PLANT FOR THE TREATMENT OF HORTICULTURAL PRODUCTS

Abstract

A plant (1) for the treatment of horticultural products, comprising a line (2) for handling and treating horticultural products (A), provided with a system (3) for the discrete transport of horticultural products (A), operating along a portion of the line (2) and comprising a plurality of discrete accommodation units (4) cyclically displaceable along the portion and configured for transport in the respective predefined positions of the corresponding products (A), a detection station (6) arranged along the portion and configured to acquire information related to a parameter of interest of each horticultural product (A) in transit and to transmit the information to an electronic control and management device;a distribution station (8), arranged downstream of the detection station (6) and configured for the selective transport of each horticultural product (A) in transit to one of two collection stations, on the basis of the orders sent by the electronic device according to the information acquired by the detection station (6), wherein the line (2) comprises an ejection apparatus (9) arranged along the upstream portion of the detection station (6) and is configured to apply, at the respective predefined times, a pushing action towards an area different from the predefined positions and which is normally free of products (A), at such times, for the forced discharge of the units (4) of the mispositioned products (A) that may be present in the area.

Description

The present invention relates to a plant for the treatment of horticultural products, comprising at least one line for handling and treating horticultural products, provided with at least: - a system for the discrete transport of horticultural products, operating along at least a portion of said line and comprising a plurality of discrete housing units that can be cyclically moved along said portion and are configured for the transport of the corresponding products in respective predefined positions, - a detection station that is arranged along said portion and is configured to acquire information related to at least one parameter of interest of each horticultural product in transit and to transmit said information to an electronic control and management device, - a distribution station, which is arranged downstream of said detection station and is configured for the selective transport of each horticultural product in transit to one of at least two separate collection stations, based on orders sent by said electronic device according to the information acquired at least by said detection station. 1744798 of 28 It is well known that large companies engaged in the packaging and distribution of fruits and horticultural products in general are making extensive use of automated plants or lines, configured to perform several treatments in sequence on a specific horticultural product. In fact, only by entrusting the execution of the different phases of treatment and processing to machines and robots is it possible to respond to market demands, satisfying a clientele that is increasingly attentive to product quality, without forgetting the need to contain costs. Therefore, plants or lines that have a loading station, which is fed with unclassified masses of a certain fruit (or other horticultural product), often coming directly from the harvesting fields, are very widespread. Following the loading station, and after undergoing any preliminary treatment (washing and pre-selection, for example), the horticultural products are transferred one by one to video cameras or other optical and / or measuring devices, which for each product and by means of special software detect the value assumed by one or more parameters of interest, such as color, shape, dimensions, sugar content, maturity, any rot, weight, etc. 1744798 of 28 Subsequently, each product thus measured arrives at a discharge station, in which adapted devices arranged in sequence can be activated independently by an electronic unit, which supervises the operation of the line or, in any case, is provided with instructions to receive and process the data acquired by the aforementioned measuring devices. Each device is paired with, or at least functionally associated with, a respective collection container: for each product, the electronic unit automatically activates the appropriate device, so that in each container are accumulated all and only those products for which the measured parameter assumes a certain value (or falls within a certain range of values). Thus, for example, all fruits of the same color, or the same weight, or the same size, etc., accumulate homogeneously in the different containers. As has been seen, the unloading of each product into the most suitable container is based on the reading taken by the measuring device (whether a video camera or other) and, therefore, on the portion of the line of interest of said device. The products must be handled one by one, using discrete holding units. Such units may consist, for example, of pairs of rollers arranged side by side to support the product, or of cups. 1744798 of 28 trays or dishes or others: in any case, each unit can and must discreetly transport the products downstream, arranging them in predefined positions. However, this constructive solution is not without its drawbacks. The storage units are arranged and moved in a line, as close to each other as possible, to optimize space utilization. However, errors sometimes occur during the sorting and delivery of products to the storage units (usually carried out by other equipment along the line, fed upstream, as mentioned earlier, with masses of unsorted products). Therefore, it can happen that a third product is transported between two correctly placed products in their respective adjacent storage units, positioned between the first two and possibly resting on them (or on the adjacent edges of the two adjacent storage units). This is clearly an undesirable event: due to the incorrect positioning, the measuring device will not be able to acquire the data of interest for the respective product; Furthermore, the presence of a misaligned product can compromise the reading of nearby products, even if they are correctly positioned in their respective drives. Therefore, there is a risk that the download of these products will be affected. 1744798 4 of 28 products by the electronic unit is based on an incorrect reading and / or it is necessary to provide systems capable of detecting the lost or incorrect reading and then activate a rejection or reprocessing procedure, in any case with the consequent reduction of the line's productivity. The objective of the present invention is to solve the problems described above, by providing a horticultural product processing plant that is capable of efficiently and quickly managing the presence and transport of misplaced products. Within this objective, one object of the invention is to provide a plant that ensures high productivity and a minimum percentage of products to be reprocessed, if one or more products end up in an incorrect position along the line. Another object of the invention is to provide a plant that adopts suitable countermeasures to prevent mispositioned products from compromising the reading of measuring and / or vision devices. Another object of the invention is to provide a plant that ensures high reliability in operation. Another object of the invention is to provide a plant that uses a technical and structural architecture alternative to that of plants of the known type. An object no less 1744798 of 28 Important aspect of the invention is to provide a plant that can be easily obtained from elements and materials commonly available on the market. Yet another object of the invention is to provide a plant that has low costs and is safe to apply. This objective and these and other objects that will become more evident in the future are achieved by means of a plant characterized in that said line comprises at least one ejection apparatus, which is arranged along said portion upstream of said detection station and is configured to apply, at least at the respective predefined times, a pushing action towards an area other than said predefined positions and normally free of products, at least at said times, for the forced discharge from said units of the mispositioned products that may be present in said area. According to another embodiment of the present invention, said apparatus comprises at least one pressurised fluid dispenser, configured for the permanent or cyclical generation of a jet directed towards said area. According to another embodiment of the present invention, said at least one dispenser comprises at least one nozzle associated with a respective pneumatic circuit powered by a source of compressed air, which constitutes said pressurized fluid. 1744798 of 28 According to another embodiment of the present invention, said dispenser comprises a plurality of said nozzles, which are mutually aligned along an axis perpendicular to the imaginary support plane of said line and are arranged laterally adjacent to the transit path of the products. According to another embodiment of the present invention, said apparatus comprises an actuator that can be cyclically moved, with at least an active portion thereof, along a path of interception with said zone, said active portion being configured to periodically pass through said zone at least at said times. According to another embodiment of the present invention, said zone corresponds to a region of space that is adjacent to the transit path of the products transported by said units for their accommodation in said predefined positions. According to another embodiment of the present invention, said zone corresponds to at least a portion of the region of space that is interposed, at said predefined instant, between said two predefined positions identified by said consecutive units. According to another embodiment of the present invention, said line comprises at least one presence sensor, which is arranged upstream of said apparatus and is configured 7 1744798 of 28 to detect the presence of products in said area towards which said pushing action of said device is directed, said sensor being associated with a drive device of said device, for the selective activation of the pushing action based on the actual presence of products in said area. According to another embodiment of the present invention, each of said accommodation units comprises a support seat for the respective horticultural product, which defines said corresponding predefined position. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the plant comprises a fixed obstacle, which is arranged close to said portion on the side of the transit path of the products that are transported by said accommodation units in said predefined positions. Finally, it has been inventively provided that said detection station comprises an electronic vision device, configured for the acquisition of said information relating to said at least one parameter of interest of each horticultural product in transit and for the transmission of said information to said electronic device, said at least one parameter being chosen from color, shape, dimensions, sugar content, degree of ripeness, defectiveness, weight, and the like. Other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the description of a preferred but not exclusive embodiment of the plant according to the invention, 1744798 of 28 illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a top view of the plant according to the invention; Figure 2 is a side elevation view of the plan of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a highly magnified perspective view of a detail from the plan of Figure 1, showing the ejection apparatus; Figure 4 is a side elevation view of the detail in Figure 3; Figure 5 is an elevation view of the detail in Figure 3; Figure 6 is substantially a cross-sectional view of a portion of the plan in Figure 1, showing the detail of Figure 3 from the front. With particular reference to the figures cited, a plant for the treatment of horticultural products A is designated in general form with the reference number 1. The scope of protection claimed herein extends to the use of plant 1 for the treatment of any horticultural product A (fruits, garden produce, vegetables, etc.): in fact, as will become clear later, the particulars of the invention and in general the 1744798 of 28 plant specifications 1 are independent of the specific type of horticultural product A in question. Furthermore, although plant 1 is typically designed and used for the treatment of a single horticultural product A, the possibility of it being loaded simultaneously with two or more types of product A or of it being converted for a different product A after its installation and first use is not excluded. In the preferred (though not exclusive) application, product A is a fruit and, in any case, has small dimensions and a reduced weight: it can therefore be a cherry, a blueberry, a hazelnut, or similar; as will be seen later, the particularities of the invention are indeed enhanced in these cases. Plant 1 therefore comprises, firstly, at least one line 2 for the handling and treatment of horticultural products A, which are typically fed by a loading station, chosen in turn from a known type (and therefore not shown in the attached figures). Here, the term line 2 signifies an ordered sequence of devices and stations that cooperate to perform a series of tasks (in this case, effectively related to the processing and handling of products A). Equivalently, line 2 also determines or corresponds to an ideal direction of movement of products A, of current 10 1744798 from 28 up towards downstream, defined precisely by the devices that handle the manipulation. The feeding at the loading station (which may or may not be considered part of line 2 and plant 1) can be done in any way and the equipment with which the loading station is equipped can be any, in effect depending on the feeding methods and the requirements imposed by the specific application context (and by the specific type of product A being processed in particular). For example, the loading station may include conveyor belts or trays onto which product A is poured from crates arriving from the fields, or onto which product A has been previously accumulated in an unsorted manner. Immediately after the loading station, line 2 may be equipped with sorting, pre-calibration, washing, or other stations as required. It is specified that in this memory the terms upstream, downstream, upstream of and downstream of are used according to common usage and refer to the direction of movement of the products A along line 2 (from right to left in figures 1 and 2), from the loading station towards the final sections, which will be described later. 1744798 of 28 Line 2 is provided with at least one system 3 for the discrete transport of horticultural products A, which operates along at least a portion of said line 2 and comprises a plurality of discrete housing units 4, which can be moved cyclically along the portion and are configured for transporting the corresponding products A into respective predefined positions. Typically, each unit 4 transports one and only one product A into a respective predefined position, although it is possible to provide for each unit 4 to transport multiple products A into a matching number of predefined positions. The discrete housing units 4 can be any type, chosen in various ways also from the solutions known in the field; depending on the specific type used and the method by which they transport product A, the predefined position is in any case automatically identified, since it depends in fact on the type and shape of the unit 4 chosen. In particular, in the preferred solution each unit 4 comprises a support seat for the respective horticultural product A, and in fact the seat defines the corresponding predefined position. Therefore, the products A simply rest on the units 4, which reinforces the particularities of the invention, as will be seen below. 1744798 of 28 More specifically, in the solution shown as an example in the accompanying figures, system 3 comprises a plurality of aligned rollers 5, driven, for example, by a chain that imposes a closed path on them, the active portion of which coincides with the aforementioned portion of line 2. In this solution, it is provided that the correctly positioned product A is transported while supported (accommodated) between two adjacent rollers 5, corresponding to the space between them (as shown in figure 3), and unit 4 can be considered in this case to consist of the support seat thus defined or, in any case, of two adjacent rollers 5. The predefined position in this case is indeed that in which product A is supported between two consecutive rollers 5.Each roller 5 can be part of a single housing unit 4, and therefore four consecutive rollers 5 are required to define two housing units 4 and transport two products A, since a product A will be placed in only one of the two intermediate spaces on the sides of each roller 5. Alternatively (as in the solution shown in figures 3 and 4), the same roller constitutes the first roller 5 of one housing unit 4 and the second roller of the previous one: three rollers 5 are sufficient to obtain two housing units 4 and transport two products A, since each intermediate space is used for a respective product A. 1744798 of 28 The accommodation units 4 may in any case be cups, saucers or trays, or others, without thereby abandoning the scope of protection claimed herein. It is specified that upstream of the cited portion and of units 4, an orderly distribution station or any other means of a known type per se may be arranged, capable in effect of receiving, even in an unclassified manner, the products A and of delivering them one by one to units 4. Moreover, it is not excluded to load the products A into units 4 either at the loading station or directly after it. Furthermore, line 2 is provided with at least one detection station 6 arranged along the aforementioned portion of said line 2 affected in the discrete transport system 3. The detection station 6 is configured to acquire information related to at least one parameter of interest of each horticultural product A in transit and to transmit said information to an electronic control and management device. Figures 3-6 effectively show a segment of the portion along which units 4 operate, upstream of detection station 6. The method of acquiring this information, as well as the specific choice of components and technologies used to provide detection station 6, can be any according to the needs. 1744798 of 28 In a preferred, but in any case non-limiting, embodiment of the invention, the detection station 6 comprises an electronic vision device configured to acquire information relating to the parameter(s) of interest of each horticultural product A in transit and to transmit said information to the electronic device. This parameter is preferably selected from color, shape, dimensions, sugar content, degree of ripeness, defects, weight, and other similar parameters. As mentioned, the acquisition of information on two or more parameters, from among those cited above or others, is also provided for. For this purpose, the information may be acquired by the same detection station 6, or two or more of them may be arranged along the same line 2, in order to effectively monitor and measure the respective parameters of the products A. As is known to those skilled in the art, numerous solutions are available on the market that can be adopted for the practical provision of the detection station 6 and the vision device in particular. Preferably, in any case, the latter comprises one or more video cameras, associated with image processing software, mounted inside a tunnel 7 arranged along line 2 and through which the horticultural products A pass, being handled discreetly by units 4. 15 1744798 of 28 The need to transport products A discreetly and in a predefined position gives rise to the need to be able to measure, for each of them, the parameters of interest automatically during their transit. Although the electronic control and management device can be of any type: for example, it can be a control unit or an electronic computer; typically, in any case, it is the same electronic device that controls the operation of the entire plant 1. Furthermore, line 2 is provided with at least one distribution (and unloading) station 8, which is arranged downstream of the detection station 6 and configured (even in a per se known manner) for the selective transport of each horticultural product A in transit to one of at least two separate collection stations, based on orders sent by the electronic device according to information acquired at least by the detection station 6. In more detail, the electronic device can cross-reference the acquired information with a range of values ​​or a value pre-assigned to each station, and consequently identify the most suitable harvesting position for each horticultural product A. Using suitable unloading and transport equipment (chosen from a known type and therefore not shown herein) effectively operated by the electronic device, the horticultural products A are 16 1744798 out of 28 are therefore divided into at least two corresponding homogeneous subgroups; for example, at each collection station it is possible to find A products (more or less) of the same color, the same size, with the same degree of ripeness, etc. According to the invention, line 2 comprises at least one ejection device 9, arranged along the portion of line 2 along which the units 4 travel, upstream of the detection station 6. The device 9 is configured to apply, at least at respective predefined times, a pushing action toward an area other than the predefined positions and normally free of products A, at least at those times, in order to forcibly discharge from the units 4 (of system 3) any misplaced products A that may be present in that area. The term "normally" refers to the condition in which the products A are correctly positioned in the predefined positions. This allows the intended objective to be achieved, since device 9 automatically ejects the mispositioned A products before they can reach detection station 6, preventing them from compromising the readings of that station. As will be seen more clearly below, it has been provided that the area towards which the pushing action is directed is free of product A at all times (since it is outside the path imposed on each product A by units 4), and 1744798 of 28 Similarly, the zone can be selected between two products A and therefore normally be free of products A only at the specific instant (or instants) when the pushing action is generated. The operation of the device 9 and the generation of the pushing action in this case are conveniently synchronized with the advance of products A. It should be noted that figures 3-4 (and, for the sake of simplicity, only these figures) effectively show some horticultural products A correctly placed in the predefined positions (supported between two rollers 5) and two additional products A incorrectly positioned: one product A incorrectly supported on two other consecutive products A and one product A incorrectly placed between two other correctly arranged products. It is specified that the action generated by device 9 produces a sufficient thrust for the struck product A to fall from unit 4: in this sense, as mentioned on the previous pages, preferably but not exclusively, products A are only supported on unit 4, so that a low-intensity thrust is sufficient for their fall and expulsion from unit 4. To control this fall, also facilitating the transport of the expelled products A towards a conveyor belt that is responsible for their recirculation (or similar means intended in any case to return said products A) 1744798 of 28 at the beginning of line 2), a containment screen 10 is arranged laterally adjacent to units 4 (or in any case on the opposite side of apparatus 9 with respect to said units 4 and products A). A single device 9 or more than one has been provided, located at different points of line 2 (of the aforementioned portion through which the units 4 move upstream of the detection station 6) and optionally capable of generating push actions directed towards different areas, to intercept and expel poorly positioned products A according to different configurations. In the preferred embodiment, which in any case is cited here as a non-limiting example of the invention application, the apparatus 9 comprises at least one pressurized fluid dispenser, configured for the permanent or cyclic generation of a jet directed towards the area. In particular, the dispenser comprises at least one nozzle 11 (Figure 3) associated with a respective pneumatic circuit fed by a compressed air source, which in the preferred solution therefore constitutes the pressurized fluid. With regard to this preferred application, as already mentioned, the plant 1 is typically designed to process small or light fruits (such as blueberries, cherries, hazelnuts, etc.) or other products A with similar properties, since a low-intensity jet is sufficient to achieve the desired result. In this respect, moreover, as 19 1744798 of 28 has been noted, preferably the A products are supported only on units 4. Even more particularly, preferably the dispenser comprises a plurality of nozzles 11, which are mutually aligned along an axis that is perpendicular to the imaginary support plane of line 2 (perpendicular to the ground, and therefore vertical) and are arranged laterally adjacent to the transit path of the products A (as shown in Figure 3). In a different, non-limiting embodiment, the apparatus 9 comprises an actuator that can move cyclically, with at least an active portion thereof along a path intercepting the zone; at least said active portion is configured to periodically traverse the zone at least at predefined times, so as to effectively strike the misplaced products A present therein, causing them to fall from the units 4. The actuator can be, for example, a small cylinder equipped with translational movement transverse to the path traced by the products A. In a first embodiment of the invention, the area towards which the thrust action generated by the apparatus 9 is directed corresponds to a region of space that is adjacent to the transit path of the products A transported by the units 4 in the predefined positions. 1744798 of 28 If the A products are normally moved while supported by the 4 units, or in any case while being held by them, defining a straight path, then obviously no A product should normally be present above that path (at a higher vertical level than the predefined positions where they are expected to be) or laterally adjacent to it. In such an embodiment, therefore, the pushing action is directed, for example, towards an area that is above the path and the predefined positions or laterally adjacent to it. In particular, in the first case, it is possible to intercept A products (such as one of those in Figure 3) that are incorrectly positioned on top of other A products, causing them to fall as desired. Since the pushing action in this case is directed towards an area where the presence of product A is not intended at any time, this action can be generated, for example, by a constant jet of air (although it can be configured to be intermittent, depending on specific needs). In general, in this case it is possible to generate a constant or periodic / cyclic pushing action (such as that generated by the mobile actuator). In another non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the area towards which the thrust action generated by the apparatus 9 is directed corresponds to at least a portion of the region of 21 1744798 of 28 space that is interposed, at each predefined instant, between two predefined positions identified by the respective consecutive units 4. In this case, in other words, the pushing action (whether an air jet or another type of force) is directed between two consecutive A products at predefined times, and therefore this action is necessarily intermittent or periodic, since if it were constant it would obviously also affect the A products correctly positioned in their predefined locations. This design allows for the expulsion of A products that are incorrectly transported between two other products correctly positioned in their predefined locations; Figure 3 also shows an example of this. In the case of an action directed above the trajectory or in the case described in the last paragraph, preferably the pushing action is directed horizontally, transversely to the trajectory of the products A; however, it could assume an inclined or even vertical direction (when it has to act between two predefined positions or to the side of the trajectory). In any case, the pushing action could be directed towards other areas and in different directions than those illustrated above. 1744798 of 28 Usefully, line 2 comprises at least one presence sensor, which is positioned upstream of device 9. This sensor may be a photocell or another optical device, but other practical solutions are not excluded, depending on the specific requirements. In any case, the sensor is configured to detect the presence of product A in the area toward which the pushing action of device 9 is directed. If this sensor comprises or consists of a photocell, for example, it may be directed directly toward the area or, preferably, upstream, in that region of space through which the misplaced product A passes, moments before reaching the area affected by device 9.The sensor is linked to a control device for appliance 9 (which may be the same as, or part of, the aforementioned electronic device) to selectively activate the pushing action based on the actual presence of product A in the area. This reduces energy consumption, as the air jet or, in any case, the pushing action exerted by appliance 9 is only generated if the misplaced product A is actually present. If the sensor is oriented towards a region designed to remain free of product A at all times (for example, above or laterally adjacent to the path of such product A), the sensor can be kept constantly 1744798 of 28 activated. If, on the other hand, it is directed between two products A, in turn, must be properly timed. To assist the operation of device 9, line 2 may also include a fixed obstacle, positioned close to the portion along which units 4 move, laterally adjacent to the path of the products A transported by units 4 in predefined positions. The obstacle may be, for example, a plate positioned laterally adjacent to the path traced by products A, with a flap facing units 4 and the products A on it, in order to displace and / or cause any mispositioned product A to fall. The operation of the plant according to the invention is evident from what has been shown so far. Indeed, it has already been noted that at the loading station, line 2 is fed with horticultural products A, typically heterogeneous and unsorted. Downstream from the loading station (and with the optional interposition of any additional stations or equipment deemed appropriate), the discrete transport system 3 for the horticultural products A operates, comprising units 4 that transport the products A downstream in an orderly fashion. During their journey, the units 4 pass through the detection station 6, which allows information to be acquired about each product A in transit (correctly positioned in the 24 1744798 of 28 predefined position determined by unit 4). This information is used by the electronic device that is responsible for sending, at distribution station 8, each product A to the most suitable collection station, in effect, based on the values ​​assumed by the parameters of interest, which are determined by the information acquired by detection station 6. This allows the A products to be divided into homogeneous subgroups, according to the criteria chosen in each case. Furthermore, the A products can undergo other treatments along line 2, such as washing, sorting, visual inspection, etc. In a rather unusual manner, upstream of detection station 6 is an ejection device 9 that directs a jet of air, or at least applies a pushing action, towards an area where, under nominal or normal conditions, no product A should be present. This area is chosen in all cases close to predefined positions (between two of them or above / laterally adjacent to the trajectory of the products A, for example) to cause the misplaced products A to fall or, in any case, be forcibly discharged from units 4, preventing them from reaching detection station 6 and compromising data acquisition, both for the misplaced products A and for those adjacent to them. By quickly ejecting the misplaced products A, 25 1744798 of 28 also the risk that these products may subsequently fall out of units 4, interfering with the operation of other devices or end up being collected at stations dedicated to products A that have passed the controls or that in any case are different for some reason. The ejection device 9 thus makes it possible to achieve the intended objective, since by automatically unloading the products from units 4 it is able to efficiently and quickly manage the presence and transport of the misplaced products A, which are effectively intercepted and ejected before they can compromise the reading of the measuring and / or vision devices. Products A that are in an incorrect position are ejected, while those correctly positioned in their respective predefined positions continue their journey without interference. This is because the pushing action exerted by device 9 is directed towards a different area than that occupied by the products A and is chosen to simply make them fall out of units 4. Therefore, detection station 6 is traversed by units 4 that transport only the respective products A in their corresponding predefined positions, thus maximizing efficiency and productivity. Only products A that are truly mispositioned are either dropped or, in any case, unloaded from units 4, in order to be sent back to the beginning. 1744798 of 28 line 2 (as mentioned, adjacent A products are not affected by the action of apparatus 9): this allows minimizing the percentage of A products that need to be reprocessed. The invention thus conceived is susceptible to numerous modifications and variations, all within the scope of the inventive concept; moreover, all details can be replaced by other technically equivalent elements. In the exemplary realizations shown, the individual characteristics, given in relation to specific examples, can actually be exchanged for other different characteristics that exist in other exemplary realizations. In practice, the materials used, as well as the dimensions, can be any according to the needs and the state of the art. Having described the nature of the present invention and the manner of putting it into practice, it is hereby declared that what is claimed as the invention and exclusive property is:

Claims

1. A plant (1) for the treatment of horticultural products, comprising at least one line (2) for handling and treating horticultural products (A), provided with at least: - a system (3) for the discrete transport of horticultural products (A), operating along at least a portion of said line (2) and comprising a plurality of discrete housing units (4) that can be cyclically moved along said portion and are configured for transporting the corresponding products (A) to respective predefined positions, - a detection station (6), arranged along said portion and configured to acquire information relating to at least one parameter of interest of each horticultural product (A) in transit and to transmit said information to an electronic control and management device, - a distribution station (8),which is arranged downstream of said detection station (6) and is configured for the selective transport of each horticultural product (A) in transit to one of at least two separate collection stations, based on commands sent by said electronic device according to information acquired at least by said detection station (6), characterized in that said line (2) comprises at least one ejection apparatus (9), which is arranged along said upstream portion of said detection station (6) and is configured to apply, at least at the respective predefined times, a pushing action towards an area other than said predefined positions and normally free of products (A), at least at said times, for the forced discharge from said units (4) of any mispositioned products (A) that may be present in said area. Ten claims follow.