JPH11114504A - Separator of agricultural products - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To adopt a conveyor of an assorting section suitable for assorting work which often varies with each of agricultural products and to constitute a conveyor of a measuring section without limitation from this constitution of the assorting section. SOLUTION: The separator is provided with the center breaking type bucket conveyor 1 which forms buckets 101 carrying the agricultural products by coming a pair of center breaking members in a transverse direction of transportation closer to each other under endless turning in synchronization with each other and drop the carried agricultural products P downward by expanding and parting a pair of these members in a transverse direction, a transmitted light detector 5 which is arranged in mid-way of this center breaking type bucket conveyor 1 and measures the optical information for deciding the assorting segments of the agricultural products P and the assorting conveyor 4 of which the beginning end exists in the agricultural product falling position of the center breaking type bucket conveyor 1 and which transports the falling agricultural products P to the assorting section by placing the agricultural products P thereon.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for sorting agricultural products used in a sorting place for sorting, boxing, packaging and shipping agricultural products.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Agricultural products are evaluated and determined by examining grades related to their size and shape, or appearance quality such as color and scratches, and internal quality such as sugar content, and sorted according to the grades and grades of the judgment results. In order to transport agricultural products, a mechanical agricultural product sorting apparatus is generally referred to as a sorting conveyor (or also referred to as a "separation conveyor" in another name, but is hereinafter referred to as a "sorting conveyor" in the present specification. ) A conveyor device is used.

[0003] The sorting conveyor of such an agricultural product sorting apparatus passes from a supply location where agricultural products are supplied to a measuring location where information for sorting and sorting agricultural products is measured and detected. Agricultural products are configured to be transported to sorting locations where the agricultural products are discharged by a discharge conveyor or the like according to the sorting category. Specifically, a belt conveyor type (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 58-4625, etc.) and a predetermined type are designated for a chain conveyor. The so-called bucket type (where a bucket or tray is connected at intervals and agricultural products are placed on each bucket (pan) by rotating endlessly (Japanese Patent Publication No.
-27279), a method in which a slat-shaped keyboard-type conveyor is rotated endlessly (Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-247, etc.), or a free-type in which agricultural products are placed on a so-called free tray not connected to the conveyor and transported. A tray type is known. These are usually configured as transport lines of the same specifications from the above-mentioned agricultural product supply location to the sorting location.

In recent years, it has been demanded in recent years to adopt internal quality as a sort item of agricultural products in accordance with diversifying needs of markets and consumers and improvement of measurement techniques. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 4-84740. Gazette, Jiko 58-253
No. 45, JP-A-4-83148, JP-A-3-83
JP-A-160344 describes the principle of detecting transmitted light. However, these do not specifically propose a new sorting conveyor that can suitably realize transmitted light detection. In addition, since the attenuation of light obtained by transmitting illumination light through agricultural products is extremely large, it is known that high-sensitivity, high-precision internal quality measurement is not easy, and is configured by simply applying the conventional sorting conveyor described above. I can never do it. Based on these facts, new proposals for sorting conveyors having a configuration suitable for measuring internal quality using transmitted light as detection information are straddled, and in particular, transmitted light detection can be performed without stopping continuously moving transport lines. There is a demand for a transmitted light detecting means having a function capable of performing the same and a sorting conveyor associated therewith.

[0005] In addition to these, there are some problems required for the sorting conveyor. For example, in the sorting section, agricultural products and the like that are easily damaged by the type of agricultural products to be sorted are placed on a tray that is not restrained by a conveyor called a free tray in order to avoid damage at the time of sorting work, and the tray is packed together with the boxing section. It is thought that it is desirable to discharge to the box, but on the other hand, for mandarin oranges and potatoes etc., it is possible to sort into a boxing part directly from the conveyor without using a saucer, and to use a simple sorting conveyor to reduce equipment costs. There are requests from various points, such as making it more advantageous. Thus, the optimal configuration of the sorting conveyor varies depending on the type of agricultural products to be sorted.

[0006]

As described above, the sorting conveyor, which constitutes the main part of the apparatus for sorting and sorting agricultural products, includes the types of agricultural products, measurement items for sorting and sorting,
Conventionally, a suitable configuration has been adopted in consideration of various reasons such as processing capacity, but for example, sorting of free tray type agricultural products from a bucket type conveyor or the reverse operation is performed. No device has been proposed. This is because such operations are extremely complicated,
In addition, the tendency is almost feasible in the situation where it is required to carry out the processing work of each stage while transporting the agricultural products at a very high transport speed such as recent 5-6 pieces / second. It is believed that there is no.

On the other hand, according to the study of the present inventors, for example, the preferred operation / function required for the sorting conveyor at the measurement location and the preferred operation / function required for the sorting conveyor at the sorting location are not necessarily the same. If the function / function required of the conveyor at one location is adapted to one (eg, sorting location), the other (eg, measurement location)
In many cases, it is not suitable for measuring, and in a broad sense, even if it is common as a measurement place, measure the sorting conveyor and appearance that are appropriate for the means to detect transmitted light of agricultural products for internal quality measurement Sorting conveyors having a configuration suitable for the means are preferably employed in order to detect transmitted light with extremely high attenuation as accurately and as accurately as possible, for example, in which the measuring method and the preferable method of supporting agricultural products are not the same. The configuration of a tray having a light-shielding function (a tray for supporting agricultural products) does not necessarily have a preferable configuration as a tray in a case where an image of the external surface of the agricultural product is to be taken over as large an area as possible.

The inventor of the present invention has intensively studied various problems of these sorters, especially the sort conveyor, and has solved the problem of forming a transport line with a sort conveyor having the same specifications in the past, and has developed a method of carrying the sort. The present invention focuses on providing an extremely advantageous sorting device if it is easy to transfer between different conveyors and can carry agricultural products in a state suitable for work in each part on the transport line. It has been reached.

[0009] That is, the main object of the present invention is to adopt a sorting section conveyor suitable for sorting work, which often differs for each agricultural product, and to perform measurement without being limited by the structure of the sorting section. It is an object of the present invention to provide a new sorting apparatus which can constitute a conveyor of a section.

Another object of the present invention is to use a special receiving tray having a light shielding function suitable for detecting transmitted light on a part of the conveying track so as to use it over the entire conveying line of the sorting conveyor. An object of the present invention is to provide a sorting apparatus that can be configured at low cost without using the apparatus.

Still another object of the present invention is to make it possible to configure a conveyor of a measuring section without being limited to the configuration of the sorting section, to add to an existing sorting apparatus or to measure an existing sorting apparatus. Another object of the present invention is to provide a sorting device in which a part is partially replaced to perform optical measurement such as internal quality and appearance imaging.

[0012]

The above object is achieved by the invention described in each claim of the present application.

[0013] The invention of the agricultural product sorting apparatus according to claim 1 of the present invention provides a bucket for carrying agricultural products by a pair of split members opposing in the lateral direction in the transport direction approaching each other while rotating endlessly synchronously. A medium-break bucket conveyor that forms and a pair of these spreads apart in the lateral direction to drop the supported agricultural product downward, and is disposed in the middle of the agricultural product transport track of the medium-break bucket conveyor. An optical measuring means for measuring optical information for sorting classification determination, and a sorting conveyor whose starting end is located at the agricultural product falling position of the above-mentioned medium-break bucket conveyor, and which carries the dropped agricultural product and transports it to the sorting unit. And characterized in that:

In the above construction, the work of placing agricultural products on the medium-break type bucket conveyor is carried out manually by an operator, by a roller conveyor, a drum-shaped roller conveyor having a narrow shaft intermediate portion, a belt conveyor, or the like. A method in which the agricultural products conveyed at the pitch are dropped on the agricultural products carried by the medium-break bucket conveyor and placed on the agricultural products can be appropriately selected and adopted according to the type of the agricultural products. Similarly, the work of discharging agricultural products by sorting category from the sorting section of the sorting conveyor,
A method of discharging agricultural products by swinging the guide bar using a belt conveyor, roller conveyor, etc. for this sorting conveyor,
A method of dropping agricultural products downward by tilting the slats downward using a slat conveyor, a method of discharging agricultural products together with a tray using a free tray type saucer, etc., appropriately selecting and adopting according to the type of agricultural product, etc. Can be.

The optical measuring means arranged in the middle of the agricultural product conveying track of the above-mentioned medium cracking type bucket conveyor is a device for detecting the transmitted light of the agricultural product to measure the internal quality, and capturing the appearance of the agricultural product with a camera or the like. For example, an apparatus for measuring the color, scratches, size, etc. of agricultural products can be exemplified, but in particular, an optical measuring means for detecting elements such as transmitted light related to internal quality is suitably used.

According to the present invention, for example, a medium-break bucket conveyor is constructed so as to have a light-shielding property suitable for optically detecting elements relating to internal quality such as transmitted light of agricultural products. By limiting the track of the medium-break bucket conveyor to a part of the sorting device and transferring agricultural products to a simple-structured sorting conveyor, a sorting conveyor suitable for sorting work can be adopted. In addition, cost reduction of equipment can be realized.

In addition, the above-mentioned medium cracking type bucket conveyor can drop the agricultural products carried at a predetermined position downward by the pair of medium breaking members being spread apart from each other to the right and left, and can be transferred to the next sorting conveyor. Transfer can be performed reliably, and quick and high-speed processing can be realized.

The result of determination of the sorting category based on the measured information is sent to the discharge device of the sorting section, and the feed speed of the agricultural product is synchronized with and linked to the feed speed of each conveyor to activate the corresponding discharge device. , To discharge to a predetermined sorting section. Synchronization / coordination of these agricultural products and the feed speed of the conveyor can be performed by, for example, outputting a pulse for a fixed movement amount of the conveyor, thereby managing the measurement information and the movement of the agricultural products. .

The present invention can be used for sorting various agricultural products. For example, fruits such as pears, apples, citrus fruits and melons, and vegetables such as potatoes can be exemplified as the objects to be treated.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the above-mentioned invention, the middle crack type bucket conveyor is formed so as to form a recess for accommodating and holding agricultural products when forming a bucket in which a pair of middle crack members approach each other. The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that an elastic member for elastically supporting the supported agricultural product is provided inside the concave portion.

As the above-mentioned concave portion, a generally mortar-shaped structure can be exemplified as a preferable one, but it is not limited to this. Examples of the elastic member that elastically supports the agricultural product include a sponge-like elastic body and an elastic body formed of fin-like pieces extending from a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction toward the center.

According to the present invention, the carrying state of the agricultural product stored in the recess of the bucket is stabilized, and the measurement accuracy and sensitivity are improved by the stable posture when performing optical measurement.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second or third aspect of the present invention, the concave portion formed when the bucket is formed includes:
The invention according to claim 5, wherein a light-transmitting opening is provided for allowing light transmitted through the illuminated supported agricultural product to enter the lower transmitted light receiving optical means. The optical measuring means arranged in the middle of the transport path is a transmitted light measuring device.

According to the present invention, the detection accuracy and sensitivity of transmitted light when measuring the internal quality of agricultural products conveyed on the medium-break bucket conveyor are improved. In order to prevent external light other than the transmitted light of the agricultural product from entering the above-mentioned transmitted light receiving optical unit, the transmitted light receiving optical unit exhibits a light-shielding property with the agricultural product as described in Embodiment 1 described later. It is preferable to provide such a structure.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in each of the above-mentioned inventions, the external appearance imaging device for imaging the external appearance of the agricultural product to be transported is disposed at any position on the transport track extending from the split bucket conveyor to the sorting conveyor. It is characterized by having.

The above external appearance image pickup device can be constituted by using an appropriate device such as a CCD camera and a sensor camera.

In the above description, the appearance imaging device can be provided on the transport path of the medium-break type bucket conveyor together with the transmitted light measuring device, or can be provided on the transport path of the sorting conveyor. When the sorting conveyor is formed by connecting a plurality of conveyors, the sorting conveyor can be provided at the transfer portion.

According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to sort agricultural products using both the optical information of the exterior and the interior, and it is also possible to sort an existing sorting apparatus which already has an appearance imaging device, for example. By newly arranging a medium-break bucket conveyor at the start end of the conveyor, the items of sorting information of the existing sorting apparatus can be expanded.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in each of the above-mentioned inventions, the middle crack type bucket conveyor is endlessly rotated by a mechanism in which each of a pair of middle crack members rotates about a horizontal axis, and further toward the downstream side. It is characterized in that it has a curved or inclined line-symmetrical track that separates the pair of split members in the transport lateral direction.

In the above-mentioned middle crack type bucket conveyor, for example, a middle crack member is connected to each of a pair of endlessly rotating link chains, and a curved or inclined line symmetrical track is provided on a part of the rotating track of the link chain. And a mechanism for approaching / separating the pair of split members can be easily configured. Therefore, when a plurality of sorting / sorting lines are arranged in parallel, the space in the lateral direction of the transport track may be short, and the entire equipment can be made compact.

The invention according to claim 8 is characterized in that, in each of the above-mentioned inventions, the sorting conveyor is one or a plurality of conveyors connected to each other, and the plurality of conveyors are connected. In such a case, it is also possible to adjust the transport pitch by giving a speed difference to the concatenated conveyor, or to connect conveyers suitable for external appearance imaging and sorting.

A ninth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in each of the above-mentioned inventions, the sorting conveyor has a substantially flat agricultural product carrying and conveying surface. It is a bucket type conveyor for transporting an agricultural product carrying bucket which is connected and rotated endlessly, or a free tray type conveyor for transporting a free agricultural product carrying tray not connected to the conveyor. .

As in the present invention, as the sorting conveyor, a conveyor having a specification suitable for required work such as sorting and appearance imaging can be appropriately selected and adopted.

[0034]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiment 1 FIGS. 1 to 5 mainly show a part of a medium cracking type bucket conveyor 1 in the agricultural product sorting device of the present example. The agricultural products P (apples in this example) are loaded from the upstream supply conveyor 2 in which the rollers are connected to a pair of chains on both sides and endlessly rotated so as to be stored one by one in one bucket 101. It is provided so that agricultural products are transferred to the sorting conveyor 4 via the transfer relay conveyor 3 (which forms a part of the sorting conveyor in a broad sense) on the terminal side.

A description will now be given of each of these conveyors. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the supply conveyor has a large number of drum-shaped rollers 201 whose diameter gradually decreases toward the center in the axial direction. At both ends, a gap is provided, and both ends thereof are rotatably connected to a pair of synchronous endlessly rotating link chains 202 so as to rotate along a predetermined endless track. 203 is a cover of the link chain 202. Therefore, the spherical agricultural product P placed on the supply conveyor 2 is shaped such that the diameter gradually decreases toward the center of the drum-shaped roller 201, and the front and rear drum-shaped rollers 2
The agricultural product P is conveyed in a state where it is moved to the center between 01 and the agricultural product P is dropped from the end portion thereof onto the starting end side of the split bucket conveyor 1 at a constant pitch. Then, by synchronizing the fall of the agricultural product P from the supply conveyor 2 with the rotation of the bucket 101 of the medium-break bucket conveyor 1 described below, one agricultural product P is dropped into one bucket 101 and carried. Is done.

In the present embodiment, the split bucket type bucket conveyor 1 is an intermediate split member 1011 in which a dish-shaped bucket member is equally divided into both sides (both sides in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the conveying direction) on a vertical plane including the diameter line. By having a pair of 1011 and facing each other on the dividing surface, the above-mentioned dish-shaped bucket 101 having a substantially mortar-shaped concave portion 1012 which is wide open upward is formed. By separating the middle crack members 1011 and 1011 to both sides on the left and right, the agricultural products carried can be dropped downward. 102 is the medium crack member 1011
A pair of middle crack members 1011 and 1011
These pairs are connected to link chains 103, 103 that rotate in a synchronous and endless manner, so that the pair of split members 1011 and 1011 rotate endlessly. Reference numeral 104 denotes a sprocket for rotating the link chain 103. As shown in FIG.
6, the rotary drive force is transmitted from the common drive shaft 105 to rotate synchronously. Reference numeral 1014 denotes a vertically transparent light-transmitting opening provided at the center of the bucket 101.

Reference numeral 107 denotes a guide rail for guiding the rotation of the link chain 103. The guide rail 107 is mounted on the frame 108, and extends from the start end to the end near the middle end of the split bucket conveyor. , A linear track portion 1071 in which a pair of middle crack members 1011 and 1011 linearly move in a bucket formation state close to each other;
The pair of middle split members 1011 and 1011 are configured to have inclined track portions 1072 that are inclined symmetrically away from both sides in the lateral direction so as to be inclined from the straight track portion toward the terminal end. The guide rail 107 is provided with an inclined track portion (not shown) for bringing the pair of separated middle members 1011 and 1011 closer to each other at the lower track portion of the rotation.

Note that the bucket-forming middle crack member 1011 of this embodiment has a stepped shape along the mortar-shaped inclined surface of the concave portion 1012 so as not to damage agricultural products (apples) dropped when the bucket 101 is formed. A plurality of short fins 1013 made of an elastic material such as rubber are provided in the circumferential direction (for example, four places at equal intervals in the circumferential direction).

Next, the transfer relay conveyor 3 and the sorting conveyor 4 provided subsequent to the middle crack type bucket conveyor 1 will be described. The transfer relay conveyor 3 is provided for convenience of transfer in this example, and can be omitted by extending the start end side of the sorting conveyor 4 to the medium cracking type bucket conveyor 1 side. It is part of a sorting conveyor.

In the present embodiment, the transfer relay conveyor 3 is constituted by using an endlessly rotating belt conveyor, and the starting end thereof is located below the inclined track portion 1072 of the middle crack type bucket conveyor 1. Medium crack member 101
When the agricultural products P stored in the bucket 101 fall by being separated from each other, the agricultural products P can receive the agricultural products P. This state is shown in FIG. 5, and the pair of middle split members 1011 and 1011 that house and carry the agricultural product P in the state of the two-dot chain line in FIG. It is placed on the belt 301. Reference numeral 302 denotes a guide frame of the conveyor belt 301, and reference numeral 303 denotes a pulley for rotation.

In the present embodiment, the sorting conveyor 4 is constituted by using a keyboard-type conveyor on a slat (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-247) or the like. It is connected so that P can transfer. 401 is a keyboard-type conveyor, and 402 is a sprocket. Reference numeral 403 denotes a press roll formed of an elastic roller disposed above the start end of the sorting conveyor 4, and is provided to stop the swing of the agricultural product during transfer.

At the end side of the sorting conveyor 4, for example, a plurality of sorting conveyors branched in the horizontal direction are provided.
A discharge device (not shown) capable of discharging a corresponding agricultural product for each sorting category is provided.

Next, the transmitted light detecting device 5 provided in the middle of the straight track portion of the split bucket conveyor 1 will be described. This device 5 of this embodiment is located above the transport path with the transport path interposed therebetween. An illumination room 501 is provided on both sides thereof, and a plurality of illumination lamps 502 arranged in the illumination room 501 are provided so as to irradiate illumination light substantially toward the center. In order to keep the amount of illumination light constant, it is also preferable that the entirety including the illumination room 501 be a dark room box whose entrance and exit are shielded from outside by curtains or the like. On the other hand, in the transmitted light detection device 5 of the present example, a light receiving optical device 503 for detecting transmitted light is arranged in a dark room box 504 below the conveyance path at the center position of the illumination rooms 501 and 501, An endless rotation mechanism 505 of the intrusion prevention cylinder 5051 of the disturbance light intrusion prevention cylinder 5051 for allowing the light receiving optical device 503 to receive the light transmitted through the light receiving optical device 503 without any intrusion of disturbance light is provided. The endless rotation mechanism 505 of the intrusion prevention cylinder is provided with a plurality of disturbance light intrusion prevention cylinders 5051 on a link chain 5052 provided so as to run in parallel at a constant speed in synchronization with the bucket conveyor 1.
The tip is engaged with the bottom surface of the produce P through the light-transmitting opening 1014 of the bucket 101 while running the disturbance light intrusion prevention cylinder 5051 in parallel, and the lower end passes through the light-receiving optical device 503. The engagement with the pin P is released to rotate endlessly. According to the intrusion prevention tube endless rotation mechanism 505 provided in this way, the disturbance light intrusion prevention tube 5051 provided in a vertically penetrating cylindrical shape,
The leading end can be annularly engaged with the bottom surface of the agricultural product P to form a close contact state in which disturbance light is prevented from entering, and the lower end moves between the light receiving optical device 503 in a state where no disturbance light enters. Is relatively easy to do,
The transmitted light can be detected without intrusion of disturbance light, and the attenuation from the illumination light can be as high as 10 ^-4 to 10 ^-6 , so that an operation of detecting extremely weak transmitted light with high sensitivity and accuracy can be realized.
In addition, in order to detect transmitted light without intrusion of disturbance light, for example, in order to increase the adhesion between the tip of the disturbance light intrusion prevention cylinder 5051 and the agricultural product P and obtain a high light-shielding property, the cylinder 50
It is also preferable that the tip of 51 is formed of an elastic body which easily adheres to the agricultural product or is formed in a lip shape. Also, the disturbance light intrusion prevention cylinder 5051 slightly lifts the agricultural product P stored in the bucket 101. It is also preferable to use the own weight of the agricultural product P for improving the adhesion by setting the orbit of the rotation at that time. Further, a device for pressing the agricultural product P conveyed by the bucket 101 from above at the transmitted light detection position is preferable. It is also recommended to provide it as a preferable configuration.

With the above configuration, it is possible to detect the light transmitted through the agricultural product P conveyed by the bucket conveyor 1 with high sensitivity and high accuracy.

Next, the appearance imaging device 6 will be described. The appearance imaging device 6 of this embodiment is arranged above the belt conveyor type sorting conveyor 4 and has a dark room box whose entrance is shielded from the outside by a curtain. The agricultural products P illuminated by an illumination lamp (not shown) are CCD
The camera 602 is provided to capture an image.

According to such a configuration, the surface of the agricultural product P conveyed on the flat surface of the slat conveyor 401 is smaller than when the appearance of the agricultural product P stored in the bucket 101 of the medium-break bucket conveyor 1 is imaged. Can be imaged over a wide area using a reflecting mirror or the like.

In the case where it is not necessary to take an image of a large area, the external appearance imaging device 6 should be placed on the transport path of the half-break bucket conveyor 1 as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. Can also.

According to the agricultural product sorting apparatus of the present embodiment having the above-described configuration, it is possible to detect the transmitted light of agricultural products with high sensitivity and accuracy by using the medium-break bucket conveyor 1, and to improve the appearance of a large area. It is possible to adopt a desirable configuration in which images can be picked up on the belt conveyor type sorting conveyor 4, and the sorting conveyor 4 can have a simpler structure than the medium cracking bucket conveyor 1. The advantage that the whole can be constructed at low cost is also obtained.

The internal quality of agricultural products can be improved by newly installing the medium-breaking bucket conveyor 1 and the transfer relay conveyor 3 to the existing equipment having the belt conveyor type sorting conveyor having the appearance imaging device 6. The advantage that the equipment to be measured can be changed is also obtained.

Although the sorting conveyor 4 has been described as a slat conveyor type, as described above, a suitable type such as a bucket type, a belt type, a free tray type or the like is appropriately employed according to the type of agricultural product. can do.

In addition, the medium-break bucket conveyor 1 of this embodiment
Is configured to endlessly rotate a pair of middle crack members 1011 by using a link chain 103 having an inclined track portion guided by a guide rail. For example, as shown in FIG. When a plurality of devices (three in the illustrated example) are arranged side by side, it is possible to set a small size in the transverse direction of the conveyance, and it is possible to reduce an installation area of the equipment in a sorting place where a large amount of processing is performed. Benefits are also obtained.

[0052]

According to the present invention, it is possible to adopt a conveyor of a sorting section suitable for an operation of sorting agricultural products, and to configure a conveyor of a measuring section without being limited to the configuration of the sorting section. In addition, a special mechanism having a light blocking function suitable for detecting transmitted light is limited to a part of the transport trajectory, so that the entire equipment and apparatus can be configured at low cost.

Further, since the conveyor of the measuring section can be constituted without being limited to the structure of the sorting section, it can be added to the existing sorting apparatus or partially substitute for the measuring section of the existing sorting apparatus.
In addition to providing a sorting device modified to perform optical measurement such as internal quality and appearance imaging, the following effects are provided.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, for example, a medium-break bucket conveyor or the like is provided with a light-shielding property suitable for optically detecting elements related to internal quality such as transmitted light of agricultural products. While limited to a part, the sorting conveyor can adopt a simple structure suitable for sorting work,
Equipment cost can be reduced.

In addition, by a simple mechanism in which a pair of middle crack members are spread apart from each other, the loaded agricultural product can be dropped downward at a predetermined position, and can be reliably transferred to the next sorting conveyor. Quick and high-speed processing can be realized.

According to the second and third aspects of the present invention, the state of carrying the agricultural products stored in the recesses of the bucket is stabilized, and the measurement accuracy and sensitivity are improved due to the stable posture during optical measurement.

According to the fourth and fifth aspects of the present invention, the detection accuracy and sensitivity of transmitted light when measuring the internal quality of agricultural products conveyed on the medium-break bucket conveyor are improved.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, it is possible to sort agricultural products by using optical information of both the appearance and the inside, and to sort the existing sorting device which already has the appearance imaging device. By newly arranging a medium-break bucket conveyor at the start end of the conveyor, the items of sorting information of the existing sorting apparatus can be expanded.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, a mechanism for approaching / separating a pair of middle crack members can be easily configured. Further, when a plurality of sorting / sorting lines are arranged side by side, the space in the lateral direction of the transport track may be short, and the whole equipment can be made compact.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, when the sorting conveyor is constituted by connecting a plurality of conveyors, a speed difference is imparted to the connected conveyors to adjust the conveying pitch, and the external appearance imaging and sorting work are performed. Each suitable conveyor can be connected.

According to the ninth and tenth aspects of the present invention, the sorting conveyor is selected from a belt type, a slat type, a bucket type, a free tray type, etc., which is suitable for the work, according to the type of agricultural product. be able to.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of a part of a sorting device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view including a partial cross section for explaining a mechanism for endlessly rotating a middle crack member of the middle crack type bucket conveyor of the first embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a portion where agricultural products are transferred from the supply conveyor to the medium-break bucket conveyor according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a portion where agricultural products are transferred from the split bucket conveyor of the first embodiment to a transfer conveyor.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a case where three cracking bucket conveyors are arranged side by side.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Medium crack type bucket conveyor 101 ... Bucket 1011 ... Medium cracking member 1012 ... Recess 1013 ... Short fin 1014 ... Translucent opening 102 ... Support plate 103 ... Link Chain 104 sprocket 105 drive shaft 106 sprocket-chain mechanism 107 guide rail 1071 linear track portion 1071 inclined track portion 108 frame 2 supply Conveyor 201 ・ ・ ・ Hourglass roller 202 ・ ・ ・ Link chain 203 ・ ・ ・ Cover 3 ・ ・ ・ Transfer relay conveyor 301 ・ ・ ・ Conveyor belt 302 ・ ・ ・ Guide frame 303 ・ ・ ・ Pulley 4 ・ ・ ・ Sorting conveyor 401 ... Slat conveyor 402 ... Sprocket 403 ... Presser roll 5 ... Transparent Light detection device 501 ... Illumination room 502 ... Illumination lamp 503 ... Light receiving optical device 504 ... Dark room box 505 ... Intrusion prevention cylinder endless rotation mechanism 5051 ... Disturbance light intrusion prevention cylinder 5052 ..Link chain 5051 ・ ・ ・ Sprocket 6 ・ ・ ・ Appearance imaging device 601 ・ ・ ・ Dark room box 602 ・ ・ ・ CCD camera

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A pair of middle split members, which are laterally opposed to each other in the transport direction, rotate synchronously and endlessly and approach each other to form a bucket for carrying agricultural products, and these pairs are expanded in the horizontal direction. A medium-break bucket conveyor that drops the supported agricultural product downward by separating it, and is arranged in the middle of the agricultural product transport track of the medium-break bucket conveyor, and optical information for sorting classification determination of the agricultural product is provided. Agricultural product sorting, comprising: an optical measuring means for measuring, and a sorting conveyor whose starting end is located at the agricultural product falling position of the medium cracking bucket conveyor, and which carries the dropped agricultural product and transports it to the sorting unit. apparatus. 2. The agricultural product according to claim 1, wherein the medium-break bucket conveyor is configured to form a concave portion for accommodating and holding agricultural products when a pair of medium-break members are formed close to each other. Sorting device. 3. The agricultural product sorting device according to claim 2, wherein an elastic member for elastically supporting the carried agricultural product is provided inside the recess formed when the bucket is formed. 4. An opening according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the recess formed when the bucket is formed is provided with an opening for allowing light transmitted through the illuminated carried agricultural product to enter the lower transmitted light receiving optical means. A sorting device for agricultural products. 5. The transmitted light measuring device according to claim 4, wherein the optical measuring means arranged in the middle of the agricultural product transport track of the split bucket type conveyor detects light derived from the light transmitting opening. An agricultural product sorting apparatus, characterized in that: 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein
An agricultural product sorting apparatus, characterized in that an external appearance imaging device for imaging the external appearance of the agricultural product to be transported is arranged at any position on a transport track extending from a medium-break bucket conveyor to a sorting conveyor. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein
The medium-break bucket conveyor is provided such that each of a pair of middle-break members is endlessly rotated by a mechanism that independently rotates about a horizontal axis. An agricultural product sorting device having a curved or inclined line-symmetrical orbit that separates a pair of middle crack members in the transport lateral direction toward the downstream side of the agricultural product. 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein
An apparatus for sorting agricultural products, wherein the sorting conveyor is a continuous single strip or a plurality of conveyors connected to each other. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein
An apparatus for sorting agricultural products, wherein the sorting conveyor has a substantially flat agricultural product carrying conveyance surface. 10. The sorting conveyor according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the sorting conveyor is a bucket-type conveyor that is connected to the conveyor and conveys an endlessly rotated bucket for carrying agricultural products, or is connected to the conveyor. An agricultural product sorting device, which is a free tray type conveyor for transporting a free agricultural product carrying tray.