JPS5811265B2 - Article sorting device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a sorting device for automatically sorting fruits such as tangerines, apples, persimmons, and other spherical or nearly spherical articles according to their outer diameters.

Generally, mandarin oranges are harvested from mandarin orange mountains, etc. in various places and collected in large quantities at fruit sorting plants. Before being shipped to the market, they are sorted into classes based on the size of the outside diameter and packed into boxes.

Conventionally, this class sorting based on the outer diameter size has been carried out using a sorting device shown in FIG.

That is, several rotating drums 3 having a large number of holes 2 formed on their circumferential surfaces are arranged in parallel between the roller conveyor 1 in descending order of hole diameter, and the mandarin oranges being transferred fall into the rotating drums 3 through the holes 2 through which they pass. However, in the above sorting method, oranges slightly larger than hole 2 get stuck in hole 2 and do not fall, and as a result, the oranges have to be forcibly taken out from hole 2. It has the disadvantage that it may be scratched or get caught in the roller conveyor 1.

In the trench, the large rotating drums 3 are arranged in multiple tiers, which takes up a large floor space, and this also has the disadvantage that the oranges have to fall over a long distance, causing damage, which reduces the quality of the product.

In view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, the present invention has been improved by forming a large number of sorting holes on the circumference of the feeding mechanism, for example, a conveyor, and in the sorting conveyance path, the inner diameter of the sorting holes changes from a small diameter to a large diameter. It is designed to change automatically gradually.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, 11 is a conveyor for transporting articles such as oranges, and 12 is an endless track type conveyor in which metal mounted on a pulley 13 is connected by a chain. As shown in FIG.
5 so that it can slide vertically in parallel.

A spring member 16 is wound around this rod 15 and compressed and bloomed between the conveyor 12 and the inner diameter adjusting plate 14, and the inner diameter adjusting plate 14 is pressed inward and positioned at the inner end of the rod 15.

The articles to be sorted are sent onto the sorting conveyance path 19 and are allowed to fall down through the guide holes 17 and 18 as needed.

Around the opening edge of the guide hole 17 of the conveyor 12, a plurality of rod-shaped or plate-shaped movable pieces 20 whose lower portions are always engaged with the guide hole 18 of the inner diameter adjustment plate 14 are arranged radially inward as shown in FIG. A sorting hole 18 whose periphery is formed by the movable piece 20 is provided by being rotatably attached.

An inclined surface 2 whose upper surface is at a predetermined angle is located at the bottom of the sorting conveyance path 19.
A rail 22 formed in 1 is installed, and a large number of spring members 16 are installed.
The stored elasticity causes the lower side edge of the inner diameter adjusting plate 14 of the non-selection conveyance path 19 to be pressed against the inclined surface 21 of the rail 22, and the inner diameter adjusting plate 14 of the sorting conveyance path 19 is brought into contact with the inclined surface 21 of the rail 22.
It is formed on an inclined surface with the same inclination angle as 1.

Numeral 23 is a chute arranged in multiple stages with the end portion located below the sorting conveyance path 19, and is used to send articles falling from the sorting conveyance path 19 to sorting boxes 24 according to their sizes. .

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

The conveyor 12 is rotated by any means and the guide hole 17 is
, 18 reach the starting end position of the selection conveyance path 19, the inner diameter adjusting plate 14 moves along the rail 22 while receiving the pressing force of the spring member 16.
move upwards.

Then, as shown in FIG. 4, the guide hole 18 of the inner diameter adjusting plate 14
also moves upward, so the movable piece 20 whose lower part engages with the guide hole 18 is rotated inward and moves into the sorting hole 18.
The inner diameter of is the minimum.

When the articles are conveyed on the sorting conveyance path 19 by the feed conveyor 11, each article falls into the guide hole 1γ and the sorting hole 18' at the starting end position.

If the articles are large enough to pass through the sorting hole 18', the articles are fed into the chute 23 after falling and sent to the sorting box 24. For example, the article is held by the movable piece 20.

As the sorting conveyance path 19 moves to the right in FIG.
As it moves downward (by the stored elasticity of is sent to the classification box 24 via.

Furthermore, when the movable piece 20 comes to the terminal position of the sorting conveyance path 19,
The inner diameter adjustment plate 14 receives the pressing force of the spring member 16 and adjusts the rod 15.
The movable piece 20 rotates outward to close the sorting hole 1.
After the inner diameter of No. 8 reaches its maximum, it is again positioned at the starting end position and the above operation is repeated.

In this way, the diameter of the sorting hole in the sorting conveyance path 19 gradually automatically changes from a small diameter to a large diameter, and during this process, each article falls one by one and is sorted and supplied to the chute 23, through which it is sent to a sorting box. It will be put in within 24 days.

The conveyor 12 described above may of course be a feed mechanism such as a turntable.

In addition to the above-mentioned embodiment, a method in which a movable plate shown in FIG. 7 is provided may also be used.

In FIG. 7, 23° 24, 25, 26 correspond to the movable piece 20 in FIG. 3, and hinge parts 23a, 24a, 25a,
26a, and the hole diameters are successively increased in stages, and the hinge parts 23a, 24a, and 25a are stacked one on top of the other.

These are movable plates that change the diameter of the holes by rotating downwards from time to time about 26a.

Reference numeral 27 denotes a protruding rod that can be pushed out when the movable plates 23 to 26 turn downward by 90° and an article gets stuck in the hole and is difficult to fall.

In addition, there are methods in which multiple thin metal pieces are used as movable pieces, such as in the aperture mechanism of a camera lens, and these metal pieces rotate in the guide hole to change the diameter of the screening hole, and flow control valves. A linear valve, which is a kind of type, may be used as the movable piece, and a mechanism may be applied in which the screening hole diameter is changed by pushing and pulling from the periphery of the guide hole using a ring with an arm or the like.

As described above, the present invention forms a large number of sorting holes whose peripheries are formed by movable pieces in a feed mechanism through which articles are fed from one end, and drives each of the movable pieces in conjunction with the advancement of the feed mechanism. By gradually changing the pore diameter from a small diameter to a large diameter, the outer diameter of the article is sorted, so it is possible to automatically classify articles according to the outer diameter of spherical or similar shapes such as tangerines. By doing so, it is possible to save labor and make the sorting accuracy uniform.

Since the mower does not damage or apply force to the article, the quality of the article does not deteriorate, and furthermore, because it is small, it has excellent effects such as not taking up much floor space.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a simplified perspective view of a conventional article sorting device, FIG. 2 is a simplified perspective view of a device according to the present invention, FIG. 3 is a simplified side sectional view of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a simplified perspective view of a conventional article sorting device. 5 is a partially sectional side view showing the state of the minimum diameter of the screening hole formed by the movable piece, FIG. 6 is a partially sectional side view showing the state of the maximum diameter of the screening hole formed by the movable piece, and FIG. FIG. FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a main part of another embodiment. 18'...Selection hole, 20...Movable piece.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A large number of sorting holes whose peripheries are formed by movable pieces are formed in a feed mechanism through which articles are fed from one end, and each of the movable pieces is driven in conjunction with the advancement of the feed mechanism to gradually reduce the diameter of the holes. An article sorting device characterized in that the outer diameter of articles is sorted by changing the diameter to a larger diameter.