JPH0780549B2 - Curved fruits and vegetables conveyor - Google Patents

Description

Description: [Industrial application] The present invention relates to a curved conveyor that conveys, in a left-right direction (horizontal direction), a rollable, substantially spherical fruit or vegetable in a curved shape. It is suitable for use in a distribution and supply device or the like that distributes fruits and vegetables conveyed in pieces to a plurality of lines.

[Prior Art] Conventionally, as a conveyor device that conveys articles in a curved shape in the left-right direction, guide bodies such as guide rails are arranged along both sides of the curved conveyor that has a horizontal conveyance surface and is bendable in the left-right direction. However, it is known that an article such as a bottle or a kettle placed on a conveyance surface is conveyed in a curved shape in the left-right direction while being guided by a guide (for example, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 58-34092).

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the above-mentioned conventionally known articles, when an article such as a bottle or a kettle is conveyed in a curved shape, the article is shaken in an outward direction of the curved conveyance path by an inertial force acting on the article. As it is guided while being in contact with the guide body, even if it can be applied to an article whose lower side is horizontal and does not roll and is hard to be damaged, it is a roughly spherical and easily fragile vegetable or fruit that is easily damaged. As a result, there is a problem in that the fruits and vegetables vigorously collide with or come into contact with the guide body, and the fruits and vegetables are pressed and damaged such as scratches (collision scratches) and rubbing scratches.

Further, in the above-mentioned conventionally known one, there is a problem that a guide plate for guiding an article is indispensable and the device cannot be simplified by omitting the guide plate.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and when the easily rolling vegetable is conveyed in a curved shape in the left-right direction (lateral direction), the vegetable is pressed and scratched (collision scratch) or scratched. It is an object of the present invention to provide a curved conveyer conveyor for fruits and vegetables which does not cause damage such as the above and can simplify the apparatus by omitting a guide body which has been conventionally required.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention takes the following technical means in order to achieve the above object.

That is, the present invention is provided with a large number of transport elements for placing easily-rollable fruits and vegetables, and a curved transport for transporting the fruits and vegetables placed on the transport surface of one or a plurality of transport elements in a curved direction in the left-right direction. In the conveyor, the transport surface of each of the transport elements has a plurality of fin-shaped flexible / elastic protrusions having a notch at the upper end and arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction. The curved conveyor for fruits and vegetables is characterized by being formed in a low curved shape.

Thus, in the present invention, when the fruits and vegetables placed on the conveying surface of the one or more conveying elements are conveyed in a curved shape in the left-right direction, the fruits and vegetables themselves have an inertial force in the outward direction of the curved conveyance path. However, in addition to the fact that the transport surface of each transport element is formed in a curved shape whose central portion is lower than the left and right ends, a large number of fin-shaped flexible / elastic projections that form this transport surface are provided. Since the fruits and vegetables have a notch at the upper end and are arranged parallel to the front-rear direction, the fruits and vegetables have a curved shape of the transport surface, the side surface of the fin-shaped flexible / elastic protrusion, and the protrusion of the protrusion. The notched edge prevents rolling in any direction such as front-back, left-right, and diagonal directions, and it is conveyed in a curved shape while stably seated on the protrusion, so it is pressed against fruits and vegetables (collision and collision). Guide conventional products without causing damage such as scratches and abrasions It is obtained to be able to simplify the device to obtain omit the guide member which has been used in order.

[Embodiment] Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are explanatory views including devices before and after the present invention is applied to a distribution and supply device for fruits and vegetables, and the outline thereof will be described first.

1 is a supply belt conveyor as a pre-process, 2 is also a vibrating conveyor, 3 is a distribution and supply device in which four curved conveyors 31 of the present invention are provided, 4 is an aligning device, 5 is a conveyor, and 6 is a fruit conveyor. Reference numerals 7 and 7 denote overflow conveyors for receiving the easily-rolled substantially spherical fruits and vegetables that have flowed in an excessive amount and overflowed to the transport conveyor 5 and carried them to a predetermined position.

That is, according to this embodiment, the easily-rolled, substantially spherical fruits and vegetables that have been conveyed apart from the previous process are distributed into four rows by the distribution and supply device 3 and supplied to the fruit selection conveyor 6.

The conveying width of the supply belt conveyor 1 is preferably set equal to the receiving width on the inlet side, which is determined by the number of threads to be distributed by the distribution / supply device 3 in the subsequent stage.
When the conveyance width is small, or conversely, when it is large, the vibration conveyor 2 is installed between the supply belt conveyor 1 and the distribution / supply device 3 to adjust the connection width.

Further, when the fruits and vegetables are conveyed on the supply belt conveyor 1 in an overlapping manner, the vibrating conveyor 2 may be used to appropriately diffuse the overlapping fruits and vegetables by vibration and supply the fruits and vegetables to the distribution and supply device 3. is there.

Further, the conveyance width of the supply belt conveyor 1 and the distribution and supply device 3
The vibration conveyors 2 can be omitted when the receiving widths are equal and the fruits and vegetables are diffused and supplied on the supply belt conveyor 1.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the distribution / feeding device 3 has a chain 311 capable of traveling in a curved line and a plurality of transport elements 312 for mounting easily rolled substantially spherical fruits and vegetables. The curved conveyor 31 is provided according to the number of articles (four articles in the embodiment) of the post-selection conveyor 6 to be distributed.

Reference numeral 313 is a receiving portion of the distribution and supply device 3, and in the receiving portion 313, the starting ends 314 of the curved conveyors 31 of the respective strips are arranged adjacent to each other so that they run linearly in parallel in a predetermined length traveling direction. Has become.

The length of this receiving unit 313 is the same as that of the receiving unit 313 from the vibration conveyor 2.
It is preferable to provide a length such that the posture of the fruits and vegetables transferred to is stable.

Reference numeral 316 denotes an end portion of the curved conveyance conveyor 31, and in the distribution and supply device 3, the curved conveyance conveyors 31 of the respective lines are arranged in parallel and are directly distributed and supplied to the respective alignment devices 4 in the next process.

Next, the curved conveyor 31 of the present invention will be described in detail.

As the chain 311, a known chain having lateral flexibility is used. Each of the plurality of transport elements 312 attached to the chain 311 at equal intervals is shown in FIGS. 6 (a), 6 (b) and 6 (c).
As shown in FIG. 3, it is formed in a small width in the front and rear direction, and one of them can be placed on very small fruits and vegetables, but on other fruits and vegetables, it can be placed on a plurality of transport elements 312.
On the upper part of each carrying element 312, a curved carrying surface whose central portion is lower than left and right end portions is formed. A plurality of fin-shaped flexible / elastic protrusions 312a having a plurality of notches 312c at the upper end thereof and arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction are provided on the upper portion of each of the transport elements 312 at a predetermined angle. The transport surface is formed.

The fin-shaped flexible / elastic projection 312a is made of a synthetic resin material such as soft vinyl chloride or a rubber material.

And, in the lower part of the carrying element 312, the pin links 311a of the chain 311 are sandwiched from both outsides and extend vertically downward,
Outward U-shaped guide support 312b with its lower end bent outwards
Are formed.

Reference numeral 315 is a guide rail, and the guide rail 315 is provided in combination with the guide support portion 312b of the transport element 312 so that the transport element 312 travels along the guide rail 315 in a curved shape.

Further, in this guide rail 315, the transport element 312 has a starting end portion 31.
In 4 a straight line is advanced for a predetermined length and then a gentle curve is formed in the left-right direction (horizontal direction), and at a terminal part 316, a straight line is appropriately formed and is connected to the aligning device 4 in the next step in a straight line. There is.

As a result, the curved conveyor 31 is configured such that the starting end portion 314 and the terminating end portion 316 thereof are directly connected to the previous process and the next process, respectively, so that the fruits and vegetables can be transferred smoothly without difficulty.

Further, the guide rail 315 is provided such that the upper transport side and the lower return side are vertically symmetrical, so that the transport element 312 on the return side is hung on the guide rail 315 by the guide support portion 312b. It will be lowered and run.

In the illustrated example, the conveying path of the curved conveyer 31 is formed to have a gentle curve in the left-right direction from the starting end portion 314 to the terminating end portion 316 as shown in FIG. 1 and the starting end portion as shown in FIG.
Although the case is shown in which the path is changed by 90 ° in the left or right direction (right side in the drawing) from 314, the present invention is not limited to this, and the conveyance path is formed in a curved shape. It is only necessary to have a part that has

317 is a width determining member, and two upper and lower guide rails 315
Are installed so as to maintain a predetermined distance between them.

Reference numeral 318 denotes a connecting member, which vertically guides and fixes guide rails 315 provided on the transport side and the return side.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the width determining member 317 and the connecting member 318 are provided at several points of the curved guide rail 315.
And are attached to form a conveyor frame, and the conveyor frame is fixed to the frame 320 with fixing fittings 319.

The curved conveyor 31 of the present invention is driven by a driving device such as a motor (not shown).

The above is the detailed description of the curved conveyor 31 of the present invention. Next, the apparatus of the post-process of the present invention will be briefly described.

The aligning device 4 is a vibrating feeder having a V-shaped or U-shaped conveying path, and conveys the fruits and vegetables supplied from the distribution / supplying device 3 to the center side of the conveying path in a row-wise manner.

The conveyor 5 is composed of a narrow belt conveyor whose speed is controlled to be lower than the conveyor speed of the subsequent fruit-picking conveyor 6.

The fruit picking conveyor 6 is adapted to sort the fruits and vegetables being transferred by the conveyor 6 and sort and discharge the fruits and vegetables from the conveyor 6 based on the result.

Explaining the operation of the configuration of the above embodiment, the easily rolled substantially spherical fruits and vegetables that have been separately conveyed from the supply belt conveyor 1 onto the vibrating conveyor 2 are diffused on the vibrating conveyor 2 and the curved conveyor of the present invention. 31 is supplied straight to the receiving part 313 of the distribution supply device 3 provided with four rows.

In this way, in each line, the easily rolled substantially spherical fruits and vegetables supplied to the starting end 314 of the curved conveyor 31 of the present invention and placed on the conveying surface of the one or more conveying elements 312 have a predetermined length at the starting end 314. After being conveyed straight ahead, it is conveyed in a gentle curved shape in the left-right direction to reach the end portion 316, and then at the end portion 316, it is conveyed straight for an appropriate length and straight from the end portion 316 to the alignment device 4 in the next process. Is supplied to. In addition, when the above-mentioned straight conveyance is changed to a curved conveyance, and during the curved conveyance, and further when the curved conveyance is changed to a straight conveyance, an inertial force to the outside of the conveyance path acts on the fruits and vegetables themselves. Transport element 312
In addition to the curved surface of the conveyance surface of which is lower in the central portion than the left and right end portions, a large number of fin-shaped flexible / elastic projections 312a which form the transportation surface are provided with notches at their upper ends, respectively.
By having the 312c arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction, the fruits and vegetables have a curved shape of the conveying surface, a side surface of the fin-shaped flexible / elastic projection 312a, and a cutout of the projection 312a. The fruits and vegetables are transported while being stably seated on the protrusions 312a while being prevented from rolling in any direction such as the front-back direction, the left-right direction, and the diagonal direction, so that the fruits and vegetables are pressed and damaged (collision scratches) or scratches. It is transported without being damaged. And
The fruits and vegetables that have transferred between the aligning device 4 and the conveyor 5 are:
It is separated to the front and rear and sent to the fruit selection conveyor 6.

EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION In the present invention, as described above, the easily rolled fruits and vegetables placed on the transport surface of the one or more transport elements are curved to the fruits themselves when they are transported in a curved shape in the left-right direction. Although an inertial force acts in the outward direction of the transport path, in addition to the transport surface of each transport element being formed in a curved shape in which the central portion is lower than the left and right end portions, a large number of transport surfaces are formed. Since the fin-shaped flexible / elastic protrusions have notches at their upper ends and are arranged in parallel to each other in the front-rear direction, the fruits and vegetables have a curved shape on the conveyance surface and the fin-shaped flexibility. .Because the side surface of the elastic projection and the notched end portion of the projection prevent rolling in any direction such as the front-back direction, the left-right direction, and the oblique direction, the sheet is conveyed while being stably seated on the projection. , Without causing damage (collision scratches) or scratches on fruits and vegetables, and The conventional one has an effect that the guide body which is necessary for guiding the article can be omitted and the device can be simplified.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view including a distribution and supply device provided with four curved conveying conveyors of the present invention and the steps before and after it, FIG. 2 is a side view of the same, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the curved conveying conveyor of the present invention. Fourth
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a frame structure of a curved conveyor according to the present invention, and FIG.
(A), (B), and (C) are explanatory views of a carrying element in which a carrying surface is formed by a large number of fin-shaped flexible / elastic projections, and FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 ... Supply belt conveyor 2 ... Vibration conveyor, 3 ... Distribution supply device 31 ... Curve transfer conveyor 311 ... Chain, 311a ... Pin link 312 ... Transport element, 312a ... Fin-like flexibility / elasticity Protrusion 312b …… Guide support part, 312c …… Notch part 313 …… Reception part, 314 …… Starting part 315 …… Guide rail, 316 …… End part 317 …… Width determining member, 318 …… Coupling member 319 …… Fixtures, 320 ... Stand, 4 ... Alignment device, 5 ... Conveyor, 6 ... Sorting conveyor, 7 ... Overflow conveyor

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A curved conveyer conveyor comprising a large number of conveying elements for placing easily rolled fruits and vegetables, and conveying the fruits and vegetables placed on the conveying surface of one or a plurality of conveying elements in a curved shape in the left-right direction during conveyance. The transport surface of each of the transport elements is lower at the central portion than at the left and right end portions due to a large number of fin-shaped flexible and elastic projections having a notch at the upper end and arranged in parallel in the front-rear direction. A curved conveyor for fruits and vegetables characterized by being formed in a curved shape.