A fruit sorting and grading machine

Abstract

This invention discloses a fruit sorting and grading machine, which includes a multi-stage sorting frame that sorts fruits from largest to smallest. Each sorting frame includes a roller frame, a lifting belt, a lifting component, a discharge frame, and a guide chute. The lifting belt drives the lifting component in a cyclical motion. Each stage of the sorting frame has a fruit receiving trough, with the trough of the next stage being larger than that of the previous stage. The lifting component on each stage of the sorting frame contacts its corresponding fruit receiving trough. During the cyclical motion, the lifting component carries away the fruits that fall into the fruit receiving trough and transports them to the guide chute. This fruit sorting and grading machine, by using a multi-stage sorting frame to sort fruits by size, achieves automated fruit sorting, good consistency in fruit sorting, more thorough sorting, and can separate fruits of different sizes in one pass, greatly improving sorting efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of fruit sorting technology, and in particular to a fruit screening and grading machine. Background Technology

[0002] Before processing or selling fruits, they are graded according to their size and stored or sold accordingly to ensure consistency and quality.

[0003] Currently, commonly used grading and screening methods employ multiple levels of perforated plates of different sizes. However, perforated plate screening presents two main problems: First, the size range of the perforated plates is small, resulting in excessively high precision and low screening efficiency and differentiation during the screening process. Second, since most perforated plates use a planar screening method, the contact area between the perforated plate and the fruits and vegetables is limited, leading to incomplete screening and requiring repeated screening. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, the present invention aims to provide a fruit screening and grading machine with high screening accuracy, good consistency, and thorough screening.

[0005] The technical solution of this invention is implemented as follows:

[0006] A fruit sorting and grading machine includes a multi-stage sieve frame for sorting fruits from largest to smallest. The sieve frames at each stage are arranged at intervals. Each sieve frame includes a roller frame, a lifting belt wrapped around the roller frame, a lifting component fixed on the lifting belt, a dropping frame on one side of the roller frame, and a guide chute on the other side of the roller frame. The lifting belt drives the lifting component to perform a cyclical motion.

[0007] The screening racks at each level are equipped with fruit troughs for holding fruits. The fruit troughs at each level are larger than those at the next level. The lifting components on each screening rack are in contact with their corresponding fruit troughs. During the cyclical movement, the lifting components carry away the fruits that fall into the fruit troughs and transport them to the guide trough.

[0008] Preferably, the feeding rack includes multiple spaced-apart dividers, the fruit receiving trough is formed between two adjacent dividers, the lifting component is located close to the feeding rack, the lifting belt moves in a cyclical motion, and the lifting component moves to the divider to take away the fruit in the fruit receiving trough.

[0009] Preferably, the width of the fruit-containing troughs on the upper-level screening rack is greater than the width of the fruit-containing troughs on the lower-level screening rack.

[0010] Preferably, the material lifting assembly includes a plurality of spaced-apart material lifting hooks, and a fruit lifting groove is formed between two adjacent material lifting hooks. The width of the fruit lifting groove on the upper-level screening frame is greater than the width of the fruit lifting groove on the lower-level screening frame.

[0011] Preferably, the sorting bins and the lifting hooks are staggered.

[0012] Preferably, the lifting hooks on each of the lifting belts are arranged in rows, and the lifting hooks in each row are spaced apart.

[0013] Preferably, a baffle plate is provided between the feed inlet and the uppermost screening frame, and the baffle plate and the discharge frame of the uppermost screening frame are spaced apart to form a feed inlet.

[0014] Preferably, the inlet end of the feed chute is located close to the lifting belt, and the lifting assembly throws the fruit into the feed chute under the drive of the lifting belt;

[0015] The inlet opening width of the feed chute is greater than the outlet opening width.

[0016] Preferably, the multi-stage screening rack is three-stage, consisting of a large-stage screening rack, a medium-stage screening rack, and a small-stage screening rack arranged at intervals in sequence, with the large-stage screening rack, medium-stage screening rack, and small-stage screening rack staggered in the vertical direction.

[0017] Preferably, the discharge racks of the intermediate screening rack and the small screening rack are further connected to guide plates. One end of the guide plate of the intermediate screening rack is located below the discharge rack of the large screening rack, and the other end is connected to the discharge rack of the intermediate screening rack. One end of the guide plate of the small screening rack is located below the discharge rack of the intermediate screening rack, and the other end is connected to the small screening rack.

[0018] The fruit screening and grading machine provided in this invention uses a multi-stage screening rack to screen fruits by size for grading. Each stage of the screening rack has a discharge rack with a fruit receiving trough of different sizes. After the fruits enter from the inlet, they fall into different fruit receiving troughs in sequence and are graded and arranged in different fruit receiving troughs. Then, the lifting component carries the fruits in the fruit receiving troughs away and transports them to the guide trough. This achieves automated fruit screening, with high screening accuracy, good consistency, and more thorough screening. It can screen fruits of different sizes in one go, greatly improving screening efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the fruit sorting and grading machine provided by the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 for Figure 1 The diagram shown is a structural schematic of a fruit sorting and grading machine.

[0021] Figure 3 for Figure 2 The enlarged view of part A shown. Detailed Implementation

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0023] Please refer to the following: Figure 1 and Figure 2 This fruit screening and grading machine includes a multi-stage screening rack arranged to screen fruits from largest to smallest. The multi-stage screening rack can be two, three, or more stages, meaning there can be two, three, or more screening racks. Preferably, in this embodiment, the multi-stage screening rack is three stages, consisting of a large-stage screening rack 1, a medium-stage screening rack 2, and a small-stage screening rack 3 arranged sequentially at intervals. These three racks are fixed to the machine frame and are vertically staggered. This staggered arrangement, meaning the three racks are not flush, allows fruits to slide from top to bottom due to gravity. Therefore, during the screening process, fruits screened at one stage can smoothly fall to the next stage for further screening, improving screening efficiency. The large-level screening rack 1 filters out large fruits, the medium-level screening rack 2 filters out medium fruits, and the small-level screening rack 3 filters out small fruits. Of course, in cases with multiple screening levels, such as when the multi-level screening rack is set to four or five levels, the fruits are also screened according to size.

[0024] Please see Figure 3In this embodiment, the screening racks at each level are arranged alternately from left to right. Specifically, the large-scale screening rack 1, the medium-scale screening rack 2, and the small-scale screening rack 3 are arranged alternately from left to right. The structures of the large-scale screening rack 1, the medium-scale screening rack 2, and the small-scale screening rack 3 are largely the same. Each level of the screening rack includes a roller frame 5, a lifting belt 6 wound around the roller frame 5, a lifting assembly 7 fixed to the lifting belt 6, a discharge rack 8 located on one side of the roller frame 5, and a guide trough 9 located on the other side of the roller frame 5. The lifting belt 6 drives the lifting assembly 7 in a cyclical motion. The rollers on each roller frame 5 are driven by a motor 16, thereby causing the lifting belt 6 wound around the roller to circulate. That is, the large-scale screening rack 1, the medium-scale screening rack 2, and the small-scale screening rack 3 all include a roller frame 5, a lifting belt 6, a lifting assembly 7, and a discharge rack 8. Specifically, the large-scale screening rack 1 carries large fruits on its discharge rack, and the conveyor belt 6 continuously carries away the large fruits from the discharge rack through its cyclical movement. The medium-scale screening rack 2 carries medium fruits on its discharge rack 8, and the conveyor belt 6 continuously carries away the medium fruits from the discharge rack through its cyclical movement. The small-scale screening rack 3 carries small fruits on its discharge rack, and the conveyor belt 6 continuously carries away the small fruits from the discharge rack through its cyclical movement. Each level of the screening rack has a fruit-containing trough 10 on its discharge rack 8, with the trough 10 of the higher level being larger than that of the lower level. The conveyor components 7 on each level of the screening rack are in contact with their corresponding fruit-containing troughs 10. During their cyclical movement, the conveyor components 7 carry away the fruits falling into the fruit-containing troughs 10 and transport them to the guide trough 9. After the fruits enter through the feed inlet 4, they enter the top-level discharge rack 8, which is the discharge rack 8 of the large-level screening rack 1. Large fruits are stuck in the fruit receiving trough 10 on the large-level screening rack 1. Medium and small fruits slide down from the discharge rack 8 of the large-level screening rack 1 to the next level. Medium fruits stay on the intermediate screening rack 2, and small fruits slide down from the intermediate screening rack and finally slide down to the discharge rack 8 of the small-level screening rack 3. The large, medium and small fruits that fall on the screening racks at each level are lifted and transported by the corresponding circulating lifting components 7 and then transported to different collection channels to achieve graded screening. Therefore, by setting up a multi-stage screening rack, fruits are sorted by size for grading. The feeding rack 8 on each stage of the screening rack is equipped with fruit receiving troughs 10 of different sizes. After the fruits enter from the feed inlet 4, they fall into different fruit receiving troughs 10 in sequence and are graded and arranged in different fruit receiving troughs 10. Then, the lifting component 7 carries the fruits in the fruit receiving troughs 10 away and transports them to the guide trough 9. This realizes the automated screening of fruits, with high screening accuracy, good consistency, and more thorough screening. It can screen fruits of different sizes in one go, which greatly improves the screening efficiency.

[0025] like Figure 3As shown, the feeding rack 8 includes multiple spaced-apart dividers 11, and fruit-containing troughs 10 are formed between adjacent dividers 11. The lifting assembly 7 is positioned close to the feeding rack 8, and the lifting belt 6 moves in a cyclical motion. When the lifting assembly 7 reaches a divider 11, it carries the fruit from the fruit-containing trough 10. The fruit-containing trough 10, formed between multiple spaced-apart dividers 11, is used to hold fruit of a corresponding size or larger than the width of the trough 10. Fruit of that size remains in the trough 10, while fruit smaller than this width slides from the previous feeding rack 8 to the next, and so on. The dividers 11 form the fruit-containing troughs 10, and their width is set according to the diameter of the fruit being screened, allowing for the selection of fruit by size as needed.

[0026] Understandably, in order to allow small and medium-sized fruits to slide down to the next level, the width of the fruit-holding troughs 10 on the sieve rack of the previous level is set to be greater than the width of the fruit-holding troughs 10 on the sieve rack of the next level, so as to successfully achieve the screening and classification by size. That is, the width of the fruit-holding troughs 10 on the large-level sieve rack 1 is greater than the width of the fruit-holding troughs 10 on the medium-level sieve rack 2, the width of the fruit-holding troughs 10 on the medium-level sieve rack 2 is greater than the width of the fruit-holding troughs 10 on the small-level sieve rack 3, and so on when more levels of sieve racks are set.

[0027] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the lifting assembly 7 includes multiple spaced-apart lifting hooks 71. The hooks of the lifting hooks 71 face the discharge frame 8. The lifting hooks 71 are L-shaped and fixedly connected to the lifting belt 6. The hooks are used to hook and lift fruits. A fruit lifting groove 15 is formed between two adjacent lifting hooks 71. The width of the fruit lifting groove 15 on the upper-level screening frame is greater than the width of the fruit lifting groove 15 on the lower-level screening frame. The width of the fruit lifting trough 15 at each level is different. The width of the fruit lifting trough 15 on the large-level screening frame 1 is greater than the width of the fruit lifting trough 15 on the medium-level screening frame 2. The width of the fruit lifting trough 15 on the medium-level screening frame 2 is greater than the width of the fruit lifting trough 15 on the small-level screening frame 3. The width of the fruit lifting trough 15 on the same screening frame is equal to the width of the fruit receiving trough 10, so as to adapt to the screening of different fruit sizes and prevent the width of the lifting hook 71 from being too large or too small, thus failing to carry the fruit away.

[0028] Under the projection of the same side plane, the sorting tray 11 and the lifting hook 71 are staggered. That is, one side of the sorting tray 11 is a lifting hook 71, which improves the lifting accuracy of the lifting hook 71. During the lifting process, the lifting hook 71 is staggered and inserted into the sorting tray 11 to lift and carry away the fruit in the fruit container 10.

[0029] Furthermore, the lifting hooks 71 on each of the lifting belts 6 are arranged in rows, with each row of lifting hooks 71 spaced apart. The arrangement of multiple rows of lifting hooks 71, under the continuous cyclical movement of the lifting belts 6, can greatly improve the efficiency of material lifting.

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, a baffle plate 12 is provided between the feed inlet 4 and the uppermost screening frame. The baffle plate 12 and the discharge rack 8 of the uppermost screening frame are spaced apart to form a feed inlet 13. That is, a baffle plate 12 is provided between the feed inlet 4 and the uppermost screening frame 1, and the feed inlet 13 is formed between the baffle plate 12 and the discharge rack 8 of the uppermost screening frame 1. A batch of fruits enters through the feed inlet 4. The function of the baffle plate 12 is to limit the amount of fruit entering the screening frame, preventing a large amount of material from entering the discharge rack 8 and causing incomplete screening, thereby improving screening accuracy.

[0031] Furthermore, the inlet end of the feed trough 9 is positioned near the top of the lifting belt 6, and the lifting assembly 7, driven by the lifting belt 6, throws the fruit into the feed trough 9. The graded large, medium, and small fruits are respectively carried up by the lifting belt 6 into different feed troughs 9, which then discharge the fruit into the respective discharge outlets 17 and collect it into a container.

[0032] The inlet opening width of the feed chute 9 is greater than the outlet width. The width of the feed chute 9 gradually decreases from the inlet to the outlet to form a confluence at the outlet.

[0033] The large-scale screening rack 1 is structurally similar to the medium-scale screening rack 2 and the small-scale screening rack 3, but there are some structural differences in details. Of course, the three-stage screening racks can also have the same structure. In this application, preferably, the discharge racks 8 of the medium-scale screening rack 2 and the small-scale screening rack 3 are also connected to guide plates 14. One end of the guide plate 14 of the medium-scale screening rack 2 is located below the discharge rack 8 of the large-scale screening rack 1, and the other end is connected to the discharge rack 8 of the medium-scale screening rack 2. One end of the guide plate 14 of the small-scale screening rack 3 is located below the discharge rack 8 of the medium-scale screening rack 2, and the other end is connected to the small-scale screening rack 3. The guide plate 14 serves as a transitional support, mainly used to guide the remaining fruit after the previous stage of screening to the next stage of screening rack, thereby improving the interrelationship between the structures.

[0034] The fruit screening and grading machine provided in this embodiment of the invention uses a multi-stage screening rack to screen fruits by size for grading. Each stage of the screening rack has a discharge rack 8 with different sized fruit receiving troughs 10. After the fruits enter from the feed inlet 4, they fall into different fruit receiving troughs 10 in sequence and are graded and arranged in different fruit receiving troughs 10. Then, the lifting component 7 carries the fruits in the fruit receiving troughs 10 away and transports them to the guide trough 9. This realizes automated fruit screening, with good consistency in fruit screening and more thorough screening. It can screen fruits of different sizes in one go, greatly improving screening efficiency.

[0035] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A fruit sorting and grading machine, characterized in that, The system includes a multi-level screening rack that sorts fruits from largest to smallest. Each level of the screening rack is arranged at intervals. Each level of the screening rack includes a roller frame, a lifting belt wrapped around the roller frame, a lifting component fixed on the lifting belt, a dropping frame on one side of the roller frame, and a guide chute on the other side of the roller frame. The lifting belt drives the lifting component to perform a cyclical motion. The material receiving racks of each screening rack are provided with fruit receiving troughs for holding fruits. The width of the fruit receiving troughs of the upper level is greater than that of the fruit receiving troughs of the lower level. The material lifting components on each screening rack are in contact with their corresponding fruit receiving troughs. During the cyclical movement, the material lifting components carry away the fruits that fall into the fruit receiving troughs and transport them to the guide trough. The feeding rack includes multiple spaced-apart dividers, and the fruit receiving trough is formed between two adjacent dividers. The lifting component is located close to the feeding rack, and the lifting belt moves in a cyclical motion. When the lifting component moves to the divider, it takes away the fruit from the fruit receiving trough. The material lifting assembly includes a plurality of spaced-apart lifting hooks, and a fruit lifting groove is formed between two adjacent lifting hooks. The width of the fruit lifting groove on the upper-level screening frame is greater than the width of the fruit lifting groove on the lower-level screening frame. The sorting bins and the lifting hooks are staggered. During the lifting process, the lifting hooks are staggered and inserted into the sorting bins to lift and carry away the fruit in the fruit trough.

2. The fruit sorting and grading machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lifting hooks on each of the lifting belts are arranged in rows, and the lifting hooks in each row are spaced apart.

3. The fruit sorting and grading machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, A baffle plate is provided between the feed inlet and the uppermost screening frame. The baffle plate and the discharge frame of the uppermost screening frame are spaced apart to form a feed inlet.

4. The fruit sorting and grading machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inlet end of the feed chute is located near the lifting belt, and the lifting assembly throws the fruit into the feed chute under the drive of the lifting belt; The inlet opening width of the feed chute is greater than the outlet opening width.

5. The fruit sorting and grading machine according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multi-stage screening rack is three-stage, consisting of a large-stage screening rack, a medium-stage screening rack, and a small-stage screening rack arranged at intervals in sequence, with the large-stage screening rack, medium-stage screening rack, and small-stage screening rack staggered in the vertical direction.

6. The fruit sorting and grading machine according to claim 5, characterized in that, The discharge racks of the intermediate screening rack and the small screening rack are also connected to guide plates. One end of the guide plate of the intermediate screening rack is located below the discharge rack of the large screening rack, and the other end is connected to the discharge rack of the intermediate screening rack. One end of the guide plate of the small screening rack is located below the discharge rack of the intermediate screening rack, and the other end is connected to the small screening rack.

Images