JPH09173992A - Tray with agricultural product holding mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it possible to shut off the light transmitted through agricultural products from disturbance light to enable the taking out by vertically freely movably fitting a slider into a longitudinal cylindrical part provided with a hollow hole, providing the top end of the slider with a receiving seat for which an elastic material is used and hermetically and elastically holding the circumference of the accepting parts at the bottom end of the agricultural products. SOLUTION: The agricultural product A placed on the receiving seat 3 is hermetically closed at the circumference of the lower part by the first accepting part 33 and/or second accepting part 34 of the receiving seat 3, by which the product is put into a light shielding and sealing state free from leaking and entering light. Even if, therefore, the front surface of the agricultural product A exposed upper than the accepting parts is irradiated with light, the leaking and entering of the disturbance light into the opening 35 of the receiving seat 3 and the through hole 13 of the longitudinal cylindrical part 12 of the tray body do not arise. Then, the inside of the longitudinal cylindrical part 12 is darkened if the rear surface of the tray body 10 is closed by a conveyor. The slight transmitted light which is transmitted through the inside of the agricultural product A and is emitted into the longitudinal cylindrical part 12 may, therefore, be shut off from the disturbance light and be taken out.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tray used for sorting and sorting agricultural products such as citrus fruits, apples, peaches, pears, and persimmons in a sorting (packaging) facility, and particularly, in the process of transporting agricultural products. Agricultural products are irradiated with light, and the transmitted light that passes through the inside of the agricultural products is spectroscopically analyzed to measure and inspect the internal quality of the agricultural products such as sugar content, acidity, water content, maturity, and spoilage, or if necessary. The present invention relates to a tray suitable for transferring agricultural products one by one in the work of measuring and inspecting appearance quality such as shape / dimension, surface coloring and injury, and packaging and packaging through a sorting / sorting process.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a saucer used in a facility for selecting agricultural products such as fruits, as an alternative to a chain conveyor with a saucer called a bucket chain, JP-A-3-229676 and JP-A-4-26919 are available.
No. 6/22475 and the like, which are called free tray type.

This free tray type receiving tray (hereinafter referred to as "free tray" or abbreviated as "tray") is for carrying agricultural products one by one and carrying them without being constrained by a conveyor. The external quality such as shape, size (size) and color (colored state) is measured using a camera, and this tray is transported until the process of sorting and sorting agricultural products by grade and class based on the measurement information and packaging. It is a system used as a means, and it is known that after the agricultural products are placed on the tray, they are sorted and sorted without being replaced, so that the agricultural products are not damaged during the process.

Further, in the method using the free tray type tray, the trays can be arranged relatively easily in a predetermined arrangement in the boxing section, and therefore, the suction and suspension type device for automatic boxing (so-called boxing robot or the like). Can be applied,
Suitable for labor saving in box packing work.

[0005]

In addition to the above problems, recently, an apparatus for measuring and inspecting the internal quality (such as sugar content) of agricultural products by analyzing the transmitted light rays that have passed through the inside of these agricultural products ( Sugar content meter, etc.) is being developed and is attracting attention as a new selection item for agricultural products. Therefore, it is considered to employ such measurement of the internal quality in a facility for performing sorting by the above-mentioned transport method using a free tray. However, although it is possible to measure the internal quality near the surface using reflected light, and the sugar content of agricultural products such as peaches with relatively thin skin can be measured to some extent, conventional free trays have a high sensitivity of internal quality. The measurement was difficult.

[0006] This is because the conventional free tray is not provided for the purpose of selecting agricultural products by transmitted light. Therefore, even if the light irradiation means and the transmitted light receiving means are simply provided in the middle of the carrying process, This is because mixing of non-transmitted light is inevitable in many cases. Also, in relatively thick skin fruits such as citrus fruits, the transmitted light becomes extremely weak and the acidity etc. is extremely small in itself, so if the transmitted light cannot be detected efficiently, it is not possible to make a sensitive measurement. This is because the tray is not suitable for this.

For example, in order to avoid mixing of non-transmitted light, it is conceivable to engage the light shielding means with the agricultural product at the measuring position, but in the tray used in the above-mentioned conventional free tray type, such a case is used. In reality, there is no suitable method for automatically measuring the method of extracting a weak transmitted light beam, and the above-mentioned JP-A-3-229676.
In the tray disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-269919, the agricultural product receiving surface of the tray is provided in the shape of a mortar. However, since most of the small agricultural products are sunk in the tray, a light shielding means is used. Not suitable for engaging produce.

Further, as a method without using a tray, the state (color, scratches, dimensions, etc.) of the entire outer peripheral surface of the exposed portion except for the lower surface in contact with a ball-shaped article such as fruits and vegetables on the conveyor is measured and inspected. There is a method for inspecting the appearance of articles in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-61105, which is suitable for measuring the quality of appearance, but the article is placed directly on a belt-shaped conveyor, so that the conveyor is an obstacle. As a result, the disadvantages of the conveyor transport method that the lower side portion of the spherical article cannot be sufficiently illuminated and the lower side portion cannot be measured due to insufficient illuminance cannot be overcome, and it is not suitable for detecting transmitted light.

From these things, a method is conceivable in which the lower side of the transport surface for transporting the agricultural products is a dark place, and an opening is provided in the transportation surface to block the agricultural products to detect the light passing downward from the opening. However, in reality, agricultural products do not have a perfect spherical shape, etc., so light leakage from the opening edge cannot be avoided, and even if the opening edge is made of an elastic material suitable for sealing, Light weight citrus fruits, apples, peaches, pears,
Persimmon or the like cannot sufficiently obtain a light-shielding sealing property.

The present invention solves the problems of the various conventionally proposed techniques as described above, and while the agricultural product is being carried and conveyed, the light radiated to the agricultural product during the transportation process is used. The purpose is to provide a free tray that can be used to select agricultural products suitable for measuring the internal quality by spectroscopic analysis, etc., by enabling the faint transmitted light that passes through the inside of the plant to be extracted while being shielded from ambient light. It is a thing.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to always hold the agricultural products in a fixed posture until they are picked up by the cartoning section, without being affected by the conveyance vibration at the time of transfer between conveyors, which is convenient for an automatic cartoning machine. Another purpose is to provide a well-fitting free tray.

[0012]

A method according to the present invention for use in the agricultural product sorting apparatus according to the present invention, which has been made to achieve the above object.
The feature of the tray described in (1) is a tray that is transported on a conveyor on which substantially spherical lump-shaped agricultural products are placed, and a vertical cylindrical portion that vertically penetrates and opens from the upper end to the bottom of the dish-shaped portion upward from the dish-shaped portion. The tray body that is extended, the slider that slides on the vertical cylindrical portion so that it can move up and down within a fixed vertical range, and the upward spring force is biased, and the opening of the annular body. A receiver mounted on the upper part of the slider so that the rim forms a receiving portion that circumferentially engages with the agricultural product and supports the agricultural product, and that the opening of the annular body faces the upper end opening of the vertical cylindrical portion. A seat, an elastic holding means for elastically engaging the agricultural product received from the seat from above so as to push down the agricultural product, and a holding switching means for switching engagement / separation of the elastic holding means with respect to the agricultural product. And a receiving portion configured by the opening edge of the receiving seat, Elastic body on the lower side of the agricultural products is in place forming the structure that was formed so as to shield the seal engaged bullet adhesive engagement circumferentially to. The tray body, slider, and seat are each formed of a light-shielding (light-impermeable) material.

According to this structure, at the opening edge portion of the annular body for receiving the agricultural products, the elastic force is exerted by the pushing down force of the elastic holding means acting on the agricultural products and the upward spring force acting on the slider. The body tightly engages with the produce in a circumferential manner to ensure the light-shielding sealing property, and only the transmitted light transmitted through the produce received on the receiving seat is prevented from being mixed with the non-transmitted light. It can detect and receive light below the part. For this reason, it goes without saying that the lower side of the conveyer for transporting the tray has a dark place suitable for detecting and receiving transmitted light.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention is a case where the internal quality of the agricultural product is inspected and the appearance quality is also inspected. In order to realize such an embodiment, the position of the agricultural products received on the tray does not substantially change due to vibration or the like (a position that is as close as possible to the receiving position or within the range of the conveyance path that is less affected by vibration). ) To perform image pickup for appearance inspection, and then securely hold the posture of the agricultural product by an elastic member that is a landing holding means for the agricultural product proposed by the present invention, and perform processing for inspecting internal quality (illumination, It is preferable to configure the entire equipment so as to release the posture of the agricultural product at a position where the transmitted light is received) and the boxing process is further performed.

As the elastic holding means applicable to such an embodiment, for example, a pair of opposing clamp members, such as spring wire rods, which engage with the upper side of the agricultural product when their upper ends are tilted inward relative to each other, It is particularly preferable that the holding switching means is configured by a tilting means for switching the posture between a posture in which the pair of clamp members are opened (clamp open posture) and a posture in which the clamp members are tilted inward (clamp posture). Can be mentioned.

The tilting means for switching the posture of the clamp spring wire rod is, for example, a clamp release means for rotating a pair of clamp spring wire rods against a rotating spring force so as to shift from the clamp posture to the clamp release posture. Can be configured to have With this structure, when the clamp releasing means is pushed down, the spring wire for clamping and the elastic member can be opened outward.
In particular, by providing the clamp releasing means on the annular body, even when the tray is circular and the plane posture is not constant, the tray can be surely lifted together with the slider so that the agricultural products can be released easily. Further, this state is also advantageous for carrying out the work of placing the agricultural products.

The tray of the present invention is provided with a large-diameter through hole which is formed by vertically opening the vertical cylindrical portion of the tray body, and the receiving seat has a through hole of the tray body in the produce receiving portion. It is possible to obtain a light-shielding seal by providing an opening having substantially the same diameter as that facing and providing an elastic body at the inner edge of the received agricultural product and the inner edge of the torus so that leakage light does not enter the opening. it can.

In the above structure, the tray body is not particularly limited in its plane shape such as a plane circular shape or a rectangular shape, but generally a circular shape is preferably used. The vertical cylindrical portion extending above the tray body is provided with an extension length capable of guiding the vertical movement of the slider and guiding the slider between the upper and lower slider locking positions.

The seat provided on the upper portion of the slider may be integral with the slider, but the seat formed by using an elastic material suitable for flexibly receiving the agricultural product so as not to damage it may be used as the upper portion of the slider. It may be fixedly attached to. For example, a receiving seat is formed by an annular plate, and an elastic body that circumferentially engages with the agricultural product to be received is fixed to the upper surface of the inner edge of the opening that is the receiving portion formed as the opening edge of the receiving seat. Can be formed. In order to measure the internal quality of the produce, the opening of the seat is provided in a structure suitable for guiding the transmitted light of the produce downward through the through hole of the vertical tube portion of the tray body.

The spring wire rod of the elastic holding means in the above-mentioned structure is preferably used by being bent into various shapes according to the shape of the agricultural products to be received. For example, the upper end for agricultural products such as spheres and ellipsoids. A spring wire bent so as to have a C-shaped ring portion on its side is preferably used. The spring wire rod may be elastically attached to the agricultural product and can be surely provided with the light-shielding sealing property of the receiving portion in cooperation with the spring force that pushes up the slider. The degree of elastic force, the wire diameter of the contact part, etc. can be determined, and when applied to a sorting device that picks up the image of the appearance of the agricultural product with the image pickup means etc. with the elastic holding state, the imaging information is not damaged as much as possible. It is also preferable to use a wire having a thin wire diameter.

The linking means for interlocking the operation of the clamp spring wire and the slider are the first and second members described above.
When changing between the second stationary positions, it is possible to change the attitude of the two stationary positions in relation to each other.
Although not limited thereto, for example, as described in the embodiment described later, the cam mechanism can be configured by a cam provided on one member and a cam follower provided on the other member. Specifically, in this cam mechanism, the slider is lowered to the lower locking position, and the clamp spring wire rod is in the clamp posture in which the spring wire rod is elastically attached to the agricultural product.
From the rest position to the second rest position in which the slider is lifted to the upper locking position and the clamp spring wire is in the clamp release posture in which the spring wire is separated from the produce (the first rest position). → second stationary position), the slider rises by the spring force following the operation of rotating the clamp spring wire against the rotating spring force, and conversely from the second stationary position to the first stationary position. When shifting to the position (second stationary position → first stationary position), the spring wire for clamping is rotated by the rotating spring force in response to the slider being pushed down against the spring force. Can be configured as a mechanism for tilting.

As a means for driving the above-mentioned linking means, for example, a rail which is engaged with the clamp spring wire rod provided in a part of the sorting conveyor is used for the rotation of the clamp spring wire rod against the rotational spring force. It is possible to appropriately adopt a method of using a driving means such as a plunger for rotating the spring wire for clamping, or a method of vertically moving the clamp releasing means provided in the tray body, and the clamp releasing means is used as a part of the sorting conveyor. It is also possible to rotate the clamp spring wire by pushing it down with a driving means such as a plunger provided in the. In the rail engagement method described above, the drive mechanism of the linking means is called a rail when the tray is always conveyed on the selection conveyor in a fixed direction (posture) because the tray has a rectangular shape in a plane. It is preferable because it can be constructed by simple means.

The above-mentioned method of providing the clamp releasing means on the tray main body is a case where the clamp tray releasing means is an annular member and the circular tray rotates on the conveyor so that the direction of the clamp spring wire is not constant. However, there is an advantage that the clamp release means of the annular body can be surely pushed down if the position of the tray is constant.

Further, as a driving means for pushing down the slider for operating the second stationary position → the first stationary position,
Although not limited thereto, for example, a mechanism that uses a driving means such as a plunger or a guide rail to perform the operation in an appropriate manner can be exemplified.

[0025]

[Advantage] According to the tray configured as described above, in the empty state before placing the produce on the tray, the slider can be raised to release the spring wire to make it easy to place the produce. After that, the clamp members can hold the produce so that it does not move, so that it is placed and pressed against the receiving part in a certain posture to provide a reliable circumferential light-shielding property. ) Does not enter, it is possible to take out the transmitted light of agricultural products downward through the through hole of the tray main body, so this is continuous compared to the conventional one where there was no suitable measuring device to automate internal quality measurement. However, it has the significance of being able to provide a device that can perform automated sorting processing.

Further, since the agricultural products are held by the clamp member, even if the trays are transferred so as to transfer between the transfer conveyors, the position of the agricultural products can be surely maintained up to the packing section. Therefore, it is possible to preferably apply the adsorption type automatic box packing device which is advantageous in operation.

Further, if the clamp is released by the spring wire using the annular clamp release means,
It is possible to reliably switch from the “clamping posture to the clamp releasing posture” without being affected by the fact that the posture of the tray body in the plane is not constant.

[0028]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The tray 1 of the agricultural product sorting apparatus of the present invention will be described below with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings.

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 shows an agricultural product placed on the tray 1, but shows an unrestrained state (a state in which the clamp is opened) only by mounting the agricultural product, and FIG. 2 shows a spring wire rod. Shows the state where the agricultural products are securely held and restrained (clamping posture). Further, FIG. 3 is a plan view of the tray 1, showing different states in the right half portion and the left half portion separated by the line AA, the right half portion is in the state of FIG. 2, and the left half portion is This corresponds to the state of FIG.

In these figures, 10 is a tray main body, which has a pedestal 11 on a conveyor (not shown) and a vertical cylindrical portion (upwardly extending portion) 12 provided in the center thereof, The vertical tube portion 12 is provided with a vertical through hole 13 having a relatively large diameter that penetrates the pedestal 11 and the vertical tube portion 12 in the vertical direction. The pedestal 11 and the vertical cylindrical portion 12 are generally provided in a plane circular shape, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this, and if the target agricultural product can be placed, these One or both of them may have a flat rectangular shape. The bottom surface of the tray body is preferably provided with a surface structure capable of ensuring a light-shielding property such that external light does not enter the vertical tube portion in relation to the conveyor that conveys the tray body.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a slider made of a flat annular member slidably fitted on the outer periphery of the vertical cylindrical portion 12 in the vertical direction with respect to the outer periphery of the vertical cylindrical portion 12 as shown in the drawing. In addition to having a sliding inner cylindrical surface 21 for smoothly moving up and down, a radially outwardly extending flange 22 is provided, and the upper portion of the flange 22 in the drawing has an upper surface having an outer diameter. Collar-shaped slide cam surface 2 that slopes downward toward one side
3 are provided. The slider 2 of this example is shown in FIG.
The rotation in the circumferential direction is restricted with respect to the vertical cylindrical portion 12 by the detent 24 shown in FIG.

Further, the slider 2 is locked by a stopper 14 provided in the main body 10 by a spring force that constantly pushes the slider 2 upward by a slider spring 25 stretched between the slider 2 and the base 11. When the clamp that is not restraining the agricultural product is opened, it is stationary at a fixed height position that is positioned at the upper locking position. A receiving seat 3 for receiving the agricultural product A is attached to the upper end of the slider 2 so as to integrally move up and down.

The seat 3 on which the agricultural product A is placed is made of a relatively soft elastic material such as rubber or elastomer in this example, so that the opening edge thereof forms the receiving part of the agricultural product and the slider 2 When the lower fitting portion 32 is fitted to the intermediate member 31 fixed to the upper portion, the slider 2
It is fixed so that it can move up and down together. Note 3
May be formed of a synthetic plate or the like, and an elastic body such as sponge may be attached to the opening edge to form the receiving portion.

The receiving portion of this example is a first receiving portion (upper receiving portion) having a large opening inner diameter which has a shallow cup-shaped side wall shape that closely adheres to the periphery of an agricultural product to be placed. 33
And a second receiving portion (lower receiving portion) 3 formed as an inner edge of the opening 35 provided at the center of the bottom and having a small opening inner diameter.
4 and 2 are provided in a two-tiered structure in which a relatively large agricultural product A sits on the first receiving portion 33, and a small agricultural product or an agricultural product with a thinned lower portion has a lower second receiving portion. Three
4 is seated, but in order to enhance the light-shielding sealability, as shown in FIG. 5, it is in close contact with both the first receiving portion 33 and the second receiving portion 34 at the same time. They may be engaged with each other to form a double light-shielding seal. In this case, it is preferable that the first receiving portion 33 be a softer portion than the second receiving portion 34.

Further, the receiving portions 33 and 34 may have different shapes as long as the light-shielding sealing property can be secured.

Reference numeral 4 denotes a clamp mechanism for restraining the posture and the like of the agricultural product A placed on the receiving seat 3 in a sitting state, which is a cam follower (roller) which abuts the slide cam surface 23 of the slider 2. ) 41 is attached to the swinging tip (upper end) part, and the lower end is fixed to the clamping spring wire 40 and extends upward, and tilts toward the inside facing the seat 3 A spring wire 42 as an elastic holding means that acts to hold and sandwich the agricultural product A received above, and a clamp spring wire 40 for releasing the clamp by the spring wire 42.
And a release operation protrusion 43 for rotating (spreading) the clamp release position (see FIG. 1). As shown in FIG. 3, the clamp spring wire 40 is attached to the clamp support portion 15 of the tray body 10. It is rotatably supported by a supported fulcrum pin 44. In addition, 5 is a clamp spring as a torsion coil spring wound around the fulcrum pin 44,
Since one end is fixed to the clamp support portion 15 and the other end is fixed to the clamp spring wire 40, a spring force acts so as to press the roller 41 against the slide cam surface 23,
For this clamp spring wire 40, the spring wire 4
The spring force is always urged in the direction in which 2 is tilted inward.

Needless to say, the clamp support 13 can be designed in various shapes. In addition, it is preferable that the spring wire 42 be made of a material that is appropriately bent when sandwiching the agricultural product A, for example, a piano wire.

In the tray 1 of this example having the above-mentioned structure, when the slider 2 is raised with respect to the tray body 10 and is locked by the stopper 14 (see FIG. 1).
The roller 41 as a cam follower assembled to the swinging tip of the clamp spring wire 40 engages with the dead point surface (vertical surface) 24 of the slide cam surface 23 to rotate the clamp spring wire 40. The motion is locked, and the clamp spring wire rod 40 and the spring wire rod 42 are opened and stopped in the clamp open posture. That is, when the clamp spring wire 40 is rotated in the clamp opening direction, the slider 2 is moved upward by the slider spring 22, the roller 41 is stopped by the dead point 24 of the slide cam surface 23, and the spring wire 42 is opened. Since the agricultural product A is simply placed on the receiving seat 3 and can be taken out and picked up, the agricultural product A is placed on the receiving seat 3 in the supply section or the receiving section 3 in the boxing section. It is possible to easily take out the agricultural products on the table by taking-out means such as an adsorption suspension means.

Further, in the state of FIG. 2, the slider 2 is pushed down by the push-down driving means (not shown) of the slider 2, and the rotating spring force is urged by the clamp spring 5. The roller 41 is rotated in the urging direction so that the roller 41 engages with the slide cam surface 23, and the spring wire 42 elastically engages with the produce A to hold it in place. In the configuration of the present example, the balance between the spring force of the clamp spring 5 and the spring force of the spring wire 42, and the spring force of the slider spring 25 balances the slider 2 in the lower locking position. Although this is maintained, a stopper for stopping the slider 2 in the lower locking position is additionally provided, and the spring wire 4 for clamping is used.
It is also possible to maintain the state of FIG. 2 without depending on the spring force balance, by separately providing a stopper for setting the rotation limit by the clamp spring 5 of 0. For example, if the rotation limit of the clamp spring wire 40 in the above direction is determined by a stopper provided in the tray body or the like, even if the spring force of the clamp spring 5 is sufficiently stronger than that of the slider spring 25, The state of 2 can be maintained stably.

The tray of this example constructed as described above is
The operation in the case of actually being used for the selection in a general facility for fruits and vegetables (agricultural products) will be described below, including the relationship with peripheral devices, members, etc. for operating this. Note that the general fruit and vegetable sorting equipment here means that while measuring the appearance of fruits and vegetables on the tray with a measuring device at an appropriate position while transporting the tray on the sorting conveyor, based on the result of this measurement. , A system that discharges the tray corresponding to the sorting conveyor that is branched and connected.

First, at the start line of the sorting (packaging) facility, in the tray 1 of this example, the spring wire 42 and the clamp spring wire 40 are preliminarily operated so as to be in the clamp release posture shown in FIG. It is sent to the conveyor. That is, the roller 41 is stopped at the dead point 24, and therefore the seat 3 is attached to the vertical cylindrical portion 1 of the tray body 10.
It is loaded onto the conveyor in a state of being extended to the upper part of 2.

Next, with respect to the tray 1 held in the above-described state, the agricultural product A is received in a fixed posture by a handling robot or human hands while the tray 1 is being moved or the tray 1 is stationary at a predetermined position. The work of mounting on the seat 3 is performed.

At the same time as this loading operation, or after performing the loading operation, the tray 1 is conveyed on the conveyor for a certain length, and then the slider 2 (or the receiving seat 3) is pushed down by a predetermined length to obtain a dead point. 24 is lowered downward, and the roller 41 of the clamp 4 disengaged from this is engaged with the slide cam surface 23. By pushing down the slider 2, the spring wire rod 42 and the clamp spring wire rod 40 are closed to securely hold the agricultural product A.

As described above, it is of course possible to place the agricultural product A on the receiving seat 3 and carry it for a certain length of time without clamping and holding it. Inspection and the like can be effectively performed. Specifically, the clamp spring wire rod 40 and the spring wire rod 42 are conveyed without operating (without being in the clamp posture) with the produce 3 placed thereon without lowering the seat 3, and the appearance quality inspection process (known If the slider 2 is pushed down by an appropriate actuator after passing through the imaging process using an imaging device or the like to close the clamp spring wire rod 40 and the spring wire rod 42 to hold the agricultural product A, the spring wire rod will be attached to fruits and vegetables. Since it does not match, it does not interfere with imaging for appearance quality inspection, and there is no particular problem even if the spring wire is clamped during the processing for internal quality inspection described later, so each processing is suitable. Because it can be done.

The above-mentioned actuator is preferably one that operates while being conveyed in synchronism with the conveyance, but it may be one that is temporarily stopped and operated, or may be of the rail system described above. .

Next, the operation when the tray of this example is used for the internal quality inspection will be described below.

In the tray 1 of this example, the agricultural product A placed on the receiving seat 3 has the first receiving portion 33 and / or the second receiving portion 34 (in the example of FIG. In the example of FIG. 5, both sides) seal the lower periphery (receiving portion), and a light-shielding seal state in which no light leaks and enters is obtained. Therefore, even if the entire surface of the agricultural product A exposed above the receiving portion is irradiated with light,
The opening 35 of the seat 3 and the through hole 1 of the vertical tube portion 12 of the tray body
Ambient light (external light rays) does not leak into the interior of the light source 3. Therefore, if the lower surface of the tray body 10 is closed by the conveyor, the interior of the vertical cylindrical portion 12 can be made a dark room. If a concrete means for darkening the lower part of the tray body 10 is shown here, for example, a box in which a light receiving means such as an optical fiber is incorporated inside and which is shielded from the outside except for the upper surface opening is provided under a part of the sorting conveyor. It can be configured by installing the tray in advance on the box, and by closing the upper opening of the box by transferring the tray conveyed on the sorting conveyor onto the box. An elastic body suitable for shading may be attached to the opening edge of the upper surface of the box, or the box may be allowed to move slightly up and down, and the box may be moved upward when the tray is transferred to enhance the shading property.

The tray 1 of the present example configured as described above is sent to a stage for measuring internal quality, which is provided in the middle of the sorting conveyor, and, for example, a halogen lamp or the like is provided around the side surface of the held agricultural product A in the near infrared range. When a light ray including light is irradiated, a part of the light ray that has entered the inside of the agricultural product A passes through the agricultural product, and through the opening 35 of the pedestal 3 the through hole 1 of the vertical cylindrical portion 12 which is darkened.
It can be made to come out as a faint light below 3. Therefore, this weak light is taken out through a hole or the like provided in the conveyor by an optical fiber or other optical means and spectroscopically analyzed, whereby the ratio of sugar, acid, water in the agricultural product, the degree of maturity, and the required measurement of spoilage, etc. You can measure the elements of an item.

After that, the tray 1 on which the agricultural products A in a clamped state are transferred is transferred between various transfer conveyors of the sorting and packaging facility, sorted by the grade according to the quality and the rank according to the size, and is stored in the temporary storage device or the box packing section. The agricultural product A, which is transported but clamped and held on the tray 1 of the present example, reliably retains its posture when initially clamped by this clamp holding even if there is vibration associated with transit transfer. It

The tray of this example can also be applied to equipment in which the agricultural products A are manually boxed in the box packing section. In this case, even if a mechanical opening means is not provided, the operator can clamp the box. The spring wire rod 40 and the spring wire rod 4 are pushed down by pushing down the opening operation protrusion 43 of the spring wire rod 40.
2 can be opened and the released agricultural products can be taken out freely. In this case, the pushing down of the opening operation projection 43 can be manually performed as described above, but the opening operation is performed by using an actuator such as a pneumatic or hydraulic device provided at a certain position at the entrance of the boxing section. It is also possible to automatically operate the projection 43 for opening.

On the other hand, in the case of using the boxing robot using the suction plate in the boxing section, various actuators are arranged in the pre-process for adsorbing the agricultural product A, and the clamping spring wire 40 is released, and then the boxing is performed. In addition to being able to transfer the tray to the part, an actuator is attached to the suspension rod that suspends the suction plate so that the clamp spring wire 40 is opened and the agricultural product A is suction-suspended at one time. You can also

By any of these clamp opening operations, the roller 41 reaches the dead point 24 of the slide cam surface 23 and opens in the posture in which the agricultural product A is placed, so that the automatic boxing work is facilitated, The automatic boxing device using the suction cup has an advantage that the boxing work can be surely performed, and also the shape and alignment of the agricultural products A in the box after the boxing are good.

The empty tray after taking out the agricultural product A is returned to the start line again by the return conveyor, and the above-mentioned operation and process are repeated to produce the agricultural product A in the sorting and packaging facility.
It can be used to measure the external and internal qualities of.

Embodiment 2 In the present embodiment, in short, the driving means 6 for releasing the clamp, which is means for driving the opening operation projection 43 of the spring wire for clamping 40 (pushing in the opening direction of the clamp), is shown in FIG. It is characterized in that it is provided at the position of the BB line shown for reference, that is, at the height position where it engages with the above-mentioned opening operation protrusion 43 without engaging with other members. The configuration is the same as the configuration of the first embodiment described above.

The opening drive member 60 of the above-mentioned annular body, which is a characteristic configuration of the present example, has a fixed length range (projection for opening operation) in the vertical direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 4) by a guide member (not shown). 43 is pushed down and roller 41 is dead point 24
To the range required to engage the slide cam surface 23)
It is provided so that it can be moved. Then, by the action of the spring 61 that exerts a spring force in the upward direction, the spring 61 is always in a position where it is not engaged with the clamp spring wire 40, and is pushed down from the outside by an actuator such as a plunger. In this case, it is provided so as to move (lower) vertically downward and rotate the clamp spring wire 40 in the clamp opening direction through the engagement with the opening operation protrusion 43.

According to the structure of this example, since the opening driving member 60 for opening the clamping spring wire 40 is a torus, the mechanism for pushing down the opening driving member 60 can be simply constructed. There is an advantage. For example, since the tray 1 may be pushed down at any position on the ring without being restricted by the posture of the tray 1 (the posture in the plane of FIG. 4), the arrangement of the actuator such as the plunger may be appropriately changed. The open drive member 6 can be selected by using the tapered guide rail provided along the sorting conveyor.
It is also easy to push down 0.

[0057]

As described above, in the free tray of the agricultural product sorting apparatus of the present invention, the slider is vertically movably fitted to the vertical cylindrical portion having a hollow cylindrical hole vertically passing through the central portion. Since a slider using a soft elastic material is provided at the upper end of the slider, and the periphery of the lower end receiving portion of the agricultural product A is hermetically sealed and held by the elastic holding means, on the tray conveyed by the sorting conveyor. The agricultural product A can be extracted by irradiating the agricultural product A with a light beam from the outside and transmitting the weak transmitted light that passes through the inside of the agricultural product A and appears in the vertical cylindrical portion from the ambient light. Therefore, by combining the optical means for extracting the weak light and the device for spectroscopically analyzing the extracted weak light, it is possible to analyze the internal components of the agricultural product A online and automatically measure the internal quality.

Further, since the receiving seat 3 on which the agricultural product A is placed is provided so as to float above the center of the tray with a size sufficient for placing the lower portion of the agricultural product A, the placed agricultural product A has a receiving portion. Except for the entire outer peripheral surface, including the upper surface, the side surface,
It is possible to irradiate the oblique lower surface with light having a uniform illuminance.
For this reason, the size, shape, color and injury of the entire outer peripheral surface excluding the lower surface can be measured online from multiple directions while being conveyed by the sorting conveyor. The measurement of the external quality of the range (color, scratches and other injuries etc.) can also be automated.

Further, in the tray of the agricultural product sorting apparatus of the present invention, the agricultural product A is placed on the receiving seat in a fixed posture at the start line of the sorting and packaging facility, and then sandwiched by the elastic holding means to hold that posture, and the final step of the box packaging. Since various sorts of sorting conveyors are transferred to the stacking section, the loading posture does not change, and if the clamp is opened in the packing section, the packing robot can automatically carry out the packing by the suction box, and the automation of the packing process can be facilitated. Moreover, the posture and the alignment are good when they are lined up, so that it has a practical effect of being highly evaluated as a product.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a tray showing an example of an embodiment of the present invention, the drawing showing a state in which a clamp is opened.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 1, showing a posture during clamping.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the tray shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein the left half of the line AA corresponds to FIG. 1 and the right half of the line AA corresponds to FIG. ing.

FIG. 4 shows another example of the embodiment of the present invention, which corresponds to B of FIG.
The plane sectional view shown by the -B line is shown.

FIG. 5 is a plan sectional view showing a receiving state (double light-shielding state) different from the embodiment of FIG. 2 of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

A: Agricultural products 1: Tray 10: Tray main body 11: Pedestal 12: Vertical cylinder portion 13: Through hole 14: Stopper 2: Slider 21: Inner cylinder surface 22: Flange 23: Slider cam surface 24: Dead point 3: Receiving plate 31 : Intermediary member 32: Fitting part 33: First seat 34: Second seat 35: Opening 4: Clamping mechanism 40: Clamping spring wire 42: Spring wire 43: Opening protrusion 44: Support pin 5: Clamp spring 6: Clamp opening drive means 60: Opening drive member 61: Spring

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A tray for transporting a substantially spherical mass-shaped agricultural product on a conveyor, in which a vertical cylindrical portion that vertically penetrates from the upper end to the bottom of the dish-shaped portion extends upward from the dish-shaped portion. The tray main body provided, the slider that slides up and down with respect to the vertical tubular portion within a certain vertical range and is biased by an upward spring force, and the opening edge of the torus is an agricultural product. A seat that is assembled to the upper part of the slider so as to form a receiving portion that circumferentially engages with and supports the annular member and that the opening of the annular body faces the upper end opening of the vertical cylindrical portion.
An elastic holding means for elastically engaging the agricultural product from above so as to push down the agricultural product received on the seat, and a holding switching means for switching the engagement / separation of the elastic holding means with respect to the agricultural product. The holding portion, which is formed by the opening edge of the receiving seat, is formed so that an elastic body is circumferentially elastically engaged with the lower side of the received agricultural product so as to perform a light-shielding seal. A tray with a mechanism. 2. The elastic holding means according to claim 1, wherein the elastic holding means is composed of a pair of opposing clamp members that engage with the upper side of the agricultural product when their upper ends are tilted inward relative to each other, and the holding switching means is A tray with a produce holding mechanism, comprising a rotating means for switching the posture between a posture in which a pair of clamp members is opened and a posture in which the clamp members are tilted inward. 3. The tray with an agricultural product holding mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the clamp member is a spring wire. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein
The receiving portion formed as an opening edge of the receiving seat is formed by fixing an elastic body that circumferentially engages with an agricultural product to be received on an upper surface of an inner edge of an annular plate, and holding the agricultural product. A tray with a mechanism. 5. The method according to claim 1, wherein
The light-receiving portion of the seat has a two-step upper and lower structure in which an upper receiving portion having a large opening inner diameter and a lower receiving portion having a small opening inner diameter are provided with their opening centers aligned with each other. A tray with a farm product holding mechanism.