quality sensor 5 , and is taken out from the sorting / distributing unit 3 to the corresponding sorting / extracting unit 6a.
[0021]
Next, the difference between FIG. 5 and the embodiment of FIG. 1 will be described. The conveyor 1 is composed of three sorting lines, and the supply unit 2 on the start end side of the conveyor 1 is divided into adjacent placement quality areas 2a and 2a. In the storage areas 2a and 2a, the start side is a quality zone of quality d, the end side is a quality zone of quality c, and the supply section 2 on the start side of the conveyors 1 and 1 on both the left and right sides In this case, the start side is a quality zone of quality excellent b, and the end side is a quality zone of quality excellent a. In the quality placement areas 2a, 2a, containers 14, 14,... Containing unsorted fruits and vegetables are arranged, and the workers 15, 15,. It is the structure which takes out and visually determines quality and mounts it in the cup of the conveyor 1 which is passing the applicable quality zone.
[0022]
Next, FIG. 6 will be described. Fruits and vegetables being conveyed by cups (not shown) of a conveyor (not shown) are imaged by the camera 16, and this imaging information is input to the arithmetic control unit 7 via the camera input device 17, and is being conveyed by the conveyor. The weight of the fruits and vegetables is weighed by the load cell 18, and the weighing information is input to the arithmetic control unit 7 via the load cell input device 19. Further, detection information detected by the quality sensor 20, the taste sensor 21, the X-ray sensor 22, etc., which are other sensors, is input to the control device 23. Then, these pieces of detection information are converted into numerical information determined in advance by the control device 23, and then input to the arithmetic control unit 7 through a known general-purpose input device 24.
[0023]
Thus, the imaging information and the measurement information are each input to a control circuit (not shown) via an A / D converter (not shown), and the numerical information from the general-purpose input device 24 is directly To the control circuit. Then, based on the plurality of detection information, the fruits and vegetables are sorted and classified, and the quality is graded. When the conveyor cup reaches the sorting and extracting section (not shown) for the quality, the cup is connected via the output device 25. The take-out drive device is activated, and the fruits and vegetables are taken out to the take-out section of the corresponding quality. When adding new sensors to an existing control device to improve specifications, as described above, if the detection information is digitized and input via the general-purpose input device 14, it is not necessary to change the existing arithmetic control unit. Cost can be reduced. Next, FIG. 7 will be described.
[0024]
Place two conveyors 1 and 1 close to each other, place fruits and vegetables on the cups or slat-shaped receiving plates (not shown) of conveyors 1 and 1, and measure colors, shapes, etc. during transportation It is. On the start end side of the conveyors 1 and 1, a color measurement camera 26 configured by, for example, a CCD type is disposed above the adjacent portions of the both conveyors 1 and 1. In this color measurement camera 26, each time a fruit is conveyed, for example, 1.5 mm, red, green and blue color elements are measured, taken into a CPU (not shown), and sequentially accumulated, and about 50 times with one fruit and vegetable. Data is accumulated. Thus, the accumulated value of red is divided by the accumulated amount of green to calculate the color value, and then the standard deviation of each of the accumulated data red and green is calculated. The flaw value is calculated from the following data number, the color value is compared with the reference color value, and color determination is performed.
[0025]
Next, FIG. 8 will be described. Also, above each of the conveyors 1, 1, shape imaging means 27, 27 configured by, for example, a CCD type are arranged, and the shape of the fruits and vegetables being conveyed by the conveyor 1 by the shape imaging means 27, 27. And the camera input devices 28 and 28 are input to the arithmetic control units 7 and 7. In addition, a color measurement camera 26 made of, for example, a CCD type is disposed above the adjacent portions of the conveyors 1 and 1 on the start end side of the conveyors 1 and 1, and the color measurement information of the color measurement camera 26 is the color measurement information. The data is input to the arithmetic control units 7 and 7 through the determination device 29 and the general-purpose input device 24.
[0026]
Thus, the grade of the fruits and vegetables is determined from the shape information and the color determination information, and a take-out command signal is output to the output devices 25 and 25, and the fruits and vegetables are taken out when they are conveyed to the corresponding grade take-out section. In addition, it is good also as a structure which image-processes several fruit and vegetables with the one shape imaging means 27. FIG. As described above, since the detection information is digitized and input via the general-purpose input device 24, it can be processed quickly without causing a problem of processing speed, and the color of a plurality of fruits and vegetables can be obtained with one color measurement camera 26. Therefore, the cost can be reduced as compared with the conventional apparatus, and the conveyors 1 and 1 can be arranged close to each other, and the installation place is also narrowed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
[Fig. 1] Plan view [Fig. 2] Block diagram [Fig. 3] Plan view [Fig. 4] Plan view [Fig. 5] Plan view [Fig. 6] Block diagram [Fig. 7] Plan view and front view [Fig. 8] Plane Figure and block diagram 【Explanation of symbols】
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyor 2 Supply part 3 Sorting / distributing part 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d Quality sensor 5 Second quality sensor 6a, 6b, 6c Sorting extraction part 7 Calculation control part 8 Movement distance detector 9 Second calculation control part 10 Data Output device 11 Data input device 12 Sorting and unloading device 13 Unsorted conveyor 14 Container 15 Worker

Claims (1)

The conveying start end side of the conveyor 1 attached to Sanjo is the fruit supply unit 2, the conveyance end side is the sorting distribution unit 3, and unsorted fruits and vegetables are placed at adjacent positions along the outside of the supply unit 2 of the left and right conveyors 1. An unsorted transport conveyor for transporting is provided, and the supply unit 2 of the conveyor 1 is set to a plurality of quality placement areas 2a and 2a. The quality placement area 2a, 2a is divided into a plurality of quality zones a, b , c, d , and the quality zones a, b , c quality sensor 4a for fresh produce at a boundary portion d detects quality whether it is placed on the conveyor 1, 4b, 4c, 4d and each Re Re husband arranged, said quality sensor 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d Second quality sensor to detect the shape or weight of fruits and vegetables In sorting apparatus of the fruit or vegetable to retrieve from the sorting distributor 3 to the sorting extraction portion 6a on the basis of the detection information,
A plurality of quality placement areas 2a and 2a provided in the supply unit 2 of the central conveyor 1 are different quality zones c and d on the start side and the end side, respectively. A plurality of quality placement areas 2a, 2a provided in the supply unit 2 have different quality zones a, b for the start side and the end side, respectively, according to the quality ratio of unselected fruits and vegetables. A fruit and vegetable sorting apparatus characterized in that the quality zones a, b, c and d can be changed by a setting device.

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