JP6305099B2 - Fruit and vegetable adsorption holder - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fruit and vegetable adsorbing / holding tool that adsorbs and holds soft and irregular fruits and vegetables without damaging them.

  Japan's strawberry production requires a lot of working hours (approximately 2,000h / 10a), and labor saving is an urgent issue. Among them, the process of selecting harvested strawberries and packing them in a pack manually accounts for about 30% of the total working hours, and is a bottleneck in strawberry production along with harvesting work. In response to these circumstances, recently, a system that enables automation of sorting work and a packing robot have been developed.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a boxing machine for agricultural products such as strawberries and cherry tomatoes. Further, Patent Document 2 by the present applicant discloses a container stuffing apparatus that grades strawberry and packs it in a container.

  Moreover, in automating packing, as a means to hold | maintain a fruit etc., without damaging, for example, in patent document 3, the fruit-and-fruits holding apparatus for hold | maintaining and transferring without damaging a soft fruit like a strawberry is mentioned. Is disclosed. Moreover, in patent document 4 by this applicant, the fruit holding | maintenance apparatus which discriminate | determines the direction of a strawberry by image processing and adsorbs and holds a strawberry is disclosed, and in patent document 5, the fruit accumulation | storage which has an adsorption tube which suppresses damage to a strawberry. An apparatus is disclosed.

JP 2005-231711 A JP 2012-171664 A JP 2002-52487 A JP 2012-171663 A JP 2013-193776 A

  The fruit and vegetable holding apparatus described in Patent Document 3 is a mechanism for adsorbing fruits such as strawberries placed side by side with the sepals facing upward with an adsorption pad made of a bellows body. However, although the bellows body is easily deformed in the central axis direction, the deformation range in the direction having an angle with respect to the central axis is extremely narrow. The rate of adsorbing fruit is reduced. Or a fruit may be damaged by pressing a bellows body in the direction biased to the fruit. In addition, if the suction pad is lengthened in order to widen the deformation range of the bellows body, it is considered that the required space is increased accordingly, and the positional deviation when placing the fruit at a predetermined position is increased.

  In addition, the fruit holding device of Patent Document 4 is based on the premise that the direction of the fruit and the position of the head are accurately measured by image processing, and the control is complicated.

  Furthermore, in the adsorption tube of Patent Document 5, it was possible to adsorb fruits, but the adsorption ratio was not sufficient.

  In this way, in an automated line such as packing of fruits and vegetables, the fruits and vegetables are not damaged and surely held, especially in response to positional deviations and variations in fruit shape, such as strawberries, which are soft and easily damaged. However, there is a problem that existing holding technology is insufficient.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a fruit and vegetable adsorbing / holding tool that can reliably adsorb and retain fruits and vegetables, particularly fruits and vegetables with soft surfaces, such as strawberries, without damaging them.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a fruit and vegetable adsorbing holder for adsorbing and holding fruits and vegetables at the tip of the adsorbing part by making the inside of the adsorbing part a negative pressure, and the adsorbing part is a bubble-type rubber An annular contact ring that contacts the fruits and vegetables, an annular deformation ring that is made of air-tight rubber, and a rigid body that is disposed between the contact ring and the deformation ring, the contact ring a connecting member for connecting the deformable ring and consists rigid connection member for connecting the frame of the suction holder and the deforming ring, Tona is, the deformed ring, the connecting member and the connecting member Provided is a fruit and vegetable adsorbing / holding tool which can be deformed in an arbitrary direction within a range excluding a portion overlapping with.

The connecting member and the connecting member are provided on the inner peripheral side of the contact ring and the deforming ring, respectively, and the deforming ring is a length in a central axis direction excluding a portion overlapping the connecting member and the connecting member. Is preferably smaller than the inner diameter of the connecting member. Moreover, it is preferable that the connection member is detachably attached to the frame.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can adsorb and hold reliably, without damaging the soft fruits and vegetables like a strawberry.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the example of a layout of the equipment which packs fruits and vegetables. It is a perspective view which shows the example of the conveyance container of a strawberry. It is a top view which shows the example of the packing line of a strawberry. It is a side view which shows the adsorption holder concerning embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing explaining the dimension of the adsorption | suction part of the adsorption | suction holder of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the example from which the attachment part of a connection member and a frame differs. It is a side view which shows the state which adsorb | sucked the strawberry with the adsorption | suction holder of FIG. It is a top view which shows the process of packing a strawberry in the container for shipping with the packing line of FIG. It is a side view which shows the adsorption holder used as a comparative example in the Example.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  FIG. 1: shows the outline | summary of the layout of the facility which packs the fruits and vegetables concerning embodiment of this invention, and packs strawberry in this embodiment below.

  The harvested strawberry is accommodated and transported in a transport container that is placed on the conveyor 11 and moves on the fruit selection line 12. The transport containers are arranged in a line on the conveyor 11 by the transport container aligning unit 13, and the strawberries are placed one by one in the transport container by a device (not shown) or manually in the fruit input unit 14. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the transport container 20 has, for example, a substantially pyramid-shaped concave portion 21 that matches the shape of the strawberry 10, and the orientation of the strawberry 10 is naturally just by placing the strawberry 10 on the transport container 20. It is designed to be aligned. Further, a cutout portion 22 is formed in the transport container 20 at the position on the side 10 a of the strawberry 10.

  The strawberry 10 is transported through the fruit selection line 12 while being placed in the transport container 20. In order to classify the harvested strawberries into grades, an image device 15 for examining the appearance of diseases, insects, scratches, color, gloss, shape, etc., a sugar acidity sensor 16, a weight sensor 17 and the like are installed in the selection line 12 Has been. Strawberries 10 classified into grades by these devices are conveyed to a predetermined packing line 18 for each grade by sorting means (not shown).

  FIG. 3 shows an outline of the packing line 18. In the packing line 18, a number corresponding to the number of rows of shipping containers 25 such as PET or paper, for example, six suction holders 31 in the example of FIG. 3 are attached to the robot arm 41. The robot arm 41 is attached to a slider 42 that is movable in the left-right direction in FIG. 3, and each robot arm 41 is movable in the left-right direction and the up-down direction in FIG. 3, and further in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. . Each suction holding tool 31 stands by above the transport container 20 as an initial posture, and is arranged so that the front end of the suction holding tool 31 faces the side 10 a of the strawberries 10 in the transport container 20.

  FIG. 4 is a side view showing the suction holder 31 according to the present embodiment. The suction holder 31 includes a frame 32 fixed to the robot arm, a substantially cylindrical suction part 33 attached to the frame 32, and an ejector 34 that changes the atmospheric pressure inside the suction part 33. . And the adsorption | suction part 33 is provided between the contact ring 35 of the front-end | tip, the deformation | transformation ring 37, the contact ring 35, and the deformation | transformation ring 37, the cyclic | annular connection member 36 which connects these, the deformation | transformation ring 37, and a frame 32 and a connecting member 38 that detachably connects to the connecting member 38.

  The contact ring 35 is an annular member that is in direct contact with the strawberry 10 and is soft in accordance with the softness of the fruits and vegetables to be adsorbed and held so as not to damage soft fruits and vegetables like strawberry. A foam-type rubber (sponge) that is a foam having as a main component is used. Any of open cell type rubber, closed cell type rubber, and semi-closed semi open cell type rubber may be used. However, if the air permeability is too good, the adsorptive power becomes weak.

  The deformation ring 37 is an annular member whose one end is fixed to the end of the frame 32 and can be deformed in an arbitrary direction during suction. As the material of the deformation ring 37, closed cell type rubber or semi-independent semi-open cell type rubber is used as a flexible material that is airtight and can be easily deformed to an arbitrary angle with respect to the central axis direction.

  The connecting member 36 is an annular member that is provided to connect the contact ring 35 and the deformation ring 37 and to secure a ventilation path without blocking the internal hollow portion even when they are bent. For this reason, the connecting member 36 is formed of a rigid body. Here, the rigid body has rigidity that does not deform due to the weight of the fruits and vegetables that are the objects to be adsorbed and held and the suction force for forming the negative pressure during the adsorption, and is made of metal, for example.

  Further, the deformation ring 37 has a length that can secure a ventilation path without blocking the hollow portion even when the center axis is displaced by maximal deformation in a direction perpendicular to the center axis in the initial state before deformation. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the effective length Lm excluding a portion where the deformation ring 37 overlaps the connecting member 36 and a connecting member 38 described later is set to be smaller than the inner diameter dm of the connecting member 36. Furthermore, if the length Lc in the axial direction of the contact ring 35 protruding to the tip from the connecting member 36 is too long, the contact portion 35 is folded inward when the inside of the suction portion 33 is set to a negative pressure, thereby blocking the ventilation path, and the suction force. Decreases. On the other hand, when the length Lc is too short, the effect of absorbing the force at the time of adsorption decreases. Therefore, as an example, the length Lc = 6 mm is preferable with respect to the inner diameter dc = 16 mm of the contact ring.

  The connection member 38 is annular like the connection member 36, and is formed of a rigid body to securely connect the suction portion 33 to the frame body 32. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, in order to connect, fix, and detachably attach the adsorbing portion 33 and the frame body 32, the portion where the connection member 38 and the frame body 32 overlap is screwed. That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the connection member 38 is inserted into the frame body 32, and a screw hole 38 a is formed on the connection member 38 side at a portion where the connection member 38 and the frame body 32 overlap with each other. On the 32 side, a through hole 32a through which a screw 39 to be screwed into the screw hole 38a can be inserted is formed, for example, at the top. And after inserting the connection member 38 of the adsorption | suction part 33 in the frame 32, the screw 39 is screwed into the screw hole 38a through the through-hole 32a from the outer side of the frame 32, and the connection member 38 (adsorption part 33) Is securely fixed to the frame 32. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, a screw is formed on the outer periphery on one end side of the connection member 38, and a screw hole in which the screw of the connection member 38 can be screwed is formed on the inner periphery of the distal end portion of the frame body 32. The end of the connecting member 38 on the screw side may be inserted into the frame 32 and the connecting member 38 may be screwed into the screw hole. A deformation ring 37 is attached to the end of the connection member 38 that is not inserted into the frame body 32. The deformation ring 37 has flexibility that can be deformed to an arbitrary angle. However, the deformation ring 37 may deteriorate due to continuous use, and the shape may not be restored. In such a case, by removing the screw and exchanging the adsorbing portion 33, the reliable adsorbing of the fruits and vegetables can be maintained. The connection method of the frame body 32 and the suction portion 33 is not limited to screwing as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, and may be a method in which the suction portion 33 is securely fixed to the frame body 32 and is detachable. That's fine.

  Hereinafter, the packing procedure of the strawberry 10 in the packing line 18 using the adsorption holder 31 of the present embodiment will be described.

  The strawberries 10 classified into the grades are conveyed to the packing line 18 of a predetermined grade in a state of being accommodated in the conveyance container 20, and stopped below the suction holder 31, for example, as shown in FIG. As described above, the suction holder 31 stands by above the transport containers 20 in such a direction that the contact ring 35 at the front end faces the side 10 a of the strawberries 10 in the transport container 20.

  Next, the robot arm 41 extends downward, and the suction holder 31 is lowered to the height of the strawberry 10. And it moves horizontally until the contact ring 35 which opposes the heel 10a side of the strawberry 10 contacts the heel part of the strawberry 10, and the inside of the adsorption part 33 is made negative pressure by the ejector 34 during the movement, As shown in FIG. 7A, the strawberry 10 is adsorbed and held on the contact ring 35 of the adsorption unit 33. Strawberries vary in size and shape, and in addition, there are various things such as those in which the pods are in close contact with the fruits and those that float from the fruits. At this time, for example, the deformation ring 37 is deformed downward as shown in FIG. 7B, or the deformation ring 37 is deformed upward as shown in FIG. The contact ring 35 can be brought into close contact with the strawberry 10 by being deformed flexibly following the shape. Even if the deformation ring 37 is deformed as shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C, the effective length Lm shown in FIG. 5 is smaller than the inner diameter dm of the connecting member 36, so that the ventilation path is not blocked. Therefore, the strawberry 10 can be reliably adsorbed and held. Moreover, when the contact ring 35 contacts the strawberry 10 and a detection value of a pressure sensor 43 described later reaches a preset threshold value, it is determined that the strawberry 10 has been sucked and held, and the robot arm 41 lifts the strawberry 10. Therefore, the strawberry 10 is not continuously pushed while being accommodated in the transport container 20. Furthermore, due to the material of the contact ring 35 that comes into contact with the strawberry 10, the strawberry 10 is not subjected to excessive force and is not damaged. In this way, deformation in the direction perpendicular to the central axis direction in the initial state of the suction portion 33 is impossible with a conventionally used bellows. In the present invention, by using the bubble-type rubber, even if the length in the central axis direction is short, it can be freely deformed at an arbitrary angle with respect to the central axis direction. In addition, by providing the connecting member 36 made of a rigid body that does not deform at the time of suction, the rigidity of the suction portion 33 as a whole is ensured, and even if the deformation ring 37 is deformed, the ventilation path of the hollow portion is prevented from being blocked, Adsorption power can be secured.

  A pressure sensor 43 that detects the pressure inside the suction portion 33 is connected to the hollow portion of the suction portion 33 (see FIG. 4), detects the pressure inside the hollow portion, and the detection result is transmitted to a control portion (not shown). When the predetermined negative pressure is reached, it is determined that the adsorption of the strawberry 10 is completed. When the strawberry 10 is adsorbed, the adsorbing holder 31 is raised by the robot arm 41, and the position of each adsorbing holder 31 is a position for accommodating each strawberry 10 in the shipping container 25 as shown in FIG. It moves up and then descends. When releasing the adsorption holding of the strawberry 10, the vacuum pressure in the hollow part is lowered to reduce the adsorption power of the adsorption part 33, or the suction from the hollow part is stopped and the pressure of the adsorption part 33 is increased while increasing the pressure of the strawberry. The suction part 33 is moved in a direction away from 10. Thereby, the strawberry 10 is accommodated in the shipping container 25. After that, the suction holder 31 moves again above the transport container 20 and is repeated until the strawberry 10 is packed.

  Thus, when the strawberry 10 is simultaneously adsorbed by the plurality of adsorption holders 31 and moved to be packed in the shipping container 25, the strawberry 10 may come into contact with each other. Also at this time, the deformation ring 37 is easily bent in an arbitrary direction, so that a large force does not act on the strawberry 10 and damage to the strawberry 10 can be prevented.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to this example. It is obvious for those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. It is understood that it belongs to. For example, the packing robot provided with the suction holder 31 is not limited to the above embodiment.

  The adsorption holder 31 according to the present invention was attached to a strawberry packing robot to pack strawberry. As a comparative example, as shown in FIG. 9, the strawberry was packed in the same manner using the suction holder 51 without the deformation ring 37 and having the contact ring 52 attached directly to the frame 32. The suction pressure (negative pressure) was 5-9 kPa for all. The dimensions of the members of the suction holders 31 and 51 are as shown in Table 1. In addition, in the adsorption holder 51 of the comparative example, in order to fill the gap between the strawberry 10 and the contact ring 52, the length of the contact ring 52 in the axial direction is the shortest on the lower side (6 mm) and toward the upper side (12 mm). To be longer.

  In the case of the comparative example in which the deformation ring 37 is not provided, among 9.5 to 10.7 g of strawberry 1250 fruits, the ratio of strawberry that can be adsorbed (adsorption ratio) is 90.6%, and 13.7 to 16.2 g of strawberry. Of the 1000 fruits, the adsorption rate was 95.8%. In the case of the example of the present invention provided with the deformation ring 37, the adsorption ratio of 9.5 to 10.7 g of strawberry 5729 fruit is 99.0%, and the adsorption ratio of 13.7 to 16.2 g of strawberry 5125 fruit is 99. .6%, and a remarkable effect was seen in improving work accuracy. Moreover, in the example of this invention, the damage of the strawberry was not confirmed.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to an adsorption holder that adsorbs and holds fruits and vegetables that are soft and easily damaged, such as strawberries and loquat.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Strawberry 12 Selection line 13 Transport container alignment part 14 Fruit input part 15 Image apparatus 16 Sugar acidity sensor 17 Weight sensor 18 Packing line 20 Transport container 31 Adsorption holder 32 Frame body 33 Adsorption part 34 Ejector 35 Contact ring 36 Connecting member 37 Deformation ring 38 Connection member

Claims (3)

A fruit and vegetable adsorption holder for adsorbing and holding fruits and vegetables at the tip of the adsorption unit by making the inside of the adsorption unit negative pressure,
The adsorption part is
An annular contact ring made of cellular rubber and in contact with the fruit and vegetables;
An annular deformation ring made of a bubble type rubber having airtightness;
A connecting member made of a rigid body, disposed between the contact ring and the deformation ring, and connecting the contact ring and the deformation ring;
A connecting member comprising a rigid body and connecting the deformation ring and the frame of the suction holder;
Tona is,
The fruit and vegetable adsorbing / holding tool, wherein the deformable ring is deformable in an arbitrary direction within a range excluding a portion overlapping with the connecting member and the connecting member . The connecting member and the connecting member are provided on the inner peripheral side of the contact ring and the deforming ring, respectively, and the deforming ring is a length in a central axis direction excluding a portion overlapping the connecting member and the connecting member. The fruit and vegetable adsorbing / holding tool according to claim 1, wherein the vegetable fruit adsorbing / holding tool is smaller than an inner diameter of the connecting member. The fruit and vegetable adsorbing / holding tool according to claim 1, wherein the connection member is detachably attached to the frame body.

Images