JPH09323713A - Apparatus for transferring agricultural product - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent trouble from occurring at the time of transfer to improve the operating efficiency of an apparatus and to quicken the processing by preventing individual containers from being raised when agricultural products are taken up simultaneously from an array of containers. SOLUTION: A prescribed number of free trays 4 transported onto a box packaging lane 231 that is a container pool section are stopped by a stopper mechanism 234 to be ready for packaging into a box. Each pair of engaging brackets 12 for preventing trays from being raised that are provided for the box packaging lane 231 comprises a pair of eccentrically fixed inwardly extended circular plates 122 on the upper ends of upright short columns 121 fixed on the upper surfaces of opposite guide walls 2312 of the belt conveyor 2311 of the box packaging lane 231 and are positioned to correspond to the stop positions of the free trays 4. Awing to this constitution, the circular plates 122 are extended relatively little inward and when agricultural products P are taken up by drawing by drawing cups 2563, the free trays can be prevented from being raised together with the agricultural products P.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for transferring agricultural products, for example, by placing agricultural products in a container and transporting them on a conveyor such as a belt conveyor to measure the class and grade, and to classify them into predetermined classes and grades. The present invention relates to an agricultural product transfer device used for a boxing facility for sorting agricultural products to be separately packed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as for sorting equipment such as a sorting field for sorting agricultural products such as apples, persimmons, pears, tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers according to their grades and grades and packing them in boxes, a conveyor means such as a belt conveyor is used. On the other hand, the agricultural products are placed on a free (unrestricted) container and transported, and the class and grade are measured, and the agricultural products are discharged together with the container to the boxing position according to the specified class and class. There is known a method in which the agricultural products are aligned and picked up from the container by a suspending means such as a suction cup, and packed in the box (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-256820, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-256820).
-352618). The container used for sorting agricultural products in such a system is called a free tray because it has a non-restricted relationship with the conveying means as compared with a bucket type conveyor in which a bucket type container is connected to a chain conveyor. In many cases, such a sorting device is called a free tray type sorting device.

Such a free tray type sorting device is extremely suitable for sorting particularly perishable agricultural products because the agricultural products are simply placed on the container and the free tray comes into contact with the conveying means. Due to its unique characteristics, it is becoming widespread recently for the selection of many agricultural products.

In the free tray used in such a free tray type sorting apparatus, it is required that the posture of the agricultural products placed on the free tray is kept constant and the posture thereof is kept stable. This is because spherical agricultural products such as apples and tomatoes may roll due to vibrations caused by transportation and collisions between containers. This is because it is necessary for a hanging type boxing device or the like to be arranged in a posture that facilitates adsorption.

Therefore, for example, as in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-37746, a free tray is proposed in which the upper surface concave portion is formed in a mortar shape, and the mortar-shaped descending inclined surface is provided with a cushion material for holding agricultural products. Have been put into practice. According to the free tray having such a shape, the agricultural product fits in the mortar-shaped recess and is stably transported in a fixed posture.

[0006]

As described above, in the free tray in which the produce is placed in the concave portion on the upper surface and conveyed, the produce is stuck in the mortar-like portion and is stable,
Since agricultural products do not move during transportation, it has the advantage that it is convenient for measurement and adsorption suspension, but on the other hand, it is targeted for agricultural products where the shape and properties such as moisture content are not constant. Therefore, the following problems were discovered.

That is, when the agricultural product is lifted by a lifting means such as a suction cup, the free tray is rarely lifted together with the lifted agricultural product.

It is considered that this is because the agricultural products are wedged into the mortar-shaped recesses of the free tray, and the agricultural products are not easily separated. In the suction suspension method, the suction cup may be operated by pressing it against the agricultural product from above,
Another possible cause is that the surface of the free tray may become sticky due to moisture, juice, dirt, etc. attached to agricultural products.

Although such a phenomenon is rare, when it occurs, a raised (floating) free tray may fall on the way to damage peripheral devices or damage surrounding agricultural products. In addition, since the agricultural products may drop together when dropped, there is a problem that an appropriate number cannot be packed in a box or that the lifted free tray hinders the packing operation itself.

Although a problem can be avoided if an operator monitors the situation in order to deal with this, it is not meaningful to automate the device because it cannot save labor. Furthermore, due to such troubles, the operation rate of the equipment is lowered, the processing speed is reduced, and even if the free tray is slightly lifted, the position and posture of the free tray after taking out the produce is disturbed and the discharge is smoothly performed. This may lead to various problems such as not being possible. The present invention solves the above conventional problems, and reliably prevents the transfer of agricultural products transported in a so-called container called a free tray, particularly the floating of the container when used as a boxing device. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a transfer device that can be used.

Another object of the present invention is to improve the operation efficiency of the device by reliably preventing the container from floating.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a transfer device that can realize speeding up of processing.

Still another object of the present invention is to prevent the occurrence of troubles in the transfer device by reliably preventing the container from being lifted as described above, thereby making it possible to realize labor saving by eliminating the need for an operator for monitoring. It is in the area of providing equipment.

[0013]

The features of the agricultural product transfer apparatus according to the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object are the features described in each of the claims.

The invention according to claim 1 of the present application is a container having a placing portion for mounting agricultural products, a conveying means for conveying the container in a state where it can be removed from the conveying surface, and a discharge means for discharging from the conveying means. A container pool section for arranging a plurality of containers in one row or a plurality of rows, and an agricultural product transfer for collectively picking up one or more rows of agricultural products from the plurality of containers arranged in the container pool section and moving them to a predetermined transfer destination. Mounting means,
The present invention is characterized by comprising container rising prevention means for preventing each container from rising above the transfer surface of the transfer means when the agricultural product transfer means collectively picks up the agricultural products.

The container having the above-mentioned structure has a structure in which a dish-shaped saucer main body made of a hard material such as a plane circular shape and a plane rectangular shape and a concave portion for receiving one agricultural product are formed in the central portion of the upper surface with a soft material such as rubber. Although it is possible to exemplify what is generally called a free tray, it is not limited to this, for example, a plurality of agricultural products may be placed, and if the agricultural products can be stably placed, there is no recess. It may be one. As the conveying means, any known conveying means such as a belt type, a roller type, a narrow slat continuous type can be used. Although the container pool section is not limited, it can be representatively exemplified as a case in which the containers are provided in a row in order to box agricultural products, and the present invention is applied to a selection box for agricultural products. In some cases, the class of agricultural products,
A grade measuring device and a sorting device that sorts agricultural products based on the measurement result are provided in a boxing position connected to a position where the transport means discharges the sorting products to the sorting device. Agricultural product transfer means can typically include a suction-suspension-type device having a suction cup for sucking agricultural products under negative pressure, but is not limited to this, and other suspension-type devices such as a gripping type May be

According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the containers from floating together with the agricultural products when collectively collecting the agricultural products from the plurality of containers waiting in the container pool section in a row or a plurality of rows (matrix or the like).

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a container having a placing portion for mounting an agricultural product, a conveying means for conveying the container in a removable state from a conveying surface, and a middle or end of the conveying means. An agricultural product picking position provided at a position, an agricultural product transfer means for picking up each agricultural product from one or more containers at the agricultural product picking position and moving the agricultural product to a predetermined transfer destination, and an agricultural product by the agricultural product transfer means. When the container is picked up, the container is lifted up to prevent the container from being lifted away from the picked-up position.

The present invention differs from the structure of claim 1 in which the container is discharged to a path branched from the conveying means,
In the middle or at the end of the transportation means, the agricultural product is picked up from the container and transferred to a predetermined transfer destination.
In this case also, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

In the invention of claim 3 of the present application, in each of the above-mentioned constitutions, the container rising prevention means is constituted by an engaging means for engaging the upper surface or the side surface of each container to prevent the container from rising. Is characterized by.

The engaging means in the above-described structure may be, for example, a small projection that collides with the vicinity of the upper edge of the container for which lifting is desired to be prevented or a rail that is shared by a plurality of containers so as not to hinder the operation of picking up agricultural products. A configuration provided along the containers arranged in a plurality of rows can be exemplified. Further, the engagement is not limited to the upper surface of the container, but may be on the side surface of the container, and for this purpose, a recess may be formed on the side surface of the container.

According to the present invention, the structure for preventing the rising of the container can be formed as a mechanical engagement with a simple structure, and since there are no moving parts, the durability is excellent and the maintenance is easy. .

According to the invention of claim 4 of the present application, in each of the above-mentioned constitutions, the container rising preventing means is constituted by a magnetic force acting means for preventing the rising of the container by acting a magnetic force with each container. It is characterized by

The magnetic force acting means in the above construction is constructed as a relationship in which a magnetic force (suction) acts between the fixed side and the container side. Preferably, a permanent magnet, an electromagnet or the like may be arranged below the transfer conveyor. In this case, at least a part of the container is made of a magnetic material so as to effectively function to prevent floating.

According to the present invention, since it is possible to prevent the container from floating up without contact, the lower side (back side) of the container supporting surface (conveying surface) such as the container pool portion for picking up agricultural products.
There is an advantage that a permanent magnet or the like can be provided in the structure, and a structure that does not interfere with the operation of picking up and transferring agricultural products can be adopted.

According to the invention of claim 5 of the present application, the engagement means or the magnetic force acting means for preventing the container from rising can be switched between a state in which the container is prevented from rising and a state in which the blocking is released. It is characterized by being provided in.

The switching of the states in the above construction means the switching of the position in the mechanical engagement means, and the switching of the position and the turning on of the electromagnet in the magnetic force acting means.
It means both switching off. In addition, as a method of preventing the container from floating due to mechanical engagement by switching the position, in addition to the case where the engaging member moves forward and backward with respect to the position where it engages with the upper surface of the container, the container side surface is clamped. It may be one. Examples of this holding type include those in which the engaging member operates so as to sandwich the container from both sides, and those in which the engaging member operates so as to press the container against the fixed wall on one side. An appropriate actuator such as an air cylinder device can be used to switch the position.

According to the present invention, when an agricultural product unsuitable for packing is found, the lifting prevention by the engaging means or the like can be released and the container can be manually removed. In a facility that employs suction suspension means as agricultural product transfer means for picking up and transferring agricultural products, negative pressure and positive pressure supply sources such as blowers can be shared as power sources for actuators.

In the invention of claim 6 of the present application, in each of the above-mentioned constitutions, the container floating prevention means is independently provided for each of a plurality of containers for collectively picking up agricultural products by the agricultural product transfer means. It is characterized by

According to the present invention, it is possible to manually remove a container in which an agricultural product unsuitable for packing is found out of the position of the floating prevention means.

[0030] In the invention of claim 7 of the present application, in each of the above-mentioned constitutions, the agricultural product transfer means for picking up the agricultural product and moving it to a predetermined transfer destination is a suction cup for sucking the agricultural product under negative pressure as the agricultural product pickup means. It is characterized by having.

According to the present invention, the rubber bellows is used for the agricultural products in order to securely hold the agricultural products in the adsorption suspension method which is widely used in the most typical agricultural product packaging operation for transferring agricultural products. Problems resulting from pressing the shaped suction cup from above are eliminated. That is, in the suction suspension method, since the agricultural product is pressed from above to prevent the seal leak, the agricultural product is not damaged, and it is difficult for the agricultural product to slip into the saucer (container) recess made of a soft material. May fit together. If this is left unattended, the saucer will float up when the produce is lifted, and it will interfere with the packaging operation, or the saucer will fall down on the way and damage peripheral equipment and other produce. However, according to the present invention, it is possible to surely solve the problem associated with the operation peculiar to the suction suspension method.

[0032]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below based on an embodiment shown in the drawings.

Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a sorting / packing device adopting the agricultural product transfer device of the present invention. As will be understood from the description below, a container for storing agricultural products P is shown. Free tray 4
(Refer to FIGS. 2 and 3), while being carried on the carrying conveyor 1, a predetermined measurement is performed by the measuring device 3 provided on the way (in the present example, the "size" of the class element will be described below for convenience of description. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is also possible to measure and sort by one or more elements of grade and class), and the equal class to be sorted based on this measurement result is a computer or the like. is determined using a laterally connected branch conveyors ranks another splitter box packed lines 2 ₁ to 2 ₈ (downward in the drawing) from the conveyor 1, as shown in Figure 1, of the corresponding class agricultural products Free tray 4
Is designed to be discharged.

The above-mentioned branch packaging line 2 _1-
2 _8, since in addition to such-class to be sorted sorting different have a common configuration, the one branch box packed line 2 will be described below.

The above branch packaging line 2 (for example, 2 ₁ )
3, as shown in FIG. 3, a discharging device 21 from the conveyor 1, a branch conveyor 22 (see FIG. 1), a container pool section 23 set for box packing, and a tray pack stacking section 2
4 and a work robot 25 as a packing device. These will be described below.

The discharging device 21 described above is, for example, disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-
It can be configured by using the sorting discharge device disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 278848, and in this example, the branch conveyor 22 has two lanes 22 in consideration of the case where the amount of discharged agricultural products is large.
1, 222, and the free tray 4 can be distributed to these two lanes. That is,
The discharging device 21 has a large number of electromagnetic adsorbing portions 212 at equal intervals along the circumferential direction inside the outer peripheral portion and a rotary table 211 that rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. In order to turn the free tray 4 for discharging the tray 4 to the branch packaging line, the electromagnetic adsorption portions 2 arranged circumferentially on the rotary table 211 at a predetermined position.
One exciting means 213 for exciting one of the 12 and the electromagnetic attraction section 212 fixedly provided at two predetermined positions for distributing the free tray 4 to the above two lanes.
And the excitation canceling means 214 and 215.

With the above structure, for example, the free tray 4 on which the selected agricultural products P are placed in the class (for example, size L) of the specific branch packaging line 2 shown in FIG. 3 based on the result measured by the measuring device 3. However, when passing through the position of the discharging device 21 on the left side of FIG. 3, the exciting means 213 is excited by a command from a control means (not shown) such as a computer, so that the corresponding free tray 4 is electromagnetized. It is magnetically attracted to the rotary table 211 having the attracting section 212, and is discharged laterally (downward in the drawing) from above the conveyor 1 as the rotary table 211 rotates. Then, the suction is released by operating one of the excitation release means 214 and 215 according to a command from the control means, and the discharged free tray 4 is sent to one of the two lanes 221 and 222. Although the distribution may be uniform, in this example, the right lane 221 is set as the main lane, and the free tray 4 is sent to the left auxiliary lane 222 only when the main lane is full. Further, in this example, the discharging device 21 illustrated on the right side of FIG. 3 is installed for discharging the free tray 4 on which the agricultural products P of the size M, for example, are placed, and therefore, the branch packaging line of FIG. 2 is for boxing agricultural products of size M on the right side,
The left side is provided for packing agricultural products of the size L class.

Next, the branch conveyor 22 will be described. The branch conveyor 22 of this embodiment is composed of a belt conveyor, a roller conveyor or the like, and conveys the discharged free tray 4 to the downstream side. Further, as described above, the two lanes 221 and 222 are provided for one discharging device 21 so as to collect the free trays 4 in a row, and the right side of the two lanes is the main lane 221. The free tray 4 is fed to the main lane 221 until the accumulation of the main lane 221 is full. Further, a stopper mechanism 223 for stopping the free tray 4 is disposed at the transfer end position of each of the lanes 221, 222, and normally acts to stop the transfer of the free tray 4, and is operated by a sensor (not shown). When it is detected that a predetermined number of collected free trays (a number picked up at a time in a box packing operation described later) has been collected, the number of free trays is determined based on a command from the control means in accordance with the progress of the subsequent box packing operation. The transport mechanism is switched to a state where the transport is permitted, and the predetermined number of free trays 4 are sent to the box packing position. After the predetermined number of feeds, the stopper mechanism 223 stops the transport so that the subsequent free trays 4 are again stopped. The state is restored. Such a stopper mechanism 223 can be configured by, for example, combining a stopper plate and a cylinder device.

Next, the container pool section 23 will be described. This container pool section 23 of this example is the same as the lane 22.
Predetermined number of free trays 4 sent from 1, 222
Is arranged as a box lane 231 that is aligned and stopped in a line for packing.

That is, in the present example, the main lane 22 of the branch conveyor 22 connected from the discharge device 21 on the right side of FIG.
Feeding lane 2 from the end of 1 so as to continue linearly
32 is provided and the auxiliary lane 2 adjacent to this
The free tray 4 from the end of 22 and the free tray 4 sent out from the end of the two lanes 221 and 222 connected to the discharging device 21 on the left side of FIG.
A right-angled lane 233 that is continuous with 32 is provided, so that the free tray 4 sent out by a predetermined number from the predetermined lane is a container lane 2 that is the container pool section 23.
31 will be sent.

The predetermined number of the fed free trays 4 are stopped by the stopper mechanism 234 and put in the box packing standby state. The stopper mechanism 234 can be configured in the same manner as the stopper mechanism 223, and is switched to a state in which the conveyance inhibition is released at the time of completion of picking up the agricultural product (or when there is no hindrance to the sending out after picking up). The empty free trays 4 are sent out to the conveyor 235, and after a predetermined number of them are sent out, the state in which the subsequent free trays 4 are stopped again is restored. Reference numeral 236 in FIGS. 2 and 3 is a return conveyor for the empty free tray 4. Each of the above lanes is constituted by a belt conveyor, a roller conveyor, or the like.

The feature of this example is that the container pool section 2 is used.
3, there is a container floating prevention means that can surely prevent the free tray 4 from floating when picking up the agricultural products on the free tray with the suction lifting device and packing them in the transfer box. Will be described in detail later.

Reference numeral 24 denotes a tray pack stacking section. In this example, a tray pack made of thin-walled plastic in which recesses for mounting the agricultural products P one by one are formed in a matrix shape or a zigzag shape is inserted into the cardboard box 5 and used as a container for packing the agricultural products box. Therefore, the tray packs are picked up one by one from the tray pack loading section 24 by a work robot which is a suction suspension means, and are inserted into a cardboard box.

The tray pack stacking section 24 in this embodiment
2 and 3, as shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the packing lane 231 and the feeding lane 23 as the container pool section 23 described above.
A rotary pedestal 241 for mounting two groups of stacked tray packs 242, 243 on the upper part of the space surrounded by 2, 233,
The tray frame stack 244 is composed of a support frame 244 that supports the placed stacked tray pack and a rotator 245 that rotates the rotation receiving base 241 by 180 °. In response to a command from a control means (not shown), the rotator 245 rotates between the illustrated state and the 180 ° rotated state shown by the arrow in FIG. There is. In this example, the tray pack 242 is shown as being used for packing 20 (balls) boxes of agricultural products of size L in a zigzag manner, and the tray pack 243 shows 24 agricultural products P of size M in a matrix (balls). ) Shown as used for packaging.

Next, a work robot 25 as a packing device.
The working robot 25 of this example is
It is configured as a work robot having a vertical articulated arm mechanism, and picks up a row of agricultural products P from a predetermined number of free trays 4 that are lined up in a row in the boxing lane 231 of the container pool section 23. The cardboard boxes 5 in which the tray packs 242 (or 243) are fitted and inserted are operated one by one in order. When the tray pack 242 is filled with the agricultural products P of the size L, the work robot 25 of this example picks up 5 pieces × 4 rows (total 20 pieces), but the tray pack 243 receives the agricultural products P of the size M. When packing, it is necessary to pick up 6 pieces x 4 rows (24 pieces in total), so that some suction cups can be evacuated to a retracted position that does not participate in picking up It has a characteristic structure that it is provided.

That is, in the work robot 25 of this example, a root link mechanism 252 for performing parallelogram link motion is extended from the main body 251, and this root link mechanism 252 is provided.
A tip link mechanism 253 that performs parallelogram link motion is connected to the tip of the tip through a hinge that allows rotation about a horizontal axis, and a suction cup holder 254 (see FIG. 4) is attached to the tip of the tip link mechanism 253 by a bracket. The bracket 255 can be moved up and down and back and forth while always maintaining a horizontal posture by an arm mechanism composed of these link mechanisms connected to each other through the link mechanism 255. In addition, in the root link mechanism 252, the support arm 25 is attached to the lower end portion of the support arm 252a on the front side of the main body 251.
A drive device (not shown) for swinging 2a back and forth and left and right is provided, and the support arm 2 on the rear side of the main body 251 is provided.
A drive device (not shown) for moving the support arm 252b in the vertical direction is provided at the lower end portion of 52b, and the tip link mechanism is formed by a combination of swinging and vertical movement of these support arms 252a, 252b. The operation of 253 is controlled.

In the bracket 255, as shown in detail in FIGS. 4 and 5, a pair of guides 2552 provided on the bracket bottom plate 2551 is provided with a suction cup holder 254.
4 by sliding the rail 2541 provided on the upper surface thereof so as to be horizontally movable.
The piston rod 2543 of the air cylinder device 2542, which is movably suspended in the Y direction and is attached to the upper surface of the suction cup holder 254, has the bracket bottom plate 255.
Suction cup holder 254 by being connected to 1.
The position of the bracket 255 in the Y-Y direction is determined.

In the present embodiment, the suction cup holder 254 is provided with a fixed cup suspension 256 at the lower end, which is fixed in the Y-Y direction so as not to move, as shown in FIG. A rail 2545 provided on the lower surface of the suction cup holder 254 is provided to suspend a combination with six moving cup suspensions 257 that are slidably movable in the Y-Y direction. Each of the seven cup suspensions is a piston rod 2 that is vertically driven.
Air cylinder device 25 having downwards 562,2572
61, 571 are suspension rods, and their piston rods 256
Suction cups 2563 and 2573 are provided at the lower ends of 2,2572. In addition, as this suction cup, a known suction cup having a flexible bellows for improving the adhesion to the agricultural product to be picked up can be used.

Further, a pantograph mechanism 2547 having a servo motor 2546 as a driving means is provided as a space changing means in the seven cup suspensions shown in FIG.
The distance between the moving cup suspensions 257 that are successively adjacent to each other can be changed based on the fixed cup suspension 256.

That is, the details of the operation of this interval changing means are shown in FIG. 6, and more specifically, the fixed cup suspension 25.
6 and the moving cup suspension 2 which is the farthest from this
While the horizontal position of 57 is moved by the servomotor 2546, the adjacent intervals of the remaining cup suspensions existing between the pair of cup suspensions are equalized by the pantograph mechanism 2547 so that the intervals are changed. Is achieved.

Furthermore, suction cups 2563, 2573
Is connected to the blower 6 via a ventilation pipe 258 in this example. The connection relationship between the suction cups and the blower is shown in the system diagram of FIG.
3, 2573 is provided with the ventilation pipe 2 via the switching valves 7 and 8 on the way.
It is connected to the blower 6 by 58. That is, the switching valve 7 is provided in the middle of the ventilation pipe connected to the suction port of the blower 6, and when the circuit is opened, air is sucked into the blower 6 through the ventilation pipe. The inside of 2573 becomes a negative pressure to suck and adsorb the agricultural products, and in other cases, it is closed to release the negative pressure in the suction cup. Further, the switching valve 8 is provided in the middle of the ventilation pipe connected to the discharge port of the blower 6, and when the circuit is opened, the discharge air (positive pressure) of the blower 6 is supplied to the suction cups 2563 and 2573 to be sucked. The existing agricultural product P is released, and in other cases, it is closed to stop the positive pressure supply. Reference numeral 9 is a relief valve, which functions to adjust the pressure of the positive pressure (discharge air) supplied from the blower 6 so that the agricultural product P is appropriately removed from the suction cup so as not to damage it. In addition, 10 is a ventilation pipe 25 in the air cylinder device 2561, 257 of the cup suspension.
It is a solenoid valve for supplying air via 48.

The peripheral devices and the like provided in the fruit sorting equipment of this example will be described. Reference numeral 11 denotes a supply / discharge device for the cardboard box 5, and the empty box 5 conveyed by the empty box conveyor 111 is pushed by the pusher 112. The empty box 5 is pushed into the empty box lowering device 113 at a predetermined timing, and the empty box 5 pushed down is sent down to the boxing position 114 along the arrow shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Further, the corrugated cardboard box 5 in which the packing of the agricultural products P has been completed is discharged from the packing position 114 by an elevator (not shown) to the discharge conveyor 115.
Then, the product is conveyed to a predetermined product accumulation location by the product conveyance conveyor 116.

Next, a tray (container) lifting prevention device, which is a characteristic configuration of this embodiment, will be described.

Reference numeral 12 shown in FIGS. 8 to 9 is an engaging bracket of the tray lifting prevention device provided in the boxing lane 231 of the container pool section 23.
31 guide belts 2312 on both sides of the belt conveyor 2311
The pair of upper short pillars 121 are fixedly installed on the upper surface of the above, and a circular plate 122 is eccentrically fixed and fixed to the upper ends of the short pillars 121 so as to project inward. These engagement brackets 12 in this example are used for the container pool section 2
31 has a characteristic configuration in which a pair is provided corresponding to the stop position of each free tray 4 so that one is provided for each of the plurality of free trays 4 which are stopped / stopped by the stopper mechanism 234. As shown in FIG. 8, when the free trays 4 are stopped, the free trays 4 are arranged at the positions of the diameter lines in the lateral direction (direction perpendicular to the transport direction) of the packing lane 231. With such a configuration, when the free tray 4 is projected relatively inward, when the free tray 4 tries to float, the free tray 4 is engaged with the floating tray 4 and can be prevented from floating.
Further, by moving the center of the free tray 4 between the engaging brackets 12 which are separated from each other in the transport direction, the free tray 4 and the free tray 4 can be easily taken out upward, so that agricultural products unsuitable for boxing are mixed. If there is a problem, it can be easily removed.

According to this example, the above-mentioned engagement bracket 12
With the tray lifting prevention device made of, it is possible to reliably prevent the free tray 4 from being lifted up together when the agricultural product P is adsorbed by the adsorption cup 2563 and picked up.

That is, in the agricultural product sorting / sorting apparatus using the free tray, a soft rubber material or the like is formed to have a mortar-shaped recess so that the agricultural product can be stably placed without being damaged. Ordinarily, a vertical through hole is often provided in the center of the recess for measuring a predetermined grade element and class element. For these reasons, the agricultural product P to be placed may be tightly fitted into the concave portion of the free tray 4 and may not come out easily. Then, in the suction-suspension-type boxing device using the suction cup 2563 of this example, when the agricultural product P on the free tray 4 is picked up (lifted), the agricultural product tends to be slightly pushed downward, and therefore, a tight fit is caused. It is rare that the tray 4 is lifted up and becomes hard to come off, and the tray 4 floats up together with the agricultural product P. However, in this example, since the engaging bracket 12 for preventing tray floating up is provided as described above, This problem can be definitely solved.

Therefore, it is possible to prevent improper packing of the tray 4 due to the lifted tray 4, damage to other agricultural products P due to the tray 4 dropping in the middle, malfunction of peripheral devices, and the like. The tray may be disturbed in the aligned state, resulting in defective delivery to the carry-out conveyor 235, but this problem can be prevented.

The engaging bracket 12 in this example is
In order to cope with the case where up to 28 balls of 7 pieces x 4 rows may be packed, it is possible to prevent the floating of the free tray 4 in the waiting state for batch transfer of 7 pieces in one row.
As shown in FIG. 3, seven pairs are provided at predetermined positions spaced apart from each other.

The boxing work of the agricultural products P by the fruit selection equipment having the above configuration will be described below.

The size of the class element is measured by the measuring device 3 while the agricultural product P is being carried on the free conveyor 4 on the carrying conveyor 1 and is determined to be size L based on this measurement information. The free tray 4 on which the agricultural products P are placed is sent to the main lane 221 of the branch conveyor 22 by the discharging device 21 on the left side of FIG. In addition, the free tray 4 on which the agricultural products P determined to be the size M are placed
Is a branch conveyor 22 by the discharge device 21 on the right side of FIG.
Is sent to and accumulated in the main lane 221. As described above, when the main lane becomes full, the surplus is sent to the auxiliary lane 222. The stopper mechanism 223 arranged at the end of each of these lanes
Is in a state of stopping the free tray 4.

The number of free trays 4 thus accumulated in the main lane is counted by a sensor (not shown),
In the case of FIG. 3, in the initial stage of operation, when one carton box for packing in one cardboard box 5 is accumulated in the main lane, the stopper mechanism 223 at the end is retracted,
Boxed lane 2 via sending lanes 232 and 233
The free tray 4 for one box is sent to 31 and stopped in a boxing waiting state. Specifically, when 24 free trays 4 are accumulated in the main lane 221 connected to the discharging device 21 on the right side of FIG. 3, the stopper mechanism 223 is retracted and the free tray 4 on which the agricultural products of size M are placed. Is fed to the boxing lane 231, and on the other hand, when 20 free trays 4 are accumulated in the main lane 221, which is connected to the discharging device 21 on the left side of FIG. 3, the stopper mechanism 223 is retracted and the agricultural product of size L is evacuated. The loaded free tray 4 is sent to the packing lane 231. It should be noted that which of these lanes can be prioritized for tray feeding can be determined based on an appropriate control concept, but it is preferable to prioritize the lane from which a predetermined number of counts have been obtained by a sensor camera (not shown). It is common.

In the state shown in FIG. 3, one box of the free tray 4 (2
4) are sent to the box lane 231.

It should be noted that whether the size of the agricultural product to be sent out after sending one box is the size L or the size M is detected by the sensor camera (not shown) or the like. It is sufficient to control so that the packing process can be efficiently performed by computer analysis such as the difference in the stacking speed based on.

As described above, the free trays 4 corresponding to one box of agricultural products P are sent, and the agricultural products P on the free trays 4 on standby in the boxing lane 231 which is the container pool section 23 are sequentially lined up one by one. Each box packing operation is performed by the articulated work robot 25 as shown in FIG.

That is, with respect to the empty cardboard box 5 at the packing position 114 sent by the supply / discharge device 11,
First, the work robot 25 operates the arm mechanism to pick up the tray pack 243 for 24 balls (pieces) with the suction cup in the state of the position / posture A shown by the solid line in FIG. At this time, the rotator 245 of the tray pack loading section 24
The ball (piece) tray pack 243 is placed in a state of being close to the boxing lane 231 (state of FIG. 3). In addition,
The tray pack 243 is picked up by narrowing the gap between the cup suspensions 256 and 257 as shown in FIG. This ensures that the tray pack is picked up. The picked up tray pack 243 is inserted into the cardboard box 5 at the boxing position 114 by moving the arm mechanism of the work robot 25 to the position / posture B shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. It is preferable that the tray pack inserting operation is started immediately when the rank of the agricultural products P to be sent to the boxing lane 231 is determined.

As described above, the tray pack (the tray pack 24 for the size M in the above example of the state) is set at the boxing position 114.
3) The corrugated cardboard box 5 having been inserted is on standby, and the free tray 4 containing the produce P is stopped in the packing lane 231. By the work robot 25 that transfers the produce P from the free tray 4 to the box. Boxing work of agricultural products is started.

At this time, the work robot 25 of this example has a total of seven cup suspensions (one fixed cup suspension 256 and six movable cup suspensions 257), whereas the work robot 25 is suspended. Since the number of the agricultural products P to be picked up is 6, the extra cup hanging body for one piece, that is, the suction cup 2573 of the moving cup hanging body 257 farthest from the fixed cup hanging body 256,
The air cylinder device 2571 is used to retreat upward from the normal agricultural product transfer operation position so that the agricultural product P cannot be involved in operations such as pick-up and transfer. This state is shown in Figure 4.
Is shown in Further, the positions and intervals at which the cup suspensions 256 and 257 are suitable for adsorbing and suspending and picking up the agricultural products P on the six free trays 4 that are on standby / stopped in the boxing lane 231 of the air cylinder device 2542. Actuation and actuation of pantograph mechanism 2547.

The arm mechanism having the six cup suspensions controlled in this way is moved to the position / posture C shown by the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 2, and the suction cups 2563 and 2573 move the six agricultural products P in a row. Adsorb and collect. It should be noted that the floating of the free tray 4 together with the picking up is prevented by the engaging bracket 12 of the above-mentioned tray lifting preventing device, so that only the agricultural products are reliably picked up.

Next, the work robot 25 for sucking and suspending the picked-up agricultural product P moves the cup suspenders 256 and 257 to the boxing position by controlling the posture of the arm mechanism. In the middle of this movement, the pantograph mechanism 25
By the operation of 47, the adjacent intervals of the one row of cup suspensions 256 and 257 are changed to a state suitable for box packing. This changed state is shown in FIG. The empty free tray 4 from which the agricultural product P has been picked up is sent out to the carry-out conveyor 235 with the stopper mechanism 234 retracting. At this time, in this example, as described above, the tray lifting prevention device (the engagement bracket 1
By 2), the free tray 4 is stable in the packing lane 231 without disturbing its posture and the like, so that the free tray 4 can be reliably delivered without causing the delivery failure to the carry-out conveyor 235, and the operating efficiency is lowered. There is an advantage that there is no.

Then, the free tray 4 on which the succeeding agricultural products P are placed is moved to the boxing lane 231 and stopped by the returned stopper mechanism 234 to stand by for the next boxing. Then, the work robot 25 in which the adjacent space of the cup suspension is widened in the state of FIG. 4 performs the packing work of the agricultural products P in the second row.

In the present example, the above work is continuously carried out for four rows as shown in FIG. 12, whereby the boxing work for one box is completed, and the box 5 at the end of the work is discharged to the discharge conveyor 11.
5 is conveyed to a predetermined product accumulation place via the product conveyance conveyor 116.

On the other hand, as the next packing operation, the empty boxes 5 are supplied to the packing position 114, a predetermined number of the free trays 4 on which the agricultural products P are placed on the packing lane 231 are fed, and a predetermined tray pack (242 or 243) is loaded. Inserting into the box 5,
A series of work is carried out: picking up and packing boxes of agricultural products in rows. At this time, when packing the agricultural products of size L, the tray pack 242 is used to obtain 5 pieces ×
Since the boxes are packed in an array pattern of four rows, the second cup suspension 257 from the left side in FIG. 4 is also the cup suspension 257 at the left end.
It is necessary to retreat to the same retreat state, and the packing state of agricultural products is in a staggered state and the degree of change of the adjacent interval of the cup suspension body is also different, but according to the device of this example, these change controls are also possible. , The second air cylinder device 25 from the left
The second cup suspension 257 can be retracted only by operating 71, and when changing the arrangement pattern, the air cylinder device 2542 is operated row by row to move the suction cup holder 254 to the Y-Y line in FIG. Direction,
In addition, it can be performed extremely simply by adjusting the operation of the pantograph mechanism 2547.

The present example described above is for the case where the arrangement pattern for box packing is 20 pieces (pieces) and 24 pieces (pieces), but the arrangement pattern for boxing is not limited to these. Absent. Furthermore, one work robot 2
The type of the packing arrangement pattern that the 5 is responsible for can also be one or a plurality different from those in the drawing. For example, 4 types (1
In the case of 8 balls, 20 balls, 24 balls, and 28 balls), the tray pack stacking unit 24 can be configured to stand by for stacking four types of tray packs. Further, this array pattern can be various packing numbers and array patterns as shown in FIG. 13 as an example, and any of these array patterns shown in FIG. The work robot 25 having seven cup suspensions in a row is a highly versatile device that can be used in common.

As described above, the agricultural product boxing apparatus of this embodiment uses the suction cups for a predetermined number of the agricultural products on the free trays 4 which are stopped and waiting in line in the tray (container) pool section 23. The problem that the free tray 4 is lifted together with the produce when the transfer box is packed by the suction suspension method can be reliably prevented by the engagement bracket 12 that is the tray lifting prevention device, so that the lifted tray falls. It is possible to prevent damages to peripheral devices and agricultural products due to the above, and to bring advantages such as interruption of the packing operation and no defective delivery of the free tray 4 after transfer. Further, since the engaging brackets 12 are provided at intervals for each free tray in this example, the position of the free tray 4 is slightly shifted when removing unsuitable agricultural products if they are found unsuitable for packaging. There is also an advantage that it can be easily done by simply doing. Further, since the engagement bracket 12 has a mechanical structure that does not operate, there is an advantage that maintenance and inspection are not particularly required.

Embodiment 2 In this embodiment shown in FIG. 14, the tray lifting prevention device shown in FIG. 8 of Embodiment 1 is replaced by the entire length of the boxing lane 231 of the tray (container) pool section 23.
A rail 132, which is an engaging bracket 13 for preventing the floating of the free tray 4 fed to the boxing lane 231, is provided along the upper surfaces of the both side guide walls 3312 so as to engage with the upper surface of the free tray. Is. Reference numeral 131 is a short column that supports the rail 132.

With this configuration, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained, and there is an advantage that it can be applied as it is to an apparatus using free trays of different sizes.

Embodiment 3 In this embodiment shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, a container pool section 230 is provided at the end of a branch line 220 branched from the conveyor 1, and a free tray 4 is stopped and waited in a plurality of rows. FIG. 7 shows a structure in which the transfer device of the present invention is applied to a boxing device for box-packing the agricultural products of FIG.

The box packing device in this example is the conveyor 1
By the discharging device 21 provided at a predetermined position, the free trays 4 on which the agricultural products of the class etc. corresponding to the sorting category are placed are evenly distributed to the parallel branch conveyors 221 and 221 and discharged, and the stopper mechanism provided at the end thereof. 2230, 22
Branch line 22 provided to temporarily wait at 30
0 and the pair of stopper mechanisms 22 of the branch line 220
A certain number of free trays 4 when 30 is released from standby
Tray (container) pool section 230 for receiving and stopping and waiting for boxing, and this tray pool section 230
The main device is an adsorption type boxing device 30 that batches a predetermined number (in this example, 3 pieces × 6 pieces in 2 rows) of which are on standby at.

The tray pool section 230 receives the free trays 4 in two rows, and also has a common belt conveyor 2310 which can be rotated in forward and reverse directions so as to be sent to the carry-out conveyor 2350 as shown in FIG. In order to prevent the free trays 3 of 3 pieces × 2 rows from floating, FIG.
And guide walls 2312 on both sides as shown in FIG.
Engaging brackets 120, 120 fixed to the upper surface of 0
And an engaging bracket 121 fixed to the upper surface of the central guide wall 23121.
The engaging bracket 120 has the same structure as the engaging bracket 12 described in the first embodiment, and the engaging bracket 121 is provided on both sides as shown in the figure so as to engage the free trays on both sides on the short column. It has a structure in which an oval plate protruding inward is fixed.

Further, in these figures, reference numeral 40 designates a tray 4 which is emptied by sucking and picking up agricultural products from a horizontal position (see P in FIG. 16) for receiving the tray of the belt conveyor 2310. The unloading conveyor 2350
16 shows a cylinder device for switching to a position of an inclined posture (see Q in FIG. 16) to be delivered to the tray pool portion 2.
The pin at the center of inclination of 310 is shown. 2360 is a return conveyor, 110 is a cardboard box supply / discharge device, 11
30 is an empty box lowering device, 1150 is a discharge conveyor, 116
Reference numeral 0 denotes a product conveyor, and 50 denotes a cardboard box. In addition, the suction type packaging device 30 of this example has three
This is an apparatus of a system in which a total of 6 agricultural products in a unit of 2 rows are packed in a box, and is configured using, for example, those disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 3-256820 and 4-352618. The structure of this suction type packaging device 30 can be moved by a rolling roller 305 on a rail 304 assembled to a fixed frame (not shown), and an air cylinder device 308 can be used to pick up agricultural products (see FIG. 16). A platform (not shown), which is adapted to be moved between a solid line position) and a boxing position (position indicated by a chain double-dashed line in FIG. 16), is a vertically moving air cylinder 30.
1 and the vertical movement guides 302, 302 are provided with a suction cup interval adjusting device 303 suspended vertically so that six suction cup interval adjusting devices 303 hang downward from the suction cup interval adjusting device 303 (in FIG. (Only three are shown)
The suction cup 306 at the lower end of the suspension rod 307 is provided to suck and suspend agricultural products. A total of 6 agricultural products of 3 × 2 rows are collectively transferred and boxed by the adsorption type boxing device 30 having such a configuration.

Also in the apparatus of this example, the free tray 4 stopped / standby in the tray pool section 230 so as to be transferred all at once is raised by the engagement bracket 120,
Since the agricultural product is blocked by 121, the lifting of the agricultural product is surely blocked when the agricultural product is lifted by the suction cup 306, and thus the above-mentioned various problems associated with the lifting are prevented, that is, the floating tray is dropped. The advantage that peripheral devices are not damaged, agricultural products are damaged, boxing work is interrupted, defective delivery of the free tray 4 after transfer, etc. does not occur, and the engaging bracket 12 is provided.
Since 0 and 121 are spaced for each free tray, it is easy to remove the free tray 4 in case any unsuitable agricultural product is found in the box, and it has a non-operating mechanical structure. There is also the advantage that no maintenance is required.

Embodiment 4 In this embodiment shown in FIG. 18, the container floating prevention device of Embodiment 2 is replaced by a free tray 4 in a boxing standby state.
From the one side in the lateral direction of the conveyance direction to the air cylinder device 14
This is a floating prevention device of the type in which the free tray 4 is pressed against the guide wall 2312 on the opposite side by pressing with.

The floating prevention device of this structure also has the same effect of preventing the floating as described above, and the removal of the free tray 4 should the removal of the free tray 4 if an unsuitable agricultural product is found in the box. There is an advantage that it can be performed very easily by releasing.

Although the embodiments of the invention have been described by the above examples, the invention of the present application is not limited to these embodiments. For example, it can also be applied to a sorting apparatus of a system using a free tray on which a plurality of agricultural products are mounted.

[0085]

[Effects of the Invention] According to the inventions described in the claims of the present application, it is possible to reliably prevent the container from rising when picking up agricultural products, thereby improving the operation efficiency of the device and speeding up the processing. In addition to the effect of eliminating the trouble in the transfer device and eliminating the need for a worker for monitoring, the following effects are further achieved.

According to claim 1 of the present application, a container having a placing part for placing agricultural products, a conveying means for conveying the container in a removable state from a conveying surface, and a plurality of discharging means for discharging the conveying means. A container pool unit for arranging the containers in one row or a plurality of rows, and an agricultural product transfer means for collectively moving one row or a plurality of rows of the agricultural products from the plurality of containers arranged in the container pool unit to a predetermined transfer destination, According to the invention provided with the container floating prevention means for preventing each container from being lifted apart from the transportation surface of the transportation means when the agricultural products are collectively picked up by the agricultural products transfer means, according to the invention. It is possible to prevent the container from floating together with the agricultural product when collectively collecting the agricultural product from the plurality of containers waiting in the container pool section. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the floating container from interfering with the transfer of agricultural products, and to prevent the floating container from falling to damage peripheral devices or damage the agricultural products.

A container having a placing part for placing the agricultural product according to claim 2, a conveying means for conveying the container in a removable state from the conveying surface, and a container provided in the middle or the end position of the conveying means. An agricultural product pick-up position, an agricultural product transfer means for picking up each agricultural product from one or a plurality of containers at the agricultural product pick-up position and moving the agricultural product to a predetermined transfer destination, and a container at the time of picking up an agricultural product by the agricultural product transfer means. According to the invention, characterized in that it is provided with a container floating prevention means for preventing the floating away from the pick-up position, when picking up the agricultural product from the container on the transfer means and transferring it to a predetermined transfer destination, The same effects as the transfer operation trouble prevention, peripheral device damage prevention, and agricultural product damage prevention can be obtained.

According to the invention of claim 3, the container lifting prevention means is engaged with the upper surface or the side surface of each container to prevent the lifting of the container by using an engaging means such as a rail. Can be formed as a mechanically engaged structure with a simple structure, and because it has no moving parts, it has excellent durability and is easy to maintain.

According to the invention of claim 4, wherein the container floating prevention means uses a permanent magnet or the like which acts on the container with magnetic force to prevent the container from floating, the floating of the container is prevented without contact. In particular, by having a configuration in which a permanent magnet or the like is provided below the container support surface such as the container pool portion for picking up agricultural products, a structure that does not interfere with the operation of picking up and transferring agricultural products can be achieved.

According to the invention of claim 5, the engagement means or the magnetic force acting means for preventing the container from rising can be switched between a state in which the container is prevented from rising and a state in which the blocking is released. When an unsuitable agricultural product is found, the container can be manually removed by removing the lifting prevention by the engaging means or the like. In addition, in a facility that employs a suction suspension means as the agricultural product transfer means for picking up and transferring agricultural products, negative pressure and positive pressure supply sources such as blowers can be shared as the power source of the actuator.

According to the invention in each of the above-mentioned constitutions of claim 6, the container floating prevention means is provided independently for each of a plurality of containers which collectively pick up agricultural products by the agricultural product transfer means. It is possible to manually remove the container in which the unsuitable agricultural product is found in the box by simply shifting the container from the position of the floating prevention means.

According to the invention which is applied to the agricultural product transfer apparatus having the suction-and-hold system of the seventh aspect, the following effects can be obtained. That is, in this suction suspension method, since the suction cup is pressed against the suction cup, the produce may be fitted into the recess of the saucer (container) made of a soft material so as not to damage the produce, and the produce may be lifted. Sometimes there is a problem that the saucer floats up in the mating relationship and interferes with the boxing operation, or the saucer falls in the middle and damages peripheral devices and other agricultural products, but the saucer (container) rises up. In the invention that can be prevented, this problem can be reliably solved.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a fruit sorting field in which a large number of agricultural product boxing devices according to the first embodiment to which the agricultural product transfer device of the present invention is applied are arranged in parallel.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the agricultural product packaging apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the agricultural product boxing device of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state in which a row of lump-shaped agricultural products is suction-suspended by a pick-up means having a row of suction pads.

5 is a side view of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a plan view for explaining the pantograph mechanism of FIG.

FIG. 7 is a system diagram showing a negative pressure and positive pressure supply system to the suction cup and a pressurized air supply system to the air cylinder device in the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a part of a container lifting prevention device provided in the container pool section of the first embodiment.

9 is an enlarged perspective view showing one of the container lifting prevention devices of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a front view showing a state in which one tray pack is picked up from the stacked tray pack group by the pick-up means.

FIG. 11 is a front view showing a state in which a row of lump-shaped fruits and vegetables is adsorbed and hung by the pick-up means in FIG. 4 and transferred to a box container.

FIG. 12 is a view for explaining a procedure of repeatedly transferring the spherical-lump-shaped agricultural products in the box container in a four-row array pattern one by one by the pick-up means.

13A to 13C are views showing various arrangement patterns that can be picked up and boxed by the apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view for explaining the container lifting prevention device according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a plan view of the agricultural product packaging apparatus of the third embodiment to which the transfer apparatus of the present invention is applied.

16 is a front view of the agricultural product packaging apparatus according to the third embodiment of FIG. 15. FIG.

FIG. 17 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of the container rising prevention device provided in the container pool portion of the third embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view for explaining the container rising prevention device according to the fourth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... transport conveyor, 2 ₁ to 2 ₈ ... splitter box stuffing line, 3 ... measuring device, 4: free tray, 5 ...
・ Box (cardboard box), 6 ... Blower, 7, 8 ...
Switching valve, 9 ... Relief valve, 10 ... Solenoid valve, 11
... Cardboard box supply / discharge device, 12 ... Engagement bracket, 21 ... Ejection device, 211 ... Rotating table, 212 ... Electromagnetic attracting part, 213 ... Exciting means, 214, 215 ... Excitation releasing means, 22 ... Branch conveyor, 221 ... Main lane, 222 ... Auxiliary lane, 223 ... Stopper mechanism, 23 ... Container pool section, 231 ... Box packing Lane, 2311 ... Belt conveyor, 2312 ... Guide wall, 232, 233
... Feed-in lane, 234 ... Stopper mechanism, 2
35 ... carry-out conveyor, 236 ... return conveyor,
24 ... Tray pack stacking unit, 241 ... Rotation cradle, 242, 243 ... Tray pack, 244 ...
Support frame 245 ... Rotator, 25 ... Work robot, 251 ... Main body, 252 ... Root link mechanism,
253 ... Tip link mechanism, 254 ... Suction cup holder, 2541 ... Rail, 2542 ... Air cylinder device, 2543 ... Piston rod, 2546
... Servo motor, 2547 ... Pantograph mechanism, 2548 ... Ventilation tube, 255 ... Bracket,
2551 ... Bracket bottom plate, 256 ... Fixed cup suspension, 2561, ... Air cylinder device, 2562
... Piston rod, 2563 ... Suction cup, 2
57 ... Moving cup suspension, 2571 ... Air cylinder device, 2572 ... Piston rod, 2573 ...
・ Suction cup, 258 ... Vent pipe, 111 ... Empty box conveyor, 112 ... Pusher, 113 ...
Empty box lowering device, 114 ... Box packing position, 115 ...
Discharge conveyor, 116 ... Product conveyor.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A container having a placing part for placing agricultural products, a transport means for transporting the container in a removable state from a transport surface, and a plurality of containers discharged from the transport means in a line or in a plurality. By means of a container pool unit arranged in a row, a plurality of containers arranged in the container pool unit, and an agricultural product transfer means for collectively picking up one or more rows of agricultural products to a predetermined transfer destination, and an agricultural product transfer means An apparatus for transferring agricultural products, comprising container floating prevention means for preventing each container from being lifted away from the transportation surface of the transportation means when picking up agricultural products at once. 2. A container having a placing portion for mounting agricultural products, a transporting device for transporting the container in a removable state from a transporting surface, and a agricultural product pick-up provided at an intermediate or end position of the transporting device. A position, an agricultural product transfer means for picking up each agricultural product from one or a plurality of containers at the agricultural product picking position and moving the agricultural product to a predetermined transfer destination, and a container picking position when the agricultural product is picked up by the agricultural product transfer means. An apparatus for transferring agricultural products, comprising: a container floating prevention means for preventing the container from floating apart. 3. The agricultural product according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the container floating prevention means is constituted by an engaging means that engages with an upper surface or a side surface of each container to prevent the container from rising. Transfer device. 4. The agricultural product according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the container floating prevention means is constituted by a magnetic force acting means for preventing lifting of the container by acting a magnetic force on each container. Transfer device. 5. The engagement means or magnetic force acting means for preventing the container from rising according to claim 3 or 4 is provided so as to be switchable between a state in which the container is prevented from rising and a state in which the blocking is released. Characteristic agricultural product transfer device. 6. The container floating prevention means according to claim 1, wherein the container floating prevention means is provided independently for each of a plurality of containers for collectively picking up agricultural products by the agricultural product transfer means. A transfer device for agricultural products characterized by the above. 7. The agricultural product transfer means according to claim 1, wherein the agricultural product transfer means for picking up the agricultural product and transferring it to a predetermined transfer destination has a suction cup as a means for picking up the agricultural product to suck the agricultural product under negative pressure. A transfer device for agricultural products characterized by the above.