JPH1129115A - Apparatus and method for handling flower and ornamental plant - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To downsize an entire structure and improve throughput per unit time by cutting base ends of stems of carried flowers and ornamental plants for arranging lengths of the flowers and ornamental plants, removing leaves to classify the flowers and ornamental plants in classes, counting the number of the flowers and ornamental plants collected on a conveyer for picking up a predetermined number of the flowers and ornamental plants and bundling the flowers. SOLUTION: A handling apparatus of flowers and ornamental flowers comprises a flower selecting part A and a bundling/collecting part B which are arranged side by side, wherein flowers and ornamental plants P selected in weight by the selecting part A are sent by conveyers 30A, 30B, 30C to the bundling/collecting part B by a predetermined number, and the flowers and ornamental plants P are bundled and collected in respective weights in the bundling/collecting part B. The flower selecting part A comprises a first carrying part 1, a measuring means for measuring a weight of the flowers and ornamental plants P and a second carrying part 20 which are placed in a lateral line. An operator puts on the flowers and ornamental plants P one by one in front of a protrusion 4. the first carrying part 1 includes a flower and ornamental plants P petal position arranging means 5, a cutting means 6 and a leaf removing means 7 sequentially along a carrying direction. Thus a series of operations can be done with good operativity whereby bundled flowers can be collected in each class.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a flower processing apparatus and method for sorting and binding flowers by grade.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various flowers, such as chrysanthemums, lilies, roses, and carnations, are sorted by weight, length, or a combination of weights and lengths, and are bound together in a predetermined number. Shipped to the market. Therefore, the present applicant has previously proposed a flower processing apparatus (Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 7-3).
No. 9355). In this method, various operations such as dropping of leaves at the base end of a flower stem, selection of flowers, and unity are continuously performed as a series of operations.

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned conventional flower processing apparatus has a large and complicated overall structure, is expensive to manufacture, has troublesome maintenance, and has a sufficient processing capacity per unit time. Was not.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a flower processing apparatus and a processing method which have a small and compact overall structure and a high processing ability per unit time.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flower processing apparatus, comprising: a cutting means for cutting a base end portion of a flower stem conveyed by a conveying section to make the flowers uniform in length; A leaf dropping means for removing leaves at the base end, a flower selecting section provided with a sorting means for sorting flowers by grade, and a plurality of flowers for carrying out a plurality of flowers in which the flowers selected by the flower selecting section fall by grade. A transfer having a conveyor, a counting means for counting the number of flowers accumulated on these conveyors, and a holding arm for picking up and holding a predetermined number of flowers transported to the side of the flower selecting section by these conveyors. Means, bundling means for bundling the flowers transferred by the transfer means, a collection stage for collecting the bunch of flowers bound by the bundling means according to the grade of the flowers, and the transfer means comprising the conveyor and the bundling means. And the collection stay And a moving mechanism for moving between.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the flower processing apparatus according to the present invention aligns the positions of the petals by pressing the first transport section for transporting the flowers and the petals transported by the first transport section. Petal position aligning means, cutting means for cutting the base end of the flower stem to make the length of the flower uniform, leaf dropping means for removing the leaf at the base end, A receiving unit for receiving the flowers dropped from the transport unit and a measuring unit including a load sensor for measuring the weight of the flowers on the receiving member; a control unit having a storage unit for storing a measurement result of the measuring unit;
A second transport unit having a holding member for picking up and holding the flowers on the receiving member; and A plurality of flowers carrying conveyors for accumulating flowers dropped by weight from the holding member, counting means for counting the number of flowers accumulating on these conveyors, and a conveyor for the second transport unit by these conveyors. Transfer means having a holding arm for picking up and holding a predetermined number of flowers transferred to the side, binding means for binding the flowers transferred by the transfer means, and binding on the side of the binding means A collection stage for collecting a bundle of flowers bound by means by weight of the flowers, and a moving mechanism for moving the transfer means between the conveyor, the binding means and the collection stage. .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, when a predetermined number of flowers are accumulated on the conveyor, the conveyor is driven to carry out the flowers to a pickup position of the transfer means. did.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flower processing apparatus according to the present invention, wherein the first transport section, the measuring means, and the second transport section are arranged in a horizontal line. The tip of the conveyor that protrudes sideways, the binding means, and the collection stage are arranged in a horizontal line.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for treating flowers according to the present invention, wherein a fractional flower collecting means for carrying out and collecting fractional flowers remaining on the conveyor by the conveyor.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for treating flowers, comprising cutting means for cutting the base end of the stem of the flowers to make the length of the flowers uniform while conveying the flowers by the transfer section; A leaf dropping means for removing leaves, a flower selection section provided with a selection means for sorting flowers by grade, a conveyor for carrying out a plurality of flowers in which the flowers selected by the flower selection section fall by grade,
Counting means for counting the number of flowers accumulated on these conveyors, transfer means having a holding arm for picking up and holding a predetermined number of flowers transported to the side of the flower selection section by these conveyors, A bundling means for bundling the flowers transferred by the transfer means, a collection stage for collecting the bunch of flowers bound by the bundling means according to the grade of the flowers, and the transfer means comprising the conveyor, the bundling means and the collection means. A moving mechanism for moving between stages, and a payout operation unit for driving the conveyor to take out the fractional flowers remaining on the conveyor to the side.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for treating a flower, the step of cutting the base end of the stem of the flower by cutting means to make the length of the flower uniform while transporting the flower by the transport unit. Removing the leaves of the base end of the stem by leaf dropping means, measuring the grade of the flowers by the measuring means, and dropping the flowers on a conveyor for transferring the flowers according to the grade according to the measurement result of the measuring means. The process, the number of flowers accumulated on the conveyor is counted by the counting means, and when the number of flowers reaches a predetermined number, the step of carrying out the flowers by the conveyor, and picking up the carried out flowers by the transfer means, A step of transferring to the binding means to bind the base end of the stem of the flower; and a step of moving the transfer means to the collection stage to drop and collect the bound bundle of flowers according to the grade of the flower.

[0012] In the method for treating flowers according to the present invention, the petals are aligned by the petal alignment means while the flowers are transported through the first transport section; Cutting the leaves with cutting means to make the lengths of the flowers uniform, removing the leaves at the base end of the stems of the flowers with the leaf dropping means,
Measuring the weight of the flowers dropped on the receiving member from the transfer unit by a load sensor, scooping the flowers on the receiving member with a holding member, and transferring the holding member by a second transfer unit; A step of dropping flowers on the conveyor for transferring flowers from the holding member by weight according to the result, and if the number of flowers accumulated on the conveyor is counted by counting means and the number of flowers reaches a predetermined number, Transporting the flowers to the side of the second transport section by a conveyor, picking up the transported flowers by a transporting means, transporting the transported flowers to a binding means, and binding the base end of the flower stem; Moving the means to a collection stage to drop the bundle of bound flowers by the weight of the flowers to collect them.

[0013]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, various operations from cutting, dropping, sorting, and bundling of flowers are performed as a series of operations with good workability, and the bound bunch of flowers is classified by grade into each collection stage. Can be recovered.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the flowers are placed in the first place.
After aligning the petals while transporting the transport section, cutting the stems with the cutting means to align the length of the flowers and dropping the base end of the leaves, then measuring the weight of the flowers by the measuring means, According to the measurement result, the flowers are dropped on the conveyor by weight while the flowers are transported through the second transport section. Then, the flowers on the conveyor are carried out, and the bundles of the flowers are picked up by the transfer means. Then, the bundles of the flowers are bound by the binding means, and the bundles are collected by the collection stage by weight.

According to the third aspect of the invention, when a predetermined number of flowers are accumulated on the conveyor, the flowers are carried out to the pickup position of the transfer means.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the processing apparatus is constructed by compactly arranging various elements such as the first transport section, the second transport section, the measuring means, the conveyor, the transport means, the binding means, and the recovery stage. Can be reduced in size, and maintenance management of these elements can be easily performed.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a fraction of flowers remaining on the conveyor due to interruption of work or the like can be carried out of the conveyor.

According to the invention of claim 6, various operations from cutting, dropping, sorting, and bundling of the flowers are performed as a series of operations with good workability, and the bundles of the bound flowers are classified by grade into each collection stage. Can be collected. In addition, by operating the dispensing operation unit, a fraction of flowers remaining on the conveyor due to interruption of work or the like can be carried out of the conveyor.

According to the invention described in claim 7, various operations from cutting, dropping, sorting, and bundling of the flowers are performed as a series of operations with good workability, and the bundle of the bound flowers is classified into each collection stage by grade. Can be recovered.

According to the invention described in claim 8, the various operations from the alignment of the flowers, the cutting of the flowers, the dropping of the leaves, the selection and the tying are performed as a series of operations with good workability. It can be collected at each collection stage by weight.

[0021]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a flower processing apparatus,
FIG. 2 is a side view of a flower selection section of the flower processing apparatus, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a flower carrying conveyor, FIG. 4 is a plan view thereof, FIG. 5 is a side view thereof, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a control system.

First, the overall structure of the flower processing apparatus will be described. As shown in FIG.
And the binding / collecting unit B are arranged side by side. The flowers P selected by weight in the flower selecting unit A are conveyed by a predetermined number of conveyors 30.
A, 30B and 30C send out to the binding / collecting section B, and the binding / collecting section B binds and collects a predetermined number of flowers P by weight.

Next, referring to FIG. 1 and FIG.
Will be described. The flower selection section A is configured by arranging a first transport section 1, measuring means 10 for measuring the weight of the flower P, and a second transport section 20 in a horizontal line. First, the first transport unit 1 will be described. The first transport unit 1 includes an endless belt 3 adjusted to a rotating wheel 2. The endless belt 3 is provided with projections 4 at a pitch. The operator places the flowers P one by one before the protrusion 4 (arrow a in FIG. 2). First transport unit 1
Are provided with a petal position aligning means 5, a cutting means 6, and a leaf dropping means 7 in this order along the transport direction.

In FIG. 1, the petal alignment means 5 includes:
It is composed of a pressing member 5a formed of a plate, a hinge portion 5b for pivotally attaching the side end of the pressing member 5a, a cam 5c abutting on the back surface of the pressing member 5a, and a motor M1 for rotating the cam 5c. I have. The flowers P are transported rightward along the first transport path 1 (arrow N1), and in the middle thereof, the motor M1 is driven to rotate the cam 5c, so that the pressing member 5a is centered on the hinge 5b. At the end of the flower P to align the petal Pa with a predetermined line L.

In FIG. 1, the cutting means 6 includes a cutter 6a.
And a motor 6b for driving the cutter 6a.
The tip of the stem of the flower P is cut by the cutter 6a, and the length of all the flowers P is made uniform. The leaf dropping means 7 removes the leaves at the base end of the stem. The arrangement order of the flower alignment means 5, cutting means 6, and leaf dropping means 7 may be freely designed.

Next, the weight measuring means 10 of the flower P will be described with reference to FIG. The measuring means 10 is a V-shaped receiving member 1
1 on the load sensor 12.
Is installed below the leading end side of the transfer section 1. The flower P dropped from the downstream end of the first transport unit 1 (arrow N2) is placed on the receiving member 11, and its weight is measured by the load sensor 12. The measurement result is stored in the storage unit 72 (FIG. 7) of the control unit 71.

Next, the second transport section 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. The second transport unit 20 is configured by adjusting a sprocket 21 with an endless chain 22. A large number of holding members 23 are mounted on the second transport section 20 at a pitch. The holding member 23 is rotatably mounted around one end hinge 24 thereof. In FIG. 1, the first transport unit 1 and the second transport unit 20 are simply shown.

In FIG. 1, an alignment means 5 'for the tip of the stem of the flower P is provided upstream of the second transport section 20. This positioning means 5 'is similar to the petal positioning means 5 described above, and comprises a pressing member 5a', a hinge 5b ', a cam 5c', and a motor M2. The rotation of the cam 5c 'causes the pressing member 5 to rotate.
a 'swings in the direction of arrow b' and strikes the tip of the stem to align its position. That is, the flower P falls from the first transport unit 1 onto the receiving member 11, and the holding member 2 of the second transport unit 20
Since it can be scooped up to 3, the position in the length direction tends to be out of order. Therefore, the flower P
Are aligned in the length direction.

Of course, the structure of the positioning means 5, 5 'is not limited to this embodiment, and it is essential that the positioning means 5 and 5' have a pressing member such as a plate that moves forward and backward with respect to the tip of the petals and stems. I just need. As means for swinging the pressing members 5a, 5a ', a link mechanism or the like can be applied in addition to the cams 5c, 5c'.

In FIG. 1 and FIG.
A plurality (three in this example) of conveyors 30A, 30B, and 30C are arranged below the 0 upper traveling unit. FIG.
, The holding member 23 scoops up the flowers P on the receiving member 11 while ascending in the direction of arrow c, and conveys the upper traveling portion of the second conveying portion 20 rightward (arrow N3). In the present embodiment, the flowers P are classified into three grades of “heavy”, “medium”, and “light”.

As described above, the weight of each flower P measured by the measuring means 10 is stored in the storage unit 72 of the control unit 71, and the holding member 23 for holding the "heavy" flower P is the first member.
The flower P is rotated downward above the second conveyor 30A (arrow d in FIG. 2), and the flowers P are dropped onto the conveyor 30A.
Similarly, the holding member 23 that holds the "medium" flower P rotates downward above the second conveyor 30B (arrow e), causing the flower P to drop onto the conveyor 30B and "light". The holding member 23 holding the flowers P rotates downward above the third conveyor 30C (arrow f), and drops the flowers P onto the conveyor 30C. SOL1, SO
L2 and SOL3 (FIG. 2) are solenoids as driving means for causing the holding member 23 to perform a rotating operation in accordance with a command from the control unit 71, and are provided above the respective conveyors 30A to 30C. The measuring means 10, the control section 71, the solenoids SOL1 to SOL3, etc., are sorting means for sorting the flowers P by weight.

In FIG. 2, each conveyor 30A, 30
Above B and 30C, a light emitting element 31 and a light receiving element 32 are arranged opposite to each other so as to sandwich the falling path of the flower P, and the flower P falling on each of the conveyors 30A, 30B and 30C is optically separated. To detect. The detected data is sent to the control unit 71.
And the number of flowers P accumulated on each of the conveyors 30A, 30B, 30C is measured (see also FIG. 7). That is, the detecting means of the flower P such as the light emitting element 31 and the light receiving element 32 and the control section 71 are counting means for counting the number of flowers accumulated on each of the conveyors 30A to 30C.

Next, the conveyor 30 will be described with reference to FIGS.
The structures of A, 30B, and 30C will be described. Note that the three conveyors 30A, 30B, 30C have the same structure, and therefore, the first conveyor 30A will be described as an example. A sub conveyor 30A 'is provided in front of the conveyor 30A, and a space 33 is provided between the conveyor 30A and the sub conveyor 30A'. The sub-conveyor 30A '
A space 33 'is also formed in front of the space 30C'. As will be described later, the holding arm 64 of the transfer means enters the spaces 33 and 33 'in order to pick up a bundle of flowers P. The conveyor 30A and the sub-conveyor 30A 'together constitute a flower-conveying conveyor, and are linked and connected by a transmission system (not shown) and driven by the same motor M3.

At the upstream end of the conveyor 30A, two plate-shaped first contact members 34 are disposed in a C-shape, and a second plate-shaped first contact member 34 is provided in front of the sub-conveyor 30A '. Two contact members 34 'are erected. As shown in FIG.
The contact members 34, 34 'of the sheets are erected in a C shape in plan view. A plate-shaped lower receiving member 35 is disposed in front of the second contact member 34 '. As shown in FIG.
The upper surface of the lower receiving member 35 is inclined upward in the transport direction of the flowers 1 (arrow N4). Behind the lower receiving member 35, a plate-shaped stopper 36 is provided. Stopper 36
The lower end of the stopper 3 is pivotally mounted on a hinge 37, and the stopper 3
Numeral 6 is slightly swingable about the hinge 37 (arrow g). Behind the stopper 36, a stopper 36 is provided.
Is provided. Detection means 3
As 8, for example, a proximity switch or a limit switch is used.

Next, the conveyor 30A and the sub-conveyor 30
The carrying out operation of the flower P by A ′ will be described. When it is determined by the above-described counting means that a predetermined number (generally, 10) of flowers P are accumulated on the conveyor 30A, the motor M3 is activated to carry out the flowers P to the side of the second transport unit 20 ( Arrow N4). Then the tip of flower P is first
In FIG. 4, the distribution width of the flowers P is narrowed from W1 to W2. The flowers P are the contact member 34 'and the contact member 3
4 'and collides with the stopper 36. Then, the stopper 36 is pushed rearward and is detected by the detecting means 38.
Then, the drive of the motor M3 is stopped by the detection signal of the detection means 38. Thus, the operation of transporting the flowers P to the side of the second transport unit 20 is completed. The lower receiving member 35 is
The tip of the stem projecting from the sub-conveyor 30A 'toward the stopper 36 is prevented from hanging down. In FIG. 1, M4 and M5 are motors for driving the conveyors 30B and 30C, respectively, and 30B 'and 30C' are sub-conveyors. Conveyors 30B and 30C and sub-conveyors 30B ',
30C 'constitutes a conveyor for transferring flowers.

Next, referring to FIG. 1 and FIG.
The collection unit B will be described. In FIG. 1, a bundling unit 40 and collection stages 50A, 50B, 50C are provided on the side of the conveyors 30A to 30C and the sub-conveyors 30A ′ to 30C ′ that protrude to the side of the second transport unit 20. They are arranged side by side in a row so as to extend along the transport section 20. The binding means 40 is configured by arranging a binding machine 42 on a movable table 41. The binding machine 42 moves on the movable table 41 in the direction of arrow h (the flowers P held by the transfer means 61 described later).
(The longitudinal direction of the bundle), and the string derived from the binding arm 43 binds the base end of the bundle of flowers P at one or a plurality of locations.

In FIG. 6, a moving mechanism 60 is provided above the conveyors 30A to 30C and the collecting stages 50A to 50C. The transfer mechanism 61 is mounted on the moving mechanism 60. The transfer means 61 includes a main body 62 and a main body 6.
An elevating unit 63 movably held by the elevating unit 63;
And a holding arm 64 which is suspended from the holding arm 64. The transfer means 61 horizontally moves in the horizontal direction along the moving mechanism 60 (arrow A). The elevating unit 63 moves up and down (arrow B).
Further, there are two left and right holding arms 64, which open and close (arrow C). The holding arms 64 are provided in plural sets (preferably two sets as shown in FIG. 3) with two sets each on the left and right sides in the longitudinal direction of the flower P.

The moving means 60 has a built-in moving mechanism comprising, for example, an endless chain.
3 is provided with an up-and-down movement mechanism for moving up and down
A drive mechanism for causing the holding arm 64 to perform an opening / closing operation is built in the 3. Reference numeral 65 denotes a pressing member provided on the elevating unit 63, which is formed of a horizontal bar. The lower end of the holding arm 64 is a horizontal bent portion 64a, and the stem is chucked from above and below by the pressing member 65 and the bent portion 64a (see the holding arm 64 at the position B). Although three transfer means 61 are illustrated in FIG. 6, only one transfer means 61 is actually provided, and moves at three positions of A, B, and C.

Next, a control system will be described with reference to FIG.
Reference numeral 71 denotes a control unit, which includes a storage unit 72. The signals from the load sensor 12, the light receiving element 32, the detecting means 38, and the payout operation section 39 are input to the control section 71. Necessary data such as program data is stored in the storage unit 72. Motors M1 to M5, solenoids SOL1 to SOL3
Are controlled by the control unit 71. Note that the control unit 71 also controls the binding unit 40, the moving mechanism 60, the transfer unit 61, and the like. The payout operation unit 39 is provided as an operation button on a control panel or the like of the apparatus, and details thereof will be described later.

Next, the transfer operation of the flower bundle will be described. In FIG. 1, when the tip of the stem of the flower P on any one of the three conveyors 30A to 30C (for example, the conveyor 30C) is conveyed to the conveyor 30C and hits the stopper 36, the detecting means 38 is activated. This is detected.
In response to the detection signal, the transfer means 61 starts operating and moves above the conveyor 30C (see the transfer means 61 at the position A in FIG. 6). The lifting unit 63
And the two sets of holding arms 64 descend into the space 33 between the conveyor 30C and the sub-conveyor 30C 'and the space 33' in front of the sub-conveyor 30C '(arrow i in FIG. 3). Then, the holding arm 64 is closed to hold the bundle of flowers P firmly. In this case, as described above, the contact member 34
Therefore, the distribution width of the flowers P is limited from W1 to W2, so that the holding arm 64 can easily hold the bundle of the flowers P with a small rotation stroke. And the lifting unit 63
Rises, the holding arm 64 picks up a bunch of flowers P.

Next, the transfer means 61 moves to the position (b) where the binding means 40 is provided in FIG. Therefore, the binding machine 42 of the binding means 40 binds the base end of the bundle of flowers P held by the holding arm 64 with the string 70. In this case, it is desirable that the binding machine 42 be moved by the movable table 41 in the longitudinal direction of the flowers P (the direction of the arrow h in FIG. 1) to bind the plural places. In this case, the ten flowers P are chucked from the left and right by two holding arms 64,
Also, the lower end bent portion 64a of the holding member 65 and the holding arm 64
Since it is chucked from above and below, it can be tightly bound by the string 70.

Next, the transfer means 61 moves above the recovery stage 50C (position C in FIG. 6), where the holding arm 64 is moved.
Is opened, the bundle of flowers P bound by the string 70 is dropped on the collection stage 50C and collected (arrow j).

The flowers P carried out by the other conveyors 30A and 30B are also bound in the same manner as in the case of the above-described conveyor 30C, and are collected by the collection stages 50A and 50B, respectively. In addition, "heavy", "medium", and "light" flowers P are collected in the collection stages 50A, 50B, and 50C, respectively. The bundle of flowers P collected as described above is shipped to the market. As described above, according to the present processing apparatus, the operations from weight selection to bundling of the flowers P can be continuously performed as a series of operations.

Next, a description will be given of a means of collecting fractional flowers P remaining on the conveyors 30A to 30C. In FIG. 1, for example, when the sorting operation of the flowers harvested on that day is completed, or when the operation of the apparatus is stopped due to a trouble of the apparatus, a fraction of less than 10 pieces (for example, 3 pieces or less) is placed on each of the conveyors 30A to 30C. 5) Flowers P are likely to remain. Such fractional flowers are not targeted for binding by the binding means 40 and are desirably collected separately.

In such a case, the operator operates the payout operation section 39 (FIG. 7). Then, each motor M3 ~
M5 is driven in order, and the flowers P on each of the conveyors 30A to 30C are sequentially carried out to the pickup position and picked up by the transfer means 61. And the transfer means 61 is the binding means 4
0, and the flowers P are dropped on the collection stages 50A to 50C. Of course, in this case as well, it is desirable that the flowers P be dropped on the respective recovery stages 50A to 50C by weight. The fraction flowers P thus collected are sent to the next operation. That is, the payout operation unit 39 and the like constitute a fraction flower collection means remaining on the conveyors 30A to 30C. The program that operates as above
It is registered in the storage unit 72.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a flower processing apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention. The same elements as those in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The processing equipment for this flower is also bound with the flower selection section A.
It consists of a collection section B. In the present embodiment, the conveyors 30A, 30B, and 30C for carrying out the flowers are disposed at a large interval, and the binding means 40 and the collection stage 50 are provided on the side of the tip of each of the conveyors 30A to 30C.
A, 50B and 50C are provided. A moving mechanism 60 having a transfer means 61 is provided between each of the conveyors 30A to 30C and each of the collecting stages 50A to 50C. Although not shown, the light emitting element 31, the light receiving element 3
Also provided are a counting means composed of 2 and the like, a payout operation section 39, a transfer means 61, a fraction flower collecting means, and the like. The conveyors 30A to 30C are longer than those in FIG. 1 and do not have the sub-conveyors 30A ', 30B', and 30C '. Therefore, the transfer means 61 is provided for the conveyors 30A to 30A.
The bundle of flowers P sent to the tip of C is picked up.

In the above configuration, the flowers P fall onto the conveyors 30A to 30C by weight and are carried out by the conveyors 30A to 30C when a predetermined number is reached. Flower P which was carried out
Is picked up by the transfer means 61 and the binding means 40
To the collection stages 50A to 50C
Will be collected. In the present embodiment, each of the conveyors 30A to 30A
Since the binding unit 40 and the moving mechanism 60 are provided for each 0C, the cost of the apparatus is high. Improves.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in FIG. 1, the bundling means 40 and the recovery stages 50A to 50C are provided in a horizontal line on the left side of the conveyors 30A to 30C, but on the right side. They may be provided in a horizontal row. The payout operation unit 39 is operated to operate the conveyor 30.
A ~ The fractional flowers P carried out by the conveyor 30C are:
Instead of using the transfer means 61, the worker may manually collect it. As the flower selection section, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-74683, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-29956, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-29995
No. 7, JP-A-6-454, JP-A-7-9466
As shown in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 7-9467, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 7-13472, a method using a weighing means as a means for measuring the weight of a flower, a method selecting according to length, and a combination of weight and length. Although there are various types such as those that sort by compound, the present invention is also applicable to such other types of flower selection parts.

[0049]

According to the present invention, the operations from selection of flowers to bundling can be performed as a series of operations with good workability, and a flower processing apparatus having a high processing capacity can be realized. Further, the whole can be configured to be small and compact, and maintenance management of each element can be easily performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a flower processing apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a side view of a flower selection unit of the flower processing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a conveyor for carrying out the flower processing apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of an unloading conveyor of the flower processing apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a side view of an unloading conveyor of the flower processing apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a moving path of a conveying means of the flower processing apparatus.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a control system of the flower processing apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a flower processing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List A flower selection section B binding / collecting section 1 first transport section 5 petal alignment means 6 cutting means 7 leaf dropping means 10 measuring means 11 receiving member 12 load sensor 20 second transport section 23 holding member 30A, 30B, 30C Conveyor 30A ', 30B', 30C 'Sub-Conveyor 31 Light-Emitting Element 32 Light-Receiving Element 38 Detecting Means 39 Payout Operation Unit 36 Stopper 40 Bundling Means 50A, 50B, 50C Collection Stage 60 Moving Mechanism 61 Transfer Means 64 Holding Arm

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A cutting means for cutting a base end of a flower stalk conveyed by a conveying unit to make the length of the flower uniform, a leaf dropping means for removing a leaf of the base end, and sorting the flowers by grade. A flower selection section provided with a selection means for performing the selection, a conveyor for carrying out a plurality of flowers in which the flowers selected in the flower selection section fall by grade, and a counting means for counting the number of flowers accumulated on these conveyors Transfer means having a holding arm for picking up and holding a predetermined number of flowers transferred to the side of the flower selecting section by these conveyors; and binding means for binding the flowers transferred by the transfer means. A collection stage for collecting the bundles of flowers bound by the binding means according to the grade of the flowers, and a moving mechanism for moving the transfer means between the conveyor, the binding means and the collection stage. Flower Of the processing device. 2. A first transport section for transporting flowers, a petal position aligning means for pressing the petals of the flowers transported by the first transport section to align the petals, and a base for the stem of the flowers. Cutting means for cutting the ends to equalize the length of the flowers, leaf dropping means for removing the leaves of the base end, and flowers falling from the first transport section at the distal end of the first transport section. Measuring means including a receiving member and a load sensor for measuring the weight of flowers on the receiving member, a control unit having a storage unit for storing the measurement result of the measuring means, and scooping and holding the flowers on the receiving member A second transport unit having a holding member, and flowers that fall below the moving path of the holding member transported by the second transport unit and fall by weight from the holding member according to a command from the control unit are collected. Conveyors for carrying out the flowers Counting means for counting the number of flowers accumulated on the conveyor, transfer means having a holding arm for picking up and holding a predetermined number of flowers transported to the side of the second transport unit by these conveyors, A bundling unit for bundling the flowers transferred by the transfer unit, a collection stage on a side of the bundling unit for collecting a bundle of flowers bound by the bundling unit by weight of the flowers, and A flower processing apparatus comprising a conveyor, a moving mechanism for moving between the binding means and the collection stage. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein when a predetermined number of flowers are accumulated on the conveyor, the conveyor is driven to carry out the flowers to a pickup position of the transfer means. Flower processing equipment. 4. The conveyor according to claim 1, wherein said first transport section, said measuring means, and said second transport section are arranged in a horizontal line, and a tip of said conveyor protruding to the side of said second transport section. The flower processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the binding means and the collection stage are arranged in a horizontal line. 5. The flower processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a fraction flower collecting means for carrying out and collecting the fraction flowers remaining on the conveyor by the conveyor. 6. A cutting means for cutting the base end of a flower stalk to make the length of the flower uniform while transporting the flower by a transfer section, a leaf dropping means for removing a leaf of the base end, and A flower selecting section provided with a sorting means for sorting by grade, a plurality of flower carrying conveyors on which the flowers selected by the flower sorting section fall by grade, and counting the number of flowers accumulated on these conveyors Counting means, transfer means having a holding arm for picking up and holding a predetermined number of flowers transferred to the side of the flower selecting section by these conveyors, and binding the flowers transferred by the transfer means. A bundling unit, a collection stage for collecting the bunch of flowers bound by the bundling unit for each flower grade, and a moving mechanism for moving the transfer unit between the conveyor, the bundling unit, and the collection stage, And said Floriculture processing apparatus, characterized in the conveyor by providing the payout operation portion for driving to carry the fraction of flowers remaining on Nbeya laterally. 7. A step of cutting the base end of the flower stalk by cutting means to make the length of the flower uniform while conveying the flower by the transfer section, and means for removing leaves of the base end of the flower stalk. Removing the flowers, measuring the grade of the flowers by measuring means, dropping the flowers on a conveyor for transferring the flowers according to the grade according to the measurement result of the measuring means, and determining the number of flowers accumulated on the conveyor. When the number of flowers reaches a predetermined number as counted by the counting means, the step of carrying out the flowers by the conveyor, picking up the carried out flowers by the transfer means, transferring them to the uniting means, and transferring the flowers to the basal end of the stem of the flowers. And a step of moving the transfer means to a collection stage to drop the bundle of bound flowers by grade of the flowers to collect them. 8. A step of aligning the petals with a petal position aligning means while transporting the flowers in the first transporting section, and cutting the base end of the flower stem by cutting means to reduce the length of the flowers. Aligning, removing the leaves of the base end of the flower stem by a leaf dropper, measuring the weight of the flowers dropped on the receiving member from the first transport unit by a load sensor, Picking up the flowers with a holding member and transporting the holding member by a second transporting unit; dropping the flowers from the holding member by weight onto the conveyor for transferring flowers from the holding member according to the measurement result; When the number of flowers accumulated in the plant is counted by the counting means and the number of flowers reaches a predetermined number, a step of transporting the flowers to the side of the second transport section by a conveyor, and transporting the transported flowers. Pick up by means and transfer to binding means And bundling the base end of the flower stalk, and moving the transfer means to a collection stage to drop the bundle of tied flowers by the weight of the flower and collect the same. How to treat flowers.