JP3220889B2 - Grade sorting equipment in fruit sorting facilities - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a grade sorting apparatus in a fruit sorting facility.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It is well known that fruit selections after receiving goods are visually graded, and then grades such as weight or shape are selected by various detectors. Among them, the grade sorting section is configured such that the fruits sorted by the grade worker are transferred to a conveyor surface of a predetermined grade and transferred.

Conventionally, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 53-13 / 1979
As described in JP-A-8849, the structure is such that the fruits being transported by the grade sorting conveyor on the front side of the worker are visually judged and transferred to the sorting conveyor arranged on the far side, so that after the judgment, Started to throw
The fruit was causing damage. This is even more so when the throughput is not constant and a large amount must be processed every moment. In addition, the end side of the grade selection conveyor is connected to one of the conveyors, and the grade workers are usually on standby along the grade selection conveyor. Despite having already made some judgments in a good manner, since the poor grade worker is unknown, the grade worker performs the grade judgment again,
As a result of performing multiple evaluations, there is a disadvantage that the number of class workers cannot be reduced.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes the above disadvantages.
In order to resolve the problem, the fruits that have been received or
Grade sorting conveyor 11 to receive and transfer according to grade
Multiple sorting conveyors 12-15 for transferring fruit and standard
Fruit selection with extra transfer conveyor 18 for transferring outside fruits
A grade sorting device in a facility, for grade workers
Between the space and the conveyor 11 for class sorting.
The starter side of the conveyors 12 to 15 is provided,
A bear 18 is arranged above the grade separation conveyor 11.
It is characterized by having.

[0005]

Since the starting ends of the sorting conveyors 12 to 15 comprising a plurality of strips are arranged between the sorting space for the class worker and the conveyor 11 for class sorting, the class worker reaches out. Picked up selected fruits on the conveyor 11 surface,
After the visual judgment, it may be placed on the sorting conveyor surface on the front side, and a series of operations from gripping of the selected fruit to release at a predetermined position is ensured, and damage to the selected fruit does not occur.

An extra-grade transfer conveyor 18 is provided above the grade selection conveyor 11 and communicates with the non-standardized goods storage section so as to be able to cope with processing after extraneous goods are picked up by the grade workers on both the left and right sides. is there. Moreover, the sorting conveyor 12 ~
15 is a straight line, and is usually disposed to extend beyond the grade sorting conveyor 11, so that a space can be formed between the left and right sorting conveyors 13 and 14 behind the grade sorting conveyor 11, This can be used as a maintenance space.

[0007]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The figure shows a fruit sorting device that cleans fruits (for example, tomatoes) received by a container, sorts them, then detects and classifies and sorts the grade and coloring degree with a CCD camera. Roller conveyors 3, 3 ... on which the received containers 2, 2, ... are placed together, and the containers 2, 2 transported in a stacked state are arranged one by one by a destacker 5, which is arranged in the middle of the receiving / transporting conveyor 4. , Can be supplied to the automatic damper 7. The discharged material from the auto damper 7 that reverses and transports the container 2 is supplied to the diffusion roller conveyor 6 in bulk. 8 is a purifier,
This is a configuration in which dust adhering to the surface is wiped off by a brush body (not shown) that is viewed upward while passing through a rotation roller conveyor (not shown). The cleaned tomato is supplied to the next grade sorting section 9. 10 is a guide chute.

[0008] The structure of the grade selection section 9 is as follows. That is, the tomatoes to be sorted from the guide chute 10 are supplied to the grade sorting conveyor 11 in the form of a belt container or a roller container. On both sides of the conveyor 11, two sorting conveyors 12, 1 are provided.
3, 14, and 15 are provided side by side. Each of the sorting conveyors 12 to 15 is extended rearward in the same form, and a narrow slat plate 16, 16... Is arranged on a transfer chain (not shown) so as to fall down in a direction perpendicular to the transfer direction. , A discharge mechanism that receives a discharge signal (for example, a solenoid)
With this operation, the sorting object can be discharged to a preset discharge position.

In the grade sorting section 9, a plurality of steps 17 for grade workers are provided outside the starting ends of the sorting conveyors 12-15. In other words, the sorting conveyor 1 is placed between the grade sorting conveyor 11 and the grade worker.
2, 13 or 14, 15 are located.

Reference numeral 18 denotes an extra transfer conveyor provided above the grade sorting conveyor 11, and reference numeral 19 denotes a second extra transfer conveyor which looks at a transfer end of the conveyor 18 and transfers it to an appropriate extra goods storage. Reference numeral 20 denotes a camera detection device, in which a CCD color camera 22 and a CCD camera 23 are arranged before and after each sorting conveyor in addition to light sources such as halogen lamps 21 and 21. Of these, CC
The D color camera 22 detects the surface color of the selected tomatoes and compares the color with a preset coloring degree to determine the degree of ripeness. The D coloring camera 22 classifies the coloring degree into three levels of large, medium and small. Configuration.

The CCD camera 23 detects a shape, specifically, an outer shape and compares the detected shape with a preset reference value for each class.
This is a configuration in which it is determined to which class among a plurality of classes set in advance. The outer sorting conveyors 12 and 15 are configured to be longer than the grade sorting conveyor 11, and are configured to be able to sort and discharge the A grade and the B grade according to the degree of coloring and the grade based on the detection result of the camera detection device 20, By processing the detection signal of the camera detection device 20, a predetermined sorting and discharging mechanism, for example, predetermined receiving boxes 24, 24
... Classification is performed while operating a solenoid disposed at each time at a predetermined timing. In addition, color CCD
The determination as to whether or not the data is within the predetermined maturity range among the detection data detected by the camera 22 is also performed, and the over-ripened or unripe tomatoes other than the suitable ripe two categories are placed in each designated receiving box regardless of the size of the shape. It is a configuration that can be sorted.

Further, inner sorting conveyors 13 and 14 for sorting C by grade while carrying C and D grades thereon.
Is configured as a sorting and discharging unit having substantially the same length as the sorting conveyors 12 and 15, and the length of the sorting and discharging unit is equal to that of the outer sorting conveyors 12 and 15 so as to follow the outer sorting conveyors 12 and 15. It is extended to almost twice its length.

In the vicinity of each of the receiving boxes 24, 24,...
.. Are arranged so that a worker can pack a predetermined number of boxes. 26 is a product carry-out conveyor, and 27 is a packing device. 28 is an empty container transfer conveyor, 29 is an empty cardboard box transfer conveyor.

The operation of the above example will be described. The containers 2, 2... Received at the receiving place are transferred to a receiving and transferring conveyor 4, where they are inverted by an automatic damper 7 and the selected tomatoes in the container 2 are supplied to a diffusion roller conveyor 6. Here, it is transported backward while being diffused to the left and right. Then the tomatoes enter the purifier 8. Here, the dust on the surface is removed by the brushing action while passing between the self-revolving roller conveyor and the brush body.

[0015] The cleaned tomatoes reach a grade sorting section 9.
Here, all the tomatoes are in the middle grade sorting conveyor 11
And transported in a diffused state. The grade workers are waiting on the steps 17, 17 provided on the left and right sides, pick up the tomatoes placed on the grade sorting conveyor 11, and judge the grade by visual inspection of the surface, and appropriately select the sorting conveyors 12-15. It will be transferred to the top. Here, in the setting of the present embodiment, the sorting conveyors 12, 13, 14, 1
5 correspond to the grades A, C, D, and B, respectively. Therefore, the grade workers near the sorting conveyors 12 and 13 pick up and evaluate the grades A and C mainly while determining the grades A and C. Rank workers are to be classified into grades B and D.

The grades A and B and the grades C and D may be configured to handle the same grade (total of two grades). In addition, when a nonstandard product is picked up, it is transferred to the upper extra transfer conveyor 18. The sorting conveyors 12 to 15 are extended rearward in a straight line, and the graded tomatoes are transported on the tomatoes. On the way, the color CCD camera 22
Is imaged below the CCD camera 23, and the data is sent to the control unit to determine the surface coloring state and the outer diameter shape information. Classification is determined from the outer diameter of tomatoes whose surface coloring is within a predetermined range, and a solenoid as a predetermined sorting / discharging mechanism is excited. Receiving box 2
4, 24...

A boxing worker is present near the receiving boxes 24, 24, and packs a predetermined number of tomatoes in the empty box raised by the packing tables 25, 25. This boxed product is transferred to the product carrying-out conveyor 26, is packaged halfway, and is shipped.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main part.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view thereof.

FIG. 3 is an overall plan view.

FIG. 4 is a side view thereof.

FIG. 5 is a section taken along line AA of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a section taken along line BB of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the camera detection device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Receiving place 2 Container 3 Roller conveyor 4 Receiving transfer conveyor 5 Destacker 6 Diffusion roller conveyor 7 Auto damper 8 Purifier 9 Grade sorting part 10 Guide chute 11 Grade sorting conveyor 12, 13, 14, 15 Sorting conveyor 16 Slat plate 17 Step platform 18 Extra-grade transfer conveyor 19 Extra-grade transfer conveyor 20 Camera detection device 21 Halogen lamp 22 CCD color camera 23 CCD camera 24 Receiving box 25 Packing table 26 Product unloading conveyor 27 Packing device

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] Claims: 1. Receiving or appropriately pre-treated fruit
Grade sorting conveyor 11 to receive and transfer according to grade
Multiple sorting conveyors 12-15 for transferring fruit and standard
Fruit selection with extra transfer conveyor 18 for transferring outside fruits
A grade sorting device in a facility, for grade workers
Between the space and the conveyor 11 for class sorting.
The starter side of the conveyors 12 to 15 is provided,
A bear 18 is arranged above the grade separation conveyor 11.
Grade sorting device characterized by the following.