JPH1053213A - Direction-of-calyx arranging apparatus for vegetable and fruit with calyx - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a direction-of-calyx arranging apparatus for vegetables and fruits with calyxes, capable of saving worker's labor by reliably inverting only the vegetables and fruits whose calyxes are turned upward. SOLUTION: A posture determination means for determining the position of calyxes of vegetables and fruits is provided above a first conveyor 5 to determine whether the calyxes 2a of vegetables and fruits 2, which are conveyed by the conveyor 5, are turned upward or downward. In the case where the vegetables and fruits 2, for which it is determined by the posture determination means that their calyxes 2a are positioned on the upside thereof, are transferred from the first conveyor 5 to a second conveyor 8, the side of a starting end portion 8a of the second conveyor 8 is allowed to descend to a position lower than that of the conveyance face of the first conveyor 5, and it is so arranged that the corresponding vegetables and fruits 2 are inverted by utilizing a difference in the level between both the conveyors.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for aligning curled fruits and vegetables, such as persimmons and tomatoes, in a flat shape and easy to roll.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a sorting and packaging facility that sorts fruits and vegetables into boxes and packages and ships them, when packing fruits and vegetables into boxes, first, fruits and vegetables conveyed are sorted on a sorting conveyor in terms of grade (color, scratches, etc.). And the class (classification by size and weight) and the conveyors (draw-out conveyors) corresponding to each classification are transported to the boxing device at a predetermined position. In this case, since the boxing operation is automatically performed by the boxing device using the suction disk, it is preferable that the upper side of the fruits and vegetables absorbed by the suction disk has a smooth surface. Also, in order to improve the appearance, it is preferable that the fruits and vegetables are aligned in a certain direction by, for example, aligning all of the fruits and vegetables to the lower side.

[0003] For this reason, in the case of sticky fruits and vegetables, in particular, in the case of persimmons and tomatoes having a slightly flattened side and a rounded portion on the opposite side to the spatula, before the boxes are packed, The side must be facing down. For this purpose, as a device to align the vegetables and fruits being transported to the lower side,
Various types have been developed, and among them,
There is an apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 125903.

That is, in this apparatus, a rotary brush having a cylindrical shape as a whole or an elastic curtain made of rubber or the like is arranged on a conveyor so as to be orthogonal to the conveying direction. When the fruit or vegetable being transported is on the upper side, a rotating brush or an elastic curtain is hooked on the side of the fruit or a rolling force is generated by contact friction to reverse the fruit or vegetable. .

[0005]

However, in the above device, the rolling force applied to the fruits and vegetables is uneven due to the shape of the fruits and vegetables, and the fruits and vegetables are accelerated more than necessary and rotate once to return to the original state. However, there has been a problem in that an object that does not need to be inverted may be inverted.

For this reason, as an apparatus for solving the above-mentioned problems, the applicant of the present application has already developed an apparatus disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-331. In this apparatus, a curtain member is hung from a support member provided above the conveyor, and a net is hung so as to cover a conveying surface of the conveyor by a predetermined length.

[0007] For this reason, the conveyed fruits and vegetables are first turned upside down by contact with the lower end of the curtain member so as to face down. If fruits and vegetables that pass under the curtain member while facing upwards without facing downwards, they should be hooked on the nets and inverted when passing under the nets. It is to become.

[0008] However, even in this apparatus, the mesh is disengaged during the reversal, or the mesh is not caught when the shed is in close contact with or crushed the fruits and vegetables. It didn't work. As described above, fruits and vegetables transported with their backs turned upward are brought into an appropriate state by manual correction work, but this work is complicated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object to provide a device for aligning a curled fruit and vegetables to a curl that can surely reverse only the fruit and vegetables facing upward. .

[0010]

To achieve the above object, the inventor of the present invention has proposed that in order to ensure that fruits and vegetables that have turned upward are inverted, rolling force is applied to all the fruits and vegetables. It is more effective to apply a constant rolling power only to the fruits and vegetables that are turned upside down, instead of engaging the members for inverting the fruits and vegetables, etc. I focused on the target. As a result of extensive efforts, the present invention was completed.

That is, according to the present invention, the first conveyor is provided with a posture determining device for determining the position of the fruit or vegetable, so that it is possible to determine whether the conveyed fruit or vegetable is upward or downward. A second conveyor is provided at the end of the first conveyor so that the start of the second conveyor can be moved up and down.

[0012] Therefore, when transferring the fruits and vegetables determined to be on the upper side by the posture determination device from the first conveyor to the second conveyor, the starting end of the second conveyor is moved to the first conveyor. Can be lowered to a position lower than the conveying surface of the conveyor, and the fruits and vegetables can be inverted using the steps of the two conveyors. In the case of fruits and vegetables that are determined to be located on the lower side, the fruits and vegetables are kept as they are by maintaining the height of the second conveyor at substantially the same height as the transport surface of the first conveyor. It can be transported while maintaining its posture.

In addition, a rotating roll that moves up and down in conjunction with the start end of the second conveyor may be provided above the start end of the second conveyor. Thus, when the second conveyor receives the fruit or vegetables determined to be located on the upper side, the rotating roll also descends along with the start end of the second conveyor, and the peripheral surface of the rotating roll is transferred. Will rotate in a state of sliding contact with the upper side.

As a result, the rolling of the fruits and vegetables to be reversed by the step of the first conveyor and the second conveyor is assisted by the rotating rolls in a guided state, so that the fruits and vegetables can be more reliably reversed. Become. Furthermore, by making the rotation peripheral speed of the rotating roll faster than the transport speed of the second conveyor, the rolling force applied to the fruits and vegetables is increased, and more effective rolling force is generated. Further, in this case, it is preferable that the transport speed of the second conveyor be substantially equal to or slightly higher than the transport speed of the first conveyor. As a result, the interval between the fruits and vegetables to be inverted and the fruits and vegetables conveyed on the front side thereof can be maintained in an appropriate state in which the fruits and vegetables do not come into contact with each other.

[0015]

Next, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show a sorting and boxing device provided with a device for aligning hatched fruits and vegetables according to the present invention. That is, in the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a tilting bucket type sorting conveyor, and a persimmon 2 is provided on the upper surface thereof.
Are provided with a large number of buckets 3 on which one can be placed one by one.

The sorting conveyor 1 is a persimmon 2 whose grade and rank are determined by a determining device (not shown).
(Not shown) according to grade and grade along the conveying path of the sorting conveyor 1 in order to sort the products by grade and grade
And a plurality of draw-out conveyors 4 (only one is shown) corresponding to each discharging device (not shown).
Are arranged at the start end side. The persimmon 2 which is discriminated by the discriminating device (not shown) and whose grade and rank are discriminated and conveyed on the sorting conveyor 1 is not shown when passing through the corresponding conveyer 4 for each grade and grade. By the operation of the discharge device, the bucket 3 tilts and falls on the upper surface of the draw-out conveyor 4.

Reference numeral 5 denotes a first conveyor disposed on the end side of the draw-out conveyor 4, and has on its upper surface two drop-preventing extension members extending from the upper surface of the start end on both sides of the draw-out conveyor 4. A side plate 6 and four bar-shaped partition members 6 a extending from substantially the center of the draw-out conveyor 4 and provided at equal intervals between the two side plates 6 are provided. The persimmons 2 are conveyed in parallel to the portions partitioned by the side plates 6 and the partition members 6a.

Reference numeral 7 denotes five color sensors arranged above the first conveyor 5 so as to be orthogonal to the conveying direction. The color sensor 7 determines the direction of the persimmon 2 conveyed in five rows on the first conveyor 5 according to the color of the upper surface of the persimmon 2. If a green portion is detected, the persimmon 2 is detected. Reference numeral 2 denotes a posture in which the hump 2a faces upward, and if a persimmon color is detected, the persimmon 2 is determined to be in a posture in which the hump 2a faces downward.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a second conveyor disposed at the end of the first conveyor 5, and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the start end 8 of the second conveyor is actuated by the operation of an air cylinder 8c.
The side a can be moved up and down. Then, two stays 81 are erected in parallel on both sides of the second conveyor 8 on the starting end 8a side,
A hole drilled at the upper end (hidden and invisible in the figure)
A rotatable shaft 9a of a sponge rotary roll 9 is rotatably engaged.

The rotating roll 9 has a gap between the lower end of its peripheral surface and the conveying surface of the second conveyor 8.
c is kept constant irrespective of the operation of c, and the interval is set so as to be slightly narrower than the height of the state in which the persimmon 2 is turned sideways (the state in which the spatula 2a is turned forward or backward). I have.

The rotating roll 9 has a rotating shaft 9
a between the a and the rotating shaft 8b of the second conveyor 8
b is crossed in a crossed state, and rotates with the traveling of the second conveyor 8. The rotating roll 9 rotates in a clockwise direction opposite to the second conveyor 8.

The circumferential speed of the rotating roll 9 can be changed by changing the diameter of the rotating shaft 9a. In this case, the circumferential speed of the rotating roll 9 is adjusted to the second speed.
Is set to be slightly higher than the transport speed of the conveyor 8. The transport speed of the second conveyor 8 is the first speed.
Is set to be slightly higher than the transport speed of the conveyor 5.

The device for aligning the curly fruits and vegetables according to the present invention is mainly composed of the first conveyor 5, the color sensor 7, the second conveyor 8, and the rotating roll 9, and is provided with a drawer. When the color sensor 7 determines that the edge 2a of the persimmon 2 transferred from the conveyor 4 to the first conveyor 5 is on the upper side, the start signal 8a of the second conveyor 8 descends upon receiving the determination signal. It is supposed to.

As a result, when the persimmon 2 moves from the first conveyor 5 to the second conveyor 8, it tends to rotate counterclockwise as shown in FIG. . Then, the persimmon 2 is turned sideways and its height is increased by this rotation, so that the upper end of the persimmon 2 comes into contact with the lower end of the rotating roll 9 descending in conjunction with the second conveyor 8.

At this time, since the peripheral speed of the rotary roll 9 is set faster than the transport speed of the second conveyor 8, the momentum of the persimmon 2 to rotate in the counterclockwise direction increases, and FIG. B. For this reason, the persimmon 2 is surely inverted, and becomes the state of c with the spatula 2a directed downward, and is transported on the second conveyor 8 in this state.

On the other hand, when being transported on the first conveyor 5, the persimmon 2, which has been determined by the color sensor 7 to be on the lower side, is transferred from the first conveyor 5 to the second conveyor 8. When moving, the second conveyor 8 does not descend, and the transport surface of the first conveyor 5 and the transport surface of the second conveyor 8 are kept flush as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. .

Therefore, the persimmon 2 is transported to the second conveyor 8 with the cinch 2a facing down. In this case, the rotating roll 9 is located above, and
Does not come into contact with the persimmon 2 in a low state with the lip facing down. Even if the persimmon 2 is large and comes into contact with the rotating roll 9,
Since the rotating roll 9 is made of sponge, the contact portion with the persimmon 2 bends, and only a small rolling force is applied to the persimmon 2, so that the persimmon 2 is not inverted and the second conveyer 8 is kept as it is. To the downstream side of

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 10 denotes a relay conveyor, and the persimmon 2 conveyed from the second conveyor 8.
Is sent to the alignment storage device 11 provided on the downstream side. The alignment storage device 11 includes a roller conveyor 12 whose storage surface is formed by rotatably connecting a plurality of small-diameter rollers, and has on its upper surface a side plate 6 extending from the upper surface of the draw-out conveyor 4 and a partition member 6a. Extend to the end of the roller conveyor 12.

A plate-like stopper 13 is provided at the end of the side plate 6 and the partition member 6a so as to close the transport path of the persimmon 2. Therefore, the relay conveyor 10
The persimmons 2 transported through the stopper stop in the aligned state sequentially from the stopper 13 toward the upstream side and are stored. A lifter 14 that can be moved up and down is provided at the end of the alignment storage device 11, and a cardboard box 15 for packing is placed on the lifter 14.

A box packing device 16 is provided above the cardboard box 15 and the alignment storage device 11. In this box packing device 16, the suction unit 19 supported on the frame base 18 via the guide wheel 17 moves up and down by the operation of the vertically arranged cylinder 20,
By the operation of the cylinder 21 disposed horizontally, the cylinder 21 can be moved between the alignment storage device 11 and the cardboard box 15.

The box packing device 16 is a sensor (not shown) for detecting the persimmon 2 stored in the alignment storage device 11.
When this sensor detects that a predetermined number of persimmons 2 are stored in the alignment storage device 11, the suction portion 19 of the box packing device 16 moves to the alignment storage device 11 side and descends, Adsorb to persimmon 2. Then, the persimmon 2 rises while adsorbing the persimmon 2 and moves to the cardboard box 15 side.
House persimmon 2 inside.

By repeating the above operation, the cardboard box 15
When the persimmon 2 reaches a predetermined amount, the lifter 14 descends, and the box conveyor 22 extended below the alignment storage device 11.
Then, the cardboard box 15 is transferred. Then, the corrugated cardboard box 15 is further transferred to a product transport conveyor 23 disposed downstream thereof and shipped.

As described above, according to the sorting / boxing device provided with the device for aligning the sticky fruits and vegetables according to the present invention, the persimmon 2 is surely conveyed from the sorting conveyor 1 to the boxing device 16. The blade 2a can be turned downward. Therefore, the labor of inverting the persimmon 2 with the waste 2a facing upward by hand can be omitted.

In the above example, the rotating roll 9 is provided to assist the reversing operation of the persimmon 2. However, the rotating roll 9 is not always necessary, and the lowering of the second conveyor 8 is performed. If the distance is set such that a sufficient level difference occurs for the persimmon 2 to be inverted, the rotating roll 9 may not be particularly provided.

In this case, the transport speed of the second conveyor 8 can be made slower than the transport speed of the first conveyor 5, so that the persimmon 2 to be transported can be braked to increase its reversal momentum. However, at this time, it is preferable to widen the interval between the persimmons 2 so that the inverted persimmons 2 do not come into contact with the persimmons 2 that are being transported in front of them.

When the rotating roll 9 is provided, the material is not limited to sponge, but any material can be used, but a material such as a brush roller having flexibility so as to be bent by pressing force is more preferable. Furthermore, it goes without saying that not only persimmon 2 but also tomato and any other fruits and vegetables having a flat shape can be used as fruits and vegetables.

Further, in the above-described example, the squeezing device according to the present invention is disposed downstream of the sorting device (before the box packing device). It can also be arranged upstream of. In this case,
Since the grades and the classes are sorted in the same state in which the directions of a are aligned, more appropriate sorting can be performed.

[0038]

As described above, in the apparatus for aligning sticky fruits and vegetables according to the present invention, the first conveyor is provided with the posture determining device for determining the position of the fruits and vegetables and is conveyed. It is possible to distinguish whether the fruit or vegetable is upward or downward. Then, in response to a signal from the posture determination device, the starting end of the second conveyor provided near the end of the first conveyor is moved up and down.

Therefore, only when the fruits and vegetables located on the upper side are transferred from the first conveyor to the second conveyor, the starting end of the second conveyor is lowered to be produced between the first conveyor and the second conveyor. Fruits and vegetables can be inverted using the steps. As a result, unlike the conventional example, the fruit and vegetables that are turned downward are not inverted, so that the effective alignment of the vegetables can be performed.

A rotary roll is provided above the start end of the second conveyor, and the rotary roller is rotated in a state where the peripheral surface of the rotary roll is in sliding contact with the upper side of the fruits and vegetables transferred from the first conveyor to the second conveyor. By doing so, the rolling of the fruits and vegetables to be inverted due to the step of both conveyors can be made more reliable.

Further, by making the rotational peripheral speed of the rotary roll faster than the transport speed of the second conveyor, the rolling power applied to the fruits and vegetables is increased, and more effective reversal can be performed. Further, in this case, by setting the transport speed of the second conveyor substantially equal to or slightly higher than the transport speed of the first conveyor, the interval between the inverted fruits and the fruits transported in front of the inverted fruits and vegetables is adjusted to an appropriate state. Can be maintained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a sorting / boxing device provided with a device for aligning a sticky fruit and vegetables according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the sorting and boxing device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a state in which the second conveyor is lowered in the apparatus for aligning curled fruits and vegetables according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state in which the second conveyor is positioned upward in the device for aligning curled fruits and vegetables according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the device for aligning the curled fruits and vegetables in the state shown in FIG. 4;

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 persimmon 2a towel 5 first conveyor 7 color sensor 8 second conveyor 8a start end 9 rotating roll

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A first conveyor for transporting sticky fruits and vegetables, an attitude determining device for determining the position of the fruits and vegetables transported by the first conveyor, and an end determining part of the first conveyor. A second conveyor provided so that the start end thereof is close to and the start end side thereof can be moved up and down, and when the second conveyor receives fruits and vegetables from the first conveyor, the posture discriminating device is used. In the case of fruits and vegetables determined to be located on the upper side, the starting end of the second conveyor is the first end of the first conveyor.
The fruits and vegetables descend to a position lower than the conveyor surface of the conveyor and the fruits and vegetables are inverted, and in the case of the fruits and vegetables determined to be located on the lower side, the starting end is substantially equal to the conveyor surface of the first conveyor. A device for orienting a curled fruit or vegetable, which is maintained at a height and receives the fruit or vegetable in the same posture. 2. A rotatable roll, which can be moved up and down in conjunction with the start end of the second conveyor, is provided above the start end of the second conveyor. The rotating roll also descends with the start end,
2. The apparatus for aligning a fruit and vegetable according to claim 1, wherein the rotating roll is rotated in a state of sliding on the upper side of the conveyed fruits and vegetables to invert the fruits and vegetables. 3. The apparatus for aligning curled fruits and vegetables according to claim 2, wherein the rotating peripheral speed of the rotating roll is higher than the conveying speed of the second conveyor. 4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the conveying speed of the second conveyor is substantially equal to or slightly higher than the conveying speed of the first conveyor. 5. The apparatus for aligning curled fruits and vegetables according to claim 2, wherein the rotating roll is made of a flexible material.