EA043147B1 - METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR TRANSPORTING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES WITH ORIENTED PEDEL - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a method and system for transporting fruits and vegetables with a peduncle, which makes it possible to orient their stalk in a given way.

The stalk of a fruit or vegetable is the stem organ that holds the fruit or vegetable. Colloquially, the term ponytail is also used, for example, for sweet cherries.

Known (JPH11116037, US6691854) methods and devices for orienting spherical fruit for presentation purposes. Also known from document WO2017/187076 is a method and apparatus for orienting fruits with a pedicel in order to place them in a container, according to which the fruit with a peduncle is sequentially rotated around a horizontal axis of rotation, and then the fruit with a stalk is rotated around a vertical axis of rotation, which makes it possible to bring the peduncle to a predetermined position for the purpose of packing fruit.

Also known are systems for transporting fruits and vegetables with a stalk, in which fruits or vegetables, called objects, are transported on a conveyor line where a bulkhead is carried out. This can be, for example, calibration or sorting, in particular, by the color of objects.

Each object is carried on supports which are driven by a longitudinal transport element, such as a chain, which entrains said objects in motion in the longitudinal direction. Each support usually consists of two double cones, placed one after the other in the direction of the chain movement, between which there is an object. The double cones rotate relative to each other so as to cause the object they are transporting to rotate about a transverse horizontal axis so that a system, such as an imaging system, can view the surface of the object.

However, the inventor has noticed that the presence of stalks on the objects prevents their rotation, which does not allow the objects to be oriented properly. In particular, it is not possible to orient the objects in such a way that the part of these objects, opposite to that which carries the stalk, faces towards the conveyor line, where the visualization system or the object sorting system may be located. Thus, the bulkhead cannot be performed on the entire outer surface of the object, in particular on the entire outer surface of the rotating object.

The aim of the invention is, at least in part, to eliminate this disadvantage by offering a method for transporting objects belonging to the group of fruits and vegetables with a stalk, characterized in that it includes the following steps:

transporting a plurality of objects on the conveyor line in the longitudinal direction of movement, with each object being transported on a support, which is driven by the conveyor line in the longitudinal translational movement;

rotation of at least one support of the object in such a way as to cause the specified object to rotate around a non-horizontal axis and give its stem a given geometric orientation.

This rotation of said at least one support makes it possible to geometrically orient the stem of the object in a substantially desired direction from a plurality of substantially possible directions. Indeed, the orientation or given geometric position of the stem in space is usually defined in a global sense, that is, the orientation is within a three-dimensional angular geometric sector called a solid angle (three-dimensional cone). Due to the different operating parameters of the conveyor line and because of the objects themselves, it is not possible to give a more precise specified geometric orientation and thus be sure that at the end of the turn the stem will be oriented at an exact angle, for example, to the horizontal, vertical or general direction of the conveyor lines. Thus, the given geometric orientation which is given to the stem by this rotation of said at least one support must be understood as being inscribed entirely in a solid angle which is oriented to one or other of the two opposite sides enveloping the conveyor line (lateral orientation of the stem) . Thus, whether the peduncle is in a vertical plane transverse to the general direction of the conveyor line, or in a horizontal plane in which the general direction of the conveyor line lies, the peduncle will face the inside of the cone. Thus, in such a vertical plane, the stem may be oriented upwards, downwards or horizontally. Likewise, in such a horizontal plane, the stem may be oriented forward, backward, or perpendicular to the general direction of the conveyor line. Such a transverse orientation of the peduncle makes it possible to orient the part of the object opposite to that which carries the stalk to some system, for example, an imaging system.

The stage of rotation of at least one support is a step of rotating and maintaining in rotation at least one support of the object during the longitudinal movement of the support, entrained by the conveyor line in the longitudinal direction of movement, to cause the specified object to rotate around a non-horizontal axis, to keep the specified object in rotation around this non-horizontal axis during the longitudinal movement of the support and give its stem a given geometric orientation, and also maintain this given geometric orientation during the longitudinal movement of the support. Preferably, this regular, that is, essentially not disturbed by the presence of the stem, rotation of the specified object, the stem of which has a given geometric orientation during the supported rotation of the specified object, in some embodiments, the implementation allows the analysis of the entire surface of the object, in particular, by the system visualization. Preferably, the given geometric orientation of the stem is maintained when the object is rotated during its transportation on the conveyor line.

According to one possible characteristic, each support has at least two parts located next to each other in a transverse arrangement with respect to the longitudinal direction of movement, and each of the parts is able to rotate independently of the other, while the step of rotating said at least one support includes turning said at least two parts with different speeds; this difference in speeds of said at least two support parts makes it possible to rotate the object about a non-horizontal axis and thus orient the object and thus its stem in a plurality of possible geometric orientations; the choice of the velocity difference allows the substantially geometric orientation of the peduncle to be controlled; in practice, different speeds are chosen for the first part of the support and for the second part located next to the first part in a transverse arrangement; more specifically, different speeds can be applied to the elements or mechanisms that rotate one and/or the other of the at least two parts of the support.

According to other possible characteristics, the rotation of said at least one support orients or positions the stem as a whole, and therefore also the part of the object to which the stem is connected, in an orientation substantially transverse to the longitudinal direction of movement; thus, the stem is oriented substantially towards one of the two opposite sides or side envelopes of the conveyor line; as already mentioned, in the transverse vertical plane this orientation may be directed upwards, downwards or horizontally, and in the horizontal plane this orientation may be forwards, backwards or perpendicular to the general direction of the conveyor line;

the method includes the step of rotating said at least one support, which is performed at least during the step of examining or transforming an object located on said support with an oriented stem to cause rotation of said object about its own axis (for example, horizontal and transverse) when maintaining a substantially transverse orientation of the stem of the object; the inspection stage can be performed using an optical system or another type of system, usually the inspection is carried out in order to detect possible defects in the object in order to sort the objects depending on the result of this stage; in this way, it is possible, for example, to inspect, in particular, the part of the object which is opposite the part to which the stem is attached, i.e. a part of the object that is oriented substantially transversely, that is, turned generally towards one of the two opposite sides of the conveyor; the rotation step can be performed around an axis which, depending on the need, is not necessarily horizontal and transverse; note that the rotation of the object on the support is usually performed in order to be able to examine the part of the object opposite to the part to which the stem is attached as much as possible; however, to transform an object, such as cutting off a stalk, rotation of the object on the support is usually not required;

before rotating said at least one support of the object, the purpose of which is to cause the rotation of the specified object around a non-horizontal axis and gives its stalk a given geometric orientation, the method includes at least one preliminary stage of rotation of the specified at least one support in such a way as to cause a corresponding rotation said object resting on said support about a transverse horizontal axis to give the stem of the object a preliminary geometric orientation;

in order to achieve a preliminary geometric orientation of the stalk, the method may include, for example, a single preliminary step of rotating said at least one support in order to cause a corresponding rotation of said object located on said support about a transverse horizontal axis and give its stalk a preliminary longitudinal geometric orientation, which directed back or forward of the conveyor line; alternatively, the method may include two successive preliminary stages of rotation of said at least one support in order to cause a corresponding rotation of the specified object, located on the specified support, around a transverse horizontal axis and to give successively to its stem the first longitudinal geometric orientation, which in the global sense is facing back or ahead of the conveyor line, and a second geometric longitudinal orientation, which is directed opposite to the first geometric orientation and which corresponds to the preliminary geometric orientation of the stem; these two successive rotations ensure that all object stems have the same preliminary geometric orientation before being subjected to a rotation that gives them the desired geometric orientation; however, regardless of the number of rotations, the preliminary orientation or orientations of the stalks can be achieved by means of lateral guide elements that go around two opposite sides of the conveyor line and therefore the support of the objects, and thus allow participation in the orientation of the stalks during the rotation of the objects, guiding the stalks.

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The subject of the invention is also a system for transporting objects belonging to the group of fruits and vegetables with a stalk, containing a conveyor line that can be driven in the longitudinal direction of movement, a plurality of supports that can be entrained in movement by the conveyor line in the longitudinal direction of movement, and each of which capable of carrying one object, characterized in that the conveyor line contains a device for driving at least one support of the object in order to cause the specified object to rotate around a non-horizontal axis and give its stem a given geometric orientation.

This system has the same advantages as the method briefly described above. As in the case of the method, the conveyor line can transport a large number of supports and objects in accordance with the speed of transportation and given production constraints. In addition, this system is particularly easy to implement and efficient.

According to other possible characteristics:

each support carrying the object has at least two parts located next to each other in a transverse arrangement with respect to the longitudinal direction of movement and each of which is able to rotate independently of the other, while the conveyor line contains two longitudinal transport elements parallel to each other, which able to drive respectively said at least two parts of each movable support of the object with different speeds of advancement or longitudinal movement to cause rotation of the object around a non-horizontal axis and give its stem a given geometric orientation; when choosing the speed difference of two longitudinal transport elements parallel to each other, the speeds that can be applied in practice to these elements and production restrictions are taken into account; longitudinal transport elements are usually placed under the supports in contact with them;

each object-carrying support is formed of two elongated support members, which are all arranged one behind the other transverse to the longitudinal direction of movement, and which together form a form for receiving a carried object; in particular, two elements are located next to each other so as to jointly form a nest (cavity) for receiving a portable object;

each transverse elongated support element has two parts adjacent to each other in the transverse arrangement of the specified element relative to the longitudinal direction of movement, while each of the two parts can rotate independently of the other;

each transverse elongated support element has a general form of rotation about the longitudinal axis of the specified elongated element;

each of the two parts of each transverse elongated support element is a cone or truncated cone, the tops of which face each other or the bases of which are removed from each other;

each longitudinal transport element is selected from a conveyor belt, a chain, a belt drive, etc. or any other element capable of providing the same function;

the system for transporting objects includes a system for non-contact sorting of objects carried on supports; said non-contact bulkhead system may be an optical system that allows optical analysis of objects through visualization; the bulkhead system may be located on the conveyor line behind the zone where the parallel longitudinal transport elements are located, or may be partially behind this zone, and partially in the specified zone, or otherwise located;

the object transportation system includes a system for converting objects carried on supports.

Brief description of the drawings

Other characteristics and advantages will appear in the course of the following description, which is given by way of non-limiting example only and is made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1A is a general schematic perspective view showing an exemplary multi-point rotation system for an object on a support, according to one embodiment of the invention;

fig. 1B is a partial transverse vertical view of the object 18 on a support 16 with the peduncle 18a oriented to the side, at the level of the third point 12c of FIG. 1A;

fig. 1C is a partial plan view, in a horizontal plane, of the object of FIG. 1B;

fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of one possible example of an object support according to one embodiment of the invention;

fig. 3 shows the support of FIG. 2, on which the object 18 is located;

fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the supports shown in FIG. 2 and 3;

fig. 5 is an enlarged detailed perspective view of the third item 12c of FIG. 1A;

fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view of the first rotation of the object to achieve the first preliminary orientation of its stem at the first point 12a;

fig. 7 is an enlarged perspective view of the second rotation of the object to achieve the second preliminary orientation of its stem at the second point 12b;

fig. 8A shows the start of rotation of the object of FIG. 7 on the third paragraph 12c;

fig. 8B shows a continuation of the object rotation started in FIG. 8A, at the third point 12c;

fig. 8C shows the end of the rotation of the object shown in FIG. 8A and 8B;

fig. 9A shows the rotation of the object at the fourth station 12d with the given geometric orientation obtained at the third station;

fig. 9B is a general perspective view of the system for checking, sorting or analyzing an object operating in the fourth item 12d;

fig. 9C is a cross-sectional view of the system and the fourth item 12d of FIG. 9B.

Description of Embodiments

Fig. 1A shows very schematically a system 10 for conveying objects belonging to a group of fruits and vegetables having a stem. The stalk of a fruit or vegetable is a stem organ that supports the fruit or vegetable. In the example shown, and as will be repeated in other drawings, the objects are cherries, but of course they could be any other fruits or vegetables with stalks.

The transport system 10 comprises a conveyor line 12 which can be driven in the longitudinal direction of travel symbolically indicated in FIG. 1A with arrow 14 pointing from left to right.

The system 10 also comprises a plurality of supports which are capable, on the one hand, of being carried along by the conveyor line 12 in its forward movement in the longitudinal direction 14, and on the other hand, of carrying each object, such as a cherry, as in this example. In the example shown in FIG. 1A, only one possible object support 16 is shown for ease of presentation, and a single object 18 with stem 18a is shown carried on support 16. This example of an object support will be illustrated in more detail in FIG. 2-4. In FIG. 1A, the same object support 16 is shown at different conveyor line processing stations, which will be described in more detail later in connection with FIG. 5 and following. When the conveyor line is in operation, generally, a plurality of object supports and a plurality of objects are arranged in succession on the conveyor line, for example, at a distance of a few centimeters from each other, in order to ensure the productivity of industrial production.

The conveyor line 12 comprises a chain conveyor 20, known per se, which wraps around two gears or end rings (not shown) to form an endless loop. At least one of the two gears is entrained in rotation by a motor (not shown) relative to the frame (not shown) of the conveyor line so that the chain conveyor 20 is also continuously entrained by this gear in its longitudinal direction in the direction indicated by arrow 14. Alternatively, on the conveyor line, another drive system could be used to bring the supports into longitudinal translational motion. The supports of the objects are fixed on a chain conveyor which is formed by successive links 21, known as such, pairwise pivotally connected to each other by transverse horizontal axes 23, which are all parallel to each other. The transverse axis runs perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of movement 14 of the conveyor line, in this example it is the horizontal axis. The supports of the objects are attached, for example, to the transverse axes of the links or by means of another part. The transverse axes 23 of the links 21 extend transversely, protruding outwards near the chain conveyor 20, in order to be able to mount on these axes supports for objects which will be described later. These object supports move in the longitudinal direction parallel to the chain conveyor and next to it, in the same horizontal plane.

The transport system 10 makes it possible to orient the stems 18a of the objects on the supports in a predetermined geometrical orientation, in order, for example, to carry out a bulkhead, in particular non-contact, of these objects, by examining/analyzing the objects in any chosen orientation, for example, in order to detect possible defects on one or more objects. Bulkheading can be implemented by performing an optical analysis of objects using the visualization method. The ability to orient the stalks of objects in a given geometric orientation, selected from several given possible geometric orientations, allows optical analysis to be performed by visualization on the entire outer surface of the objects, in particular, in the zone or part of the objects opposite to that to which the stalk is connected. Note that the stalks of the objects can be given several successive given geometric orientations so that they can be viewed/analyzed in these different possible orientations.

The conveyor line 12 comprises a sequence of treatment points or zones arranged one after the other in the longitudinal direction 14 parallel to the chain conveyor 20, through which the supports of the objects being moved on the conveyor pass.

In the example shown in FIG. 1A, there are four processing stations 12a-d, although, of course, a different number of stations may be provided in other configurations.

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The first two object rotation points 12a and 12b are optional and are intended here to ensure that all the stems of objects on successive supports have the same preliminary geometric orientation when the third processing point 12c is reached. The order of paragraphs 12a and 12b may be reversed. It is, so to speak, the implementation of a preliminary positioning or a preliminary longitudinal orientation of the stem of the objects forward or backward. In addition, only one of these points can be used to give the stems a preliminary geometric orientation or a preliminary longitudinal orientation forward or backward before the third point. Alternatively, the conveyor line may not have any stalk preorientation until 12c.

The third point 12c is intended to give each peduncle 18a of the objects on the supports a predetermined geometric orientation, which is the same for all the peduncles of the objects. This geometric orientation will be used in the next paragraph, in this case to inspect/analyze objects oriented in this way. Alternatively, this geometric orientation may be used for other purposes, such as an object transformation step such as stalking. This geometric orientation is achieved by rotating each object about a non-horizontal axis, which in the example shown in FIG. 1A is the vertical axis V. In the example shown, the stalk 18a is oriented substantially towards one of the two opposite sides or envelopes of the conveyor line so that the area or part of the object opposite the part connected to the stalk faces the opposite side of the conveyor line. For simplicity, the peduncle shown in the third paragraph 12c has a geometric orientation exactly in the transverse horizontal direction, but, as will be seen below, in practice the geometric orientation of the peduncles does not necessarily coincide with such a direction.

The geometric orientation given to the stem of an object is considered in a global sense, that is, it corresponds to a geometric orientation that essentially has a main direction, for example, a transverse, or lateral, direction relative to the longitudinal direction of movement of the conveyor, but which can fluctuate near this main direction within some solid angle centered in the specified principal direction. Fig. 1B (partial view of object 18 on support 16 with peduncle 18a facing sideways in a transverse vertical plane at the level of the third point 12c) and 1C (partial plan view of the same object 18 on support 16 with its stalk facing sideways in a horizontal plane at the level of the third paragraph 12c) illustrate this essentially geometric orientation inscribed in the solid angle As. The solid angle As is defined as the part of space bounded by a cone whose vertex is the vertex of the solid angle. The cone is, for example, a cone of revolution. Here, the apex of the cone is at the base of the stem 18a, where it is connected to the object. Thus, the predetermined geometric orientation given to the object stem 18a is within this solid angle, but does not necessarily coincide with the main direction Ds of this solid angle, which in this example corresponds to the transverse horizontal direction. The solid angle cone typically has a vertex half angle α that is less than 90°, so that the object peduncle 18a can assume a predetermined geometric orientation deviating from the main solid angle direction by an angle of less than 90°. For simplicity and consistency of presentation, the stem in Fig. 1B and 1C are shown in the same orientation as in FIG. 1A. Thus, in an example of a substantially geometric orientation of the peduncle in the main direction Ds, which is transverse or lateral to the longitudinal direction of conveyor travel (arrow 14 in FIG. 1C):

if located in a vertical plane transverse to the general direction of the conveyor line (FIG. 1B), the peduncle 18a can be oriented horizontally, i.e. exactly in the main direction Ds of the solid angle As, or up or down relative to this horizontal orientation, with the orientation up or down is understood to be within the corresponding solid angle As, that is, with an angle of inclination of less than 90° relative to the main direction Ds of the cone, when viewed in the vertical plane; or if in a horizontal plane including the general direction of the conveyor line (FIG. 1C), the stem 18a may be oriented perpendicular to the general direction of the conveyor line (direction Ds), or forward or backward relative to this perpendicular orientation, i.e. at an angle of inclination less than 90° relative to the main direction Ds of the cone when viewed in the horizontal plane. Dashed lines emerging from the top of the cone in FIG. 1B and 1C illustrate possible examples of geometric orientations, each corresponding to a given substantially geometric orientation lying within the solid angle of the main transverse direction Ds. Everything that has been said above regarding the transverse or lateral geometric orientation can be applied to any other geometric orientation.

Of course, at the third point 12c, other predetermined geometric orientations of the stalks of the objects are also possible due to rotation around a non-horizontal axis, which is also not vertical. The orientation chosen here is just one example of many other possible orientations.

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After passing through the third point 12c, all the stems have the same predetermined geometric orientation (in this case, essentially the orientation towards one of the sides of the conveyor line, more precisely in the direction of the chain conveyor) and reach the fourth point 12d, where the objects are rotated around their horizontal axis. H, transverse to the longitudinal direction of movement 14 of the conveyor line. The essentially transverse geometric orientation of the stalk 18a (facing sideways) is maintained during this step even if the stalk is forced to rotate about its axis during this rotation. At this stage, the objects can be examined, for example, by an optical imaging system, which is itself known and not shown.

As a rule, the support of the object in the context of the invention has at least two parts, which are side by side in a transverse arrangement with respect to the longitudinal direction of movement 14 of the conveyor line. Each of said at least two parts is able to rotate independently of the other part, and the rotation of each part is usually carried out around an axis transverse to the longitudinal direction of movement 14. This configuration allows one of the said at least two parts to rotate at the same speed, while the other is driven into rotation at a different speed, which allows you to rotate the object located on the specified at least two parts, around a non-horizontal axis (in the described example, the vertical axis H) and, thus, orient the stem of the object in the selected geometric orientation. Alternatively, one of said at least two parts may rotate at a certain speed while the other part does not. Of course, if necessary, all said at least two parts can rotate at the same speed.

As shown in the top view in FIG. 2, the support 16 of the object in one embodiment of the invention is formed from two elongated support elements 16a and 16b, which are placed one behind the other transverse to the longitudinal direction of movement 14. These two elongated support elements 16a and 16b are adjacent to each other (not necessarily in contact) and together are responsible for containing the object that will be held between them. The object is positioned in a seat (cavity) which is partly defined by a longitudinal gap E provided between the two elements 16a and 16b and partly by two adjacent parts facing said two elements. In FIG. 3 shows an object 18 (for example, a cherry) resting on two elements 16a and 16b. Of course, these elongated support elements can carry any other type of fruits and vegetables, depending on the need.

As shown in FIG. 2 and 3, each elongated support element 16a-b may be a body of revolution about the longitudinal axis of the element.

Each elongated support element 16a-b is placed transverse to the longitudinal direction of movement 14 so that the longitudinal axis of each elongated element has a transverse disposition (the transverse arrangement is symbolically shown by the line denoted by the letter T in Fig. 2).

As shown in section in FIG. 4, each elongated support member 16a-b is freely rotatable on a transverse axis 17a-17b corresponding to the longitudinal axis of the member. The transverse axis 17α-17b is connected, for example mechanically, to the transverse axis 23 of the chain link 21 (not shown) or, alternatively, corresponds to the transverse axis itself.

As shown in FIG. 2-4, each elongated support member 16a-b has two portions adjacent to each other at the transverse arrangement T of each member. Both parts 16a1, 16a2 of element 16a (respectively, parts 16b1, 16b2 of element 16b) are on the same line with each other along the transverse axis 17a (respectively 17b), and each part is installed with the possibility of free rotation around the specified axis and is able to rotate independently of the other.

Each part of the elongate support member 16a-b has, for example, a generally frusto-conical shape, and the two parts of the common frusto-conical shape are located relative to each other so that the tops of the cones face each other and the bases of the cones are spaced apart from each other. friend (the bases are outside the support). In general, the configuration of each portion of the elongated support member has a general double cone or hourglass shape. Thus, the object held by the two parts of the elongated support members is in contact with the frustoconical zones of each part shown in FIG. 2-4. In other embodiments, other configurations of portions of the elongated support member may be used. In addition, general truncated conical shapes may have shape variations, in particular, local ones. For example, an elongated support member may be comprised of a plurality of discs side by side in a transverse arrangement. All disks may have the same diameter, or the disks located at two opposite ends of the structure may have diameters greater than those of the intermediate disks. The general profile of these discs side by side in the transverse direction may correspond, for example, to the shape or contour of an hourglass or a diabolo toy.

Returning to FIG. 1A, each of the first two stations 12a-b, as well as the fourth station 12d, in the present example has the same configuration and contains a longitudinal transport element 12a1, 12b1 and 12d1, on which the supports 16 are located. In contact with each of the elements 12a1, 12b1 and 12d1 , moving at a certain speed, the supports 16, entrained in the longitudinal translational movement by the chain conveyor 20 with another given speed, are also rotated around the transverse horizontal axis H.

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Each longitudinal transport element 12a1, 12b1 and 12d1 is, for example, a belt drive, known per se, which is wound around two end pulleys (not shown), as well as on the third and fourth pulleys (not shown) located in the lower part, so that the resulting belt drive forms an endless loop located essentially in a vertical plane in the longitudinal extent. The positions of the different sheaves with transverse axes of rotation are indicated only for the first point 12a: the positions 12a2 and 12a3 of the two end pulleys and the position 12a4 of the third pulley, which is, for example, the deflecting pulley, and the position 12a5 of the fourth pulley, which is, for example, the driving pulley, with In this case, the motor driving this pulley is not shown in the drawing. On the other hand, the drive pulley and deflection pulley can be interchanged. The drive pulley is driven by the motor into continuous rotation relative to the frame mentioned above, so that the belt also moves continuously along the frame in the longitudinal direction indicated by arrow 14.

Note that the longitudinal transport element described here can be replaced by a conveyor belt, a chain, or any other element, as long as the object supports can rotate about their axis in contact with this longitudinal transport element, the length of which is chosen to interact with a plurality of object supports.

The third station 12c of the conveyor line in FIG. 1A comprises two longitudinal transport members, 12c1 and 12c2, parallel to each other, which are capable of moving in the longitudinal movement direction 14 at different longitudinal movement speeds for the different elements to cause parts of the object supports in contact with the two respective two to rotate at different rotational speeds. longitudinal transport elements 12s1 and 12s2 (these speeds of longitudinal movement differ from the speed of the chain conveyor, which carries the supports of objects into a longitudinal translational movement). As a result, a speed difference is created between the two independent moving parts of each support, which leads to different speeds of rotation at the level of the areas of the object that are in contact with the corresponding parts.

Fig. 5 shows an example of a possible configuration of the third item 12c in more detail. Each longitudinal transport element here represents a belt, but, as for the longitudinal transport elements at other points, it can take any form, for example, a conveyor belt, a chain, etc. Each longitudinal transport element is vertically shaped so as to form an endless longitudinal element wound around a plurality of pulleys and/or rollers which allow it to be guided and dragged into translational motion, in particular in the longitudinal direction of travel 14. As shown in FIG. 1, each longitudinal transport element 12c1, 12c2 has a smaller width (transverse dimension) than that of the longitudinal transport elements at other stations so that the two longitudinal transport elements 12c1 and 12c2 can be located side by side without touching and still be able to come into contact with the rotating moving parts of object supports without increasing the overall transverse dimensions of the conveyor line as a whole.

More specifically, each longitudinal transport element is wound around two end pulleys 12c3 and 12c4, and the longitudinal horizontal section of each element, located between these two pulleys, is supported by a central frame 12c5 (a similar frame may be present for each belt at other points). Starting from the first of the two end pulleys (the first end pulley is different for the two transport elements), each longitudinal transport element is shaped to encircle the drive pulley 12c6 (for element 12c2) and 12c7 (for element 12c1) located lower than the end pulley , and offset vertically relative to this latter. Each drive pulley is mounted on a transverse shaft t1 or t2 connected at one end to a motorized drive device G1 or G2, such as a geared motor type, for example, and at the other end to the aforementioned but not shown frame. Further, each longitudinal transport element extends so as to encircle the tension roller 12c8 (for element 12c2) or 12c9 (for element 12c1), which is lower than the drive pulley and vertically offset relative to the latter. Then each longitudinal transport element rises in the direction of the second end pulley, passing through an intermediate pulley or roller 12c10, for example, common to two longitudinal transport elements. Two parallel longitudinal transport elements have a symmetrical configuration with respect to the average vertical plane containing the axis of rotation of the roller 12c10. Thus, starting from the deflection pulleys, both longitudinal transport members rise towards its second upper end pulley, crossing at the level of the roller 12c10, as viewed in a vertical plane view perpendicular to the two transverse shafts t1 and t2. All axes of rotation of different pulleys and rollers are transverse, parallel to each other and perpendicular to the same vertical plane.

Next, with reference to FIG. 6-9 will describe the various sequential steps of one embodiment of a method for transporting or moving objects carried out by the transport or conveyor system 10 described above. Note that the method may alternatively be implemented with a system of a different configuration.

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In FIG. 6 shows an object support 16 consisting of two elongated support elements 16a and 16b of the type described in connection with FIG. 2-4, which are jointly carried by an object 18 having a stem 18a. As shown by arrow R1, here the object support rotates counterclockwise about the transverse horizontal axis H. The rotational movement is simultaneously experienced by each of the two parts 16a1, 16a2 and 16b1, 16b2 of each elongated support element 16a and 16b, which are all in contact with the same the same longitudinal transport element 12a1, moved forward in the direction 14 (first point 12a). The counterclockwise rotation is achieved here due to the fact that the travel speed of the longitudinal transport element 12a1 is less than that of the chain conveyor 20 of FIG. 1A. Performing the first pre-rotation makes it possible to give the peduncle 18a a preliminary longitudinal backward orientation. This pre-orientation is also achieved by the presence of two parallel walls which flank the transport element 12a1 on the side in order to direct the orientation of the stem of the object to the rear and prevent its uncontrolled positioning on one of the sides. Only the back wall of P1 is shown here, and the front wall has been omitted so as not to overload the drawing.

In FIG. 7 shows the same object support 16 as in FIG. 6 with the object 18. As arrow R2 indicates, here the object support is rotated clockwise around the transverse horizontal axis H. Rotational movement is simultaneously experienced by each of the two parts 16a1, 16a2 and 16b1, 16b2 of each elongated support element 16a and 16b, which all are in contact with the same longitudinal transport element 12b1 moving forward in direction 14 (second point 12b). Clockwise rotation is achieved due to the fact that the speed of movement of the longitudinal transport element 12a1 is greater than the speed of movement of the chain conveyor 20 of FIG. 1A. Performing the second pre-rotation makes it possible to give the peduncle 18a a preliminary longitudinal forward orientation. This pre-orientation is also achieved by having two parallel walls which are positioned laterally on either side of the transport member 12b1 to change the rearward orientation of the object stalk (pre-orientation in FIG. rotates forward due to the presence of side walls that prevent its movement in this longitudinal arrangement). These two side walls are not shown here for clarity, but they are similar to those shown in FIG. 6.

Objects whose peduncles 18a were previously oriented or previously facing forward at the second point 12b reach the third point 12c, where they will be affected by the moving parts of the support on which they are located at different speeds (the same reasoning can be made regarding the orientation of the peduncle back) .

At the third point 12c, each longitudinal transport element 12c1, 12c2 is entrained in a longitudinal translational movement at a speed that changes from one element to another due to the respective motorized drive devices associated with these elements (Fig. 5) and which can be selectively controlled in an appropriate way. in particular automatically. Thus, the two parts 16a1 and 16b1 of the two elongated support members 16a and 16b are driven about their longitudinal axis (see FIGS. 2-4) by the transport member 12c1 at a first speed, and the two parts 16a2 and 16b2 of the two elongated support members 16a and 16b are brought into rotation about their longitudinal axis (see Fig. 2-4) by the transport element 12c2 with a different speed than the first. With proper selection of the speed difference between the two longitudinal transport elements, a suitable and independent rotation of the respective support parts (with different speeds of the support parts in contact with the two adjacent transport elements) occurs, which causes the object 18 to rotate about a non-horizontal axis. As shown in FIG. 8A, the rotation imparted to the object and its stem is in this case the rotation about the vertical axis V, symbolically indicated by the arrow R3 (counterclockwise rotation). In order to achieve such a rotation, the entrainment speed of the transport elements 12c1 must be greater than the entrainment speed of the transport elements 12c2, and the travel speed of the chain conveyor 20 of FIG. 1A lies in the range between the entrainment speeds of the two transport elements.

Note that if the peduncle 18a enters the third station 12c with a backward orientation, it would be advantageous to rotate around the vertical axis in the direction of rotation opposite to that shown in FIG. 8A (i.e. clockwise) to arrive at the exit of the third point with the same stem orientation. To do this, it is necessary to change the order of the speed values of the drive of the transport elements.

Fig. 8B and 8C illustrate the end of the rotational movement at the third station 12c, the beginning of which was shown in FIG. 8A and show that the stem 18a was oriented substantially transverse to the longitudinal direction of travel of the longitudinal transport elements, as explained above, in particular in connection with FIG. 1A-C. Thus, the peduncle essentially faces one of the sides of the conveyor line, in this case the side opposite the chain conveyor. Alternatively, the stem may be oriented towards the opposite side. According to another alternative, the peduncle can take on an orientation different from that just

- 8 043147 mentioned, depending on the requirements of the conveyor line and the operations performed.

Objects whose stems 18a are substantially facing or positioned laterally or transversely at the third point 12c (the same reasoning can be made for other stem orientations) reach the fourth point 12d where they will be subjected to, for example, a verification or analysis step, depending on their orientation or location.

Fig. 9A illustrates the flow of operations in this step, however without showing a known type of control, sorting (eg, calibration) or analysis system that may be used. Because the peduncle 18a of the object 18 is substantially oriented transverse to the longitudinal direction of movement 14 of the conveyor line, the substantially transverse orientation of the peduncle is substantially maintained during counterclockwise rotation R4 of all moving parts of the object support 16 about the transverse horizontal axis H. Thus, at this stage, the object and its stalk are entrained in rotation about the H-axis, which makes it possible, in particular, to examine the area of the object opposite to that to which the stalk is attached, which was very difficult using the methods known from the prior art. This step makes it possible, in particular, to inspect or analyze objects carried on supports, in particular hard-to-reach areas of these objects, without establishing physical contact with said objects. This is especially advantageous when the risk of damage to objects by physical contact is undesirable. Note that the stage of rotating the object during the verification stage is optional. In one embodiment, the rotation may be performed periodically during the verification step.

Since the peduncle may occupy different predetermined geometric orientations after the rotation performed at the third station 12c (about a non-horizontal axis), different areas of the object can then, depending on installation requirements, be examined at the fourth station.

Fig. 9B and 9C show an inspection, reassembly or analysis system 30 of a known type which allows, at the fourth station 12d, the non-contact step of checking all parts of the objects 18 opposite the stalk-bearing part and oriented substantially transversely. As shown in these drawings, the control system 30 is, for example, optical. It is installed above the level at which the conveyor line is located and on the side opposite the side to which the stem of the object faces (Fig. 9C). The monitoring system 30 is, for example, an optical imaging system of a known type. As shown in these drawings, the system 30 emits an optical beam F, which is, for example, wide enough to cover several objects at the same time (Fig. 9B), although this is not necessary.

According to one not shown embodiment, an object transformation system can be added to the conveyor line, for example, to implement an object transformation step instead of or in addition to this step, and, for example, after this step.

The transformation envisaged typically requires contact with the objects to be transformed, and may, for example, be a step of cutting off the stalks of the objects, although other transformations can be envisaged.

Claims (13)

1. A method for transporting objects belonging to the group of fruits and vegetables with a stalk, including the following steps: transportation of a plurality of objects (18) on a conveyor line (12) in the longitudinal direction of movement (14), while each object being transported is supported by a support (16), which is driven by the conveyor line (12) during its longitudinal movement, rotation of at least one support (16) of the object (18) in such a way as to cause the rotation of the specified object (18) around a non-horizontal axis, characterized in that the rotation of the specified at least one support (16) is performed so as to give the stem (18a) of the specified object (18) a given geometric orientation and maintain this given geometric orientation while rotating the specified object (18) around a non-horizontal axis. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that each support (16) has at least two parts (16a1, 16a2; 16b1, 16b2) located next to each other in a transverse arrangement relative to the longitudinal direction of movement, each of which is capable of rotate independently of the other, wherein the step of rotating said at least one support (16) comprises turning said at least two parts (16a1 and 16a2; 16b1 and 16b2) at different speeds. 3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the rotation of said at least one support (16) orients the stem (18a) in an orientation substantially transverse to the longitudinal direction of movement (14). 4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that it includes the step of rotating said at least one support (16), which is performed at least during the step of examining or transforming an object (18) located on said support with its oriented peduncle (18a) to cause said object to rotate about an axis while maintaining a substantially transverse orientation of the object's peduncle. - 9 043147 5. The method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that prior to the rotation of said at least one support (16) of the object, the purpose of which is to cause the rotation of the said object (18) around a non-horizontal axis and give its stem (18a) a given geometric orientation, the method comprises at least one preliminary stage of rotation of said at least one support (16) to cause a corresponding rotation of said object carried on said support around a transverse horizontal axis in order to give the object stem (18a) a preliminary geometric orientation. 6. System (10) for transporting objects belonging to the group of fruits and vegetables with a stalk, containing a conveyor line (12), which is configured to be driven in the longitudinal direction of movement (14), a plurality of supports (16), which are configured to driving the conveyor line when it moves and each of which is capable of carrying one object (18), and the conveyor line (12) contains a device (12c1, 12c2) for driving at least one support (16) of the object to cause rotation of the specified object around a non-horizontal axis and give its stem a given geometric orientation, characterized in that the device (12c1, 12c3) for bringing into rotation is configured to maintain this given geometric orientation during rotation of the specified object (18) around a non-horizontal axis. 7. The system according to claim 6, characterized in that each support (16) carrying the object has at least two parts (16a1, 16a2; 16b1, 16b2) located next to each other in a transverse arrangement relative to the longitudinal direction of movement ( 14), wherein each part (16a1, 16a2; 16b1, 16b2) can rotate independently of each other, the conveyor line contains two longitudinal transport elements (12c1, 12c2) parallel to each other, made with the possibility of driving the corresponding specified at least two parts of each movable support of the object with different speeds of longitudinal movement in order to cause rotation of the object (18) around a non-horizontal axis and give its stem (18a) a given geometric orientation. 8. The system according to claim 7, characterized in that each support (16) carrying the object is formed by two elongated support elements (16a, 16b) located one behind the other across the longitudinal direction of movement (14), and which together form a shape for receiving the transferred object. 9. The system according to claim 8, characterized in that each transverse elongated support element (16a, 16b) has two parts (16a1, 16a2; 16b1, 16b2) located next to each other in the transverse arrangement of the specified element relative to the longitudinal direction of movement ( 14), while each of the two parts can rotate independently of the other. 10. A system according to one of claims 6 or 7, characterized in that each transverse elongated support element (16a, 16b) has a general form of rotation around the longitudinal axis of said element. 11. System according to one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that each longitudinal transport element (12c1, 12c2) is selected from a conveyor belt, chain, belt drive. 12. System according to one of claims 6 to 11, characterized in that it includes a system (30) for contactless bulkheading of objects (18) carried on supports (16). 13. The system according to one of claims 6 to 12, characterized in that it includes a system for converting objects carried on supports.