JPH0799953A - Fruit grader - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a fruit grader capable of rapidly grading weak fruits having ununiform outer shapes without injuring them, in relation to a fruit grader capable of grading weak fruits, especially having ununiform outer shapes. CONSTITUTION:This fruit grader is designed so as to separate plural fruits sent in order by a prescribed space by a space controller, transfer them to a measuring and conveying unit, measure and convey them in order through this measuring and conveying unit and grade the measured fruits by a grading controller unit based on a measured signal of the measured result. Accordingly, the kind, the grade, etc., of the fruit can be measured within a time corresponding to a prescribed space between the conveyed fruits and the fruit can be graded based on this measured value. Grading of fruits can be surely and rapidly carried out without injuring the fruits thereby, even in the case of weak fruits having ununiform outer shapes.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a fruit sorting device for sorting various fruits, and more particularly to a fruit sorting device capable of sorting soft fruits having an uneven outer shape.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been a fruit selecting device of this kind shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a partial configuration diagram of a conventional fruit selection device. In the figure, the conventional fruit selection device includes a large number of movable scales 92 that are moved by an elliptical roller chain 90 and several fixed scales 91 that are fixed to a machine frame 96.
Composed of and.

As a premise, a predetermined weight 98, which serves as a reference for selection, is placed on the fixed bucket 91a of the fixed scale 91 in advance. The moving scale 92 places fruits one by one in the moving bucket 92a and moves on the moving scale rail 93 (moves in a direction orthogonal to the paper surface). The fixed scale 91
The small rail 97 is cut off at a position opposite to, that is, a weighing position. Mobile scale 92 is mobile scale rail 93
When moved upward, the hook 94 comes into contact with the separate needle 95 of the fixed scale 91. At this time, if the movable scale 92 is heavy,
The hook 94 of the movable scale 92 is the separate needle 9 of the fixed scale 91.
5 is lifted and the bucket 92a of the moving scale 92 is inverted. By reversing the bucket 92a, fruits can be discharged onto the turntable at a predetermined selection position.

Further, as a conventional fruit sorting apparatus, there are a bread-conveying type weight sorting machine, a sieving type sorting machine, a spiral roll sorting machine and the like. Furthermore, in recent years, a method of selecting fruits based on computer analysis by image recognition has been considered.

[0005]

Since the conventional fruit selection device is configured as described above, when selecting a soft fruit having an uneven external shape, the fruit is damaged and the commercial value of the fruit is reduced. It had the problem of causing it to fall. Also,
In any of the above conventional apparatuses, if the fruit is selected without damaging the fruit, the speed of the selection becomes slow, and the product cannot be shipped while maintaining the freshness of the fruit.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a fruit selection device capable of quickly selecting a soft fruit having an uneven outer shape without damaging it.

[0007]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the principle of the present invention. The fruit sorting device according to the present invention is an interval control means for transferring a plurality of fruits at a predetermined interval, and a fruit discharged at the predetermined interval is sequentially measured, and various measurement signals are obtained based on each measured value. And a measuring and discharging unit that discharges the measured fruit and a sorting control unit that sorts and discharges the fruit discharged based on each of the measurement signals.

The fruit selection device according to the present invention further comprises, if necessary, discharge detection means for detecting whether or not the fruit measured by the measurement discharge means has been discharged and outputting a discharge detection signal. The sorting control means performs the sorting operation based on the discharge detection signal and each measurement signal. In addition, the fruit selection device according to the present invention, if necessary, a first acceleration conveyor that conveys fruits at a first speed and a fruit that is conveyed by the first acceleration conveyor are faster than the first speed. Second
The interval control means is provided with a second accelerating conveyor which conveys at a speed of.

Further, the fruit selecting device according to the present invention is arranged in front of the interval control means, if necessary, and a plurality of fruits which are carried in in an irregularly arranged state are arranged in series and arranged at intervals. Arrangement means for carrying out to the control means is provided.
Further, the fruit selection device according to the present invention, if necessary, a predetermined value including a predetermined value or more and a predetermined value or less depending on the type, grade, or the like for selecting a measurement value serving as a reference for outputting various measurement signals from the measurement discharging unit. It is provided with a selection value setting unit which is set as a selection value and outputs the selection value to the measurement discharging unit.

Further, the fruit selection device according to the present invention is provided with a number integration means for distinguishing various measurement signals and integrating the number of each fruit selected by the selection control means, if necessary. Furthermore, the fruit sorting device according to the present invention is provided with respective fruit discharging means for discharging each of the various kinds of selected fruits by the sorting control device means and each discharging means according to the necessity. And a pack transfer means for transferring the pack containing the fruit conveyed from the means and intermittently operating the transfer of the pack based on the integrated value of the number integration means, and the fruit discharged by each of the fruit discharging means. Is packed in the pack transferred by the pack transfer means.

[0011]

In the present invention, a plurality of fruits successively carried in by the interval control means are transferred to the measuring and transferring means with a predetermined space between them, and the measuring and transferring means successively measure and transfer the measured fruits. Since the sorting control means sorts the fruits based on the measurement signal of the measurement result, the type and grade of the fruits are measured within the time corresponding to the predetermined interval of the transferred fruits, and based on this measured value As a result, it is possible to select, and even if the fruit has a non-uniform external shape and is weak, it can be selected surely and quickly without damaging the fruit.

Further, in the present invention, the transfer detecting means detects whether or not the fruit is transferred from the measuring and transferring means, and the selecting control means performs the selecting operation based on the transfer detecting signal. The sorting operation of the sorting control means is performed more reliably. Further, in the present invention, since the interval of the fruit transferred to the measurement transfer means is adjusted by the interval control means including the first and second acceleration conveyors having different transfer speeds, the measurement of the fruit by the measurement transfer means is performed. It can be performed reliably and continuously.

Further, in the present invention, since the fruits which are carried in in an irregularly arranged state are arranged in series by the arranging means and are carried out to the interval control means, the fruits are not carried into the device. It can be automated. Further, in the present invention, the selection value is set by the selection value setting means according to the type of fruit to be selected and output to the measurement and transfer means. Can be set to.

Further, according to the present invention, the number of fruits selected by the number accumulating means is accumulated based on the measurement signal output from the measuring and transferring means, so that the selected fruits can be classified in terms of type, grade, etc. It will be possible to aggregate by classifying into classes. Furthermore, in the present invention, the selected fruits are discharged by each fruit discharging means, and the pack storing means transfers the pack storing means by intermittently operating based on the integrated value of the fruits, Packing for each type of fruit can be automated.

[0015]

【Example】

(One Embodiment of the Present Invention) One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 2 is a schematic block diagram of the device of this embodiment, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the device of this embodiment,
FIG. 4 is a front view and a side view of the apparatus of the present embodiment, and FIG. 5 is an operation explanatory view of the selection control unit in the apparatus of the present embodiment.

In each of the drawings, the fruit sorting apparatus according to the present embodiment has an array section 1 for arranging and carrying out a plurality of fruits carried in in an irregularly arranged state in series, and the plurality of carried-in fruits. An interval control unit 2 that transfers the fruits of the above-mentioned manner at a predetermined interval L, and the weight of the fruits that are transferred at the above-mentioned predetermined interval L are sequentially measured, and three kinds of measurement signals SS based on each measured value,
A measurement transfer unit 3 that outputs SM and SL, and transfers the measured fruit, and a transfer detection unit that detects whether or not the fruit measured by the measurement transfer unit 3 has been transferred and outputs a transfer detection signal. 5, the transfer detection signal and each measurement signal SS,
A sorting control unit 6 that sorts and discharges fruits that are transported based on SM and SL, and 3 each time the transport detection signal is output.
A number integration unit 7 that discriminates the seed measurement signals SS, SM, and SL and integrates the number of fruits for each of the three stages sorted by the sorting control unit 6, and a pack that packs the sorted and discharged fruits into a pack. It is the structure provided with the filling part 8.

The arranging section 1 is arranged so as to be directly connected to a receiving conveyor 11 for transferring a plurality of irregularly arranged fruits in the conveying direction A, and a discharge end of the receiving conveyor 11 for discharging the fruits. And a carry-out conveyor 12 that linearly transfers the sheets in a single row. The interval control unit 2 is
A first acceleration conveyor 21 that conveys fruits in a conveyance direction B at a first speed V1, and a second acceleration conveyor that conveys fruits conveyed by the first acceleration conveyor 21 at a second speed V2 (V2> V1). 22 is provided.

The measuring and transporting unit 3 completes weighing of the fruits to be transported within a time period of T1 seconds, and further, within this T1 seconds, the respective weighing values classified according to the selected value in advance. Based on the above, various measurement signals SS, SM, and SL are output, and the measured fruits are transferred to the sorting control unit 6. A selection value setting unit 5 is connected to the measurement transfer unit 3, and the selection value setting unit 5 connects the various measurement signals SS,
Kind to select the weighing value that is the standard for outputting SM, SL
It is set as a selected value (20 g or more and 10 g or less) which is equal to or more than a predetermined value according to the grade, and outputs the selected value 20 g or more and 10 g or less to the measurement transfer unit 3.

The transfer detector 4 is provided with a phototransistor 51 that oscillates laser light and a photodetector 52 that receives the laser light so as to be orthogonal to the transfer direction of the measurement transfer unit 3. Transistor 5
1 is configured to detect the transfer of the fruit based on the interruption of the laser light caused by the passage of the fruit between 1 and the photodetector 52.

The sorting control section 6 is composed of first and second sorting dampers 61 and 62 which are arranged on opposite sides of the discharging conveyor 81 of the packing section 8 so as to rotate a motor (not shown). Through the drive gear 63 and the one-way clutches 64, 65.
The configuration is such that 1, 62 are rotated by a predetermined angle, for example, 45 degrees. In the sorting control unit 6, when the measurement signal SS is output from the measurement transfer unit 3 (class S), the first and second sorting dampers 61 and 62 are in the parallel state, and the class S.
When the measurement signal SM is output (grade M), the first selection damper 61 moves so as to obliquely block the discharge conveyor 81 and the second selection damper 6 is selected.
2 sorts the fruits of grade M so as to maintain the parallel state, and when the measurement signal SL is output (grade L), the second sorting damper 62 blocks the discharge conveyor 81 diagonally. Fruits of grade L are sorted so that the first sorting damper 61 maintains the parallel state while moving.

The packing section 8 includes the sorting control section 6
Discharge conveyors 81, 82, 83 for respectively transferring the S, M, and L fruits that have been selected in step S8, and the various discharge conveyors 8
1, packs 800, which are respectively provided corresponding to 1, 82, 83, and store the fruits conveyed from the respective discharge conveyors 81, 82, 83 are transferred, and the transfer of the packs 800 is based on the integrated value of the number integration unit 7. And the pack conveyors 84, 85, 86 that are intermittently operated.
The fruit conveyed by 82 and 83 is packed in the pack 800 transferred by the pack conveyors 84, 85 and 86. Next, operations of carrying in, selecting, and packing strawberries using the apparatus of the present embodiment based on the above configuration will be described.

First, the harvested strawberries are placed on the receiving conveyor 11 of the array unit 1 in a random state without considering the array. The receiving conveyor 11 can be operated at a variable speed and intermittently, and a variable speed or an intermittent time can be set in relation to the conveyor width and the mounting amount. In the case of this operation example, intermittent operation is performed at a speed of 1.5 to 4.5 m / min. When the strawberry placed by the driving of the receiving conveyor 11 is transferred in the direction of the arrow A, it is passed to the carrying-in conveyor 12, and the carrying-in conveyor 12 can be variably set in speed and has the same speed as the receiving conveyor 11. In this case (for example, 1.5 to 4.5 m / min), the intermittent operation is not performed. By passing the strawberries to the carry-in conveyor 12, the random array is converted into a linear array.

The interval control section 2 is provided with the first strawberries arranged in a straight line and moving from the carry-in conveyor 12 in the direction of arrow B.
It is passed to the acceleration conveyor 21. This first acceleration conveyor 2
1 moves the strawberry in the direction of arrow C at a speed V1 of 4.5 m / min, for example, and is passed to the next second acceleration conveyor 22. The second accelerating conveyor 22 has a speed V2 faster than that of the first accelerating conveyor 21, for example, a speed of 15.6 m / min, and is indicated by an arrow D.
Transport the strawberries in the direction. Speed difference V3 (15.6 m / min-4.5 m) between the first and second acceleration conveyors 21 and 22.
/Min=11.1 m / min), the interval L between the continuously conveyed strawberries can be made equal to or more than the distance corresponding to the speed difference V3.

Each strawberry transferred by this distance L is passed to the measurement transfer section 3, and this measurement transfer section 3 transfers one strawberry by the transfer conveyor 31 at a speed of, for example, 20 m / min (direction of arrow E). Meanwhile, the weight of one strawberry during this transfer is measured. The measurement transfer unit 3 completes the measurement within a time T (= L / V2) obtained by the speed V2 of the second acceleration conveyor 22 and the interval L between the conveyed strawberries and the measurement signals SS and SM. , SL are output. The measurement signals SS, SM, SL are output based on the set value (20 g or more and 10 g or less) set by the selection value setting unit 5. That is, in this measurement transfer unit 3, when 10g ≧ measured value, the measurement signal SS is output, and 10g <measured value <2
In case of 0g, the measurement signal SM is output, and further 20g ≦
In the case of the measured value, the measurement signal SL is output. In addition, the transfer feeding detection unit 4 optically detects the strawberry transferred by the transfer conveyor 31 of the measurement transfer unit 3 and outputs a transfer detection signal.

The measurement signals SS, SM, SL and the transfer detection signal are output to the sorting control unit 6 and the number integration unit 7, respectively.
The sorting control unit 6 sorts the strawberries that move sequentially and continuously according to the S, L, and M grades by moving the first sorting damper or the second sorting damper 62 based on each signal.
The sorting operation by the sorting control unit 6 is shown in FIG.
Shown in (B) and (C). FIG. 5 (A) shows the case where the measurement signal SS is input to the sorting control unit 6, in which the first and second sorting dampers 61 and 62 are in parallel with the discharge conveyor 81, respectively, and the grade S The strawberry can be passed through the discharge conveyor 81 and discharged in the direction of arrow F.

Further, FIG. 5B shows the case where the measurement signal SM is input to the selection control section 6, and the first section in the figure is shown.
While the sorting damper 61 is in a state of obliquely blocking the discharging conveyor 81, the second sorting damper 62 is in a state parallel to the discharging conveyor 81, and the strawberry of grade M is transferred from the discharging conveyor 81 to the discharging conveyor 82, The sheet can be discharged in the direction of arrow G from this discharge conveyor 82. Further, FIG. 6 (C) shows a case where the measurement signal SL is input to the selection control unit 6, and in the same figure, the first selection damper 61 is shown.
Becomes parallel to the discharge conveyor 81, the second selection damper 62 obliquely cuts off the discharge conveyor 81, transfers the strawberry of grade L from the discharge conveyor 81 to the discharge conveyor 83, and from this discharge conveyor 83. It can be discharged in the direction of arrow H.

The number integrating unit 7 integrates the sorted and discharged strawberries of grades S, M, and L based on the measurement signals SS, SM, SL and the transfer detection signal, and the integrated signal is packed in the packing unit 8.
Output to the pack conveyors 84, 85 and 86. The pack conveyors 84, 85, 86 are intermittently operated based on the integrated signal, and the operating speed can be set to 4.5 m / min, for example. The discharge conveyor 81, 82, 83
Strawberries of respective grades S, M, and L discharged from the strawberry can be packed into a pack 800 that is intermittently transferred by the pack conveyors 84, 85, and 86 with a preset number of strawberries.

(Other Embodiments of the Present Invention) FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an array portion in a fruit selection device according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the above embodiment, the array unit 1 has the receiving conveyor 11
Although the strawberry of the fruit is directly placed on the top and carried in, the strawberry of the fruit placed on the sheet 100 is carried into the receiving conveyor 11 together with the sheet 100 as shown in FIG. You can also In the figure, the receiving conveyor 11
The fruit placed on the top of the sheet 100 moves in the direction of arrow A, and the end of the sheet 100 moves in the direction of arrow A1 along the rotation direction of the receiving conveyor 11 by the separation receiving portions 101 and 102. Becomes By the rotational movement of the sheet 100, only the fruits placed on the upper surface can be transferred to the carry-in conveyor 12. Since the fruit can be placed on the receiving conveyor 11 together with the sheet 100 in this way, it is possible to suppress the damage to the fruit that may occur during loading.

FIG. 7 shows a plan view of a sorting control section in a fruit sorting apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, the first and second selection dampers 61 and 62 may be connected in series in the moving direction of the discharge conveyor 81 (direction of arrow F). In this case, each selected fruit can be separated and selected in one direction. In the embodiment, the first and second selection dampers 61 and 62 in the selection control section are rotated by a predetermined angle by the drive gear 63 and the one-way clutches 64 and 65 as shown in FIG. It is also possible to use a solenoid to drive the first and second selection dampers to rotate by a predetermined angle.

In the above embodiment, fruits are selected by taking strawberry as an example, but fruits other than strawberries, and other same articles such as eggs having different shapes and weights may also be selected. it can. Further, the transfer detection unit in the above-described embodiment is configured to detect only the presence or absence of the fruit to be transferred by blocking the light, but the color, shape, etc. of the fruit passing therethrough are also detected at the same time and used as judgment data for grading. You can also For example, when a strawberry is a target for selection, the color can be used to judge the degree of ripeness and sugar content for selection.

[0031]

As described above, according to the present invention, a plurality of fruits successively carried in by the interval control means are separated by a predetermined distance and transferred to the measurement transfer means, and the measurement transfer means successively measure and transfer, Since the sorting control means sorts the fruits based on the measurement signal of the measurement results of the measured fruits, the types and grades of the fruits are measured within a time corresponding to a predetermined interval of the transferred fruits, Since the fruit can be selected on the basis of this measured value, it is possible to reliably and speedily select even a soft fruit having an uneven outer shape. Further, in the present invention, the transfer detecting means detects whether or not the fruit has been transferred from the measuring and transferring means, and the selecting control means performs the selecting operation based on the transfer detecting signal. This has the effect of more reliably performing the sorting operation of. Further, in the present invention,
Since the interval between the fruits transferred to the measurement transfer means is adjusted by the interval control means including the first and second acceleration conveyors having different transport speeds, the measurement and transfer means reliably and continuously measure the fruits. Has the effect. Further, in the present invention, the fruits carried in in an irregularly arranged state are arranged in series by the arranging means and are carried out to the interval control means, so that the fruit can be carried into the apparatus automatically. Have an effect. Further, in the present invention,
Since the selection value is set by the selection value setting means according to the kind of fruit to be selected and output to the measuring and transferring means, there is an effect that the kind, grade, etc. for selecting the fruit can be set in arbitrary plural stages. . Furthermore, in the present invention, the selected fruits are classified into classes such as types and grades by integrating the number of each fruit selected by the number integration means based on the measurement signal output from the measurement transfer means. It has the effect of classifying and totaling. Furthermore, in the present invention, the selected fruits are discharged by each fruit discharging means, and the pack storing means transfers the pack storing means by intermittently operating based on the integrated value of the fruits,
It has the effect that the packing of various fruits can be automated.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of the principle of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration block diagram of a fruit selection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the fruit selection device shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a front view and a side view of the fruit selection device shown in FIG.

5 is an operation explanatory view of a selection control unit in the fruit selection device shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an array portion in a fruit sorting device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a sorting control unit in a fruit sorting device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a plan view and a partial detailed view of a conventional fruit selection device.

[Explanation of Codes] 1 Arrangement Section 2 Interval Control Section 3 Measurement Transfer Section 4 Transfer Detection Section 5 Sorting Value Setting Section 6 Sorting Control Section 7 Individual Integration Section 8 Packing Section 11 Receiving Conveyor 12 Carrying Conveyor 21 First Acceleration Conveyor 22 Number 2 Acceleration conveyor 51 Phototransistor 52 Photodetector 61 First selection damper 62 Second selection damper 81, 82, 83 Discharge conveyor 84, 85, 86 Pack conveyor

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An interval control means for transferring a plurality of fruits at predetermined intervals, and a fruit which is transferred at the predetermined intervals are sequentially measured, and various measurement signals are output based on each measured value. A fruit sorting device comprising: a measurement and transfer unit that transfers the measured fruit, and a selection control unit that selects and discharges the transferred fruit based on each measurement signal. 2. The fruit selection device according to claim 1, further comprising transfer detecting means for detecting whether or not the fruit measured by the measuring and transferring means has been transferred, and outputting a transfer detection signal. A fruit selection device, wherein the selection control means performs a selection operation based on the transfer detection signal and each measurement signal. 3. The fruit selection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the interval control means conveys the fruit at a first speed.
And a second accelerating conveyor that conveys the fruit conveyed by the first accelerating conveyor at a second speed higher than the first speed. 4. The fruit selection device according to each of claims 1 to 3, wherein a plurality of fruits, which are arranged upstream of the interval control means and are loaded in an irregularly arranged state, are arranged in series. A fruit sorting device, characterized in that the fruit sorting device is provided with an arranging means for carrying out to an interval control means. 5. The fruit selection device according to each of claims 1 to 4, wherein a predetermined value or more is selected in accordance with a type, grade, or the like for selecting a reference measurement value for outputting various measurement signals from the measurement transfer means. And a selection value setting means for setting the selection value as a predetermined selection value including the following and outputting the selection value to the measuring and transferring means. 6. The fruit selection device according to each of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a number integration means for distinguishing the various measurement signals and integrating the number of each fruit selected by the selection control means. A fruit selection device. 7. The fruit sorting device according to each of claims 1 to 6, corresponding to each fruit discharging device for discharging each fruit selected by the selection control device, and each of the various fruit discharging devices. Each pack is provided with a pack transfer means for transferring a pack containing the fruit discharged from each fruit discharge means, and a pack transfer means for intermittently operating the transfer of the pack based on the integrated value of the number integration means. A fruit sorting device, characterized in that the fruits discharged by the means are packed in the packs transported by the pack transporting means.