JPH0733112A - Automatic aligning method and automatic boxing method for fruit vegetables, and automatic aligning device and automatic boxing device to be used for the methods - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automatically pack a fruit vegetable such as cucumber, etc., in a box while sorting the fruit vegetable into several grades. CONSTITUTION:An automatic aligning device is equipped with an aligning body 2 which puts fruit vegetables 1 sideways, carriers 3-1-3-6 which can carry a large number of the aligning bodies 2 and can stop only optional aligning bodies 2, a relay 5 which scoops up the fruit vegetables 1 from the stopped aligning body 2, an aligning chute 6 which can store the fruit vegetables 1 being scooped by the relay 5 5, and on which a discharge port to transfer the stored fruit vegetables 1 on a table 7, and a turning device 12 which turns the aligning chute 6 to the longitudinal direction or lateral direction. In addition, a packing box-putting device which puts a packing box with the opening side facing down on the fruit vegetables 1 on the table 7, a pressing tool 10 which presses the packing box to the table 7, and a top and bottom-inverting device 1 which inverts the top and bottom of the fruit vegetables 1 and packing box by rotating the table 7 are provided.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for automatically arranging cucumbers so that they can be automatically packed in a corrugated cardboard box by sorting them (or while classifying them) in a cucumber sorting field. The present invention relates to an automatic boxing method, an automatic aligning device used for them, and an automatic boxing device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there was a device that automatically sorts fruits and vegetables such as cucumber into grades and puts them on a belt conveyor, but automatically sorts the fruits and vegetables into grades (or while sorting according to grades). There was no device that could be packed in a box.
Until now, cucumbers were sorted by grade with a sorting device (sometimes selected by hand) to convey them on a belt conveyor, and there was one worker waiting for the cucumber at the end of the belt conveyor. They were picked up one by one and packed in an empty box.

[0003]

However, the conventional manual packaging of cucumbers requires a large labor burden on workers, and the packaging work is slow and inefficient. In addition, automation (mechanization) of cucumber box packaging work has been strongly desired due to problems such as aging of agricultural workers and labor shortage.

An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic arranging method and an automatic boxing method for fruit vegetables such as cucumbers which can be automatically boxed while sorting them according to grades, an automatic arranging device and an automatic boxing device used for them. To provide.

[0005]

As shown in FIG. 1, the method for automatically arranging fruits and vegetables according to claim 1 of the present invention is arranged such that the fruits and vegetables 1 such as cucumbers are arranged side by side in a desired number in each of a number of alignment bodies 2. The fruits 1 of each aligning body 2 are conveyed side by side and fed into a horizontally movable chute 6 so that the fruits 1 are aligned horizontally in the same aligning chute 6, and the aligning chute 6 is oriented vertically. Fruits 1 in the same alignment chute 6 are aligned vertically in a line, and the fruits and vegetables 1 inside the same are arranged horizontally.
Is placed on the table 7 and rearranged and arranged.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the method for automatically arranging fruits and vegetables, the aligning body 2 that conveys the fruits and vegetables 1 is conveyed by the conveying body 3, and the aligning body 2 which is being conveyed is laterally moved by the conveying body 4.
The fruits and vegetables 1 of each of the aligned bodies 2 arranged in parallel in rows or more are sent into the laterally aligned chute 6 and the fruits and vegetables 1 are
Are aligned horizontally in a plurality of rows in the same alignment chute 6, the same alignment chute 6 is vertically oriented and the fruit vegetables 1 in the same alignment chute 6 are vertically aligned in a plurality of rows, and the same alignment chute 6 is horizontally oriented. It is characterized in that the fruits 1 are rearranged and arranged on the table 7.

In the method for automatically arranging fruits and vegetables according to claim 3 of the present invention, a desired number of fruits and vegetables 1 such as cucumbers are arranged side by side in a desired number on each of a large number of aligning bodies 2 and conveyed by the conveying body 3, and each aligning body 2
The fruits and vegetables 1 of No. 1 are fed into the horizontally movable chute 6 by the repeater 5 to align the fruits and vegetables 1 in the same alignment chute 6 in a horizontal row, and the fruits and vegetables 1 in the same alignment chute 6 are oriented vertically. Are aligned in a vertical line, and the same alignment chute 6
Is placed sideways, and the fruit and vegetables 1 inside thereof are placed on the table 7 so as to be lined up.

In the automatic vegetable and vegetable arranging method according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the aligning body 2 which conveys the fruit and vegetables 1 is transported by the transporting body 3, and the aligning body 2 being transported is laterally moved by the transporting body 4.
The fruits and vegetables 1 of each of the aligned bodies 2 which are aligned in parallel are fed into the laterally aligned chute 6 by the repeater 5 so that the fruits and vegetables 1 are laterally arranged in the same alignment chute 6 in a plurality of rows. With the aligning chute 6 oriented vertically, the fruit vegetables 1 in the aligning chute 6 are aligned vertically in a plurality of rows.
Is placed sideways, and the fruit and vegetables 1 inside thereof are placed on the table 7 so as to be lined up.

According to the method for automatically packaging fruits and vegetables according to claim 5 of the present invention, the fruits and vegetables 1 are placed on the table 7 by repeating the automatic alignment method according to claim 1, 2 or 3 or 4 a desired number of times. After stacking a desired number of stages, the fruit box 1 on the table 7 is covered with the packing box 8 with the opening 9 side facing downward, and the pressing tool 10 is pressed on the packing box 8 to hold the pressing tool 10 and the table 7 above. The fruit 1 and the packing box 8 are sandwiched by and the table 7 is rotated in that state so that the fruit 1 and the packing box 8 are turned upside down so that the opening 9 side of the packing box 8 faces up. It is characterized by that.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic aligning device for fruits and vegetables, which comprises an aligning body 2 for horizontally arranging a plurality of fruits and vegetables 1 in a row.
A carrier 3 capable of transferring a large number of aligned bodies 2 and capable of stopping only an arbitrary aligned body 2, and a fruit 1 received from the stopped aligned body 2 and accommodated therein, and the accommodated fruit 1
It is characterized in that it is provided with an alignment chute 6 formed with a discharge port 11 for replacing the above-mentioned on the table 7, and a rotating device 12 for rotating the alignment chute 6 in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction. .

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic fruit and vegetable aligning device, which comprises an aligning body 2 for horizontally aligning a plurality of fruit and vegetables 1 in a row.
A carrier 3 capable of transferring a large number of aligned bodies 2 and capable of stopping only an arbitrary aligned body 2, a repeater 5 for scooping the fruit and vegetables 1 from the stopped aligned body 2, and a scooping with the repeater 5. Alignment chute 6 capable of accommodating the cultivated fruits and vegetables 1 and formed with a discharge port 11 for replacing the accommodated berries and vegetables 1 on the table 7, and a rotating device 12 for rotating the alignment chutes 6 vertically and horizontally. It is characterized by having and.

The automatic boxing apparatus for fruit and vegetables according to claim 8 of the present invention is an aligning body 2 for arranging a plurality of fruit and vegetables 1 side by side in a line.
A carrier 3 capable of transferring a large number of aligned bodies 2 and capable of stopping only an arbitrary aligned body 2; and receiving and storing fruit vegetables 1 from the stopped aligned body 2 and storing the collected fruit vegetables 1. An aligning chute 6 having a discharge port 11 formed on the table 7, a rotating device 12 for rotating the aligning chute 6 in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction, and a box for packing the fruits 1 on the table 7. A packing box covering device 15 for covering 8 with the opening 9 side facing downward, and a holding tool 10 for pressing the packing box 8 covered on the table 7 against the table 7.
The table 7 is rotated to turn the fruits 1 and the packing box 8 upside down so that the opening 9 side of the packing box 8 faces up.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an automatic boxing apparatus for fruit and vegetables, wherein an arraying body 2 for arranging a plurality of fruit and vegetables 1 horizontally in a row.
A transporter 3 that can transfer a large number of aligned bodies 2 and can stop only any aligned body 2, a repeater 5 that scoops the vegetables 1 from the stopped aligned body 2, and a repeater 5. Alignment chute 6 that is capable of accommodating the picked-up fruit vegetables 1 and formed with a discharge port 11 for replacing the accommodated fruit vegetables 1 on the table 7, and rotation for rotating the alignment chute 6 vertically and horizontally The device 12, the packing box covering device 15 for covering the fruits 1 on the table 7 with the packing box 8 with the opening 9 side facing downward, and the packing box 8 covered on the table 7 are pushed onto the table 7. It is provided with a presser foot 10 for hitting and a vertical reversing device 16 for rotating the table 7 to turn the fruit 1 and the packaging box 8 upside down so that the opening 9 side of the packaging box 8 faces up. To do.

[0014]

In the automatic fruit and vegetable arranging method according to the first or third aspect of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 3, the fruit and vegetables 1 laterally arranged on the aligning body 2 are directly or through the relay device 5. It is fed into the lateral alignment chute 6. Then, when the same alignment chute 6 stands upright, the fruits and vegetables 1 housed in the same alignment chute 6 are aligned so as to come into close contact with each other in the vertical direction by their own weight. When the aligned chute 6 is turned sideways and the stored fruit vegetables 1 are transferred onto the table 7, the fruit vegetables 1 are densely arranged in a line on the table 7.

In the automatic method for aligning fruits and vegetables according to claim 2 or 4 of the present invention, the aligning body 2 on which the fruits and vegetables 1 are placed is laterally moved by the transfer body 4 and arranged in parallel in two or more rows. Then, the fruit vegetables 1 arranged in parallel in two or more rows are fed into the side-by-side alignment chute 6 directly or via the relay device 5. Then, when the same alignment chute 6 is stood vertically, the fruit and vegetables 1 housed in the same alignment chute 6 are aligned so as to come into close contact with each other in the vertical direction by their own weight. Then, when the aligned shoots 6 are turned sideways and the stored fruit vegetables 1 are transferred onto the table 7, the fruit vegetables 1 are densely arranged in a plurality of rows on the table 7.

In the method of automatically arranging fruits and vegetables according to claim 5 of the present invention, the fruits and vegetables 1 are stacked on the table 7 in a desired number of stages by the automatic arranging method according to claim 1, 2 or 3 or 4. Then, the fruit box 1 on the table 7 is covered with the packing box 8 with its opening 9 side facing downward, and the pressing tool 10 is further pressed onto the packing box 8 to press the pressing tool 1.
0 and the table 7 sandwich the fruit 1 and the packaging box 8, and in that state, the table 7 is rotated and the fruit 1
Also, since the packing box 8 is turned upside down and the opening 9 side of the packing box 8 faces upward, the fruit 1 stacked on the table 7 is packed in the packing box 8 as it is.

In the apparatus for automatically arranging fruits and vegetables according to claim 6 or 7 of the present invention, the carrier 3 for transferring a large number of aligned bodies 2 can select and stop only an arbitrary aligned body 2. Therefore, the empty array body 2 can be stopped at a desired position, and the worker can line up the fruit vegetables 1 on the stopped array body 2. The aligning body 2 in which the fruits and vegetables 1 are arranged is conveyed by the conveying body 3, and at the aligning chute 6, the fruits and vegetables 1 on the conveying body 3 are accommodated in the laterally arranged aligning chute 6 directly or via the relay device 5. Then, the movable device 12 temporarily sets the alignment chute 6 in the vertical direction and then in the horizontal direction so that the fruit 1 in the inside is aligned side by side without a gap. Then, the discharge port 11 of the alignment chute 6 is opened and the fruit 1 inside is placed on the table 7.
The fruits and vegetables 1 are lined up on the table 7.

In the automatic boxing apparatus for fruit and vegetables according to claim 8 or claim 9 of the present invention, the fruit and vegetables 1 placed on the aligning body 2 are placed on the table 7 as described in the automatic aligning apparatus according to claim 6 or 7. When placed on top, the packaging box cover device 1
5 covers the packaging box 8 on the fruit 1 on the table 7 with the opening 9 side facing down. Then, the presser foot 10 is moved to the table 7
The packing box 8 on the table is pressed against the table 7. Then, the upside-down reversing device 16 rotates the table 7 to turn the fruits 1 and the packaging box 8 upside down, and puts the fruits 1 in the packaging box 8 with the opening 9 side facing up.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the automatic vegetable and vegetable arranging method and automatic boxing method, and the automatic arranging apparatus and automatic boxing apparatus used therefor will be described with reference to FIGS.

Reference numeral 2 shown in FIG. 1 is an array on which a fruit vegetable (cucumber) 1 is placed. The alignment body 2 is formed on the surface of a plate member 20 formed in a substantially rectangular shape as shown in FIG.
As shown in (c), rectangular plate members 21 are attached in parallel vertically with an interval of about 10 cm.
Twelve semicircular receiving grooves 23, which are slightly larger than the diameter of the cucumber 1, are formed along the longitudinal direction of the upper edge 22 of each plate 21 at regular intervals.

Reference numeral 3 shown in FIG. 1 is a carrier for mounting and moving a large number of the aligning bodies 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the carrier 3 includes two aluminum frames 25 arranged in parallel and separated from each other.
And an endless running body 28 arranged inside each aluminum frame 25 and formed by connecting a number of rollers 26 with two endless chains 27, and each endless running body 28 along the longitudinal direction of the aluminum frame 25. The guide rail 29 is rotatably guided and a drive device for the endless traveling body 28 (not shown).

In this carrier 3, when the endless traveling body 28 moves in the direction of arrow a in FIG. 5, the roller 26 of the endless traveling body 28 rotates in the direction of arrow b in the figure and moves in the guide rail 29. Proceeding in the direction of arrow a, the alignment body 2 placed on the endless traveling body 28 is moved in the moving direction of the endless traveling body 28 (direction of arrow a) by the rotation of the roller 26.

A feature of the carrier 3 is that only a specific alignment body 2 can be stopped independently of other alignment bodies 2. In order to realize this, a stopper 30 that moves up and down as shown by an imaginary line in FIG. The stopper 30 is moved up and down by operating an operation switch, and the desired aligning body 2 is made to protrude immediately before passing over the stopper 30 to stop the aligning body 2. It should be noted that while the aligning body 2 is stopped by the stopper 30, the other aligning bodies 2 are moving.

The carrier 3 is a device 31 for pulling up the aligning body 2.
The rearrangement device 32 and the pull-down device 33 are mounted in large numbers so as to communicate them. The movement of the alignment body 2 by the transport body 3, the pulling device 31, the rearrangement device 32, and the pulling device 33 will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0025]. In the carrier 3-1 between the pulling device 31 and the rearrangement device 32, the alignment body 2 advances in the direction of arrow f and is sent to the rearrangement device 32. A stopper 30 for temporarily stopping the alignment body 2 is attached in the middle of the carrier 3-1. The stopper 30 is stopped by a switch operation only while the worker puts the cucumber 1 on the empty array 2.

.. In the rearrangement device 32, every other one of the aligned bodies 2 is laterally fed in the direction of the arrow r by the transfer body 4, and the right and left 2
Can be juxtaposed in rows. Then, the aligned body 2 is pulled up in the rearrangement device 32 while being in the two-sided state, and is delivered to the transport bodies 3-2 and 3-3 which are divided into two left and right rows.

The transfer body 4 is a device provided in the rearrangement device 32, and includes the transfer body 3-1 to the rearrangement device 3.
When the aligned body 2 with the cucumber 1 placed on the 2 is sent, a pin 34 projects from the side of the aligned body 2 from below and horizontally feeds the aligned body 2 in the direction of arrow r.

.. In the transport bodies 3-2 and 3-3, the alignment bodies 2 are arranged in two rows, proceed in the direction of arrow f, and are sent to the pulling-down device 33. A stopper 30 for temporarily stopping the alignment body 2 and a lift 35 for raising the alignment body 2 stopped by the stopper 30 are attached in the middle of the transport bodies 3-2, 3-3. The stopper 30 and the lift 35 operate in conjunction with a relay device 5 described later.

The lift 35 lifts the alignment body 2 upward for a certain period of time, and then the alignment body 2 is conveyed by the carriers 3-2, 3-3.
Drop it on.

.. In the pulling-down device 33, the alignment bodies 2 are lowered while being arranged in two rows, and the respective transport bodies 3-4, 3-
Sent to 5.

.. In the transport bodies 3-4 and 3-5, the alignment body 2 advances in the direction of arrow b while being in parallel, and the rearrangement device 3
Sent to 2.

.. In the rearrangement device 32, the alignment body 2 on the arrow r direction side is laterally fed in the arrow l direction by the transfer body 4 and returned to the one row again. The aligned bodies 2 arranged in a line are delivered to the carriers 3-6.

.. In the transport body 3-6, the alignment body 2 advances in the direction of arrow b and is sent to the pulling device 31.

.. In the pulling device 31, the alignment body 2 is pulled up and sent out to the transport body 3-1 again.

Reference numeral 5 in FIG. 1 is a relay machine for scooping the cucumber 1 from the aligning body 2 which moves in two lines on the carriers 3-2 and 3-3. This repeater 5 is provided with four elongated beams 36 extending horizontally as shown in FIGS.
At the upper edge of each beam 36, a receiving groove 37 is formed along the longitudinal direction thereof, like the receiving groove 23 of the alignment body 2 (shown by phantom lines in FIG. 4). This beam 36 has 2
The books are arranged so that they are inserted into the outer sides of the plate members 21 of the two aligning bodies 2 pushed up by the lift 35 on the conveying bodies 3-2 and 3-3.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 6 and 7, the repeater 5 is attached to a lower portion of a fork loader 39 suspended from a ceiling frame 38 arranged above the rearrangement device 32 and the lowering device 33. Has been. This fork loader 39 is slidable in the direction of arrow XX in FIGS.
Can be raised and lowered.

The repeater 5 is programmed so as to be movable in the order of 1 to 3 shown in FIG. less than~
Each operation of will be described.

.. Alignment body 2 on top of carriers 3-2 and 3-3
The waiting period while the is moving.

.. The carrier 35-2, 3 by the lift 35
Insertion operation for inserting the beam 36 below the cucumber 1 of the alignment body 2 lifted from -3.

.. A scooping operation that raises the repeater 5 and scoops the cucumber 1.

.. Move the repeater 5 forward and put the cucumber 1 on it.
Cucumber insertion operation that inserts into the alignment chute 6.

.. A pull-out operation to pull out only the repeater 5 from the alignment chute 6.

Reference numeral 6 shown in FIG. 1 is an alignment chute for accommodating the cucumber 1 picked up by the repeater 5 in two rows of 12 cucumbers as shown in FIGS. This alignment chute 6 is shown in FIG.
As shown in 10-10, three vertical plates 41 that are rotatable with respect to the shaft 40, and a connecting plate 42 that arranges these vertical plates 41 in parallel in the axial direction of the shaft 40 at a distance of about 22 cm,
It is composed of an opening / closing shutter 49 arranged below the vertical plate 41 and serving as a bottom plate of the alignment chute 6.

The alignment chute 6 is rotatably attached via a shaft 40 to a rotating device 12 slidably attached to the ceiling frame 38 in the longitudinal direction thereof, and is indicated by an arrow X in FIG. -X direction, arrow u-u direction,
It is movable vertically.

The opening / closing shutter 49 is a vertical plate 41 at the center.
It is divided into two parts, each of which is guided by a guide rail 43 attached to the lower part of the alignment chute 6 and slidable in its longitudinal direction (arrow Y-Y direction in FIGS. 9 and 10). There is. Each of the opening / closing shutters 49 is moved by a driving device 44 arranged in parallel with the guide rail 43. When the opening / closing shutters 49 are pulled out to the outside of the alignment chute 6, the bottom of the alignment chute 6 opens (the discharge port 11 and The cucumber 1 in it is discharged to the outside.

On the surface of the opening / closing shutter 49, four slits 49a for extracting the beam 36 of the repeater 5 to the outside of the alignment chute 6 are formed (FIGS. 9 and 10).

Inside the aligning chute 6, there is a holding plate 45 for fixing the cucumbers 1 arranged in the chute 1 from above and fixing the cucumbers 1 so as not to move (FIG. 8, FIG.
9). The holding plate 45 is vertically movable by expanding and contracting the piston rod of the air cylinder 46 attached to the vertical plate 41.

Inside the aligning chute 6, there is a width-shifting plate 47 for shifting the cucumbers 1 lined up in the aligning chute 6 to the inner side of the chute 6 (FIGS. 8 and 9). The width-shifting plate 47 is moved by the drive device 48 shown in FIG.
9 is movable in the same direction, and is rotatable in the direction of arrow u in FIG.

This alignment chute 6 is shown in FIG.
It is programmed to move in the order of. The operation of the alignment chute 6 and the state of the cucumber 1 at that time will be described below.

.. The rotating device 12 in FIG. 7 moves to the relay device 5 side, and the rotating device 12 causes the alignment chute 6 to face sideways.
In this state, the cucumber 1 is put into the alignment chute 6 from the repeater 5. During this time, the holding plate 4 in the alignment chute 6
5 moves up so as not to prevent the insertion of the cucumber 1, and the width-shifting plate 47 is also retracted to the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 9 so as not to prevent the insertion of the cucumber 1.

.. The cucumber 1 is put in the aligning chute 6, and the holding plate 45 in the aligning chute 6 descends to hold the cucumber 1 inside. Then, the rotating device 12 raises the alignment chute 6 in a vertical direction, and in this state, the pressing of the cucumber 1 on the pressing plate 45 is released, and the cucumbers 1 lined up with an appropriate gap till then are lowered by its own weight. It will be in a state of being lined up and down without any gap. Further, the rotating device 12 moves to the table 7 side.

.. The rotating device 12 turns the alignment chute 6 sideways, and places the alignment chute 6 on the table 7. At this time, the width-shifting plate 47 is rotated as shown by an imaginary line in FIG. 9, so that the aligned cucumbers 1 are width-shifted to the inner side of the alignment chute 6 so that the cucumbers 1 are housed inside the discharge port 11. To do. Then, the opening / closing shutter 49 of the discharge port 11 is opened, and the cucumber 1 therein is placed on the table 7. After this, the alignment chute 6 returns to the above state.

Reference numeral 7 shown in FIG. 1 is a rectangular table on which the cucumbers 1 aligned by the alignment chute 6 are placed. This table 7 has 1 cucumber on it, which is necessary for packaging a box.
The size is such that {(12 lines × 2 rows) × 2 stages = 48 lines} can be stacked. This table 7 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the rectangular outer frame 60 is housed so as to be inscribed in the inner surface of the rectangular outer frame 60 and capable of moving up and down. Further, the rectangular outer frame 60 is mounted inside the outer case 61, and the outer case 61 is moved up and down. It is attached to the arm 65 of the reversing device 16.

When the first stage cucumber 1 is placed, the table 7 descends along the inner surface of the rectangular outer frame 60 by the height of one cucumber, and when the second stage cucumber 1 is placed again. It descends along the inner surface of the rectangular outer frame 60 by the height of one cucumber. Therefore, the cucumber 1 placed on the table 7 does not spill out of the table 7.

The rectangular outer frame 60 has a lower inner peripheral portion 62 at the upper peripheral edge thereof, and the peripheral edge of the packing box 8 with the opening 9 facing downward is just fitted into the inner peripheral portion 62. ing.

On the side surface of the outer case 61, a holding tool 1 for pressing and fixing the bottom surface of the packaging box 8 covered by the inner peripheral portion 62 of the rectangular outer frame 60 to the rectangular outer frame 60 side.
Four 0s are attached. This presser tool 10 is moved from the standby state shown on the left side of FIG. 11 to the state shown by the solid and virtual lines on the right side of FIG. 11 by the raising and lowering of the lifting body 63 and the expansion and contraction of the piston rod of the air cylinder 64. It

The outer case 61 is the upside-down device 1.
By rotating the arm 65 of FIG. 6, the arm 65 is rotated in the direction of arrow t in FIG. 11 so that it is turned upside down.

Reference numeral 15 shown in FIG. 2 denotes a packing box covering device for covering the cucumbers 1 stacked on the table 7 with an empty packing box 8 and packing the cucumbers 1 in the box 8. This packing box covering device 15 is
A stock conveyor 70 for stocking empty packaging boxes 8,
An empty box reversing machine 71 for reversing the packing box 8 on the stock conveyor 70, a movable body 72 for reciprocating between the stock conveyor 70 and the table 7, and a movable body 72 mounted to be movable up and down. The movable arm 73 and a suction tool (not shown) attached to the lower end of the movable arm 73.

The packing box 8 does not have a triangular reinforcing plate in the corner portion inside the box, and the vinyl sheet 7 is provided on the box.
7 is covered. Also, there are several holes on the bottom surface.

The suction tool comprises a plurality of suction cups for generating a suction force by a suction device (not shown) arranged in the same arrangement as the through holes on the bottom surface of the packaging box 8. In this suction tool, when the suction cup hits the bottom surface of the packing box 8 held by the empty box reversing machine 71, the suction machine operates to suck out the air in the suction cup and suck the bottom surface of the packing box 8. At this time, the vinyl sheet 77 of the packaging box 8 does not fall even if it is turned upside down by the suction force of the suction cup through the through hole on the bottom surface.

On the suction tool side of the packing box covering device 15, a vinyl pressing plate 78 for pressing the vinyl sheet 77 protruding outside the packing box 8 so as not to hang downward.
Are attached so that both side surfaces of the packaging box 8 can be tightly attached.

Reference numeral 75 shown in FIG. 2 is a packing box 8 packed with cucumber 1.
Is a transfer device for unloading and mounting it on a conveyor belt conveyor 76. The device 75 supports the bottom surface of the packing box 8 in a state of being turned upside down by the table 7 and the pressing tool 10, and then the table 7 and the pressing tool 10 are removed from the packing box 8 and then the box 8 is conveyed. The roller conveyor 76 can be lowered.

The automatic aligning device and automatic aligning device for fruits and vegetables described above are, for example, as shown in FIG.
It is recommended to arrange 10 units for size, B size, C size, S size, and L size. In this case, the transport bodies 3-1 on the front side in the transport direction of the respective devices are arranged close to each other so that the worker can reach, and the worker puts the cucumber 1
While being sorted, the A, B, C, S and L carriers 3 can be placed on the aligned body 2. Then, while sorting, the selected cucumber 1 is automatically boxed.

Further, in this case, in order to facilitate the selection, it is preferable to attach the guide plate 80 as shown in FIG. 4B to the alignment body 2. The spacing of the guide plates 80 is adjusted according to the grade (A, B, C, S, L) to be selected. Specifically, the spacing between the guide plates 80 of the S size alignment body 2 is narrow, and the spacing between the guide plates 80 of the L size alignment body 2 is wide. By doing so, it is possible to see at a glance which alignment body 2 the operator should put the cucumber 1 he / she has on his hand, and also put the L size cucumber 1 on the S size alignment body 2. Since it is not possible, it is possible to eliminate selection errors.

In the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cucumber 1
(12 lines × 2 rows) × 2 stages, for a total of 48 boxes. The present invention can also be used for packaging cucumbers 1 having a different number.

In addition, according to the present invention, the cucumbers 1 arranged on the aligning body 2 of the automatic aligning device can be directly housed in the aligning chute 6 without the intermediary device 5.

[0067]

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION According to the automatic method for aligning fruits and vegetables according to the present invention, the automatic boxing method, and the automatic aligning apparatus and automatic boxing apparatus used therein, the cucumber boxing work which has hitherto been relied on by hand is automated, Labor costs can be reduced and the packing speed can be increased.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a method for automatically arranging fruits and vegetables according to the present invention, an automatic boxing method, an automatic arranging apparatus used therefor, and a front part of the automatic boxing apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a method for automatically arranging fruits and vegetables shown in FIG. 1, an automatic boxing method, an automatic arranging apparatus used therefor, and a rear part of the automatic boxing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view for explaining an automatic fruit and vegetable arrangement method according to the present invention.

4A is a plan view of a carrier used in the apparatus of FIG. 1, FIG. 4B is a front view of FIG. 4A, and FIG. 4C is a side view of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the structure of a carrier attached to the apparatus of FIG.

6 is a top view of the device of FIG.

7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an operation example of a repeater attached to the device of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the alignment chute attached to the apparatus of FIG.

9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of the alignment chute of FIG.

10 is a cross-sectional view of the alignment chute of FIG.

11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a table attached to the apparatus of FIG. 1 and its upside down device.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an application example of the apparatus of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Fruit and vegetables 2 Alignment body 3 Conveyor body 4 Transfer body 5 Repeater 6 Alignment chute 7 Table 8 Packing box 9 Opening part 10 Pressing tool 11 Discharge port 12 Rotating device 15 Packing box covering device 16 Vertical turning device

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A carrier (3) in which fruit vegetables (1) such as cucumbers are arranged side by side in a desired number in each of a number of aligned bodies (2).
The fruit vegetables (1) of each of the aligning bodies (2) are fed into the laterally movable chute (6) to align the fruit vegetables (1) in the same alignment chute (6) in a horizontal row. (6) is oriented vertically and the fruits (1) in the same alignment chute (6) are aligned in a vertical line, and the same orientation chute (6) is oriented horizontally and the fruits (1) inside are aligned on the table (7). An automatic method for arranging fruits and vegetables characterized by placing them on top of each other. 2. An array (2) carrying a fruit (1) is carried by a carrier (3), and the array (2) being carried is laterally moved by a carrier (4) into two or more rows. The fruits (1) of each of the aligned bodies (2) that are placed in parallel are fed into a laterally aligned chute (6), and the fruits and vegetables (1) are laterally aligned in the same alignment chute (6). Then, the same alignment chute (6) is oriented vertically, and the fruit vegetables (1) in the same alignment chute (6) are vertically aligned in a plurality of rows to form the same alignment chute (6).
Sideways with the fruit and vegetables inside (1) on the table (7)
The method for automatically arranging fruits and vegetables according to claim 1, wherein the fruits and vegetables are rearranged and arranged. 3. A carrier (3) in which a desired number of fruit vegetables (1) such as cucumbers are arranged side by side in a desired number in each of the plurality of aligned bodies (2).
The fruit vegetables (1) of each of the aligned bodies (2) are fed by the relay device (5) into the horizontally movable chute (6), and the fruit vegetables (1) are horizontally arranged in the same alignment chute (6). By aligning, the aligned shoots (6) are oriented vertically, and the fruit vegetables (1) in the aligned shoots (6) are aligned in a vertical line, and the aligned shoots (6) are oriented horizontally and the fruit vegetables (1) inside thereof are aligned.
A method for automatically arranging fruits and vegetables, wherein the vegetables are rearranged and arranged on the table (7). 4. An array (2) for transporting fruit (1) is transported by a transport (3), and the array (2) being transported is laterally moved by a transport (4) into two or more rows. The fruits (1) of each of the aligned bodies (2) that are placed in parallel are fed into the laterally aligned chute (6) by the repeater (5), and the fruits (1) are placed in the same aligned chute (6). A plurality of rows horizontally, and the same alignment chute (6) is oriented vertically so that the fruit vegetables (1) in the same alignment chute (6) are vertically aligned in a plurality of rows.
4. The automatic vegetable and vegetable arranging method according to claim 3, wherein the same orienting chute (6) is turned sideways and the fruits and vegetables (1) therein are rearranged and arranged on the table (7). 5. The automatic alignment method according to claim 1, claim 2, claim 3 or claim 4 is repeated a desired number of times to stack the desired number of fruit vegetables (1) on the table (7), and this table (7) is stacked. The fruit box (1) on the table is covered with the packing box (8) with its opening (9) side facing down, and the pressing tool (10) is pressed onto the packing box (8) to press the pressing tool (10). ) And the table (7), the fruit vegetable (1) and the packaging box (8) are sandwiched,
In that state, the table (7) is rotated so that the fruit vegetables (1) and the packaging box (8) are turned upside down so that the opening (9) side of the packaging box (8) faces upward. How to automatically package fruits and vegetables. 6. An array (2) for arranging a plurality of fruit vegetables (1) side by side in a row, and a large number of array (2) can be transferred and only an arbitrary array (2) can be stopped. A transporter (3) that can be carried and a discharge port (11) for receiving and storing the fruit and vegetables (1) from the stopped alignment body (2) and transferring the stored fruit and vegetables (1) on the table (7) are provided. An automatic fruit and vegetable aligning device comprising a formed aligning chute (6) and a rotating device (12) for rotating the aligning chute (6) vertically and horizontally. 7. An array (2) for arranging a plurality of fruit vegetables (1) side by side in a row and a large number of array (2) can be transferred and only an arbitrary array (2) can be stopped. Can and accommodate the transporter (3) that can do, the relay machine (5) that scoops the fruit and vegetables (1) from the stopped alignment body (2), and the fruit and vegetables (1) scooped by the relay machine (5) An alignment chute (6) having a discharge port (11) for replacing the picked fruit and vegetables (1) on the table (7), and the same alignment chute (6)
An automatic aligning device for fruit and vegetables, comprising: a rotating device (12) for rotating the machine vertically and horizontally. 8. An array (2) for arranging a plurality of fruit vegetables (1) side by side in a row and a large number of array (2) can be transferred and only an arbitrary array (2) can be stopped. A transporter (3) that can be carried and a discharge port (11) for receiving and storing the fruit and vegetables (1) from the stopped alignment body (2) and transferring the stored fruit and vegetables (1) on the table (7) are provided. The formed alignment chute (6), a rotation device (12) for rotating the alignment chute (6) vertically and horizontally, and a packing box (1) on the table (7). Package box cover device (15) for covering 8) with its opening (9) side facing down
And a holding tool (10) for pressing the packing box (8) covered on the table (7) against the table (7) and the table (7) by rotating the fruit box (1) and the packing box (8). ) And an upside-down device (16) in which the opening (9) side of the packaging box (8) is turned upside down, the automatic boxing device for fruit and vegetables. 9. An array (2) for arranging a plurality of fruit vegetables (1) side by side in a row, and a plurality of array (2) can be transferred and only an arbitrary array (2) can be stopped. Can and accommodate the transporter (3) that can do, the relay machine (5) that scoops the fruit and vegetables (1) from the stopped alignment body (2), and the fruit and vegetables (1) scooped by the relay machine (5) An alignment chute (6) having a discharge port (11) for replacing the picked fruit and vegetables (1) on the table (7), and the same alignment chute (6)
(12) Rotating device for vertically and horizontally turning a packaging box (8) over the table (7) with a packaging box (8) with its opening (9) side facing down. Covering device (1
5), a retainer (10) for pressing the packing box (8) covered on the table (7) against the table (7), and the table (7) being rotated to produce the fruit vegetables (1) and the packing box. (8)
And an upside-down device (16) in which the opening (9) side of the packaging box (8) is turned upside down by turning upside down.