Spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and palletizing system

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of material sorting, and provides a spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system, comprising: a feeding unit, a quality inspection unit and a sorting and packing unit; the feeding unit comprises a first conveyor capable of conveying spherical fruits and vegetables in a single row; the quality inspection unit comprises a flipping conveying component and a visual component, the flipping conveying component is used to flip the spherical fruits and vegetables when conveying them, and the visual component is used to collect the appearance image of the spherical fruits and vegetables and conduct appearance quality assessment; the sorting and packing unit comprises a positioning component, a stacking component and a sorting robot, the positioning component comprises a shell, a positioning groove is provided on the shell, the stacking component comprises an empty box conveying module and a stacking module, the empty box conveying module and the stacking module are both located on the side of the positioning component, and the discharge end of the empty box conveying module is connected to the feed end of the stacking module. The present invention solves the defect that the existing sorting equipment fails to realize fully automated operation, still relies on manual packing and stacking, and cannot significantly improve the processing efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of material sorting, and in particular to a spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system. Background Art

[0002] After fruits and vegetables are harvested, they are usually processed to improve their commercial value, and quality sorting is the most common way of processing. In this process, fruits and vegetables that do not meet the standards will be removed, and qualified fruits and vegetables will be packaged and put into circulation and sales.

[0003] At present, there are many commercial fruit and vegetable sorting equipment on the market that are applied to this post-harvest quality sorting link. However, the existing sorting equipment is usually large, bulky and costly. In addition, most equipment still requires manual boxing and palletizing after sorting, and has not yet achieved full automation of sorting, boxing, palletizing and other operations. Therefore, these equipment have failed to fundamentally improve the overall efficiency of post-harvest commercial processing of fruits and vegetables. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention provides a spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system, which is used to solve the defect that the existing sorting equipment cannot realize full-automatic operation, still needs to rely on manual boxing and stacking, and cannot significantly improve the processing efficiency.

[0005] The invention provides a spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system, comprising a feeding unit, a quality inspection unit and a sorting and packing unit.

[0006] The loading unit comprises a first conveyor capable of conveying spherical fruits and vegetables in a single row.

[0007] The quality inspection unit includes a flip conveying component and a visual component. The feeding end of the flip conveying component is connected to the discharging end of the first conveyor. The flip conveying component is used to flip the spherical fruits and vegetables while conveying them. The visual component is arranged on one side of the flip conveying component. The visual component is used to collect appearance images of the spherical fruits and vegetables and perform appearance quality evaluation.

[0008] The sorting and packing unit includes a positioning component, a palletizing component and a sorting robot, the positioning component includes a shell, the shell is provided with a positioning slot, the positioning slot is located at the discharge end of the flip conveying component, the palletizing component includes an empty box conveying module and a palletizing module, the empty box conveying module and the palletizing module are both located on the side of the positioning component, the discharge end of the empty box conveying module is connected to the feeding end of the palletizing module, the palletizing module is used for palletizing the box body, the sorting robot includes an execution end, the execution end is located above the positioning slot, and the sorting robot is used to drive the execution end to remove unqualified materials and transfer qualified materials to the box body located on the empty box conveying module.

[0009] According to the spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and palletizing system provided by the present invention, the loading unit also includes a second conveyor, and material guiding mechanisms are respectively provided on both sides of the second conveyor. An auxiliary discharging mechanism is provided at the discharging end of the second conveyor, and the auxiliary discharging mechanism includes an auxiliary discharging machine and a returning mechanism.

[0010] One end of the auxiliary discharging machine is connected to the discharging end of one of the material guiding mechanisms, and one end of the return mechanism is connected to the discharging end of the other material guiding mechanism. The auxiliary discharging machine and the return mechanism are both inclined inward to form a discharging port through which a single spherical fruit or vegetable can pass, and the discharging port is connected to the feeding end of the first conveyor.

[0011] The auxiliary discharging machine is used to drive the spherical fruits and vegetables to reach the discharging port, and the returning mechanism is used to drive the spherical fruits and vegetables to move in the reverse direction.

[0012] According to the spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system provided by the present invention, the material guiding mechanism is a first unpowered ball rod guide plate.

[0013] The material return mechanism is a second unpowered ball rod guide plate, or the material return mechanism is a material return conveyor, and the conveying direction of the material return conveyor is opposite to the feeding direction.

[0014] According to the spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system provided by the present invention, the flip conveying assembly includes a fixed seat, a plurality of conveying rollers and a first drive motor, the plurality of conveying rollers are horizontally arranged side by side and rotatably arranged on the fixed seat, and the plurality of conveying rollers are all transmission-connected to the output end of the first drive motor so that the plurality of conveying rollers are driven to rotate in the same direction by the first drive motor.

[0015] According to the spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system provided by the present invention, the flip conveying assembly also includes an arc-shaped material baffle plate and a second drive motor, the bottom of the arc-shaped material baffle plate is rotatably connected to the fixed seat, and the output end of the second drive motor is rotatably connected to the arc-shaped material baffle plate to drive the arc-shaped material baffle plate to switch between vertical and horizontal states, the arc-shaped material baffle plate is located on one side of the conveying roller at the end, and a non-powered ball is provided on the arc-shaped surface of the arc-shaped material baffle plate.

[0016] According to the spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system provided by the present invention, the positioning assembly also includes a posture adjustment mechanism, which is located below the positioning groove and includes a third drive motor, a first driving wheel, a second driving wheel and a driven wheel.

[0017] The first driving wheel, the second driving wheel and the driven wheel are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction and are all rotatably matched with the shell. The first driving wheel, the second driving wheel and the driven wheel are all arranged to be inclined inwardly so as to support the spherical fruits and vegetables through the wheel surfaces of the first driving wheel, the second driving wheel and the driven wheel. The first driving wheel and the second driving wheel are both drivingly connected to the output shaft of the third driving motor so as to adjust the posture of the spherical fruits and vegetables when the first driving wheel, the second driving wheel and the driven wheel rotate.

[0018] According to the spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and palletizing system provided by the present invention, the wheel surface of the first driving wheel is inclined and provided with a first shuttle-shaped ball, the wheel surface of the second driving wheel is inclined and provided with a second shuttle-shaped ball, and the wheel surface of the driven wheel is horizontally provided with a third shuttle-shaped ball, and the inclination direction of the first shuttle-shaped ball is opposite to the inclination direction of the second shuttle-shaped ball.

[0019] The first driving wheel and the second driving wheel have different transmission ratios with the output shaft of the third driving motor to drive the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel to rotate at differential speeds.

[0020] According to the spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and palletizing system provided by the present invention, the empty box conveying module includes a third conveyor, a photoelectric switch and a lifting block. The photoelectric switch is arranged on one side of the discharge end of the third conveyor to detect whether there is a box body at the discharge end of the third conveyor. The lifting block is arranged at the discharge end of the third conveyor to block the box body when rising and release the box body when descending.

[0021] According to the spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system provided by the present invention, the stacking module includes a box lifting mechanism, a stacking platform and a box pushing mechanism.

[0022] The box lifting mechanism includes a lifting platform and a lifting drive assembly. The discharge end of the lifting platform is connected to the feed end of the stacking platform. The output end of the lifting drive assembly is connected to the lifting platform to drive the lifting platform to move vertically.

[0023] The box pushing mechanism includes a horizontal transmission belt, a vertical transmission belt and a pushing member. The horizontal transmission belt is arranged on the lifting platform. The vertical transmission belt is connected to the horizontal transmission belt. The vertical transmission belt can move in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction relative to the horizontal transmission belt. The pushing member is arranged on the vertical transmission belt.

[0024] According to the spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system provided by the present invention, a power roller is provided at the feeding end of the lifting platform, and the conveying speed of the power roller is greater than the conveying speed of the third conveyor.

[0025] The spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system provided by the present invention is provided with a feeding unit, a quality inspection unit and a sorting and packing unit. During operation, the spherical fruit and vegetable can be transported in a single row to the flip conveying component by the first conveyor of the feeding unit. The flip conveying component can flip the spherical fruit and vegetable while transporting it, so that the visual component can collect the appearance image of the spherical fruit and vegetable in all directions and conduct appearance quality evaluation. The materials that fail the appearance quality evaluation are transferred to a set position (such as a conveyor for unqualified products) by the sorting robot of the sorting and packing unit, and the materials that pass the appearance quality evaluation are transferred to the box body located on the empty box conveying module by the sorting robot for packing. When a set amount of spherical fruit and vegetables is placed in the box body, the empty box conveying module can transport the box body to the stacking module for stacking. The spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system provided by the present invention can realize the fully automatic integrated operation of sorting, packing and stacking of spherical fruit and vegetables. The operation process does not require human participation, which greatly reduces the labor cost and improves the operation efficiency and automation.

[0026] Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be given in part in the following description and in part will be obvious from the following description, or will be learned through practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the present invention or the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0028] Figure 1 This is one of the schematic diagrams of the spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 2 This is the second schematic diagram of the spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of a loading unit in a spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of a quality detection unit in a spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of a flipping and conveying assembly of a quality detection unit in a spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 6It is one of the schematic diagrams of the positioning components of the sorting and packing unit in the spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 7 This is the second schematic diagram (hidden shell) of the positioning component of the sorting and packing unit in the spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 8 This is the third schematic diagram of the positioning assembly of the sorting and packing unit in the spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of an empty box conveying module of a palletizing component in a spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and palletizing system provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of a palletizing module of a palletizing component in a spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and palletizing system provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of a box pushing mechanism of a stacking module in a spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Fig.12 The figure is a schematic diagram of the operation of the stacking module in the spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system provided by the embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Reference numerals:

[0041] 10. Loading unit; 110. First conveyor; 120. Second conveyor; 130. Material guiding mechanism; 140. Auxiliary discharging machine; 150. Material returning mechanism.

[0042] 20. Quality inspection unit; 210. Overturning conveying assembly; 211. Fixed seat; 212. Conveying roller; 213. First driving motor; 214. Arc-shaped material blocking plate; 215. Second driving motor; 216. Unpowered ball bearing; 220. Visual assembly; 221. Support frame; 222. Image acquisition device; 223. Fill-light device.

[0043] 30. Sorting and packing unit; 310. Positioning assembly; 311. Housing; 312. First driving wheel; 3121. First shuttle ball; 313. Second driving wheel; 3131. Second shuttle ball; 314. Driven wheel; 3141. Third shuttle ball; 315. First spur gear; 316. Second spur gear; 317. First bevel gear; 318. Third spur gear; 319. Second bevel gear; 320. Fourth spur gear; 321. Third driving motor; 330. Palletizing assembly; 331 , empty box conveying module; 3311, the third conveyor; 3312, photoelectric switch; 3313, lifting block; 332, palletizing module; 3321, palletizing platform; 3322, lifting platform; 3323, lifting drive assembly; 3324, horizontal transmission belt; 3325, vertical transmission belt; 3326, pushing member; 3327, pulley module; 3328, the fourth drive motor; 3329, the fifth drive motor; 3330, power roller; 340, sorting robot; 350, conveyor for defective products.

[0044] 40. Spherical fruits and vegetables; 50. Box. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention clearer, the technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0046] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limitations on the embodiments of the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0047] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connected" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0048] In the embodiments of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the first feature being "above" or "below" the second feature may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "above" and "above" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. The first feature being "below", "below" and "below" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0049] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" etc. means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the embodiment of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples, without contradiction.

[0050] It should be noted that the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 referred to in the present invention specifically refer to fruits and vegetables having a spherical shape, such as tomatoes and apples.

[0051] Combine the following Figures 1 to 12 The present invention describes a spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system.

[0052] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes: a loading unit 10, a quality inspection unit 20 and a sorting and packing unit 30.

[0053] The loading unit 10 includes a first conveyor 110 capable of conveying spherical fruits and vegetables 40 in a single row.

[0054] The quality inspection unit 20 includes a flip conveying component 210 and a visual component 220. The feeding end of the flip conveying component 210 is connected to the discharging end of the first conveyor 110. The flip conveying component 210 is used to flip the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 while conveying them. The visual component 220 is arranged on one side of the flip conveying component 210. The visual component 220 is used to collect appearance images of the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 and perform appearance quality evaluation.

[0055] The sorting and packing unit 30 includes a positioning component 310, a palletizing component 330 and a sorting robot 340. The positioning component 310 includes a shell 311. The shell 311 is provided with a positioning groove. The positioning groove is located at the discharge end of the flip conveying component 210. The palletizing component 330 includes an empty box conveying module 331 and a palletizing module 332. The empty box conveying module 331 and the palletizing module 332 are both located on the side of the positioning component 310. The discharge end of the empty box conveying module 331 is connected to the feed end of the palletizing module 332. The palletizing module 332 is used for palletizing the box body 50. The sorting robot 340 includes an execution end. The execution end is located above the positioning groove. The sorting robot 340 is used to drive the execution end to remove unqualified materials and transfer qualified materials to the box body 50 located on the empty box conveying module 331.

[0056] The spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and palletizing system provided by the present invention is provided with a feeding unit 10, a quality inspection unit 20 and a sorting and packing unit 30. When in operation, the first conveyor 110 of the feeding unit 10 can be used to convey the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 in a single row to the flip conveying component 210. The flip conveying component 210 can flip the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 while transporting them, so that the visual component 220 can collect the appearance images of the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 in all directions and perform appearance quality evaluation. The materials that fail the appearance quality evaluation are transferred to a set position (such as a defective product conveyor 350) by the sorting robot 340 of the sorting and packing unit 30, and the materials that pass the appearance quality evaluation are transferred to the box body 50 located on the empty box conveying module 331 by the sorting robot 340 for boxing processing. After a set amount of spherical fruits and vegetables 40 are placed in the box body 50, the empty box conveying module 331 can convey the box body 50 to the palletizing module 332 for palletizing processing. The spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system provided by the present invention can realize the fully automatic integrated operation of sorting, packing and stacking spherical fruits and vegetables 40, and the operation process does not require human participation, which greatly reduces labor costs and improves operation efficiency and automation.

[0057] Specifically, see Figure 3 As shown, the first conveyor 110 is a conveyor that can convey the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 in a single row, that is, it can convey the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 to the quality inspection unit 20 in a single row, so that the quality inspection unit 20 can perform quality inspection on each spherical fruit and vegetable 40 in turn.

[0058] Preferably, the first conveyor 110 in this embodiment is a double-cone roller conveyor, which includes a plurality of double-cone rollers arranged at equal intervals, and only a single spherical fruit or vegetable 40 can be accommodated between adjacent double-cone rollers, thereby enabling single-row conveyance of the spherical fruit or vegetable 40.

[0059] The flip conveyor assembly 210 is used to roll the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 during the process of conveying them to the positioning assembly 310, so that the visual assembly 220 can collect the appearance images of the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 in all directions and evaluate the appearance quality, which can improve the evaluation accuracy and prevent materials with local appearance damage from entering the packing process. The flip conveyor assembly 210 can be a roller conveyor known in the prior art. When the rollers of the roller conveyor rotate, the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 can be flipped under the friction of the rollers.

[0060] See also Figure 4 As shown, the visual component 220 includes a support frame 221, an image acquisition device 222 and a fill light device 223. The image acquisition device 222 and the fill light device 223 are both arranged on the support frame 221, and the image acquisition device 222 and the fill light device 223 are arranged toward the area where the flip conveying component 210 and the positioning component 310 are located, so as to provide fill light and image acquisition for the area.

[0061] See also Figure 6 As shown, the positioning component 310 includes a shell 311, and a positioning groove that can accommodate the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 is formed on the top of the shell 311. After the flip conveying component 210 conveys the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 into the positioning groove, the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 can maintain a fixed position in the positioning groove, which is convenient for the sorting robot 340 to grab them and transfer them to the set position according to the appearance quality evaluation results of the spherical fruits and vegetables 40.

[0062] When the image acquisition device 222 captures and identifies that the appearance quality assessment results of the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 do not meet the standards, the sorting robot 340 transfers them to the defective product conveyor 350 for centralized processing; when the image acquisition device 222 captures and identifies that the appearance quality assessment results of the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 meet the standards, the sorting robot 340 transfers them to the palletizing component 330 for boxing and palletizing.

[0063] The palletizing assembly 330 includes an empty box conveying module 331 and a palletizing module 332. The empty box conveying module 331 is used to convey the box 50 without spherical fruits and vegetables 40 to the feeding end of the palletizing module 332 for packing and palletizing. The palletizing module 332 is used to palletize the packed boxes 50 for subsequent centralized transportation.

[0064] The empty box conveying module 331 can adopt a belt conveyor and a roller conveyor. In order to ensure the stable transmission of the empty boxes, the empty box conveying module 331 can be equipped with an automatic alignment device and a sorting device to ensure the correct positioning and smooth transportation of the empty boxes. Sensors (such as photoelectric sensors, weight sensors) can also be used to monitor the status of the box body 50 to prevent jamming or excessive accumulation.

[0065] The palletizing module 332 can palletize the packed boxes 50 by means of a mechanical arm, a stacker, a vertical lifting device, etc. The mechanical arm can grab and accurately place the boxes 50 by means of a clamp or a suction cup, and stack them in a predetermined order.

[0066] In some embodiments, an AGV (automatic guided vehicle) may be used to automatically transport the stacked boxes 50 during the stacking process to reduce manual intervention. In order to improve the accuracy of stacking, the stacking module 332 may also be equipped with a visual recognition system to monitor the status and position of the boxes 50 through a camera to ensure the accuracy of stacking. In addition, pneumatic or mechanical push rods may also be used to accurately adjust the position of the boxes 50 to avoid deviations during the stacking process.

[0067] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the sorting robot 340 can use a robotic arm known in the prior art (such as a six-axis robotic arm, a parallel robot, etc.), combined with the visual component 220 to perform real-time data acquisition and processing, and the sorting robot 340 takes different actions according to the quality evaluation result of the image acquisition device 222.

[0068] Preferably, the sorting robot 340 in this embodiment is a parallel robot, and the execution end of the parallel robot can be provided with a suction cup (for spherical fruits and vegetables 40 with smooth surfaces), a clamp (for spherical fruits and vegetables 40 with non-smooth surfaces), etc. to transfer the spherical fruits and vegetables 40. The parallel robot has good dynamic performance, and its execution end has high acceleration and fast response speed, and can quickly grasp, transfer and operate at a high frequency, and is suitable for the sorting operation of spherical fruits and vegetables 40.

[0069] See also Figures 1 to 3 As shown, according to some embodiments of the present invention, the loading unit 10 also includes a second conveyor 120, and material guiding mechanisms 130 are respectively provided on both sides of the second conveyor 120, and an auxiliary discharging mechanism is provided at the discharging end of the second conveyor 120, and the auxiliary discharging mechanism includes an auxiliary discharging machine 140 and a return mechanism 150.

[0070] One end of the auxiliary discharging machine 140 is connected to the discharging end of one of the material guiding mechanisms 130, and one end of the returning mechanism 150 is connected to the discharging end of the other material guiding mechanism 130. The auxiliary discharging machine 140 and the returning mechanism 150 are both tilted inward to form a discharging port for a single spherical fruit or vegetable 40 to pass through, and the discharging port is connected to the feeding end of the first conveyor 110.

[0071] The auxiliary discharging machine 140 is used to drive the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 to reach the discharging port, and the returning mechanism 150 is used to drive the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 to move in the reverse direction.

[0072] By providing the second conveyor 120, batches of spherical fruits and vegetables 40 can be transported to the feeding end of the first conveyor 110 in the form of individual fruits and vegetables. The discharging end of the second conveyor 120 is provided with an auxiliary discharging mechanism, and the auxiliary discharging machine 140 and the return mechanism 150 of the auxiliary discharging mechanism can discharge the auxiliary spherical fruits and vegetables 40, so that the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 are transported to the first conveyor 110 in the form of individual fruits and vegetables to realize single-row transportation. The auxiliary discharging machine 140 is used to drive the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 to reach the discharging port, and the return mechanism 150 is used to drive the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 to move in the reverse direction.

[0073] Specifically, the auxiliary discharging machine 140 is vertically arranged on one side of the discharging end of the second conveyor 120, and its conveying direction is consistent with that of the second conveyor 120 (both convey toward the first conveyor 110). When the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 arrive near the discharging port and contact the conveying surface of the auxiliary discharging machine 140, they can move toward the discharging port under the auxiliary driving action of the auxiliary discharging machine 140, which is conducive to conveying the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 from the discharging port to the first conveyor 110.

[0074] The return mechanism 150 is used to drive the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 to move in reverse. When a large number of spherical fruits and vegetables 40 gather near the discharge port, the return mechanism 150 can drive some of the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 to move in reverse to prevent the discharge port from being blocked.

[0075] It should be noted that the above-mentioned “reverse movement” specifically refers to movement in a direction away from the discharge port.

[0076] See also Figure 3 As shown, according to some embodiments of the present invention, the material guiding mechanism 130 is a first unpowered ball rod guide plate, and the material returning mechanism 150 is a second unpowered ball rod guide plate.

[0077] By setting the material guide mechanism 130 as the first unpowered ball bar guide plate, firstly, it can block the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 to prevent them from falling, and secondly, when the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 contact the first unpowered ball bar guide plate, the ball bar can rotate adaptively, thereby preventing damage to the spherical fruits and vegetables 40. By setting the material return mechanism 150 as the second unpowered ball bar guide plate, when the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 gathered near the discharge port contact the second unpowered ball bar guide plate, the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 can be driven to move in a direction away from the discharge port under the extrusion effect, thereby preventing blockage at the discharge port.

[0078] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the return mechanism 150 may also be a return conveyor, and the conveying direction of the return conveyor is opposite to the feeding direction.

[0079] By setting the return mechanism 150 as a return conveyor whose conveying direction is opposite to the feeding direction, when the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 gathered near the discharge port contact the conveying surface of the return conveyor, the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 can be driven to move in a direction away from the discharge port, thereby preventing blockage at the discharge port.

[0080] Specifically, the return conveyor is vertically disposed on one side of the discharge end of the second conveyor 120 , and its conveying direction is opposite to that of the second conveyor 120 (conveying in a direction away from the first conveyor 110 ).

[0081] See also Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, according to some embodiments of the present invention, the flip conveying assembly 210 includes a fixed seat 211, a plurality of conveying rollers 212 and a first drive motor 213. The plurality of conveying rollers 212 are horizontally arranged side by side and rotatably arranged on the fixed seat 211. The plurality of conveying rollers 212 are all transmission-connected to the output ends of the first drive motor 213 so as to drive the plurality of conveying rollers 212 to rotate in the same direction through the first drive motor 213.

[0082] When the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 reach the flipping conveying assembly 210, the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 can be driven to flip while being conveyed toward the positioning assembly 310 under the rotation of the multiple conveying rollers 212, so that the visual assembly 220 can perform a full-scale inspection of their appearance images. In addition, the first drive motor 213 can simultaneously drive all the conveying rollers 212 to rotate in the same direction, thereby achieving accurate material transportation and flipping. The motor control system can adjust the speed, rotation direction, and rotation stability according to actual needs to ensure that the fruits and vegetables will not have position deviation or damage during the inspection process.

[0083] Specifically, in this embodiment, a belt transmission is adopted between the output shaft of the first drive motor 213 and each conveying roller 212. A pulley is provided on the output shaft of the first drive motor 213, and a groove for winding a belt is provided at one end of each conveying roller 212. By adjusting the winding method of the belt, when the output shaft of the first drive motor 213 rotates, each conveying roller 212 can be driven to rotate in the same direction.

[0084] Furthermore, a tensioning wheel may be provided on one side of the fixing seat 211 to tension the belt, thereby improving the stability of the belt transmission mechanism during operation.

[0085] See also Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, according to some embodiments of the present invention, the flip conveying assembly 210 also includes an arc-shaped material baffle plate 214 and a second drive motor 215, the bottom of the arc-shaped material baffle plate 214 is rotatably connected to the fixed seat 211, and the output end of the second drive motor 215 is rotatably connected to the arc-shaped material baffle plate 214 to drive the arc-shaped material baffle plate 214 to switch between vertical and horizontal states, and the arc-shaped material baffle plate 214 is located on one side of the conveying roller 212 at the end, and a non-powered ball 216 is provided on the arc-shaped surface of the arc-shaped material baffle plate 214.

[0086] By setting the arc-shaped baffle plate 214, when there are spherical fruits and vegetables 40 in the positioning groove, the arc-shaped baffle plate 214 is in a vertical state, which can block the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 and wait for the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 in the positioning groove to be sorted. After the current type of spherical fruits and vegetables 40 are transferred by the sorting robot 340, the arc-shaped baffle plate 214 can be switched to a horizontal state through the second drive motor 215, so that the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 enter the positioning groove and wait for sorting. It should be noted that in order to reduce the start and stop frequency of the first drive motor 213, when the arc-shaped baffle plate 214 is in a vertical state, since each conveying roller 212 is always in a rotating state, the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 will roll in place, and the unpowered balls 216 set on the arc surface of the arc-shaped baffle plate 214 can rotate adaptively without causing damage to the surface of the spherical fruits and vegetables 40.

[0087] In addition, when the arc-shaped baffle plate 214 is switched to a horizontal state, the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 can continue to move along the unpowered balls 216 under the action of inertia and reach the positioning groove, without the need for an additional conveying mechanism.

[0088] See also Figures 6 to 8 As shown, according to some embodiments of the present invention, the positioning assembly 310 also includes a posture adjustment mechanism, which is located below the positioning slot and includes a third drive motor 321 , a first driving wheel 312 , a second driving wheel 313 and a driven wheel 314 .

[0089] The first driving wheel 312, the second driving wheel 313 and the driven wheel 314 are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction and are all rotatably matched with the shell 311. The first driving wheel 312, the second driving wheel 313 and the driven wheel 314 are all arranged to be inclined inwardly so as to support the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 through the wheel surfaces of the first driving wheel 312, the second driving wheel 313 and the driven wheel 314. The first driving wheel 312 and the second driving wheel 313 are both drivingly connected to the output shaft of the third driving motor 321 so as to adjust the posture of the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 when the first driving wheel 312, the second driving wheel 313 and the driven wheel 314 rotate.

[0090] By providing a posture adjustment mechanism, the placement posture of the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 in the positioning groove can be adjusted to facilitate subsequent sorting operations.

[0091] Specifically, when the visual component 220 detects that the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 in the positioning groove are not in the set posture (taking tomatoes as an example, the set posture is that the tomato stem faces upward), the posture adjustment mechanism is activated to adjust the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 to the set posture, so as to facilitate the subsequent sorting operation. When the output shaft of the third drive motor 321 rotates, it can drive the first driving wheel 312 and the second driving wheel 313 to rotate. When the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 fall into the positioning groove, the wheel surfaces of the first driving wheel 312, the second driving wheel 313 and the driven wheel 314 can support them. At the same time, under the rotation of the first driving wheel 312 and the second driving wheel 313, the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 are driven to rotate and adjust their posture. When the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 are adjusted to the set posture, the output shaft of the third drive motor 321 stops rotating, and the sorting robot 340 can sort the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 after the posture adjustment is completed.

[0092] Preferably, the first drive motor 213 , the second drive motor 215 and the third drive motor 321 are all stepper motors.

[0093] See also Figures 6 to 8 As shown, according to some embodiments of the present invention, the wheel surface of the first driving wheel 312 is inclined and provided with a first shuttle ball 3121, the wheel surface of the second driving wheel 313 is inclined and provided with a second shuttle ball 3131, and the wheel surface of the driven wheel 314 is horizontally provided with a third shuttle ball 3141, and the inclination direction of the first shuttle ball 3121 is opposite to the inclination direction of the second shuttle ball 3131; the first driving wheel 312 and the second driving wheel 313 have different transmission ratios with the output shaft of the third driving motor 321 to drive the first driving wheel 312 and the second driving wheel 313 to rotate differentially.

[0094] When the first driving wheel 312 and the second driving wheel 313 rotate, the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 can rotate by rubbing against the driven wheel 314. By respectively arranging the first shuttle ball 3121 and the second shuttle ball 3131 with opposite inclination directions on the wheel surfaces of the first driving wheel 312 and the second driving wheel 313, and horizontally arranging the third shuttle ball 3141 on the wheel surface of the driven wheel 314, and configuring different transmission ratios between the first driving wheel 312 and the second driving wheel 313 and the output shaft of the third driving motor 321, the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 can rotate randomly. When rotating to a set posture, the image acquisition device 222 in the visual component 220 can immediately send a signal to control the output shaft of the third driving motor 321 to stop rotating, so that the first driving wheel 312 and the second driving wheel 313 stop rotating, so that the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 are kept in the current posture, which is convenient for subsequent sorting operations.

[0095] Specifically, see Figure 7 As shown, the output shaft of the third driving motor 321 is provided with a first spur gear 315, the outer side of the first spur gear 315 is provided with a second spur gear 316 meshing with the first spur gear 315, and the first bevel gear 317 rotating synchronously with the second spur gear 316, the inner side of the first bevel gear 317 is provided with a third spur gear 318 meshing with the first bevel gear 317, and the first driving wheel 312 rotates synchronously with the third spur gear 318. The output shaft of the motor is also provided with a second bevel gear 319, the outer side of the second bevel gear 319 is provided with a fourth spur gear 320, and the second driving wheel 313 rotates synchronously with the fourth spur gear 320. Through the above transmission structure, it is possible to achieve a single motor driving the first driving wheel 312 and the second driving wheel 313 to rotate, the structure is compact, the transmission is stable, and by controlling the number of teeth of each gear, the first driving wheel 312 and the second driving wheel 313 can be configured with different transmission ratios with the output shaft of the third driving motor 321, so as to achieve differential rotation of the first driving wheel 312 and the second driving wheel 313.

[0096] See also Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Fig. 9 As shown, according to some embodiments of the present invention, the empty box conveying module 331 includes a third conveyor 3311, a photoelectric switch 3312 and a lifting block 3313. The photoelectric switch 3312 is arranged on one side of the discharge end of the third conveyor 3311 to detect whether there is a box 50 at the discharge end of the third conveyor 3311. The lifting block 3313 is arranged at the discharge end of the third conveyor 3311 to block the box 50 when it is raised and release the box 50 when it is lowered.

[0097] During the process of feeding, conveying, quality inspection and positioning of the spherical fruits and vegetables 40, the third conveyor 3311 will also synchronously transport the empty boxes forward. When the photoelectric switch 3312 detects the existence of an empty box, the lifting block 3313 rises to block it. The area where the empty box is located is the packing area. At this time, the sorting robot 340 can place the spherical fruits and vegetables 40 that have passed the appearance quality assessment in different fruit nests in the box 50 in sequence. After the box 50 is filled, the lifting block 3313 descends to release the box 50 and enters the subsequent palletizing module 332 for palletizing.

[0098] Specifically, in order to reduce the start and stop frequency of the third conveyor 3311, when the lifting block 3313 is in the raised state, the third conveyor 3311 is still in the running state. Therefore, in order to reduce the friction between the bottom of the box body 50 and the third conveyor belt, the third conveyor 3311 preferably adopts a plate chain conveyor with a smooth conveyor belt surface.

[0099] See also Figures 10 to 12 As shown, according to some embodiments of the present invention, the stacking module 332 includes a box lifting mechanism, a stacking platform 3321 and a box pushing mechanism; the box lifting mechanism includes a lifting platform 3322 and a lifting drive assembly 3323, the discharge end of the lifting platform 3322 is connected to the feed end of the stacking platform 3321, and the output end of the lifting drive assembly 3323 is connected to the lifting platform 3322 to drive the lifting platform 3322 to move vertically; the box pushing mechanism includes a horizontal transmission belt 3324, a vertical transmission belt 3325 and a pushing member 3326, the horizontal transmission belt 3324 is arranged on the lifting platform 3322, the vertical transmission belt 3325 is connected to the horizontal transmission belt 3324, the vertical transmission belt 3325 can move in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction relative to the horizontal transmission belt 3324, and the pushing member 3326 is arranged on the vertical transmission belt 3325.

[0100] When the loaded box 50 reaches the box lifting mechanism, the lifting drive assembly 3323 adjusts the height of the lifting platform 3322 according to the current stacking height of the box 50. When the height adjustment is completed, the vertical transmission belt 3325 on the box pushing mechanism moves vertically relative to the horizontal transmission belt 3324, and the pushing member 3326 is adjusted to a position facing the side wall of the box 50. Then, the vertical transmission belt 3325 is driven to move along the length direction of the horizontal transmission belt 3324, and the box 50 is pushed onto the stacking platform 3321 by using the pushing member 3326.

[0101] See also Fig.12As shown, it should be noted that the lifting drive component 3323 can adjust the height of the lifting platform 3322 according to the number of boxes 50 stacked on the stacking platform 3321 to achieve accurate stacking of the boxes 50. For example, when there are no boxes 50 on the stacking platform 3321, the lifting drive component 3323 adjusts the lifting platform 3322 to the initial height. When a number of boxes 50 have been stacked on the stacking platform 3321, the lifting drive component 3323 can adjust the height of the lifting platform 3322 according to the number of stacked boxes 50, and after the boxes 50 on the lifting platform 3322 are lifted to the set height, the boxes 50 are pushed to the top of the stacked boxes 50 through the box pushing mechanism to achieve accurate stacking.

[0102] Specifically, the horizontal transmission belt 3324 is fixed to the lifting platform 3322, and the vertical transmission belt 3325 is connected to the horizontal transmission belt 3324 through the pulley module 3327. The vertical transmission belt 3325 can move in the horizontal and vertical directions relative to the horizontal transmission belt 3324 through the pulley module 3327. The horizontal transmission belt 3324 is driven by the fourth driving motor 3328, and the vertical transmission belt 3325 is driven by the fifth driving motor 3329.

[0103] Preferably, the fourth drive motor 3328 and the fifth drive motor 3329 are both brake motors, which can accurately fix the vertical transmission belt 3325 at a set position.

[0104] See also Fig.10 As shown, according to some embodiments of the present invention, a power roller 3330 is provided at the feeding end of the lifting platform 3322 , and the conveying speed of the power roller 3330 is greater than the conveying speed of the third conveyor 3311 .

[0105] By setting a powered roller 3330 at the feeding end of the lifting platform 3322, when the box 50 filled with spherical fruits and vegetables 40 reaches the feeding end of the lifting platform 3322, it can be driven by the powered roller 3330 to move to the end of the lifting platform 3322. At this time, the second empty box reaches the photoelectric switch 3312 and is detected by the photoelectric switch 3312. The lifting block 3313 immediately rises to block the empty box so that it cannot move forward. The sorting robot 340 starts to pack the boxes, and the operation is repeated.

[0106] In addition, since the conveying speed of the power roller 3330 is greater than the conveying speed of the third conveyor 3311, during the movement of the first box 50 filled with spherical fruits and vegetables 40 and the adjacent second empty box, a distance will be pulled between the two boxes 50, so that the photoelectric switch 3312 can successfully detect the arrival of the next empty box and communicate with the lifting block 3313 to limit the position, thereby realizing repeated and orderly packing operations.

[0107] From the description of the above embodiments, it can be seen that the spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and palletizing system provided by the present invention, when the system is started, all tasks such as the conveying of spherical fruits and vegetables 40, quality inspection, removal of unqualified products, positioning of qualified products, empty box conveying, robot packing of qualified products, and palletizing of full boxes of spherical fruits and vegetables 40 can be coordinated and carried out in an orderly manner, thereby achieving fully automatic integrated operations of sorting, packing and palletizing of spherical fruits and vegetables 40, and the operation process does not require human participation, which greatly reduces labor costs and improves operation efficiency and automation.

[0108] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit it. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. However, these modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system, characterized in that: include: A loading unit, the loading unit comprising a first conveyor capable of conveying spherical fruits and vegetables in a single row; A quality inspection unit, the quality inspection unit comprising a flip conveying component and a visual component, the feeding end of the flip conveying component is connected to the discharging end of the first conveyor, the flip conveying component is used to flip the spherical fruits and vegetables while conveying them, the visual component is arranged on one side of the flip conveying component, and the visual component is used to collect appearance images of the spherical fruits and vegetables and perform appearance quality evaluation; A sorting and packing unit, the sorting and packing unit comprises a positioning component, a palletizing component and a sorting robot, the positioning component comprises a shell, a positioning slot is provided on the shell, the positioning slot is located at the discharge end of the flip conveying component, the palletizing component comprises an empty box conveying module and a palletizing module, the empty box conveying module and the palletizing module are both located at the side of the positioning component, the discharge end of the empty box conveying module is connected to the feed end of the palletizing module, the palletizing module is used to palletize the box body, the sorting robot comprises an execution end, the execution end is located above the positioning slot, the sorting robot is used to drive the execution end to remove unqualified materials and transfer qualified materials to the box body located on the empty box conveying module; The overturning conveying assembly includes a fixed seat, a plurality of conveying rollers and a first driving motor. The plurality of conveying rollers are horizontally arranged side by side and rotatably arranged on the fixed seat. The plurality of conveying rollers are all drivingly connected to the output end of the first driving motor so as to drive the plurality of conveying rollers to rotate in the same direction through the first driving motor. The flip conveying assembly also includes an arc-shaped baffle plate and a second driving motor, the bottom of the arc-shaped baffle plate is rotatably connected to the fixed seat, the output end of the second driving motor is rotatably connected to the arc-shaped baffle plate to drive the arc-shaped baffle plate to switch between a vertical state and a horizontal state, the arc-shaped baffle plate is located on one side of the conveying roller at the end, and a non-powered ball is provided on the arc surface of the arc-shaped baffle plate; The positioning assembly further includes a posture adjustment mechanism, which is located below the positioning slot and includes a third driving motor, a first driving wheel, a second driving wheel and a driven wheel; The first driving wheel, the second driving wheel and the driven wheel are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction and are all rotatably matched with the housing. The first driving wheel, the second driving wheel and the driven wheel are all arranged to be inclined inwardly so as to support the spherical fruits and vegetables through the wheel surfaces of the first driving wheel, the second driving wheel and the driven wheel. The first driving wheel and the second driving wheel are both drivingly connected to the output shaft of the third driving motor so as to adjust the posture of the spherical fruits and vegetables when the first driving wheel, the second driving wheel and the driven wheel rotate; The wheel surface of the first driving wheel is inclined with a first shuttle ball, the wheel surface of the second driving wheel is inclined with a second shuttle ball, and the wheel surface of the driven wheel is horizontally provided with a third shuttle ball, and the inclination direction of the first shuttle ball is opposite to the inclination direction of the second shuttle ball; The first driving wheel and the second driving wheel have different transmission ratios with the output shaft of the third driving motor to drive the first driving wheel and the second driving wheel to rotate at differential speeds.

2. The spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The loading unit further comprises a second conveyor, and material guide mechanisms are respectively arranged on both sides of the second conveyor, and an auxiliary material discharging mechanism is arranged at the discharging end of the second conveyor, and the auxiliary material discharging mechanism comprises an auxiliary material discharging machine and a material returning mechanism; One end of the auxiliary discharging machine is connected to the discharging end of one of the guide mechanisms, and one end of the return mechanism is connected to the discharging end of the other guide mechanism. The auxiliary discharging machine and the return mechanism are both inclined inward to form a discharging port through which a single spherical fruit or vegetable can pass, and the discharging port is connected to the feeding end of the first conveyor; The auxiliary discharging machine is used to drive the spherical fruits and vegetables to reach the discharging port, and the returning mechanism is used to drive the spherical fruits and vegetables to move in the reverse direction.

3. The spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The material guiding mechanism is a first unpowered ball rod guide plate; The material return mechanism is a second unpowered ball rod guide plate, or the material return mechanism is a material return conveyor, and the conveying direction of the material return conveyor is opposite to the feeding direction.

4. The spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The empty box conveying module includes a third conveyor, a photoelectric switch and a lifting block. The photoelectric switch is arranged on one side of the discharge end of the third conveyor to detect whether there is a box at the discharge end of the third conveyor. The lifting block is arranged at the discharge end of the third conveyor to block the box when it is raised and release the box when it is lowered.

5. The spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The palletizing module includes a box lifting mechanism, a palletizing platform and a box pushing mechanism; The box lifting mechanism includes a lifting platform and a lifting drive assembly, the discharge end of the lifting platform is connected to the feed end of the stacking platform, and the output end of the lifting drive assembly is connected to the lifting platform to drive the lifting platform to move vertically; The box pushing mechanism includes a horizontal transmission belt, a vertical transmission belt and a pushing member. The horizontal transmission belt is arranged on the lifting platform. The vertical transmission belt is connected to the horizontal transmission belt. The vertical transmission belt can move in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction relative to the horizontal transmission belt. The pushing member is arranged on the vertical transmission belt.

6. The spherical fruit and vegetable sorting and stacking system according to claim 5, characterized in that: A power roller is provided at the feeding end of the lifting platform, and the conveying speed of the power roller is greater than the conveying speed of the third conveyor.

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