JPH0514024U - Goods sorting equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] [Purpose] To provide an article sorting apparatus capable of sorting or shipping according to standards without impairing the design value of characters, figures, etc. printed on a carrying case. [Structure] Each fruit distributed and fed from the fruit selection conveyor to each weighing conveyor is loaded into each box at each loading position, and each marking machine at each position is driven to one side of each box. Mark the identification mark on each. After that, each box is supplied on the sorting conveyor from each of these weighing conveyors, and each identification mark marked on each box is detected by the mark detector provided on the sorting conveyor,
By sorting or shipping each box according to the detection of the mark detector by equal rank, each identification mark marked on each box disappears before reaching the market and is printed on the box. It is possible to prevent the design value of the written characters and figures from being impaired.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to an article sorting apparatus used for sorting or shipping articles such as fruits and products according to standards.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 Conventionally, as a method of sorting the carrying cases in which the articles such as the above-mentioned examples are stored according to the standard, for example, the manufacturer's eyes are used to confirm the standardized mark printed on one side of the carrying case. The method of sorting according to the standard, the method of sorting the mark according to the standard by detecting the position of the mark marked with the water solution on one side of the carrying case with the current sensor, and the method of sorting into the side of the carrying case A method of detecting the position of the stapler with a proximity switch and sorting by standard, and a method of detecting the position of the marking part marked with ink for stamping on one side of the transport case with a reflective photoelectric sensor and sorting by standard There is a method.

[0003]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, when sorting the carrying cases by standard as described above, the first conventional method of printing the markings according to the standard on the carrying case is to use the markings marked on the carrying case one by one. Since it is necessary to check the standard mark, it is not only time-consuming and time-consuming to check the standard mark, but also the standard mark printed on the transport case may be erroneously recognized, making it impossible to obtain an accurate standard quantity. Have a point. In addition, the second conventional method of marking the mark on the transportation case with an aqueous solution is that the adhering liquid flows down by the energization sensor when it detects that the amount of liquid adhering to the transportation case is large. There is a problem that the marking position of the mark cannot be detected accurately. On the other hand, the third conventional method of stamping the stapler on the carrying case and the fourth conventional method of marking the mark with the ink for stamping are the marking marks on one side of the carrying case even after the sorting work. Remains, and the carrying case reaches the market without erasing the marking marks, which impairs the design value of the letters, figures, etc. printed on the carrying case and reduces consumers' willingness to purchase. There is a problem.

In view of the above problems, the present invention marks an identification mark on a marking position set on one side of a carrying case with a special ink that can be detected at the time of detection by the mark detection means and cannot be detected after detection. By doing so, it is an object of the present invention to provide an article sorting device that can easily perform sorting processing or shipping processing of a carrying case without impairing the design value of characters or figures printed on the carrying case.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 This invention provides a marking means for marking an identification mark with a special ink at a marking position set on one side of the carrying case at a front position on a feeding conveyor for carrying a carrying case containing articles. A mark detecting means for detecting the identification mark marked by the marking means is provided at a rear stage position on the feeding conveyor, and the identification mark to be marked on the carrying case is detected by the mark detecting means. It is an article sorting device that is formed of special ink that can be detected at times and cannot be detected after detection.

[0006]

[Action]

 In this invention, the marking means provided at the preceding position on the feeding conveyor is driven so that the marking position can be detected at the marking position set on one side of the carrying case when the mark detecting means detects and cannot be detected after the detection. After marking the identification mark with the special ink, the mark detection means provided at the subsequent stage on the feed conveyor detects the identification mark on the carrying case and based on the detection data detected by the mark detection means. The transport case is sorted or shipped.

[0007]

[Effect of the device]

 According to this invention, the identification mark, which is marked on the one side of the carrying case by the special ink that disappears in a predetermined time, for example, by the mark detection means, is not reached until it reaches the market. An identification mark that is erased and marked with special ink that reacts only to special light or special ink for magnetic reading can be detected only by mark detection means such as optical detection means and magnetic detection means. , The design value of letters, figures, etc. printed on the carrying case is not impaired. Moreover, since the carrying cases are sorted or shipped based on the detection of the mark detecting means, the labor can be saved and the efficiency can be improved.

[0008]

【Example】

 An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. The drawing shows, as an example of an article, an article sorting apparatus for sorting fruits into equal ranks, and in FIG. 1, this article sorting apparatus 1 is provided with “excellent” and “excellent” items brought from the producer side. Fruits (not shown) are supplied to the respective fruit-picking conveyors 2 and 3, and “S” and “M” are supplied to the weighing conveyors 4 ... Which are arranged on one side of the respective fruit-picking conveyors 2 and 3. , “L”, “2L”, and “3L” classes are distributed and supplied. Moreover, the weights of the fruits loaded into the boxes B, which have been conveyed to the loading positions of the weighing conveyors 4, ... By driving each of the marking machines 6 ... Installed, the identification mark M is made at a marking position for each equal rank set on one side of each box B ... with a commercially available special ink that disappears in about 2 hours, for example. Mark each one. After that, the marked boxes B ... Are respectively supplied onto the sorting conveyor 7, and a mark detector 8 arranged during the conveyance of the sorting conveyor 7 marks one side of each box B. This is a device that detects the identified identification mark M and sorts the boxes B into equal ranks based on the detection by the mark detection device 8.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the box B, the excellent marking area C and the “excellent” marking area D are set on one side surface of the box B, and “S” is set in the excellent marking area C. Corresponding to "M", "L", "2L", and "3L", the respective marking positions Ca, Cb, Cc, Cd, Ce are set at equal intervals in the vertical direction, and in the excellent marking area D, " Corresponding to "S", "M", "L", "2L", and "3L", the marking positions Da, Db, Dc, Dd, De are set at equal intervals in the vertical direction, and these excellent marking areas are set. The respective marking positions Ca, Ca, Cb, Cc, Cd, Ce of C and the respective marking positions Da, Db, Dc, Dd, De of the excellent marking area D are arranged in a vertically staggered manner.

Each of the above-mentioned selection conveyors 2 and 3 has each of “S”, “M”, “L”, “2L”, and “3L” set on the selection conveyors 2 and 3. At the sorting positions, the weighing conveyors 4, ... Are arranged orthogonally to the conveying direction of the respective fruit-pickling conveyors 2, 3.

In each of the above-mentioned weighing conveyors 4, ..., Only the weight of the fruits loaded into the box B transported to each position is measured at each loading position set on each of the weighing conveyors 4. Each measuring device 5 for measuring and each marking device 6 for marking the identification mark M on one side surface of the box B conveyed to each position are respectively arranged. Each of these weighing conveyors 4 ... Each loading conveyor 4a ... which conveys the fruits distributed and fed from the above-mentioned selection conveyors 2 and 3 to the loading position, and one corrugated cardboard box B is loaded. The box-feeding conveyors 4b ... Which are intermittently fed to the position are arranged in the upper and lower stages, and the box-side conveyors 4b. A box supply conveyor 9 for sequentially supplying the corrugated cardboard boxes B manufactured by (not shown) to the respective box feed conveyors 4b ... Is connected to the box feed conveyors 4b. The side end portion is connected to a sorting conveyor 7 for distributing and feeding the boxes B ... To the storage conveyors 11 ...

Each of the marking machines 6 arranged on each of the weighing conveyors 4 on the above-mentioned picking side has the marking positions Ca, Cb, Cc of the excellent marking area C set on one side of the box B. The marking machines 6 ... With the respective mark members 6a ... Arranged at the height positions facing Cd, Ce and on the weighing conveyors 4 ... The mark members 6a ... Are respectively arranged at height positions facing the marking positions Da, Db, Dc, Dd, De of the excellent marking area D set on one side surface. That is, as shown in FIG. 2, the piston rods of the air cylinders 6b arranged inside the respective machines are connected and fixed to the respective mark members 6a formed of synthetic rubber or the like, and the respective mark members 6a are fixed. By the operation of the air cylinders 6b, the marking positions Ca, Cb, Cc, Cd, Ce of the excellent marking area C and the marking positions Da, Db of the excellent marking area D, which are set on one side surface of the box B, are set. The identification mark M is marked on each of Dc, Dd, and De with, for example, a commercially available special ink that disappears in about 2 hours.

The above-mentioned sorting conveyor 7 seals an opening on the upper surface side of each box B transported to the same position at a sealing position set on the sorting conveyor 7 during transportation. A mark detector 8 for detecting the identification mark M of each box B transported to the same position is provided at the detection position which is set immediately after the same box position. It is arranged. Moreover, the same sorting is performed at the sorting positions of “S”, “M”, “L”, “2L”, and “3L” set on the excellent sorting route side and the excellent sorting route side on the sorting conveyor 7. The storage conveyors 11 are arranged at right angles to the transporting direction of the storage conveyors 7 and at the same time, at the side positions facing the storage conveyors 11 ... The transfer pushers 12 ... Are respectively arranged facing the side surface.

As shown in FIG. 3, the mark detector 8 described above has a height facing each marking position Ca, Cb, Cc, Cd, Ce of the excellent marking area C set on one side surface of the box B. Reflective photoelectric sensors Ea, Eb, Ec, Ed, Ee forming the first sensor group E are arranged at the respective positions, and the marking positions Da, Db, Dc, Dd of the excellent marking area D are arranged. Each of the reflection type photoelectric sensors Fa, Fb, Fc, Fd and Fe forming the second sensor group F is arranged at a height position facing De. That is, when the detection position set on the sorting conveyor 7 is passed, the superior marking area C of the box B is marked by each photoelectric sensor Ea, Eb, Ec, Ed, Ee of the first sensor group E. The identification mark M marked on the excellent marking area D of the box B is detected by each photoelectric sensor Fa 1, Fb, Fc, Fd, Fe of the second sensor group F, and the detection signal thereof is detected. Is output to the CPU 13 described later.

FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of the article sorting apparatus 1, in which the CPU 13 includes the weighing devices 5 ..., the marking machines 6 ..., and the photoelectric sensors Ea, Eb, Ec, which constitute the first sensor group E. Ed, Ee, the photoelectric sensors Fa, Fb, Fc, Fd, Fe forming the second sensor group F, and the communication system 16 are controlled according to a program stored in the ROM 14. The communication system 16 transmits equal rank data and total box number data to a management computer 17 installed in a control room (not shown). The management computer 17 executes, for example, equal class data processing, consignment data processing, shipping data processing, consignment slip and shipping slip issuance processing, and recording processing of each of these data.

The RAM 15 stores the weight data input from each weighing instrument 5, ..., Each photoelectric sensor Ea to Ee of the first sensor group E constituting the mark detector 8, and each photoelectric sensor Fa of the second sensor group F. ~ Fe and the equal class data input from Fe are recorded in association with each other. The CPU 13 counts the number of passing boxes of the box B based on the detection signals input from the photoelectric sensors Ea to Ee of the first sensor group E and the photoelectric sensors Fa to Fe of the second sensor group F. To count. Further, the CPU 13 performs arithmetic processing on the equivalence class data of the box B and the box number data detected by the mark detector 8 to calculate the number of boxes of the box B by the equivalence class, and the calculated data is used as a management computer. Enter in 17.

Assuming that the illustrated embodiment is configured as described above, the sorting process of the boxes B by the article sorting apparatus 1 will be described below. First, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, fruits of “excellent” and “excellent” brought in from the producer side are supplied to the respective conveyors 2 and 3 for selecting fruits, respectively, and the fruits of “excellent” and “excellent” are supplied. For each weighing conveyor 4 in which fruits are arranged on one side of each of the conveyors 2 and 3, for each of the grades of "S", "M", "L", "2L" and "3L". Distribute and supply. At the same time, the fruits distributed and supplied to the weighing conveyors 4 ... Are thrown into the respective box bodies B transported to the respective feeding positions of the respective weighing conveyors 4 ..., and the respective box bodies B ... The weight of the fruits to be put into is measured by each of the weighing devices 5 ... And the weight data is input to the CPU 13.

The CPU 13 respectively drives the marking machines 6 ... Based on the weight data input from the weighing machines 5. That is, when the weight of the fruits to be loaded into each box B ... reaches the set weight, each of the weighing conveyors 4 ... Stops the cargo receiving conveyors 4a ... At the same time, the marking machines 6 ... By driving the air cylinders 6b, respectively, the marking positions Ca to Ce of the excellent marking area C and the marking positions Da to De of the excellent marking area D, which are set on one side surface of the boxes B, respectively, are set, for example. , The identification mark M is marked with a commercially available special ink that disappears in about 2 hours.

Thereafter, the box feeding conveyors 4b of the weighing conveyors 4 ... Are driven to supply the box bodies B .. The empty boxes B ... are conveyed to the respective loading positions of the weighing conveyors 4 ..., and the fruits are distributed and supplied from the selection conveyors 2 and 3 to the weighing conveyors 4 ... Put each in box B.

Next, at the time of passing through the automatic box-sealing machine 10, after opening the upper surface side opening of each box B conveyed by the sorting conveyor 7, after passing through the mark detector 8. As shown in FIG. 3, the identification marks M to the marking positions Ca to Ce of the excellent marking area C and the marking positions Da to De of the excellent marking area D set on one side surface of the box B, respectively. Respectively, and each box B ... Is sorted into equal ranks based on the detected data. That is, the photoelectric sensors Ea to Ee of the first sensor group E constituting the mark detector 8 detect the respective identification marks M ... Marked at the respective marking positions Ca to Ce of the excellent marking area C, and The photoelectric sensors Fa to Fe of the second sensor group F detect the respective identification marks M ... Marked at the respective marking positions Da to De of the excellent marking area D and output the detection signals to the CPU 13.

The CPU 13 is based on detection signals input from the photoelectric sensors Ea to Ee of the first sensor group E and detection signals input from the photoelectric sensors Fa to Fe of the second sensor group F. , Equal grade of each passing box B ... is counted, and the number of passing boxes is calculated, and the equal grade data and the number of boxes data are arithmetically processed to calculate the number of passing boxes for each equal grade. The data is input to the management computer 17. Moreover, the CPU 13 shifts each based on the detection signal input from each photoelectric sensor Ea to Ee of the first sensor group E and the detection signal input from each photoelectric sensor Fa to Fe of the second sensor group F. As shown in FIG. 1, the loading pushers 12 are operated respectively, and as shown in FIG. 1, the storage containers 11 in which the respective box bodies B, which are conveyed by the sorting conveyor 7, are arranged on the excellent sorting side and the excellent sorting side, respectively. ... will be distributed to each of the equal ranks. After completion of the work, the identification marks M of the boxes B ... distributed on the storage conveyors 11 ... Disappear until the time of shipment, and at the time of shipment, the identification marks M are temporarily displayed on the storage conveyors 11 ... Each of the stored boxes B ... Is directly loaded on a cold storage vehicle or the like (not shown) and shipped.

As described above, one of the marking positions Ca to Ce of the excellent marking area C or the marking positions Da to De of the excellent marking area D corresponding to the equal rank of the fruits put in the box B is For example, since the identification mark M is marked with a commercially available special ink that disappears in about 2 hours, the identification mark M marked on the box B disappears by the time of shipping after the detection by the mark detector 8. The design value of the characters and figures printed on the box B is not impaired.

Moreover, since the CPU 13 calculates the equal rank data of the box B and the box number data based on the detection by the mark detector 8, the data processing of the sorting quantity according to the equal rank can be easily performed. It is possible to save labor and improve efficiency. Further, since the mark detector 8 detects the position of the identification mark M marked on the box B, it is easy to read, for example, an equal-class character handwritten on the box B with a character reader (image). It can be produced with higher accuracy and at a lower cost than reading with a reading device or image sensor).

In the correspondence between the configuration of the present invention and the above-described embodiment, the carrying case of the present invention corresponds to the box B of the embodiment, and similarly, the feeding conveyor is the sorting conveyor 2 , 3, the weighing conveyor 4, and the sorting conveyor 7, the marking means corresponds to the marking machine 6, the mark member 6a, and the air cylinder 6b, and the mark detection means corresponds to the mark detection machine 8 And the photoelectric sensors Ea to Ee of the first sensor group E and the photoelectric sensors Fa to Fe of the second sensor group F, but the invention is not limited to the configuration of the above-described embodiment. Absent.

In the above-described embodiment, the boxes B ... Are sorted and supplied to the storage conveyors 11 ... In accordance with the equal rank, and are then shipped. However, for example, the mark detector 8 marks the boxes B ... After detecting the respective identification marks M ..., the respective boxes B ... are directly transferred from the sorting conveyor 7 to a pallet (not shown) and shipped, or the box B is detected by the mark detector 8. After detecting the respective identification marks M ... Marked on ..., the boxes B ... may be directly loaded from the sorting conveyor 7 onto a cold storage vehicle (not shown) and shipped, as in the above-described embodiment. Since the identification mark M marked on each box B disappears before reaching the market, the design value of the characters or figures printed on the box B is not impaired.

The identification mark M may be marked with a special ink that reacts only to special light or a transparent or semitransparent special ink for magnetic reading. The identification mark M marked with these special inks is an optical mark. Since the identification mark M can be detected only by the mark detecting means such as a detector or a magnetic detector, the design value of the characters, figures, etc. printed on the box B is not impaired, as in the above-described embodiment. ..

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram showing a sorting process of boxes by an item sorting device.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing a marking state of an identification mark by a marking machine.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a detection state of an identification mark by a mark detector.

FIG. 4 is a control block diagram of the article sorting apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 B ... Box C ... Excellent marking area Ca-Ce ... Marking position D ... Excellent marking area Da-De ... Marking position E ... First sensor group Ea-Ee ... Photoelectric sensor F ... Second sensor group Fa-Fe ... Photoelectric sensor M ... Identification mark 1 ... Goods sorting device 2,3 ... Conveyor for selection 4 ... Conveyor for weighing 6 ... Marking machine 7 ... Conveyor for sorting 8 ... Mark detector 11 ... Conveyor for storage 12 ... Transfer pusher 13 ... CPU

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An article sorting device for transporting a carrying case in which articles are stored by a feed conveyor to sort the carrying cases according to the standard of the article, at a front stage position on the feed conveyor. Marking means for marking an identification mark with special ink is provided at a marking position set on one side surface of the carrying case, and a mark for detecting the identification mark marked by the marking means is provided at a rear stage position on the feeding conveyor. An article sorting apparatus which is provided with a detection means and in which an identification mark to be marked on the carrying case is formed of a special ink that can be detected at the time of detection by the mark detection means and cannot be detected after the detection.