JP7202552B1 - Food crusher and sorter equipped with the crusher - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a food crushing device capable of appropriately crushing overlapping food.
A crushing device (D) includes an air blower (3), a first transporter (1), a second transporter (2), and a guard (4). The air blowing part 3 has an air blowing port extending in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, and spreads the food obliquely downward and upward by wind blowing from the air blowing port. The first conveying unit 1 is arranged upstream of the blower port and conveys food to the upper side of the blower port, and the second conveying unit 2 is arranged downstream of the blower port and conveys food. The guard 4 has left and right side walls 40 arranged on the left and right sides of the second conveying unit 2 downstream of the air blowing port and above the second conveying unit 2, and the food spread by the air blowing unit 3 is diffused from the conveying path. to prevent
[Selection drawing] Fig. 1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a food crushing device, and more particularly to a food crushing device having moisture on its surface and a sorting machine equipped with the food crushing device.

In recent years, the market for cut vegetables has expanded rapidly. Vegetables contain foreign substances such as caterpillars, grasshoppers, frogs, resin pieces, and wood pieces, and it is necessary to sort them out. Sorting is often done manually, but sorting machines have been developed to increase production.

For example, the sorting machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a near-infrared camera and a visible light camera in a sorting area for detecting foreign matter. A near-infrared camera detects foreign matter based on the difference in light absorption rate, and a visible light camera detects foreign matter based on the color difference in the color space (L*a*b*).

By the way, the cut vegetables are sterilized and washed through the sterilization tank and the washing tank, so they are immersed in the disinfectant and the washing liquid. Such moisture-containing test objects are difficult to separate from the conveying belt due to surface tension, and when they are thrown into the sorting area from the conveying belt, they sometimes do not pass along an appropriate trajectory and are not properly sorted. Therefore, in the sorting machine (inspection device) described in Patent Document 2, the conveying part is arranged at an angle, so that cut vegetables containing moisture are thrown into the sorting area along a certain trajectory and sorted. .

However, even if the objects to be inspected are placed along a certain trajectory, if the objects to be inspected overlap each other due to surface tension, there is a problem that the foreign matter is hidden between the overlapping vegetables and is not detected by the camera.

JP 2022-88495 A JP 2019-2716 A

Therefore, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a food crushing device capable of appropriately crushing overlapping food products and a sorting machine equipped with the food crushing device.

In order to solve the above problems, the food crushing device according to the present invention includes:
a blowing unit having a blowing port extending in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, and for diffusing the food in an obliquely upward downstream direction by the wind blowing from the blowing port;
A first conveying unit arranged upstream of the air blow port and conveying food to the upper side of the air blow port;
a second conveying unit arranged downstream of the air blow port and conveying the food;
a guard having left and right side walls arranged on the left and right of the second conveying unit downstream of the air blowing port and above the second conveying unit and preventing the food spread by the blowing unit from diffusing from the conveying path; characterized by comprising

The food crushing device preferably includes
The first transport section has a downwardly sloping conveyor belt above the blower opening, the conveyor belt being configured to pass the air of the blower section.

The food crushing device preferably includes
A conveyor belt is composed of a mesh belt.

The food crushing device preferably includes
The guard further has a top plate.

The food crushing device preferably includes
Either or both of the top and side walls have a plurality of food-impervious sized vents.

The food crushing device preferably includes
The guard further has a downstream plate extending in the left-right direction on the downstream side.

The food crushing device preferably includes
Either or both of the downstream plate and sidewall have a plurality of food impervious sized vents.

The food crushing device preferably includes
A guard has a mesh sheet spanning the left and right side walls.

The food crushing device preferably includes
The sidewall has a mesh portion formed in a mesh shape.

The food crushing device preferably includes
the guard further includes a top plate and a downstream plate;
Any or all of the side walls, top plate and downstream plate have a removable plate with multiple vents or a removable mesh sheet.

The food crushing device preferably includes
The side wall has a frame and a door provided on the frame so that it can be opened and closed.

In order to solve the above problems, the sorting machine according to the present invention is
Equipped with the crushing device and the sorting device,
The sorting device is
a camera positioned downstream of the guard to detect foreign objects and/or defectives;
an ejector positioned downstream from the camera for removing detected foreign objects and/or defectives.

The crushing device according to the present invention can appropriately crush overlapping foods. Moreover, the sorting machine equipped with the crushing device according to the present invention can appropriately sort out foreign matter and the like from the food by crushing the food with the crushing device.

It is a schematic side view which shows roughly the sorting machine which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. Figure 2 is a schematic side view of the sorter shown in Figure 1; 2 is a schematic perspective view of the sorter shown in FIG. 1; FIG. Figure 2 is a schematic perspective view from another direction showing the sorter shown in Figure 1; A is a perspective view showing details of the nozzle shown in FIG. 1, and B is an enlarged view of part B of A. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of part A in FIG. 3; FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of B in FIG. 3; FIG. A and B are side views respectively showing modifications of the crushing device.

A food crushing device D according to an embodiment of the present invention and a sorter M equipped with the food crushing device D will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawing, the X-axis and Y-axis indicate the horizontal direction, and the Z-axis indicates the vertical direction. In this embodiment, the sorting machine M is a device for sorting out the cut vegetables F and the foreign matter S and the defective products P contained in the cut vegetables F, but it is only an example, and the sorting machine according to the present invention Machine M is not limited to this. For example, sorter M may be configured for sorting cut and washed fruit. Cut vegetables F include finely chopped, shredded, sliced or sliced vegetables; foreign matter S includes caterpillars, grasshoppers, frogs, resin pieces, wood chips, etc.; including.

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view roughly showing a sorting machine M according to one embodiment of the present invention. 2 to 4 are schematic diagrams of the sorter M. FIG. 3 and 4, illustration of the hose 31, which will be described later, is omitted. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the sorting machine M includes a crushing device D and a sorting device 5. As shown in FIGS.

<Crusher>
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the crushing device D includes a first conveying section 1, a second conveying section 2, a blower section 3, and a guard 4. As shown in FIGS.

(First transport section)
The first conveying section 1 has three pulleys 10a, 10b, 10c, a conveyor belt 11, and a motor (not shown).

The three pulleys 10a, 10b, and 10c each include a shaft extending in the left-right direction, and as shown in FIG. are placed in The pulleys 10a, 10b, 10c are rotated by the driving force of the motor.

The conveyor belt 11 is wound around three pulleys 10a, 10b, 10c, forms a triangle in side view, and has an upward slope and a downward slope toward the downstream. The conveyor belt 11 has a low upstream end so that the cut vegetables F can be easily dropped onto the conveyor belt 11. , or higher. The conveyor belt 11 is rotated by the pulleys 10a, 10b, and 10c, and conveys the dropped cut vegetables F with an upward slope and a downward slope above the blower port 32a, which will be described later. The descending inclination angle of the conveyor belt 11 is adjusted so that the cut vegetables F (to be sorted) do not roll down. The descending inclination angle of the conveyor belt 11 is preferably in the range of 0 degree (parallel) to ±10 degrees with respect to the opening angle of the blower port 32a.

The conveyor belt 11 is composed of a mesh belt. As a result, the water content of the cut vegetables F (to be sorted) is discharged from the mesh, and the water content on the surface of the cut vegetables F is reduced, thereby attenuating the surface tension. The mesh opening is about 1 mm, but this is just an example and is not limited to this. Moreover, although the conveyor belt 11 is made of resin, this is also just an example, and it may be made of metal, and is not particularly limited. Further, the first conveying unit 1 may have guides 23 extending in the conveying direction on the left and right sides of the conveyor belt 11 to prevent the cut vegetables F from dropping in the left-right direction.

(Second transport section)
The second conveying section 2 has two pulleys 20 a and 20 b, a conveyor belt 21 , a motor 22 and a guide 23 .

The two pulleys 20a, 20b each include a laterally extending shaft, with pulley 20a positioned below pulley 10c and pulley 20b positioned downstream of pulley 20a at the same height as pulley 20a. The pulleys 20 a and 20 b are rotated by the driving force of the motor 22 .

The conveyor belt 21 is wound around two pulleys 20a and 20b and has a horizontal surface extending horizontally downstream. The position of the downstream end of the conveyor belt 21 (that is, the position of the pulley 20b) may be arranged at a position lower than the pulley 20a. The conveyor belt 11 is rotated by the pulleys 20a and 20b, conveys the dropped cut vegetables F, and discharges them to the sorting area.

The conveyor belt 21 is made of a mesh belt like the conveyor belt 11 . As a result, the water content of the cut vegetables F is further discharged from the mesh, and the surface tension of the cut vegetables F is reduced by reducing the water content on the surfaces of the cut vegetables F, so that the cut vegetables F are properly discharged to the sorting area.

The guides 23 are provided adjacent to the left and right sides of the conveyor belt 11 along the conveying direction. Thereby, the guide 23 prevents the cut vegetables F from falling from the conveyor belt 11. - 特許庁

(Blower)
The blower section 3 has a blower 30 , two left and right hoses 31 , and a nozzle 32 . The blower section 3 may have a compressor instead of the blower 30 .

The blower 30 generates a wind that blows onto the downward inclined surface of the conveyor belt 11 . The blower 30 has two blower ports 30a, and hoses 31 are respectively connected to the two blower ports 30a.

As shown in FIG. 5, the nozzle 32 has a blower port 32a extending in the left-right direction, and is arranged at an angle of about 50 degrees from the horizontal. This air blower port 32a corresponds to the "air blower port" of the present invention. The lateral length of the blower port 32 a is configured to be shorter than the lateral length of the conveyor belt 11 . The vertical width of the air blowing port 32a may be different between the left and right and the center. The nozzle 32 has left and right openings 32b, and the left and right hoses 31 are connected to the openings 32b, respectively.

The air blower 3 generates air with the air blower 30 and blows the air toward the downward inclined surface of the conveyor belt 11 from the air blow port 32a. Since the conveyor belt 11 is composed of a mesh belt, the wind blows and diffuses the cut vegetables F on the conveyor belt 11 obliquely downward and upward. In this way, the cut vegetables F are appropriately pulverized.

(guard)
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the guard 4 has left and right side walls 40, a top plate 41, an upstream plate 42, and a downstream plate 43. As shown in FIG.

The left and right side walls 40 each have a frame 40a and two plates 40b. The frame 40 a is provided on the upper surface of the guide 23 and extends to a position higher than the pulley 10 b of the first conveying section 1 . In addition, the frame 40a extends from the position of the pulley 10b to the center of the second conveying section 2 in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 6, the two plates 40b each have a hole 40c at its end and are detachably engaged with a projection 40d provided on the frame 40a. Thereby, the left and right side walls 40 prevent the cut vegetables F from diffusing from the conveying path. In addition, the right and left side walls 40 can be easily cleaned because the plates 40b are removable. Note that the number of plates 40b is an example and may be singular, and is not limited to this.

The top plate 41 has a frame 41a and two plates 41b. The frame 41a is continuously bridged over the left and right side walls 40. As shown in FIG. 6, the plate 41b has holes 41c at its ends and can be removed from the projections 41d provided on the frame 41a. locked to. The two plates 41b are punched over the entire surface, and the punched holes 41e are sized so that the cut vegetables F (to be sorted) cannot pass through. The punching hole 43e corresponds to the "vent" of the present invention. Note that the number of plates 41b is an example and may be singular, and is not limited to this. As a result, the top plate 41 can prevent the cut vegetables F from diffusing from the conveying path, and can suppress the humidity inside the guard 4 due to its air permeability.

The upstream plate 42 is provided continuously downward from the upstream end of the top plate 41 . Thereby, the upstream plate 42 prevents the cut vegetables F from diffusing in the upstream direction from inside the guard 4 . The length of the upstream plate 42 in the vertical direction is configured so as to ensure air permeability in the guard 4 and not to prevent entry of the cut vegetables F blown into the guard 4 by the air blower 3 .

The downstream plate 43 each has a frame 43a and a plate 43b. The frame 43a continues downward from the downstream end of the top plate 41 . As shown in FIG. 7, like the plate 41b of the top plate 41, the plate 43b has a hole 43c at its end and is detachably engaged with a projection 43d provided on the frame 43a. Further, the plate 43b is punched over the entire surface like the plate 41b of the top plate 41, and the punching holes 43e are sized so that the cut vegetables F cannot pass through. As a result, the downstream plate 43 can prevent the cut vegetables F from diffusing from the conveying path, and can suppress the humidity inside the guard 4 due to its air permeability. The length of the downstream plate 43 in the vertical direction ensures air permeability in the guard 4, prevents the cut vegetables F from adhering, and prevents the cut vegetables F from diffusing from the second conveying unit 2. is configured to

In this way, the guard 4 is punched on the surface in the direction in which the cut vegetables F are blown away by the wind (that is, the top plate 41 and the downstream plate 43), thereby preventing the cut vegetables F from adhering to the plate. Since 41b and 43b are detachable, they can be easily cleaned.

In addition, the side wall 40 may be configured so as to expand in the left-right direction beyond the width of the conveyor belt 11 , for example. In this case, the side walls 40 are formed with a downward slope toward the conveyor belt 11 so that the cut vegetables F can be returned to the conveying path. Further, the top plate 41 does not need to be arranged horizontally, and may be inclined upward or downward toward the conveying direction, or may be formed in a mountain shape when viewed from the side. Also, the upstream plate 42 and the downstream plate 43 may extend in a non-vertical direction or may be provided at an angle.

The crushing device D can crush the cut vegetables F and remove the overlap of the cut vegetables F by having the above configuration. Moreover, the crushing device D blows off the cut vegetables F with the wind, thereby blowing off the water adhering to the cut vegetables F and lowering the surface tension. F can be discharged to the sorting area by an appropriate route.

<Sorting device>
Next, the sorting device 5 will be described with reference to FIG.

The sorting device 5 is a known sorting device 5 and has a light source 50 , a background plate 53 , a near-infrared detection camera 51 , a color detection camera 52 and an ejector 54 .

The light sources 50 are arranged two each above and below the sorting area, and irradiate the cut vegetables F discharged from the second conveying section 2 to the sorting area with light including near-infrared light.

The near-infrared detection cameras 51 are arranged above and below the sorting area, respectively, and detect foreign matter S from the cut vegetables F discharged to the sorting area based on the difference in light absorption rate. The color detection camera 52 captures an image of the cut vegetables F passing between the background plate 53 and the color detection camera 52, and detects the foreign matter S and the defective product P based on the color difference.

The ejector 54 is arranged downstream of the near-infrared detection camera 51 and the color detection camera 52 . The ejector 54 ejects air toward the foreign matter S and the defective product P detected by the near-infrared detection camera 51 and the color detection camera 52 . and remove. Non-defective products not removed by the ejector 54 are ejected to the non-defective product ejection path 56 as they are.

In the sorting machine M, the crushing device D appropriately crushes the cut vegetables F and discharges them into the sorting area without overlapping, so the foreign matter S and the defective product P can be detected appropriately. Moreover, the sorting machine M discharges the selected objects to the sorting area on an appropriate trajectory by removing moisture from the selected objects by the crushing device D, so that the foreign matter S and the defective products P can be detected more appropriately. can be done.

Furthermore, the sorting machine M is configured such that the plates 40b, 41b, and 43b of the crushing device D are detachable. By removing the plates 40b, 41b, 43b, it is also possible to easily check whether different selected objects remain in the guard 4. FIG.

Although the food crusher D and the sorter M according to one embodiment of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The food crusher and sorter of the present invention may be configured to sort foods other than cut vegetables F, and the crusher D and sorter M are implemented, for example, by the following modifications. may be

- As shown in FIG. 8A, the first conveying unit 1 has, for example, an upstream belt conveyor and a downstream belt conveyor, and the blower port 32a is arranged between the two conveyor belts. may Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 8B, the first conveying unit 1 does not have a downwardly inclined conveying portion, and discharges the cut vegetables F toward the blower port 32a arranged downstream of the conveyor belt 11, and the blower unit 3 may blow air toward the discharged cut vegetables F.

- Conveyor belt 11 may have a plurality of holes instead of being mesh-like, and may be configured to pass air from the wind power unit through the holes. Alternatively, the conveyor belt 11 may be composed of a plurality of round belts, and may be configured to pass the air from the wind power unit through the gaps between the belts.

The guard 4 may be composed of only the left and right side walls 40, or only the left and right side walls 40 and the top plate 41, provided that the diffused cut vegetables F do not diffuse from the conveying path. For example, when the spread cut vegetables F do not spread from the conveying path, the length and width of the conveyor belt 11 are sufficiently long.

- The plate 40b of the side wall 40 may be punched like the other plates 41b, 43b. Further, the plates 41b and 43b of the top plate 41 and the downstream plate 43 may not be punched. Moreover, the shape of the hole related to the punching process may be non-circular, and the shape of the hole is not particularly limited as long as the cut vegetables F are not passed through.

- Guard 4 may have a mesh part formed in the shape of a mesh. In this case, the plates 40b, 41b, and 43b of the guard 4 may have mesh portions, or the frame 40a may be covered with a mesh. Alternatively, the guard 4 may have a mesh sheet spanning the left and right side walls 40 , 40 . Materials for the mesh part and the mesh-like sheet may be resin or metal, and are not particularly limited.

- The side wall 40 may be configured by a frame 40a and a door provided on the frame 40a so as to be able to be opened and closed. In this case, the inside of the guard 4 can be easily cleaned by opening the door. Also, in this case, the door may be punched or have a mesh portion.

- The air blower 3 may have two air blowers 30, for example. In this case, the two blowers 30 each have one air blowing port 30a, and the air blowing port 30a is connected to the two openings 32b of the nozzle 32 by the hose 31, respectively. good.

- The air blower 3 may have a plurality of nozzles 32 . In this case, the plurality of nozzles 32 may be arranged vertically or horizontally. Also, in this case, the wind forces discharged from the plurality of nozzles 32 may be different. Furthermore, in this case, the angles of the multiple nozzles 32 may be different.

- The inner surface of the guard 4 may be embossed to prevent the cut vegetables F from adhering.

The sorting device 5 may have, for example, a camera arranged above the conveyor belt 11 of the second transport section 2, and may be configured to detect foreign objects S and/or defective products P by the camera. .

D Crushing device M Sorting machine 1 First conveying units 10a, 10b, 10c Pulley 11 Conveyor belt 2 Second conveying unit 20a, 20b Pulley 21 Conveyor belt 22 Motor 23 Guide 3 Blower unit 30 Blower 30a Blower port 31 Hose 32 Nozzle 32a Blower port 32b Opening 4 Guard 40 Side wall 40a Frame 40b Plate 40c Hole 40d Projection 41 Top plate 41a Frame 41b Plate 41c Hole 41d Projection 41e Punching hole (vent hole)
42 upstream plate 43 downstream plate 43a frame 43b plate 43c hole 43d projection 43e punching hole (vent hole)
5 Sorting device 50 Light source 51 Near-infrared detection camera 52 Color detection camera 53 Background plate 54 Ejector 55 Foreign matter discharge path 56 Non-defective product discharge path F Cut vegetables (food)
S Foreign matter P Defective product

Claims (11)

an air blower having an air blow port extending in a direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, and for diffusing the food in an obliquely upward downstream direction by wind blowing from the air blow port;
a first conveying unit arranged upstream of the air blow port and conveying the food above the air blow port;
a second transport station positioned downstream of the air outlet and configured to transport the food product toward a sorter having a camera ;
It has left and right side walls arranged on the left and right of the second conveying unit downstream of the air blowing port and above the second conveying unit, so that the food spread by the blowing unit is diffused from the conveying path. and a guard to prevent
The first conveying unit has a conveyor belt that is inclined downward above the air blow port,
The conveyor belt is configured to allow airflow from the air blower to pass therethrough, and is inclined in a direction substantially perpendicular to the air blowing direction of the air blower,
The air blowing unit is configured to blow air to the food on the conveyor belt to drop the food to the second conveying unit while reducing the overlap of the food without substantially colliding the food. food crusher. 2. The food crushing device according to claim 1, wherein said conveyor belt comprises a mesh belt. 2. The food crusher according to claim 1, wherein said guard further has a top plate. 4. The food shredding device according to claim 3, wherein one or both of the top plate and the side walls have a plurality of air holes sized to impermeable to the food. 2. The food crushing device according to claim 1, wherein said guard further has a downstream plate extending in the left-right direction on the downstream side. 6. The food shredding device of claim 5, wherein either or both of the downstream plate and the side walls have a plurality of vent holes sized to impervious to the food. 2. The food crushing device according to claim 1, wherein said guard has a mesh-like sheet spanning said left and right side walls. 2. The food crushing device according to claim 1, wherein said side wall has a mesh portion formed in a mesh shape. The guard further has a top plate and a downstream plate,
2. The food shredding device according to claim 1, wherein any or all of the side walls, the top plate and the downstream plate have a removable plate with a plurality of vents or a removable mesh sheet. The side walls are
a frame;
2. The food crushing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a door provided on said frame so as to be able to open and close. Equipped with the food crushing device according to claim 1 and a sorting device,
The sorting device is
a camera positioned downstream of said guard to detect foreign objects and/or defects;
an ejector positioned downstream of the camera for removing the detected foreign matter and/or the defective product.

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