JPH01228583A - Commodity classifying system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify a classifying system, reduce the number of workers and enhance efficiency by performing ranking and pricing by a sorting and pricing apparatus before performing distribution at each rank. CONSTITUTION:Commodities are priced in different unit costs by wt. ranks to be classified at each rank. In this commodity classifying system, a sorting and pricing apparatus 22 is provided on a pricing line 21 receiving commodities fed in from the upstream side and weighs the fed-in commodities to classify them into ranks by wt. and performs pricing on the basis of the wts. of the commodities and a preset unit cost. The sorting distribution apparatus 23 arranged on the downstream side of the sorting and pricing apparatus 22 distributes the commodities by ranks. Further, the commodities distributes by the distribution apparatus 23 are respectively fed to packing stations X1-X3 by ranks in a plurality of packing lines 241-243. As a result, the simplification of the classifying system, the reduction in the number of workers and the enhancement of efficiency can be attained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a product sorting system, and particularly to a sorting system applied to sorting products whose unit prices differ depending on their weight ranks.

(Prior art) At pack centers and the like that pack foods and other products for supermarkets, the weight of each packed product is measured and the price is determined based on the weight and a preset unit price. The so-called pricing process involves calculating the price, unit price, etc. on a label and pasting it on the bag.For example, products such as chicken eggs are ranked according to their weight per piece, and the rank is determined. Conventionally, pricing for products with different unit prices was done as follows.

That is, after first weighing the individual products and ranking them by weight, each product is packed into a predetermined number of products for each rank, and for these packs, the unit price of each product corresponding to the rank is calculated. The price of the pack was set by adding up the number of packs.

However, depending on the pricing method, each weight rank has a certain range, so even if a predetermined number of M-rank products are packed in a pack, each individual product may be within the M-rank. One is packed with only weights close to the same rank, and the other is packed with only weights close to S rank, which is also an M rank.
There is a large difference in the weight of the bags as a whole, which makes it unreasonable that they are priced at the same price.

To deal with this, each pack is ranked in advance according to its individual weight, and the total weight of each pack packed according to that rank is weighed again and ranked again according to the total weight. A possible pricing method is to set the price of the pack based on a unit price set in advance for each weight rank and its total weight. According to this, products are priced according to their rank and total weight.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, as described above, individual products are ranked and ranked based on the total weight of the products packed in each rank, and the total weight of each pack is divided into ranks. When trying to set prices at different unit prices depending on the rank, as shown in Figure 10, the first weight sorter A for each individual product and the line that conveys the products ranked by the sorter A, respectively. In addition to the plurality of packaging devices C...C that pack the packs according to their ranks on B...B, there is a second packaging device that weighs the total weight of the packs of each rank and re-ranks them according to the total weight. A weight sorting machine is installed on the line E...E that conveys each pack ranked by the sorting machine, and measures the total weight of each pack, and also measures the total weight and total weight. To calculate the price based on the unit price by rank, it is necessary to add the same number of weighing values as the number of ranks. Even if omitted, the same number of apparatuses F as the number of ranks are required for metric pricing in which each rank is priced at a different unit price. Therefore, in this type of product sorting, the system configuration becomes extremely complicated, the number of required workers increases, and the cost of the product increases9. This is to deal with the above-mentioned situation, and when pricing products with different unit prices for each weight rank, the system is structured so that the pricing for each rank can be done by a single device. By doing so, this type of sorting aims to simplify the system, reduce the number of workers, and improve efficiency.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is characterized by the following configuration.

That is, the product sorting system according to the present invention includes a pricing line where products are brought in from the upstream side, and a sorting and pricing device installed on the line to price products at different unit prices depending on their weight ranks. , the sorting price tag is placed on the downstream side of the device, and the sorting sorting device for sorting the products into the above-mentioned ranks,
The sorting system consists of a plurality of packaging lines that transport the products sorted by the device to packing stations classified by rank.

In that case, in order to further improve the efficiency of sorting, the above-mentioned pricing is performed on the line, sorting and pricing is performed on the equipment, and sorting is performed on the equipment.
For sorting with multiple packaging lines, multiple systems are set up in parallel, and the upstream end of the 1-inch value line in each system is connected to the equipment for sorting products to these lines, and for loading sorting. , a plurality of packaging lines in each of the above-mentioned systems are provided with retention detection means for detecting retention of products on each line, and signals from these detection means enable the device to perform the above-mentioned delivery distribution on any of the packaging lines. For sorting products in which no products are accumulated, the pricing system may be structured so that the products are sorted and delivered to the line.

(Function) According to the above configuration, when the products are sorted by the pricing line and carried into the pricing equipment, the equipment weighs the products and ranks them according to predetermined weight ranks.
A price is calculated based on the weight and a unit price set in advance for the rank, and the item is priced at that price. Then, the products are sorted by the sorting device to the packing line for the rank, and transported to the packing station where the products of the rank are packed. Therefore, compared to the case where each product is first sorted by weight rank and then multiple weighing values are weighed and priced for each rank using a device, the system configuration becomes significantly more streamlined. .

In addition, the above-mentioned pricing is done by a machine that selects prices from the line,
The sorting system connects the upstream end of the line to the upstream end of the line for the pricing system, and the sorting system connects the upstream end of the line to the equipment for the loading system. , and a retention detection means for detecting the retention status of products in each packaging line,
Based on the signals from these detection means, if products are sorted without any accumulation on any packaging line, the products are sorted and delivered to the pricing line, and the entire system can be operated efficiently. This type of sorting will further improve work efficiency.

In addition, for products that are packed with a predetermined number of eggs, such as the above-mentioned chicken eggs, the pricing is determined by packaging each product by weight rank before it is delivered to the line, and the price is determined by The present invention is applicable not only to such products, but also to products whose unit prices differ depending on their weight ranks, even if it is a single product.

(Example) Examples of the present invention will be described below.

First, in the sorting according to this embodiment, the overall system configuration is
To explain with the drawing, this embodiment is a system for chicken eggs, and the system is composed of an introduction section 10 and a sorting section 20, and the introduction section 10 has an introduction line 11 for introducing eggs into the system. , a weight sorter 12 that sorts the individual chicken eggs introduced by the line 11 into weight ranks;
A packaging line 14...14 transports eggs ranked by the sorter 12 and supplies them to packaging devices 13...13 for each rank, and the packaging devices 13...13 The delivery line 16 transports packs made by packaging a predetermined number of eggs according to their weight ranks to a device 15. The first and second sorting systems 20 are delivered to systems 20+ and 202. In this embodiment, the weight sorter 12 sorts each egg into L rank, M rank, and non-rank eggs that do not belong to any of them, based on a preset weight range. It has become.

On the other hand, the first and second sorting systems 20+ and 202 in the sorting section 20 have similar configurations, and in both cases, the carrying-in sorting is carried out at a price when the packs sorted by the device 15 are carried in. line 2), and a sorting and pricing device 22 that measures the weight of the packs brought into line 2), ranks and prices them according to weight ranks corresponding to the above-mentioned ranks for individual eggs. The device 22 performs pricing, and the device 22 distributes the priced packs in three directions according to the above-mentioned ranks.The device 23 performs sorting, and the device 23 distributes the packs of each rank to a rank-based packing station X1. , X2, and X3. Here, in each of the packing lines 241 to 243, second gates 1 to 25b are located at a distance from the downstream end of the packing stations X1 to X3 to line up a predetermined number of bags, and further upstream from the second gate 25b. A first gate 25a is placed at a distance from which a predetermined number of bags can be lined up, and a first gate such as an optical type for detecting the passage of bags is placed directly upstream of these gates 25a and 25b. ,
A second sensor 26a, 26b is provided and each packaging line 24. ~ 24, there is a retention sensor 2 such as an optical type that detects bag retention in these lines.
7 is provided. And each packaging line 241-2
43 receives signals from the first and second sensors 26a and 26b, and selects the first and second sensors according to the passing state of the bag.
A sequencer 28 is provided to control the opening and closing of the gates 25a and 25b, and each of the packing stations X1 to X3 near the downstream end of the packing lines 241 to 243 has a label attached to a case for packing a predetermined number of bags. There are two case printers for issuing cases and a statement printer 30 for recording processing details on a form. Also, 1st.
The second sorting system 20+ and 202 have the above-mentioned sorting and pricing equipment 22, and the first to third packaging lines 241 to 24.
．． 28, and a controller 31 that controls the operations of the two case printers and the statement printer 30 of each packing station X1 to X3.

Next, referring to FIG. 2, the configuration of the above-mentioned sorting price tagging device 22 will be explained. The device 22 has an introduction conveyor 42, a weighing conveyor 43, and a pasting conveyor 44 arranged in series from the upstream side on the top surface of a pedestal 41. At the same time, the pasting is carried out on the conveyor 44.
First and second label printers 45a and 45b are arranged above the frame 41, and an operation box 46 is provided near the pedestal 41. Further, below the weighing conveyor 43, there is provided a measuring device 47 (see FIG. 3) for measuring the weight of the flats supplied onto the conveyor 43.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, this selective pricing device 22 has a control section 48 and four unit price memories in addition to the above configuration, and the control section 48 allows the weighing device 47 to measure the price. The rank of the bag is determined based on the weight of the bag, and the price of the bag is calculated from the weight and the unit price registered in advance in the four unit price memories according to the rank, and the price and unit price are calculated. , weight, etc. are printed on a label using the label printer for the rank among the first and second label printers 45a and 45b, and the label is attached to the bag. Here, the unit price is registered in the unit price memory 49, changed, etc. by operating keys on the operation box 46 shown in FIG.

Further, the control unit 48 sends the bags priced as described above to the first to third packaging lines 24 according to their ranks.
The above-mentioned sorting is carried out by the device 23 in order to sort into numbers 1 to 243.
The distribution is configured to output signal a. ′−′,
At the same time, the sorting is performed by sending a processing data signal indicating the number of pieces to be processed, weight, price, etc. for each rank to the controller 31 in the system 201 or 202, and the controller 31 performs the sorting based on this signal. or 202
A print signal C is sent to the two case printers and the detail printer 30 at the downstream ends of each of the packaging lines 241 to 243, and the sequencer 28 of each packaging line 241 to 243 is sent a message indicating the number of boxes packed into the packaging case (the number ) is sent out.

Next, to explain the operation of this system, let's start with the introduction part 1.
0, each egg is sorted by the weight sorter 12 into three ranks, L rank, M rank, and non-rank, according to its weight, and a predetermined number of eggs of each rank are sorted by the packaging device 13 for the rank. packaged. Then, each bag packaged in this way is supplied to a device 15 for carrying in by a carrying line 16, and the first and second sorting systems (hereinafter referred to as "first and second channels") are carried out by this device. 2
The allocation is carried into either 0+ or 20□. In this case, the carrying-in sorting by the device 15 is performed as follows according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

That is, when it is detected in step S1 that the pack is supplied to the device 15, the distribution is performed in the first system 20. in step S2. Each packaging line 24. Based on the signals from the retention sensors 27 . If it is determined that there is no accumulation in any line, then in step S3 each packaging line 24. of the second system 20□ is checked. Retention sensor 27 in ~243...
Based on the signal from 27, it is determined in the same way whether a pack is staying on any line or whether a pack is staying on any line. And this second
If packs are not accumulated in each of the packaging lines 241 to 243 in the system 202, it is determined in step S4 whether the system to which packs were previously distributed was the first or second system 201 or 202, and the previous pack is The first system 20
If it is distributed to I, the current pack is distributed to the second system 20□ in step S5, and the previous pack is distributed to the second system 20□.
If the pack is distributed to 0□, the current pack is distributed to the first system 201 in step S6. In this way, if packs are not accumulated in each of the packing lines 241 to 243 of the first and second systems 201 and 202, both systems 2Or, 20
Alternately distribute the packs to 2. In addition, the above step S2
If it is determined in step S that packs are accumulated in any of the packing lines 241 to 243 of the first system 201, the packing line 241 to 243 of the second system 202 is
It is determined whether the packs are accumulated in any of the above, and if the packs are not accumulated, the packs are distributed to the second system 201 in step S5, and also in this second system 202, the packaging lines 24, to 243 are If the pack is stuck in any of the above, the first system is 20! or second system 20
Wait for the stagnation to be resolved in one of the two cases. Further, if no stagnation occurs in the first system 201 but stagnation occurs in the second system 20□, steps S3 to S6 described above are executed and packs are distributed to the first system 201.

In the above way, the pack is set to 207.20 in the first and second systems.
When the distribution is carried in to □, next these systems 201.2
At step 02, pricing for each pack is processed.

This pricing process is performed as follows according to the flowchart shown in FIG. Note that the following operations are performed for the first and second
Since the same process is performed in the systems 201 and 202, the first system 20+ will be explained here.

First, in step Stt, packing stations Xl to X3
Determine whether or not there has been a change in the number of pieces when packing the pack into the case, and if there has been a change, proceed to step S1 □
Then, the number of items received is transmitted to the sequencers 28 . . . 28 of each packaging line 241 to 243. Next, step S+3
When it is determined that the bank has been supplied to the sorting and pricing device 22, the device 22 measures the weight of the pack using the scale 47 in step S14, and further proceeds to step 315.
It is determined to which rank of the preset weight ranks the weight belongs. For example, if the egg belongs to the first rank corresponding to the above-mentioned egg rank, in step S16, the sorting price is set to the unit price for the first rank registered in the four unit price memories of the device 22. is read out, and the price of the pack is calculated from this unit price and the weight of the bag measured by the scale 47, and in step S17, the first label printer 45
Print the above price, unit price, weight, etc. on a label according to step a, and attach this label to the pack. Then step S
In step S18, it is determined whether or not the packs of the first rank have been processed for the above number of packs, and if they have been processed, the process proceeds to step S19.
After transmitting the processing data to the case printer 29 and statement printer 30 provided in the first packing station Sorting for sorting operates the device 23 to the first packaging line 241 side, and distributes the packs to the first packaging line 241.

Here, when the above-mentioned processing data is received, the case printer 29 issues a label to be attached to the game, and the detailed statement printer 30 prints the detailed processing data on a form.

On the other hand, if it is determined in step S15 that the weight of the bag weighed in step S14 belongs to the second rank, which corresponds to the M rank for individual chicken eggs, in step S2), the weight of the bag weighed in the unit price memory 49 is determined to be the second rank. The unit price of the bag is read out, and the price of the bag is calculated from this unit price and the weight of the pack weighed in step S14.

In this case, in step S22, the price, unit price, weight, etc. are printed on a label using the second label printer 45b, and this is attached to the bag. Then, as in the case of the first rank, when the number of bags of the second rank is processed, steps S23 to S24 are executed and the processed data is sent to the case printer 29 of the second packing station X2. After sending the details to the printer 30, if the data has not been processed yet, the processing data is not sent and the sorting data is sent to the device 2 in step 325.
3 to the second packaging line 24□ side, and the packs are distributed to the second packaging line 242.

Furthermore, if the rank determined in step SI5 is the third rank, which corresponds to the above/outside of each individual chicken egg, step In S26, it is determined whether or not the number of bags of the third rank has been processed. If not, the processed data is sent to the two case printers and the statement printer 30 of the third rank packing station X3 in step S27. After sending the data, if it has not been processed yet, proceed to step 32 without sending the above data.
At step 8, the sorting device 23 is operated to the third packaging line 243 side, and the packs are distributed to the third packaging line 243.

In this way, each bag is priced at a unit price according to each rank, except for those of the third rank, and
It will be distributed to the third packaging lines 24+ to 243. In this embodiment, since the first and second label printers 45a and 45b are used for the first and second ranks, respectively, labels with different colors and designs can be used for these ranks. However, if this is not necessary, only one label printer may be used.

The operation of calculating the prices for the first and second rank bags in steps S16 and S2) will be explained in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6. First, for a bag of the first rank, the rank code is read from the unit price memory 49 in step S31, and then in step S32 it is determined whether or not the read rank code is the first rank code. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, rank codes and unit prices for the first and second ranks are registered in the four unit price memories, and the rank code among these is read out first. Since the first rank code is read out first, in this case, step 333 is immediately executed from step S32 in ``1'', and the unit price corresponding to the successive rank code is then read ``4''. Then, in step S34, the price of the pack is calculated based on this unit price and the weight obtained in step S14 of the flowchart of FIG. Further, the same process is performed for the second rank bag, but in this case, the rank code read first in step S31 is the first rank code, which does not match the rank of the bag currently being processed. , advance the address one step from step S32, execute step S31 again, and then read the second rank code. If this rank code and the rank of the pack match, then the price is calculated in the same manner as in the case of the first rank according to steps S33 and S34.

Next, the operations of the first and second gates 25a and 25b in the first to third packaging lines 241 to 243 are as follows.
This will be explained using the flowchart shown in the figure. Note that this operation is performed in the same way on each of the packaging lines 24□ to 243, so only the first packaging line 241 will be described here.

First, in step S41 of the flowchart regarding the first gate, the sequencer 28 of the first packaging line 241
It is determined whether or not a signal instructing to change the number of packed packs for the rank has been input. If not, the number of packs already registered in tt is adopted as is; if it has been input, the process proceeds to step S42. The number is updated to the value indicated by the signal. Next, in step S43, the second sensor 26b set on the line 241 detects the passing of the pack, and it is determined whether or not the pack has passed.If the pack has passed, (2) in step S44, the number of passed packs is 12. Then, in step 84, the above operation is repeated until it is determined that this counter value, that is, the number of punctures that have passed, matches the number of punctures that have passed, and the number of punctures that have passed is counted. Once the number is counted, the counter is cleared to zero in step S7□6, and the second game I-2 is cleared in step S1.7.
5) Determine whether or not ) is open. ': Lr, 2nd
If game)-25)) is open, the first
The gate 25d is opened (maintained in the open state), and if the second gate 1-25b is engaged, the first gate 25a is also closed in step S49. This allows packing station X1
When waiting for the arrival of packs for the next packing operation, that is, when the second gate 25b is opened and entered, the gate I.25a is also opened and the priced packs are transferred to the first packing line 24+. When the packing operation is carried out at the packing station As many packs as there are available will be on standby for next packaging.

Next, according to flowchart 1 in FIG. 9, the second gate 25
To explain the operation of b, first, in step S51, the second sensor 26b detects the passage of the pack, and determines whether or not the second sensor 26b detects the passage of the pack.
When a passage is detected, 1 is added to a counter that measures the number of passages in step S2. If the number of passing items matches the number of items entering, from step S53 to step S,
4. Execute S55 to clear the counter to zero, and then close the second gate 25b. As a result, the first
As many packs as the number of packs entered between the second gate 25b and the terminal end of the packaging line 241 are held, and in step S56 etc., the worker at the packaging station X boxes these packs. . When this boxing work is completed and a separate worker is provided or the set switch is turned on, steps S57 to 85g are executed and the second games 1 to 25b are opened.
Packs for next packaging are sequentially fed to the terminal end of the packaging line 24.

According to this embodiment, the first and second systems 20, . 2
For each of 02, one worker will be placed at each of the first to third packing stations X1 to When pricing is performed after sorting into each rank, as in the case where the number of sorting ranks is 3, three workers are required for pricing and three for packaging. , the number of required workers will be reduced compared to this.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the system for sorting products according to the present invention, individual products such as chicken eggs are packaged by weight and size, and the unit price for each rank is different. Alternatively, when a single product has different unit prices depending on its weight rank and is sorted by rank, sorting and pricing is done by a device that performs ranking and pricing, and then separates each rank for each rank. This simplifies the configuration of the system and reduces the number of workers compared to a system that assigns prices to each rank after assigning them to each rank. As a result, the cost of this kind of sorting work is reduced.Furthermore, as in the above embodiment, the sorting system according to the present invention has multiple systems, and it is possible to separate the products in these systems. If the configuration is configured to control the distribution of products to each system while detecting the stagnation state, the entire system can be operated efficiently, improving efficiency and reducing costs from 1 to 1.
will be further reduced.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 to 9 show an embodiment of the sorting system according to the present invention. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of the system, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sorting and pricing apparatus, and FIG. The figure is a block diagram showing the control system of the system, Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the sorting operations when goods are brought in, Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the pricing and sorting operations, and Figure 6 is the value by rank. The attached figure is a flowchart of a subprogram showing the operation, Figure 7 is a figure showing the registration contents of the unit price memory used in this operation, and Figures 8.9 and 9 show the operation of the first and second gates in the packaging line. It is a flowchart figure shown respectively. Further, FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a conventional sorting line. 15... Equipment for carrying in sorting, 201.202... System for sorting, 2)... Line for pricing, 22... Equipment for sorting and pricing, 23... Sorting for sorting device, 241-24
3... Packing line, 27... Retention detection means, X1~
X3...Packing station. 3i71 Figure 4

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A product sorting system that prices products at different unit prices for each weight rank and sorts them into each rank, including a pricing line where products are brought in from the upstream side, and a pricing line that is installed on the line and a sorting and pricing device that weighs the products, ranks them by weight, and sets a price based on the weight and a preset unit price for each rank; A product sorting system comprising: a sorting device for sorting products into the ranks; and a plurality of packaging lines that transport the products sorted by the sorting device to packing stations for each rank. (2) Multiple sorting systems consisting of a pricing line, a sorting and pricing device, a sorting and sorting device, and multiple packaging lines are installed in parallel, and the upstream end of the pricing line in each system is connected to these lines. The plurality of packaging lines in each of the above-mentioned systems are connected to a carry-in sorting device for sorting and carrying in products, and retention detection means for detecting retention of products on each line is provided, and from these detection means Claim 1, characterized in that, in response to the signal, the carrying-in sorting device is configured to sort and carry in the goods to the pricing line of the sorting system where no goods are accumulated in any of the packaging lines. The product sorting system described in Section 1.